Breathe in through the nose.
Hold it...
Hold it...
And out through the mouth.
My heart calms, but the throbbing of my feat doesn't cease.
I have to do this. Come on, in through the nose... And out from the mouth. I'm not good with surprises, so I thought I should just enter... calmly. Not trying to scare anybody, especially not the mayor.
Leaning forward, I press down on the handle to the oaken door and it groans open. I poke my head through the crack and find the pale amber mare known as Mayor Mare sitting behind her desk. Her eyes scanning a few papers scattered across the desk before her. The open window behind her showers her in sunlight and the sounds of the market on a busy day.
She looks pretty busy, I should come back later. I nod.
Just before I pull my head back through, we make eye contact. Her eyes widen and so do mine.
"Sorry," I mutter out with a nod, pulling my head through before closing the door.
I turn away and stare down the hallway that brought me here. I'll just let her finish– Before I finish the thought and walk away, the door behind me swings open. The low groan that it had been turns into a shrill squeak.
"Wait!" I hear the mayor call out, "Oh sorry for that, uh, wait?"
I turn and look down at Mayor Mare, her cheeks red and a bashful smile stretched across her muzzle.
"Sorry, you looked busy and I didn't want to bother."
She shakes her head, the red in her cheeks gone. "No it's fine, I'm wasn't doing anything terribly important."
I turn my eyes towards the walls, the bottom half made up of some darker cherry wood, while the upper half matched Mayor Mare's coat. "I probably should have knocked."
She waves a hoof and smiles, "It's fine," she assures me. "Don't worry about it. Now, did you bring the paper?"
I nod. "Yeah, it's a little crushed though, that's my bad." Reaching for my back pocket, I pull out the scroll and hand it to her. "I wanted to get this to you before the movers showed up. And if it's not too much, could I ask how to set up an appointment with you?"
She takes the scroll in her teeth and walks back into her office. Her hooves clopped on the wooden floor. Placing the flattened scroll on her desk, she turns back towards me and offers a smile. "Well, you have me now, is there anything you wanted to ask?"
"Oh, uhm..." What did I even want to ask? "Uhhh... How's you day going?"
She chuckles, "It's fine, just more letters from Princess Celestia trying to bribe me to hire guards for Princess Twilight. I can't exactly say no, but at the same time, Prin–" she pauses. "Twilight has made it clear that she doesn't want guards."
"That's funny," but I don't laugh.
I could hear the market again as the both of us go quiet.
After a moment more of the silence, Mayor Mare coughs into her hoof and looks up at me. "Was there anything else?"
Deep breath. "Am I able to change the locks on the doors?" Go on. "And is there a locksmith located in town?"
She nods. "Yes, and yes. If you head out of the front door and turn towards the marketplace, it'll be the last building on the right just before the stalls. There'll be a sign out front with 'Loads of Locks'."
I bow slightly, "That was all, thank you for your time."
She laughs. "No, thank you for the distraction. It's been too long since I've had somepony come to me for help."
I move to shut the door but Mayor Mare stops me. "Leave it open for me, would you? The circulation in here isn't too great with it closed."
I nod and turn around, walking towards the door at the end of the hallway.
I should have another thirty minutes before the movers get here. I'll just visit the locksmith and get back just before they get there.
Stepping out into the afternoon sun, I feel the warmth of the outside air wash over me. I never really understood how ponies cooled the inside of buildings without some sort of AC, so I just chalked it up to magic.
Looking out into the road, I watch as a couple of ponies pass by. A sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and an orange earth pony wearing a stetson with a blonde mane underneath. The earth pony seemed to be pulling an empty cart as they made their way to the market, chatting as they trotted.
Letting myself have a small smile, I sigh. "This is nice," I mutter to myself.
A nice change from Canterlot, and definitely a nice change from Manehattan. While both places were great and all, I never really took to the crowds. Manehattan roads were congested on good days. And Canterlot was just barely better, with quiet roads only a couple hours a day. The other hours were ponies moving from one place to the other, doing their own thing, just like me.
