//------------------------------//
// Rewards Reaped? 
// Story: The Adventures of Pitch and Ruby 
// by Nirtha 
//------------------------------//

	“Relax,” Ruby said. “Pitch won’t know what’s happening till it’s happened, and by then he’ll be so happy he’ll forgive us right away.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” Dusty Trailz asked.
Dusty Trailz was sitting at his desk with his computer. Ruby pushed the eject button and a shiny disk popped out. She grabbed the disk and looked at Dusty Trailz with a smile.
“He will,” she assured.
Dusty Trailz was blushing. “Okay,” he said quietly. 
He rummaged through one of his  desk drawers and found a clear case. Ruby took it and snapped the disk in place before closing it and placing it in a small black and red bag she brought. She took the strap between her teeth and flung it over her head, then let go to let it fall onto her shoulder.
Dusty Trialz walked her to the door. He didn’t say anything else, but he wanted to. She had let herself out and was standing at the other side of the door. Dusty Trails opened his mouth to speak, but closed it right away. 
“Well,” Ruby said, “I have to get going now. Thanks for everything!”
“Oh, um.” Dusty Trailz was fidgeting with his hooves. “Um, do you need any more help with anything?”
“No. I got it from here.” Ruby seemed to be lost in thought even as she spoke. Dusty Trailz wondered what she was staring at. Her head was turned to the side when she said, “If I get caught by Pitch again, I don’t want to have you involved. If I have to take any blame, it’s better that it’s only on me.”
“I don’t mind,” Dusty Trailz told her.
Ruby looked at him. Her expression seemed a little too serious for the situation; It was apologetic. “I’ve already involved you too much. I know you’ve felt uncomfortable about it up until now. I’m sorry I asked you for help with this even though I hardly know you.”
Dusty Trailz looked at his hooves as soon as Ruby made eye contact with him. “You’re forgiven,” he said. 
“Well that’s good.” Ruby was more relieved than Dusty Trailz could see. 
She had noticed Dusty Trailz's discomfort and she knew that he was shy, but his discomfort seemed to increase as they spent more time together. The only logical explanation that Ruby could come up with was that Dusty Trail hadn’t liked doing things behind Pitch’s back.
“Well, I'll see you later,” Ruby said, turning around and trotting away. 
Dusty Trailz gave an awkward wave as she trotted off to Celestia knows where. She hadn’t given him much information on her plans; She only told him what she needed and when she needed it. He was happy to oblige though. He hadn’t spent much time with anypony recently. Ruby wasn’t exactly sociable, but the more time he spent with her, the odder she seemed. She was interesting. 

Ruby made her way to the town hall. She found the bench that Pitch’s grandfather always played at. There were large speakers waiting below it. She opened her bag and pulled out the CD and a small CD player. She plugged the CD player into the speakers and sat up on the bench. Now all she had to do was wait. 
Celestia’s sun was almost at it’s peak. Ruby looked up at the sky, waiting for it to be right above her. Town Square was most crowded at noon, and even more-so in the afternoon. There were ponies already making their way to and from shops and homes, but there weren't enough quite yet. She needed to be patient; Everything needed to go perfectly. She hadn’t done all of that work to have it ruined by her own impatience. 
When the sun was finally high, and ponies were rushing past town hall and chatting near the shops and booths, Ruby rolled off of the bench and onto her hooves. Her face was serene, but her thoughts were rushing with giddy excitement. She almost cracked a smile, but there was work to be done. 
She hovered her hoof over the CD player for a couple of moments, almost feeling like she was putting her own work on the line. She took a deep breath and pressed play. The sound of Pitch’s music filled the air, and the ground vibrated under the speakers. Ruby wondered for a brief moment if the music was too loud. She immediately brushed the thought aside, and turned up the volume a tad bit. She wanted everypony to hear. 
Ponies stopped for a moment to see what was going on but nopony seemed to take any permanent interest. After a brief turn of their heads, they went back to what they were doing. Some even showed sign of irritation towards the loud music. Ruby’s heart sank as she watched ponies come and go, none of which seemed to have any time to stop for a listen. 
She considered stopping the recording but thought she would give it a little more time. If she stayed a little longer, maybe somepony would stop and listen. If she could just get one pony to listen, maybe more would follow. She sat on the bench trying to think up a way to get somepony’s attention.
While Ruby tried gaining fans for Pitch, Pitch was at home lying on his couch, very bored. He had nothing to do, and didn’t even consider touching his ballad horn. Bad things happened when he did. They weren’t horrible things, but he had been getting sick of Ruby’s antics. It was a little ironic. It had always been Pitch annoying Ruby. 
Thinking about it made him feel a little guilty. Ruby had never really blamed him for anything. She hardly complained about what he did and when she did, she seemed to forget about it by the next day. Even with the issue of his injured hoof, she just blamed herself. All of what she was doing now was because she blamed herself. He knew that he was being hard on her, but he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t want her to try helping him anymore. It wasn’t her problem. 
