//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Spending Time With The Dragon // Story: The Element of Hope // by Shootingstar212 //------------------------------// I collapse face first onto my mattress, the recoil of the springs squeak lightly. I didn't do much today, besides spending some time with Twilight, yet I'm exhausted. I got so absorbed up in our conversation that I forgot that I wanted to do my spring cleaning at some point. Twilight did tell me that she's only free after a certain time, so I may just spend my morning tomorrow just trying to clean this place to the best of my ability. I smother my face into my pillow and let out a sigh. I can't shake the thought of what Twilight was talking about earlier. My magic is off when compared to a Unicorns magic. Of course, it's different! I can't just have something go my way for once. right? I turn my body towards the ceiling and stare at the web covered supports that are going across the roof. I raise my hand above my face, looking deep into my palm. "There has to be an explanation for this," I whisper while my hand begins to glow a light teal colour. The waves of magic flowing up to a few inches from my fingertips before evaporating into nothing. the room lights up with the teal colouring from my magic. I close my fists causing the magic to stop completely, making the room drop back down to darkness. I'm still on edge about this whole deal I have with Twilight. She seems nice from what I was able to get from her, but I'm unsure whether or not that's just a show she's putting on to get what she wants. Twilight is the Element of Magic, that should count for something. At the same time though, Rainbow Dash was a bit of an ass for even just helping her... I let out a massive yawn. I'll think about this tomorrow, I'm too tired at the moment anyway... The early morning sunlight shines through my window, directly onto my face. The warm heat causes me to wake up. My eyes slowly flutter open. I sit up and let out a long yawn, stretching my arms and arching my back slightly. I hear the sounds of my bones popping from being stretched. This has been the most peaceful sleep I've had in a really long time. Usually, it would be loud in the streets of Manehattan at night. Ponies would be out and about at any time. It's probably because they have to work night shifts at their jobs. I get off of my bed and open my suitcase that I left right beside my bed. My assortment of clothes are neatly folded, so I can fit as many as I can for the trip. I don't have too many different kinds of clothing styles because I had to get them custom-made to fit my body. No store sells anything that would fit me, so it got a little pricey trying to get somepony to tailor me things to wear. I don't remember who exactly made everything, but I'm pretty sure they're happy with the payment. There aren't any fancy designs on any of my clothing, not just to save some bits. But it's because I also don't really like anything flashy. I quickly get dressed in some casual clothing. Nothing too special, just a grey shirt and dark blue jeans. Now's probably a good time to get to cleaning up the house... "Maybe if I get lucky, Twilight will be at my door." I sigh in disappointment. I know I'm not going to get out of this chore, might as well stop delaying the inevitable. The first order of business should be to put my clothes in a more accessible place, the last thing I want is to constantly dig around for everything. My gaze shifts over to the dresser that's beside the nightstand. It's nothing too crazy, four rows each having one medium-sized drawer. Each of the drawers has a plastic nob in the middle so it can be easily opened. I slowly walk towards the dresser. I'm not sure if any spiders set up shop inside any of the drawers over the years of this house being empty. I slowly and carefully pull open the drawer and take a peek inside. There's actually nothing in there? Finally, a little bit of luck comes my way. I proceed to check the other three drawers and come to the conclusions the spiders have yet to invade the area. All that really needs to be done is some dusting on the inside if I want to keep my clothes in there. Maybe grandpa left some stuff around the house? I leave my room and begin my search for the cleaning supplies. I should probably look inside the washroom first. The washroom is the only other room on this floor if I'm remembering correctly. This place is still pretty new to me, I haven't really looked around because I've been too tired every time I get home. I open the door that's just down the hallway from my bedroom. Just as I remember, it's the washroom. Now that it's no longer nighttime, I get a much better look at what there is to offer. The glossy tiles on the floor run in a checkerboard pattern. Where the colour black would be are replaced with dark blue tiles. The bathtub