I take a left, following the two mares down the cobblestone road towards the market. I can just barely hear their chatter but I try to pay it now mind. I feel bad for eavesdropping but they're the only things I can hear over the slow breeze.
"Did you hear about the new pony in town?"
Someone else just moved in? I wonder where they came from?
"Yeah, was just takin' a break at home when Pinkie came 'round askin' for some supplies. Somethin' about bein' caught off guard."
"What? No way, we're talking about the same Pinkie right? How was she caught off guard."
"I know, that's what I thought! Me and 'Bloom were just sittin' there, playin' a game, when all of a sudden Pinkie came burstin' in."
Must be good friends.
Looking just past the mares, I can see the building Mayor Mare was talking about. Loads of Locks. It looks more like a regular house than I thought it would.
Well, this is my stop.
Turning into the building, I press down on the handle and push open the door; a bell rings. Pushing my head through the crack, I peer into the dark shop. It smells like burnt rubber and smoke. Turning my eyes around the room, I spot shelves scattered around the room, all of them lined with what looked like locks. Finally my eyes meet the gaze of a smiling, chubby unicorn standing behind the counter, his brown coat peeking through the sliver of light that falls in from behind me.
"Welcome," he calls out. "I'm Kick Garrison, and this is my lock shop."
I nod and mutter out, "Hi." That's an... interesting name. Pushing the door further, I step into the shop. "Mayor Mare said you can replace the locks on my doors?"
"That I can, what are ya looking for?"
"One replacement and eight new ones."
He whistles with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. "That's a lot of locks, this for the castle or something?"
I shake my head. "No, I'm just a bad sleepwalker is all, and I have somethings I'd rather not break."
He shrugs and nods solemnly. "I get ya, roommate back in Manehattan did the same."
"You're from Manehattan?"
He smiles and nods. "Oh yeah; little after I was born, Pop wanted to move to the city. Wanted me to get an education since I was a unicorn and all." I watch as he moves out from behind the glass counter, pulling his flank upward to show off his cutie mark. It's a golden combination lock over a broken and beaten shield.
"How long ago did you live there?"
Turning to face me, he chews a cheek. "About... two? No. Three years, maybe? You?"
"Actually about the same. I moved to Canterlot with work related business and then here just to settle down. You ever go to 'Manehattan's College for Crafty Colts'?"
His smile brightens. "Yeah! Was in shop, woodwork, and you guessed it, locksmithing; how 'bout you?"
"Cooking was the main class, but I took history, economics, and a survival class on the side."
Kick snickered. "Lookie what we have here, an overachiever. Seriously though, survival? Why?"
I shrugged. "They had a course on native and exotic plants that I was interested in."
"Ah well. Let's bring up those locks for ya." He trots back behind the counter and gestures to it. "What kind of lock ya lookin' for? Enchanted? Regular ol' lock and key? Switch? You think of it, I can make it."
Staring down at it, I can only assume he listed the locks off from left to right. Enchanted almost looks like a fingerprint scanner with a handle, but ponies don't have fingers so it had to be something else. "How does the enchanted one work?"
"That one's my favorite, have it installed in the front. Basically, it just reads your magical signature and there you have it, locked or unlocked. Just gotta touch a hoof – or in your case, whatever those are called – to the gem."
Hm. "Would it work for someone with no magic?"
He scratches the back of his head with a hoof. "I... don't really know. Not really a surplus of ponies that lack magic, and if you're tellin' the truth, then I'm pretty sure you're the only one on this planet who has no magic." He hums to himself before his smile returns. "Wanna find out?"
"It's not going to blow up is it?"
He scoffs as his horn lights up with an eggshell-white magic that matches his mane and tail, "Have a little faith in my craft would ya?"
I can see the same magic light up around the lock in the counter just in front of me. Pulling it out, he gently sets it back down on the counter, the metal clinking against the glass. "Okay, here's how this works. Basically I'm gonna set this here so it'll read the next magical signature and only work with that."
For a short moment, I hear a sharp buzz and a soft click following just after.
"There, now touch it."
I smile to myself as I reach a hand out. "That's what she said," I mutter.
