• Published 27th Apr 2012
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The Problem With Magic - deathtap



An angry, bitter man bets with a rather strange character and ends up in the most unlikeliest world

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Day 17: The Crystal Strikes Back

Pain. Again. Why is it that the past few times I’ve woken up, it’s because of pain? However, this time felt a little different, an alternative kind of pain. Something within me was aching, and it was more agonizing by far than the other kind of pain. The outside kind, the kind I was used to. Far worse than getting a hole blasted through my chest, or my ribs being broken. As my eyes opened, I couldn’t help but gasp. Where was I? This wasn’t Brian’s house? This wasn’t even Ponyville! What the hell had happened?

Suddenly, everything clicked. I understood. What I understood, I didn’t know, just that I knew. Whatever was going on was incredibly important, and that I had to maintain a strong face as I stared down at the six below me. But they looked so angry. Wait a minute! I’m floating? That wasn’t right.

“Forest, you promised!” Twilight shouted.

“You can’t do this!” Rainbow Dash added.

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

And then I spoke. I couldn’t hear what I said, but whatever I said just made them even angrier than before. Whatever my words were, they cut through them.

“You can’t do that! That’s not fair!” Applejack practically screamed, “That’s not fair on us!”

“Forest!” Another voice screamed. Pinkie stood at the back glaring at me.

Those eyes.

No Pinkie, don’t look at me like that…

There was something crumbling all around us, and in the next moment I saw them all start glowing. Then –

I shot up and smacked my head against something.

“Ow!” It said.

“My head,” I moaned, flopping back down on the pillow rubbing the spot where it hurt. I looked up and saw Rainbow Dash hovering over my bed, rubbing her forehead.

“Rainbow? What’re you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to check on you and the place. I heard voices, so I thought you were awake. I didn’t know you were still sleeping…” She landed next to the bed as I sat up then dragged myself off of it. “Sounds like you had a nightmare.”

“You have no idea.” I shook my head; the dream was still fresh in my mind. I didn’t like it. Whatever was going on in that dream had put a bad taste in my mouth. And the way they spoke at me – not to me, but at me – as if I were… bad. “It’s just a dream.” I told myself, relief soaking in.

“What?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head to one side.

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Rainbow just gave me a perplexed look.

“I knew that you had a thing for Applejack, but I didn’t know it was this bad.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Forest, you got to let things happen! You can’t mope about like this.”

In her own way, I guess Rainbow was trying to pep me up.

“This photo of you is… cute,” I said picking up the picture from before. I didn’t feel like discussing Applejack at the moment, every time I thought of her my heart would ache.

The photo was definitely taken on Earth; the colors of that world were evident in the photograph. She was snoozing lazily on a bed, a sweet smile on her face as the sun streaked in through a window behind her. “You really stand out in that world.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow looked at the photo, a small smile on her lips. “Dad was always worried about me getting discovered, so he did everything to make sure I was safe.”

“He told me about it. It must have been painful when you guys were separated.”

“You have no idea. And at the time I really didn’t want to go. I spent my entire life – again – with Brian. How was I supposed to go back to my old life without him? And then, after the mind changing spell…”

“Mind changing spell?” I asked.

Rainbow looked up at me. “I thought you said Dad told you…”

“He must have omitted that minor detail. I didn’t know minds could be… altered.”

“Princess Celestia thought it would’ve been better for me. To forget, you know? To remember my life without dad.”

“I take it that didn’t work?”

“I don’t remember much about that, but I do remember this huge feeling of emptiness. But before all my memories were changed, I remember locking up something inside me – like a box, only in my head, I think. A box full of memories and feelings… I forget, y’know. Don’t really like thinking about it. I just knew that it would remain there locked away if I never saw dad again. Then I sent a letter to dad without the others knowing explaining what I had done. I gave him a choice… and he chose me.” Rainbow’s eyes started to water, and she wiped away a tear, “And now he’s got no more time left…”

Quickly, I rushed to the other side of the room where a box of tissues were and handed them to her. She wiped her eyes as the tears refused to stop flowing out from them. She blew her nose in one and took another tissue out from the box.

“What am I going to do without him?” Rainbow looked at the photo of her Filly self. “What… what am I… going to…”

It was painful watching her. All throughout the time I’ve known her she seemed so free and full of life. Only now, sitting here in this house, did I realize the just how fragile she really was. All that strength she displayed came crumbling down in this one moment and I saw her heart laid bare. Unlike Fluttershy, who was always seemed fragile so that it was expect, Rainbow’s display of weakness seemed that much more… tragic. I realized that she had not come to this house because this house was full of memories of her father, and a reminder of why he was no longer living there. And I was the asshole who forced her to return to this place.

“I… I’m sorry, Rainbow. I didn’t mean to drag you back here.” My apology was heartfelt, but my words didn’t fit. “What I meant to say is… sorry for reminding you of the past.”

“You know, Forest, I thought you were pretty smart.” Rainbow’s words stung, but I listened to what she had to say. She wiped away some more tears. She seemed to be regaining her strong disposition. “You know things. I know you know because I can see it when you’re thinking, and I know that you mean well, but you need to wake up.”

“I… don’t understand what you mean.”

Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh, but she laughed a little, “You’re so thick! I came back here because I wanted to remember my past, because it’s precious to me. Some of the memories might be painful, but many of those are filled with times and moments that I treasure, and even the sad memories are a treasure. I don’t ever want to forget, ever. You being here was merely coincidence.”

She was right. I had no idea. And now I felt even more like an asshole because I had thought she returned because of me. It reminded me just how arrogant I really way. “You’re lucky, you know.”

“How so?” She asked. Her tears were subsiding now.

I wanted to tell her about my father, and my memories of him. I wanted to tell her just how much I hated him for what he did to me. How every memory I had of him was painful. If I had a father half the man Brian was I would probably be a better person – pony. Whatever. I’d be better.

“You have great friends, a father that loves you… I don’t know. Lucky is such a bad word, but you’ve got a life that I envy. I guess that’s because you’re really loved by so many.”

She looked at me funnily for a moment, and then she giggled. It was like music to my ears. Now I understood a little bit more of why Pinkie was so obsessed with making others laugh. “You’re weird.”

“I get that a lot. What’s weird about me?”

“Just you say the right things… but you’re so think-headed that you don’t know how ‘right’ your words are.”

I didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. “Somehow I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

“It is, and it isn’t.” Rainbow collected her used tissues in one hoof, “Are you hungry?”

“Yes. I need to take my painkillers too, and eat that porridge. Doctor’s orders.”

She led me to the kitchen, where she opened the back door to let some air in. The cool morning breeze wafted through the room and the strong scent of coffee seemed to stir.

“So, how do you make this stuff?” Rainbow asked, picking up the bag of porridge the Cakes had given me.

“I guess I pour milk on it…” I wasn’t sure myself.

“You didn’t ask?” Rainbow shook her head and let out a chuckle mixed with a deep sigh, “Okay, then I’ll get you some milk. I’ll have to fly down to the market to pick some up.”

“You don’t mind?” I asked.

“Nah, also, it’s been bugging me, but do you always sleep with your saddlebag on?”

I looked at my flank. Indeed, Spike’s saddlebag was still firmly wrapped around my torso. “I guess I was so tired, I didn’t bother taking it off.”

“Wasn’t it uncomfortable?” Rainbow asked.

“Not really.”

“You’re… never mind. Give me twenty minutes. You need anything else from downtown?” Rainbow asked heading out the backdoor.

“No. Not really. Oh! Here, take some bits.” I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out my money purse.

“No, no. I’ll treat you this time. It’s only milk.” Rainbow insisted.

I looked at the money purse. It felt a lot lighter than before. Soon I would need to find a job that paid. I doubted very much I would be welcome back to Sweet Apple Acres anytime soon, and besides the Apples were already much more efficient than before thanks to the harvester I had built for them. I had put myself out of a job, in a way. But, I didn’t regret it.

Why did I think of that? My heart felt torn again as I thought about Sweet Apple Acres. My mind instantly pictured Applejack. Why? Why, why, why did you break it off with me? Was it something I did? Was it something I said?

“Forest? You okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking.” I laughed weakly.

“About AJ?”

“AJ? Oh. Applejack. Yeah. I was thinking about her.”

“Relax, Forest. She just needs time. She’s been through a lot.” Rainbow then went outside. I followed her as far as the backdoor.

“Do you want me to make coffee or something?” I asked as she started to ascend.

“Nah. I’m fine. See you in a bit.”

And with that, she zipped off towards Ponyville. Flight must be wonderful. A part of me wished that Tutela had turned me into a Pegasus Pony so I could flutter about the air. That would’ve been so awesome. And the way Brian had described flying around just made the matter worse.

Still, I really wished that Applejack would come and see me. I missed her.

Half an hour later, Rainbow returned with a bottle of milk. I hadn’t seen glass bottles of milk in ages, and it was nostalgic seeing one.

It turns out that milk wasn’t enough. Sugar was necessary. But all in all, it was a pleasant breakfast.

After eating my bowl, I studied Rainbow who was looking at some pictures on the kitchen wall. Why was she still here?

