//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Her Life, In a Pan // by ThatGirl2147 //------------------------------// “Hello?” A mare’s light, raspy voice called, barely reaching Pan Sear’s ears. “Pan! Are you awake?” Accompanying the call were knocks on Pan’s front door. The green stallion turned over in his bed and glanced at a clock on a shelf, wiping his bloodshot eyes. It was early; very early. “That’s Midnight Blue,” thought he to himself. “What does she want?” “Pan!” The mare called again as she knocked a bit louder. “Pan! Wake up! I need to talk to you!” Slowly, the stallion slid out of his bed and shambled out of his bedroom to answer his friend’s incessant knocking. “And I’d like to talk to you, too,” said he under his breath before he opened the front door. At the door stood a dark azure Unicorn Mare with dark, emerald green eyes. Her straight, dark violet mane was cut shorter than that of most mares, and her tail matched. On her flank was a fobwatch, showing the midnight hour, with three sparkles about it, giving it an almost lifelike gleam. The mare smiled brightly and hugged Pan tightly. “Hey, Pan!” beamed she joyously. “Hey, Blue,” greeted Pan, a smile of his own forming on his muzzle. “How are you?” He then stepped aside as he added, “please, come in.” Midnight Blue nodded politely and entered. The pair then sat down on Pan’s sofa as the mare answered, “I’m good; just got off work. You know how graveyard goes.” The stallion nodded. “Yeah, I know how it goes,” confirmed he. “That is how I met you, after all. So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” He gave his friend a mindful gaze as he spoke. Midnight sighed, much like Pan did the day before when he spoke to Berry Punch. “Well,” began she carefully, “you know I’ve never had a coltfriend, right?” “Yeah, I know that.” Almost completely sure of what his friend was going to say, he continued, “what are you trying to say?” She ran a hoof through her short mane, and then glanced about the room. “Ummm, well, I’m not into stallions.” The mare’s words fell from her lips like a leaden weight, and she held her head down as if she were ashamed. Pan Sear shrugged. “So, does that mean you’re into mares?” asked he, his voice showing that he was treading carefully with the question. Midnight nodded slowly. “And now you don’t want to be my friend anymore, right?” She sounded certain, albeit extremely saddened, of her suspicion as she vocalised it. The stallion smiled warmly as he embraced just as warmly the blue mare. “I understand, Blue,” said he tenderly, “and I’d never, repeat, NEVER, want to not be your friend.” He then lifted the mare’s head to face him and told her, “I love you all the same, Sweetie.” “You.. you really mean that?” The mare wiped a tear from her emerald eye as she asked. Pan nodded. “I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t.” For a few seconds after the pair had broken their embrace, silence ensued, until Midnight spoke up. “By the way, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Pan felt what he thought was his heart stop. “What?” asked he, at a loss for words. “Before you answered the door,” explained Midnight innocently, “I heard you say you’d like to talk to me, too. Why is that?” She cocked her head in curiosity. “I was afraid of that,” thought the green stallion. Scratching the back of his neck with a hoof, he reasoned, mostly to himself, “well, you told me a secret; I guess it’s fair that I tell you mine.” The mare leaned closer to her friend in anticipation. “Yeah?” “Hmmm,” thought Pan aloud, “How do I explain this?” Within a few seconds, he clapped his forehooves together to show he had an idea. “You know I’m not as stallion-like as other stallions, right?” The blue mare nodded. “That’s an understatement. You’re practically one of the girls.” She smiled happily, thinking that what she’d said was a joke, while Pan knew all too well that it wasn’t. “You’re brighter than you let on, Blue,” complimented he, “and that’s exactly my secret.” Midnight Blue raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. “Thanks? So, what does that mean? Are you a mare in disguise or something?” “You could say that.” The cook shrugged. “It’s more like I’ve got the heart and mind of a mare, but the physical form of a stallion.” The mare nodded, showing that she understood the explanation. “So, what are you going to do?” asked she. “I mean, mares and stallions are clearly very different physically. What can you do about that?” Pan shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ll figure something out, though; don’t worry about it.” “Okay,” agreed Midnight, “but remember: if you ever need help with anything, come talk to me.” “Thank you,” said Pan, his tone beaming genuineness. “But, no thanks; I can deal with this myself; also, I said not to worry about it.” Midnight shook her head. “No,” said she firmly, “I can’t accept that. I want to give you a hoof in any way I can.” “You can give me a hoof by letting me handle myself,” replied Pan in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’m fine with that,” negotiated the mare. “Though, I want you to promise me that if you ever need me to do anything else, and you need me to assist you, then you’ll find me.” Pan nodded. “Okay,” said he lightly, “I promise.” He honestly just wanted to appease Midnight so she’d leave sooner. “Now, I’ve got to get ready for work; I’m sure you’re very tired after your shift.” “What are you talking