“Well let me think. You’re talking to a pony that looks exactly like we did in Equestria while dreaming. What does that tell you?”

I considered for just one moment and then it came to me. “Are you the other voice I keep hearing?”

He tilted his head and seemed to think for a minute. Then he clopped his hooves together. “That’s right! We finally figured it out.”

“No. I don't know anything more than you do. We do both exist in the same brain with the same memories after all. All I knew for sure was that I am not you.”

I closed my eyes and put my fingers on the bridge of my nose. “Seriously? That’s the best you can do?”

“It’s the best we can do with our current knowledge,” he responded glibly. “There are differences between us. Sometimes I can hear more than you can which is certainly odd considering we’re using the same ears. You’re lucky I heard Lightning Dust coming.”

“I didn't hear a thing. That is interesting. Well, if I’m stuck with a voice in my head I'm going to at least have something to call you. You can be Spark, I’m Silver.”

“Maybe a bit. Going insane isn’t exactly a picnic Spark. So why are you a pony?”

Spark looked himself over. “Now that I see what I look like, I have an idea. Nature abhors a vacuum, right? Well, what was left when the infected half of our soul was cleansed by Princess Luna?”

“An empty space that could be filled by something else," I answered. “I really need to talk to Sunset about magic. So are you going to be counseling me to commit suicide?”

“Nope. I think we have a lot to live for now even if things are still rough. Even if I filled the space it left behind, that doesn’t mean I'm the same creature.”

The scene began to waver. “Oh good. Looks like I’m waking up Spark. Is this going to be a regular occurrence?”

“I don’t even think Luna could answer that one Silver. We’ll have to see what happens tomorrow.”

I opened my eyes without any disorientation and turned to look at the clock. 5:30 am just like every other day since the fall formal. As if on cue, my first alarm clock started ringing. I sighed and started to figure out my day but I was interrupted by a voice in my head.

Well I can confirm that I'm not just a dream Silver.
Good morning Spark. So we chat with Sunset today?
Yes, that would be wise I think. She knows about magic.
Guess we’ll sneak that in while we are unpacking with the girls.
Cool. Let’s get a workout in to start the day.
Well, you’re enthusiastic this morning.
What can I say? Having an identity is a relief.

I rolled out of bed without hesitation and immediately got dressed in my sweat pants. I looked out the window and saw the beginnings of a beautiful sunny morning. Clad only in my sweatpants, barefoot and empty-handed, I made my way outside into the cool morning air for a long-overdue Taekwondo practice. I put a t-shirt and two water bottles on the porch steps. It was time to refresh my memory on skills I had been neglecting, so after stretching I started rehearsing my forms.

I found this sort of practice incredibly relaxing even though it was both physically and mentally demanding. Every belt test could require a demonstration of any of the forms that came before. I also needed to be able to teach those forms to lower-ranked students. Over the years it took to work my way up to my third-degree black belt I had learned nineteen different forms. Earning the fourth-degree rank would require three more that I had only started to learn. I would need to demonstrate my current skill to a new dojo before I could start learning new styles.

I quickly lost track of time and the world around me, feeling safe and comfortable as the sky brightened and the sun came out. I rehearsed each form several times, slowly to recall the steps and then once at speed, stopping only occasionally for a drink of water. I wrapped up the fast run through Po-Eun, one of the second-degree forms, and turned to go get some water. My heart stopped when I realized there were three people sitting on my porch steps.

My heart began racing as adrenaline burned through my system and I dropped into a combat stance. Then I realized the figures were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset Shimmer sitting on the porch stairs watching me intently. I felt embarrassed and exposed standing here in only my pants, with sweat pouring off my body ready to defend myself. I took in a few breaths to calm myself before addressing them.

“Ah’d say we’ve been sitting here for about ten minutes” replied Applejack with a grin on her face. “You seemed really focused so we didn't want to interrupt. Is this that martial art you were talkin’ about on Monday?”

“That’s right, it's called Taekwondo. I wasn’t expecting any of you to arrive this early.”

“That’s mah fault Silver. Ah’ mentioned your morning practices to Dash yesterday. Dash was going to show up to spy on you no matter what ah said so I figured I should at least be here to explain. Sunset caught a ride up with me and Dash.”

Rainbow just looked satisfied with herself. “Well, I had to see what you do with your mornings after what AJ told me. Rarity really wasn’t kidding about what you were hiding under that shirt. Dang!”

