The Urchin and The Diva

Chapter 5: Apologies and introduction

"I can't believe her" Jack growled angrily, as he stomped his way through the woods; brushing past thick branches as he forcefully shoved obstacles out of his path. Staring at a tree trunk, he narrowed his eyes furiously at the trunk. Closing his knuckles, he punched at the trunk hard in a fit of anger, caring not that it brought a stinging pain to them. Turning away, he thought about the injustice of Rarity. He had done a good thing! He had saved her sisters life, and she wasn't even grateful for that!

What, did he have to bend over and kiss her hooves? Pfft, he'd rather eat his own briefs. She had been completely ungrateful, not caring he had saved her sis; all Rarity cared about was that stupid prince outfit she made for him!

"It's abit chilly" he realized as he started to hug his arms. Maybe ripping his shirt off hadn't been the smartest thing he had ever done. Then again, he was angry and wanted to hurt her since she had hurt him…calling him a hooligan and then…then..

Not realizing where he was going, he paused as he stood still in a small clearing. What if she was right? What if he really was…? As he thought this, he failed to notice that a tiny bit of grey energy had started to encompass his boots. But it disappeared just as fast as it had appeared as he thought "No! She's wrong! Rarity doesn't know a damn thing about me"!

Feeling confident again, he went to continue when he heard a rustling behind him. Whirling around, his fist up; he paused as a tiny deer fawn stepped into the clearing, looking at him curiously. Surprised by the fawn's appearance, he noticed the tiny antler stubs on its head as he thought "I didn't figure they had deer here either". He didn't want to deal with this, so he stubbornly grunted "Go on! Get"!

Turning, he continued to walk. He didn't know where he was going, but it was far away from Ponyville! That was good enough for him! As long as he didn't see that stuck up, pampered, annoying, diva unicorn again; he was happy. Looking back, he could see the fawn still following. Ignoring it, he walked..and walked…walked…IT WOUDNT GO AWAY!

"Can't you take a hint? Get lost" Jack demanded, whirling around to face the fawn. Jack hesitated as he saw the fawn lower its head saddened. "What am I doing? I'm taking my anger out on the little guy" Jack thought, scolding himself lightly. Rolling his eyes, he walked up to the fawn as he kneeled down to its level. "Hey, I'm sorry alright. I'm just a little stressed at the moment..." he apologized to the little guy.

That was good enough for it, as the fawn leaned forward and gave Jack's cheek a lick. "Heeey, I'm not a salt cube" Jack staggered back, not able to hold back a laugh from the friendly creature. Reaching over, he gave it a pet. "Friendly huh" he asked lightly. From first impression, one would not think that Jack was an animal lover, but that was kinda the opposite since when he was a kid he liked to hang out around animals. Why didn't he consider the ponies animals? Well, they were but…they could talk; so they don't count!

He was surprised as the fawn then started poke him, as he rushed past Jack and started beckoning for him to follow. Looking around, Jack shrugged "Alright, why not? I really don't have anywhere to go so lead the way little guy".

"Rarity? Wh..What's up" Twilight asked, surprised to see an enraged Unicorn on her door step. She had just finished talking with Applejack who wanted to surprise Jack, by having him speak and introduce himself to the town; and Twilight had taken the liberty of writing him some notes so he wouldn't feel so self-conscious. Just as she was about to go and seek out Jack, Rarity came stomping in.

"Ugg! The nerve of that boy! I go to all that trouble, and what does he do" Rarity complained as she shook angrily. Jack had completely ruined a good vision she had of him as a prince, sweeping her off her hooves and dancing at the Galloping Gala. That had been replaced as she didn't see a handsome, heroic prince. She saw a punk!

"Calm down Rarity" Twilight urged as she attempted to calm her friend. Obviously something had gone wrong with Jack, and she wanted to know what it was. Using her magic to pour some tea for Rarity, she smiled "Start over and tell me what happened".

