A Bad Day to Fish

by FlashKenshin77

21 - SapphireEye

The sun appeared on the horizon, the first rays reaching Ponyville. The dark night sky slowly faded away as the stars disappeared. The sun shone brightly into Martin's eyes as he rested on his back. "God damn it." He said, slowly rolling onto his stomach before getting up. He looked around and put on his regular clothes, the armor sitting on a chair in the corner. The sun reflected off the metal as he made his way out of the guest room and into the main room of the library.
"Morning sleepy head." Twilight said, sitting on the couch and reading a book.
He glanced at her as he made his way to the bathroom. "Morning Twilight." He sighed in relief after taking a relaxing shower and paused, staring at the mirror. He yelled, surprised how much he changed.
"Martin? Are you ok in there?" Twilight yelled on the other side of the door.
He looked at his arms, the muscles seemingly doubled in size. "Wow, that’s freaky." He said, ignoring Twilight.
"Martin?" She asked again, knocking on the door.
He snapped out of his line of thought and opened the door, after putting his pants on. "Umm yes?" He asked.
She looked at him. "Something's different about you…" She looked at him intently. "Did you change your hair?"
He looked at himself again, flexing his muscles. "Nope."
"Hmm…" She tapped her hoof against her chin before she shrugged and turned around. "I can't tell what's different." She said, walking away.
He sighed. "Whatever." He went back into the bathroom and finished getting dressed.
"Breakfast is ready." Spike yelled from the kitchen.
Martin walked into the kitchen and sat down. "Thanks pal."
He nodded, putting a plate of the usual in front of the human.
He smiled at the small dragon before he began to eat. Once he finished, he put the plate in the sink and looked at the clock. "Better get going." He said, grabbing the sword and attached it to his belt. He decided not to wear the armor. "I'm going to work, see ya later." He said, waving goodbye before walking outside and made his way through town.
He made his way to the smithy and noticed Michael making his way to the bookstore, lost in thought. He shrugged and made his way to the shop, opening the door. "Morning!" He said to Forge, who was standing behind the counter.
"Morning." He answered, looking at the sword. "Really need to bring a sword here?"
"Got to, always have to be armed as a Knight of the Order." Martin replied, walking towards the smithy.
Forge shook his head. "Whatever you say crazy." He wiped the counter down with a well used cloth. "So it's the usual; polish the weapons and in a little bit, I got a delivery for you to make."
Martin nodded. "Alright, you want me to start with the blunt weapons?"
"I think that'd be the easiest." Forge said, tossing Martin the rag.
Martin began the task he was given and a few hours later, the door flew open and Dash poked her head in, looking around.
He looked up at her, putting aside a small axe. "Hello Dash, how can I help you?"
She jumped and looked at him, glaring when she noticed the axe. "Hey, have you seen Mike anywhere?"
He thought for a moment. "Umm I think I saw him on the way to the bookstore or something like that."
"Ah gotcha, thanks." She disappeared and the door shut again.
He shrugged and picked up the axe, the sharpening rock in his hand.

=

Mike sat in the bookstore, typing away at the typewriter, unaware of the rainbow maned menace heading his way. He had already helped Ms. Page dust the book shelves and organize the new shipment that came in yesterday. He stared intently, trying to finish the last paragraph.
"Good morning Mike!" Dash yelled behind him.
He jumped and kicked the table, almost knocking the typewriter off. "Dash? What are you doing here?" He asked, turning his head to look at her.
She smiled. "No more running mister." She poked him with her hoof. "It's time for you to learn how to fly."
He looked around the room, trying to think of an excuse. "Umm I-I umm… have work…" He said, forcing a smile.
She grinned even wider. "I asked whatever her name and she said you could take the day off early. She said you did such a wonderful job helping that she'll let you off."
He stared at her blankly, his jaw dropped. "I er… have to help Fluttershy?"
"Nope, not this time." She pushed a hoof against his chest. "You're learning to fly even if I have to drag you out, kicking and screaming."
