//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: A New Life; An Old Demon // by dragovin08 //------------------------------// Three weeks have passed since Aeon arrived in Ponyville and both Aeon and Shoeshine have been seeing each other on and off now. Today Aeon was over at Shoeshine's fixing her smelter, but she was using this just so she can spend the whole day with him cause when they see each other it's only for a couple of hours and the most time they've spent together was the night of that party and she still wanted to find out more about him the things she doesn't know. "Why didn't you tell me you had one of these," Aeon's upper half was in the smelter and his back half was sticking out, "Well I thought you didn't know how to fix one of these," Shoeshine responded. "You know you could have asked me, I know to fix electric smelters." "Do you see what's wrong?" "Yeah, a few of your pilot lights are out," He told her," And this thing looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years." "I don't clean it very often." "I can tell cause I got a ton of soot on my arms already." "How many lights do you need?" "Oh, let's see two, three, about five." "Okay," Shoeshine went to a covered filled with pilot lights she would get from a supplying company. "Alright all I got to do is take them out," Aeon looked around inside the smelter for the ratchet," Darn I must have left the ratchet out," Aeon started to feel around the ground with his tail since he didn't feel like coming out. Feeling around the ground his tail found Shoeshine's back leg and rubbed up to her rump,"oh!," She went when his tail touched it then she pushed his tail," Watch where you're feeling." "I can't see you know so it was an accident." "Right Mr. Touchy feely," Setting the five pilot lights by Aeon. She wanted to get Aeon back so she grabbed a ribbon and tied it to the end of his tail. "What are doing?" "Nothing," She saw the rachet by his foot, she put it into her mouth and set it on Aeon's tail. "There it is," Aeon brought his tail inside, grabbed the wrench and saw the ribbon on his tail. He took it off and smirked deviously," Okay if you want to play that game then," He reached his tail out and wrapped it around Shoeshine's," I'm going to tug on your tail until you squeal." It only took Aeon a few tugs to make her squeal but she didn't mind Aeon getting this rough with her," Okay you win." "Ha! I always win," Aeon took all the screws out of the five broken pilot lights, he grabbed the broken ones and threw them out," Duck," Shoeshine saw them and ducked as they hit the wall. "Watch where you're throwing those Aeon." "Darn I thought I got the can," To get even she pushed him from behind touching his back side," Ohhhh... whose touchy feely now Ms. Shoeshine." "I am not!" "Well you touched my backside," She turned around and kicked him this time," Ow! Okay you won this round," he felt the pilot lights with his left foot and wrapped them in his tail bringing them to his hands. It only took Aeon ten minutes to screw the new pilot lights in, but as soon as he was done a small amount of soot went in his nose and he sneezed shooting out a big puff of black smoke out of the smelter. Aeon rushed head out off the smelter coughing like an old man," I think it's *cough* clean now *cough*." "What happened?" Shoeshine sticking her head into the room. "I sneezed," She giggling at Aeon," What's so funny?" "You just look funny covered in all that soot." "Do I now," He smiled at her decisively then lunging at her trying to grab her,"Well maybe you should be covered in some too." "No no no!" Shoeshine started running away from Aeon who was chasing her around the shop's lobby," Ahh!" She screamed when he grabbed her in his arms lifting her off the ground. "Got ya," He was holding her from behind her front hooves above his arms and her head on his chest," Now it's your turn," He started laughing fanning out his frill and shaking his head having soot fall on her. "Ah ha! Stop it," Shoeshine said in a playful and almost seductive way to him. With the soot on his arms rubbing into her chest, she was giggling seeing this side of Aeon was just eye opening for her. Usually when they went on their dates Aeon wasn't very flirty but alone he was a different. Then her giggles were starting to become slight moans as almost as she was being pleasures. Though he was swinging her around in his arms the feeling of his body rubbing agianst her back and rump was making her excited in a different way. Luckily before this could escalate Shoeshine told Aeon," Okay you got me." He had set her down," Told ya," He looked at Shoeshine who was now covered in soot on her mane, head, chest, and back. "I'm going to go clean up," She was blushing heavily but Aeon didn't notice. "Yeah so should I," Shoeshine went up stairs and Aeon went outside and easily shaking off the remaining soot on to the ground. He started off to Twilight's treehouse to get his pack cause he felt it was the right time to show Shoeshine his past and tell her about the past. Yet he also felt that it would change her look at him and she might see him as something else but what happens nothing would make him change his feelings for her. Aeon got to Twilight's house seeing that his pack was where he hung it outside by the door. He grabbed it and began to head back. Shoeshine was in her bathtub cleaning the soot off of her, she looked at the end of her tub seeing her rubber ducky there, leaning over she picked it up bringing it to her lifting it near her face. 'What was that feeling I had when he lifted me like he did,' She thought holding her rubber ducky,' I've felt it before but it's only when I was drunk but the feeling of him on me like the way he was or even getting close to me just sends shivers of excitement down my spine,' Setting it back in the water,' Maybe I'm falling in love with him,' She got out of her bathtub and dried herself. Then she went down stairs to her kitchen; opening one of her covers she pulled out a picnic basket since she knew he wasn't doing anything today nor was she, it would be a good way to really spend some quality time with him to get to know the things she doesn't know. So she filled it with sandwiches, drinks, other foods, plates, forks, cups, spoons, and a red and blue blanket. Just arriving back Aeon opened the door to see Shoeshine standing there with the picnic basket handle in her mouth. "We going for a picnic?" Aeon asked. "Mmmm hmmm," Nodding her head yes. "Then I'll take that," He grabbed the basket from her and kept the door open for," After you," Being his generous self. After walking out Aeon locked her door and followed her. They went to a near by park that was only about ten minutes away from her house. Aeon laid down the blanket and Shoeshine laid down the plates and utensils. Aeon looked and saw the little fillies playing on the playground, flying their kites, or just having a good time with