Chapter 48: First Day on the Job
As Bryce stepped down from the stairs the first thing he noticed was Applejack. She appeared to be looking for something, something in partiular.
"Hey, Applejack. What's going on?"
"Oh, hey sugarcube. Ah'm just lookin for my hat."
"You mean your cow... cowpony hat? Is that the right word?"
"Yeah, that's it. Have yuh seen it?"
"Well, no."
"Darn. Well if yuh see it then let me know," Applejack said as she lifted the edge of the couch. Bait and Switch was lying on top, still snoozing away.
When the couch hit the floor with a thud the tan colt began to stir. "Ugh... Just a few more minutes, Uncle Ponz... The... The marks can... can..." Bait fell back into his dreams without a second thought.
"And you!" Applejack said, pointing an accusatory hoof at Bait. "You get up, now! Today's the first day of workin, and Ah'm not lettin yuh off easy just causa that!"
Bait opened his eyes a tiny slit and stared at Applejack. When he saw her he gave her a smile. "You're a lot prettier up close, you nkow that?"
Applejack eyes shot open in shock. "Beg pardon?"
Still caught in a dreamlike trance, Bait replied, "Here, let me show you how much you really mean to me." Reaching forward, Bait wrapped his hooves around Applejack and brought her in close. Once Applejack was close enough, the tan colt began to lick her face with vigor.
When that happened, Applejack's face grew red from anger. In a fluid motion she grabbed Bait by the shoulders, brought him over her head, and slammed him supine onto the floor.
It gave the desired effect as Bait shot up with a scream. When he was finished he found a very disgruntled Applejack glaring back at him. "What the buck was that for!? You could of killed me, you... HAYSEED!!!" Bait shouted.
"That's for lickin me. What in the tarnation was goin through your mind!?"
"What...? Oh, I was dreaming about orange sherbert. I mistook you for that because, you know, you're..." Bait forced a smile as his face reddened from embarrassment. "Sorry?"
Applejack continued to glare daggers into the tan colt. "Yuh have fifteen minutes ta eat, get everything done that yuh need ta do, and get outside." Applejack spun around and looked up at Bryce. "Bryce, there's something... Ah..." For whatever reason Bryce was staring. She stood there for a few seconds before she was able to speak. "Is everything al-"
"SHH!" Was all Bryce would respond. He continued to stare deeper into the apple mare's green eyes. Within an instant, Bryce broke eye contact with Applejack and ran as fast as he could back up the stairs.
Applejack was too dumbfounded to even move. That... Boy... Just when Ah think Ah've figured'm out... Applejack shook her head and proceeded to walk outside. About half way to the door, however, Applejack stopped when she heard Bryce storming his way back down the stairway. When she turned back she saw something that made her want to bounce over to Bryce like Pinkie Pie.
Held in his hands was Applejack's signature Stetson, just the way she'd last seen it. "Land sakes... Ah looked this house over twice. Where'd yuh find it?"
"I found it where you'd left it: In the bathroom, on top of the toilet tank."
"The bathroom... Wait, yeah, that's where Ah left it. Dang, Ah mustuh been so caught up in lookin..." Applejack took the hat offered to her and placed it onto her blonde maned head with great care. "Well Ah thank yuh kindly, Bryce, but how'd yuh know here ta look?"
"Well, I saw where you put it," Bryce replied in a quickened tone.
"Ah guess that makes sense, but why were yuh-"
"Didn't you have something you wanted to tell me?" Bryce butted in.
"What...? Oh, yeah. It'd, uh, be best if Ah told yuh outside," Applejack said, waving him towards the door. Once they were both outside Applejack felt more comfortable to speak without anypony overhearing. "Since Big Mac and Ah are gonna be out in the orchard Ah need yuh ta keep an eye on... that varmint," Applejack said in spite. "Now, Ah know Ah told yuh not ta hurt'm, so you better keep your promise. When Ah get back he better be livin."
Bryce raised his hands out in front of him. "I'm not going to kill him. Not unless I have to."
"Ah know, but we can't afford ta pay back his uncle if anything bad happens to'm. So keep an eye on'm, but make sure he lives. And go on and call your dog up, too. If he tries ta run we'll need'm." Applejack let out a sigh. "Ah can't tell if this is meant ta punish him or us."
