A Gentle Breeze of Change
Chapter Thirteen: Blazing Trails
Early morning rays of sunlight pierced through the forest canopy, casting pools of light through the leaves and upon the forest floor. The occasional chirp of birds, chattering squirrels, and rustling of leaves in the breeze were the only sounds to interrupt the serene silence of the peaceful forest. The peaceful silence came to a gradual end, however, as a low growling could be heard in the distance. The growl soon intensified in volume and was accompanied by the sounds of displaced dirt and rustling foliage. The growl then peaked to a roar as a Land Rover Defender 90 cleared through the overgrown bushes and splashed through small rain puddles. The Defender’s all terrain tires kicked up copious amounts of mud onto the dark blue body.
Inside the Defender, David Marshall wore a large grin on his face as he wrestled with the steering wheel. The engine’s dull roar was muffled by the loud rock music emanating from the custom Kenwood radio in the center console. After navigating a turn, David upshifted into fifth gear and floored the accelerator eliciting a scream from the TD5’s turbo. David couldn’t help but to sing along with the song’s chorus as it sounded out from the main speakers.
“Oh and I burn”
“Fuel is pumping engines”
“Burning hard, loose, and clean”
“And I burn”
“Turning my direction”
“Quench my thirst with gasoline!”
David became momentarily distracted as he adjusted the volume. Satisfied with his decibel alteration, he looked back up at the forest ahead of him. What he saw next, however was a barricade in the form of a medium sized creature. David had barely a moment to react. David slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard to avoid colliding with the creature. The Defender’s ABS activated, allowing the vehicle to turn on the slippery mud that made up most of the forest floor. The quick maneuver narrowly avoided the impending animal-to-truck collision, but a tree quickly filled in David’s forward vision.
Wrenching metal and shattering glass became the dominant sounds of the forest. Once the Defender came to a rest, all was quiet. The TD5 engine died upon impact and the battery cables were ripped from the battery terminals, thus cutting the music inside the vehicle.
David sat up off of the now bent steering wheel. He felt a warm liquid pour from his broken nose down his chin and neck. Shattered glass lay all over the interior and cowl.
David diverted his attention from his face to the creature outside his window. What he saw baffled him to say the least. A four legged creature stood outside feeding on a tall stalk of wild flowers. It had reddish dark fur and a faded white mane and tail. Large black hooves protruded out from unshorn fetlocks. The first animal that came to David’s clouded mind was an equine-type of creature, but having cartoonish qualities. The most puzzling feature about the creature was a picture of some sort on its flank. The picture, from what David’s fluctuating vision could see, was a wagon of some sort with a hammer and wrench sitting inside it. The creature lazily turned its head and looked upon the wrecked Land Rover.
After a few silent moments of observation, the creature turned and disappeared into the forest. David watched as the animal trotted off just before losing consciousness and slumping forward onto the bent steering wheel.
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David awoke with a start. His vision was still blurred, but this time it felt more real. Rubbing the rheum from his eyes, David began to take in his dark surroundings. Bed sheets lay at his knees while the comforter lay at his feet. All was silent save for an oscillating fan in the corner of the room and the steady breathing of David’s wife next to him. After taking this all in David began to relax. The digital clock on his nightstand indicated 7:28 in the morning. The alarm was set to go off any minute now. David decided to get up out of bed to beat the alarm. As he left the bed, his sudden shift caused his wife to stir. She turned over to him and breathed tiredly.
“Morning hun. What time is it?”
“It’s about seven thirty, babe,” he responded quietly while shutting of the potentially annoying alarm clock.
“Already?” she said as she sat up.
“Unfortunately,” David deadpanned. He then started walking over to the door to use the bathroom when he stubbed his toe on an unseen object on the floor.
“Oww! Hey, Evelyn, remind me to get some NVD’s,” David said while gripping his foot in one hand and propping himself on the wall with the other.
“Or we could just open these,” Evelyn suggested as she stood up and opened the bedroom curtains. The sudden invasion of intense light on David’s eyes caused him to cry out and shield them with his leaning hand. This in turn caused him to lose his balance and fall gracelessly to the floor next to the object responsible for stubbing his toe.
David saw the cause of his aching toe.
“Stupid bowling ball.”
Grunting, David stood up to see Evelyn stepping into a pair of black sweatpants and donning a gray tank top.
“Hey, honey where did we even get that darn thing?”
“You don’t remember?” his wife said through the tank top.
“No,” he stated.
“Well that’s a shame because neither do-” Evelyn froze as her head crested the tank top and she got a good look at her husband in the morning light filtering in through the bedroom window. A look of mixed confusion and uncertainty was featured upon her face. David looked up from the offensive bowling ball to see his wife staring at his legs.
“What, like what you see?” he said smugly. Evelyn simply lifted her arm and extended her index finger in the direction of his midsection. David’s smug look slowly melted from his face as he saw the sincerity in his wife’s facial expression. Looking down at his hip, he noticed something on his skin peeking out above the waistband of his boxer shorts.
“What the heck?” he said to himself as he pulled back the elastic of his boxers revealing a tattoo of some sort on his hip.
“When did you get that?” his wife asked “did you get hammered last night, and your so called ‘friends’ hooked you up with that tat?”
“No, I just got buzzed,” David sat down at the foot of the bed next to Evelyn to recall the drink fest him and his friends did the night of his twenty fifth birthday, “ I remember most of last night, and it didn’t include this,” he said, pointing at the mark on his hip.
Looking at it again, David noticed how familiar it was. In fact it resembled the mark on the creature’s flank in his dream to a tee. This revelation was very unsettling.
“Oh hamburgers...”
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David explained to Evelyn about the dream he had and about how the creature in his dream sported the same mark on its flank as David had on his hip.
“It’s a coincidence, I swear,” David finished his story. Evelyn looked hesitant to respond. She finally opened her mouth to begin a response.
“A very strange, and somewhat creepy coincidence,” she slowly replied. Evelyn stood up and made her way to the bedroom door. David quickly followed suit.
“I know it seems far fetched,” he said as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder just as she reached the door, “but you believe, don’t you?” he finished with a hint of unease in his voice.
“I do want to believe you,” Evelyn responded over her shoulder. She then turned and faced him, “just be more careful around those neanderthal friends of yours, okay?” she finished with a sad smile.
“Yes ma’am,” David responded whilst smartly popping a salute. At this, Evelyn chuckled and embraced him.
“Alright,” Evelyn said as she broke the embrace, “I’ll go get breakfast ready. Shower up and meet me downstairs, okay?”
“Proceeding ma’am!” David said fairly loudly as he bounded off to the bathroom, earning another small laugh from Evelyn.
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After breakfast consisting of a bowl of Wheaties, David fired up his Land Rover and began the quick ten minute drive to work. Morning rain had wetted Airdrie’s roads leaving windshield wipers on and vehicle speeds low. David turned into the driveway of the local Pep Boys auto shop, coming to a stop in an “employees only” parking space. Exiting his Defender, David entered the management office and clocked in. He greeted his boss, Mr Hardee and made his way to the locker room to change into his coveralls.
As he approached the door to the locker room, David could hear the familiar banter between his two friends Shawn, and Eric. Upon entering the room the conversation halted as the two looked up at David.
“Sup guys?” David casually asked.
Eric jumped up and approached the locker room’s light switch.
“Hello, David Marshall, and welcome to being one year closer to death!” They both said to David in a pale monotone while Eric rapidly flicked the fluorescent lights in the room on and off.
