That first night was the start of everything. When finally we returned to the town everything was in absolute mayhem. There were streamers everywhere and several park benches had been completely shattered. Now while this indicated that the party had been a success I was mildly annoyed. As one of the only craftsponies in town I would have to work my flank off to get everything back to rights again. But then again that always meant more bits for me, so woohoo?
As if sensing my annoyance she turned to look at me with those huge mismatched eyes of hers and she nudged my side, tilting her head as she did. She spoke no words but her meaning was conveyed through her every movement. I just shook my head and forced a smile. This seemed to do the trick as she smiled and continued to trot towards the centre of town alongside me.
I had never been to her house but I thought it was the right thing to at least escort her home. I probably wasn't the best company at any time, but I could at least be a silent companion to her. And besides that, I didn't really want our time together to end. Sure she was a Lunar Wolf under all that, but I didn't care. I had learnt long ago not to look for the exterior of a pony, but to look deeper inside.
We walked past several ponies who greeted us with smiles. She was obviously well known through town, I was not. I had endeavoured to distance myself from the townsponies, preferring to spend my time alone in my workshop or in the woods. And yet, walking through the town being stopped by ponies asking about irreverent things like the weather and her health was oddly...enjoyable.
Many questioned who I was but I merely said nothing and left the explaining to her. She said that I had found her lost in the woods and I merely nodded my head. After all if that was her secret, who was I to divulge it? Besides, something as dark as this could've ruined the poor mare’s reputation – ruined it beyond repair. And there was no way I could do that to her, she was just so...happy? I couldn't figure it out. Everywhere we went she had an idiotic grin on her face.
And I'll be damned if it wasn't infectious. Everypony we talked to left with a smile on their face. As we neared the edge of town I began to grow curious. Her smile began to become more and more genuine as we went further from the centre of town towards the outskirts.
We walked past my shop and I kept quiet. We walked right to the edge of town and towards a small house with broken windows. I was shocked, with me and the other craftsponies in town, why was this dwelling looking like it was falling apart? I must have let my emotions show on the surface because a massive blush spread across her face as she stopped outside the house. As the realisation dawned on me for her embarrassment, I slammed my hoof into my face.
She hung her head. I took my hoof out of my face and lifted her chin up. Her amber eyes were on the verge of tears and her whole face was frowning. I smiled and nudged her under the chin with my nose and she gave me a weak smile. We stayed like that for a few short seconds until her ear began to twitch and a massive smile blossomed upon her face. She turned and bolted towards the house, flinging open the door she was immediately bowled over by a small grey missile.
A young unicorn had cannoned into her and the two were rolling in the grass, both ecstatic and laughing. The smile on my face had doubled and I wished I could have joined them, for here were two of the happiest fillies I had ever seen in my life - a mother and daughter, happy only in the fact that they had each other. For it was the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen before. The first was to come later in this story.
The two of them continued for a while so I excused myself to take a further look at the façade of the house. As I inspected the cracks and the weathering in the wood, it struck me just how much these two ponies had been struggling to get by. A single solitary tear traced itself down my face and I made a decision right there and then.
Turning around I trotted past the two lying in the grass and continued into town. I heard her call me from behind and I turned and smiled, motioning for her to continue with my head. "Give me ten minutes. I have something for you." - A grand total of nine words. And I meant all of them.
I turned around and bolted for my store down the road. I carried myself at a speed that rocked my muscles and caused sweat to rise upon my thigh. I dodged several ponies on the way, leaving them staring at my retreating hooves. I guess I don't usually move that fast, I must have been quite the sight. As I reached my store, I flung open the door and barrelled down the stairs. After running my eyes over the supplies I had left over from the last job I did a few quick calculations and realised that I had everything I needed.
I started to gather everything together and realised that I had no way to transport everything. I pondered this as I moved everything up the stairs to the front door. My cart was in the store with a broken axle and I didn't have any other modes of transport. My face fell as my options became limited. The doorbell ringing upstairs broke my thought process and I trotted up the stairs.
I opened the door and put on my best store owner smile. I was greeted by a grey pony with three moneybags on his flank and his little pink filly. I recognised these two, as they had purchased my services on many an occasion. That doesn't mean I enjoyed it, in fact if the father's money wasn't so good I would have sent them on their way long ago. But business is business.
