"So let me get this straight," I said to Star across the table trying to make sense of Star's story, and with Fe sitting next to me giggling after he told us what happened to him after Fe and I dropped off our saddlebags at the door and sat down at the table, "you pissed off a whole flock of birds that are called Murphy Birds, which they all attack the ones that made fun of them, and you, along with Shadow, were pranked and beaten up all over Ponyville," he nodded in confirmation, "you just have the worst luck."
"I agree," Arcana agreed with me, "and since the birds had so much fun getting back at Star, they occasionally prank Star here and there when he least expects it," she added, explaining the scene that involved Star and the birds earlier today.
"Is it always like this for him?" Fe asked me.
"Not always," I answered her, "sometimes he will win some…" this brought up Star's mood, "… but then it gets back at him doubled," I finish with a laugh and bringing Star back down again.
"Stupid birds, stupid universe, stupid trolling god," we all heard Star mutter under his breath, causing all of us to chuckle from the center of attention he seems to be getting from the universe and how he is showed in its love.
"Alright, alright, enough teasing and mocking me," Star finally announceds, breaking the roasting he was getting, and turns towards me, "you and Fe are supposed to be here on vacation, not to make fun of my fluctuating luck," he pointed out as he pointed towards me and Fe, "now what are you two going to do while you are in Ponyville?"
"Well," Fe said thinking about something, "I would like to visit the deer camp outside of town," Fe proposed, "I have never seen a deer before, let alone a whole tribe of them."
"I have never seen deer before as well," I hinted wanting to see the deer as well.
"Then let's go and get a tour of the nomadic deer's camp," Star said as he and Arcana stood up from the table and soon followed by me and Fe. We made our way to the front door, but as Star was about to open it, he paused and looked back at me and Fe, "oh and one more thing."
"What is it?" I asked him.
"Whatever you do, don't piss off the Murphy Birds," Star ominously warned us.
"Gotcha, don't want to repeat what you did and then end up like you," I confirmed with a grin.
Star gave me a bore look and then proceeded to open the door and lead us outside into the afternoon sun. We made our way down the street, passing familiar background ponies with a wave of greeting, but as we were about to leave the residential area, Fe leaned in close and asked me, "do hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I don't know, but it sounds like… buzzing wings," Fe tried her best to clarify what she is hearing.
I strained my ears to hear what Fe is hearing and true to her word I hear a buzzing sound that sounds so familiar, now where have I heard that sound before. As I was trying to remember where I heard that sound before, Star in front of us was chatting to us about Ponyville droning out the buzzing sound, "now, there are some things you should know about this little town, the first is that matter where you are in this town, watch what you say, because you might never know that you will get a response."
"What kind of response?" Fe asked him confused at what Star is saying and the buzzing sound now more noticeable.
"Oh nothing Fe," Star answered as he looked back at her unaware that buzzing sound that is apparently getting closer, "just watch what you're going to say," he then turned his attention forward as we came across a crossroad, he then added as he started to cross the street, "and another thing, always be alert, because you never know that you are going to get sideswiped."
When he said that, an orange blur, and then after a yellow and white blur, shot down the street and side tackled him, causing him and the colorful blurs to fly down the street that Star was trying to cross and making Arcana, Fe and I to wince from the painful sight we just witnessed. After we got over the shock of Star's sudden assault, we rushed towards Star and we saw what hit Star and it was in the form of three little fillies.
"I told you not to go so fast Scootaloo," I heard Applebloom speak to Scootaloo as she and Sweetie Bell got out of the wagon, "because you wouldn't be able to stop in time."
"Well at least we didn't hurt somepony," Scootaloo pointed out, "what did we hit anyway?" she asked, at the mention of hitting something, Star let out a moan of pain underneath them, which then gained the attention the three fillies, "never mind," Scootaloo corrected herself as she saw Star under her scooter and the wagon.
"Is it always like this for him?" Fe asked me concerned for Star's health as the CMC started to remove their form of transportation off of him.
"Pretty much every day, but don't worry about him, he has grown used to it," I reassured her and true to my word, Star started to get up from the ground with another pain filled moan.
"Ow that hurts," Star said as he stretched and popping sound came from his back, he then turn towards Fe, "now do you see what I mean?"
