You know, I’m starting to get used to everypony running into their homes when I walk down the street. It’s been about a week since, well, I lost my temper. Let me tell you, word spreads fast. The day after the incident, the entire market was in panic when I came to town. The shoppers ran to their houses, the store closed, and all that good stuff. Maybe someday, I’ll try to reason with the ponies that I am no threat…Ah, but that’s for another day. Today, I have my videogame floor pad, a bottle of Stalliongrad Vodka, a six pack of red bull, and a rose. It looks like the sun is going to set in an hour or so.
I approach Octavia’s house. I knock on her door. After a couple of seconds, her door opens.
“D-Pad! You made it!” Octavia exclaimed, hugging me.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss a chance to show Vinyl who’s the true master at Pony Fighter III.” I joke.
“Yeah, right!” I hear Vinyl shout from inside.
I step inside. Heh, it never ceases to amaze me that about one week ago, this house was full of boxes. Now I can see the red rug floor, and all of the kitchen and living room furnishings. It must be nice to have the kitchen right next to the living room. I walk into the living room. Vinyl is attaching her P-Box 360 to the…the…T-T-Th-THAT’S THE BIGGEST T.V. I’VE EVER SEEN!!!
“Wh-wh-where did you get that!?!” I exclaim.
“This 60 inch bad boy came as a gift. You see, I was performing as a promotional campaign for this unicorn production line, and they gave this to me as payment.” Vinyl explains.
“It’s…beautiful…” I swoon.
I drop my backpack. I pull out the rose I hid under my wing.
“And a present for you.” I say, presenting the rose to Octavia.
“Oh my, thank you!” She exclaims.
She takes the rose and puts it in a vase. She then kisses me on the cheek.
“That’s…the first time you’ve ever kissed me.” I comment, blushing.
“And now you’re redder than Big Macintosh.” She giggles.
“Yeeeeeup!”I imitate Big Macintosh. Octavia giggles again.
I pull out my floor pad from my back pack. I connect it to Vinyl’s P-Box 360.
“That one of the weirdest devices I’ve ever seen. It looks like a giant flat P-Box 360 controller.” Vinyl comments to me.
“Well, not completely flat, all the buttons, the analog sticks, the directional pad, and the bumpers and triggers are all protruding outwards. I had to read books upon books on how to wire the buttons to the plug.” I explain.
Vinyl turns on the T.V. and turns on the P-Box 360. She levitates the Pony Fighter III C.D. into the P-Box.
After a minute or two, the main menu comes up.
“PONY FIGHTER…III!!” The announcer says.
“You ready to get your pegasus ass whipped by a unicorn?” Vinyl challenges.
I step onto the floor pad.
“Watch and learn, horned one…” I reply.
“K.O.!!!”
“Unbelievable…” Octavia gasps.
“FIVE TIMES!?!” Vinyl shouts.
“I still got it…” I say, smirking.
“Seriously! How can you do all those button combinations with only your hooves?!” Vinyl asks.
“My back hooves are for movement, my front hooves are for punches. I’ve mastered synchronization between the four.” I reply.
“Yeah, I can tell.” Vinyl grumbles.
I walk over to my backpack.
“I’m gonna make myself a drink.” I say, pulling the vodka and Red Bull out of my backpack.
“Yeah, I think I can go for a drink myself. Hey Tavi, What do you want?” Vinyl asks Octavia.
“Oh you don’t need to cater to me; I’ll get myself a drink.” She replies, walking to the kitchen.
“So, whats next? I ask Vinyl.
“…How good is your singing?”
“Goodbye, Amareican mare! Goodbye, Amareican chick! Goodbye, Amareican broad!” I sing into the microphone.
The in-game crowd cheered.
“88%...Dang, I’m good.” I cheer.
“90%...top that!” Vinyl brags, holding a Rock Band guitar.
“83%...that’s not too bad, right?” Octavia ask, putting down her guitar and taking a sip of her scotch.
“Not bad at all!” I reply.
“I didn’t think you were a vodka drinker. You look like a beer stallion.” Vinyl admits, taking a swig from her Rum and Coke.
“Oh, I do enjoy beer, but there’s nothing as strong as Stalliongrad Vodka.” I reply, finishing off my glass of vodka and Red Bull.
I go to the kitchen and pour myself another drink.
“So, Scotch!” I shout to the living room. “I thought you were a wine mare, Octavia!”
“Scotch tastes better to me!” She shouts in reply.