Bryce did as he was asked, having Corn heel until he was told otherwise.
In the time it took Applejack to get everything she needed ready to go out into the orchard, Bait and Switch had yet to make an appearance. For five minutes Applejack paced back and forth through the yard, bad mouthing Bait under her breath. Bryce, in the meantime, pulled out a block of wood and began to whittle.
It was another five minutes before the tan colt came trotting out the door with a smile spread across his face. When he reached Applejack and Bryce, he said, "Okay, so, what do you want me to do?"
Applejack pointed out across the yard.
"Is it... Is it out there?"
"Eeyep." Applejack walked where she had indicated.
Bait, Bryce, and Corn followed behind her in respective order.
It didn't take long for Applejack to bring them to their destination.
She'd brought them to the barn; the same place where she and Bryce had came close to meeting their respective makers.
Turning towards Bait, Applejack asked, "Ah'm sure yuh know what this used ta be, right?"
"Well, uhm, it was, uh..."
Applejack narrowed her eyes at the tan colt. "Here's what your gonna do: You're gonna clean up this mess yuh made. You're gonna gather it all in a wagon, then roll it to the end of the driveway so it can be hauled off."
Bait looked at what remained of the barn. There were the timbers that once held it up as well as charred wood littering the space under them. Close by was a wagon with a wheel stop pressed under a wheel. "You don't expect me to-"
The apple mare didn't give him time to finish. "Yeah, Ah do."
"But some of that stuff looks heavy, and my leg-"
"If yuh didn't want ta take responsibility then yuh shoulda let sleepin dogs lie."
Knowing full well there would be no persuading the orange mare, Bait relented. "Fine, if you say so."
"Yuh better have made some good progress by the time Ah get back. You'll get lunch brought to yuh around noon. And, Bryce, yuh better make sure he does it all. Only him, and nopony else." Giving Bait one final look, Applejack headed back towards the house to strap herself into her own wagon.
Bait looked back towards the barn. The rubble was heaped in a pile two to three times his height. Looking to the wagon he could see it would get filled up without him having to try. Then he looked to Bryce. "You're going to help, right?"
Bryce returned Bait's question with a blank stare.
Bait let out a sigh. "Okay, I get it." Taking one last look at the pile before him, the tan colt started pulling out the first piece of charred siding.
Bryce bit down on his lower lip as he watched Bait go to work. He knew Bait was going to have a long, hard time clearing the area. He was prepared to help the colt once he noticed what Applejack would have Bait do. But Applejack had told Bryce to keep an eye on Bait, and that the colt was the only one she wanted to work.
Bryce felt bad standing there and watching as Bait serve his penance. He could understand Applejack being upset, but this, this was torture. Hell, her trying to kill him paled in comparison to this.
Instead, Bryce brought his attention away from Bait and sat under a tree that gave him a good view of the barn and the tan colt. Corn took a seat next to Bryce, facing his boy.
Blowing out a deep breath, Bryce said, "Corn, pay attention to'm. If he tries to make a run for it run him down." Bryce grabbed the nap of the German Shepherd's neck. "If you catch uo to him I want you to immobilize him. Don't. Kill." He released Corn, allowing the canine to stroll over to within sight of Bait.
With nothing better to do, Bryce pulled out what remained of the block of wood, and whittled.
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The minute Whipping Cream heard the front door of the house slam shut she knew without a doubt who it was. It was her son, Rocksalt. This wasn't his usual slamming, however. This time it wasn't as loud, nor did it cause everything to shake in place. And if neither one of those things happened then it could mean only one thing: Something was eating away at her little colt.
It was only made further evident as the dull brown colt came trotting into the living room, not registering his mother was present.
Before Rocksalt could run off into room, Cream called out to him. "Rocky, is everything okay?"
Rocksalt gave a weak nod.
Her maternal instincts taking over, Cream went over to her distressed foal to try and comfort him. "Are you sure? You usually run into the kitchen for a snack whenever you come in."
"I'm... I'm not that hungry today."
