//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: What We Are 
// by Twisted Brew 
//------------------------------//

Sometimes I hate this place...

You think idly to yourself as you stare out at the falling rain. The precipitation on a hot summer day has always been welcome to you, as you typically find yourself filled with child-like wonder while you - usually - ran around in the shower like you were seven years old. However, this time around, you find yourself sitting atop a wet street bench. Your clothes are soaked and your hair is dripping water near and occasionally into your eyes. The usually inviting, youth-restoring rain now only serves as a metaphor for the predicament you have found yourself in.

You're not the nicest guy, that much you're aware of. More often than not, this is one of the first things you tell people who get too comfortable in your presence. It's only right that you give them fair warning. You know how you are and what you're about, despite many efforts to change and improve yourself. However, bad habits are hard to break. You have a tendency to be impulsive, rude, and, at times, violent. You don't mean to be as much of a righteous ass as you are, but it's almost instinctual. It was bad before you ended up in Equestria, but for some reason it's gotten harder to control while here. Friends in the old world often told you that you were more like a half-tamed animal than a human; even one of your best friend's told you outright that you have 'more animalistic tendencies than most'. You never quite understood his meaning, your personal nature just feeling natural to you. You don't think it makes you a bad guy. You're not the nicest guy, but you're not a bad guy.

Right?

Sighing, you continue to stare out at the wet canvas before you. You look down for a moment to shake your head from side to side, breaking some of the moisture from your hair and sending it everywhere else. Your thoughts continue to race with 'what ifs', thinking of how you could have done things differently, how you could have tried harder. All the while, the rain continues to assault you and soak your clothes. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out as bad if you had just- Your ears twitch as you hear someone, or rather, sompony whistle in the distance. Lifting your head, you scan for the source, finding it only a block away to your left. There in the distance, standing in front of her own little slice of heaven, is a familiar mare who you came to know as Berry. The purple pony motions for you to come over with her head. Having nothing better to do, you comply and stand up from the bench.

Berry Punch is kind enough to hold the door open for you as you trudge into the bar, your boots making audible thumping sounds as your heavy steps meet the wooden floor. You don't even get the chance to greet her when she closes the door. "I heard about what happened with you and Daisy," she says with a hint of mischievous joy. Berry has always been a sucker for rumors and town gossip. It's no surprise to you that she's already caught wind of the events, but knowing her, she's gonna pick your brain for every detail she can. You became something of a supplier to her, seeing how you're the one that ponies typically point their hooves at when something goes wrong. You're not blind to your own faults, being well aware that you are the one to blame for plenty and you're open about your mistakes. However, that's not always the case. Sometimes, ponies just point at you and you have no choice but to take the punishment. No pony ever believes you when you're innocent; The blame comes with the reputation of being a troublemaker. "You know the drill, Handyman~."

You make your way to the counter as Berry marches behind it, looking up at you expectantly as you take your usual seat in front of her. "Can you pay the toll?" you ask almost robotically as you make yourself comfortable in the small stool, mentally cursing these tiny horses for their short stature. You see the waist high mare nod her head before dipping it down, returning with a bottle of hard cider in her hoof. She sets it down in front of you, allowing you to grasp the bottle and raise it to your mouth. You lock the cap in your teeth and peel it off, spitting the bit of metal onto the counter before taking a hearty drink from it. Berry's eyes are still focused intently on you as you finally lower the bottle back to the counter. "...Toll's been paid, I suppose."

Not wanting to dwell on this any longer than you have to, you regale Berry in the tale of how your and Daisy's two month relationship came to a grinding hault not even an hour ago. You don't bother sparing the details, what with Berry being the most understanding of your situation since you arrived here roughly a year ago. In fact, she was the one who taught you most of what you know about pony society. Twilight tried, but her rambling and usage of long words way too complicated for you to even spell made absorbing any information difficult. Plus, the last thing you wanted was a history lesson every other day. Berry was straight forward and to-the-point. Hell, she was the one to point out to you that your society's gender norms were backward when compared to theirs. A lot of things started to make sense after that little revelation. You only wish she would have told you that sooner. Four months of confusion and being treated like a damsel was way too long.

"-when she got in my face, asking me why I couldn't just act like a normal stallion. I...snapped a bit. Told her that she's blind and I'm not a fucking horse." You tap your pinkie nail against the bottle in your grasp, filling in the silence with the soft 'tings' that quietly ring out as you make contact. "That's when she called me an animal and..."

