Champion of Equestria

by Buddy Hooves

Chapter 8: Books, friends and muffins

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I screamed with a start, waking up in cold sweat. That was the second time I had that nightmare here in Equestria. Just like last time, I was surrounded by a living darkness. It had green glowing eyes with red pupils, along with a sharp toothed mouth. It cackled an evil laugh at me, before the darkness grew, trying to consume me. I've had bad dreams before, when I was a kid I dreamt of being stalked by Chucky, Freddy, the cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt, zombies and even aliens. But the difference between those dreams, besides the fact that I grew up and now loved those horror stuff, was the fact that this dream felt real. I could feel the wind gushing around me, my fur standing up from the darkness and it's evil laugh, even the warm breath coming from that thing. It was just too CREEPY! It took me a few minutes to calm my nerves.

I looked out the window, the moon was just now beginning to set to make way for the morning sun. Rather then trying to lay back down, which was pointless for two reasons now, I decided to get up for the morning. There was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep after a dream like that, and besides Twilight would be coming to wake me up in a little bit anyway. After a quick stretch and a yawn, I made my way out of my room and headed towards the bathroom. It didn't take me too long to arrive there, and now that I knew how to run the shower, it was a piece of cake. After the refreshing shower, I then decided to make my way down to the kitchen for some breakfast. Then I'd figured I would head back to the library to do some more reading. I still hadn't read any books on magic or spells yet, so I was curious to see what that was all about.

I only made two wrong turns this time while making my way to the kitchen, which I took as an improvement. Hopefully before too long I'll know my way around this place without getting lost. As I entered the kitchen, I saw that there was a pony already inside, reordering things inside the shelves. She was a maid, which I could tell by the outfit she was wearing. Why ponies only wear clothes some of times, but not during the other times? Must have something to do with events or their jobs? I thought as I studed her. She was a pink pony with blonde mane & tail, blue eyes and a cute little mole under her right eye. I couldn't tell what her cutie mark was, because of the maid outfit she was wearing. As I crossed the room to get a glass to pour myself some OJ, she noticed me. Turning to give me a friendly smile as she bowed her head.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry sir. I didn't hear you come in." She apologized nervously. "Do you want me to get that for you?"

"No thank you." I said as I walked over to the fridge with my glass in hoof. As I retrieved the jucie from the fridge and headed over to the table, I looked at the maid with an a inquisitive look. "What'cha doing?" I asked as I poured myself a drink.

"The princess wants us to make sure the kitchen is stocked and organized every morning for her." She answered as she finished looking through the shelves. She pulled out a notepad and began to write down a few things.

Heh... That sounds like Twilight. I thought, shaking my head with a smirk. I had only known Twilight for a few days now, but I already learned that she was the type to keep everything neat, orginized and done by a checklist. I think she might have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

"So, what's your name?" I asked her with a smile.

"Oh, I'm Rosebud sir." She answered nervousily.

"Every time you say sir, I keep looking around for my father." I laughed. "Just call me Mark. None of that sir stuff."

She simply replied with a nod before continuing to write her list. Once she was finished with it, she put it back into the pocket in her uniform. I guess she was done checking the stock.

"So... how are you enjoying working in a castle?" I asked, starting small talk.

"Oh, it's great!" She answered excititedly. "The princess has been very kind, and the work pays really well. With this job I've been able to save up enough to move into a suite in Fillydelphia."

Fillydelphia... I thought with a chuckle. The ponies sure liked to play with words. Manehattan and Las Pegasus were other cities in Equestria that resembled the ones back home. It was funny how different yet similar this place was from earth. Minus the talking ponies and magical creatures of course.

"Do you guys have any frozen waffels around here?" I asked Rosebud. I was craving some waffles for breakfast today.

"Frozen? Why would you want frozen waffles for?" She asked me as she gave me a curious look. "I thought they were supposed to be hot and fresh?"

"They are." I replied, clearly disappointed that they didn't have easy to make waffles like Eggos. "It's just that back home they had frozen waffles that anyone could make whenever they wanted."

