Good Things Come

by Sweet Tale

38. Family Appreciation

We stayed silent. The knocking continued from the apple-bucker, echoing around the barn.

"Land's sake...will you two jus' open the door?" She sounded annoyed.

Big Mac slowly walked forward towards the door. "Mac! What are you doing?!" I whispered angrily to him.

"Little sister would have broken the door down if she was actin' all crazy." He lifted the door bar with his muzzle and open the barn doors to reveal AJ smiling at us.

"Mac, you've doomed us both." I deadpanned.

AJ walked into the barn and shut the door behind her. She gave a smile to Mac and then looked at me, in all of my frightened glory. "What's got you all worried there?" she asked.

I scoffed at her question. "I know what you want. Mac told me that all the mares are going nuts and horny because they're in heat." I shuffled backwards away from her. "And you aren't getting any of it!"

AJ did the thing I wasn't expecting at all - she laughed. "Oh sugarcube, Ah'm made of stronger stuff than everypony else." She walked towards me and ceased her laughing. "Sorry ta scare you like that. Ah see that Mac got you here just in time."

"Yeah...he kind of rescued me to be honest." I gave him a glance and a smile before a thought occured. "So...why were you outside when you know everyone's gone all nuts?"

"Feedin' the folk in the houses." he replied.

"Mac and Ah supply produce to the stallions who take shelter from the mares. It's risky but they pay us well." AJ added.

"Right, right...so...something still confuses me. See, back on Earth, there's a similar situation when it happens to females but everyone's cycle doesn't happen at the same time. Why does it here?" I ask.

"Ah'm not entirely sure but from what ah do know, it used to be like your species - everypony had their 'time of the year'." AJ explained.

'I don't believe it...even that term exists here...'

"But somethin' happened a long time ago, some form of magic that caused everypony's cycles to happen simultaneously."

"So some sort of magical spell happened that made everyone go into heat at the same time?" AJ nodded. "That's ridiculous. That can't be right."

"Element of Honesty, remember?" AJ said with a smirk.

"So you didn't lie...doesn't mean it's true though...but it does sound plausible...only a little though." I dragged my hand over my face in frustration. "So what now? What happens now?"

AJ walked over to a cart full of hay and hooked herself up to it. "Ah'm taking you home, where you can relax and stay indoors."

"You sure? I mean, what if anyone sees me?"

"Jump in the back and hide under the hay. There's no way anypony will see you there." she replied with a smile.

"Well...alright." I gave Mac a pat on the back. "Once again, thanks for saving me."

"Eeyup."

I climbed into the back of the cart and submerged myself under the large mound of hay. It seeped in through the gaps in my clothing, making my skin itch like crazy but at least I was covered. "OK AJ, I'm ready." I could feel the cart start to move and before I knew it, I could hear birdsong and the wind blowing. My head was just under the top layer of hay so I could still breathe and hear everything around me.

The journey took no longer than ten minutes. The cart stopped with a jolt and I waited for a signal or a word of warning. "Alright partner, you can git yourself down now."

Obeying the apple farmer's words, I poked my head out and observed my surroundings. I was outside my home and there wasn't a pony in sight. I clambered out of the cart and brushed off any hay from my clothes. But it was still itching and I started scratching.

"You OK there sugarcube?"

"Yeah...I'm fine...just...argh it's too much!" I removed my shirt and brushed off all the hay that had clung itself to my bare skin. The soothing sensation from my fingernails scratching on my skin was to die for and I didn't want to stop.

"Hnngg..."

I stopped scratching and looked down at AJ who had a red tint to her cheeks. "AJ...you alright?"

Her back legs were shuffling awkwardly as she looked away from me. "Ah may be made of stronger stuff but...not...that...strong."

"Hmm? What do you..." I noticed what she meant - I took my shirt off to reveal my chest. I quickly put the itchy shirt back on and held my hands out. "AJ, I'm sorry, I...I didn't think."

"That's alright. I'll just...head off now..." She started to tow the cart back towards the farm.

"Thanks again!" I got my key out and put it in the lock, only to find it already unlocked. Maybe the ponies who rebuilt my wall didn't lock it. I opened the door to see a visitor sitting on my sofa, playing on one of my consoles. "Spike?"

The purple dragon turned to me and smiled. "Hey Owen. Twilight sent me over here this morning. She asked me to ask you if I could stay here for the week."

"Oh she did, did she?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! She said she was going to be really busy this week and she gave me the week off! But...she didn't tell me why she was busy." Spike replied, holding a claw to his chin.

I chuckled and sat down next to him. "That's probably for the best." I noticed he was playing Super Mario Kart again. Somehow, some of the ponies managed to re-buff my TV after it got damaged during Spike's...episode. I got up and walked into the kitchen. "Might struggle for food though. I didn't go shopping before I left for Canterlot." I opened up the fridge and was pleasantly surprised. "What the?" I opened up my cupboard to find they were fully stocked. "Where did all this come from?"

