Two Wildly different individuals have a conversation on a bench.
A week after moving to Ponyville, Violet Petal as already seen and experienced wonderful things such as the Elements stopping evil villains and monsters, the Castle of Friendship, and Pinkie Pie's parties. Unfortunately, she has also experienced many awful things. Including prejudices from the town's residents. For she is a Thestral, or "bat pony," to the more blunt members of society.
After one particularly bad day, she runs across a strange bipedal creature napping in the park.
Author's note: I was featured! It was for a few minutes, sure, but still!
It was a cool fall afternoon when Violet found herself walking through the park with her head hanging low. It had only been a week since she moved to Ponyville, and she was looking for a job. She prided herself on her work ethic, and her ability with growing flowers. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the ponies of Ponyville. To them, she was odd, an outsider, some thing that had taken up residence in town.
It was as she was pondering the cruelty of the ponies when she noticed a bench on the path, and the creature that sat upon it. It was tall, and wore clothing, blue jeans and a green hoodie. She approached it carefully, attempting to deduce what it was. It had short brown fur on the top of its head, and some lighter fuzz on the bottom half of its face. As she got closer she realized it was sleeping.
Violet placed her front hooves on the arm of the bench, so she could get a closer look at its face. She wracked her brain in an attempt to deduce what the this strange being was. Was it a species of monkey, or a sickly Minotaur? Where was it from? What can it do? These were the questions that bubbled to the surface of her thoughts.
"Seat's open. I'd prefer it if you gazed longingly into my good side." The creature spoke, spooking the young Thestral, causing her to jump, extend her wings, and release a sound not too dissimilar to a squeak. It looked at her with an amused expression on it's face as it patted the spot next to it. She looked back into it's steel grey eyes and huffed.
"I wasn't 'gazing longingly'." She stated as she walked around and sat next to the creature.
"Oh, I know I got a pretty face, you don't need to hide your infatuation." It responded with a wink. Violet glared at the creature with baleful, golden eyes.
It began to chuckle. "That has to be the most adorable glare I have ever seen." A blush formed on Violet's cheeks at its words. She shook her head and asked the most prominent question on her mind.
"What are you?" Violet winced when the words left her mouth. That certainly wasn't the best way to word that, but if the creature was offended, he didn't show it. Instead, he stood up, and turned towards the Thestral. It raised both its arms to its side.
"I am Andrew Sullivan, you may call me Andy or Sully, if you so choose!" He began marching back and forth with one hand pointing to the sky, while the other rested behind his back. "I am a member of the species Homo Sapiens, or human, if you will. A proud race whose technological, psychological, medical, mechanical, and spiritual knowledge and technology knows no bounds. We who created the pyramids, we who created the Great Wall of China, we who have walked on the moon, and dream even bigger." He stood in front of his seat on the bench and turned towards the sunset. "We who look to the horizon, but instead of seeing the end of the day, see the beginning of a beautiful night." He plopped lazily back onto the bench. "But," the smile on his face disappeared after that one word, "that doesn't mean much here." Violet stared in confusion at the weird creature.
"Wait, you've walked on the moon." Her question caused the human to laugh.
"No, I haven't. I'm not from Equus." Her eyes widened. Is she talking to an alien? "I'm from a place called Earth. I went for a walk, and ended up here. That was..." He placed a hand on his chin in thought. "Three years ago. Tomorrow."
"Have you tried to go back?" Andrew raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Trying to get rid of me already?" Violet violently shook her head and stumbled over her words.
"N-No! I-I mean ... What I meant was..." The alien waved her out of her tangent.
"I know what you meant, and yes, I tried." He leaned back into his seat to get comfortable. "So, you new in town?" Violet nodded with a wide grin.
"I'm Violet, this place is wonderful!" She began to gush on about the scenery and how good the soil is for growing flowers. "I met the flower sisters a couple days ago and we talked about techniques and tools for gardening."
"That's Rose and her sisters right?" Violet nodded, and Andrew laughed. "Did you know that in my first week here, I met those three. I was walking through the market when I bumped into Rose."
"How did you bump into Rose?" Violet's question caused Andrew to rub the back of his neck.
"I had my head down, wasn't really paying attention. But, any ways, I bumped into her, and I apologized. But she was frozen, she wouldn't speak or move. At that moment I saw that her sisters were behind her, also frozen."
"What happened next?" Violet asked, wondering how the story ended.
"They fainted. Just, fell over."
"That's it?"
"They recovered and accepted my apology, and now I'm their go to maintenance guy." Andrew frowned. "I skipped the bit about how the town was ready to have the Elements blow me into friendship dust. Guess you could say that they saved me from getting lynched." Violet gasped.
"Really?! Why would they do that?" With a shrug the human continued.
"Just look at me, I'm almost twice as big as your average pony. I could look down to Princess Celestia. I'm weird and hairless. I'm always wearing clothes, thank god for Rarity. And icing on the shitty cake, I eat meat. I'm an omnivore. While I can eat fruits and veggies, I also need meat. Because of this, most ponies thought I was going to eat them." He saw the look on Violet's face. "I don't eat ponies. I prefer my meat, non-sentient."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Andrew laughed and shook his head.
"You didn't offend me. Not much can anymore. Enough about me. All I know about you is your name. Where do you work?" Violet bowed her head with her furry ears flattening against her head.
"I'm currently looking for work. Nopony wants to hire a Thestral. Rose told me if they ever needed help, that they would come to me, but they don't. At least not right now." Andrew stood up and stared into the sky, seemingly studying the stars that were coming out.
"How are you with manual labor?" Violet looked up at him in confusion.
"I'm generally good with getting my hooves dirty." Andrew looked back at her.
"I could use a hand, I fix things for some of the ponies in town. If you're interested, meet me at Sugarcube Corner in the morning." He looked towards the moon. "I've got to get home and plan out tomorrow's route. I'll see you later, Vi." He smiled at her before walking down the path.
"Bye, Andy." Violet sat there for a few more moments and stargazed. She smiled to herself as she got off the bench and began trotting home.
Violet walked up to the door to Sugarcube Corner. It was early in the morning, and the bakery had just opened. As she stepped inside, she was overwhelmed by the smell of sweets and coffee. Pinkie waved at her enthusiastically from the counter. The dinning area was empty for the most part, save for Mr.Cake and Andrew, who was crouched next to a broken table. He was wearing a long sleeve flannel shirt and brown cargo pants with a tool belt. The table he was examining was broken into two.
"How in the hell did this happen?" Andrew gawked at the table before rolling his sleeves up, and pulled a small flashlight from his belt. "The surface is split in two. Luckily, the only damage to the base was a bent screw."
"We had a part-timer working a couple days ago, and he tripped and fell into it. I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't see it myself. So, what's the diagnosis, Sully?" Mr.Cake explained as Andrew stood up and placed the flashlight in a pouch on his belt.
"Well, like I said, the base is fine for the most part, which is great considering it's bolted to the floor, but the table top is FUBAR. I'm gonna have to make a new one." He pulled a measuring tape out. "I'm gonna remove the piece that's still attached, measure one of the other tables for reference, and hopefully have the new table top done by lunch tomorrow."
"Thanks, Sully, you're quite a handy fella." Mr.Cake thanked the human before returning to the kitchen. Violet stepped up to Andrew.
"Hi Andy." Andrew jumped and turned to the Thestral.
"You startled me there. You here for the job, Vi?" Violet nodded, causing Andrew to smile.
"Great," He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a small notepad and pencil before handing them to Violet, "I need you to write down these measurements for me." Andrew walked over to one of the other tables and started measuring it, calling them out for Violet to write down.
Afterwards, he grabbed a screwdriver and began removing the broken table top. Violet sat off to the side and watched him work. Ponies had begun to enter the bakery for their morning coffee. That's when Violet noticed the looks. While she caught few uncomfortable glances, most were directed toward the human. He didn't seem to notice them, or he didn't care. With a grunt, Andrew removed the broken slab of wood, and motioned for Violet to follow him. He led her to the backdoor of the building, saying goodbyes to Pinkie and the Cakes. Outside the backdoor sat a purple wagon that had a large wooden box, and several bits and pieces of wood, metal, and other parts in it. The side had the words 'Sully's Fix-It Wagon' painted in yellow. With another grunt, he tossed the broken table pieces in the wagon.
"We're going to go to the Carousel Boutique, Rarity has a busted sewing machine, then we go to Sweet Apple Acres cause the Apple's wagon has a broken axle." He walked around to the front of the wagon, where a pony would normally hitch them self. He began to pull the wagon as Violet took to the air and floated next to him. "Today, I'm just going to show you what the job might entail, so at most, I'll have you hold something for me or write measurements. If you still want the job at the end of the day, I'll teach you how to do some of these things tomorrow." They started the trek to the boutique in relative silence, until Violet spoke.
"So, is it just you?" She asked noting how it was only the two of them.
"Yep, though that may change, depending on your decision at the end of the day." He let out a chuckle. "To think, I have a law degree on Earth, but here, my passion for tinkering got me a job I enjoy. I think I would have been a terrible lawyer. No, I know I would have been."
"Then why did you get a law degree?" Violet landed and began walking.
"My father made me do it. 'You have to make a name for yourself, son, and law school is just the place to get started.'" They arrived at the boutique while talking. "I've had many jobs, from fry cook to mechanic, but the one I hated most was being a lawyer." He shook his head and pointed at the boutique. "Have you met Rarity?" Violet shook her head. "She's great. If a bit uptight."
The bell sounded as they entered the boutique. Violet gaped at all the mannequins and the clothing they displayed. You didn't need to be a professional to recognize the impressive craftsmanship of the garments. Jewels, sequins, and ribbons expertly placed in well woven cloths and silks. She was taken out of her daze by singsong voice calling from up the stairs.
"Just a minute!" Andrew looked around the crowded room.
"Must be a big order." The human began walking to the counter and leaned on it. Rarity trotted in with several spools of fabric in tow. "These going to Canterlot?"
"Yes, darling, they are." She placed the fabrics next to an unfinished dress before turning her attention to Andrew and Violet, mostly to Violet. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique. How can I help you dear?" She spoke with rehearsed words and a genuine smile.
"I'm Violet, I'm with him." Violet gestured towards Andrew.