Sighing, Rarity took a gentle sip as she sat down on the chair. "Well, I noticed Jack's raggy looking clothes, and I wanted to do a nice thing and make them into something better. So, I broke them down and recreated them into something much nobler. I thought he looked great in it! Yet when I went to go see him later, it was anything but noble looking. In a few short hours, Jack had trashed the outfit I had gone through a lot of trouble to make for him".

"Well that doesn't sound very nice" Twilight mused, as she drunk.

"All I wanted from him in return for what I did was to show a little consideration towards how I felt. I did what I did just to make him happy, and he stepped over my feelings" Rarity sighed, as her anger deflated; replaced by sorrow.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she thought over what Rarity was saying. From the impression Jack gave, maybe he didn't like what Rarity had done? Like he didn't like to be surprised and put into something that he wasn't conferrable wearing. "Oh, that means Im no better since we set up everything with the mayor for him to introduce himself" Twilight thought guilty as she then thought determined "After this, I'll tell him and won't lie".

"Well, did you ask him what he would like to wear, or consider how he felt" Twilight asked carefully, getting a confused look from Rarity.

"Ahh, who lives here" Jack asked as the fawn had led him to a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere, and it was completely surrounded by animals of all kind. Immediately, they rushed up to him; some staring at him curiously, others climbing onto his shoulders. Not used to this, entire he smiled weakly "Ahh, a little personal space guys"?

When he didn't receive an answer, he thought "Well that's good. Talking ponies is one thing; if all animals are capable of speech then I really would need to watch what I say". The animals beckoned him to the door as the fawn from before gave him a gentle nudge, indicting for him to knock on the door. Knocking slowly, he was surprised to see Fluttershy answer the door.

Fluttershy stared back with a mixed expression of shock and amusement at all the animals scurrying around him. "Heh heh, I never took you for an animal person Jack" she smiled warmly to him, not noticing his blush from the compliment.

"Theirs alotta things you don't know about me" he shrugged indifferently. Lowering his head, he sighed as he said "I don't know you that well, but can I talk to you about something…". Looking away, he blushed "There was an….incident with Rarity. We had a fight".

Fluttershy gaped as she said "Oh you poor dear! Come inside, and tell me the whole thing" As she did so, she looked at the fawn as she smiled "It's alright Kira, come on in too". Kira the fawn smiled, as she frolicked inside as she went next to Jack as she rubbed the side of her cheek against his leg. "It seems she likes you" giggled Fluttershy.

"Ahh, I guess" Jack blushed as he sighed "I had just finished doing some work for Applejack, and I saved Sweetie Belle from getting hurt when they had attempted to earn their cutie mark". Seeing the look of horror on Flutter's face, Jack urged "It's alright; she's safe". Sitting back as he started to pet Kiras head, he said "Rarity came, and didn't even give me a chance to tell her as she started screaming at me! Accusing me of ruining her clothes she had made for me, and got all pissy".

Starting to get angry, he clenched his fist as he grunted "I then ripped off what was left of the shirt, and stormed off angrily. She was trying to change me into something I'm not"!

Fluttershy blinked. She was about to ask if Jack had been abit harsh when that comment came up. "What do you mean? Change you into.."

"When I put that outfit on, I felt like she was expecting me to act differently, to talk differently to do..everything differently just to suit her wants. I felt like she was using me, and I do not like to be used" Jack admitted as he looked up at Fluttershy. "She had no right to go and change my clothes into something that suited her" he sternly pointed out

"I am not a rich boy, so I don't know how to act like one, and I'm not a prince! I'm far from it" Jack snorted, as he looked down at his feet. "She didn't even ask how I felt about it, just through it on saying "You're gonna be like this".

Fluttershy took all this in. Jack had apparently thought Rarity was using him to please a vision or dream she had, and that wasn't fair to him. It also wasn't fair to him to go and do something without asking his permission. Even if Rarity had done wrong, so did Jack. Destroying something she had worked hard on for him wasn't a very nice thing to do.

"Whilst it umm, wasn't nice of Rarity to go and change your clothes, it wasn't nice of you to destroy hers" Fluttershy softly explained.

"Say what? I was just showing her how I felt! She went and.." he started but was interrupted.