Ouch.
Compliment or not?
No idea, but I think I'll put my shirt on.

I walked to the porch, trying not to freak out about being exposed. I quickly pulled on my t-shirt and then took a big drink of water while I collected my thoughts.

“In the future just let me know you’re coming by. I'm not used to having people randomly showing up at my house and I could do without the bursts of panic. Twilight just about gave me a heart attack last week and I knew she was here.”

Rainbow crossed her arms. “Oh fine. But if you stop practicing without a shirt just because I’m showing up, I’ll just sneak in to watch again.”

Way to make me self-conscious Rainbow.
I don’t even know what we should think anymore Silver.
It still feels like I look horrifying.

Applejack punched Rainbow in the shoulder as I stood there trying to find words. “Cut it out Dash. Rarity told us he was uncomfortable about his appearance and you should respect that. Now that I’ve delivered you two ah’ve got to get back home. Got a lot of apples left to harvest and cider to make. Ah’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it back today. Sorry Silver.”

With a tip of her hat, Applejack walked around the house and out of sight. I looked at the two girls who were staying. Rainbow was rubbing her shoulder and shouted after Applejack.

Sunset was looking at me when I turned back from watching Applejack leave. When our eyes met she raised her eyebrow.

Rainbow turned at stared at me expectantly. I started stammering like a fool and started turning redder and redder partly because the first memory that popped into my head was one of a cute purple-haired girl in nothing but a loosely wrapped towel. I just watched their grins grow as I started to stutter.

“Uhhhh. She slept here the night before the fall formal, I offered her my bed, no, nothing happened. I slept on a chair, stop staring at me like that, they didn’t have anywhere else to go. Ok, have you two eaten breakfast yet?”

Smooth Sliver. Very suave.
Oh, shut up Spark.

After nearly dying of embarrassment, I went upstairs to shower while Rainbow and Sunset helped themselves to some breakfast. I looked over my body as I washed up. I still couldn’t sort out why they were pretending I was good looking. There didn’t seem to be a good reason for them to fake it and I was really struggling to believe they might actually be telling the truth. The horrible mess my body was in turned my stomach.

Once I was dressed, I walked back downstairs and found Rainbow and Sunset sitting on the floor of my nearly empty living room. Rainbow Dash looked at me confused when I walked in.

“I know you said you needed help, but I had no idea you had so little done. What happened?”

“I was in pretty bad shape when I moved here. I just couldn't work up the energy to care or unpack. It's time for a change; especially if I'm going to have friends coming by without warning Rainbow.”

Rainbow had the decency to look sheepish. Sunset seemed amused by Rainbow’s discomfort.

“The rest of the furniture is in the garage. If we can get most of that in place we'll at least have somewhere to start piling things when we unpack the boxes that are scattered around the house. That's going to be the hard part for me. I think a fair amount is going to have to go to charity.”

“So the furniture is in the garage and the boxes are in the house. So what's in the giant shipping container?” Sunset asked.

We haven't told them about dad yet?
I suppose I haven't.

"I think I’ll just show you. It's another part of my past I haven't mentioned to anybody since I moved here. Honestly, I was pretty bad at sharing stuff about my life before the . . . incident. As Applejack said, I need to start being honest with my friends. Come on.”

I grabbed the keys off a hook by the door and walked outside. Rainbow and Sunset were following close behind me. I unlocked it for the first time in months and pulled it opened. The smell of metal wafted out the door. Visible at the front of the container was a power hammer, an industrial grinding wheel, a welding rig, an anvil, and several heavy crates. More equipment and crates filled the container right to the very back. I opened one of the long narrow crates revealing four unfinished broadswords. Looking at the blades made my eyes moist.

“My father was a master blacksmith, just like his father and grandfather. As far as I know, the family tradition goes back generations. He specialized in blades and armor but he was an artist with all kinds of metalwork.”

I nodded and wiped my face. “I was working towards my journeyman certification when dad passed away. I hope I'll be able to finish my training somehow so I can carry on the family tradition. If I can't at the very least I might be able to make ends meet repairing farm equipment.”

“How could you possibly have time for this, school and your martial arts,” Sunset asked.

“I honestly didn't have a lot else to do. Didn't really have friends in Manhattan so it was easy enough to train after school half the week and work at dad's shop the rest of the time. Anyhow, unpacking this will have to wait until I get the rest of my life back together. It’s a task I've been putting off just like everything else.”