their friends; there were a few couples and families having picnic's also, but they were a little off in the distance. They both sat down across each other, grabbing the food they wanted to eat. The first few minutes they didn't really even talk until. "Aeon?" Finally a conversation would emerge. "Yes." "Could you tell me about your life?" "Yeah," He felt a bit hesitant," Well I was orphaned when I was young. I had lost my parents so for about four and half years I lived among the homeless. Until I was taken in eight years ago to do arena fighting," He set his food down. "Arena fighting?" "Yes. For six years I fought against other zenthians for survival never making profit nor did I feel regret until one day," Shoeshine looked at his face and saw he still had it driven into his mind like a nail, a face of regret," I was fighting agianst one of the top fighters in the land. It was a hard fight for me he ended up cutting off my finger," He showed Shoeshine his left hand," yet I prevailed stabbing him in the chest with his spear, then I took off his helmet and..." "What?" Shoeshine concerned in her tone. "He was just a young kid no older then around six or seven but that was also the same age I lost my parents and that was the last fight I took part in. Making me realize that if I want to find what there is in the world and find my place it won't be through the death of others by my hand." "Wow, I never thought you were the type to take a life." "I was, luckily I earned my way out and watched others to get the skills of metal and wood working, yet there are also things I try and forget even before they came back to finish the job," Aeon was fiddling with his fingers. "Like what kind of memories?" "Things I've done before, things I resent myself for now." "Like what." "Bad things to others, actions that really make me feel like a monster." "Would you say what you did?" "I'd rather not..." He paused"... looking back at it would make me do those things again." "Oh, that's okay if you don't want to talk about it." "Thanks for understanding, Shoeshine." "You said something about,' they came back again,' what's they?" "Creatures that destroyed everything at my home." "Why did those creatures come?" Aeon sighed lowering his head," No one from where or they came and did what they did but they were successful." "At what." "At almost destroying my kind." "Oh my gosh!" "I still remember on the day I left, all I could do was just watch as I saw my own kind getting slaughtered by them, as they came at us with no remorse, yet I ended up escaping out of fear and now I keep thinking I should have stayed behind to fight, I should have," Aeon grumbled with his head still lowered. "Well what is it you want now." He raised his head and looked at her," Vengeance." She turned her head away and then looked back at him," I've always know that when revenge is held inside, it makes into something you're not and makes you do things that you regret." "Maybe I should stop holding the vengeance I have think about knowing that they won't find me, because I still hold fear..." He paused trying to keep himself composed"... Now tell me about your life." "Well I haven't gone through as much as you." "Doesn't mean you still can't tell since I just told you about mine, I say it's fair you tell me about yours." "Okay, well I was orphaned but I actually never knew my parents. So I was raised by some ponies who adopted me and raised me," She saw Aeon putting the plates,utensils, and food back into the basket but she could tell he was still listening. Since she's seen he has a keen sense for listening, even to the point of where he can hear a whispering conversation from five feet away," In school I was the mare that always tried to make friends with everypony and I was one of the top ponies in my class. So a lot of the friends I made just used me just to pass and I would always feel that I was worth nothing to others," Aeon was sitting listening with full extent to her story," When I got older I was in and out of relationships with colts cause I was always seeking for the attention of the right guy." "It's a different world without parents to help guide you." "I know and about three years ago I ran into a stallion who said he was my uncle and he told me my parents had died shortly after I was born in a accident," Shoeshine started tearing up again," And I always kept thinking before I found out that my parents abandoned me cause they didn't want me. Plus later on the relationships I keep getting into got worse and worse and after Caramel I told myself I'm never going to be in another relationship until, until I," She was trying not to start crying but she did," I met you then everything changed," Saying between sobs. Aeon sat seeing that it's better to find out what others went through to better connect to them. Slowly he moved near Shoeshine who was still crying, he kneeled behind her and wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers. "Well that makes two of us Shoeshine because I too am alone now," He continued," But you don't have to be alone now because I'm here and I'll always be by your side and nothing can change that." Shoeshine moved her head up and Aeon lifted his to look down at her. Both stopping their noses were almost touching, He looked into those magenta eyes and they had a sparkle in them that would make anyone fall in love. "You really mean that Aeon." "Every word of it," Shoeshine starting pushing herself up to him; Aeon's frill started to fan out. He started moving his head towards hers and they locked lips. Aeon had never been kissed before and it made this moment very special for him. So this is a kiss He thought. Her lips were so soft and tender that he didn't want to let go. Shoeshine never knew a lizard's scaly lips would feel so different from a colt's lips. His lips were not too rough or too soft but they felt like bare skin, Is this a kiss of real true love, She thought to herself, yet to both of them it felt like time had stopped and this moment was here forever and nothing else mattered. Their lips let go but they kept their noses touching," I love you. Aeon." "And I you, Shoeshine," nuzzling her nose with his," With all my heart and soul." "I hope nothing will separate us," She lowered her head to look at the sunset. "And nothing will," Aeon unwrapped his arms from Shoeshine and stood up. Shoeshine had stood up after Aeon to get off the blanket. He folded it back up and set it back into the basket, taking the basket into his handand his pack also, they both started back into town. Yet lurking in the trees of the Everfree Forest was something that searched for Aeon when he left his home. "Didn't I tell you boy," Pulling down a branch with his dark grey hand seeing Aeon in the distance," That we will find you for you can't escape the past," His sickly deep voice and his beady red orange eyes looked out to Aeon. Now an old demon of the past has returned.