//------------------------------// // New Neighbors // Story: That Others May Live // by CptBrony //------------------------------// New Neighbors The group made its way to the house through backstreets and alleys. They had achieved instant fame earlier just by walking through and encountering the most unexpected individuals possible, and they didn’t need to get caught up again. When they arrived at the house, out of sight of most of the town and close to the forest, the men were definitely having positive thoughts about the place. It was much bigger than the typical barracks they got on deployment with other PJs, and it had three floors. The windows were currently blocked out by blinds, the house was unremarkable and easy to miss, and it had a little garden on the side. It was perfect. “Nice,” Frost said. “I’ll say,” Duke said. “How many rooms are there?” Amel asked. “Don’t know,” Frost said. He walked toward the house. “Let’s find out.” Frost approached the door and found it locked. He grunted and frowned; the princess hadn’t said that the door would be locked. Delta Force boys and DEVGRU guys learned how to pick locks and steal cars and all that crazy stuff, but PJs didn’t need it, so they never learned it. Frost looked around for where a key might be hidden. The mailbox on the doorframe was empty, and the key wasn’t under the mat. When he looked above the door frame, though, he finally found it. “Ah, here we go!” he said. Frost opened up the door and walked inside, followed soon after by Duke, Amel, and then Aprotelese. Inside, it was just what they expected; mostly empty and in need of painting and customizing. The walls were totally barren and gray, with dusty wood and tile flooring and no carpet. There was a chair in the first room, and upon exploration, three beds were found upstairs on the second and third floor and a table in the kitchen with a fridge and stove. It had the bare essentials for those who had just arrived, but depending on how big Aprotelese’s Nighthawks squad was, they might need more furniture. “Looks like we’ll need to get more stuff for our temporary home,” Aprotelese said. Duke shrugged as he dropped his gear by the door and Frost did the same. “I couldn’t care much less to be honest,” he said. “With luck or effort, we’ll spend little enough time here as it is. You and your guys can feel free to customize, and you, Frost, and Amel, as well, but I’ll be keeping myself occupied.” “This is Ponyville,” Aprotelese said. “I can’t think of that much a human would want to do here.” “Anything a pony would do, I would guess,” Frost said. Aprotelese shrugged. “Maybe.” “So when do your Nighthawks get here?” Duke asked. He stood before the fridge, holding it open to see the vast emptiness inside. “And how many have you got?” “Just my squad,” Aprotelese said. “Five other guys. They’ll arrive tomorrow night.” “Will they need furniture?” Duke asked. He shut the fridge and went and sat on the table. “Probably,” he said. “With all this space, I think we should all get our own quarters.” “Sounds good to me, boss,” Frost said. “How should we go about this?” Duke examined the three individuals before him. Amel kept quiet the whole time because she seemed to feel awkward being around a group of military guys who spoke a language she still had a bit of trouble with. Aprotelese looked nonchalant, glancing at his hooves occasionally, and Frost was chilled out leaning on the wall. “Let’s find the biggest room and give it to Amel,” he said. Amel blinked, surprised. “Umm, why do I get the biggest room?” she asked. Duke looked at the guys. “Well, we’ll be out a lot, so a big room would go to waste with us. And since we’ll be gross most of the time, you’ll want a nice sized space to get away from us for a bit when we come back from missions.” “You’ve always been gross, Duke, and I have never minded so far,” Amel said. Duke snorted. “Thanks for the compliment,” he said. Amel looked confused, but he went on. “Anyway, with all this other space, we can keep our gear in a separate room across the hall or next door, rather than in the same room. We just don’t need a big room.” “Besides, don’t you want to collect trinkets and baubles to make the space feel more like yours?” Frost asked. “It’s always nice to make a space the way you want it.” Amel pouted her lips in thought. “I guess that sounds like fun,” she said. Duke nodded. “Any issues, Aprotelese?” he asked. Aprotelese shook his head. “I got no complaints,” he said. Duke nodded. “Very well. Amel, let’s go look for your room.” Duke stood and walked out, followed close by Amel. Frost and Aprotelese were left in the room