David had to admit it. The monotone voice they both uttered with the flicking lights did cast a morbid setting, but the manic grins on his friends’ faces absolutely killed it, resulting in David simply looking down shaking his head whilst chuckling.
“You guys suck, you know that,”
“Why thank you David, I accept your compliment,” Eric said as he stepped away from the light switch.
“So Dave, how’s it feel to be 25?” Shawn asked from the locker room’s wood bench.
“I don’t feel any different if that’s what you’re asking.”
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The day progressed like any other day on the job. Around lunch time, David asked his friends about the night before that he might not have remembered. Shawn and Eric both claimed that they all had a few drinks, got buzzed from said drinks, and relied on their friend and D.D. Phil to get them home. David was dropped off first and the rest was history. David was puzzled at this, but didn’t pursue it any further.
Closing time arrived and all began preparations to go home. Cleanup finished and tools put away, the three dropped their coveralls and headed out of the shop. Eric and Shawn followed David out to his Defender. The two caught up to him before he fully entered his truck.
“So,” Eric started, “how did your little date with Denise go?”
“Yeah,” Shawn added, “was she everything you expected?”
David nervously looked around, “Guys, keep it down. That is supposed to stay on the D.L. Evelyn would leave me if she ever found out. This conversation doesn’t leave this spot, got it?”
“Ooohhh someone’s in trouble,” they both jokingly said to David before pausing and laughing like hyenas. After their laughter subsided, Eric then continued the conversation toward the desired subject.
“Okay seriously though, how does she perform?”
“Like a dream,” David responded. He then gestured toward the Defender. “After adjusting the timing a bit and putting the new clutch in she has had no problems.”
“Well that’s good to hear,” Shawn said, “hey man we gotta be heading out, we’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yep no problem,” David called as the other two headed to their cars.
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The rest of the night carried on with little incident. David conversed with Evelyn about the events of the day including his fruitless results with an answer as to how he got the tattoo on his hips. The two then watched a movie and prepared for bed. David switched the alarm clock on to wake him the next morning. He noted the date that displayed above the actual time of day on the clock. It displayed a Thursday in May of 2015.
At least tomorrow’s Friday. He thought to himself.
He bid goodnight to Evelyn before shutting off the light and allowing the embrace of sleep to take ahold of him.
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“Well that should do it, Big Mac,” Axel said. “ Just don’t forget to oil the bearings every once in awhile and you shouldn’t have this problem come up again.”
“Thank ya kindly,, Axel,” Big Mac responded. “Have ya ever considered openin’ up a shop to fix wagons? I have a feelin’ ya could make some good money offa fixen’ up busted carts n’ all.”
“Funny you should mention that, Mac. I actually went and purchased that old barn property on the other side of Ponyville and plan on fixing it up and opening a shop to do just what you suggested.”
Axel then went into detail with Big Mac as to how he would set up shop fixing wagons and carts for fair prices. He also explained his close friends would get special discounts. Big Mac grinned at this. Big Mac knew Axel ever since he first moved to Ponyville.
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David awoke to the Elgin digital clock’s alarm tolling off next to him. He reached for it and shut the alarm off. He stood up and noticed the room was dimly lit from a crease of sunlight peeking through the curtains. Evelyn wasn’t in the bed, leaving David to believe she had awoken early and had already prepared for work.
He thought about the dream that he oddly remembered so vividly. Usually one doesn’t remember dreams the way he was remembering this one. The dream was a first person perspective of him fixing a wagon for an equine creature by the name of Big Macintosh. This was starting to get really weird to David.
Walking out of the bedroom, David slowly walked over to the bathroom. Entering, he turned on the light and gazed into the mirror. What he saw made him reel back and cry out in horror. Staring back at him was a reflection he did not recognize. His normally black hair was replaced with a faded white color. Also his blue eyes were seemed to have changed to a dark brown.
Evelyn ran to the door to see what had frightened her husband. When she saw his face, her facial expression matched his.
“Wha-wha-what did you do to your hair!?” she shouted.
“I don’t know!”
After things calmed down, Evelyn suggested to call in sick so that he could go to the doctor. He obliged to her advice and later they were both in her Kia on their way to see his doctor.
“Well everything seems fine.”
“How is that possible? My hair and eyes changed color overnight, doc. Surely there’s something wrong with me.”
“I wish I could give you an explanation on your nocturnal body changes, David. But I’m just as confused as you are. All I can confirm is that you aren’t sick.”
“Are you completely sure there’s nothing wrong with him? Nothing at all?”
The doctor looked at David’s medical records on a clipboard he was holding.
“His blood sample turned up negative. Heart rate is fine. Blood pressure is normal. Body temperature is thirty seven. Medical school taught me that that’s healthy.”
The two thanked the doctor for what help he could give and left the clinic. The couple arrived home and spent the rest of the day watching movies and playing games on their PS4. At the day’s end they lay in bed reading. Evelyn read the latest issue of Reader’s Digest while David contented himself with Petersen’s 4Wheel and Off Road.
Evelyn broke the awkward silence.
“Honey, what do you suggest we do about this?”
“Hmm,” David looked up from his magazine. “I don’t know, babe. The only guy we could turn to can’t even help us. I’ll get some hair dye tomorrow after work and hope things don’t get worse.”
“Can’t say that’s the best solution. But I suppose that will have to do for now.”
With that, they both set their magazines down and turn off the lights and try their best to fall asleep despite that day’s excitement.
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Axel replaced the tailgate on the cart that was in the center of his shop. It came in with rusty hinges and the latch on the tailgate was missing. It now sported new hinges and a new lockable latch on the backside of the tailgate.
With his final project finished for the day, he began to clean up the tools around the shop. He paused when he heard a knock on the barn doors. Axel trotted over to the doors and opened them, letting in some of the spring rain that was pelting the area. The thing that got his attention however was a bedraggled earth pony mare standing there shivering with a cart attached to her.
She had pink fur and a blond mane and tail and three lilies for a cutie mark. The rain had thoroughly soaked through her fur, causing her violent shivering. Her blond mane and tail hung limply off of her as rain water dripped off the ends.
“E-e-e-excuse me sir, but are you s-s-s-still open for b-b-b-business?”
“Firstly, let’s get you inside and out of this downpour,” Axel said as he detached her from her cart, and ushered her inside.
After drying her off with a towel and warming some tea for her, Axel asked her what brought her out to his shop during the raging storm outside.
“I was on my way back home when one of the wheels of my flower cart broke a spoke. I hope you can fix it. It wouldn’t be too much to ask of you would it? I-I-I can pay you.”
“Alright, let’s see what’s wrong with it. I’ll just go out and bring it in.”
Axel opened the both doors to make room for the half loaded cart. Pots full of beautiful lilies adorned the small display area of the cart. As he pulled the cart in it had a little hobble to it. After closing the doors, Axel inspected the wheel that had the broken spoke. Sure enough, one of the spokes were broken in half. Splinters jutted out in all directions from the broken ends of the spoke.
“Did you hit a bump or something? Usually the spoke would only crack and bend a little. This looks like the wheel took a hard impact.”
Lily blushed and brought a hoof up to rub the back of her head. Her sheepish smile also indicated that Axel’s guess was not inaccurate.
“Ah hehehe, I-well you see the rain started coming down and I wanted to get home a little quicker-”
“So you galloped and struck a rut or pothole,” Axel finished for her.
“Yes,” she said while staring down at her hooves.
