Extremely Loud, Intensely Bright, Drastically Tense, Exceedingly Tight

by h4ns

Heat of the Moment

Chapter 29: Heat of the Moment

Bryce was awoken in his usual way; by having Corn blow his olid breath into his face. When that happened it meant that Corn was more than ready to be let out to do his outdoor morning constitutional. In the time that he had been away, Bryce had almost gone crazy to not have his dog there to wake him in his usual way. By now, it was more a ritual to them both.

Throughly stretching his body out underneath the blanket, Bryce was ready to make the day. Flipping over onto his back he found the head of the timber wolf he'd decapitated a few days ago laying on the chest where he'd placed it. It was biting down on Ponzi's knife. "Morning, Omega, feel like speaking your mind today?"

As expected, it only sat there, unmoving.

"Didn't think so." Finally rising out of bed, Bryce headed downstairs to let Corn out, greeting everypony he saw, before heading back upstairs to perform his own morning constitutional. After he was done in the bathroom he again headed back down to find his usual breakfast on the table and Applejack waiting to give him his list of daily chores.

"So, are yuh ready for what yuh got ta do today?"

"Sure, go ahead and lay it on me now."

"Well Ah need yuh ta fix up the fence. That's really all Ah have. Ah've already got all the wood and nails and such for yuh, it's all out where... yuh know."

"As I said before, I'm sorry for that. I'm fine though."

"... Right... Just get it done." Applejack left him and headed to get the wagon ready for the weekly farmer's market in Ponyville with her brother.

As soon as he finished his breakfast and cleaned his plate, Bryce went outside to get started. Already Applejack and Big Macintosh were heading down the trail away from the house, the wagons following their movements. Meanwhile, coming up the trail were two unicorns of different sizes.

The smaller one was Dinky; he wasn't surprised to see her coming up. The other one, however, was a face he hadn't seen since their discussion behind the house. When they both reached Bryce they both stopped.

Bryce broke the silent tension in the group. "Well... it's a surprise to see you back, I have to say."

Amethyst replied, "Yeah, but it was getting boring just sitting around the house all day." She began to give her little sister a noogie. "And I had to make this one stop begging me somehow."

"Ahh, Amy!"

"Stop complaining, you know you like it."

"But you don't have to, ow, be so rough."

"It's only to show you how much I care about you, little sis." They both started laughing.

"Well it wasn't really a good day for you to be coming here. Apple Bloom's not feeling well and she'll be in bed all day."

That dampened the unicorn filly's spirits. "Is she going to be okay?"

Bryce smirked. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. All she needs is to get some sleep and a little good cooking and she'll be alright."

"Oh, that's good. What do you have to do today?"

"I have to go and fix the sheep pen where I feel on it."

"Why, what happened?" Amethyst inquired.

"Well, the kids and I were playing catch and... I was told to 'go long'. I didn't see it until I was right on it. After that the whole thing fell down with me somehow."

"Oh, do you need any help with it at all?"

"Not really, it'll be better if I take care of it alone."

"If you say so. Dinky, go on inside, there's something I want to talk to Bryce about."

"I- Is it something bad?"

"Oh, it's not 'that' bad. If you go see Apple Bloom be sure to not get too close, we don't want you getting whatever she's got." Dinky ran inside to do just that. Turning back to Bryce, Amethyst said, "You probably know what I want to talk about."

Bryce sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"This is hard for me to say, but I hate to say I somewhat agree with what you said."

"... Really? Which parts exactly?"

"Don't test your luck, I only said I somewhat agree with what you said. I mean, I agree I shouldn't be taking my anger out on my stepmother, but I'm still upset that he left us both."

"Do you still feel it was because of her?"

"I- I really don't know." The mapenta mare sat down on the ground. "I do feel she was a reason, but not the biggest reason. I'd known her for a while before he left. They both seemed so happy together, and I mean like really happy, but before he just up and left Dinky and I... there'd been an accident."

"What do you mean by an 'accident'?"

"Well, Derpy, she- she almost burned down the house. I'm not saying she hadn't done crazy or embarrassing things before, but when we all woke up the next morning... he was gone. He'd left without even leaving us anything to tell us where he was going." Amethyst had started to cry. "Just the night before he'd kissed my sister and I good night and said he loved us." She couldn't hold back as the tears began to flow out of her violet eyes.

Bryce bent down and rubbed a reassuring hand across her back.

In between her sobbing, the teenage mare asked, "Do you think everything you said to Dinky was true?"

"Well do you want me to tell you the truth, or what you want to hear?"

She whispered, "I'd prefer the truth."

"Amethyst, I really don't know... I really just don't know." Amethyst looked up at the human. "Look, I know what I said to you the other day, but I really don't know if it's true. It was just me trying to give you a wake up call."

