//------------------------------//
// Love Thy Neighbor? 
// Story: How I Met Them 
// by The Infinity Doctor 
//------------------------------//

Eve withered under the gaze of the Creator, despite his friendly smile. Both of them sat on a wooden bench, the rest of the toons around them eating lunch. What frightened her even more, was that he had taken the form of some fleshy creature, only a short mane atop his head. At least when he was one of the biped-ponies, he had flat teeth. 

"I see that repairs are coming along nicely" he said, his eyes idly wandering around the area. 
"Y-yeah...we still got alotta work to do..." Eve replied, twiddling her thumbs.
She thought for a moment, then peered up at the Creator.
"What gave you inspiration for all of this? Why?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Why do I draw, you mean?" he replied.
She nodded.
"There's a few different reasons" he started "First and foremost, it's my job, it's what I do for a living"
"They can pay you for drawing pictures?" she asked incredulously.
'Ponies are crazy' she thought.
"Where I come from they do...anyway, I enjoy doing it, it makes me happy- it's been that way since I was a kid..."
"You were a goat?" 
He snickered.
"No, 'kid' is another word for foal" 
"Oh...what else?"
"I've always wanted to make people smile, maybe even laugh" 
"Why?"
He stared down at her, and she shrank. 
"Think about it...if you can get somepony to smile at something you made, it just...gives
you...a sense of pride, I guess..."
"Oh..."
"Well, guess we'd better get back to work, huh?" he asked, standing up as other toons went
back to work.
"I guess...um...actually..."
"What is it?"
"...could you teach me to draw?"
"Of course" he smiled "What brought this on?"
Her heart fluttered in her chest.
"I want to show...that...I'm...sorry..."
He smiled again, and leaned down to run his hand through her messy, white hair.

X X X X X X X 

*Knock Knock*

'Wonder who that could be...' I wondered, sighing as I walked to the door.

*Knock Knock Knock*

I gripped the doorknob, and pulled the door open- coming face-to-face with a large Diamond
Dog. 
"Hey...you...Jonas the Human?" he grunted.
"Um- yeah, I am. Why?"

He raised a fist, and it sped toward my face. I felt it connect, before I dropped to the 
floor, clutching my nose in pain.

"What the hell?!" I shouted, feeling blood drip down my face "What was that for?!"

"That..." he responded gruffly, shaking off the pain in his fist "...was for my daughter..."
"I didn't do anything to her!" I groaned, getting off the floor.
"Tartarus you didn't!" he roared "She left home because of you!" 
"I think that's hardly my fault" I shot back. 

He reached out, and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, my face just a few inches from his
sharp canines.

"Stay away from my daughter...or else...get it?"
He shoved me backwards as he let go, forcing me to land harshly against the floor.

"No" I smirked, standing up. 
"What did you just say?" he growled, turning around. 
"You heard me" 

He only grinned, showing all of his canines, as he cracked his knuckles. 

X X X X X X X 

Toxic watched in horror (and a bit of fascination), along with the other ponies gathering in the street, as his dad wrestled with a brute of a Diamond Dog. They rolled in the street, throwing punches as the kicked up dust and dirt. The Diamond Dog let out a string of swear words as both of them tumbled. Two of the Royal Guard arrived, and broke up the fight, much to the dismay of a few onlookers in the crowd.