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// Quillin' it with the MLP Writers: Leftover Slice 
// Story: Unconventional Paneling 
// by FanOfMostEverything 
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Life was good for the Doodles... for the most part. After the madness of the wedding, both were looking forward to as much peace and tranquility as they could get while living in Ponyville. Sure, there would be more Everfree monsters, more Tirek-scale monstrosities, and more ponies doing silly pony things, but they had each other, now more than ever.

Of course, sometimes that was the problem.

"I just don't understand why you didn't invite that nice young stallion Flash to the wedding," Matilda said one morning.

Cranky grumbled and put down the morning copy of the Ponyville Chronicle. "I don't know what to tell you, Matilda. There's just something about him that gets under my skin."

"Pinkie gets under your skin and she's practically family."

Cranky brayed a humorless laugh. "And have you met my family? Besides, that's different. You can't help but like Pinkie Pie." Under his breath, he added, "She makes sure of it."

"But Flash trims the hedges, he waters the flowers—"

Cranky held up his hooves in a helpless warding gesture. "I know, I know. He's a good kid. No one's saying he isn't. I think that may actually be part of why he bothers me. Even for a pony, that's weirdly nice." Cranky's ears flattened as he looked off to the side. "I can't help but wonder what his angle is."

"Does he have to have an angle?"

"When's the last time a pony ever did that much for a donkey for no reason? Or any reason?"

Matilda put a hoof atop Cranky's "Don't you think that kind of attitude might be why you find it unusual, Doodle? In all my years of living here, Ponyville's been nothing but nice to me."

"Ponyville is..." Cranky trailed off, then nodded to himself. "That's the problem." He gently moved Matilda's hoof aside, then walked to the front door and threw it open.

Flash Sentry hovered just outside of it, lumps of sodden leaves cradled in his forelegs. "Good morning, Mr. Donkey! Just cleaning out your gutters."

Cranky rolled his eyes. "Knock it off, Kevin. You know you don't need to pull this kind of thing with me."

Green flame engulfed Flash, revealing a smaller-than-average changeling. With a sheepish grin, he said, "Sorry. Force of habit."

Cranky rolled his eyes, the barest hint of a smile on his muzzle. "Yeah, yeah."

"Still going to finish your gutters, though."

The hint grew to a full smirk. "Won't hear me complaining there."

"Just keep this under your toupee? I have a long game going with Princess Twilight."

"That's your business," said Cranky. "Just don't come running to me when it falls apart."

Kevin winced. "Pretty sure I won't be in any shape to run anywhere if that happens."