is on the other side of the cramped room, it's the perfect size for a pony. So, naturally, I'll be struggling with the smaller length. This was also a problem back in Manehatten, taking showers was a bit annoying because I would just move the showing head around in one of my hands to spray myself with the water. I kneel down so I can open up the sink cupboard that's to my right, but there's nothing inside except for the drainage pipe. I scratch the back of my head as I stand back up. If I'm being honest, I'm not really surprised if grandpa did end up taking everything with him when he moved away. I'll just give a quick search around the rest of the house to see if I did miss anything... I close the final cupboard in disappointment, it's now confirmed that everything is gone. I let out a sigh knowing that I have to go into town to buy some cleaning supplies, as well as basic stuff that any house should have. Do I even have enough bits on me for that? I know I do have some money in my bag, but definitely not enough to last me a whole year here. I take a seat on the couch in the living room. I cross my leg over the other, place my hands behind my head, and look into the ceiling. I know I need to get myself a job soon. But, what exactly would I be able to do that other ponies can't? I'm not what one would refer to as "Strong" so any earth pony could easily outclass me there, that scratches off anything that involves heavy lifting... My magic isn't strong enough to do anything that a properly trained Unicorn can do. I'd probably end up dropping the ball an anything that would require advanced magic... I could never do anything a Pegasus could do, I can't fly so that's out of the question. I shouldn't be thinking about this right now, I've got some more important stuff to do. I stand up from the couch and make my way upstairs to grab my bag. The only thing that's worrying me is where to find anything in town. I'm not exactly the most comfortable person around strangers, so asking for directions will be a pain in the ass. I'm not sure if it would be too much of a bother to ask Twilight... If she really is trying to be nice to me, I guess that could be a sort of test, even though it's really just a test of politeness when I think about it. I sling one of my backpack straps over one shoulder and leave my place. I plug my headphones into my cassette player and fast forward the tape that's inside to get to some more relaxing music. I settle on a song that has a good soothing beat to it and turn up the volume to drown out any outside noises. I make sure to move the hair that's covering my ears aside so I don't block the speakers while I'm listening to music. I place my hands inside my pockets while I walk down the dirt path to Ponyville. I should probably know what I need to get before I go into town, just so I don't need to be there longer than I need to. I think I'm going to need some sort of feather duster, washcloth, some stuff to keep inside that bathroom cupboard in case of emergencies, and a mop with a mop bucket. That's probably not everything, but that's all I can think of at the moment. After all, I can still head back another time if needed. I make my way to the bridge that's just outside of town and stop. This bridge is sort of like a border for the town. I'm not feeling too good about going into town by myself... I can see the citizens doing their own things from where I'm standing. Little fillies running around with their friends, adults are working stands that are selling town goods, and there are just the passerby's that are probably just buying some things for their own places. I'm not sure if any of these stands are going to be selling what I need and I would rather not waste too much time by asking every single one. Maybe I should just go to Twilights' place and ask for some help, I mean, I wouldn't be bothering her just for asking for directions. I'm also not too keen on the idea of asking any of the ponies I don't know, they might not like the idea of talking to an unknown creature... I cross the bridge and awkwardly walk through town. I turn up my music to the point where the chatter around me is completely muted. I can't help but to shift my eyes left and right to see what the other ponies are doing. They don't seem to be paying much attention to me surprisingly. I've been getting a few quick glances at most, then they seem to turn their attention back to what they were doing before. Maybe just by looking like I was friends with Twilight it boosted my reputation a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if they're still weirded out by me. Spike said to me that there are still ponies that think he's going to grow up to become a ferocious dragon, so I don't know if there's a rumour about me becoming anything. I arrive at Twilight's library or "Golden Oak Library" as it is officially called. Should