Kick smiles and sighs with a roll of his eyes. "Yes yes, come along now, you don't have all day do ya?"
I nod and hold in my snark as I touch the gem in the lock. With the same sharp buzz and soft click, something happens. I don't know what, but it's something.
"Okay... now... try to lock it." He steps back, almost as if–
"I thought you said this thing won't explode?"
He looks up at me with a cheeky smirk. "Oh it won't, I'm just makin' sure I'm safe if it does."
Sighing, I bring my finger up and away before bringing it back down on the gem. With bated breath, we wait for a couple of seconds before the deadlock slides into place with a heavy clack.
We both sigh before chuckles escape us.
"See? What we're ya so worked up about?"
I shake my. "Losing a finger. I've only got ten of these things."
"Is that what those are called?"
"Yeah."
"Neat."
Picking up the enchanted lock in his magic once more, I see Kick's horn flare as he tries to cast a spell.
"What the...?"
I see his jaw clench and he goes again. Nothing. Bringing the lock up to his ear, he fiddles around with it, trying to do... something. Bringing it into his gaze, he glares at it. "You're weren't kidding with the no magic thing."
"Is that a problem?"
"Yeah, unless you wanted this type. I can't remove the magical signature because there is none. This thing is basically a paperweight to anything and everything but you."
"How's that work?"
His eyes close as a brow on his face rises. "It's like... It's like... Filling a glass of water that only you can drink? Ya take a sip, it tastes pretty good but the glass doesn't empty none, yeah? Somebody else takes a sip and it tastes awful." He pauses a moment, looking thoughtful before speaking back up. "What I'd do is empty the glass, but I can't since there's nothin' to pour."
"That... makes a little sense."
"And I can't copy it none either, you can't have no magic signature with magic? Basically, what you've got here is the most secure enchanted lock in the world."
It's only a single side though. "Could I get another enchanted lock than? I needed a double."
"Yeah, no problem, I'll get you're signature when I bring 'em over."
"That's fine, thank you."
Rising into a chair just behind the counter, he speaks back up. "Well, what are the other locks you wanted?"
"Do you have any double-sided deadbolts."
"I do. How many of the eight locks do you want those to be?"
"Four."
"And the other four?"
"Chain locks if you could."
"Sure. Are you making those deadbolts work off the same key or...?"
"All different, please.
Nodding, he asks me, "Was that it?"
I only nod back in reply.
"Okay, so... The deadbolts are about three-hundred each, and the chains are one-hundred each. Since you're makin' the four deadbolts use different keys that'll add about fifty each. And the enchanted is six hundred each."
I nod.
"That's three-thousand Bits, unless ya want installation done by me, that'll raise it to three-thousand and four-hundred. But since I'm talking to a fellow Manehattan over here, let's call it three-thousand and two-hundred Bits."
I shake my head. "Sorry, thank you for the offer, but I'm going to pay the full price. Not gonna cut you short. I'll take the installation by the way."
He shrugs. "Hey, if you change your mind, the offer still stands."
I bow and turn to leave. The bell rings as I open the door, and I can feel the warmth once more.
"Wait!" Kick calls out. "You gotta tell me where you live so I can swing by a little later. Can't really just install your locks on a random house now can I? Well, I could if I wanted to, but that'd land me some time in prison."
Turning back, I look at him from across the shop, dust clouds floating in the air between us. "I live just across from Ponyville General Hospital, you won't miss it. Small home, no windows out front."
"Got it, catch ya later."
"Bye." I bow once more, and leave, closing the door behind me.
Stepping back out into the light, I blink away the forming spots as my eyes adjust to the brightness. Turning my eyes to the watch on my wrist, I see that it's only two in the afternoon.
The movers said they'd be there by 2:10. I shrug. Guess I can have a nice walk.
I look down at my watch.
The time 2:13 stares back up at me, and my eyes widen.
Probably shouldn't have stopped in the park. Picking up my pace, I jog to the corner and take a left. Just there, in front of my house is the movers, that trademark van pulled by two pegasi sitting in the road. A group of them sitting just behind it with one hefty stallion looking a might bit peeved.
