Able bodied

by The Sumareian

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Slice of Life, Human, Lyra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy
Length: 32372

Gabriel or Able, to his few friends (if he had any), finds himself caught in a freak storm while out for a walk. What follows are his trials (not really) in a world filled with colorful talking ponies.

After, a freak storm hurls Able into the land of Equestria it's up to him and Harper a musician and artist down on his luck, to not only cope with one another, and with Harper's crazed cousin who wants Able all to herself. ( A HiE with a hopefully better reactions to all the little differences in Equestria.)

Published 2013-04-22 07:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-27 06:41:20 UTC

Storms

Able slowed down a little bit, he wanted to enjoy the last bit of nature he would see in a week, before going back to school just to hear is professors drone on and on about all philosophic crap people used to think. He looked up at the sky, cloudy and gloomy, either hinting at a something bad or something good, just like his life as of recent. It all started when Michelle dumped him in one of the most cruelly elaborate plans that she could think of. He expected it however seeing how she kept on claiming she couldn't make it to all the dates he asked her out on.

Then there was his job or more appropriately former job, at Dan's Hand-me-downs. He didn't miss that crappy secondhand clothing store at all but what really made him angry about it was the circumstance in which he left. The manager thought he was stealing money from the register every time he worked it, turns out that after they fired him they found out that not only he wasn't the thief but it was the managers daughter the entire time. He would have paid a million dollars to see his mangers face as they hauled off his daughter.

He stopped at a rock and quickly noticed his shoelace had decided to untie itself for the twelfth time in the last hour. As he quickly tied it into one of his world famous quadruple knots he noticed that the air started to smell wet, and that a low rumble was coming from the sky.

"You got to be kidding me, the one day I forget my hoodie, and you decide to rain sky, really." He looked up as the first clandestine drop of nature effectively pissing on his day hit him right on his forehead. Able looked at the empty field he would have to cross to get within an half hours walk to his apartment, the air now pouring rain like there was no tomorrow.

"Great." He realized he had two choices run like the bats out of hell to the other side of the field or get hypothermia and freeze to death.

As he got ready to run the across the increasingly drenched field a blinding flash tore across the ground right in front of him, then another arced across the field.

"Oh screw that." He backed up only for another bolt to land on the rock he just a moment ago was leaning on, causing it to explode into a million tiny bits , knocking him into the electrified field. Rather then scramble like an idiot back to the safe canopy of the forest, every bone, muscle and cell in his body told him to run like hell away from randomly exploding anything. As he ran like a suicidal maniac across the field another bolt struck in front of him though unlike before this one crackled in the air singing the ground underneath it, looking around Able saw two others like it behind him. They suddenly shot forward and engulfed him in electrifying doom.

*****************************************
Meanwhile on Equestrias east road, somewhere between Manchester and Stalliongrad

Trixie glared at the scroll in front of her in frustration. All it was supposed to do was make something from far away pop out of the upturned hat she had placed in front of her but low and behold, nothing happened.

"That is the last time I buy a spell from that pony." She angrily stomped her hoof in frustration as she tore the scroll apart and threw the bits and pieces out her wagon, allowing the pouring rain to bleed the ink from the parchment.

She sat inside waiting for the storm to pass over a new annoyance added itself to her rather small list of annoying things.

*****************************************
Lower Flapstaff, Equestria in a small house near the Greenrun Forest.

Harper strummed calmly on his harp, it was calming to him to just listen to the rain and try and add a melody to it, he knew that it was utterly futile but like many days he played in silence in the darkened room the only light was the occasional flash of lightning that lit up the sky.

Just as Harper began to slow down his melody a loud explosion of thunder shook his home causing a few pictures of his family to topple over, especially the one of him and his cousin Lyra getting their first instruments on Hearths Warming. He decide to check the commotion seeing as it was a rather loud thundering for the weather patrol to not send somepony over to check in on him.

As he opened the door to his porch he saw a rather large crater in the middle of the tomato patch he had been growing so he could save some bits in the market. Deciding to see the damage first hoof and to see what he could save he trotted out of the protection of his porch and into the surprisingly ice cold rain.

As he neared the crater it became clear that something was laying in the middle of it he ignited his horn and tried to move what ever it was out of the rain, as he pulled it out of the hole it became clear it wasn't a pony namely because it was too big to be one, however its size didn't seem to make it as heavy as most ponies he tried to levitate. as a matter of fact it was easily no more heavier then he was at 190 lbs.

As he dragged the thing on to his porch he heard somepony call out over the now distant thunder.

"Harper, Harper." Harper waved the now increasingly familiar looking pegisi over to him.

"I'm over here, Storm Shock." He called out to the mare who was now making her decent to his porch.

"I told you not to call me that," She flicked her blue grey mane making it seem like she was not flying through one of the most intense storm-fronts to the town in the last year.

"Okay Stormy." He released his magic causing the large thing to lifelessly slump on the ground.

"I saw the lightning and headed here as fast as I could," She gently hugged her friend before glancing down at the thing he had dragged on his porch. "Do you think its alive?" she reached a hoof to poke it, Its foot twitched slightly prompting her to pause mere inches from the things head.

"We should take it inside, try and see if we can get it cleaned up a little." Harper wrapped it once again in his magic and dragged it into his house and deposited in front of his fire place, where Stormy was tossing in the match for the dry kindling to catch.

"So while I'm here you think I could crash for the night?" Stormy stood up from the fireplace as the logs began to crack and smoke. She trotted over to the armchair next to the window and plopped down in its cushions before sighing contently.

Harper rolled his eyes at the mares do and then ask for forgiveness behavior, he looked outside at the storm then at the lounging mare before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, you can stay the night." He mentally kicked himself wondering what she would want for dinner as he quietly sneaked to the kitchen to see what he had. As he opened the fridge he saw the small jar of hummus and a half a cucumber.

"Hey could you make some of those hummus and cucumber sandwiches." Of course she would know what he had in his fridge. "Oh and if you need to go by the market tomorrow I can help you bring back whatever you get." Stormy hopped out of the armchair and went to the bookshelf, and pulled out one of his old comic books.

As Harper went to work on some sandwiches the weather mare flipped causally through the pages, before something caught her eye.

"Hey Harper, does that thing you dragged in look at all familiar?" She looked at the picture its had a silhouette of something that looked like the thing laying in front of the now roaring fireplace.

"No, should it look familiar to me?" Harper poked his head out of the kitchen a plate levitating just above his head.

Stormy looked at the comic book again and one of the lines stuck out to her, some scientist in his lab coat was talking about some dangerous creature call a human, and that how one could destroy a pony with its gaze. she looked up to see the thing start to move a little.

--

Able, felt sore all over, but worst of all was the headache that was like an army of construction workers with jackhammers all decided that his skull needed work. He rubbed his temple hoping that it would alleviate some of the pain but to no avail.

"Oh god, I need an Ibuprofen." He grumbled as he sat up and tried to take in his surroundings. He took note of the rain still pelting the windows of what was now starting to look like a rather nice cabin, though he found it a little strange that there were alot of pictures of horses on the wall.

"Looks like someone likes photoshop." he commented before the sound of movement behind him made him turn around.

There sitting in the middle of a decently sized armchair sat what looked like all the other horses he saw in the pictures only this one was staring at him with its large green eyes, staring at him unblinking. It whimpered slightly, causing someone in the kitchen to call out.

"Stormy you okay in the-" Able looked as another one of the horse things this one with a horn stood slack jawed staring at him.

"Did you just...... Talk?" Able pointed at the unicorn , as he cautiously got to his feet.

"Harper, I think I know what it is." The horse-thing spread out its wings and hovered towards the one it just called Harper . "I think its a human." It shrunk back behind the unicorn whose horn was starting to glow.

"Stormy, that cant be true humans don't exist, that's impossible." The unicorn gritted its teeth as it cautiously took a step forward.

"Whoa, whoa. Humans don't exist? Excuse me mister magical talking unicorn but in all fairness you don't exist either." Able stumbled slightly on a side drawer.

"Careful, Harper he might use his laser eyes on you." The one behind what he now assumed was Harper retreated to the kitchen.

"Laser eyes, What the hell are you you talking about?" Able noticed the confused look on the progressing unicorns face.

"Wait you cant shoot lasers from your eyes?" It pointed a hoof at him.

"If I could I'm fairly certain my life wouldn't be as crappy as it is now," Able scratched his bushy hair," Did I take shrooms or something and forget I did?" he asked no one in particular as he noticed that more and more of the pictures had this dark red horse in them each one looking more and more like the one in front of him.

"So you aren't planning the invasion of Equestria so you can use the ponies in your slave camps?" The one who retreated earlier poked its head out a metal strainer on top of its head.

"What the hell is Equestria and ponies?" Able looked at the two talking horses in front of him. "Okay I need a drink."

********

"Here you go, some warm apple cider." The unicorn floated the steaming mug into Able's hands. He nodded his thanks to the unicorn as it took a seat on the couch next to the other one who was now pressing up to it for safety.

"So I'm guessing some form of introductions are in order. My name is Gabriel though my ever shrinking group of friends call me Able." He took a sip of the cider and smiled. "I'm also a human for whatever difference that makes."

The unicorn shifted in his seat before speaking up himself. "My names Harper, me and my friend here are ponies well more specifically I'm a unicorn and she is a pegasus." He brought his friend closer into his protective embrace.

"Then I imagine her name is Stormy," Able commented trying keep the air of civility. She simply nodded to him confirming his assumption.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet both of you," Able smiled to the pair of ponies in front of him. In the back of his mind he really hoped he was hallucinating and that they were just a figment of some strange repressed memory he had involving ponies, and that it would go away after a good nights sleep.

Oh how wrong he he was...

Author's Note

First Chapter of a my second HiE story hopefully I can write a more convincing (Plausible) explanation as the story progresses as to why ponies seem to fear humans as harbingers of doom and destruction.

The Greenrun forest.

A/N: There is some (I mean alot) language in this chapter( warning you in advance. (Able has some issues))

"And this little piggy went to the market, this one played in the mud." He cracked his eyes hoping that it wasn't his crazy landlady again, thinking he was some type of alien, and claiming that his toes would tell her the truth. Come to think of it he was glad he was moving out in a week.

"And this one cried wee wee wee all the way home." He mumbled tiredly, only to be met by a surprised yelp and a blur of movement behind the nearby armchair. He groggily rolled over, not realizing that he was already on the edge of the rather plush couch.

--

Harper took another sip of tea, the whole night Stormy was kicking and thrashing around in bed. He knew she was well rested since she seemed to literally spring out of bed just as he was finally starting to doze off. Sighing he took another long gulp of tea. As he put his cup down, he heard a loud thud come from his living room. as well as a tired moan.

"Looks like Able is awake." He looked at his kitchen, at best he maybe had a box of straw flakes he could offer him, as he thought about his food situation he looked to the entrance of the kitchen, where Able was shambling in like he was on autopilot."Good morning." he greeted the tired human.

All Able did was what he guessed was a good morning mixed with a tired grunt. As he opened the fridge he sat the for a second and mumbled. "No milk."

He tilted his head over to the cabinet and opened it producing both a bowl and the half empty box of straw flakes. Harper couldn't help but smile on the inside, after all if humans were supposed to be some mythical creature of destruction they certainly didn't handle waking up in the morning to well.

As he poured the cereal into the bowl he walked over to the sink and pulled out a spoon and turned on the faucet. Apparently still on autopilot he let some fill is bowl before taking a seat at the table, and taking a spoonful of the cereal and start eating it.

Harper caught himself staring at Able as he slowly and loudly chewed his cereal.Just then Able spit it out of his mouth loudly.

"Oh my god, what is that stuff?" he looked around and paused when his eyes landed on Harper. "What the hell are you?" Harper rolled his eyes.

"We've been through this Able."

"Did.. did you just talk? How the hell do you know my name?" Able pointed the spoon at him.

"Do you really not remember last night at all?" Harper snagged the spoon from Ables hand and dropped it back into the sink.

"I remember a lightning storm and....." His eyes widened as a sudden realization donned on him. "This is real isn't it? No that's crazy, horses don't talk," He looked at Harper. "I mean look at me I'm talking to a unicorn for gods sake. Thats it I high or something."

"Well to be frank Humans don't exist here, let alone talk and you thought you were high last night. " Harper pushed his tea cup to the side. " Which to the best of my knowledge, you weren't."

Able looked at Harper a mixture of shock an fear in his eyes. Harper glanced to the kitchens entrance where Stormy was shyly peaking in.

"I need to walk." Able pushed past the chair in between them and opened the backdoor. "I'll be back... eventually." and with that he closed it behind him. After a few moments Stormy trotted in.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Stormy asked as she trotted up the kitchen window, and watched as Able bewilderingly walked into the treeline.

Harper looked at the partially eaten cereal and sighed."I don't know, I really don't know."

--

Able burst through another bush causing a few birds nearby to scatter. He couldn't believe this. Was Michelle really this much of a total bitch. He remembered some of the crazy shit she would put people through when they pissed her off, but this?

"Very funny Michelle. I don't know what I did to get on your shit list, But this is pretty fucking elaborate." He looked up at the sky, it was completely clear save for a few stray clouds that were drifting lazily in the wind.

Able got angry, why was the world all bright and happy when he was literally a mile deep in this shit. He thought of Michelle that heartless bitch sitting down somewhere and laughing her ass off.

"Had I known that something like this would have happened I would have pushed your ass in front of that bus." He saw a mostly rotted out tree and kicked it in half. "You bitch, when I see your ass it's going to be your last day on earth." He fumed angrily. "And fucking talking horses, are fucking you shitting me. Do I look like I'm five. Here the hell do you find these drugs."

Able kicked the other half of the rotting tree causing it to topple over in a dirty mess. Able unable to vent his rage any other way just shouted as he pulverized the piece of wood with his foot pretending it was Michelle's face.

--

Harper sighed looking at the last half of his daisy sandwich. Both he and Stormy had been shopping in the market for about two hours now, he decided to take a break and let her buy some stuff she wanted to get. Though all he could think about what would happen if anyone found Able, he looked out at the street, taking note of all the vendors, most of them ponies, with a few minotaurs and griffins scattered about both at the stalls and shopping.

"Harper," He looked up to see Stormy with several bulging burlap sacks draped on her sides. "I picked up, some onions and celery, for soup." She smiled as she trotted over to the small cart that held all the other groceries they had picked up and put the sacks inside. "You seem a little distant at the moment." She sat down across from him staring at him with her soft green eyes.

"Just thinking is all." He slid his sandwich over to her.

"Able?" Harper nodded.

"If, he is what you said he is then, we might have problem if somepony sees him, especially how he seems to freak out every time we talk around him." Harper rested his head on the table.

"Actually Harper, your the only one who talks to him." She took a small bite out of the daisy sandwich. "I'm personally to afraid to talk to him."

"But you can at least be around him, I'm just afraid of what other ponies will do if they find him, sweet Luna what would he do?" He looked up at the crowd all milling about minding their own business he wondered what a human in the mix would do. "The closest thing I can compare this to is that dragon Lyra says lives in Ponyville."

"And how did they respond?" Stormy nibbled a little more on her sandwich.

"Stormy its Ponyville so many disasters and weird things happen there its amazing the princesses haven't sealed it off from the rest of Equestria. I think they could afford to ignore a dragon walking around town."

" Good point but, you've seen how many minotuars live here?" Stormy waved her hoof to a small group of minotuars arm wrestling at a table. "I think he could blend in a little bit. you know because he's basically a smaller weirder looking one of them."

Harper rubbed his temples. "No he couldn't he doesn't look enough like them, and the only reason we have so many minotaurs here is because we're close to the border of Minos. Someones bond to ask questions about him." He pulled some bits out of his saddlebag and tossed them on the table. "We better get back and make sure Able doesn't hurt himself."

"Hey Harper," His ears perked at the familiar voice. He turned to see a dark green mare in a brown vest with the Equestrian rangers emblem on it, skid to a halt near his cart. It became clear she had been running for some time as she tiredly trotted the rest of the way trying to catch her breath.

" Oh, hey Holly." Stormy hopped up and gave her a friendly hoof bump which the green mare returned weakly.

"Me and Evergreen saw something in the woods close to your house," She panted for a moment before continuing. " Whatever it was it was loud and looked violent."

Harper felt his heart skip a beat. "What did it look like?" he asked hoping that Able hadn't been found out and maybe even caught.

"It kinda looked like a hairless chimp but taller, and with clothes or something like that on. It was shouting and kicking trees and throwing things everywhere." She looked up at Harper, " Me and Evergreen are going to close down the forest for a bit until whatever it is moves on or..." she gulped looking down at the ground in shame. "We may have to put it down."

Harpers mind ground to a halt at her last statement.He knew the Equestrian rangers were supposed to stop the occasional manitcore or chimera from getting into town and hurting somepony but all they would use were loud fireworks to scare them off, but killing something that seemed a little to far.

"I thought I should let you know since you live close to the forest." Holly said before turning tail and galloped off to town hall, most likely alert the mayor of the situation.

"Harper..." Stormy rested her hoof on his shoulder.

"Lets get back home, I have an idea."

--

Able sat in the clearing clearly he had lost it, hell he was probably being tossed into a padded cell after trying to bite somebodies ear off right now. He listened to the birds wondering if the calls were from his memories or were they just something he made up to give voice to something familiar to him since them being real was far fetched to say the least.

He looked up at the sky once more, it was partly cloudy and nice a lot like they day that bastard Trent came into his life, he really couldn't blame his mom after dad died.But Trent hated him, all because he reminded his mom of what she lost or so Trent claimed when he shipped him off to some boarding school in the ass end of nowhere Kansas. Naturally he did everything he could to get the hell back home and kick his ass.