alone. On their own, they walked around the kitchen, thinking about how they would adjust it to fit their needs and wants as best it could, from food storage, to cooking, to being fit for the guys to sit around a table drinking a beer. Duke and Frost weren’t technically supposed to drink here, because they were still on deployment to Pakistan ‘officially’, but given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be a problem. “Will your guys handle living in this house well?” Frost asked suddenly, getting Aprotelese’s attention. “I mean living with a mare.” “I’ll keep ’em in line, don’t worry,” Aprotelese said. “They’re mostly single, but I’ll have them mingle with the townsponies. Amel will be totally safe.” “Good,” Frost said. “‘Cuz I don’t want to use ammo unless I’m on a mission.” Aprotelese nodded in appreciation and left the room. Upstairs, Duke and Amel were looking at the different rooms. They were mostly the same size except for the Master Bedroom, where they were currently. This had to be the nicest bedroom Duke had ever seen. The bed in here was huge, king-sized, and the bathroom was positively glorious. The toilet was low for pony use and did not bode well for the human’s use of toilets in purely pony communities, but it was pristine and worked like a charm. The shower was a walk-in shower with a rainshower head and those other sprayers that came out of the walls and had two knobs for temperature control. The bath was amazing. The tub was built into the corner and could easily fit eighty gallons of water. The faucet was brass with brass handles, and there was already shampoo and conditioner next to the tub. The sink, not too far away, was much the same. Amel was giddy with excitement. “Ooh, this is amazing!” she said. Duke sighed. “Why did I give up the biggest room?” he asked himself. “Being nice does have the occasional downside, I guess.” “I’m going to go get Frost!” Amel said as she ran out. Duke watched her go. “He’s totally clueless,” he thought with amusement. Moments later, Amel came running back with Frost behind her. When he walked into the bathroom, he let out a whistle. “Impressive,” he said. When he noticed Duke looking forlorn by the side, he chuckled and said, “Jealous?” “Are you not?” Duke asked. “Though I suppose you might not have to be.” “Huh?” Frost said. “Never mind,” Duke said with a wave of his hand. Frost shrugged and went back to taking in the room. Amel was chattering away, half in English, half in her native language, loving and admiring the new room she got to live in. She hadn’t been overwhelmed by the other rooms she lived in, but Frost guessed that the difference now was that she was allowed to make minor alterations to make it perfect for her. As fun as it was to watch her squeal over the room, they had things to do. “Very nice,” Frost said. “I think we need to go out and get some things for our new home. You can get things for your room over time, Amel, but for now, we need the essentials.” Frost turned to the guys. “I’ll grab my bag of bits, and we can head out.” “Alright,” Aprotelese said. “But I don’t think we could furnish this house or even what we’ll use of it with ten thousand bits, let alone the nine hundred something we do have.” “Then let’s get what we need and get it cheap,” Duke said. “Get as much as we can.” “I want to come!” Amel said excitedly. “I’ve never been out purchasing things like this before!” “I guess you haven’t been shopping,” Frost said as the realization hit him. “I think it’ll be a fun time for you.” Amel smiled and danced on her hooftips. The group left the house, locking the door behind them, and went into town. This time, they didn’t have to hide, nor could they if they wanted to. The lunch time for the day had ended, or whatever had the ponies out and about, so the streets were mostly empty. The ponies who were about would stop and waved enthusiastically at them. The men would wave back lightly, but kept on going to avoid conversation. The first store they went to was the most obvious, a place called Quills and Sofas. The name said it all. If the men were lucky, they would sell more than sitting furniture, and they could get the beds for the Nighthawks when they arrived the next day. Quills would be nice, too, as with ink, they could be used for writing or drawing important documents regarding missions and objectives. When they walked in, they found themselves in a maze of furniture. There were chairs, of the lawn variety, the rocking kind, and others, and there were also couches and, of course, sofas. The writing section was somewhere in the mess, but it would take a miracle to find