"We're here for the sewing machine. You said it was broken." He raised a brow and the corner of his mouth rose in a sly smirk."Unless you just said that so you could get me alone with you." Rarity smiled and scoffed.
"You wish. It's over there." She pointed towards the back of the shop, where a sewing machine, that was about a couple inches taller than Andrew, sat. Andrew walked over and began examining it's exterior as Rarity pulled Violet to the side. "What's your relationship to our dear Andrew?" Rarity asked with a smirk and one raised eyebrow, trying to speak low enough that the human, who was now attempting to remove a panel the size of his chest, couldn't hear.
"Well, I met him last night in the park, and we talked a bit before he offered me a job helping him. I guess we're friends." Violet summarized. Rarity frowned before speaking even softer.
"Was he sitting on that bench by the path?" Violet nodded. "The path that goes all the way around the park?" Violet nodded again. "Oh my." Rarity looked at the human with a worried expression, that quickly turned into one of surprise. "Careful Andrew, dear, That's rather.."
"AH!" THUMP
"Heavy." Rarity sighed as she lifted the panel off of the human. Andrew called out a strained 'I'm okay'. Rarity rolled her eyes in amusement before speaking. "Do be careful Andrew, that is an important piece of equipment."
"Please Rarity, I'm a professional." He called back. He then began staring at the inner workings of the unnecessarily large sewing machine. "Now, if I was a busted dohicky, where would I be?" He scrutinized every inch of the complicated and crowded interior before exclaiming. "A-Ha! Found it!" He eyed the loose motor behind a few layers of machinery. He hummed as he thought of a way to get to the fist sized motor.
He got onto his knee and pulled out his notebook and pencil. Flipping to a clean page he began drawing the parts between him and the motor. The room's other occupants stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. They watched in amazement as he drew. His accuracy was amazing as he sketched each little detail on the parts, including serial numbers and splotches of discoloration. He then wrote notes with arrows pointing towards certain areas indicating screws that needed to be removed to remove the piece, or put it back. After he was done, he placed the pencil in the spiral binding of the notebook before handing it to Violet.
"Hold onto this, Vi. I need it so I won't forget how to put it back together." He then began removing a belt that was in the way. Meanwhile, the fashionista and the Thestral gardener gawked at the drawing.
"The detail in this is amazing." Violet spoke quietly as Rarity did her best to recompose herself.
"I knew he has a talent for the arts, but he still baffles me sometimes." Rarity then sighed heavily. "I wish the drafts for my dresses were this amazing." The notebook was pulled from Violet's grasp as Andrew had finished putting the motor back in place. His eyes shifted from machine to paper multiple times, occasionally pointing a screw driver at parts in the machine and on the paper.
After ten minutes, the sewing machine was in one piece and functioning. Rarity floated a bag of bits over to Andrew, who grabbed them out of the air and started counting them.
"Rarity, this is too much, I estimated fifty bits. You just gave me sixty." Andrew looked up at the fashionista, who waved him off.
"Call it a tip, darling. Now if you can excuse me, I have an order to finish." Andrew shrugged as he opened the door with a bow directed to Violet.
"Ladies first." Violet giggled as she left. Andrew went to follow her before Rarity called out his name.
"Remember that we're here for you, alright?" She told him with concern written on her face. Andrew only smiled before responding.
"Of course." And with that, he left.
He started pulling the wagon towards Sweet Apple Acres with Violet walking next to him. It would take them a while to get to the farm, so he struck up conversation.
"You can ride on the wagon if you want." He spoke with smirk.
"I don't want to make it any harder for you to pull it." Violet argued, but Andrew only laughed.
"If I can run full speed from a manticore, while pulling this wagon, with Applejack, Rarity, and three trouble making fillies in it, I can pull it with a plus one at a leisurely pace to the farm." So, with that argument, Violet sat herself on the wagon facing the human's back. After a moment of silence, Andrew spoke. "Where ya from?"
"The Crescent Mountains originally, but I lived with my parents in Canterlot since Princess Luna's return." Violet answered as she watched the scenery go by. They had left the actual town Ponyville and have entered the country side. She could see the orchard in the distance, but she knew it would take them a little longer to get there.
"What do your parents do?" The human asked as he rearranged his grip on the wagon.
"They're both Lunar guards. They actually wanted me to join them, but they were supportive when I told them I'd rather be gardener."
"Cool! You should've heard Dad when I said I didn't like being a Lawyer." He straightened his back and lowered his voice. "'At least get the degree, try it out, then tell me if you like it or not.'"
"What did you tell him?" Violet got comfortable on the large box at the front of the wagon.
"I conceded and went to law school, got my degree, and spent a year as a lawyer. As I figured, I didn't like it." He gaze shifted to the ground briefly. "But, I didn't get a chance to tell him that." Shaking his head, he asked another question. "You got any siblings?" Violet noticed his attempt at changing the subject, but decided not to call him out on it.
"I have an older brother, but he moved away years ago, and we haven't heard from him since." She never really got to know him, so she wasn't too worried about him. "How about you?"
"Two, a younger sister and brother, twins. Their names were Nathan and Sonny. Nathan was more like Dad. A no nonsense sort of guy. Last I remember, he was getting his law degree, which is good for him, cause he actually likes the idea of being a lawyer." Andrew began to chuckle. "But Sonny was more like Mom and me. She didn't want financial security, she wanted fun, and to be happy. She was the first to get married, and she even had a kid!" Chuckling, Andrew waved his hand through the air. "She became a stunt pilot! Had Dad worrying about her for months until she got pregnant." After recovering from his fit of joy, he continued. "Named her son after a famous stunt pilot, Arthur Everett Sullivan." Though it was hard to tell from her angle, Violet saw tears rolling down Andrew's face.
"I'm sorry, Andy." He laughed before stopping the wagon and pulling a napkin out of his pants pocket.
"Don't worry about it." He wiped off the tears off of his face before looking back at her. "I may miss them, but they don't need me. They will do just fine. I'm okay." He put the napkin away before looking Violet in the eye. "I've learned that while you can't live in the past. Trying to forget it will hurt you just as much. I've got the memories, even a few photos. I know they are alright, even if they don't know that I am." He grabbed the wagon and began pulling again. "Life is like an ocean, filled with waves and ripples. If you try to fight the currents, you'll only stay in place."
They entered the farm and headed toward the house. Andrew noticed a familiar stetson nearby that hadn't noticed them yet. he brought a hand to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, gaining Applejack's attention. She smiled and trotted over.
"Howdy, Sully, what brings ya to the farm?" Andrew smirked and pointed at the farmpony.
"Your wagon." Applejack's expression took a turn for the confused.
"But, the wagon's fine." Andrew smirk retreated back into a frown.
"Is it, AJ? Is it?" Applejack tilted her head.
"Ah didn't call you here." Andrew nodded.
"You're right. You didn't. Granny Smith did." Applejack went wide eyed.
"Well, still, the wagon's fine." Andrew began pulling the wagon, with a confused Violet on top, towards the barn. Applejack quickly ran up and kept pace with the human. "Now, hold on, where ya goin'."
"To fix your wagon." When they reached the front of the barn, he let go of the the wagon and pulled out a custom jack from the back. "The last time I fixed the wagon, I told you that if that axle broke again, it would have to be replaced." Violet and Applejack followed the human as he marched into the barn and up to the wagon in question. "Imagine my surprise when I hear from Granny Smith that not only did it break again and that you and Big Mac 'fixed' it, but that it happened, twice!" He was now glaring down at Applejack, much like a parent to a child who broke something.
"It wasn't that bad." Applejack tried to argue as Andrew stuck the jack under the wagon and began cranking it. "We didn't think we needed to get ya for a crack." Andrew removed both wheels and a detached a few components, then he pulled out the axle in question. It was slightly bent in the middle with bits of tape wrapped around two points on it. He turned to Applejack with a deadpan expression and with little effort, snapped it in two, causing Applejack to wince.
"Not that bad?" He let out a sigh. "Look, something like this," he motioned with the wooden sticks in his hands, "is dangerous, just listen to me when I give you a diagnosis, because what if this broke while you or Mac were pulling it. Either of you could get seriously injured." Applejack raised a hoof, only to be interrupted by Andrew shaking his head. "Don't worry about the price, I still owe you for when you let me stay in your house. Now, please swallow your stubborn pride, and let me fix your fucking wagon." Applejack bowed her head.
"Ah'm sorry, Sully."
"Don't fret about it, AJ. I only do it, cause I care." He marched past the two and began rummaging through the parts on the wagon. At this point, Applejack finally noticed the third party. "Who're you?"
"I'm Violet Petal, and I'm working with Andy today." She answered with a smile. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance miss Applejack." She offered her hoof, which Applejack shook with a smile.
"Just AJ is fine, any friend of Sully is a friend of mine." Andrew returned with a new axle and began putting the wagon back together. "Well, Ah gotta get back out there and finish my field. Thanks again, Sully." Andrew grunted in response as Applejack left, leaving Violet and Andrew alone.
"Tell me about your mother." Violet spoke to break the silence.
"What do you want to know?" Andrew responded from under the wagon.
"What was she like?" Andrew stopped moving and was silent for a few moments, causing Violet to think that she crossed a line, but before she could apologize he spoke.
"She was warm, welcoming. A lot of people loved her, and she loved a lot of people. And, as her kids, we couldn't do no wrong in her eyes. She was understanding, she listened, and above all else, she cared. I got out of some of the lowest points in my life by talking with her." He stopped working and just laid there. "Out of all of them, I miss her the most. Coming here was... it..." He mulled over his thoughts before continuing. "I was devastated when I realized I could never talk to her again." With a sigh he came out from under the wagon. "Well, we're done, and it's just passed noon, want to go get some lunch?" Violet nodded as they returned to the wagon.
Violet sat on the wagon as they made their way out of the farm. It was a comfortable silence. She thought about the human in front of her. He's a little strange, but who isn't? She thought back to the boutique, to the way Rarity reacted to hearing about where Andrew was when they met. What happened to him there? Why was he on that bench so late in the day? These questions and more floated around Violet's head. But, they will have to wait.