"I never heard of that before." She said surprised. "Where are you from?"

"From another land far from here." I lied. The princesses, Twilight and her friends may have knew I was really a human from earth, but everyone else didn't. Twilight informed me to keep up the lie of being from another land to keep other ponies from freaking out, or thinking I was crazy.

"Guess I'll have to fix something else." I said with a sigh.

"Why's that?" Rosebud asked.

"I don't know how to fix waffles from scratch." I stated, cursing myself for not paying attention to mom when she was making them. I learned to cook alot of things from her, but waffles were NOT one of them.

"Well don't worry about it." She said with a smile. "I'll fix some for you."

"Umm.... Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but aren't you just a maid. I mean, I thought this castle had like at least a dozen cooks." I asked. It wasn't that I wanted to sound mean, but I didn't want her to have to do any extra work.

"It's okay." She said with a giggle. "I'm also a part of the kitchen staff. Most of the maids and staff do double jobs here in the castle by choice. We're paid the extra amount for the other jobs we do."

"Huh." I said, as I was surprised by the statement. Rosebud just gave me a warm smile before walking back over to the cabinets to fish for a pan and the ingredients.

While Rosebud worked away on fixing me some waffles, humming the whoile time, Spike & Twilight walked into the kitchen. Spike looked like he was still fighting a little bit of his sleep, but Twilight looked up and ready to start the day.

"There you are." Twilight said, as they both walked over to sit with me at the table. "I see you're already up for the day. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really..." I said as I fought back a yawn. "Bad dreams."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked kindly.

"Naahh...." I waved a hoof as I answered. I figured it wasn't anything to really worry anyway. I mean, it was ONLY a dream after all. It's not like it could HURT me. I took a drink of juice as I tried to push the dream out of my head.

"Oh, Hi Rosebud. What are you doing?" Twilight asked the maid as she finally noticed her over at the stove counter.

"Good morning your majesty." Rosebud said as she turned to give Twilight a quick bow. "I'm fixing Mr. Mark here some waffles for breakfast. Would you care for some?" She asked.

"I would!" Spike quickly answered.

Twilight just gave me a curious look. I knew what she was going to ask.

"I Don't know how to make any." I replied before she had a chance to ask.

"Well..." She started to say while turning her attention to Rosebud. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd love some as well."

"Yes your majesty!" Rosebud said in full attention, before returning back around to continue her work.

"So Twilight, what's the plan for today?" I asked as we waited for our waffles to be fixed.

"I'm afraid I'll be quite busy for today." She answered with a sigh. "Today's the day of the week were I have the ponies of Ponyville come in and air their problems and ask for requests." That didn't surprise me. Royal leaders always did things like that to keep the peace in the kingdom. Well, the good ones anyway. "And then I have a meeting with Mayor Mare to discuss plans on the upcoming festival next week in Ponyville."

"I think I remember hearing something about it when I first arrived here." I said, thinking back on the day when the golem decided to use ponies as punching bags. "What's it for, anyway?"

"It's to celebrate the month long time of peace after the defeat of Tirek. It's also to celebrate the arrival of my castle."

"Oooooookay...." I said, as I thought it was a little silly to throw a party a month after defeating a dark tyrant. I mean, just a few days ago a monster attacked their town for crying out loud! "So how about you Spike?"

"Spike will also be busy helping me with today's tasks." Twilight answered for the little dragon. Not that he cared, he was now fixing himself a glass of OJ as well.

"What about you, Mark?" He asked while he poured the juice into his glass. "What are your plans today?"

"Well, first I was thinking about reading some more in the library. You know, studing some about magic." I paused, letting Twilight give a nod of approval. "Then I was thinking of spending the rest of the day just looking around in the castle and taking it easy."

"That sounds boring!" spike said flatly, unpleased by my plans for the day.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Spike." Twilight said, taking me completely by surprise. "While I approve of you spending some time learning more about magic, I don't approve of you spending all day in the castle."