I lead them out of the container and locked it back up. My hand rested on the door for a moment as I remembered the sound of hammers on metal and the smell of hot iron and steel. For the first time in ages, I felt a burst of creativity inside. It faded just as fast, but it had been there. I took a deep breath and forced a smile on my face before turning around to face them.

I had never really given my house much attention. It was just a place to sleep and nothing more. Now I was realizing just how large it was. The main house was three floors with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and office space near the front door. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all connected together in one big open space. The bottom floor was a huge empty basement that ran the entire length of the house.

Every piece of furniture we hauled in made the empty space more welcoming. There wasn’t nearly enough to fill the house, but adding a couch and another easy chair made the living room less barren. Three more kitchen chairs gave space for at least a small group breakfast making it more social. A second bed added to one of the bedrooms for a guest to sleep on made the place more welcoming.

Then Rainbow found something I'd been ignoring outside in the yard while she was taking some chairs to the back yard. She shouted for me and Sunset to come outside. We ran outside and followed her along the porch. At the far end of the deck, there was an overgrown concrete walkway and stairs that went a short distance up the hill from the house. Hidden from the house were a stone patio and gazebo. The gazebo had glass windows and built-in benches which would make it quite cozy even in the winter.

Rainbow Dash was pointing at the main feature of the patio, a massive insulated cover concealed by the overgrown bushes and shrubs.

“If you think it's a hot tub, you'd probably be right. I nearly forgot all this was up here.”

Rainbow's jaw dropped and she knelt down to pull open the lid to look at the dry, dusty interior. “How could you forget this was here? This is so awesome! You could fit like fifteen people in this thing with room to spare.”

“I wasn’t really thinking about it. What good is all this when you are alone? There's no point in running this thing for just one person.”

Rainbow walked over to me, grabbed my shoulders, and looked me in the eye. “Silver, can I please, please help you get this fixed up and running?”

“A hot tub way nicer than a bath for soaking out aches Silver. You're an athlete like me; you should know that. I know this is going to sound selfish here but do you know how awesome it would be to come over here after a game to soak in this thing?”

Rainbow sees me as an athlete?
You know she's right about the hot tub Silver.
Yes, I know Spark.
Still feeling snippy I see.

I pinched the brow of my nose. “I guess it would be OK as long as it's just people I know and you give me some warning. Luna knows it's going to be hard getting used to the idea of having friends.”

I’m not a proud man, so I’m quite willing to admit I screamed in terror and dove into the overgrown bushes beside the hot tub before I could stop myself. Rainbow and Sunset looked like they were ready to jump out of their skin while Pinkie was just standing there smiling at us. Then the girls looked over at me tangled up in the hedge and started laughing. I just turned red and tried to get out.

Thanks for the warning Spark.
I have to hear someone coming still.
How did we miss her approach then?
I don't know how she did that but it scares me a bit.

Sunset walked over and pulled me out of the bushes while laughing. “You really need to relax Silver. Maybe the hot tub will do you some good.”

“Very funny. Mostly I just need to get past the point where I’m always feeling frightened all the time. Hello Pinkie.”

“It’s not really home. I haven’t had one since my parents died. And here I am being depressing again. Sorry.”

Rainbow and Pinkie were frowning at my comment but what really hurt was looking at Sunset’s face. She almost looked like she wanted to cry and I felt like a heel. I was worried she was going to feel responsible for that feeling. Funny enough it was Rainbow Dash who spoke up first.

“Well, we’ll just have to help you feel at home again. That’s what friends are for right?”

Pinkie and Rainbow ran down the stairs towards the house. I walked over to Sunset who was fighting back tears but she stepped back and let out a small sob.

“I abandoned my home six years ago. I was a stupid, angry, arrogant foal who foolishly thought she was special and deserved to be something more. I threw everything away for nothing.”

I started to reach out to her, but Sunset pushed my arm away and started back towards the house. She snarled at me as she walked away.

I can’t help screwing up sometimes can I?
We don’t have much experience with friends Silver.
I know Spark. I wish I could help
Back to work, I guess.

“Darned if I know Rainbow. It’s been used as a coffee table for as long as I can remember. I never had to move it around before today. I don’t even know where the key is.”

