A Rare Breed - (AiE) (AnonXBoxPone) (Chapter 2) by S_Noble

>You wake up nine hours later with a groan. Your body feels stiff as your eyes pop open, Dawn's early light filtering through the partly drawn curtains.
>You're on your side in your hallway, the wood floor supporting you as you groan, moving about. Maybe it was a bad idea to sleep here all night.
>You turn about, facing the door as you try to stand up.
>"Try", then the door opens and the handle cracks you right on the head.
>You've got to be kidding me.
>You fall back onto the floor, grunting in distaste.
>That's it. It's happening. Every door is now going to be a push door. You're a carpenter. You can actually do that. No more door knobs.
>You'll work on that tonight. First, you've got things to do.
>Standing back up, without a door handle hitting you in the head, you head to the bathroom and grab the empty mug that held the cocoa, the cup you used to pour water on Morning, the bowl, and the towel.
>It must be cleansed.
>In the mornings, Woodrow made you clean everything you didn't the night before.
>It stuck with you well. He had a lot of good habits that rubbed off on you.
>You bring it all to the kitchen, toss the towel into the dirty laundry, and make quick work of the bowel and two cups.
>Last time you let the dishes pile, you considered moving out to avoid doing them.
>Procrastination leads to lots of dishes, you learned.
>That, and you didn't have a Spike to-...
>Wait, you kinda did now. Morning Glory.
>If you wanted to, you could make her do them.
>Maybe one day. For now, she needs to heal. And regain some sense. She's been rather... odd, since you rescued her.
>Must have been her past.
>You have things to do today, so you can't bother with that right now. Instead, you grab an apple and head downstairs.
>You close the door to your house, and you're immediately greeted by the cold of your workshop.
>Still feels like a freezer in here. You look out the window and sigh.
>It's snowing gently on the dark morning, you'd say about five AM. The Pegasi are hard at working making you hate Winter again.
>At least they're good at their job.
>You open the door and turn the "closed" sign to "open", lighting the lantern on the front of your house with a flick of a switch.
>You loved magic sometimes. Other times, it was Twilight using the magic. Which meant Friendship reports.
>Oh dear Lord, you didn't write that thing yet.
>...Oh well, you'll have to make up an excuse for forgetting. Hopefully, she'll let you off this time.
>You set to work with starting up the small furnace in your workshop, throwing in the trash wood to fuel the blaze.
>Smoke rises from your chimney as you warm your hands at the fire, giving a light shiver.
>Today may be a short work day, depending if anypony stops by to place any orders.
>A lot of times during Winter, you'd get request for firewood, or to build some sort of building.
>That's construction. You could do it, but instead, you point them to the right ponies for that. It's Winter, if you want a Chair for Hearth's Warming Eve, you can do that. But you're not freezing your ass off to build them a place to put their rake. For Firewood, you only carry two types of wood.
>The stuff for building furniture (teak, oak, redwoods, etc) and trash wood. Things you toss on the floor after using the buzz saw. Which were usually only the small pieces. This stuff was expensive to import, as the Everfree only had more common woods.
>Besides Yew. You could find that if you went deep enough in. Which is what you use to make bows. Springy and surprisingly, in good demand.
>You look to your list of orders, only two left.
>A small reclining, padded armchair, where no springs or other things to show through. Just wood. Made of oak, and varnished. They would also like for it to be able to rock, back and forth.
>Doable, but you'll need to visit Rarity for the pads. She's a versatile mare, and your clothing is evidence of that.
>Note: Be sure to change clothes before you head over. The smell of yesterday's events have carried over a little.
>The second item: a pool stick. Not just any pool stick, but a champion's pool stick.
>Now THAT was more of a challenge. You had to hand carve those, and they weren't cheap. It was one of the few things that Woodrow had difficulty making himself, because of how perfect it had to be.
>You had already ordered the parts for that. It should be in today. All you really needed was the handle design, which the stallion already chose himself.
>It was a specialty piece, made of leather that bound around the base of the stick. Gave it its flare.
>But enough of that. The chair first, since you can do that with what you have.
>You take some quick measurements, first, assuming the height of the pony going to be using it.
>It's for some old mare for Hearth's Warming Eve. From her husband, of course. Her recliner is getting too old, "like her!" he joked the other day. A 200 bit order, very reasonable.
>60 for the wood, 80 for the three or four hours it would take to make it. 20 for the varnish, 40 for the padding. You were good at this.
>You start with the base. Easy measurements, rocking, reclining. The mechanism was going to be the issue.
>You'll have to improvise a little on that. A locking mechanic will keep it reclined, by pushing or pulling the handle.
>You quickly begin to sketch out a blueprint, short and simple, of the chair itself. Visually, you know exactly what you want it to look like. Conceptually, you can grasp a few straws there. It's not too hard to think of something like this. Just takes time.
>You sketch out several designs for the mechanics that will take place, and smile. You figured it out. That was always a good feeling. This is more artistry then you'd give it credit for.
>Beginning with the actual supports for your chair, you start at the four poles on the exterior.
>Think of it as a simple chair. Two small sticks in the front, two long ones in the back.
>Now add a smooth curve at the bottom. A rocking chair.
>The middle of the rear poles will need to be bent, so you can lean back easier and relax. You'll have to warp the two primary rear poles in hot water.
>You turn on the buzz saw, and cut your wood.
>Ow, not that wood. Don't think those thoughts. The OAK wood. Why would you cut your own wood, that sounds more bloody than you want this to be.
>Following your blueprint to the letter, you decide to start boiling the poles now, so they could be ready by tonight. Then you can assemble the ready pieces once your wood dries.
>God, you have a dirty mind. Once the *oak wood dries.
>You need to quit refering to wood as YOURS. It sounds more sexual than it should.
>Your thoughts make time fly pretty quick, and soon, you're carving the pool stick handle, referring to a picture of the decal you're going to apply to it.
>The thin, paper like leather will fit smoothly over it, but the customer doesn't want that. He wants grip, and he wants feeling in his pool stick.
>"Y'know, usually ponies want a smooth stick. I do to, except at the handle. Do you think you can make it feel... I 'unno, more 3D, guy? It'd be cool if you did, give me something to boast about at the bar. I'm the undefeated pool champion down there, if you ever get your own stick, come play me. I could even teach you a thing or two, man!" The stallion said. Nice guy, but you don't like the bars in Ponyville. There's only two, and they don't fit you too well.
>To be honest, you'd prefer a pub. It's what Row always talked about when they got a customer like that. He never drank alcohol, but Pubs always reminded him of home. Better times at home, at least, where he'd go out to get some grub with his childhood friends.
>These thoughts always make you sad. But you brighten up when you hear a knock on the door, and the Mail Mare came in.
"Derpy me lass!" You said, calling her the way Row did. It made her smile, regardless of how muffinless her days went. "Just in the nick of time. I can't help but agree with my inner monologue, I have no clue if I fucked this stick up or not." You say, holding up the pool stick base.
>To be honest, you know you did it well. You measured it exactly. But you were doing an outline based on a picture, which isn't good. Hopefully, the decal will fit perfectly with the wood, as you worked hard to make it so.
>"Hiya Mr. Anon!" She chirped, floating in the air with her wings. Her large satchel hung over her side, filled with mail and small packages. She wore her uniform today, blue with gold clasps running up a shirt that covered most of her chest and sides, hat resting on her head. Usually, she just wore her hat on duty, but since it was Winter, it was quite often you saw the rest of the attire.
>She landed on the floor, sighing in relief. Must be a big mail bag, today. It is nearing Hearth's Warming Eve, so there would be a lot of letters to pass around in celebration of the season.
>She stepped towards you, humming softly as she flipped open her mailbag with her teeth, avoiding the bits of wood on the floor, the wall eyed mare was surprisingly more perceptive than most. Probably because she turned her disability into an advantage, able to focus on two things at once within the past few years.
>She pulled the small parcel from her pack along with a pen and clipboard, smiling.
>She set it down next to you on the table, smiling.
>"Whatchya makin', Mr. Anon?" She asked, looking at the pool stick curiously as she poked it with her nose. She snorted as a bit of wood chips stuck to her snout, both eyes focusing on the piece clinging to her.
"Oh, this? Pool stick! And I just so happened to need this little specially stitched piece you just delivered. I would have asked Rarity, but this type of stitching isn't what she's used to. That, and the customer already ordered it." You sigh the little clipboard with a flourish, spinning a bit in your usual crafting chair.
>You loved spinning chairs. You made this one yourself, just your height.
"Oh, and Derpy, coming this Hearth's Warming Eve, I'm going to have a present for you. I don't know where you really live, so if you want to stop by that day and get it, I'd be more than happy to pass it to you." You say, opening the package with both hands. You withdraw a thin, flattened piece of leather, stitched with thousands of lines of blue and white string, showing the mountains under a crescent moon. Stars twinkled in the sky of the background, as you compared it to your handy work, pressing it into the uprising mountains.
>Everything popped out perfectly, giving the leather a 3D appearance.
>She smiles, giggling a little.
>"Sure thing, Mr. Anon! I love gifts! Not many ponies have that many for me, though. I'm just the mailmare, nopony too special."
"Aw, don't think that, Derpy. Especially with Twilight prowling about around here, looking for friendship problems. She'll make you write letters to her."
>"I HEARD that!" Twilight said, opening the door to your shop.
"See? I told you, prowling about, looking for a friendship problem..."
>Derpy giggled, grabbing her bag and clipboard as she headed to the door.
>"Seeya Mr. Anon!"
"Have a good day, Derpy! Remember, Twilight is ALWAYS prowling about!"
>"Again, I heard that." Twilight said plainly, obviously getting annoyed with her YMBFF. Today, she wore a thick scarf around her neck, purple with white frills at the end.
"I heard it to!... oh my gosh, Twilight, do you think we're connected? That your strange, OTHERWORDLY magic bound our souls in a strange way, making us both immortal Princess ponies?" You gasp, a hand over your mouth.
>"As much as I'd like to read you fanfiction today," she said, rolling her eyes with a smile, "I have other plans. I came to check in on Morning Glory, and brought Pinkie Pie to cheer her up."
"Oh God, what?"
>You had restraining orders for a reason, y'know.
"Where is she now, Twilight?"
>You hear a pony panting as Pinkie Pie came in through the open door, pushing a party canon over the step, two filled saddlebags on her back.
>"Right... heeeeeere." She gasps, collapsing on the floor. Balloons and confetti burst out of her bag, all over the place. Behind her she also seems to have the Welcome Wagon tied to her.
"Pinkie, you live like... next door. Why are you so tired?"
>Sure, it looks like a lot, but when you're about 30 feet away, you shouldn't be that tired.
>"A wheel broke on the Welcome Wagon. She had to drag it, her canon, and her saddlebags all over town to get it fixed..."
>Twilight draped her wing over her exhausted friend, Pinkie managing to slam her hoof on the floor in protest before face planting.
>You groan. You didn't want to clean up confetti and cake all day...
"Uh... Pinkie, how are you going to get all of that upstairs?... Why not have the party at Sugar Cube Corner? Y'know, where you're allowed to legally enter?" You say, noting your restraining order.
>Pinkie groans loudly, annoyed.
>"Y-You have a point, Nonny..." She pants, speaking up again; "But PINKIE... NEVER gives up!..."
"You shoud give up Pinkie." You say in return, smiling. Even if she tried to murder you with food, she still made you laugh.
>"Okay." She collapses again. That stuff looked pretty heavy.
