//------------------------------// // Ch. 5 Story time pt.3 or Hey he’s finally done with the depressing st…wait no there’s a bit more. // Story: A New Beginning // by BurningProse1929 //------------------------------// “Prose, I think you’re being passionate again.” Rarity pointed out. Prose looked down and noticed he was standing up, sheepishly he sat back down and apologized. “It’s fine darling, I understand the passion, I have to ask though, if you decided to clean yourself up, how come your father managed to find you like he did?” She asked. Prose smiled a bit, “Well, like I said I vowed to get clean and I did, with Minty’s help I might add. Remember when I said I thought an angel had visited me? Well technically one did. My angels name was Minty Crystal, and he had the most gorgeous violet eyes in the world” His smile faded again, “The day my father had found, remember I was supposed to be visiting them, and I wasn’t going to be alone, it had been a year or two since I had seen my parents and I figured why not give them a present like Minty. Me and him had planned to surprise them with us.” Prose frowned, “But a week or so before that, me and Minty had a horrendous fight, because he thought I was using again. He had found some of my old paraphernalia that I meant to throw away and just kept putting off, and he just went off. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, it was like being back in school when the principal would admonish you for throwing cherry bombs in the toilet.” Rarity nearly choked on her tea and giggled at his principal comment. Prose handed Rarity a napkin. “Sorry, I guess I am the only one who did that. Anyway, when he wouldn’t let me explain myself I did the one thing I never thought I would, I looked him dead in the eyes and told him if he didn’t trust me then we were through.” Prose lowered his head, “Once I had said it, we both just looked at each other. He finally broke the silence telling me fine. He left before I could apologize, that was when I collapsed and realized I had just pushed away the one pony that was willing to help me in my darkest hour. After that it’s not hard to figure out what I went and did.” Rarity placed her hoof on Prose shoulder. Sniffling, “I didn’t think I could feel any lower than I did that day, but by Luna’s moon I managed to disprove that. Three days later my father found me and brought me home.” He hissed out “How’s that for a Hearths Warming gift, your strung out son, passed out from a three or four day bender, half dead and barely breathing.” Sorrow more so than anger filled his voice, “It took two weeks in a hospital for me to recover from, what the doctors told my parents, a serious suicide attempt.” His ears flattened, “They said I had done three times the lethal dose and that if I hadn’t been brought in when I was, I would have been found the next day dead…” he trailed off. He regained some composure, “After I got out of the hospital my parents let me stay with them. They told me the only way I would be able to do that is if I told them exactly what happened.” Prose frowned, “I told them everything that had happened to me up to that point, and it honestly hurt me to see the looks on their faces. But it honestly felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest. They both hugged me and told me that I would never have to go through that ever again.” Rarity smiled warmly, “They didn’t lie did they?” Prose returned the smile and laughed, “No, no they didn’t, I ended up never messing with drugs ever again. Hay, I haven’t even had any kind of hard cider or alcoholic drink since then. I live with the temptation everyday though, it’s something that never goes away, but I just keep telling myself that I can’t let it control me.” Rarity then thought about something, “Prose, you said Minty and you broke it off, what happened to him?” His smile faltered a bit, “Honestly, I don’t know, although my mother told me of a green coated stallion secretly visiting me while I was in the hospital. When she first told me I had been living with them for a year then. My mom had pulled some strings at this club she knew the owner of and I would perform spoken word every Friday night, as well as working the floor as a server.” “Well that doesn’t sound too bad, but what happened when she told you about the hospital visits though?” she inquired. Prose put his hoof to his chin, “Well I had just finished a spoken word set, except I actually managed to get somepony to play some music to go along with it, I don’t remember her name, but she was white coated, wearing purple shades, and had a shocking blue mane. I think her stage name was DJ Pon three?” “That would be Vinyl Scratch dear.” Rarity plainly stated, “She does some of the parties in the area.” “OH! Yea, that’s right, now I remember.” Exclaimed Prose, “Anyway, I had just gotten home and was telling my mom about the crowd reaction and how this cute, shy stallion approached me afterwards asking if I wanted to go out the next day. Then she told me about how she remembered this green colored stallion visiting me in the hospital.” Prose did his best exasperated look, “I looked at her like she had grown a second head, and startled her when I grabbed her shoulders asking what the stallions name was.” Returning his face to normal he continued, “She took my hooves off her shoulders and said she was never able to learn it, every time her or dad showed up to check up on me he would leave.” “So, you think it was him? I mean it had to be, he was the only green stallion that would visit you. I mean why wouldn’t he even say something?” Rarity started getting exasperated herself. Prose put his hooves up, “Ms. Rarity it’s ok, in fact that’s why I came to Ponyville, well that and to have a change of scenery, I had learned through some snooping of my own that a earth pony stallion of the same description had moved here not too long ago.” Prose chuckled, “I guess the little spy in me never went away fully.” Rarity calmed down and put her hoof to her chin daintily and thoughtfully, “Well now that you mention it, I do remember