Chapter 5: The Crazy Thing About Ponyville
Rarity enjoyed her morning strolls through the streets of Ponyville, basking in the fresh sunlight. She wore a simple yet nice white sun dress and had on an elegant pair of purple sunglasses to match her hair. The day was looking to be rather uneventful, especially if one were to compare it to last nights party. She was still intrigued, yet slightly disgusted that any living being, Pinkie excluded, could eat that much cake. He was still quite interesting, though. A clash of gentlemanliness and immaturity into one poorly dressed package.
Her thoughts on him had ceased the moment she saw the real deal sitting on the water fountain, dressed in his usual attire. From where she could see, it had looked as if he was in deep thought. She walked up to him slowly, pondering what it was that could have his attention. The more she thought about it, the more the man seemed straight out of a mystery novel. That mask. Subtle, yet on the creepier side with its eternal smile and blank stare. What were the emotions displayed underneath that mask? What secrets would removing it unlock? She got closer to her subject and looked to him closely, seeing him still in his boundlessly deep thought. She softly called out his name.
"Perry?" there was no response. "Perry, are you alright?" she tried again to get his attention, concerned for the newcomers own well being. As she moved closer to him, she discovered the horrifying truth to the situation. "He's...sleeping..." she said to herself, mildly annoyed. She heard his light snores coming from behind the mask, confirming her sleep theory. He wasn't deep in thought. Rather, he was deep asleep. Becoming irrationally infuriated, like she was just tricked and laughed at, she pushed him into the fountain. As soon as he hit the cold water, he flailed awake quickly and started to cry out.
"The fish people have me!" it took Perry a few seconds to realize he was not actually being abducted by so called fish folk, but swimming in the town square. Finally collecting himself, he looked towards his attacker. She looked at him, failing to hide the amused smile plastered on her face. He stood up very slowly, getting himself out of the water and looking directly at Rarity. He walked over to her, Rarity backing up slightly, the smile on her face replaced with a nervous grin.
"Mr. Perry, please don't be upset. It was a dumb thing to do and I am so terribly sorry," Rarity said quickly as he continued to approach her, stepping out of the fountain. With each looming, slow paced step, he continued getting closer. Finally, when his face was just inches away from her fearful one, he spoke to her slowly.
"These...clothes...are...dry clean only!" he said to her, waving his arms around spastically as if to convey a point. "What will I do if they shrink on me?! You're a monster!" he crouched down and started to hug his knees, rocking back and forth. Rarity, nothing short of simply baffled by his behavior, stared at him. All the fear she had was replaced with confusion.
"That's...it?" she asked him looking down. "You're concerned about your clothes..." he looked up at her and nodded quickly, looking somewhat pathetic from his current state. "Well, if that is the case, I can help you out," she told him as he continued to look at her. "Come to my place. I know how to take care of them so they will not shrink. Your clothes may be committing...several crimes against fashion, but two wrongs don't make a right, as they say," he quickly jumped up and bowed to her.
"Your kindness truly is legendary. Lead the way, Lady Rarity," she only stared at him for a second more, starting to have second thoughts about having him in her house. Still, being the one who had started this and not wanting to be one to go back on her word, she started walking back towards her house, the dripping Perry following close behind.
It did not take long to make it back to her house, the Carousal Boutique. She opened the door and showed him inside. He walked in and looked around, taking in the sights offered. It was so pristine and elegant. Soft colors just flowing all around, leaving a relaxing and very at ease atmosphere within the dressmakers shop. "There is a changing room over there by the display," she told him as she handed him a spare plain white shirt and black pants. He made his way there, and quickly changed out of his wet outfit, replacing it with the new one he was given. He walked over to her and handed her the sopping clothes he was wearing. She took them meekly, not really sure if she should fix them or straight out destroy them.
"Please do what you can. They are my livelihood," he asked her softly, as if a friend was going into surgery.
Rarity sighed, coming to terms with her actions and having to make good with her word. She smiled, giving Perry a reassuring nod. "Of course. It will be about two hours, so you can read a magazine or whatever it is you do for fun...On second thought stick to the magazine," she laughed.
"I won't disrupt you or break your belongings, I promise," he told her, laughing along with her. Rarity smiled as he walked into the waiting room. With him finally gone, she released a sigh. She was not looking forward to working with such an outfit. Knowing she had no choice at this point, Rarity went into her workshop to take care of the task in front of her.
