Double Troubleby CometDwellerChaptersCrates and WagonsRocky ArrivalsRocky Arrivals Part 2Crates and Wagons(Author's Note: This is my first story EVER, so if you would like to comment on how I can make the story better or barrage me with grammatical errors, that's cool. By the way, after I publish this I wont be exactly sure when I can write another chapter, or if I'll even want to for that matter. I'm throwing ideas at a wall and seeing if they stick. I don't plan stories, they usually just come as I think of them. So, if this actually comes out well then frimmyfrantastic. :D) It's high noon and the sun beats down on a long stricken trail. An old pony steers his wagon with supplies for his customers in numerous towns in the neighboring lands. The pony was wrinkled from head to toe, and had the scars of a life of pure hard work. He had a light green coat with white hair. His eyes were scrunched up behind a large pair of thick glasses. He sported a crate and wagon cutie mark *go figure*. Even though he had the build of a once peak colt, it showed that retirement was inevitable. He carried crates of all shapes and sizes for all sorts of purposes, but unbeknownst to the old colt, he was harboring some rather odd cargo. Along the side of the wagon read, "Superb Service of Satisfying Supplements"; the slogan for his one man company. The wagon itself was decrepit. It's four wheels barely held up its wooden platform, and every passing foot was riddled with wabbling, rattling, creaking, clattering, shaking, and breaking. The wagon would occasionally hit bumps castling its cargo into the air, landing with a thud. The 'Handle with Caution' boxes sounded more and more like an orchestra of colliding glass. Along with the numerous clanging and bashing, two voices sounded in unison "BUCK!". In the back of the wagon sat two fairly large crates, one read 'bananas' and the other 'carrots'; each with their appropriate color. The old pony didn't seem to notice the sometimes loud conversations under the noise of the wagon. He just stared off into space as he walked at a painfully slow rate. "You know, we wouldn't be in crates if you just let him have the money." announced the orange crate. "Hey shut up. I made the trade and he jumped me outside! You were there." rebutted the yellow crate. "Yeah well, would you rather have your bits, or a knife in your ass." proudly stated the orange crate. "Shut up." "No you." "Buckface." "Jackass." "..." "..." "Hey, can I have a banana?" asked the orange crate. "Yeah, hold on... here's a good one." Each crate had a hole the size of a large cork, for the occasional liquid products. "Here it comes." says the yellow crate. A banana appears out of the hole and is passed to the adjacent crate. "You wanna carrot?". "Yeah sure." Like before, a carrot appears out of the orange crate and is passed to the other. Under the noise of the clattering the two eat their fruit, however a faint sound of crunches emanate from the yellow crate. Outside the crates, the old geezer breaks from his state of mind. He stops the wagon and unstraps himself. At once, all the crates stop their clanking, clashing, and shuddering leaving an ominousness silence. The old pony shakes free from his harness and lets out a loud sigh as he makes his way around the wagon. The orange crate hastily whispers, "What the hay! Oh great we're really screwed now. He's coming over." The yellow crate whispers back in the same tone, "It was just a carrot, no way he could've heard that, no no no no." "Just shut up and don't say anything. If he finds out I'll jump him, he's just an old pony." "You're not beating up an old pony." boldly says the yellow crate. "Shhh hold on, he's coming. Oh Celestia." The old pony slowly walks to the back of the wagon, each hoofstep getting closer and closer. The slow motions made the air tense for the crated ponies. It wasn't until a minute passes that the geezer makes his way to the back of the wagon. He stood there just staring at the two boxes. In his broken vernacular, "Ahh hay, I tauwt I her'd somtin. Bah." He gazed at the two crates carefully, meanwhile the two ponies are panicking silently in their crate. "Somtin just ain't right, wat wasit. I know I her'd somtin." He hops onto to the wagon and starts to stare off into his surplus of supplies on board. Then suddenly, "I dun knew it!" He starts to stomp his way over to the food crates, each step becoming louder than the other. The two ponies are now seconds from heart attacks, as their hearts are racing. The geezer slams his hoof on the yellow crate. "I dun knew it" he repeats. In the ponies mind they know their cover is blown. "MAH DAM LUNCH FELL OVER. BAH. Gre't look at dat! My dandyl'on sammich is ru'ind." The old pony picks up the bits of his sandwich and places them back in the lunchbox that laid open on the floor. Inside the crates, both ponies have utter dumbfounded looks on their faces. The carrot crated pony manages to fit in a silent facehoof. The geezer jumps of the wagon and slowly makes his way back to the front and proceeds to pull the wagon. The drowning noise of the clattering ensued. "Oh my Cellestia. A sandwich!" yells out the yellow crate. "I think my heart just stopped, tell my future marefriend I love her." retorts the orange crate. They both laugh to each other. "I bet she'll be ugly." jokes the orange crate. "Just count yourself lucky that you have my good looks." "Just because you were born first doesn't mean I take after you, idiot." A small chuckle sounds from the yellow crate. "I'm just kidding, but can you imagine." "Ha yeah, she'll have warts and boils and a triple chin and weigh like a ton." comments the yellow crate. Both ponies laugh again, this time even harder. They talked and laughed for another few hours. Talking was the only thing they could do to prevent boredom from setting in. After their conversation finished a long silence rolled over. Both ponies were minding their own business in their crates. They liked to talk to each other, but at the same time they appreciated the silence. It gave them time to think and just relax. "Hey Comet." announces the orange crate, breaking the silence. "Yeah Trade." responds the yellow crate. "Will we ever stop running..." Another short silence surrounds the crates. "Look Trade... we just need a good place to start off again. We'll be fine." " I know, its just I've been thinking of ma and pa lately." "... Trade... lets leave the past in the past. We're fine now and that's all that we need to care about." "Yeah... alright... So do you know where we're going anyway?" "I don't know. I just hope its somewhere with a place for us....... hey Trade, thanks." "Thanks for what?" "For being my brother." "No prob." The sun starts to set in the distance as the wagon halts again. The old pony routinely stops to light a couple of lanterns and take a break. He leans on a post to eat his long savored meal. In the dim light of the lantern, the post the geezer leaned on read 'Two miles Ponyville'. He finished his meal and continued to pull the wagon, just as the sun finally set. The crated ponies fall asleep in their beds of fruit, as the wagon pushes on. In Trade's mind he repeats the same sentence in his sleep, "A new town, a new future, please...." Rocky Arrivals(Author's Note: Yeah, I actually liked how chapter one came out, so I'll stick with this for the time being. Like I said before, please comment and rate. But I'd like to also mention that I need cover art. I have NO idea how that whole business works, but whatever... throwing that out there. The first chapter didn't take me long, but it was a Saturday and at like eleven p.m. So i think i'll try to pop two chapters off every week maybe more. So yeah, here's chapter two.) "Do you have the bail." asks the constable. "Yes I have it." says Twilight as she ruffles through her bag. "Here it is." She hands over the large stack of bits with her magic. The constable scans the bits counting frivolously to assure himself the amount is correct. "Seems to be in order. Come'on through, i'll take you to him." Trade appears from behind Twilight and walks to her side. Trade has a light brown coat with a dull white mane and tail. Trade is just a tad bit taller than the mare to his side, without his horn. But what really stands out is his cutie mark. It's a hammer and screwdriver that make an X in front of a plain white shield. The two wait patiently for the constable to finish doing some paperwork before allowing them through. "I have to thank you again Twilight, for the time being i'm pretty tapped out." says Trade in a reassuring voice. "It's fine, really. But it wouldn't hurt to know why your brother is in jail", asks Twilight. Trade shrugs and gives a loud sigh. The constable finishes placing the bits into his register and opens the bared doors, allowing the two ponies to come through. The constable leads the two ponies down a long empty hall. "Well to start off, he's been charged with trespassing, numerous accounts of damage to property, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and..." The officer lifts his cap with his magic. "biting my ear." Trade pulls his hoof to his face and slides it down with another sigh. "That sounds like him." Meanwhile Twilight starts to giggle, "Are you sure you two are twins?" Trade pouts, "Unfortunately." The three ponies are now at least halfway down the jail-block. Trade notices the lack of noise, "Where are the other cellmates?" Without even glancing back the officer