“Alright. Let’s try this again.”
Kyle focused his Chi into his hands once more, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as power laced through his body. He closed his eyes and stretched out his right hand until it hovered just above the bottle in front of him. The movement stirred the air - not much, but enough to bring the scent of the bottle’s content to his nose once more. Apples.
Kyle shifted his focus from gathering Chi to releasing it. A stream of green energy oozed from his fingertips, snaking its way towards the open mouth of the bottle. The energy finally reached the opening and touched the amber liquid inside. At once, the pathway the energy was taking straightened to a line, rather than the meandering path through the air it had previously been traversing. Energy began to flow more freely now that a destination had been connected with the source. Kyle sighed in relief. The most difficult part of this task was always setting up the flow of Chi. Now it was simply a matter of regulating that flow properly.
Of course, there was no guaranteeing this would work. After all, cider is very different from beer.
After a few minutes, Kyle severed the connection. The last few bits of energy dropped from his fingers and into the bottle, which was now glowing a vibrant Jade green. Kyle picked the bottle up and gingerly brought it towards his face. He wafted his hands over the mouth of the bottle, bringing the scent to his nose. The scent of cider dominated his senses, but there was something different about it now. Something new. It wasn’t a scent so much as a feeling. A feeling of power. Stamina.
Energy.
Kyle eyed the concoction dubiously. Sure, it seemed to have worked, but he had also created it under very different conditions than normal. Rather than in the heat of battle, he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room Twilight was letting him stay in. And rather than using Stormstout ale or Dwarven mead, he was using something called SAA Special Reserve - hard cider.
Oh well. Only one way to find out.
Kyle braced himself and brought the bottle to his lips, taking a very small mouthful. His eyes widened in shock. Instead of gagging on an incredibly bitter liquid, Kyle found the taste surprisingly refreshing. Good, even. He swallowed. Instantly, a sense of renewed energy flooded through his body. He felt as though he could jog from Stormwind to Ironforge without breaking a sweat.
“Oh now that’s brilliant.” He muttered with a grin. “Wait til the guys back home hear about this. Energizing Brew that doesn’t make you want to lose your lunch? “
Kyle was broken out of his train of thought by a sharp rap at the door. “Kyle? Are you in there?” Twilight called out.
Kyle stood up and walked over to the window. “Just a minute.” he called over to the door as the window opened. He removed a brown pouch from his belt and opened the top before dumping the remaining liquid out of the window. No more need for that swill. He grinned as the last drops landed on the ground below. He strolled over to the bottle and poured about a quarter of the contents into his pouch before replacing the cap and putting the pouch back on his belt. Finally, he closed the bottle and stowed it under his bed. “Alright, come on in.” he called out.
The door opened, and Twilight poked her head inside. “Hey, how’s it going?” she asked with a smile.
Kyle shrugged. “‘bout the same as usual.” he replied casually. “So, what’s up?”
“Well, Spike and I are headed over to Sweet Apple Acres here in a little bit. That’s Applejack’s farm.” Twilight added quickly upon seeing the look of confusion on Kyle’s face. “Applejack offered to cook dinner for us, as well as the rest of our friends, and she and I were hoping you’d come along with us.”
“Who all’s going to be there?”
“Well, let’s see. Me, Spike, and Applejack.” Twilight began,going over the list in her head. “Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie… Hmm… I’m not entirely sure who else is coming, though.”
“Doesn’t sound like too big of a crowd.” Kyle grinned. He was in a particularly good mood now that he had managed to create an improved version of his Energizing Brew. Plus, he hadn't been out of the house much in the two days since he'd moved in with Twilight. “I’m in.”
“Great!” Twilight grinned happily. “We’ll be headed out of here in about half an hour.” With that, she turned and closed the door behind her.
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The sun was just edging towards the horizon as Kyle, Twilight, and Spike found themselves looking over the white picket fence leading to the farm. Not far beyond the fence was a large red barn, followed by apparently endless rows of trees, each covered in apples. “So… that’s Sweet Apple Acres huh?”
“Yep. Biggest apple farm this side of Canterlot.” Twilight replied as they walked through the gate. The trio walked past the building and started heading towards a small hill not far off to the west. The hill was bathed in the blinding light of the setting sun, forcing Kyle to shield his eyes from the harsh glare. He could barely make out a silhouette of a building on top of the hill
“So, the house is over there?” Kyle asked as they approached the building. Normally, he’d expect to see the farmhouse right near the front of the property. “Seems a bit unusual.”