"Twilight did it." Spike had followed me into the kitchen. "She did it on Sunday." He opened up a cupboard I hadn't opened to reveal shining objects. "And she also bought these!" he said, licking his lips at the sight.

"She had it all planned out...the sneaky little..." I laughed softly and brought a hand to my head. "Well then, now that I see we're stocked, I don't see any problems with you staying for the week. You err...you gonna be alright sleeping on the sofa or on some duvets?"

"No problem. I've slept in worse. Slept on a book once." We both laughed at his statement. "So...what do you wanna do?"

"Well...we've got six days to do whatever the hell we want. I say..." I pulled open my cabinet full of games and DVD's. "ALL of this!"

---

*One Week Later - 15th April 2013*

"You could have asked me beforehand you know?"

"I'm sorry. I had a key to your house so it was the only place I could think of."

I stood in the library, in front of an apologetic unicorn. Spike and I had a blast together watching DVD's, playing games and all sorts. We watched The Iron Giant three times so I think I found his favourite of my films. There, at that point, knowing she had a key, I couldn't blame her for what she did.

"Alright, fair enough. I DID say you could use my home as your own. And to be fair, it was kinda fun. What do you say Spike?"

"I had a great time. Hey Twilight, there's this film where there's this big giant robot and he--"

Twilight placed a hoof over his mouth to stop his rambling. "That's enough Spike, you don't want to ruin it for me." she said with a giggle. Spike nodded and walked into the kitchen, holding a sack containing his leftover gems. "So was he well behaved for you?"

"Oh more that you can think. I tell ya, it's like having a little brother. Kind of reminds me of..." I sighed slightly, thinking of memories past. "Doesn't matter. But yeah, he was fine and I'd be more than happy to look after him again."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Do you have anything planned for today?"

"Nah, not that I know of. I might go up to Canterlot sometime in the week. Luna said she's got me a special surprise for my birthday." I said, winking at the end. Twilight brought a hoof to her mouth and gasped. "Something wrong?"

"N-no...it's just I...have something to do. Thank you for bringing Spike back. Goodbye!" With that, she levitated me out of the library and shut the door.

Knowing exactly what she meant, I decided to leave well enough alone and go for a walk. I reached the market to see that a group of ponies were walking together with some kids. Giving that it's about 8AM, I guessed they were on their way to school. But the kids normally walk themselves. I then spotted a familiar stallion and his child.

"Hey Scarlet!"

The white earth pony turned and smiled as I approached. "Hey Owen. Good to see you."

"Yeah you too." I looked down at the orange filly. "How about you Scootaloo?"

"I'm so excited! This is the first Family Appreciation Day with my Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Family Appreciation Day?"

"Yeah! It's when you bring in a family member to talk about their jobs and how they grew up." Scootaloo added.

"Ohh I see." I nudged her father with my arm. "I bet you've got some stories to tell, eh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. But not many for young ears." he replied. We approached the schoolhouse and the kids and parents were going inside. "Scootaloo honey, why don't you follow your friends inside? I'm going to talk with Owen here for a second."

"Sure Dad. Bye Owen!" she replied, running inside.

"You've got a great daughter."

Scarlet's smile increased. "I sure have. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. I am staying in Ponyville until Wednesday and I don't know many ponies here apart from Cherry and you. Are you avaliable tonight? We'll go for a drink or something?"

Well this was a first. I didn't have many male friends here, except for Spike and...no, that's it, just Spike. "Yeah that sounds good actually. There's an inn near the club so do you want to meet there at about eight or something?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you then." he finished, as he walked into the schoolhouse and closed the door. Well that was a result. Two good things came out of this - one was a new friend and two is that I could see him in Canterlot when he's off...whenever that is.

Feeling the weight of my bit bag, I thought against eating a nice breakfast at one of the cafe's and decided to pick up some fresh produce from the market, saving my money for tonight. Who knows, maybe it'll be cheap, maybe it'll drain my funds completely.

---

I came across the inn, situatied just a few buildings along from Vinyl's Club. After a discussion with her earlier today, she still isn't feeling up to running the DJ stand and gave me until Friday off which was I was quite grateful for.

Entering the establishment, I was greeted by a smell of alcohol and musky odours. Kind of reminds me of a certain pub I used to hang out in back on Earth. The interior of the inn was wooden, as was most buildings in this town, but this place had a certain charm to it. A rustic sort of feel. I looked around at the multitude of coloured occupants and tried to identify my newest friend.

"Owen, over here!"