"Did you consider how she would feel? You did both good and bad, saving Sweetie Belle yes. She did wrong yes, but so did you by ruining something she put a lot of care into. I know Rarity, and she musta put a lot of work into that outfit for you. You could have told her the truth about it, and I'm sure she would have changed it back" Fluttershy explained.

"No, I was just…I mean" Jack shuddered, trying to think of a returning argument to defend himself. Yet, nothing came to mind. What was wrong with him? Why he was now starting to feel guilty? Looking at his feet uncomfortable, he said "Well, maybe I umm..lost my temper and should have..controlled it better". Kira stared sadly, not wanting to see Jack sad as she laid her head in his lap.

Fluttershy smiled at the cute scene, as she explained "Rarity seems to care an awful lot about you, since you saved her and she was just showing her friendship and appreciation by making that outfit for you. Perhaps she had gone abit over the top, and should have asked you what you wanted; but it's really the thought that counts since she really wanted to make you happy".

"She's right...you didn't show any real appreciation. Perhaps being honest with her upfront would have prevented all this. It might have hurt her, but at least she would have known. And…ripping it up wasn't the umm...nicest thing to do" he lectured himself, the guilt having gotten to him. "I…I don't know what to do" he admitted to Fluttershy.

"Perhaps apologize and tell her how you really felt" Fluttershy offered, liking the hopefully expression on Jack's face. Watching him pet Kira as he got up, he approached her shyly as he fidgeted in front of her.

"Ahh, well…thank you for listening Fluttershy, you're an umm…uhh" he said, trying to find the right words. He gasped in shock as he was pulled into a hug by the Pegasus as she hugged him against him with her hooves and wings.

"You're welcome Jack" Fluttershy softly grinned as she released him, watching him head towards the door.

"But I was just trying to do a nice thing for him! Honestly, I didn't know that he didn't like it cause…I didn't ask him" Rarity realized as she suddenly remembered the uncomfortable look on his face, observing what he was wearing with a mixture of contempt and disgust.

Noticing her friends distraught look, Twilight asked "He wasn't happy with it was he"?

"No...he wasn't and I either didn't notice or…didn't care because I was too caught up in what I wanted or what I was thinking of" Rarity admitted to Twilight. Rarity had wanted something simple: A handsome knight in shining armor to come to be with her, and then Jack appeared out of nowhere. So, she thought to dress him in what she thought was suitable, not even considering if he would be upset by the notion.

Twilight trotted up to her friend, as she sympathetically remarked "Maybe Jack grew up in an environment where he developed distaste for what you like Rarity. I have to give him credit since from how he acts, he was raised somewhere rough but hasn't let that completely rule his life, nor what he has experienced. That's a good trait to have, and…what if he felt you were trying to change him"?

Rarity gasped as she immediately protested "I wasn't trying too…too." Did she attempt to change Jack? She had wanted her knight, her prince and was expect…Oh dear; she had been trying to change him! That wasn't right! What if some pony tried to force her into acting or looking different then she was already?

"Rarity" Twilight asked, seeing she was looking down at her hooves. She appeared to be deep in thought, as Rarity looked up determined. "I need to apologize to Jack. I went and did something like this, and I didn't even thank him for saving my little sister". Trotting past Twilight, she smiled at the unicorn. "Thank you twilight" she smiled thankfully.

Twilight smiled back in return to the unicorn, glad she was no longer upset and going to make things right with Jack. Hopefully he would do the same with Rarity. "Anytime Rarity" she nodded. Watching as Rarity turned and left, Twilight wondered to herself "Hmm, I wonder where Jack is anyway"?

"When I see her, I'll tell her that I'm sorry and we'll work through this" Jack said determinedly as he walked through the town square. He had been walking all over looking for Rarity, and was abit lost. Kira had led him back through the woods towards Ponyville, so now he was searching for Rarity. Whilst he was determined to make this right, he was also nervous as hell since he was now solo without any of his friends here to help him out.

"Darn it, where's her house again" Jack grumbled to himself as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. As he was about to go and look again, he gasped as the world went black as some ponies hooves covered his eyes from behind. "Guess whoooooo" a cocky voice called out. Recognizing it, he smirked "Is it the pony who I owned last time"?