“No, we already passed it. Didn’t you see…. oh.” Twilight said, a look of recognition appearing on her face. “No, that’s not the barn back there.” She jerked her head over her shoulder. “It’s the house, it’s just looks like a barn on the outside.” Kyle looked back over his shoulder, and then back at the building they were headed towards. Sure enough, now that he was in the shadow of the building and the sun wasn’t right in his eyes, he could tell that this was indeed a barn.
“So… we’re having dinner in the barn, not the house?” Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to eat where the food is prepared so you don’t have to haul it around?”
Twilight’s smile of amusement quickly became much more forced and awkward. She chuckled nervously. “Well, uh… The Apple family… uh…” her eyes suddenly lit up. “They don’t normally serve crowds this big. We can’t all fit in the dining room in the house, so we’re using a larger space!”
Kyle raised an eyebrow at Twilight, who was smiling nervously. Neither one let their eyes wander from each other, fighting a battle of wills. Their staring contest continued as the sun finished setting - much more quickly than Kyle was used to on Azeroth - and the darkness of night surrounded them. It was only when Spike cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently that both Kyle and Twilight dropped their gaze.
Twilight and Spike both walked over to the barn door and opened it, dashing inside and closing it behind them. Kyle opened the door again and peeked inside the barn. It was pitch-black inside, the only light coming from the rising moon behind him. “...Hello?” He called out, tentatively stepping into the barn. The door slammed shut behind him, making him jump. He stood there in the darkness, every muscle tense.
The lights flicked on, and Kyle hissed in pain at the sudden glare. He shut his overly-diluted eyes to protect them, effectively blinding him.
“Surprise!”
Kyle yelped and instinctively lashed out with his fist. The right hook hit its mark with a loud crunch, smashing straight through its target. Something spilled past his hand, rustling out of the hole his fist had made and onto the ground. Kyle slowly opened his eyes as they readjusted to the light.
His fist had gone straight through a paper-mache star and out the other side. Candy spilled from the inside, coating the ground below it. Not four inches to the side was a pink face, eyes wide with shock. “Wowee!” Pinkie Pie yelled, a grin breaking onto her face. “That’s got to be the best reaction I’ve gotten from a surprise party ever! I mean, I was all like ‘Surprise!’ And you were all like ‘AHHHH!’ …”
Pinkie continued to speak,but Kyle paid her barely any attention. He glanced around the barn, noting his surroundings. There were a few stalls and an upper floor accessible by a ladder on the wall, but otherwise the area was clear. A table sat in the middle of the barn, covered in various foods and punch bowls. All the Ponies that Twilight had mentioned were scattered throughout the room, along with a couple of others - A large, red stallion, and a trio of fillies off in the corner. All eyes were locked on Kyle, who slowly withdrew his fist. Pinkie stopped talking as more sweets fell from the piñata.
“Uh… sorry about that…” he said nervously. “I uh… tend to overreact when I’m startled.”
An awkward silence descended upon the room. Only Twilight’s face showed any lack of suspicion, instead showing worry and a hint of anger. Finally, the silence was broken by Pinkie. “Oh, it’s alright!” she said happily, a smile breaking out on her face again. “Ponies say I tend to overreact when I get startled too!” Her face adopted a more thoughtful expression. “Come to think of it, they also say I tend to overreact when I’m excited and bored and happy and sad and…”
“Alright Pinkie, we get it.” Applejack interrupted. She still seemed uncertain, as did everyone else, but the tension in the room had been broken.
Kyle sighed in relief at having dodged yet another bullet. Luck’s gonna catch up with me eventually… “What is all this?” he asked, gesturing at the table. It was covered in food, but not what he had expected to be dinner.
“It’s the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party I promised you, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed. “A surprise party, for you! So, do you like it? Huh huh huh?!”
Kyle looked around the room once more. Now that he had a chance to look around and take in some details, he noticed that there were balloons tied to various planks, and a large banner hanging from the rafters that read ‘Welcome Kyle!’ “Well it was…. a surprise.” he finally replied. Pinkie beamed and literally bounced away to go talk to Rainbow Dash.
“Kyle, a moment please?”