“Don’t feel bad. It happens to the best of us. This is an easy fix. I can get this done for you by tomorrow morning. Just stop by on your way to Ponyville and I’ll have it ready for you.”
Lily’s sad expression changed to that of delight almost instantly.
“You can!? Oh thank you so much!”
Lily rushed over and squeezed Axel in a tight embrace. Lily suddenly realized what she was doing and quickly released him. A furious blush grew upon her pink face.
“Sorry. So, uh tomorrow morning then?”
“Yes,” Axel said as he recovered from Lily’s rib crushing hug. “Oh, before you go, can I get your name? You know, for the paperwork?”
“Lily. Lily Valley,” she said as she exited the barn into the calming storm.
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Saturday morning greeted David with silence. He didn’t work the weekends, so he shut the alarm off after Friday. David’s eyes fluttered open and he began to recall last night’s dream with vivid detail. The storm, the wagon, and the mare all seemed so real. It was like he lived it once before. David was beginning to get tired of reliving some cartoonish looking pony’s life while he slept.
Seeing the clock displaying nine o'clock in the morning, David sat up, turned on the lamp, and stretched his arms. As he stretched, he began to feel something funny under his backside. Wondering what it was, he stood up. David looked upon the bed and saw nothing, however something began to brush against the backside of his legs. Craning his neck around he looked in the mirror mounted on the wall. His reflection once again had a nasty surprise for him.
“WHAT!? OH, COME ON!”
Dangling from his lower back was a long tail that matched the color of the hair on his head. His bodily hair that covered his legs, chest, and arms also changed color from black to a medium dark reddish color. This was really starting to freak David out. His thoughts drifted over to the possibilities of further changes, thus triggering feelings of frustration, fear, and depression.
Evelyn was out shopping, so David had the house to himself for the time being. He wasn’t ready to walk around with such drastic changes happening to him being visible, so he grabbed a large blanket and wrapped it around him. After eating a bowl of cereal, he sulkily trudged over to the living room couch. Sitting down in it he turned on the T.V. to see what was on. Picking up the remote he turned the T.V. on and began cycling through the channels. Only a few stations aired anything interesting.
Later, Evelyn arrived home to see her husband wrapped in a blanket, giving him the appearance of Merlin the wizard from The Sword in the Stone, only he was missing the hat. She noticed his expression on his face and decided to go see if she could cheer him up.
“Hey there, sunshine. What’s got you down in the dumps? Were you able to go get that hair dye?”
David said nothing. He simply stood up, turned around and allowed the blanket to drop to the floor. The sight before Evelyn left her speechless. David’s body hair was now a reddish color and he was sporting a white tail that poked out between his black tee shirt and basketball shorts. The tail flicked from side to side a few times, confirming its authenticity.
“This isn’t just some sickness, honey,” he said curtly. “This is a freaking genetic mutation or something! When someone’s sick, their hair and eyes don't change color and they d- I am going to cut this darn thing off if it doesn’t stop wagging.”
“Have you tried tucking it in your pants or something?”
“Yes, but that began to hurt. So I let it hang out.”
The tail ceased its side motions and remained still.
After some discussion on their next action in response to his condition, Evelyn began to cook dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs was what seemed to be on both their minds, after all, it was David’s favorite. David set the table while Evelyn cooked the noodles. After preparations were complete, they both sat down to eat. David picked up his fork and stabbed one of the meatballs and took a bite. Upon first biting the meatball, he was assaulted with a horrible taste akin to that of a mix of garbage and something else he wasn’t sure he wanted to think of.
“Ugh! Blech!”
Evelyn looked up from her meal with a worried expression on her face. David spitting out his favorite meal? This wasn’t good at all.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“Ack, that was horrible! What was the expiration date on the meat?”
“Not for another two months.”
“Regardless, this meat tastes like crap.”
Evelyn bit into one of her meatballs.
“Tastes fine to me.”
David had no response and therefore resigned himself to simply eat the noodles. This worried Evelyn. It wasn’t like him to just spit out his favorite meal. Evelyn feared that whatever was going on with his body was probably going to get worse. And there was nothing she, or anybody else could do about it. David already mentioned earlier he had no desire to go to the hospital. He surmised they would keep him there and run innumerable amounts of tests on him. The last place he wanted to be during all these changes was somewhere as unfamiliar as a hospital. If these changes were to end up killing him, he would rather pass in the comfort of his own home.
Later that night, while laying in bed, David couldn’t help but think about all the possible outcomes of the rapidly progressing changes. How would his family react? His friends would no doubt be scared off. His boss, well at this point David wasn’t even sure if he was going to have his job anymore simply based on his appearance. It would be unprofessional to have an employee that looked like some freakish anime character. Despite all these worries, David still fell asleep a few minutes later.
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Axel trotted into Ponyville with a new wagon rolling noisily behind him. He just finished building the wagon the day before and now he was on his way to deliver it to his client. Axel came to a stop in front of a store with a sign that read “Quills and Sofas”.
Axel unhitched himself from the large wagon and entered the store to see Mr. Davenport.
“Ah! just the stallion I wanted to see. I have your wagon you ordered built to specifications.”
Axel led Davenport outside and showed him his new wagon. After some small talk about its future use, Davenport thanked Axel for his work and gave him his payment. Axel thanked Davenport and bid him goodbye.
With no other orders to fill, Axel casually trotted through Ponyville. He passed by several notable landmarks on his journey through town. He could smell some delicious pastries being cooked at Sugarcube Corner even before the store came in sight. The mayor’s office came into view and Axel noticed three little fillies selling lemonade nearby. Axel took a moment to enjoy the rare tranquility that graced the town on that particularly sunny day.
Axel’s final destination came into view. Lily Valley was closing up her flower cart for the day when she noticed him approaching. She smiled and waved a hoof at him.
“Hi, Axel! How are you doing today?” she asked him cheerfully.
“Oh, you know same old, same old. I just finished my last bit of work and figured since I was in the area I would stop by.”
“Well your timing couldn’t have been better. I was just closing up shop and heading home myself.”
“Mind if I walk you home?”
“Oh, look at you. Aren’t you just the gentle stallion,” Lily said jokingly.
The two began slowly trotting towards Lily’s house engaging in light conversation and greeting any passerby that waved hello. Arriving at her house, Lily unlocked the door and invited Axel in for some dinner. Axel remembered that Lily was sharing the house with two other mares and inquired about them.
“Oh, Daisy is visiting her family in Mustangia and Roseluck is on vacation in Fillydelphia.”
“Well that explains the peaceful silence.”
Lily grabbed the kitchen towel and playfully swatted him on the flank.
“Oh you, they aren’t that bad.”
“I’m just kidding, you know that.”
“I know. I just felt like towel whipping you.”
The two shared a hearty laugh before sitting down to a baked hay casserole with clover salad.
After dinner, Axel assisted Lily in cleaning up the table and washing the dishes. With the final dish put in the drying rack, the two sat in the living room and chatted about the latest happenings in town. At one point, the conversation came to a lull and the couple just sat there looking at each other for a moment.
“Hey Lily, your mane looks really good today. Did you do anything to it?”
“Oh! you noticed? Yes, I had it permed today. What do you think?”
“Hmm, it looks good, but it seems to be missing something.”
“Oh really? What would that be?”
After looking around, Axel stood up and trotted over to an end table that sat in the corner of the room. He gestured for Lily to come over to where he was at. Lily was confused as to what he was doing at first, but she went along with it, her curiosity pressing her onward. When she was close enough, Axel turned toward the small end table. He pulled a lily flower out of a small blue vase that sat on the table. Turning around, he bit a portion of the stem off and gingerly placed the flower between Lily’s mane and left ear.
