The Wild Card

by Tyrant

All Cloak, No Dagger (Finale)

As my meeting with Discord was still present in my mind, I settled into routine and things became normal again. The girls were back, and I was busy cleaning up the library, with no one having any knowledge about my visit to Canterlot.

Keeping Twilght away from that book was becoming harder, and eventually I would be in hot water. I already know she suspected something was up since I volunteered more around the library; now I was busy with the bookshelves. The question of where I could place it no pony would think to look, that opportunity was becoming less and less easy to focus on as each minute seemed to feel like an executioner's calling.

"Siegfried, did you finish dusting all the bookshelves in fiction and science?" Twilight called to me from her lab.

"Yea, I did that already. I'm up to magic basics now, be finished in a few more minutes. Did you need something?" Telling me everything was fine I continued with my work, the faster I could finish this, the faster I could take the book far from Twilight Sparkle's eager mind. There really was no telling how much she would grill me for having a book and not even bringing it to her attention, I needed to get it out of here fast.

Finishing up the last of my duties, I did a quick check-in on Spike. "Hey buddy, you feeling better yet?" Spike looked at me from his bed-basket, moaning his discomfort. Apparently he celebrated a bit too much when he became the hero of their recent adventure. Although I had to agree I'd probably have done the same, instead of letting it get to his head, it went all to his stomach. After eating a colossal buffet of gems the poor dragon couldn't even get off the train without me coming to pick him up and carry him home.

"I figured as much, sorry man. You want anything? Way I figure I'm done for the day, I can pick you up some gems while I'm out." That earned me a gag at the mention of gems, snickering I decided to leave him recuperating. "I got some errands to run so Twilight will be watching you. Just try to sleep it off, I'll catch you later."

Cautiously I picked up the book from it's hiding place, behind the foal's stories and placed it quickly in my custom saddle-bag. I swear, the Equestrian way of talking was beginning to finally rub in to my own way of speech. Now instead of "anyone" it was "anypony", and "kids" were "foals". Thankfully I didn't start eating like them completely, though I have tried a few things here and there. I seemed to have no difficulty eating clovers or chamomile, though I hadn't completely dived in to the leafy greens and flower diet. I wouldn't be all too surprised waking up as a pony one day either, though it'd take time to learn how to walk on four legs instead of two. And to be quiet honest, I liked my two legs just the way they were.

Making my way to Fluttershy's I needed to go see Mossfoot today. I had asked Fluttershy to watch him while I took care of the tree house with Spike ill, top that off with me working again and I couldn't afford to give the little guy as much attention as I wanted to. That and I had a question I wanted to ask her, something that had been troubling me since I got this cursed book.

As I approached her cottage I could see her feeding the animals and Mossy came to greet me. "Hey boy! Who's a good boy, who's a good boy!" I rubbed his belly earning a tail wag for my efforts and a yipe of approval. Fluttershy spotted us and waved me over, with Mossy following I waved back feeling a huge weight build in the pit of my stomach. "Hey Fluttershy thanks for watching Mossy today, Spike still feels under the weather."

"Oh, it's not a problem at all. He's been such fun to take care of, and he seems to get along with Angel so well. Angel rarely becomes friends with anyone so quickly, I couldn't believe how fast Mossy bonded with him." I smiled at her compliments, it was good to know that the whole timber wolf scare seemed to calm down but I had a feeling that some things would have gotten worse had Mossy been more aggressive. For now though he was very docile, even showing dominance to Angel when the two would play together.

I nervously played with the strap on my saddlebag and tried to look behind Fluttershy at some interesting tree. "I'm glad you girls didn't get hurt at all, I know I said it before at the station but I wanted to say it to you personally. You know I wish I could have been there. Oh, I hope the pictures came out well, I haven't even gotten time to look at them. Sorry if any were out of focus."

"Oh! I forgot to thank you for the pictures, they were lovely. I wish I had been here to see them with you, I'm sorry we had to go. I-I had to be there, you know, being the element of kindness and I just didn't want to let my friends down." She hid behind her mane, I loved when she did that her cuteness just seemed to magnify and it made my heart simply melt.

