One week. One week of hell. One week of hell given to me by a fucking grinning Absol. The same fucking asshole sitting next to my desk in the Castle of Bullshit Tentacle Fuckers' main library. Oh sure, I knew getting into fighting shape was gonna be hard, but I didn't think it was going to make me feel like I got kicked off of a cliff. Hell, that'd probably be an improvement over how I feel.
I let out yet another groan as my head rested on my desk, no idea what hurt more or what I was groaning more over.
"How ya feeling?" Sid asked, still reading a random book.
"Like shit," I growled. "Same as yesterday."
"Eh, you'll get used to it," he shrugged, turning a page.
I snorted bitterly at that.
"How's the house hunt going?" I asked.
"Slow," he huffed. "Not a lot of places are big enough for sis, so we need to figure out a way around that."
"I hear ya," I sighed, forcing myself into sitting up straight. "Just getting a job around here isn't easy for people our size."
"Maybe we need to get together with cute Kirins too," he smirked at me over his book.
"Maybe," I smirked back. "I heard Autumn's cousin is single if you're interested."
"Nah," he chuckled, looking back down at his book. "Unlike you, I'm not fireproof."
"You're loss," I shrugged, flinching as a sharp pain shot down my back.
"But that does put another thing we need to figure out on the table," he sighed. "Any idea where we could get some work around here?"
I closed my eyes and mulled that over for a bit. Dahlia could probably get a job at one of the gyms in town, but Sid was a bit of a wild card. Back home, he could do pretty much any kind of job put in front of him, especially if involved working with customers directly. I swear, the guy could've become a CEO in retail if he really wanted to. Something Dahlia and I practically screamed at him at every turn. Thing is, he always had a thing against working in an office and would do almost anything to avoid it. Back home, that would've made this a bit tricky, but here?
"I could ask Starlight if she has any openings," I shrugged. "Would be nice to have some back up next time a tentacle monster shows up."
Sid froze for a second, blinked, marked his page, closed his book, and looked at me.
"I'm sorry, what?"
I was about to fill him in when the doors to the library flew open. I reflexively sat up straight (HOLY FUCK MUFFINS DID THAT HURT!!!) and dawned a pained version of my salesman smile. I loosened up when I saw who was trotting in. Well, saw and heard considering who it was. Bright blue coat? Check. Horn? Check. Long silver mane and tail?" Check. Gaudy as hell purple cape and wizard hat covered with moons and stars? Checkerooni. All that's missing is-
"Make way! The Great and Powerful Trixie has come to do business!" she cried, stepping proudly towards my desk.
Huh. No David Blaine fireworks display this time. Guess she's on a budget and doesn't want to have to replace three thousand bits worth of books. Again. This week.....my boss is way too fucking forgiving.
"What's up Trix? Come to check out an other porno?" I smirked as she approached my desk.
"Trixie does not read porn!" she barked, face turning red as she huffed, "She reads exotic romance novels."
"Whatever," I shrugged. "Though, I don't know how "exotic" a book entitled Romancing the Horn can be."
"Uncultured swine," she huffed.
"Don't need to be cultured to be a perv, Trix," I smirked.
"Just a library card, apparently," Sid snorted, going back to his book.
"Oh mind your own busi-," Trixie barked, then froze the second she saw Sid.
I swear these ponies are part cat or some shit. In the span of about three seconds, Trix screamed and then jumped straight to the top of the nearest fifty foot tall bookcase. Proving my point, she was clinging to the top like her life depended on it, shaking so bad that a bunch of books were falling out of it. Books that I was going to need to sort back later. Great. Hopefully some H. P. Fuckcraft monster doesn't pop out of those. Fuck it, I'll give her to it as a peace offering for a few hours if it happens.
"Bai Ze! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!"
Did I say hours? I meant WEEKS!
"Oh for fuck's sake," Sid growled, slamming his book shut. "I'm just here to read a book and talk with my friend! The sky isn't falling today! Chill the fuck out!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chill," I sputtered, putting up my paws in a placating manner.
"Right," he sighed as he stood up. "I'm gonna go...do something."
As he said that, he walked towards the library doors looking like he was the one put through hell training. The second the doors closed behind him, I tried to glare a hole through Trix's head. He didn't tell me all that much about what Dahlia and he did sense they got here, but he did mention how people tended to react to him. Apparently, Bai Ze are kind of like Moth Men over here, in that they're bad omens or something like that. The really fucked up thing is that they're not completely wrong. Sid told me he could sense when disasters were going to happen and for a while he tried to use that to help people. No specifics on how that went other than badly. It apparently still eats at him, but he won't tell me more than that.
"Not cool Trix," I growled.
"What did Trixie do?" she blinked, still clinging to the sides of her perch for deal life.
"Gee, it couldn't possibly be that you took a look at someone and assumed the end was nigh," I deadpanned, then flatly added, "Just. Like. Everyone. Else. In. Town."
