Chapter 17: Ben
"Ha...ha ha ha...stop it Christopher Lloyd, you...ha ha...you know how ticklish I am." When the tickling around his ribs wouldn't cease, Bryce swatted at his love handles connecting with something long and rough to the touch. Wait...that's not Doc! Throwing the blanket off himself he found the yellow, black, and red banded body of a scarlet kingsnake. Bryce grabbed the snake and unlooped her from his belly, "Damn it Jack...I said on either my calves or my forearms, not my gut!"
Jack flicked her forked tongue at the human.
"What do you mean I woke you; you woke ME!"
Jack could only stare.
"Bah...you're no Corn, but you'll do," Bryce stated before kissing her on the head. Jack flicked her tongue a second time, "Well he's my dog. His name's Cornelius; but we always called him Corn because no one could spell his name right." Bryce loosened his grip on Jack, much to her relief, "I...conked him when we were in the forest. The last I heard he was with someone called Fluttershy, whoever the H that is." Bryce jumped up and walked over to the window and slid it up, "Well Jack, it's morning. So back out the window with you." Guiding her to the window sill the reptile slithered through and down to the ground.
With Jack back outside Bryce exited his bedroom and made his way to the bathroom to initiate his morning ritual. When he exited the bathroom he saw Applebloom slowly trotting up the staircase, her gaze fixated on the floor. Bryce waved at her, "Hey Sprou..." Before he could finish she rushed into her room and slammed the door. He stood there in shock, covering his ears until the ringing stopped, "Well...was it something I said?"
Shrugging it off Bryce descended the staircase; each step groaning in protest at his heavy mass. As he entered the kitchen he found his usual breakfast of fried egg sandwiches and a glass of milk waiting for him at the end of the table. He was almost surprised to find Granny Smith sitting down at the table as well. Bryce ignored her and took his usual place at the breakfast table.
As Bryce was removing the crusts from his first sandwich Granny Smith said, "Bryce, there's somethin we need ta talk about."
"...OK." Damn, what did I do this time?!"
"Now there's nothing for you ta get upset about; you're not in trouble. Ah've taken notice that you're feelin better." Bryce nibbled off a short row of his sandwich, chewing it thoroughly, swallowing it, and starting the process again. "Now Ah know you've been wantin some work ta do so the first day next week Ah have something you can do."
"...OK."
"Ah talked with Applebloom about it and she...didn't take the news very well."
Well that explains why she ran off, I guess.
"Ah was wonderin if you could go up and talk to her?"
Bryce had finished his first sandwich and was starting on the second, "Well...why me?"
"Because Applejack, Big Mac, and Ah tried but that only got her that much more upset. She couldn't even eat breakfast she was so upset. Just go up to her room and try to explain it to her."
"Well...I'll try. But I don't know what I can say that y'all already haven't." Bryce quickly ate his last sandwich, downed his glass of milk, and made his way back upstairs. Standing in front of Applebloom's door, he tried to think of something, anything to make the young filly understand. His mind was abuzz with many things he could use to justify this. In his head they all ended in the same outcome; Applebloom would only become more and more upset, scream and yell at him, and eventually stop talking to him all together, just waiting for him to leave.
After a few minutes Bryce decided it best to get it over with. Raising his hand he tapped his knuckles on the wood, "Sprout...it's me. Can...can I come in?"
There was no response from the other side.
He tapped the door again, "Sprout...I know you're upset, but...can we please talk?"
Still no response.
"Sprout, don't do this to me. Aren't we friends?" The door opened forward revealing the small yellow filly standing there in the doorway. "Can I come in?" Applebloom turned around and jumped onto her bed, not once turning back to look at Bryce. Bryce entered the room and shut the door behind him, "Sprout, your grandmother told me what's got you so upset. Sprout...I know this must be bothersome, but...I need to work."
Applebloom continued to stare off into space, not acknowledging that Bryce had said anything.
"Sprout...just please say something. You're...you're hurting my feelings."
There was a short pause before Applebloom said, "Why are yuh leavin?"
Bryce eyes shot open, "What...?"
"A...Applejack said you'd be leavin."