"I do now, but didn't you say to be alert so nothing like that will happen though?" Fe asked as she pointed what Star did wrong, creating a laughing fit from me and Arcana.
Star looked like he was about to make a snarky remark, but then Scootaloo walked up next to him and spoke up in a apologetic tone, "I'm sorry that I used you as a breaking pad for my out of control scooter," she then gave him a sad puppy eye look, which Star reacted as if he just been slapped across the face.
"That's okay Scootaloo," Star said as he got over from her cuteness attack, "but tell me why you are in such of a hurry?"
"Well to tell you the truth we were all looking for you three," Applebloom answered Star's question as she and Sweetie Bell came up and stood on each side of Scootaloo.
"Why?" Arcana replied.
"Well you see," Sweetie Bell taking over this conversation, "there is going to be a presentation day tomorrow and we would it if you three can be our presentations."
"So what you all mean is that you want us to be your show 'n' tell for school tomorrow," Star clarified, which the CMC replied back with a nod of confirmation.
"Okay, but why us?" Arcana asked them.
"I wanted to get Rainbow Dash to be my presentation, but she said that she couldn't do it, because of an emergency weather problem in Las Pegasus," Scootaloo answered.
"I wanted to do mah brother or sis," Applebloom told us her first choice, "but they couldn't do it, due to preparing for the Apple family reunion that is going to happen in a week or so."
"I hoped my sister Rarity can do it, but she has a big order to do and won't be able to come to class," Sweetie sadly said, "so we wandered around Ponyville looking for well-known ponies so we can ask them to be our presentation," she told us what they did afterwards, "so when we saw Aceiro and his special somepony leave the train station, a few minutes later we realized that all three of you are here in Ponyville now…"
"Well that and also it seems that you don't have any jobs," Scootaloo bluntly added, which earned a glare from her fellow crusaders.
"...So we went out to look for you three and eventually we did," Sweetie Bell finishes.
"So would you be our presentations?" they all asked us at the same time, while leaning in close and giving us hopeful looks.
"Sure, I can do it," Arcana answered, earning a gleeful look from Sweetie Bell.
"I can do it as well," Star reluctantly agreed, getting a joyful look from Scootaloo.
"Um, I don't know," I hesitantly said, which got a look of disappointment from Applebloom. I turned my attention to Fe, "I mean we are here on vacation, but I don't want to leave you alone in an unfamiliar town and risk breaking a ruling from your culture while you are by yourself, and with the same risks at a public school," that and I don't want face your dad if anything had happened to you.
Fe smiled and leaned in close and gave me a quick kiss, earning a couple of d'awww's and a yuck from the CMC, "it's fine Aceiro," Fe reassuringly said as she broke the kiss," nothing is going to happen to me at a children-filled school, so it is okay for you to be her presentation," Fe explained.
"Are you sure?" I asked her and she replied back with a nod, "alrighty then, I will do it."
"Yay, thank you so much" Applebloom and her fellow crusaders happily said, they then rushed to their scooter and wagon and set it back up, "the presentations starts at nine 'o' clock at our school, so don't be late," Applebloom instructed.
"Come on crusaders let's get ready for tomorrow," Scootaloo said as she hopped onto her scooter and with the buzz of wings from her they flew down the street, with the sounds of cheering fillies being heard.
"So who were those little fillies and why were they calling themselves crusaders?" Fe asked me as the little dust balls that Scootaloo's scooter created in their rush to do some crusading.
"Well you see Fe, the pegasus is Scootaloo, the unicorn Sweetie Bell, and the earth pony is Applebloom and they are on a quest to find their cutie marks and so they go around town doing a lot of different activities trying to see if one of those activities is their special talent," I answered, "but they sometimes end up causing a little trouble or get covered in tree sap, and they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Aww that's adorable that they are looking for their cutie marks," Fe believed.
"Yeah, but you have to be careful around them," Star replied back to her, "or what happened to me might happen to you."
"Um I suggest that we should continue our way to the deer camp," Arcana spoke up, turning all of attention towards her, "it is getting late and I don't think the deer would appreciate us wandering through their campground while they are suppose to be enjoying a nice dinner with their families."
"Good point," Star concurred, "let's go."