>"I would have helped her carry all of that, but she seemed pretty persistent. I think it's time we set up the Party at Sugar Cube Corner." Twilight says, picking up Pinkie Pie with her magic, along with all of the party supplies as she stuffs it into her bag. "How about you bring her over in an hour, and we can celebrate her arrival. Sound good, Anon?"
"Sure! I'll bring my face mask, then." You look up at the clock, noting the time. Nine AM. You should check on Morning soon.
>"And maybe you can drop the Restraining Order, right, Nonny?" Pinkie asks, still tired as she floats about in Twilight's magic.
"The day I don't bring a face mask is the day I'll drop it, Pinkie."
>You run your tongue over your teeth, remembering having to visit Colgate to get them fixed. She chipped your tooth when Pinkie shoved the second cupcake in.
>"Ooooooh that gives me an idea for super awesome 'I'm sorry for shoving food into your mouth' party, after the after party for THIS party!" She said as Twilight closed the door behind her, party canon and all disappearing into Sugar Cube Corner.
>You sigh, peace at last. Leaving the pool stick where it lay, you head up the stairs and into the living room, grabbing the bottle of pills and a glass of water from the kitchen.
>You forgot to give her last night's dose, she must be feeling pretty poorly right now.
>You reach into the apple bag and grab two more of those, your stomach growling. You forgot to eat your own downstairs.
>You can do that later.
>Opening the door to the guest room quietly, you walk to the her bedside.
>The light from the winter sun fills the room from the partly drawn curtain, as you take in your old room.
>After Row had died, and the house was truly yours, you took his old things and set them neatly in here, and moved to the bigger room.
>Not out of choice, really, but necessity. This room hardly accommodated your large size, but it was great for a three foot tall mare like Morning.
>You give the old "junk I kept way too long t' remember the place I got it from" one more look over, sighing at the memories.
>You turn away from it, tapping Morning on the shoulder gently. She stirred a little, turning over to face you as her eyes cracked open.
>She smiled.
>"Hi Anon..." She said tiredly, looking up at you.
"Mornin' Morning, aren't you just GLORIOUS today?" You tease, pinching her cheek. She squeaked softly, a very small giggle following.
>She's still just a tad bit shy, but at least the fear is gone.
"Brought you some medicine and food, if you're up to eating right now."
>She nods quickly in return, looking at the two apples with hungry eyes.
"And in an hour, I'm gonna bring you to a party, if you're interested."
>Her eyes light up.
>"A real... party? For who?"
>Who else could possibly deserve a party.
"Abraham Lincoln... no, really, for you, silly!" You say, opening the bottle and taking a pill into your hand, holding it before her. "You may be a little sick, but a party never hurt anypony. Well, except me. But a restraining order can fix that, and I know just the judge who can do that for you, if you get a cupcake shoved into your face."
>She opened her mouth, swallowing the pill with a little cringe. You held the cup to her mouth as she took a small sip, snatching the apple from your other hand before biting deep into it.
>She gives a little "mmph" as she enjoys the flavor.
>Sweet Apple Acres apples are like that.
>"I would love a cupcake right now..."
>She coughed again, not from the apple, but from her sickness.
>You hope she's getting well. She doesn't show much, but her temperature says all you need to know.
>Within minutes, she had polished off both apples, you sitting there to watch her eat, petting her mane soothingly.
>You could tell she liked it when you took care of her like this. The affection turned out to be infectious, as she pressed herself into your hand, the quiet mare trusting you much more with each passing hour.
>It made you happy to do this for her. It was kinda like taking care of a sick puppy.
>She curled up under the blankets tiredly, pulling the comforter up to her chin, a little sigh escaping her as you continue to sit there, unsure what to do from here.
"Anything else I can do to help, Glory?"
>She mumbles under her breath.
"Hmm?"
>"I would love it if you close the curtains on the way out."
>You laugh at her comment, as her smile grows. Looks like she had a little spark in her, after all.
"Alright, alright. I'll let you nap a little longer." You say. You could understand this, the way she's acting now. You're acting more like her father, when she's really about five years younger than you.
>And she's acting like your daughter.
>As you close the curtain, you frown.
>You don't really want a daughter. Not yet. You wanted something else.
>You shake the thought away as you close the door behind you, leaving her in darkness.
>9:25.
>Thirty five more minutes.
>Alright, you can do this Anon. You can survive another cupcake assault.
>You know it won't happen, but you grab your catcher's mask, usually for baseball, and head downstairs.
>Really, it was all a joke. But you weren't going to let that joke die. Not for a long, long time.
>You open the door to Sugar Cube Corner, and you're pleasantly surprised.
>Twilight is covered in cake batter, Pinkie is stuck to the ceiling by party streamers, and the Welcome Wagon was smoking.
>It appears Twilight pressed the wrong button not more than a few second ago.
>"I told you not to press THAT one." Pinkie Chirps, as batter drips off of Twilight's nose.
>"Pinkie Pie. I want you to get down from there. Find a nice, large quill. They sell them at Sofas and Quills, down the road. A few ink pots. I think you keep some near the register for taking orders. And a massive scroll. And give me one hundred, not one, not ten, not fourty two, but one hundred reasons WHY you should label every button on your wacky machines. I'll give you the first one. 'So Twilight doesn't EXPLODE!'" She yells, her magic flaring as she turns briefly into a Ponyta, the batter turning into... cake.
>She grunts. At least it will clean off easier.
>Pinkie can only laugh.
>"Oh Twilight, you're so funny when you're a cake! OOOOOH! Are you related to Mr. And Mrs. Cake? They DO have a Unicorn in their family! *GASP!* Does that mean you could ALSO be related to Rainbow Dash, because there's also a Pegasus along the line somewhere! Oh my Gosh, you could even be related to ME!"
>Pinkie Pie falls from the ceiling, the room now officially decorated for the party.
>A knock on the door, and suddenly, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash enter the room, folllowed by a familiar yellow pegasus.
>Fluttershy.
>She didn't hate you, but she didn't like you either. She knew you were an omnivore, and that you can survive on a vegetarian diet, but you still chose to eat meat.
>Nopony else really cared, because they all ate eggs and bread, not to mention cake. Meat was a bit far, and not a single pony ate it, though technically, the "could" digest it.
>They just didn't like the flavor, and the fact that most animals are their friends.
>And yet, meat was still used for other things. For example, Rarity's cat. Some pets require meat to survive, so there was a small demand for it in Equestria.
>And Fluttershy could understand this. She just couldn't understand why you, who had a very similar, if not the same diet as a pony from Equestria, how you could still eat meat.
>You told her it was your history. She said you could change.
>You told her to fuck off and eat some bacon.
>You didn't talk much after that.
>Regardless, she still smiled and accepted you as one of her "friends".
>She was too kind to keep the grudge in the end.
>Rarity was a very close friend of yours. She showed you generosity, and you showed it in return, recommending and buying a lot of your items from her.
>For example, the cushions for the chair you're working on.
>She liked you a lot, and you occasionally got free clothes from her. You returned the favor with a new drama couch, finely crafted to her liking.
>Applejack was Applejack. She got along with just about anypony. Very nice gal, and was very honest with you from the start.
>"Ya look like a big, lumbering monkey." ~Applejack.
>You liked that in her. Another close friend.
>Rainbow Dash was... alright. Didn't see her too much, she kept to herself, and her other friends. She was still by your side, though, and you can give her marks for that. Loyalty is rare in some ponies, who would pick sides in a moment. She was always on her friend's side. You would see her more, if she didn't live in a cloud, you're pretty sure. No need for wooden furniture. Cloud crafting was something only a pegasus can do, and she was good at it.
>That just about covers it.
>Out of all of them, though, Twilight was still the closest. Came to see you every other day, except during that long run of grief you had. It hurt to be alone, but now you have someone special to change that.
>"Why hello Darling!" Rarity chirped, happy to see you, "Business going well? I heard you found a new pony, and now I'm excited to meet her! Twilight has told me quite a bit about her~" It was in Rarity's nature to be just a bit flirty with anyone but Applejack. That, and her posh, upper class demeanor was always just a bit more... delicate, than other pony's.
>"Why how's it going there Anon! Where's the mystery mare at? Ah DID hear a word or two from Twilight. Heard ya spoke up and pulled her outta somethin' awful. I'm proud to hear that you did that, Anon."
>Fluttershy thought it over, trying to decide whether to talk to you. Grudge or no, she still thought about it when she saw you.
>"Hello Anon. Is she alright? She sounded so poor and helpless..." Fluttershy said. She decided to play it small, no long talks to you today.
>At least, not until you relinquish meat.
>Fuck you, I love bacon.
>Speaking of which, you need to start hunting again. You could only go so long on scrambled eggs.
>Now it's your turn to speak.
"Hi there, everypony. I'm doing alright today, business is usual and all. Right now, she's sleeping at the guest bathroom at my house, she has a bit of a cold. Me and Twilight managed to fix her up quite a bit yesterday, and she's quite beaten up. Not to mention pretty shy."
>You think it over a bit, deciding to add a bit more to your description of her.
"When I DO bring her over, try to keep questions about her past to a bare minimum. Her name is Morning Glory, and that's all you should know for now. Again, she hasn't seen many good days, not in a long while, I suppose."
>That will hopefully work.
>Hey, where's Rainbow Dash?
"Hey Twi, did you talk to Rainbow Dash, too?"
>Twilight nods, stretching her wings.
>"Why yes, I did talk to Rainbow Dash!"
>Still proud over the fact that she can fly, that purple mare.
>You STILL want your wings and/or horn.
>"And no Anon, you can't have wings."
>Fuck, she could read you like a book sometimes.
>Ha, like a book.
>"She said she would bring a few friends to make this party thumping. She needed a break from all the weather work she's been doing, bring in the snow and checking in on the pegasus with a broken wing. Oh, she says she'll make a full recovery, too, if you were any bit worried as I was."
"Well, I wasn't there, so... yeah. I wouldn't know who to be worried over."
>Hey, if it's not your problem, it's not your problem.
"Shouldn't we get a DJ for this?"
>"Oh don't worry Nonny, I have it ALL covered!" Pinkie says, pulling out a stack of papers.
>"Pinkie, if I may ask dear... what are those?"
>Pinkie smiled mischievously.
>Oh God no.
>It can't be.
>"They're RSVPs! I already sent out invitations to every single pony in PONYVILLE!"
>That explains Derpy's bag this morning.
>Those were all party invitations.
>Oh dear Lord, you didn't think to bring your earplugs.
"You foolish pink one, you've doomed us ALL!" You shout, as somepony entered Sugarcube Corner right behind you.
>You slowly turn around.
>It was none other than Vinyl Scratch, a large set of amps, speakers, kickers, and a multitude of wires hitched to her back.
>"ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! Take a SEAT! I got this!"
>In ten minutes, all of the chairs and tables (excluding one large table, for punch and cookies) were moved out of the room, into the stairway leading upstairs. It served two functions, keeping the ponies in the party area, and saving room for dancing.
>Luckily for Pinkie Pie, Mr. And Mrs. Cake loved parties. Though their children, not so much. Which is why they were tucked safely up in their crib.
>The DJ Pon3 had managed to set up the amps and speakers, and had quickly run off to drag the DJ booth over, as well.
>9:50.
>Hopefully your ears could handle four hours or so of Vinyl.
>But you were doubtful of this.
>You head home quickly before the storm to grab two pairs of ear plugs, and the guest of honor.
>You place the rather sickly, though much more alive Morning Glory into your arms, bringing her next door.
>You explain the situation to her rather quickly, "Pinkie invited the entire town, shoves these in later if it's too loud", as you open your business door, tilting the sign to closed.
>"Do we have to go?"
"Yes, or Pinkie will move the party here. I can't afford to let ponies chop things up with the buzz saw."
