A Cog in the Machine

by Zoom zoom

Terrorize (Extended but not fixed)

The streets of Ponyville were quite busy despite it seeming like half the town was at sugar cube corner. Your little disguise as a bale of hay would have worked perfectly as you hoped around and had gotten rid of some odd set of glasses and a big funny shaped nose on the rim to complete it. However, the longer you continued to follow Pinkie, the more you realized how dumb it was to even bother. First off there was no guarantee at all that she was going to her job when you decided to stalk her. Then your friends- or at least the closest you’ve had to them- do nothing but make loud sounds that should be getting Pinkie’s attention yet somehow doesn’t. To top it all off, that box with the small hole in it had a buzzing sound coming from it that would have been getting to you if you were not already hearing Applebloom and Scootaloo fight for the fourth time since starting this. Only when Pinkie finally stops hopping around to talk to a pony at a flower stand do you have the time to finally address all these issues.

First was the box as it seemed the easiest to deal with so that you didn’t snap at your friends. Something about it had struck you somehow and you had taken it along for some reason. At first the box seemed empty as you open the lid. Only then do you hear the buzzing now even louder and look at the lid. It was a rather large bug, a bulky wasp to be more accurate. He clung to the lid with a very simple letter attached reading:

Hello, I give this gift to you since Pinkie mentioned you may need a pet to help you out. Unfortunately he already has a name that he reacts too pretty well. Feel free to train him otherwise but I kinda like it. Please enjoy.

A tag at the bottom read: “Hello my name is Waspinator.” This was a pretty cool name to go with anyway. You’d have to thank that mare. What was her name? Waspinator covered the golden hoofed mare’s name, but that wasn’t important at the moment. What was important was that look you were able to catch in Sweetie Belle’s eyes. She was about to scream and you knew it. Thinking quickly you shoved your hoof into her mouth to shut her up before it got too loud, Waspinator buzzing around you before resting in your hair. Apparently he just didn’t like confined places since he was so quite now.

This action got the other two fillies to pay attention and stay quite as well when they noticed the wasp in your hair. Wapinator quickly dodged Scootaloo’s attempt to kill him as she didn’t know it he was a gift. That didn’t help you though as not only did you get yet another head smack, but your hoof got a cut from Sweetie Belle’s mouth from your flinch. Said flinch had you rolling out of the bush and into the road right in front of Pinkie and the mare she was talking to.

“Well hello,” Pinkie said blinking a grand amount of times that made your eyes blink just to make sure you were not seeing anything. “Did you get bored of following me already?”

“You knew?”

“Well of course. Not only were you loud but I’m all blinky right now. Oh that reminds me, I gotta check in on her and Inky don’t I? Better get a family reunion set up too, that way you could meet them. OHMYGOSHANOTHERPARTYIDEA!”

You gave up, that’s it. Nothing, you had nothing. Pinkie was just pinkie and ran on such little logic you couldn’t be bothered. She was just as smart, if not way smarter than you but in a different way so you couldn’t catch her in the act anyway.

“Great timing though,” Pinkie finally said when she slowed down and noticed the crusaders in the brush as well. “I had to go pick up my pay at work. So you can come along then. Besides, Scootaloo I think you forgot to pick up your pay before you left your last shift too. I heard the manager complain about it.”

“Wait I did?” replied the Pegasus ignoring the face your face just convulsed from all this new information. “Darn I thought I was low on bits lately. Sure I’ll come along. But I think we better patch him up first.”

You were about to lose it when again Waspinator somehow sensed your grown frustration with everything around you and landed on the edge of Pinkie’s nose. The resounding scream of having a weird thing on her face as she ran around was enough to quell your anger with everyone involved enough for you to not wanna smack Scootaloo for not telling you anything. At least you decided if you got to keep this bug you’d keep the name now.

After many failed attempts to swat it, Pinkie finally took a few heavy breaths and gave up. Waspinator, now sure the Pink giant wasn’t going to kill her, flew back into your hair. Apparently the yellow by your scalp was alluring to it. Pinkie didn’t seem to take her defeat with ill will and smiled before inviting the four of you to follow as you continued her bouncing and she hummed another tune to herself.

After the shock that Scootaloo also had a part time job at this place Pinkie worked at and the understanding that because you never told her why you were following Pinkie she didn’t correct you, it wasn’t long before you gave up and laughed as everything fell into place. The only part of this job that through you for a loop was the fact that Pinkie and Scootaloo were some of the top employees, getting many tips left by satisfied customers, though the fact it involved both of them cross-dressing of all things just had you on the floor. You hadn’t had a good laugh like that in ages. Apparently nether did Sweetie Belle or Applebloom as they laughed even harder then you.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up,” muttered Scootaloo to her so called friends with her sack of bits under her wing. “This is why I didn’t tell you guys where I go when you are all busy in the first place.” Then she turned toward your direction, “and you! Why are you not surprised about all this?”

You hid your first few comments you could have made with more forced laugher as you tried to think of one that didn’t get you socked for calling her unladylike. “It was sort of obvious after I looked at everything Pinkie had said and the Cakes. Hostess because she doesn’t see that she’s supposed to be an object for ponies to gawk at. Something she’d think fun and different from what she done before, which acting like a boy certainly qualifies. And the spots on her neck was either from being freak out by a customer coming on to her which wasn’t likely as she’d be mad, so that left the fact she had a fake stage fight and got yelled at because she hit the other employee in the face. Not all of it would work normally but it is Pinkie so it lines up just fine.”

“Sheesh what are you some kind of detective?”