“I don’t blame you.” I say, walking into the living room, glass on my back. “I got totally hammered off of box wine, and haven’t been able to drink the stuff since.”
“I heard that.” Vinyl comments. “I had a bad experience with absinthe.”
“Absinthe!? Holy…that’s some powerful stuff!” I reply in astonishment.
“Well, I was younger and my friends pressured me into trying it. I still don’t remember what happened that night.” She adds.
“What about you, Octavia? You ever get hammered off your plot? I ask.
“I try to make it a habit of being respectable in public, even when I drink.” She replies.
“Like that time that you passed out in the club?” Vinyl hints.
“Th-that does one does not count! I was furious with my parents that day and I wanted to forget about it!” Octavia defends.
“Ok, so…” Vinyl says, turning to me. “She’s drinking scotch all night. She gets up, staggering around. She falls into this random brown stallion, and says she wouldn’t mind making babies with him.”
I start laughing hard.
“Then…” She continues. “She starts drunk dancing, hitting a couple of the partygoers. Suddenly, I see her just stop, and then make a beeline for the bathroom. I walk in, and she’s passed out on the toilet.”
I laugh so hard that I start coughing.
“I don’t even remember going into the bathroom.” Octavia comments.
“What’s odd is that I could definitely see you doing that, Octavia. You’re very refined. I wouldn’t be surprised if part of you just wants to let loose.” I state, still laughing.
We all put our instruments on.
“So, what song is up next?” I ask.
“…Ponies! At the Disco it looks like. Nine in the Afternoon.” Vinyl replies.
“Why don’t you sing, Octavia?” I offer.
“Oh, I don’t…”
“Come on, Tavi! Give it a shot!” Vinyl says enthusiastically.
“…Alright…”
“And that's what you get, when you let your heart win, whoooooa…” Octavia sings.
Vinyl and I finish up on the guitars. The in-game crowd cheers.
“97%! Wow, I did that good?” Octavia asks.
“Is it me, or does the more she drinks, the better she gets?” I ask, confounded.
“I don’t know, but I’m still doing better than you!” Vinyl brags.
“Well, looks like I need some more super juice!” I joke, taking a drink from my vodka and red bull.
Vinyl drinks the rest of her rum and coke. She walks back out to the kitchen slightly staggering as she walks.
“You know, I actually feel comfortable drinking with you. When Vinyl mentioned you would be bringing your own alcohol, I was very worried. But you seem to be holding you alcohol well.” Octavia admits, finishing up her scotch.
“Oh I’ve been worse…Oh, and before I forget, could you tie my wings to my body?” I ask.
“Sure…why?” She asks, retrieving some rope from her closet.
“Friends don’t let friends fly drunk.” I reply.
She nods and ties my wings securely down. She then walks into the kitchen just as Vinyl comes back.
“Hey, Vinyl.” I whisper. “How do you think I’m doing as a coltfriend?”
She laughs.
“Dude, trust me, you’re doing fine.” Vinyl replies. “Tavi may not straight forward show it, but she really cares about you. You’re like the next best thing to happen to her.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Vinyl checks to see if Octavia is back.
“Things have been going rough for Tavi, even before that incident at the restaurant.” She replies. “You’ve seen her parents, right? Well, remember that drinking incident she had that I talked about?”
“Yeah?” I reply.
“That was a little over a week ago.” She continues. “Her father yelled and trash talked her after the concert she performed. AT HER OWN CONCERT. How could you even do that to your own daughter? She couldn’t take it. She moved to Ponyville the day after. So now, after having to buy a new house, she having financial issues and confidence issues.”
“What happened after she bought the new house?” I ask.
“Well, the following day, I accidentally broke her Beethoven record. She went out to buy another one.” She replies.
“I like where this is going.” I joke, smiling.
“You should. I met you.” Octavia says from behind us.
I turn to face a smiling Octavia. She rubs noses with me. I turn a bright red.
“You truly are a great friend, no, coltfriend. You’re generous, kind, and funny. You may have a troublesome temper, but we’re working on that. And horrible bat-winged pony? Please, you blow the stereotype out of the water. I feel honored to say that you are the greatest coltfriend I’ve ever had.”
…I’m crying now, aren’t I?
“I claim liquid pride!” I exclaim, wiping the tears from my eyes.
Octavia and Vinyl laugh.
“Show what song do we listen to next?” I ask, slightly staggering.