>Rainbow Dash and the DJ still haven't arrived yet, thankfully. You'd like to enjoy the quiet before it's over.
>Opening the door out of your workshop, you tilt the open sign to "Closed", not wanting anyone to find their way inside while you're away.
>But with Pinkie's parties... you never know.
>You enter Sugar Cube Corner, kicking the snow off of your shoes as you set Morning Down on the ground.
>She stands up, still just an inch or two shorter than a normal mare.
>Odd, most ponies were about the same height. Now that she's standing normally, you can see the actual difference.
>You shrug it off. Nopony else seems to care if the little mare is short.
"Everypony, this is Morning Glory."
>Everypony seems to ignore you, focusing in on her injuries instead, worried "awws" spreading throughout the room.
>Morning Glory holds her left hoof with her right, gazing down at the ground.
>"What happened to you, sugarcube? You look like a cowpony who's just been hit by a herd of buffalo."
>Twilight slaps Applejack's hat off, before hissing into her ear.
>"Don't ask about her past, remember? It's a sensitive subject!"
>"Well I'm sorry she got hit by a train! Y'all alright?"
>Morning Glory's snout seems to touch her chest, as a sad whimper follows suit.
"Alright everyone, settle down. She's fine now. We're NOT talking about it."
>Pinkie Pie's sixth sense tingles, as she detects a sad pony in need of laughter. Er... seventh sense. What would you classify Pinkie Sense? Does it come before, or after laughter sense? It's weird, like Pinkie Pie.
>"HIYA MORNING GLORY! Oh my Gosh, I LOVE your mane, did you dothatyourself? ITSOPRETTY! And it smells like Nonny, though Ican'tsmellNonnyanymorebecauseI'mnotallowedtogivehimhugs like, EVER! It's terrible, right? All because I shoved a cupcake into his mouth! Who would have thought that right? WELL NOT ME, BECAUSE I DID IT AGAIN, LIKE THIS!"
>She moves with surprising speed, slamming a cupcake into your face guard where your mouth should be.
>"Except the hockey mask thing wasn't there last time, except NOWITISSOITRUINEDTHEDEMONSTRATION!"
>Pinkie stares up at you, mock anger flooding her features as your face is now splattered with cupcake mess.
>You groan.
"Pinkie Pie, 10 feet, remember?..."
>"Oh, right, sorry!" She says, stepping a couple steps back.
>Twilight coughs.
>"Hooves."
"Huh?"
>"Ten hooves."
"Oh, shuddup Twi."
>"Not my fault you didn't listen to me the first few years you were here."
>You shuffle to the bathroom blindly.
"Can any'pony' lend a 'hoof' then?" You ask, somehow managing to kick the ONLY table in the room. Clutching your foot in agony, you bounce up and down on your other leg, falling flat on your ass.
>Smooth move, exlax.
>Everypony, including Morning Glory, gives a soft giggle.
>"I knew I could get you to laugh!" Pinkie says, smiling at her new friend, her pink hoof wrapped tightly around her bony shoulders. "With me as your friend, I can show you the world!" Pinkie says, waving her hoof in the air like she was waving at a massive audience.
>You grunt.
"Get this fucking cupcake off of my face before I make a beating stick."
>That was one of Woodrow's favorite taunts. It suited you perfectly at the moment.
>Rarity grabs a napkin from the table, unstrapping your headgear with her horn.
>"Come along Darling, the bathroom is this way." She said politely, tugging at your wrist with magic. You quickly stand up, as Vinyl reenters the building.
>"Man, I really need to invest in a better cart for all this junk... Pinkie, help me move this, 'kay? ...And what the fuck happened to you? Oh man, it's like Anon actually made his famous beating stick!"
>In the bathroom, you can't hear the discussion going on outside, all you can hear is Rarity humming as she cleans you up.
>"You know darling, it's just not right what happened to poor, sweet Morning out there... I can only assume the worst from what Twilight told me, but she just looks so sad, doesn't she?"
"Rarity, don't assume shit. You don't know what that mare has been through. I hardly know more than you and Twi, but at this point, I think I need to bring her to a psychiatrist to talk it over."
>"That would definitely help, but I don't think that's necessary for now. Even if you were able to get a little from her, it's shows signs she's willing to open to you, Anon dear."
>You sigh. Psychiatrists are more expensive than doctors, and the nearest one is in Canterlot.
"True, but I don't know a thing about mental trauma. Hungry? I can fix that. Thirsty? Here's a glass of water. Chair squeaking? Bring it in. Beaten by other horses? Like I know. And sorry for being a bit of a jerk, there's cupcake in my eye and a Pink pony who's trying to push more in."
>She smiles, cleaning off your shirt with her magic.
>"It's alright dear. Pinkie can get on all of our nerves, even the best of us."
"Thanks Rarity. Anyway, let's go."
>"Just a moment Anon. There... is, more you can tell me, right? As a good, close friend, hm?"
>wut
"What?"
>"You can tell me just a little bit more about... Morning Glory's injuries, can't you? For me, please?"
>She's giving you her puppy dog eyes, laying it on smooth.
"Sorry, gossip mare, but I don't think I should. A doctor would say 'doctor patient confidentiality' or something like that. I would love to punch a certain Doctor, but I'm going to have to agree.
>She sighs, frowning.
"Oh alright then, Anon. I won't push. It's her secret."
>As you walk out the door, Vinyl is setting up her DJ Booth, rubbing her left ear softly. It appears something tugged on it. That certain someone would be Twilight, who's talking to her a bit too far away for you to hear.
>Here it comes.
>She levitates out the scroll and quill, smiling as she puts her hoof on her chest.
>Twilight is like a teacher who has free reign on anyone outside of the classroom, passing out busy work like it's candy.
>Vinyl facehooves as Twilight leaves the writing utensils on the DJ booth, walking over to you with a smug look.
"So what happened over there?"
>"Friendship report on pony privacy."
"I had a teacher like you once, Twilight. Whenever I goofed off, they would give me this thing called a 'positive paragraph' to write. Usually ten times. It would take two pages of paper to do, and it always left my hand sore."
>"SPEAKING of sore hands... where's that friendship report I assigned to you last night, hmm?"
>Er...
"Uh... my dog ate it."
>"That's TWO friendship reports you owe me, Anon. Count it, one, two! I expect them tomorrow, after this party, of couse."
"Oh come on Twi, how many ponies do you have writing friendship reports to you, anyway?"
>"Seventeen are due by tomorrow, three are overdue."
>You grunt.
"You're taking the whole... Friendship Princess thing too seriously. You're acting more like a teacher gone mad."
>"Well, it's kind of my JOB to instruct ponies on Friendship." She spits, glaring up at you.
"And what happens if they don't turn it in?" You cross you arms, getting upset with the half pint Princess.
>"I fine them." She says, like she's doing a noble deed, raising her chin up as her wings expand.
>FINE?
"What the actual fuck is wrong with you, Twi?"
>Fluttershy taps you on the leg gently.
>"Uhm, excuse me, Anon?..." She says softly, looking up at you.
"In a moment, Fluttershy. I'm talking to a tyrant."
>"Well, I can't just simply have you make me a paddle, then beat you with it when you don't turn yours in." She retorts, and you facepalm.
>The nerve of this lavender mare.
"How big is this fine, anyway?"
>"Ten bits. And they'll still owe me a friendship report. I'm waiting on your payment, right now, in fact."
>Twilight is insane.
"I'll dispute the case."
>"I'm a Princess, Anon. I'm the judge."
>"M-Mr... Anon?..." she squeaks quietly, breaking you away with your argument from Twilight. It's quite often you get in a fight with her, really. She can be more snooty than it's worth.
"What, Fluttershy, what?"
>"Morning Glory went into the bathroom, and hasn't come out since..."
>God damn it. What's wrong now?
>As you walk away, Twilight shouts at you.
>"Ten bits, Anon! TEN BITS! And a Friendship Report!"
>Fucking talking horses.
>You knock on the door gently, pressing your ear against it.
"Hey Morning? You alright?..."
>Nothing.
>You hear nothing.
>You knock again, maybe she didn't hear you.
"Morning, you in there? It's Anon..."
>Maybe she's just using the restroom.
>That's what she's probably doing, in fact.
>You knock again, to be sure.
"Are you okay?"
>"No..." You hear in reply, and you frown.
>God damn it Vinyl. What the fuck did you say to her.
"Can I come in?"
>Again, nothing.
>You wait for a minute, before you feel the lock on the door click.
>"C-Come in..."
>You step through the door silently, and there sits your Morning Glory, water splashed across her face.
>You close the door behind you, kneeling down as you softly embrace her, fresh tears dripping freely onto your shoulder.
"What happened, Glory? Was it Vinyl?..."
>She whimpers as her hooves tightly bind around your chest, nodding a little.
"What did she say?..."
>"She made me realize how ugly I actually look... my mane is still a mess, I'm covered in bruises, my tail is rugged and uneven... I can feel my skin pressing against my ribs... there's bruises all over me... I'm a walking skeleton, Anon..."
"And that will all heal, with time. You just have to wait a little, okay, Morning?..."
>"I don't want... all of Ponyville to see me like this." She says, leaning forward into you. "I'm still a mess... I have S-SOME dignity..."
>You sigh. Pinkie Pie is going to hate you for this, but...
"Alright. Then no Party. It can wait a month or two for you to get better."
>"T-Thank you Anon!" She cried, refusing to let go of you again.
>Now you have to walk out of her like this. You can only hope the party hasn't arrived.
>Of course, just as you open the door, Rainbow Dash arrives through the front, a whole group of Pegasi from the weather team tagging along as the fill the front.
"We can exit through the back, come on." You quickly pull the scared Morning through the entrance to the actual bakery section of the store, finding the rear exit into a small alleyway.
>More excited party goers canter up the street, heading for the front of the store.
>Walking to the entrance of the alleyway, you peak around the corners, making sure not a soul is in sight.
>All clear, for the moment.
>All you had to do was get to your house, and get the sick pony back in bed. Then you could come back and tell Pinkie Pie the bad news.
>Walking quickly up the street, you turn the corner and step away from more excited ponies, as loud music begins to billow from Sugarcube Corner.
>The door shuts firmly behind you as you slip down the polished wood slowly, finally safe within the confines of your workshop.
>In your absence, the small furnace across the room had died, leaving the room cold once more.
>You sigh. It's better than the harsh winter outside.
>The gentle wind rattles the sign to your shop, and you're pretty sure the lantern from this morning is out of fuel by now.
>You'll have to fill it up later.
"C'mon, Sweetie. Let's get you in bed. You shouldn't be up, anyway. You're still sick."
>Morning nods, having begun to shiver from the chilly air outside.
>Finally, away from all of your crazy friends.
>Stomping up the stairway to your home once more, you kick off all of the snow and mud clinging to your good shoes.
>You need that shower, really.
"Are you hungry, Morning?" You ask, setting her down gently in her bed once more. Poor thing, she was expecting cake and a small party. As you look out the window, you can already see a line of ponies forming outside Sugar Cube Corner, talking excitedly among themselves.
>You even manage to see Doctor Feel Good outside, smiling, with a piece of paper in his mouth. Must be his day off or something.
>Bastard didn't deserve to go to a party. Not any party for your friends.
>You close the window again, sighing in frustration.
>You still had your ear plugs.
>Now would be a good time to lock the shop up, so nopony can get in.
>It's happened before. A bunch of foals snuck in during the confusion, and got their hooves on some of the dangerous equipment, trying to earn their cutiemarks.
>That wasn't a good idea, cutting wood without guidance.
