"Do you have any food, by chance?" Alfonz asked as he turned back to Fluttershy.
"O-only for the animals," she replied, the hoof he had held still held in front of her. She did not seem to want to put it down.
"Then how do you eat?" he retorted, confused. Surely he wouldn't have to brave the outside just yet.
"I just go out to eat..." Fluttershy murmured, looking up at him like a scolded hound. He sighed.
"Thanks anyway," he replied, walking over and giving the pegasus a firm pat on the head. He knew such an act would not better his situation, but he felt bad for the timid creature, even if she was determined to violate him.
Fluttershy seemed as though she was ready to cry. These would be happy tears, however, made clear by the smile across her face.
Alfonz returned to the window as he considered his options. Going outside in his present state could end very badly. Even if he could outrun the mob that would be sure to form (and he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to), he doubted he would have a clean getaway like he did before. One or more of the little bastards would likely follow him back to the cottage, and then he would never be safe. He needed a disguise, or some other means to hide his appearance.
But with an appearance unlike anything else in Equestria, what could he possibly masquerade as? And even then, what if the ponies had some other means of detecting him? Things were looking more hopeless by the second. Perhaps if he had access to unicorn magic, he might be able to get by with an invisibility or transformation spell.
Alfonz watched a few ponies milling about outside as he continued to contemplate his situation. He almost didn't notice the purple unicorn still roaming around near the corners of his vision. Despite her confrontation with Fluttershy, it seemed Twilight was not keen on giving up so easily. Although he had just convinced the pegasus to send her away, the unicorn might be his only means of survival.
With a deep breath, Alfonz opened the door to the cottage and stepped outside. Only a pair of earth ponies, moving away from him down the street, were in sight now. He felt himself ease a little, knowing that he was under the radar for the time being. He needed to get Twilight's attention without attracting the attention of everyone in town, after all.
The unicorn in question had moved back into the street some distance away, her horn still glowing brightly as she followed some unseen trail. With considerable uncertainty, Alfonz made his way down the slope to the street itself and let out a sharp whistle. Twilight looked up in surprise before quickly catching sight of him. Her immediate reaction was more than a little unsettling; her expression was that of satisfaction mixed with something far different.
"I was wondering where you ran off to!" she stated as she trotted over. The mare stopped a few feet in front of him, staring up at him with said unsettling expression. There was, thankfully, no indication that he had come from Fluttershy's cottage. His safe haven was still safe, even if he himself wasn't.
"I need to ask a favor of you," Alfonz explained, swiftly getting to the point.
"After throwing me into a bookcase?" Twilight replied, clearly surprised. "That isn't the best way to make friends, you know."
"Self defense," he retorted calmly. "You weren't exactly being very reasonable yourself."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" the unicorn insisted, turning her nose up at him. "You were very rude to break my heart like that."
"I'm not here to debate whether or not you're a rapist," Alfonz stated bluntly. Twilight grimaced, looking around to make sure no one heard what the man had just said, as her face turned a deep shade of red. "I just need a favor, and that's all."
"After your performance in the library, I'm going to need something in return," Twilight replied with a cough, calming herself. She still had that mischievous look in her eyes.
"No, none of that."
"Then I guess we can't come to an agreement," the unicorn declared, closing her eyes and turning away stubbornly. Alfonz sighed.
"How about a han-...hoofshake?" he suggested, though his expectations were low. He had offered the same thing in the library, and we all know how that went. Twilight did not respond. "Fine...How about a...massage...?" Alfonz suggested very hesitantly, enunciating on strange parts of the sentence as he gauged whether or not it was a good idea.
Twilight's smiling face indicated that no, it probably wasn't.
"That sounds wonderful!" she replied as she turned to face him once more, blushing slightly. "I can't wait!"
"Later, it will happen later," he insisted, taking away a little of the unicorn's excitement in the process. "I'm a bit busy right now, but you can hold me to my word."
Twilight was silent for a few moments, giving the notion some deep thought. Finally, she nodded.
"Great," Alfonz breathed, relaxing slightly. He would have a dangerous situation waiting for him, but at least he was making progress. "I need to get around town undetected. Think you have a spell for that?"
"I could try a transformation spell!" Twilight suggested, smiling widely. Alfonz was about to agree to the idea, before the unicorn continued. "You could be a unicorn like me, but a stallion of course!"
"Uhh, no," Alfonz responded bluntly. Becoming a stallion of all things would just make things oh so much worse, and he doubted being made to look like a unicorn would give him access to magical powers. "What about invisibility?"
"I guess I could do that," Twilight replied, disappointed. Suddenly, her horn began to emit a blinding glow, shooting translucent sparks in all directions as she focused her magical energy. Alfonz could feel a strange sensation overtaking him, and for a moment he realized in horror that he was completely at the unicorn's mercy. Thankfully, a few moments later, the sensation ended, and Twilight's horn returned to normal.