"Hey, you didn't own me" Rainbow Dash smirked, letting go and giving him a playful poke. Seeing his face, she asked "What's with the look? What are you doing"?

"I'm looking for Rarity, I need to..." he started to say but was cut off by Dash placing a hoof over his mouth, stopping his next word.

"Heard what happened, you're looking to apologize to her, she's over their" Dash pointed out. She pointed to the unicorn who was sitting on a bench, looking around for Jack. As Dash watched Jack go, she smirked as she beckoned to the other's as they emerged from out of hiding so they could get a better look and watch the two.

Jack blushed as he looked at the elegant unicorn, as his prideful side was attempting to make him pull out of doing this. Jack Conner apologized to no o.. "Oh shut it" he told himself, knowing that sure as hell wasn't true and that was merely his pig headed pride attempting to speak for him. Why was he getting so nervous all of a sudden? As he stepped in front of Rarity, he noted her shyness. "Err, hey" he spoke awkwardly to her.

"He..Hey" Rarity responded back. The others had said Jack was around in this area, and to wait at that spot. But how would they know he would be their? She was about to come to a conclusion when Jack showed up. "Ahh, sooo umm" Rarity blushed, as she tried to apologize to Jack. Usually in something like this, she would let the other apologize. Not this time, she was going too!

"Look, I'm just gonna get this off of my chest alright" Jack sighed as he sat down next to her. Looking at her, he said "I'm sorry I ripped up your outfit. You worked really hard on this to...make me happy, and I didn't show appreciation for that and...I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings". Inhaling, he thought "Finally got that outta the way".

Rarity then blurted out "I should have asked you before changing your clothes like that, and I didn't even thank you for saving Sweetie Belle, so...Im sorry I didn't consider how you felt".

Staring at his feet, he attempted to chuckle as he remarked "Heh, I guess we both mucked up didn't we"? Now looking into her eyes, he remarked "Good to see we can both look past our pride when we know we're wrong huh"?

Giggling, Rarity nodded "Yeah, I guess so". Scooting over to him, she pulled him into a hug. "Really, I'm sorry and…you say you're not a hero, but I think you are. You saved both me and my sister so…really, thanks". Noticing him blushing, she smirked as she asked playfully "Why are you blushing". She had to fight the urge to burst out laughing as his blush deepened.

"It's uhhh...kinda hot out, and the sun's really hitting my cheek since Im more sensitive tooo light then you ponies" Jack lied badly thorugh his teeth, not liking being put into this position. Hearing collective assortments of giggles, he whirled around behind him and his eyes widened as he spotted the rest of the mane cast smirking at his position. "Son of a..they set this up! They did this on purpose" he thought annoyed. As he was let go, he shook his head chuckling as he announced "We're cool now".

"Indeed" Rarity giggled as she said "Here". Reaching behind some bushes, she handed Jack a new pair of clothes, similar to his old ones as she said "I thought it would be a way of err...apologizing to you".

Jack smiled widely; glad to have his old clothes back and cleaner. "Heh, Thanks a lot" he grinned as he said to the other ponies "Ahh, so apart from setting this all up for us to apologize; what are you all doing here anyway"?

Twilight stepped forward, as she gave a slight cough. "Well Jack, I was wondering if you would be interested in telling the town about yourself"? Seeing the skeptical look on Jack's face, she said "Well, what I mean is that would you be willing to talk at a press conference since not all of ponyville knows about you"?

Jack stared at Twilight hard, as he said "You went and set something up without asking"?

"I...I didn't think about it at the time, since well...I thought you'd be alright with it. You don't have to of course if you don't want to" Twilight blushed as she apologized to the human. Seeing him shift his feet, she blinked as she was asked about the princesses. "Oh, Princess Celestia and Luna should be arriving sometime tonight, they wish to meet you".