I just walk in? It's a public library after all, but at the same time, it's somepony's home... I raise my hand up to the door and clench it into a fist, I give the door a few quick knocks and wait. I hear some rustling around from the inside before the door flings open. Spike is there to greet me at the door. "Hey, Travis. How are you doing?" Spike asks me while he adjusts his posture to get more comfortable. "I know I'm a few hours early, but I need to ask Twilight something if she isn't too busy," I ask while scratching the back of my head. Spike crosses his arms, "Actually, she went out with Pinkie Pie. Twilight told me she was helping her out with something," Just my luck, huh? "Oh... Pinkie Pie, huh?" the disappointment leaks out of my mouth. Spike raises an eyebrow, "I take it that you've met her?" I nod my head, "Yeah. She's nice, don't get me wrong. Just a little..." I pinch two my index and thumb in front of my face to emphasise the point. "Energetic?" "That's one way of putting it..." I say, thinking about the events that happened last night when she almost woke up the entire town with her screaming, "Anyway, since Twilight's not here, I won't bother you." I turn around and begin to walk away before hearing Spike call out to me. "Wait! You know you can ask me whatever you wanted to ask Twilight, after all, I am her number one assistant." Spike gives me a thumbs up with a wink, "As long as it has nothing to do with magic... I'm not exactly going to be useful in that area." Spike's own pride deflates slightly by his own words. "Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt you from whatever you were doing before." I tell Spike, I'm pretty sure somepony his age wouldn't care about cleaning a house. "I insist!" Spike reassures me, "I would just be sitting around reading comic books all day anyway." "If you insist. I'm actually looking for a store that sells cleaning supplies. You see, the house I'm staying in is actually pretty rundown. It's covered in dust and spiderwebs and I really need to get that crap cleaned out so I can live comfortably." "Is that really all you wanted to ask?" Spike laughs. "Pardon me?" "I can easily help out with that kind of stuff, I've always been helping Twilight with organizing and cleaning while she studies. It's your lucky day, Travis. I'll show you around. I'll even help you with your house if you want?" Spike points his finger at me in triumph. Wait, how could a dragon also be the equivalent to a housemaid? This guy never ceases to surprise me. "Yeah, that'd be great!" I thank Spike. In response, Spike gives me a thumbs up. Over the next hour, Spike showed me around the area. Told me the best places to look for deals and such, but eventually, we managed to get all that we needed to clean up the place. Actually, it was really what Spike recommended, I just listened along because he's the expert right now. We got a mop with a mop bucket, some washcloths, a couple of different sprays to get rid of the bugs, a few different kinds cleaning solutions, and some stuff for my washroom cabinet. We are now making our way back to my house, but the thought of the townspeople are still in my mind. I look over at Spike, who's dragging the mop bucket behind him as he walks, "Hey, Spike. Did the other ponies today seem quiet? Spike turns his head and cocks it slightly to the left, "What do you mean by quiet?" "I mean... They weren't saying anything bad about us. You said that some ponies are afraid of what you'll turn into, right?" "Yeah, I did say that, but the ponies that are afraid of me are a small amount. Most of them do know that I'm a nice dragon and I'll never do a thing to harm them on purpose. This rumour only really started a few months ago after an incident..." Spike looks towards the ground as he walks, "It was my birthday not too long ago and ponies were giving me gifts to be nice, but my dragon instinct of greed began to grow... The more I was able to get my claws on, the more of a jerk I became... It got to the point where I almost hurt one of my friends..." I can hear the sad tone in his voice. It's obvious that he regrets what happened that day and hopefully, he will be able to move past it. I can't find the right words to say to Spike right now and the last thing I want is to make him upset by accident. What should I say to him? I see my house not too far from where we are. It might be best to just avoid this right now until I get to know Spike a bit better. "A-Anyway, here's my house!" I point my finger towards the rundown shack. Spike stops and turns his head. The expression on his face turns from sadness to curiosity. "Umm...." Spike is at a lost for words, I'm not sure if it's because he's impressed or disgusted, "It's an absolute mess." He states while crossing his arms. Spike isn't wrong, the outside walling will need some patching up someday because