"Is-is there no way around it?" He asked desperately.
She glared at him. "I will not be around a pegasus that doesn’t know to how to fly." She poked him to punctuate every word. "Hay even Fluttershy knows how, she just doesn’t like to."
He stared at her before sighing in defeat. "But-but… ok…"
She smacked him on the back. "That’s the spirit! Now come on, let's get outta here before somepony recognizes me." She said, looking around and swiftly moving towards the exit.
He dropped his head as he followed her. They walked to an open field just outside of town and she took a deep breath.
"Ok rookie." She said, looking at him. "Open those things you call wings."
He looked at his wings and opened them. "Now what?"
"When you opened them, did you feel those muscles contracting?"
He raised his eyebrow. "Um… I guess."
She rolled her eyes and walked up to them. "Close them." He did as she asked. She put a hoof in between his wings, careful of the sensitive spot. "Close your eyes and focus on where my hoof is. Can you feel the pressure?"
He closed his eyes. "Um… yes."
"Good, now open your wings again but focus on where my hoof is this time."
He slowly opened his wings, feeling the muscles contract, they worked in a smooth motion as they opened and he felt the strain to keep them open.
"Good. Now those are your flight muscles, which just like anything, the more you work on them, the better they get." She took a few steps back, inspecting his wings. "Celestia, who preened you?"
He looked at her blankly. "What do you mean?"
"Who cleaned your wings of old feathers?"
"Me?"
She looked at him flatly. "You seriously need help if you think that’s a good preening. Next time ask Fluttershy to help or something."
He blushed slightly. "O-ok…"
A breeze blew through the area and Dash relaxed. "Did you feel that?" He nodded. "How did it feel against your wings?"
"G-good I guess."
"Ugh, you weren't paying attention, were you?"
"I don’t know what you want me to 'feel'."
She facehoofed. "This is going to be harder than I thought. Ok rookie, close your eyes again and take a few deep breaths and clear your mind."
"Um… ok…" He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.
"Now, do you hear the wind?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell where it's coming from?"
He turned his head, blindly looking in several directions. "Um… it's coming from over there." He said, pointing north.
She faintly smiled. "Good. Now take a deep breath and exhale, imagine where your breath goes."
He raised an eyebrow but did as she asked.
"Did you feel it join the wind? How the wind controls the air?"
He nodded.
"Your pegasus blood has a natural affinity with air and will naturally orient with the direction of the breeze. Can you feel your blood pulling you towards the breeze?"
He scratched the back of his head. "Um sorta, I guess."
She whacked him. "No sorta, do you feel it or not? If you don’t, clear your mind like before until you can visualize the air you breathe joining the wind."
He rubbed the spot where she hit him. "Ok, ok… sheesh." He closed his eyes and focused. A few minutes later, he felt the barest of tugs, his body naturally adapting to the change in wind. He could feel it blowing over him, like a stream passing over a rock. "I can feel something, something like a flow or a stream."
She smiled. "Good, follow that stream to its source, where does it take you?"
He opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.
"Do you feel even the tiniest pull towards there?"
"I can feel something pulling, just a slight pull but it's something."
She grinned. "Now, close those eyes and listen to your body. Take a few steps towards the source. Can you feel your blood flow faster?"
He closed his eyes for the umpteenth time and walked a few steps into a random direction before turning around. He repeated this a few times before he opened his eyes again. "Yeah, I can feel it pull stronger here."
She sighed, shaking her head. "About time." She muttered. "Ok rookie, we can finally start practicing liftoff."
His eyes widened and he stared at her nervously. "Liftoff, you mean like in the air?"
"No like swimming, of course I mean the air." She groaned. "Ok, open your hooves and spread them equally apart."
He gulped and spread his hooves, his muscles tensing.
She leaned down and looked at them briefly before kicking a hoof. "Loosen up or you'll tear a leg muscle."
He nodded. "Ok, um… better?"
She kicked a different hoof. "Much better." She smiled and stood in front of him, copying his stance. "Now remember those muscles we focused on earlier?"