She caught me gazing at her. “What?”

“Nothing. Just wondering why you’re here and not at the hospital.”

“Dad’s taking a nap. He stayed up late reading a book, and I didn’t feel like sleeping.” Rainbow glanced over my head at a clock, “He should be awake soon.”

“So… what was I saying in my sleep?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow and giggled, “Something about Pinkie looking at you.”

My mind replayed that moment. Even though it was a dream, it was so vivid. I took another large spoonful of the not-quite-as-good porridge to avoid continuing the subject. It was not something I wanted to discuss, especially not with one of Pinkie’s best friends.

“So, how long to you plan on staying here?” She asked.

“Not long.” That was true. Whether or not I win my bet with Tutela, I couldn’t stay in this house. It wasn’t my house, for one. And two, I hadn’t learnt shit about the true meaning of friendship, other than the fact that it was a helluva lot more complicated than I thought.

Despair gripped me. Perhaps this was all a gag! Tutela never meant to give me my freedom, and I was only here for her own amusement. I’m an idiot! My expression must have given away the turmoil in my brain as I felt Rainbow’s eyes staring right at me.

“Are you okay, Forest?” She asked.

“Yeah, I just remembered something about my past that I didn’t want to.”

“That’s great! I mean, remembering something, not the fact that it was bad.”

I laughed at that. “True.”

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. You’ll be okay, right?”

“Of course!” I didn’t want to keep Rainbow from going back to Brian, “I’ll see you later.”

She left herself out and flew away heading in the direction of the hospital. After taking a shower, and taking more painkillers, I left the house and headed towards Ponyville. It was nearly lunchtime and I had nothing to do. So, I decided to go and visit the library. Not to visit Twilight, but to read up on a few things. I never did get a chance to read any of the books that Twilight had suggested before, and I really wanted to know more about Equestria.

Knocking on the door, Spike answered and was somewhat surprised to see me. “Hello, Forest. What can I do for you?”

“Just wanted to take out a book,” I replied.

“Sure. Come on in.” Spike stood to one side and let me in. He closed the door behind me as I gazed at all the books.

“So, which book did you have in mind?” Spike asked, “Twilight’s not here right now…”

“I’m not here to see Twilight, Spike. I’m just here to read a book. Anyway, I have to go to the spa later. Apparently I have to go get ‘gussied’ up.” I grinned at my own joke.

“I’m afraid that no amount of spa treatment’s going to help, Forest,” Spike countered.

We both laughed at that.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” Spike said leading me to the center of the library, “I just thought that after things didn’t work out with Applejack, you just… went to Pinkie.”

“Well, in that case I can’t hold it against you. You were protecting your friend, that’s not something you need to apologize for.”

“I’m not apologizing about that, you dolt. I’m apologizing for accusing you of… you really are an idiot.” Spike shook his head, “Anyway, what gives you the idea that Pinkie isn’t interested in you?”

“I found a book under her bed.”

“And…” Spike stood next to me.

“And what?”

“And how do you know she’s not interested in you!” Spike smacked his head with his palm.

“I could tell… I don’t know. The book was called ‘How to Woo that Special Somepony’.”

“And you can tell that Pinkie isn’t interested in you because…”

Now that he mentioned it... “Well, I tried to apologize for kissing her,” I blushed ferociously when I said the word ‘kiss’, it was completely childish of me, but it really was embarrassing to admit it out loud like that, “And she told me that it wasn’t anything special, and that I didn’t need to apologize for it.”

“Ouch,” Spike placed a hand on my shoulder, “That must’ve hurt.”

“A little.” I had to admit, it did sting, “But at least it’s safe to admit that she didn’t really see me that way.”

“That’s not quite what I heard…” Spike shrugged, “I guess Pinkie just resigned herself to accepting that you like Applejack more.”

“Wait. She… Pinkie… she…”

“You didn’t know?” Spike laughed. “You really are thick? Everypony in Ponyville can tell that Pinkie likes you… well, ‘liked’ is probably more accurate at this point.”

“I’m an idiot!” I announced.

“You’re an idiot,” Spike agreed, nodding his head.

“But… why would she say that my kiss didn’t mean anything?” I knew the answer, but I had to hear it from someone else.

“Probably because she doesn’t want to distract you from Applejack,” Spike replied, sighing deeply, “Even if Pinkie likes you, she loves Applejack. She would put aside everything for her friend. Any of them would. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity would do anything for one another; even sacrifice their own happiness if it means that their friends will be happier. It’s selfish and generous at the same time.”

“Wow.” That was really deep. I never expected Spike to be so insightful.

“Do you always carry that around?” Spike said, not looking at me.

“You mean the saddlebag? Afraid so, but it’s got nothing to do with your dagger. The one time that it would have come in handy was the only time I actually left home without it. I mean, your dagger would have been really useful in that Ursa cave.”

“Just be glad you didn’t kill any. Fluttershy would’ve never forgiven you.”

My expression made Spike laugh.

“I’m just joking, Forest.”

I sighed in relief.

“Or am I?” He grinned at me.

We both shared a good laugh. Spike was a really cool Dragon, it was such a shame that he was so head over heels for Rarity, and I’m sure Rarity in her own way loved Spike. But it felt really unhealthy seeing just how much Spike adored her and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Dragon.

“So, you got any books in particular that you want to read?” Spike gestured to the shelves as if her were presenting them to me, his arm spread wide open.

“Do you have anything about Changelings?” I asked.

“Changelings? Well, no… the closest thing we have is an encyclopedia description of them. They’re really mysterious. If you want more information, you’re going to have to go to Canterlot. Why would you want to read about Changelings anyway?” Spike looked at me strangely.

“I was just curious about them.”

“Ah. Anything else?” Spike still had that weird look on his face.

“Yes, is there a book about Equestria in general?”

“We have several. Do you have anything a little more specific in mind?”

“A book that has to do with travel…”

“Are… are you planning on going on a trip?” Spike asked looking at me excitedly.

The thought actually had not really crossed my mind – did it? Now that Spike had mentioned it, “Well… yes, I guess I might do just that. I don’t know.”

Without saying a word, Spike walked to a shelf of book and handed me one. It was old looking, the corners were creased had a lot of stains on it. I couldn’t resist, so I opened it. It was covered in hand-written notes.

“I… that’s mine,” Spike confessed, “I’ve been planning on leaving for a while now, as you know.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, we talked about it. You said that if I left, you’d come with me, remember?”

That did sound familiar. Why couldn’t I remember it clearly?

“Anyway, it’s all raggedy like that because I’ve struggled keeping it hidden from Twilight. Forest, you can’t ever let her know that it’s mine, okay?”

“Sure, Spike,” I was honored that he’d entrust it to me. Or maybe he was trying to get rid of it. It looked pretty well read.

“Okay, thanks for that, Spike. I think I’ll be heading to that Spa now.”

“I’ll walk with you. It’s not far from here.” Spike stated following me to the door.

We walked and chatted about Ponyville. Spike telling me about the haunts. I had no idea there was a bar! It was a small one simply called Berry’s Bar. The fact that there that there was one amazed me in the first place. How did I not notice it before?

“There it is,” Spike ‘presented’ the Spa, like he did the books at the library, “I’ll see you later. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, Spike. And don’t worry, your secrets safe with me.”

“What secret?” A voice asked from behind me.

“Twilight!” Spike and I stated stunned. She had just exited the spa.

“What secret?” Twilight asked again, walking up to us.

“You look different.” Something was indeed different about her.

“Oh? You like it?” She asked, fluffing her hair.

“Oh! You got a new style!” Spike stated, following my lead.

“Thanks you guys. Now, stop trying to avoid the subject! What secret?” Twilight asked.

She really was too clever.

“It’s a secret, Twilight. Can’t tell you.” I walked by her, but I could feel her gaze on me.

“Is it about you and Spike planning on leaving Ponyville?” Twilight’s words made me freeze mid-step, and Spike’s mouth hung wide open.

“You knew?” It was clear that Spike was just as stunned as me.

“Of course I know. I’ve known for some time that you’ve been planning this for some time. Spike, I really don’t want you to leave, none of us do. But I understand that if it’s something you have to do, I can’t stop you. You’re not a baby anymore. You’re a young, adult Dragon. I just… I don’t like the thought of you leaving us. Leaving me,” Twilight looked at Spike, and touched his cheek the way a mother would a child, “But I won’t stop you. And if you do go then at least don’t go alone. If Forest goes with you, I think I can accept it a little easier.”

“Actually, Twilight, I changed my mind.” Spike replied.

“You… you have?”

Now I could feel Twilight’s gaze on me. “You’re leaving us?”

“Maybe,” Slowly, I was accepting this plan. A plan to actually leave Ponyville. After all, now that I thought about it, I really didn’t have much time left in Equestria. If I was going to lose the bet with Tutela, well then I might as well get to know this world a little bit more. “You’ve all been great to me, and treated me with more kindness than I deserve. You let me into your lives, but I can’t keep mooching off you or your kindness. I have to discover who I am, and where I belong.”