Scarlet's voice reached my ears as he called out for. Looking ahead, he was situated at a round table, near the bar. I walked over and sat myself down. "Hey Scarlet. Sorry, it was quite hard to spot you."

"Ahhh, don't worry about it. Here, have one of these on me." He slid a mug of...something to me.

I picked it up and gave it a sniff. It smelt sweet but I could bet it was lethal. "Thanks. Well then, bottoms up." I took a large swig of the bright liquid. The effect was immediate as the liquid burned my throat upon swallowing. I coughed and gasped at the reaction. "W-what...what is that?" I said through coughs.

"That my friend, is a special brew sold only here in Ponyville. It's one part hard cider, two parts rum and a dash of a secret ingredient." he said with a smile.

"Which is?"

"Well if you told you, it wouldn't be a secret then would it? But I really don't know...good drink isn't it?"

He was right in a sense. After the initial burning sensation, a sweet aftertaste lingered in my mouth. I continued to drinking the lethal cocktail and before long, the burning was minimized as I got used to it. Scarlet looked at me with a devilish smile.

"Another?"

"You bet. I'll get these." I approached the bar and signalled the unicorn bartender. "Two more of these lovely concoctions here for me and my friend."

"Ahh, that be a fine drink there." What was this guy, a pirate? "But you best slow down, too much of this will go to your head." he continued in his gruff piratey voice.

"Thanks for the heads up." He handed me the two beverages and I handed him the correct change. I passed one to Scarlet who instantly took a gulp. "So...tell me, why did you sign up to be a royal guard?"

Scarlet set his mug down. "Ever since I was a colt, I always dreamed of being in the guards. It was when my father took me to Canterlot for a meeting with the Princess. I couldn't stop looking or asking questions to the guards who were patrolling. My dad always tried to stop me from disrupting them but a few answered my questions. I remember one of them telling me that it's an amazing privilege to work for the Princess."

"And that's when you wanted to become one?"

"Sure is. Whenever I played with my friends, we always used to play guards. I would always want to be the captain, commanding my army to protect the Princess at all costs!" he said, raising his hoof in the air. "And when I left home, the first thing I did was to see how I could sign up."

We both took a swig of our drinks. "I bet it was gruelling."

"Oh it was. It truly was. They wouldn't accept me at first since I was...podgy." I tried my best to conceal a snigger and managed to hide it whilst taking a drink. "I worked for six months trying to get into shape. The thing that fueled me, the thing that made me believe I could do it was my daughter. I was doing this to fufill my dreams and to provide funds for my family. When Scootaloo turned two years old, they accepted me into the guards and my training begun. Unfortunately, I had to move away." His face turned sour for a moment.

"Hey, don't worry mate. Cherry told me what happened when you moved so you don't need to tell me again." His facial expression remained the same. "Do you miss her? Your wife?"

He sighed heavily. "I should do...but not much anymore. It's been six years since she had her breakdown and I haven't seen her for about three. I kind of just lost hope."

Nice one Owen, way to lighten the mood. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. So...what's life like now? Moving up in the world?"

That brought a smile to his face. "You kidding?" He took a quick swig. "I saw my daughter for the first time in a year and ever since, I haven't been happier!" I smiled along with him. "Even my fellow guard-mates have said I look much more happier. And it's all thanks to you."

Whoa, way to make me feel good. "Aww...I appreciate it, thanks. Now, let's get these down us!" We clinked our mugs together and both downed the entire load of it. A chorus of burps from us emitted and soon after, loud laughter.

"My round!"

---

*BEEP*

"Hghnnn...."

*BEEP*

"Nuhhhh..."

*BEEP BEEP*

"Nnn...wha?" I clumsily reached out for the beeping gem and tapped it twice. "Hnnnn....Luna?"

"Good morning my love. You sound terrible." she said, giggling at the end.

My head throbbed as I tried to sit up. "I feel terrible...I...I don't have a clue what..."

"Allow me to explain. Last night, you and a fellow guard decided to have too much to drink."

"Huh?" I tried to remember the previous evening. "How do you know that?"

"Because whilst I was in Night Court, you got on the gem and started singing to me. There was no doubt you were intoxicated." she said, laughing.

"I...sung to you." I groaned as I started to remember. "I sung Queen didn't I?"

"Something about not stopping you."

"Don't Stop Me Now...fantastic." I said with a chuckle. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"Why apologise? I thought it was funny! Even the guard who was with you sounded quite drunk."

"Oh damn it, Scarlet. I'm gonna get up and go look for him." I groggily said.

"OK dear. Are you still coming up to Canterlot tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it. I'll speak to you later when you've woken up. Sleep well my love."

"Have a good day." she said, ending the talk. I got slowly up out of my bed and tried to gather my bearings. But that would have to wait as something more important was making itself known. I quickly dashed to the bathroom and leant over the toilet. You can probably guess what happend.