“You know, we could…Probably get some Deadmau5 going…on in here.” Vinyl says, trying not to slur her words.
“Vi-inyl…” Octavia stutters, pulling me towards her. “I think our guest wo-ould like some classical music.”
“But…I wanted to listen to dubstep…” Vinyl whines.
“I think I can solve our problem.” I say, walking over to the DJ booth.
I put a song on, and stand on my hind legs. The song starts off with a piano.
“Just take those old records off the shelf.” I start singing. “I'll sit and listen to them by myself. Today's music ain't got the same soul. I like that old time rock and roll!”
I walk over to Octavia. She and Vinyl are clapping their hooves together to the beat.
“Don't try to take me to a disco.” I continue. “You'll never even get me out on the floor. In 10 minutes, I'll be late for the door. I like that old time rock and roll!”
“Still like that old time rock and roll.” We all sing. “The kinda music just soothes the soul. I reminisce about the days of old…With that old time rock and roll!”
“I thi-think…I aaaaaaaam…drunk…” I sputter, staggering around.
Vinyl is passed out on the couch. Octavia staggers around and falls on me.
“I think…someone else…haaaaad a liiiitle too…much.” I slur.
“No…No Iaaaaaaam…comple-completely fi-fine.” She replies, trying not to screw up her words.
“Let’s get…yooooou…tooooo…bed.” I slur.
I try as hard as I can to walk normally up the stairs with Octavia leaning on me. We get to her room. You know, I’ve never seen her room. It’s very organized. Her books are all neatly in the bookshelf, alphabetically at that. Her floor is spotless. All of her bedroom furniture is dust-free. Her bed is well made.
Octavia climbs into her bed.
“You’re…shuuuuch a shweet guy…” She slurs.
She kisses me on the cheek. She then snuggles into her bed.
I walk back downstairs. I slump the floor, and fall asleep.
Uuuugh…what…what time is it? 5:34 A.M.? Ugh…My head hurts…
BOOM!
What was that!? Sounds like it came from outside!
I look outside. What the!? I can barely make out anything outside! Its pitch black out! The only light is coming from the bolts of lightning. It sounds like a hurricane is rampaging through the town. What is going on out there?
I look around for a light source inside the house. There are a couple of glow sticks on the kitchen counter. Well, when life gives you lemons…
I grab the glow sticks and put them in my backpack. I untie my wings, put on my backpack, and open the door. Holy…I can barely move forward! The wind is crazy! And the down pouring rain doesn’t help either! I slowly make my way out of the house. I light one of the glow sticks. I wave it around.
“Can anypony see me!?!” I shout against the roaring wind, still waving the glow stick.
A dark gray pegasus stallion lands in front of me. He is wearing purple armor with a webbed crest. He also has gold cat-like eyes and black bat wings…B-b-b-b-b-BATWINGS!?!
I swallow hard and I take a step back in fear.
“What are you doing outside!?!” He shouts in a booming voice.
I stay silent.
“WELL!?!” He shouts even louder.
“Oh dear Celestia, please don’t kill me!” I beg.
He looks disgusted.
“Oh for the love of…look!” He shouts. “I am one of Princess Luna’s royal guards! I’m not one of the terroristic bat-wing pegasi, understand?! Now get to some shelter!”
“What the Tartarus is going on!? What’s with the storm!?” I ask, calming down.
“I don’t know!” He shouts in reply. “The storm just showed up out of the blue, for no reason whatsoever. It’s tearing up trees, shattering windows, and knocking carts around. Wait…You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with this, would you?!”
“By Celestia, no!” I shout.
He glares at me. Great, he doesn’t believe me.
Another one of Luna’s guards lands by the first guard.
“Captain! There’s still no sign of the three fillies that have been reported missing!” The second guard shouts to the first.
“Damn it! Well keep looking!” He shouts back. “Leave nothing to chance! Check every house you can! Look in every cave!”
The second guard nods and flies off, battling against the wind.
“And you! You’re coming in for questioning!” The first guard shouts at me.
“But I didn’t even have anything to do with this!” I argue.
WHAM!
The guard is knocked unconscious by a large flying branch. I stare at the now unconscious guard. His face is starting to bleed. I do my best to shield his face from the wind. I take my glow stick and start waving it in the air.
Another guard flies down to us. He looks relatively young for a guard.
“What happened!?” He shouts.
“A branch just flung through the air and slammed him in the face!” I reply.