Kyle looked up and saw Twilight looking at him expectantly. The others were helping themselves to snacks and punch, while she was standing over in the corner. Kyle nodded and walked over to her. “What’s up?”
“‘What’s up’? What was up with that?!” Twilight demanded. “You could have broken Pinkie’s jaw with that swing!”
“Hey, I came expected dinner, not a surprise party!” Kyle replied, anger rising in him.
“That doesn’t mean you need to knock her head off!”
“The lights were off, the doors just slammed behind me, no one was there as far as I knew, and suddenly I’m blinded and something’s yelling in my ear.” Kyle hissed, glaring daggers. “Now, you might feel a bit differently, but that kinda spooked me. And experience has taught me to punch first and apologize if necessary later!”
Twilight sighed. “Look, just try and keep yourself under control from now on, alright?” she said, exasperated. “I doubt you’ll look very good if you end up punching somepony.”
“Fine. But you warn me about any future surprises, and I can act surprised without hurting someone.”
Kyle looked away from Twilight and glanced about the room once more. Applejack was standing next to the red stallion from earlier. When looked at her she beckoned him over. Kyle nodded and walked over to the table, grabbing a glass of punch before walking over to her. “Kyle, this is my brother, Big Macintosh, or Big Mac fer short.”
“Hey there.” Kyle said, extending a hand without thinking. Big Mac simply stared at the hand with an amused expression. Kyle blinked and slowly lowered his hand.
“Howdy.”
Another awkward silence descended upon the trio. Big Mac simply looked back and forth between his sister and Kyle. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. “I’d better go check on Granny.” he said, turning away and exiting the barn.
Kyle raised an eyebrow as he watched Big Mac leave. Applejack chuckled. “He ain’t much of a talker.” she explained. “Stallion o’ few words, but a heart o’ gold.”
“Right… and who’s that over there?” Kyle asked, nodding towards the trio of fillies over by the cake. “I recognize Applebloom, but who are the other two?”
“Well, the Unicorn is Sweetie Belle - that’s Rarity’s sister.” Applejack explained. “And the Pegasus is Scootaloo. She ain’t related to none of us here, but she and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are thick as thieves.” Applejack paused, her brow furrowing in thought. “Come to think of it, I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen her parents…”
Kyle watched as the trio chatted amongst themselves. They soon began to walk away, clearly trying to look innocent. “Looks like they’re about to start some trouble.” Kyle murmured to himself, a small smirk playing across his face. One quality one would not expect from a seasoned veteran like him would be a soft spot for children, and yet he often found himself amused at the antics he would see youngsters doing. Let’s see where this heads, shall we?
“Hang on.” He said, looking more closely at the trio. “Those three… they don’t seem to have cutie marks.”
Applejack sighed. “Yeah, don’t mention it to ‘em. They’re the only three left in their class that ain’t got ‘em yet. They have this club goin’ on, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They’re always off doin’ some new crazy idea to try to get their cutie marks.”
“Sounds like they’re a handful.” Kyle smirked, draining his cup of punch. It was laced with the distinct taste of alcohol, and Kyle made a mental note to keep the fillies and Spike away from that particular bowl.
“You have no idea.”
Kyle glanced out of one of the windows. The black cloth previously covering it to stop the moonlight from entering had been removed, and Kyle could see apparently endless fields of apple trees “So, is it just you, Applebloom, and Big Mac on the farm?” he asked. “Seems like a whole lot of trees for just three ponies to handle.”
“Na, two of us take care of the harvest and such. Applebloom ain’t big enough to help out just yet, though she will be soon. Big Mac and I have always been able to get through applebuck season just fine. But to answer yer question, we also have Granny Smith. This kinda party ain’t quite her thing - she’s pretty old, after all. She’s back at the house, probably asleep by now.”
“Still, can’t be easy handling all this crop and maintaining the buildings and raising Applebloom AND taking care of Granny Smith with just the two of you.” Kyle remarked. “You all ever called in any outside help?”
“Well, one time Twilight and everypony else came to lend a hoof when Big Mac had hurt himself.” Applejack admitted. “But every other year we’ve managed just fine with the two of us. Don’t see that changin’ anytime soon, neither.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Why you so curious anyhow?”