of the visible cracks. I don't even want to imagine what the roof is going to look like with all the trees that are surrounding the house, "And how long have you been staying in this place?" Spike turns to me. "I only arrived here two nights ago and I've been a little to distracted to fix up the place." I attempt to defend myself. Spike lets out a sigh and begins to walk towards the house, "Well this is going to take a while..." Over the course of a few hours, Spike and I were attempting to clean out all of the dust and webs that were built up over the years. Spike made sure to teach me the best way to use a mop "Go in a figure eight pattern" He told me. He's the master here, so I make sure to listen to all he had to say. I'm moping the floor to the best of my abilities, making sure to get every spot clean. The house is looking better already, we even managed to get most of the spiders out with the bug spray. Most of the webbing is still covering the counters, but Spike is trying to get it washed off. I hear him call me from the kitchen, "Man, this is taking forever! Spike complains, throwing his claws up into the air. "You're the one who offered to help, you can leave anytime you want," I speak back without taking my gaze off of my task. "Well, I thought that this was going to be a much smaller house because you're living on your own. But I'll stay and help because I'm such a nice guy after all,"I catch on to his joking tone and chuckle to myself, "Who'd you buy this place off of anyway? Because you got totally ripped off." I place the mop back inside the bucket to get it wet, "Actually, I didn't pay for this place. It was my foster grandpa's place. He lived in this place around fifteen years ago, but he moved out because his job at the time had him transferred over to Manehatten. Grandpa still owns the place, so for my birthday, he gave me a chance to live here for a year," I continue to mop the floor around me, "It's also nice because there aren't any ponies around this area. I can finally have some peace and quiet at night." I hear the spray can go off while Spike is speaking to me, "Well, one of my friends lives in this area too. Her name's Fluttershy," Does Spike mean the same Fluttershy I'm thinking of? "You mean the 'Element of Kindness' Fluttershy?" I stop what I'm doing and look over at Spike. "Yeah, that's the one," Spike looks at me while he rinses the washcloth he's holding, "Are you a fan of the Elements of Harmony or something?" "I sort of am, actually. Back in Manehatten, that's all I would hear about on the radio. When I was being homeschooled, grandpa would tell me about them, how they saved Princess Luna and stopped Discord from taking over the world last year." "You were homeschooled?" Spike asked out of curiosity, "Yeah, I was. Grandpa didn't want to enrol me in public school because of the way the other kids would make fun of me for being weird looking. So he just ended up keeping me at home and attempted to teach me the things that regular schools would. I didn't really learn any complex math or science, but he did teach me a lot about the history of Equestria as it was the easiest to teach. I ended up spending a lot of time inside and not going out that much, that's probably why rumours were spread about me. I can see why. Some mysterious creature living in your town that spends most of their time alone, that's sure to get somepony worried," I try to play it out in a joking way to make it seem better than it was. Spike walks up to me, "Well, Ponyville is one of the nicest places in Equestria! They welcome ponies of all shapes and sizes with open hooves, after what happened with assuming things about Zecora." "Who's Zecora?" I ask. "She's a zebra that lives in the Everfree forest. When she would come into Ponyville, we used to hide from her because she was from the Everfree forest. We thought that she cursed us this one time, but it turned out to be the opposite, we learned our lesson that day..." Spike scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. She lives in the Everfree forest? That's one of the most dangerous parts of Equestria from what grandpa has told me, it's also where he found me... Maybe Zecora knows something about what kind of creature I am? "What does Zecora do in the Everfree forest? That place is dangerous from what I've heard." Usually, she does her own thing, but her hut is filled with all of this weird potion making stuff. Also, the forest isn't that bad during the day, you just need to be careful while you're in there." Spike responds confidently. If what Spike says is true about the Everfree forest being safe during the day, I should go find Zecora's place and ask her some questions. But, that'll have to wait until morning as the sun is setting off in the distance. I should help Spike get back to the library safely, he did help me out all day after all...