"Is that so?" She looked back down. "I- I suppose I can't blame you. Goddess, I've been a real bitch, haven't I?"

"Well... you kind of have, but I was being a real dick myself."

"I guess we were both in the wrong." Amethyst sucked in her snot before saying, "I want to know though. What you said to Dinky. Do you really think our dad'll come back?"

"I don't know. Maybe so, maybe not. But if he does, then know this: Don't expect him to be the same person you knew if he does come back. People you once knew tend to change when they've been away for a long time."

"Do you really think that?"

Bryce paused before saying, "I know that." Bryce pulled himself and Amethyst up. "Now just listen to me on this part. I know you might not like your... stepmother, but at least she's here for you. She cares about you both; to her you're another daughter."

"But she isn't. Dinky and I have different mothers."

"Well, it takes more than blood to make a family. I know that for a fact. Now you really need to drop whatever ill wills you have for her. Whenever Dinky sees you acting like that you're not only hurting her. You're hurting yourself with hate, and life's too short to have something like that weighing on one's heart."

"I- I don't fully understand, but if it's for Dinky..."

"Dinky needs you and Ditzy to be strong for her. She needs to have others in her life showing her the difference in right and wrong."

"I- I know, your right, but Der- Ditzy... I'll try for Dinky."

"Good, now let's go on inside. Knowing her she's not letting Apple Bloom get much rest."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And, Bryce, was it? She looks up to you. Whenever she comes home you're almost the only thing she talks about. How in Celestia's name do you do it?"

Bryce bit down on his lip. "I really don't know, but for some reason little ones are always fawning over me."

"*Pfft* Whatever you say. Look, I can't trust her to leave Apple Bloom alone. Do you think you could watch over her?"

"I'll try, but could you help watch after Apple Bloom. I trust Granny Smith can do it, but she's getting up there in years, after all."

"Say no more, I'll take care of it."

"That's great, thanks. Now let's go get her before Apple Bloom gets worked up too much and wants to come out."

When Byce and Amethyst entered the house, they found Dinky upstairs in Apple Bloom's bedroom, pestering the sick filly. Amethyst had to grab the young unicorn up in her magic and drag her outside. After much convincing, Dinky agreed to stay outside and help Bryce fix the fence.

Heading out to the site near the sheep's corral, they both found everything ready, like Applejack had told him. Corn and Winona had decided to come along. "Okay, Dinky, there's not much you can help me with. Just stay out of the way and play with the dogs while I take care of it. And stay where I can see you." Walking over to one of the posts, Bryce pressed and pulled on it until it decided to come out of the ground.

"What'd you and Amy talk about?"

"She was just making sure I was being safe around you."

"Oh... She's always doing stuff like that. She keeps on acting like she's momma."

"Well she's just concerned for your safety. In a way, she is your mother," Bryce said as he pulled out the last of the posts.

"But she's my sister, not my momma."

"No, she's your big sister. It's her job to worry over you."

"Does that mean you're my brother? You're always getting on to me whenever I'm doing something I shouldn't; just like Amy."

"Well, no, that's just... Do you see me as a brother?"

"No, I kinda see you... as... daddy."

Bryce stopped his work on her last statement. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel at a time like that. Sure, he'd had to step in as the parent to his nephews, but Bryce had grown up knowing them; and they were all human. But Dinky, she was a pony. "I need to work, Dinky."

Bryce did so. This caused a frown to form on the unicorn filly's face that went unnoticed by the human. She sat down on the ground and began to run her hoof through the dirt.

After he had placed the new posts in the the ground, Bryce was ready to nail in the boards. Picking up the hammer, the head began to wiggle. Bryce tried his best to firmly press it down on the handle. "Okay, Dinky, I'm almost done. Just stay around here and we can go find something to do together."

Dinky weakly gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

He got one of the boards in place and started to hammer it in. A few swings into it Bryce took notice of the hammer's sudden loss in weight.

From behind him, Dinky cried out in pain and fell back on the ground.

"Damn it!" Bryce dropped everything and ran over to her. "Dinky, are you alright!?" He pulled her hooves away from her face so he could get a better look at her. Already a bruise was beginning to from where the hammer head had hit her on the nose, which was oozing blood from both nostrils. "Son of a bitch, damn it, Bryce!"

Dinky worked her hooves out of his grip and hid herself again.

Bryce picked the injured filly gently off the ground and cradled her in his arms. "Just stay calm, it's going to be okay."

When he reached the house, with Dinky in his arms, Amethyst and Granny Smith jumped as he came running in. "Bryce, what's going on!?"

"It's- I-"

Amethyst became concerned once she saw that her sister was lying in his arms. "What happened!? WHAT'D YOU DO!?"