“There, now it’s perfect.”
Lily looked in the mirror mounted above the end table.
“Oh, Axel,” she smiled appreciatively at him. “Thank you, so much.”
The two looked at each other wistfully before engaging in a passionate kiss.
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“GAH!”
David awoke with a start and fell out of bed with a painful thump.
“Ooohhhhh, that hurt. Gonna feel that one later.”
“David, what happened?” Evelyn sleepily said from her side of the bed. She turned over and switched the lamp on to see what had happened.
Still recovering from the fall out of bed, David felt that the fall was a little farther than what he thought it would be. As his senses returned he began to look up to see his wife leaning over the bed with a bewildered look.
“Uh, hey honey. What’s up?”
“AAAAHHHHHHH!”
“WHAT!? WHAT!? WHAT!? WHAT!?”
Evelyn jumped over to the other side of the bed and pulled an aluminum baseball bat out from underneath. She approached David brandishing the bat above her head.
“Evelyn what are you doing!? WAIT!”
David braced himself for the attack, but it never came. David dared to peek out from behind his arm. He looked up to see Evelyn drop the bat onto the floor while wearing a conflicted expression on her face.
“David?”
“Yeah, who else.”
“But, how?”
“Evelyn, what are you talking about?”
Evelyn finally moved over to the dresser and grabbed one of her mirrors that sat there and set it in front of David. David looked into the mirror and reeled back at what he saw. The pony that existed in his dreams was now staring back at him in the small vanity mirror. Countless thoughts ran through his brain as he sat there staring at his new form in the mirror. His mind struggled to mentally answer the torrent of questions before simply giving up.
“This is just too much.”
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David called his boss to let him know he wouldn’t be able to show up to work on Monday. Mr. Hardee was a little concerned at this, thus he asked if he could stop by later to see what was bothering David. David had no choice to agree to this as there was no delaying the inevitable. After all, David’s parents raised him under “honesty being the best policy”. He still dreaded his boss’s visit.
“Well that’s just great.” David said dejectedly.
By now, Evelyn wasn’t as put off to see a talking equine in her house, so she opted to comfort her husband turned pony.
Later, Mr. Hardee arrived and asked to see David, who was hesitant to show himself. David finally had no choice but to reveal his new body to his boss and therefore emerged into the living room. Mr. Hardee’s reaction was expected, so Evelyn tried to explain things as best she could while David sat in the center of the room feeling like a germ under a microscope. David mentally prepared himself for the worst.
When Mr. Hardee finally regained his composure, he cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Well it seems that we do have a bit of a problem on our hands, don’t we Mr. Marshall.”
Really now? What gave it away?
“While I know this isn’t your fault, Mr. Marshall, I simply can’t have a pony type creature punching in at my shop. It’s nothing against you, David, but I’m afraid if there’s nothing you can do, then there is nothing that I can do.”
Oh wow, you missed the “it’s nothing personal” line there, Steve.
“I’m really sorry, David. I’ll tell you what. I will give you three weeks vacation so you can see if there is a way for you to return to normal. If you can’t by then, I am going to have to let you go.”
“Yeah, I kinda saw that coming.”
“I’ll drop by in three weeks to see if you have fared any better.”
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Three weeks came and went with no miraculous change in David’s favor. Mr. Hardee was regrettably forced to fire him, but he did give David and extra bonus in his last paycheck to show his appreciation for all of his hard work. A few days later, David’s friends stopped by to see if he was alright. He did the same thing with them as he did with his ex-boss. The results were not too different. They offered their sincerest condolences and said that they would “be around”. Yeah, they weren’t coming back. David felt deeply hurt that his own friends turned their backs on him. Some friends they turned out to be.
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Without a job, David tried entertaining himself at home while his wife went off to work. It was hard trying to keep his mind off his new form and the new challenges that accompanied it. Many times he would try to use his hooves to grasp things. This helped to an extent. His tail often got in the way of things when he tried to work on his Defender out in the garage. He was also too short to reach any thing higher than a meter, thus having to rely on Evelyn to either get whatever it was that he needed or lift him up. He didn’t shed like a dog, so hair displacement wasn’t a problem, but brushing the tangles out was. He would try to shower himself, but many times his hooves would cause him to slip and fall. Sleeping in the bed became awkward also. Everytime Evelyn rolled over she bumped into a furry body she wasn’t accustomed to yet. To avoid any conflict, David resigned to sleep on the couch.
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David continued having dreams of Axel’s life events. Everything from what grades he got in school to how well his wagon construction and repair business prospered, David saw it all. Some dreams he enjoyed, some he wished to never witness again. They all had variety and never seemed forgettable. David hoped he wouldn’t lose his own memories. He had lost his humanity already. He didn’t like the thought of losing his memories of his own life. Fortunately his human memories remained intact.
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A few months went by and still no change in David’s favor. David began to lose hope of ever reverting back to his human form. The mood in the house began to worsen as disagreements arose between the married couple. Both of them tried to work things out, make it better, but any efforts to mend their now broken relationship ended in disaster. One fight ended in David getting kicked in the side when he bucked the wall in frustration. David and Evelyn gradually fell away from each other despite any attempt at retribution. It was as if the spark in their relationship had been suddenly and violently extinguished.
After a week of near sleepless nights on the couch, David noticed that Evelyn grew even more distant. Dinner became a silent dining event and she rarely watched any movies with him. Worrisome thoughts began to cloud David’s mind. His suspicions proved true when Evelyn came into the house one day with a small stack of papers. She never brought work home, so that narrowed down the list to one of a few things. Setting them down in front of him, Evelyn took a seat across from her ponified husband.
Divorce paperwork sucks.
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David sulkily set the last few items into the back compartment of the Defender. He closed the rear door and turned to go back to get a bottle of water for the trip when he nearly bumped into Evelyn. The awkward silence was drawn out until she cleared her throat and attempted a sincere goodbye.
“I’m sorry it had to end like this, David.”
“Whatever happened to ‘for better or for worse’ Evelyn?”
“I think this has gone far past worse. Don’t you think?”
What I think is that you’re just abandoning me.
“Where will you go?”
David noticed she had tried to change the subject. To avoid an argument, David decided to simply answer her question.
“I’m thinking my parents’ house. They’re the people I’m sure I can turn to.”
“Well, I hope you’re better off there. I’m really sorry.”
Save it. “I’m sure they’ll have room for me. I...guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, see yah.”
David climbed into the driver’s seat of the Defender, adjusted the seat forward as far as it permitted, and started the engine. Just able to reach the clutch pedal, he shifted into first and drove out into the street. David glanced into the rear view mirror to see the quickly shrinking house vanish behind the others as he rounded a bend.
--------------
Driving carefully to avoid any unwanted attention, David slowly pulled into his parents’ driveway. Their silver Honda Odyssey sat in the open garage confirming that they were home. David brought the Land Rover to a stop and set the parking brake. Stepping out, he noticed that no one was outside. David lightly knocked on the front door with a hoof.
“Coming! Hold on,” a voice called from inside.
“Here goes nothing,” David said to himself.
The door opened and David was greeted with the face of his aging mother.
“Hello, how ar- well where did they go?”
David cleared his throat, “Down here.”
Mrs. Marshall looked down to where the voice came from.
“Hey mom, how’s it going?”