We continue our way to the deer encampment, and with Star now looking both ways before crossing anymore streets. We soon came upon the camp and there we saw groups of deer walking here and there, weaving in and out through the tents and then we entered the camp.
As soon as we stepped into the boundary of the camp, deer's head turn towards us and when they saw Star they, they smiled and said out loud, "oh look, the birds' lover is here, hello birds' lover," and they keep repeating that as we made our way farther into the encampment, while Star replied back to them, "will you stop calling me that already, I am not any birds' lover."
We soon came upon a clearing filled with perches and stands with a few of those odd Murphy Birds roosting in them, and there moving among the stands, is a deer, with a few birds in his antlers as well, "hello Avian," Arcana greeted the deer, startling him, as we walked up to him.
He turned around and saw us and smiled, "oh hello Arcana," he greeted her and then turns towards Star, "and to you too as well bird's lover…"
"Stop calling me that."
"...And who are these two?" he asked as he saw me and Fe.
"Hello sir, I am Fe," Fe answered him.
"And I'm Aceiro."
"I'm Avian Concierge," Avian supplied his name to us as he bowed his head towards me and Fe, causing a few birds to take off from his antlers and onto the perches, "and let me be the first one to greet you both to our humble encampment," he recovered from his bow, "so what can I do for this evening?"
"Well…" Fe started as she looked towards the birds, "… I would like to know more about the birds."
"Me too," I added.
"Well do you both know what happens when you make a negative compliment to them?" he asked us wearily.
"Yes we do, we will get what he had," Fe answered as she pointed to Star, who now looked worried and that is when I noticed that the birds were giving him a stink eye and ruffling their feathers in anticipation as well, I think they are waiting for him or somepony else to insult them, I thoughtfully concurred as I turn my attention back to the deer in front of me.
"Now, you see about these birds…" he trailed off and then started to look around, on alert for some reason. When he finally settled on something he looked back us and resumed, "alright you see about these birds-"
"They were founded by our ancestors," a voice called out from behind us, startling me and Fe, we looked around and there we saw a doe standing behind us with a grin her face.
"Oh come on Story," Avian frustratingly said to the doe behind us, "will you please let me tell this story, and also where did you even come from?"
"That doesn't matter," Story replied back to him, "what matters is that you are going to do my job, and I don't like my job being done than other by me," she stated as she made her way to Avian.
"Fine you win, you tell them the story, I'm going home," Avian yielded and then he started to make his way a passage in the tents away from the clearing, "just make sure that they leave the camp before you go home," he added to her as he left the clearing.
"As I said," Story continues, "these birds were founded by our ancestors when their form of guidance ceased…" Story told us how their ancestral tribe gotten lost and wandered outside of Equestria and how the birds guide them back to their land, "… and so they have been with this tribe ever since," Story finishes telling the story about the birds.
"Wow that's amazing," I said as I turn my gaze towards the birds and then walked up to one of them, "who would've thought that a seemingly silly-looking bird are so unique."
I heard a loud gasp, which caused me to turn around quickly and saw Star, Arcana and Story with dropped mouths, "What?" I asked them.
"You just gave a negative complement to the birds," Story explained, "now they are going to get back at you."
"Wait what!" I looked back at the bird and saw that it was giving me a stink eye look, oh shit!
The Murphy Bird opened its peak and I saw it took a deep breath, "look out," Star cried out as he leapt behind a pile of bird seeds. The bird let out a series of sounds that sounds like clanging pots and then it stopped, but the sounds it made didn't stop and resonated throughout the camp. After a few tense moments the sounds of clanging pots responded back, "incoming," Star called out from behind the bag of seeds.
No sooner had he said that a flock of birds rose from the surrounding tents and flew towards the clearing we are in. The birds quickly landed in the clearing and sat there and stared at me, "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap," I panicky repeated as more birds flew into the clearing, increasing the numbers that is going to lay the hurt on me.
As the bird I'd first commented on opened its' beak, Fe walked right up to it and spoke to it, interrupting its' war cry, "now, will you all stop it," she said in an authority tone, making the birds pause in what they were going to do, "all he did was making a lovely complement to you all and you have to go all vendetta on one tiny comment that you don't happen to like, well let me tell you something, you should just accept it and be happy with it."