She cringed, then wilted with each word I spat at her.
"Is....Is it really that bad?" she asked, turning her sad eyes towards the door.
"Yeah," I sighed. "Dude can't even get a job because everyone's too freaked out around him."
"WHAT?!" Trixie screamed (Fuck! My ears!) "This cannot stand! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall fix this travesty!"
As she said that, she struck a dramatic pose, then gulped when she looked down.
"As soon as she figures out how to get down."
"Starlight doesn't pay me enough to put up with this shit," I grumbled, readying an Extrasensory and strongly fighting the urge to use it to fire Trixie off of the bookshelf.
It's bad enough that she knocked most of the books out of it. I don't need to add "Hide a body" to my work load.
***
Wallflower Blush was a simple mare. She liked having a quiet life in a quiet place with lots of quiet plants that she could tend to. It was better than the rude stuffiness of Canterlot and the suffocating atmosphere of Manehattan. While Ponyville had its moments, most of her time was spent in self-induced isolation far outside the town's borders and its occasional insanity. Not that anypony seemed to care or take notice of the Earth Pony's absence or even presence for that matter. She didn't blame them all that much. It was her special talent after all. As such, the light green Earth Pony seldom bothered going into town at all, making due with anything she could grow or find in her surroundings as much as she could afford. The same as she had since she moved out of her father's house at eight teen. Nothing in her life ever changed. Just her, her plants, and silence.
So imagine her shock when she found an Absol lounging on its side with its back towards her in her favorite meadow a good ten feet away from her cottage. She didn't know what to make of the creature at first, mouth wide as she brushed her messy dark green mane out of her brown eyes. Naturally, she had heard the legends about Bai Ze, but instead of fear filling her at the sight of the creature, a sense of wonder ran through her. She had seen Dragons and various other creatures pass through Ponyville since Princess Twilight opened The School of Friendship, but she had never seen one quite like this one.
Unable to fight her curiosity, she walked closer to it to investigate further. Like always, her presence was completely ignored by the creature, allowing her to do a complete loop around it without any resistance. It seemed to be lost in thought, its red eyes blank as it stared unseeingly at the grass with a frown. Another thing she noted was that it was very much a male, a fact that brought a bright red shade to her cheeks when he stretched one of his hind legs and rolled over.
"It's no big deal," he muttered to himself, tone tired and bitter. "Get a grip Sid. You're use to this shit."
Wallflower tilted her head at that, concern mixing with her confusion as she watched the Absol talk to himself. She flinched back when he let out a frustrated growl and slammed a claw into the grass.
"This is so stupid! Do they really think I bring shit with me everywhere I go?! Stupid fucking morons! SHIT! FUCKING! HAPPENS!"
Sid laid there panting, his rage slowly mellowing out with every couple breaths. Eventually, he managed to mellow out with an irate sigh, flopping bonelessly into the soft grass. This happened every time he went to someplace new. While a minor inconvenience at first, it gradually became something of an exhausting routine for him over the years. It was always the same song and dance. Come to a town, be a social pariah, be blamed for small disasters, prove himself to the townsfolk, be accepted, then leave. When it was just towns that he and Dahlia passed through, it wasn't that much of an obstacle. Now that they were settling down in Ponyville for the foreseeable future, he found himself trapped in the tedious pattern yet again.
"I wish I could just skip to the end already," he sighed, rising to his feet. "I need some tea."
"Umm, excuse me," Wallflower said, tone soft and timid.
Sid jumped and spun to face her, eyes wide as he shifted into a defensive stance. When he saw Wallflower, he let out a relieved sigh and relaxed his posture.
"Jesus, you scared the hell out of me," he chuckled.
"Sorry," she muttered, fidgeting awkwardly in place.
"It's okay," he shrugged. "My fault for not paying attention."
"No it isn't," she sighed.
"Huh?" he blinked.
"N-Nothing," she stammered.
Sid's mood dimmed slightly when he took in Wallflower's demeanor. The mare was trembling and struggling to look him in the eye. Just about everything about her screamed, "I don't want to be here," so loudly, he could almost hear it. He mentally screamed behind his kind smile. Even when he tried to be alone, he find's ponies that he has to prove himself to.
Fuck. This. Noise.
"Well, I'll just get out of your hair now," he said, smile stiff as he turned away from her.
"Wait!" Wallflower cried, eyes widening and hoof flying to mer mouth in surprise of her own volume.
Sid flinched, then leveled curious glance over his shoulder at her.
"U-Um, Name! What's your name?" she frantically blurted out.
"Sid," he said simply. "You?"
"W-Wallflower Blush," she stammered meekly.
He continued to stare at her, face frozen in an unreadable expression. The weight of his stare held her like a vice, but not with fear or dread. Intrigue was what she felt as she stared into those sharp crimson orbs. At the same time, Sid found himself feeling the same thing when he gazed into Wallflower's dirt-toned ones. He could see apprehension and curiosity, but not the mind numbing terror he was use to seeing at this point.