It was just a bit past noon. Rainbow, Sunset, and I were struggling to pull in the last piece of furniture from the garage. It was a large flat-topped antique wood box that my parents used as a coffee table. It turned out it was absurdly heavy. We gave it one last push into the corner between the couch and chair. Then the three of us sat down to rest a minute.

“Maybe there’s treasure inside of it! Ooooh, is this a copper cooking pot Silver? Neato!” Pinkie said from the kitchen where she was unpacking the cooking supplies. The pot in question brought a smile to my face.

“That was the first thing dad and I built together in the shop. The inside is coated with stainless steel to protect the copper from acidic foods. Copper conducts heat really well but it is very reactive which can be bad for the food and metal. There’s also a large copper and steel wok we made somewhere as well.”

“Here it is!” she said, pulling it out of the box. “You actually made these? This is so neat! I can’t wait to try them out!”

I smiled but then I nearly jumped out of my skin for the third time that day when the doorbell rang. Rainbow Dash smirked at me and shook her head at my reaction. I was sheepish as I walked over to answer the door. I could see a familiar face with purple curled hair standing outside. I pushed the door open and was surprised to see Sweetie Belle standing behind Rarity.

“Good day Sir Spark. I hope you don’t mind that I had to bring my sister with me today.”

I stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. “Of course not Lady Belle. You and your sister are quite welcome.”

Sweetie Belle looked nervous while Rarity walked in making appreciative noises. She was carrying a handful of shopping bags. “I have the first of your new outfits ready here Silver. This is a lovely place you have here Silver. How on earth can you afford it?”

I sighed. "Selling two properties in Manhattan and two life insurance payouts adds up fast."

The reason for my financial comfort seemed to make her uncomfortable. "I see. I am sorry I couldn’t make it sooner. I had two scheduled fittings at the shop this morning."

“No worries! We’ve made quite a bit of progress already. We were just about to start in on the boxes after we catch our breath. How has that piano guitar thing been working out?”

“I must admit Pinkie's idea was brilliant. While I still love a classic piano, the keytar will be far more practical for performances,” Rarity replied. She glanced over at her sister and frowned. “Sweetie Belle, you can relax. Silver and Sunset are both friends with us now.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t say anything; she just sort of stepped behind Rarity and tried to be invisible while she stared at my arms. I just sighed, remembering I was still in my t-shirt with my scars exposed. I did my best to smile in spite of my discomfort. Rarity's face took on a stern expression and she opened her mouth; most likely to chastise Sweetie. I shook my head and interrupted Rarity before she could unfairly chastise her sister.

“There are a whole bunch of boxes of my mother’s clothing around. Would you be willing to look through them for me? I want to keep her wedding dress and martial arts uniforms but the rest can be sorted into bags for charity or garbage depending on their condition. Or you can keep them it if you want any of it for inspiration or modification.”

“I would be happy to help. That's quite a generous offer. Are you quite sure you’re willing to part with them?”

“There are two empty bedrooms upstairs, so go ahead and pick one to use. As for their destination, I’d rather they go to a good cause if they’re at all usable. I know my mom would have wanted that as well. Inspiring you is a good cause as far as I'm concerned.”

Rarity grinned at my comment and turned to her sister. “Do you want to help me out, Sweetie?”

“She has every right to be uncomfortable Rarity. Don’t be too hard on her.”

Rarity nodded and we each took a box of clothing upstairs to one of the empty rooms. When I was walking downstairs to get some more clothes I heard Rainbow suddenly gasp with excitement.

Rainbow had pulled out a large box marked ‘decorations’ and had opened it. She had picked up and drawn a short sword that was once hung up in the kitchen back in Manhattan. The hilt was black with a series of Celtic knots in bronze. Seeing it immediately brought a tear to my eye.

“This is what your family called decorations? So awesome. Is this whole box filled with swords and stuff? Wait, are you ok Silver?”

I sniffed a bit and wiped my eye. “Sort of. That was one of a pair of short swords that were hung up in the kitchen of the apartment. My father was wielding the other one when he was shot. He used it to carve chunks out of a few of the gang members that attacked us so it’s probably in an evidence locker collecting dust somewhere in Manhattan.”

“Seriously? That really sucks.” Rainbow held the sword up and looked it over. “It’s hard to imagine someone fighting a gang with this Silver.”

I started giggling uncontrollably as my emotional control started to fail. I managed to force out some words.