The first thing that Violet noticed as they were sat down at their table, was the emptiness of the tables around them. The waiter was polite, but you didn't need a psychology degree to know why he sat them in a far away corner. Far from the other diners. The waiter gave them their menus and walked away. Andrew looked around the room with a raised brow. To Violet, this was the first time he actually acknowledged the stares.
"You'd think they'd be used to me by now." He spoke under his breath before picking up is menu. Violet mimicked his action and explored the menu. After a moment, Andrew spoke. "So?" She looked up at the human, who was peaking at her from over the menu. "Got an idea of what you want?"
"Well, I think I'll try the fruit salad." She placed the menu down onto the table. Andrew waved down the waiter and they gave their orders.
"So you grew up in the mountains?"
"Actually, I grew up in the valley. The Crescent Mountains is a series of mountains surrounding a valley. Though the capital sits at the peak of one the mountains, Most towns and villages are in the valley."
"What's it like there?"
Violet winced. "Right now, it's nice."
Andrew blinked in confusion. "Right now? So not so nice before?"
"It was only recently united when Princess Luna returned. Before that, it was pretty rough." The waiter returned with their food, Violet receiving a fruit salad, and Andrew getting pasta.
"How rough?" He asked taking a forkful of food.
"Right now, the official name of the nation is 'The Thestral Republic'. Before, it was half it's current size. The rest of the towns were independent."
Andrew leaned back. "So, how was it growing up there?"
"It wasn't bad, but because banditry was a big problem, everypony had to enlist in the town guard when they were old enough."
The human went wide eyed and smirked. "Oh, so you know how to kick my ass?"
Violet released what could only be described as a 'giggle-snort', and fought to avoid breaking out in laughter. "That depends on how well you behave Mr.Sullivan."
"Please, Mr.Sullivan is my father. So, how long were you an ass kicker?" Andrew asked as he lifted another forkful.
"Only a year, and I spent all of it inside of the town, so I didn't actually kick anypony's ass." Violet took a bite from her fruit salad before continuing. "Mom and Dad, though. They were good enough to be selected to train the Lunar Guard after Princess Luna's return."
"So both of your parents not only kicked ass, they kick ass so good that moon butt recruited them to train her guards," Andrew took a sip of his water before placing the glass back on the table and staring into Violet's eyes, "to kick ass?" Violet nodded and the human began to laugh. "I feel for the guy you take home to meet them."
"I honestly don't know how they would react."
Andrew looked up from his plate. "Never met one good enough to take home?"
Violet blushed as she shrunk into her seat. "N-No. Have you?"
Andrew eyed Violet incredulously. One of the first things he learned here was that ponies wore their emotions and feelings like he wore clothes. In a few words, they're easy to read. He breathed out slowly has he thought back on his life.
"There was one girl on Earth, but she found someone better, or at least that's what she told me."
Violet winced. "Sorry. What about here, in Equestria?"
Andrew shifted his gaze to his pasta before speaking. "No. I mean I tried, but it didn't end well." In an attempt to change the topic, the human asked Violet another question. "So how did you get into gardening?"
Violet smiled widely. "There are these flowers that only grow in the valleys of The Crescent Mountains. Some ponies call them Crescent Beauties. They only bloom once, and they can take a decade to grow. When I was a foal, I found one underneath an old wagon. It wasn't getting any sunlight or water. I was too small to move the wagon, so I got a trowel from my Grandmother's shed, crawled under the wagon, and dug it up. I brought it to my Grandmother and she helped me take care of it. When it finally bloomed, I got my cutie mark." She stated proudly. "What got you into tinkering?" Violet threw his own question back at him.
Andrew leaned back into his chair as he reminisced. "I've always had a knack for taking things apart and putting them back together. In high school I started taking things apart to make something new. I learned how a lot of things worked. It helped out a lot in law school."
"What convinced you to fix things for other ponies?"
"Nobody was willing to repair the apeman's shit. AJ's toaster stopped toasting, and because I was staying with her, no.. repairpony? would take the job, so I fixed it. It just sorta snowballed from there." Andrew took the last bite of his pasta before leaning forward. "Speaking of work. What do you think of the job? You in?"
"Sure, I'll do it." They shook on it.
They stood up to leave, with Andrew paying for the meal. When they got to the wagon, Andrew opened a small box. He pulled out bag of bits and counted out forty five before handing them to Violet.
"Meet me at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow morning, same time. Today was relatively short day, so expect tomorrow to last past lunch. I'll see you later Vi, I got to go make that table for the cakes."
"Bye Andy." Violet began to walk away, wondering where she will go now. After a moment of thought, she decided to go see if the flower sisters were free to hang out. Even then, she couldn't wait for tomorrow.
She has a job, and a friend now.
Andrew pulled the wagon towards the edge of town. Whereas Fluttershy lived on the outskirts of the Everfree side of town, Andrew lived on the side closer to the valley. He recalled when Rarity got kidnapped by diamond dogs there, and how she escaped by 'whining' them into submission.
He approached his home. It was a decent size house, with a large building next to it that wasn't too different from a two car garage from his world. It even had garage doors, though they only open manually. The human pulled the wagon up to the building. He often referred to it as his office. He froze when he spotted the garage door, or what was written on it.
"Damnit." He whispered under his breath as he pulled the wagon around the side and placed a tarp over it. He returned to the vandalized door and stood in front of it. The look on his face twisted into a sneer as he reared his arm back, "DAMNIT!" He punched it as hard as he could.
He lifted the door and walked in, not bothering to close it back. He lived far enough away from Ponyville that nobody could complain about the loudness of his tools. looking around, he took in the sights of the workbenches and tools. The unfinished projects and the sketched blueprints for even more lined one wall. The other side had materials and scraps. He found a decent sized piece of wood. A perfect candidate for a table. He walked over to a table where one of the few things that followed him here resided. Picking up his IPod, he hit shuffle.
Time to work.
Twilight and her friends approached Andrew's house. It was almost dusk, the sunset hadn't happened yet, but it was getting close. They didn't usually meet their human friend all at once like this, but they were worried. They heard the telltale sound of Andrew's tools, indicating that he was still working.
When they reached the open door to the garage they saw the human hard at work on the new table top. A song began to play. Andrew began singing along, completely unaware of his audience. It wasn't the first time they had heard him sing, but he only ever sung when he was sure that he was alone. He started sanding the table to the beat of the song.
As the song ended, Pinkie shouted. "Hiya Andy, how's the table coming!?"
Andrew, to his credit, only jumped a little. "Good, just gotta slap some paint on it and it'll be done." He then noticed the others. Reaching to his IPod, he paused it before looking back at the girls. "Hey girls, what's the occasion?"
Rainbow Dash floated over to the human and nudged his side. "We heard you met a mare Sully."
Andrew furrowed his brow at Rainbow before pointing accusingly at her. "Hey Skittles. No fly zone." Rainbow pouted before landing and muttering something about a certain someone being 'no fun'. Smiling, the human continued. "Violet? what about her?"
Rarity stepped forward. "Well, it's not everyday you make a new friend, or hire somebody to work with you. While the first isn't odd, the second most definitely is."
"What's so odd about it? I've got a good bit of work piled up, and I needed some help."
This time Applejack walked up to the human with a raised brow. "This comin' from the human who once said, 'Ah don't need any help, you could break every appliance in Ponyville, it'll still be too easy.'"
Andrew crossed his arms and leaned against his workbench. "Do you guys have a problem with Violet?"
Rarity smiled and shook her head. "Why no darling, she is absolutely lovely."
"It's more about where you two met." Twilight spoke. "Sitting on that bench by the path."
Andrew frowned and straightened his back. "So what? I sat on a bench." This caused the others to frown, including Pinkie.
Twilight continued. "We're just worried about you, Andy."
He furrowed his brow. "For sitting on a bench? Don't you worry about it, It's just a bench."
Applejack began to glare at him. "You know darn well what we're talking about, sugarcube."
Twilight looked of to the side. "We know what today is."
Andrew sighed as he turned his gaze to the calendar, and the date that was circled, today. "The third year anniversary of my waking up here. I told you girls, I came to peace with it a while ago."
Applejack took a step towards the human. "Then why were ya sittin' on that bench?"
Andrew scoffed before returning Applejack's glare. "Because. It. Was. A. Bench. I was walking in the park and my legs were tired, so I sat on that bench." He spoke through his teeth, each word growing in volume and intensity. "Excuse me, for wanting to rest on a bench. It was a welcoming bench. There was nothing there to tell me to not sit on that bench!" The girls, save for Applejack and Rainbow, shrunk at the increasing anger coming from the human. "That bench did nothing to say that I couldn't sit there! That bench hasn't done anything to make me feel unwelcome! That bench doesn't call me 'monkey'! It doesn't throw garbage at me! AND SURE AS HELL HASN'T TOLD ME TO WALK INTO THE EVERFREE AND DIE!" That particular part caused Applejack to wince as if she were punched in the gut. Andrew was breathing hard. "But fuck me, right?! Fuck me for wanting to sit on a goddamn bench!"
Applejack opened her mouth to speak before the human held up a hand and stopped her. He took a deep breath and sat down on the one metal chair he had in the garage. He placed his head in his hands and spoke quietly. "Just go." He leaned back and waved a hand toward the unfinished table. "I got to finish this table." He stood up and followed as the girls walked out without sound. They all turned around once outside, but before they could say anything, Andrew closed the garage door. And they all gasped at the image of a poorly drawn monkey, and the words that accompanied it.
The sun was drifting slowly towards the horizon as Andrew and Violet approached the edge of the market. The human was pulling the wagon while his new employee sat on it. Violet listened intently to Andrew as he explained basic repairs and safety guidelines. When she got to Surgarcube Corner, the first thing she noticed was the wagon outside, and how it now said 'Sully'sand Co. Fixit Wagon'.
"And that's why, when you're working with electronics, you need to ground yourself first. My uncle had a stutter ever since then." Andrew stopped in front of the Ponyville general store, where the sign that hung over the door had fallen. He turned around to face Violet. "I'll be back, I'm gonna go tell Knick Knack we're here."
Violet nodded as he walked away. Jumping off the wagon, she walked over to the fallen sign. It was big, longer then Andrew was tall. A long, jagged crack ran along it's surface. Andrew walked out of the store followed by a grey pony wearing a red an white striped apron. The human approached the sign and studied it.
