//------------------------------// // Friend, Meet Friend // Story: Just Another Average Tuesday // by Flamesinger599 //------------------------------// A/N: Alright, so this chapter is both the moment you have been waiting for and a chance for me to test out my skill at writing emotional scenes. Tell me whether I suck or not. Enough, let's do this. The first thing I noticed when I awoke from my slumber was the bright light shining directly into my eyes. I groaned and rolled over. “Go away sun... no one likes you.” “On the contrary, I quite like the sun.” “Then you can have it! I'm trying to sleep here!” “You've been asleep for the past nine hours. Now get up before I throw you across the clearing.” “Ugh... first The Grouch... then you... why does everyone except me think sleeping in till eleven is unhealthy?!” “I don't. It's just that I want to talk to you, and I haven't figured out a way to do that while you're asleep.” “Well I'm awake now. Talk away.” “After long and hard consideration, I have deduced that revealing my presence to your pony friends will do nothing to negatively affect my situation.” “In English. Please.” “I'm okay with meeting your pony friends.” “Thank you.” I slowly sat up, stretched, and rubbed my eyes. Fumbling around for my pack, I rummaged inside and pulled out a few gems. They were my staple diet as of now. Speaking of which, I need to find out where I can get some more. As I munched, Manty came over and sat across from me, looking at me expectantly. When I didn't say anything, he cleared his throat. “Sooooooooo how do you want to go about this?” “Go about what?” “Meeting the ponies.” “Gee, I dunno. I was thinking somewhat along the lines of talking to them, but maybe I'm starting off too complicated.” He sighed. “Can you take nothing seriously?” “They're ponies, dude. You're a manticore. It's not like they can hurt you or anything.” “What should I say?” “Again, you're a manticore. You can say whatever the hell you want. Just keep in mind that I'm the one who's translating, and the last thing I want is a fight. That means swearing will be censored, threats will be degraded, and insults will be softened.” “So I can't eat them?” “Eating them counts as an insult, so no.” “Great. Now I gotta go catch my own food.” “It happens, man. It happens.” Manty left the clearing, muttering something about unnecessary labor. I waved him off and finished my remaining gems. A quick check-up showed that I had about fifteen gems left, enough for the next couple of days. After that, I would have to get more, or find a new food source. Maybe I can ask Rarity about that. I thought, recalling the gem-covered dress I had seen in the Carousel Boutique. Packing away my remaining food, I set off for the edge of the Everfree. Sunlight streamed through the top branches, lending the slightly creepy (I'm sorry, mysterious) forest a nice glow. I had never taken the chance to really observe this place in daylight, as I had been either traveling or talking before, and I found that I quite liked it when it was all lit up like this. Y'know, when you think about it, this place actually looks quite beautiful. -Well, I'm glad you think so.- GAH! Geez Tienn, gimme a little warning before you do that! I'm contemplating the scenery. -Exactly. Not very many people appreciate this forest anymore, so it's always a pleasant surprise when I hear compliments.- Oh. Well it's the least I can do for the spirit that taught me how to fly. -I have come to the understanding that you plan to introduce six particular ponies to 'Manty', as he wishes to be called now. You are aware of the risks you are taking, yes?- Yep. Just like I was aware of the risks when I visited the other dragons and when I visited Ponyville. -From what I've heard, both of those instances went wrong.- You're forgetting the part about me emerging victorious despite all opposing odds. What, are you trying to tell me this is a bad idea? -You know this is a bad idea. At least, I hope you do.- Every single decision I've made since coming here can be considered as 'bad', and every single one has had a happy ending. I see no cause for alarm. -I'm not alarmed. This idea just seems so... ridiculous.- And it isn't even my idea. It's Twilight's. Keep that in mind here. -Ah yes, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's protegee. She never was one for subtlety.- You know her? -Not only is she famous, but she has also entered my forest several times. I've never spoken to her of course, I've only observed her, but observing can tell you many things.- Oh my God, you're a stalker. -... Your head is looking like a good target right now.