He waited though for one Sunday dinner to do it. He brought up the fact that Ables dad had saved up a college fund under his name that would have easily paid for everything he could possibly think of with a full ride mixed with all the other scholarships he earned in that miserable boarding school. But Trent kept on insisting that he and his mom needed the money so they could help raise his half sister Leah. Trent demanded that he sign it over to him right there, the bastard even had the account transfer papers right there at the table.

He clenched his fists, regretting not punching out the smug bastard right then and there. But he remembered something his father told him. 'Smile, in the face of your enemies and no matter what they say or do you win.' He smiled at Trent and his mother, at this point the only one in this dysfunctional family who hadn't put him through hell was Leah and she was hardly a month old. He remembered what he said as if they were the first words off some epic monologue. "Trent, fuck you, if anyone in this family is getting that money it sure as hell wont be you, or her." He remembered the frightened gasp of his mother as well as Leah starting to cry. "If any one of you assholes is getting money in this house its going to be the one, who has yet to wrong me."

He remembered his mothers face, but more importantly what Trent did next. He kicked him out, nothing but the clothes on his back and his fathers umbrella, which he took as a final fuck you to his mother, she didn't deserve any of his things if she was just going to let Trent stomp all over it. it was in that cloudy and soon to be stormy afternoon when he met Michelle at the bus station.

He looked up from his hands and saw a rabbit curiously staring at him, he reached his hand out to it slowly. If this was real this rabbit should have scurried away to his family unless.

"Hey there little guy, are alone like me?" he stopped mere inches away from its head as it cautiously started to sniff his fingers, before rubbing its head in his palm. He couldn't believe how soft it was. He pulled his had away from it, and it looked back up at him curiously.

"So tell me something." He returned its curious gaze. "Can you talk too?" Able watched as the rabbit tilted its head at his question. "Okay then, are you real?" He swore he saw it nod slightly. "So I'm losing my mind and seeing talking horses." this time the rabbit shook its head.

Able face palmed ." So I made a complete ass of myself, walking away from the only one of them that not only saved my life, but was willing to put up with my shit." The thought that he was still talking to a sentient rabbit came to the fore front of his mind. He looked up to see the rabbit patting him on the leg. "Thanks... I think." He stood up and smiled down to the rabbit, he looked it in the eyes and for the briefest of second he could of sworn he saw something familiar in them. He started walking back to Harpers house to apologize.

--

"You want to do what." Stormy closed the cabinet door so she could make sure she heard Harper right.

"I'm going to go into the forest and sneak Able out. Simple." Harper called out from the living room.

"Then why do you need me?" Stormy trotted into the living room to see the stallion sorting through a bunch of old records.

"In case Evergreen or Holly decide to check in ," He pulled out a old record and blew the dust off it. "Say I'm playing a harp solo for you or something and if they try to get in, stop them."

"Thats just crazy Harper, its almost sunset and your going into the woods, where Celestia knows what is out there." She all but shouted at him. But Harper was busy putting the old record into the record player.

"Stormy, I have a better idea of what's out there then Able, and besides this is nothing compared to all those adventures Lyra dragged us around on when we were younger." He brought her in for a hug, which she wearily returned a blush starting to grow on her face. "It's a Heartstrings thing. Just trust me." He whispered.

"Just be safe out there okay, you know Lyra and I wouldn't forgive you if you got hurt." She let Harper out of the embrace.

"Come on, you two were always the reason I got hurt in the first place." He smiled as he went to the door. He turned around and flicked his left ear twice.

"Be back before midnight." Stormy said as she flicked her ear twice as well. With that Harper closed the door and headed off to the treeline.

Stormy trotted up to the window and delicately reached a hoof up to her ear, of all the things Harper could have done or said he did that. She sat and waited until he disappeared into the woods. It was always Harper doing those weird things like that. Even when they were younger, of course back then he was probably the least social colt in the history of Equestria, he could blend in anywhere because nopony would notice him or even care, he was about as interesting as air.

It was actually kinda funny when she thought about it, before she knew Lyra she had no idea who Harper was, even though he sat right in front of her in school for the last three years. He really wasn't that approachable when he was younger either, always sitting alone at lunch drawing or reading sheet music. She always wondered why the only pony he talked to was Lyra, after all she was one of the more popular fillies at the school, and he would go out of his way and through her friends just to talk to her. She remembered hearing some of the rumors going around the playground that Lyra and Harper secretly had a crush on each other and were going to get married in the summer, and with her curiosity peaked she asked Harper himself.

It turned out they were cousins, something that Stormy found strangely relieving even to this day. But then Harper started going out of his way to talk to her. At first it was little things like 'Hey check out this bird I drew.' and 'Did I tell you my favorite color is green.' then he started talking about music like how he played the harp, and something about Belltrotters fourth melody. Stormy paused, almost forgetting Harper turned on the record player earlier, she wasn't much for music but the harp solo that was filling the air reminded her of the day Harper invited her to his recital just before Hearths Warming Eve.

Her parents said she should go, since Harper seemed like a nice colt albeit a bit shy, and the fact that he invited her himself meant something. When she got there she noticed Harpers ear flick twice and the filly in front of her do the same as he setup. When she tried to get a better look at who it was to her surprise it was Lyra, after some idle chat before Harper started, she had found out that Lyra had convinced Harper to invite her since she was his only friend who wasn't related to him. When she asked about the ear flicking all Lyra did was smile and say ' It's a Heartstrings thing.'

During the recital Harper played an amazing piece, all the ponies attending were entranced by it. But all Stormy could focus on was the near instantaneous flick of both Lyra and Harpers ears every once and a while when he was playing the more complicated crescendo and decrescendo of the song. When he finished and all the ponies started cheering Lyra being the loudest of all the audience, kept calling for an encore or another piece.

It wasn't until a little after the recital when most of the ponies cleared out that she congratulated Harper, who for some reason seemed a little down. When she asked him whats wrong he told her that he messed up the whole thing. Lyra came just in the nick of time and told him that he didn't mess up at all but rather put his own spin on it, Stormy for the most part told him it was perfect, but both Harper and Lyra's ears flicked at what she said that causing them to laugh.

--

"Harper, why do you let yourself get into these situations," He said as he picked his way through a couple spiny bushes. He had been heading straight this whole time, hoping that Able did something similar so he wouldn't have to be out all night looking for him.

"Psst, Harper."

He paused and looked around and saw no one there, he looked up half expecting Stormy to have followed him. But there was nothing save for the starry sky and a few tree branches. He heard some rustling to his right and saw what looked like a hoof poking out of a huge bush beckoning him closer.

"Over here, come on it's dangerous out here."

Cautiously trotting up to the large bush he looked it over. "How do I..." He watched as the bush began looming over him and then fall fall on top of him. To anyone who had no idea what was going on it looked like the bush just gobbled him up whole.

"Harper, didn't you hear what Holly said," Harper found himself eye to eye with possible the largest mare he has ever met, her horn the only thing providing some dim light in the leafy fortress.

"I thought she said tomorrow." Harper lied causing his ear to twitch, much to the green mares annoyance.

"Look Harper, we're doing our job here, if my big sister says we are closing the forest than you can bet your flank we mean right then." She glared at him in utter silence for a few moments before a distant snap made her turn around.

"What is-"

"Shhh, it's right over there." she pointed with her hoof in the distance. Squinting it quickly became clear that it was Able careful picking his way through the dark forest.

"Are you going to put him down?" Harper asked trying to hide his desire to tell Able to run or try and stop her from doing it.

"Not if I can help it," Evergreen hefted a crossbow into her hooves the bolt however looked like a large syringe. "We got a shipment of tranquilizers last month. It gets to go beddy bye and then we relocate it away from town. Nopony gets hurt, and we wont have to hurt him." She started lining up the shot, now prone she lay perfectly still as she steadied her aim and finally released the bolt.

From what Harper could tell it was a little to far forward causing it to embed itself into the tree just in front of Able. Harper quietly thanked Celestia for Evergreens missed shot but now she was scrambling to her hooves trying to reload, before Able could start running away.

"Harper get that bag and toss me another bolt." She cocked the crossbow again, though she already had another bolt in there it quickly became clear that she was trying to keep shooting until she hit him. She stood up on her hindlegs belly deep in a thorny bush getting ready to fire

As she lined up the second shot Harper saw Able look directly at them and start running to his house now using the trees for cover.. Seeing his chance to let Able get away Harper pulled a bolt the bag and quickly stuck it in the mares flank, she had fired the shot off before she limply feel to the ground snoring lightly, just as Able ducked behind another pine tree the bolt narrowly missing him.

"Able! Wait," He looked back at the unconscious mare. "Dang it." He knew he couldn't leave her out here like this.

--

Able saw Harpers house from his hiding spot in the tree line, he peaked around cautiously after all he was almost shot a couple minutes ago, but it didn't sound like whoever did it was following him that didn't mean however that they didn't have friends looking for him to.

He looked around the clearing that separated him from safety, the only movement he saw was the flicker of a few fireflies further down the treeline. He decided to go for it, keeping low he ran across the clearing to the backdoor and knocked on it. He heard what sounded like someone drop some silverware.

"Harper is that you?" the door creaked open slightly.

"No its Able." All he heard then was a frightened squeak as the door lazily opened. Not wasting any time he slipped in and closed the door and let out a sigh. "Oh thank god that's over with."

"I..is Harper with you?" Able turned his head to see Stormy cowering behind one of the dining room chairs.

"No, I thought he was here." Able looked around the kitchen, apparently Stormy was making some soup since three bowls were siting next to a slightly bubbling pot of what smelled faintly like onion.

"He went out there looking for you," Stormy emerged from behind the chair a hint of urgency starting to rise in her words. "Somepony, said they saw you earlier shouting and throwing things in the forest. Then they closed down the forest saying you might hurt somepony." Able was a little surprised that someone saw him lose it, but more surprised that Harper risked getting into a trouble for him.

Able looked outside at the treeline, and back at Stormy. "I'll head back out there and try and to find him." He started for the door.

"Wait, I should go, I could find him faster from the sky then you can." Able sighed she had a good point but she missed one important thing.

"Stormy what if another pony drops by?" Almost on queue there was a knock at the front door. Able looked at the mare and smiled, "Trust me, if a human opened that door it would be a disaster."

Able watched as Stormy trotted numbly to the front door, he understood why she was upset she was forced to wait here hopping that her friend would come back in one piece completely powerless if something happened to him. he quickly stepped up to her,and knelled down so that he didn't tower over her.

"Harper is okay, after all he did face down a human and live to tell the tale." He rested his hand on her shoulder. " That and he has someone to come back to." He looked up as the the knocking on the door soon became a loud pounding. Able stood up and ducked beside the fridge as Stormy opened the door.

"Harper!" Able relaxed a little knowing he could walk out from his hiding spot.

"Hey there Stormy, I saw Able ,but well..." He trailed off as Able walked into the living room.

"Hey there," Able smiled though Harper for the most part looked like he ran a marathon with one leg.

"Able, oh thank Celestia your okay. You didn't get hit did you." Harper gently pushed past Stormy , his horn lighting up as he trotted closer to him. Able felt a firm slap on his face from a rolled up newspaper. "That was for making us worry about you," He then stood on his hind legs and gave Able a hug. "And this is for being okay."

"Hey, hate to break up the reunion here but well," Stormy pointed to the snoring heap that was Evergreen. "What do we do with her?"

Author's Note

I apologize to any reader who lost a parent in their lives. I personally have not had go through that, but many people I know have. ( I can only hope that you know that they are and forever will be a part of you.) On a less serious note this is the longest chapter I have written for any of my fics (New personal best)

And the madness begins

Lyra looked out the window, the Equestrian countryside with is beautiful sunflower fields casually bathing in the glow of the princesses sun. It kinda made her want to write a song about it, but then she would be to busy writing it to actually do what she planned. After all she was on vacation and when was there a better time to go visit family, especially her favorite cousin.

She opened her saddle bag, and pulled out the letter she would've sent to him but he would have come up with some reason why she couldn't come over. This way Harper couldn't make up some excuse why she couldn't visit since she would already be there. She remembered running her plan by Bon-Bon and she thought it was a little cruel, but Lyra went ahead with it anyway she figured she would put a little scramble in his saddle since he missed Grammy Melodas birthday last month. So she hopped on the train headed for Flapstaff, while Bon-Bon was busy visiting her family in Baltimare.

She looked up as the waiter placed a cup of coffee on the table, she smiled at the waiter, not wanting to break the tranquil silence of the dining cart, since nopony was stirring yet. She took a sip of the black liquid, just to perk her up before she poured some creamer and sugar into it after all she still had a few more hours on the train before she would get off.

--

Harper opened his eyes as the alarm rang into its solid third minute, he lazily threw his hoof at the clock, knocking it off the nightstand and silencing it. He looked over to where Stormy would have been if she wasn't on morning weather duty for the next week. He felt a little jealous of her, since as soon as she was done she had the rest of the day off, he had a quota to fill before he was able to leave.

As he got out of bed he heard the teapot downstairs whistle, meaning that Stormy hadn't left yet. Trotting down the stairs into the living room, where a newly formed Able sized dent was stating to form on the couch , he remembered when He bought it Stormy recommend that he get the cloud stuffed ones, even though they would occasionally leak or electrocute you, but they wouldn't mold like his old foam one was starting to do.

"Harper, good morning," Able poked his head out of the kitchen. As he came into the dining room the smell of buttery pancakes, and hash-browns, literally smacked him in the face as he sat down, across from him Stormy was pouring some ketchup on the last little bit of her hash-browns.

"Thanks for the breakfast Able, it was real good," Stormy smiled as as she ate the last of her food.

"No prob," Able said as he brought two plates to the table putting one in front of Harper and sitting down to eat his own. "Its a shame though, hash-browns are the best with some bacon." Able heard a fork clank against a plate before looking up to the shocked faces of the two ponies. "What? You guys don't eat meat?"

Harper and Stormy looked at each other before saying "No!"

"Thats just disgusting, most of the griffons on the weather team don't even touch the stuff and their the only ones who can eat it." Stormy gagged slightly.

" Able," Harper opened his mouth to show his teeth. "Ourh, teeth cant chew meat." he said using his hooves to hold his mouth a little wider.

"And besides, the ponies that do eat meat are some of the strangest, demented, and psychopathic ponies in all of Equestrias history." Stormy pounded her hoof on the table to drive her point home.

"Okay, sorry note to Able don't mention meat or anything meat related ever again." Able put his hands up in mock surrender. "But humans are omnivores meaning," Able opened his mouth to show his teeth. "We can eat veggies and meat."

"But still its the principle of eating meat that just adds to all that bad stuff about humans." Harper, his own hunger beginning to overpower his disgust started drizzling syrup on his pancakes.

"Okay, so first was the comic book with laser eyes, and now your saying there's more to this whole myth about us." Able for the first time felt like he could adequately represent humanity and denounce some of these increasingly crazy rumors he was hearing, like how they could breath under water and talk to sea monsters.

"Yep, like how if you look one of them in the eye that they take your soul and you the become a mindless puppet to their will." Harper added before taking a bite out of one of the pancakes. "Not to bad, by the way." He commented.

"Or how, you supposedly can kill a pony with a mere thought." Stormy added in.

Able smiled and started staring at Stormy. "You mean like this."

"Stop it Able," She whined as she ducked out of sight.

"I'm just messing with you Stormy. We cant steal someones soul just by looking at them, and we certainly cant kill something with a thought." Able imagined all the people in his life who would drop dead if that were true, especially Trent.

"Oh, so you cant can you?" The mare slinked back up into view her foreleg covering her eyes and her wings splayed out feeling around for her. "Well uh... I'll just be going now just in case that whole mind control thing is true, since they also say that humans love to lie."

"I always lie." He said in a sing song voice. "I always lie. I'm speaking in paradox Stormy." He chuckled as she opened the door and flew away. He turned to Harper who was just now finishing his breakfast. "Looks like someone eats fast."

Harper pointed to the clock on the wall, his mouth was still full of food, but Able was able to understand the basic point.

--

The train hissed into the station right on time, or at least as on time as a fourteen hour train ride through the night was concerned, Lyra smiled it was good to back in her old hometown. Flapstaff really hadn't changed at all since she left for college in Canterlot.

Lyra slung her bags over her back and started her way to Harpers house, well more realistically her aunt Violas old house. She always wondered why Harper wanted to stay there since the rest of the family moved back east to Canterlot, but to each their own she thought since Harper was more of the shy quiet colt when they were growing up.

As she made her way through town she kept on getting the occasional wave from somepony she knew from school, she went through the normal how-do-you-do and its been so long reunions with most of them. When she finally made it out of town and saw Harpers house in the distance she felt a bit nostalgic, she remembered going home with Harper everyday after school, and playing outside after they did all their homework.

She sighed contently as she opened the little gate that surrounded his front yard. She listened for a moment hoping to hear her cousin playing the harp out back. Hearing nothing she trotting up onto the porch and knocking on the door. No answer, she tried again on the off hope that Harper took the day off from the mill.

She tried jiggling the door nob to no avail.

"Locked, dang it Harper you really don't make it easy for somepony to surprise you." She looked around knowing he would have hidden an extra key somewhere. She knew he wouldn't put it someplace obvious either, sitting down she looked around the small fenced in space and thought. She knew Harper to well to let something like this stump her. She remembered sitting inside during winter around the fire her aunt and uncle and her parents laughing and telling stories while she and Harper played I spy out the living room window.

