Chapter Two
As I walked down the paved streets of Ponyville, I did my best not to break out in a gallop or look over my shoulder. I could deal with tin ponies easily enough because I couldn’t care less about the buckers, but a Princess was enough to rattle my cage.
Ignoring the shouts as I bumped into ponies, I reached into my saddlebag as I reached my apartment building, hoping that the monster wouldn’t-
“Shield!”
“Ah shitbuckbuck,” I swore, before I turned around to face my heavyset landlord, a mare ironically named Sweet Scent. Damn that mare could do to take a shower or jump into a lake once in a while! “What do you want?”
“Rent,” she snarled as if she could really scare me. I’ve taken on scarier shit when I was half my age, and if I wanted to, I could easily knock her on her plot. Not many ponies thought I was that tough since I was a ‘dainty’ unicorn, snorting as I remembered that colt who tried to be clever when hitting on me, but they always were so shocked when the dirt met their face and my horn was still unlit. “You’re late.”
“Horsefeathers,” I swore, as I continued to fumble around in my bag for my keys. “I paid you on time on Friday.”
“No, you missed the extra rent!” she shouted in my ear, causing me to flinch as she invaded my personal space again. I did my best not to shove her off of me as I trotted up the staircase, with her right behind me. It became harder when she said, “It’s part of the contract you signed!”
I looked over my shoulder and saw if I pushed her right now, she’d break her neck without a doubt. “We agreed to every first Friday, with no extra crap.”
“Oh?” With shark-like teeth, she then moved in front of me and began to force me backwards, her hoof pressing into my chest. “We can go over the contra-”
“Buck you, you ugly bitch,” I snarled as my special talent activated as I pushed her away. Using my magic, I grabbed my keys and unlocked the front door. “Here,” I shouted as I threw a good chunk of bits I had saved up at her. “Take your damn money and leave me alone!” I slammed the door in her face, leaning against it.
I could faintly hear her chuckle to herself through the door as I did my best not to act like a little filly.
Instead, I acted like a pissed off pony, stomping through my house to go to my angry wall. Standing in front of it, I spun around and began to kick it as I burned off some of my frustration. Sweet Scent hated when I did this, but I couldn’t afford a gym membership and I paid extra for this when I rented this place, so she kept mostly quiet about it.
After kicking it for a few minutes, I spun around and began to punch it, with my hooves beginning to throb in pain. At times, I wished I was a griffin or something that could make a proper fist as I knew how much a fist could hurt.
Still, after that light stress relief, I forced myself away as my hooves were starting to bleed and it was hell to clean up. With a grunt, I threw myself onto my sofa/bed and looked around my apartment.
It was a complete dump; a single room with a crapper and a shower off to the side, but it was the best I could afford on my meager wages.
And Scent was still ripping me off, I knew that much.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to do anything more than just sleep.
Still, I forced myself upright as I walked over to my bathroom and stepped into the shower to get the sweat off of me.
Turning the taps with my hooves, I jumped as the water was ice cold. I swore, waiting for the water to begin to heat up, shaking my two tone mane out of my face. I should cut it as it was getting too long again, but I wasn’t going to go to a hairdresser to be lectured about how I should treat my mane or how I could keep the light teal hairs and the dark navy hairs separate from each other.
Or that I could actually afford it…
With that kick to my dying good mood, I washed my coat clean of sweat and I half-heartedly washed my mane before I was okay with it. Turning off the water, I stood in the stall before letting out a tired sigh.
Reaching out with my hoof, I grabbed the towel and began to dry myself as I walked out of my bathroom to my fridge.
Shaking my mane, I opened my nearly empty fridge to let out another depressed sigh. Thank Luna’s stars I got free food at work or I’d have starved a long time ago. Grabbing one of the few apples left, I moved the towel to my mane as I attempted to dry that mess.
Taking a bite of the apple, I sat down on my sofa and pulled my blanket over myself.
“Sweet buck, is this what my life is going to be?” I whined to myself, knowing how screwed up my life was and I was only twenty one years old. “No food, no money, no future, no nothing?”
It was times like this I was almost tempted to try drinking but I’d sworn to myself that I’d never put myself in that situation, not even if I was home alone.
Throwing the towel to the floor and setting my alarm to wake me up tomorrow, I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep.
I didn’t know how long it took me but it was far too long.