"I mean come on, it was just one small comment so you all listen to me, you will leave other unfortunate ponies that happened to repeat this mistake and as well as my stallion, so that means no more vendetta, got it?" the bird nervously nodded and then Fe turned her attention to the rest of the other birds, "all of you?" which they replied back by nervously nodded back to her as well, "thank you, now go back home and have a nice evening," she instructed and which they complied and took off into the air and back to whatever they come from.
Fe and I turned around and saw the others' shocked expressions, "holy elk," Story said astonished as she picked upper her lower jaw, "never have I see anything like that before."
"What's going on here?" a voice called out. We all turn our heads and there we saw Avian, looking as if he has just been chased by a pack of Timberwolves, "I've only been gone for five minutes and already somepony ticked off the birds and now I see that they are going back to their respective families, so would somepony please care to explain what happened here?"
"Fe just told the birds off," Story explained what just happened.
"Wait what?" Avian clearly confused here, "what do you mean "Fe told the birds off"?"
Story then told him what happened as soon as he left, "…and then the birds just took off and flew back to where they came from," Story finishes.
"This is unbelievable," Avian stunned at what he heard, causing him to suddenly sit down on the thinning grass, "this has never happened before, probably because the birds never gave a chance to the ones that insulted them to apologized," he theorized.
"Wait, so you're telling me that I got pegged by the whole flock just for commenting on how they looked like," Star announces as he made his way from behind the bags of seeds and towards us, "while Aceiro here made the same comment and he got out of it scotch-free just because his marefriend asked them to leave him alone?" he asked, "that's just not fair."
"Sorry Star," Arcana comforted him by patting him on the back, "but it seems that the universe just doesn't like you enough to cut you some slack."
"I know, but still why does it want to hurt me?"
"Maybe you did something in your afterlife," Fe pointed out, "and you are just paying for the sins of your past life."
"Or maybe for somepony else's sins," I suggested.
Before Star can reply back on that, the sound of throats clearing put a stop to our conversation and look towards Avian and Story, "well this sure has been an… eventful evening, but it getting dark now and I am getting tired," Avian yawned and pointing out that it is getting dark as he said.
"So we suggest that you all retire in for the evening, because I am sure that we all have some plans planned for tomorrow," Story added.
We said our goodbyes to them and made our way out of the deer camp and back to Ponyville, but just as we came upon the street that Star and Arcana live on, a thought made itself known, "hold on, Fe and I don't have a place to stay at," I told them about my and Fe's predicament.
"Oh that's right we were so caught up from today's dealings, we have completely forgotten to get a place to sleep at."
"Oh don't worry about that," Arcana said to us as we drew closer to their house, "we have a guest room at our house."
"But I don't think the bed is big enough to allow you two to sleep comfortably apart," Star pointed out with a cheeky grin, "so you two might have to… snuggle up close to each other."
I felt my face warm up, but I was thankfully thankful for the dim lighting from the setting sun was producing, "well Fe can sleep in the guest room, while I will be sleeping on the couch," I announce as I remember seeing a couch as Fe and walked inside earlier today.
"Ah that is sweet of you," Fe said as we came to the front step of Star's and Arcana's home, "you know, you sure are amazing sometimes," she added as Star opened the door and allowing us to go inside.
"And you're amazing as well," I said to her and was replied back with a giggle as Fe and I made our way inside.
A/N
Well folks I am sorry about the delay of this chapter, but with life throwing curveballs at me, the NATG (Newbie Artist Training Ground) II going on Equestria Daily, and my personal life, I was only able to write a few hundred words at a time, but I got it done, and will try to get the next chapter out soon... I hope. Well anyway leave your comments, reviews and questions in the comments below (I'm serious, leave your questions, for I will answer them).
Well enough with the stuff happening above, there were some good things that came out of this, I am getting better at hitting the curveballs that life is throwing at me, becoming a better artist thanks to NATG II, and I got to meet the author of "The Newcomer" Gh0st Buddy in real life (nice guy).
Also there is a new writer coming of age, so here is what I would like you all to do; go and read his story, his name is Far Low 1 and his story is called "Here By Accident" so go and check it out, make comments and favorite it. That is all.
End A/N