“Well, I was thinking that if I’m going to be here for any length of time, I’m gonna need to get a job of some sort.” Kyle explained. “I can’t live off of Twilight’s generosity forever. I figured if you needed a helping hand around the farm, I’d be up for it.”
“Sorry partner, we’re not really lookin’ fer any outside help at the moment. You asked Rarity yet? She always seems swamped with large orders and whatnot.”
Kyle laughed. “The last time I tried to do anything involving fabric was when I tried to mend a hole in my shirt.” he chuckled. “I needed a new shirt once I was finished. I can’t do any tailoring worth spit.”
“Well, just keep lookin’ ‘round.” Applejack said, turning to walk away. “Small town like Ponyville, there’s sure to be somepony lookin’ for a helpin’ hoof.” With that, Applejack walked away, moving towards Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
Kyle walked back over towards the table to grab another glass of punch. For some reason, all of the food and drink in Equestria so far had seemed much more satisfying and flavorful than their Azerothian counterparts. As he finished off an apple fritter, Rarity trotted over. “Kyle, darling, you can’t possibly still be wearing those same clothes you came here with, are you?” she asked
“What? No ‘hello, how are you’?” Kyle asked with a chuckle, walking over towards one of the walls.. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of the only Human around these parts. Kind of hard to find clothes to fit me.”
“Well stop by my boutique tomorrow. I’ll take your measurements and make you those outfits I promised you before. No charge.” she added, seeing Kyle open his mouth to object. “I insist on helping a friend not look like a complete train wreck.”
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad.” Kyle countered. Rarit simply gave him a deadpan look, and he held up his hands in defeat. “Alright, fine, I’ll show up tomorrow afternoon.”
“Excellent. It won’t take very… long…” Rarity trailed off, her eyes focused on something behind Kyle. The lights behind Kyle cast a shadow on the wall in front of him. Three shapes were crouched down in the rafters behind him. Three small, filly-sized shapes.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HUMAN WRESTLERS! YAY!”
Kyle felt something small but heavy land on his shoulders. He rolled off to the side to disperse the energy of the sudden weight, making sure to roll towards a nearby stall full of hay. Applebloom was hurled into the pile of hay, giggling, while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pounced on top of him as well. Sweetie Belle was quickly tossed into the hay pile as well, and Scootaloo soon followed.
Kyle could see Rarity and Applejack running over, yelling reprimands at their sisters. Kyle, however, had other plans. He growled playfully and leapt into the hay as well. The fillies squealed in surprise as he burst into the stall. The adult ponies could only stare as the hay pile was promptly shredded and thrown everywhere as Kyle wrestled with the trio, taking care not to hurt them.
Finally, Kyle flopped out of the remains of the hay pile, and Scootaloo leapt on top of him, ‘pinning’ him to the ground. “One two three four five six seven eight nine ten!” Sweetie Belle yelled quickly. Kyle gave out an exaggerated groan of defeat as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom lifted Scootaloo into the air, where she posed and flexed in triumph.
“A’right you three, that’s enough now.” Applejack said, her voice laced with humor.
“Did I get my cutie mark?” Scootaloo asked suddenly. All three fillies promptly spun their heads around to check their flanks, and all three gave out a simultaneous sigh as they saw that they hadn’t gotten their cutie marks.
“You alright there Kyle?” Rainbow Dash asked as he picked himself off the ground.
“Like I haven’t had worse before.” he shrugged, brushing a scrap of hay out of his hair.
Rainbow smirked. “You got beaten up by a bunch of fillies dude.” she chuckled. “That’s just sad.”
Kyle glanced over at the trio, who were already huddled up - planning their next idea, no doubt. “You know damn well I let ‘em win.” he grinned, punching her lightly on the shoulder.
“Yeah yeah, sure, whatever you say.”
The rest of the party passed without further incident. Kyle made sure to limit himself to two glasses of the spiked punch, and switched to non-alcoholic afterwards. At one point, Pinkie Pie invited him to play pin the tail on the pony, which Kyle found amusing for a time. Fluttershy actually managed to pin the tail right where it was supposed to go, while Kyle put it on the pony's eye. The piñata was unfortunately ruined, but the candy was still good to eat. The crusaders slipped off into a corner at some point, and when they were finally discovered they were curled up, fast asleep.
“Alright ya’ll, I think that’s the sign to end it fer the night.” Applejack said, picking Applebloom up and draping her across her back. “These fillies have school in the mornin’ after all.”