"It's in pretty bad shape, Mr. Knack." He began scratching his head. "I could put it back up, but with that crack there, a subtle fart could snap it in two."
Knick Knack rubbed his chin as he stared at the sign. "Do you think you can make me another one."
"Absolutely, but it would bump the cost up to one hundred twenty bits. It'll also take me a few days at least." Andrew and Violet watched as Mr. Knack thought it over.
"I can work with that." He finally said as he offered the human a hoof. Andrew shook it firmly. The shopkeeper went back inside after discussing some of the details with Andrew.
Andrew pointed at one end of the sign. "Help me get this onto the wagon, be careful, it wouldn't take much to break it at this point."
They placed the sign on the wagon, and Andrew was about to start pulling the wagon when something hit him in the chest. looking down, he saw something that caused him to sigh deeply. He looked up to find out who threw the banana. Laughter brought his attention to the culprits, a group of teens who were pointing and laughing at him.
Noticing the glare he was giving them, one of the teens began shouting at him. "What's the matter, monkey shit! Aren't you hungry!?" His outburst caused the others to laugh harder. Violet noticed that nopony acknowledged what was happening. In fact a couple stopped to watch. Then the kid said something that caught her attention. "Hey guys! Look! He's got a vampony with him!"
"Shouldn't you be inside, vampony!?" One of his friends began. "I thought you guys burned in the sunlight! We should've brought some sunblock for you!" Their antagonistic laughter caused Violet to shrink, her ears folding back on her head. Her wings slowly extending to wrap around herself. Her eyes never leaving the ground. She never noticed Andrew's eyes, how the emotion in them shifted from surprise at her becoming a target of the ridicule, to a glare directed at the teenagers.
Their laughter stopped one by one as they noticed his eyes. The human was for the most part passive towards any prejudice thrown at him, only resisting in his first few months of his arrival. Violet noticed the quiet as she took a tentative glance at the ne'er do wells, only to see Andrew taking slow steps toward them, rolling up the sleeves of his flannel work shirt. Every pony, including those who stopped to watch and those who were walking by, had looks of fear and surprise on their faces.
The human stood over the teenagers, his brow furrowed, and the banana in his hand. He raised the fruit and pointed it at the kids, one by one. Each one flinched as he did. When he spoke, his voice fostered a feral growl, and he made extra care to make sure he bared his teeth with each word.
"Who threw it?" His eyes held the fires of hell itself. The children were quick to point out the culprit. Andrew tossed the banana at his hooves. "I hate bananas. Keep that in mind next time." He shifted his gaze to the others. "Beat it." They continued to stare at the now angry human. "BEAT IT!" They ran off with their tails between their legs. Andrew sighed and returned to the wagon with a softer expression on his face. Violet noticed how he wouldn't look her in the eye as he approached. He grabbed the wagon and was about to start pulling when he saw the other ponies watching him. "Show's over!" He shouted as he began pulling.
They left the marketplace in the direction of Andrew's house. The quiet was awkward, neither knowing what to say. Violet began to notice how far out of town he lived. She lived by town hall. Why did he live so far out? Was it because of the ponies? Or did he just prefer open space? She was brought out of her thoughts by the human's voice.
"Sorry." He didn't look back at her, but his head was visibly drooping. Violet didn't know what to say. She admitted to herself that when Andrew shouted and got angry, he was kind of scary. "I try not to let them get to me, but sometimes.. I don't know." He shook his head as he pulled up to his garage. He straightened himself and turned around to face Violet. "I'm usually here in the mornings, getting things ready to head out, so meet me here at the usual time for now on." She helped him get the sign in the garage, then they said goodbye, and she went home.
Violet was sitting in her living room, holding a book. She wasn't reading it so much as staring at while thinking about Andrew. When she left his house, he looked sad. The more she thought of it, the less she thought that he was sad, but in pain. Not a physical pain so much, but an inner turmoil that can't be put into words. She's seen that look before. On the faces of Thestral guards in her old home, and the face her father has when he thinks no one is looking.
She was pulled from her contemplation by a knock her door. Putting the book away, she walked toward her door wondering who was there. It was late, in fact the sun was setting. When she opened it, she was surprised by who was on the other side.
It was Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane. Then Rarity spoke.
"Violet, darling, do you think you can do us a favor?"
Andrew sat with his eyes closed. Thoughts raced from one side of his mind to another. From the outside he seemed to be sleeping, but he was awake, which is half of why he was here. Sitting on an all to familiar bench. He had taken off his work shirt and replaced it with his hoodie. The human couldn't remember how long he had been out here. He felt a presence near him. A smile grew on his features as he remembered the last time this happened.
"Like I said, I prefer the stares of infatuation to be on my good side." He opened his eyes to see a now red faced Violet, but she only smirked and rolled her eyes before taking a seat next to the human. Any awkwardness from earlier seemed to have melted away as they sat on that bench where they met the other day. "What brings you out here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Violet fired back with a smirk. The human looked up at the stars with a look of inconclusive thought. He didn't know what to say.
"You ever, just, I don't know.. Think?" Though he couldn't see Violet's confused visage, he continued. "I think. I think when I'm at home and when I work. I think when I'm happy, when I'm sad, and when I'm not particularly either. I think when I'm alone and when I'm with others. I think about good things. I think about bad things. I think about things in between. I think about my mother, my father, my sister and brother. I think about my old life, my old job, my old friends. I think about my new life, my new friends. I think about Twilight, Aj, Skittles, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie. I think about Big Mac, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and more recently," He finally moved his gaze to Violet, "you." This caused Violet face to redden again. "I think about my orders, my projects, and the sculptures that I make out of the leftover scraps. I think when I'm awake, when I eat, and when I'm trying to sleep. I think I think too much. Don't you think?"
Violet stared at him for a few seconds trying to comprehend what he said. "So," she started before raising a brow, "you can't sleep?" This caused the human to start laughing lake a mad man. Violet joined in shortly after.
"I guess that is what I was trying to say." He leaned over to Violet and whispered. "Did the girls put you up to this?" She widened her eyes as she looked back at the human. She mouthed word 'how', and the human merely pointed to a nearby bush with a curly pink tail sticking out. "They're not very good at that, but let's humor them for a bit." They relaxed back into their seats. Violet had a thought that caused her ears to fall flat, which Andrew noticed. "What's on your mind?"
"Why do you sit at this particular bench?"
Andrew got as comfortable in the bench as he could. "For the first six or seven months, I would come and sit on this bench."
"Why?"
"To wait," He crossed his legs and placed an arm on the back of the bench, "for a portal or a miracle. anything that would take me home." He pointed to spot where the grass was a lighter green then the ground around it. It was so unnoticeable, that Violet would never have seen it if Andrew hadn't pointed at it. "That's where I got here. The grass has always brighter in that spot since. I stopped coming here after the Princesses told me they couldn't get me home."
"Then why did you come here now?"
A bitter smile spread on Andrew's face. "Because, I can't let go. I try with all my might to, but I can't. Back when I was still coming here on the daily, it filled me with just a little hope. Hope that a miracle would happen. So, I come here nowadays in search of that hope." He looked over at Violet, catching her eye, and for a brief moment they looked into each others eyes. Violet saw the love he had for his friends, the hope that he wished he could find, and the agony he tried so desperately to hide. She jumped when he finally spoke. "Earlier today when I drove those kids off, it was the first time in two years that I stood up to the ponies like that, but I didn't do it for myself." Violet gaped when she realized what he meant. He smiled before standing up and walking away, only to stop by the suspicious bush. "I'm sorry about last night, girls."
Four heads popped out of the bush. Pinkie was the only one to respond without a groan. "It's no problem Andy!"
Rarity spoke as she magicked the leaves out of her mane. "We really shouldn't have cornered you like that dear. We should apologize."
"Our bad, Sully." Rainbow floated over and lightly punched his shoulder.
"It's okay, but I'm really sorry Aj. We promised never to speak about that.. argument, and I broke it, I'm sorry." Andrew looked at Applejack with regret on his face and a fist extended towards the farmer. "We cool?"
Applejack hoof bumped the human with a smile. "It's not a problem, like Rarity said, we shouldn't of cornered ya like that."
Andrew smiled, said goodbye, and walked away. Leaving the girls and Violet, who was lost in thought.After a few moments, she had come to a conclusion.
If Andrew needed hope, then she would do all she could to help him find it.
Andrew flipped the switch, turning off the large saw. He measured the sides of the slab of wood to make sure they were as close to the original sign as he could get it. After determining that it was acceptable, he patted the slab before studying the original's design. Inevitably, his thoughts wandered back to a few days ago when he got the order, and subsequently, the commotion that occurred in the marketplace. Anybody who wasn't there, heard about it pretty quickly.
The human let out a weary sigh as he grabbed his tools and began carving the sign. He heard the whispers. They may think he can't here them, but he does. The words, the stares, even the banana was a common occurrence. How could he have let himself react like that? Of course he knew why. Violet.
When he saw her shrink at the taunts and jeers. It caused the usually passive human to snap. The way she looked. She didn't deserve any of that.
Andrew let out another more frustrated sigh as he took a short break from the carving. He let Violet have today off. She has learned the craft well in the last few days. Leaning forward, he began once again on the carving. Ever since hiring her, his work days haven't been anywhere near as boring as they were. Not that they were boring before, but he looks forward to the day a bit more then before.
A small smile formed on Andrew's face as he thought of her. Though, he didn't notice. The sign was coming nicely. Just because Violet had the day off, didn't mean Andrew did. He prided himself in delivering on his deadlines. Even if he had to lose sleep.
"WOAH!" THUMP!
Andrew flinched as a raspy scream startled him. followed by an orange blur crashing into a pile of old forgotten projects in the corner. When he saw that it was Scootaloo, one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he furrowed his brow.
"Hey, Skittle Jr. What did I say about the scooter?" The filly looked up at the stern human before looking down at the now broken scooter in front of her.
"To not ride it into the workshop." She replied. As she stood up, she winced and looked at her left arm.
The human saw the scrape as well. His expression softened as he pulled the chair out. "Hop up here Scoots, I've got a first aid kit here somewhere."