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A half hour passed as Perry sat patiently, though slowly succumbing to boredom. The wait was simply mind numbing, as all those soft colors only seemed to succeed in irritating him. They were gently taunting him about his current dilemma by using their charming brightness. When he felt he could stand for no more, a saving grace appeared in the form of a young girl, probably a year or two younger than Spike. The child quickly opened the main entrance and entered the shop, Perry watching with intrigue. She wore a simple white dress, a nice match to her light purple and pink hair. Following her in were two more girls of about the same age. One of them were wearing denim overalls over a yellow tee, a pink bow holding back her red hair. The other had short magenta hair, wearing an orange tee and shorts, with two small orange wings sticking out of her back. They wandered through the waiting room blissfully unaware of his presence until crossing his path. Perry and the group of children stared at each other. He tilted his head slightly as he pondered who they were and why they were here. They stood still, nervously staring at his mask with a bit of fear in their eyes.
"Umm...who are ya?" the girl with the pink bow asked slowly after a near painful minute of silence. Perry got up, causing the young girls to back away cautiously, and took a bow.
"My name is Perry O'te. Don't be alarmed at my look. I am a humble jester to the royal castle of Canterlot," the girls, still a bit skeptical, continued to treat him with suspicion.
"What are you doing at my sisters store, then?" the one in the white dress asked. Perry began his tale, starting with his reason for being in Ponyville up to his reason for being here in the boutique, despite the lack of more masculine designs and appeals. The girls enjoyed his telling of the story, laughing at the part when Rarity pushed him into the fountain. By the end of the story they were all sitting and enjoying each others company.
"Sorry we treated ya rudely. I'm Apple Bloom," the one with the bow said to Perry. "My sister says be careful around strange folk, and you're one of the stranger I have ever seen."
"I like him!" the winged one said to him. "You're funny. I'm Scootaloo, by the way.'
"I'm Sweetie Belle!" the last one said to him as well. "I'm Rarity's little sister."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he said to them. "So what brings you here today?"
"Well, we were out trying to make a kite for a school project, when a gust of wind blew ours up into a tree. We wanted to see if my sister would let us use some more materials. We tried to get it ourselves, but it's too far up."
"Why don't you have your friend fly up there to get it?" Perry asked. Scootaloo looked down sadly, Perry starting to feel like it was something that should have remained unspoken. Now feeling slightly responsible, he came to the only logical conclusion he could make. That and he was done being bored out of his mind. "Hmmm... show me this tree. I can see if I can get it for you," all three of the girls smiled happily.
"YAY!" the girls all yelled loudly. They all got up and walked to the door, Perry beginning to take a step forward before stopping; an important detail coming to mind.
"Just a minute, girls. I will tell Rarity where we are going," Perry said as he changed directions and walked towards the workshop. He noticed her hard at work on some project, most likely waiting for the clothes to finish. "Rarity, your sister, her friends, and I will be together. They need help with a project," Rarity looked over at him slightly, still working hard on what it was she was doing, but none the less focused on him.
"What happened..." she said, almost expecting this to happen.
"They got a kite stuck in a tree. Cliché, but I said I would give them my assistance."
"Good luck then," she told him. He nodded and walked out. She really wasn't saying good luck for the kite, but for handling them. If only he knew what he was in for.
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"Ok, so let's lay out all the cards down on the table. You managed to get your kite stuck to the highest part of the tallest tree in the park," Perry asked, looking up the tall tree. The three girls with him nodded as they looked up with him. He then looked down towards the ground at a make shift see-saw using a large wooden plank and a rock. "Then, you were planning on launching one of you up to the top with this here," they continued to nod as he explained what he was looking at. "Not a bad plan and all, but what were you going to do once one of you were at the highest point in the tree?" Perry asked, a slight mirth in his tone. They just shrugged their shoulders as he nodded now.
"Think ya can help us, Mr. Perry?" Apple Bloom asked quietly. "We work real hard on it and makin' a new one would not make it the same," Perry gently placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.
"The last thing I would do is let down my audience. Don't worry. Just sit back and enjoy," he started to stretch himself out as he looked up the tall tree. The girls stared awkwardly at him as he bent into shapes a normal person shouldn't. It just didn't seem natural.
