It's a fine day in Ponyville and Aeon was at Sweet Apple Acres fixing the roof on the barn. Well actually patching a hole made in the roof. The roof creaked and many of the shingles slid under his feet. Back from picking apples Applejack went to check on his progress.
"Well how's everything comin' along sugarcube?" Asking only seeing his tail hanging off the edge of the roof.
"It's coming along fine I should be finished in about an hour," Responding to her still working.
"Why don't you take a break. Why you've been up there for the past three hours now."
"Huh... maybe I should I'm quite parched," He started to climb down the wall like a gecko. Applejack started walking away but she forgot to tell him about the rake that was under him.
Coming down he felt it poke his backside," WAAAHHHHHHH!!" Applejack heard that and rushed back to him seeing back on the roof.
"Aeon?"
"Uh- huh," He sounded like something just scared him.
"Why didn't you come down?"
"Something poked meee!" Saying in a whiny tone.
"What?" She was confused," Something poked you?" She turned her head and saw the rake," Why it's just a rake nothing to be scared about."
"You sure," Poking his head over, he was trembling.
"Yes, look I'll move it for you," Applejack moved the rake to a hay stack near by," There you go now come on."
"Okay," Aeon climbed back down, this time all the way down," You got anything to drink?" Aeon asked.
"Sure come on sugarcube," On her way back home Applebloom just got out of school. Scootaloo and Sweatier Bell were with her too. Arriving home she saw Aeon there at her house drinking a glass of water.
"Hello Mr. Aeon," She said to him, he turned his head.
"Hello Applebloom, I believe I told you. You don't need to call me Mister."
"Oh, but what you doin here?"
"Just fixing that hole in the barns roof, I'm just taking a break right now," His stomach growled," Well I guess I've been running on an empty stomach too."
"Well you should stay for supper."
"No thanks I should be done here in a few."
"Well it's the least we can do for you helpin us," Granny Smith said sitting in her chair.
"Woah, didn't see you there, but I don't know really."
"Oh come on.... please," Applebloom giving her big puppy dog eyes to him just like she did to Twilight before.
"Hmmm... I guess it wouldn't hurt."
"Yay!"
"But I'm still going to finish up," He set the glass of water down on the porch bench and went back to the barn. An hour had passed and Aeon finished patching up the roof and began coming down. Once again his backside got poked by the same rake," WAAAAHHHHH!" Screaming again, shooting up the wall and on to the roof again.
Applejack ran over," What happened?"
"Something poked mee!"
"Why are you afraid of things pokin you?"
"I have my reasons," He looked over the edge," Bad experiences in the arena."
"Oh I see just a past thing."
"Uh-huh, dumb I know."
"Well we all fear something," She moved the rake again, Aeon came back down but Applebloom heard it in the distance and she want to tell Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo about this. She went to the tree house where they usually hang out in, she climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch.
"Girls!"
"What!?" Both Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo saying at the same time.
"I just found out something about Mr. Aeon."
"What is it," Sweetie Bell asking curiously.
"Well it's something you'd never expect from him."
"Just get on with it. What is it," Scootaloo being bluntly eager.
"Mr. Aeon is afraid of thing pokin him from behind."
"Well that's a dumb thing to fear," Sweetie Bell started giggling.
"Yeah it is, but we don't know what he's gone through."
"So we can have some fun with this then," Scootaloo coming in.
"Well I don't know, he's always been nice to us and I don't want him to get mad at us," Applebloom was hesitant.
"Come on, just a couple times wont hurt any body."
"Umm. Okay I guess," They left the tree house to wait for Aeon to leave.
It was after dark and Aeon was heading to Shoeshine's house and the cutie mark crusaders following behind trying to stay quiet. Heading down the road Sweetie Bell stepped on a small stick making it snap, the three of them jumped inside a near by bush. Aeon turned his head, his frill fanned out in suspicion knowing he was being followed. After a couple minutes he turned his head back around and his frill folded back up.
"Must have been my imagination," Shrugging his shoulders.
"Whew, don't do that agian," Scootaloo whispered.