A genuine smile spread across his lips as he said, "Good name. It suits you."
"H-Huh?" Wallflower blinked.
He chuckled and turned back to face her fully, his demeanor much more relaxed.
"Don't worry about it," he said, waving away her question with a claw. "So, out here taking in the sights?"
Wallflower sheepishly pawed at the ground and with a small frown said, "Not exactly."
"Hm?" he said, tilting his head.
"I....um.....live out here," she muttered, shyly pointing at her cottage ten feet away from them.
Sid looked over at it, then frowned as he said, "How the hell did I miss that? God, I must've been really out of it."
"Not really," Wallflower giggled. "I...Everything about me sort of fades into the background."
Sid chuckled at that.
"Maybe. Wish I had that problem."
Wallflower's smile fell at that.
"No you don't," she sighed. "Trust me."
"Try being an omen for every evil in the world," he huffed bitterly.
"That...That's awful," Wallflower frowned.
"You get used to it after awhile," he sighed, then smiled wearily as he added, "Helps that I have my pal back."
Even if the situation around that is a completely different brand of fucked up.
"It's still not fair," she huffed.
"That's life," he frowned. "It either throws you a bone or decides to bone you when your back is turned. Simple as that."
Wallflower blinked at that, then giggled as she said, "I don't know if I would put it quite like that, b-but yeah."
He chuckled, then said, "But seriously, I should probably head back. Last thing we need is my pal or sis charging in here."
"O-Oh. Okay," Wallflower said, a slight wilt entering her demeanor. "I-If that's what you want to do."
"Yeah, sorry," he sighed with a smile. "I'll see ya again tomorrow though."
"R-Really?" she squeaked.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "It's pretty peaceful here."
And it's nice to talk to someone new that isn't afraid of me for a change
"That's good with you, right?"
"Y-Yes!" she happily cried, then blushed as she said at a much quieter tone, "I-If you want to. I-I don't want you to think you have to, you know."
"No problem," he chuckled. "See ya tomorrow."
"Yeah," she smiled.
With that, Sid turned and went on his way, a pair of brown eyes following him the whole way. When he moved out of view, Wallflower's smile slowly fell. Again, she was surrounded by a familiar silence. A familiar peace. A peace that for the first time in a long time felt hollow to her.
"See you tomorrow," she whispered, then turned towards her home and the small flower garden growing in front of it.
***
The open field Dahlia and Sid chose to set up camp in wasn't anything special. A simple clearing close enough to Ponyville to keep the commute from being a slog, but far enough away to keep them from being bothered by too many locals. Trees surrounded them from all sides except for an opening that led to an nearby stream. Two large tents and a campfire stood at its heart, said fire nothing but smoldered logs under the bright afternoon sun.
Sid hummed a random tune to himself as he strolled into his tent, what few things he owned confined to a single pair of saddlebags next to a pillow and blanket. Letting out a tired sigh, he flopped onto the makeshift bed. A dull tingle at the back of his mind brought an anxious groan out of him; the same tingle that had been bugging him since Dahlia and he decided to come to Equestria. Off and on, it had grown and shrunk at random points throughout the whole week. That combined with the constant stigma that was a part of his life had done nothing but put him on edge. He still had nightmares of the last time he felt this shift. The screams. The pain. The smile she bore as she di-
He shook his head, desperate to rid himself of the foul memories that haunted him. All they needed to do was remind him of what could happen if he lets his guard down. Of what he needed to do to prevent something like that from happening again.
Acting more out of habit than desire, he reached a claw into one of the side pockets of his bags. When he pulled it free, a gold heart-shaped locket was held tight in its grip. Smiling sadly, he pushed a button on its side and it popped open. The right featured an ornate brass clock face ticking away with reckless abandon, while a picture was cut into shape to fit the hollow interior of the cover. In it, three figures smiled goofily back at him. Him, his sister, and a jet black Hippogriff with teal eyes and wings. A sharp pain shot through him as he snapped the pocket watch closed, his jaw clenched tight to keep his tears at bay.
"Never again," he muttered, gently returning the treasured keepsake to its pocket. "I'm not going to let anything like that happen again."
His mind briefly drifted towards Wallflower and a rueful smile spread across his lips. One more person he needed to protect from whatever disaster sat on the horizon. A tired chuckle fell past his lips as he rolled onto his back. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he always added more burdens to his shoulders. It was maddening. Stupid. Exhausting. He wouldn't have it any other way.
"Stick a fucking fork in me," he chuckled, staggering to his feet. "I hope Dahlia still has more of that tea."
As he stepped out of his tent, a single mantra echoed through his mind for the thousandth time since he came to this world.
Fuck the ease of solitude. Surround me with friends to draw blood for instead of the crushing cold of standing alone.
"After all, I made a promise, didn't I?" he said, flashing a sad smile at his bags.