“Damn it! Go find another guard! Tell him that Lance had to get the captain emergency medical attention and that Lance requests that he take the Everfree Forest scouting perimeter! I have to get the captain out of here!” He orders.
He then picks up the captain and flies off. I take off toward the wind and rain.
“It will take forever to find another guard in this weather.” I say to myself.
D-Pad…what have you gotten yourself into?
So, here I am…flying above the Everfree Forest…fighting the wind and rain…looking for any sign of the missing fillies. Great job, D-Pad…I should have just stayed inside Octavia’s house.
I land in a clearing of the forest. I light a couple of glow sticks, and stick them into the ground as a marker, just in case I get lost. I then make my way into the forest.
This place gives me the creeps. I’m terrified of just looking behind a tree, and getting my face ripped off by a manticore. OW! Bucking stepped on a thornbush…Oh thank Celestia, a path. I walk along the path for a couple of minutes. I then come to and overturned cart.
I wave my first glow stick in the air.
“Is anypony here?!” I shout.
The cart shifted slightly. I peer under the cart.
“OW!”
I did not need a stick to the nasal cavity. I push the cart upright.
Three little fillies begin screaming at me. The first is a pale yellow earth pony with a red mane and orange-gold eyes. The second is an orange Pegasus with a reddish-pink mane and purple eyes. She is also holding a stick. The third is a light gray unicorn with a light purple and light pink mane with pale green eyes.
The orange Pegasus began smacking me with the stick.
Ow! Ow! OW! Stop! I’m trying to help you girls!” I shout, trying and failing not to get hit with the stick.
The Pegasus drops the stick.
“Oh, gosh! Sorry mister! I thought you were a monster!” She replies.
“What are you fillies doing out here?” I ask.
“Well, we were plannin’ to do some campin’ outside the Everfree forest. We were trying to see if we could our Cutie marks for campin’, but then the big storm came up and blew our tents away. We couldn’ move away from the forest, so we went an’ looked for a place to hide-I mean sleep in the forest.” The earth pony filly replies.
“You should get home. Your families must be worried about you fillies.” I say.
“Can you take us home?” the unicorn filly asks.
“Where do you girls live?” I ask.
“Ponyville.” The all reply in unison.
I saddle myself to the cart. I pull it next to the fillies.
“Hop in! Next stop: Ponyville!” I shout cheerfully
The three fillies cheer and jump in the cart.
“Okay so, if we follow this path…”
Suddenly, I start hearing wolf howls. A couple bushes begin rustling. Then, from one of the bushes, comes a wolf like creature that is made up of a bundle of wood pieces.
“What in the name of Celestia is that!?” I shout.
“Timberwolf!” The earth pony filly shouts.
It leaps upwards, trying to get to the fillies. With a quick flap of my wings, I tilt the cart backwards, allowing me to head-butt the Timberwolf in its torso, knocking it backwards. I then let the cart tilt back, and gallop along on the path. Up ahead, there’s a small pack of those Timberwolves heading straight for us. The fillies scream in fear.
I see an opening in the tree line.
“Hang on, girls!” I shout.
I flap my wings as hard as I can while continuing my gallop forward. The cart starts to lift from the ground. The fillies begin screaming in surprise. In one quick movement, I fly out the opening, cart and fillies in tow.
The storm has finally let up. There are a couple patches of pitch black clouds here and there, but it’s mostly cleared up.
I fly to the edge of the forest. I land down onto the path to Ponyville.
“Sorry about the sudden take off, girls.” I apologize.
“That was…AWESOME!!” The pegasus filly cheers. I burst into a hardy laugh.
“Looks like we’ll be in Ponyville in a half an hour. Hang on!” I shout.
I gallop forward towards Ponyville.
“It’s that bat-winged pegasus! Run for your lives!”
As the sun begins to rise, Much of the market street closes up their shops and run for their homes. Well, home sweet home, I guess…
I unsaddle myself and look in the back of the cart. The fillies have fallen asleep.
“Wake up, girls. We’re here.” I say, softly.
The three fillies wake up. The all hop out of the cart.
“Gee, thanks mister!” The unicorn filly says, cheerfully.
“Yeah! You’re really cool! I can’t believe you head-butted a Timberwolf!” The pegasus filly cheered.
“I want to keep you girls safe. I’m sure anypony else would have done the same thing.” I replied.
“Sweetie Bell! You’re ok!”