Finding something interesting in the ground we both kicked the dirt as an unbearable silence settled between us. I knew what I was here for, but finally being alone with her again had made me want to just say more. "So I was wondering something the other day, and I wanted to ask you: Fluttershy, w-what would you say if I found a way home?" I was scared to look at her face but slowly brought my eyes to lock with hers. For awhile I couldn't read the expression on her face, it was a complete blank. Her eyes blinked a few times as if the question was not getting through to her at all, than she seemed to start breathing through her mouth trying to form words, after awhile a small trace of a smile begun to form, her voice however sounded.. hollow.

"I-I think that would be great. Yea, great. I mean, you would get to go back home to your own world, and see your friends, and your parents, and everyone. That is what you would want, right? To go home?" I hung my head down in shame. Honestly, home was a really good idea. But I only asked to see if she would've asked me to stay. I was hoping maybe, she would have indicated that she wouldn't want me to go. Taking a breath I decided to tell her my opinion on the matter.

"I wouldn't mind going home I guess, but I don't know. I miss home, sure, who wouldn't miss their home. But family? Friends? I don't know about all that. Family, I'm a single child, and my parents almost couldn't wait 'till I hit eight-teen so I could become independent. They asked me politely of course, they were good parents and saved up some money for me to try and find my own place. I think they had plans for when I left, I'm not sure. Before I came here to Equestria, we hadn't talked for almost two years. I guess they were off doing whatever, no phone calls or anything."

"Friends? Most of the people I went to school with don't even come around anymore, we traded contact information and I never got any replies when I asked them to hang out. I don't feel bad though, I just kind of expected it. It's not that I hate my life there, but looking back on it I feel like there wasn't much of a life there for me anyway. To be honest the only thing I miss most of all is the music."

Perhaps I was just ranting to myself at this point, but I was already letting it all come out. I felt that I needed to just tell her all of it, maybe I just needed somepony to just confide in. "I like it here, in Pony-Ville. I like the way a lot of ponies have accepted me even though I'm a real alien to them. I also like how I'm making friends here, not just calling them friends, but really hanging out with each other friends." I suddenly had a desire to say something that would probably backfire on me, hell it already had but I probably could be more coy this time. "If I did go back home though, I'd want you to come with me, and I know I couldn't ask you that... so I'd rather stay here."

If it were physically possible I think my heart would have burst through my rib-cage and made a bee-line to the Everfree Forest to live as a hermit. Thankfully the magic of this world still let some natural laws be in place and not broken. Noticing my breathing was ragged I steadied myself and released a shaky breath. "However, it's a moot point. I don't have a way to get home, I don't even know if it's possible, no one knows how I came in to your world. So how could I possibly get back?" I chuckled nervously, the next question was going to make or break me. "W-Would you want me to go?"

"Wh-what do you mean Ziggy?" Fluttershy stared at me wide-eyed and shocked. I debated on showing the book, on letting her know of the evidence I had. My brain screamed at me not to get her involved, not to get her close.

I shook my head vigorusly and she took a timid step back. "I-I really like you Fluttershy, and I know you know this but I still like you. I also know you said you couldn't right now and I'm fine with that, I really am. I just wanted to know, if you think I should return home, is all."

Fluttershy looked thoughtful, as if her brain was just evaluating the question for the first time. "That isn't for me to answer." I sighed feeling rejected yet again.

"No, let me phrase it right, please. What I mean is, it isn't for me to answer if I think you should return home. That is something you would have to come to terms with on your own." She started to hide behind her mane again. "B-But I, I would very much like you to stay. If you like it here, than why leave? Right?" She trailed off above a whisper and I couldn't make it out. I strained to hear the rest but I just couldn't.

"I-I didn't catch that Fluttershy, I'm sorry."

"I-I said.. that well...", she closed her eyes forcing the words out, "I-I also don't want you to leave. I like you."

"Huh?!"

"Not like you as a special somepony, well not that much, I like you, as a friend. You're one of the first stallion friends I've made. I-I want to continue spending time with you. You-You didn't mind going to the butterfly migration when I asked. Some ponies just don't like nature as much as I do. You're the first, and I want to continue to do things with you. If you don't mind."