“If you think that’s hard to imagine, you should know that there’s a dirty cast iron frying pan sitting right next to the sword in the evidence locker. Mom took the first attacker out with it. She launched it straight into his face from across the room and knocked him out.”

I gasped with increasingly unstable laughter and slumped down on the living room floor as the laughter turned to tears. I didn’t start crying fully but my face was certainly wet and my brain was breaking as memories of the attack welled up. The room began to spin and I knew I was on the verge of a breakdown yet again.

Suddenly there was a presence beside me. I felt my heart slowing down as my mind remembered I had friends here. A cyan hand grabbed mine and squeezed it in a friendly comforting manner. Startled, I looked up into the magenta eyes of Rainbow Dash. I blinked away the tears, looked around. Pinkie looked like she was ready to dive in and hug me. Sunset seemed to be just looking away at the floor and avoiding looking in my direction. Rarity and Sweetie had come to the top of the stairs and were watching as well. Rarity looked relieved but Sweetie's expression was one of horrified confusion.

How much do you think she heard.
I have no idea.

“No, it’s not your fault Rainbow. Memories don't exist in isolation. This is one of the reasons I’ve been putting unpacking off so long. That sword would have triggered these memories no matter what. Every box here potentially has memories of what I lost. All of you make getting through this so much easier.”

Rainbow gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Hey, any time Silver. I’d never leave a friend hanging.”

I smiled just a bit as I thought back on better days before the tragedy. “Yes, they were Rainbow. They really were. Why don’t you see what else you can find in that box? There should be a Scottish claymore around here somewhere. It'll be almost as tall as you are.”

“Seriously? Heck yes!” she exclaimed as she hopped to her feet and ran to the boxes. The look of glee on Rainbow’s face was priceless.

We slowly worked through the boxes of items over the course of the afternoon. Surprisingly there weren't as many things that triggered bad memories as I feared. Or maybe it was just having friends here. A couple of things still brought out tears but it never got out of hand. Rainbow Dash was never far away from me that afternoon as she helped me unpack boxes. Just a quick word to distract me, a leading question or even just a hand on the shoulder helped keep me grounded. Sunset kept avoiding talking to me and I really didn't want to push her.

Around 5:00 we managed to wrap things up. Rarity, Sweetie, and Sunset had left around 4:00 since Rarity had another scheduled fitting. She made me promise not to wear my new clothes until Monday for 'the best effect'. Rainbow had gone outside to see if the hot tub worked while Pinkie and I broke down boxes and finished up inside. Once we were done we went out to find her.

“Hey Rainbow!” I yelled from the porch. “We're pretty much wrapped up here.”

“I've got this thing cleaned but it looks like the heater is broken. There's a store in town that should have the part, so we can pick it up tomorrow.”

“Well yeah. I was planning to get a ride up here early tomorrow to help you tidy up this mess. Wouldn't be cool of me to just clean the hot tub, point out the problem, and expect you to do all the work to get this thing ready for use.”

"I didn't. I do know how to follow instructions. I pulled up the manual for this thing on my phone."

I really don't know how to feel about Rainbow.
Or how she feels about us. We haven't exactly had an easy start.
I have an idea how we can find out.

“Very clever. Hey, if you're coming up early would you like to join me for my morning exercise? I was thinking tomorrow would be a good day for a run.”

Rainbow's eyes brightened at that suggestion. “Yeah! That would be fun. It's way more fun to exercise with friends. Where do you go?”

“There's a nice path following the fence line of my farm and I usually start between five and six in the morning. How does that sound?”

“I can have dad drop me off at 6:00 tomorrow morning assuming he's ok with it. I'll text you if he isn't.”

“So I'm not sure when we're going to be able to talk to Sunset, Spark. She really blocked me out after that conversation yesterday.”

“I hate to say it Silver, but I think we're going to have to help her out before we can figure out what's going on in here.”

“These conversations are nicer than nightmares. Oops, there's our wake-up call.”

I was roused from my morning conversation with Spark by the doorbell ringing rather than my alarm clock. I hopped out of bed, pulled on a robe, and walked down to the front door to let Rainbow Dash in. When I pulled the door open Rainbow looked at me and laughed.

“Why are you still in your pajamas Silver? We’ve got a busy day ahead and it’s time to see what you’re made of!”

Rainbow Dash was wearing a pair of black track pants and a black t-shirt with her trademark cloud and lightning bolt symbol in the middle. She had a sports bag over her shoulder and a water bottle strapped to her belt. I only glanced at her for a moment before looking away and over her shoulder. Whoever dropped her off was already gone.