- Point taken. I'm outta here. As I reached the edge of the forest, narrowly dodging a blow from a nearby tree (Touche), I activated my magic again. By the time I was out of the Everfree, the awesome figure of a dragon had been replaced by the boring form of a pegasus. Taking advantage of my ability to still fly without drawing unwanted attention to myself, I spread my wings and soared upward, lazily heading in the general direction of Ponyville. Now when I say lazily, I mean like one mile an hour. Yeah yeah, call me a slacker. It was morning, I was tired, and the sun was doing nothing to raise my energy levels. All of this plus a nice panoramic view added up to a very slow pegasus. I saw wildlife (Oh look, a deer-oh. Damn. I didn't know Manty was that hungry.), some early morning risers (Dude, that guy just threw his alarm clock out the window!), and- “HEY FLAMESINGER!!!” … Rainbow Dash. She flew over next to me. “Watcha doin?” “Looking for Twilight.” “Why?” “You remember how she wanted to track down that manticore and talk with it?” “Yeah.” “Let's just say it has something to do with that.” “You found the manticore?! Where?! Him and I have some unfinished business!” Y'know, maybe Tienn had a point about the whole 'bad idea' thing... “Dash, please, I'm trying to avoid a battle of majestic proportions here, m'kay? And as I recall, the last time you guys fought a manticore, you pretty much lost.” She looked offended. “Hey! I don't care what Twilight told you, we beat that thing fair and square!” “No, you didn't, and its not only Twi who says so. Where is she by the way?” “At the library, where she always is. Now you listen here-” “Thanks see ya.” I made a beeline for the library. Dash yelled “HEY!” and shot after me. Now that's a smart idea! Try and outrun Rainbow Dash! Smart idea. Yeah. … Well as it turns out, that was not a smart idea, and she caught me about five minutes into the chase. Surprise, surprise. Actually, what she really did was mid-air tackle me and pin me onto the ground. As a pony, I was considerably less stronger then when I was a dragon. I just hoped she wouldn't make me change back. “Oh hey there Dash! Haven't seen you in a while!” “Now you listen here bud! We beat that manticore, and you'd better admit it before I... I...” “Before you what? Dude, Dash, you seriously need to stop getting yourself into situations you can't win. I'm a dragon, remember? Just what are you going to do?” “I... I...” “I'll tell you what you're going to do: you're going to get off of me before I change back into a dragon. Deal?” She quickly got off of me, a hint of fear on her face. I slowly stood up. “Now let's get one thing straight, I have absolutely zip tolerance for sore losers. So the manticore beat you. Big deal, I could care less, but that doesn't make it any less true. Losing isn't a bad thing, it happens to literally everyone. If you don't lose now and then, you're weird. Now, I'm not gonna do anything because of what just happened, even though I could very easily, but please, please try and think it through the next time you attack someone like that. It's a very easy way to lose friends.” I turned away and headed for the library. “And on that note, I need to see Twi. Catch ya later!” As I neared the library, I mulled over what I had told Rainbow. Was I too hard on her? No, she needs to learn she can't just attack people like that. I'll let her stew. I knocked. The door was opened by what looked like a very tired Spike. “Oh, hey Flame.” “Dude, what happened to you?! You look like you've been up all night!” “I have. Ever since you agreed to talk to that manticore for Twilight, she's been turning the library upside down looking for books on manticores. She hasn't had much success though. Come on in, I'll show you.” The library was a freaking mess. All the books that had been stacked neatly when I had come here earlier were now strewn across the floor, looking as though they had been tossed aside. In the center of the room was a makeshift fort made entirely of books, and inside I could hear the sound of scuffling and pages frantically being turned. I eyes roamed the shelves. Not a single book remained in place. “Ah... I see...” “Yeah. She doesn't do this often, but when she does... its a nightmare.” “Well maybe I can help you with that.” I walked up to the fort and knocked on the side. “Yo Twi! You in there?” “Ugh, I told you Spike! I'm not coming out until I finish 'The Complete Works of William Shaketail'! Now just leave me alone!” I looked at Spike. “WHAT?!” He shrugged. “She gets distracted easily.” “Ah for the luvva... Twilight! Come outta there! It's me, Flamesinger, the dragon, remember? I need to talk to you!” “Oh, its you Flame. I'm sorry, but I can't really talk right now-” “Its about the manticore.” There was a bright flash, and suddenly Twilight was calmly sitting in front of me. “I'm listening.” “Holy shit, did you just- Her eyes darted at Spike. “Language!” “Oh yeah, heh, sorry, but did you just teleport?!” “Yes.” Okay, as soon as we're done here, I'm finding a