--------------
About forty five minutes of awkward later, David was slowly walking back to the Defender.
Well, that couldn't have gone any worse.
Unfortunately for David, his parents didn't fully accept that the pony asking for their help was in fact their son. Despite similarities in voices, and the possession of his Defender, they still had a hard time coming to grips with his new body.
David jumped back into the driver’s seat and backed out of their driveway. Several blocks down the road, David fully realized that he now had nowhere to go; no one to turn to. This revelation prompted him to stop at the side of the rural road. Getting out he found the nearest tree and proceeded to buck the trunk as hard as he could. Tears of rage, frustration, betrayal, and hopelessness rolled down his cheeks as he pounded all his negative feelings into the tree. Ten minutes later, his body strength began to ebb. David felt himself calming down and his breathing began to stabilize.
Climbing back into the Land Rover, David wondered where he would head to now. The road winded through the countryside out of the city limits. Looking into the forest, David finally came to a decision. Starting the engine once again, he shifted into first, turned to the right and plowed through the underbrush into the woods.
This wasn’t one of his normal trails he wheeled on. This was unmarked territory. Bumps were bigger and tree branches hung lower. The mud caked onto the tires and undercarriage. David wasn’t sure how far he had driven until he checked the small radio clock. Apparently he had been driving for an hour and a half. This did nothing to dissuade him and he pressed on.
Forty five minutes later, the Defender finally let him know that he was low on fuel. Slamming on the brakes, David assessed the situation. He could stay here and live off the land or try to find help. Thinking what someone might react to him, he settled with the first option.
--------------
Months passed; Summer went and Autumn arrived. David had gathered supplies and food for the winter. Using some of his knives, he crafted a small, crude cart out of the trees nearby. He used the cart to carry more wood and food. David mentally thanked this Axel guy for his abilities that he bestowed on him.
-------------
Winter came and David was barely prepared for the freezing gales that passed over the woods. With no fuel left for heating, David relied on a thick blanket that he put in the back. Some mornings the windows would be frosted over with beautiful patterns. The cold didn’t seem to bother David that much, so he chalked it up there with the newfound abilities this body had to offer.
-------------
Spring arrived and the snow began to melt along with the pouring rain that came before the heat of the summer. One night when David was resting, he heard a thump and a crack. Looking up he noticed one of the curved windows had been cracked from a fallen branch. Minutes later the rain found its way in through the crack and onto David’s muzzle. David located a small bucket and placed it under the spot where the dripping water would land.
-------------
Summer returned with the sunny days and heat waves, prompting David to go swim in the small river nearby. After swimming in the river for a few hours, David felt cool and refreshed. He exited the flowing water and lay upon a rock to allow himself to dry out. Once he was sure his fur, mane and tail were dry, he trotted back to his Defender.
--------------
About four years had passed with David doing the same thing as he did every season. With no outside contact, he contented himself without the company of others by simply talking to himself or Denise. This reminded him of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks where he would talk to Wilson the volleyball. David figured as long as Denise never responded he knew he was not losing his mind.
Four years of solitude also took an effect on his body. His mane and tail grew out in an unkempt manner as David had no knowledge of proper pony grooming. David recalled one of Axel’s memories when Rarity invited him to a spa. Maybe he could find this Rarity again sometime. Shrugging, he continued what he was doing.
One sunny day, David decided to take the cart and gather some of the wild fruits that grew in the area. Since the good tasting ones were farther away, he closed up his Defender and hitched himself to the cart. Trotting off he made a note of which direction he took so he could get back quicker.
--------------
The leaves rustled in the calm summer breeze. Sunlight poured in through the trees onto the forest floor. Birds chirped on tree branches while squirrels chattered as they gathered acorns. The scene defined nature at its most calm and tranquil time. The only thing that seemed to conflict with this peaceful scene was an old Land Rover Defender sitting quietly, attempting to blend in with the forest foliage.
The Land Rover’s attempt at a peaceful coexistence with nature was momentarily interrupted by a sound of fluttering wings and a sound of alighting hooves on the forest floor.
“See Autumn, I told you there was something down here.” A light grey Pegasus mare with a light blue-green mane and tail pointed a hoof towards the disabled vehicle. “What sort of carriage is this?”
The orange Pegasus beside her examined the wreckage of the carriage. “It appears to be some sort of horseless vehicle of some sort, sister.” Autumn Breeze responded to her sister.
Summer looked around for whoever this carriage belonged to. Perhaps whoever owned the vehicle was lost or injured. She thought to herself. The grey Pegasi went up to the vehicle and peered into the window, hoping to see who or what was inside.
“Hello? Any pony home?” Summer said, tapping a hoof on the car window, hoping for a response.
“Summer, I don’t think any pony lives in it. I mean look, it doesn't look like a house.” Autumn remarked, pointing a hoof towards the vehicle in question. The orange maned Pegasus seemed concerned that the owner had either abandoned the vehicle or would soon return.
“True, but let’s check the inside real quick.” Summer continued to examine the vehicle, hoping to find the owner’s registration or some form of sign some pony was in this area.
Inside the Land Rover, Summer and Autumn would see that some pony or someone had been using this vehicle as a shelter. The back of the vehicle served as a bedroom, complete with a blanket and some personal effects, as well as some food wrappers and containers.
Summer looked around the inside for any more possible clues when she heard a twig snapping sound nearby.
---------------
David was headed back to his Defender deep in thought. He was preoccupied with plans for the winter and where he would store the next food gatherings. He trotted near the spot where his truck resided when he began to hear voices
David stopped and listened to the voices, thinking it was his imagination, or the wind. However when he slowed his breathing and perked an ear, the voices became clearer. They sounded high pitched, like that of a female.
With his curiosity peaked, David unhitched his cart and crept through the tall weeds. David didn’t know what to expect, so he kept low and quiet. Creeping closer to his truck, the he surmised that the voices were definitely female. They were speaking of the interior of his Defender and were wondering where the occupant of the vehicle was at.
Creeping ever closer, David finally got a good look at the two females. At first he thought he was seeing things, but after rubbing his eyes, he had no doubt that the two females were in fact two creatures that he believed to only exist in Greek mythology. Two pegasi stood near his truck clearly speaking in English and were gesturing at his truck.
David didn’t know what to do. The first thing that came to mind was to back away slowly. He did just that. Too bad a small twig gave away his position. Busted.
The snapping of a twig alerted Summer and her sister that they were not alone. “We need to hide. Quickly, Autumn, to the air!” Summer flapped her wings and ascended into the air.
Autumn flapped her brownish-red wings and took flight, alighting on a sturdy branch in a nearby tree. Her sister also found herself occupying a different branch, staying still, hoping whatever startled them would not look up.
David saw the two pegasi fly off quickly. He couldn’t trace their direction and thought that they were gone for good. Reattaching his cart after locating it, he headed back toward his Defender. As he approached his truck, he looked around to see if the two pegasi were lingering somewhere. Upon looking up at a tree he noticed one of the creatures sitting atop a branch looking fearfully down at him.
“Hey,” he said stoically. He noticed her reaction change from fear to curiosity.
“Uh, hi,” the gray one said down to him, waving a hoof to him. “Is that your vehicle? My sister and I were in the area, and we wondered what happened. Oh, I’m Summer Breeze, and this is my sister, Autumn.”
Autumn waved a hoof to the Earth pony. “Pleased to meet you! Can you tell us your name?” The brownish-red Pegasus with the orange mane and blue eyes asked politely.