Jack blinked as he thought "Hmm, let me think here. Well, if I go and do this I can show the town that I'm not all bad. Aw, but that'll diverge any fun towards causing abit of mischief and chaos". Another part of him argued as he blinked "Where did that come from"? Shaking his head, he said "Ahh, sure I'll umm..go and talk". That seemed to be the magic word, as he was suddenly being gently nudged towards the town center.

"Excellent, every pony is waiting" Twilight smiled, grateful that Jack was willing to talk. She had a set of notes he could use to help if he was in a jam.

Jack blinked as he was given advice from each of the mane cast, as he could see the large crowd in front of a large stage. "Heh heh, say something funny to start off! Best be honest about yourself. Umm, maybe show that you're umm..humble. Pfft, catch them off guard with confidence. Be eloquent and graceful on your approach! Don't be afraid, no pony here will hurt you".

"So as you can see, that's why we…oh, here he is now" The mayor smiled as she watched with slight awe as the teenager staggered as he was pushed up onto the stage. She truly had never seen such a creature before, and that's how most of the town felt as it seemed there was a mixture within the crowd of curiosity and awe of ponies who wanted to know what he was like, whilst the other side was with confusion and fear as they wanted to flee thinking he was dangerous.

Jack looked back at his friends, as Twilight smiled caringly, handing a set of notes to him. Looking out into the crowd, he suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic. He was so not used to having an entire town staring at him like he was some sorta freak of nature. Gulping, he approached the mayor as she shook his hand before stepping back to let him stand in front of the podium.

Stepping up, Jack looked out at the crowd as he gulped. Looking down at the cards, he said "Oh furred sentient"? Looking over at Twilight with a raised brow, she smiled sheepishly as she shrugged. "Oh forget this" Jack grumbled as he placed the cards down. Addressing the crowd, he said "Alright, I'm gonna blunt with you all. I'm well aware that I'm the only human in this town, and so I'm gonna set the record straight. For those of you who are quivering in fear thinking that I'm gonna devour you, or destroy your homes…" He paused as a mischievous smirk etched his features, as he remarked "I'm actually a messenger here to tell you all that I'm a member of an advanced alien race that is coming to invade pony Ville so we can conquer and rule the world".

Snorting at the look of fear on their faces, he smirked "Joking"! Coughing, he said "But seriously, I'm not here to cause any trouble, so uhh if you have question then ask now or forever hold your peace". Staring over at a bookish looking pony with thick glasses, Jack said "Yeah"?

"Ahh, ahem. Does your kind always wear clothing" he asked?

"Starting off with the award questions huh" Jack thought rolling his eyes. Shaking his head, he said "Yes, we always wear clothing as its necessary in order for us to maintain are body temperatures at a neutral level, since we don't have the pleasantries of fur keeping us warm". Blinking, he watched as a gray Pegasus with a blonde mane and...weird eyes raise a hoof. "Err, yes" Jack asked.

"Muffin" she asked simply?

Put off by the unusual response, Jack stuttered "Uhhh, sure"? His response was the Pegasus flying up and stuffing a muffin into his mouth. Staring, he slowly removed it as he watched her fly back into the crowd as he silently chomped at the muffin. "She's pretty derpy" he thought. Looking around at raised hooves, he pointed to a blue stallion. "Yes" Jack asked.

"Are you humans strong" He asked, as amongst other male ponies this incited a slew of comments or questions as they looked at one another, wondering what this creature was capable of.

Crossing his arms, Jack answered "If we wanna be strong, we can be. We don't start off strong however, so we have to work are way up in order to get strong". A final hoof raised up, as it came from a filly wearing a diamond tiara. "Are all your kind as ugly as you" she asked nastily. This caused murmuring amongst the crowd, some disapproving, others wondering the same.

"Well, I can tell some ponies gonna be an ice queen by the time she hits high school" Jack thought silently as he answered "We don't all look the same. Some are better looking than others, some are not. Ugliness is not in a mirror however, it's in greed, corruption or meanness of spirit if you wanna be simple".

Answering a slew of more question, Jack was thankful when the crowd dispersed one by one, making it simpler to breathe. "Thank god" he thought silently as he noticed it was almost nightfall. "Hey Jack" a certain pink pony giggled as she bounced up to Jack. "Seriously, she's like a cartoon character" he thought, amazed at her. "What is it" he asked. He then noticed that the others were gone.