“Indeed. I should get Sweetie Bell to bed.” Rarity agreed, doing the same thing with her younger sister. “Oh but… who’s going to take Scootaloo home?”
“I can do it… hic!” Rainbow Dash slurred. Unlike Kyle, she had continued to drink the spiked punch well into the night, and she was now wobbling around the room. She slipped and nearly fell on her face, but Applejack managed to prop her up with her shoulder.
“Hold on there, sugarcube.” Applejack said sternly. “You ain’t in no fit state to fly by yerself, much less take a little filly ‘cross town. Yer sleepin’ in the guest room tonight… again. ‘Sides, you don’t even know where she lives.”
“Neither do… hic!... you.”
“Look, I’ll take her.” Kyle interjected. Every head turned towards him. “You all have stuff to do in the morning, and I don’t really. You all head home, I’ll take her to her place.”
“And how will you know how to get there?” Twilight asked.
Kyle blinked. “Well, we could always ask her.” he replied, nodding towards the orange filly. She was now sitting on her haunches, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Wha? Wait, I can take myself home!” She cried out.
“Nonsense. It’s far too late at night for a young filly to be wandering the streets alone.” Rarity countered. “And don’t even try to argue.” she cut Scootaloo off as the filly opened her mouth. “Kyle will take you home, and that’s final.”
“But… I… *sigh* alright…” Scootaloo conceded. “Cmon, let’s go.” She turned away from the others and trudged towards the door. Kyle waved goodbye to the others and followed her.
The two walked in silence through the Apple property, past the farmhouse, out the gate, and down the road. “You okay?” Kyle finally asked as the pair entered the town limits.
“Yeah.”
Kyle frowned. Her tone of voice, her curtness, her body language… “No you’re not.” he said. “Something’s bothering you. What’s up?”
“I said I’m fine!”
Kyle flinched at the angry tone in Scootaloo’s voice. He hadn’t expected such a vehement response so quickly. Scootaloo quickly turned her eyes down. “Sorry. It’s just… I’m tired of everypony treating me like a little foal.”
Kyle paused. He looked over at Scootaloo to see her staring at her hooves. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… everypony treats me like I’m some helpless foal who needs pampering and protecting.” Scootaloo sighed. “I’m a big pony. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can take care of yourself, but -”
“No you don’t.” Scootaloo interrupted, backing away. “You treat me just the same. You said I needed to be walked home. I don’t. I can do it myself!” She pointed an accusing hoof at him. “And I know you let me and my friends win in that wrestling match. Just like everypony else, you go easy on me.”
Kyle sighed. “If I hadn’t gone easy on you, you wouldn’t have stood a chance. Where would the fun be for anyone if the outcome was decided before the match even started?”
“You’re wrong! I can take you on!” Scootaloo yelled, charging at Kyle much faster than she had before. Her hooves pounded along the pavement, and she leapt and Kyle, her wings buzzing furiously to propel her even faster through the air. Kyle raised an eyebrow, perplexed by her sudden aggressiveness and speed. He had seen arrows moving slower than her before. He had to admit, she was fast.
Not fast enough.
Kyle ducked under her leap and reached up with his right hand, grabbing her around her hind legs. He used her forward momentum to sling her downwards, where she landed on her back with a soft thud. Kyle was on top of her instantly, pinning her to the ground. Scootaloo struggled, but Kyle easily kept her pinned.
“Wha… but.. how could you be that fast?” Scootaloo demanded, her eyes wide. “Let me up!”
“First, you need to calm down.” Kyle said gently. “Quit fighting.”
Scootaloo struggled for a minute longer before finally going limp. Kyle released her, and she slowly got to her hooves. “How… how were you so fast?”
“My job on Azeroth required me to have lightning reflexes.” Kyle explained. A firefly buzzed past him, and his left hand snapped out, snatching the bug from the air. “It required strength.” His grip around the firefly tightened. “And it required discipline and self-control.” He opened his hand, releasing the unscathed firefly.
“The only ponies besides the Wonderbolts who I’ve seen think and act that fast are the royal guards.” Scootaloo said, her previous anger gone. “Were… were you a guard?”
Kyle paused for a moment. “In a sense, I suppose I was.” he finally said. “But not for any one specific person. I was, and am, a Monk. I guarded all of my people.”