"Yeah, you been cooped up in this place for a couple of days now!" Spike proclaimed, as he placed the OJ back in the fridge before sitting back at the table. "You need to go outside and enjoy yourself!"

"I agree. It would do you some good to spend some time in the town." Twilight nodded.

"As you wish, your majesty." I said as I gave her a smirk.

"Knock it off!" She stated, before giving me a warm smile.

"Waffles are ready!" Rosebud proclaimed. "What would you like on them?" She asked us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing breakfast, we all went our seperate ways. Twilight & Spike went to the throne room to start their business for the day, Rosebud went to continue her work, and I went to the library to continue reading. I was able to find the room easily enough, and without going down the hall. Yay, me! I thought as I made my way to the book shelves. I found a few books on magic after several minutes of looking around, and took only what seemed the most important ones back to the desk. Once I got comfy in the chair, I cracked open a book and started reading.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" I muttered to myself as I slamed the book closed. It had been what felt like two hours since I started, and my head was already about to explode. How can this even make any sense?! I wondered, as I placed my head in my hooves. Trying to study about magic was more boring and frustrated then trying to learn science. It just flew over my head. What I was able to learn was magic was controlled by thoughts and emotions. Unicorns supposedly reached inside themselfs until they felt the magic inside them, then used their horns to concentrate until they could focus the energy and use it. It kind of reminded of the way they described magic in the book Eragon. Only with unicorns. Learning magic seemed hopeless at this point, as I tried to 'feel' inside myself, but all that came out was loose gas. Giving up, I decided to take Twilight & Spike's advice and spend some time in Ponyville.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I passed the entrance of the castle, I spotted the guards, well....guarding. Boy, they sure don't move or talk much. Reminds me of the british guards back home. Continuing my way further into the town, I saw the local ponies going on about their day. As I walked by, I noticed that a few ponies were taking notice of me. But they weren't giving me any dirty looks or anything, far from it. Most gave me friendly smiles or waved a hoof at me as I walked by them, while others looked on in awe or whispered to other ponies. What the hell is going on? I wondered, as I tried to figure out why every pony in town suddenly seemed so keen on me all of the sudden. Thankfully, as I neared the center of town, I spotted two familiar mares standing by an apple stall.

"Applejack! Rainbow Dash!" I yelled, as I made my over to them.

"Oh, hey Mark!" She exclaimed, as she gave me a friendly hug. "It's good ta see ya again."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said, as she greeted me with a nod. "We haven't seen you in a few days. We were wondering what happened to you. What did you do, get lost in the castle?" She asked with a chuckle.

"At first." I said honestly. "But I mostly been in the library reading."

"Figures." Applejack said with smile, as she shook her head. "That's just like Twilight ta have ya reading this whole time. Must have been boring."

"Actually, it wasn't that bad." I said with a smile. "I got to learn quite alot about Equestria's history, type of monsters, and a little about magic." Didn't get to learn how to use any, but still....

"Great. Another egghead!" Dash exclaimed, as she flumped her butt on the ground and crossed her arms.

"Well, I think it's great you're taking such an interest in learning about all that stuff." Applejack said, as she gave me a big warm smile that almost seemed....

"Uhh...Anyway." I started, trying to repress THAT thought and as began my question. "What's with everybod.... I mean, everypony, acting so weird and friendly towards me?"

"Didn't ya know, sugarcube? Everyone in Ponyville thinks your a hero now." AJ said, still smiling at me.

"What?!"

"Yeah, ever since that fight with the golem, Ditzy Doo and the CMC have been going around talking about how you defeated it." Dash said, seemingly upset by that fact. "And every other pony that saw the fight, have been going on about the new stallion who saved the town." She huffed angerly. "It's so stupid! All you did was finish it off, we did all the work!"

"Now, now, Dash. Be fair. We may have done a lickin' to that walking pile of rocks, but we was still struggling. Mark here was able to destroy it in one big old blast!" AJ stated, as she put her arm around Dash's shoulders. "Besides, your just upset that ya'll have ta wait a few more days till ya can fly again."