>Dear God, the carnage.
>Well, wood carnage. None of the fillies got hurt, of course.
>But they still cost you and Woodrow about 1,000 bits in damages.
>Teak and Mahogany aren't the kind of wood you want to poke a hunded holes into for a "bird house". Well, that one pony, Applebloom, AJ's little sister, actually did make a birdhouse. It wasn't great, but there was potential.
>Heading downstairs, you latch the door to your workshop.
>But just as you do so, somepony tries for the knob, then the door.
>"Anon, you there?" Twilight said, peeking in at the small window at the top of the door.
>You groaned. She saw you.
>"Anon, I see you. Open up. We have an argument to finish." She said, giggling a little.
>Oh good, she calmed down.
"I told you, you talking horse, I'm not giving you ten bits."
>You unlatch the door and let Twilight in. You always let Twilight, along with Rarity, and Applejack. The only sensible ones... sometimes. Twilight can be a nut, if left to her own devices.
>"I wasn't even serious about that, Anon. C'mon, where's Morning at? Is she with you?"
"Yep. She's upstairs, I think asleep. She really didn't want to meet the whole town in her state. That, or she's waiting on food, I was too distracted to really pay attention to her, like I should have."
>"Well, Pinkie noticed you two left. She changed the theme of the party from 'welcome to Ponyville' to 'random party for celebrating nothing at all'. Thought I would let you know."
>You shrug. Eh, could have been worse.
"So, since you're just going to stand there like a statue, can I move you inside?"
>"Pfft, Anon, we all know you're too close of a FRIEND to touch me." She said, cantering into your workshop.
>Such a weird mare.
"What are you working on, anyway?"
>Oh God.
>The oak wood. It's been under water for a whole night.
"Shit!"
>You run off to the vat of now cool water, pulling the bent, though very wet wood.
>This will take days to dry, but at least it's salvageable.
"Thanks for reminding me... Just an order to an elderly couple. A very mechanical rocking chair, the blueprints are over there if you know how to read 'em."
>You point to the workbench across the room, throwing some dry towels over the wood.
>Hopefully it doesn't freeze over night. You don't keep the workshop heated, usually. You might have to bring these to your living room.
>"Of course I know how to read blueprints, Anon. Have you even met me? I'm not one to usually brag, ever, but I've read every book in Canterlot library... twice."
"I've never been to the Canterlot library. So it's like saying 'I read a lot, I know everything.'" You mock, waving your hands in the air as you pick up the toweled off wood, heading to the door.
>"I don't sound like that!"
"You do when you're talking about books."
>"Besides, how am I supposed to read blueprints when it's all in English? I can't understand a word of it."
>You feel so high and mighty from that comment.
>"I can read Saddle Arabian, Germane, and a dozen other common pony languages... but your English confounds me. When will you teach me it?" She asks, grunting as she looks it over again.
>You have the upper hand.
"I'll teach you if I never have to write a friendship report again."
>"Nope. Nuh uh. No deal. Not gonna happen."
"Then you won't learn English." You retort. Twilight can only huff, setting down the blue paper.
>"It doesn't look that fancy, anyway. I can still read your human numbers, it's almost exactly the same as ours." She follows behind you as you remember to grab your apple from that morning, heading upstairs.
>You haven't been eating properly, and it's beginning to show. You quickly devour the still juicy fruit as you enter the living room, tossing the wet wood under the couch for later. You'll have to finish the chair tomorrow now, regardless.
>"So how's Morning doing? I bet she's hungry."
>You could imagine so.
"She's in the guest room if you want to check on her, Twi. I'm gonna make me something. It's about breakfast time for me."
>You head into the kitchen and begin rummaging around in the fridge, grabbing a fresh loaf of cinnamon bread (compliments of Pinkie Pie, who baked it for you in an attempt to make you get rid of that restraining order), several eggs, the milk, your favorite cheese, and toss it all onto the counter.
>You miss bacon. Maybe tonight, you can go hunting and make some.
>You DO have a new bow, and you've been aching to use it. It's still in your shop, in fact.
>You'll have to get some winter hunting clothes from Rarity. Again, one of the many ponies in town who don't care if you eat meat. As long as you don't eat pony, they're fine with it.
>You dig around in your spice cabinet, grabbing the usual slur of spices.
>Row taught you how to cook, you fondly remember. He did it after you complained about the lack of meat for the hundredth time that week.
>Always better than Ramen.
>You make two big omelets while Twilight tends to your "assistant" (well, soon to be, at least. When she recovers), and pour some chocolate milk. You even manage to not burn the toast in the oven.
>You dig around and manage to find a serving tray in the back of the cabinets.
>It's not a bowl of scrambled eggs, thankfully.
>You manage to open the guestroom door without spilling or dropping anything, setting the tray down at the food of the bed.
>Another perk about being human in Equestria? Even when ponies were laying on their back, they were still shorter than you. Meaning you didn't have to worry about spilling the food on their hooves.
"One second while I grab some chairs..."
>Twilight picks up the plate and cup, setting the milk off to the side as she places the food in Morning's lap.
>You head to the living room, grabbing your chair, and Row's old one in your hands.
>A giggle echoes from the guest room.
>Oh no. The eggs.
>Your eggs.
>You quickly step around the coffee table, finding Twilight with your plate of delicious omelet goodness in her magic.
"Oh come on Twilight, that was mine..."
>You say, as she takes a second bite. She looks at your with wide eyes, and Morning giggles again.
>Morning places a hoof to her lips, and gives you a very quiet "shh".
>"Quiet Anon, or Anon may hear you!" Twilight replies, taking a third bite of your omelet.
>Anything but the omelet!
>You set the chairs down and flick Twilight soundly on her horn, making her drop your plate of food into your hands.
"Thanks for checking for poison, Twi. But next time, let the non-Princess monkey do that."
>"Aww, but you actually make good omelets!" She whines, pouting.
"Well if you wanted one, you should have asked." You pop the fork full of food into your mouth, before licking your omelet. Hopefully that will protect your food.
>It probably won't. You set it down regardless, praying to the Egg Gods to be merciful to your food for a split second as you turn your back to grab the two chairs.
>Just enough time for Twilight to steal a bite from the end you haven't licked.
>Fuck.
>Sitting back down in your comfy chair, you lean back as you begin to eat your food, Twilight giving you both the puppy eyes.
"You should have asked." You state bluntly.
>"I'll forget about the friendship report, AND the fine, if you make me one!"
>"Friendship report?..." Morning asks, taking another big bite of cheesy eggs.
"Don't get Twi started on those. A long, long time ago, about five years ago... Twilight was even more socially awkward than she is now."
>"I'm not socially awkward!" Twilight complains, finally bringing the other chair over and sitting down into it.
"The moment you met me, you wanted to probe me."
>"That's because you were a strange creature from another world." She says, matter of factly. Like anyone else would do the same thing.
"I don't recall wanting to probe you. Well, maybe I did. I wanted to get that stick out of your ass, but it fell out with time."
>If looks could kill, Twilight would be serving twenty to life.
>"Omelet. Now."
>Y-You too.
>You set your plate on the bed and shuffle off, not particularly fond of being hung by your ankles from your own porch.
>She's done something similar at her Crystal Castle before, too. To a tour guide who was profiting off of her new home. He made a nice wind chime for about two hours, swinging by his tail from her balcony. Whenever the wind came, he would scream.
>Some call it insane, you would prefer to call it "the better alternative to Friendship reports".
>You soon return with the fresh omelet in hand, giving it to her.
>"See, Morning? I've got him wrapped around my hoof." She twirls her hoof in the air, as you pick up your cold food.
>You give a small chuckle.
>Such is life in Ponyville.
>As you begin to enjoy your omelet again, your house shakes as a booming explosion rings through your windows.
>What the fuck?
>It came from Sugar Cube Corner.
>"W-What was that, Anon?" Morning asks, and Twilight sighs.
>"I think I know. Anon, we're going to need a bucket of water, a fire extinguisher, and probably a shovel. Come on."
>She takes one massive bite out of her omelet, before setting it off at the foot of the bed.
>"It was nice talking to you, Morning."
>Twilight leads you to your kitchen, digging through your belongings until she finds a fire extinguisher, and a large stew pot. She puts it in the sink, filling it with water.
>"Here Anon, hold this." She says, giving you the fire extinguisher.
>The loud music had stopped, apparently. Twilight grabs your phone off the wall, and clicks "one zero one" with her magic.
>Ten seconds pass.
>"Hello, yes, Ponyville Fire Department? Sugar Cube Corner is on fire." She states, turning off the water.
>"You too. Goodbye."
>She hangs up and picks up the large pot with her magic.
"So uh... what happened?"
>"I don't know, Anon. I just know what that sound means."
"And what's that?"
>"Somepony touched too many buttons on the Welcome Wagon."
>Twilight calmly heads down the stairs, with you shortly behind.
"This uh... happened before?"
>"Twice. But never inside of Sugar Cube Corner."
>Opening the workshop door, you can only watch in shock.
>At least a hundred ponies, running free of the building, Pinkie Pie leading the panic attack.
>"EVERYPONY PANIC!" She screamed, as Twilight splashed some of the water in her face.
>"Hey! That's not very nice, meany pants!"
>"Now's not the time to panic, Pinkie. Get everyone out of Sugar Cube Corner, now!" Twilight commands. Her usually fun and quirky attitude gone.
>She was acting like an actual Princess, in these moments. It's rare to see her act like this.
>Pinkie is a bit taken back, but eagerly nods, running to the entrance of the bakery.
"Now what?"
>"Wait for Rainbow Dash."
>Rainbow Dash flies out of the building, with Applejack in her hooves. Fluttershy the same way, except with Rarity.
>"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight calls, as they set their friends down.
>Her head snaps to Twilight, and she flies over.
>"Make it rain in Ponyville, fast! We need to prevent the spread of this fire, and wet wood doesn't catch as easily. Fluttershy, you help her."
>Rainbow Dash salutes, grabbing Fluttershy by the hoof and leading her into the sky as quickly as she can.
>"Rarity and Applejack, get everyone left in the building, out of the building. I don't care if you lasso them, or simply toss them through the door, get them OUT."
>Pinkie bursts through the front, with thirty ponies in tow.
>"There's a few who won't listen to me, Twilight!" She bounces around on all four hooves, worried and full of fear.
>"Pinkie Pie, that's not your job anymore. Check the upper floors of the building, make sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out, and their kids. If this fire gets out of hoof, the building could collapse."
>And finally, she turns to you.
>"Anon, come with me. We're going in."
>You follow behind her as she sidesteps around Vinyl at the entrance, who had apparently grown wings. Because she got bucked out by Applejack.
>"HEY MAN! I NEED TO GET MY AMPS AND SET UP! THAT STUFF AIN'T CHEAP, Y'KNOW!" She yells, as Rarity lifts the heavy equipment out to her quickly.
>You follow Twilight to the source of the smoke, coughing a bit. You had to kneel to avoid a lot of the thick, black smoke filling the air.
>Twilight stops as she tosses the rest of the water onto several unconscious ponies, around the burning machine, rousing them as smoke pours out from a hole in the roof.
>"Everypony out, now!" She says, embers filling the air from the burning wood.
>You examine the room, deciding where to start the attack.
>Right now, the fire is contained in the theater room, but with the fire burning away at the roof above, it may spread beyond your reach.
>Up sounds like a good start.
>You blast the hole in the roof with the fire extinguisher, the white dust filling the air and smothering the fire
>Twilight, on the other hand, is a magical fire extinguisher. Her horn glows as she blasts the burning machine with ice, freezing the bent and twisted metal and wood solid.