explains, "Well to be frank, we've haven't had any crime in Ponyville for the past few years. We'll get called down to incidents, but their always insignificant." Trade raises his brow in astonishment, "Seems to a paradise here." Twilight pulls a quick smirk, "You would be surprised. We get our fair share of catastrophe now and then." The officer leads the two to the last cell, where Comet was lying on a cell bed. Comet notices the three ponies. "What is it with you and confined spaces," Trade says with a sarcastic tone. Comet gives Trade a look just before a quick stretch. He pushes himself of the bed and walks over to the ponies on the other side of the bars. The light peers through the window showing the pony's features. Twilight looks puzzled as she glances at his wings. Comet's coat was the same color as Trade's. His mane and tail were fashioned the same too. However, Comet had light blue hair and mane apart from his brother's white. Comet had a fairly large cuite mark. It was a shooting star with shades of blue and white. After Comet reach the bared door, the officer fiddled with his keys. He began to become more and more irritated as he couldn't find the key to Comet's cell. "Dang it. It must be on the other key ring. Wait right here please, i'll be right back." The officer trotted away taking his time. Comet took his attention off the pony official and to Trade, "So you came to bail me out, I knew you loved me," he said leaning his head through the bars. Trade gave a smirk, "You bit him in the ear..." he then proceeded to bop Comet on his head pushing him back through the bars. "Yeah well, he started it." rebutted Comet. Twilight just stood with a smile watching the two bicker at each other. The officer returned with the correct ring of keys and opened the cell. Comet trotted out passing the officer, eager to leave. The officer gave him a look as did Trade, but before he could nudge him Comet turned around, "Sorry for the trouble officer, and um... the ear... thing." The officer pouted as his sour glare became a smug. A smile came to Trade's face, as a look of confusion enveloped Twilight's. "Comet might get into trouble a lot, but his heart's in the right place," Trade mentioned. The group made their way down the long corridor while the officer fiddled with the key stuck in the lock. "You two surely are an interesting pair," comments Twilight. "You don't know the half of it," says Comet trotting ahead. Twilight looks at Trade, "Well maybe we can talk it over at my place. You can help me with the mess you made while you're at it." Comet snickers to himself, "Looks like you had just as much fun as I did. Which reminds me, we should probably go that farm mare's house." "You mean Applejack? Why?" Trade sighs, "This can't be good." *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* *Bump* "Uhg... what, oh yeah." Comet shifts over in his fruit mattress, raising his hoof to rub his eye. Sunlight was beaming in. "Hey Trade, you awake?" The clattering noise from the boxes was now almost deafening, causing a blanket of noise. "Hey Trade! Wake up its morning!" Trade was happily dozing off. He was always a heavy sleeper. Comet used his wings to prop himself up in his scrunched up home, looking through the hole. He saw his brother's crate just as usual, listening to his obnoxious snoring. Comet huffed as he made one more valiant effort to wake him. "Hey Trade. Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!". He paused, bringing his ear to the hole. "Hmmm...*mumble* hey beautiful, did you get a piece of carrot in your eye *mumble* cause all I see are diamonds," garbles Trade. Comet smacks his face against the wall of his confines and sighs. "Even in his dreams his pick-up lines are bad." Comet picks up one of the bananas lying around aiming it through the hole. Comet snickers to himself, "Ohh Trade take me now, Trade!" He pushes the banana through, launching it into Trade's crate landing right on his face. Comet immediately knows where this is going. "Hmmm, babe *mumble* whacha got for me," Trade slurs. "Hmm. hey wha---muffle muffle." Comet tries to prevent himself from laughing, but little bursts start to slip out. "Bab---muffle, OH MY CELESTIA!" yells Trade. Immediately the orange box starts to jump around and shake violently, meanwhile Comet is laughing hysterically. "Hey lover-boy how was your dream?" teases Comet. Trade lets out a loud and irritable sigh, "You can't let me have anything nice can you." Trade sits back down and stretches in place, trying to make himself more comfortable, "So anyway, where are we?". Comet brings his eye to the hole and tries to see the world beyond the edges of Trade's crate. "I don't know, but I think I see a town in the distance... wait let me see if I can get a better view." The yellow crate begins to turn as Comet jumps from inside. "Yeah, its a town alright. Lets get out of these crates now." Comet bring his hind legs to the ceiling, almost doing a handstand. With a hard push Comet strains to pop the lid off the crate... no good. "Oh great my lid's not coming off. Trade, try to get your's off and help me." Trade brings his back to the floor aiming his rear legs up. He begins to buck at the lid. *BANG* * BANG* *BANG* "Comet, its not coming off!" The geezer pulls the wagon into town, slowly making his way to the market square. He's greeted by practically everyone, but the old pony remains in his own little world ignoring them. The noises of the town start to mix with the clattering of the wagon. Trade slouches back down in his crate letting out a big sigh, "What else do you see?". Comet takes another look through his hole, "I don't know but there's ponies everywhere." The old pony finally stopped the cart, silencing the awful boxes. "MARKET DELIVERY!" the old pony shouts. Comet and Trade both say in unison, "Oh crap...". "Trade, we need to get out of these crates NOW." Comet says nervously. "I know, I know, but we cant. Not now. Hold on I'm trying to think." replies Trade. A crowd of ponies make their way to the wagon, watching the geezer slowly make his way to the back... really, really slowly. All eyes were on the old pony, watching his every move one hoof at a time. Irritated faces are drawn across the crowd as they eagerly wait for their package. Suddenly a pony comes from behind him and pushes him to the back. "Why t'ank ya sunny. Lemme get you somtin' for bein' so nice." The old pony makes a one-hundred-eighty degree turn, about to walk the other way. The crowd immediately yells, "NO!". In shock the geezer fell to his rump, "Alright, alright! Keep y'ur britches on." The old pony jumped up onto his wagon and whipped out his reading spectacles, taking the other glasses off. From behind a crate, he pulls out a list of all the supplies and began to read them out loud. "If y'ur package his 'ere, take'm." Using the commotion to block out the sound Comet whispered, "Trade when your package is called just wait until you're taken out of sight. Then break out and meet me at the town entrance. Alright?". "That's fine, but what if something goes wrong?" reluctantly asks Trade. "Well, then don't get in trouble." explains Comet. Trade facehoofs, "That's the best advise, you have ever come up with." As the old pony reads off his list, more and more crates are being taken off. "TWELVE SETS OF GLASS CHINA!" Finally the orchestra has been given a name. Comet looks out of his hole to see what the town looks like. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS IS MY CHINA! I WANT MY REFUND!" Comet and Trade both snicker. "ONE CRATE OF ZEBRAND BANANAS!" the old pony shouts. "Well, that's me. I'll see you later, good luck." whispers Comet. A pair of ponies begin to move through the crowd. A burly red stallion and a stout orange mare with a cowmare hat approach the wagon. "Dat'il be us partner." announces the orange mare. "Well, alrighty then, tak'it. Those 'nanas wouldn't shad up the whole ride." A dumbfounded look falls on Comet's face. The orange mare just looks at the old pony with a concerned look. She turns to the red colt, "Alright Mac, you got this?" The stallion trots over to the wagon as the geezer slides it onto his back. "Huff! Eeyup." "Alrighty then, lets take these lil' guys home so we can start the new recipe." The two ponies start back into the crowd, unaware of the contents inside. On their way out a voice was calling out to the ponies. "Big Macintosh! Applejack! Hey!" It was a purple unicorn accompanied with a small baby dragon. "Hey Twi, whatcha up to?" The unicorn levitates a long list out from her satchel. "Well, I organized my fiction novella's alphabetically, had breakfast, reorganized ,my history texts in periodical importance..." Big Macintosh obnoxiously cleared his throat trying to grab Applejack's attention. She returned with a glare. "Twilight, I mean what are you doing here." She extends the list, rolling it out to her hooves. "I was getting to that, mmm... here! I'm here to pick up a package of carrots." Applejack had a smile on her face, "What are you doing with a bunch'a carrots?" The little dragon poped out from behind the purple pony, "We're trying to see if we can make a carrot ten feet high!" he said excitedly. "Well, that and whole bunch of other experiments," assured the unicorn. Macintosh grunts again, this time almost dropping the crate. "Mac watch it, we cant have one bruised banana." Meanwhile, Comet expanded his wings to better hold himself up. Sweat was beating off his face. "Well, good