Dash said nothing as she turned her head away from her friend and grumbled.

But while that little scene was playing out, I was suddenly hit by an unkown flying object, knocking me straight on the ground. As I recollected my thoughts, I suddenly became aware that arms were wrapped around me and something was hugging me tightly. I looked down to find a familiar grey pegasus holding me tightly as she sniffled onto my shoulder.

"Mark! I'm so glad to see that you're okay! I was afraid something happened to you." She sobbed, she pulled away just enough to look me in the face. Her eyes were full of tears and concern.

"Ditzy doo..." I said, while looking into her eyes. I couldn't help but notice she had a lazy eye, one that went the other way as the other one. But I was used to something like that. My cousin Nicky had a wife who had the same thing. Anyway, as I tried to pull her off me so I could stand up, I also tried to calm her down. "It's okay. I'm fine. See? Everything's cool now."

"It's just that...." Ditzy began, as she got off me so we both could stand up. Although she remained close to me. "It's just that when I saw you exploded like that, I was so afraid you might not make it. I mean, they rushed you into the castle as soon as it happened, and I haven't seen from you since." She still sobbed.

"Well, I'm okay now. I spent the last few days recovering and learning about Equestria." I assured her. Applejack gave me a sly smirk as I tried to calm Ditzy Doo, while Dash just rolled her eyes. "Twilight's even let me stay in the castle."

"Oh, that's good." Ditzy smiled as she wiped her teary eyes. "Say, I just got done with my deliveries for today and was heading to Sugercube Corner for some muffins. Would you like to come with me?" She asked with a shy smile, the blush on her cheeks were clearly visible.

"Sure, why not." I replied with a smile. Some muffins did sound good. I wonder if they have blueberry ones? "Hey Applejack, would you or Dash like to come with us?"

"Well...." AJ paused. Giving the question some thought. "Ah should finish up here on the stall...."

"Count me out." Dash cut her off. "I got to watch my figure while I wait to heal."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you girls la..."

"WAIT!" AJ stopped me before I could say goodbye and leave with Ditzy. "Ya know what, ah could use a break. Ah think ah'll join ya." She said as she placed lids over the crates in the stall, before hanging a 'Out for lunch' sign on it. Judging by Dash's expression, I took it AJ didn't do this often.

"Well ladies, shell we be off?" I asked the two mares beside me.

"Yes. Onwords, to muffins!" Ditzy announced, as she pointed a hoof forword. We all laughed, before heading to Sugercube Corner. Leaving a shocked Rainbow Dash to scratch her head.

"Hi girls! Hi Mark! Great to see you again." Pinkie almost shouted with joy as she burst from behind the counter.

"Hi Pinkie. Running the counter today?" AJ asked.

"Yep. Mr. & Mrs. Cake had to take the twins for their check up today, so I get to run the store until they return." Pinkie said happily. Almost like it was no trouble to run a bakery store all by herself. "So, what can I get you guys today?"

"Muffins!" Ditzy said in an almost a serious tone.

"Ahh.... the usual. No problem at all." Pinkie answered with a smile. "How about you two?"

"The same." AJ answered calmly.

"I hate to ask, but do you guys make Blueberry or chocolate chip muffins?" I asked Pinkie.

"Of course, silly. What did you think we made them out of, mud?"

"Ha, I guess so..." I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head. "Some of those please."

"Okay. Be with you guys in a minute!" Pinkie decleared, before zooming through the door behind the counter.

While we waited for our muffins to finish baking, we took a seat at a nearby table. As I looked around, I noticed there were just a few other ponies in the shop as well. A few were eating their treats or chatting with each other, while others were drinking their coffee and reading the morning paper. Thankfully, none of the other ponies noticed us as we sat at our table. The last thing I needed was for them to call me a hero.

"So, Ditzy. You said you were done with your deliveries for today. What is it you do?" I asked, curious of the mare's job.