"Got it." Lyra hoped up and trotted to the living room window sill and ran her hoof above it. A small key clanked on the wood porch. "Harper, you should be so happy I'm not a burglar." She used her magic to pick up the key and unlock the front door.

"Stormy, is that you?" a very unfamiliar voice called out from the kitchen, from what she could tell whoever it was busy washing dishes and humming to themselve. "Come on Stormy, that whole mind control thing was a joke and..." Lyras eyes widened there standing right in front of her was something everypony told her was made up and it knew Stormy.

"A...Are you a human?" She asked dumbly using her magic to pinch herself just be sure she wasn't dreaming.

The only thing that came out of the mysterious creatures mouth was. "Oh crap."

--

Able stood there, in utter shock there right in the middle of the living room stood a mint green pony who just asked him if he was human, Able pictured the veritable shitstorm that had just formed over his head.

"Oh crap." Was all he could mange to say.

The mare dropped the bags that were strung on her sides. Able looked at the open door behind her, if he could get the jump on her he could cut her off, and try to talk this whole situation out.

"Did.. did you just talk? Can you understand me?" Her eyes widened even more as she cautiously stepped towards him. Able stepped back and stumbled over one of the dining room chairs and fell to the ground. Before he could scramble back to his feet he was face to face with the pony her yellow eyes almost staring into his soul.

Able lay there completely immobile, then he felt a hoof jab into his chest. Then he felt a strange crackle on his hand as it was pulled up to his face.

"Five fingers, no fur, you even stand and walk on two legs, I wonder?" She jabbed her hoof into this mouth and opened it, and stared completely dumbfounded at his teeth.

"Hey, stop that." Able moved his head away from the prodding pony. He then tried to push the mare off of him, but for someone that was elbow height to him she weighted easily twice as much as him. Seeing what he was trying to do she leaned into him and was starting to put her weight on his chest.

"You are a human." She leaned in closer,, a joyful smile spreading across her face. "I was right, I knew you existed. Everypony who said I was clinging on to some filly's fantasy, or said I read to many comic books if they could see you now." The mint green pony smiled fiendishly, from what Able could tell the image of her telling off all the ones who believe her must have been extremely gratifying.

The only thing that snapped her out of her fantasy was the surprised gasp, of another pony.

"Lyra?" Able let out a mental sigh of relief he was saved. The mare turned here head to reveal Stormy staring at them in complete and total surprise.

Able, not sure if it was the light from the still open door behind Stormy or god delivering him an angel in his time of need could have sworn he saw a halo above her head, as she stood there dumbfounded, drawing the attention of the pony on top of away long enough for him to start inching to freedom.

"Lyra what are you doing here?" Able tried to squirm away from the pony sitting on him, only for her to shift her weight on his chest so he couldn't escape.

"Stormy, look I told you they were real and here one is in the flesh," She poked Able in the chest again. "At least I'm fairly certain its flesh."

"Stormy, help please she starting to crush my ribs." Able tried reaching out to the pegasus in the hope she would save him.

"Nonsense, everypony knows humans are indestructible." Lyra said matter a factually.

"No we aren't, we break too and breaking hurts a lot please I think your about to break my ribs if you stay on me any longer." Able, was struggling now to breath, since Lyra was now putting more of her weight on his chest. Able felt his vision cloud and then grow dark as he struggled for air

"For a mythical creature, saying sompony is heavy is rather rude." Lyra snapped back at Able who was starting to turn blue.

"Lyra hop off him, I think he's suffocating." Stormy quickly trotted up to the prone human and noticed his face had turned a blueish color.

Lyra noticing the growing concern on her friends face, carefully stood up and stepped back from Able. She was excited to see a human, but it would have really killed her buzz if she had also killed the only known one in existence.

Stormy looked at Able, he wasn't moving at all. Wondering if she should attempt CPR on him, she rested her ear on his chest and waited. In what must have been the longest second of her life she heard the dull beat come from his chest as well as a slow but steady rise and fall of his chest.

"Oh thank Celestia," Stormy sighed in relief, at least knowing Able wasn't dead, but more than likely unconscious.

"You know I though humans knew how to you know hold their breath and all that." Lyra commented as she cautiously prodded the unconscious human with her hoof.

" Lyra," Stormy glared at her childhood friend and back at Able. All that the mint green mare did was gulp loudly.

--

Harper wiped some more sweat from his forehead for what must have been the hundredth time today, both he and his coworker and boss Tiller were pulling a wagon filled with saplings to the other side of the clearing. It was especially difficult for Harper seeing that he certainly wasn't the strongest pony on the replanting team but he always got the heavylifting jobs, then again both he and Tiller were the only ponies in the replanting team.

"Come on Harper," Tiller grunted as the two of them finally got the wagon wheel over a pesky rock. "Just gotta move these a little further." He blew a piece of his sandy colored mane out of his face.

"Why, do we have to do this, wheres that meat head Manfred when you need him?" Harper glanced around looking for the eccentric minotaur who should have been with them to help.

Tiller started to laugh. "You mean 'The worlds mightiest minotaur.'," He slowed his pace a little bit. "He, said something about jamming his thumb."

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Harper started to laugh. The wagon seemed to become a little lighter as they started into the clearing, there numerous ponies and griffons were busy picking up branches and clearing away shrubs. In a way it was organized chaos everyone piling up what they had into massive piles and then going to another random part of the treeline to gather more.

"Come on you lot, have another thirty minutes until you get off." A sandy coated earth pony shouted through the megaphone in front of him. "I want to get to cutting down these trees first thing in the morning, so lets get this debris out of here."

Harper recognized the two crossed hatchets on his flank, it was Tillers twin brother Miller. Unlike Tiller who was in charge of replanting the trees Miller cut them down and sold the wood all over Equestria. It was ironic that they not only had a swapped color scheme but they managed two completely opposite groups at the mill.

"Hey, Miller," Tiller shouted as he brought the wagon to a stop, and waited for his brother to turn around. "It's Friday and these fine workers payday, why not let them off a little early. After all happy employees work better and harder."

Harper glanced up at Miller, who was simply staring down his brother. Sighing Miller turned around tapped the megaphone.

"Alright everyone, lets call it a day." He waited for the excited cheers of some of the workers to die down. "You all know the deal, Penney Pincher will make sure you all get paid." Harper heard the sound of the yoke next to him come undone.

"Ahh," Tiller groaned as he stretched his shoulders and popped his neck. "Well, Harper looks like you got what is left of the day off." he simply smiled at him.

"I guess I have you to thank for that." Harper lit up his horn and started to undo the bindings of his yoke.

"Well, kinda." he tilted his head back to the wagon filled with saplings. "Since it's just us right now, we would have to plant all these. It's not like we couldn't, but I prefer not to work until midnight planting trees because half of the replanting team is gone. That and I don't think anypony wants to spend their Friday night at work if they could get away with it, I certainly don't."

Harper knowing that it was a rare day when Tiller managed to convince his brother let everyone off early, didn't waste any time thanking him and getting into the pay line. He was last in line, and it bothered him a little bit since he wanted to get home play his harp, maybe draw something. All the waiting as the line slowly inched forward cut into his time.

"So Harper, got any plans tonight?" He looked up to see Tiller sipping on a mug of apple cider. Tiller for the most part was in Harper's opinion the only friend he had who wasn't a mare, and apparently Tiller knew this since he seemed to go out of his way at times to talk to him.

"Oh, nothing really probably go home see if Stormy is willing to come over for dinner." Harper quickly regretted saying that last part as a sly grin crossed Tillers face.

"For a dinner date?" He took another sip of his cider before shaking his head. "Didn't know you had it in ya, but then again it's always those quiet artsy types who get the really cute ones."

"What?! No we're friends, granted shes pretty but uh... uh." Harper was at a loss of words, he didn't see Stormy that way. However everypony else didn't seem to agree with him.

"Harper your blushing, and it's no that easy to tell with you." Tiller nudged him in the shoulder. "And if your not dating her do you think you could drop my name to her. No need hogging her all to yourself if you aren't interested after all."

Harper just glared at the stallion nothing he could say would convince him he and Stormy were not dating.

"Harper Heartstrings." Harper looked up to the counter, apparently in the whole exchange with Tiller the line had started really moving. Harper trotted up to the pale orange mare behind the counter.

"Yes Ms. Penny." He waited for her to look up at him. She was only a couple years older then Harper but the glasses on her muzzle seemed to make her look like she was easily two weeks from retirement.

"Lets see here, no late starts in the last week, you've went over your weekly quota by three trees." She pulled out an abacus and started counting on it.

"Don't forget, the fact he showed up early today." Tiller said as he took a few gulps from mug of cider.

"Mr. Woodsong. Company policy does frown upon drinking at the workplace." Penny commented as she opened a small lock box and started placing some bits in a small burlap pouch.

"Oh, come on Penney the only pony who could get hurt if we were working right now is waiting in line to get paid." Tiller shook his mug in his hoof. "And besides I watered it down, can't let my employees seeing their boss intoxicated after all."

"Well Celestia forbid your brother remind you about the operation standards the government requires for us to continue making a profit Mr. Woodsong." Penny dead panned as she slide the pouch of bits to Harper. "One hundred and twenty three bits after taxes."

"Try not to spend it all in one place Harper." Tiller took another sip of the cider.

"I'll try not to, don't drink too much Tiller we need our manager not hung over tomorrow." Harper waved back as he trotted home.

"No promises buddy, no promises."

***

Harper smiled to himself, it had been a pretty good week all things considered. Though Able showing up had defiantly threw a wrench in his life. He never quiet got into the whole human phenomena like Stormy and Lyra did. Then again he was the little colt who would always get dragged into their games of heroes and humans.

As he trotted up to the front gate of his house, he got this strange feeling in the back of his mind that something was off. Almost like the house was too quiet, he knew Able didn't do much when he was gone, but then again he would at least be making some sound as he moved through the house.

Cautiously he opened the door and trotted in again this strange paranoid feeling was creeping its way through his mind as he closed the door. He looked over to the couch, there Able was sleeping. Harper paused Able was sleeping and the sun was just now setting, this was becoming rather strange. He pressed on, though he was starting to feel increasingly uneasy as he trotted to the kitchen.

He heard what sounded like somepony shift in a chair. As he poked his head into the kitchen he literally felt his mind crash with what he saw. There sitting opposite of each other was Stormy and Lyra, in the middle of what was probably the most intense staring contest ever; seeing as they were both upside down with tape over their mouths and Lyra was cutting an onion between the two of them causing them both to hold back tears.

Harper stared at Lyra in complete shock, his brain still trying to process that she was there since after all he hadn't seen her in about a year. "Lyra?"

This apparently got the attention of both mares seeing as not a second later both of them fell out of their seats with all the grace of a brick floating. Stormy was the first to scramble to her hooves and start talking.

"Rmmm rhmm ryrh," She paused and reached up a hoof to tear the tape away. "Ouch. Hey, Harper guess how dropped by for a visit." Stormy smiled with almost too much joy.

"Sup, Harper long time no see." Lyra waved at him shyly.

"Wha?... Able.... Lyra?" He looked towards the living room then back at his cousin, his brain both metaphorically and somewhat literally screeched to a halt he need to say something though . "I need to sit down." Harper simply fainted in the middle of the kitchen, as the two mares exchanged surprised stares.

"He is your cousin Lyra." Stormy said before Lyra could argue.

Author's Note

Griffons are the only omnivores in Equestria. (Though they typically dont eat meat seeing as most of the talking creatures around them are well... related to their cheeseburger. ) Also ponies (again my opinion) are pretty heavy at about 200 to 300 lbs, and are about 4 to 5 ft tall, Able is about 6 ft tall and if anypony decided to hip check him Able would go flying, hence why Lyra nearly crushing him to death

One step closer

Able cracked his eyes open the light from the sun was just now starting to illuminate the living room. He rolled over not wanting to get up yet even though he knew that he would spend the next hour in and out of sleep, or he would've if not for the pair of big yellow eyes just inches from his own staring at him in awe.

"Good morning Able." Lyra said softly. She had been doing this for the last two days since she arrived, she for some odd reason reminded him of a girls he knew back at boarding school. The only difference was other than the eyes and being a miniature horse this girl always called him by his full name. Regardless his response to her and Lyra was always the same.

"Uggghhh...." He groaned and then lazily tossed his hand over his face, effectively slapping himself. "Morning."

"Oh don't be like that Able," He felt Lyra gently nudging his shoulder. "Today is going to be exciting, I got a surprise for you once Harper leaves."

"Gimme like five minutes... no an hour." Able turned his back to her, trying to renter the sweet embrace of sleep. He didn't want to admit it but he was having a dream where all those things he disproved to Lyra and Stormy were true.

"Fine, you get five minutes for your beauty sleep." she groaned as she loudly stomped her way into the kitchen and started rattling some pots and pans.

The only thought that was able to pierce the cloud of sleepiness in his mind was. 'What is she like four or something?' It seemed however that she was actually making an effort to wake him up seeing as she soon returned with a glass of water levitating above her head. and once again sat down in front of the couch.

"Lyra, if you do what I think your about to do I wont show you something awesome." Able was to tired to deliver an actual bluff at this point. From the two days of near none stop questions and requests to see his toes he knew he got her attention for a moment.

"I'm listening."

Able put up his thumb and bent it forward a couple times.

"You watching Lyra?"

He then bent it back to a near ninety degree angle from where it should have stopped.

"Whoa..." Able though barely awake smiled to himself at hearing the mares astounded exclamation.

"It's called hitch hikers thumb, and that should get me thirty more minutes of sleep."

All he heard was a somewhat annoyed whinny, before he heard the mare trot over to one of the arm chairs and sit down. Able waited for another minute before Lyra actually left the room.

He was now able to sleep, or more accurately think. Namely how he got here, when the subject came up in Lyras series of questions she kept on mentioning magic and how humans were supposed to be some sort of magic vampire that could steal it from everything around them. Able thought about it a bit, after all Harper mentioned that unicorns were for lack of a better word the only ponies who could use magic around them.

He then listed of some list of spells that he knew and even demonstrated one, where he teleported a few feet from where he stood. Stormy said that everything in Equestria had magic of some form, she explained how the three kinds of pony all had different forms of magic; and how pegasi like herself could not only fly, but interact with clouds. Lyra even mentioned some of the crazy things she has seen involving magic.

But when Able described what brought him here Lyra, unlike Harper seemed to have an idea as to what brought him here, or at least heard of a spell that could have done something like it she called is a 'Grab bag spell.' whatever the hell that was. When he asked if Lyra knew it he wasn't all to surprised that she didn't since from how she described it only a few ponies actually knew how to do it with anything that was alive, and even then there was certain conditions it could be cast in.

So Able for lack of a better word was stuck, the three ponies he knew though helpful in getting him somewhat acclimated were a dead end. And since the last time he decided to take a walk he got shot at, he was stuck in this house. He hadn't felt this trapped since his first year at St. Jonahs Academy, all the rules and having to report what you were doing almost every five minutes. He wanted out, or at least to walk around; Able couldn't believe it he was getting stir-crazy.

"Morning Lyra," He heard a loud yawn from somewhere in the room. "You still watching Able sleep?" at this point Able knew it was Stormy.

"I don't watch him sleep Stormy... I observe him." Lyra said rather defensively.

"Yeah and I got my wings from a dodo." From what Able could tell the two were now standing near each other." I'll admit though, he sleeps in a really weird position."

"And sleeping on your stomach is weird how?" Able turned his head and looked up tiredly at the two mares.

"Oh, nothing its just umm.... How do you not hurt your chest doing that?" Stormy stammered.

"I just don't." Able wasting no time sat up and his eyes, before arching his back and waiting for the series of pops to end.

"That sounded like it hurt." Harper commented as he trotted into the room tiredly waving to them. "Morning everybody."

"Your up early Harper, whats the occasion?" Stormy went to hug her friend.

"We gotta go and replant the whole west clearing today," He yawned loudly before returning Stormys hug. "And you know how much Tiller loves replanting the west clearing."

"About as much as a phoenix loves swimming?" Lyra commented, and all Harper did was nod.

"Don't worry about it too much Harper, come on lets get some breakfast," Able stood up and started for the kitchen.

**********

After both Harper and Stormy left to go to work Able sat down with the only distraction he could find Lyra. She unlike Stormy wasn't timid at first when it boiled down to talking to him, and giving her riddles was always entertaining.

"What rolls down stairs alone or in pairs." Lyra brough her hoof to her chin, Able smiled to himself he figured she wouldn't get this one.

"Don't forget Lyra, it fits on your back. You would need it heat your home." Able chuckled slightly at his own pun.

Lyra glared at empyiness for a moment, trying to think of the answer, before she sighed. "Alright I give, what was it?" she said in defeated.

"It was a log Lyra." Able leaned back into the couch and smiled triumphantly. "You know for the self proclaimed riddle master in college your getting your butt kicked."

"Oh yeah," Lyra stared down Able a some what sinister smile growing on her face. "I hide what needs to be unseen, I bring dark into the light anonymity in the public, fear in the private what am I?"

"A journal." Able guessed.

"No." This time Lyra was standing up and headed behind the couch.

"Clothing?" Able leaned up to see the mare magically open a closet door and poke her head inside.

"So close, its just a shame you'll never guess it." Lyra flicked her tail at him.

" Sunglasses?" Able wacthed as Lyra countinued to dig through the closet.

"No you silly filly, do you give up?" She pulled her head out of the closet a rather smug smile on her face. "It relates to that surprise I mentioned earlier." She giggled as she tossed something heavy and dark blue into his lap.