Pitch’s stomach grumbled. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it was an oddly early breakfast for him. Ruby’s frequent visitations had gotten him in the habit of waking up early. He didn’t like waking up early. It gave him too much time for nothing. He considered getting a job, but shrugged it off. If he got a job, then he wouldn’t be able to get back into his lovely habit of oversleeping. A job could wait just a little longer.
His stomach growled again and he moaned. He was too lazy to get up. He wanted to eat, but he didn’t want to leave the comfort of the couch. He began wishing Ruby was over. He would have been able to just exaggerate and complain about the pain of his hoof and she would do all of his work for him. She wouldn’t even have to get up herself. She had magic at the tip of her horn. He envied her for it at that moment.
The third growl finally had him on his hooves. He trotted over to kitchen, keeping his bad hoof off of the ground. It was getting much better, and the scabbing was beginning to disappear, but he was still worried about using it. He’d never been hurt so badly before and was afraid of pushing anything. He continued on the way he had been since he hurt his foot, keeping his hoof out of harms way.
Ruby was still in front of town hall, sitting on the bench with her back slouched and CD player on her lap. The music was more upbeat and slightly louder now. More ponies seemed to show interest but still, nopony bothered to stop. Ruby was glad to see a few heads turn and some of the smiles on their faces, but it wasn’t turning out as she had hoped. This wouldn't be enough to give Pitch that shove that he really needed. She was about to lose hope when a yellow filly with red hair tapped her leg. She was wearing a large big bow, and a huge smile.
“What’s that?” the filly asked. 
“A CD player,” Ruby answered, a little dazed. She hadn’t snapped out of her disappointment. 
The filly laughed. “I know that, but what is the music? I don’t think I’ve heard it before. Is that just one instrument?”
“Oh!” Ruby let out a soft laugh of embarrasment. “It’s a ballad horn.”
“Uh, I’ve never heard of it.” Her expression was thoughtful. “Where did ya find this?”
“I recorded my friend playing,” Ruby told her with a smile.
“Really?” the filly asked? “Is he famous?”
“Not yet,” Ruby said, “but I’m sure he’ll get there if he doesn’t tires hard enough.”
“It sound really really good!” the filly said.
“I think so too!” Ruby told her. “That’s why I’ve been out here all day. I’m trying to show everypony how amazing it is.”
“Wait here!” the filly commanded. “I’ll go get my friends!” The filly galloped off, but halted. She trotted back to Ruby and said, “Oh, I’m Apple Bloom by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ruby.”
The filly kept her smile and galloped away to find her friends. 

After finishing his breakfast, Pitch circled his house. He was losing his mind to boredom. He threw himself back and onto the couch again. He wondered why Ruby hadn’t tried visiting him that day. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. It was possible that she felt like she was only a nuisance to him now. It was also possible that she was busy with her work but he didn’t like the way they left things the last time.
He got off the couch and flew up the stairs. He found the cloak that Ruby gave him and threw it on. He carefully made his way down the stairs on three hooves, and left his house. He headed over to Ruby’s house, hoping he wouldn't be interrupting any serious work. When he arrived, he knocked on the door but there was no response. He tried opening the door, but it was locked. Ruby only locked the door when she left the house, so he trotted away. 
He wasn’t sure where he would be able to find her, so he just headed for the shops. On his way, he realized that he wasn’t far from Dusty Trailz. He decided to take a detour and stop at his friends house. 
He knocked on the door, and waited for a response.
Dusty Trailz opened the door with a hopeful smile but it vanished instantly. “Hey,” he greeted.
“Hi,” Pitch said back, feeling a little insulted by the reaction. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I just,” Dusty Trailz thought about it, “um, I just got a stomachache.” 
“Just now?” Pitch asked.
Dusty Trailz looked Pitch dead in the eye. “Yes.”
“Okay then,” Pitch didn’t know how to respond to the horrible excuse, so he went straight to the point. “Well, I was just wondering if you know where Ruby is.”
“I haven’t seen her,” Dusty Trailz said quickly, slamming the door in Pitch’s face. 
Pitch stood for a moment in utter confusion. “Dusty Trailz? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” he said through the door. “I just, uh.”
“Do you have a mare in there or something?” Pitch joked, laughing to himself.
“No!” Dusty Trailz snapped. “I already told you I haven’t seen Ruby!”
Pitch went quiet. “Is Ruby in there?” he asked, feeling a little awkward about the question.
Pitch heard the sound of his friend's forehead hitting the door. “No.”
“Maybe you should let me in,” Pitch said. “You really don’t seem okay.”
“No no,” Dusty Trailz said. “I’m fine. You go find Ruby.” Pitch heard Dusty Trailz's hit his head on the door a second time as the brown pony realized what he had just said. He shouldn't have been suggesting that Pitch go find Ruby, when Ruby was deliberately trying to avoid him.
“Alright,” Pitch said, still feeling a little concerned for Dusty Trailz. “Bye. I’ll see you later.” 