"I'm a mailpony." She stated proudly.

"Ah. So, you like your job?"

"It's okay." She said with a sigh. "But I don't get to run alot of mail because of my.... problem." Her head slumped down as she stared at the table.

"Problem? What Problem?" I asked, concerned.

"Poor Ditzy here has a lazy eye." AJ answered for her. "She means well, and all, but her poor vison causes her ta have accidents."

"But they wasn't my fault!" Ditzy proclaimed. "I don't mean for it to happen, it's just hard to tell distances sometimes."

"Because of that, she's only allowed ta deliver a small amount of mail at a time." AJ finished, as she patted Ditzy gently on the back. "Anymore accidents happen, and they dock her pay."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" I yelled, causing the girls as well as a few ponies to look at me in surprise. "Just because you're a little handicapped, doesn't mean you can't do something just as good as other people!" I stated, furious at how Ditzy's boss for treating her like a moron.

"Y..you really think so?" Ditzy asked, her eyes sparkled at me as see looked at me in wonder.

"Of course! I know a few handicapped pe... err, ponies back home. And they could do regular tasks and live just like any normal pony could. Just because you have a little something like a lazy eye, doesn't make you retarded."

Applejack and Ditzy Doo looked at me in amazment at what I just said, both giving me warm smiles and blushing a little. I could tell I made Ditzy feel better, because she reached around the table to give me a hug.

"Thank you, Mark. You're so kind." She said, as she tighten her hold for a second before letting go.

"I have ta say sugarcube, those were some honest and kind words ya'll said." AJ said, as she gave me a light tap in the arm with her hoof. "If everypony thought like you, Equestria would be a better place."

"Nahh...." I blushed. Unable to take such complements, especially from two females. Back on earth, I was a bit of a loser when it came to the girl department. They hardly gave me the time of day, let alone go out with me. I've only had four girlfriends in my life, and everyone of those relationships ended badly for me. In elementery, my first girlfriend went out with me as a joke, then got me to fight one of my friends when she dumped me for him. In middle school, my second girlfriend went out with me on a bet, pretending to care for me and write me love notes. I found out about the scam when I overheared her & her friends talk about me behind my back. the third one in highschool, went out with me because my dad bribed her by having her car worked on for free. She dumped me when she ditched my ass at the fair grounds to hang with her ex, forcing me to wait almost all night for a ride home. And the fouth one, well, after school my friends tried to hook me up with this one girl. But she used me for my money and didn't bother to talk to me again after the second date.

Needless to say, I wasn't much of a ladies man. And now, as a pony, finding myself with all these female friends, made me a little nervous.

"Muffins are ready!" Pinkie said, coming to our table with a big bowl full of fresh muffins. Thankfully this got the girls away from me, and towards Pinkie, as she sat the bowl on the table.

"Let's eat!" Ditzy proclaimed, before taking a warm muffin and taking a huge bite out of it. "Mmmmmmm..... muffins."

After we finished eating, we made our way outside. While me and AJ only had about three or four muffins each, Ditzy ate all the rest. That mare really loved her muffins. As I looked around us, I noticed the sun was straight over head, letting us know it was now about noon.

"Well ya'll, it's been fun, but I have to get back to my stall."

"That's cool, AJ. We understand." I said with a nod. "Maybe I'll come visit Sweet Apple Acres some time."

"That'll be nice." AJ said, tilting her hat as she smiled. "Maybe I'll have Granny Smith make you some of her famous apple pie."

"I'd like that." I Replied, giving her a hug goobye. "See you later, AJ."

"Bye ya'll." She waved to us, before walking away to head back to her apple stall.

"Well, I guess I better get going as well." Ditzy said sheepishly, looking down at the ground. "You know, errands to run and stuff..."

"That's cool. Maybe I'll run into you again." I said, smiling at Ditzy's nervousness. "If nothing else, you could come visit me at the castle. I'm sure Twilight wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, Mark. Maybe I will." Ditzy looked up at me, eyes gleaming with happiness. She leaned close to me, and before I could react, she planted a kiss on my cheek. Catching me completely off guard.