Able picked it up and let it unfold itself in his hands, it was simple but from what he could tell it was just about his size, then it hit him like a brick to a window.

"A cloak." Able looked at it in utter confusion.

"Yep, and you and I are going for a walk so go ahead and slap that puppy on. I would like to be escorted somewhere that you might find particularly helpful." Lyra stuck up her nose and trotted snootily towards the stairs. "Retrieve me when you are ready." And with that she trotted up leaving Able in silence.

"Well god, I can take a hint when I get one, though I could go without the snooty unicorn act." Able said aloud as he draped the cloak over his shoulders, and clipped the brooch that looked almost exactly like that weird tattoo on Lyras butt. He reached behind his shoulders and tossed the hood over his head.

Every part of Ables mind was calling him an idiot for even thinking about what he was going to do, but he knew if he didn't do this he would go insane, he looked up the stairs where Lyra was leaning against the wall with a cocky smile on her face.

"I guess someone decided to throw caution to the wind today." Lyra started down the stairs levitating the spare key she was given into her saddle bag.

"More like setting it on fire and trying to put it out with gasoline." Able opened the door and held it open for the mare. "Shall we be going?"

"Yes, my faithful man-companion we shall." Lyras facade of a snooty pony shattered as she and Able cracked up.

--

Stormy opened the door to Flapstaff town hall, somepony from the weather patrol told her that she needed to talk to her boss, Sky Flurry . Trotting across the lobby and dodging the occasional intern pony who were carrying important documents, or were treating like they were. She made it to the only door that had the Equestrian weather patrol seal taped onto it,

Stormy sighed remembering that the real weather patrol office in the upper part of town was being fumigated because of a huge outbreak of wing mites. She wasn't certain who to thank for finding out about the infestation, since the last time she had wing mites and somehow the feather flu at the same time, the doctors plucked out every one of her feathers so they could get at the little buggers. Of course she was half delirious from the fever she had, but that was one of the worst three weeks of her life.

She paused for a moment, and rewound to her time at the hospital after her rather unceremonious molting and how Harper was the only pony who visited everyday, for tartarus's sake he even spoon fed her when she couldn't summon the strength to eat.

"Stormy...."

He even brought a lyre to play for her, even though his ears twitched like crazy when he was playing it, and how he just smiled at her when he was playing.

"Equestria to Stormy....... Anypony there?"

She was snapped out of her memories, as an off blue hoof whisked up and down in front of her face. She turned her head to see the mare who's baby blue eyes were staring at her in a mix of worry and confusion.

"You okay there Stormy?" Flurry asked as cautiously glanced around the lobby hoping she wouldn't have to drag one of her best fliers to the hospital.

"Oh, sorry, I'm fine." Stormy smiled to her, though a part of her was a little annoyed that Flurry had taken her away from the memory of her rather intimate moment with Harper. "Gale, said that you wanted to talk to me though."

"Right," Flurry trotted into her office, "Excuse the mess, after all setting up temporary HQ's isn't exactly my special talent." Stormy picked her way, through the cluttered boxes and scattered papers, before stopping in front of the small desk and sitting down in the chair in front of it.

"You, actually showed up just in time, I was just about to go looking for you since," She waved her hoof over the pile of papers, most of them weather requests while others had pictures that looked like a series of huge dust clouds " I was going to take a break from my research on haboobs anyway."

"Haboobs?" Stormy didn't ever hear anything about them when she went to weather school, but from what it looked like Flurry had amassed a huge amount of information on whatever they were.

"Oh, they are these huge dust storms that happen in deserts. I'm doing this research, on them because some of my family lives in Sumareia and well," She piled up the photographs that were scattered on her desk. "Since Sumareia has so few pegasi, I thought that their weather teams could use some help figuring these things out."

"I didn't know you had family in Sumareia." Stormy said conversationally.

"Indeed I do, after all my mother lived there most of her life." She smiled distantly for a moment, before a stack of papers in the corner toppled over. " But that's a topic for a different day. Stormy we got a request today from a certain pony, and he needs some rain."

"Oh you got to be kidding me." Stormy now knew why she was called in. "Can't you send somepony else this time."

"Now Stormy, you know that our department is underfunded this year, and we've been trying to keep us out of the red." She leaned in over her desk. " We need this or more specifically we need you to do this."

"But, they always only want me." Stormy hated being picked out for this job.

"Doesn't your coltfriend work there or something," Flurry leaned back into her chair and rotated it slightly.

"What?!... well yes.. but he's not my coltfriend, just a friend who happens to be a colt." Stormy felt her face grow warmer. It was starting to seem like everypony thought they were together, just because she basically lived with him at his house and.... Her thoughts about Harper and her relationship stopped as something dawned on her, they share the same bed.

"Well, excuse me for just saying what I heard. But we still need this done Stormy, and they only ask for you because you deliver." Flurry sighed as she stuffed away a bunch of cloud requisition forms into a drawer. "Heck I'll even sweeten the deal for you. How does getting paid while your there sound."

"Make it time and a half and you got yourself a deal." Stormy stood from her seat and reached a hoof to her boss, who was now mulling the thought around in her head.

"Fine, but just this once we cant afford to do this every time those Woodsong brothers ask for you." She then waved her hoof at her, "You better get going, I got to get cracking on these snowfall projections so we don't end up nose deep in the stuff."

"But its May, why would you need to worry about that?" Stormy watched as the blue mare pulled out and abacus and a massive packet of charts.

"Because, the last time a weather team didn't get the projections right, we had that massive blizzard up on Gallopery." Flurry smiled as she looked at the calculations she had scribbled on the page. "To think they just forgot to carry the two."

Stormy, knowing her boss was now near completely committed to her calculations quietly negotiated the the scattered papers. As she quietly made her way out of the temporary, and yet somewhat neater office of her boss carefully closing the door behind her , she felt somepony bump into her rear.

"Oh, sorry about that." Stormy turned to see who she had accidentally backed into.

Lyra, for the most part was to busy running the scenarios in her head, over and over again. What is somepony found Able in his hiding spot? After all he wasn't really hiding when you think about it, but nopony would actively try searching the last stall of the mares room for a human, or what if she reveled him and the one pony she needed not to panic did. She was snapped out her now paranoid thoughts when she got a face full of someponies tail and the rest of her met with their rear.

Lyra realizing that she should have been paying more attention to where she was going, stopped and said. "Oh, sorry about that." before she glanced up to the pony she had walked into only to come face to face with possibly the worst pony to run into at a time like this.

"Lyra, what are doing here?"

"Hey, Stormy wasn't expecting you to be here," she glanced past her to see the weather patrol emblem, hastily tapped on the door. "I was just on my way to see Filibuster, since its been like forever and a half since I've seen her." Lyra felt her ear twitch, since now they could apparently tell when she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Okay then," Stormy smiled as she started trotting away. " Oh Lyra before I forget I'm going to be coming home a bit later today so try to get back to Able and tell him not to worry about making lunch."

"Sure I'll tell him." Lyras ear twitched once again, only this time Lyra put her hoof up to stop it.

She sighed knowing that Stormy would be late, that bought her time in case this plan of hers didn't work out. Taking her hoof of her ear, it had apparently decided to stop moving on its own now. She really hated that nervous tick she had at times, though her mother and uncle kept on telling her it was a Heartstrings thing and she would get used to it. But every time she tried bending the truth at all her ear would start flapping like a startled chicken.

She kept on going into the maze of offices and storerooms.Until she got to a sitting area with an empty desk, Lyra rolled her eyes Filibuster was a lot like the mayor in Ponyville leaving the door to her office wide open. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, to the empty hallway which she hoped would stay that way. She trotted up to the large oak doors and knocked on them.

"Come in."

As Lyra opened the door to the near spotless office, her eyes fell on the ivory colored mare who was reclining in the huge red office chair and squeezing a stress ball that was grasped in her violet aura.

"For Celestias sake if this is about that new proposition for a community garden in the square, I will tell you again. We are currently still trying to see what money we can divert for construction, and it won't be started until the schools let out." She calmly put the stress ball down on her desk and turned.

"Hey, Buster long time no see." Lyra waved shyly.

"Lyra?" Filibuster sat up in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "Is that you?"

"In the flesh," She smiled and shook her hips slightly. "That is the sexy flesh." A slight blush grew on the white mares face, which she quickly raised a hoof to hide. Lyra on the other hoof was holding back a predatory grin.

"What brings, you back to town," She gulped nervously "Lyra?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just Harper being a recluse and not showing up to any family events." Lyra trotted behind the office chair and playfully flicked her tail at her.

"Really now, I always thought Stormy got him out of that phase." Filibuster smiled nervously as Lyra leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"I want to show you something, but you have to trust me. This is big I mean really big." Lyra seductively whispered into her ear, seconds later the white mares face was beet red and a nervous sweat was starting to form on her brow.

"Wh..... what is it?" She felt a gentle hoof touch her lips, as Lyra shushed her.

"Come on I'll show you." Lyra winked

Lyra mentally cringed saying that, she hated flirting or more accurately she hated flirting to get her way, especially with Filibuster who seem to melt in her hooves like putty every time she did it. Even when they were little, it seemed like she had always had a soft spot for Lyras flirting.

--

Able sat in the stall, wishing he was somewhere else. After all this was for lack of a better term the ladies room, the one room that had he been in the first grade would have been a point of pride. But now it was by far one of the most awkward moments in his life, since apparently these ponies just love going to the bathroom as much as they love talking. He tried to pretend he was anywhere but here, and that sadly failed, when he accidentally flushed the toilet he was siting on.

He heard the door open again, he was to focused on trying to distance himself from the situation to notice the slide lock on the stall door glow yellow.

"Now, you have to promise me something. No matter what you see, you don't scream, and you won't run away." Able looked up, recognizing Lyras voice. Thank god he was saved.

As the lock slide to the left, and the stall door slowly slide open, Able sat up now, this was his moment to shine or more literally introduce himself to a pony he didn't see on a daily basis.

"Now, why would I....." Able looked at the white mare next to Lyra, she was starring at him in complete and utter shock.

"That's why, we kinda need a favor from you. Oh and." Lyra pinched the mare who eeped slightly but never took her eyes of Able.

"Hi there, I'm Able." for the most part Able couldn't tell if the pony was getting pale or not, but he knew sheer paralyzing terror when he saw it.

"I need to write, the princess." The white mare said flatly. "I need to..." she then collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Well that was going to be the favor." Lyra propped the unconscious pony up. "Able, I'll be back in a few minutes, I got to get her back to her office before somepony decides to go looking for her."

"Do you think she'll write the letter?" Able looked at the Lyra and back to the pony spread across her back.

"She will, and then were one step closer." Lyra winked as she trotted out of the restroom.

Author's Note

That riddle Able asked was a not so subtle nod to this piece of madness of my childhood.... (Yeah, that just happened.) And Haboobs are real things (They are crazy to the twelfth degree and then turned up to seven.)

Also, I'm always trying to improve my style and characters and as such. I would like to ask that if your willing to let me know in a PM (preferably) what you like and don't like about this story, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated but feel free to be honest and all that jazz.
- The Sumareian.

"Who was he to you?"

"There you go kiddo, just like that." Able felt his blood freeze, he turned his head to see an man letting go of a bicycle with his son was peddling furiously trying to get it to move. "Now careful, don't go too fast." Able looked at the man and stared into his eyes, only one word could escape his mouth.

"Dad?" As he said that the young child toppled over and started crying as he grabbed his elbow, when Able looked over to him he felt the same elbow that the child was clinging to start to hurt. Thats when it hit him, that little boy was him.

"There, there son. It's okay," He watched as his father helped his younger self up, and smiled. " After all whats life without a few bumps and bruises." Able smiled to himself as the two of them as both he and his father smiled to each other.

"Memories, these make some of the best dreams and yet some of the saddest." Able watched as the image of his father and him froze, and a woman just barely in her twenties stepped out from behind them.

"Who are you?" Able asked as she tussled his younger self's hair, she walked towards him with an air of nobility and grace.

"Our name, is Princess Luna. We along with our sister rule the land of Equestria and its ponies." She offered her hand to him for a handshake.

"I'm Able, and well," He took her hand and shook it, though he was genuinely confused . "I'm a bit at a lose here?"

"You are wondering about our form yes?" Luna smiled as she put her hand on her hips. "Believe it or not Able, though our little ponies may think otherwise. We have met your kind before under somewhat similar circumstances." She looked back to the frozen image of him and his father. "That one must be your father then?"

Able just nodded as she glanced between the two of them. She smiled curtly to him.

"He's very handsome," She looked at Able once more and smiled. "If you don't mind my saying, but you have his eyes."

Able stood there at a loss for words at this point. His mind starting to race with questions, who was this woman? How did she get in his dreams? And more importantly was she human?

"Luna,we are the princess of the night and dreams, and no we are not a human. Now we've got a question for you, since it's been so long since one of your kind let us enter their dreams." She looked over to his father once again, like a child meeting a stranger for the first time.

"What is it?" Able figured he might as well play along with this supposed princess.

"What was he to you, Able?" She sat down one the ground, waiting patiently for his response.

Able let her question mull around in his head, He never really thought about what is father was to him or if he could be more to him then he was. He was his father, maybe even the only one of his parents he actually and actively tried to talk to, but Able knew saying that would belittle the bond they shared.

"Daddy?" a voice echoed from behind.

Able turned his head, there he was maybe five years old standing with his father as the monitors that were hooked up to an old man slowly started blinking and then one by one start shutting off.

"Weren't those machines keeping grandpa awake?" He looked up into his fathers eyes, Only now could Able tell that his father was holding back a wave of tears and sadness.

"Yes, they were." he sniffled. "But grandpa, wanted to... to take a nice long nap."

"Is he gonna wake up daddy?" Able slipped his hand into his fathers.

All his dad did was look at his father, and then smile sadly at him. "No, Able and I don't think he would want to wake up ever again." He lifted him up in his strong hands so Able could see his grandpa, his eyes were closed with a serene smile on his lips. " Is there anything you want to tell grandpa before he slips off into dreamland."

Both Ables looked at their father, a thin facade of calm was painted on his face. Except this time he could see the sadness that his father was valiantly stemming back.

"Tell us Able, once more who was he to you?" Luna stepped up beside him watching the scene intently.

"I don't know, he was my father." He looked you to him the tears he was holding back. "And that day, me and my mom were the only family he had left."

Luna put her hand to her chin in thought. "No, still not an acceptable answer Able." She looked at him her eyes piercing into his soul. "He was more then that, and you know it." Her voice started to echo slightly.

"Able, come here son." Luna this time looked away, to Ables father who was standing alone looking at the two of them.

Able sighed as he turned to him and looked him in the eye. This time Able could tell he wasn't from a memory, because unlike all the other times Able saw him, he looked too young and too healthy. He clenched his fists, Luna must have noticed as she started stepping away from him.

"No, I wont." he spat out each word, trying his best to not run into his fathers arms. He looked up at him, there stood the man who had taught him almost everything he knew, but at the same time he felt anger towards the world for taking him away.

"Is something wrong son?" He watched as he started towards him only to stop a few feet away.

"You," Able looked at Luna he felt a surge of anger begin to build up in the back of his throat. "Why? Why would you do this to someone." He looked at his father who kept his eye intently locked on him. "He died eleven years ago on my birthday, and you have the gall as some supernatural goddess of dreams to bring him here." The darkness that surrounded the three of them pulsed a blood red.

"Able," He felt his fathers strong hands rest firmly on his shoulder. " Son, look at me. I have to know something, what was I to you?" Able looked at his father less with anger but more with sheer horror, because rather than the usually calm understanding look on his face. He cared one edged with concern and worry, as Able looked int his eyes he thought he something worse than all that. He thought he saw disappointment.

"No, no no no no no." Able looked over his fathers shoulder, there he was an eleven year old boy standing at his dying fathers bedside. No doctor could explain to him why his dad suddenly got so sick, all they knew was that it resisted every antibiotic, and antiviral drug they threw at it. When ever his mom had visited the doctors kept on saying something about a virulent necrotising infection around his heart. They deemed him no longer contagious a mere two days before his birthday, and the only gift he asked for was his dad to get better.

"Tell us Able, what was he to you?" Luna stood between him and the memory.

Able felt his heart stop, and then speed up a hundred fold, he felt numb. There standing in between him and his dying father was not only his father but this woman who wouldn't stop asking him that question. What was he to me? He looked at the memory of him and his father he watched as he leaned down so he could whisper into his ear. the world grew silent as his father started.

"Son, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your birthday party." He turned away and coughed violently. "But I want you to know something."

Able felt his lips move silently mouth out the question his younger self asked.

"What is it dad?"

"I want you to know what you are to me," He smiled weakly to his son, as he turned his head to look straight at Able. "You are not only my son, you are my reason to live, the reason I always smiled and laughed and talked." He sighed tiredly. "The day you were born I knew that something like this would happen, me lying here, you trying to do everything in your power to help me, but in the end son this is how it should be."

"No, dad. not like this I was just a kid. You promised me that you would be there forever." Able felt a tear slide down his cheek as his knees started to give way. "You promised."

"I love you son, more then you can even know..... No.... where.... always be..." Able looked up as his father violently convoluted, causing the machines he was hook up to start screaming one by one.

Able watched as the memory dissipated. That day he lost the only person he really cared about, he remembered his mothers halfhearted efforts to be there. He wasn't that surprised when a few weeks later Trent came into the scene. Able looked up to where the memory once was.