>Cheater.
>You again, wish for a horn right now. So damn useful.
>"No Anon, you can't have a horn. Or wings." She says smartly, blasting the burning floor with wintry wind.
"How do you keep doing that?"
>"A magician never reveals her secrets!"
>You work your way into the flames, smothering them with the fire extinguisher as Twilight catches the other side with her magic.
>And then the Calvary arrived.
>Six firefighter ponies, clad in gear, with two hoses between them stepped into the building, yelling orders.
>"Move out, move out! We've got Twilight and... Anon? In front. Move them out! This is no place for a Princess!"
>Two of the Fire Fighters broke off from the pack, leading you out of the building quickly, before returning to their duties.
>Well then. That went well, surprisingly.
>As you step outside, Twilight is happy to find it raining, though it's a cold, winter rain.
>You don't. It only reminds you more of your lack of hygiene as of late. And how you're never wearing a jacket for this.
>"Alright... good. Everything went just as planned. And the medic ponies are here as well, too."
>Twilight points to two white carts, four nurses working between the unconscious ponies from earlier, and a few others who made it out with minor injuries.
"At least nopony caught on fire."
>"Actually, I was kind of expecting that to happen. It happened before, apparently, around that one time Rainbow Dash hurt her wing. Poor thing, he was in a whole body cast for weeks!"
>The Fire Chief directed the two of you to sit down and be examined after that, even though you both stated you were fine.
>He was a big stallion, in his late fifties. Gruff, grey coat with a pepper mustache to boot. His helmet covered his short mane, and he wore an older version of the average attire of the group who entered earlier.
>"I ain't gonna have nopony die a week later from the smoke. Get with the nurses, they'll check ya out and let ya go, ya hear?" He said, in a voice reminiscent of Applejack's. There were actually quite a few ponies around here who spoke in that long, southern drawl.
>You eventually give in and nod, not wanting to fight it. You weren't a fighter, you were a carpenter.
>Well, unless if the pony you were fighting is Dr. Feel Good. You still want to kick his ass.
>Luckily, he isn't here, and the nurses weren't charging. They were instead getting wet in the cold drizzle.
>You sit down by one of their carts and Twilight does the same, as you actually examine the world around you.
>From your count, at least twelve guards have lined a large perimeter around the building, keeping most of the spectators out. You were within this perimeter, along with all of the other injured ponies.
>Two fire wagons had been pulled to Sugar Cube Corner's front door. They were large tankers, filled with water, and seemingly in use. Two young stallions operated them, with "volunteer firefighter" written across their shirts.
>You recognized one as the stallion who ordered the pool stick.
>Police tape was already being set up, and you can see Rarity and Applejack talking to a guard across the way.
>Looking up, a hole in the clouds form, as twelve other Pegasi work on breaking up the rain. Rainbow Dash is one of them. You don't see Fluttershy anywhere.
>In the crowd of spectators, you notice Pinkie Pie talking to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and a police officer.
>Her mane is drooping with sorrow. You don't like the look of that.
>The cakes don't look happy. On their backs are their two foals, now three years old, with two large blankets tossed over them.
>You can only imagine why. Doesn't everyone love having a hole blown in their roof?
>Well, if there is one positive thing you can note, is that you may get some more business for that.
>If they don't want you, they can always call Applebloom. She managed to earn her cutiemark in construction, which deals with sheet-rock and mud-work, too.
>You recommend her often, actually. After you got her to pay for all of that wood her and her friends used, about two years ago, of course.
>You stretch a little, noticing your hand is still clamped on to the fire extinguisher. You drop it on the ground, as Twilight sighs.
"What's up?"
>"Pinkie Pie. I don't like the looks of this."
>You look to Pinkie Pie again. It looks like someone took a hair straightener to her in her sleep. You're pretty sure she's crying.
"What do you think happened?"
>"From the way the Cakes are staring at her? I can only assume the worst." She says, in a rather... neutral, tone.
>It wasn't sad, just devoid of emotion.
"It'll be alright. She'll always have us, right?"
>Twilight doesn't respond.
>The nurses finally clean up with the other ponies, loading four onto the carts.
>Looks like Dr. Feel Good is getting a raise today.
>They turn their attention to the two of you.
>"Oh hello Nonny~ feeling alright? Is that mare doing any better?"
>Oh great, it's the flirt from the phone.
>Her pink mane and white coat, not to mention heart and syringe cutiemark stand out against the cold rain.
>You finely remember her name.
"Yes Mrs. Heart Throb, she's doing well."
>"That's so good to hear! Poor thing, the way you described her... she sounded so sad. I wanted to give her a hug. But I guess I can right now, hmm?"
>"Listen, Heart Throb... we're in a bit of a rush. Can you clear us so we can talk with our friend? We fear the worst."
>"Sure thing, shnookums. Let the Nurse do her job, okay?~" She says, grabbing an air mask from her bag and pressing it to Twilight's snout, turning on the air to a very light breeze.
>"Take a deep breath, Twiley~ I just need to take your blood pressure now, okay? Then you can go." She straps the bag around her purple hoof as Twilight rolls her eyes.
>"Okay, mom, jeeze..."
>"That's NURSE Mom to you, and yes, I'm going to worry. I worry over all my patients!" She boops Twilight on mask, smiling as she finishes up.
>"And you're good to go! Would you like a lollipop?"
>"Heart Throb, I'm older than you..."
>"Nuh uh uh, I beg to differ! I'm twenty seven."
>"Well, that makes you three years older than me." Twilight huffs. "Not motherly age."
"Four years older than me, too."
>You lean back, waiting for your turn to be babied-uh... "checked".
>"Your turn, Nonny!~" She says, changing out the breath mask for a stallion's. Just big enough to fit you properly.
>She also takes out a notebook, flipping through her notes.
>"Let's see... Mhm... Alright, turn your head and cough!"
"Er... what?"
>"Just kidding Nonny. I was just looking over some notes about your species. You're a rare one!"
>She pinches you cheek with her hoof somehow, and you groan.
>Taking your blood pressure, she hums as the weather finally breaks.
>Thank God. Anymore of that, and you'd catch pneumonia.
>The crowd also seems to be breaking as the firefighters finish up. The Nurse pats you on the head.
>"Right as rain, Nonny! Please, stay well for me, okay?"
>You nod and stand up, heading back into the crowd.
>You enter your home again and sigh, leaning against the door as you close your eyes.
>You needed a "today was a bunch of bullshit, I need to sit down" chair in here.
>But your thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice.
>"Yo Anon! Wassup man? I got an order for ya."
>Your eyes pop open as you stare down at none other than the DJ herself.
>She's sitting by all of her amps and her booth, smiling at you.
"What are you doing here?" You ask tiredly. You're pretty sure the sign on your door said "closed".
>"Well, y'see, I got a problem. My old cart got burnt up in that fire back there, and I was wondering if you could make me a new one. A big one, with cabinets to hold all of my junk, dude."
>You sigh again. These ponies are going to drive you mad.
"Sure Vinyl. Is this all of your stuff?"
>"Yeah! I had to bring it all in here so it wouldn't get ruined by the rain. That white mare almost ruined me."
>Well, a customer is a customer.
"Alright, let me sketch out some blue prints. You'll want it out of oak, it's sturdy and hard. And you'll probably want it sealed, too..."
>"Can I leave my stuff here while you work? I'm covered in soot, and smell like a burnt marshmallow."
"Funny you should say that, you look like a burnt marshmallow."
>She laughs and slaps you hard on the lower back with her hoof, still chipper after all of today's events.
"Hey! Beating Stick Vinyl, one of these days..."
>"Yeah yeah, then you'll have to meet my BASE CANNON!" She booms, heading out the door. "I'll be back tomorrow to pick it up. Oh, and Anon?"
>You pull out your measuring tape.
"Yes?"
>"You look and smell like shit, bro."
>She then closes the door behind her, and you groan.
>That's it. You need a shower.
>You head upstairs quickly, not wanting another interruption in your day.
>Well, except one thing.
>You want to check on Morning, and finish your omelet.
>Gotta get that protein, after all.
>Opening the door, you see her staring out the Window, a look of worry etched into her features.
>The door creaks and she turns to you, then smiles.
>"Anon! You're alright!..." She says, running up and wrapping a hoof around your leg, nuzzling your thigh.
"Yep, just a little explosion, that's all. I'm here to collect plates and check on you, of course. Anything else I can get you?"
>You know, you had no reason to care for her the way you did. You just felt the urge to do so.
>It might be fate.
>Regardless, you give her a sooty hug and smile.
"Now Morning, you've gotta let me go. I don't want you to get dirty again so quickly. And you need your bed rest."
>She smiles and nods, taking a step back as she looks you over.
>Those cute blue eyes. How could you ever resist them?
>"Did ya roll around in the ashes, too?"
>You give a slight chuckle.
"Maybe a little. Feel free to explore the house if you're feeling up to it, just don't stay out of bed too long. I want you to get well, first and foremost."
>"Okay Monkey!" She smiled, giving you a wink.
>Great, she must have picked that up from Twilight.
>Who could blame her. Twilight's dorkiness, and sometimes insanity, was a little infectious.
>You grab the plates and cups, and bring them in the kitchen, tossing them in the sink with the frying pan, before closing the bathroom door behind you.
>You finish toweling off as you toss your dirty clothes into the hamper.
>Luckily for you, you kept a few extra spare changes of clothes in the bathroom, so no one would have to see you naked.
>After the first time at Twilight's castle, it got old, really fast. For some reason, it's improper to have your junk hanging if your junk just so happens to be at mouth height.
>Figures. Double standards are everywhere.
>But really, you didn't want Morning to get the wrong idea. You were a young, respectable man. Not really a gentlemen, but respectable. You had your wits. And you know a bit of her history, too. It wouldn't be nice to turn the corner and cock smack her on accident.
>That, and Row wasn't afraid to smack your luggage if you came too close for his comfort. Which led to you always being dressed in your own house.
>You look at the clock.
>12:40 PM.
>The day was still young. You slip on your shirt and pants, along with a fresh pair of shoes, and check the hallway window.
>The crowd was mostly gone, as the party was over. Only a few were left, and they were the ones who seemed to trigger the explosion.
>A mare was in cuffs. You didn't recognize her. She rubbed her mane sheepishly as a guard stared her down.
>The Firefighter ponies were rolling up their gear, as no more smoke poured from the building.
>The Cakes were talking with the Fire Chief now, who seemed to have lighten up now that their business was concluded. The Twins had two little plastic fire fighter hats on their heads, and walked around in the wet snow around their parents.
>You could see Twilight and her friends sitting around with Pinkie Pie at the entrance, Twilight's wing draped over Pinkie's side as she talked her down. Pinkie's mane was still flattened.
>They were all nodding in agreement at her words. You could only assume that they were going to be there for her in her time of need.
>She probably lost her job, and her home from this.
>You turn away from the window, thinking about work.
>You still had things to do today.
>You grab the oak poles from under the couch, finding them sufficiently dry as you bring them downstairs, and set to work.
>You had orders to fill.
>For two hours, you worked without disturbance. The heater warming the room, and just you playing with your wood.
>Enough with the wood puns.
>You manage to saw out and sand down the major parts of the reclining rocker, before Twilight and Applejack enter your shop.
>"Howdy there Anon, we're here to talk to you about somethin' imparticular..." Applejack begins, as you motion for her to close the door. She does so, and you look up from your work.
>"The Cakes have decided to fire Pinkie after today. We need to know if you'll be willing to help us support her."
>Called it.
"How so?"