it. Instead, there was only one option to take. “Hello?” Duke said. “Anyone here?” “Coming!” a voice answered. Not long after, an older pony wearing big spectacles came running by to greet his customers. “How can I help-” He paused, and Aprotelese spoke. “We need furniture,” he said. The spectacled pony nodded. “Yes, I know,” he said. “I was told to expect you. The princess said you would likely stop by for furniture.” “Good,” Duke said. “So you know what we need?” “No,” the pony said. “But she said that she would pick up whatever tab you left here. So, feel free to take what you will and just tell me what you want. It will be at your home by tonight.” “Awesome,” Frost said. “Do you have beds?” “Does this look like a mattress store?” the pony asked. Frost blinked. “No, I have no beds. I can order some, but they won’t be here until tomorrow.” “That works,” Duke replied. He looked to the furniture. “Alright guys, Amel, let’s get cracking.” The group walked around the store choosing whatever struck their fancy. Amel was on an absolute spree and had to be reminded by Frost of the limited space on occasion, but she seemed to be having fun. They selected several couches, noting their inventory numbers, and did the same for a number of chairs. Once they finished with that, they went back to the shopkeeper, gave him the list, and asked for six single beds. That, plus the three they already had, would be just enough for one bed per individual in the house. When they left, they looked for other stores where they could get their hands on tables and shelves and the like. After a bit of searching, they discovered a carpentry shop that would sell everything they needed. The owner of the business was extremely friendly, probably because he knew he would make good money from the princess later when he sent her the bill. He urged the group to select whatever they liked the most without consideration for the cost. They did just that and came out with nice tables, shelves, nightstands, wall hooks, and many other nice pieces for the house. Amel had chosen some very ornate pieces that were of a style she called Haymaraduasha. No one understood, but when she explained that it was a pony race of black and white stripes, they got it. Aprotelese mentioned that they were called Zebras in Equish, and they they hailed from several nations, like Zebrastan and Zebronia. Nothing else specific came to mind for furnishing the house, so the group meandered about for a while, looking for anything interesting, useful, or fun for later. Aprotelese knew a bit about the town and pointed out a bowling alley, a huge spa, and a race track. Frost was interested, but Amel didn’t know what bowling was and had never heard of a spa before. Duke just didn’t care, as he had other things in mind. On their walk, they came across a large, gnarled tree with a door on the front and a sign that read New Golden Oaks Library. This caught Duke’s attention instantly. “Hey, you never mentioned a library,” Duke said to Aprotelese. Aprotelese looked toward the library. “I didn’t realize they had one,” he said. “The original was blown to pieces by the demon Tirek, years ago.” Duke stuck his hands in his pocket and walked to the library door. “Well, I guess they regrew it.” He knocked on the door and heard some rushed and hushed chatter from inside. It silenced quickly, and no one answered. Duke knocked again, and again, he heard hushed dialogue from inside. Finally, he heard a set of footsteps coming to the door. When it opened, he had to admit he was struck by the unexpected greeter at the door. It was a dragon, about as tall as him, with green spines along his back and purple scales. It was like meeting the real Barney the Dinosaur. “Yes, can I help you?” he asked. Right after he asked that, though, he saw who he was talking to. “Oh, man, it’s you! I wasn’t expecting you to come by here.” “You saw us earlier?” Duke asked. The dragon shook his head. “No, but you saved my friend, and I heard from her that you were in town. Thanks for that, by the way.” “Our job,” Duke replied. “Well, I’m Spike, the current librarian. Why don’t you come on in? I’ve got snacks inside.” Duke smiled. “Sounds great,” he said. He turned briefly to his friends. “You guys head on, I’ll be here for a bit.” Frost raised a hand to him. “Okay, see you later!” he shouted. Frost and the others walked off while Duke followed Spike into the library. The library was about what one would expect inside. Everything was wood, because it was inside a tree. The shelves were carved into the walls, the stairs were carved out of the walls, everything. Except the kitchen, which Duke could see from the front. That looked to have a tile floor. Several tables were carved out of the tree, but some were bought elsewhere and brought in. At one of the tables sat a white unicorn mare with a pick and purple mane and a picture of a musical note on her hind. “Hello,” Duke said. She looked to him and beamed. “Hi!” she basically shouted. She leapt up and ran to Duke. “I’m Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom’s friend! Are you Frost?” Duke chuckled. “No, I’m Duke,” he said. “Frost is busy elsewhere right now. I just wanted to stop by and see what the library has got.