“You’ll always have a home here in Ponyville, Forest.” Twilight walked over to me and gave me a hug. It was so gentle and warm, that it faltered my resolve. Still, the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. Leaving Ponyville might actually be really good for me.

“Thank you, Twilight. That means a lot to me.”

She released me from her embrace and we stood there looking at each other for a moment. It started getting weird.

“Well… I’ve… got some errands to do.” She said self-consciously.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” Turning away, I started to enter the spa.

“Just tell us before you go, okay?” Twilight stated.

I looked at her, right into her eyes then gave one firm nod. I would tell her.

“Welcome, we’ve been expecting you.” A cerulean pony said with a thick accent. She had the brightest pink mane I had yet seen. I’d given up on specifying the traits of these Ponies. They were who they were, whether or not they applied to Earth no longer mattered to me, but I just couldn’t help but note that this Pony’s accent sounded Eastern European.

“Here’s my… coupon?” I didn’t know what else to call it.

“Thank you. Now, please follow me.”

The spa was large. Huge! We walked past the reception area where I noticed a Jacuzzi and some Ponies lying on massage tables getting a vigorous rub down by their respective masseuses. As much as I wanted to get a massage, because it looked so relaxing, I couldn’t. Not with my ribs being broken and all. After going to the opposite area where the massage tables were located I was placed in a chair. This area of the spa looked like a barber. I’ve heard of places like these back home on Earth, they were called ‘beauty salons’, where women would go and get themselves beautified. The Pony that led me there instantly handed me over to another Pony, whose color scheme happened to be an exact opposite of the one that had led me here. Her mane was that light-blue color and her coat was pink.

She plonked me into a chair and took a good look at me. “Hello, my name is Aloe,” She said to me in an accent similar to the previous Pony’s. “You wish for full treatment, yes?”

I nodded.

“Then, how’re you liking your mane?” She asked.

“I’m liking it very much,” I replied, not really knowing what she meant.

She laughed, “No, no. How are you styling it?”

Ah! Of course that’s what she meant. “I’m not… I just… have it.”

“Then, might I… recommend something?” She leaned in and pulled on my mane, then spun the chair around so that I faced a mirror. She explained what she wanted to do, and how it would make my face look lighter or higher, I wasn’t sure what she meant. It all sounded good and all, but I didn’t get it. I was only here to pass the time.

Well, might as well humor her… “Sure, that sounds wonderful.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say to her. She clapped her hooves and in the next moment three different tables were rolled in by other Ponies who obviously worked at the spa as well. It looked somewhat intimidating, to be honest. There were a lot of things on those tables.

Zipping to the side of my chair, she pulled a lever and the backrest dropped slowly. When I was somewhat horizontal, she started massaging my face with her hooves. They felt wonderful. Not too rough, yet not too soft as well. And it seemed to push the stress out of my face. Who knew that hooves could be used for massages?

I had closed my eyes to enjoy the experience. I’ve never had this done before and I kind of liked being pampered this way. After a few more minutes of that luxurious massaging it stopped. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I just remained lying down with my eyes shut. Then I felt a suddenly chill on my cheek and my eyes opened out of reflex.

“Is cream,” The spa Pony said when she saw me looking at her, “To make coat luxurious.”

Well, I hadn’t expected that, but I trusted in her judgment. After all, this was my first time doing this and I had already committed myself. What else was I supposed to do? So I let her have her way with me as she caked the creamy goo all over my face. I could feel the weight of it on there. Then I felt two things placed on my eyes. I had seen enough movies to know that they were slices of cucumber, and it strangely felt really nice. It relaxed my eyes and I soon found myself actually dozing off.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but I felt a gentle poke on my hoof, “Forest.” A voice said in a whisper.

“Hello,” I replied, unsure as to who was talking.

“Having fun?”

“Yep, this is kinda cool.”

“Do you know who this is?” I heard the voice murmur quietly.

“Sorry, can’t say that I do… wait! I know! Sweetie Belle! You’re Sweetie Belle, right?”

The voice giggled. “No, you’re wrong.”

I thought and thought. Who could it be? Who was taunting me? “Can I have a clue?”

At that moment, my heart skipped a beat because I felt the voice right next to my ear, “No.”

When I tried to sit up, I felt something pinning me down against the chair. It was firm, strong, and strangely gentle all at the same time. But, then again, it wasn’t someone that seemed to be holding me down; it was something. “Um… this is getting stran-”

My mouth was cut off. Something was on my lips. My eyes opened wide under the cucumbers so that all I could see was a lighter shade of green. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew what it was, but a part of me refused to believe it. Whoever was there had their lips firmly planted on mine.

“I’m sorry,” The voice stated in a hushed tone, “Please forgive me.”

No matter how hard I tried to resist, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. My body didn’t want to. It absolutely refused to fight back. As if something was ordering me to remain where I was and do nothing.

Waitaminute!

That was when I felt my wrist burning. The bracelet was burning, barely. It was clear that Magic had been used. Someone had used a spell! One of my mind controlling spells.

“You used a spell!” I stated angrily.

There was a long moment of silence. “Yes.”

“Why?” I demanded, “Why! Who are you? How do you know that spell?”

“Nopony. Just… forget about this. Please.”

And then I heard the hooves retreat slowly.

“Wait! You can’t do that! Tell me who are you are!”

Silence. I struggled for a long while, but the spell didn’t allow me to react apart from speaking. And I tried to shout out and call for help, but my voice was weak. The louder I wanted to speak, the quieter my voice became. Over time the burning sensation in my wrist slowly faded, and after a long while I could finally move again. When I did, I sat up quickly, and removed the cucumbers. The only Pony in that room right now was the Aloe.

“Oh, you’re finally awake. You were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

The Pony who had kissed me wasn’t her, unless she was a master at faking accents. But then again, why would she kiss me? She didn’t know me. So, unless that face-mask thing was extremely effective, I highly doubted it was her.

“Was there somepony in here with me? From before?” I asked.

She shook her head, “No. I don’t think so. I was making mane-dye in other room. So, I didn’t see. Why?”

“Its…” I thought about what the Pony from before had asked. She asked me to forget about it! Forget that I was forced to kiss someone without my consent! That was just… just… wrong! Who could have done that? “Someone was in my room, and if it wasn’t you, then I want to know who!”

“I check with reception. Please wait one moment.” She came back in a few minutes, “I’m sorry, Forest, but Vera – the Pony at reception – she say that too many Ponies have come in and out. She does not know which one you mean.”

Despite knowing that it was not her fault, I couldn’t feel anything but anger towards her. It was irrational, and stupid, but I needed to project my anger somewhere, and she just happened to be the only Pony I felt I could. Struggling with the knowledge that I had been forced to cheat on Applejack against my own will, I tried to look past the fact that someone kissed me against my will.

Suffice to say, the rest of my spa experience was tainted. I didn’t enjoy myself because not only did I have to put up with the feelings of a broken heart from Applejack, but also feelings of guilt that I had betrayed her! I was too confused and too annoyed to enjoy this fully, and it was evident in the way that Aloe always looked hurt whenever I glanced at her through the mirror.

“I apologize, Forest. This has never happened before,” Lotus expression drooped after the fiftieth time our eyes met in the reflection.

Seeing her that way made me realize I was being irrational. “No, no. Please. Don’t be sorry, I’m just annoyed, that’s all. It’s not your fault.” I didn’t tell her that whoever was in the room had smooched me, didn’t need any more rumors going around. “Just ignore me.”

That seemed to pacify her. “So… do you like?”

Now that she mentioned it, I did like. She didn’t really do anything to my mane that was different. She didn’t cut it, but she did clean it up a bit and she styled it in such a way that it made me look cool. It made me look less scruffy, cleaner and a little bit more defined. She also somehow managed to perform the same effect on my tail.

“I love it! Thank you, Aloe. You’ve been great.”

Aloe beamed at the praise, “We will see if we can find out for you this mysterious Pony. But, no promise, okay?”

“Okay. But don’t worry too much about it. It’s not that important.” It was, but I didn’t want burden the poor girl. If she was telling me the truth, then finding out the Pony who had infiltrated my personal space would have been closed to impossible. I had recognized some part of that voice, even if it was a whisper. There was something very familiar about it. That meant that I was going to have to play detective. Something I regretfully sucked at.

As I entered the reception, I heard my name being called.

Sweetie Belle was there sitting on one of the sofas, a magazine open on the table in front of her. “Finally, you certainly take your time! Come with me, Forest. Rarity has something for you.”

“Sweetie Belle… how long have you been waiting there?” I asked.

“About twenty minutes. I thought you’d be done so I asked the reception and they said you were still inside. So I waited for you.”

“Did you… did you come find me in the back?” I asked. Perhaps that was a little too obvious.

“No. I’ve been here.”

“Did you see anypony we know exit?”

“You mean Ponies that you know? I don’t think so. I was reading this magazine, so I wouldn’t ‘ve really noticed.” Sweetie tilted her head at an angle, “Why?”

“Nothing,” So, it wasn’t her. “Shall we go?”

She gave me a quirky look, “You’re acting funny again.”