>"Well, after some talkin', and negotiatin', the Cakes said they'll take Pinkie back if she can pay for the hole in the roof, and the fire damage. And after a little time passed, that's all."
>Don't tell me they're asking for bits. You're doing your charity right now. Your "charity" just so happens to be asleep in your old bed.
>"Now, we ain't gonna ask you for any bits if you don't wanna spare them, but we do wanna ask if you can do some charity work for us."
"Charity work. I'm gonna guess this has to do with wood, huh?"
>Twilight and Applejack nod.
>"We're gonna convince Applebloom to help with it, so ya won't be alone." AJ states simply, and you sigh.
>You've been sighing a lot lately.
"I'll do what I can, but only because Twilight would order a paddle and beat me if I didn't."
>"Right you are, Anon!" Twilight chirps, smiling broadly as she raises her head high.
>Urge to punch Purple Smart rising. Must... resist...
>"Oh, and can she also keep her luggage here? Since it's next door, we thought it would be a great place to keep it."
>Sure, why not dump her here, too?
"Fine, fine... don't push it."
>You feel more like a pushover by the day.
>You don't like being a push over.
>"Thank you Anon. Pinkie would really appreciate it."
"Just how much do I have to do? I'm not repairing every chair, table, and booth in there. I'll do a few, then the rest I'm charging YOU for, Twi."
>"Three chairs, a table, and a booth."
"A hundred and twenty bits."
>"I'll convince Fluttershy to let you hunt deer."
>Did she say Deer?
>Fuck yes, Venison. You haven't had that since your first year here.
>Suddenly, this charity was worth it.
"You've got a deal, Twi."
>You extend your hand and shake hers, a broad smile filling your features.
>Venison was worth a few chairs and tables.
"When do you need them?"
>"They said to give 'em a month, before they'd consider letting Pinkie work for them again. Anytime, really."
>You shrug. That will work.
>You'll just put it at the bottom of your orders until then. In all honesty, if nothing else came by, you'll be finished with that in a week.
>"Thanks, Anon. It means a lot that you'll do this for Pinkie."
"Yeah yeah... don't get too used to it. I still say she owes me for that dental bill, all that time ago."
>"Well, she DID say "open up"..." Applejack replies, rolling her eyes. Twilight smiled as you groaned.
"Out, out. I have work to do. And tell Rarity I'm going to need some pads from her... give her this."
>You quickly copy down what the customer ordered, and hand it to Twilight.
>"Will do, Anon. Thanks again."
>You close the door behind her, as you return to the chair, following your blueprints once again.
>Two minutes pass, and Twilight re-enters the shop.
>"Omelet?"
"By the sink, Twi."
>She gallops up the stairs and steals her omelet, before running back out.
>"Thanks, Anon!"
>Another three hours pass as you apply the last layer of varnish to the nearly finished product.
>Just need those cushions, and you'll be good to go.
>Just in time, Rarity opens your shop door, smiling up at you.
>You're wearing one of her favorite "human" outfits she made for you, though you keep forgetting this fact.
>"Working hard, dear?" She asks, wearing a weird... umbrella thing, on her back. Two saddle bags on her side.
"Evening, Rarity. Twilight dropped that letter off, I hope."
>"Why whatever do you mean? She did no such thing. But I had a bolt of inspiration, and surge of creativity, and realized that Anon must require cushions! Call it lady's intuition, but will this do?"
>She levitates several cushions from her bag dramatically, placing them neatly on the table.
>"Also darling, you need to work on your Equestrian. Twilight proof read your letter. I have never seen so much red ink in my life!"
>Fucking Purple Smart.
>You laugh regardless.
"She always does that. That's why when I need your services, and she's around, I give her my notes."
>She gives a small, lady like giggle.
>"But I don't think she likes your handiwork, Anon. The large frowny face and failing grade says so."
>You examine the cushions closely, finding Rarity did spot on work.
>She left two bolt holes in each cushion, giving them an indention like you asked. Just what the chair needed, too.
>You dig around in your coin pouch, but before you can even count out the change, she stops you.
>"Not today, Anonymous. This one is on the house. After I heard about your generosity as of late, it would be my pleasure to give you these for free."
"Thanks Rarity. That means a lot." You drop the bits in your pocket. You've learned not to fight Rarity's generosity. That, and she makes enough cash to give out gifts to just about anyone.
>"So... Anon, may I visit your guest?"
"Hmm? Morning Glory?"
>She nods, taking her umbrella off.
>"Well, though I'm a little embarrassed to say, I may have taken note of her... current state, and so I found it my liberty to make her a dress. A little gift, seeing as she doesn't have much."
>You shrug. Might as well.
>"She's in the guestroom, you know the way, right? You've been there before, I think."
>"I do recall it ever so fondly... the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and your room was as filthy as could be."
>Grimacing, you recall Rarity walking in to that pigsty. You weren't that clean back then. But things changed.
"Sorry about that..."
>"It's not a problem dear. Months later, Woodrow had assured me you changed."
"Yep! He told me if I didn't clean it, he will. Then he threw everything on the floor out the window. It wasn't a pretty sight."
>At least you learned your lesson. The booming Scottish laughter as he threw out the clothes you WERE going to wear really stuck with you.
>You only wanted to pick everything you owned out of the street once.
>At least he killed all of your bad habits, though.
>"Good" role models are like that.
>She opens the door to the living room and wave, smiling.
>"I'll be back in a moment, dear." And with that, she was off.
>You decide to hang back and finish the chair, screwing in the last several bolts as the wood finally dries.
>It was still a little sticky, but there wasn't any residue.
>And the chair was finished.
>You set it down on the floor, testing the chair out. Pulling the handle, the reclining section gently sprung to life, while still able to rock.
>Perfect.
>You pick it up and place it in an empty section of the workshop, away from all of the dust and debris of labor.
>Heading upstairs, you find the bathroom to grab the hamper.
>Thinking of dirty clothes, it would be a good time to clean them. They were starting to pile up.
>The kitchen was the best place to do this. Woodrow had a rather nice, though small, washing machine, which also functioned as a dryer.
>Neat.png
>Shoving in your filthy clothes, you make quick work of the chores, cleaning up before checking on Rarity.
"Hello, ladies." You say, opening the door.
>You're given a bit of a nice surprise. Morning Glory dancing about in her new dress.
>You haven't seen her this happy in a while, not since the moment you asked for her to stay.
>"I've never had a dress before, Mrs...?"
>"Rarity, darling. And I'm happy it fits you. It really does match you, dear!" Rarity smiles.
>Morning smiled up at you, as you took in the dress.
>It was a forest green, that complimented her brown coat well, hugging her thin body rather loosely. It made her look more healthy, and you were sure she would grow into it. It hung down slightly past her chest, something akin to a cloak more than an actual dress, but was styled more so to cover the body than to show off her natural curves.
>Because of this, it was more able to accentuate her natural femininity. A small silver pendant clasped the front of the dress, with some room to move that would give her a little more freedom as she recovered. In it rested a brilliant sapphire, which made you smile.
>She didn't look like a skeleton in it, and most of her bruises that hadn't healed in the short time were hidden.
>She dives at Rarity, giving her a tight hug.
>"Thank you so much, Rarity... it... it's beautiful, and it fits so well."
>"It's nothing, darling, really. I was inspired by Anon's good will to make you something special. Now you can accompany us out in public, if you ever wished!" She said, returning the tight hug with a hoof around her neck.
"Maybe she can come with us to the Hearth's Warming Feast, at the town hall?"
>"What a marvelous idea, Anon! Do you think she will be ready by then?"
"Don't worry, in three weeks time, and with MY cooking, I think I can fatten her up a bit." You tease, as Morning looks between the two of you.
>"You... actually have a Hearth's Warming Feast, in Ponyville?..."
>"Why of course! It's nearly Ponyville tradition by now; everypony gathers at Town Hall and brings foods reminiscent of the holiday. With it being so close, and after what Twilight had told us of your condition today, I didn't think you would be ready for it, deary. But if what Twilight says about Anon's cooking is true, well then... I do believe you're in good hooves."
>Morning blushes as she looks towards you again, nodding.
>"I would love to go. It seems like so much fun... will I be welcome, as a... you know..."
>"A what, dear?"
>"An outsider."
>You can only laugh at her thought.
>"Morning, you live here now. You're not an outsider in my opinion, you're one of us. In fact, I think you belonged here all along. Just like me, or Woodrow."
>Her blush can only grow as she rubs the back of her head with a hoof, giving a small giggle.
"I would be offended if you didn't attend! Now, Rarity, can you tell me a bit more about Pinkie Pie? It's been eating at me since Twilight and Applejack stopped by."
>"Well, it's pretty simple, dear. We've come to the conclusion that she can spend three days with Twilight, three days with me, three days with Fluttershy, and finally, three days with Applejack. Rainbow Dash can't house her, because a cloud walking spell only lasts twelve hours. We're doing it this way because we don't want her to wear out her welcome with us."
>Makes sense. If you had to spend more than a week with the bubbly pink ball of energy, you would be caught strangling her.
>Rarity looks at the clock on the wall, and gasps.
>"Oh dear, would you look at the time! Sweetie Bell will be arriving home soon from Canterlot, she's been so excited since she became a singer!"
>You reach down and give Rarity a gentle hug.
"G'night there, diamond flank." You tease, smiling down at her. She can only restrain a giggle.
>"I will most certainly have a 'good night', if I don't smell like a Monkey when I get home."
>Again with the monkey insults.
>You could be other things, too.
>Like, woodpecker.
>That's two dick references, in one!
>At least it was sincere. In fact, out of all of the ponies, Rarity was the most genuine towards you.
>Twilight being second.
>Applejack was just too damn honest to not be sincere.
>The rest really depended on the day. But Pinkie Pie was always the lowest, because she still owed you for the chipped tooth.
>You won't drop that. Not for a while.
>Regardless of all of that, you'll love them to the end, you figure. Whenever that may be.
>Scooping up Morning in your hands, you wave Rarity goodbye.
>And you also get a chance to feel the dress. Something about Rarity's handiwork, regardless of fabric choice, is always just so smooth.
>"I'll stop by tomorrow, darling, to speak more with Miss Glory, if you don't mind. She seems very nice."
>"Y-You too, Rarity..." She said, not used to the compliments shes been given as of late.
>But that's just Rarity.
"You, Morning, need a bath." You say, your hand sticking to her.
>She HAS been in bed all day, sweating. Well, most of the day.
"But first... what would you like for dinner? I'm feeling like spaghetti."
>At the mention of spaghetti, you have an odd memory from your childhood pop up in your head.
>The time when you were five years old, and wanted to bring some of Mom's spaghetti to class.
>The teacher yelled at you for eating it out of your pocket, and getting it all over your pants.
>Good times.
>Setting her down in the bed, you consider what to do with her.
>You feel her head. Her fever has gone down considerably since the other day.
>And she's due for her next dose.
"How about you follow me to the kitchen, and I can teach you how to cook something delicious? Of course, after you take off your new dress. Don't want to get it dirty already, right?"
>She nods quickly, grabbing at the dress and giving it a firm tug.
>Luckily for you, you had a few spare hangers for pony clothing in the closet. Helping her remove the dress, you put it up in the closet for her, to keep it neat and clean.
>Maybe you could also buy a few shirts for her to wear, until she gets better. Something to help cover her up.
>You'll think about it later.
>Entering the kitchen, Morning follows shortly behind you, her smile seeming to only grow at the prospect of food.
"So... don't suppose you've ever cooked before, have you?"
>She shakes her head no. Of course she hasn't.
>You can change that, though. You can change a lot of things.
"Would you like to learn? It's a simple recipe. It's mostly just pasta and sauce."