"Yeah…"
"Good." She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. "Now, close your eyes and take a calming breath, listen for the wind."
He closed his eyes, again, and took a few deep breaths before everything around him disappeared, only able to hear the wind.
"Do you hear it whispering to you?" She said faintly. "When the time is right, have those muscles contract."
He focused hard and it was silent before he heard a faint noise, something similar to a voice. He made the muscles twitch a few times. He felt himself lift a few times, the touch of the ground disappearing from his hooves.
"Good, now when you feel a strong gust, push as hard as you can."
Minutes passed as he lay on the ground before he felt a strong gust of wind brush through his mane and feathers. He pushed as hard as he could and felt the ground move away quickly. He opened his eyes and saw that he was several feet off the ground.
He looked down and saw Dash smiling at him. "Did you feel it? Now that you're airborne, keep a steady beat."
He panicked slightly, falling for a split second before his wings beat to keep him in the air. He tried to keep a rhythmic beat but it was harder than he was expected. He either fell sharply or shot into the air.
Dash hovered up to him. "It'll take a few tries but it seems you got the basic hang of liftoff."
He smiled, before looking at the ground. He gulped and looked at her. "H-how do I get down?" He asked nervously.
She laughed. "Ok, just take a deep breath and calm those nerves. Then ever so slowly, take longer time in between flaps and you'll gently lower to the ground."
He nodded and tried it, slowly descending before the last flap caused him to go too high and he fell to the ground.
She laughed again, landing next to him and helped him up. "Well that happens to everypony on their first try, even me." She grinned. "With some more practice, we can actually move onto flying through the air."
He chuckled nervously. "Oh joy…"
"Trust me, it's not that bad once you get used to it." She paused. "Ok, now let's try that again. We're not leaving till you can successfully take off and land."
He sighed and tried again, repeating the same process. He fell quite a few times, grass tangling in his mane. Dash's sides hurt with all the laughing. Finally a few hours later, he successfully completed both a solid takeoff and landing. He was panting heavily, sweat running down his forehead.
"Phew, I'm exhausted." He said, wiping a hoof across his face.
She held her side. "Same here, watching you tired me out. I guess that’s enough for today, tomorrow after work we'll work on it some more."
He nodded. "Thanks Dash."
"No sweat rookie, we'll get you flying in no time." She said, blasting off the ground, leaving a rainbow trail.
He watched the trail for a moment before sighing, making his way back into town.

=

Mike walked back to the cottage, exhausted as he made his way inside and took a refreshing shower. He sighed in relief and walked into the living room, the animals coming to greet him, minus Angel. Fluttershy was outside, scratching a bear's back.
He looked at her, making his way slowly to her. "Hey Flutters." He said.
She looked at him and patted the bear on the back. The bear looked at Mike before nodding and walked away, waving goodbye. Fluttershy flung her hooves around his neck and gave him a long passionate kiss.
He blinked in surprise before allowing himself to fall into the kiss. When they broke it, he stared into her eyes. "What was that for? Not that I'm complaining…" He blushed slightly.
"I-I missed you; you were gone for most of the day." She said, her face bright red.
"I-I've missed you too." He muttered, gently nuzzling her cheek.
She gave him another short kiss before letting go.
He smiled at her. "So what do you want to do today?"
"I have no more chores for the day, is there something you'd like to do?"
He paused. "Why don’t we go into town? I have to ask Ms. Page something." He looked at her. "I mean, if that’s ok with you."
She nodded at him and nuzzled his cheek. "I'll come with you."
He held out his hoof and she grabbed it, blushing. His face turned red and they made their way into town, holding hooves. The sun was still out but was slowly making its descent, the sky starting to turn orange. It wasn’t very crowded, the streets held a few couples. They all were in their own little world, just like Mike and Fluttershy.
"So Flutters, how was your day?" Mike asked as they made their way to the bookstore.
Her cheeks grew a little blush. "Um… I looked after the animals just usual, but Angel was acting strangely."