"And that's when you bit her?" Berry asked, clearly having picked up on that particular segment of the story from somewhere. Or somepony.

"...yeah." Your head sinks a bit as you lift the bottle to your lips once more and drain the remainder of the liquid into your stomach before setting down the empty bottle.

Berry gives this an understanding nod before taking the empty bottle from the counter and generously offering something more sufficient. "I think this calls for something a bit more warming than plain ol' cider."

Your left hand serves as a rest for your head while the other begins to idly scratch at the counter like so many times before. Your claw marks in this spot serve as a reminder to all who come here that this very seat is something of a home to you. You can remember a time back when you would chew your nails down until your fingers were just bloody stumps. It took years to break that habit and when they finally grew out, they seemed useless. That is, until you started sharpening them. They would break every so often back at home, but since coming here it's difficult even filing them to a managable length. You've had to start using a whetstone just to keep them from getting too long. Something about how the magic here is affecting your body has made you a bit of a powerhouse by human standards. Given your lack of wings or horn, this land's latent magic treats you like a very big earth pony - or a small minotaur. Your body doesn't look any different from how it did back on earth, but you're definitely a lot stronger than you should be for someone your overall size.

You can only thank whatever god or demon is out there that the liquor still affects you the same.

At that thought, Berry places a glass in front of you. You recognize this as the same double of whiskey you usually order on some of your more stressful days. It's almost become your signature drink next to plain old beer, which is hard to come by in this cider-driven town. The mare tries to accommodate for your tastes, but it's pretty rare regardless since you seem to be the only beer drinker in this town. It's a downright shame. Sure, the cider is nothing to scoff at. But, a nice beer after a long day just isn't the same when you try to substitute it with apples.

Looking over the glass, you see her pour one for herself as well. Reaching out, you grab your beverage and lift it into the air, holding it close to Berry. "To yet another fuck up for the record books." This gets a giggle out of her as she holds up her own glass in her hoof and taps it against yours. "May the list keep growing." You add that last part a little solemnly, wishing that you could stop screwing up at every turn. It's getting harder to deal with the stress of constantly being under fire because you act more like an...animal...than a man.

With that disgruntling thought, you toss back the drink and swallow it down in a couple small gulps. You feel the warmth cascade down your throat and fill your belly, giving you a moment of peace and a feeling of warmth that is so rare it may as well be non-existent to you.

You spend the next few minutes just talking to Berry, waiting for the inevitable. Before too long, the familiar stomping of hooves and clanging metal reaches your ears. It was harder to decipher this time around, due to the rain, but once it got close enough there was no mistaking it. This is nothing new for you, happening at least once every few weeks. With a defeated sigh, you reach into your pocket to grab a bag of bits. Knowing you won't need it, not where you're going, you place the bag on the counter and start making your way for the door. "That's to clear my tab."

Berry watches you with a knowing smile, nodding as she grabs the bag and places it behind the counter. "I'll see you in a week or two." She calls out routinely. "And remember-!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't drop the soap," you finish for her, earning another giggle from her. She's loved that joke ever since you told it to her after getting out of pony jail for the first time. Now it's a reoccuring line every time you get locked up. They usually don't hold you for too long, depending on the severity of your fuck up - or whatever it is you're being accused of. If you had to guess, you'll probably be in the cell for two or three weeks this time, seeing as this is the fifth pony you've bitten. Nevermind all the times you've clawed somepony. Some of those weren't even on purpose, but they still locked you up anyway.

You know the drill, Handyman...

Before stepping out, you pull out your keys, your wallet and the pocket knife you usually use for work. You clench your belongings in one hand as you raise them both above your head in surrender. Pushing open the door with your foot, the guards are already outside and waiting for you in the rain. You wave your clenched hand with your personal items. As is routine, they send a unicorn over to stand in front of you. The white mare stops, keeping six feet of space between you and herself. Her horn glows, coating your hand in a magenta hue. Opening your hand, the items float out of your hold and into the satchel strapped to her sides.

"Handyman of Ponyville," she begins, closing one side of her satchel with your stuff in it while levitating a set of cuffs out of the other side, "you are under arrest for disturbing the peace and assault. Need I even ask how you plead?"