>"But won't I burn it?..." She says, already losing hope.
>You give her a laugh.
"You're so sweet, I'm afraid you may make it too tasty to resist! C'mon, it's not hard. Here, I'll even get a chair for you, so you can see."
>The thing about being in a land full of magical talking ponies, is that most of them are about four feet tall, at most. You had to "resize" your kitchen a little, so it was more appropriate.
>Though luckily enough, you could still fit in most homes without having to duck. This is because of furniture, really. Tables and such had to be turned on their side, and it's also why a lot of homes have a split door.
>It just made things easier.
>You pull your chair from her bedroom, placing it by the oven.
>What could possibly go wrong?
>Grabbing the bottle of medicine, you get her a glass of water, holding the pill out to her.
"Here ya go."
>She took it in her hooves gingerly, looking it over before swallowing it with a small "blech", and a big gulp of water.
>Sometimes, she acted more like a filly than a mare.
>You thought it was cute.
>After that was finished, you wash your hands and dig around in the fridge, finding some tomatoes, parsley, lettuce, cucumber...
>Everything but what you really craved; meat.
>You question just bringing her take-out from a nearby cafe, but throw the notion to the wind. You can eat first, put Morning to bed, then hunt for some fresh venison.
>When you hunted, you brought back more than just a few day's worth.
>Weeks. You didn't like hunting often. It wasn't a good sign to spend lots of time in the Everfree, as most ponies thought that it showed your more feral tendencies.
>And even though you were a civil creature, classified as sentient by the city council, some ponies still regarded you more like a tame pet.
>Though nowadays, those ponies were very far and few between. Mostly it was just tourists who thought it would be fun to poke at the strange, clothes wearing ape.
>Twilight was usually the first to correct the miscreants. Usually with her famous quill and parchment combo.
>But enough of that. Back to the meal at hand.
>Morning looked at the large pot of water, as you set it onto the gentle flame of your stove.
>"Shouldn't we put the noodles in now, since we have the water set up?" She questions, using what little knowledge she had of pasta to try and get things rolling.
>You pat her head. She had a lot to learn.
"First, we want to bring the water to a gentle boil, then we'll add some cooking oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. But even then, we aren't going to put the noodles in until we're done with the sauce."
>You move around the chair in the thin kitchen, withdrawing a familiar cutting board from the cabinets below.
>You made this one after the last one wore out, six months ago. It still seemed fresh.
"First, we'll start with the tomatoes. We have to peel them, and grind them up into a nice paste. We've got plenty of tomatoes to work with, so how about you give it a try? I'll show you."
>You peel a tomato slowly with a peeler from the drawer below, letting her watch and learn before you set down the finished product.
"Think you can do that while I work on cutting up the garlic?"
>She gives you a timid smile and nods, taking a hold of the peeler in her hoof, before gently pushing it into the skin of the tomato.
>It slipped off without breaking the skin, and she frowns.
"Here, let me show you a little trick... my Mom showed me this one."
>You take a knife and run it along the side of the tomato, making a straight line down.
"Slip the peeler into the nook and try again."
>And she does so, managing to peel the tomato with much more ease.
>Her eyes light up as she accomplishes the task.
"Are you SURE it's your first time cooking?" You tease, eying her work. She did alright.
>"Well... I tried before, once... in Manehatten, a resteraunt owner took pity on me and... uh... offered me a job..."
"It didn't go over well, huh?..."
>She sighs, rolling the tomato around with her hoof.
>"No, of course not. At first, they wanted me to peel and cut potatoes to make fries... I had no real instruction, so I set to work. What they got were a dozen potatoes worth of misshapen, dirty fries. I didn't know you had to clean the potatoes before hoof, otherwise I would have done so... and it was hard cutting them with the dirty knife. The fries kept sticking to it."
>"After that, they moved me to dishes... I broke three plates in a day. I was clumsy, I guess. So they gave me a broom, and made me clean up my mess. After that, I didn't leave the broom for a while... the next day, they gave me the bus cart and told me to pick up after customers. Janitorial work."
>"And of course... I messed that up to. I used the wrong cleaner on the tables, and suddenly, I didn't have a job anymore."
>You sigh. They expected too much of her. If they took the time to teach her, none of that would have happened.
"It's not your fault, you know. They didn't take the time to tell you how to do it. But that's not going to happen with me, Morning. I want you to learn from me. I'm patient. And I don't care how long it takes, I WILL teach you how to make spaghetti. And once you learn how to make it, I can assure you, I will gladly test you every time I get in the mood for it."
>Her expression lights up a little, as you lift her mood with encouragement.
>Maybe you can do this. Maybe she can learn.
>Maybe she'll get her cutiemark in cooking and you can have a housewife to cook for you every night, so you wouldn't have to do it anymore.
>You mentally berate your lazy side for thinking so selfishly. But you do have a point.
>If you can teach her how to cook, she would have definitely earned her place at your table.
"Now that you know my little trick, why not try again? This time, I won't step in unless if you need it."
>And so, she set to work with a little more vigor.
>Seeing as she was able to do something on her own, you felt a little excited yourself.
>You assume her eagerness is just that infectious, as you take the tomatos and slip them into a bowl.
>She has potential, just like every"pony" else.
>Later on that night, as you finish cooking, you serve her a plate full of the hot noodles and sauce you've worked so hard to cook.
>You take your own and lead her out into the living room.
"Are you ready, Glory?..." You smile, sitting down on the large couch.
>She set her plate down on the coffee table and nodded, hunger present in her eyes.
"Give it a taste, then!" You laugh, biting into the noodles eagerly.
>Fuck yes that's good pasta.
>She picks up the fork with her hoof and shoves a chunk of tomato and some long noodles into her mouth, giving a small moan of delight.
"I told you can cook, it only takes time. Most things do."
>"Fank woo!" She says, with a full mouth.
>You could really use a dining table. You'll work on that after you finish that pool stick tomorrow.
>You certainly have enough guests to warrant one. Sometimes, the small living room just isn't enough for the amount of visitors you have.
>That's mostly Twilight's fault, though. She liked to bring her friends over.
>Distracted by your thoughts, you didn't notice Morning finish her food until she jumped up on the couch.
>"Anon?... I have a question..." She asked, laying her head in your lap.
>You take another bite of spaghetti, enjoying the deliciously sweet noodles.
"Yes, Morning?..."
>"Have you've ever been with a mare before?"
>Your eyes go wide as you drop the spaghetti from your fork.
"Well uh... in my world, I've seen a few girls... but here?..."
>You sigh. You did try at times, tried hard to get Twilight to think about something like that with you.
>She only laughed and offered to Knight you in her Court of Friendship.
>The joke finally hit you like a ton of bricks. She friendzoned you so hard, you were now a Friendship Knight.
>Now you understood why she put so much emphasis on "friend" all of the time.
>Well, at least you acted like a Knight. Chivalrous, and generous. You picked up a homeless pony for no other reason than to fix her problem.
>How 4chan would hate you now.
"I haven't been with a pony yet, if that's what you're asking, no."
>"Okay then."
>Isn't this the part where she asks if you wanted to try it?
>Of course you wanted to be with a marshmallow pony. They looked and felt so soft.
>Best not think about that now, though. Morning's head was a bit too close for that.
"Why'd you ask?..."
>"You just looked so lonely at times. I wanted to know if you were alright."
>You mentally groan. Her innocence was very cute, though you're surprised she has any left. You were secretly hoping she would be a bit slutty for you, deep down inside.
>You set your now empty plate to the side and sigh.
"Well, I always have you, Morning. You'll stay here and help fix that, won't you?..."
>"Of course I will! You're good at cooking." She smiled, turning onto side as she looked up at you.
>You lowered your hand down and gently stroked her mane, sighing.
>It's only been two days. That would be very fast in a real relationship. Maybe you should give it some time, before you ask her about anything like that.
>"You're a very good friend, Anon. Twilight was right. She knew you wouldn't try to use me, like... a-a condom, before tossing me out..."
>Now that one really hurt. Those feels.
>She raises her hoof up and places it onto your heart.
>"Don't ever change, my Friendship Knight."
>God damn it.
"It's time for you to shower, Morning. Think you can handle it on your own this time?" You ask, the friendzone pissing you off rather badly.
>You restrain the anger in your voice as you say this, before letting the feeling go.
>She's just your guest. And soon to be your apprentice, when she gets well.
>There's no reason to get mad, you have the time. A lot more time than Row had to make you feel like his son.
>Maybe you can make her feel special to you, too.
>After all, it's not her obligation to be your "waifu", or marefriend. She has her own choices.
>But damn it, you hadn't had sex since you got here and it made you rather pent up. Something your hands couldn't help relieve, no matter how hard you try.
>She had already trotted off to the bathroom, your thoughts having distracted you from what she said. You do remember her nodding, though.
>You stand up and return to your room as she closes the bathroom door behind her, entering the still rather small Master Bedroom.
>You had your second bed in here, Row's old bed having broken months ago.
>This one was more lavish than the one in the guest room, though much the same size.
>On the walls were shelves, each holding pictures of you and Woodrow, spending your weekends doing various things.
>The day he took you fishing.
>The weekend you spent camping.
>The bear that attacked your camp.
>Woodrow beating the bear with a stick as it ran away.
>That one was a hard one to snap.
>In total, only two of the three shelves had these pictures.
>The third shelf, near your bed, had small, wooden figurines you've been working on all year, and a few extra blocks of wood in case you wanted to make an extra.
>The figurines were of course, of all your friends. One for Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, heck, even Pinkie. Derpy had her own, too.
>Woodrow's was the most unique, though. In fact, it would probably be worth a lot of money, as well, because it had an accurate sculpture of you on it.
>You started making this the week he died. Carving the wood to show him, cutting a plank of wood, with you watching eagerly. Dressed up in a nice tux, of course, the one you were wearing when you first showed up here.
>You didn't need a tuxedo anymore, but that's how you ruined your suit to begin with. So the memory stuck.
>In everyone else's sculpture, it portrayed them doing their special talent. Twilight reading a book and casting magic, Rainbow Dash flying through a cloud, Applejack bucking apples. Rarity holding a dress. Derpy delivering mail. Fluttershy being a bitch-er... "raising" animals. Pinkie throwing a party.
>It's what you did in your spare time, usually. A little hobby.
>Tonight, though, you had that spare time. You were waiting for Morning to go to bed so you can hunt.
>So you grabbed a block of wood, and began to whittle. Small pieces of wood falling into the trash bin by your bed as you sat down.
>You were going to make a figurine for Morning Glory. Doing what, you didn't know, but it was good to get it started.
>Slowly, an image popped into your head.
>You would depict her, cuddled up in your arms in a nice, tight hug.
>It seemed reasonable.
>You lost yourself in your work as you finally heard the shower click off, Morning soon returning to her room as you finished carving for the night.
>You should totally rape the shit out of her, Anon. No one would see it coming!
>You berate your inner monologue as you head downstairs quietly, grabbing your bow and a quiver full of arrows, slinging it over your back.
>You didn't need that much to begin with. Equestria's nights were bright enough to see by, thanks to Luna's moon. Even in the Everfree forest, you could see quite a ways.
>You tuck your hunting knife into your pocket, throw your jacket on, and close the door to the workshop on your way out.
>You wanted to make this quick. You were getting a little tired, and it would throw off your aim in another two or three hours.
>Taking the path out of town, you passed by a few dim lighted windows with tired ponies inside, doing whatever it is they do at this time of night.
>Your feet crunched in the snow beneath you, leaving a rather obvious trail of where you've been. Not that it mattered. It was going to snow again tomorrow, to give Ponyville its second coat.