Running up to them, I wave. "I'm so sorry. I got sidetracked on my way back."
The stallion looked up at me, brows furrowed.
Kick? The stallion before me looked almost like the spitting image of Kick, except for the wings on his back, the blonde mane, and the five'o'clock shadow on his muzzle.
He waves me off. "Yeah, it's no problem, it's not like we've got places to be or anything."
Was that sarcasm?
It was.
The stallion spoke with a gruff, smoker's voice.
I bow my head. "Again, I'm sorry, I'll pay extra for the inconvenience."
This changed the stallions demeanor, the anger in his face fading. Again he waved. "It's fine, don't mind me. Let's just get your stuff inside."
He gestures to the door with a wave of his hoof.
"Oh, uh, could you, let me get into one of the boxes for a moment?"
Looking back at the mares behind him, he throws his chin towards the van. Using a key, a bright yellow pegasus with a pink mane uses a key to unlock the door. Lifting it up, the door slides into the body of the van, the van shakes as the door comes to a sudden stop inside. She steps aside. A couple boxes, a shelf, a bed, one chair, a rug, and a coffee table, all neatly stacked inside the van.
Walking forward, I pull on the nearest box labeled 'Home'. A single cactus laid within, a flower budding from its top. Surrounded by cushion, not wanting the quills being stuck in the cardboard walls. Pulling the cactus from its place in the box, I inspect the clay pot it lived in. Most importantly, the bottom of said clay pot. There rested a key, taped in place. Bronze with some silver trimmings.
I tug at the key and it comes free; slowly put the cactus back in and leave it be.
"Odd place for a key," the stallion mutters.
Turning back, I shrug and walk to the door, letting the key slip into the lock with a soft click before twisting. I pull the key back out and push open the door. Walking in, I breathe in the chilled air, sighing as I turn back towards the movers.
Using my fingers, I wave them in.
One by one, they move the boxes through the door, their wings creating tiny breezes of even colder air as they glided through my home. Setting the boxes down before me, I watch as they move onto the furniture.
"The table can stay out here."
The bed.
"Oh, the bed goes in the last door on the left down the hallway."
Then the shelf.
"That can go in the door on the right."
And finally, the chair.
"Just put that one in the corner just opposite of the kitchen."
They look around. Was that it?
Looking at stack of boxes on the ground in front of me, I only see four, but there should have been five.
"One last thing!" I hear a cheery voice from outside. Not a moment later, a grey pegasus with a yellow mane and a cutie mark of bubbles flies in through the door, a pair of packs wrapped around the middle of her barrel. A box in her hooves. "This one was hiding!" She gives a big toothy grin and I can't help but smile as well.
The box in her hooves was just a regular cardboard box, but a blue glow emanated from under the lid.
I nodded.
I was glad that one was–
And it slipped from her hooves... she was holding the lid.
I watch as the box plummets to the wooden floor, along with the glowing blue flower inside. I couldn't put a cushion inside this one because of the nature of the flower. And just like that, the pot holding it shatters, dirt spilling out from the box laying on its side.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the mare's ears fold back and she goes to pick up the plant.
Throwing my hand out, I shout, "Don't! Touch!"
She freezes, fear and sadness intermingling on her face, while I assume her superior looks on; shaking his head.
I shake my head and lower my voice, regretting that I shouted. "Sorry, just... don't touch the flower."
Stepping forward, I squat next to the flower. Looking at the petals and the exposed roots. This wasn't going to be fun.
The stallion lands beside me, eyes moving from between me and the flower. "You mind if I ask why you have Poison Joke?"
"Well... my first one was given to me as a gift." From my days at the College, someone thought it'd be funny trying to play a prank on me and they gifted it to me.
"Your first one?"
"Yeah, I've been cultivating a line of Poison Joke for a couple years now. I wanted the glow to be brighter, but that came with the draw back of making it more potent."
And giving it microscopic barbs, but I'm not going to tell them that.