Whipping Cream knew that was a lie. Her son had touched almost nothing at breakfast that morning, his dinner last night as well, and it was getting close to lunch now. "What's the matter, Rocky? Is everything going well with your friends?"
My friends? My so called friends!? Buck no! "Yeah, mom. It's fine."
Cream exhaled a deep sigh. She could see her son was a wreck, plain as day. She had heard about what had happened between him and the human, but from what she'd last heard they had both worked their problems out. She knew Rocksalt might not have been the most popular nor the most loved foal in Ponyville, due in part to his offensive nature with everypony he met, but he was her foal; her one and only foal.
Cream loved him with all her heart, and had put up with him a hell of a lot more than anypony else in the colt's family. Just seeing Rocksalt now, with his tangled black mane and dark circles around his his baggy eyes tore her heart out. It took all her will to not cry in front of him. She needed to be strong for him at all costs.
"Gelati...?"
Rocksalt pushed her away at mention of his pet name. "Leave me alone, mom, it's fine!" He stated to his white cream colored mother. "There ain't nothing ta worry about!"
Cream was thrown back at his outburst. Rocksalt had acted this way towards her before, but not at such an intensity. "R- Rocky...?"
Without warning, Rocksalt ran past his mother and into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Now alone, Rocksalt was no longer able to control himself. Trotting over to his bed he lied down on his belly and sank his head down into the pillow. He then let out the scream he'd been holding in for so long that day.
Everything with his friends was not fine. In fact it was far from it. Rocksalt no longer had any friends to speak of.
For the past week Rocksalt had tried his hardest to avoid seeing his three friends. He was trying to think of someway to win them back. He'd lost sleep, avoided eating since it wasted too much time, and in the end he could think of nothing. Not a single, good, flawless idea that would play out in his favor. So that morning, after a week and a day of coming up with nothing, Rocksalt had decided it best to go all out and confront the three brothers.
They had been easy to find, due in part from their similar coat colors and that they were almost never seen apart.
Walking up to them had been hard, but he'd done it.
Once it came down to the wire, Rocksalt emptied his heart out to them. He spilled out how he now realized he had done wrong with Bryce, with Scootaloo, and with them in particular. He did the same for how he had forced them to listen to his rants about Bryce. For a good 15 minutes Rocksalt showed the brothers his heart and soul.
But in the end, it had proved all but useless.
While they each agreed that Rocksalt had done right admitting what he'd done was wrong, they had all come to an agreement they could no longer allow themselves to be seen around him. In the beginning Rocksalt had seemed cool and interesting on account of his boldness and thick accent. But as time went on the fascination had worn off, much like a squirrel, biting its way in to an acorn only to find a nut full of soggy, rotten, inedible crap.
And to Bowl Cut, Middle Part, and Cue Ball, Rocksalt was that crap.
Rocksalt screamed into his pillow. Screamed until the point his throat was raw. When he was done he continued to breath into his pillow for a few minutes more.
When Rocksalt was able to pick his head up he looked over to his nightstand. In particular to the framed photo of three ponies staring back.
It was a photo of him and his parents, when he and his mother still lived in Manehatten. It was taken after they'd seen a Wonderbolts air show. In it they were all smiling at the camera, with a young Rocksalt being held on the shoulder's of his large father.
They had all been so happy then, until Rocksat had been expelled from school. After that the dull brown colt and his mother had been forced to move out of the city and move to Ponyville so the colt could continue his education. His father, however, has stayed behind for work.
Rocksalt stepped down from his bed and walked over to the photo. Grabbing hold of the frame he brought it in for a closer look. The closer Rocksalt brought the photo towards him the larger the smiles in it became. It didn't take long for the dull brown colt to become sick of it.
Opening a drawer on his nightstand, Rocksalt placed the picture frame in face down and slid the container shut.
Taking a seated position on his bed, Rocksalt looked up to the section of wall above it. Staring back down was a poster. It was a signed Wonderbolts poster; the one he'd gotten from the air show in the photo.
Just seeing the pegasi perform that day made the dull brown colt wish more than anything he'd been born a pegasus. Seeing the Wonderbolts zip past, doing stunts in midair that caused the crowd to scream in terror had done the opposite to him. He screamed, but in excitement and wonder. It was... magical.