"Really? How was he acting?"
She thought for a moment. "Well he seemed to be in a rush. He skipped his massage and he's never done that before."
He thought for a moment. "That’s strange; I wonder what's with the bunny."
She sighed. "I'm starting to worry."
He looked at her. "I'll help in any way I can but he doesn’t really like me a whole lot."
She smiled and leaned against him. "Th-thank you…"
He nuzzled her neck. "No problem, you know if there's anything I can do to help."
She blushed and looked deep into his eyes as he stared into hers, getting lost in her aqua eyes. They closed their eyes, leaning towards each other as their lips touched. She broke the kiss a few seconds later, looking into his eyes again. Her face was bright red.
He grinned and leaned close to her. "You’re the best Flutters." He whispered as they stood outside the bookstore.
She giggled and let go of his hoof as she walked inside the shop. They stood there for a moment as Fluttershy looked at the books and Ms. Page waved hello.
"I'll be right back." He smiled and walked up to his boss. "Hey Ms. Page, I have a quick question."
She looked at him and took off her glasses. "Of course Michael, how can I help you?"
He nervously scratched at the floor. "Well, I was wondering when I'd get my paycheck?"
She nodded. "Of course, I'll be right back." She walked into the back room and came back a few minutes later, carrying a scroll. "It depends, the paycheck you get from the owner always come at the end of the month. But if somepony hires you to do certain work, they'll decide."
"Oh… ok." He smiled. "Thanks Ms. Page."
She smiled at him before she put her glasses back on her snout.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, waving goodbye and walking back over to Fluttershy. "You ready?"
She nodded her head and they walked outside, the sun shining as they looked around. "Is there anything you wanted to do while we're in town?" He asked.
"I was going to visit Twilight…" She said, hoofing at the ground.
"Ok, lead the way."
She smiled at him and led the way. They stood outside as Fluttershy knocked on the door gently before it opened by Twilight. "Hello Fluttershy, hey Michael." Twilight said, hugging them both.
He blushed as he returned the hug. "Hey Twi, how's it going?"
She beamed. "Good, how about you two?"
"Can't complain too much." He said, glancing at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy smiled at Twilight. "Umm… I'm ok."
"Why don’t you come in?" Twilight asked, making room for them to walk past. They nodded as both of them walked inside and sat on the couches. Twilight disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing moments later with small tray floating in front of her. She placed it on the coffee table and hoofed him and Fluttershy a small cup of tea. She sat down across from them. "How can I help you?" She asked, taking a sip of the liquid.
"Well, I was here to ask if I could borrow the cooking book for a little longer." Fluttershy asked quietly.
Mike raised an eyebrow while Twilight smiled. "Sure, that's no problem." A rather large book and quill floated over to her and she scratched something into the book. "Just bring it back when you're done." Twilight said, the book floated back to the podium in the corner, the quill following.
It was silent for a moment when footsteps came running down the stairs. "Twilight I got a letter from the princess!" Spike yelled as he appeared at the bottom of the staircase, holding a rather large scroll. A red velvet string attached with Princess Celestia's cutie mark.
They eyed it as the dragon handed it to Twilight and she skimmed through it, gasping before reading it a second time. Mike and Fluttershy shared a look. "What's it say?"
Twilight's eye twitched a few times. "I can't believe it." She said, her jaw dropping.
"Um… Twilight?" He asked again.
"Th-the Prince of Griffin Kingdom will come here." Twilight said.
Everypony blinked. "What why?"
"It says he has political issues to discuss but he wouldn’t stay in Canterlot for reasons not even the Princess know…" Twilight replied reading the scroll over and over again.
"Ok, that’s kinda weird isn't it?" He looked at Twilight. "So he's staying here? As in the library?"
She nodded her head. "The Princess is asking if he could stay at the library to ensure his safety."
"Oh boy… do you need any help cleaning or anything? I'd be glad to help after everything you've done for me." Mike offered.
Twilight looked at him with a small smile. "I'd be more than grateful." She paused. "It also says Martin is also informed. There'll also be a welcome party at the town hall."