She complied as Andrew began rummaging through a large trunk sitting out of the way in a corner. "I'm sorry Sully."
"It's alright." He pulled out a white, metal box with a red cross on it. A present from Nurse Redheart. Andrew took a knee by the injured filly, opening the box. "As long as you don't make a habit of it." The human pulled out a cotton ball and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
"OW! Hey that burns!" Scootaloo shouted as the tinkerer dabbed the cut with the alcohol.
The human let out a short, exaggerated laugh. "You should have thought of that before you crashed into a pile of dusty machines and sculptures that I use for spare parts." He threw the cotton ball into a nearby trashcan before pulling out a tube of antibiotic ointment. "So, what brings you to this side of town, and by 'this side of town', I mean my garage?"
"We're having a picnic where we have to bring somepony who we think is important to us to the park next Friday for school. Applebloom is bringing Applejack, Sweetie belle has Rarity.."
"You have Rainbow, right?" The human guessed. Judging from the disappointing look on Scootaloo's face, he guessed wrong.
"She's busy that day." She looked back up at Andrew with hopeful eyes. "I was thinking, if Rainbow couldn't make it, maybe you could?"
The human stared at the filly. He stared for several moments, causing Scootaloo to squirm in her seat. "Are you sure? I don't think I'm the best candidate for that."
Scootaloo nodded excitedly. "Yes! Ms. Cherilee told us to bring somepony important to us." Her eyes averted themselves as she scratched the back of her head with her free hoof. "And, well, you're important to me."
"All done." Andrew stated as he placed a bandage over the scrape. He stood and approached a table and picked up a clipboard containing a list of orders. "I'm glad you think so highly of me like that, but I ask again, for your sake." The human met the apprehensive eyes of the orange filly. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, with all of the coolness that is in my body, that I want you to come to the picnic." She placed a hoof on her chest.
Andrew studied the paper. He had a couple of orders due next Friday. The human let a big toothy smile conquer his face as he casually tossed the clipboard back on the table. "Then I would love to, Scoots."
The filly pumped her newly bandaged arm in celebration, then she saw her scooter. Her form deflated as she eyed the disconnected wheels. The human walked over to the workbench where the sign sat. His brow furrowed when he saw that the carved border had a bit more to it then it should. It was a mistake caused by his own flinching from Scootaloo's crash.
He lifted the sign and placed it on another table. Scootaloo watched as Andrew began picking up pieces of scooter and placing them on the now vacant workbench. He turned his gaze back at the filly and smirked.
"Wanna help me fix your scooter?"
Violet sat with the flower sisters at an outdoor cafe. Rose, Daisy, and Lily had invited her to lunch when she told them that she had the day off. While the first couple of days working for Andrew have been eventful, the last few haven't. She was catching on to how some things worked, while she'll never have the ability that Andrew has in finding out what's wrong with something, she has gotten quite proficient at repairing simple things that don't have intricate parts.
The human has an almost unnatural talent with tinkering. He could make something new out of something old. Violet remembered the pile of sculptures that the human labeled 'the scrap pile'. Even if they were unfinished, they were stunning works of ingenuity, and art. There was one sculpture that caught the young Thestral's eyes. It had a shape similar to the human's bipedal form made from nuts, bolt, washers, and screws. A rectangular base made of oak held it. The figure sat on its hands and knees with its head bowed. If there was a word to describe the feeling the junk statue gave off, it would be despair.
"Equestria to Violet. Hello~" A feminine voice sang, pulling Violet from her ruminations. Daisy had a brow raised as she made eye contact. "You zoned out pretty hard there." She suddenly had a look of faux surprise at a fake epiphany. "You were thinking about Sully, weren't you?!"
"N-No! I was just thinking about..." Violet's eyes bounced between Daisy and the table as she sputtered out her reply, "about things?" Her voice took on a tone as if she were asking Daisy if she'd buy here shoddy excuse. She began to blush, but whether it was what Daisy insinuated or that she actually was, escaped her.
Daisy's eyes lidded as she leaned closer to Violet, her voice taking a huskier feel about it. "Can't say that I blame you. He's not bad to look at." If Violet's face was red before, it was ablaze now.
"I-It wasn't like that!" She sputtered in response.
"AHA!" Daisy shouted as she sat back into her seat, "You were thinking about him!" Rose and Lily giggled at the teasing before Rose spoke.
"There's no shame in having somepony on your mind." She motioned at Daisy. "She's only jealous cause you're closer to Andy then she has ever been."
Daisy rolled her eyes and looked at her sister with a smirk. "Have you seen him when he helps on the Apple's farm during the hot days?"
Rose turned her attention back to the Thestral. "Speaking of, How has the new job been? I hope he isn't working you to the bone."
"No, he's been doing all the big stuff like repairing complex machinery. I've only learned how to fix simple things." Violet took a sip of the coffee as her cheeks cooled off from the teasing. They sat in companionable silence as they finished eating.
"Do you have anything else planned for today?" Lily spoke up.
"Not really, no." Violet answered. When she thought about it, her plans today were to sit in her house and do nothing. At least nothing worthwhile. Maybe she would have went to see Andrew, and maybe talk for a bit.
"We're going to Canterlot to get somethings for the shop. You wanna join us?" Lily continued quietly.
"Sure, sounds fun." Violet responded with a smile as they began the walk to the train station. Though she couldn't help but think about what Andrew was doing. What did he do on his days off?
"You're thinking about him again~" Daisy sang, leaning close to the Thestral.
"I was just wondering what he does when he's not working." Violet spoke as the blush reared its head again.
"He's always working." Rose answered as she slowed her pace so the two could catch up. Violet saw the look of sadness on her face. "He never stops working." The flower sister's face shifted to anger. "The tall bastard can't seem to realize that others worry about him. I wonder if he noticed that he hasn't stopped working in two years." She sighed and shook the anger off her face.
At this point the girls stopped walking. Lily spoke after a moment of silence past. "He used to come out more. He'd supervise the Cutie Mark Crusaders to make sure they didn't do anything too dangerous. If they did, he'd find a way for them to do it with as many safety precautions as he could think of. He also helped Pinkie plan a lot of her parties."
"Whenever disaster hit, he was one of the first to help those in need." Daisy added. "When the whole Tirek thing happened, he cared for so many ponies and helped rebuild so many houses, but no one seems to remember that these days." She finished bitterly. "They only seem to remember that he's hairless, or that he has two legs, or that he eats meat. Those ponies are assholes."
"He also worked at a soup kitchen in Canterlot every month." Rose added.
"Why'd he stop?" Violet asked.
"You would think that the fact that every other pony says some of the most hurtful shit to him would be it, but while it is a big reason, I think it's something else." Daisy stated. "He tried dating two years ago, and the mare got as much shit that he did. She ended up breaking his heart, and he probably thinks that it's his fault that she was targeted like that. So that might be why he doesn't get out much, so that others don't have to suffer on his account."
The group grew quiet as they thought of their friend. Daisy shook her head and spoke again.
"Let's go shopping before I get too depressed to move." She began marching towards the station, the others rushing to catch up. Violet's thoughts raced through her head. If she was going to help Andrew. If she was going to give him the hope he needs. She has her work cut out for her.
Smoke funneled out of the open garage door as the human walked out, coughing, and with both arms occupied. Scootaloo came out behind him. The human placed the spent fire extinguisher on the ground as he sat down, holding the now repaired scooter.
"That was fun!" Scootaloo shouted as she grabbed the scooter from Andrew. "Thanks Sully, we should do this again!"
The human looked up at the orange filly. "Yeah, sure. I would love to Scoots, but," he furrowed his brow, "less fire next time."
"Sorry Sully." Scootaloo apologized with a nervous laugh.
Andrew's eyes studied the dissipating smoke. He put it out before it could get out of hand. "How? We didn't use anything that produced heat!" He turned his gaze to Scootaloo's cutie mark. "Are you sure your special talent isn't arson? Cause this has happened several times."
"Bye Sully!" Scootaloo hopped on her scooter, ignoring the human's question, and speeding off into Ponyville.
"Yeah, see you next Friday!" He stood back up and turned toward the setting sun. Walking into the now smoke free workshop, he pulled the sign he was working on out and placed it on the work bench. The human studied the mistake on the border. It was too big for him to just widen the border. His thoughts didn't remain on the sign, though.
Andrew thought back on the hours he spent with Scootaloo. It would normally take him only a few hours to fix that scooter, but Scootaloo crashed in the morning, and they worked until the later hours of the evening. They only took a break for lunch. A smile grew on the human's face. He had let her do most of the work, only interrupting her to explain how something worked.
As he eyed the large scratch on the sign he thought of the scooter. Then he thought of the general store. He remembered that Knick Knack sold all sorts of things, including scooters. Andrew's eyes began to widen as the metaphorical light bulb over his head clicked on. He quickly grabbed his tools and set to work.
It would take him the rest of the night, and maybe an hour or two in the morning, but he was going to finish this sign.
An alarm blared throughout the room. Groaning, the human reached out and turned it off. After his morning routine, he checked the calendar. The day of the picnic arrived quickly, and he managed to get all but one of his orders done early. It would be a quick fix, but he would have to get there early. Opening his front door to start his day, he saw a familiar orange filly staring up at him. Judging from her raised hoof, she was about to knock.
"Hey Scoots." He tilted his head toward the garage and began walking.
"Hi Sully." She followed the human as he opened the garage door and entered. He walked back out with a large wooden door. The door looked familiar to the young filly. "Is that the door to town hall?"
"Yeah," Andrew put the rather heavy door on the wagon, "Mayor Mare had me make it. The old door was so rotted that it split in two." He walked around and began pulling the wagon as Scootaloo jumped on it. "It won't take me long to install it, so we should still be on time to the picnic."
"Where's that girl that helps you?" Scootaloo got comfortable on the wagon.
"Violet? I gave her the day off. All I'm doing is installing that door." They continued in silence as they entered town. Ponies were just opening their stalls and stores. Andrew spoke as Town Hall came into view. "How's your mom, Scoots?"
"She's fine," Scootaloo placed her head on her forelegs, "though she's working up in Cloudsdale a lot."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, knowing her, she's trying to get that promotion so she can have more time to spend with you." Andrew looked back at the pouting filly and smiled like a doofus. "Until she does, you got me." His smile made Scootaloo chuckle.