"I didn't see it," Sweetie Bell whispered back.
Scootaloo stuck her head out of the bush and saw he was walking away," He's getting away," She whispered again, she grabbed a stick on the ground and tip toed her way behind Aeon. Stopping to scratch his foot she poked his back with the stick.
"WAAAAHHHH!" Screaming he jumped on to a near by building's wall. On the wall on his fours like a gecko, he was shaking. Scootaloo ran off before Aeon could even see her. The three of them ran until the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, where Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were just dying of laughter but Applebloom on laughed alittle.
"Oh you should have seen his face it was priceless," Scootaloo rolling on the floor laughing.
"Did you here the way he screamed, it was so funny," Sweetie Bell said holding her stomach.
"What about you Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know, it seemed kind a mean to scare him like that since he's never done anything to us."
"So it was just a prank."
"It didn't seem like it," She sighed in a regretful tone," I startin to think that I shouldn't have told ya about it, I'm going home, Applebloom heading back into Sweet Apple Acres trudging thinking that playing with others fears is a bad thing to do. Since Aeon has always been a good helpful hand to the Apple family, she thought if he found out she told other ponies about his fear that he wouldn't like her or the Apple family.
The next day Applebloom was working in the market area selling apples. She saw Aeon there just doing his business walking through looking for what he needs. Eventually Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell came around the corner and saw him, they stood together planing something out to get him again just so they could laugh at him. Yet there were many ponies out today and if that happens they'll all laugh at him. Applebloom was about to stop them but a mare came up to the little shop wanting to buy some apples. After helping the mare, she looked over and saw they were gone.
Scootaloo came up behind Aeon who was near a pole in the market. Using her hoof she poked him in the back once again.
"WWWAAAAHH!" Screaming he shot straight up the pole wrapping his arms and legs at the top. Trembling on top his pupils seemed dilated. Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and alot of other ponies were laughing at him. Aeon climbed back down and trudged away with them still laughing at him. Applebloom ran up to Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell.
"What did you do that for?!"
"Nothing, I just wanted to do it again," Scootaloo answered.
"But you shouldn't have done it here."
"Why?"
"Cause with all those ponies and colts laughing at him, you should have known it would hurt his feelings."
"So, it's just a harmless joke."
"Well you crossed the line this time," Applebloom went looking for Aeon and after a few minutes he was already out of sight.
"Mr. Aeon! Where are you!?" She kept saying.
"I thought I told you, that you don't need to call me mister," Saying from a tree.
"What are doing up there?"
"Hiding myself from humiliation."
"Why?"
"Well if you must I got poked in the back and I got scared again twice."
"But it's not like anyone knows."
"Yeah, ummm.."
"What?" He poked his head out of the tree.
"Well I heard you and I kind a told Scootaloo and Sweetie bell," She said very hesitantly.
"You did what!" Jumping out of the tree.
"I'm sorry,I know I shouldn't have told anyone."
"Yeah, and that's the thing you shouldn't have cause now your little friends are poking me like it's some kind joke, why? Cause you think you can go around telling other peoples' secrets thinking that they wont mind you telling the world," He said angrily.
"No."
"No? Now I could understand you telling one of my secrets if I did something bad to you but I've done nothing, you don't see me going around telling others your secrets, so why do it to me!?"
"I don't know," She said almost sounding like crying," I didn't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry," She hung her head down.
Aeon went down on one knee, with his arm resting on the other, he put his hand on Applebloom's head," I'm not mad at you, but I'm very dissapionted that you did that, because telling other people's secrets isn't a good thing to do especially if it's someone's fear."
"Can you tell me why you're afraid of being poked in the back?" She started to sound more calm.
"Sure," He took his hand off her head and completely sat down," You see during my time being an arena fighter to increase our capacity for more endurance the trainers would make us stay standing still in a blazing hot room with no food or water for hours or even days, we couldn't sleep standing up and if we did they would poke us in the back with hot metal, or whip us or even stab us with spears in the back."
"Wow that's so mean what they did to you."