"Oh…" Mike got up off the couch. "What do ya need me to do?"
Twilight looked around and stared at the guest room. "We have to clean the guest room and get Martin's things out, I'm afraid."
"Ok, I can do that." He looked at Fluttershy. "I'm sorry, is it ok that I help?"
Fluttershy looked at him. "Um… ok, I'll be at the cottage." She walked up to him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
Mike shuddered as his wings fluttered as they blushed and she left the library. He watched her leave for a moment before shaking his head. "Ok, so wait, where is Martin going to crash?"
Twilight looked at him. "Um… maybe we can ask AJ if he could stay there."
"Want me to run over to the farm and ask?"
She nodded. "That'd be nice, thank you."
He mock saluted. "I'm on it." He trotted to the door and left the library, making his way to the farm. Huh, probably been easier if I grabbed his stuff.
It was starting to get dark and the sky was turning blue, the orange slowly disappearing. Celestia's sun was setting and Luna's majestic moon slowly rose into the sky. As he came up to the farm, most of the rooms were lit.
He knocked on the front door. A few moments later, the door opened, Applebloom stood in the doorway. "Can Ah help ya?" She asked.
"Hi my name is Michael, I'm Martin's friend. I was wondering if Applejack was around?"
She looked at him for a moment before she turned her head. "Applejack, there's somepony named Michael here for ya!" She yelled.
"Ah'm comin'!" AJ yelled as she came down the stairs, smiling.
"Hey AJ." He said.
"Howdy Michael." She said, leaning against the door frame.
"How are you?"
"Ah'm good, you?"
"Can't complain too much." He told her about the prince and he paused, trying to think of a way to ask her. "So Twilight was wondering if Martin could stay here for a few days."
"Oh, well sure he can stay."
He smiled. "Thanks AJ; I'll go let her know." He turned and left, waving goodbye.
She waved back, shutting the door.
He happily trotted back to the library. "Twilight, she said it was ok…" He said, slowly opening the door.
Twilight stood in the door frame of the guest room. "Ok."
He walked up to her. "What's next? I can try and take his stuff over there but I doubt I could carry it all."
She shook her head. "Don’t worry, I'll just teleport it there."
He looked at her surprised. "Ok, that makes things so much easier."
She smiled. "Maybe if you could go tell Martin, he should be on his way back now."
"Alright, I'll see if I can catch him." He said, leaving the library again and heading towards the smithy.
He quickly got there and opened the door, a pony sat behind the counter counting coins. He looked up. "Oh, you're that Michael right?"
"That I am. I was wondering if Martin was around?"
The smithy shook his head. "Nah, some guards came and talked to him. Something about a Prince."
Mike sighed. "Of course. Do you know where they went?"
He tapped his chin. "Well he said he'd have to go get his armor, so I'm guessing he's on his way to the library. He did leave about five minutes ago."
"Thank you." Mike said, bolting out of the smithy's and rushing back to the library. Twilight was in the main room, dusting the shelves and books. "Twilight, did Martin run by here?" Mike asked, opening the door.
She paused, turning around. "Yeah you just missed him. He's on his way to AJ's."
Mike grimaced. "Crap." His right eye began to burn and a little blood seeped from it. He quickly shut it.
She didn’t seem to have seen the blood. "Um… is everything alright?"
"Yeah, everything's fine… I gotta go." He said, galloping out and away from the library, heading back to the farm. He gritted his teeth, trying to go faster. A couple guards with golden armor stood in front of the Apple family's house. He sighed as he slowed down and walked up to the farm.
One of the guards noticed him. "Halt, state your business!"
Mike sighed, looking at them. "Under Luna's guidance, I'm allowed entry by the monarch of the night."
The guards looked at each other before turning back to him. "The Grandmaster will be out shortly."
Mike nodded and waited just next out of the guards range. The door opened and Martin walked out, his armor clattering. He noticed his friend and made his way to him.