Bryce walked over to her bedside, "Well she didn't say anything to me. What exactly did she say?"
"She...she said that yuh had ta 'leave the homestead and get out there and find some work'."
Bryce covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head. When he was finished he removed his hand and said, "Applebloom, I think you took what she said out of context."
Applebloom finally looked up at the human, "What does...contacts mean?"
"Well, let me say it this way. When your sister said that she didn't mean that I had to leave."
"B...but she said..."
"It means I need to get away from the house."
Applebloom looked at him in confusion, "That still sounds like the same thing."
"No...I need to get away from the house, but I'll still be living here."
"Oh..." Applebloom was still confused about the whole thing, "How long are yuh gonna be gone?"
Bryce sat down on the edge of Applebloom's bed, "Sprout, think of it this way. Your brother and sister both tell you they're leaving when they go out to the orchard, don't they." Applebloom weakly nodded. "And don't they always come back before it gets dark?" She nodded again. "Well it just means I'll go out and work, but I'll still get back by dark."
Applebloom let out an annoyed growl and feel onto her back.
"Well, what is it then?"
Applebloom got on her hooves and shouted, "Ah want yuh ta stay here. Ah don't want yuh ta leave. Ah just want somepony ta play with me!"
Bryce tried to reply as calmly as he possibly could, "Sprout...I'm just too old to be playing with kids. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy all the games we've played the past week, but I'm...I'm an adult...and that means I can't do stuff like this all the time." He let out a heavy sigh, "I want to do stuff with you too, but I'm just too old."
Applebloom looked at Bryce. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but the words got caught in her throat. Turning her head downwards Applebloom bit down on her lower lip. Her orange eyes began to well up, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"...Applebloom?"
The filly dropped down on her belly and bury her face in her hooves. Bryce tried to rub her across her back but was rejected.
After allowing her to sulk for a few minutes she began to calm down. Bryce again tried to talk to her, "...Applebloom, if you can hear me...I want you to look at me." Applebloom slowly complied. "Applebloom...I want you to just lie there and listen to what I have to say. Everything I told you is true. I do wish I could play with you more, I do. The past few days have been some of the most fun I've had in my entire life. I would give almost anything so we could have more days like those."
Bryce again extended his hand to try and pet her. This time the filly allowed him the benefit. "But Applebloom, you need to play with others your age."
Applebloom buried her face back into her hooves.
With no other alternative, Bryce said the only thing he could think to try, "Applebloom...I know what you're going through." Not fully believing his claim she looked up at Bryce. "I mean, we're both kind of the same you and I. Back home my house was out in the middle of nowhere, just like yours. As you can imagine there weren't very many kids my age around so I usually had to find things to do on my own. I...it was just so lonesome."
"B...but wouldn't there anypony around?"
"Yeah, but they were all mostly adults and teenagers. I wanted more than anything to have someone my age to play with, but it just never happened."
"How did yuh get by though?"
"Corn, my dog I mean. I still remember the day Corn showed up at my house. He just...came out of nowhere one day, and from that day I never felt as alone as I had before." Bryce stopped for a second before speaking again, "So I do know what you're going through, but I'm not saying that you have to like it."
"W...well Ah don't."
Bryce continued to pet the filly across her back, "Shh...I know. Tell you what, I'll try and find someone your own age to play with. I don't know how, or when, but I will."
"D...do yuh promise?"
"Appl..." Bryce stared into her eyes; both of them red from her sobbing. "Applebloom...I promise to try. That's the best I can do." Applebloom mood instantly began to lighten. Getting onto her hooves she walked over to Bryce and pressed her head into his side, prompting Bryce to laugh once in his throat. "So...still friends?"
"Y...yeah..."
Bryce picked her up by her sides and pulled her into his chest, "Good." When he was finished with his hug Bryce placed her on the floor, "Now then, we still have a few days of playtime left. But first I think a certain little filly needs to get something in her tummy, would you know anything about that?"
At that second Applebloom's stomach began to grumble. She blushed as she gave a small smile.
"Well I suppose you do." Bryce stood up, "Once you get something to eat we'll go on out and play, what do you say?"