Finally feeling limber and ready, he quickly jumped into the tree and started to climb it, and quickly, almost like a monkey. The girls watched on in awe, wondering what made him so quick at the task. In not even a minute he was at the top gently untangling the kite from the tree so it wouldn't become damaged. As soon as he was done, he quickly made his way down with the kite under his arm. Even one handed now, he still managed the same skill as before, moving down the tree from branch to branch like it was second nature. He landed in front of the girls and handed them their kite.
"Wow...where did you learn to do that!?" they asked him quickly. He chuckled as he got down to their level.
"I was raised by monkeys in the wilderness. They taught me everything I know, from eating bugs to climbing trees," he got up imitating a monkey himself. "I am Monkeyman!" he yelled out, imitating a poorly done monkey wail as he bounced around. The girls only stared at him questioningly.
"Really...monkeys...that's the best you got?" Scootaloo said. "I have heard way better."
"Alien?" he said meekly.
"Nope," she still held her unamused stance.
"Man made abomination!" he exclaimed.
Scootaloo stared at Perry, shaking her head in disappointment. "Heard better from cheap sci fi books."
"Fine, I can see my ability to deceive you has failed me, so I shall reveal the truth," Perry took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the tale. "When I was younger, I was always on the smaller side. So when getting chased by bullies, I learned to hide in trees where they wouldn't find me. Eventually the bullies stopped..." Perry took another breath before continuing. "...but the important thing is what I gained and how I grew from the experience. Oh how the world was easier back then..." he told them. They only nodded silently, noting the sadness in his voice. "Now, I have to get back to the shop and get my actual clothes. Rarity's going to have a fit when she sees what I have done to these," he said, returning to his brighter and more fun pitch.
"Bye, Mr. Perry. Take care, and thanks again!" Apple Bloom said as she waved goodbye.
"Yeah, take it easy!" Scootaloo joined in.
"Don't be a stranger," Sweetie Belle finished, all of them waving goodbye now. Perry waved back as he walked away. They seemed like a handful, but they were good kids. Overall the whole mess today had been worth it, as he had fun with them.
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"Rarity, I have returned successful with my task," Perry said proudly as he entered the boutique. Rarity walked out of her workshop holding two hangers, only to stare at the mess he currently was. The nice shirt was now covered in green and brown stains, and his pants were a light dusty black color now, also having the occasional green splotch. "Sorry about the clothes, I had to climb a tree to help them out, but in the end the smiling faces of children are worth more than anything else...right...right?" he started to get nervous at her lack or reaction, and the slight eye twitch she was developing. Finally, she took a deep breath and started to speak.
"Yes... I suppose it is," she smiled. "Why don't you head on into the changing room so I can clean those up," Perry took the clothes and moved towards the changing room quickly, not wanting to make her any more angry. He walked into the room and started to get changed, not wishing to keep her waiting. After a few minutes, Rarity knocked on the door. "Can you hand me the clothes so I can get started on cleaning them?"
The door opened to a stunning sight for the designer. He stood there, wearing only his pants, as he handed her the clothes. She was simply shocked at the marvelous sight she was beholding. While clothed, Perry didn't look like much. He was tall, but it didn't look like he had any real features. But now that she can see him, he was completely built. Not like a muscle builder who likes to bulge out disgustingly, but all the essential muscles could easily be seen on his smaller frame.
"Rarity? Oh Rarity!" Perry spoke up, causing her to jump slightly, blushing as she looked at him. He chuckled, observing her reaction. "You act as if you never seen a man without his shirt."
"Oh my, I am sorry for staring, ummm I'll just..." without finishing her sentence, she quickly grabbed the clothes and shut the door. Letting out an amused laugh, he pulled his shirt on and walked out of the room. She was already occupying her mind with another job and acting like she didn't see him leaving.
"Thank you again, Rarity. I'll shall take my leave now, so you have a wonderful day!" he walked out the door, still lightly giggling at the blushing woman acting as if she didn't see him exit.