I made a face, which made her laugh. We headed towards her sister’s boutique together, but my mind preoccupied with all kinds of thoughts so we didn’t really talk. There was a battle in my mind; should I tell Applejack what had happened in the spa? Would Applejack even talk to me? Where was she? These questions plagued me. In fact, I was so preoccupied that I did not realize that I had walked right past the boutique with a confused Sweetie looking at me with a frown.

Grinning nervously, I trotted back to her, “Sorry, I was thinking about… things.”

All that I got for that explanation were eyes being rolled as Sweetie pushed the door open to her sister’s home. I had not taken more than two steps inside when Rarity seized me, almost dragging me into the back room. There she threw a tux-looking thing at me.

“Forest, please be a darling and try this on. It’s for tonight. I’ve made dresses for everypony, and this simple suit was made especially for you.” Rarity grinned, “It will be a chance to show off my latest designs to Ponyville!”

“You designed this? Overnight?”

“Yes, do you like it? I’ve used only the best fabrics, and used blind stitches, so you can’t see the seams clearly, to give the illusion that it was one whole piece.”

Now that she mentioned it, I really didn’t see any obvious signs of a single stitch anyway. That was an amazing display of workmanship – workponyship? Even if this was a ‘simple’ piece, it was incredible. And it was free. She certainly was generous. It was easy enough to slip on, and Rarity used her blue magic to tie my bow-tie perfectly, taking extra care not to taint my bracelet with her magic.

I felt rather… new. I had a new hairdo, a new taildo, and now a new suit! It was a new me… sort of. Still, no matter how much I tried to be in the moment, my mind was full of Ponies kissing me! First Pinkie, then Applejack, and now a mystery number three – unless it was Pinkie or Applejack that had snuck into the spa. But did either one of them know how to trigger my mind-control spells? And why would Applejack do that? She could do anything she wanted to me, so why use a spell to pin me down? I wanted to scream in frustration, but I had to suppress the urge.

“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” Rarity gave said striking an overly dramatic posture, “I have really outdone myself this time. You look absolutely stunning. Here, take a good look at yourself in the mirror.”

I had to admit it, I looked rather dapper. All I needed was a top-hat and one of those fancy canes.

There was a knock on the main door and I heard Sweetie Belle answer it. There was a brief conversation before she returned to where Rarity and I were.

“Spike’s at the door. He’s waiting for you, Forest. The other Ponies are waiting for you at the Town Hall.”

“Well, why doesn’t he just come in and tell us?” Rarity asked.

Sweetie Belle looked at me and our eyes met. We both knew the answer to that question, and to be honest I think Rarity knew as well, but was playing ignorant. It was clear that Spike was avoiding Rarity in order to not deal with confronting his feelings for her again. He and I had completely opposite issues. I wanted to confront Applejack; he wanted to keep away from Rarity.

“Thank you, Rarity, but I’ll be taking my leave now. No reason for Spike to dirty your floor.”

“Oh? Good point, I guess.” She looked at me, “Good luck, Forest. And remember, to pose on the stage to let them all see your suit.”

“Will do!”

As I left, I heard Sweetie Belle say something to her sister, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was.

Spike was standing across the street in the grassy lawn just off the road. I walked over to him.

“Sorry to come and get you like this,” He mumbled.

“Why don’t you just go in there and see her, Spike? Just because you can’t get over her doesn’t mean you have to stop being her friend.”

Spike either didn’t notice, or just ignored it, “I wanted to, but I got cold feet. There’s no point, remember? She’s got some special somepony in Canterlot. What chance do I have? I’ve already told her how I felt.”

“I’m sure there’re other Ponies or Dragons out there, Spike.”

“I don’t want any others, Forest. I just… I just… want to be with Rarity.” He looked down at the ground, “But I know that that’s impossible.”

I looked up at him. The pain in those eyes made my heartache seem so childlike. He was hurting on a whole different level from me. My heart was broken, but I would live – relatively speaking. But not Spike. Spike looked as if a piece of him had been ripped off, that’s they kind of face he had. It was as if a piece of him was physically missing.

Was that kind of ‘love’ healthy? It seemed more like an obsession.

A really loud yell made me jump as Pinkie suddenly jumped out in front of me. The fair that she had been in charge of building was already pretty much up and already Ponies were strolling through the numerous stalls. It was not huge, but it was big enough to really make me wonder how she did it. Pinkie had only started this morning, and yet there were shops, stalls, games, rides and decorations all over town.

“You look nice, Forest.”

“Pinkie, you did all this?” I asked as she walked with us.

“Uh-huh. It was really hard convincing the mayor to let me decorate Mane Street, but I managed to! She is super-duper stubborn sometimes.” She grinned at me, “But my famous triple-fudge-chcolate-vanilla-cream-stuffed éclairs were enough to convince her.”

“Did… did you bribe a public official with baked goods?”

She nodded impossibly fast. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“No.”

Pinkie thought I was joking and hard a hearty laugh, her little air intake grunts were cute.

Then I saw the town hall and I couldn’t help but stand outside with my mouth wide open. Pinkie had really outdone herself. The décor was amazing, even if it looked a bit more appropriate for a child’s birthday party rather than a town-gathering bash. What made is amazing was the sheer spectacle of it. It looked fun, inviting and made you want to join in whatever festivities were going on inside. And if that isn’t good decorating, then I don’t know what is.

Spike led me through the hall and then up to the stage. Already half the town had flooded in and all the chairs had been cleared out. I couldn’t believe that this was the same place where Applejack and I sat to listen to Sweetie Belle’s amazing performance. The stage had the curtains drawn and Spike parted them for me. Behind them I met the rest of the team dressed in amazing dresses. Each one designed specifically for each Pony. Twilight had a blue colored dress, with some sort of tiara on her head, Lavender had green dress that made her body look like a flower, Amethyst’s dress was a very light, delicate blue that seemed almost transparent, and Scootaloo’s dress made her look like a jellyfish, and had a multitude of oranges and reds. And surprisingly Derpy was there as well! She had on a white dress with silver trimmings that made her look like a snowflake. She was munching on a muffin when she saw me she grinned widely, “Forest!”

“Hello,” I replied, “I thought you were already with a partner. Wouldn’t he get mad if he found out that you’re going to date another Pony?”

Derpy laughed goofily, and then rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. “I haven’t seen him in years.”

Wow. That was perhaps the most inappropriate question I could have asked. I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet! “Sh- sorry, Derpy, I didn’t mean to ask you that. I didn’t know…”

“Naw, that’s okay,” She floated over to me and looked down, “He’s been gone a while. It’s just me and… ooh, muffins!” Derpy completely dropped our conversation and flew over to a small table that was stacked with a variety of muffins, each seemingly having its own color of icing on top.

“And?” I asked silently.

“Her daughter, Dinky,” Twilight answered on her behalf, “Derpy is a great mother, even if her heads in the clouds at times. I hope I can be like her one day.”

“You planning on being a mother?”

Twilight turned bright pink. “Yes – but not anytime soon. I haven’t found my special somepony yet.”

Spike and I laughed.

“What about you, Forest? Have you thought about having a family?” She asked.

“To be honest, no. Not really. I’ve never really thought about it and I’m not talking as an amnesiac. It’s something I know I’ve never really considered.” I looked at Twilight, “I guess in a way, it’s pathetic.”

She turned her head to one side, “I suppose… it does seem rather empty.”

Derpy flew back over to us with her mouth full and two muffins, one clutched tightly in each hoof. She had icing all over her lips. “Forest!”

“Yes, Derpy?”

“Muffin?” She offered me one.

“N-no thank you.”

Derpy’s eyes lit up, and she gobbled the two down at the same time. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Mom! You’re embarrassing me!” A younger Pony said walking up to Derpy. The young Unicorn had come from further backstage. She took out a small tissue from her saddlebag using her magic and wiped Derpy’s lips, “Why can’t you act normal for once!”

At the scolding, Derpy’s eyes began to water.

“Aw, mom, please don’t. I’m just joking. I love you, mommy.” The younger Mare pulled Derpy down and nuzzled her. Derpy’s eyes instantly dried up and a wide smile spread across her face.

Derpy seized the Unicorn in a tight embrace, “Muffin!”

The two laughed together. It was so amazing how happy the two were. Mother and daughter. I didn’t need to be told what they were. It was obvious enough.

“Are you Ponies ready?” A voice asked. It was the mayor. She was standing half out of the curtain.

We all gulped and nodded at the same time. This was it. She smiled and disappeared in front of the curtain.

“Mares and gentlecolts, welcome to the first ever Equestria Race Ponyville Fundraising Fun Fair!” We heard the mayor announce. The crowd erupted in a cheer, “Now, I know you’re all excited for the main event… so let’s get right to it! The Date Auction!”

A massive ‘woo’ erupted from the crowd, followed by laughter, and much merriment. The six of us behind the curtain just shuddered. It was scary! Imagine going out in front of a large crowd like that. I’ve never stood on stage or been the center of attention in all my life, and now I’m about to do both those things at the same time. My stomach felt fluttery, and in a strange way it was sickening and yet I did not feel ill.