Applebloom immediately ran through the door, turning in the direction of the stairs.
Bryce hung back for a second before he followed, "Dear Lord...I don't know for what reason I was brought here, but please let it all be real."
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"There I was, staring him straight to the back of his throat; drool streaming down his lips, fur clinging to his fangs. His grip on my leg getting tighter and tighter by the second."
The group of foals that had gathered to hear Rainbow's valorous exploits against the monstrous being called 'Bryce' gasped in surprise. "With nothing else to do I started throwing my hooves out, trying to find any way to defeat this ungoddessly thing. Then I finally found it; right between his back legs, almost in plain sight, I found it. Acting fast I went pow, pow, and gave him a little of pow pow...bam bam bam bam...bam," she said as she threw her hooves through the air. "When I was all done I let him go. He was crying for his mama the whole way back into the Everfree Forest."
At the conclusion of her tale the foals all started jumping into the air; every one of them in awe of the rainbow mare's courageous act.
When the foals had lowered their voices a high pitched voice shouted over the young crowd, "Oh really, is that really how it happened?" Turning around everypony was met with the sight of Ponyville's resident fashionista.
"Uh...yeah that's exactly how it happened, why else...?"
Rarity smirked before saying, "Even the part about your dye job?"
"Yeah oh course...wait what?!" A chorus of hushed voices and giggles began to stream from the young foals. Rainbow Dash flew over the crowd and landed a few inches away from the white unicorn and spoke in a quiet whisper, "What the hay, how do you know about...?"
"What ever do you mean? That you dye your mane or that you have a coltish appearance?" she said, batting her eyes at that last part.
Rainbow gritted her teeth, trying to keep her voice down, "What...Did...You...Just...Say!?"
Rarity could only smirk back.
Rainbow pulled Rarity aside, well out of earshot of the gathered foals, "How much do you know?"
"Only that you hurt that poor boy over a misunderstanding and when you came back you got what was coming to you."
"A mis...A MISUNDERSTANDING! He was the one who hit Applebloom, I was just trying to protect her from that...thing."
"I know what he did, and that was a big misunderstanding, but that doesn't explain what happened afterwards."
"Well he...he kept on calling me a 'guy' what was I supposed to do?"
"Oh, so that justifies it then? He calls you a name and that means you have to disfigure the poor boy?" Rarity then sat on her hunches and did a mocking clap with her hooves, "Oh bravo Rainbow Dash. Bravo!"
"Yeah...but..."
"And what about when he was sitting at the side of the house, were you there to do the same thing again?"
"I was...spying on him, and he was making fun of me."
"He was joking. He wasn't trying to be mean about it; he was trying to make you come down. In fact he told me you were making fun of him," she said, poking an accusatory hoof into Rainbow's chest.
"What, no I wasn't!"
"Were not your exact words 'huge' and 'idiot'?"
Rainbow scratched the back of her head, "Well..." Rarity narrowed her eyes at the rainbow mare, "I did say that...but I wasn't being all literal and junk about it." Rarity continued to stare daggers at Rainbow, "What, I'm telling the truth. If I knew he was going to take so literally I wouldn't have said it."
"Then why did you start all these rumors about him if you weren't 'being all literal and junk'?"
"I..."
Rarity raised her hoof and shut her eyes, "I don't want to know your reasons. Whatever happened between you two either ends here now or else."
Now it was Rainbow's turn to glare at Rarity, "Or else what?"
"I'll tell everypony what really happened."
"*Pfft*, what makes you think they'll believe you?"
"Well I'm not the one making up stories to impress schoolyard foals now am I?"
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth but could think of no way to refute her claim. "F...fine."
"And you're going to apologize to him as well."
"What, why should I...?" She stopped when Rarity glared at her again. "Fine, but I'm not gonna like it."
"I really don't care if you do or not, but you better do it."
"Grr...why are you fighting for him so much?"
"Because he's my friend."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not actually friends with that thing; he's dangerous."
"He's not that dangerous. Sure he may act a little...odd at times; what with the constant flapping of those...fingers I think he called them, how he keeps rocking himself, and he's a stickler on every little thing, but he's...a good pony at heart none the less. In any case I feel I can trust him more than I can you."