secluded spot and trying that. “Well as I recall, you were interested in meeting the manticore that scared you, right?” “Yes, but I don't have time to track down a manticore right now.” “That won't be necessary. I happen to know this manticore very well, in fact he's my best friend. I talked with him a bit yesterday, and he agreed to meet you and your friends if you so wish.” Her expression changed to one of utter bewilderment. “WHAT!?!” “Yeah, probably should have simplified it. The basic message is that the manticore is willing to meet you, and I can lead you to him.” “Your best friend is... a manticore?” “I can talk to animals, remember? Manticores are actually pretty smart.” I could practically see the gears moving in her head. “Wait... so... you know where this manticore is... and you can lead us to him... where he would be willing to talk to us...” “Yeah, pretty much.” “This... is... PERFECT!!! I'll get my notepad! Spike, I need you to send a letter to Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie! Tell them to meet me and Flame at the edge of the Everfree as soon as they can!” And with that, she ran up the stairs. I watched her go. “Man, she takes this stuff seriously, doesn't she? I was expecting a little more disbelief.” “Nah.” Spike fumbled around in a nearby desk and pulled out some paper and a quill. “Stranger stuff has happened. Right now she's just excited.” “You got that right.” “So this manticore... he's Manty, right?” “Yep. And yes, you're coming too.” “Ah c'mon! Him and I don't get along, you know that! Don't you remember how many times we argued coming here? I didn't even know what he was saying and I still argued with him!” “I've been meaning to ask you about that. Just what did you hear?” “Mostly a bunch of grunts and growls.” He started writing the first letter. “But-” “Good enough, you're coming.” “Why?” “You've met him before. You can vouch for him. He didn't eat you when he had the chance, correct?” “No...” He finished the letter and breathed on it, teleporting it away in a flash of green fire. “... but I'm pretty sure he was thinking about it.” “He thinks about eating everybody. But he DIDN'T, and that's the only thing that matters right now. C'mon, please?” He rolled his eyes and started on the second letter. “Fine.” As he finished sending the rest of the letters, Twilight came down the stairs wearing a saddlebag and we headed out. It was a twenty minute walk to the edge of the Everfree, and all the way Twilight would just not shut up. She kept on spouting question after question to herself, discarding the ones she didn't like and writing down the ones she did on her notepad. It got so much that Spike ended up riding on my back instead of Twi's. I'm not sure she noticed, either. Seriously. Its called 'winging it', and trust me, it works. The other five were already there when we arrived. Pinkie was jumping up and down (Whoa, wasn't expecting that.), Rainbow was avoiding eye contact with me (I feel guilty now.), Fluttershy and Rarity both looked confused (the plot thickens), and Applejack approached us as soon as she saw us. “Twilaght, what's goin' on? Ah get some letter a yours raght in the middle of applebuckin', tellin' me ta meet you and Flame here at the edge of the Everfree of all places! What hair-brained scheme have ya come up with now?” As Twilight happily began explaining to everyone (I refuse to say 'everypony'. That's just stupid.) as to why they were all here, me and Spike backed away and sat down to watch. “Yeah, this is gonna go over well.” “Tell me about it.” “WHAT!?!” “Bingo...” “Bingo...” Applejack came over to me. “Flame, is she serious? She wants us ta follow her, into the Everfree, ta meet a MANTACORE!?!” “Well that's a morbid way of looking at it, but yeah, pretty much.” “Ya both musta flipped ya lids!” “Hey, I'm just the translator here. This is Twi's idea, not mine.” “But ya agreed to it!” “Yeah, because I trust the dude. For a manticore, he's pretty cool.” “Cool?! Listen to yourself! We're talkin' about a mantacore here!” “You don't have to come. No one's making you. In fact...” I called over Twilight. “Hey Twilight! Why did you gather everyone here? You're the only one who really wants to do this, you know that, right?” “Actually...” mumbled Fluttershy. “...I would be fine with meeting a manticore... providing he didn't eat us or anything... but that's just my opinion... we don't have too...” “No pony should miss out on this! It's a once-an-a-lifetime opportunity!” “Not really. He would probably be fine with doing it tomorrow.” “Then that settles it! We'll do this tomorrow! Now if you'll excuse me, I-” “Hold it right there Rarity. You're not getting out of this that easily.” Rarity pouted. “But Twilight, that place is a pigsty! It won't do my mane any good, I can tell you that.” While Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight argued, Rainbow sat on the sidelines and sulked. I resolved to patch things up with her later. Pinkie continued to bounce around, looking extremely excited (Does she even know why we're here?), and I, having nothing to do, struck up a conversation with Fluttershy (No offense Flutters.). “So you would be fine with meeting a manticore?” She looked startled at being addressed and quickly hid behind her mane. “Oh... yes... if that's okay...” “Sorry if I seem a bit surprised, but I was expecting you to be the most, y'know, scared one.” “Well... I'm comfortable around animals... and you said this manticore was nice, so... no... I'm not really afraid. Is it true that you can talk to animals? I mean... if you don't want to answer, that's okay...” I had to let out a short laugh. “No, it's okay. And yes, I can. I've known this manticore for a long time (eight days). He's a good guy. One of my best friends, probably.” “You befriended... a manticore? How?” She didn't looked disbelieving. She looked more awe-struck, like I had told her I was lord and savior of the entire universe. “Saved his life.” “Oh...” “Hey, he probably counts you among his friends as well. Or at least, he'll be a lot friendlier towards you. I believe you've met before.” “But we've only seen one other manticore... and that was when Nightmare Moon attacked. That one was just a big softie.” 'Big softie' my ass. “I'm not too sure about 'big softie', but yes, you were the only one that made a good impression on him.” Her eyes widened. “You mean...” “The one you met and the one we are about to meet are the same manticore. And he still remembers you, mark my words. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see whats taken them so long.” I left Fluttershy looking a lot happier. I approached the girls. “Alright, what's taking so long? This is not a hard decision!” “Speak for yaself! Ah'm not puttin' one hoof inside that forest!” “I have to agree with Applejack here Flame. It's way out of my comfort level. I'll pass, thank you very much.” I shrugged. “Okay, I can respect that. I'm just gonna say right now though, that Fluttershy is all for going in there.” They both looked surprised. “Fluttershy!?!” “Yep.” They looked at each other. Then at Fluttershy (Who had engaged Pinkie in a very happy conversation.), then at me, then at each other, then back at me. “Well Ah suppose Ah could...maybe just this once...” “I can always wash my hair when I return...” I smiled. “Glad to hear it! Now lets go, I'm pretty sure Rainbow is bored already.” Twilight gathered everyone and we faced the forest. For some reason, the girls decided to stand in a line, while me with Spike on my back just went straight in. After about five feet, I turned my head and saw that not one mare had moved an inch. “You girls coming?” Applejack gulped. “How can ya be so calm about this? The Everfree... it ain't natural.” “You said that yesterday, remember? And I told you, I disagree.” Rainbow finally spoke up, albeit quietly. “The weather happens by itself.” “Well to tell the truth, the fact that you guys control the weather here kinda freaks me out. It goes against nature, y'know?” “The animals take care of themselves.” “Yes, Fluttershy. That's what happens in the wild. Animals take care of themselves. C'mon girls, you got me around! What could possibly go wrong?” Well thanks to that little comment of yours, probably everything. Rational mind, there's the exit. Leave now. Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy laughed. Dash and Rarity looked legitimately relieved. Twilight looked... the same. Really freaking excited. But in the end, they all followed me into the Everfree, so I guess I can't complain. The trip to Manty's clearing was mostly uneventful. I led, with Spike on my back because Twilight had gone back to thinking up questions. Applejack and Rarity followed, talking quietly with each other. Pinkie had finally stopped bouncing, and Fluttershy just observed everything. -I see you have quite the little party going on here.- Hey Tienn. I glanced at the others. They can't hear you, can they? -I thought it best to keep the freaking out to a minimum.- Good plan. How's Manty doing? -Sleeping.