After the air show his father had spent close to an hour standing in line to make sure each and every one of the Wonderbolts placed their mark on it. When his father had returned after what had felt like an eternity he had never been happier. Not just to get a signed poster, but to see his dad again.
Looking down to the floor, Rocksalt failed to hold in his feelings as tears began to stream down his cheeks and drop to the floor.
Meanwhile, Whipping Cream stood outside with her ear pressed against her son's bedroom door. Her hearing wasn't as good as it had been when she had had Rocksalt, but it was good enough for her to hear what was happening inside.
It was like an arrow had been shot through her heart. She didn't know what had brought her Gelati to this moment, but whatever had done it hurt her more than it did him.
Taking a step away from the door, Cream decided to give Rocksalt the time he needed to burn himself out. With luck, he'd get in some of the much needed sleep he'd been denying himself.
Moving to the kitchen, Cream thought it as good a time as any to make Rocksalt's favorite treat: Rocky road ice cream with a pair of cinnamon sticks and whipped cream on top.
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This time would be it.
This time Thunderlane was going to do it.
All the times before, the times the sun was in his eyes or a small pebble had appeared in his path, or both, had led to this moment.
Taking in a deep breath, then letting it out, Thunderlane galloped off with his wings held out at his sides.
The slate gray pegasus pulled out all the stops as he barreled down the stretch of road before him.
Within seconds, his intended target was in sight: A long piece of plywood propped up with a large rock.
If he was right then just the feeling of nothing under his hooves would give him the push he needed to keep himself soaring through the air on his own.
Thunderlane reached his makeshift ramp and cleared the distance over it.
The sensation he had been hoping for was there.
The sesation of having nothing under you.
Nothing except air separating him from the ground below.
Flexing his wings, Thunderlane began to beat the same air.
He could feel it.
The ground leaving him down below.
The blades of grass and leaves on the trees that blew in the wind seemed to be cheering him on.
Thinking he'd done it, Thunderlane looked down, only to be met with a face full of dirt.
Because of his velocity, it took a few seconds for Thunderlane to skid to a halt.
From above came a younger, light gray pegasus. "Uh, Lane...?"
A light groan came from the slate gray pegasus.
"Should I... get somepony?"
Another groan came from the same source. Rumble took it to mean 'no'.
Grabbing onto Thunderlane's mohawk with his mouth, Rumble pulled his elder brother's head out of the dirt and sat it back down. Craning his neck down to Thunderlane's eye level, Rumble asked, "Lane, when are you going to stop doing this and just fly like a normal pegasus?"
Thunderlane responded by spitting out a glob of mud into Rumble's face. "I would if I could."
Rumble scrapped the mud off. "You're being ridiculous. The doctor said-"
"I... know what he said, but it's wrong."
Rumble shook his head. "Whatever you say, bro. All I know is you look like an idiot. I mean, not even Rainbow Dash does anything like this."
"Yeah, and Rainbow also spends time with... him..."
"You mean-"
"Don't. You. Dare... say that name!"
"Why not? It's not like he even had anything to do with this."
Thunderlane picked himself up and shook off the loose dirt from his fur, mane, and feathers. "That's what you think, but he... He..."
It was the same feeling he had felt every time he tried to tell anypony what'd happened between him and Bryce. Thunderlane began to feel light headed. He was on the verge of vomiting. Rumble seemed to multiply in place before him. And the worst part of it was it wouldn't stop until Thunderlane ceased trying to tell what he'd seen the day he had mortified Ditzy Doo.
"Lane...?"
The spell began to scatter just as quick as it had come . "I... I don't know what's going on, but I know he... He's involved." He grabbed at his aching forehead.
"Well what reason would he have to do that. Sure, when you first met him you were a jerk."
"I was a jerk!?" Thunderlane asked with spite.
"Uh, yeah. I mean, he was just walking by, and you... Uh..."
Thunderlane had begun to glare at Rumble. "I what?"
Rumble sighed. "Nothing." The light gray pegasus then mumbled something under his breath.
Thunderlane had noticed. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"You said something!" The elder brother said in an accusing tone.