I greet them and invite them inside, my mind still on the problem of the transport when they move aside and I see something just behind them; a new cart, brand new, fresh and unscratched, with the smell of pine resin still on the surface. I must have dropped my jaw somewhere on the floor because the father chuckled and started some speech about how he was so thankful for my help, and how he had just happened to have ordered an extra cart, and how he had happened to have thought of a pony who had done so many jobs of his in the past. But I wasn't paying attention, my mind was already thinking back to those storage supplies.
I snapped myself back to the present and I heard a grumpy sound from my hooves as the little pink filly kicked me in the hoof. While it wasn't painful it did snap me back to reality as she trotted back to her father and winked at me. I had always had a soft spot for this little filly. She came across as rude and selfish, but that was just what her father had taught her. I had on occasion made a few toys and a playhouse for her, in exchange for her promising to never turn out like her father. This was probably her idea but I knew she was smart enough to make him think it was his.
Her father wrapped up the speech and I shook his hoof, uttering as many thanks as I could muster. As he turned and left the filly paused behind a second and smiled at me before trotting off to follow her father who swung her up onto his back and continued down the street. She waved goodbye and I returned it. I guess some lessons do sink in after all.
As I turned my attention back to my earlier promise, I took a closer look at the cart, it was perfect for me. I would have to add that second storey to Diamond Tiara's playhouse for this. As I was wondering how I would load the darned thing and attach it to me I noticed another pair of my clients coming down the road.
A big red earth pony and his smaller orange sister. These two ponies were amongst my favourite in customers. The jobs were always clean and simple, No subterfuge or haggling, and my efforts were always well received by the two, which usually meant I would be getting a few apple treats next time they were making batches. I beckoned them over and they helped me load the cart without any question and attach myself to the cart. They inquired about where I obtained the new hardware and I saw no harm in telling them the honest truth.
The looks on their faces was priceless when I told them just which pony gave it to me, but the laughter we shared about it was well worth it. We separated with thanks and a wave, but as I turned the cart I heard a whisper in my ear. "Ah'm glad ya learnt how ta laugh sugarcube." I flicked my head back but all I saw was the two trotting down the lane towards their farm. I thought about her words, had this mare really changed me so much?
Was this all the result of her smile? I wondered as I strained against the cart and was surprised when it shot forward. I was by no means as big as the eldest apple sibling but my old cart had required a fair amount of force to start moving. This new cart was a true gift. I change my mind right there and then, Diamond Tiara was getting a third storey on top of that second one.
As I pulled the cart towards the now familiar house where she lived I slowed down, the cart's well-greased axle hiding most of the sound as I slowly entered the broken gate. I shrugged off the harness and knocked at the door, before being promptly knocked head over hooves as the familiar grey missile smashed into my chest. Amazed at her strength I picked her up off my chest and placed her on the ground. A small series of stars and moons were circling her head.
I guess I am a bit sturdier than her mother was. I chuckled as she shook off the dizziness and sat up and threw her hooves around my neck. I was shocked by the sudden display of affection, but I let my face soften into a smile of kindness as she hugged me tight. She let go as her mother followed her outside. I smiled at the mare and beckoned her outside where I proceeded to throw the cover off the cart and drop the rear tailgate.
At first the series of building supplies confused her, until she realised just exactly what I was offering her. She had changed me for the better in the space of a night with her smile and the least I could do was ensure that she and her foal had a decent roof over their heads, while I had only seen the front of the house, I was sure that the rest of the property was in a similar state.
She stopped and raced back inside the house. And I slapped my hoof to my face, I already knew what she would have in her hooves as she returned and I wasn't disappointed. As a small bag of coins clinked to the ground in front of me I looked her in her beautiful amber eyes and a single tear dripped down my face. The amount of coins in the bag wouldn't have payed for one of the windows alone. And this bag was clearly the majority of what the mare owned.
I shook my head and picked up the bag, I pulled the drawstring shut and threw it over her head. She looked at me shocked as I tilted my head to the side and smiled. Tears began to pour out of her eyes as she finally got that I wasn't providing her with these supplies. I was giving them to her. Her wings flared as she leapt forwards and threw her hooves around my neck as she slam-hugged me into the ground. Her foal couldn't help but join in and we all had a massive group hug and cry in the overgrown grass.
When all our tears were shed we rose from the ground and I re-fitted the harness to my back as I pulled the cart around the back of her house. I had no other jobs that day so I began immediately on the repairs. The whole time the foal stayed by my side and just smiled at me. It lifted my heart up and gave me a new strength I began by repairing the front wall of the house.