somepony of that description coming into the boutique not too long ago, he had this faraway look in his eyes as he saw the hats I sold,” Rarity thought harder, “In fact the hat you have now is the one he was looking at, well the ones like it at least.” Prose nervously darted his eyes back and forth trying not to look at Rarity, “You don’t say? Umm well that could be just a..” Rarity interrupted him, “Where did you procure that hat any if I may ask?” Prose tried dodging the question, “Why this is such a lovely tea set Ms. Rarity, why if I could afford it I would definitely…..” Rarity glared at him, “Prose, darling, I know how nice my tea set is I bought it, now where did you get that hat?” Prose finally looked at Rarity and sighed heavily, “Well you know how I said I did things I wasn’t too proud of? Well I used to also steal to feed me and my habit, and well I had seen you in Baltimare during one of your fashion shows you had done there.” Rarity still glared at Prose but not as intently as before. “After the show I had managed to get into the back stage area where all the outfits were, and I….took….a..few things?” He chuckled nervously waiting for her reply. Rarity merely sighed, “Prose, why in Equestria would you do such a thing, although now that I think about it a few of the accessories did disappear on me, but I just blamed it on them being lost in the madness of the show.” Prose nervously looked at Rarity, “Umm…if you’d like M-ms. Rarity, I could pay for it now, I am truly sorry for stealing from you, and honestly this was the only thing I kept for myself, but if you’d like I could….” Rarity stopped him mid way, “Prose, like I said, the past is that past, you did what you had to do to survive, and while that is very sweet of you to want to rectify and apologize for yourself,” Rarity smiled, “don’t worry about it. I have hundreds if not thousands of more accessories now, so it’s not a big deal.” Prose breathed out, not realizing he had been holding his breath, “Oh thank the princesses. Thank you for forgiving me, honestly I’m low on bits and to pay….” Prose stopped talking when the grip on his shoulder tightened. “Oh I do forgive you darling, but as payment for the hat, I’m going to need you to do something for me.” Rarity was smiling, but at these words Prose could only think dark thoughts and frown. “How long are you in Ponyville?” Rarity asked mischievously. Prose gulped, “Uh…Umm, actually I’m here to stay….I found this adorable little place near the towns library and….” Prose closed his mouth quickly as Rarity’s smile only got wider. “M-ms. Rarity, you’re hurting my shoulder…. And scaring me?” Prose managed to say. Rarity released her grip on his shoulder, “Sorry, about that darling, but since you’re here to stay, I’ll wait to tell you how you can repay me, until then I want to give you a nice welcoming gift.” Prose gulped again, but Rarity merely giggled “Oh it’s nothing bad dear, I saw the abysmal state your hat is in and decided that as my gift to you, choose any hat you’d like from my selection.” His jaw nearly unhinged itself, “wait I can choose from any of your hats? This isn’t…I can’t…” With nothing else to say Prose leaped up and embraced Rarity in a tight hug, finally finding his voice, “OH THNK YOU MS. RARITY!” Rarity stroked Prose’s mane, “Think nothing of it dear, now if you would be so kind, I kind of need my ribs to stay unbroken.” Prose let go as suddenly as he had hugged her and blushed, “Sorry about that, now umm, not to sound too much like a giddy school filly, can I see your hate selection?” Prose said this while lightly clapping his hooves together. “Of course! Now I only have some of my lines here, most are in Manehattan for one of my shows I’ll be doing in a month, but you can choose from what’s left.” Rarity got up and motioned for Prose to follow, Prose tried to contain his giddiness and followed. Prose’s mouth hung slightly agape, and his eyes wide, “Ms. Rarity, these are all so adorable and pretty, and cute, and SQUEEE!” Prose put his hoof over his mouth, blushing. Rarity giggled at his school filly like excitement, “It’s ok dear, a lot of ponies reaction are exactly that, although I don’t think I’ve ever heard a stallion make that noise, it’s mostly mares.” Prose removed his hoof, “Uh yea, I get that a lot, it’s just, oh my gosh, there’s so many to choose from!” Prose looked up and down the shelves finally settling his eyes on a mint green mares style schoolboy hat. “This is the one! It goes so well with my coat and eyes and OH! I JUST LOVE IT!” gushed Prose. Rarity smiled, “Excellent choice,” Rarity happened to look at the clock and noticed what time it was, “Oh dear is it that late!?” Prose looked away from the mirror he was using to see how he looked in his new gift and looked at the clock as well, it had been three hours since he had been there, “OH MY GOSH! I didn’t realize I had been here that long! I am so sorry for taking up this much of your time Ms. Rarity.” Rarity waved him off, “Darling I got to hear a lovely story from you and meeting you has certainly been an eye opener of sorts, now if you need me any time for anything don’t hesitate to stop by. I’m always open for friends.” Prose went to bow his head but thought better of it and hugged Rarity, “Ms. Rarity, you have no idea how good I feel right now, I feel like an immense weight has been removed, and you giving me this hat is just…just..” Prose felt a tear try and slip down as he broke the hug. Rarity wiped it away. “Prose, you are a very special pony, and don’t let anyone take that away from you. Now if you go out to the town square and ask around you might be able to find your green coated, violet eyed angel.” And with one last thank you and a quick wave, Prose set off out the doors of the boutique, hoping upon everything that he could find Minty and maybe just maybe try and fix what was broken. Rarity watched after Prose waving, thinking to herself, ‘I hope one day I find myself head over hooves in love like him.’ And with this last though she started humming a cheerful tune to herself and went back inside.