//------------------------------// // CH6: Cake and a Story // Story: A Stallion's Man // by Spirit Shift //------------------------------// It was even more amusing in person, to watch Applejack struggling with the masterpiece the Cakes had been perfecting over the last few weeks, that is. The Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, it was even more impressive than he could have hoped. Truly it was a delicacy worth the crazy mystery it would entail. However, the best part, the part that had Barrett ready to dance in glee was the fact that for the next few days, he would be free. No crazy stallions, no experiments or fights, just the peaceful beauty of true quiet. Not to mention the repair ponies had told him that, even without Applejack there, his home would be fully rebuilt by the end of the day. These thoughts were, however, short lived as the sudden jab of a hoof to his ribs pulled the distracted human back to reality. Barrett snapped his head down to see Dusk looking up at him with a raised brow. The stallion’s look only grew more piercing as they watched each other. “Well?” Dusk asked, motioning toward the group who had already moved out. “Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought,” Barrett said, scratching the back of his head and joining the precession. The group slowly plodded to the train station, the fretting bakers panicking all the while at every tilt and twist of the towering pastry. “Are you sure that cake will hold?” Dusk asked, questioning the physics of the quivering pastry. “Yes,” Answered Mrs. Cake. “It took months of planning and testing. We had to make sure the flavors and cream of each layer are equally distributed.” Dusk clicked his tongue as he pondered. “Okay… If that’s the case, why is it still—” “Dusk, don’t worry about it,” Barrett urged with a smile. He gave Dusk a pat on the back. “The cake will be fine.” Blitz grunted and glared at Barrett. “I don’t see you helping with those dexterous, soft, useful hands of yours.” Barrett stared down at him. “You got this,” he deadpanned. “Or is something as simple as ‘cake’ too much for you?” He teased. “I’ve should've known that was why you're too slow. Need to lay off a few pounds, am I right?” he snarked, his good mood seeping into his words. This causes the others to have their small fits of giggles from Barrett’s remark. Blitz ground his teeth, irritated at Barrett’s challenge. “Well you’re...” He began to think about what to call him. “Negative 20% Lamer than… your face! Hah! Beat that.” “Oh god, the burn. It hurts my heart,” Barrett dramatically clutched his heart, “Oh the agony. The pure burning agony. The most horrible scrubbiest insult has been delivered onto mone such as I. Oh woe is me.” Barrett, cutting the act poked Blitz in his nose. “Look, if you are going to burn me, can you actually put some effort into it? At least when Barb does it there’s actual fire involved. I feel like you're taking it too easy on me.” “That’s because if you want me to do it the hard way, you’d be a sore mess!” Blitz yelled. “Just shut up and let us focus on the cake.” “Alright, no need to be butthurt about it,” Barrett quipped. The train sat pristine and colorful, each car decorated in an ensemble of colors and decor. At the front harnessed to the front was four toned earth pony mares. Each one decked with a nifty Cabbie hat. Barrett’s attention was left on the group of mares. His face a blank mask hiding away the confusion of the very concept itself. Turning to Dusk who was watching the cake as it made the final few meters to the train Barrett nudged his side. Dusk turned to Barrett. “Yes, Barrett?” “Well, I mean, I was just thinking about how unbelievable it is that four mares can pull an entire train by themselves,” Barrett said, motioning toward the harnessed mares who stood at the ready on the rails. Dusk blinked and looked at the mares. He turned back to Barrett nonplused. “They’re earth mares, Barrett. This is their job,” Dusk said, chuckling lightly and bumping Barrett's side. Barrett’s expression only deepened. He rubbed his palms together and sighed inwardly. “Dusk, how much does a train like this weigh?” Dusk blinked, surprised by the question, taking a moment Dusk muttered under his breath while occasionally glancing at the train itself. “I would say this in particular model weighs between 12,000 and 13,000 tons, why?” Dusk asks. Barrett rose a finger only to be interrupted by the whistle of the train. Barrett cursed under his breath as Dusk turned and rushed toward the train doors. Barrett strode up to the entryway and stood beside the Cakes, who were babbling advice to Barry. Applejack, now free of the mountain of sugar, turned to Barrett. “Barrett, don’t forget to pick up Bucky and his friends on your way back to the farm,” Applejack said, smiling warmly as the whistle blew again. Barrett smiled back and nodded. “Yeah, no problem, I just hope they don’t destroy