"Michael, how can I help you?" Martin asked, his voice muffled.
"Nothing, just wanted to make sure you knew about the prince and your new living arrangements." Mike panted, quickly wiping the blood off his face.
Martin looked at him. "Is everything alright?"
Mike forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm just tired. I ran a lot today and I started to learn to fly."
"Where did the blood come from?" Martin asked, pointing at Mike's hoof.
Mike looked at him. "Knowing me, probably when I fell on my face this morning, practicing against my will."
Martin looked at him, unsure if he believed him. "Alright…"
"So have I missed anything?"
Martin shook his head. "Not much, the princess asked me to be the prince's personal guard as long as he stays here."
"That’s good eh?"
"Yep." A guard walked towards them.
"Grandmaster, we have a package from the princess and we need to discuss the welcome party."
Martin sighed. "I'll have to go now; I hope I can see you tomorrow when the prince arrives."
Mike nodded. "Ok, I'll see you later." He said, walking away as Martin and the guard turned around. Mike waited a moment before turning around, watching as Martin in the two guards went inside.
"We have two packages, one being the Agathor Banner, the other a gift for the prince." Martin said, the door shutting behind him.
Mike snuck up to the open window; listening and amazed the guards didn’t see him.
"We need to secure the area around the town hall. We should place guards in groups of four at each point." Martin said, pointing at a map of Ponyville.
"What if Discord tries to attack?" A guard asked.
"The princess sent a few of her best unicorn mages to create a shield in case."
"Is the library secure?" Another guard asked.
"It should be but we should check before the prince arrives."
"Is the town informed about the reason the prince is coming here?"
"No, they only know that he's here to discuss politics. Apart from us and the princesses, no one else is informed that he is here to discuss war policies with the Canterlot Ambassador." Martin said.
Mike's eyes grew wide. How the hell does he know that?
"That's all for now, if there's any more issues, we'll discuss them later." The door opened and Martin walked outside.
Mike stood perfectly still as he looked around, Martin having that odd feeling that he was being watched. He continued and disappeared somewhere as Mike sighed as he sped away, the guards dispersing around the area. Mike followed Martin into town until he went into the impromptu barracks.
Mike paused. I guess this is where we depart. He sighed, walking back towards Fluttershy's cottage. A group of Celestia's guards walked passed him, a unicorn with a blue mane leading. He glanced at him for a second and stopped.
"Aren't you Michael?" The guard asked, looking at him.
Mike paused and looked at him. "Y-yes?"
"What are you doing here?" He asked, walking towards him, the guards standing stock still.
"Looking for Martin, thought he'd be around the other guards…" Mike said.
The guard nodded his head. "Of course, how could I forget him? I can't believe Princess Celestia made him one of the highest ranking guards…" He sighed. "But where are my manners, my name is Shining Armor. I'm Twilight's older brother. She's told me about you." He said, holding a hoof out to greet.
Mike smiled. "Nice to meet you Shining." He shook his hoof. "I think I faintly remember somepony mentioning you but that whole time is kinda hazy."
Shining went to say something but a guard cleared their throat. "Yes I know, I have a lot of work waiting for me." He looked at Mike. "I hope you'll have more free time than me. This entire prince thing is a hay of a task."
Mike chuckled. "I can imagine, it sounds stressful as all Hades." He said, giving him a small salute. "Good luck sir."
Shining smiled. "Thanks. Come on, let's get going." He said, leading the way, the guards following.
Mike sighed, letting out the breath he was holding and wandered back to the cottage. Fluttershy was lying on the couch, her blue eyes closed, asleep. It was silent inside the cottage, only noise was her steady breathing. All the other animals seemed to be out and about. He smiled and walked up to her, kissing her forehead before leaving quietly. He opened the door and almost stepped on a certain white bunny standing in the doorway.
He looked at it. "Angel."
The bunny looked at the pegasus, his usual attitude gone, simply looking at him neutrally.