"Can youuuu head over to Twilights in about thirty minutes, we have something to show you" Pinkie grinned as she hugged the surprised human, and bounced away out of sight.

"You didn't even give me a chance to respond" Jack protested lightly as he sighed. Heading over towards a bench, Jack sat down as he was glad everything had been cleared up today. Last thing he needed was more trouble to head his way. It seemed trouble was gonna head his way weather he liked it or not as he could hear footsteps approach from behind.

"Kinda boring isn't it" a casual voice called out as a teenage boy around Jack's age hopped down onto the bench next to him. He was wearing a plaid shirt, with a poka dotted vest with green jeans and blue shoes. His hair was a grayish tint, and the most surprising features of this guy were his red eyes. Staring at Jack, he smirked "I gotta say, you really surprised me dude. What with being all nice and polite to these ponies when you really don't oh em a thing".

Jack blinked as he got up in shock. What the? Where had this guy come from! He thought there wasn't any other humans in ponyville, so who was he? Seeing how calm he was, Jack stated at him silently.

"Pfft, what's with the weird look? I got something on my face" he smirked at Jack.

Jack gasped as he stared at the human...at least he thought he was a human. He had never seen a human dress in such bizarre fashion, or with red eyes. "Then again, I don't exactly look normal myself" he reasoned. "Who the hell are you" Jack asked sternly as he thought he was the only human in this town.

The guy raised his hands in slight defense. "Chill man, I'm just dropping by to say hello. Heard there was another human in town, and I figured I'd say hi to him myself before I headed back to my home". Reaching out a hand, he smirked "Names Sid Crodien".

He was bold; he had to give him that. Jack looked down at the hand, as he slowly reached out and took it as he suddenly felt a strange surge shoot through him. "Huh" he thought as he said "Ahh, Jack Conner" he responded simply.

Sid smirked as he said "Heh, heard about you. Troublemaker and Savior of ponyville. That's kinda a weird title to hold insist it? Then again, I'm abit weird myself". Seeing his expression, Sid smirked "I've lived here for about five years now, and have been living in a secret location within the Everfree forest. I came across some old spells and bada Bing, bada boom; I managed to learn some tricks to keep myself off the radar from these ponies".

"And you never thought about going home" Jack asked, surprised that human had been able to learn magic. This was amazing! He never even knew humans were capable of magic, and yet this guy claimed he could do it without as much as a hint of trouble. Heck, he musta been able to do magic. How the hell else would none of the ponies know about him? He didn't know why he was suddenly becoming so trusting of this guy, was it because he was a human too?

"Heh why should I? I don't have a home back on Earth. This is my home now! My playground to do whatever I want" he smirked as he snapped his fingers as a cola bottle appeared in front of Jack "Cola" he offered.

"Ahh, thanks" Jack stared, as he was amazed at this revelation. This was someone who could help him! If he knew how to use magic, and how to get back home; he could help Jack. Not to mention, it was someone like him! Oh this was perfect! "If you know how to do magic, then you might be able to help me" Jack urged, with awe at Sid.

"I may…but not tonight cause I don't feel like it, and I'm tired" Sid yawned as he smirked "If you ever get bored of hanging with these goody two shoes ponies, try hitting me up some time and we'll have some fun. Oh but, please don't mention me to the ponies, I kinda wanna keep my identity secret". Getting up, he said "It was good to meet ya Jack, I think things are gonna be interesting with you around". Casually walking away, he snapped his fingers as he suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke but not before saying "See ya". Had Jack managed to see Sid's face, he would have noticed it curl into a sinister sneer as his red eyes flashed as it filled with a slight tint of yellow.

"Did that just happen" Jack asked aloud as he slowly approached Twilights home in confusion. Had he really just met another human? As he knocked on Twilights door, he blinked to see it was open as he stepped inside, as the lights turned on and all thought of the other human had left Jacks mind as he fell onto his ass in shock!