luck with your giant carrots. See ya later Twi." Applejack trotted over to Big Macintosh giving him a nudge with her hoof. "You don't have to be rude." Big Macintosh looked away nervously, "AJ, this is heavy. I would be mighty happy if we get back to the farm." Applejack gives Big Mac a smug look, "I sure its not THAT heavy." She gives Macintosh another nudge this time causing him to loose his balance. "Applejack, THE CRATE!" He falls over, violently dropping the crate. "Dangit, hopefully the fruit isn't bruised badly. Sorry for that." Comet on the other hand, lays unconscious in the crate laying on a bed of bananas. Twilight sees the mishap and trots over, "You guys need help with that?" Twilight's horn starts to glow as she levitates the crate onto the stallion. Big Macintosh catches his breath, "Appreciated Mam." "No problem, I'll see you guys later." AJ and Big Macintosh leave Twilight, bickering in a low tone. Twilight smiles down to Spike, "Well, lets pick up our package." Spike nods and leads the way into the crowd. Most of the crates were gone already, except for a few. Twilight and Spike approach the wagon hearing a series of complaining. The old pony was stuttering with his next item, "A CRATE OF CRE....CHRE...credu, uh." "A crate of credulous carrots from Canterlot?" interrupts Twilight. The old pony couldn't have cared less, same went for Trade. "Yeah, whatever you said. It's yours." "Uhg finally, at least I'm going somewhere." Trade whispered to himself. Twilight approached the wagon as Spike was ready to catch the crate. Just before the old pony let go, Twilight grasped the crate with her magic. Trade began floating inside, along with all the carrots. "I got it Spike, now whats next on the list?" Spike reaches into her pouch and pulls out the extensive list. "Well, now we need to go to Pinkie Pie's place for the cupcakes." Trade began to feel nauseous from the floating sensation. "Lets drop this off first and then well go to Pinkie's." It had been over ten minutes of floating in his crate. His head began spinning and the overall feeling of floating was awkward. He propped himself up in each corner to stop twirling, but the nauseous feeling still stuck in his gut. "Oh hay, when is she going to put me down! Where am I going?" thinks Trade. Suddenly a series of locks and bolts sound from outside. Trade peers through his hole to see. "Hold on Spike, let me put this in the back room." announces the purple unicorn. "That fine i'm getting a snack for the road." The young dragon reaches into a refrigerator pulling out a sapphire the size of Trade's hoof. What the... dragons eat those?" Trade says to himself. Twilight moves the crate to the back of the room, placing it abruptly on the ground. "O.K Spike, I'll be right with you in a sec." Twilight swings the heavy door open revealing a study cluttered with books, beakers, test tubes, pretty much a scientist paradise. She glances at the crate, lifting it yet again. Trade wasn't quite ready and almost gags. She places the rather large box atop some other crates, this time gently. Twilight swings the door shut calling out to Spike, "You ready Spike? Lets go." The two voice start to fad away as the barrage of locks sound once again. Trade lays in his crate looking at the ceiling, "Well, I guess this is when I take my leave." He aims his back hooves at the lid yet again and starts to buck. *Wham* *Bang* Still, the crate did not open. Trade tries another few times with no avail. Suddenly the crate started to tip. "Oh no..." The crate was now teetering on the edge of the boxes below him. Trade tries to balance himself inside the crate, while still pushing on the lid. "Maybe if I just..." He scrunches just a bit over, when suddenly the crate gives way. From atop the boxes the crate falls flat on the floor. When the dust cleared, carrots were scattered everywhere and Trade was lying on the floor. "That's another way to do it," he said face down to the ground. Trade eases himself up looking around. "From one prison to another," he sighs. Trade trots to the door trying the door knob. It turns but a series of bolts prevented the door from opening. An irritated look falls on Trade's face. "...really. Uhg." He looks around the room searching for an alternate route for escape. Suddenly the series of locks from the front door echo. Trade freezes in place, like a deer in headlights. The door swings open as Twilight quickly trots into the main room. "Sorry hold on, I left the list in the study." Trade starts to freak out. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, c'mon." He glances at the top of the bookcase, where he sees a window he can escape from. "Success!" The hoofsteps start to get louder as Twilight nears the study. Trade starts to climb the bookshelves, almost to his salvation. Just as he got to the window, the door swings open. "Spike calm down, I..." The two ponies just stare at each other. Trade's face is like stone, "um hi..." Rocky Arrivals Part 2(Sorry that the last chapter took so long. School is always going to distract me from writing. Also, Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3 and Gears and well... you see where this is going. I'm guessing that until I go on vacation i'll write at least two chapters a week. Seems adequate, I guess. *Sigh* like I noted in the previous chapter I need an editor. Going over my own work numerous times cuts into the hours I can continue writing. Anyway, here's chapter 2.5.) Trade's face went completely red, and his ears felt like they were burning. Both ponies were caught in some sort of trance, like a deer in cartlights. Trade knew he was caught, he was screwed, and he was teetering atop a twelve foot bookshelf. In the instant of her intrusion Trade's mind went blank, as was Twilight's. The window was but a few inches in front of his face, but he couldn't take his eyes of of her. He could have just easily jumped through, but he couldn't muster up the will to do it. The static in his head told him to say something, anything... so he did. His throat tightened and his thoughts focused, but out of all the things he could have said. "Uh... hi..." blurted out. Twilight's face went from shock and confusion to well, even more shock and confusion. She just continued to stare at him with bewilderment. Trade's comment was met by an immediate creaking noise. His eyes shot to the size of pebbles as did Twilight's. Even more creaking sounded from the wooden behemoth as it began to tip over. Spike approaches Twilight pouting, totally oblivious to the situation. Stomping with impatience he finally reaches the doorway, "Twilight, whats going on were late. WHO IS THAT!" The random outburst within the room broke the ambiance. Trade's focus went from Twilight face straight to the bookcase. Twilight broke from her trance, "What the hay are you doing in here!" Just then Trade lost his balance and plummeted to the ground. Both Twilight and Spike fixing their eyes to Trade. Twilight was about to unleash a tongue lashing, but suddenly the bookcase creaked even louder. The enormous behemoth was about to reek its revenge on every lumberjack in the world, and came crashing down on top of Trade. Trade looks up only able to fit in a "Oh shit!" before the bookshelf came crashing down. *BOOM* The sound streaked throughout the whole library and perhaps the whole town. Twilight and Spike were thrown back into the mainroom as billow of dust seeped out of the study. Looking back, Twilight saw nothing recognizable; the room was filled with too much dust. Spike got to his feet and scurried to open a window. A gush of cool air flowed in knocking back the grey cloud, revealing the disaster within the study.Rubbing her head with her hoof, Twilight finally came to her senses. She drew her gaze toward the study to see what had happened. Carrots and books were scattered about, shards of glass were everywhere, and her immense bookcase was in shambles. None the less Twilight's face is in shock, but then it clicked. "Oh my Celestia, where is he!" The white-haired pony was no where to be seen, only a mound of books and wood lay in his place. She jumps into the room kicking the bookcase's parts aside. Spike follows to help remove the wooden beast. At the bottom of the wreckage, Trade was dazed with stars in his eyes and books in his face.After a full minute, Twilight sees the pony and removes the book on his face. Trade gaspes for air announcing in a semiconscious state, "I can fix that," just before blacking out. "Aaaaaoooooow, what just happened..." Trade regained consciousness to see that he was dragged out into the mainroom. "Hey you're finally awake," Twilight said from the kitchen. "I was getting ready to pour ice cold water on you." In the background Trade hears a pout, "Hmf I wanted to see him get soaked." Trade glances into the kitchen to see the purple unicorn giving the dragon a stare. Trade lifted his hoof rubbing his face, "Hey, sorry about... that." He looks at the wreckage in the study. Twilight walks in holding a tray of hot towels with her magic, "Well, I hope so. You caused a rather large mess." Trade sits up listening to his bones and muscles ache, letting out a loud sigh. Twilight lifts one of the towels and hands it to Trade at a distance. Rather than using his own magic, he gets up and takes it for himself. Muffling the towel on his face, "Yeah, it's a long story. And about the bookcase, I'll fix that up for you and get out of your mane." Twilight looks to the