“Sorry Rainbow Dash, my alarm didn’t go off,” I replied. “Just let me go get dressed and stretch before we get started. Put your bag down anywhere.”

“Silver, just call me Dash. Please. Rainbow Dash is what my parents call me.”

I ran up the stairs two at a time and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Once I got back downstairs I pulled on a pair of running shoes and then pulled out my backpack and started stretching. Dash had already started stretching in the living room.

“It’s weighted Dash. I need to get back in shape for wearing armor in the future.”

“Thirty pounds plus the water bottles in the side pouches. The plate armor I typically wear weighs about fifty pounds. Once I'm comfortable with the thirty in the backpack I'll start wearing the leggings and bracers occasionally.” I replied as I continued stretching.

I hopped up to my feet, pulled on my backpack, and walked to the back door. I held it opened for Rainbow who jogged through. I pulled it closed and ran to catch up with her. Once I caught up we both settled into a steady jog. We made good time up the hill and then down towards the lake. As we followed the short edge of the lake something occurred to me.

“You know Dash, this little lake is only accessible from my property and Applejack's now.”

“Awesome! I used to swim at Applejack's dock over there when I was younger. It's the first time I’ve been up here since AJ and I stopped talking.”

Her expression became weary and sad as she continued speaking. “Two years of friendship lost just because we just assumed the worst of each other. Some element of loyalty I am. I don't know if I deserve it.”

“Anger makes us do foolish things Dash. Loyalty is an idea, not an expectation. You embody it better than most. Look what you’ve done to fix things once you realized the truth. For Luna’s sake, you should be proud of what you did to try to protect Fluttershy the first day we spoke.”

We jogged silently for a few more minutes and turned away from the lake towards the house. “You’re probably right. Still, it hurts to look back at my mistakes.”

“Yeah, I can relate to that.” I decided to change the subject. “Hey, you know if we prepared a bit more carefully we could go for a swim in the lake as part of our run if you want to do this regularly.”

That brought a smile back to her face. “I like the way you think Silver. A couple of miles of running, a swim, and then a warm down jog back to the house. Of course, we would have to wrap up with a soak in the hot tub to relax afterward.”

I laughed out loud. “You have a one-track mind about that hot tub Dash. Still, that sounds like it would be pretty nice. Still going to take some time to heat up though so it's not an option today. We'll pick up the chlorine and stuff after lunch.”

We ran along the edge of Sweet Apple Acres and passed the house as we started our second lap.

“So you said each lap of your property is about a mile right? So how many laps do you usually do?”

“I’ve been doing two since I moved in but I thought it might be nice to go for four miles today.”

We continued our run mostly in silence through the meadows of my farm as the sun came out. It was going to be a glorious fall day. The next two times we passed the lake Rainbow looked over the water wistfully, most likely remembering her days with Applejack before the falling out. On the last lap, Rainbow slowed down as we approached the lake. Then she suddenly changed direction and ran towards the lake.

“What do you mea . . .” I turned to watch her but trailed off as she pulled her t-shirt off. Before I had time to react, her pants went down leaving her in nothing but a black sports bra and some modest panties. When she stood up and hooked her fingers under her bra like she was about to pull it off as well I flushed red and finally turned away. Rainbow Dash started to laugh.

“Gotcha Silver. Wow you really are nervous, aren't you? I don’t know you nearly well enough to skinny dip. I'll be wearing more daring swimsuits than this in the hot tub later so you'd better get used to it. Relax and stop staring at the dirt like Rarity told you to. Now, are you coming or what?”

I looked up as she turned and ran for the lake. I was surprised at the curves Dash had hidden away. Her body was lithe and her muscles were visibly flexing with every step as she ran towards the lake. Her long rainbow hair was waving wildly as she ran through the shallows and dove into the water. When she surfaced she waved to me to hurry up.

Down boy. Get us in that cold water before we embarrass ourselves.
I'm going Spark. Chill out.
We’re both going to chill in a minute.

Shaking nervously I came to a decision and kicked off my shoes and dropped my pack. I felt self-conscious as I pulled off my pants and shirt. Clad in a pair of boxers I walked into the lake, then dropped into the cold water and started slowly swimming out to meet her. She was treading water and watching me as I approached.