“So, without further ado, here they are!” The mayor stood back with her hoof outstretched. “Ponyville’s very best!”

“That’s our cue, Forest, you go first.” Twilight stated just loud enough to be heard above the din the crowd was making.

“Me?” I asked bewildered.

“Please!” The four mares asked at the same time. Derpy was still munching away on muffins so she didn’t really notice.

“Fine.” I muttered.

As soon as I stepped out, a storm burst throughout the hall. It took me a second to realize that it was the Ponies in the Town Hall clapping their hooves and stopping on the ground. They continued to ‘clap’ until all six of us stood clumsily on the right side of the stage – our left. The girls seemed to duck behind me. There was a lot of hooting, calling, yelling, and the excitement was… insane! How do those famous people do it? How can they stand in front of crowds like this? It was as if every inch of open space had Ponies in it. Pegasi were lounging on clouds above the Ponies below.

“Now, the rules are simple. The winner of each auction gets to spend the rest of the evening with the Pony they’ve bid for. Nopony can bid on more than one candidate. And most importantly, you must have a wonderful time!” Every single Pony laughed at that. “Then, let us begin!”

Another roar of glee exploded from the audience. It was like a wall of sound that struck us head-on.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Another Pony bounced on the stage.

“Pinkie?” Twilight and I asked flabbergasted.

“Shall we get things started Ponyville?” She announced on a mic giving us a massive wink.

Pinkie was the emcee? That was… awesome.

The crowd shouted ‘yes!’

“I can’t hear you!” Pinkie put a hoof next to her ear.

Again, the crowd screamed but even louder than before. The Town Hall felt like its foundations were shaking.

I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t think. Lights above and around us flashed on and off. I tried my hardest to put on a smile. This was pure insanity! Suddenly music blared from speakers, and I saw the same blue-haired Pony from the Canterlot club on the second floor bobbing her head to the beats. After few minutes of this, Pinkie lifted her hoof in the air and the music quickly and smoothly decreased in volume so that it was no more than a heartbeat – albeit a very fast one.

How? How! How did Pinkie pull this off?

“She’s incredible, isn’t she?” Twilight shouted over the din. I turned my ears to hear her better, “To make all this happen in a day.”

“It’s a miracle. A dream. I can’t believe it,” I shouted in reply, “If I wasn’t at the meeting last night I wouldn’t have believed it. I can’t believe we only discussed this yesterday!”

“Okay, everypony! Now the moment you’ve all been super-excited for! Let’s introduce our Racers!” Pinkie shouted.

Again the audience erupted.

“And first off… he’s new in town, escaped scary Ursa Majors, and saved Mr. Dash’s life! A Pony with no past, who runs with streaks of fire under him, the only Stallion on the team! Please welcome, Forest Fire!” Pinkie screamed.

The audience hooted and yelled. My face flushed full of blood as I walked over to Pinkie. She pulled me along with her to the front of the stage before making me stand on the other side away from the others. I felt naked being there all alone.

In the crowd I spotted Sweetie Belle and Rarity grinning at me. They waved, so I waved back nervously. Rarity mouthed something. I pretended I didn’t understand what she meant. There was no way I was going to do those ridiculous poses in front of this crowd.

“Secondly, a Pony that needs no introductions, the Element of Magic herself, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Ponyville’s very own Twilight Spaaaaaaaarkle!” Pinkie said Twilight’s name like a boxing announcer.

The audience was literally bringing the house down as they cheered for Twilight. She definitely was the town’s favorite Pony. The cheers did not subside was she sheepishly walked to the front of the stage, each step seemed to increase the volume of the noise. On and on they applauded her, and I could even see some banners being waved in the audience. One of them had Twilight’s Cutie Mark emblazoned on it. After a few more minutes of this, Pinkie guided Twilight next to me.

Amethyst was introduced next. I had no idea she was a jeweler, but I suppose that made sense considering her Cutie Mark was three diamonds in a triangular pattern. The crowd cheered hard for her too, but nothing like Twilight. Still, Amethyst was content. She said something to Twilight and they both laughed. I couldn’t hear them over the noise.

Then Lavender came next. She was a botanical expert, specializing in growing ‘super sweet, sweet smelling, beautifully bright colored’ flowers – as Pinkie described it. I suppose the flowery pattern on her flank should have hinted that to me, but I somehow forgot the significance of the Cutie Mark along the way.

Derpy’s cheer was the quietest out of all of us. I felt rather sad for her, but I doubted that Derpy cared. She floated across the stage still munching on a muffin. The Ponies hailed the clumsy Pegasus as she made her way across to us. She somehow tripped on her dress, even though she was in mid-air, which made quite a few in the audience laugh. She stuffed her face with another muffin as she stood next to Lavender.

But nothing prepared me for Scootaloo’s ovations. All Pinkie had said was her name. No introductions, no long descriptions, just one word. Her name. And that one word nearly brought Town Hall down on top of us. If I had thought that Twilight’s cheers were exaggerated, then Scootaloo’s was twice as nuts. It was so overpowering that I wanted to cover my ears.

Scootaloo was blushing even more than the rest of us, and I couldn’t help but laugh as she floated behind Derpy to hide from the audience. That brought quite a lot of laughter. That was when I noticed that somehow they were all hiding behind me again. How did that happen?

And Pinkie, she seemed so natural, so free and confident standing there in front of all those Ponies. There was no hint of worry, fear or embarrassment from her. She fulfilled the role of emcee and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her. It no longer mattered what happened from before, because I knew right then that I’d never be good enough for a Pony like her. She was a star, the brightest light in a room of bright lights.

“Now, is everypony ready! Let’s get this party… I mean auction… started!” Pinkie jumped up in the air when she said that.

The audience agreed! It was time!

“Now, everypony, you should all have a Lightsprite stick! Just raise it up and turn it on! Every time it you turn one of your glow-stick-thingies on, I’ll add five bits! If you hold it up, I’ll keep adding until your turn it off.” Pinkie stated.

The lights were suddenly cut off except for three bright spotlights that lit up the stage. Everything else was bathed in darkness and I couldn’t really see anything.

“First up, Scootaloo!” Again, the cheers reverberated throughout the room. This was it! I was so relieved that I wasn’t first.

“Good luck!” Twilight shouted as Scootaloo hovered to the middle of the stage.

Two of the three spotlights followed her, while the third stuck on Pinkie.

“Okay, everypony! Don’t be shy! Do I see an opening bid?”

Hundreds – or so it seemed – of lights ignited at the same time. I couldn’t keep track, but Pinkie had no problems with that. She instantly tallied up the initial count of bits to sixty! That was one uniform already set.

“Is that all?” Pinkie asked. “Well then… going once… going twice…”

Suddenly the door at the back of the Town burst open and a light turned on in mid-air. Everypony looked up and saw it.

“That’s seventy… seventy-five… eighty… eight-five… ninety… ninety-five…”

The audience gasped as the stranger slowly glided closer and closer to the stage.

“One hundred bits! One ‘o five… one hundred and ten… fifteen… twenty?” Pinkie questioned, but the light stayed on. “One hundred and fifty!” Pinkie skipped the other numbers.

By that time the stranger had reached the stage, the spotlights were now shining on his back as he spread his wings and glided down in front of Scootaloo. Her face was a mixture of shock and jubilation.

“Hi.” The Stallion said, grinning.

“Featherweight!” She gasped. “What are you doing here?”

He dropped to his knee, and the audience did one collective gasp. Scootaloo’s eyes were wide open and her mouth half open.

“Something I should have done months ago.”

My heart skipped a beat. Twilight seized my arm tightly. All the girls’ eyes behind me opened wide – except Derpy who was more interested in her next muffin.

“Scootaloo, ever since we were kids, I’ve always thought of you as my special somepony. Ever since you first talked to me working as the photographer with the Foal Free Press…”

A few audience members laughed at that comment as Scootaloo blushed even more.

“… I was entranced by you. You became my entire world. When you earned your Cutie Mark, I understood how much it meant to you. After all those long years of trying, you finally earned your dream. You’re the most talented flyer in Equestria, nopony can deny that. Your aerial acrobatics are second to none, and when you led the Pegasi in that aerial ballet… you completely stole my heart, Scoots. And I’m here to steal yours.” He reached behind him and pulled out a little box from his saddlebag.

“Featherweight…?” Scootaloo was breathing heavily now, tears in her eyes.

“Scootaloo, I know that what happened before was entirely my fault and I’m sorry for leaving you the way I did. I learnt the hard way just how much you mean to me and I want to spend every moment from now on making it up to you. I want to wake up with you every day, to be there for you, to cherish you, protect you, and be with you for the rest of my life. I want to always be by you. Scootaloo, my dear Scootaloo, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Not a sound. Silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

Scootaloo choked back a sob. Then she nodded, and in a whisper barely audible, she said: “Yes.”

Featherweight took a bracelet from the box and slipped it on her hoof as the crowd destroyed my ear-drums. And when they kissed… let’s just say I’m very, very surprised that the roof didn’t fly off from the roar of approval.