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The day was getting late. Perry spent the rest of the time exploring his new surroundings, being fairly uneventful for Perry. He stopped by Sugarcube Corner, and got directions to Twilight's from Pinkie, as well as a few snacks for them. He laughed as the Cakes and Pinkie watched intently as he slid his mask forwards, only slightly, to fit a cupcake he purchased for himself into his mouth, still not revealing his face. He then made his way out and to Twilight's house where he spent most of the day catching up about recent events with her and Spike. It was a great time being able to hear all the progress the formerly antisocial girl was making since her time spent in Ponyville. He even only managing to get electrocuted once throughout the whole visit. It was definitely his fault, as he knew better than to tease her about her bookish obsession.
The day had become night before anyone even noticed, and it was time for Perry to take his leave. "What a nice group of friends Twily has," Perry said to himself quietly as he left Twilight's library. They had been through quite a bit, though some events he already knew before she even told him. Discords return was a hard one to ignore after all.
Making his way home, it was close to eleven at night. Originally it was a fairly quiet and uneventful walk, at least until he walked across something he rather wish he hadn't. A group of three young men were surrounding someone in an alleyway corner. They were laughing like fools and spouting profanities towards their intended victim. "Even places like this have trash..." he said out loud as he walked by, not really caring.
He didn't plan on doing anything. It wasn't his problem and he did promise to be on his best behavior while he stayed here in town. The situation quickly changed, for the worst, when he heard the cries of the victim. He cursed his rotten luck, recognizing the voice of a familiar young woman he had recently gotten to know. Being still fresh in his mind from the night before, and it being unmistakable for anyone that knew her, he reluctantly stopped his departure. He knew that not getting involved was completely unavoidable at this point.
"Help me...please..." Perry heard her cry out again. He could tell that the woman was absolutely terrified from the shaking in her voice. He turned around and looked down the alley once more. His hidden eyes rested on the scene of a terrified Fluttershy being harassed by these men, all of whom looked unsavory to be around at their best.
"You silly girl. No one would be stupid enough to help ya. So why don't you just shut up, and I will bet you will enjoy our...company" one of the men laughed, speech slightly slurred from what was most likely alcohol. Perry clenched a fist slowly and took a deep breath.
"Maintain control. Don't do anything unnecessary. Just make them leave..." he told himself repeatedly as he walked down the alley. "Excuse me, gentleman?" Perry said loudly to grab the group's attention. "I do believe this nice young lady doesn't care for your company," the group turned around and looked at Perry like he was the biggest idiot ever. "I will take care of her, so you should all go home, drink some water, and really think about what you are doing and reevaluate your lives. Maybe once this is over, I can even treat you all to a nice drink. What do you say?" he asked the group calmly. They looked at each other and started to laugh at his feeble attempts to get them to stop.
"Really?! Are you retarded?" the one that was speaking before asked Perry. It seemed like he was the ringleader here and responsible for causing the trouble. He walked up, acting tough as he roughly pushed Perry away. He fell down, laying there for a few seconds before getting up slowly. "Go away creep, before we have to bust you up worse than what you must already look like."
"I am sorry, but I can not do that," Perry said, brushing himself off. "The woman you are harassing is a good friend of mine, so it is my duty to see her home safely," Perry told him, trying to remain as calm as possible. It wasn't easy, and he could feel his emotions starting to boil as he continued to get more frustrated with the man's arrogance. The leader decided it would be a good idea now to take out a knife, about six inches long, and swing it in front of Perry in a crude attempt to frighten him. Perry didn't want to do this, nor did he want to let it bother him. He was rarely bothered by idiots like this, but for some reason, whatever it was, the way they were treating her had proceeded to piss him off to new levels. He sighed as he cracked his neck. "Fluttershy, If you could do me a favor and close your eyes and cover your ears, I would most appreciate it," he asked the shaking girl in the corner. She did as she was told, hiding behind her tightly clenched eyes, hands tightly pressed against her head, not daring to look.
She was afraid for Perry, as these men were known troublemakers. She wanted to tell him to be careful, but nothing she wanted to say would even come close to leaving her lips. She was simply too frightened to tell him anything at this point. Even covering her ears, she could hear the slight sounds of a commotion. Repeating his words in her head, she refused open her eyes. She waited for something to happen, not even sure how much time had been passing by, hoping that the next time she would open her eyes Perry would be there. Finally, after a minute, or maybe an hour, she was picked up gently. She froze, unable to move, as it could have easily been one of them. "It's ok to open your eyes now, Fluttershy," a familiar voice spoke close to her ear just loud enough for her to hear. She did as she was told, opening them slowly to see that mask staring her in the face. The normally scary image came to her like a blessing, filling her with an untold amount of relief. He was already walking away from the alley, carefully carrying her back towards her home. "They won't bother you again. I promise," he told her reassuringly. She started to cry, putting her face into his shirt. She began letting all the emotions from the intense and terrifying scene flow out. Perry remained quiet, letting her have her deserved moment of peace.