The flower itself was barely thicker than my clenched fist, with layers of petals spreading out from the center. The real problem was going to be the roots. With no difference expect the barbs, regular Poison Joke roots were stringy and light. Absolutely infesting the dirt they occupied, but never intertwining with another plant's roots. It was as if the flower actively avoided other plants.
"How potent are we talking about here?" The stallion worryingly asked.
"I'm just about eight months into this flower's life and it still hasn't fully matured, while the regular Poison Joke lasts not even one. Eight? Most likely ten times more punch than the starting breed? Don't worry about the spores though, this one doesn't give off spores any more, just don't touch it and you'll be fine."
They all breathe a sigh of relief.
I don't because I'm the one who has to touch the thing to get it back into a pot. While the poison won't exactly do what it's supposed to with me, it will sting and numb my hand for an hour or two. But I don't have a pot right now so... I have that going for me.
Standing up, I move to the stack of boxes. A find the one labeled 'Bits', opening it, I find the hefty sack of coins that I packed just for this occasion, with a smaller one on the side. The larger one, being the pay I'd give to the movers, around two-thousand. And the smaller one being about five-hundred.
I lift the thick sack out of the box. I had learned that the Bits are lighter than I thought they'd be. I blame it on magic.
Handing it to the light brown stallion, he takes it in hoof before fetching a digital scale from... somewhere behind him. Letting the bag lay across it, the scale beeps and he nods with a smile. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Oh, uhm, you wouldn't happen to know of a delivery service around here would you?"
The grey pegasus mare smiles and waves a hoof into the air. "Ooh, I do! In fact, that's my next shift!"
"Oh, uh, that's convenient."
The mare looks on with a proud smile, wings flittering.
"Could you deliver a letter to Canterlot City Bank for me, miss..."
She puts a hoof to her chest. "Most ponies call me Derpy Hooves, but you can call me Ditzy Doo!"
Her coworkers look at the ground with red faces, hooves pawing at the wood.
God bless this mare.
Moving towards the door, her superior speaks up. "We'll catch up with you later Derp– I mean Ditzy." His nose flares in embarrassment and frustration, shaking his head before stepping out of view outside. Ditzy's peers follow soon after, giving small goodbyes as the left one by one.
She turns back to me. "So..." She smiles. "Letter?"
Sitting down, I let out a sigh, my sore feet finally getting the rest they deserved after being on them for five hours. Now I was just waiting for Kick to stop by with the locks, and Ditzy with the Bits.
I hope asking Ditzy for help wasn't another mistake.
I close my eyes.
Today was filled with too many mistakes.
Thirty minutes through the trip down the mountain, I realized I probably shouldn't have packed my spare bits in a box to be moved. But I thought I'd get to ride with my stuff, so that was one mistake I already made.
Another mistake was that I had spaced out the fact that I had a bank box filled with Bits waiting to be used in the very same city that I had left an hour into my trip. Already being an hour in, I was not about to turn around. I was especially not willing to climb back up that mountain.
Two mistakes. Maybe three, but two too many.
Two mistakes and a half mistakes, and it's not even– I glance at my watch. –Three 'o' clock yet.
I let my head lay back and close my eyes.
Breathe in through the nose.
Hold it...
And out through the mouth.
I do this as I sit in the chair, my limbs growing heavier with every exhale. And before I knew it, I was asleep.
Sleeping for a lot of ponies means dreams. What they dream about is usually not up to them, and the same goes for me. But I don't really mind, it's nice in my dreams.
Opening my eyes, I'm back in my dorm in Manehattan, staring at my roommate from across the room with a spray bottle in my hand. He's working out of course, he was planning on joining the Royal Guard through recommendation. And you don't get in with recommendation unless you were the best.
My eyes wander downward and I spy the tape we had set up to divide the room, a square set up around the door to the room we dubbed 'No man's land.' Well, I dubbed it that, of course he dubbed it 'No ponies land.'