“My boxers don’t exactly have a drawstring Dash. I’d rather not wind up flashing you by accident.”

“Hah! That would be pretty funny. Come on! I want to swim to Applejack's dock and back.”

We both started to swim across the lake. We were fairly evenly matched in the water but it wasn’t a race. Honestly, it was at this point I realized Dash and I had become friends. Just like speaking Shakespearean English with Rarity, Dash and I had stumbled into a more solid friendship just by sharing some interests. As we swam through the cold lake in our underwear a part of me was wondering how Dash was going to use this to embarrass me later.

I looked over at her. Dash's wet hair was tangled into dozens of small rainbow strands draped over her shoulders and face. She looked sheepish.

"I owe you an apology. A part of me has been waiting all week for you to screw up and show your true colors. You have, but they're just not the colors I expected to see. I'm glad I was wrong."

"I'm also glad it means we get to keep some eye candy in the group.” She winked at me while I blushed beet red again.

"Awww, come on Silver. You know how uncomfortable putting on clothes is when you're wet.” Then she started laughing.

I put my sweats and shoes on for the run back but Dash only threw on her shoes. I put her extra clothes in my backpack. Side by side we jogged straight back to the house, while I tried to resist taking too many glances at Dash's body. After we each had a shower before I put together breakfast for the two of us. Scrambled eggs, apples, and toast filled us up while we talked about what needed to do to get the hot tub area ready for use.

Several hours later I was working on pruning back the bushes around the hot tub area when my phone started buzzing. I put down the clippers and looked around while I pulled out my phone. The hot tub was filled with water and the heater was running. The walkway and patio were clear of overgrown grass and had been cleaned. Rainbow Dash was putting a fresh coat of varnish on the outside of the gazebo to help protect it against the upcoming winter weather.

“Hey Rainbow, are you close to a good place to stop? Applejack needs our help.”

Rainbow Dash leaned around the gazebo dressed in some ratty old work clothes. “Yeah, I'll have this wall done in a minute.”

Word spread to the other girls like wildfire thanks to our phones. Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were waiting as we pulled up in front of the pawnshop. Applejack was fuming.

“We’ll get it back AJ,” said Rainbow. “I’m sure they’ll understand that it was sold by mistake.”

We pushed the door open only to be confronted by two twin men with red and white hair in pinstripe shirts. The only obvious difference was one of them had a mustache and they were wearing different colored shoes. If ever there were two men who looked like con artists, these would be them. The store was incredibly cluttered with boxes and items on every surface.

“I’m Flim and this handsome fellow over here is my brother Flam. Welcome to the grand opening of the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium!”

“Ah’d like that bass,” said Applejack, pointing at a lovely red and gold-tinted guitar.

Flim pulled it out of the case. “I can give you this bass for a non-negotiable price of one thousand dollars.”

“Yes, well, we have to cover our overhead and transportation costs,” Flam responded.

“Listen, mah Granny never should've sold my bass. I'll give ya the two dollars back and we'll call it even.”

These guys are freaky in sync with one another.
They’re trying to push her off balance.
What can we do Spark?
Wait and see.

Flam looked at the letters and shook his head. “That could mean anything. It could stand for . . .”

Flam suddenly leaned in super close to Applejack with a look of suspicion on his face. “Why, I'll bet you don't even play the bass, Applejack . . . if that is your real name.”

Rainbow Dash got right up in Flam’s face, sending him reeling back. “Of course that's her real name!”

While the two brothers were distracted, Applejack snagged the bass guitar out of Flim’s hand and slipped it on before they could object. She started strumming a fast-paced tune with practiced speed and precision. We all watched as she finished with an explosive flourish sending a shock wave through the store. Magic coiled over the guitar and Applejack as she ponied up and several apple symbols appeared on the guitar making it even more unique than it was before. We all applauded and cheered. Rarity had already found her magic with her Keytar on Friday.

Five girls, five magical responses to music.
I wish I knew if Sunset was still angry. We need to talk to her.
She didn't talk to us again yesterday, did she?

Applejack had a defeated look on her face and her ears folded down on her head. The girls were glaring at the brothers and it looked like there could be trouble. I stepped forward from the group and spoke politely to them, signaling the girls to calm down.

“You're going to have trouble making ends meet with such an inefficient operation,” I said. “Nearly a thousand dollars to transport and stock a single bass guitar? You two won’t last a month with expenses on that scale.”