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “We had to rebuild the library after it was burned down by Tirek, but with Apple Bloom’s carpentry skills, it was no problem. The real trouble was getting replacement books.” Sweetie Belle looked dreamily at Spike for a moment. “But Spike was determined to fix it up, and he did a great job of it.” Spike blushed. “Well, I had to get it right, right?” Sweetie Belle walked up to him and planted a peck on his cheek. “And you did a very good job.” Duke nodded. “Well, if I’m not interrupting anything, I was wondering if I could ask you guys some questions?” “No, no, you aren’t interrupting!” Spike said. he put his arm around Sweetie Belle. “You’re always welcome to stop by.” “Thank you, then,” Duke said. “So, my first question; How recent do your history books get? I assume you have history books, since this is a library.” Spike pointed a the history section. “The books go from thousands of years ago to recent history,” he said. “But if you want books about current or recent events, you’ll need to look in that section. Recent events covers everything from yesterday to about ten or fifteen years ago. What are you looking for?” “I’m looking for information on a guy who was here a few years ago,” Duke explained. “I don’t know exactly how many years ago, but I would bet you remember him. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy who was born here.” The smiled on the pony’s and dragon’s faded, and they leaned into each other’s heads to whisper something. Duke didn’t like that they felt a need to do that, but unfortunately, this was how his search would probably go from now on. The good news was that he knew these two knew something about it. Spike looked up. “I know who you mean,” he said. “It’s weird, though. The name is getting away from me right now...” “Same here,” Sweetie Belle said. “I remember him, but his name just seems like it... faded away.” Duke frowned. “Anything at all? Do you remember anything about him?” Spike nodded fervently. “Oh, yeah! He was a cool guy, but he had a lot of problems that-” Before he went on, his eyes froze where they were, pupils shrinking to tiny pinpricks. Sweetie Belle was much the same. When they recovered, Spike shook his head and went on. “He had some serious problems before he came here that he wouldn’t elaborate on.” Duke nodded. “Alright. But what about him? What can you tell me about him, what he did to be so memorable?” Spike shook his head. “Sorry, man, but I can’t remember. I never heard about him doing anything, I just remember him being a pretty cool dude, eventually. He hung out with some guys, I know one was Big Mac, here in town, and the girls knew him, albeit not as well.” “Who is Big Mac? And the girls?” Duke asked. “The girls are the Elements of Harmony, the council you met in the castle,” Spike explained. “Big Mac works at Sweet Apple Acres. Used to live there, but now he lives in Fluttershy’s cottage.” Duke nodded. “Alright, I’ll look into that,” he said. “Thanks for the help.” Duke turned around and walked out. “You’re welcome!” Sweetie Belle said. “Feel free to stop by any time!” That entire encounter had been incredibly suspicious. Something outside their control had stepped in to prevent Duke from getting some piece of vital information about this other human’s past, something that might reveal his identity. Why was it so important that he be kept a secret? And what had he done here, and on the Human Earth, for that matter, that would cause a need to keep him hidden? Twilight and her council knew something, something hugely important, that they were keeping secret. It was a safe bet that the other princesses knew as well. But Duke couldn’t go to them just yet; he would have to start with this Big Mac character. One thing was certain; whoever he was, he had more to do with this world than Duke thought. And he might have something to do with Duke’s and Frost’s arrival here. Duke was determined to find out, and he would spend as much of his free time as possible figuring