“Way to ruin it for the rest of us, Featherweight!” Somepony shouted from the audience, somehow being heard above the din.

“Finally! Way to go you guys!” That was Applebloom’s voice, I could recognize that accent and tone anywhere.

“That was beautiful,” I mumbled, and found that my eyes were watering.

“That’s an understatement,” Twilight sighed, “Scootaloo is one lucky Mare.”

“What happened? That guy was saying something about something bad happening to them…”

“Well, they broke up. Featherweight is the featherweight champion of Equestria in pugilism,” Twilight shrugged, “He left to pursue his dream of becoming the champion, but Scootaloo didn’t like the thought of her Stallion fighting for a living and demanded he quit. I don’t know if he’s quit, but he’s certainly not going to let some other Stallion date his Mare.”

“I can see that. A hundred and fifty bits! That’s amazing! At least that three costumes good to go,” I laughed.

Twilight laughed as well, “I hope to get a third of that…”

“Okay, okay, everypony settle down!” Pinkie said over the mic, “You can all congratulate them later.”

Scootaloo was so happy that she couldn’t stop grinning and admiring the huge rock on her bracelet. That diamond was huge! Even in Equestria, diamonds were a girl’s best friend. Featherweight kissed Scootaloo’s cheek again as they moved to the opposite side of the stage, nuzzling each other.

“Now, it’s time for the next candidate! Our own faithful and dedicated mail-Pony! Derpy Hooves!”

There was a strong applause, nothing compared to Scootaloo’s, but still loud.

“Let’s get this started! Do I see five?” A single light flashed on. “Five bits!” Then nothing. Not a single light appeared.

For some reason I got angry. Even if it’s Derpy, that was no reason to not allow her to have some proper bits for her.

“Five bits? Come on, somepony raise it!” Pinkie urged. Still nothing.

Twilight’s face looked scary. If I was angry, then she was livid.

But, the Ponies didn’t fail us. Slowly, one by one, the lights appeared. After a brief stint, Derpy got a decent fifty bits. And the winner? Her daughter! The two laughed and danced with each other on the stage, the daughter congratulating her mother with a basket full of delicious looking muffins. Derpy didn’t care. I doubt she would have noticed if she had made only five bits. She was beyond happy with what she had. And she showed it. That strength, that inner-peace was something to be admired. It was her daughter that was her pillar of strength, her world. She didn’t care about anything else.

“She’s incredible. How can she be so strong?” I asked.

“She’s been through a lot. If I ever have a daughter, I hope that my relationship with her is like that.” Twilight looked at me, “Forest, are you crying?”

“My eyes are hurting from the bright lights,” I lied, “But those two are amazing.”

I stared at Derpy and Ditzy in awe. It was humbling to see that; a mother who lived for her daughter and a daughter who protected her mother, both with unyielding love. I forced the feelings of jealousy and regret down. My relationship with my mother was… ugly. Nothing we had came anywhere close to this, and I felt that I had missed out on something important. Every moment I spent in Equestria just revealed to me how pathetic my life really was, and I thought that I was some hot shit. Discovering the truth hurt me deeply and at the same time helped me understand why I had become the kind of person I was, and I hated it. I hated who I was.

“Something wrong, Forest?” Twilight asked.

“No,” I replied gently, “I was just thinking…”

“And now, our very own Lavenderhoof!” Pinkie announced on the mic. There was another huge applause. Lavender was certainly popular, raising a whopping eighty bits! The Pony that won the date was our waiter from the other day, that Caramel fellow. He blushed as he came to the stage and stood somewhat shyly next to Lavender who was smiling coyly at him. They didn’t look at one another in the eyes. It was revoltingly cute.

“Some history there?” I asked leaning against Twilight to be heard over the applause.

She shrugged, “Not that I know of.”

Pinkie did a couple cartwheels across the stage forcing everypony’s eyes on her, “And now, Amethyst Star!”

Again, a very decent intake! A hundred bits! Her date was, surprisingly, a blue Mare!

“Did we meet our target?” I asked.

“A hundred and fifty, plus fifty, and eighty plus ninety, that’s a total of three hundred and seventy. So, yeah, I think we made it.” Twilight grinned, “This was a great idea! Rainbow does have some good ideas – once in a while. And now we also have a wedding in the works!”

“Do we have to go through with this?” I asked, not really looking forward to my turn.

Twilight shrugged, “I think we should. Rarity is already been extremely generous,” She looked up, “It would be nice to give her a little more for her time and effort.”

“Well, good luck.” I grinned.

Twilight just blushed at me as Pinkie announced her turn.

As she stood center of the stage, the room was full of lights even before Pinkie could start.

“T-two hundred and twenty bits,” Pinkie said, slightly overwhelmed by the number. I think everypony in that room did a double-take when the number reached that high. There was a long pause before Pinkie said, “Going once…”

Another light turned on.

“Two-hundred and twenty five,” Pinkie squeaked.

On the other side of the room, another light turned on.

“Two-hundred and thirty,” She said even quieter.

The two lights went back and forth until the number reached five hundred! Five hundred bits! This was insane. I knew that Twilight was popular, but this was crazy! The number just didn’t stop climbing. It kept going and going! Until…

“One… thousand…” The entire hall was hushed as Pinkie said the number, “… and thirty five bits…”

The other light didn’t turn on.

“Going once,” Pinkie started, “Going twice… going-”

The other light turned on. Everypony began to murmur out loud. That was insane! This was ridiculous!

“One thousand and forty bits!” Pinkie voice was barely audible even over the speakers. “Going once… going twice…”

The other light remained off.

“Gone…”

A few Ponies applauded. Everyone else was too stunned, as was I. I knew that Twilight was popular, but there was no one in Ponyville that could afford those kinds of numbers. Who could have made the numbers go that high?

Slowly, the guilty one walked towards the stage. The Pony who took the stage was the last Pony I expected to see.

“Aiden?” Twilight asked stunned.

Aiden just laughed nervously. “Hi, Twilight.”

They looked at each other, and you could see the emotions and confusion running through Twilight’s face. But who was the other Pony that was competing against Aiden? I wasn’t the only Pony curious about that. And, as if on cue, the other Pony started to ascend the stairs onto the stage. Everypony’s eyes were glued on the newcomer who stood there in a heavy cloak for a long moment before removing her hood.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight asked, stunned. We all were stunned, as each Pony bowed low to the presence of the Princess of the Night. Aiden, upon seeing who he had competed against turned green… well, greener. He looked sick.

“Your Highness! If I had known…”

“Please, Aiden Fomaio, if you had known then there would have been no fun in it.” Princess Luna looked up at me. At that moment I realized that I had not dropped a hoof. Clumsily, I bowed to the princess.

“Perhaps I can still have a ‘date’, it seems very popular.” She said date as if she had no idea what it was.

“Luna…” Twilight walked over to the princess and whispered in her. The princess’ face turned bright pink.

“That is… a date? Oh my. I had no idea…” Her face turned even rosier as she saw the crowd staring at her.

Pinkie sensing the awkwardness instantly intervened by doing some weird dance that made her the focus of attention. That gave Princess Luna a chance to slip back into the audience. Although I bet that none of the crowd thought anything bad of her, instead I bet that most of them found the princess’ naivety cute. I know I did.

“And now, last but not least… the only Stallion on the team, who has zero magical talent…”

“Thanks for that, Pinkie.” I grumbled.

The Ponies in the audience heard my sarcastic comment and laughed.

“Oopsy, sorry, Forest. Anyway, this special-special pony is ready for somepony special!” Pinkie grinned, “So, let’s start the bids!”

Not a single light. Not one. Not even from Princess Luna!

“Kinda figured it would be like that…” I mumbled, shaking my head.

Pinkie grinned, “Then, I’ll bid on Forest! That’s five bits!”

“Thanks, Pinkie.” I chuckled. Five was better than zero.

Then, one light twinkled on.

“Ten bits.”

Everypony turned around to see who had turned the light on. I couldn’t tell, not in the dark.

“Going once… going twice…”

Another light turned on.

“Fifteen bits!”

Then the first light went on again. And like Twilight’s battle of the lights, I had my own. It stopped at forty though. Still, it was better than zero.

“Come on, sis!” I heard Applebloom’s voice shout.

The light next to the source of her voice turned on again.

Applejack? That was Applejack? She was bidding for me? Against who? Who was the other Pony? Why was she bidding against me? Was she the bitch that kissed me in the spa?

Come on Applejack! Win me! Win me!

But I knew deep down in my gut that Applejack didn’t have the finances to compete against some of the other Ponies. She couldn’t spare that many bits and as the numbers started to climb higher, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the numbers would cease to rise. When it did, I had nothing else to do but hope with all my might that Applejack had come out on top.

“Going once!” Pinkie shouted.

My heart beat faster in my chest.

“Going twice!”

I started sweating bullets.

“Sold to the Pony on the left!”

Everypony watched as the mystery Pont walked up onto the stage. As she walked onto the stage my heart froze in my chest. I thought I was having a heart-attack.

You have got to be fucking kidding me!

“Surprised?” She asked.