As they approached town hall, Andrew noticed the Mayor standing in the empty doorway next to a small box. The old door's pieces were lying on the ground next to her. Upon noticing the human, Mayor Mare smiled brightly and waved.
"Good morning, Sully!" Unlike most ponies, the Mayor's friendly attitude towards the local biped was genuine.
Immediately after greeting the mayor, Andrew set to work as Scootaloo watched. The human had experience working in, and sometimes on, the Town Hall. He had performed enough repairs and modifications on the building that it almost felt like it was his. The building was old, Really old. It had been around since Ponyville's founding, and in some areas, it shows. Like for instance, the fact that the building wasn't hooked up to any form of electricity. Lamps, lanterns, and candles were the only form of lighting the building had. Remembering this fact as he worked on the door, Andrew brought up his concern that he had since he first learned this fact.
"When are you planning to contract an electrician, Mayor?" He had begun to attach the door to the hinges as he spoke. "I would offer to do it for you, but I only know the basic stuff," Andrew took a step back and tested the door, "and I'm not licensed to." Satisfied with his work he turned his full attention to the mayor. "All that fire in there, and the whole thing is made of wood. I'd rather not wake up one morning to a pile of charcoal in the middle of town."
Letting out a sigh, Mayor Mare answered. "Electricians are far a few between. The closest pony who would do it operates out of Trottingham."
Andrew leaned against the recently installed door. He let out a low whistle. "Bet they would have charged you a pretty penny," He cast a furrowed glance to his feet before looking back up at the Mayor with confusion on his face, "a pretty bit?"
The mayor let out an endearing chuckle at the human. "I know what you're trying to say, and yes, they did. We couldn't afford what they offered." Reaching into the box that was beside her, she pulled out a small sack of bits, and offered them to the human. "I understand your concern, Sully. We are doing all we can."
Accepting the bag, Andrew spoke. "Sorry if I'm being a pain when I bring this up. I've dealt with enough fires to be wary of their causes." As he said that, he sent a glance to certain tiny pegasus.
"What?" Scootaloo caught the glance, though her response indicated that she tuned out the conversation. Chuckling, the human walked past the filly.
"Come on, we have a picnic to go to." The human smiled at the filly before positioning himself to start pulling the wagon again. After waving goodbye to the mayor, they were off.
The park had all sorts of booths set up in it. Some were selling treats while some had games. It looked more like a small fair then a picnic. Andrew pulled the wagon to an uninhabited part of the park out of sight before placing a couple of wooden wedges under the wheels to keep it from rolling away. Then he and Scootaloo began their walk to the festivities.
"So.." Andrew began.
"So what?" Scootaloo answered.
"So, do I have to give a speech? Do I have to show off my 'Special Talent'?" The human's questions only received a confused stare from the filly. "If that's the case, I can't really tinker at them." Andrew's eyes widened as an idea passed through his mind. "I know, I can dance for them, or ride a unicycle. Ooh, I could sing! Maybe I could show them my ability to say the alphabet backwards!"
"Um, Sully." Scootaloo tried to interrupt his tirade, but he kept going.
"No! Nonononono! I should sing the alphabet backwards whilst dancing on a unicycle juggling bowling pins!"
"Sully!" The filly's shout stopped the human in his tracks. "It's just a picnic." Then she spotted the smile on his face. Her face quickly formed into a deadpanned stare. "You've been hanging out with Pinkie too much." She declared as she walked past him.
He let out a hearty chuckle. "She'd disagree with you there." He stated as he followed.
As they approached the picnic, Andrew began to feel an anxiousness boiling deep inside his stomach. He tried to push it down or at least ignore it. Thoughts began to fly through his mind. Images of the ponies looking down their noses with disgust in their eyes. Not at him, but at Scootaloo, for idolizing him and daring to bring him to this gathering. They were unreasonable thoughts, and Andrew found himself physically trying to shake them out.
He stopped and stared at the crowd. They haven't seen them yet. "Hey Scoots." He called out. She looked back at the human and stopped when she realized that had had stopped following. Her face bore confusion as she waited for him to continue. Andrew looked worried about something. His eyes moved to meet hers and he threw on a smile, one that the filly could obviously tell was only a mask, and spoke again. "You're a cool kid." He took a knee in front of her and ruffled her mane. "Don't let anybody tell you otherwise."
He then motioned for her to lead the way. They continued, and Scootaloo wore a big smile. While she could tell that Andrew's smile was fake, she knew his words weren't. The crowd of ponies had broken up, some were at the booths, others were sitting on blankets that they had brought.
It wasn't long before the filly spotted her friends, and subsequently their sisters. She called out to them and began running. Andrew was caught off guard by the sudden burst of energy from Scootaloo, but after seeing the others he started lightly jogging in their direction. Of course he noticed when the other ponies noticed him. Of course he heard the whispers. Of course he felt the stares.
But he had built an outer mask, a fake him. A practiced posture and a straight back. It was no different then his days in the courtroom. Despite how much he detested it, he would enter the room with a polite smile and a soft voice. He would speak with respect to a judge he hated. He would argue and use all the information he could to keep a man, who he knew was guilty, free. Only difference between now and then, is the number of legs.
Applejack patted a spot between her and Rarity, who was wearing a sunhat, when she saw Andrew. He sat down between the mares as Scootaloo and her friends began talking excitedly about what they were going to do today. The human couldn't hold back a genuine smile at the sight. He shifted his gaze from the CMC to the farmer to his left.
"How's the wagon, AJ?" He rested his arm on his knee as he stretched the other leg out.
"It's great! It's easier to pull now." She let out a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of her head. "Thanks Sully."
"No problem!" Andrew said as he patted Applejack on the back. "Just remember what I said about listening to my diagnosis. It might sound weird, but sometimes I know what I'm talking about." He turned his attention to the fashionista to his right. "And how's your oversized sewing machine, my lady?"
Rarity let out a girlish giggle as she rolled her eyes. "It's fine, dear. However, I don't want to hear you talk about work."
The human raised a brow. "Then, what do you want me to talk about?"
"How are things between you and Violet going?" Rarity asked at an unconcealed attempt at gossip concerning her human friend and his recent hire. Applejack noticed right away and rolled her eyes.
"We're fine." The human answered with confusion laced in his voice. "She's a good worker. She's motivated. And she's fun to talk to. Why?"
"Well, she's a very pretty mare wouldn't you say?" Rarity's smirk grew as each word left her mouth.
"I guess?" The human never really thought about it. What spurred Rarity into asking a question about Violet's appearance? As Andrew began to think about Violet's looks, mental pictures from the last week flashed through Andrew's mind. Violet was, in fact, a pretty mare. More and more images of Violet flew through the human's brain. One image stuck, however. An image of Violet, face covered in grease and dust after a particularly busy day, smiling widely at him. Yeah. Pretty. He thought as he began to smile again.
He was broken from his train of thought by another giggle. He turned towards the mare. She had a look on her face, like she had just accomplished something. Andrew was about to call her on it when the girls called for their attention.
"Let's go play some games!" They shouted simultaneously. Then they ran off to the booths. Applejack quickly followed, as did Rarity, giving the human a wink as she left.
"Wait." Andrew finally spoke, befuddled by what just happened. "Why the wink?" He stood up looking around before he began jogging after the girls. "Rarity! Why the wink?!"
Violet's eyes moved across the books that graced her small bookcase. She had read through all of these books, some of them multiple times. Having the day off had shown her a new problem.
She had nothing to do.
The thestral let out a sigh as she thought about her options. The flower sisters were out of town on business, and Andrew was at that picnic thing with Scootaloo. As she thought this, she realized that she didn't have many friends, at least not in Ponyville. Though, there were the Elements of Harmony.
Applejack and Rarity were with Andrew at the picnic and Rainbow Dash was in Cloudsdale, so they were out. Twilight was in Canterlot so she was out, too.
That left Fluttershy and Pinkie.
"Well, today might be interesting." She spoke to herself as she opened her front door.
It was later in the morning as she walked through the market on the way to Sugarcube Corner. For the most part, the town was calm. Only a few ponies were out and about. Most were out of town or at the picnic with their foals.
When she arrived at the bakery and entered, she was hit with the sweet smells of muffins and pastries coming out of the ovens. The inside mirrored the outside in the fact that there were only a few ponies partaking of the morning delicacies offered by the Cakes.
Mrs. Cake was at the counter stocking the displays. When she noticed the aimless thestral, she waved.
"Good Morning, Dear!" She placed the last of the pastries and closed the display as Violet walked up to the counter. "How can I help you."
"Is Pinkie busy?" Violet asked as she eyed the display.
"I don't think she is." Mrs. Cake stated. "I could go get her for you." She finished motioning towards the stairs.
"No need!" A loud voice shouted next to Violet's ears causing her to jump and release a sound not to dissimilar to a squeak. This caused Pinkie to giggle. "You make the most adorable sounds when you're surprised!" She waited for Violet to stop hyperventilating before continuing. "You call?"
"Uh, yeah." The thestral nodded. "I was wondering if you were free today."
"You wanna hang out with me!" Pinkie gripped Violet's shoulders and looked her in the eye with the widest grin the florist as ever seen. "Of course." she positioned herself next to the thestral, one arm around her shoulders. "I know exactly what we can do!"
Violet was then dragged up the stairs by Pinkie so fast that she couldn't protest.
"You know, the last time I went to a fair, I got mugged by three clowns and 'Alabama's Third Smallest Man'." Andrew spoke as they walked past several food carts and carnival games. He took a bite out of the cotton candy he had bought for him and the girls.
"Ah don't believe you." Applejack stated with furrowed brow.
"Swear on my brother's coin collection." The human's face twisted in thought. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't really the third smallest man in Alabama." He shrugged as he took another bite. "I didn't have much with me that day. They took three dollars, a Burger King coupon, and my library card."
"That is kind of hard to believe, dear." Rarity said as she took a dainty bite from the cotton candy she had floating in her magic in front of her. "It just seems so far fetched."
"Look." Andrew shot a glare towards the doubters. "You don't know fear until a two and half foot man has a knife to your groin." He let out an involuntary shudder. "Did I mention the clowns? There were clowns!"