"Yes it is and it happened to me alot so I generally grew a fear of it, so now every time something pokes me in the back I always think of those times."
"How come I see no scars on your back?"
"Cause my skin can hide physical scars but," pointing to his head," It's the scars up here that can't go away."
"That's quite a good reason why you're scared of what you're scared of, but what are you going to do about Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell?"
"Oh, don't worry," He wrapped his arm around her neck," I got something in mind to get even but I'm going to need your help to get them."
"Okay."
He whispered in her ear telling her what her plan was; the next day Applebloom was leading Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell to where Aeon was waiting.
"Where we going Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"You'll see," Quickly responding to Scootaloo.
"Okay."
They eventually got to an old abandoned house where the paint was flaking off the out side, the roof had holes and broken shingles, the windows were boarded up, and the door had chunks of wood ripped off it. Applebloom opened the door and inside was dark with only light coming from the holes in the roof.
"I don't know about this Applebloom," Sweetie Bell started getting scared.
"It's alright, there's nothing to worry about."
Applebloom stepped on the floor hearing a loud creak come from it, the walls had cobwebs on them and the inside was completely empty. Then Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell followed behind Applebloom, they walked down the old house to a hatch to a basement and stopped. Applebloom opened the hatch, it creaked as it opened and made a loud thus as it hit the floor. Looking down they couldn't even see the bottom of the stairs it was so dark down there.
"Are you sure about this?" Scootaloo began to feel hesitant.
"Yep," Applebloom went behind them," So just get down there," She pushed them both down down the stairs. They hit the bottom landing on some hay," Have fun," She closed the hatch.
"Do you really think that I wouldn't find out," A voice said in complete darkness.
"What! Who's there?" Scootaloo said.
A small light turned on above them, the light showed the room full of torture devices such as the Judas cradle, the brazen bull, the garrote device, wheels for torture, and even a chair of torture but there was something sitting in the chair and it looked like a pony in it strapped in.
"Oh, don't worry about him, he's just dead tired," Letting off an evil chuckle, they turned their heads to the left seeing Aeon's silhouette leaning on a pillar tossing a cleaver in the air and catching it.
"Oh, it's just you Aeon," Sweetie Bell feeling less scared now.
"Did you really think that you can weasel your way out of this," He gave a huge crooked tooth smile," Cause you know too many of my secrets," They looked in his eyes and saw they were glowing red.
"What, what secrets?" Scootaloo quickly saying.
"You know," He stopped tossing the cleaver," Cause it will be the last one you know," He chuckled again and stood up. He walked to the chair," Just like him he knew too much," Grabbing the stallions hanging head.
"Please just let use go, we won't tell anyone, we promise," Sweetie Bell saying in fear.
"Of course you won't because no know will know you're gone and no one will hear you scream," giving off a sadistic laugh.
"We're sorry, we're sorry, we're sorry!" They both screamed in fear, begging to be spared.
"Sorry won't cut it for playing with my fears," He started slowly walking to them hold the cleaver in the air. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were screaming in fear, and then Aeon stopped lowering the cleaver and began laughing hysterically," Oh! I got you good!"
"What!" Both saying.
"It's a joke, but you should have seen the look on your faces... hahaha, priceless."
"But, I thought you were actually going to hurt us like him," Sweetie Bell said.
"It's a doll."
"But how did you find out?"
"A friend," Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell knew it was Applebloom that told him," And now I just got even, and before you two leave I need you two to promise me something."
"What?"
"That you two won't poke me in the back anymore and if you do I'll find away to get even again."
"We promise," Both of them saying.
"Good, now lets get out of here," All three of them walked up the stairs and out of the basement where Applebloom was waiting. Then they walked out of the house and stood outside.
"Well now I know not to prank you," Scootaloo said.
"Me too," Sweetie Bell said.
"Well that's good thing cause playing with others fears isn't a good thing to do," Aeon responding to them, "Well I'm heading off."
"Okay... hey can you tell us how you pranked your friends?"
"Now that's a story for another day," He winked at them and walked in one direction and the cutie mark crusaders in the other.