I look over to where the voice came from. A white unicorn mare with indigo long curled hair, bluish eyes, and three diamonds as her cutie mark is running towards the unicorn
“Rarity! Big Sister!” the unicorn filly says running to the unicorn mare. The two hug each other.
The white unicorn mare turns to look at me. Her face is suddenly filled with fear. She pulls the unicorn filly behind her.
“Be gone with you, you…ruffian!” She shouts.
“Well, you’re a friendly one aren’t you?” I quip.
“Rarity, he saved us from a bunch of Timberwolves.” The unicorn filly spoke.
“Yeah, he even head-butted one of ‘em.” The earth pony filly adds.
“You…you saved my sister?” She asks, shocked.
“I did what anypony would have done.” I state.
“But…you’re…”
“A bat-winged pegasus? Yes miss, I am. That doesn’t mean I am just like the rest of them. The fillies were missing, and I went looking for them. Like I said, I did what anypony would have done.” I interrupt her.
She hugs me.
“Thank you so much.” She thanks me.
“What in tarnation are ya’ doin’ Rarity!?”
I look around and see an orange earth pony a couple meters away. She has blondish hair that’s tied in a bun at the end, much like her tail, and shes wearing a cowmare hat. She has green eyes and three apples as her cutie mark.
“Big sis!” The earth pony filly shouted, running toward the earth pony mare.
“Applebloom! Where in Equestria have you been? Everypony’s been worried sick ‘bout you.” She asks.
“We got stuck in the Everfree forest, and he came an’ found us. He saved us from a buncha Timberwolves!” the filly replies, pointing a hoof at me.
“Like I told this mare here, I just did what anypony would do.” I state.
“But…ain’t you that pegasus that ponies been sayin’ scary things ‘bout?” She asks.
“I wouldn’t doubt it.” I reply. “I am a bat-winged pegasus after all.”
“Well, if ya’ went and saved my sis from them Timberwolves, ya’ can’t be all that bad.” She complements.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” I thank her.
I see a couple ponies leave their houses. The begin murmuring amongst themselves, examining me.
“He doesn’t look too dangerous.” I overhear one of them say.
“Saving those fillies from Timberwolves…”
“He was very nice, even before we knew he was one of them…”
“Maybe he isn’t that horrible…”
A light blue mare with a long brown mane, green eyes, and a green pear as her cutie mark walks slowly and cautiously over to me.
“Hi.” I say cheerfully to her.
She looks in surprise at me.
“My name’s D-Pad. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I greet her, extending my hoof for a hoofshake.
She shakes my hoof. She starts to smile.
“My name is Pyrus.” She says.
Now more ponies are walking towards me. Many of the ponies are coming out of their homes and greet me. There smiling and talking to me, like I’m a normal pony. There asking me questions and complementing me.
I feel something weird. Like, I finally fit in. Everyone seems unafraid of me now. I feel wanted.
“Excuse me; pardon me…D-Pad!” I hear Octavia’s voice over the crowd.
I look around in the crowd, and see Octavia galloping towards me. I gallop toward her.
We meet up somewhere in the crowd.
“I can’t believe it Octavia.” I say. “For once in my life, ponies aren’t running away from me. They find interest in me, and want to talk to me. I-I can even comprehend all of this. I-I…I never felt so accepted.”
Octavia smiles.
“D-Pad!”
I turn around. My mother is making her way through the crowd. I gallop over to her and hug her.
“It’s happening mom! I’m actually being accepted! There not running away! I-I-I never felt so happy!” I say, starting to cry
I notice that my mom has tears streaming down her face
“My little colt…My little D-Pad…”
She hugs me even tighter.
“Excuse me, but are you…D-Pad?”
I turn to face a poststallion.
I wipe my eyes of tears.
“Yes sir.” I say.
“I have a letter for you. Direct from the Royal Castle.” He says.
My eyes widen.
“D-did you say the royal castle?” I ask, shocked.
“Indeed I did.” He replies, handing me a letter.
I open it. Th-th-th-that’s the Princess’s royal seal! My hooves are trembling in excitement. I begin reading it…
…Princess Luna wants to meet me?!?! OH-OH-OH MY CELESTIA!
“What is it? What does it say?” My mom asks.
“PRINCESS LUNA WANTS TO MEET ME!!!” I shout in joy.
And then, something amazing happened. My mom hugged me tighter then she has ever hugged me before. Octavia cheered for me and kissed me on the cheek.
And the entire crowd applauded for me.