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She was asleep by the time Perry got back to her cottage. He opened the door and stepped inside, setting her down on the couch. He noticed a small shivering white ball on there as well. It looked up at him, eyes looking red and nose runny. "You must be Angel. Fluttershy told me about you," Fluttershy started to stir as she heard the talking.
"P...Perry?" she asked slowly. He turned towards her and nodded.
"Don't worry. You're safe at home now. What were you thinking heading out this late at night?" he asked, concerned. She looked down towards the ground, sniffling.
"Angel was getting sick...and I didn't want him...to suffer...so I went to get some medicine..." she was still shaking slightly, having a hard time speaking. "I was on my way back to the store when those men...they told me that an injured animal was seen in the alley there, so I went to help. I knew they were troublemakers, but...and...well..." she burst into tears again. Perry got down on his knees and softly hugged her.
"Shh...It's ok, you're safe now and that's all that matters. They won't bother you again. You're safe at home now," he told her, still hugging her.
"The medicine. It's in my handbag..." she told him. He handed it to her, letting her go as she gave the small animal one of the tablets. He heard how rebellious it was so he was shocked to see it eat it without a second thought. It must have known that it would help and just wanted to feel better.
"I must be going now. It's..." he started but was quickly interrupted.
"No!" Fluttershy cried out. She quickly covered her mouth, shaking her head quickly. Perry stood there patiently. waiting for her to speak again. She took a breath in, looking at him nervously. "...please...stay a little longer," she asked him, tears still in her eyes. He didn't want to be around her right now, but something in the way that she spoke told him to give in to her request.
"All right," Perry said, shrugging in defeat. "I'll stay here then. I just have to write a letter to a friend back in Canterlot first. Do you have any paper I can use?" he asked. She pointed to a desk with a quill and parchment. Walking over and picking up the quill, he quickly started writing out a letter. "...aaaaand done," he placed the quill down and rolled the letter up. "I will be right back. I just have to get this sent out," she nodded and watched him walk outside. A bright flash and a minute later, he walked back in and sat down next to her. "You can rest now. I'll stick around as long as you need me to," she smiled at him slightly as she rested her head on his chest, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
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A group of darkly dressed men walked into the alley that Fluttershy was attacked in. Most of them began looking around while one kept watch. They lifted up a few trash bags, not surprised to find the contents hidden under them. "Here it is," he told the others, moving the bags to find the corpse of the man from earlier, his head completely twisted backwards. "At least he had the sense to not make a mess this time."
A small pop could be heard from within the alley, as out of nowhere a woman in a shimmering blue gown appeared in front of the men. She folded in her dark blue wings, looking over the scene holding a letter in her hands. She sighed at the sight, knowing that it would have been unavoidable. She rather hoped the one responsible would not have done so to begin with, but was somewhat relieved that it had at least been in defense of another. Feeling around the air with her magic, she could sense the hostile emotions from both parties, though somewhat startled by the lack of a certain emotion that she normally detected from this fight's victor. She looked over the letter again, double checking it.
Dear Princess Luna,
An unfortunate incident occured earlier tonight, in which I was threatened with deadly force by another individual while trying to protect the Element of Kindness. I kept the casualties to a minimum, and using restrain, alternative means were taken to prevent the others from identifying me. They won't cause anyone more trouble to Ponyville, as I hear they have. I have deemed it necessary to ask for a clean up crew for this incident, as I wish to not startle the citizens of Ponyville with something unnecessary. The address is below the letter, so please make haste. As per the arrangement, I declare my one freebie used and will try not to cause any trouble for you and your staff again until I return from my vacation. I believe this incident to be a fluke anyhow, as the residents here are generally quite nice. Thank you for your immediate action, and I hope I haven't ruined your night.
Sincerely
Pierrot.