“Nope just the keen-eye for details,” you reply, “I’m more like that odd older brother that hardly leaves the house and yet is smarter than the genius detective younger if you must put it so.” It was only a vague reference to two of your favorite books that you had seen as the only good thing about living with Dilly Dally. So it wasn’t surprising this went over the fillies head. In fact based on everypony’s expressions only Pinkie and Sweetie Belle even knew one of the references, guess one of the books wasn’t popular enough to get attention.

However, now everything was settled, all except one little thing. “And YOU,” pointing a hoof at your red headed friend made you actually feel like a detective. Applebloom flinched a bit at the gesture as Waspinator seemed to wake up, only to notice he was in a place he would be easily swatted and crawled back into your hair. That if anything got Applebloom to ease up. “I’ve been really wondering why you were wearing that dress all day. Everypony else isn’t. Sweetie Belle I could understand with her sister and all, but since your sister Applejack wasn’t dressed up that ruled out it was some kinda family thing. It can’t be your birthday or something because Pinkie would have rescheduled everything or at least told me. So care to enlighten us please?”

You knew. You pretty much knew since you had to go to the hospital what the deal was if it wasn’t you experiencing it. And with all the Pinkie clutter clear it was all too clear. And that, was something you couldn’t have. You had no feelings for her, it was best you get it out of the way now rather than later. Why you suddenly needed it to be in front of your friends you were not sure, but you ran with it even as that part of you nagged to bale on this plan.

Applebloom blinked and blushed until her cheeks were the same hue as her trademark bow. Not a good sign, you’d rather have been wrong about this and be the only one embarrassed. Still all she had to do was say something like ‘no reason, just felt like it’ and everything would be fine and you could easily backpedal. Unfortunately…”Well it’s cause I wanted to look good for your party. Cause I like ya.”

Crap, the floodgates were opening and you couldn’t close them. The right thing to do would be to just tell her outright, but then she’d be mortified in front of all her friends. Sure, you could admit Applebloom was cute and her presents fogged up your mental capacity a bit, but that didn’t mean you liked her. Liking somepony is supposed to make you feel warm and happy, not confused and scared. You were not sure how you felt about Applebloom but it couldn’t possibly be love of any sort.

“Well that’s nice,” you mumble. Nice? Oh boy, you were so flustered you couldn’t speak the first thing that should have come out of your mouth, just peachy.

Then suddenly it seems like everything around the two of you is quite, all except Pinkie and Sweetie Belle. Pinkie was wide eyed and obviously holding back a cheer at something happening in front of you. Sweetie looked like her fricken birthday just came early, again girls are weird sometimes. Scootaloo had only a mix of various emotions, but whichever dominated it looked like she was smiling at this. Great, just great, no pony else is going to back up your rejection.

Turning your eyes back to Applebloom you see she’s tilted her head a bit and her face is coming to meet yours, double crap. You had to get out of here. You had to leave somehow. Leave, find a way out. You can’t run from this outright without it hurting her though and even then many ponies were blocking the exit, triple crap. You had to do it. You pushed past everything that told you not to, every part of you that was trying to freeze your limbs and accept Applebloom. The force of your hoof touching her mouth was harder than you wanted but to everyone else it would look like a twitch. You didn’t exactly hit her, but it was sudden and you missed the timing so it was like being pushed hard. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t think of you like that Applebloom.”

Something inside you felt crushed as that left your lips. You were not sure why. The look on Applebloom’s face was going to be burned into your brain now. You already had issues with girl’s crying but somehow this you knew was something you never wanted to see again. You were compelled to make such a thing stop, but you bite your lip and held back doing so. You didn’t look at anypony else as Applebloom, full of the emotions you knew would come when you said it galloped out of the café. Your legs started to move on their own but again you held your ground mentally. You couldn’t let your stupid reflexive code take control now.

“What are you doing!” came the broken squeal of Sweetie Belle. “Go after her right now you idiot!”

“But I-I,” you couldn’t find words. Nothing would work for this. Sweetie Belle pushed you forward trying to get you started and again your legs go, but as you leave the shop you close your eyes and focus again to stop yourself.

“Why are you doing this?” Sweetie was trying to keep from yelling at you since she considered you a friend but you could tell she was hard pressed to. “You can’t just lie to her like that.”

“But I’m not lying,” you thought. “I can’t be lying. I can’t possibly like somepony.” The creep of a grin you remembered caused you to shake in place. Sweetie saw this and backed off.

“Scootaloo,” she called, “come on I think we need to talk to Applebloom. He needs some time alone I think.”

The orange filly nodded and the two galloped off in Appleblooms direction. Meanwhile you swear you could hear it. A low hum you didn’t even want to remember again. Something had triggered and you couldn’t stop it. You stood there shaking for some time until Pinkie put her hooves around you. Her presents helping you calm down. It was going to be okay, but it wasn’t. You had just hurt somepony close to you and could do nothing about it. You just stayed in Pinkie’s arms for who knew how long.

Comments

[Zoom zoom]

Well here you all go. I'm not 100 percent on this chapter but when I finish the story or come back from a possible hiatus in the future I will likely fix it and change it up as I like. Input would be helpful as I think I rushed things too much.

So out with the old arc, in with the new.

But that's the end of this for some time. other stories are a calling.

[kiwiman40]

Cog! Get your shit together bro! Your allowed to have emotions sheesh!
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw7826-262250_144427932366108_1310509861_n.jpg

[Jagged Fox]

Um... That's like the sixth time I've seen presence be misspelled as presents. Is that intentional or something?