As I continued into the afternoon I was about to descend the ladder to refill my tool pouch when I was surprised by my tools floating beside me. Looking down I saw the foal straining with her eyes shut as she levitated several tools half as big as she was. I applauded her efforts, and promptly fell off the ladder I was working on.
In hindsight it was a really dumb thing to do. As I fell I splayed my legs to that I wouldn't break anything, but it still hurt. The little foal bolted up to me and helped me up. I patted her head as I checked for any injuries. I couldn't feel anything until the little filly began to scream as she looked at the other side of my body. Sticking out of my side was a particularly nasty looking drill bit that I used for burrowing through thick pieces of wood. I gingerly touched it and slowly drew it out of my side, gasping as the pain began to set in. The blade of the drill bit was covered in my blood and I knew I had to get medical attention quickly. I told the foal to go inside and tell her mother what had happened before I wheeled around and headed for the centre of town.
I bolted for the doctor's just down the road, My teeth were gritted as the pain burned through my side. I could feel the torn muscle thrumming as I strained against the pain and increased my speed. A wet trickle ran down my side as the blood bubbled and oozed out of the wound, leaving a tell-tale trail behind my speeding form. I ran into the front entry, panting as the nurse trotted out from behind the desk and questioned me about what was wrong. I quickly told her about the accident and the sight of the blood on my coat was enough to convince her of the severity of the situation. She ushered me in as she hung a sign on the door to let anypony know she was out the back.
She checked over my flank as the blood began to dry to a rusty red on my coat. She inspected the wound and washed the blood from my coat to get to the puncture. I must have lost a little blood as I am pretty sure I started to giggle at the thought of a punctured pony deflating like a balloon. Then the laughter sent a new wave of liquid fire up my side and I began to whimper.
The nurse turned around to get a gauze pad and a bandage to wrap my side and promptly dropped them on the floor. A gasp escaped her lips as her hooves pulled on the skin surrounding the wound. She shook her head and muttered something that sounded like "Impossible" as I craned my head to look at my side. This if you have ever tried it, is really hard even if you aren’t woozy. She poked the wounded and I flinched away from the pain as she continued to mutter. I inquired about her mutterings as she picked up the bandages and gauze and showed me to the shower at the back.
Still puzzled I was pushed under the shower as she turned it on my flank and I nearly screamed in pain. As the water beat against my flank the blood washed away and my head began to clear. The dizziness I was feeling receded and my coat returned to its previous colour. I bent my neck to see where the wound was and was greeted by pure unbroken skin. My jaw dropped as I looked from the wound to the nurse who was looking at me with an expression of equal parts puzzlement and annoyance. I hastily explained that this wasn't a joke and she merely shook her head and motioned for me to head back outside. When I hesitated she prodded me in the side where the hole used to be and I flinched. Until I realised that I hadn't felt any pain.
My body had healed itself. This was nothing like last night, the wound had merely closed itself and there was no trace of an injury on my side. I shook my head in disbelief as I trotted out the door and she slammed it behind me, staring daggers at me all the way down the road. My mind raced as I bolted back to the house. This was un-natural; I should have been out for several days. But here I was, running and feeling if anything better than ever. My muscles weren't getting tired and I could feel the blood surging through my veins. Before I realised it I was at the house and I was knocking on the door.
I was greeted by her at the door, her eyes lit up when she saw me and I could see fresh tears still on her face as a look of puzzlement began to cross her face at my darkened expression. I pushed past her and into the room. I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before I re-counted everything that had happened from the moment I fell off the ladder, till when I barged in through the front door. I showed her the place on my flank where the drill bit had pierced my skin. The skin and fur already re-grown and all vestiges of pain vanished.
It was at the end of this description that I realised another thing. The house was in complete darkness, yet I could see the new tears running down her face as she turned her head away from me. I could smell the salt in the tears and the scent of fear coming from her entire body.
I slumped to the floor as the force of my realisation hit me. It wasn't her influence that had healed me; my body had healed itself by its own power. I was corrupted; I had become the same as her.
I was infected.
I stared at her and she broke down in tears and bolted for the front door. I stayed there for a few seconds till it clicked in my head that it was beginning to darken outside. If was truly corrupted I had to get out of the town. I bolted after her and followed her into the darkness after her retreating form.
And overhead, the Moon began to rise.