“Hey, there. Name’s David. But, you can call me Axel, if you would like. It’s not really my name, but it is a catchy nickname if I do say so. Yeah, that is my truck. I drove it here about five years ago and decided to call this little spot home.”
David unhitched himself from his cart beside the Land Rover.
Summer and Autumn flew down off their branch perch and hovered down, their hooves touching the ground at the same time. “Are you alone all by yourself, David, er Axel?” Summer spoke up first.
“Yep, just me, Denise, and the great outdoors,” David said breathing in deeply. “I haven’t ventured very far from here for awhile. Are you two from town?”
Autumn shook her head and spoke up, “I was looking for my sister when I found her in a city called “Calgary”. We saved a little filly from falling off a cloud and built a home for us in the sky.”
Summer nods and adds to her sister’s story, “You see. Autumn and I share a special bond, being twins and all. However, I represent Summer, and she.” Summer points to her sister, “is more of a fall pony. You can clearly see this best represented by our Cutie Marks.” The twins turned to show Axel their Cutie Marks.
Summer’s Cutie Mark on her flanks were a light blue grey color, and depicted the gentle west wind. Autumn Breeze’s Cutie Mark on her flanks depicted a bare tree and a falling fall leaf Cutie Mark.
David told the two about his Cutie Mark and what it meant. He turned and showed them his. A wagon with a wrench and hammer adorned his flanks. His talent consisted of building and fixing wagons.
Summer nods, “Wow, that is a great story! Would you like to hear about how my sister and I earned our Cutie Marks?”
“Sure,” David responded. “I've got time.”
Summer nudged Autumn and smiled, “You go first. Tell him about that race you entered in the woods.”
Autumn was nudged and blushed, “Very well, sister.” She cleared her throat. “You have heard of the Annual Running of the Leaves Race, yes?”
David searched his memories for the event that Autumn mentioned. He briefly heard of such event. He also recounted the one unforgettable event when his friend’s sister entered as a competition between her and a rainbow maned Pegasus. “Yeah, I've heard of it. I've yet to attend one though. You know how work is sometimes.”
Summer nervously chuckled, “Yeah, my sisters and I used to be a part of the Weather Team and the Sky team back where we came from. You kinda look familiar....are you that wagon repair pony that had his own business in town?”
David recalled Axel’s shop. “Yeah that would be me. I had a knack for fixing broken wagons for anypony that needed some repairs done. Big Mac was my best customer. His apple carts would take a beating come Apple Bucking season.”
Autumn continued her story after the brief interruption, “Okay, well, the leaves in the race don’t really run; it’s the ponies who gallop through Whitetail Woods during the Running of the Leaves that cause the leaves to fall off. I won the year I earned my Cutie Mark. Fall is one of the best times of the year!” Autumn smiled as she reminisced about her experiences in Ponyville.
Summer nods, “Okay, now to my story. It involves the Summer Sun Celebration, the Princess of the Sun, and me bringing a gentle warm summer breeze to the event! Our parents were very happy for us. Even Princess Celestia, the Princess in the story, was very pleased. She even allowed us to have our cute-ceneras at the Royal Canterlot Gardens!” Summer remembered the day as a filly, where she first met Princess Celestia, asking for her help in providing her cue to raise the Sun for the Summer Sun Celebration. She also earned a nickname, Zephyr, which she later dropped in favor of her birth name.
“Those seem like really great experiences! If you don’t mind listening to my story, I could tell you two of how I got my Cutie Mark,” he asked the girls.
Summer shook her head, “If we told you our Cutie Mark stories, you should be willing to share. After all, we are now friends now.”
Friends. Wow, haven’t had any of those in a while. David thought to himself.
“Yeah, it really isn't super amazing, but a worthy story nonetheless. Before I lived in Ponyville, I lived near Trottingham with my dad. I had a friend there who had a small toy wagon he loved to play with. One day, it broke and he asked me if I could fix it. I agreed and looked at what was damaged. One of the wheels fell off, so I borrowed my dad’s tools and fixed the wheel with a hammer and nail. Easy fix, but it got me my mark.” David said.
Autumn nodded after hearing such a great story. “That was an amazing story, David...or Uhm, Axel? I really am confused as to what you are going to be calling yourself. You were once a human, right?” She asked the stallion.
Summer frowns, “You know about the humans disappearing and becoming ponies, right? The humans end up with a Cutie Mark and within a few days time, they end up as the pony that the Cutie Mark belongs to. Sometimes, human males become mares, from what I have heard.”
David cringed at hearing that. He was glad that at least he pulled through the transformation with his gender intact. He couldn't possibly think of how he would handle becoming a mare. Pushing the morbid feeling from his head he tried to recount of any stories of disappearances in his old hometown. “Hmmm, no I didn't hear of anything. My transformation happened about five years ago. Things went south, and so I've been out here since then.”
Summer and Autumn hover over and give Axel a hug. “It’s okay. You are now among friends. Autumn and I both changed within a week of getting our Cutie Marks. I did not know I even had a sister looking for me until I felt a strong tug at my heart when I first saw her.” She draped a hoof over her sister’s shoulder. We've stayed together ever since, working on getting her wings back in shape. We have two other sisters who have also went through the same thing. They are at our cloud house, waiting for us to return.”
Autumn nods, “Indeed. I also felt the loss for my sister, but we are together again! We are searching for a pair of necklaces that we lost. They are a complete set, and contain our Cutie Marks. I think they may have ended up in a place called a “Jewelry Store.”
David thought for a minute. He hadn't visited any jewelry stores or the like in a while. He dejectedly admitted to not having any knowledge of their necklaces’ whereabouts. He was willing, however, to help them find their necklaces. Perhaps a change in scenery was in order. The forest held only so much entertainment.
Summer then added, “If you help us find our necklaces, we can try to find a place that you can get your mane trimmed that caters to ponies. Not sure if it’s anything like what we had back in Ponyville and that day spa.”
“Sure,” He replied. “My tail has been dragging through the dirt, and I've tried to keep it outside when I go to sleep. My mane likes to obscure my forward vision from time to time.”
Summer flapped her wings, as did her sister, Autumn, “So, we go into town, find us a jewelry shop and then we treat this stallion to a day spa and something to eat.”
Autumn frowned, “But this is not Ponyville....or Equestria, sister. Do we have any bits for the jewelry shop or for his or our spa treatments, or the dinner?”
“Well,” he said as he opened the Defender’s door. “I don’t have much use for these anymore. Perhaps these could get us some cash,” he said as he held up a pair of gold wedding rings.
Summer nods, examining the rings, “I take it you were once married before you became a pony?” She then got an idea. “Why don’t you work with the jewelry shop and see if you can get cash for those. I hear some places take gold jewelry for cash these days. You can then figure out if you have enough money for the day spa and the dinner.”
Autumn added, “Just remember to make sure they eating places will have anything vegetarian and are within our budget. I don’t think our insurance will cover for equine maladies.”
“Yeah, no problem,” David said. “These should be able to fetch us at least a couple hundred bucks.” David paused. “Uhm, where did you plan on going to? I'm pretty sure we’re a far cry from any town.”
Summer and Autumn nodded to each other. “We can fly over and see where the nearest town is, if you want.”
Autumn nods and takes off to scout out the area. “Leave this to me.” She scans the area and returns back with good news, “I believe the nearest town is this way,” she points her hoof towards the town, which also included the beginning of a cloud Cloud house floating above it.