it out. When he got back to the house, he walked in to find everyone sitting on the front steps, talking casually and pointing at the forest occasionally. As Duke approached, Frost took notice and waved to him. Duke waved back and when he stood before them, he stuck his hands in his pocket and looked to the door. “Forgot to give you guys the key,” he said. He had taken it when they left. “Sure did, boss,” Frost answered. Frost, Aprotelese, and Amel moved aside so that Duke could open the door, and they all followed him inside. Once there, they went to the kitchen, where Aprotelese realized that they had no food. He asked Frost for some bits to go out shopping for some food, and Frost handed him some and off he went. “Gotta have food to live,” Frost said. “Yep,” Duke said. He looked to Amel. “Is there anything you would particularly like?” “Nothing that they would have here,” she said. Duke nodded slowly. “Very well,” he said. “So, before we go on doing things, let’s work out the sleeping arrangements tonight.” “Tonight?” Amel asked. “Why tonight?” “We have three beds currently,” Duke said. “And four of us are here. One of the three of us fighters will be taking a couch when it arrives.” “How do we choose?” Frost asked. “Best not to make our national host of sorts sleep uncomfortably.” “I know,” Duke said. “So I thought you would take it again.” Frost shook his head. “Well, ain’t that just the bees knees.” “That is not necessary,” Amel said. “How is that?” Duke asked. “My room has a large bed. Frost can sleep there tonight,” Amel said. “Awfully eager to sleep with Frost, huh?” Duke said with a grin. Frost put his fingers up in a shaka sign and, shaking them quickly, said, “Ssssssssick, boss.” Amel, meanwhile, only had a mild blush. “I am not eager,” she said. If she got the context, she would have been much more unhappy with Duke. “Don’t worry; that’s what they all say,” Duke said. “Who all?” Amel asked, looking to Frost. “Who are these ‘all’ that Duke says you know so well?” Frost leaned back and put his hands forward. “No, no, no, that’s just an expression. I don’t know that many women.” “As shocking as that would be, I think the ladies would line up to meet you!” Duke suggested. “I mean, just look at this fine piece of human architecture. Really, a true masterpiece.” “You did box at the Air Force Academy, so it isn’t surprising that I’m better-looking than you,” Frost said. Duke feigned hurt. “Yes, my deformed face is a shame to my family!” he said. Before Ame could fully understand what was happening, both men started laughing and slapping knees. Frost nearly fell off the table, and Duke was slowly sliding down the wall. During their bout of hysterics, Aprotelese walked in through the front door with food and entered the kitchen with at least eight bags on him. Duke noticed him walking in. “One trip?” he asked. “Impressive.” “Nah, I got more outside,” Aprotelese replied. “I’ll grab it in a minute, after I learn what’s been happening here.” “Well, it started with sleeping arrangements, then rapidly devolved into what you see before you,” Frost said. Aprotelese looked to Amel, who shook her head. “I don’t get their foreign-ness.” “Alright then,” Aprotelese said. “So anyway, what are our sleeping arrangements?” “Duke, you tell him,” Frost said. “Amel, you and me can get the groceries.” Frost and Amel walked out to get the remainder of the food. Duke watched them leave, then turned back to Aproteese. “Well, with two smalls and one king, we have enough bed space for four,” he said. “Amel said she would share with Frost so that he wouldn’t get the floor again, so they’ll take the master for now.” Aprotelese looked to the front door, where Amel and Frost were reentering the house. “That lucky bastard,” Aprotelese commented with a smile. Duke was about to ask why Frost was lucky, but then remembered that ponies had obviously different standards than humans. Aprotelese clearly thought Amel was pretty, likely as did other stallions, so he thought Frost was lucky. Duke thought Frost was just oblivious, not lucky. “Don’t be so sure,” Duke thought. “To each their own. But nothing is happening there.” Arotelese smiled. “Wonderful!” he said. Duke chuckled. “I still wouldn’t try if I were you, though. She has her eye on someone already.” Aprotelese frowned and groaned. “I know,” he said. Duke laughed and said nothing as the mare and his partner walked back in, and for the rest of the day, they all stayed at home and waited for their new home dècor to arrive so that they could live comfortably and easily when not working. Work would be often, and it was important to relax in between.