about?” The blue mare cocked her head. “I thought you worked Second Shift; you’ve got several hours before you even have to think about getting ready.” “I guess you’re right; still, you must be exhausted.” “Actually,” began Midnight, “I’m feeling...” “Just leave!” barked Pan, clearly distraught and borderline furious. Midnight stepped back rapidly, tears welling in her shocked eyes. “O.. okay. I’m sorry! I was just leaving!” She quickly opened the door and galloped out, her sobs slowly fading away as she distanced herself from the apartment. “Finally!” shouted the stallion as he threw a hoof into a wall. “How hard is it to get somepony to leave you alone?! Seriously!” He then let out a shout of frustration as he continued, “I should have just stayed quiet!” “Well, what good would that have done?!” asked a mare’s voice, muffled partially by the thin walls separating the two apartments. Pan rolled his eyes in response. “It’s none of your concern, Daisy!” replied he, loudly enough for the mare next door to hear. Within a few seconds, he heard a door open and close, and his front door unlock as a royal blue glow encased the doorknob and turned it. On the other side of the door stood Daisy Dreamer, a light lavender Unicorn Mare with a long, curly and full mane of light orchid and stripes of a paler orchid colour. Her tail matched her gorgeous mane, her eyes were a deep royal blue, and a daisy within a puffy white cloud adorned her flank. She looked very cross as she stepped into Pan’s apartment. “I think it’s quite a bit of my concern,” stated she, her tone aligning with her cross expression. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” barked Pan, barely acknowledging Daisy’s presence. “I thought you have a flower shop to tend to.” The purple mare sounded confused as she replied, “it’s closed for renovation; I told you that, Pan.” She then sternly continued, “but, this isn’t about me; it’s about you, and how a close friend of yours is running away crying, by your hoof.” “Oh, that,” growled Pan, glaring daggers at Daisy. “She wouldn’t leave me alone, and if that’s the only way to get her to shut up, then so be it. I’m not against doing it again.” “Yell at me all you want,” retorted the mare, glaring back at her friend. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Pan’s anger almost boiled over in his head as his foreleg twitched. Before he could move, he felt a tight force grip his entire form as his vision became clouded by a royal blue haze. ”Hey!” shouted he, struggling against Daisy‘s magical grip. ”Let me go!” The mare shook her head. “Not until you calm down.” “I was calm!” shouted Pan. “You don’t sound calm to me,” said Daisy blankly. She then focused on her magic as it moved Pan’s body into a supine position on his couch. The stallion rolled his eyes. “This is ridiculous,” said he almost under his breath as he tried in vain to escape the unicorn’s magical grasp. After a few seconds, he ceased to struggle, accepting defeat. “Fine. What do you want?” Daisy smiled. “All I want,” said she in a tender voice, “is for you to listen to me.” Pan sighed. “I guess I don’t have a choice,” said he in defeat. “No, you have a choice,” said Daisy as she released her grip from Pan. She then sat down next to the couch. “If you want me to leave, then I will.” Every fibre of Pan’s being wanted to take Daisy up on that offer; to tell her to leave before she said anything else. However, he couldn’t convince himself to say it. Instead, he looked to his purple friend and asked her softly, “what is it you have to say, Daisy?” Within a second of Pan’s asking of the question, Daisy’s face shifted from a sole expression of tender love to one mixed with melancholy. “All I have to say,” said she with an appropriately saddened tone, “is that I’m hurt.” This caught Pan’s full attention as the mare continued. “I’ve been hearing you keeping yourself awake every night for the past few weeks. You’d change emotions every night: you’d be furious, screaming into your pillows and hitting walls one night, bawling your eyes out the next, and pacing your floor asking yourself questions in a fluster the next. I couldn’t stand to listen, and it pained me, more and more every night that I couldn’t help you.” She then drew a heavy sigh as she finished her thought, “yesterday was my breaking point; I promised myself I’d talk to you in the morning, and here I am.” Pan thought about Daisy’s words for several minutes and knew that she was right; he’d been a nervous wreck the past few weeks; he’d be furious, hopelessly sad and depressed, and utterly confused and worried night after night. He had no idea that Daisy was listening to him every night, though, and the thought of unknowingly depriving his friend of sleep and emotionally distressing her was too much for him to handle. When he got out of his thoughts, he realised he was crying, the tears a torrential rain emanating from his mind. “I had no idea,” said he between sobs. “I’m so sorry, Daisy. Please forgive me?” Without hesitation, Daisy Dreamer tenderly embraced the crying stallion. “Already done,” said she just as tenderly. “Now, remember, you have friends who want to aid you in...” before she could finish, Pan interrupted. “Yes,” said he quickly. “Yes, I need help. Oh, Celestia, I need help.” The mare nodded. “Good,” said she. “That’s the first step. The next step is apologising to Midnight Blue.” Pan nodded in agreement. “Then go clean yourself up, Sweetie; we’ve got work to do.”