Turning my head to the left, I spot the glass shelf littered with plants of varying sizes, shapes, and colors. The most notable was the Poison Joke, it's blue luminescent glow shining in the tiny drops of water on all of the other plants. Giving everything a blue tint. On the very top shelf sat the cactus, the Narcoctus, my prize plant, and the most expensive. Every week or so, the bright pink flower that capped the Narcoctus would blossom and produce a fruit. I had no idea what it was called but it tasted like fruit punch and it was delicious.
Apparently the fruit of the Narcoctus was some sort of drug to ponies. The effect would be different every time, depending on the light it would get and the amount of water. And it wasn't illegal so I ended up selling a fruit or two to some of my class mates. One-hundred bits a slice, with eight slices each fruit. It was a great way to pay off my fees or pay for food.
My eyes wander back to my roommate and his side of the room. All of the gym equipment he could ever need was crammed into a five by ten foot space. Even complete with a bucking bag that we agree'd he wouldn't use when I was awake.
"Hey," I mutter just loud enough to watch my roommates ears flick to my direction. "Flea." Flea wan't his name, but a nickname for his bloodsucking personality. His real name was Bar None; good dude, but could be a real pain when he wanted to be. And that was most of the time.
His head tilts towards me. "Yeah?"
When I had first met him, I thought he was one of those surfer bros just from the way he had spoke, and the fact that he was a Pegasus. All of the 'brahs' and the 'bros'. But it turned out he was as much of a city boy as I was.
Sinking back into my cream colored chair, I spoke up. "You ever stop working out?"
"Do you ever stop watering those plants?"
That was his way of saying, never. Which wasn't that far from the truth. I watch as his ears turn back to their forward facing position. Rustling that dark brown mane of his.
Most of the time he'd be silent, but every so often I could hear him whisper his little mantra to himself. I don't know if he wanted me to hear it or not, but I did, and it went like: "I'm the best, baby, bar... none." It was awful, but it was the truth. He was the best. Top of the class, even going so far as to get his recommendation. But leading up to that, he'd go to his classes, come back, work out, eat, and sleep, that was it.
Eating was one of the things we'd share the most because I'd be the one to cook for him. I'd borrow a weight here and there if I felt I was getting a bit soft but I never committed to it, not like him. Body slim yet corded with muscle. With even just the slightest movement you could see the push and pull of every muscle beneath that alabaster fur. The glistening sweat dripping between his unfurled wings that would flitter every so often when he struggled.
But that was most of what I did. I'd go to the classes for the day, go buy some ingredients, cook, come back and watch Bar pump iron like there was no tomorrow. Water my plants every so often. That was it, that was my day. And it was nice.
There was no small talk, no idle chatter, just two people doing what they needed to do to survive. For me it was cooking and economics. For him it was self-defense training and working out.
I hear Bar drop a weight to the floor, a heavy thud as hit slams into the carpet, pulling me from my thoughts. "You think he'll wake up soon?" Bar asks me... I think.
"What?" Who's he?
"I hope so."
With blink of an eye, I'm on the cold wooden floor of my new home. Staring at corner of the room from my place on the floor. Sitting up, I wipe the drool from my mouth, and stare at the small puddle of the stuff on the floor.
I grimace. "Eww."
Standing up, I stretch out and stand onto the tips of my toes. I was in front of the door. "Looks like I didn't even try to open it this time," I mutter to myself. "Fine by me."
Turning around, my eyes widen and fear grips my heart like a vice. Standing there in my room is more ponies than I thought I'd have over in my life. I get flashbacks to the roads of Manehattan.
"Surprise!"
They all shout just after I turn.
I don't know what possessed me, but for some reason I'd thought it would be a good idea to scream, and then back up. Back up into the puddle of spit slicking up the ground right behind me. It only to one step but it was enough after I felt the ground slip away from below me.
Before I had realized it, I was looking up at the ceiling, diving head first into the wall behind me. I hit the wall, and it hurt... it hurt a lot of course. But what hurt the most was the laughter I heard before blacking out.
And there I was, back in that Manehattan dorm. The smell of sweat and flowers thick in the air, Bar's labored breathing like the breeze rolling in from the window in the middle of the room.
I couldn't help but smile.
I was home.