The cuff closes around one of your wrists. You spin around slowly, lowering both arms behind your back, close enough that she can easily close the remaining cuff around your unoccupied wrist. "Even if I didn't do it, you'd blame me anyway," you confess with a bit of malice. "Let's just get this over with so I can go to bed and be done with today."

The whole town watches once more as you are walked down to the local jailhouse. You've gotten used to the stares of ponies ogling your walk of shame. You even pass by Daisy on the way, who glares at you with a large bandage on her shoulder. Yet another bill to pay over some stupid bullshit.. At least this one you're actually guilty for. Your eyes continue facing forward, waiting for the inevitable. The rain continues to assault your already wet clothes until you finally enter your second home for the umpteenth time since you've lived here. Kicking off your shoes at the door, knowing they won't let you keep them, you follow the mare with your belongings to your usual cell. For the most part, nothing is out of the ordinary. There is one thing that does catch you by surprise though.

Almost every time that you've been put in jail here, you're alone. Once in a blue moon, there would be another pony in one of the other cells nearby, but they never stayed long. Not to mention, you could at least recognize the pony from having either passed them by in town, or having done work for them in the past. Regardless, whether this was just a short punishment for them or their bail was posted varried, but nopony really stayed in here for longer than a day. Minus yourself, of course. This time, the body in the cell next to you is not a pony. They've definitely been here for a good while and you have no idea who they are. Not wanting to drag this out, you focus on the task at hand, and in no time at all, you're left to your own devices in your own, small, private cell. Sat atop of the bench you might as well own, you lean back and let your mind wander a bit.

Normally, during this time, you would sit around and daydream. Zoning out is the only way to comfortably pass the time and you made a habit of doing just that as a way to reflect and hopefully learn how you could have done things differently. This would be the case once more, but the unfamiliar presence is disrupting your focus. Unable to help yourself, your gaze moves over to your neighbor. It's not terribly uncommon to see members of other species in Ponyville. Granted, there is still some bias toward the non-equines, but for the most part they are accepting. At least, to species that they are familiar with.

Your eyes scan the odd figure that you definitely are not familiar with. Judging by the curves and the obvious breasts under the dirty, red vest, this creature is female and seems very canine in appearance. There's a collar around her neck that resembles her vest in color, and there's an odd smell in the air. Like musk and dirt combined into one. You have heard of some of the very few species that are still reluctant to join under the Equestrian banner of harmony, but you've never really met one in person. You can't help but to assume this to be one of them: a diamond dog, if you remember correctly. You might not have the species name completely correct, but it seems pretty obvious that whatever 'dog' race Twilight was prattling on about, this woman is a member of it. Her fur is light brown in color, her hair maybe just a touch darker than her fur. From your current angle, it's hard to make out the eyes, but they seem like and odd mix of blue and green. You're not sure what that color is called. Her ears are short enough that you can only really see the tips poking out of her medium length hair. She has a short, puffy tail poking out from under the back of her vest that slowly lifts and falls, meeting the floor with a light tap.

The dog woman sits on the floor in silence, her hind legs curled up to her chest, her head facing forward. Judging by her expression, she's bored. Considering the circumstances, you can't say that you're surprised. Her tense muscles give you the impression that she's also frustrated. No surprise there either. In fact, you're probably the only person that you know who can tolerate being in here for days or weeks at a time. It doesn't take long for the dog to meet your gaze, her eyes speaking volumes of how righteous her fury is. Likely from being caught doing whatever the hell it was that she did which landed her here. There's a brief moment where her eyes widen, as if just noticing that you were here. It reminds you a lot of the look new ponies give you when you meet them for the first time. Unlike them, she shakes that look off really quick and takes on what you assume is a more predatory gaze.

"What are you looking at?" she asks with a growl, baring her teeth at you.

Honesty has gotten me this far already, no point in stopping now. Besides, AJ would find out somehow and that's another lecture that I really don't need.

Unaffected by her attempt at intimidating you, you simply shrug and reply with the only thing you can think of. "To be honest, I'm still trying to figure that out."

The dog seems surprised at you for some reason, but her expression doesn't settle long before she returns to having her face scrunched up and flashing her canines at you. You can't say why, but something about it bothers you. You feel like you're being issued a challenge, like she's somehow saying that she's better than you. You can almost feel the hairs on your neck standing as she opens her mouth to speak once more. "How about you keep your eyes to yourself, before I make you!"