“Can you teach me to be that fast? To be like… well, like you? To be a Monk?”
Kyle froze again. A thousand memories of his own training flashed through his mind. “You know not what you ask.” He said finally. “There is more to being a Monk than being fast. It requires a level of commitment and discipline that very few can achieve.”
“You don’t think I can do it.” Scootaloo seethed. ”You still think I’m just a stupid foal!”
“I would say this to anyone who asked me to train them, no matter their age.” Kyle countered. “Stronger and faster men than myself have failed to become a Monk because they could not control themselves. Just as you cannot control yourself.” Scootaloo blinked, surprised by Kyle’s words. “Being a Monks means learning how to control your emotions. You have instead allowed your emotions to control you.”
“Then teach me! Teach me how to control my emotions!”
Kyle sighed. “That is one thing I cannot teach.” he said. “It is something you must discover for yourself.”
Silence descended upon the two as they began walking again. The moon was high in the sky by this point. Scootaloo lead the way, leading Kyle towards the other edge of town. Kyle noticed the houses were becoming shabbier and shabbier, looking more like the remnants of Andorhal after the Forsaken had taken the town. Does this filly really live here? He wondered, praying she didn’t. Some of these homes barely looked fit for habitation.
“Is there nothing you can teach me to at least help?” Scootaloo suddenly asked, almost begging. Kyle turned his head towards the little filly next to him, looking her over. She was wild, reckless, untamed… the exact opposite of what a Monk was.
And yet…
Something… some little voice inside his head whispered to him. There might be a scrap, a shred, a glimmer of potential in this her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Kyle felt something resonating in this young filly. So she wasn’t polished yet. Neither had he been when he had started…
“I can teach you something. Something to help you control your emotions.” He finally relented. “We Monks often use a technique called meditation to calm ourselves when stressed or fearful. While the complete form of meditation is far beyond your capabilities at the moment, I can at least teach you the most basic technique.” He wandered off to the side of the road.
“Sit down.” he instructed. Scootaloo complied, and Kyle sat as well, his legs crisscrossed. “Can you sit like this?” he asked. Scootaloo tried to work her legs, but she could not keep herself balanced while sitting as he was. “No matter. The technique is not in what you are doing, but what you are thinking.” He closed his eyes. “The goal of meditation is the removal of self from the equation. To become one with the Chi - the life energy - of the world around you. To begin with, you must clear your mind of all emotion, of all thought. Focus on nothing. It is easiest to start practicing meditation in quiet isolation.”
He opened his eyes, and saw the Scootaloo had her eyes closed. Her face was scrunched up in concentration. “Am I doing it?” she asked.
“If you are talking to me, then no.” Kyle chuckled. “I doubt you will be able to successfully clear your mind for months. It took me a long time, too. Until then, if you are serious about trying to become a Monk, then you should meditate for at least an hour each day, preferably before bed. If nothing else, it can help you get to sleep faster and sleep deeper.” Kyle stood, and the noise caused Scootaloo to open her eyes. “Cmon. It’s late, and your parents are probably worried.”
Scootaloo quickly stood up and walked away. Kyle followed her. The homes soon became less and less run down, and by the time Scootaloo approached one, they once again appeared respectable. She knocked three times on the door, and a moment later the door opened, revealing a brown-coated pegasus stallion.
“Scoots! There you are! Your mom and I were getting… worried…” the pegasus glanced behind Scootaloo, noticing Kyle. “Oh uh… hello? Can I help you?”
“Sorry sir.” Kyle said with a slight smile. “I was just bringing Scootaloo home from Sweet Apple Acres. She and her friends got invited to a party by Applejack and her friends, and we all thought a filly shouldn’t be wandering the streets alone this late at night.” Scootaloo turned to glare at him before trudging through the door.
“Oh… right. Well uh… thank you.” The Pegasus said, stepping forward and squinting. “Say… aren’t you that new creature from another world… Human, was it?”
“Yes sir, that’s me.” Kyle replied. “Kyle Slater.”
“Hoof Brake.” the stallion replied. “Well… thanks again for making sure my daughter got home safe.”
“No problem. Have a good evening.” Kyle turned and walked away as the door closed behind him. He glanced back at the house once more, his mind abuzz with thoughts. Finally, he turned his head away and began the walk back towards the library.