- Not for long. When we emerged into the clearing, everyone except me and Spike tensed up. Thanks to Tienn's magic, the forest had already started to regrow, but Manty's land-clearing work was still very noticeable. They all took note of the broken branches and the trees that had been flung to the side. Applejack stepped closer to me. “Did it... Ah mean, did 'he'... do that?” “Yep. This is what he does when he needs some space. Very convenient actually.” “But what about the forest?” I gave her a weird look. “It grows back.” Yeah, let her chew on that for a while. Manty himself was at the far end of the space and, sure enough, was sound asleep. I walked right up to him with Spike on my back, who immediately looked nervous. “Is this a good idea? I remember it was never a good idea to wake him up.” “Not for you, but being his best friend, I have privileges. You don't still think he's gonna eat you, do you?” “No...” “Good. Because in all likelihood, he's not.” “What do you mean, 'in all likelihood'?!” “Just chill, okay? You were with him for three days, and he didn't eat you. I very much doubt he will now.” I crouched down next to his head and poked him. “Yo. Hey. Manty. Time to wake up.” He rolled over and groaned, which elected a string of gasps from the watching ponies. “Ugh... five more minutes...” “No, not five more minutes. You woke me up, and now I'm returning the favor.” He blinked and looked at me bleary-eyed. “Who the hell are... oh... it's you Flame... why aren't you a dragon... is something happening?” “Yeah, the ponies are here. Y'know, the ones that wanted to talk to you? That you made such a big deal about?” “Oh yeah... crap... here, gimme a sec...” He got up and stretched, yawning. This probably wasn't the best plan, as it exposed all of his very sharp teeth. I glanced behind me and saw that the gang (with the exception of Fluttershy) was backing up and preparing for a fight. “Guys, chill. He's yawning.” They all relaxed. He stopped stretching and glanced at Spike. “Hey Spike.” “He says 'Hey Spike'.” “H-Hey M-Manty...” “Wait...” Twilight looked from Spike to Manty. “He knows Spike?” “Yeah. He met him when Spike was leading me to Ponyville. I had Spike keep him a secret, for obvious reasons. So yell at me, not him.” She considered this. “...I guess I can understand that...” Manty glanced at everyone. “Quite the crowd I see. Didn't know I was this famous.” “Don't flatter yourself. Now as you've probably guessed, these are my friends. I'll let them introduce themselves, as I am too lazy to.” I walked to the sidelines and sat down. “Here, Twilight, you can start.” “Oh... okay...” She stepped forward and took a deep breath. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia. I have a few questions to ask you if you... don't mind...” “Check, questions later.” He turned to Rarity. “Next- wait.” He narrowed his eyes. “I remember you. You kicked me in the face!” I stared at Rarity. “You kicked him in the face!?!” “What? No! I mean... I did kick that one manticore when Nightmare Moon attacked, but... oh...” If her cheeks weren't already pure white, I'm guessing they would've paled. “Well you see it was a desperate situation and I thought you were going to eat us and you were in our way and I didn't know what else to do and it was dark and I didn't see the thorn in your paw and you got out anyway so we're all good right? I was-” He silenced her with a wave of his claw. “DO not care. Flamesinger, what's her name?” “Rarity.” “Good. I'll deal with you, RARITY,” He gave her a death glare, and she wilted. “...later.” You're enjoying this aren't you? Immensely. Just... y'know... TRY and keep it low-key? I'd rather not have to order up six cases of therapy when we get back. The yellow one and the pink one look fine. So that would only be four. I am in no mood to do this right now. Do whatever. Okey-dokey. He moved over to Dash. “Name and occupation.” “Time to introduce yourself Dashie.” She shot me a look when I called her that, but didn't lose her cool. “I'm Rainbow Dash! Fastest flier in Equestria!” He raised an eyebrow (Which probably freaked her out even more.) and continued on. “Okay...” So what did Dash do to you? Nothing, really. She flew circles around me. Literally. And just what was the supposed to accomplish? Beats me, ask her. When he saw Fluttershy, he adopted a much lighter tone. “And what is your name, little one?” Little one!?! What? God, will someone just please kill me now! That can be arranged. Just... just...AGH! He was cut off from making a retort when Fluttershy spoke. “Um... should I say my name now?” “Yeah. Yeah, go ahead.” “Okay. My name is Fluttershy. I know my friends hurt you the last time we met... but could you not hurt them please?” “Why does everyone think that I'm gonna eat you guys?!” “They're ponies, dude. That's pretty much what they think manticores do.” “*Sigh* Then tell her that unless I'm attacked, I will not, in any shape or form, harm anyone here.” I relayed the message, and everypony present visibly relaxed. Fluttershy even went so far as to hug Manty, who looked as though he were about to push her away, then changed his mind and went with it. Admit it, you like being hugged. Admit it, you are jealous. ...so what if I am... On to Applejack. “You tried to ride me.” “BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” What? It was funny. After about five minutes of laughing my ass off, I managed to speak. “...W-What!?!” “You're sick.” “Oh, oh I'm sick. Who's the one making sexual innuendos over there?” “I wasn't making an innuendo. I was telling the truth.” “That's even worse!” “No, I mean she literally took a rope and tried to ride me. You know, like a horse back in your world.” “Oh...heh heh ... I think I get it now... carry on!” Man, that was awkward. Tell me about it. YOUR help I do NOT need. After Applejack introduced herself (Nobody died or laughed. 