"I see then, that's what he was to you." Able felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

Able looked up at the woman, from what he could tell she was somewhat phased by what she saw as well. Then a bright light filled his vision.

--

Harper cracked his eyes open. Stormy was leaning over him her hoof was pressed up on his shoulder.

"Harper, wake up. Somepony is knocking at the door."

Harper reluctantly rolled over and looked at the clock The hour hand was just now ticking up to four.

"Who would be at the door this early?" Harper yawned as he slowly sat up in the bed. Today was one of his days off, and he really didn't want to wake up until around noon.

As he hoped out of bed and groggily trotted down the stairs and to the front door, another wave of loud knocks filled the quiet house. He reached his hoof up to open it, before somepony on the other side cleared their throat.

"This is commander Nova of the royal guard, please open this door." What little awareness Harper did have quickly kicked him in the flank, as he looked back to where Able was sleeping.

"Uhh... Just a minute." He called out to the door as he galloped over to Able. Trying to rouse the sleeping human he glanced back and forth from the front door where it sounded like more ponies were starting to gather. "For Celestias sake Able wake up." He used his magic to lift up his hand and then drop it on his face. Able cracked his eyes open slightly, before simply groaning and turning around.

"Able wake up," Harper jabbed his hoof into his back, which caused him to stiffen and roll of the couch.

"Mehhh...." Able now somewhat awake started tiredly lifting himself up.

"Able, get up." Harper glanced back to the door were he could now make out the silhouette of somepony trying to peak inside. "You have to hide now."

Able yawned loudly, "Just four more minutes." he got back onto the couch and curled back up into the Able sized dent in the cushion. Harper heard another knock at the door this time who ever it was had lost their patience.

"Open this door, right now." The rather annoyed voice of a mare came from the door followed by a few loud raps that seemed to faintly vibrate the whole house.

"Dang it Able." Harper tried lifting him up with all the strength he could muster, apparently all that time he had been working at the mill finally paid of as he pushed Able once more to the ground. With a loud thud Able quickly started siring again.

"Alright, alright. I'm awake," Able tiredly got to his feet.

"Able you need to hide," Both of them turned their head as a another loud and angry knock came from the door.

"That's it, we're going in Bulwark on my go." Harper scrambled to the door, hoping Able could find a hiding place while he distracted who ever was at the door. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it with his magic.

"Yes, how may I..." Harper paused as he looked at the massive pair of hooves mere inches from his snout, it came to no surprise then that those massive hooves were connected to a even more massive pony. "Help you?"

"Stand down Bulwark," A mare in dark blue armor with a snow white cloak pushed past the hulking pony and fixed Harper angrily with her glowing yellow eyes. "Are you Harper Heartstrings?" All he did was nod. "Good." She looked back at the six ponies who had crowded his porch. "Alright secure the area, nopony so much as glances at this house without me knowing about it, and don't forget hoods up the suns coming up soon and I don't want to drag any of your sorry flanks to a hospital."

Harper watched as they saluted and one by one stretched out their wings to take off, now Harper knew what a normal pegasi's wings were supposed to look like,more like something that you see on bats.

He was quite literally pushed out of those thoughts as the mare who Harper now guessed was leading the bat ponies shoved past him, and into his house. He would have protested had it not been for that massive stallion who almost bucked him in the face hadn't growled at him as he too came in. They both looked around the living room the mares eyes settling on the dent in the couch Able had made since he came here.

"Clear." She tossed her hood over her head and repeated herself. "Alright everypony, We're bringing her out."

"Harper, did you talk to whoev...." Harper looked up at the stairs there Stormy stood stalk still looking at the two ponies who were now taking up position in the living room.

The large stallion looked up at Stormy then back to his superior who simply nodded at him.

"You there, how many others are in this house." he all but shouted at her. Stormy for her part shrank back slightly as he started to stare intently at her.

"One other, and I would prefer if you didn't speak to her like that." Harper stepped between the stairs and the massive stallion who just snorted defiantly.

"Bulwark, that is no way for a proper guard to act." Everyone turned their heads to the door, at the arrival of a new voice.

There standing in the doorway draped in the same cloaks, as the alleged guards who had so rudely barged into Harpers house, was another pony. She was easily a head taller then the hulking stallion who was now saluting her. As the mare removed her hood the one thing that stuck out to Harper was her long billowing mane, that lazily flowed with some unknown wind.

"Hail, Princess Luna." Harper turned his head to see the mare finish her salute. He looked back at the new pony, suddenly she looked familiar. He remembered seeing her picture in the newspaper a while ago, saying that she had come back to Equestria from somewhere far away.

"Please, Nova. There is no need for that right now." Harper felt his ear flick, as the mare looked over to him. "Please excuse them, they mean well though..." She trialed off as she noticed the dent Able had left in the couch.

"Though, what your majesty?" Harper followed her stare nervously. He could feel his heart start to race.

"You, weren't entirely truthful with my guards." She winked at Harper. "But we will discuss that soon enough." she trotted into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Harper felt his heart race as Luna casually looked around the room, unlike her guards who were quickly searching for threats, she was taking her time. He noticed her eyes stop on the pictures of his family, as he followed her stare he quickly noticed that she was looking at a picture of him and Lyra as newborns peacefully sleeping next to each other. She shifted her stare to the entrance to the kitchen and then back at Harper.

"Excuse me, but could we request something to drink?" She curled up on the couch as to make room for somepony else before she looked over to Stormy. "Ms. yes you, on the stairs. Do not fear Bulwark, his bark is significantly worse than his bite." She called out to Stormy, who was now timidly making her way down the stairs.

Harper trotted to the kitchen even though each step made the deafening beat of his heart louder and louder. when he passed Luna he wanted to look back at her, since after all. All of the panic and fear he was feeling was caused by that mare and her sudden arrival.

As he made his way into the kitchen, he stole a glance back to Stormy, who was timidly trudging to the princess. Right before he disappeared into the kitchen she looked up at him, Harper flicked his ear at her and smiled at her before stepping behind the concealing wall that separated the kitchen and the living room.