study, "Well, that can wait till tomorrow... are you sure you're feeling alright. You were almost crushed by a four hundred pound bookcase." Trade retreats to his spot on the floor waving his hoof in the air, "I'm fine, I'm fine. You don't need too worry about me, but I do need to get out of here." Twilight steps back into the kitchen. "What's the rush, it's already midnight." Trade immediately swings his head around to look out the window. To his surprise Luna's moon was high in the night sky. "Oh great, I'm never gunna hear the end of this." Trade laments. Twilight returns with a batch of bright pink and green cupcakes, eating one on her way in, "By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle and my little helper here is Spike." She walks past Trade placing the tray on a table behind him. Trade brings his attention to the purple mound sleeping on the couch snoring away. "My name's Trade Dweller," he responds. Twilight trots over to the snoozing dragon and lifts him with magic. "Sorry, I'll be right with you. Let me put him in bed." Twilight said as she trotted upstairs. Trade thought it was funny how Spike just floated there in her grasp, as she brought him upstairs. Trade looked around taking in the ambiance of the room. The room itself wasn't entirely square like a normal home would be. Apart from the obvious fact that it was a library, the wood detailing was all natural and unrefined, not even varnished. Trade stood up taking in every detail of the oddity that is this 'home'. All of a sudden the aroma of strawberry and apple filled the room. Trade looked over to the cupcake, his mouth moist with the sight of them. He trotted over examining the small delicacies. They were no more than fourteen of them, all with a small difference in pattern, design, and... sprinkles. Trade pick one of them up, sampling it. His mouth stung with the explosion his taste buds felt. Immediately he gobbled it up, bringing his hooves to his face from the overbearing sweetness. Minutes later, Twilight slowly stepped down the stairs, being careful not to wake Spike. Her gait was gentle, as if she was walking on thin ice. Almost floating as she took each step. Making her way to the bottom of the stairs she glanced over at Trade, who seemed to not have moved. He remained siting on the ground, like an oblivious dog lost in his thought. Twilight trotted over to the couch where she plopped herself down, making a loud *fwoop* sound. "So Mr. Dweller, what are you doing here in Ponyville?" Twilight says in a friendly tone. Trade sighs, "Like I said, it's a long story and I really wouldn't want to trouble you with it." Twilight takes her sight off Trade and to her platter of cupcakes, only to see that one remained. She smirks, taking the last cupcake, "Well, if you're staying the night anyway. I might as well know why you're here." Trade's eyebrows perk at the unannounced invitation, "You can actually just call me Trade. And for being in Ponyville..." Trade pauses mid-sentence, trying to think of something. "My brother and I are travelling the world." "In boxes..." Twilight retorts. "Yeah... before I can get out you carried me here." Trade rises from his spot, sighting an open chair across the room. "We just love travelling. Always on the go. It's an adventure." Twilight senses that he's covering up for somthing so she decides to change the topic. "You mentioned a brother." Trade plops down in the open chair. Somewhat a challenging task. "Yeah, he's my twin brother." Trade says nothing more, leaving an awkward silence followed by a loud yawn. Twilight knew that he wasn't going to say much more. He wasn't about to let his walls down to just any stranger. Twilight coughed breaking the silence, "Well, for tonight you can sleep in the guest room. It's at the end of the hall past the kitchen. We can talk more tomorrow. For now, you should get some rest." She gets up from her couch neatening it with a quick wave of magic, returning it to its 'couchy' glory. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable, and grab a book or something." She trotted to the stairs yawning, "Good night, and try not to climb on any of the furniture." Trade lets out a chuckle, "I'll try not to, thanks." (Trade's perspective) Twilight made her way upstairs, leaving me with the rest of the house. It was dead silent, yet peaceful. I sat in her chair for what seemed like an hour, just taking in the silence. To close my eyes and hear nothing, was bliss. I didn't even want to budge, it felt so good just to sit here not to worry about anything. I know Comet is out there somewhere, but I'm sure he's safe for the time being. But yet again, he's still Comet. I'm sure he'll find a way to get into trouble. My romp was getting sore so I jumped to my hooves, slowly making my way around the house. I didn't want to touch anything, but I felt like giving myself a quick tour if Twilight's home. I saw enough of the mainroom to know that it was the library, so I trotted over to the the kitchen. There wasn't anything too significant about it. All together it was pretty standard with fruits and vegetables stacking the shelves. "She said to make myself comfortable, I guess she wouldn't mind if I made myself a quick bite." Rummaging through the drawers and cabinets I found the essentials to make myself a quick sandwich. Some white bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and daisies would do. I had about everything, except a plate or something to eat on. Looking around the kitchen, I noticed that Twilight places all the dishes and bowls up the high shelf. I grabbed a chair from the mainroom, placing it in front of the counter top where the shelf was. I hopped on trying to reach the plates, but I still couldn't reach. I let out a big sigh, jumping down. "Dammit, I guess I have to use magic." With a turn of my head I concentrated on the plate. I felt a force of energy rise from my head and to my horn. I closed my eyes clearing my thoughts, only thinking about the plates on the top shelf. A faint gold haze enveloped my horn as the plates started to clatter together. "Oh c'mon, I just want the plate. Let's not make this a fiasco." I concentrated even harder, trying to use the least amount of magic as possible. "... c'mon, c'mon, c'mon.....oh buck it." I relaxed and gave a dead stare at the plates. My horn suddenly shined, illuminated the whole room with light. With surgical precision each plate rose, allowing the last plate to fly out of out of the shelf. "Ok, now stop. Let's stop. Stop please." As I held the plate I felt the energy funneling into my horn. I was like a balloon filling with air, ready to pop at any second. "Oh hay, no no no!" The plate was shaking in place as beats of sweat trickled down my face. "No no no, I need something." My heart was almost throbbing, I needed to use up my magic. I turned to the counter where all my ingredients were. In a lightning fast motion the plate slammed to the table, kicking up all the ingredients in a magic glow. Knives flew out from the cupboard prepped for further use. My head started to ache and rattle with pain. "Alright... now the sandwich." In the gold aura the knives met the produce, slicing and dicing them in an organized fashion. I felt the head lighten up as the vegetables fell to the counter in their own little piles. With magic, I picked up the bread and cut two slices. "Almost... done, c'mon enough magic. Stop." All the ingredients came together forming a sandwich. "Just a little more, seriously stop." I held the sandwich in front of me, letting the rest of my magic out. I clamped my eyes shut, just releasing the energy. Seconds later, I collapsed on the floor panting from my culinary episode. "Finally" *huff* "over" *huff*. I rose from the floor, stumbling to my hooves. Bringing my attention to the counter, I saw my sandwich sitting there steaming with a delicious aroma. It was toasted to fine brown. Detailed swirls and lines coated the toast, as if done by a coffeehouse brew-master. Aside from the sandwich I pretty much trashed the kitchen. As if I can't do one thing without a disaster happening. After a good thirty minutes of cleaning, I took my gourmet sandwich an proceeded down the hall. Holding a plate in my mouth wasn't the hard part, but to see where you were going is another thing. I tip-toed down the hall, slowly bringing each hoof ahead. The library eventually looked more like an actual home the further I trotted down the hall. There were actual walls rather than the natural wood. It was painted green with pictures lining the walls. I recognized all the pictures with Twilight and Spike, but there were dozens more. Some even had Princess Celestia and Luna in them. I would have been more surprised, but I had a sandwich waiting to be eaten. I didn't really care. I turned the corner of the hall revealing the spare room. It was average at best, having the basic commodities. A bed, bookshelf, dresser, closet, you name it. I sat down on the bed eating my sandwich, enjoying each and every bite. It had probably been two weeks since I had a actual meal... other than carrots and scraps. Setting the plate aside, I plopped into my bed, immediately tossing the covers on top of me. I chuckled at the feeling, as the comfort was overbearing. It felt so wonderful to finally have a bed to rest in. Letting out a big sigh of relief, I threw my head into the pillow. It was like a big soft marshmallow, graciously wrapping around the outline of my head. I was asleep in seconds, sleeping in my poofy marshmellowy heaven.
