//------------------------------// // Middle of the End of the Beginning // Story: The Stallion in the Library // by leonidas701 //------------------------------//         I hate being the third wheel. It’s so awkward and it just makes me all kinds of jittery. So, when Celestia came in to the party and interrupted Twilight and I’s game, I quickly excused myself. It wasn’t until I was at the food table, looking over what was left of the snacks and trying to avoid eating out of boredom that I realized that I didn’t have anything to do. It was still a good fifteen minutes to midnight, and I was left with nobody to kill the time with.         I scanned around the room, looking for something to entertain me. The foals were still watching their movie, but it was so close to the end that I didn’t feel like just jumping in. Applejack was talking with her brother about something, a green earth pony and a massive red unicorn had taken over the ping-pong table, and Rarity and her date had disappeared for reasons I don’t want to think too hard about. I tried to find Card, but he wasn’t anywhere in the room.         Suddenly, I felt a poke on my leg. I looked down and I saw Ike, the adorable little fluff thing that Card kept around as a pet.         “Hello little guy. I don’t suppose you know where Card is?” I asked, bending down to make eye contact.         I wasn’t expecting a response, but he surprised me. Ike nodded furiously and started motioning for me to follow him. Given that my options were following or being a miserable little wallflower, I went after him.         He lead me down a hall and I could hear Card speaking.         “Okay, what about this one?”         “Hmm… Cherry, lemon, vanilla, and… strawberry?” I heard Pinkie Pie say, which really threw me for a loop, but I guess probably shouldn’t have.         I went further down the hall and came across an open doorway where I could see Card and Pinkie sitting at a table, along with numerous empty glasses.         “Bingo,” Card said. “You’re really good at this.”         “Thank you! These are really, really good! Can you please make me another one?” Pinkie said.         “I wish I could, but I think Trixie wants to talk with me.” Card pointed at where I stood. I awkwardly waved. “I’ll see you at the fireworks show.”         “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie left. Card’s eyes lingered on the doorway, a slight smile on his face.         I walked in and took the seat she had occupied.         “What was that all about?” I asked.         “Pie said that she could tell what was in a drink just by taste. So, I mixed a few up and tested that out.”         “Where did you learn how to mix drinks?”         “When I was in college, I worked as a bartender at a nightclub.”         “Wasn’t that terrible for your sleep schedule?”         “College was terrible for my sleep schedule. Do you want one?” he gestured at the empty glasses.         “Nah, I’m good.”         He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He gathered up all the glasses and took them over to the sink. That’s when I noticed.         I guess that when he was mixing drinks, he rolled up his sleeves. He hadn’t rolled them down when I came in, and that let me get a clear look at his forelegs. Forelegs that were covered in bite marks.         I was so stunned by this that I didn’t even notice that he had sat down until he asked me what was wrong.         “What are those?” I asked quietly.         He looked down in surprise, his eyes widened as he realized what I saw. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, rolling down his sleeves.         That’s what did it for me. I had had enough of him hiding things from me. I grabbed one of his forelegs before he could roll his sleeve all the way down.         “No. Look, you don’t want to tell me you’re royalty, fine. You don’t want to explain how you have a house with moving rooms in the middle of one of the most dangerous places in the kingdom, okay, I’ll respect that. But Card, I am your friend. I can’t see your legs covered with bite marks that could only have been self-inflicted and just not worry!” I yelled the last part. I looked him in the eyes. I expected to see anger, or regret, or something, not…         Hhhhhhhhhh.         There was a spark. In his eyes, I mean. A flicker of emotion while I was yelling, I know there was. But it was just there for an instant before it vanished. His face became a picture of emptiness, his every feature motionless. I dropped his hoof in surprise.         Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. He blinked quickly and shook it off. Then he sighed, and looked at me. Now I could see a shade of emotion in his eyes, though I couldn’t quite place it.         “You and Twinkly are my best friends. I wish I could tell both of you everything right now, really, but it’s too dangerous right now.” He sighed again. “Soon, I promise. Soon I’ll tell you both everything. But for now, please don’t worry about this,” he gestured at his foreleg. “I promise you it’s not for whatever reason you think it is.”         I nodded. What else could I have done?         Card smiled widely, instantly switching from the empty-eyed stallion back to the one I work with and play with. The switch was so fast that it almost bothered me as much as his bite marks.         “Now come on,” he said with a point towards the clock reading 11:55. “Fireworks are starting soon, let’s go.”