"Oh, and Mr. Heartstrings, we have to discuss your guest when you return, and how your situation may change." Luna called out from the living room. Harper looked at the counter and started to wonder if he hit himself hard enough to pass out if they would leave.

~~~~
Meanwhile 14 miles away from Flapstaff.

Trixie stirred as that blasted woodpecker that has been following her since Manechester, hammered its beak once more into her carts frame. She really hated her luck right now, the scroll that was supposed to show her a new spell was a dud, she hadn't pulled in as many bits as she hoped she would. Her stomach grumbled, attesting to the fact that she need to make some money soon, or else it was back to her least favorite diet plan ever, pure starvation.

"Ughh, curse you wood pecker." She kicked her hoof out to one of the walls of wagon, causing it to shake. Which much to the benefit of her sleepy brain caused the wood pecker to stop, and fly away. But rather then falling back to sleep she stared at the almost completely empty bag of oats next to her, they were supposed to last her five days, but a surprise raid by that wood pecker and his feathered horde had reduced it to a measly one days worth of food. She was just a bit happy to be somewhat close to civilization once again, and since she never visited this town before she might be able to scrounge up a few more bits, before she headed back east towards Canterlot.

"Well this is a fine mess, you got yourself into." She used her magic to pick up a nearby spoon and scoop up some of the oats. "I don't even like oats." She grumbled as she ate a spoonful of her dwindling food supply. "The next town, I'm going to get some apples," She angrily planted the spoon into the food bag. "At least they don't taste like stale cardboard."

She thanked the stars, that at least nopony was around to see her like this, just existing. After all she was the great and powerful Trixie and that's all anypony needed to know about her, and that they should give her money for being so great. She smiled smugly to herself, as soon as she showed the ponies in the next town some of her stupendous magic tricks they would shower her with bits and. Her fantasy was ended as her stomach grumbled once again.

Author's Note

So Lunas guards are a lot like vampires, with that said. No blood sucking, and they can die if they go into direct sunlight unless they have one of those cloaks that they are all wearing( did I mention it is magic so no simple cloak would do.). Luna is obviously immune to the whole sunlight thing.(one of the perks of having a sister who controls it I guess.). There is also a reason why Luna is a bit over confident, and speaking in a more modern tone. (I feel another fic coming on.) But before that I need to take a brief pause for all of June and like half of July, because I wont have the Internets for those time and if I do I wont have time to write all to much.

The Great Reveal

"Come on Able, The princess said this plan would work." Lyra for the fifth time in the last couple of minutes, looked up to the tree branches where Able was clinging to the largest one for dear life.

"I doubt her plan involved me breaking my legs." Able glanced quickly down to the mare and looked back up. "Why are the trees here so tall?"

Lyra shook her head at Able. She didn't want to admit it herself but as soon as they got to the park she wondered if the princesses plan would work, after all she and maybe every pony in Ponyville haven't had their plans go exactly as they wanted. Bon-Bon still wouldn't let her live down their picnic when Discord rolled into town with his storm of chaos.

Still one a part of Lyra knew that she would have to trust Luna. After all, aside from the whole shouting thing which she seemed to have gotten under control. She seemed to be a genuinely nice pony, that and she was the only pony who had an idea on how to revel Able.

The gentle rustling of grass made her turn her head. There trotting up was one of Lunas guards, thought her outward appearance wouldn't have suggested it since her soft pink coat was a stark contrast between the stone grey ponies who were watching her like hawks as she made toast.

"Ms. Heartstrings." The mare said with a air of authority, "Is our guest...." She trailed off as she looked up to where Able was in the tree. "ready?"

Lyra followed her stare to see Able still clinging to the branch for dear life as a huge spider slowly made its way on top of his head. Able, in a term he used once was 'about to piss his pants in fear.'

"Help, me." Able managed to squeak out, as the arachnid slowly crawled onto his back.

"You really are a big baby you know that Able." Lyra grumbled as she lit up her horn and harmlessly lifted the spider into the air. Able though now slightly relaxed still clung to his branch like a cat over bath water.

"Well I see that, our guest is....well ready." The mare smiled, something Lyra thought all of the royal guards were incapable of doing. "We're still having some complications with the glamour spell for the princess."

"Is it bad?" Lyra asked.

"No, not at all. I'm guessing now she is regretting all those moon-pies she sneaks at night." She chuckled slightly. "I swear, the chefs in the kitchen need to tell her no one of these days."

Lyra looked at the bushes where the princess and some of her guards were preparing for the plan. That in her opinion was a really complicated plan that might work, but she was a gambling pony and if it didn't there was always Ponyville since more crazy things happen there in two days than the rest of Equestria in two decades.

**********************************

"Harper, calm down." Stormy stepped in front of the pacing stallion. Who for the last ten minutes was not only pacing but mumbling to himself about an angry mob with pitchforks and torches.

"But Stormy, what if they don't react the way we hope? What if everypony decides to chase him and the ponies who helped him out of town? Where would we go, it's not like the princess would take us back to Canterlot with her." Harper side stepped around her and continued his rant. "I mean, really where could we go with him? We would have to build a cabin out in the wilderness. Fighting bears for a few berries, having to stay inside because of the weather."

"Harper." Stormy turned his head to her and stared into his eyes. "Nothing bad is going to happen. The princesses plan will work." Stormy tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, a human jumping down a well to save a little filly. They're going to welcome Able with open hooves." Harper said not trying to hide any sarcasm. Harper's ears flicked wildly as he continued on about how all the ponies would panic.

Stormy glanced over to the tree where Lyra was sitting. She was causally sitting there, occasionally looking up to where she guessed Able was then turning her head back to the old well in the middle of the park.

"Lyra is always getting us into these zany adventures isn't she?" Harper paused behind her, both of them knew it was Lyra's daring plan to get the mayor to send that letter out to the princesses.

Harper forgetting his fervent rant trotted up next to Stormy and smiled sentimentally. Stormy leaned into his shoulder, she didn't want to admit it herself but she was a bit jealous of Lyra. She would always see the world differently than the two of them, and because of that she was always dragging them along just to find some made up thing that just popped into her head.

"Seriously you two should just kiss already." Both of them jumped as one of Luna's guards quietly touched down next to them.

"What?! No!" Both Harper and Stormy started at the same time, they both blinked as they registered a subtle warmth in their cheeks. "We're just friends, nothing more."

The guardspony grinned at the two of them, his wicked fangs glinting in the afternoon sun.

"The two of you are blushing." He giggled a bit.

Both of them looked at each others faces and quickly and shyly tried to hide their embarrassment. This caused the guardspony to once again crackup and laugh at the two of them.

"Oh, you two are a riot." He chuckled once again. "Okay, okay serious," He took a deep breath and slowly let it out." We're all ready to go, the princess will fall in about a minute or two and the commander told me to get you two in position."

Harper felt his stomach drop, "Right now?"

"Yes right now, though I'm pretty sure the commander would understand if you two love birds decide to show up late to the party, if you catch my meaning." He raised his eyebrow a the two of them.

"Astra! I swear if you don't stop messing with those two you'll be galloping the streets of Canterlot until I'm sick." Somepony shouted from a nearby bush, causing Astra to stand at attention.

"Ma'm." He saluted to the bush and curtly turned to Harper and Stormy. "The princess told me to tell you that this plan of hers will work." and with that he quickly sprang back into the air where he disappeared in a nearby grouping of clouds.

Harper gulped loudly, at the prospect of the possible fiasco that was about to happen. He wasn't sure at this point if he should turn tail and run away, or hide and wait this whole thing out.

"Well," Stormy used her wing to grab hold of his midsection. "No time to meet disaster and opportunity at the same time like now." Stormy nudged him forward, and the both stated trotting to what in Harper's mind might as well be exile.

--

"Help, help!!"

Lyra sat up, that was the queue after all. She looked up at Able, who was slowly and futilely trying to make his way down the tree.

"Oh, my goodness. Somepony is down there." Lyra felt her ear flick, when she heard Stormy loudly announce the situation. Turning her head she already started to see a crowd start to form around the well.

Lyra smiled to herself, if she had any idea what details Luna wanted to put in she simple had to wait one more second.

"And queue the crying mother."

Lyra pointed to the clump of bushes the pink mare had vanished to a couple of minutes ago. Like clockwork she burst out of the bushes, her mane only a bit frazzled a look of concern pasted all over her face. Had Lyra not known about the plan this at least to her would have looked pretty real.

"Oh, shit!" followed by a somewhat painful sounding thud meant Able was now out of the tree.

"You alright there Abe?" She looked back to see him rubbing his lower back with a sour look on his face.

"About as alright as someone who nearly shattered their ass could be." he snarked as he got to his feet.

Lyra, rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the forming crowd. She was a bit surprised at how quickly it had grown, and really how many non ponies made up the group. Griffons and Minotaurs of all shapes and sizes were scattered about the crowd all looking with a hint of concern at the well.

"Well this got interesting real fast." She said aloud to herself.

"What do you mean?" Able asked as he knelled next to her,in an attempt to hide himself for a bit longer.

"Nothing major really, just the crowd we are drawing to the well has a lot more non ponies than I thought it would." Lyra surveyed the crowd in hopes of seeing either Harper or Stormy, both of whom were standing near the well talking to a griffoness about something. "Not that the content of the crowd makes a difference, I just haven't seen this varied of a crowd in a good while."

"So when do we know when to run?" Able looked nervously down the hill they sat on.

Apparently Stormy somehow heard Ables question since she looked up at the two of them and flicked her left wing into Harpers side. Lyra personally regretted not paying attention to what the signal was because she knew that wasn't it, but if she waited any longer someone would get the fire department out here to "save" Luna. She decided the plan was a go.

"Looks like we're up." she nudged him with her shoulder. All she was met with was silence, as she turned her head to see able almost completely motionless. "Don't tell me you got cold hooves." She hissed at him.

All Able did was numbly stare at the crowd.

"Come on Abe, its just like when you were little and you had to do that one thing for your school play." Lyra remembered him describing his hatred for the school plays he was forced into when he was little.

Able continued to stare numbly at the growing crowd.

Lyra looked at where Stormy and Harper were, both of them vigorously waving and gesturing to the two of them. She had to think of something, anything to get Able moving, then it hit her.

"Hey, Able," She turned her head to him. "You remember that spider I took of your back. I think it had a friend... or two." She waited for Able to respond.

--

"I think it had a friend... or two."

All the thoughts of how crazy this plan was jumped right out of his mind as soon as he heard Lyra utter those words. He went from slightly nervous, to shit your pants and cry terrified right then. He tore away his eyes from the crowd to see the mare inching away in fear.

He could only think of one thing to say. "Holy, shit." and with that he was sprinting down the hill in complete and total terror. Able grabbed at his hoodie and tore it off, hopping those eight legged monstrosities would be satisfied with it. As he felt the sleeve pass of his wrist he felt a slow careful and above all hair touch on the back of his neck, then another and another.

Able wasting no time grabbed at the back of his neck, only for another furry poke to land atop his finger. There were two thing Able would admit to being afraid of and that was being on fire, and spiders. and at the rate of furry pokes he was getting he stated to wish he was on fire, that way at least the spiders on him would be dead.

As he flicked his wrist down, in hope of knocking one of them off he suddenly felt himself falling forward.

"Oh shit!!!"

--

"What in Equestria was that thing?" Somepony in the crowd asked, as the crowd of concerned bystanders started to press closer to the well. Harper tried to scoot his way out of the crowd, still keeping his eyes on the mouth of the well where the faint sound of Able splashing into the water gurgled out.

"Hey sis, didn't that thing look like that creature we saw in the forest." Harpers ears perked as soon as he recognized Holly's voice.

"Shhhh. If it is we shouldn't go and start a panic, we should try and at the least get it away from the town." Evergreen furtively commented to her sister.

"Yeah, but if it is shouldn't we at lea-." Harper stopped listening, as somepony shoved him in the side. "Hey ,watch it."

He turned his head to come face to face with the pair of sisters. Both of whom stared back at him in surprise. Harper mentally kicked himself for forgetting that they had run into Able before, and they still thought we was some type of unknown monster.

"Harper?" Holly broke the somewhat awkward silence. " What are you doing here?"

"I was," Harper tried his best to remember the cover story he made up, in case somepony asked him. "Walking through the park, with Stormy. When we heard all the commotion." Harper managed to stop his ear from twitching. He saw his chance to see if the sisters were going to do something about him.

"Oh my gosh, everypony look."

Harper, and the sisters turned their heads to the well. There the little filly, or more accurately the princess who was disguised as a little filly climbed her way out of the well. Just as Lunas "Mother" came in and gave her an affectionate hug and a mock scolding, Harper saw Ables hand reach over the lip of the well.

Everyone in the crowd gasped as he pulled himself out of the well. Harper felt his heart stop as, he saw a look of shock and horror start to spread across the faces of the crowd. As Able stood up and looked out over all the ponies, griffons and scattered minotaurs. Able looked like a colt with his hoof in the cookie jar, as he stared back to the crowd.

"Holly, go get my crossbow." Evergreen whispered under her breath to her sister.

"Like heck I will, the last time you went after that thing by yourself Harper here had to drag your unconscious flank back to his house." She hissed back to her younger sister.

Harper, turned his attention back to Able. Again he felt his heart skip a beat, as he saw Luna inch up to him. He knew this was it, if nopony bought this part of Lunas plan he was done for. He swore that the world held it breath as she gently tugged on his pant leg.

"Th- thank you, mister." and with that Luna hugged his leg.

Harper waited for the crowds response, hoping to whatever higher power or powers that existed out there wouldn't let all these ponies panic. He waited for the panicked screams to start, but nothing happened. He looked up to see a few more ponies milling in place, before a slow clop started to echo over the quiet and somewhat shocked crowd.The slow clop quickly grew into a thunderous applause, as more and more ponies started to hoot and holler.

"That actually worked?" Harper said as he looked at the cheering crowd numbly. He really couldn't believe that Lunas plan worked, let alone so well.

--

"Way to go Abe, way to go." Lyra watched the scene unfold as the cheering ponies start to swarm Able looking him over with curious eyes. Admittedly she was a bit surprised nopony brought up the fact that he was human, but then again the comics she read growing up were more than a bit obscure.

She, leaned back against the tree Able was in not ten minutes ago. Secretly she wanted to skip around the tree shouting yes at the top of her lungs until she passed out, but she was content to see all the ponies not in a full on panic.

"Our plan worked out excellently, did it not?" Lyra jumped a bit, as the lunar princess trotted next to her.

"Wait," Lyra pointed to the little filly that Able helped out of the well. "Aren't you there..." She looked between the two, completely confused.

"Lets just say, our glamour spells are a bit more than rusty." Luna smiled, as she looked at the filly who gave her a friendly wave." However, it turns out we can still help ponies conquer their fear of the dark." she returned the wave. "Oh,what twas that saying? Small world, big acts of kindness, or something along those lines."

Lyra smiled as a cool breeze brushed past the two of them.

"I think you mean. One small kindness in a small world gives that kindness all it needs to grow into something big." She tilted her head up the the princess. "If I remember right, that's one of Starswirl the bearded's more noted quotes."

"Indeed it was," Luna, knelt down next to her. "You seem vaguely familiar Ms. Heartstrings tell us do you reside in Ponyville?"

"Indeed I do your majesty." Lyra nodded. "I was the mummy who challenged you to the candy corn eating contest last Nightmare night ." Lyra pressed her tongue to the three fillings she had to get a week after last years Nightmare night.

"Yes, well." Lyra noticed the slight blush forming on the princesses cheeks, since after she easily out ate her in a matter of moments, she gave her prize to that little colt Pipsqueak. " Merriment aside. Its good to see a familiar face outside the palace."

"Likewise.... Well minus the whole palace thing." She smiled warmly to the princess of the night who in turn smiled back to her. A loud scream snapped their attention back to the crowd.

Lyra searched the crowd for Able after all he towered over the ponies by a full three hooves. All she noticed was that all the ponies were backing away from something.

Lyra wasting no time sprang to her hooves and galloped as fast as she could to the commotion. As she pushed her way through the crowd, her mind was racing, wondering what happened, did Able slip and fall, did somepony cast some type of spell that could have hurt him or somepony else.

As she burst into the circle, she saw Able laying face down in the grass with Harper and Stormy making their way to Ables side as well.

"Did you two see what happened?" She looked up to see her cousin and friend galloped up.

Lyra put a hoof on Ables shoulder to roll him over. Ables eye whited out eyes was the first thing that caught her attention, then his nose let loose a small stream of blood.

Harper looked up and around before shouting.

"Somepony call a doctor."

Author's Note

Guess whos back? *Points thumbs at self* The Sumareian that's who. Yes thats right I'm back.

Zero Inhibitions

Able felt like the whole world had just sneezed in his skull, as he cracked open his eyes he was instantly blinded by the sunlight that was pouring in from the window. He turned his head away from the searing light only for loud crack to echo through the air and leave a dull ringing in his ear. As the ringing persisted however it started to give him one of the most painful migraines he has had in his life.

--

Lyra tapped her hoof impatiently, she really didn't enjoy being hospitals,it wasn't so much that disliked it. She just didn't like seeing ponies not feeling well, or worse yet in pain. She looked around the waiting room, for the most part save for a few doctors and nurses passing by it was just her, Stormy and Harper; who was talking to one the assistants.

"Relax, Lyra." She stopped taping her hoof as Stormy wrapped her foreleg around her shoulders. "Ables, going to be fine. The doctors are running as many tests as they can to find out what happened." She gave her a reassuring smile before looking up to where Harper was chatting.

"Thank you," Harper waved to the assistant as he trotted over to the two of them. He sighed contently as he sat down. "So the first battery of tests are in, and from what they can tell he's as fit as a fiddle." He smiled to the two of them."They still know something is wrong, but they say we could go visit him if we want."

"Really!" Lyra blurted out, failing to hide her excitement at fact that Able was apparently okay. "I mean. What room is he in?" She smiled sheepishly as she felt an embarrassed blush come on.

"He's in room-" Harper was cut of when the door the waiting room burst open and princess Luna backed in from a series of flashes and excited shouting. As she cleared the door she used her magic to quickly close the door, lock it and then lean against it like an angry Ursa major was on the other side.

"We have done all we could to sate the curiosity of those press ponies," She glanced over to one of the nurses who stopped what she was doing when the princess entered. "Excuse us, could we trouble you for a glass of water?"

"Why of course your majesty." She quickly scooted away down on of the nearby hallways.

"Is it, really that bad your majesty?" Stormy asked as she got up from her seat and started trotting towards her.

"Tis nothing like," She paused as the nurse returned with a paper cup filled with water. She took the cup into her magical grasp and took a large gulp. "Thank you, very much." she smiled to the nurse as she shyly went on her way." Like the time we returned to Canterlot with our sister. I'm fairly certain our sister had some of the more bothersome ponies temporally detained."

"Princess," Lyra smiled as she looked over to her. "thanks again for responding to that letter, and helping us out this far."

Luna waved a hoof at her. "Please, no thanks is needed. As my sister once said you are all her little ponies and she would do anything to make sure you all are happy." She slyly to Lyra. "On another note however, you are very welcome."

Luna stood up from the door as a couple minutes had passed and the crowd outside grew quiet. She trotted over to the seating area and picked up one of the magazines that was laying around. She flipped a few pages in and quietly started reading.

"Tell us, have the doctors discovered what ails our new friend?" Luna asked as she looked up to the three of them.

"They haven't found anything yet, and they said we could go visit him if we wanted to..." Harper trailed off again as the look of him remembering something really important came to his mind. "He's in room five nineteen."

Lyra saw Stormy tense up a bit when Harper said the room number. Harper must have noticed to since he started to wrap his foreleg around her and bring her in.

"That is good,then." Luna looked up from her magazine with a hint of confusion. "Why have you not gone to visit him then?"

"We were about to, when um.." Harper stammered Lyra could tell he was more then abit nervous about telling the princess that she held them up.

Lyra took the initiative and sprang to her cousins rescue "We wanted you to know about Able as well."

"Well, tis a good thing that you felt me privy to that information." Luna settled in her seat, before looking to the door. "Tell us twas this the results thou expected?"

Harper bit his lip for a moment. "To be honest no, I thought everypony would gather up all their pitchforks and torches and drive us out of town." He glanced over to the door where the the shadows of all the newsponies shuffling about caught his eye.

"And you Ms. Shock, what do you think about the results of our introduction of Able?" Stormy slowly pushed her way from Harper so she could sit up on her own.

"It...." She looked around to everypony and smiled nervously. "Certainly could have gone better."

"Thou are referring to his sudden collapse in the crowd." Luna said. Stormy simply nodded.

"We didn't something like that was going to happen, heck we don't even know why it happened in the first place." Lyra commented.

"Indeed, we do not know what might have caused this." Luna started to stare off in the general direction of the rest of the hospital. "Indeed, we don't."

Just as Luna finished musing over her own thoughts one of the doors to the intensive care wing flew open, there trotting through the door was possibly the most bitter looking old stallions anypony has ever seen in a white lab-coat and the blue scrubs.

"I got it," He triumphantly said as he approached them. "I figured it out, by Jove I figured it out." He pulled his clipboard from between his wing;on it was a crude sketch of Ables face followed but many hastily written notes. "He's not exactly sick or hurt per se." He flipped the page to reveal his charts. "He seems completely healthy enough, but I noticed something was a bit off." He looked over to the door where a newspony quickly darted away from the window. "Lets continue this somewhere else shall we."