Summer nodded, “Yes, I can see our house from here; very nice!” She then turned to David/Axel. “We started construction on a cloud house for us Pegasi to live. Sadly, you may not be able to join us, unless we run into a unicorn who knows a walk on clouds spell or are a Pegasus.”
“Hmm, well I've been living in my truck for five years, I don’t think it would kill me to stay in it nearby your cloud house,” He said gesturing over to the Land Rover.
Zephyr nods at the vehicle. “Can you still get it to work so we can head out and take care of these errands?”
“It’s been out here for five years. I don’t think the old girl will even start. But good ol’ earth pony strength will keep her from rotting out here all alone. I can just hitch up to her and pull her anywhere you guys want to go.” David said proudly.
Autumn clapped her hooves as did Summer. This was a good day, indeed!
“That is wonderful!” Summer said, flying over to help David hitch up to his truck. “So you’ll pull us into town, and get us our jewelry, some spending money for dinner, and get this guy cleaned up.”
Autumn nodded, also helping David hitch up to the truck. “Well, I think we should get the money first, then our jewelry. Then we get David, or Axel, here cleaned up and trimmed. We could also need a little spa time as well.” Autumn suggested.
“Not a problem,” David said as he started pulling the Defender through the mud. As he pulled he thought to himself what had transpired. He had gone from living alone in the forest to meeting new friends welcoming him into their lives. This was a major turning point for him. He figured that now was a good time to start new. A thought crept into his mind and he couldn't help but carry out what was on his mind.
“Oh yeah, I suppose you could just call me Axel. Sounds a little easier to say, and I am kinda starting to like it.”
Summer and Autumn led the way in the air, making sure to keep their eyes upon the earth Pony pulling his truck “Okay, Mr. Axel!” Zephyr nodded, saluting the Earth pony formerly known as David.
Autumn smiled as Axel continued the journey into town with them. It almost felt like back in Ponyville, seeing Axel coming into town to do his grocery shopping or helping other ponies with broken wagons or delivering fully repaired wagons to clients. “Looks like we know who to ask for if our wagons need repaired or replaced.” Autumn said, looking at the stallion.
“Axel’s the name, fixin’ wagons is the game,” He said jokingly. Axel began feeling happy as he followed the two mares. He now had a place to stay and friends to make fantastic memories with. The Land Rover seemed to weigh next to nothing as Axel smiled as he trotted through the forest.
Summer reached the clearing first, followed by her sister. “Mr. Axel, this is the town we are staying in. I think you will find it has the places we need to visit within walking distance of each other.”
Autumn added, “You can leave your vehicle at our cloud home. We call it One Cloud Lane. It’s mobile, so, when we are to leave, we can take it with us.”
“That actually sounds pretty cool,” Axel said. “This I’ve gotta see.”
Summer and Autumn then showed Axel their new home. “Ta-Da!” The twin Pegasi said in unison. The cloud home was reminiscent of the Greek style of Cloudsdale, complete with the Corinthian columns adorning the front entrance. "This is One Cloud Lane, where we are staying with our sisters and some new Pegasi friends."
“It’s not fully finished yet. Just needs a little more work on the foundation. Otherwise, it is livable.” Autumn said, grabbing a cloud to patch a hole in the roof area.
“Hmm, impressive,” Axel said looking up at the cloud house. “I’ll just leave the Defender just over by one of the corners.”
Axel towed the Defender over to the house’s corner underneath the front door. After unhitching himself, he told of the various jewelry stores and pawn shops that buy jewelry. Those locations would be a good place to start.
Summer helped her sister patch up the errant holes on the roof of the cloud house, and then landed. “I think that will hold until we can gather more cloud materials for the rest of the house.”
Autumn felt bad for Axel giving up his wedding rings for their benefit, but they needed his help. The orange-maned Pegasus looked over at Axel and said, “If you are ready, we are. Let’s just hope the townsfolk are tolerant of a group of ponies walking around like we used to in Ponyville.”
“They shouldn't give us any problems. You've been around here lately, right? We might get a few stares, but nothing of too much concern.” Axel reassured the girls.
Summer nods, “Yeah, besides, I think the younger kids find us quite enjoyable. They’ll probably want to have toy figures of us. Hasbro owns the rights to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, right?”
Axel thought about this for a moment. “I think I’ve heard of that show. Long time ago though. A friend of mine showed it to me. It seemed to be the most intelligent animated show of that day. Everything else was really stupid.”
The two mares and stallion began to make their way towards town, chatting and catching up for lost time. As their conversation continued, Axel mentioned one of the pawn shops was coming up on their right. He asked the two mares what their necklaces looked like in case he came across them in this store.
Summer nods, “Autumn and I were to give each other for our birthday a set of matching necklaces...our other two sisters, Spring and Winter, have the other necklaces that belong to the Seasonal Collection.” She began to say. She paused and allowed Autumn to continue the description.
Autumn finished the description of the missing necklaces, “The necklaces have our Cutie Marks etched into the center of them. Why do you think a pawn shop would have something from Equestria?”
“It was one of the first things that came to mind. If some girl isn't already wearing them, someone will undoubtedly try to make some quick cash off of them. Depending on how many karats are in your necklaces, they could make quite a bit of money to go toward paying bills, gas for their car, or something you probably wouldn't want to know about. Oh yeah, how did you lose them?” Axel asked.
Summer snorted, “Discord happened. He ruined the party at Sugar Cube Corner like an uninvited party crasher, partook in all the party games and located our presents. Then, he snapped his fingers/talons and poof, they were gone!” Summer exclaimed
“Wow, that’s horrible!”
Axel opened the front door of the pawn shop. A small bell above the door announced their entry.
“Hello, welcome to the Gilded Dra- uhhh who are you?” The clerk asked.
Summer landed and folded her wings to her side, as did her sister. “Good day to you. My name is Summer Breeze, and this is my sister, Autumn. We are looking for a pair of necklaces with a gold chain, and an engraving of these symbols in the center.” She and her sister turned to show the clerk the Cutie Marks on their flanks. Summer's Cutie Mark was a light blue green wavy line, depicting the gentle west wind. Autumn's Cutie Mark was three falling leaves; one green, one yellow, and one orange.
Autumn continued, “They were a birthday present and mean a lot to my sister and I. This stallion has offered to help us locate them.” The orange maned Pegasus said to the clerk, pointing a hoof towards Axel..
The clerk looked at their marks on the two mares’ flanks. Pointing at Autumn’s mark he grinned and said,
“I recognize that one. Some man brought that in a few weeks ago. He wanted way too much for it, but I was able to bring him down a few hundred dollars.”
Summer nods clapping her front hooves together, her wings flapping in elation over the good report, “Excellent news! But, what of my necklace? The jewelry store where we are from sold it to us in a set. Unless somehow, they were able to separate them....”
The clerk gave her a look.
“Well whoever ‘they’ are, they probably tried to sell them at two different stores in an attempt to make more money. Selling in bulk isn't always the way to make money.”
Axel pulled out the two wedding rings.
“Do you suppose we could trade these rings for that necklace based on value?”
The clerk took a hold of the rings and placed them under a special lit magnifying glass.
“Hmmm, these actually look to be in pretty good condition. I suppose, based on the value of the necklace, I’ll give you two hundred dollars and the necklace for these rings.”
Autumn smiled at the clerk, “What do you think, Axel? Is that a good deal? Maybe we should ask him for the location of Summer’s necklace.
“Aww, I was thinking more like three hundred.”