"Angel, I know you don’t like me, that’s ok but can we put our differences aside for her?" He asked, pointing towards Fluttershy. "I know you were here first and I'll do everything I can to make sure you still get the same treatment, ok?"
He looked at Mike and simply hopped away without a response.
Mike sighed. Well, I tried. He left the cottage, shutting the door. He made his way back into town, wandering randomly. The amount of guards had doubled and watched everypony closely, especially the two eye colored pegasus. The guard from earlier saw him and dipped his head slight. Mike nodded back before heading to Sugarcube Corner.
As soon as he opened the door, he was hugged by the essence of pink. "Hey Mikey!!" Pinkie said, hugging tightly.
"Pinkie… can't breathe…" Mike wheezed.
She giggled and let go of him. "Whoopsies."
Mike took a big gulp of air before smiling at her. "Hey Pinkie, how are you?"
"I'm absolutely fantastic!" She cheered while hopping up and down in one spot. "How about you?"
He laughed. "I'm doing better." He walked up to the counter, admiring the sweets. "Just thought I'd come by and say hi."
She smiled at him. "Aww, how very super duper nice of you!"
He turned around and smiled at her. "Well since I couldn’t come to the party, thought it was the nicest thing to do." He walked back towards the door. "Well, I should let you get back to work."
"Did you hear about this prince coming here?" She asked before he could leave, right in his face.
He paused. "Oh yeah, sounds like it's going to be an interesting couple of weeks."
She nodded. "I heard there's going to be a meeting at town hall."
"Me too, are you looking forward to it?"
She smiled. "Definitely! I really want to know what they're going to talk about!" She said excitedly.
He laughed. "Me too, it'll be really fun. Are you going to throw him a party when he gets here?"
She shook her head. "Twilight said no but I'll sneak into town hall during the meeting. Wanna come with me?"
He smiled. "Pinkie, I think this is a start of a beautiful partnership." He chuckled.
She giggled and grabbed a ghillie suit and quickly put it on. "I'll get you when the mission begins. Agent Pinkie out." She jumped away and disappeared, leaving him alone.
He paused." Oh god, what did I just agree to?" He already regretted agreeing with her but headed out of Sugarcube Corner. He looked around town. "What to do now…"
A loud group of young ponies walked past him, one of them bumping into him. They all were around his age. Some were covered in tattoos, which were some weird symbols.
"Will he be there for the group meeting?" A tall stallion asked.
"Oh he will. He said somepony really special will be here tomorrow." A mare with a short red spiky mane said.
"He said he had something planned to make the whole thing real interesting." Another stallion answered.
Mike's ears swiveled towards them and he tailed them, just enough so he could hear what they were saying.
"I hope it has something to do with the plan." A rather buff stallion said with a smirk.
"You know he only plans things that help us all." The mare snapped at him.
"Whatever it is he has planned, I hope it'll bring us closer to freedom." The tall stallion said. His mane was long and neon green, his coat white and he was wearing leather straps on his legs.
Mike paused, trying to figure out what to do.
They stopped in front of a small ravaged building towards the edge of town. The windows were shattered and boarded up, preventing anypony from looking inside. A stallion wearing a tattered black suit and mask looked at them.
The masked stallion looked at them before they went inside. He paused, scanning the area and almost saw Mike. He dove behind a tree, wishing at the moment to be one. He heard hoof steps come close and froze, hoping it'd go away. A few seconds later, they paused before retreating. Mike counted to sixty and peeked over the side; the masked pony still stood outside and stared in his general direction.
The masked stallion scanned the area a final time before heading inside and shutting the door. A shattered window sat next to the door, not very well boarded up.
Mike stared at it. Well, let's see how well Luna's gift works. He quietly pried the boards off and snuck inside, hiding behind a couple of crates.
The stallion opened a small hatch in the floor and jumped down, disappearing into darkness.
Oh come on! Mike watched the remaining stragglers follow suit. After a few moments, he slinked towards the hole, looking down it. It was a long tunnel that led to darkness but he could see a faint glow of some torches at the end. I got a bad feeling about this. He jumped into the darkness.