--

Able stared calmly at the half woman half spider thing that was hanging from the ceiling, praying to god that he was hallucinating because she was just staring intently back at him. Able glanced down at his wrists to where these giant snake things were wrapped around them. He looked back to where the spider woman was but she was gone in her place was a swirling swarm of eyeballs all staring back at him.

When he tried to rationalize what was going a dark ooze started to bubble out from his chest whispering something that he couldn't quite understand. He felt his stomach pull a cartwheel, as a wave of nausea hit him once more.

"Oh god," His voice sounding distorted and at an unnaturally high pitch echoed in the room. "I know I don't ask you for much." He paused as he dry heaved. "But please. Help me."

Just as the echo of his own voice died down in his head a blinding white light filled the room. As he tried weakly to look at what was in the light he saw five smudges appear,

--

"Oh my....." Lyra looked to were was laying strapped to the bed. She was no doctor, but even still she could tell that he was hurting and confused. Quickly rushing over to his side she looked at his raw wrists, he had obviously been trying to get out of the restraints for some time.

"Why is strapped to the bed?" Harper looked towards the doctor who was staring coldly at Able.

"He, kept on striking out at the nurses when he came to." He trotted forward, Ables eyes following him as he moved past Lyra. "I didn't want him or anypony to get hurt in all this confusion. It's not every day we have to wrestle and restrain a human you know."

"Commendable doctor, but still in many ways very cruel." Luna trotted to the opposite side of the doctor and Lyra and placed her hoof on Ables chest, causing him to breath faster. "Shhh. Its alright Able tis us, a friend." Her horn lit up as she released the restraint closest to her.

--

Able turned his eyes to the hoof on his chest, as he followed it up he say Luna looking calmly back at him, but opposite of her stood two of the most grotesque amalgamations of something pulled out of his nightmares. He looked back down at his wrist to the snake that was hissing viciously at him as it slithered away to the floor.

"Luna," He felt his throat instantly run dry as he uttered her name. Reaching out to her, he saw her appear again only this time how she appeared in his dream. "Whats happening?" He looked back to the two other creatures. Only to see their nightmarish appearance slowly turn into a bubbling black ooze.

"Be calm Able," He looked back to Luna who was mouthing something to the pair of bubbling slime. "You are in, good hooves." He felt confused when he noticed what Luna was saying and how her mouth was moving didn't match up.

"But, whats going on?" He asked as a warm slick started to cross his cheek. As he put his hand to his face to see what it was, One of the blobs sputtered to him, and started to reach out for him. He tried to flinch away from it but Lunas hoof pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Its alright Able." This time the human form of her stepped behind the blob and placed her hand on it.

Ables eyes widened as he saw the ichor melt away to reveal Lyra, her eyes filled with worry and concern as she slowly pulled her hoof back. Luna placed her hand on the blob sitting next to her, to reveal a light gray pony who had a serious look on his face as he talked to Luna.

"We are going to undo the other restrain Able," This time The actual Luna looked down to him as her horn lit up. "You, may be witness to some things as we sit you up. They are nothing more than hallucinations and they are not real."

He felt the pressure on his other wrist loosen up.

Stormy watched as the doctor backed away from the bed.

"Your majesty, I would advise against this course of action. If he is indeed suffering from magical overload, then there is no guarantee that he will not act out against his hallucinations."

Stormy could believe it, when the same doctor who oversaw her treatment for the feather flu was actually afraid what one of his patients might do. She remembered kicking and screaming as he and a team of nurses plucked her feathers out one by one, she couldn't decide what hurt more the painfully throbbing that came in intense waves all over her body or having all her feathers removed. It was no surprise then that she was hanging back just outside the door of Ables room.

"Fear not, good doctor we have this under control." Luna took her hoof off of Ables chest and slowly reached behind the bed for the recline controller.

She held her breath as watched Able slowly and steadily sit up. He looked simply awful, a small trail of dry blood was coming from his nose,that paired with a oily sweaty gloss all over his face, but what really got her were his eyes which seemed to have become a faint pinkish color.

"Able?" She said weakly, causing him to perk up slightly and focus in on her.

"St... Stormy, is that you?" his breathing increased as he tensed up. he weakly reached towards Luna like a baby would trying to get their mother to pick them up.

"Doctor, a bucket if you will." Luna leaned towards him letting his hand rest on the back of her neck.

"No..." He lurched a bit. "I'm okay, really." He looked over to Luna and weakly gave a reassuring smile.

"It's alright Stormy." Harper wrapped his leg over her shoulder and nudged her in. She was so relived that he was next to her right now. She felt better when he was there, almost as if. She caught herself blushing when Lyra looked over to them.

"How are you doing Able?" She looked at his wrist, which had been rubbed raw from the harnesses that he was put in.

"I..." He paused for a moment before Luna rested her hoof on his shoulder. "I have been better." He looked up to the doctor who was standing in the corner furiously looking over his charts. "Hey doc, you mentioned something about magical overload."

"Yes, indeed I did." He looked up to Luna who nodded for him to proceed." Well it would seem that your body has absorbed a massive amount of magical energy, now if you had a way to dispose of this energy like most all of the known magic capable species. This wouldn't be much of an issue, however," He paused as he looked up to all the ponies staring at him. "Since your an exception to being able to use magic, but still able to absorb its energy, it has welled up inside you and is trying to locate a way to manifest itself." He flipped through his charts. "The strange thing other than well being human is the fact that this condition is usually only seen in young unicorns before their first magical episodes."

"So we get him to do some magic and he'll be better right?" Lyra asked.

"No since he cant seem to get rid of it that way," He looked at Able for a moment. "An inhibitor ring might do the trick, then again that wouldn't get rid of all of it."

"So we get him an inhibitor ring, sounds simple." Harper said looking at the doctor who was simply shaking his head.

"The inhibition factor we need, is not exactly on supply here at the hospital. If he were a filly or a colt that would have been the first thing we would've done. We need to get the factor right, now judging from his size and weight we would need something in the 5.7 range, but those are only for-"

"I have one." Lyra raised her hoof up, a massive blush growing on her face.

"Adult entertainment purposes." The doctor trailed off as he looked at Lyra a bit slack jawed.

"What? Me and my marefriend like to experiment from time to time." Lyra said shamelessly. "I'll just umm get it here then." She lit up her horn causing a small tear to open up in front of her, after about a minute of her staring intently into the tear she pulled out a small black box. which she carefully gave to the doctor.

"Yes well..." A slight blush grew on his cheeks as he opened it up to reveal a black metallic ring. "This should do it" He offered it to Able who took it out of the box and inspected it.

"Lyra," He looked over to the mint green mare whose face was one shade away from matching Harpers coat. He cocked his eyebrow to her.

"No, no. We never used it for that." Her ears flicked as she tried to defend herself.

"Right, right, and I can totally shoot lasers out of my eyes." Able smiled as he slipped the ring onto his left ring finger.

"Feel any better?" Both Stormy and Harper asked at the same time, resulting in a awkward silence between the two of them.

"I don't feel any diff-" Able slumped forward, suddenly. Everyone looked at him in surprise save for the princess who simply pushed his head up.

"He shall be better come the morning." She smiled to him. "Come, then let us leave him to sleep."

Author's Note

News (Neither good nor bad.) The Grand rewrite of Leaf in the wind has begun. (Okay not so grand, but a rewrite /restore none the less.) it will contain better grammar ( yeah, it got me writing again, but I never said it was good.) More fleshed out scenes, more extensive chapters and of course more Leaf. OD and this story will be updated as well.(This one obviously right now.) Also in an attempt to get back to the more comedic roots of this story, there will be mini chapters that relate in no way to the plot of the story (they will be identified with this (mini) at the end of them), as well as more comedic moments in the actual story.

Mini: For gods sake.

Able turned the page of the comic book. He was curios to see what ponies saw that was so terrifying about them. He couldn't read what the ponies were saying, he didn't want to abmit it but equestrian looked like a bunch of scribbles and pictures to him.

"Oh that's a good one," Lyra popped up behind him, causing him to start. "Did you get to the part where they explained the history of the myth?"

"No, not yet." He looked back to the gobbledygook that the ponies were saying. "At least I dont think so." He moved his finger over to turn the page, as he was about to turn the page the tip of his finger started to sting. "Oh god dammit." he cursed as he looked at the fresh and painful paper cut.

"Here," Lyra used her magic to open up a draw and grab a box of band-aids. "I'm guessing you've had your fair share of paper cuts too." She smiled as she pulled out a band aid.

"Yeah, doesn't mean they still don't hurt like hell." He stuck his finger in his mouth so the droplet of blood wouldn't stain anything important.

"Hey Able?" Lyra asked as she peeled the wrapper off. "What is god? I mean you keep saying it when something like this happens."

"Like when?" Able stuck out his finger so she could put it on.

"Well there was that time you stubbed your toe after we got back from the hospital." Lyra placed the bandage on snugly. "Or those other times when you were surprised by well anything. And then there was that time you fell down those last two stairs on the porch."

"Do I really say it that much?" Able placed the comic book down on the coffee table. he never really thought that the ponies had no idea who god was. "You ask a difficult question there Lyra." Able tapped his fingers on his knee. "God, is well for a lack of a better word god."

"How enlightening Able." Lyra rolled her eyes as she hoped on the couch next to him.

"Well, its not easy to explain. He made the universe and all things in it." Able tried to remember what he learned in church when he was younger. "He made us all in his image." He paused forgetting the fact that Lyra was a pony and a unicorn at that.

"So your saying god looks like you or like me?" Lyra raised a curious eyebrow. "Or am I getting mixed up already?"

"Like, everything, because he is everything." Able knew he messed up trying to explain. "Well I'm not completely sure he is a he at all."

"So is god a she, I mean after all if the whole of the universe was created by her and she filled it with life." Lyra nodded her head. "Last time I checked Able only females could bring life into the world."

"Maybe god is both, I've never personally met god" He sighed hoping that he had successfully killed that tangent of thought.

"Okay so, then why is god so important to you?"

"Well, that is who I was taught would always be there when I need help with something, and well at least for humans god is really important in our day to day life." He scratched the back of his head, he was a bit curious now. "So tell me Lyra, do you ponies have something like a god?"

"Hmmm." Lyra leaned her head on Ables shoulder." That's a good question. Well if I had to take a crack at it I would have to say that the Princesses are like your god. Granted they didn't create the universe and all the things in it, but the sun and moon wouldn't rise and set without them." She smiled for a second. "They are our day to day, when you think about it."

"Wait, you mean Luna?" Able started only for Lyra nod.

"Eeyup."

"That.... That is.."

"What, bizarre to you?" Lyra glance up to him. "And a being that literally surrounds you at all times, that looks like you but at the same time not like you, makes more sense?"

"Well yes it does." Able looked at the ring on his finger. "But then again the pastor never said anything about magical talking animals, so who know whose right."

"And the last time I checked, nonpony knows exactly how humans came to be either," She used her magic to pick open the comic book. "After all it's not like you humans were made out of clay and then give the breath of life."

Able looked at the page Lyra had flipped to, which had something that looked vaguely like a person with its hand over a puddle of clay. As he looked over the page the things hand reached out causing a person to start clawing their way out of the muck.

"But that's, just some myth that has circled around you guys since before we started herding with each other." Lyra scoffed at the comic. "I mean that just seems silly, your to soft and squishy to be made out of clay."

Author's Note

In no way am I dogging on religion (I hope I never did in this mini either, if I did and you are offended sorry), but rather trying to explain the concept of god to someone who has never exactlly had to. (In this authors opinion.)

A new normal.

Harper let out a sigh of relief when the wagon pulled to a stop. After a three days of worrying entirely about Able he was back to his humdrum job. Pulling in saplings on some of the worse dirt paths in Equestria.

"Hey Harper," He looked up to see Tiller offering him a canteen. "Take five, I need somepony to help me haul this thing."

Without a moments hesitation he used his magic to undo his harness and flop to the ground. Its was nothing compared to his bed, but then again if it meant getting out of that ridiculously uncomfortable harness and be able to breath without being poked in the ribs.

"Really that beat?" Tiller asked as he too undid his harness and sit down next to his employee/coworker. " Shucks I cant imagine you being anything less, with all that happened recently." He took a gulp of the canteen, and then placed it on Harpers chest.

Harper glanced over to Tiller, then back to the canteen. It seemed like every time he slowed down a bit Tiller would always stop and let him take a break, he remembered hearing some of the others on the replanting team joke that Tiller only stops when his stomach tells him to.

"Thanks," He said as he opened it and took a few gulps of the cool water.

"Come on, give it here, cant have drinking it all up you little seapony." Tiller said jokingly as he grabbed the canteen back from him.

"Shoo-be-do." Harper chuckled, causing Tiller to join in.

After a few minutes their laughing died down Tiller casually got back to his hooves.

"Hey Harper could you hitch me up?" He asked as he trotted over to the wagon. "Can't have Manny and the others think we up and left them now can we."

"Sure." Harper said as he lit up his horn and started to secure his hauling partner.

Though he greatly appreciated the break as he and Tiller made it further and further down the road he noticed that their progress seemed to be slowing.

"Something up Harper, cause your usually not this tired this early on the job. Does it involve our towns newest resident?" Tiller looked over to him.

He was right after all, they had only been working for three hours and they still had another four to go. But he felt like he had gone three rounds with an Irsa minor.

"No, not really. Able, seems to be adjusting pretty well thanks to Lyra."

"Lyra," Tillers swooned for a second. "I mean, hows she doing?" He looked away quickly.

"She's doing good. You still have that crush on her?" Harper smiled slyly to Tiller, it was a rare day when he get him to blush and he planned on milking every second of it. "I remember she said something about how none of the other stallions she met were as big strong and as handsome as you were."

*****

Lyra sneezed into Ables face, causing both of them to lose the intense staring contest that they were in the middle of.

"Lyra," Able wiped his face, with his sleeve. "cover your mouth, my mouth was open that time."

Blushing Lyra shrank slightly in her chair. "Sorry."
*****

"Oh really," Tiller looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Tell me is she still single?"

"Actually no, shes dating somepony else." This time Harper felt a bit of guilt as he shot down his friend.

"Oh." Tiller slowed to a crawl. "Well I hope shes happy with her coltfriend."

Harper though riddled with guild couldn't help but take one more stab at Tillers ego.

"Actually, its her marefriend." He looked to Tiller whose ears perked for a moment.

"Harper, I need you to level with me," Tiller looked over to him. "On a scale of, 1 to 10, how would you rate her marefriend?"

"What?" Harper only met Lyras marefriend once and he could barely pick her out of a line up.

"1 to 10. Come on stallion to stallion here." He waved his hoof around proving that there were no eavesdroppers.

"Well, I would have to say like maybe a 7. She was cute but, I cant help but feel that there was something off about her when I saw her last." He remembered his brief interaction with her, after the accidentally backed into each other.

"So their a solid 8.5," Tiller pumped his hoof in the air. "Sweet, hey Harper. Is she in the market for... you know?"

Harper felt his heart skip a beat. It was common in Equestria for same gender couples to be dating or married, but if they wanted to have a child they would marry in a friend of the opposite gender into their herd to help them achieve that goal. Harpers mind pictured his nieces and nephews all running around with Tillers face. He shuddered slightly.

"I... umm don't know actually." He felt a bead of nervous sweat slide down the side of his head. "I mean, we aren't close enough for me to.... well know her opinion on the matter."

"So, you have no idea at all?" Tiller picked up his pace again, before he smiled slightly. " Well then, guess I may need to swing by one day and say hey."

*****

"So, your telling me, that ponies technically have open marriages." Able leaned in closer to Lyra, who was laying across the armchair. A bored expression on her face as she explained once more relationship dynamics in Equestria.

" No, if anything its more like the two ponies are married, but if they want their family to grow. They could seek out somepony of the..." Lyra blushed slightly, as she swallowed. "Fairer sex, to well...."

"Knock you up." Able sat up in his chair. He still couldn't wrap his head around what Lyra was implying. "So its a mutual thing? Like one of you decided to be-"

"Yes, the biological parent, while the other is more like a stepparent." She rolled her eyes. "What so difficult to understand about that Able. Don't humans do something similar?"

"Well..." Able had to think about this a bit, he had heard of it working out like that, but he never expected the practice to be so commonplace for a bunch of ponies. "Yes, but for the most part the more traditional male, female relationship is the norm."

Lyra ears twitched at what he said. "So Able, do you think other humans would find our society strange?" She looked up to him. Of all the things they talked about and learning more about each other she was curious what would happen if more humans arrived.

"Well, yes and no." Able looked over to the coffee table and took a sip of his glass of water. "I mean, a society of magical talking creatures would defiantly be viewed with some skepticism at first." He chuckled slightly. "But hey, kids would be into it, hell maybe some of the older ones will join in to."

"Older ones?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. trying to picture more humans who were older than Able skipping around Ponyville.

"Yeah. Love and tolerate, you said it yourself ponies don't tend to judge one another unless its something major or serious," Able took another sip of his glass before leaning back into the couch. "Some of us are bound to be attracted to that."

"What do you mean by some?" Lyra used her magic to pick up her glass of water and calmly swish it in the air.

"Those of us, who would like the idea of a magical world where they would never be judged for being themselves." Able looked up at the clock. "Shouldn't Harper and Stormy be getting back by now?"

*****

"Watch and be amazed but the great and powerful Trixie."

Stormy watched as the energetic showmare conjured up a brilliant swarm of fireworks just above her impromptu stage. All the ponies oohed and awed as the cloud of colorful sparks started to flow together in the air. She then saw her bring out several large gems and place them on stage, she fired a beam of magic into them, each one made a hologram of some figure in history. As Stormy looked at them she could of swore she saw the hologram of Princess Luna wink at her.

"For my next trick I will need a volunteer." Trixie conjured up a small glowing ball with her horn. Just then the holograms dissipated in another cloud of colors.

Stormy looked around at the crowd, who though entertained by the showmares performance thus far seemed to shrink slightly at the whole idea. Apparently she picked up on that and started pacing the stage eyeing the crowd like a lion would its prey.

"You."

Everypony parted just to the left of Stormy, where a rather lanky minotaur pointed at himself nervously.

"Yes you, come. The great and powerful Trixie does not have all day."

Stormy watched as he made his way to the stage. While he made his up the wooden stairs however she turned her attention to Trixie how had three more glowing orbs orbiting above her horn. Stormy looked over to her right where a unicorn happened to be standing next to her.

"Excuse me," She nudged the mare next to her. "But those orbs above her head what are those?" Stormy realized that the obvious answer was magic, but she felt that there was something more to it than that.

"Looks like she prepping some type of..." The mare squinted towards the stage and thoughtfully scratched her chin."Long range teleportation spell, although I don't know why the crystals are there."

"Ladies and gentlecotls. Tonight you shall an act of magic so profound and ancient, that the only ponies who know how to perform it number in the few, neigh the three." The stage lights darkened as Trixie urged the minotaur into center of the crystals. "Those three, are known as the most powerful unicorns in the history of the world. Our beloved princesses and," The glowing orbs above Trixies head started to float away from her horn and towards the gems.

"Me," Trixie flourished her cape as the gems started to glow brighter and brighter. "Now watch as I the great and powerful Trixie as makes.." She trailed off as she looked at him.

"Umm..... Wellington." he said shyly.

"Wellington, disappear before your very eyes." She smiled as a unknown wind started to swirl around them.

Everypony watched as the gems started to float around the minotaur who was eventually engulfed in a blinding white light. Stormy blinked her eyes just as a loud crack echoed through the air, when she looked at the stage she could hardly believe what she saw. Trixie was still standing there a smugly satisfied grin on her face, but where Wellington was was now replaced with a pile of smoking ash. Somepony in the crowd screamed in horror, as the startling implication of what the showmare just did.

"Please remain calm." Trixie flipped of her hat and pulled out a small prop wand. " I did say he would disappear." She looked down to the pile of ash and scoffed. " But, what is a disappearing act without the grand reveal." Trixie looked at her foreleg as if she were waiting for something. "And," She paused for a second before looking up. "Now."

Just as she uttered that the gems began glowing again. Another gust of wind swirled through the air, causing some of the pegisi who were hovering over head to almost crash. Then another blinding white light flashed over the crowd, then came the deafening roar of thunder. Stormys ears perked momentarily at the sound, something about it seemed strange about it.

When the light show was over, the whole crowd gasped in surprise. There standing on stage was the lanky minotaur covered in a thick layer of what looked like baked beans.

"Tell, the audience, what did you see?" Trixie asked as she used her magic to move the gems offstage.

"I....I" Wellington looked down at his body, and tried futility to brush off the sticky mess running down his chest. "Saw beans..... Lots and lots of beans."

There was a tense silence that hung over the crowd as most everypony was looking back and forth between Trixie and Wellington. Then somepony in the crowd started clopping their hooves on the ground,then more and more ponies joined in. Soon Stormy was the only pony who still dumbfounded by the sound that the flash made. In the back of her mind she knew she recognized it from somewhere, she just couldn't remember where.