"That should do it," she declared, looking proudly at her work; at what wasn't there anymore. The man looked down at his hands, but could only see a faint shimmer in front of the ground beneath him. The spell worked.
"Thank you, Twilight," he replied, causing the unicorn to jump a little.
"My pleasure," she responded with a smile. She turned to leave, but not before making one final remark. "I'll be expecting you," she said coolly, her tail lashing in his direction before she trotted off back into town.
"Well that's horrifying," Alfonz thought aloud as he watched Twilight disappear into the distance. "What in the hell did I do to deserve this?"
Deciding it best not to think about, and realizing that the spell would not last forever, he swiftly followed after her in the direction of Ponyville.
His trek into town was the closest thing Alfonz came to true peace. Protected by the invisibility spell, he was able to walk almost without care through the lively streets. He had to be sure to keep out of the ponies' way, however, as they probably wouldn't respond well to bumping into an invisible entity. No hungry eyes staring at him, no threat of immediate harm of inappropriate behavior; the man was ecstatic.
He did notice something rather strange in the ponies he passed, though. They seemed normal enough until he got close to them. They seemed to scent the air when he did, like lions on the lookout for wounded prey. He figured they must have some sort of scent detection toward him, or possibly males in general. Even so, they did not seem too flustered by his presence. With a quick search, they quickly discovered that the scent had been incorrect, and went back to their normal behavior.
Nonetheless, it was quite disturbing to Alfonz. He felt like an injured swimmer in shark infested waters, always wary of being attacked. It was not a fun feeling.
But Alfonz was on a mission. He needed to get enough food to survive, and quickly; he did not know how long the spell would last. His first thought on the matter was Sugarcube Corner; although other places of food-related business were surely around him, Sugarcube was the only one he could recall from the show. And when time was a factor, he didn't have the luxury of searching for another one.
After a quick jog through the town square, his movements drowned out by the noise of the crowds around him, he quickly spotted the impressive (and quite bright) pastry shop. And, he noted, the library; the site of future torment. But for now, his business was with Sugarcube, and those ponies that may lay within.
Opening the front door, Alfonz quickly realized he had not thought the endeavor through entirely; the bell rang loudly above him, to indicate someone had entered the shop. Panic rising in his chest, the man swiftly darted inside and hid behind a nearby cabinet. Peeking around the corner, he watched a few customers milling about inside, while the familiar form of Pinkie Pie chatted with one at the counter. None seemed to have been alerted by his entrance.
With a silent sigh of relief, Aflonz focused back on the matter at hand. Taking food from the kitchen was a risky maneuver, but one he was forced to take. Breaking into one of the cases out in the front was completely out of the question; thus, he had to brave the kitchen, where the Cakes (and possibly Pinkie) would undoubtedly be.
Taking it slow and watching his surroundings carefully, he gradually made his way to the swinging doors that separated the front of the store from the kitchen. After careful observation, he determined that neither the Cakes nor Pinkie were going in or out consistently, so bumping into one of them on the way in would be unlikely. After a deep breath, he pushed slowly inside, hoping the Cakes would not be nearby.
Thankfully, he was correct. Moving around the far end of the kitchen, Mrs. Cake worked alone, preparing pastries of all kinds. She was far too busy to notice the swinging doors open spontaneously, and hopefully too busy to notice a few missing items.
Alfonz almost lost himself in thought when he saw the lack of Mr. Cake. Were there any males left at all? The danger of the situation swiftly caught up with him, however, and soon he was back on task. Waiting until Mrs. Cake was preoccupied, he gathered a few cupcakes in his arms and retreated into another room.
The room was, thankfully, quite empty; a few decorated pieces were there to greet him, as well as a set of stairs leading to the second story of the building. He took a seat on a nearby chair, setting his spoils on a table situated not far away, and began to eat. He had originally intended to eat a few now, and take the rest back to the cottage, but he quickly realized that the denizens of Ponyville might be a bit alarmed when they saw floating cupcakes drifting through town.
Much to his dismay, Alfonz would need to leave most of it behind. He would eat as much as he could, but continued scavenging would be necessary. Somehow he didn't think it would be as easy to achieve next time, but he had little choice. Leaving the cupcakes to sit on the table, he made his way back to the front of the store. After deciding the customers would likely pay as much attention to his exit as they did with his entrance, he pulled the door open and stepped outside, the bell ringing behind him.
The man had two choices now: return to the safety of the cottage, and risk life and limb trying to get to the library after the spell wore off (or worse: try to forget about the promise and have the unicorn come looking for him), or go to the library now, and risk life and limb getting back home after he was done.
Coming up with a flimsy plan, Alfonz made his way to the library. With a few tentative knocks, the door opened, revealing a dimly candle-lit room beyond. Twilight stared at him, even though he was invisible, with a look that made him want to flee in terror.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?