Crates and Wagons(Author's Note: This is my first story EVER, so if you would like to comment on how I can make the story better or barrage me with grammatical errors, that's cool. By the way, after I publish this I wont be exactly sure when I can write another chapter, or if I'll even want to for that matter. I'm throwing ideas at a wall and seeing if they stick. I don't plan stories, they usually just come as I think of them. So, if this actually comes out well then frimmyfrantastic. :D) It's high noon and the sun beats down on a long stricken trail. An old pony steers his wagon with supplies for his customers in numerous towns in the neighboring lands. The pony was wrinkled from head to toe, and had the scars of a life of pure hard work. He had a light green coat with white hair. His eyes were scrunched up behind a large pair of thick glasses. He sported a crate and wagon cutie mark *go figure*. Even though he had the build of a once peak colt, it showed that retirement was inevitable. He carried crates of all shapes and sizes for all sorts of purposes, but unbeknownst to the old colt, he was harboring some rather odd cargo. Along the side of the wagon read, "Superb Service of Satisfying Supplements"; the slogan for his one man company. The wagon itself was decrepit. It's four wheels barely held up its wooden platform, and every passing foot was riddled with wabbling, rattling, creaking, clattering, shaking, and breaking. The wagon would occasionally hit bumps castling its cargo into the air, landing with a thud. The 'Handle with Caution' boxes sounded more and more like an orchestra of colliding glass. Along with the numerous clanging and bashing, two voices sounded in unison "BUCK!". In the back of the wagon sat two fairly large crates, one read 'bananas' and the other 'carrots'; each with their appropriate color. The old pony didn't seem to notice the sometimes loud conversations under the noise of the wagon. He just stared off into space as he walked at a painfully slow rate. "You know, we wouldn't be in crates if you just let him have the money." announced the orange crate. "Hey shut up. I made the trade and he jumped me outside! You were there." rebutted the yellow crate. "Yeah well, would you rather have your bits, or a knife in your ass." proudly stated the orange crate. "Shut up." "No you." "Buckface." "Jackass." "..." "..." "Hey, can I have a banana?" asked the orange crate. "Yeah, hold on... here's a good one." Each crate had a hole the size of a large cork, for the occasional liquid products. "Here it comes." says the yellow crate. A banana appears out of the hole and is passed to the adjacent crate. "You wanna carrot?". "Yeah sure." Like before, a carrot appears out of the orange crate and is passed to the other. Under the noise of the clattering the two eat their fruit, however a faint sound of crunches emanate from the yellow crate. Outside the crates, the old geezer breaks from his state of mind. He stops the wagon and unstraps himself. At once, all the crates stop their clanking, clashing, and shuddering leaving an ominousness silence. The old pony shakes free from his harness and lets out a loud sigh as he makes his way around the wagon. The orange crate hastily whispers, "What the hay! Oh great we're really screwed now. He's coming over." The yellow crate whispers back in the same tone, "It was just a carrot, no way he could've heard that, no no no no." "Just shut up and don't say anything. If he finds out I'll jump him, he's just an old pony." "You're not beating up an old pony." boldly says the yellow crate. "Shhh hold on, he's coming. Oh Celestia." The old pony slowly walks to the back of the wagon, each hoofstep getting closer and closer. The slow motions made the air tense for the crated ponies. It wasn't until a minute passes that the geezer makes his way to the back of the wagon. He stood there just staring at the two boxes. In his broken vernacular, "Ahh hay, I tauwt I her'd somtin. Bah." He gazed at the two crates carefully, meanwhile the two ponies are panicking silently in their crate. "Somtin just ain't right, wat wasit. I know I her'd somtin." He hops onto to the wagon and starts to stare off into his surplus of supplies on board. Then suddenly, "I dun knew it!" He starts to stomp his way over to the food crates, each step becoming louder than the other. The two ponies are now seconds from heart attacks, as their hearts are racing. The geezer slams his hoof on the yellow crate. "I dun knew it" he repeats. In the ponies mind they know their cover is blown. "MAH DAM LUNCH FELL OVER. BAH. Gre't look at dat! My dandyl'on sammich is ru'ind." The old pony picks up the bits of his sandwich and places them back in the lunchbox that laid open on the floor. Inside the crates, both ponies have utter dumbfounded looks on their faces. The carrot crated pony manages to fit in a silent facehoof. The geezer jumps of the wagon and slowly makes his way back to the front and proceeds to pull the wagon. The drowning noise of the clattering ensued. "Oh my Cellestia. A sandwich!" yells out the yellow crate. "I think my heart just stopped, tell my future marefriend I love her." retorts the orange crate. They both laugh to each other. "I bet she'll be ugly." jokes the orange crate. "Just count yourself lucky that you have my good looks." "Just because you were born first doesn't mean I take after you, idiot." A small chuckle sounds from the yellow crate. "I'm just kidding, but can you imagine." "Ha yeah, she'll have warts and boils and a triple chin and weigh like a ton." comments the yellow crate. Both ponies laugh again, this time even harder. They talked and laughed for another few hours. Talking was the only thing they could do to prevent boredom from setting in. After their conversation finished a long silence rolled over. Both ponies were minding their own business in their crates. They liked to talk to each other, but at the same time they appreciated the silence. It gave them time to think and just relax. "Hey Comet." announces the orange crate, breaking the silence. "Yeah Trade." responds the yellow crate. "Will we ever stop running..." Another short silence surrounds the crates. "Look Trade... we just need a good place to start off again. We'll be fine." " I know, its just I've been thinking of ma and pa lately." "... Trade... lets leave the past in the past. We're fine now and that's all that we need to care about." "Yeah... alright... So do you know where we're going anyway?" "I don't know. I just hope its somewhere with a place for us....... hey Trade, thanks." "Thanks for what?" "For being my brother." "No prob." The sun starts to set in the distance as the wagon halts again. The old pony routinely stops to light a couple of lanterns and take a break. He leans on a post to eat his long savored meal. In the dim light of the lantern, the post the geezer leaned on read 'Two miles Ponyville'. He finished his meal and continued to pull the wagon, just as the sun finally set. The crated ponies fall asleep in their beds of fruit, as the wagon pushes on. In Trade's mind he repeats the same sentence in his sleep, "A new town, a new future, please...."
Rocky Arrivals(Author's Note: Yeah, I actually liked how chapter one came out, so I'll stick with this for the time being. Like I said before, please comment and rate. But I'd like to also mention that I need cover art. I have NO idea how that whole business works, but whatever... throwing that out there. The first chapter didn't take me long, but it was a Saturday and at like eleven p.m. So i think i'll try to pop two chapters off every week maybe more. So yeah, here's chapter two.) "Do you have the bail." asks the constable. "Yes I have it." says Twilight as she ruffles through her bag. "Here it is." She hands over the large stack of bits with her magic. The constable scans the bits counting frivolously to assure himself the amount is correct. "Seems to be in order. Come'on through, i'll take you to him." Trade appears from behind Twilight and walks to her side. Trade has a light brown coat with a dull white mane and tail. Trade is just a tad bit taller than the mare to his side, without his horn. But what really stands out is his cutie mark. It's a hammer and screwdriver that make an X in front of a plain white shield. The two wait patiently for the constable to finish doing some paperwork before allowing them through. "I have to thank you again Twilight, for the time being i'm pretty tapped out." says Trade in a reassuring voice. "It's fine, really. But it wouldn't hurt to know why your brother is in jail", asks Twilight. Trade shrugs and gives a loud sigh. The constable finishes placing the bits into his register and opens the bared doors, allowing the two ponies to come through. The constable leads the two ponies down a long empty hall. "Well to start off, he's been charged with trespassing, numerous accounts of damage to property, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and..." The officer lifts his cap with his magic. "biting my ear." Trade pulls his hoof to his face and slides it down with another sigh. "That sounds like him." Meanwhile Twilight starts to giggle, "Are you sure you two are twins?" Trade pouts, "Unfortunately." The three ponies are now at least halfway down the jail-block. Trade notices the lack of noise, "Where are the other cellmates?" Without even glancing back the officer explains, "Well to be frank, we've haven't