****

"Come on Harper for real?" Tiller sat back in the booth cushion. "You never even thought about it."

"No, me and Stormy are friends," He felt his cheeks start to warm up, as he took another sip of his hard cider.

Tiller sat back up and looked over to the three mugs in front of him, each one was empty, and the waitress hadn't come by yet to see if they wanted any more.

"But Harper," He looked up to him and gave a sly smile. "You two share the same bed, and who knows maybe she was getting the same idea."

Harper almost choked on his drink. "Your drunk, you know that right." He tried thinking of ways to change the subject but couldn't think of anything.

"And, your in denial," Tiller lazily pointed his hoof at him. "You have a drop dead gorgeous mare living with you. Not only that but she also comes to your work just about everyday to see how you're doing, and if you want her to cook up something for dinner."

Tiller looked out over the rest of the bar. A bunch of other ponies had the same idea as them to start their weekend of with a toast to the end of a busy week of work. For the most part everypony was content with just sitting by themselves and drinking in silence, that is until somepony they knew came over to them. Harper let out a small sigh of relief no one had even caught a whisper of their conversation.

"Excuse me," Tiller shouted over to the bartender. "But whose rump do I need to kiss to get some more drinks over her."

Harper looked at his half filled mug of cider just now barely starting to feel the drinks effect. He sometimes wondered how he and Tiller became friends, but then again whenever they hanged-out it was always Tiller picking up the bill.

"Make that a double." Tiller turned his head to him and smiled.

"Now that's the spirit."

Harper gave him a cocky smile."Don't you mean spirits."

*********

"So she is your girl... I mean marefriend?" Able pointed to a picture of a tan mare with a blue and pink mane. Lyra nodded before nuzzling her head further into his chest.

"Yeah, that's her." She laughed slightly. "She's probably mad at me right about now."

"Why is she mad at you?" Able looked down to her, fully aware that she was being more affectionate as of recent.

"Because, I wrote her a letter, and told her I was here in Flapstaff. Oh and about you." She shifted so she could look up to him, a silly smile crossing her face. "You got to love the pony express. Getting mail where it needs to go, lickity split."

"Take it you know shes made because she wrote back."

"Did she ever. here look." Lyra lit up her horn and pulled an envelope from a table with more mail piled on it.

As she pulled out the packet of paper the front page of which was completely scribbled out save for 'Dear Lyra,' Able guessed from how hastily scribbled everything was, Bon-Bon was either trying to censor herself or she was so furious that her anger litteraly wouldn't let her write. Lyra flipped through three more pages just like it until she reached the end. Able looked it over save goodbye part there was one line that wasn't scribbled out. ' I'll be there in two days.'

"Wait, when did you get this?" Able looked down to Lyra that silly smile still plastered on her face.

"Two days ago." The grin on her face growing even more.

As Able looked in horror at what the mare was implying, an loud knocking echoed through the house. Able turned his head to the door.

"Lyra Alberta Heartstrings. You better open this door in the next five seconds or I'm bucking it down." Able looked down to Lyra who was curling back up into Ables chest, then back to the door.

"Able, be a dear and get that before she actually kicks in the door would you." she lazily waved her hoof towards the door.

Able sighed before standing up from the couch. He looked down to Lyra, this mare had almost killed the both of them on more than one occasion in their down time no less, had simply pushed a commitment she had on to him. He laughed in his head, in a way she reminded him of Michelle aside from the fact that one was a pony they started to seem to become more and more similar in his mind.

"Thats it, I'm breaking the door down." Able jumped as a vicious crack came from the front door.

"Oh shit."

He ran as fast as he could as another loud crack filled the room. As he opened the door he saw a set of hooves pointed square at his chest, and without thinking he moved out of the way as they shot forward. As the set of door busting hooves dropped so did the pony they were attached to,

"Oww." The mare moaned as she picked herself up. "Very funny Lyra." She fumed as she started to turn around. "But next time you try to....." The mares blue eyes narrowed in numb shock.

"Hey there." Able waved to her, causing the mare to stepback in numb horror.

"Y.... you.... you're a," She took a huge gulp, as if uttering the last couple of words had filled her mouth with sawdust.

"A human, yes." Able nodded, a devious idea on his mind. "And I enslaved your friend Lyra, she is now a part of my harem. With her I shall integrate my species into yours so we can conquer Equestria."

"What!?" Bon-Bons voice cracked as she started looking for an escape route.

"Able, stop goofing around we both know that you are about as magical as a rock."

"Lyra." Bon-Bon almost chirped exitedly charging past Able and into the living room.

"Hey there gorgeous," Lyra sat up and reached her forelegs out to hug her marefriend. "How are your parents doing?"

"What happened to my door." Everyone turned around.

There stood Harper clearly a bit tipsy looking at his door in surprise.

"She did it!" Both Lyra and Able pointed to Bon-Bon.

Author's Note

Yeah that reference took me two days of typing it to notice that I put it in there. Bon-Bon was also throwing her whole weight when she was trying to open the door causing her to fall when she made contact with the air.... Oh and Equestria has a even ratio of same sex parents to not same sex parents (Thus why Lyra and Bon-Bons relationship is considered common.)

Mini:The sandwich war

A/N : This is before Bon Bons arrival. (Sorry, still trying to flesh out how the two of them interact.)

Day 1 (In the evening):

Lyra felt another bead of sweat slide down her neck, as she carefully placed a slice of tomato down on the sandwich she had been agonizing over for the last couple minutes. She held her breath as the tomato all but touched the lettuce , one mistake her and her sandwich would be ruined.

"Hey Lyra, have you seen my...." Able walked into the kitchen tossing off her focus. Causing her to accidentally pinch the juicy veggie on itself, her eyes widened in horror as a pair of stray seeds plopped onto the lettuce. " Shoes."

"Able," A very dark part of Lyras soul was telling her to pounce on him and stomp him to death. "Your shoes....." She felt her voice tremble with anger. "Are at the door, remember."

"Okay, thanks Lyra." Able walked out of the kitchen leaving her to stare blankly at the travesty that was now the flawed sandwich.

Day 2 (Noon):

"Doo be do wap do be do wap." Able opened the fridge, and started rummaging through.

"Lets see here. Nope, naw, maybe..." He dug deeper and deeper into the refrigerator, he didn't admit it but he loved the fact that Harper and Stormy went shopping yesterday. Grabbing some cheese and hummus he stood back up.

"Now where is the bread?" He walked up to the bread box and smiled. "There you are my little pieces of..." he trailed off as he looked dumbfounded at the empty bread box. He remembered putting the bread in there himself, but now it was gone not even a tiny crumb remained.

"Something missing Able?" He jumped as he turned to see Lyra sitting at the table staring right at him, a half sandwich sitting there on a plate in front of her.

"Oh, hey Lyra." Able gulped a bit, considering the fact that he almost shit his pants, a gulp was a very mild response. "H.. have you seen the bread?"

"Why yes I have." Lyra leaned back in her chair, a slightly sinister smile on her face.

"So where is it?" Able asked looking at the mare expectantly.

"Oh here and there.... now and then." She flicked her tail, almost causing her to loss her balance in the chair.

"Now and then?" Able raised his eyebrow. "Know what fuck it." Able slammed down a piece of lettuce on the counter.

Day 3 (Morning):

Harper waited for the toaster, to finish so he could get something for breakfast. There was the moment when he was confused why the bread was in the drawer with all the silverware, but he and Stormy were to tired to think about it for long.

"Got the coffee." Stormy said as she placed a steaming mug on the counter next to him. "How goes the food?"

"It goes," Harper smiled as the toaster popped up to reveal two golden brown pieces of toasted beauty. "Good."

"Sweet," Stormy sat down in the chair and took a tentative sip at her piping hot drink. "Could you put some of that strawberry jam on mine."

"Okay," Harper used his magic to move the toast closer to the fridge, he strained slightly as he extended his magic to open the fridge and produce a butter knife. He strained once more, a look of confusion started to cross his face as he let his magic go, almost causing him to drop the knife had he not hovered it over next to the toast. "What, in the world?"

"What is it?" Stormy sat up, and got out of her chair.

"Everything in the fridge is gone." Harper said in numb shock as Stormy trotted up and gasped in surprise.

Day 4 (The time of the sandwich war.):

"Lyra!" Able violently opened the door to her guest room.

"Able, don't look I'm naked!"Lyra shouted, causing him to shield his eyes almost out of instinct.

"Dammit Lyra!" He tore his hand away from his eyes. "Your always naked."

"Is that really a bad thing?" She looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

Rolling his eyes he looked around Lyras room. unsurprisingly it was a complete and total mess. He looked at all the clothes scattered about, he was curious how someone who he had never seen wear clothes could have so many splayed out on the floor. he looked down at his feet and brushed what looked like a comically oversized sock.

"Hey, careful with that." Lyras yellow magic aura engulfed the garment. Bring it over to her self and gently stroked it. "These are imported cotton. What did you want anyway?" She glanced up to to him.

"Lyra, do you know what happened to the food?"

Her ears perked for a moment, as Able leaned against the door frame.

"What about it?"

"Oh nothing really." Able yawned "Just, that I was thinking of making a sandwich, maybe use that big juicy tomato, you know the one Harper paid two bits for because it was so big."

"I don't know what happened to it." Lyra felt the muscles in her ear tense up as she struggled to stop it from twitching. Able picked up on the sudden tension that shot through the mare however and smiled.

"Oh well, I guess I could just go to town, and pick up a sandwich from that griffion place Stormy keeps on going on about." He walked down the hallway.

Lyra, listened as Ables footsteps grew fainter and fainter. She didn't want to admit it but she was starting to get hungry too. She looked over her shoulder, certain Able was downstairs getting ready to leave. It couldn't hurt for her to make something simple.

She lit up her horn and opened to the pocket dimension she kept most of the things she just didn't want to carry around. Reaching in with her magic she felt a tingle, grabbing it she pulled out one of the most succulent tomatoes she had ever seen from the opening she made in front of her.

"Ah,ha! Caught you red handed." She nearly jumped out of her horseshoes when Able charged into the room wagging his finger at her. "I knew you hid the food somewhere."

Lyra for her part felt like a foal who was caught with their hoof in the cookie jar.

"I... I um." She felt her ear slapping against her skull.

"Took all the food and hid it in your little portal thingy." Able yanked the tomato out her magical field, his ring causing her aura to sputter and dissipate.

"Fine," She looked up to him a tinge of anger in her eyes. "You caught me, I took all the food. But I'm the only one who can put it all back, and I say I don't wanna."

Able leaned over so he was eye to eye with her. Her look of anger was easily countered by Ables judgmental stare.

"All I want is a sandwich, I can't get one if somepony decides to hoard all the food for no apparent reason." He said in a shockingly cold monotone. " So it would behoove you to simply return the food so that I along with Harper and Stormy don't make you do so by force."

"How about you earn the food, in a little contest." She smiled back to him, not even flinching.

"Fine what do you have in mind?"
******

"A sandwich war?" Able looked at the counter where just about all the food Harper bought on his recent shopping trip.

"Yes, and the rules are simple, make as many sandwiches as you can each one improving on the last, when you are unable to make any more you give the last one to the judges.."

"And who are our judges?"

Lyras eyes widened for a moment before waving her hoof dismissively. "We'll figure that out when the time comes. Ready? "

Able reached for the butter knife, when he looked up to Lyra a piece of bread hovered in her magical aura. They stared each other in the eye.

"Go!"

Both of them shouted as they began furiously making sandwiches. Able grabbed the peanut butter first and started to spread it on one of the pieces of bread he had in front of him. Lyra must have guessed that would be his first move, as she quickly grabbed the strawberry jam and started spreading it on her piece of bread. There was a tense second when they locked eyes once more as the both finished, Able reached for the honey instead of the jam while Lyra snatched up the peanut butter and frantically started spreading it on her bread.

She looked up to Able as he stamped his two pieces of bread together a cocky smile on his face as he pulled out another two slices and put them down in front of him. He picked up one of the cutting knives and a tomato and started to cut into it slices.

Lyra felt bead of sweat run down her brow as she quickly realized she was falling behind. She looked up at Able for a moment, his hands dancing over the two slices of bread as he put the finishing touches on his third sandwich.

"That's it the kiddy shoes are coming of." Lyra strained as her horn began to glow a bit brighter. Several slices of bread floated in the air between the two of them.

"Bring it." Able stamped down his third sandwich.

***************

"I mean, its not like Sky is a bad weather manager, its just that she seems to focused on her research." Stormy complained, as she adjusted the bag of food that was on her side.

"But, Stormy she may be looking for an assistant weather coordinator here pretty soon, and if I'm not being so bold I think shes seeing if you can handle it first." Harper, said tiredly as he adjusted his bags on his back as well.

"But still, it would help if she actually gave me some more say in how we do things. I mean she keeps telling us to take some clouds from the forest. 'We wont need worry about running out when there are perfectly good clouds just floating over the forest.' It makes no sense." She trotted up onto the porch and stepped out of Harpers way as he pulled out his key.

"I thought, there was no difference between the ones from Cloudsdale and the ones from the forest." He opened the door.

"There is a huge difference," She angrily blurted out as the two of them trotted inside. "Those are wild clouds, we can't even begin to predict when we can actually use them, and when we use them in storms, they either let out too much water or they just shoot out lightning everywhere. It's like you trying to replant with a bunch of cacti, without magic."

"That would be a pain." He replied, imagining how much of a pain his job would become.

"Harper, Stormy!!" Both of them jumped as Lyra manically burst out of the kitchen, Able hot on her heels.

"Eat this!!" Both of them shouted as the dove at the two of them.

Harper acted quickly and threw up a forcefield in front of him and Stormy. The both were surprised to see the faces of the two pressed up against it and slowly starting to slide to the floor.

"We, got some food you guys." Stormy showed the pair the bag. "Hope you like sandwiches."

Goodnights

"Lyra, are you sure its a good idea bringing Able along?" Bon-Bon asked nervously. She still was trying to accept that all the glances thrown her way were actually directed to their human companion who was haggling with a griffon over a couple kebabs.

"Nonsense, its not everyday you get to tell your cousin your taking the human for a walk after all." Lyra picked up an apple from the fruit stand and carefully inspected it.

"I cant image you tell Able you refer to him as the human, and insist that he needs walks." She looked over to her marefriend, wondering how she seemed to be acting so casual seeing as she had not only met one of the creatures from her childhood fantasies, but trusted him to not cause a riot.

"Hey guys," Able took a bit from his kebab, "I didn't realize that griffons could cook up some of the best chicken ever." Bon-Bon gagged as she watched Able take another bite of his food. "You want some Bon?"

"Able, remember..." Lyra trialed off as she took a bite from the apple.

"Oh right no meat, sorry Bon." Able reached into his pocket and tossed a few bits to the pony behind the counter.

"It's," Bon-Bon gagged once more. "Alright."

"So Lyra, what are we doing out here again? I mean all you told me was we were going to town." Able caught up to the two mares who seemed to be causally looking about.

"Oh you know just going out for a walk, nothing major." She nudged Bon-Bon. "Showing Bon here where I grew up."

"Seems like a nice place, Lyra." Bon-Bon for her part giggled nervously as a trio of minotaurs looked her way. "Everyone seems nice."

"No not really, mostly everyone is kind of a jerk." Lyra chuckled as she nudged Bon-Bon."Oh but the foods great and everyone you give money to is less of a jerk."

"Hey, Lyra whats that?" Able pointed over to a crowd of ponies who were watching as a few fireworks whistled out into the air and exploded into dazzling colors.

"Looks like somepony is putting on a show." She tried to see if she could see what was going on but there was just too many ponies in the way. "I wonder who it is actually?" Lyra felt a bit uneasy for some unknown reason.

"Lets go and check it out then." Bon-Bon started trotting towards the crowd. Both Able and Lyra looked at each other and shrugged before following the cream colored mare into the mass of ponies, which then parted up to the stage as Able got close. Able raised an eyebrow at the pony who looked more wizard out of a kids TV show then a street performer.

"Behold as I the Great and powerful Tr...." She paused as she noticed the crowd had parted slightly. She looked over and froze in stupefied surprise.

"What?" was all Able said as everyone's eyes started to settle once more on him.

**************

"So Stormy, it looks like your fit as a fiddle." The doctor adjusted her glasses as she looked up. "As a matter of fact, your doing surprisingly well considering your battle with the feather flu not too long ago."

"Thanks, I've been taking your advice. Only going out in the cold when I absolutely have to, eating more fruit." Stormy was trying to remember all that she had been doing after she got out last time.

"Yes, yes thats all fine and dandy," The doctor cut in. "I can't help but notice something though." She flipped a page on her clipboard.

"What is it?" Stormy felt her wings tense, she never liked going to the doctor because they always had good news and then something that would always make her lose sleep for a few days.

"Yes well, It's about your blood test, we couldn't help but notice that well..." The doctor flipped once more through the clipboard. "It would seem that... it might be that time for you this year."

Stormy let out a calm sigh, she knew that right now was probably not the time to make a fuss over it but instead of a calm rational acknowledgment of what she heard something very different happened.

*************

Harpers ears perked a bit when he thought he heard somepony shouting something that Able would say in one of his more colorful outbursts.

"Hey, Equestria to Harper." He snapped his attention back to his work, or more accurately his coworker Godfrey who was precariously holding two saplings in his talons. "I could use an assist over here."

"My bad," Harper used his magic to take one of the trees from the griffon. "Thought I heard something was all."

"You sure it wasn't just the wind or something?" Godfrey loudly dropped the sapling next to the stump it was about to replace. Harper put his sapling next to another stump. "It's kinda funny eh? Back home we wouldn't bother replacing the trees we cut down, but here they make an entire job out of it."

"Still on about that Godfrey?" Harper chuckled as he reached for a shovel to start dig. "I mean, it just makes sense from a longevity standpoint. We replant the trees that the mill cuts down and the mill keeps running year around because we just change what parts of the forest we alternate between." He huffed as the shovel pinged off a rock.

"And the mill is barely able to sustain itself each year. It just makes more sense to.." He trailed off as he struggled with the stump for a moment. "Cut down the whole of the claim and replant it later."

"Your talking to the wrong pony about that, they just pay me to plant trees." Harper smiled as he placed his last tree of the day into the hole he dug.

"Tiller keeps telling me some mess about how they have a environmental impact to think of, and that's why we don't cut down more." Godfrey shook the dirt out of his fur as he casually tossed the stump to the side, and picked up his shovel and started digging.

*************

Trixie couldn't believe what she was seeing. Here in the middle of this podunk border town, standing right there as if nothing was wrong was a human.

"What?"

She felt here muscles tense in horrified surprise some part of her mind told her to run, but she was frozen there. She looked at the crowd though they were a bit on edge they were no where near as panicked as she was.

"Oh, come on," A vaguely familiar mare trotted out behind the human and looked at the crowd. "You all can't still be afraid of him." She looked around the crowd judgmentally. "He has been here for almost a month and a half now."

Trixie couldn't take her eyes of the human. So many questions were now buzzing around in her head. She relaxed a bit, still keeping a weary eye on the mythical being, and the mint green mare who it was with. She wanted to learn more about this human, but there was something about that mare, something in her eyes that she couldn't put her hoof on.

"Lets just go Lyra." the human, looked around the crowd, knowing that if they stayed any longer somepony might cause a scene. He turned and walked away leaving the crowd to stare at his back as he the mare and another pony walked away from them all.

***************

Stormy, let out a calm sigh as she settled into the bubble bath, her little episode at the doctors office was still echoing in her mind. Admitedly she probably overreacted, seeing as she cursed at just about everypony in the hospital. She looked over to the bar of soap sitting next to the tub, her mother would have made her eat the entire thing if she heard even a second of her fit.

"Able, I knew you'd get me in trouble later." she said as the bubbles started to tickle her nose. A sour look crossed her face as she realized what she just said. "Now that's not fair Stormy, he wasn't the one who flipped out in the hospital."

She still had to think up an excuse to not be around Harper all of a sudden, she didn't want a repeat of what happened last year when she got the feather flu and was bedridden for a month and a half. Harper wouldn't just let her go for a whole week on the drop of the dime.

"He'd probably insist on having somepony check on me every couple hours." she chuckled remembering how he managed to convince one of his coworkers to swing by during his lunch break so he could hopefully get off early and back by to her.

"So what should I say so he won't do that?" She had to think of something Harper would belive. "No I cant say I'm in another house." Stormy shotdown the first idea thinking that it just seem to lazy. She could fake being sick again.

Stormy smiled it was brilliant she would just have to fake being really sick, her thoughts paused again last time she was sick Harper tried nursing her back to health.

"Harper..." She said in an annoyed whisper. "Why do you care so much?" she felt her heart flutter as memories form when she was in the hospital. The days when she had to call the nurse for an extra blanket because he had fallen asleep, him showing up like he had gone ten rounds with a pack of timberwolves and just smiling when he came in like nothing happened.

She was so entranced my her memories that when she cracked her eyes open the bubbles that surronded her in thier suddzy embrace had all disappearedand her bath water was now lukewarm. Letting out a tired sigh as she pulled herself out of the tub and started to get ready for bed.

~~~

Stormy fell back onto her bed, it had been so long since she had been able to curl up and sleep on a cloud bed. As she wrapped herself in the covers she couldn't help but peak over her shoulder, she knew that Harper wasn't there but she couldn't help but feel like he was right there.

"Goodnight, Harper." She said as she closed her eyes.

**********

Harper closed the book he was skimming through, his ear twicthed making him snap his head where Stormy had been sleeping for the last couple of weeks. He let out a tired sigh as he turned off the lamp and wraped himself in his sheets.

He smiled before looking over his shouder where Stormy would have already been fast asleep.

"Goodnight Stormy."