//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Outsider // Story: Tear of a flower // by Zephyr //------------------------------// Do you know that weird feeling you get, when you go to a new place, a village for example, and everyone watches you? Well, that was way worse than that. They were not just staring at me; they began to whisper to each other. I wonder what was in their quiet conversation - an alien, the local lonely-girl are they a couple? Weird things pops into my mind when I'm not sure about something. Luckily, I'm sure about almost everything. Yes, superior logic. -Chapter Seven- .:Outsider:. As we walked, I was able to take a better look at my environment. The snowy landscape was beautiful: white hills, small groups of leafless trees, covered in snow, a frozen lake and the cobblestone road where we walked. Even after ten minutes of walking I was still able to find something new and exciting about the scenery. "Dawnie, you didn't tell me that you live in a paradise." I said as I looked down to her. She was on my left side, quietly walking at all times. While watching the landscape, I noticed her staring at me, but I didn't try to stop her, I don't know why. This situation was a tad weird. "Believe me, this isn't a paradise at all. Life can be pretty harsh here. Especially now, in the winter. But if I think about it, it's not that bad." She began to smile, making me raise my right eyebrow. "And why isn’t it that bad?" I suspected something. "Well..." She never finished her answer. We just walked slowly on the snow cowered cobblestone road, and the cold rain of the winter began to fell on us. "It's snowing again." I said matter-of-factly. "Yes, it is." She was in her thoughts, or something like this, when I looked down at her, her face was unreadable. "You know Dawnie, I love winter. It's my favorite season." To prove my statement I stopped, searched for a bigger pile of snow, then jumped on it. With my experience of snow-building I quickly made a comfortable couch out of it. "Marty, it's a bit cold to sit on it, you will get sick... Please come, we should go." I had no idea why she had changed her mood like this. I totally expected her to jump in the snow and play a snow fight with me, but this... "Alright... If that’s what you want.." I shook my head in resignation and got out from my freshly made snow-furniture, following Dawnie. Five more minutes later she stopped. I was surprised; we were walking like 2 mph, so she couldn't be tired. So something was on her mind what else could make her stop. What could it be? "Marty?" She looked up, into my eyes. My answer was a raised eyebrow and a questioning expression. "I need to tell you something." 'Uh-oh, now comes the slap on the face!' "Yyyes? What is it?" "The town where we are going..." She sighed, then continued. "The ponies who live there.. They made me live alone." This new information was shocking. Why would she go to the place where the people hate her? I thought about this, but she continued her speech. "But it's not their fault, it's because of me, I-" 'Not their fault? Not Their Fault?!?' "Dawnie, how the heck couldn't it be their fault? If you aren't a creep, and you aren't, because you are the sweetest girl I know, then they have no right to say a thing about you! How could there be anyone this mean, to practically exile someone else, and how could it be an entire town? What is wrong with them?" My outbreak of speach was answered by an almost crying Dawnie. She sat on her haunches, and sniffed time to time while I spoke to her. "You don't understand. I have a 'special condition'. And this made them act meanly to me." Her eyes started to tear up and a single teardrop rolled down on her sad and beautiful face. "Wh-what special condition?" I had no idea what it could be. In my point of view she was totally normal. Heh, she was more than just normal to me, I had feelings for her. "I thought you would figure it out by yourself." 'Wat?' "Dawnie, I don't know what you are talking about." This all ‘I-know-something’ thing was annoying every single time, but this time it was just surprising. "You don't know?" She frowned and made a slightly surprised expression. "But you don't have one too!" 'Have what?' "Sure Dawnie. Would you please tell me what are you talking about?" I asked her and sat down, in front of her. She blinked a few then turned a bit and pointed to her flank. "I see nothing on your flank, Dawnie. Why do you point at it?" "This is why. It's blank." Her expression saddened even more. "Oh. Ooooh!!!" I realized what she was talking about. It was that cutie-mark thing that everyone gets if he or she finds his or her special talent. "Do you want to tell me, that they look at you like if you were a criminal, just because you don't have a weird tattoo on your flank?" "Basicly... Yes." Now that's new. "Nopony needs a blank-flank. Not for a relationship or even as an employee." "That's... Disgusting!" I spoke my heart, looking at somebody because of a thing like this... "Alright Dawnie, if they begin to take looks or something I will break bones if needed." And I was serious too. Also, if Dawnie is a full grown mature, then the biggest from her species can't be much bigger. "No, Marty, it's... Just no, I can ignore them." I know why and when would a girl say a thing like this. I leaned closer her, gently caressing her head. "No. It leads to nowhere. Stand out for yourself. And if you can't, then I will." There were tears in her dark-blue eyes, but she smiled. Looks like my skills with comforting people are still working. "A-alright. But you don't have to break bones, you know!" She gave me a weak grin. "Oh, Dawnie.. " I hugged her, then we continued our way, now in a faster pace. "We are very close now!" She said - a few seconds, and a turn in the road later, we spotted the outskirts of the small city. "Windystone!..." "Why would anyone call a city Windystone?" I asked and shook my head as I wasn't able to understand this. "Hmm, I don't know. Anyway, I used to come here in every week for supplies, except the fact that they keep looking at me, the ponies here are nice." "Really? Well, let’s see if that’s true." I thought about the possible reactions. If they react to Dawnie like this, what will they say about me? "It should be okay, I told the doctor and he has probably told everypony about your presence." "Oh? So they know that we are coming! Awesome..." We reached the edge of the town. As I looked around I saw a LOT of ponies everywhere, doing their business. What I wasn't prepared for, is to see different kind of ponies. Pegasi and 'normal' ones (without horns or wings), to be exact. I would've thought more about it, but I noticed them staring Dawnie and me. "Hey.. Dawnie.." I said to her, quietly. "Do they act like this every time or?..." "I'm afraid it's because of you, Marty." She gave me a sad smile. "Alright. But if any of them is going to say a word.." And like if the fate wanted, a punk-like stallion yelled at us. "Hey look everypony, the blank-flank got a pet!" The ponies looked at us, now with full attention. Normally, I never use violence. Making me angry is also hard work. But this guy... He made me mad immediately. Luckily I was able to hold myself back for a little more. So I walked over him, crouching down, slowly. Once I was in his eye-level, I asked him. "Why would you say this to her.. And me? Do you think that you will be a cooler guy?" I sounded more than dead serious. Years of practice. "You know, if there is anyone who could be called a pet, it’s YOU. And why?" As I spoke, I raised my voice so everyone was able to hear me, even from a bigger distance. "Because if you KEEP BEING SUCH AN ASSHOLE, I WILL PUT A COLLAR ON YOU." After I shouted this at him (what made him cringe) I realized that this was almost the worse scenario to introduce myself. The punk-ish stallion was nowhere to be seen, and the other ponies were scared as well. 'Oh, heck no, what do I do, what do I do?!?' I rose back to standing and began speaking again. "Excuse my insulting and more than loud words, but I can't let myself and my friend be abased by some less intelligent individual. If any... Pony have some doubts, then I want to clear it: I'm friendly and I will not harm anyone." By the looks, most of them accepted my presence. Some of them kept whispering to each other. Ignoring them, I walked back to Dawnie. She cried. "Oh, Dawnie, I'm sorry, I-I just-" She interrupted me. "N-no Marty, I cry because of happiness." "What?" Now that was an unforeseen possibility. "Yes, nopony ever stood up for me. I can't be more happy now!" "Really?" I hugged her. We remain in our little embrace for a few more seconds, until we realized that everyone is staring us, yet again. The difference was that they were smiling now.