'Nuff said), it was Pinkie's turn. Honestly, this was the one I was least worried about, as Pinkie didn't really seem judgmental, and I was right. She spouted constant random phrases, some of which pertained to the conversation and most of which did not. She even went so far as to suggest that we throw a party for Manty, which while expected, was immediately put down. I'm not sure I even heard her mention her name, and yet somehow Manty caught it. “Pinkie Pie, okay. Now that I (finally) know all of your names, the questions may proceed. Make 'em quick.” Unfortunately, the word quick is misunderstood by the Twilicious Sparklelus, and so me and the rest of the girls had to sit through about three hours of Twi asking Manty about every single little thing about manticores. And since, of course, I was the translator, I wasn't given a moment's rest. Twilight asked a ton. Everything from manticore culture (Kill things.), to manticore language (Yo. Dude. Get the HELL outta my hood.), to even manticore marriage (WHAT!?!). Manty answered everything as best he could, but like me he had never been the most attentive learner, and so there were many things he didn't know. He, in return, asked a few questions of his own, and was taken aback by some of the answers. I think the one that surprised him most was the fact that pony males don't kill each other over girlfriends. It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Dude, that's... that's just messed up. Whatever. By the end of three hours, I was tired, Manty was tired, and Twilight had FINALLY run out of questions. “Okay, its getting dark out, and I'm ready to hit the hay. Spike, do you-oh. Nevermind. He's asleep. Come on, girls. I'll show you the way out.” As I led them out of the forest, everypony was silent. “Well, that was... different.” Rarity muttered. “You DON'T say!” She glared at me. “And I can tell you're just in the best of moods.” “Sorry, but repeating my friends' answers for three hours straight doesn’t really make me the most caring person around.” “I think it went great! Just look at all the new information I've discovered!” Twi held up a 50-page packet of the notes she had collected. “Princess Celestia will be thrilled! This trip has been deemed a success!” She gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!” “No prob, glad I could help. I am, however, ready to take a ten-hour nap, so if me showing you guys the exit and then leaving isn't a problem, that's what I'm gonna do.” “Ah must say, that is the darnedest thing Ah've ever done in mah life.” “Yeah, I figured as much. Not every day you meet a manticore face to face and talk with him.” “I think he was really nice! I don't see why we shouldn't throw a party for him!” “He's a manticore, Pinks. Parties aren't his style.” As we reached the edge of the forest, Twi, Rars, Pinks, Apples, and Flutters all said their goodbyes. Dash hung around, looking a little downcast. I could tell what I had said earlier today had really gotten to her. “Listen, Dash, about today, I-” Suddenly, she was hugging me and crying. “I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!” Instinctively, I hugged her back. “Hey hey hey, it's okay, I'm not mad.” She looked up at me. Tears were streaming down her face “Y-You're not?” “No way. I can totally understand why you did that. I just got a little pissed off when you tackled me.” She cringed and looked down. “I'm sorry about that. I-I j-just kind of l-lost my head. Just please don't h-hate m-me?” “HATE you? Why?” “F-For tackling you!” “I've been tackled before. No, I don't hate you. I'm not that much of an asshole.” “O-Oh.” She hugged me harder. “Then you'd better not tell anyone I broke out like this. I was just... afraid of losing you as a friend.” “You seriously think I'd discount you as a friend because of one little mishap?” She giggled. “Well when you say it like that, it makes me look like an idiot.” I considered. “An idiot? No. An idiot wouldn't have apologized. You did.” “You always know just what to say, don't you?” “Maybe.” “Heh.” She pulled away. Her eyes were still red from crying. “You promise not to tell anypony about this?” “Promise. Now go home and wipe your eyes. They look like crap.” She throw a mock salute and flew off. “Yes sir.” I re-entered the forest. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm tired. -End of Chapter 10- A/N: So what do you think of my emotional writing? Good? Okay? Sucks? Comment and like.