The girls only rolled their eyes at the human, in retort, he stuck a blue tinted tongue out and blew a raspberry at them. His attention was drawn to a carnival game nearby. It was that one game where they had bottles stacked into a number of different piles and had the players attempt to knock them all down with a bean bag or ball. His attention wasn't so much drawn to the game, but specifically to a small white filly with a red curly mane and large purple glasses. She had a ball in her hoof.
"Aww shoot." The filly let out as she missed another throw. Andrew recognized her as Twist, friend to the Crusaders, and sister to one of the human's favorite clients, Bon Bon. Before he knew it, he was already standing next to her. His eyes roaming the many stuffed plushies lining the prize shelves. Each shelf had a sign on it indicating the conditions to win something from it. There were also numerous prizes hanging from the top of the stand, including a large stuffed gorilla about the size of a pony. At this point, Twist noticed the human. "Thully!" She shouted.
"Hey Twist." Andrew smiled at filly. He always found her lisp to be very adorable. "Having trouble?"
"Yeah." She nodded before pointing at a prize on the highest shelf, a large stuffed candy cane. "I really want that, but I'm not very good at knocking down thothe bottleth." Looking up, Andrew studied the bottles. There were three stacks, one closest and to the left, one in the very middle of the booth, and one in the far back on the right. The sign with the rules written on it states that everypony gets one ball per try to attempt to knock down as many bottles as they can. Twist's prize requires two stacks to be knocked down.
"I got this." The human said aloud as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. it was more of a bag then a wallet, but that's what the ponies called it. Andrew looked up to the pony running the game. He was a grey unicorn with a brown mane. Said unicorn also had a look of poorly hidden disdain as the human's attention focused on him. "How much for one attempt?"
"For you." The unicorn looked him up and down. "Four bits." This caused Twist to cock her head in confusion.
"But you only charged me two bith." She said, causing the human's brow to raise.
"Yeah, well you're a pony," The unicorn stated as he pointed a hoof at Andrew, "It'th not." He finished, mocking the filly's lisp.
"That'th not fair!" Twist opened her mouth to continued, but was stopped when Andrew held his hand up.
"I got this." He repeated himself. Placing four bits on the counter, he held his hand out for the ball. The action caused the pony to smirk. At this point the girls returned to Andrew's side, Applejack having clearly heard the conversation.
"Now hold on!" She was about go off on the pony at the counter before the human performed the same calming hand motion that he did with Twist.
"I got this." Andrew said again. He reared his arm back and threw the ball, knocking down the closer two stacks easily. The human pointed at the candy cane, and the unicorn floated it down to the filly, the smirk on his face gone. "What's the prize for knocking down all three?" At this, the unicorn's smirk returned.
"A human." He said simply as he pointed up.
At the stuffed gorilla.
Andrew's eyes narrowed. His brow furrowed. Applejack and Rarity were ready to tear into this pony like Opalescence tore into Andrew's leg when he first met her, but were stopped in their tracks by the human placing another four bits on the counter. Rarity gasped.
"Andrew, darling, you are not seriously considering giving this rude colt anymore of your money are you?" She asked as the human received another ball.
"I know for a fact that he isn't getting a single bit, it's all going to the school." Andrew stated. He spoke to Cheerilee a few days ago while fixing one of the desks. The unicorn had already been paid.
"You clearly are more skilled then your average brat," Said unicorn interrupted, "I'm going to have to ask you to throw from a greater distance." He smirked as he motioned for the human to back up. This caused all of Andrew's friends to glare at the unicorn even harder, but he ignored it as the human complied. "This only to keep it fair, you know. Monster's tend to have stronger throw- WOAH!"
The insult was stopped by the human seemingly throwing the ball right at him, only for it to curve away from him and into the first stack, then the second, and finally the last where it then hit the back wall of the booth with a loud thud. Everypony around stared at the fallen bottles with mouths agape as the human walked back to the counter. Without taking his eyes away from the unicorn's, he pointed at the stuffed gorilla. The gorilla then floated down into his grasp as eyes finally left the unicorn.
"Wow, how did you do that, Sully?!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Little League." The human stated as he eyed a particular stuffed animal on the top shelf. "I would like another ball." His gaze shifted from the prizes to the unicorn as he placed two bits on the counter.
Violet and Pinkie stepped out of the party mare's closet. Pinkie was giggling up a storm, while the thestral had a dazed look in her eyes.
"I.." She shook her head, "How.. What?" Violet took a few more steps before sitting down and holding her head in her hoof, "I don't even."
Pinkie snorted. "Andy said that, too!" She pulled Violet in closed. "So, what do you wanna do next?"
Violet placed her hooves on Pinkie's shoulders in hopes to calm her down. "As fun as that was, I think I'm going to do... Something else." She meant it, despite not being able to really comprehend what exactly she spent the last few hours doing, she had enjoyed it.
"Aww." Pinkie's smile disappeared for a split second before popping back into an ear to ear grin. "Okay!"
At this, Violet showed her own way out and began walking through town. It only being early in the afternoon, she needed to find something else to do. Maybe Fluttershy wouldn't mind hanging out. The thestral began walking in the direction that she believed held the skittish pegasus's cottage.
As she walked, she couldn't help but wonder how Andrew was doing.
The sun was starting to set as the human accompanied Applejack, Rarity, and the CMC. His gaze occasionally shifting between the direction they were walking and the stuffed gorilla in his arms.
"Why do I feel like I'm propagating a stereotype?" He muttered to himself as the group reached the picnic blanket that Applejack set out earlier. They all sat down, with Andrew setting the gorilla next him. The human felt eyes on him. Specifically, the sapphire like eyes of one mare named Rarity, whose mischievous smirk from earlier returned as she eyed, not Andrew, but the stuffed animal that fit in his shirt pocket. "What?" Rarity rolled her eyes at this and stood up, motioning for the human to follow, which he did.
He found himself being led away from other ponies. They soon found themselves near one of the park's many benches. Rarity hopped up on it and patted the seat next to her. Upon sitting down, the human took his usual sitting position. Left ankle resting on his right knee and his arm resting on the back of the bench. He looked up at the orange sky, the bench facing away from the soon to be setting sun, and took in a deep breath.
"When was the last time you took a break, darling?" Rarity asked. Andrew only responded with a confused look. "When was the last time you took a break from working?" Rarity repeated herself.
"You mean a day off ,right?" The human asked, receiving a nod from the fashionista. "That would be.." He tilted his head in thought. "It was..." He trailed off as his gaze seem to search for an answer in the grass, and he winced when he found his answer. Not daring to look Rarity in the eye, he gave it. "Hearths Warming." He whispered under his breath.
"What was that, Darling?"
"Hearth's Warming." He repeated loud enough for her to hear, and hear she did as she let out a shocked gasped.
"That's almost a whole year, Andrew!" Rarity shouted.
"Calm down, it's not that bad." The human tried to diffuse the situation, but judging by the glare he was receiving from Rarity, he only doused the fire with more fuel.
"Are you even sleeping?!" The fashionista asked as she studied his face.
"Of course!" He winced as he realized that Rarity didn't buy it.
"I can see the bags under your eyes!" She tutted at him. "No wonder you've been yawning so much!"
"It's not a big deal, Rarity." He continued to attempt to downplay it, but Rarity's reprimanding gaze caused him to shrink like a child who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Not a big deal?! I, of all ponies, know how big a deal a lack of sleep can be!" She wasn't letting up, she had been in Andrew's position before, and she refused to let him keep making the same mistake. "With the kind of tools you work with, you could seriously hurt yourself!" That last sentence made him wince.
"I.." The human was interrupted before he could say anything by the fashionista's raised hoof. Rarity took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She let it out as she set a more concerned gaze onto Andrew.
"Why are you working yourself to death?" She asked.
"I.." Andrew started before placing his elbows on his knees and leaning into his hands. He let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his face. "When I work, my mind is focused." Leaning back, he looked off to the side at a nearby tree. "There's nothing else in the world besides me, and my tools. Every day that I walk through town, I still get the stares, I still hear the whispers." He brought his gaze forward. "When I work, I can't see the stares. My tools are so loud, I can't hear the whispers." Rarity placed a comforting hoof on his back.
"There are no words to make up for all the hurtful words and actions of the intolerant and bigoted." She then jumped off the bench and walked to the front of the human. His eyes finally meeting hers. "However, nothing will change if you keep working yourself to the bone."
"What should I do?" He asked as he maintained eye contact.
"First, when you get home," She bopped him on the nose, "sleep. Then, take tomorrow off."
"And do what?"
"Walk around town, maybe spend some time with your friends for once," She put on a scolding look, "Heaven knows we haven't seen you around much." This caused the human to look away in shame.
"Sorry."
"It's alright, darling." Her friendly smile returned as she continued. "Get back out there do what you were doing this time last year. That soup kitchen in Canterlot is still there. I'm sure Big Mac misses his 'drinking buddy'," That mischievous look returned for a third time that day, "and maybe find a mare to hold you tight cause you clearly need it." Andrew leaned back as he scratched the back of his head in an attempt to hide the red creeping up on his face.
"I don't know about that one, I mean who.." He stopped when he saw Rarity's deadpan. Her eyes quickly shifted from his, to the object that was poking out of his shirt pocket. His eyes followed hers. Realization dawned on his face as his eyes widened. "Rarity, I don't know.. What if.. What happened last time.."
"She already gets the same stares and whispers as you." Rarity interrupted. "Don't worry about it."
"I.. I'll need to think on that one a bit," He turned his gaze to the ground, "but, you're right. I'll take tomorrow off and go to Canterlot." Rarity smiled.
"That's all I ask." She looked towards the 'picnic'. "We should return to our friends, darling." She stated as she began trotting back to wince they came. "Wouldn't want any uncouth rumors to form."
Andrew smiled as stood and followed the fashionista. "You wish."
Violet was walking through the park on her way from Fluttershy's. She had a very pleasant time helping her care for some of her animals, and they even had tea afterwards. For a timid pony, Fluttershy was pretty exited to talk about her animal friends. The thestral ended up staying until the sun started setting. Her gaze kept shifting from the path in front of her, to the sky above, full of oranges and reds.