“C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Cyan Crystal!” I stammered. I couldn’t believe it. I just could not believe it! And yet, there she was standing there in front of me. Why? Why oh why did it have to be her! Any other Pony in Ponyville would have been better!

I wasn’t the only one shocked out of my skull. Even Pinkie couldn’t believe it and stood there with her mouth hanging open. It was so surreal, it seemed like a cruel prank, but Crystal took out her coin purse and handed it to Pinkie, flashing a cold expression at her before walking over to me and giving me a grin, which is how I imagine a shark would grin just before eating its prey.

“I look forward to our date.”

Forcing a broken smile on my face, I nodded, “Yeah, me too…”

Why didn’t Princess Luna bail me out! Even dating her would have been better! A lot better. A whole boatload better. Anything but this!

“W-well, that’s all folks. Thank you all for joining us!” Pinkie then turned and walked off the stage in a hurry. I didn’t blame the poor girl, standing that close to Crystal was hazardous to one’s health.

As the Town Hall began to empty, I couldn’t help but feel the other team members and their dates stare at me in pity. I felt so pathetic that couldn’t even turn around and face them instead gazed off into the distance hoping that this was all just a very bad dream. They all went our separate ways into the fair, except for Scootaloo, who had mysteriously vanished with Featherweight.

I stood there alone with Crystal not knowing what to do, say or act.

“Forest Fire,” She suddenly said. Was she blushing? “Please, please, please… even just for one night… please be my friend.”

My mind reeled within itself. It took me a moment to realize that she had used one of my mind control spells! She knew the trigger! But… I had no magic in my bracelet, the spell can’t work without it. Did she not know that? She knew the spells, but she didn’t know everything. But that wish, it seemed so… honest.

Think! Think, Forest!

“So,” I said trying to sound as natural as I possibly could, “Shall we go check out the fair?”

Her head whipped up at me and she actually smiled, “I’d like that very much,” That smile was… unfair! She wasn’t allowed to have a smile that kind and gentle! She was the bitch of Ponyville! What was going on?

We walked through the town. Many of the Ponies seemed to ignore us, but I couldn’t help but feel that a couple sets of eyes were constantly following us. Trying my best to ignore it, I continued trying to be a friend to Crystal, which was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Even with her nasal voice, she was actually fun to hang around. She had a sense of humor, was easy to talk to, even if her voice was like listening to a broken violin. And she talked a lot, mostly about her life running the only hotel in Ponyville. It was strange, she seemed perfectly normal now that she had dropped the ‘I’m a mega-bitch’ attitude. We played a few games – not of which we won anything, ate at a few stalls and she even bought me a silly hat to match my suit.

“Shall we go on a ride?” I asked, pointing to a Ferris wheel.

“Okay.”

As we sat on it, Crystal looked out and enjoyed the view. It wasn’t so high, but it gave me a chance to think. Why was she acting like this now? Why didn’t she act like this before? I remember someone mentioning to me that Brian and Crystal were good friends. Was this the side of Crystal that Brian knew? How had he managed to infiltrate through her sourness?

“Crystal,” I began.

“Hm?”

“I have a confession to make,” I gulped.

“Hm?”

“The spell you cast. It… didn’t work.”

She was in shock. “Y-y-you mean… all this time… you were acting?” Her expression soured.

“No. I wasn’t, Crystal. That’s why I’m confessing this to you.”

“Then… you really were trying to be my friend?”

I shook my head. “Crystal, I didn’t try. We got along so easily when you dropped that ridiculous act. Why the sham? If this is the real you, why don’t you just be yourself?”

She just stared at me with her mouth still wide open.

“Crystal?”

“I… I…” She lowered her eyes to the floor of the little gondola we were sitting in, “I don’t know, Forest.”

“If you just be yourself, then you’ll easily make friends. And I know you don’t like Pinkie, but she’ll really be a good friend to you if you just let her.”

“It’s not that I don’t like Pinkie. It’s just that… she intimidates me. She’s so friendly and outgoing, so nice and caring. You don’t understand, when I first came to Ponyville, I was running away from my life. I am… there was… and I…” Tears formed in her eyes and she put her hooves in front of them. “I’m so lonely.”

The way she said those words. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Getting up, I walked over to her side of the gondola and sat next to her letting her lean against my shoulder. “What happened, Crystal?”

And she told me. And what she told me opened my eyes.

The Stallion of her life died saving her life, giving his life for her in a freak accident. But her friends and family refused to accept that, blaming her for his death. After months of it, she couldn’t take anymore and she left. But their words sunk like poison into her and she blamed herself for what had happened even though deep down she knew it wasn’t her fault. She was angry at everyone, but most of all, she was angry at herself. And she took it out on those around her. Her story broke my heart.

And Brian had seen through it all. He had seen through her charade. And when Crystal admitted to me that the only reason why she was probably still alive was because of Brian. That really struck a nerve in me. He had saved her life.

“Is there something that guy cannot do?” I muttered.

Crystal laughed wiping away the dampness in her eyes, “He is an amazing Pon- person...”

“Just be yourself, and I promise you that when they see the real you, you’ll find a lot of good friends here. I know I have.”

“You really think so?” She sniffled.

“I know so. Take a look at me. I’ve been here… what? Two weeks? And they’ve already accepted me as a part of the town. They’ll accept you. It might take some time, but they will come around. Until then, you can always talk to me.” And honestly, I really meant it. “Just promise me that you’ll make an effort.”

“I promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

She laughed at that. “Pinkie Promise. Thank you, Forest. And… I’m sorry about the spell thing. I just didn’t think you’d be this… kind.”

“Nah, don’t worry about that. If you hadn’t tried using the spell, then we wouldn’t have had this conversation. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you this way. So, in a way, it worked. You wanted me to be your friend, and that’s what happened.” I smiled at that.

She laughed. “Are you hitting on me? You do know I’m old enough to be your mother, right?”

At first I was shocked, then I realized that she was joking. I shook my head laughing, “You’re not that old, Crystal.”

And it seemed that years evaporated from her face. When she genuinely smiled, she was actually beautiful, in a middle-aged Pony sort of way. But that voice! If only she had another voice.

We got off the Ferris wheel and Crystal started to walk away. I followed her for a bit, but she stopped, turned around and shook her head. “Thank you, Forest. But I want to be alone. I release you from your duties as my date. Enjoy the rest of the night. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

I stopped where I was and sat down on the ground.

“Besides, I think somepony else really wants to talk to you.”

I looked up and saw her pointing behind me. I turned around and standing there in the middle of the road was the most beautiful Pony ever.

“Applejack!”

I glanced back towards Crystal, but she was already heading back to the hotel. Something about her had definitely changed. I just hoped it was for the better.

“Forest…” Applejack said walking over to me.

“Applejack,” Despite everything, I hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“Forest, we have to talk.”

“I know. I’ve been waiting.”

“Can we go… somewhere private?” Applejack asked.

“Want to ride a Ferris wheel?” Hey, if I could make Cyan Crystal open up to me in there, then it was worth a shot with the Pony of my dreams.

“Okay.” Something was off about her.

The Ferris wheel attendant saw me. “You again? Didn’t you just… with another…” He shook his head, “Youngsters these days.”

I might have found his comments amusing, but the mood was too serious. Applejack was going to tell me about her past and I knew deep down that I was going to hate this. The thought of her with another Stallion just killed me, but if I was going to be with her then I had to know.

We were silent for the first half of the first round. I could tell she was trying to find a way to start.

“You know,” I began, breaking the heavy silence, “When I first came to Ponyville, I didn’t know what to expect. I was lost, confused… but you all helped me so much. So, please, Applejack, you don’t need to hold back from me. Whatever you tell me, and whatever happens, I promise that I will always be there for you.”

“You don’t know how much that means to me, Forest.” Applejack took a deep breath as the Ferris wheel stopped. We were at the highest point. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. That was the kind of effect she had on you. This was it. I braced myself for what was to come. “Before you, long before you came to Ponyville… I was engaged.”

“I know.”

She didn’t bat an eyelid. “When you were taken… by that Ursa I…” Her eyes started to water.

No! No more tears! “Please, Applejack, don’t cry.” My words were futile. And I made to go sit next to her, but she held out her hoof, stopping me.

“No. I need to look at you. Please stay there.”

I slowly sat myself back down.

“He was a Pegasus, a very talented weather Pony. After Rainbow left to join the Wonderbolts, he came to replace her. Our first meetin’ was… not all that pleasant. Rainbow had always let a little bit of extra rain shower my apple orchards, but he didn’t allow that, even after I asked all nice. For a while we were always at each other’s throats.” She shook her head, “We’d constantly fight. Sometimes I’d win, and sometimes he would. Over time, we started developin’ feelin’s for one another. Over time I learnt that I… loved him. And then one day he proposed to me by the lake. I thought I was the luckiest Mare alive. I was so happy…”

Jealousy raged through me, but I pushed it aside. This was no time to be petty. I needed to be there for her. I had to. Be strong, Forest.