>You soon reached the edge of the Everfree, sighing as you slipped under the canopy. It was warmer here, and there wasn't any snow.
>Pegasus ponies only covered the outer rim of the treeline in Snow, to make the rest of the world look covered. Really, though, it was wild here. It snowed when it did and the trees grew when they do. No ponies tried to tame it yet.
>Finding a clearing, you crouch down in the bushes, and look through them.
>Jackpot. Several deer were scattered about, grazing and taking bark from certain trees. You were down wind of them.
>Tonight was going to be a very short night, then.
>With your brand new bow in hand, you steadily took aim and drew an arrow from your quiver.
>Four deer perked their ears. Two turned to look at you.
>And one fell down, dead, the arrow poking through its chest, right where its heart should be.
>Surprisingly, all but a few dear took off down a small trail. Two or three didn't get the sign that it was dangerous.
>Double the meat, then.
>You aimed your bow at the more distant targets and fired once more.
>BOOM HEADSH-nope. Missed.
>The arrow tore through the leaves and vanished into the night, as the rest of the deer fled.
>Shit. Oh well.
>Stepping free of the bushes, you took out your knife and sized up the deer you shot.
>A large doe. Not a buck, but for you, that didn't matter. Ponies didn't like seeing trophies of kills, so you wouldn't be able to keep the skull if you wanted to.
>You pull the arrow free, seeing the tip broke off inside.
>You wouldn't keep the arrow anyway. Not without properly cleaning it, and you didn't bring any soap or water to do so.
>You take your knife and stab it into the poor thing's chest, cutting it open as you begin the arduous process of skinning it, gutting it, and taking what you want from it.
>An hour passes as you do this, and you soon find yourself with a large sack of meat for your work, made fresh from the deer's coat.
>Great for travel, but terrifying if a pony were to see you carrying this.
>So you travel home quickly, footfall amplified from the snow underneath.
>You can dispose of the back and other excess parts later. For now, you needed to clean it up and store it.
>Opening your workshop door, you sigh, heading past the usual stairway and into a small closet behind it.
>This is where you worked with meat. The wood shavings absorbed the smell nicely and you had a large tub sink here.
>Woodrow let you have it as your butcher room after you moved in and explained your needs. He never used it, anyway. He had no need.
>You wash up and unravel your meat bag, taking large portions of meat and stuffing them into one of the hundreds of storage bags you bought.
>The rest was soon discarded into a black trash bag.
>Finally.
>You had meat. Eight months without it and you had some for your own use.
>You had better tell Morning Glory about it later, to avoid the terrifying fear of finding tons of storage packs of meat in the freezer.
>That can wait until tomorrow, or the next day. For now, you needed sleep.
>You kick off your dirty shoes and drop the bow and quiver by the door, throwing the jacket onto the couch as you head into the kitchen.
>You unceremoniously shove the meat into the freezer without another thought. Take that, Fluttershy.
>If only you could shoot her rabbit, too. Then you'd really be happy.
>Stripping your clothes, you hop into bed, staring at the clock.
>11 PM. Not bad. Usually, you'd be back at two, or three, and have problems getting up in the morning.
>Not tonight, though. It was a good day. And you managed to get the smell of blood off of you without a shower, which was another good thing.
>You flip the blanket over yourself, closing your eyes as you think over the last few days.
>Twenty minutes pass like this, your eyes finally open as you hear a stir outside your door.
>You turn over in your bed, as your bedroom is suddenly intruded by none other than Morning Glory.
>The dim light of the moon filters in through the windows, shading your eyes from her view as she looks at you.
>She steps inside, gently closing the door behind her.
>What the fuck is she doing in your room?
>You knew you were a heavy sleeper. You didn't snore, but if someone kicked down your door in your sleep, you'd only turn over and ask for five more minutes.
>She sneaked over to your bedside, the moon illuminating her features further.
>"I had another dream about you tonight..." She whispered, sitting by your bedside. "Just like yesterday..."
>Is this what happened while you slept?
>Now that you think about it, you had a dream just like this the other night. You were sitting outside her door, and it creaked open.
>You heard whispers, calm, soothing whispers. About you.
>Turns out... they were real.
>"I was in my box again, and it began to rain... the stallions came, and hurt me... ripped my box up, and it got really cold. Then you came. You came, and took me from my box, and brought me to a castle, far, far away..."
>She gently rubbed her hoof up and down with the other, closing her eyes.
>"But it happened again, Anon. H-He... came back... and tried to take me away from you. And my dream turned into a nightmare again..."
>She murmurs quietly as you pretend to sleep.
>"I just... wanted to say thank you, Anon. I shouldn't have to live in fear anymore. He's far, far away in Manehatten... he probably thinks I'm dead."
>More silence. She leans forward, resting her chin on the soft mattress, looking into your eyes, which by now you've closed.
>You consider reaching out and touching her, pulling her into your arms. Something to bring her closer, to soothe her.
>"I wanted to say thank you, but... it's just so hard to tell you these things when you're awake... I'm afraid of what you might say, or might do... you're very hard to read, Anon. But I do know one thing..."
>She leans forward, a mere centimeter from your lips.
>"I knew ever since the moment I saw you that y-you care about me... a-and... love me... and I want to say the same to you. Even if you can't hear me now, I love you Anon. You've shown me more love than anypony ever has, even if you are... tall, and weird, from another world... I... I wish you could hear me now, but..."
>She sighs, turning around.
>"T-Thank you, Anon..."
>She heads to the door, silent as the night itself as she gives you one last look, the door sliding open.
>She can't leave.
>Not after that.
"Morning?..." You say, and she freezes in her tracks.
>If a pin were to drop in Canterlot, you could hear it right now.
"You... don't have to go." You say, raising your head from the pillow. "I don't want you to."
>She turns around, her eyes wide with fear. You heard everything.
>"A-Anon?... H-How much?..."
"All of it. And you're right. I do love you. And I don't want you to go."
>She finds it hard to move, so you stand up, stepping forward.
"It may be... early, to love you like I do, but when I see you, I'm reminded of myself years ago..."
>You pick her up in your arms, and she shakes in your grasp, eyes still wide as she gazes into your own.
>"A-Anon..."
"Shh..."
>You bring her back to your large bed, as her eyes slowly fill with tears.
"It's alright... shh... I've got you..."
>You lay down on your back at first, before turning to your side, pressing the small pony against you with a tug of your arm.
>You wipe away the tears with a thumb, as her eyes expand again, soon closing as she leans forward, puckering her lips.
>You close your eyes as well, leaning in to the romantic embrace with the small box pony, before you finally feel her lips against your own.
>They were soft, delicate. Eager to press and hold against your own as her own hoof draped across your neck, deepening the kiss further.
>You've never felt a kiss this sensual in your life, as you gently stroke her side, before hugging her waist.
>It was amazing. And you could feel yourself growing hard as she put more of herself into it, her tongue pressing against your lips as you eagerly returned the idea, letting her into your mouth as you delicately explored her own with your tongue.
>But it ended all too soon with a loud knock on the workshop door below.
>Son of a bitch, who the fuck could that be?
"They'll be back in the morning." You say, ignoring the second knock on the door below, grabbing a hold of Glory's flank softly, smiling.
>Her own smile returns, with a hint of trepidation behind it.
>"I uh... don't know how this would work with a human, Anon..."
>You stroke her mane again, and give her nose a little kiss.
"It's simple... I'll show you. Lay down on your back."
>You slip your boxers off and toss them onto the floor, giving her another kiss which she happily returns.
>Bang bang bang.
>Go away, please, the Shop will be open tomorrow.
>BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
>You gently run your hands down Morning's body, taking each hind leg into your hand as you spread them apart, an excited gasp following shortly-
>BANG BANG.
>Motherfucker.
>BANG SLAM.
>Oh shit, they kicked down your shop door. What the fuck?
>You quickly grab your boxers, Morning giving a frustrated whine as you slip them on, hiding your throbbing length as none other than Pinkie Pie herself opens your door, Applejack. following shortly behind.
>"Anon. Your turn. Take her. Now." AJ says, her mane a mess, filled with cake and party streamers as she plucks Pinkie Pie up with her hooves and drops her into your arms.
>W-What.
"What?..."
>"Twilight's books are colored in, Rarity's dresses are a mess, Fluttershy's animal pen is just about ruined, and ah can't handle a third surprise cake."
>B-But my legal rights!
"I have a restraining order for a reason."
>"And that's why ah took the liberty to have that ol' thing revoked. Good luck."
>Applejack slams your bedroom door shut and stomps down the stairs, Pinkie Pie still in your arms.
>"HIYA!" She chirps, a lollipop hanging from her mane.
>Oh God, why.
>Why couldn't they send her to Pony Prison for arson.
>Why.
>Morning looks to the party pony, her blush soon fading as you groan.
>There goes the mood.
>"Are you two about to have a slumber party? Oh my gosh, can I join! I didn't bring a pillow, or any of my party stuff, but I DID bring the party animal! We can tell spooky stories andturnoutthelights, OH! And I found this neat book about slumber parties at Twilight's Castle! It's all stuffImostlyknowbutIreaditfortimesbeforeIdecideditneededmorecolor, so I borrowed Spike's crayon's and began to color in all of Twilight's books, so when she reads she has interesting things to look at! Like a bunch of balloons, or a big scary crocodile, though I wouldn't draw a crocodile so insteadIdrewgummy! Then Twilight brought me to Rarity butshewasbusymakingdresses so me and Gummy decided to help with super glue and party streamers! Because they were for a fancy party in Canterlot, of course! Also, Fluttershy LOVES Gummy, she offered to watch himsoIwaslikeOHMYGOSHYES! So she showedmewherehecouldstaybutitwasthisanimalpin filled will all sorts of turtles and crocodiles. They looked so bored, so I turned the pin into a party pin, and madethemallpartyanimals! But then they got away, and Fluttershy wasn't happy at all-"
>Kill me.
>Please.
"PINKIE PIE! SHUT UP!" You yell as loud as you can, dropping the bubbly pink pony onto the ground. She bounced up and down on her tail, giggling like a mad mare. Probably because she WAS a mad mare.
>Her diet must consist of cocaine, sugar, speed, and coffee. With thirty energy drinks to wash it all down.
>"U-Uhm... Pinkie Pie?" Morning says, noticing your distress. Amazingly, Pinkie Pie stops talking to listen to her.
>"Could you please sleep in the guest room tonight? Me and Anon were about to... do things. Intimate things."
>Pinkie Pie stops bouncing on her tail, actually looking at the two of you for once.
>Her eyes widen with realization as she sees you in your underwear, and Morning laying back in the middle of your bed.
>"OH! ...Oh. Oooooh."
>She noticeably blushes, slowly backing out of the room as she doesn't break eye contact.
>"Uh... sorry to interrupt your 'private party' with Morning, Anon! Hehee, I'll just try to get some sleep. It IS pretty late, especially for this Pie!"
>You sigh. Like you'll be able to do anything with Pinkie Pie in your house.
>She closes the door quietly behind her, the guest room door closing as well.
>"That's... one way, to end the night..." Morning says, laying in the bed.
>Fuck it. You'll take the risk.
"Here... we can still uhm... try, if you want."
>"Are you sure?..." She asks, placing a hoof on your thigh, smiling up at you.
>"Of course I'm sure. What else could I be?"
>"Surprise!" She said, smiling.
>What.
>"Wake up, Nonny!"
>Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.
>You crack your eyes open. It's day time.
>Your pants and shirt are exactly where you left them.
"You fucking pink horse, what are you doing in my house?"
							   -~End of Day Two~-