Your hands grip the stone bench you're sat upon, your nails making a horrible scratching noise as they drag across its surface, tearing fresh lines into the solid surface. You see her expression sink some as your eyes stare back into hers, your lips pulling back as an unintentional growl rumbles through your own throat. "How about you close that pretty little mouth of yours, before I come over there and rip your fucking jaw off..."

The dog's entire demeanor crumples like paper, her eyes wide and her ears lowering. A whine escapes her throat as she turns her head to look down at her knees. You can see her body trembling as she submits. If it wasn't so strangely satisfying to see her give in like that, you might feel bad for scaring her. As far as you're concerned though, she asked for it. You can deal with creatures disliking or even hating you, but nothing on this god forsaken planet will ever get away with acting like they are superior to you.

Not like that.

Daisy made that mistake.

Closing your eyes, you take a breath and move your head to face forward. As you exhale, you feel some of the stress blow away with the discarded wind. Once again, you breathe in, this time holding it for a few seconds before releasing it. This is an exercise Twilight taught you shortly after your arrival and her realizing just how temperamental you are. It helps, when you remember to do it, but it's nowhere near as relieving as your usual methods. How these creatures can remain so calm, but also spaz out over the most mindless nonsense is nothing short of aggravating to you. They stress about the littlest things while also going on as if the world is all sunshine and rainbows. Everypony is just so happy all of the time and more often than not it doesn't make any sense. Then they expect you to be just as cheery as they are and if you're not they think that something is wrong with you.

I REALLY hate this place...

"H-hey!" You open your eyes, only feeling slightly less agitated as you turn back to face the dog who suddenly had an interest in you. Her ears twitch as your eyes find her, as if being flicked before falling down flat against her head. Unlike before, she is now sitting on her knees, her entire body positioned to look directly at you. The expression on her face is significantly less aggressive, but it still doesn't do much to calm your nerves. She seems nervous now though, which is a stark contrast to how she was acting less than two minutes ago. Her more submissive look is even seeping into her voice as she speaks while struggling to keep eye contact with you. "W-who...What...I don't-"

You can see this coming from a mile away. Still a little on edge, you decide to save both yourself and her the time. "Most creatures here can't pronounce my name, for whatever reason. Something about it being too alien." This was another lecture you got from Twilight a few days after introducing yourself. Apparently the alien combination of letters and sounds doesn't quite translate here despite how simple your name actually is. Their alphabet is also nonsensical to you, looking like a bunch of scribbles; as if a four year old was trying to write in cursive, so writing your name down was just as- if not more- confusing to everyone involved. "Ponies call me Handyman. I'm a human." Before she can even ask, you add, "It's a long story. Let's just cut to the chase and say that I'm literally an alien from another planet, in another solar system, located in who-fucking-knows where."

The dog shoots you an odd look, but seems to recognize something. "I've...I've heard of humans. The elders in my pack would tell stories about them sometimes," she says with a noticeable amount of fascination, both in her face and in her now active tail. "I always thought they were-"

"Myths?" you finish questioningly. She nods, confirming your suspicions. "There's a lot of things here that were myths in my world too. But, you..." Feeling as though most of your stress has melted away, you turn your body to face her more appropriately. "...you I'm not familiar with. Closest I might have to compare you to is a really attractive werewolf. Only, I get the feeling this look of yours is pretty permanent."

The faint pink hue that forms in her cheeks isn't lost to you. You'd be lying if you said she wasn't miles more attractive than the ponies you see regularly. You've seen very few other bipeds during your time in this world and while some have their charm, your pants would combust if you claimed that you didn't miss actual breasts. It's actually pretty surprising to see a creature that has them, and more than welcomed that they're barely concealed in her one open garment. After taking a few seconds to compose herself, the dog finally speaks.

"My name is Jade," she begins. "I'm a diamond dog."

"I thought as much," you say aloud, glad to have actually remembered the species name correctly. That being said, you still knew very little about the diamond dogs and their society. Seeing how you're going to be here for a while, you might as well use this time to edjucate yourself. "Why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself? Might help to pass the time quicker."

Jade whines a bit, clearly upset about something. "B-but...I wanted to learn more about humans."

"I'll tell you all about humans," you reply, watching her excitement grow, only to see it settle as she notices your stoic gaze, "but, you gotta pay the toll first."