"I-"

Amethyst pulled her out of his grasp with her magic. "THE HAY, BRYCE!!!"

Granny Smith intervened. "Now settle down and give her to me. You're only going to hurt her more throwing her around like that." Grabbing Dinky at the nap of her neck, Granny Smith took the filly and lied here down on the couch. "Now just calm down, sugarcube, and let Granny see it."

With the aged mare attending to Dinky, Amethyst glared back at Bryce. "What happened!?"

"I didn't mean to, it-"

"What do you call that?"

"It was an accident, I'm sorry."

"You hurt her and that's all you can say!?"

At the moment, Applejack came in through the front door. "Hey, Granny, do you know where... What's going- For Celestia's sake, what'd he do now!?"

"This blockhead just hurt my sister!"

"HE WHAT!?!?!?" Applejack took a stance in front of Bryce. "That's the last stray, Ah want yuh out of this house!"

Granny Smith tried to pacify the situation. "Now, AJ, Ah'm sure he didn't-"

"Ah don't care. Yuh get out!" She stopped him before he could get a word in. "NOW!!!"

Bryce balled both his hands into fists and felt like he was digging his nails into his palms. With tears of rage starting to run from dark gray eyes, he ran out the door, nearly bringing the door with him.

As he walked away from the house, Corn and Winona began to follow him. He shouted, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, BOTH OF YOU!!!" He began to walk away from the house, taking a random direction into the orchard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minutes after Bryce's boisterous departure, Applejack was finally calm enough to think straight. She asked Dinky, "Now give it to me straight. What'd he do to yuh?"

Dinky was still somewhat shaken up about what had happened. "H- he was using the ha- hammer on the fence when i- it came back and h- hit me."

"What hit yuh?"

"Th- the metal part on the end"

Amethyst asked, "Did it look like he meant to do it?"

"N- no. After i- it hit me he came over to see me. Then he said one of those naughty words an- and brought me inside."

"Yuh see, and the two of you were ready ta rip the poor boy's head off," Granny Smith piped in. "He tried ta tell yuh both that and yuh wouldn't let'em."

"But he's been nothin but-"

"Ah know how he's been, but most of what he's done were just accidents. Ah can understand yuh being upset, but yuh don't have ta treat like an idiot. He knows when he's done wrong; but you, AJ, still treat'em like he's a foal."

"But you don't know how he's been treating me."

"Maybe Ah don't, but after the way you've acted yuh deserve it."

Applejack bit down on her lip, beyond belief her own grandmother was actually taking up for him. "Give me one example of why Ah should even consider thinking any different bout'em."

"From what Ah've heard he saved Rainbow Dash's life."

The apple mare cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, beg pardon?"

"That day we went for a picnic in town. He stayed behind and saved her after she'd hit the ground too hard."

"Now Ah can't believe that. After what happened between'em Ah doubt he'd give that feather brain the time of day."

"Well believe it. Yuh can go ask Fluttershy; she's the one that told me."

That left both Applejack and Amethyst dumbfounded. They'd both heard all the rumors she had floated about him around town, and that Bryce did as well.

Amethyst said, "You know what, I may believe that he 'helped' Rainbow, but why in Tartarus would he do it?"

"From what Fluttershy told me he didn't care about what she'd done to him. All he would say was that it was in his nature to save her. Come on, you saw how he was acting when he brought your sister in. You don't think he'd actually do somethin like that on purpose, do yuh?"

"Well... he did seem pretty upset about it. And everything Dinky's told me... I- I don't think he did it on purpose."

"Good, yuh see. Deep down he's just like one of us. He just has a few rough edges that make it hard for him to fit in." Granny Smith looked over at her oldest granddaughter. "Well, AJ, what do you have ta say?"

Applejack stood there for a moment before stomping her hoof on the floor. She bluntly stated, "Ah still don't like him. Ah just don't. Sure, he may have saved Rainbow, but Ah wouldn't doubt he had some other motive for it. Look, Ah'm wastin time. Ah only came back ta get a wheel for the wagon." The apple mare ignored everypony as she exited the house.

Once outside, she headed over to the barn to get what she had come for. Laying against the side of one wall was the wagon wheel she had come back for.

From behind her, she heard the door creak. Looking back she found nopony there. "Granny, is that you?"

There came no answer to here calling.

"Huh, must have been-"

From behind, someone rushed forward and smacked the apple mare hard on the back of her head. She heard him say, "It could have been easy." Applejack slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Before leaving, her attacker tossed a flaming rag into a hay stack.

Comments

[akarock]

Dun dun dun!

[damnaion]

29# dan dan dan

[h4ns]

4282305
4275546
4273688

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