had any crime in Ponyville for the past few years. We'll get called down to incidents, but their always insignificant." Trade raises his brow in astonishment, "Seems to a paradise here." Twilight pulls a quick smirk, "You would be surprised. We get our fair share of catastrophe now and then." The officer leads the two to the last cell, where Comet was lying on a cell bed. Comet notices the three ponies. "What is it with you and confined spaces," Trade says with a sarcastic tone. Comet gives Trade a look just before a quick stretch. He pushes himself of the bed and walks over to the ponies on the other side of the bars. The light peers through the window showing the pony's features. Twilight looks puzzled as she glances at his wings. Comet's coat was the same color as Trade's. His mane and tail were fashioned the same too. However, Comet had light blue hair and mane apart from his brother's white. Comet had a fairly large cuite mark. It was a shooting star with shades of blue and white. After Comet reach the bared door, the officer fiddled with his keys. He began to become more and more irritated as he couldn't find the key to Comet's cell. "Dang it. It must be on the other key ring. Wait right here please, i'll be right back." The officer trotted away taking his time. Comet took his attention off the pony official and to Trade, "So you came to bail me out, I knew you loved me," he said leaning his head through the bars. Trade gave a smirk, "You bit him in the ear..." he then proceeded to bop Comet on his head pushing him back through the bars. "Yeah well, he started it." rebutted Comet. Twilight just stood with a smile watching the two bicker at each other. The officer returned with the correct ring of keys and opened the cell. Comet trotted out passing the officer, eager to leave. The officer gave him a look as did Trade, but before he could nudge him Comet turned around, "Sorry for the trouble officer, and um... the ear... thing." The officer pouted as his sour glare became a smug. A smile came to Trade's face, as a look of confusion enveloped Twilight's. "Comet might get into trouble a lot, but his heart's in the right place," Trade mentioned. The group made their way down the long corridor while the officer fiddled with the key stuck in the lock. "You two surely are an interesting pair," comments Twilight. "You don't know the half of it," says Comet trotting ahead. Twilight looks at Trade, "Well maybe we can talk it over at my place. You can help me with the mess you made while you're at it." Comet snickers to himself, "Looks like you had just as much fun as I did. Which reminds me, we should probably go that farm mare's house." "You mean Applejack? Why?" Trade sighs, "This can't be good." *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* *Bump* "Uhg... what, oh yeah." Comet shifts over in his fruit mattress, raising his hoof to rub his eye. Sunlight was beaming in. "Hey Trade, you awake?" The clattering noise from the boxes was now almost deafening, causing a blanket of noise. "Hey Trade! Wake up its morning!" Trade was happily dozing off. He was always a heavy sleeper. Comet used his wings to prop himself up in his scrunched up home, looking through the hole. He saw his brother's crate just as usual, listening to his obnoxious snoring. Comet huffed as he made one more valiant effort to wake him. "Hey Trade. Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!". He paused, bringing his ear to the hole. "Hmmm...*mumble* hey beautiful, did you get a piece of carrot in your eye *mumble* cause all I see are diamonds," garbles Trade. Comet smacks his face against the wall of his confines and sighs. "Even in his dreams his pick-up lines are bad." Comet picks up one of the bananas lying around aiming it through the hole. Comet snickers to himself, "Ohh Trade take me now, Trade!" He pushes the banana through, launching it into Trade's crate landing right on his face. Comet immediately knows where this is going. "Hmmm, babe *mumble* whacha got for me," Trade slurs. "Hmm. hey wha---muffle muffle." Comet tries to prevent himself from laughing, but little bursts start to slip out. "Bab---muffle, OH MY CELESTIA!" yells Trade. Immediately the orange box starts to jump around and shake violently, meanwhile Comet is laughing hysterically. "Hey lover-boy how was your dream?" teases Comet. Trade lets out a loud and irritable sigh, "You can't let me have anything nice can you." Trade sits back down and stretches in place, trying to make himself more comfortable, "So anyway, where are we?". Comet brings his eye to the hole and tries to see the world beyond the edges of Trade's crate. "I don't know, but I think I see a town in the distance... wait let me see if I can get a better view." The yellow crate begins to turn as Comet jumps from inside. "Yeah, its a town alright. Lets get out of these crates now." Comet bring his hind legs to the ceiling, almost doing a handstand. With a hard push Comet strains to pop the lid off the crate... no good. "Oh great my lid's not coming off. Trade, try to get your's off and help me." Trade brings his back to the floor aiming his rear legs up. He begins to buck at the lid. *BANG* * BANG* *BANG* "Comet, its not coming off!" The geezer pulls the wagon into town, slowly making his way to the market square. He's greeted by practically everyone, but the old pony remains in his own little world ignoring them. The noises of the town start to mix with the clattering of the wagon. Trade slouches back down in his crate letting out a big sigh, "What else do you see?". Comet takes another look through his hole, "I don't know but there's ponies everywhere." The old pony finally stopped the cart, silencing the awful boxes. "MARKET DELIVERY!" the old pony shouts. Comet and Trade both say in unison, "Oh crap...". "Trade, we need to get out of these crates NOW." Comet says nervously. "I know, I know, but we cant. Not now. Hold on I'm trying to think." replies Trade. A crowd of ponies make their way to the wagon, watching the geezer slowly make his way to the back... really, really slowly. All eyes were on the old pony, watching his every move one hoof at a time. Irritated faces are drawn across the crowd as they eagerly wait for their package. Suddenly a pony comes from behind him and pushes him to the back. "Why t'ank ya sunny. Lemme get you somtin' for bein' so nice." The old pony makes a one-hundred-eighty degree turn, about to walk the other way. The crowd immediately yells, "NO!". In shock the geezer fell to his rump, "Alright, alright! Keep y'ur britches on." The old pony jumped up onto his wagon and whipped out his reading spectacles, taking the other glasses off. From behind a crate, he pulls out a list of all the supplies and began to read them out loud. "If y'ur package his 'ere, take'm." Using the commotion to block out the sound Comet whispered, "Trade when your package is called just wait until you're taken out of sight. Then break out and meet me at the town entrance. Alright?". "That's fine, but what if something goes wrong?" reluctantly asks Trade. "Well, then don't get in trouble." explains Comet. Trade facehoofs, "That's the best advise, you have ever come up with." As the old pony reads off his list, more and more crates are being taken off. "TWELVE SETS OF GLASS CHINA!" Finally the orchestra has been given a name. Comet looks out of his hole to see what the town looks like. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS IS MY CHINA! I WANT MY REFUND!" Comet and Trade both snicker. "ONE CRATE OF ZEBRAND BANANAS!" the old pony shouts. "Well, that's me. I'll see you later, good luck." whispers Comet. A pair of ponies begin to move through the crowd. A burly red stallion and a stout orange mare with a cowmare hat approach the wagon. "Dat'il be us partner." announces the orange mare. "Well, alrighty then, tak'it. Those 'nanas wouldn't shad up the whole ride." A dumbfounded look falls on Comet's face. The orange mare just looks at the old pony with a concerned look. She turns to the red colt, "Alright Mac, you got this?" The stallion trots over to the wagon as the geezer slides it onto his back. "Huff! Eeyup." "Alrighty then, lets take these lil' guys home so we can start the new recipe." The two ponies start back into the crowd, unaware of the contents inside. On their way out a voice was calling out to the ponies. "Big Macintosh! Applejack! Hey!" It was a purple unicorn accompanied with a small baby dragon. "Hey Twi, whatcha up to?" The unicorn levitates a long list out from her satchel. "Well, I organized my fiction novella's alphabetically, had breakfast, reorganized ,my history texts in periodical importance..." Big Macintosh obnoxiously cleared his throat trying to grab Applejack's attention. She returned with a glare. "Twilight, I mean what are you doing here." She extends the list, rolling it out to her hooves. "I was getting to that, mmm... here! I'm here to pick up a package of carrots." Applejack had a smile on her face, "What are you doing with a bunch'a carrots?" The little dragon poped out from behind the purple pony, "We're trying to see if we can make a carrot ten feet high!" he said excitedly. "Well, that and whole bunch of other experiments," assured the unicorn. Macintosh grunts again, this time almost dropping the crate. "Mac watch it, we cant have one bruised banana." Meanwhile, Comet expanded his wings to better hold himself up. Sweat was beating off his face. "Well, good luck with your giant carrots. See ya