“But one day a Manticore managed to get to town. Everypony tried to stop it. Even Fluttershy couldn’t. There was something wrong with it. Something… bad. It attacked the school, and who knows what would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for him. He saved my sister, Forest. He risked his life to protect Applebloom.”

I didn’t respond, I just continued to listen.

“But, thing is… I was the one that led the Manticore to town. If… if I hadn’t gone to the Everfree Forest that day…” Her eyes flowed like streams.

“He… died?”

“No!” She snapped at me making me sit up. “But… because of me he nearly did. The Manticore went for Applebloom, and he used his body to shield her from the stinger. The venom nearly killed him. We managed to lure the Manticore away, but the venom had already paralyzed his wings. He lost his ability to fly. Without flight, he couldn’t do his job anymore. I had ruined his life, Forest.”

“But… then what happened?” I didn’t get it. He was alive? Wasn’t that good enough?

“I couldn’t be with him. Every time I saw him, it’d remind me of what I did.”

“That’s…”

“I ruined his life, Forest. Me! The Pony he was goin’ to spend the rest of his life with. I couldn’t bear the thought of it. To remind him day after day that I am the reason he can’t fly. I had ruined his dream, stopped him from doin’ what he was born to do.” Applejack looked off into the distance, gazing across Ponyville, “I couldn’t let him marry me after that.”

“You broke off the marriage with him because you felt that you’d remind him that he lost his ability to fly saving your sister?” I asked incredulously, “He saved your sister, Applejack! That… he… you…” I was so mad. So, so, so, so mad! “He protected his family. Why would you break it off with a Pony that would go that far for you?” I didn’t mean to raise my voice, but I did.

She didn’t say anything.

“And I suppose the reason why you wanted to end things with me is because you somehow feel that the Ursa that took me was your fault. And that you and me being together would somehow remind me of that fact? That you don’t want to burden yourself? That you…” I couldn’t finish. I was furious!

“Please, Forest. Don’t make this hard on me…”

“Hard on you?” I took a deep breath to calm the rage churning in my gut. “Applejack, when I was in that Ursa hell-hole, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you. It was the thought of being with you that made me try hardest, it gave me strength to make me come back.”

“I…”

This time I stopped her from talking. I held up my hoof, “I think you’re right. I think we need to end this relationship, the one that never got started in the first place. It’s apparent to me that you have no idea what relationships are all about, and if you’re going to run away every time things get hard, then I don’t see a point in pursuing it.”

My words stung. I knew they did. I could see her flinch at every syllable. But I was so angry! It wasn’t the fact that she was irrationally blaming herself for the Ursa taking me. It was because she obviously was not over her ex-fiancé. No wonder everyone in town said that I was good for her, they wanted me to distract her. I was nothing more than a replacement. But what put the cherry on the cake was that she was trying to end our ‘relationship’ on almost the exact same reason that she had broken off her engagement.

“I thought you’d understand…”

She sounded so distant just then. So… small. I wanted to hug her, to tell her that everything was alright, but it wasn’t. Nothing about this was alright. Not one thing.

“No, Applejack, I don’t. And it’s clear that you’re still not over… him. You might be honest about your feelings, and you might be honest about your ideas, but you honestly don’t understand yourself.”

The Ferris wheel came to a stop at the bottom of the full turn. The attendant opened the door to our gondola and I exited it with a huff. I walked away without looking back. I didn’t want to look back. I couldn’t look back.

“Forest!” I heard Applejack call my name.

But I couldn’t respond to her. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t turn around and face her. I was incensed, sad, hurting, scarred, scared and just… blah! There were no words that could describe the shittiness that I felt. I had to get away from there. Get away from it all.

This is good. This is perfect. I told myself, This way I don’t have any commitments here. I can leave Ponyville. I think I will take that trip. Leave town after the Race.

I wandered aimlessly away from the fair. In my stupor, I had no idea where I was going. Down one road, then up another. I just kept going until I heard a familiar sounding voice that woke me from my trance.

“Forest? What are you doing here?”

“Spike? I could ask you the same thing.”

The two of us were standing outside Berry Bar. The red neon glow of the main sign was blinking on and off.

“I suppose it didn’t go well with Applejack, then?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. After a moment he just laughed. It wasn’t an unfriendly laugh, but more of an ‘I know how you feel’ kind of laugh.

“A drink? My treat.”

“I’d love one. Or a dozen.” I grumbled.

“After you,” Spike gestured and pushed the door open.

For the most part, the bar was empty. Of course it would be since the fair was still going strong outside. A few Ponies were in here, though. Most of them content with drinking alone in booths. There was an unused pool table in the back and the bartender was washing some mugs behind the bar. Spike and I walked to the very far corner and sat on the last two barstools. Despite the morose atmosphere, the interior had a very bright and happy color scheme. I guess this was where Ponies went to drown their sorrows.

“Hi, Spike. Who’s your friend?” The Mare asked, pouring him a drink.

“This here is Forest Fire. Forest, meet Berry Punch, the owner of this fine establishment.”

At first I had thought it was Pinkie, but only for the briefest of moments. It was perhaps because of her coat, it was almost like Pinkie’s, but her hair and her voice were completely different.

“Hello.”

“Ah, heartbreak,” Berry said pouring me a glass of the same greenish liquid Spike was drinking, “If it weren’t for broken hearts, I’d be out of business.”

“So, Forest, what happened?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“C’mon, I just want to know.”

So I told Spike the whole story, almost word for word. It was a long moment before he spoke again. “It’s uncanny. You and her ex broke up for almost the exact same reason.” Spike took a long sip from his drink, “You were both so angry at her, that you both just… left. Is that what you’re planning on doing now?”

I looked at the purple Dragon, “Did Twilight’s deduction skills rub off on you? Yes, I’ve been thinking about it.”

Again, Spike let out a light laugh, only this time it was laced with pity. Who he pitied, I didn’t really know.

“Forest, you can’t leave Applejack like that. She really likes you, she’s only trying to protect you in her own way.”

“No, I know that. That’s not what made me angry, Spike. I can look past that. That isn’t the issue.” I sighed and drank the green liquid in one go. Ouch. It burnt my nostrils.

Berry instantly filled it up again, and threw it down the back of my throat. We did this three more times. “Five bits for the bottle,” She stated and left it sitting in front of me.

I dumped the coins on the counter and poured myself another glass. I looked at the glass, and just left it empty, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

“Then?” Spike prompted me.

“Then what?”

“Then what’s the issue? Why can’t you just… be with her?” Spike took the bottle from me and poured himself a generous helping of the green liquid.

“Because! Because… because… she,” And this was really difficult for me to admit, “She isn’t over her ex.”

That seemed to shock Spike. “What?”

“She is the Element of Honesty, Spike. She wears her heart on her sleeve – er – she can’t hide how she truly feels. I think that was why I was so infatuated with her in the first place. I know she likes me. But she loves him. And what really…” I went through my mental thesaurus, couldn’t risk using bad language, “… what really grinds-my-gears is she doesn’t even realize it.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s still in love with him, Spike. Do you understand?”

“No.”

“Neither do I.” I replied, taking a huge draught from the bottle.

Just then another Pony walked in. He looked just as dejected, or perhaps worse than I did. He made a beeline and sat next to, took my bottle from my hoof, and polished off the contents. “Bar keep! Three more bottles!”

“I take it things didn’t go well with Twilight then.” I looked at Aiden.

Aiden flashed me a venomous look, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Spike and I shared a look.

“What happened, you can tell us. Forest here just dumped… or did she dump you?” Spike asked.

“Does it matter?”

Berry Punch put the three bottles down in front of us, sliding my original five bits into an apron she wore, “That’ll be fifteen bits.”

Aiden threw a large number of bits down. “That’s fifty bits. Keep it as advanced payment.”

“Sure thing, hun.” Berry slid all the bits into the apron, and walked off to serve another customer.

“Well, Rarity broke my heart, Applejack broke Forest’s, and now it seems that Twilight’s broken yours.” Spike raised his bottle up.

“Broke? Ha! Broke would have been bliss compared to what she did.” Aiden raised his bottle.

I raised my bottle as the three of us toasted to our misery. I took a long drag from my bottle, but Aiden had managed to drink half of his before he stopped.

“I… I can’t understand women!” Aiden began, “You tell them how you feel, how you want to be with them… you confess to them that the only reason why you stayed on in a bakery was so that you have the chance to see her once in a while, to talk with her, and she says that it’s… creepy! That you’re a stalker! A stalker!” He downed another good amount of the bottle. “I hate my life.”

“Thank that’s bad? How about having a crush on a Pony for years, only to find out that she’s in love with another Stallion in another city and that you can only be ‘friends’.” Spike drank another swig from his bottle, “Years!”

“How about an entire town using you as a distraction to the true object of affection for a Pony you like?” I muttered.

Aiden smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile, “What about trying to open your heart out only to have the Princess of the Night reprimand you in public for being a stalker?”

Spike and I stared at Aiden as he polished off the bottle.

“Princess Luna did that?” Spike asked.

Aiden just nodded.

“You win.” Spike shook his head. “Hooves down.”

Aiden gave a feeble cheer before demanding another bottle.

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