"..........."

"You're a sweet stallion, Mark. Thank you for your kind words earlier." She said to me happily, after planting the kiss. I however, was still in shock. "Bye Mark." She waved to me before flying off.

D...Did she just kiss me?! I asked myself as I tried to reboot my brain. She did. She kissed me on the cheek! I thought in amazment, holding a hoof on my still warm cheek. I couln't believe it. Now, to anybody else, a kiss on the cheek might not seem like a big deal, but to me, it was the world! I already said that I sucked with the ladies, so it comes to no surprise to say that I've only been kissed ONCE in my life. I know, I know. Pretty pathetic, but believe me, it wasn't by choice. I grew up longing for a true girlfriend, and dreamed of being kissed by her. So, any kiss to me was a big deal.

As I recovered from the moment, three little fillies came running up to me. It was Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, the cutie mark crusaders. But as they ran up to me, I noticed that they had something tied around their necks. It was a cape, a nice shade of red, with a gold trim that went around on it's other side. In the middle of the cape, was a blue symbol with a yellow pony in the middle of it.

"MARK!" They said in unison, swarming around me as they gave me a huge group hug.

"Uhhh....Hey girls. What's up?" I asked trying to pry them off me. It didn't work thought. They just looked up at me with eyes full of concern.

"We were so glad to see you again. We haven't seen you since that mean old monster attacked." Sweetie Belle said.

"Our sisters told us that ya was in the castle recovering, but we was still worried." Applebloom said.

"It was so awesome how you whipped that rock monster in one huge blast." Scootaloo Proclaimed, her eyes gleaming. "You're so cool!"

"Uhhhh.... Thanks girls." I paused. "I'm okay now. I've just been taking it easy these last few days." Reassuring them.

"Oh, that's good." They all sighed as they finally released me.

"So girls, what's with the capes?" I asked.

"Oh, these are our cutie mark crusader capes." Sweetie Belle answered.

"Yeah, they're part of our group uniforms." Applebloom said.

"Plus, they're cool!" Scootaloo chimed in.

"Oh......kay." I replied.

"We've been doing some talking, about how you also don't have a cutie mark. And.... we was wondering if...." Sweetie belle started, but froze as she stared down at the ground blushing.

"We was wondering if ya'd like ta join the cutie mark crusaders. Please? It would really mean alot ta us!" Applebloom finished, giving me the classic puppy dog look. Any man's kryptonite.

"Sure." I answered, not wanting to disappoint the girls. The all cheered and jumped for joy at my answer.

"Alright! Now we have the coolest pony on our team." Scootaloo decleared.

"Thanks you, Mark. Ya won't regret it." Applebloom said.

"Here." Sweetie Belle said as she walked up to me and handed me a cape. "We made this for you." It was the same type of cape the girls had, but just a pinch bigger.

"Thanks." I said as I held the cape infront of me, studying it. "It looks great."

"We need ta head back to the clubhouse to plan for our next adventure!" Applebloom decleared.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS AWAY!!" They yelled in unison, before dashing away to god knows where.

What a strange day. I thought as I began to make my way back to the castle.

Comments

[PinkiePieFox]

Edits needed done on Chapter 9

"I should finish up her on the stall...."

her = here

I took it AJ do this often.

??? Don't do?

"But they went my fault!" Ditzy proclaimed.

went = weren't

my second girlfriend went out with me on a beat

beat = bet

when she ditched my at the fair grounds to hang with her ex

my = me

"Muffins areready!"

(space)

Swwetie Bell said.

Sweetie Belle

[Buchernov2012]

"..........."

Did you intend to make it look like a poker face?

And it's strange that the last comment was written over 2 years ago. Strange

[OrganicMachine]

7245358
-Begin Comment-

Isn't it strange that the last comment was almost 4 years ago?

-End Comment-