As she walked she noticed a familiar wagon with a familiar human sitting on the back of it. While she was approaching, she noticed he had something small and black in his hands, and a thoughtful expression on his face. She extended her wings and floated quietly towards him. She noticed the wagon was mostly empty, so she tried to land as softly behind the human as she could.
Judging by the lack of reaction, she succeeded. She lightly approached Andrew and peered over his shoulder. It was a stuffed bat. Her brow raised as she looked at it. She had to admit, it was the cutest stuffed bat she's ever seen. The question at the forefront of her mind seem to force itself out of her mouth.
"What's with the stuffed bat." The words left her mouth as the human left his seat. He quickly spun to face the thestral, holding the bat closely to his chest.
"Geez, Vi!" He sat back down as Violet scooted to the side, somewhat proud that she was able to get the jump on him for once. "You scared the shit out of me."
"Sorry, couldn't resist." She smirked as she looked at the bat again. Curiosity returned to her expression. "So what's with the bat?" She asked again.
The human's face began to turn red. "It was a prize." He stated.
"Was it the grand prize?" Violet leaned towards the human with a smirk and raised brow.
"No~" the human sang, "This was." He said as he reached behind the wagon where Violet couldn't see, and what he pulled out had her tilt her head.
"Is that a stuffed monkey?"
"According to the unicorn at the counter, it's a human." The human stated as he held the stuffed primate at arm's length. His brow furrowed. "I'm not that hairy," Andrew's eyes looked into Violet's, "am I?"
Violet didn't know why, but this caused her to laugh. She tried to stop herself by placing both of her hooves over her mouth. A snort got through. This in turn, caused the human to smile, and she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She fell back onto the wagon and began laughing. Her hooves moving from her mouth to her stomach. The human joined in not long after. For several long minutes, the only sounds in the evening air were the sounds of the two oddest individuals in Ponyville releasing a uproarious series of laughs, giggles, and snorts.
After they calmed down, the thestral asked another question. "Why'd you get the bat?"
The human looked at her then back to the stuffed animal in his hands and smiled.
"It reminded me of you."
"Was it because of the wings?" She asked.
"No," The human lifted it up so she could see it, "it's adorable." This caused Violets cheeks redden. "And it squeaks." At this, Andrew squeezed the stuffed bat, and it released a squeak. That caused the thestral to smirk and roll her eyes. "Here." He held it out to her.
"What?" Violet shot a confused look at the human.
"I want you to have it." He smiled at her. That was a smile that said she couldn't say no to.
Not that she was planning to.
She took from him and attempted to hide the blush that was forming in her cheeks. As her gaze shifted around, she noticed something missing and a new question came to mind.
"Where's Scootaloo?"
"Dash got back from Cloudsdale early, and took her home." The human got up and walked over to the front of the wagon, but stopped and turned towards Violet. "We don't have any orders to do tomorrow." He scratched the back of his head and looked away. "So I'm going to Canterlot in the morning, do you.." He looked her back in the eye before quickly staring at the grass at his feet. "Do you maybe... want to come with me?"
"Sure!" Violet answered almost too quickly, so quick that she winced afterwards, "I mean, yeah, I would love to."
"Great!" The human grabbed the wagon, "See you then." He began to pull away. He couldn't help but look back at the thestral, who waved goodbye and started her walk home with a noticeable skip in her step. A smile worked its way onto Andrew's face.
Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day, and, he hoped, a good one.
Doughnut Joe's was filled with the bustle of ponies seeking their daily fix of caffeine and sugar. Most were common folk for very few of the elite found themselves here. Andrew loved the atmosphere as it reminded him of doughnut shops back home. It even had the same aesthetic with its linoleum floors, bright fluorescent lights, and sweet smells wafting from the back.
He lifted his mug and took a long sip from his coffee, savoring the warm flow. Winter must only be days away if the chill in the air was evident. Lifting his eyes over his drink, he studied his recent hire and friend. Violet held a pastry in her hooves, softly chewing it with her eyes closed. Clearly was enjoying it as much a Andrew was with his drink.
They sat in companionable silence as they enjoyed their pastries and drinks. By the time Violet had finished her food, she noticed the human was staring at the bottom of his now empty coffee mug. His brow was furrowed in thought.
"What's on your mind, Andy?" Violet couldn't but feel a pinch of concern. Andrew's brow relaxed as he shifted his gaze to meet Violet's.
"Well," he started, "Rarity brought up a few good points last night." Andrew turned to look out the window. "I've probably been a bit closed off lately." Leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table, he rubbed his face before combing his fingers through his hair. "A lot closed off."
"Yeah," Violet gave a small nod, "What are you planning to do about it?"
"I dunno." Andrew shrugged. "I mean, I have an idea." He trailed off.
"But?" Violet responded in hopes that he would share his thoughts.
"I figured," He started slowly, "Twilight is the princess of friendship, so she might be able to help." He let out a heavy sigh. "But I don't want to burden her with this."
"Twilight is your friend," Violet spoke up, "This kinda thing wouldn't burden her."
"I don't know." He shifted his gaze to the side. "I think..."
"Don't think." Violet startled Andrew with this interruption. "You came here to talk to her right?" He nodded, "Then let's go talk to her." She hopped out the booth and was out the door before the human had a chance process the chain of events.
He stumbled out of the shop to see Violet trotting in the direction of Canterlot Castle. Andrew rushed to catch up with her.
"Vi, how would I even ask her." He began to panic slightly. "What words do I use?"
Despite how nervous he was, he nodded. They continued on their path without another word.
They got inside the castle easy enough, the guards recognized Andrew, not as if they could mistake him for anybody else. If his assumptions were right, then the princesses were eating breakfast in the dining hall at that time of day.
They came to stop in front of the large garish doors that led into the castle's mess hall. Andrew looked at Violet with nervous hesitation. Meeting his eyes, she smiled.
With that smile, a powerful wave of motivation and determination surged through Andrew. He placed his hands upon the doors, and with a resolve to move mountains, he threw said doors open. As if they were mountains.
The loud, echoing slam of wood on marble echoed through the cafeteria. Every pony's eyes were turned on him. The clatter of trays and cutlery, at least what little cutlery ponies needed, ceased along with all trace of conversation.
Violet shrunk at the sudden attention. Whereas Andrew scanned the room before finally seeing the towering presences of Celestia and Luna. The princess of the sun smiled warmly at him whilst her sister had her head buried in her hooves. Clearly she hadn't yet had her morning coffee.
Andrew approached them immediately, Violet close on his heels. Shortly, his long strides brought him to their table, opposite of them.
"Good Morning, Andy." Celestia welcomed as a cup of tea gently floated up caressed by golden light. She sipped form the cup as Luna finally lifted her head from the table and lightly glared at the human before chugging a good portion of her joe, not bothering to use magic.
"Mornin'." Was all she could care to manage. Andrew frowned as he looked her over.
"Sorry," he apologized before looking around the room again, noting a lack of a certain princess of friendship. "Where's Twilight?" Celestia made a show of thinking about his inquiry. Even going as far as resting a hoof on her chin.
"I believe Prince Blueblood is seeking her council in the east wing." She relented. Andrew gave a rushed thank-you before grabbing Violet, who protested weakly, and ran out of the room. A brief moment passed before he poked his head back in. "Down the hall to the left." Celestia answered his unspoken question.
"I'm glad he's making new friends." She spoke wistfully.
"He's in love with her." Luna spoke into her mug before finishing her daily dose of caffeine.
"You think?" The sun princess gave her sister a conspiring look.
"Oh yeah," Luna put the mug down before turning and walking away from the table, "I've seen the dreams."
At that, Celestia gave a hearty chuckle.
"What are we doing?" Violet finally spoke up after moments of being carried through the castle halls. Though she never thought to ask Andrew to put her down.
"Twilight is being held hostage by Blueblood. While not inherently a bad guy, he's kinda an entitled baby sometimes." He turned a corner and stopped for moment as he realized he was still holding Violet. Red faced, he quickly, but gently placed her back on the floor. "Most of the time." He continued down the hall. Violet felt a twinge of disappointment pull at her heart as she followed him. A part of her wished he carried her the rest of the way.
They stopped in front of a door that was slightly cracked open. While he couldn't make out any words, Andrew could hear the tell tale whine of Prince Blueblood. Every now and then he heard the words "servant" and "audacity". Violet peered at him with scrutiny.
"Now what?" She asked as the human began to muss his hair, unbutton his shirt, and shift his clothes about his person. He took a deep breathe, and closed his eyes. Violet stared in confusion at the now disheveled man in front of her. Andrew turned toward the door and suddenly opened his eyes before screaming.
"TWILIGHT!!" He burst through the door and vaulted over a couch, only to catch his foot on it, and land on the tiled floor, hard. Blueblood gawked in shock; however, Twilight was on her hooves immediately.
"Andy!?" She rushed over to him. "Are you ok-woah!" The human's hands grabbed her shoulders firmly as he leveled his crazed eyes upon hers. He quickly looked at Blueblood, who flinched at the sudden motion.
"Friendship emergency!" He pulled Twilight closer without taking his eyes off Blueblood. "I. Need. Her." Andrew pushed the words through gritted teeth.
"By all means." Blueblood waved them off with a shaking hoof. Andrew pulled Twilight through the door. She seemed to still be processing what just happened as she was rushed down the hall.
After they turned the corner, Andrew straightened his person back out as Violet struggled to contain her laughter. Twilight finally spoke up after shaking the stupor off.
"What was that about?" She looked Andrew over with concern.
"Blueblood would have complained about every slight inconvenience he suffered this week if I didn't intervene." He began to rebutton his shirt as he spoke. Twilight furrowed her brow and opened her mouth as if to lecture Andrew, but he interrupted her before she could get a word in. "Besides, I do need your help."
"Oh, he sure does." Violet interjected, barely able to control her giggles. Andrew smiled at her before returning his attention to Twilight again.
She let out a heavy sigh as she met his gaze. Andrew got down on a knee so that he was at eye level with Twilight, his face taking a more serious form. He brought his hands together and interlaced his fingers.
"Please?" He said softly.
"You know I'm not gonna say no to helping you, right?" Twilight's expression softened. "Come on." She started walking down the hall towards her old bedroom.
Andrew and Violet followed, and neither strayed too far from the other.