Afraid of what Thunderlane would tell their parents, Rumble repeated what'd he said in a higher tone. "I said you're acting like that other colt. Won't even give the guy a chance."
"What colt?"
"There was a colt, the same day Bryce first came into town. He was going on how Bryce had the whole town under his mind control."
"Mind... control...?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Thunderlane's mind began to buzz. Whatever Rumble said was incomprehensible for the time being. Mind control? Could that be it? I don't know how many x-rays the doctor took, but there's nothing physically there. No broken bones, no lumps, no bruises. What if it is mental, and what if Bryce put it there? I mean, those eyes. Those black, bottomless eyes.
"Lane!?" Rumble asked.
"Huh?"
"Did you hear what I said? I said that that colt seemed like a featherbrain anyway. I wouldn't trust a word he said."
"Well... Yeah, you have a point if he is. You shouldn't go anywhere near him." Thunderlane didn't want rouse any suspicion in Rumble, thinking he'd go blabbing to Bryce about it. Also to keep his younger brother out of the way just in case he was right, and Bryce put Rumble in the way of danger.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Rumble replied.
Unbeknownst to Rumble a beehive of activity was buzzing within Thunderlane's head. There was something about Bryce; something dark and sinister. The human was hiding something, and Thunderlane was going to make sure Bryce showed it. Then everypony would know what he knew.
Thunderlane wouldn't stop until he had accomplished his mission, and regained his flight.
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With one final flick of the wrist Bryce's latest wooden figure was finished. Blowing off any hidden particles of wood dust, Bryce held it up to give it a good look over. In his opinion it was perfect.
It was of a mare. A unicorn mare. Her physique was slender, much thinner than Rarity's. Her light waved mane didn't have much volume, but it was lengthy, crawling its way down her face before terminating midway down her legs. Then there was her eyes. Even though they were the same color as the wood they were no less captivating. Bryce felt it impossible to pull himself away from her alluring, aphrodisiac gaze.
Before long, Bryce pulled himself away after he felt he was no longer alone.
It proved true when he looked up to see a large pair of blue eyes looking back at him. He shook in shock.
"Oh my, I'm sorry. I- I thought you knew I was here," Fluttershy stammered. "And then I saw you- Saw you working and I... I didn't..."
It didn't take long for Bryce to recover to break free from his paralysis. "No, no, it's okay."
"Are you sure. I mean, I startled you, and it's usually me getting startled." Fluttershy followed this with a light laugh as she curled a few strands of her mane in her hoof.
"It's fine, really. You just surprised me is all. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Well, when you didn't come and get your dog food I got worried. I thought maybe you were busy so I waited to see if you'd come later. I waited all day and thought maybe you'd come tomorrow. Then that you would come next week. Then I got worried about you and decided I better come see you myself." Fluttershy gave Bryce a smile as she continued to curl her mane with her hoof.
"Well, I was busy. I had to watch over someone."
"Really? That's a relief. I mean, I was just so worried," Fluttershy said with glee. "Who were you watching?"
"That guy over by the..." Bryce began to dart his eyes around, looking for Bait and Switch. Damn it all! Bryce stood up and ran over to the charred barn. Circling aorund the pile of debris, Bryce saw nothing indicating where exactly Bait was. "Damn it! Corn!"
"Bryce, what's the matter?"
"I was supposed to be watching him while he cleaned this up. CORN!!!"
From a short distance away, the German Shepherd began to bark out.
Running towards Corn's barking, Bryce found the canine staring to the inside of the wagon. Reaching Corn, he saw what he was barking at. It was Bait, lying amongst a small heap of debris. He had a forehoof gripped to his chest. The color was drained from his face. "Bait, what's wrong!?"
"I... I..." Bait stuttered.
Fluttershy came flying over. "Oh my, are you okay?"
"I..."
Seeing the tan colt was in distress, Fluttershy took action. "Bryce, carry him into the house. See if you can tell what's wrong with him."
Not questioning the now peppy mare, Bryce grabbed Bait up in his arms and ran for the house. When he arrived inside he placed Bait down onto the couch, prompting a series of questions from Granny Smith and Apple Bloom.