After getting myself washed and cleaned up, I got dressed and ventured into the harsh sunlight. I continued my walk into the town and soon came across Scootaloo's home. I knocked on the door twice and waited for someone to answer. Soon enough, someone did.

"Hey Owen...you look terrible." said a giggling Cherry Spice.

I rubbed my forehead at the dulling headache. "Yeah...I had a rough night."

"Oh I know. Mr Royal Guard here staggered in at one in the morning, singing to his heart's content." she added.

I shook my head in disbelief - so we did end up singing. "Sorry about that. Is he here? I just wanted to make sure he's alright."

"Upstairs, second room on the right."

I followed her instructions and approached the door. I pushed it open slightly to see a aptly scarlet-maned pony sprawled out on a bed and he was snoring loudly. Thinking it was best not to wake him, I retreated from the room and went back downstairs.

"Fast asleep." I said, laughing.

"What are you going to do now?" Cherry asked.

"Now?" I thought about it for a second. "I'm gonna go home...drink something with caffiene in it and relax all day...see ya." I exited the house and began my trek back home.

11:50 PM

I spent the rest of day playing games that didn't require much attention, such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I didn't want to do anything else that required me to move more than six feet away from my sofa.

Knowing I had a train to catch tomorrow, I decided to call it a night and retire to my bedroom. I turned off the lights and undressed down to my boxers. My bed lay before me in all of it's comfiness. Tonight was gonna be a nice--

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Oh for..." No-one ever calls at this time of night. Grumbling, I put my t-shirt back on and went out to the front door. I unlocked it and opened it up to find a familiar face.

"Owen! There you are. You have come with me."

"Huh? Give over Twilight, it's nearly midnight and I'm dead tired." I said, groaning.

"But it's important. Something big has happened at the library and you're the only one who can help. Please Owen!" she pleaded with me, giving me a certain look.

I couldn't resist that look. She must have picked it up from one of the crusaders. "Alright, fine. Just let me get dressed." me and Twilight re-entered the house and I started to get dressed again. Putting my shoes on, I noticed Twilight looking at my clock. "What's the matter?"

"We running out of time! Come on, come on!" she said, dragging me by the hand with her magic and out of the door.

"Wait, Twilight!" I pulled my hand back and managed to lock my door before we started running towards the library. "Tell me, what the hell is going on?"

"I can't tell you. It's something that should not be spoken in the open. Let's go!" I followed the running unicorn as we raced towards the library. She looked genuinely worried. We reached the library in about seven minutes. Stopping short of the door, we both caught our breath.

"Well?" I asked.

Her horn glowed and she nodded. "OK...you first. Just...be careful." she said, emphasising on the word 'careful'.

"Alright." I slowly opened the door to the library and stepped inside. It was pitch black inside and not a sound was to be heard. "Twilight, I don't know what--"

"SURPRISE!"

The lights came on and the rest of the girls and Spike jumped at me, tumbling me to the floor. "Jesus girls! You nearly gave me a heart attack." Twilight helped me to my feet as the rest of the gang were laughing from my remark. "What is all this?"

"It's your birthday silly! Since you were going to Canterlot, we had to throw you a party before you leave!" explained the hyperactive pink party provider.

"It's my..." I smirked, now knowing why Twilight was looking at the clock. "Well played Twilight. Well played." She could only grin adorably at me in return.

"And Ah brought some family recipe cider for the occasion!" AJ said, handing me a frothing cup of cider.

"Oh...you did?" I couldn't let them down by not drinking. I was so going to regret it but...best to keep them happy. "Down the hatch!"

Tomorrow morning is gonna be rough...

Author's Note:

Had the itch to write again...so...here's another chapter

Comments

[Jayellow]

I guess I'll have to start referring to Owen as Mr. Fahrenheit.

[Sweet Tale]

2059454 You know...I might put that in the story as a joke towards him...

[High_Wind]

t.qkme.me/366kwj.jpg

[Chaotic Mind]

I remember my 21st birthday being kinda like this. Only difference is that I was playing poker for keeps with friends when midnight hit making it Christmas of 2011 and the fact I already knew it was coming.

[501st Party Brigade]

Keep up the good work.

[lolz anonymous]

you should do a beach adventure chapter... do it.

[GuyFace]

"Even my fellow guard-mates have said I look much more happier. And it's all thanks to you."
"said I look much more happier."
"much more happier."

FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Also,

Skip to 4:35 for the best part.

[metroid_freak]

2060683
Does this LOOK like an anime, huh, huh HUH???!!!!

It might be kind of funny though, especially if everyone got retarded drunk.

[ultrasolarflare]

jeez this guy is a glutton for punishment isn't he?