"Right, no I don't mind. I don't mind at all." Hot damn. She liked me, platonic like is good enough for me, I'll take what I can get damn you! "I'd love to hang out with you, anytime, anywhere, anything. Don't feel shy asking me, okay?" I could feel my blood pumping in my veins faster now, as if I had just been running for miles.

She giggled at my excitement. She giggled at my actions. Do you get what I'm saying here, she giggled and it was like hearing an enchantress lull me to paradise. Heck, I'd take doom too just to hear that melodious giggle again and again. "I have to take Mossy for a walk, and I need to get going. Thanks again Fluttershy, I'll drop him off tomorrow if Spike still doesn't feel better, is that okay?"

"Of course, I wouldn't mind watching him again. Bye Mossy, be a good boy now, okay?" Petting him with her hooves the pup just yipped happily for her and licked her hoof in admiration. I waved goodbye making my way toward a goal I had set before I had arrived, I knew exactly what to do with this book now. I was going to bury it in Everfree Forest, I wanted to stay here in Equestria. This was home now, and even if there was a history of my kind coming there was no history of them GOING.That meant that like them, I was stuck here; but like them I could learn to make a life here.

Comments

[Mother3Forever]

First Chance I get, I'm reading this.

[Anal Invader]

You've got yourself a pretty good HiE fix going here. I enjoyed Fluttershy's rejection of Sieg just cause it was unique and a good change from the pony instantly falling for the human. Just look over it a little bit, cause you have a few mistakes. All and all though, pretty good

[Tyrant]

2393340

Actually, I never liked the way Blueblood was portrayed in the show. Trixie was a fan favorite for sure, and I could understand that. But to me, Blueblood had potential.

He always has, but with being given so very little screen time I figure any writer willing to give that arrogant prince a chance can probably write him well and possibly make him half-decent.

That's just my two cents though, heh.

[Tyrant]

2393172

I'm terrible at finding my own mistakes. Honestly I am, I usually have to write the chapter so fast my mind is spinning. Than I have to re-read it to see if I am being clear in the story and character portrayal, after all that I have to check for grammar and any spelling. That's without having to re-write and re-write. Than if I have an entire paragraph to take out I have to fill in something. It's fun, but yea, if I cannot see it I'm sorry.

Feel free to point it out to me so I can improve my writing on future chapters. I thank you whole-heartedly in advance.

[Tyrant]

2393152

In the words of my favorite champ: Twisted Fate

"Never lost a fair game, or played one."

All my cards are wild.

[Anal Invader]

2393458 Well I'll correct one that can get on people's nerves sometimes. On the fourth last paragraph on the second sentence, you used the wrong your/you're. I get the feeling you know which one to use, but just seeing it can awake the inner grammar nazi in many readers

[Tyrant]

2393521

Fixed, and thanks. Wow I cannot believe I totally missed that, see it's when it's pointed out I start to notice I made an error. Grammar errors are critical to me, I have a respect for people who respect proper grammar. Grammar Nazi'ing or not (is that even a word I can use) I do appreciate even pointed out small flaws like that.

[Anal Invader]

2393546 Don't worry about it. Mistakes are easy to make. I just found out I've consistently been making an error with many of my quotations in my own story luckily, no one seemed to notice

[Tyrant]

2393912

This guy... I think I like this guy,

Where do you guys get those awesome gif's.

[Tyrant]

2394058

Wow did I really leave the impression they were dating on that chapter? Sorry for the confusion buddy but, that's not what's going on at all. At least not the way I was trying to portray it. I was going for more or less that he was trying to find things to do with her, I'm time skipping alot which is sorta burning my ass but I feel if I do it too chronological the story will become really.. stale.

As for the leather binding bit, wow you're right on the money on that one. I hadn't really meant for there to be a more hidden meaning behind it. Interesting, I may have a use for that, thanks for pointing it out.

[Fedte16]

I don't really mind the mistakes, this is great. Keep it up mayn

[CaptainFabulass]

2393923
i4.ytimg.com/vi/g8Wp51NI2BY/mqdefault.jpg
What is this place
filled with so many wonders?
Casting its spell
That I am now under
themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/tumblr-logo.jpeg

[Darkran]

Two fucking words!! FRIEND ZOOONNEEDDD....!!!