He trotted away, forgetting about the odd behavior. Now he just had to think of something to do. If he couldn’t find Ruby, he could at least find something to do now that he was out of the house. He considered going to a pet shop. He always wanted a puppy; A puppy would be a good companion for those days he couldn’t do anything. 
As he trotted towards the shops, he heard the music. It was faint, but he followed the sound towards the town hall. It was only a matter of seconds before he realized that it was the sound of a ballad horn. At first he was confused, but then he saw Ruby standing in front of the town hall, talking to three fillies. 
Apple Bloom had returned with her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. They weren’t a crowd, but Ruby accepted it as enough for the time being. 
“It sounds pretty,” Sweetie Belle said, “but don’t you think it’s a little too loud?”
“Too loud?” Scootaloo asked. “This is awesome!” 
Ruby was about to respond, but went silent when she saw Pitch storming over. 
“What are you doing?” he asked. “You know I didn’t want anypony hearing this!”
“We should probably go guys,” Sweetie Belle said. The three fillies cantered away and Ruby was left alone, aside from all the ponies walking by, with Pitch. 
“I can’t believe you,” Pitch went on. 
Ruby’s ears drooped to the side. Pitch didn’t care. He was too upset with her. Still, he didn’t want to yell at her in front of everypony.
“Can we talk about this somewhere else?” he asked, lowering his voice.
“Sure,” Ruby said, knowing there wasn’t much else to say. She could say no, but what good would that do either of them? She would listen to all of his ranting as long as he was willing to listen to her apology, but to get to get to that point she would need to let him finish first.
Pitch trotted away from town hall and Ruby followed him. They passed the major shops and a few houses before he stopped and turned to her. There was nopony there and Ruby waited for Pitch to let all of his anger out at her. 
“Why do you keep doing this?” he asked, anger filling his expression and his tone.
Ruby shrugged. “Somepony needs to give you a shove in the right direction.”
“And what makes you think this is the right direction?” he asked.
“Well it’s better than giving up the way you’ve been doing,” Ruby threw back.
“It’s my life and it’s my problem!”
“No, it’s not just your problem!” Ruby yelled back. She didn’t mean to let this turn into a heated argument, but emotions got the best of her. “That’s not what a friendship is, Pitch! All of your problems are my problems!” 
Pitch went silent. His ears began to droop but he wasn’t finished. With a softer expression, he went on. “Friends don’t do things behind another friends back.”
“I know,” Ruby looked down at her hooves, “and I’m sorry.” 
Pitch sighed. “I’ve already tried forgiving you,” Pitch said. “Even when I do, you keep going with this stuff.” 
Ruby didn’t look up at him. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I won’t do it again.” 
“Okay,” Pitch said. 
“We should probably go turn off the CD player,” Ruby mentioned.
Pitch facehoofed. “Yeah. We should.”
The two ponies trotted back toward the town hall. Ruby had intended to go straight to the CD player and shut it off, but it didn’t turn out to be that simple. When they arrived before town hall, ponies were surrounding the bench. Many were tapping their hooves to the sound of the ballad horn. 
Pitch’s jaw was dropped and Ruby was ecstatic. The music came to a stop, and everypony applauded. One pony yelled out, “Who is this by? I’ve never heard this before, but I’d like to know where I can buy this.”
Ruby looked at Pitch. “Well,” she said. “Tell them.”  
Pitch was speechless. He looked at Ruby, who was smiling at him, and back at the ponies cheering. He didn't know what to say. He had never expected anypony to get this excited over a ballad horn no matter how he played. 
"That was the work of this pony right here!" Ruby yelled out. 
Ruby pushed Pitch forward as everypony turned around to look at him. He couldn't find any words to express what he felt, which was mostly made up of shock. He stared in wonder and excitement. 
"Can you play more for us?" A mare asked. 
"I, uh." Pitch let out an awkward chuckle. "I don't have my horn with me." 
"Go get it!" Ruby told him. "I'm sure at least some of us can wait for you to return."
"I can wait," a stallion added. 
"So can I," somepony else added.
"Oh, Oh, Oh!" A pink pony was jumbing up and down in the middle of the crowd. She appeared in one spot, and the next second she was jumping up from another. "I'll wait too!! Then you can show us all how to play!" 
"Uhhhhh." Pitch stood motionless. Had she really expected him to teach everypony how to play a ballad horn.
Ruby was laughing beside him. It was nice to see her happy, but he felt that this just pushed them back twenty steps in the lesson she was just starting to learn. 
"Just go get the horn," Ruby told him. 
"Alright," Pitch said. He turned around and began trotting away. He turned to look back at Ruby. "Hey."
Ruby looked at him. "What?"
"Thanks."
"Any time!' Ruby said.
"I really hope you don't mean that," Pitch said as he left as fast as he could with only three hooves to trot with.

Ruby was surprised when he arrived ten minutes later. Pitch had given up the cloak and was flying back with a smile on his face. He passed over everypony still waiting at town square. He landed gently on the bench and stood before everypony with the small picture of a ballad horn and colorful music notes now decorating his flank.