The two brothers exchanged nervous glances. “We would be willing to negotiate. Some exchange of services perhaps?”

Applejack looked like she was going to try to speak but I put my hand up to stop her. “I notice you gentlemen seem a bit short of storage space. Just look at all this clutter. I can’t imagine this is the sort of image you want to present to prospective customers.”

“Well yes,” replied Flam rubbing his hand on the back of his head. “We had purchased a used shelving unit from a going out of business sale but it was substandard.”

“It broke when we tried to set it up. Complete waste of funds. The remnants are sitting out in the back waiting for garbage day.”

I rubbed my hands together. “Let me have a look. If I can fix it, install it, and make sure there aren’t any similar flaws in your other shelves, would you be willing to part with this bass guitar? Broken stock is lost stock right?”

The two brothers exchanged glances and then looked at me with smiles on their faces. “If you could do that service for us, we would consider this guitar yours free and clear.”

“Very well, let’s go have a look. If it's what I suspect, I’ll have to run back to my house and pick up my welding gear but I should be able to have it fixed up today.”

Applejack stopped me before I could walk outside. “What are ya doing Silver? Ah, can do this myself.”

“I don’t doubt it Applejack. Answer me this though: are you still in the middle of harvest and cider production at the farm?”

“That’s what I figured,” I interrupted. “So here’s what’s going to happen. Flim and Flam will put your guitar in the back so it won’t be purchased as collateral. I’ll drop you off at your place so you can get back to work. Then I'll come back with the equipment I need to take care of these shelves. I’ll drop the bass off at your place tonight.”

“You have a job to do to support your family Applejack. I have time to spare right now. Please let me take care of this for you.”

Applejack relented and smiled gently. “All right, you win Silver. Thank you.”

I wasn’t at all surprised to discover the shelving unit in question had broken due to cheap welding in the past. There were a couple of other shelves in the store that were poorly assembled as well but those were easy enough to fix while I was at it. It took about an hour to drop Applejack off and for me and Dash to load up the welding torch and the other gear and drive back. Two hours of careful work later, the shelving units were fixed, reinforced, and installed as promised. I'll admit it would have taken much longer without Dash's help though. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked over at the brothers as they examined the finished work.

“That he did Flim, that he did. Here you go as promised: one custom bass guitar, safe and sound.”

I walked out to their loading dock where my van was parked and gently put it in the back seat. Dash hopped into the passenger seat with a smile on her face and my spare welding goggles on her forehead.

It was 6:00 in the evening. We had wrapped up our work on the patio and hot tub and were relaxing on my porch with a half-eaten large pizza and two bottles of fizzy apple cider from Applejack on a table between us. The gazebo was just barely visible from the porch with everything I had pruned back and the fresh coat of varnish made it look nice. As a final touch, I had purchased a dozen solar lights and planted them along the pathway and stairs to provide some illumination.

"You know, I really wasn't sure what to make of you when Twilight dragged you along before the fall formal. The creepy guy suddenly hanging out with us? No way. Not a chance in a million years I thought. He'll mess up in five minutes I thought. Then it was an hour and then a day. Now here we are a week later and I'm chilling on your porch without a care in the world."

I jumped and started to shake when an unfamiliar male voice suddenly shouted from the front. "Hello?! Where are you hiding Dash?"

A moment later a tall man with lavender skin and short-cropped rainbow hair walked around the corner. Rainbow Dash waved him over.

I stood up and we shook hands. "Pleased to meet you, sir. Dash has been a huge help this weekend."

He didn't answer right away as he looked me over with a stern glare. The intensity of his gaze was making me nervous.

Dash's dad started laughing. "Oh fine, if you insist Rainbow. It's nice to meet you as well. Hard to believe you live here alone."

"Right, I suppose it would," he replied. "Well if you're going to be coming up here regularly you'd better pass your driver's test this time Rainbow. As much as I'd love to stay and chat, we do need to get home."

Rainbow bounced to her feet and held up her fist to me. I bumped it in response. Then she scooped up one more slice of pizza and her half-finished bottle of Cider.

"Nice. Didn't even have to prompt you. Thanks for dinner, I'll see you at school tomorrow Silver!"

I watched them walk out to the front and flopped back down in my chair to watch the Sunset.

This was a good weekend.
Yes it was Spark. Yes it was.

Finding a Place

by Battlecat

Chapter 12 - To Live