Fluttershy shooed Bryce away and asked Granny Smith to bring her the first aid kit. While the aged mare did that, Fluttershy attempted to coax the colt to show her his hoof.
By the time Granny Smith returned with the kit Fluttershy had Bait's hoof in her own. Looking over her shoulder, Bryce saw what the colt's comatose state was from: A small cut, not even big enough to fit a pen inside. A small stream of blood was flowing from the small wound that coated his foreleg. Some of the blood had collected near the colt's shoulder joint and had since dried to a rust color. "What the H!? I thought you were dying!"
"Bryce, hush!" Fluttershy scolded. "Open the first aid kit and hand me a cotton ball with some alcohol on it."
Bryce did as she asked.
After cleaning the wound, Fluttershy said, "Gauze pad."
Bryce held out the requested item. "Gauze pad."
Taking it from Bryce, Fluttershy pressed it down on the wound. "Bandages."
Bryce did the same as before. "Bandages."
Wrapping the colt's hoof in the white roll, she then said, "Medical tape."
Bryce did the same thing a third time. "Medical tape."
Tearing off a few strips of the tape, Fluttershy made sure the bandages wouldn't come unwounded. "There, all better now."
Bait began to come back to reality, drawing in air at a quickened pace. "Th- Thank you..."
Fluttershy pressed the tan colt down onto the couch with a gentle touch. "Shh. You just lie back and recover. I'll go get you something to drink."
Fluttershy stepped into the kitchen with Bryce, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith following behind her.
"Fluttershy, deary," Granny Smith began to ask, "what happened with the boy?"
"I'm not sure, but it looks like he cut himself. It looks like he may have been that way for a while, too. There was dried blood on him."
The two Apple mares cringed in shock.
"Well Ah'd like ta know why we didn't know sooner. Bryce?" Granny Smith asked.
"Well, I was... whittling."
"Yuh shoulda been keepin an eye on'm. There's no tellin what woulda happened if Fluttershy here hadn't a shown up."
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Fluttershy said, being polite.
"Nonsense, it probably meant everything to'm. But what exactly got to the boy?"
Fluttershy thought for a second before saying, "I'm not sure."
Bryce looked over at Bait, lying on the couch. "Hemophobia," Bryce stated.
"Huh? What was that?" Fluttershy asked.
"He has hemophobia: a fear of blood." Bryce stated. "After he cut himself he must have seen the blood and had a moment."
"Well why weren't yuh helpin him?" Granny Smith asked.
"Well, Applejack told me not to help; just watch and make sure he did it all."
"AJ told yuh that!? She can't really expect'm ta do all that. By golly, it took both Big Mac, AJ, and a few of our extended family ta put it up." I'm gonna have ta have a word with that filly. "Do yuh think he'll be okay, Fluttershy?"
"I'm sure after he rests for a bit he'll feel much better," the buttercup mare replied.
"That's good. Now, Bryce, tomorrow Ah want yuh ta help that boy. Ah don't care what AJ tells yuh. From what Ah've heard his leg ain't even fully healed."
"Well, I would have, but Applejack told me not to help."
"Ah know, but yuh shouldn't have listened."
Bryce took one more look at Bait. "I know. It was wrong of me, but I didn't want to go against Applejack. But after this I'm thinking it best to. I mean, he didn't try to do anything bad to me."
Granny Smith scratched the back of her head. "Yuh have a point there, sonny. Why don't we all break for some lunch?" Granny Smith asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
While Fluttershy tended to Bait, and Granny Smith started lunch, Bryce showed Apple Bloom his latest figure.
Just like Bryce, the yellow filly became obsessed with the small wood doll. A question then popped into her head. "Bryce, who's it supposed ta be?"
When Apple Bloom asked that a chill ran down Bryce's spine. He brought the unicorn back up to his eye level, but no matter how long he looked at her his mind drew a blank.
Bryce was only able to whittle after people or things he'd seen before, but this unicorn he couldn't recall in the slightest. The dolls he'd made for Dinky he'd modelled after toy ponies from his world, but this unicorn was original.
As far as Bryce knew, she was without a real life counterpart, but she looked perfect.
Perfect...