//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Flying in the Wrong Lane // by soothsayer //------------------------------// "You know what I don't even care that somepony wrote you a love letter. I see you for what you are, a user." angrily yelled Blossom as she ran up to poke my in my chest. "I'm not I user!" I pleaded. "Yes you are! You are just like every other stallion around here. All you are interested in is the plot. You are not nor will you ever be staking off my acreage. I'm not for sale so go drive your claim spike someplace else!" she spat before taking to the air. Sitting there slack jawed I watched her fly out of sight. She was wrong. I wasn't that kind of stallion. The last time I bucked a mare was almost two years ago. It was how ever just a one time thing. The only other plot I got was what ever went on between me a Caramel. But, even that was over seven months ago. I wasn't that kind of stallion, was I? Reaching up to fetch my clothes I looked at them and what they represented. What had I done to deserve this? My temper started to spark and I could feel all the emotions that I had laying around in my heart like a cord of dry wood ignite. Throwing my Sunday best on the muddy ground I stomped it and ground it into the soil. After I worked out my frustration at Blossomforth. I took off into the sky. The wind felt good under my wings. I felt like my worries and emotions float away as I soared. Gaining altitude I broke through the cloud mass and was greeted by endless sky in all directions. This was the top of the world. If you were to believe the superstations of the ponies that lived south of the Macintosh Hills this was where they believe heaven existed. Looking around I knew for a fact there wasn't any heaven up here. Just endless sky and dead air. Everything life had thrown at me I had taken with pride. Yeah life for the most part had bucked most of my teeth out but I always shot life a bloody grin. It took mom. It took dad. The only thing I had going for me was my little brother, a handful of good friends, and a job that paid the bills. I had all kinds of mares to choose from but I still couldn't make a connection. I had Rarity but for how long. If she found that letter that was as good as over with too. I didn't take my time getting home. When I got there I found that no one was at home. Chase and Flitter had probably taken Rumble out for Ice cream or something. I don't know what I would do with out them. They were giving me time to talk with Blossom. Walking back to my bed room I fell out across my bed. I didn't stay there long before I went to grab a quick shower. After which I headed back out into the world. First I stopped by the girls place to check on Rumble. I didn't even get in the door good before Chase was shooing me out. "Come on, featherbrain. You and me have gotta have a talk," was all she offered as she led me away. She lead me to our favorite bar, Berry's place. We didn't sit at the bar like we usually did she ushered me into one of the booths. It was still early and there wasn't nopony in there except for Berryshine and her marefrined, Minuette. Chase left me sitting there as she walked over to the bar and paid for a bottle. She came back and set a bottle of ice berry flavored Smarenoff on the table along with two shot glasses. Sitting down across from me she let out a long sigh, "Your bucked, man!" Gulping I could tell by her tone that wasn't going to be a friendly chat over a shot or two. This was going to be a tough talk. So I uncorked the bottle and poured the two of us a shot. Raising the glass up I splashed the spicy blueberry flavored drink into my maul trying to miss my tongue and then slammed the glass down, "So tell me how bucked I am." Chase downed her shot and then poured us both another shot. She leaned closer to me and reached out and tapped my cheek lightly, "Well, I will be willing to bet that by tomorrow there won't be a mare in Ponyville that will be willing to date you." "What? All because of the fight me and Blossom had," I said in disbelief. She shook her head no and then said with a diabolical grin, "Nu uh. Blossom is the least of your worries. Although I would lay low for a while because Flitter wants to throttle you. No where you bucked up was leaving that love letter that she wrote you out for Rarity to get her hooves on it. You should have seen her. If looks could kill. Half the town would be dead by now." Running my hoof through my mane I could feel my face tighten in panic, "Damn it! Rarity's mad at me for carrying that stupid letter. She's more than likely thinks that Blossom was the author of the letter. And Blossom didn't even bucking write the letter." Spraying me with the shot she had just tried to down Chases eyes widened, "Wait! It wasn't a letter from Blossomforth?" Looking down at my glass I answered, "No. When I confronted her about it she said she had been working on a letter but it wasn't finished." "ahh ha ha!" laughed Chase as she pounded on the table making her glass and the bottle hop up and down on the table. She laughed so hard that she started to cry. "It's not funny Chase!" I wined. "Oh it so totally is!" she added between laughing fits. She was holding her sides from laughing so hard. Looking away from her I tried to focus on the other two mares in the room. Berryshine would occasionally look up while she wiped off the bar. Minuette however was looking straight at me. She had an amused look on her face and a glint in her eyes. She was sucking on a blow pop. Pulling it out of her mouth she curled her tongue around the red ball of sweetness in a seductive matter and then shot me a wink. Oddly enough I wasn't the least bit turned on. I was actually kind of disgusted. Maybe because I knew she was just bucking with me. Minuette was strictly into mares. Turing back to Chase I noticed that she had just about calmed down. Her sides still shook in after shocks of her mirth. Reaching up she wiped her eyes out with a hoof, "So, after burning the little letter from your secret admirer Rarity disembarked on the slander express and she didn't even wait until service was over. So, if I was you I would cash in on some sick days and get out of town until this blows over. If I was you I wouldn't show up for work because between hurting Blossom's feelings and Rarity's. Rainbow Dash is going to kill you." Fidgeting with my hooves I weighed my options. "I can't leave town. Thursdays is the anniversary of dad's death and Friday is Remembrance Day." Giving me a half smile I knew she was trying her best. "How bout me and Flitter watch out after Rumble for a couple days and you take some time off. You don't have to go anywhere just stay at home and take it easy. Or you could go and crash at Snowflake's in Cloudsdale. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Shrugging I took another drink, "I'll take you up on the offer to watch Rumble. But, I think I'll just stay at home. I don't want to kill Snowflakes chances with a mare by harboring a fugitive." "What ever dude!" she said as she rested her chin on the end of a hoof. "What is my problem? You sorta dated me. Can you give me a hint!" I asked wanting to know why my love life was a big pile of manure. Sniggering at my question, "Your problem is that your looking for the perfect mare and your too bucking impatient." "Why wouldn't I want to find the perfect mare? And how am I impatient?" I asked with a slightly raised voice. "She doesn't exist. You gotta find a mare you can stand and give her some time to grow on you. Everything evens out and over time if the two of you can work through your problems you'll find love. It won't be perfect. But, you won't care. And she won't care about your little quirks and shortcomings. You never give a mare a chance to grow on you. You just go on a few dates realize that she doesn't meet your high expectations and then you move on." she said in her best imitation of a therapist. She had just blew my mind. Downing another shot she quickly filled up again and drank again, "Got to drown this damn therapist before she takes up permanent residence," she said gasping for air. "I am one of those stallions." "What?" "Blossomforth said I was a user. I am. Only I'm not looking for a mare to buck I'm looking for a mare to make me feel whole. For the past two years I've dated over thirty different mares and I never dated any of them over a month. Most of them didn't even get a second date. I'm horrible." I groaned as I banged my head on the table. "No your not! Your just misguided," she said as she reached over and patted me on the back. All I did was groan again. Hearing her hooves hit the floor with a loud, "Clop!" I raised up too see what she was doing. She was shooting me a grin I hadn't seen in a while. "Oh no!" I peeped. Pulling me out of my seat she said almost giddy, "You need to get laid, Laney! And I'm feeling frisky."