“Two hundred and fifty,” the clerk said back.
“Two hundred eighty,” Axel calmly stated.
“Two seventy five, that’s as low as I’ll go.”
Summer and Autumn glanced at each other nervously as the clerk and Axel stared at each other with poker style faces for about five seconds.
“Deal, two seventy five,” Axel said, holding out a hoof.
“Deal, let’s get you the paperwork,” the clerk said shaking Axel’s extended hoof.
Later, the three left with some cash in pocket and a gold necklace around the neck of a smiling Autumn. Summer couldn't help but ask the million dollar question.
“What was that all about?”
“What, that little bit of price haggling?”
“Whatever you call it, yeah that,” Summer said frustratingly.
“It’s what you do when you try to get a bargain off of something in a pawn shop.”
“Kind of like when you are at the Ponyville Marketplace and you want the best price for food items?” Autumn asked.
“Yes,” Axel said, smiling. “Just remember to stay calm and collected when trying to bargain with a pawn shop vendor. If you seem too excited to buy something, he might drive up the price.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“Pawn Stars,” Axel said grinning like a hyena.
Summer thought about what Axel had done for them. “Wow, we really are grateful you are around. You think my necklace is somewhere in this town?”
Axel thought for a minute.
“I hope so. For all we know, it could be buried under two meters of snow in Antarctica.”
Autumn gave Axel a glare, and then resumed her search for her sister’s missing necklace. “So, the pawn shop had my necklace. Who would have Summer's?”
“My next guess would be a local jewelry store that accepts trades.”
The three continued on through town, ignoring the stares of some curious onlookers.
Summer looked back at the onlookers to see a Clydesdale stallion pony with two Pegasi travelling together like they owned the town. “What’s a matter with these people? Haven’t they seen a Pegasus or an Earth pony before?”
Autumn shook her head, “But, we are not from this world, sister. In Equestria, we are a common sight as all the other ponies. However, these “humans” are not ponies. They wear clothes for the most part, and stand on two legs.” The orange-maned Pegasus said, flapping her wings gently.
The three ponies came across a Kay Jewelers store and looked at an ad on the storefront. It read that a buy, sell,and trade event was going on for the next three days. The ponies looked into the glass at the front to see various rings, necklaces, pendants, and earrings.
“Hey is that it right there?” Axel pointed his hoof at a necklace around a blank, white bust.
Summer squinted at the necklace, and then her eyes lit up. “Yes! That is it! Do we have enough to buy it? It would be like celebrating our birthday and opening our presents.”
“Alright, let’s see if these folks are in a generous price-dropping type mood,” Axel nervously said as they entered the fancy store.
Summer and Autumn hovered behind Axel as the stallion made his way to the front counter to negotiate the sale of the necklace they saw in the display case.
The clerk only raised his eyebrow at the sight of three equines entering his store, but simply passed it off as a money-making opportunity, seeing one of them wearing a necklace.
Unfortunately, the store clerk was more firm in his price. He wasn't at all like the clerk from the pawn shop. He was only up for negotiation if it was a trade they were looking to do. Axel was forced to pay the steep price, leaving them with fifteen dollars. Summer was thankful though that she was able to get her necklace.
Autumn smiled at the necklace her sister wore and then back at Axel. “Well, now it is our turn for helping us. We saved up some money and you, sir, are in a serious need of grooming!”
“I suppose a small trim off the ends so they aren't dragging on the ground gathering dirt will be fine.” Axel said, looking at the condition of his mane and tail.
Summer thought of a place that offered inexpensive hair cuts for ponies. “You think any barber shop would offer mane styling?”
The three trotted to the nearest barber shop up the street to try their luck.
Three hours and five barber shops later, the ponies began to give up hope for finding Axel a good mane cut. The last store they were willing to try came into view.
“Let’s hope that this shop stays within our budget. I’m getting hungry.” Summer complained, her energy fading slowly from all the hovering.
Autumn, too, was fatigued and hungry. “Yeah, I can tell when you don’t have any food in you, sister. You seem very lethargic.”
Axel looked up at the sign in front of the store.
“Oh, HAY no!”
The sign read “Jenna’s Styling for all your pets’ unruly fur.”
“Can’t knock it until you try it, Axel,” Autumn said with a small grin on her muzzle.
Summer looked over at Autumn and then at Axel. “Seriously? I mean, we are equines and not pets. But beggars cannot be choosers.”
The three ponies cantered into the store to hear all sorts of sounds from different pets all around.
A woman in her late twenties stood up from behind a reception desk.
“Hello, can I help y-” she paused mid sentence.
“This kind stallion is in serious need of a mane cut ma’am,” Summer Breeze said. “Could you help us out with his unruly mane and tail, please?” The light grey Pegasus pointed her hoof towards the larger stallion in their party.
The woman was unsure at first. Once she looked at the earth pony stallion’s long, dirty mane and tail though, she felt a little compassion for the creature. With fur and a mane like that, he must have been in the wild for a long time. She looked at his face and thought about how she could give him a good mane cut at a fair price.
“I think I could work something out,” she said, stepping around the desk. She knelt down to get a closer look at his mane. Axel stepped back a little, nervously trying to distract himself from the gaze of the young woman.
“Hmm, he might need a bath, too. He has some small twigs and leaves in his mane. Also gotta check for fleas or ticks.”
Axel began to blush profusely through his red fur.
Summer blocked her nose with her hoof upon hearing that Axel would need a bath and a mane trim, “Yeah, he kinda has that outdoorsy smell to him. How much is this gonna cost us?”
“First time customer discount sound fair? How about ten dollars.” The pet groomer offered.
Autumn looked over at Axel for his response. “Axel, is that going to be okay for you? I think that sounds fair enough. You’ll look and smell a lot better than you are now.” The orange maned Pegasus said, blocking her nose with her hoof.
Axel was sitting down, seemingly concentrating on a potted plant in the corner, a blush penetrating his red fur still.
“Sure, sounds great.” Axel was led to the back room, followed by the two mares, who hoped the groomer could work her magic on this stallion.
Ten minutes later, Axel was sitting in a large tub big enough for two Great Danes to sit in comfortably. Bubbles sat along the surface of the water while the pet groomer scrubbed his fur and mane with a lathered, soapy brush. Axel wore a bemused expression as he stared at the two mares giggling at his soapy form.
Summer smiled, “You certainly smell better, Axel. Let’s hope you can manage keeping your new look.”
Autumn nods, “Indeed. You must look presentable in public. You never know when you might get invited to the Grand Galloping Gala!”
Summer explained to the groomer. “It’s a formal event, invitation only. Lots of dancing, food, and hosted by the royal rulers of our home country.” She then adds, “We are visiting from a land far away.”
After his bath and mane trimming, Axel payed the groomer.
“Well, who’s a pretty pony?” The groomer teased as she accepted the payment.
“Please don’t say that. My pride has been knocked enough today.” Axel groaned as they left the pet groomers with a very clean and well-groomed Earth Pony.
Summer and Autumn giggled at Axel’s plight.
Axel opened the door to the shop.
“Shall we?” He gestured to the exit.
“Yes, we shall,” Autumn said smiling.
“I suppose now would be a good time to head back to the house,” Summer suggested.
The other two ponies agreed as they exited the store and trotted back to their new home. The cloud home was accessible for any Pegasi who wanted to enter, as Pegasi could walk on clouds. For Earth Ponies like Axel, he would need a unicorn to cast a walk on clouds spell on him so he could relax around his fellow ponies.