anything on my watch. Last time I swear I thought Toffee was going to kill me." Applejack rolled his eyes, and waved a hoof in dismissal. “I’d have liked to see her try,” he muttered, chuckling as he trotted towards the train. With that, Barrett coughed awkwardly and pulled at his collar. “Yeah, right.” “All aboard, who’s going aboard,” the conductor yelled. One by one the train doors shut. Before he could lose the opportunity, Barrett ran up to the door and stuck his head inside to see Dusk whom had been in the midst of a conversation with Berry. “Oh and Dusk, think about this. If the train weighs over ten thousand tons, what is the average strength of an earth mare? Because anyway you slice it, that math is a whole lot of nope.” Dusk fell onto his haunches as the Barrett pulled his head out and let the door shut. Barrett grinned ear to ear and turned about while the train pulled off. Sucking in and letting out a jubilant sigh of relief he departed, happily awaiting his break from the craziness that is his life. --- The school bell had rung and the eager students were rushing out the door, eager to take what time they could to play, talk and avoid schoolwork. Barrett smiled and a flood of old memories from his school years washed over his mind. Barrett approached the mass of fillies and colts who were going about their childish endeavors. The CMC were discussing a new plan for finding their talents, Diamond and Silver were plotting something or another and Smallfry was gawking in abject surprise at him, nothing new there. For a moment this last thought sat happily at the forefront of Barrett’s mind and then it hit him. Barrett looked back down at the pint sized filly whose eyes bore a hole into his very soul with their pure unbridled emotion. In a synchronized motion, one that many might even mistake for practiced, Barrett and Smallfry smiled at one another. Smallfry then dashed over to Barrett. “It’s really you Mr. Barrett. I heard you were moved away from Canterlot, but I didn't know you had moved here!” Barrett kneeled down in order to converse with the filly more easily. “Yeah, I’ve been here a couple months now. I’m surprised you missed me.” Smallfry blushed and looked away from Barrett who’s smile only grew larger. “Well, it’s not like I was looking for you.” Barrett reached down and patted the fillies matted mane. “Don’t worry about shorty,” Barrett said. “If anything I should've remembered you moved here,” He added under his breath. It was about this time the two noticed that all of the young impressionable youths had stopped their talking and playing and were watching Barrett and Smallfry, utterly spellbound. The CMC muttered to each other in hushed voices before Scootaroll and Silver Bell pushed Buck forward. Buck gave his friends a sharp glare before he walked over to the human and filly. “Hey there, Barrett. Me and the guys were just wondering, but you seem to be awfully good friends with Smallfry here,” Buck said, looking between the two in turn. “Yeah, and?” Barrett asked, rolling his hand for Applebuck to go on. “The thing is, I don’t recall ya’ll ever even meetin’ before today,” Buck finished falling onto his hindquarters. Barrett and Smallfry give each other a look before they burst into a fit of laughter. This only seemed to draw the crowd's attention even further, by this point even Sunny Smiles had joined the crowd. “Well believe it or not, Smallfry here is the first pony I met after landing in Equestria. Back when I was roughing it out in the forest near Trottingham.” Smallfry nodding all the while. Buck’s jaw dropped to the ground. “You used to live in Trottingham with Smallfry?” he gawked. Barrett shook his head. “I said I used to live near Trottingham. I lived in a forest away from the place when I first found myself in Equestria and didn’t want to get involved with anypony.” By this point a bunch of the colts and fillies who had overheard the exchange trotted over to listen to the rest of the story. “Well, I believe this is quite the tale, isn’t it?” Sunny Smiles said trotting up and taking a seat. Followed by Silver Bell, Scootaroll and several others. An idea began to form in Smallfry’s mind, he turned towards Barrett. “Hey! Do you think there is enough time for you to tell us the story?” Barrett clicked his tongue and scanned the gaggle of huge eyed foals. Taking a more comfortable seat Barrett waved idly at the gathering. “Yeah, I guess,” he said, a small frown on his face. While he didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards the kids he was never one to enjoy being at the centre of a crowd. “The question is where to begin--” Barrett hummed only for Smallfry to flick his arm. “You start at the beginning, Barrett,” the filly said earnestly. Barrett gave the filly a blank stare and sighed as he gazed into the middle distance. “Well believe it or not it all started on one of my annual outings to the yearly Anime convention…"