"Wh...why?"
"I...don't know, he just seems like a pony could tell him anything and wouldn't tell a living soul."
Rarity then walked off towards the boutique leaving Rainbow to stand where she was. After a minute her attention was drawn to a orange pegasus foal with a short purple mane poking her in the flank, "H...hey Rainbow Dash, can you tell us again how you saved all of Ponyville from B...Bryce?"
Rainbow Dash brought a hoof up to her eyes, "N...not now kid, I have...things I need to take care of." Rainbow Dash then flew off, leaving the young pegasus in the dirt.
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Bryce swung his hand back and forth. When it was at the right point he released the horseshoe in his grasp. It landed nearly half an inch away from being a ringer. "Dam...dang it."
Instantly Applebloom began to giddily dance on her hooves. " Ah won, Ah won. Yuh wanna go again, Bryce?"
"Sure, we'll go one more round and then we'll head in for lunch."
Applebloom ran ahead and retrieved her horseshoes, Bryce doing the same soon after. He once again grabbed his first horseshoe and swung it back and forth in the direction of the pole. When he released it this time it landed more than a foot past the pole, "Dang...it looks so easy."
"Are yuh sure you're not lettin me win?"
"I'm playing honestly, really. It's your turn." Applebloom grabbed a horseshoe in her teeth and began to spin around in place. She kept turning and turning, her speed increasing with every revolution. "Sprout, that's enough. Go on and release it." She kept on spinning. "Sprout, come on now before you..."
At that second her hoof got caught on her tail causing her to trip and fall on the ground. As she landed on the ground her grip on the horseshoe loosened and it flew straight into the air. Bryce rushed forward and grabbed it before it could land on her head, "Applebloom, you all right?!"
"Y...yeah."
"I think it's best we call it game over on this one, don't you?"
Applebloom nodded up at Bryce.
"Well let's head in and get lunch then."
The pair then walked back towards the farm house. As they reached the front door he took notice of an object flying towards them. Placing his hand over his eyes Bryce said, "Is that...?"
Applebloom turned back, "It looks like Miss Derpy."
"Don't call her that now. In any case I'll take your word for it; my visions not that good at a certain distance. Head on in I'll see what she wants." Applebloom did so.
A few seconds later Ditzy landed on the ground on the ground and waved at the human. "Hey Bryce!"
"Hey Ditzy...what are you here for?"
":I just have a few letters I need to drop off is all."
"Well how are things going in town?"
"They're...OK."
"I already know what the boyish one's been saying about me."
"Oh, you know she said you were 25 feet tall with spiked skin, eyes that could see in every direction, and a tail that ended in a scorpion's sting?"
Bryce's face was indifferent, "Well...that I didn't know."
"Oh, I guess I shouldn't have said...How have things been here?"
"They've been...," he said as he flapped his fingers around, "fun. I've been doing stuff with Sprout." He let out a heavy sigh, "It stinks though, I have to start working around the farm starting next week."
"Oh..." They were both silent for a few seconds, "So what did Applebloom have to say about it?"
Bryce tried to avoid looking at her eyes, "She...didn't take it well. I talked to her this morning, and after I was able to coax her out of her room, I promised I'd try and find her someone her age to play with." Bryce sighed again, "The only trouble is I don't know of anyone with a kid her age."
Ditzy chuckled in her throat, "You want her to play with a goat?"
"No I..." Bryce smirked when he caught on. "You know what I mean."
Ditzy then said, "Well if it'll help I know of a certain somepony that would love to help you."
"Really, who?"
"My daughter Dinky. She's about Applebloom's age, and she's been dying for somepony her age to play with too."
"Well...I'll run it by Sprout and let you know. Just come on by tonight and we'll talk it over, if you can."
"Sure sounds great." She reached into her satchel and retrieved a few letters with her teeth, "Her, dake dess. The zooner I can get home the zooner I can let you know."
Bryce reluctantly took them, "Well see you later Ditzy." They both waved each other a goodbye before Ditzy flew off and Bryce entered the house. When he got inside he shouted, "Hey Sprout, I might have found someone for you to play with!"