later Twi." Applejack trotted over to Big Macintosh giving him a nudge with her hoof. "You don't have to be rude." Big Macintosh looked away nervously, "AJ, this is heavy. I would be mighty happy if we get back to the farm." Applejack gives Big Mac a smug look, "I sure its not THAT heavy." She gives Macintosh another nudge this time causing him to loose his balance. "Applejack, THE CRATE!" He falls over, violently dropping the crate. "Dangit, hopefully the fruit isn't bruised badly. Sorry for that." Comet on the other hand, lays unconscious in the crate laying on a bed of bananas. Twilight sees the mishap and trots over, "You guys need help with that?" Twilight's horn starts to glow as she levitates the crate onto the stallion. Big Macintosh catches his breath, "Appreciated Mam." "No problem, I'll see you guys later." AJ and Big Macintosh leave Twilight, bickering in a low tone. Twilight smiles down to Spike, "Well, lets pick up our package." Spike nods and leads the way into the crowd. Most of the crates were gone already, except for a few. Twilight and Spike approach the wagon hearing a series of complaining. The old pony was stuttering with his next item, "A CRATE OF CRE....CHRE...credu, uh." "A crate of credulous carrots from Canterlot?" interrupts Twilight. The old pony couldn't have cared less, same went for Trade. "Yeah, whatever you said. It's yours." "Uhg finally, at least I'm going somewhere." Trade whispered to himself. Twilight approached the wagon as Spike was ready to catch the crate. Just before the old pony let go, Twilight grasped the crate with her magic. Trade began floating inside, along with all the carrots. "I got it Spike, now whats next on the list?" Spike reaches into her pouch and pulls out the extensive list. "Well, now we need to go to Pinkie Pie's place for the cupcakes." Trade began to feel nauseous from the floating sensation. "Lets drop this off first and then well go to Pinkie's." It had been over ten minutes of floating in his crate. His head began spinning and the overall feeling of floating was awkward. He propped himself up in each corner to stop twirling, but the nauseous feeling still stuck in his gut. "Oh hay, when is she going to put me down! Where am I going?" thinks Trade. Suddenly a series of locks and bolts sound from outside. Trade peers through his hole to see. "Hold on Spike, let me put this in the back room." announces the purple unicorn. "That fine i'm getting a snack for the road." The young dragon reaches into a refrigerator pulling out a sapphire the size of Trade's hoof. What the... dragons eat those?" Trade says to himself. Twilight moves the crate to the back of the room, placing it abruptly on the ground. "O.K Spike, I'll be right with you in a sec." Twilight swings the heavy door open revealing a study cluttered with books, beakers, test tubes, pretty much a scientist paradise. She glances at the crate, lifting it yet again. Trade wasn't quite ready and almost gags. She places the rather large box atop some other crates, this time gently. Twilight swings the door shut calling out to Spike, "You ready Spike? Lets go." The two voice start to fad away as the barrage of locks sound once again. Trade lays in his crate looking at the ceiling, "Well, I guess this is when I take my leave." He aims his back hooves at the lid yet again and starts to buck. *Wham* *Bang* Still, the crate did not open. Trade tries another few times with no avail. Suddenly the crate started to tip. "Oh no..." The crate was now teetering on the edge of the boxes below him. Trade tries to balance himself inside the crate, while still pushing on the lid. "Maybe if I just..." He scrunches just a bit over, when suddenly the crate gives way. From atop the boxes the crate falls flat on the floor. When the dust cleared, carrots were scattered everywhere and Trade was lying on the floor. "That's another way to do it," he said face down to the ground. Trade eases himself up looking around. "From one prison to another," he sighs. Trade trots to the door trying the door knob. It turns but a series of bolts prevented the door from opening. An irritated look falls on Trade's face. "...really. Uhg." He looks around the room searching for an alternate route for escape. Suddenly the series of locks from the front door echo. Trade freezes in place, like a deer in headlights. The door swings open as Twilight quickly trots into the main room. "Sorry hold on, I left the list in the study." Trade starts to freak out. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, c'mon." He glances at the top of the bookcase, where he sees a window he can escape from. "Success!" The hoofsteps start to get louder as Twilight nears the study. Trade starts to climb the bookshelves, almost to his salvation. Just as he got to the window, the door swings open. "Spike calm down, I..." The two ponies just stare at each other. Trade's face is like stone, "um hi..."
Rocky Arrivals Part 2(Sorry that the last chapter took so long. School is always going to distract me from writing. Also, Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3 and Gears and well... you see where this is going. I'm guessing that until I go on vacation i'll write at least two chapters a week. Seems adequate, I guess. *Sigh* like I noted in the previous chapter I need an editor. Going over my own work numerous times cuts into the hours I can continue writing. Anyway, here's chapter 2.5.) Trade's face went completely red, and his ears felt like they were burning. Both ponies were caught in some sort of trance, like a deer in cartlights. Trade knew he was caught, he was screwed, and he was teetering atop a twelve foot bookshelf. In the instant of her intrusion Trade's mind went blank, as was Twilight's. The window was but a few inches in front of his face, but he couldn't take his eyes of of her. He could have just easily jumped through, but he couldn't muster up the will to do it. The static in his head told him to say something, anything... so he did. His throat tightened and his thoughts focused, but out of all the things he could have said. "Uh... hi..." blurted out. Twilight's face went from shock and confusion to well, even more shock and confusion. She just continued to stare at him with bewilderment. Trade's comment was met by an immediate creaking noise. His eyes shot to the size of pebbles as did Twilight's. Even more creaking sounded from the wooden behemoth as it began to tip over. Spike approaches Twilight pouting, totally oblivious to the situation. Stomping with impatience he finally reaches the doorway, "Twilight, whats going on were late. WHO IS THAT!" The random outburst within the room broke the ambiance. Trade's focus went from Twilight face straight to the bookcase. Twilight broke from her trance, "What the hay are you doing in here!" Just then Trade lost his balance and plummeted to the ground. Both Twilight and Spike fixing their eyes to Trade. Twilight was about to unleash a tongue lashing, but suddenly the bookcase creaked even louder. The enormous behemoth was about to reek its revenge on every lumberjack in the world, and came crashing down on top of Trade. Trade looks up only able to fit in a "Oh shit!" before the bookshelf came crashing down. *BOOM* The sound streaked throughout the whole library and perhaps the whole town. Twilight and Spike were thrown back into the mainroom as billow of dust seeped out of the study. Looking back, Twilight saw nothing recognizable; the room was filled with too much dust. Spike got to his feet and scurried to open a window. A gush of cool air flowed in knocking back the grey cloud, revealing the disaster within the study.Rubbing her head with her hoof, Twilight finally came to her senses. She drew her gaze toward the study to see what had happened. Carrots and books were scattered about, shards of glass were everywhere, and her immense bookcase was in shambles. None the less Twilight's face is in shock, but then it clicked. "Oh my Celestia, where is he!" The white-haired pony was no where to be seen, only a mound of books and wood lay in his place. She jumps into the room kicking the bookcase's parts aside. Spike follows to help remove the wooden beast. At the bottom of the wreckage, Trade was dazed with stars in his eyes and books in his face.After a full minute, Twilight sees the pony and removes the book on his face. Trade gaspes for air announcing in a semiconscious state, "I can fix that," just before blacking out. "Aaaaaoooooow, what just happened..." Trade regained consciousness to see that he was dragged out into the mainroom. "Hey you're finally awake," Twilight said from the kitchen. "I was getting ready to pour ice cold water on you." In the background Trade hears a pout, "Hmf I wanted to see him get soaked." Trade glances into the kitchen to see the purple unicorn giving the dragon a stare. Trade lifted his hoof rubbing his face, "Hey, sorry about... that." He looks at the wreckage in the study. Twilight walks in holding a tray of hot towels with her magic, "Well, I hope so. You caused a rather large mess." Trade sits up listening to his bones and muscles ache, letting out a loud sigh. Twilight lifts one of the towels and hands it to Trade at a distance. Rather than using his own magic, he gets up and takes it for himself. Muffling the towel on his face, "Yeah, it's a long story. And about the bookcase, I'll fix that up for you and get out of your mane." Twilight looks to the study, "Well, that can wait till tomorrow... are you sure you're feeling alright. You were almost crushed by a four hundred pound bookcase." Trade retreats to his spot on the floor waving his hoof in the air, "I'm fine, I'm fine. You don't need too worry about me, but I do need to get out of here." Twilight steps back into the kitchen. "What's the rush, it's already midnight." Trade immediately swings his head around to look out the window. To his surprise Luna's moon was high in the night sky. "Oh great, I'm never gunna hear the end of this." Trade laments. Twilight returns with a batch of bright pink and green cupcakes, eating one on her way in, "By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle and my little helper here is Spike." She walks past Trade placing the tray on a table behind him. Trade brings his attention to the purple mound sleeping on the couch snoring away. "My name's Trade Dweller," he responds. Twilight trots over to the snoozing dragon and lifts him with magic. "Sorry, I'll be right with you. Let me put him in bed." Twilight said as she trotted upstairs. Trade thought it was funny how Spike just floated there in her grasp, as she brought him upstairs. Trade looked around taking in the ambiance of the room. The room itself wasn't entirely square like a normal home would be. Apart from the obvious fact that it was a library, the wood detailing was all natural and unrefined, not even varnished. Trade stood up taking in every detail of the oddity that is this 'home'. All of a sudden the aroma of strawberry and apple filled the room. Trade looked over to the cupcake, his mouth moist with the sight of them. He trotted over examining the small delicacies. They were no more than fourteen of them, all with a small difference in pattern, design, and... sprinkles. Trade pick one of them up, sampling it. His mouth stung with the explosion his taste buds felt. Immediately he gobbled it up, bringing his hooves to his face from the overbearing sweetness. Minutes later, Twilight slowly stepped down the stairs, being careful not to wake Spike. Her gait was gentle, as if she was walking on thin ice. Almost floating as she took each step. Making her way to the bottom of the stairs she glanced over at Trade, who seemed to not have moved. He remained siting on the ground, like an oblivious dog lost in his thought. Twilight trotted over to the couch where she plopped herself down, making a loud *fwoop* sound. "So Mr. Dweller, what are you doing here in Ponyville?" Twilight says in a friendly tone. Trade sighs, "Like I said, it's a long story and I really wouldn't want to trouble you with it." Twilight takes her sight off Trade and to her platter of cupcakes, only to see that one remained. She smirks, taking the last cupcake, "Well, if you're staying the night anyway. I might as well know why you're here." Trade's eyebrows perk at the unannounced invitation, "You can actually just call me Trade. And for being in Ponyville..." Trade pauses mid-sentence, trying to think of something. "My brother and I are travelling the world." "In boxes..." Twilight retorts. "Yeah... before I can get out you carried me here." Trade rises from his spot, sighting an open chair across the room. "We just love travelling. Always on the go. It's an adventure." Twilight senses that he's covering up for somthing so she decides to change the topic. "You mentioned a brother." Trade plops down in the open chair. Somewhat a challenging task. "Yeah, he's my twin brother." Trade says nothing more, leaving an awkward silence followed by a loud yawn. Twilight knew that he wasn't going to say much more. He wasn't about to let his walls down to just any stranger. Twilight coughed breaking the silence, "Well, for tonight you can sleep in the guest room. It's at the end of the hall past the kitchen. We can talk more tomorrow. For now, you should get some rest." She gets up from her couch neatening it with a quick wave of magic, returning it to its 'couchy' glory. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable, and grab a book or something." She trotted to the stairs yawning, "Good night, and try not to climb on any of the furniture." Trade lets out a chuckle, "I'll try not to, thanks." (Trade's perspective) Twilight made her way upstairs, leaving me with the rest of the house. It was dead silent, yet peaceful. I sat in her chair for what seemed like an hour, just taking in the silence. To close my eyes and hear nothing, was bliss. I didn't even want to budge, it felt so good just to sit here not to worry about anything. I know Comet is out there somewhere, but I'm sure he's safe for the time being. But yet again, he's still Comet. I'm sure he'll find a way to get into trouble. My romp was getting sore so I jumped to my hooves, slowly making my way around the house. I didn't want to touch anything, but I felt like giving myself a quick tour if Twilight's home. I saw enough of the mainroom to know that it was the library, so I trotted over to the the kitchen. There wasn't anything too significant about it. All together it was pretty standard with fruits and vegetables stacking the shelves. "She said to make myself comfortable, I guess she wouldn't mind if I made myself a quick bite." Rummaging through the drawers and cabinets I found the essentials to make myself a quick sandwich. Some white bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and daisies would do. I had about everything, except a plate or something to eat on. Looking around the kitchen, I noticed that Twilight places all the dishes and bowls up the high shelf. I grabbed a chair from the mainroom, placing it in front of the counter top where the shelf was. I hopped on trying to reach the plates, but I still couldn't reach. I let out a big sigh, jumping down. "Dammit, I guess I have to use magic." With a turn of my head I concentrated on the plate. I felt a force of energy rise from my head and to my horn. I closed my eyes clearing my thoughts, only thinking about the plates on the top shelf. A faint gold haze enveloped my horn as the plates started to clatter together. "Oh c'mon, I just want the plate. Let's not make this a fiasco." I concentrated even harder, trying to use the least amount of magic as possible. "... c'mon, c'mon, c'mon.....oh buck it." I relaxed and gave a dead stare at the plates. My horn suddenly shined, illuminated the whole room with light. With surgical precision each plate rose, allowing the last plate to fly out of out of the shelf. "Ok, now stop. Let's stop. Stop please." As I held the plate I felt the energy funneling into my horn. I was like a balloon filling with air, ready to pop at any second. "Oh hay, no no no!" The plate was shaking in place as beats of sweat trickled down my face. "No no no, I need something." My heart was almost throbbing, I needed to use up my magic. I turned to the counter where all my ingredients were. In a lightning fast motion the plate slammed to the table, kicking up all the ingredients in a magic glow. Knives flew out from the cupboard prepped for further use. My head started to ache and rattle with pain. "Alright... now the sandwich." In the gold aura the knives met the produce, slicing and dicing them in an organized fashion. I felt the head lighten up as the vegetables fell to the counter in their own little piles. With magic, I picked up the bread and cut two slices. "Almost... done, c'mon enough magic. Stop." All the ingredients came together forming a sandwich. "Just a little more, seriously stop." I held the sandwich in front of me, letting the rest of my magic out. I clamped my eyes shut, just releasing the energy. Seconds later, I collapsed on the floor panting from my culinary episode. "Finally" *huff* "over" *huff*. I rose from the floor, stumbling to my hooves. Bringing my attention to the counter, I saw my sandwich sitting there steaming with a delicious aroma. It was toasted to fine brown. Detailed swirls and lines coated the toast, as if done by a coffeehouse brew-master. Aside from the sandwich I pretty much trashed the kitchen. As if I can't do one thing without a disaster happening. After a good thirty minutes of cleaning, I took my gourmet sandwich an proceeded down the hall. Holding a plate in my mouth wasn't the hard part, but to see where you were going is another thing. I tip-toed down the hall, slowly bringing each hoof ahead. The library eventually looked more like an actual home the further I trotted down the hall. There were actual walls rather than the natural wood. It was painted green with pictures lining the walls. I recognized all the pictures with Twilight and Spike, but there were dozens more. Some even had Princess Celestia and Luna in them. I would have been more surprised, but I had a sandwich waiting to be eaten. I didn't really care. I turned the corner of the hall revealing the spare room. It was average at best, having the basic commodities. A bed, bookshelf, dresser, closet, you name it. I sat down on the bed eating my sandwich, enjoying each and every bite. It had probably been two weeks since I had a actual meal... other than carrots and scraps. Setting the plate aside, I plopped into my bed, immediately tossing the covers on top of me. I chuckled at the feeling, as the comfort was overbearing. It felt so wonderful to finally have a bed to rest in. Letting out a big sigh of relief, I threw my head into the pillow. It was like a big soft marshmallow, graciously wrapping around the outline of my head. I was asleep in seconds, sleeping in my poofy marshmellowy heaven.
