13 - Sticks and Stones...
There's a song I pretty much listened to on loop. I'll link it here if you want to listen to it too, but there's another link later in the chapter for where the song will fit even better.
No lyrics, just instrumental. It should add to the reading, I think. 
Thanks as always!
A warm summer breeze swept through a large open field of maintained grass. Many were out walking their dogs, throwing a frisbee, or simply just basking in the July sun. Joey's family was doing the same, although the activities weren't what you would usually see in a public park on a Saturday morning.
"Katy! Joey! Caleb! Don't go where we can't see you!" Joey's mother called out to her children as she usually would. She was a beautiful woman in her forties, though with her rich brown locks you could hardly tell she was a day over thirty. Her gentle yet slightly anxious gaze never wandered from her kids. Despite this she was relaxing in the shade of a tree with her husband.
"Relax." Joey's father chuckled. "They're not that far quite yet. "Hey, Jo-Bo!! Whatcha guys doin with that camera?"
Joey (who was occasionally dubbed 'Jo-Bo' by his father) turned to his parents excitedly. He hustled over with that winning, toothless nine year old grin. "Katy and I are makin' movies!" he panted excitedly, as his older sister also joined him.
"Oh yeah?" their mother laughed. "How exciting! What is it about?"
"I'm a princess that's running away from home!" Katy said proudly. "Caleb is the knight that is trying to get me!"
Their said younger brother finally caught up and whined, "I'm not a knight! I wanna be a flobbit!" Their parents simultaneously broke out into laughter over their five year old's antics.
"I think you mean 'hobbit', kiddo." their dad wheezed.
"Nuh-uh! A flobbit!" Caleb insisted.
"So who's idea was it?" their mom asked as Caleb flung himself into her lap.
"It was Joey's, but I'm the star!!" Katy said with a flourish.
"Well how about that, Mr. Director!" their father exclaimed, looking at Joey. "You having fun?"
"Yep! I'm gonna make a awesome movie to show you an' mom someday!" Joey replied before making 'woosh' noises with his mouth and waving the camera all around as if he were taking awesome action shots.
"Whoa there, bud!" his dad laughed, snagging the camera. "You can use mom's camera if you're not going to do that. Also, you don't say 'a awesome'. You say, 'an awesome'. Sound good?"
"I won't break it, I promise..." Joey whined with a longing look at the camera, completely ignoring his father's grammar lesson.
"Alright buddy, there you go. Be careful! Now go finish that movie so you can show your mom and dad." his dad said warmly, handing the camera back to the giddy child. In the blink of an eye, the kids were back out in the field to continue making their masterpiece.
New years day had come and gone. For now the snowfall around Equestria had become stagnant, mostly due to the scheduled maintenance checks at the factory in Cloudsdale. In Las Pegasus there was now hardly any wind, but the air still had a sort of bite to it that attacked one's ears and nose. Particularly for those who didn't have any fur to keep themselves warm.
January passed, with nothing of note happening. No sign of Lune in Joey's dreams. His spirit was at an all time low as he simply went through the motions every day. Despite having the money, he hardly ate. He left his apartment mostly unfurnished, despite a couple of random kitchen appliances he hardly ever used (besides the coffee maker, obviously). He found himself thinking more pessimistically than he ever had before, but this wasn't an unwelcome change.
He saw it as self defense. Keep your hopes down, and nobody will dash them.
Joey found himself wishing for a warmer set of ears as he trudged to work on an early Monday morning. Every day since Christmas had been a blur. The sharp emotional pains had slowly been replaced with dull, numb feeling. He hadn't found the will to talk unless if he needed to after the holiday, which didn't need to be too often thankfully with the job he had. Anypony in his life at the moment that may have given the slightest of damns about this alarming change in behavior was far too distracted with the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day (the ponified, dumber sounding version of Valentines Day) to pay any attention to it.
The snow crunched under his feet as he walked. The cold was starting to make his nose run a little, which forced him to sniff hard dozens of seconds apart.
"Hey! Look who it is!" a familiar snotty voice called out. Joey looked up, surprised at the addressal, and recognized the two stallions that been bullying Minty the day he met her. He didn't respond nor make eye contact, he merely kept his gaze fixed ahead of him in an indifferent fashion.
"Oi! Monkey! Where are your manners?" the other jeered.
"Don't worry mate, that's probably why boss didn't hire him." the other cackled.
Joey gave in and turned to them with a raised eyebrow. "You two work for Palomino Studios?"
"The one and only, we'll pass into legend some day." the grey one gloated. These two clearly didn't seem the brightest of the bunch.
"No wonder you guys are pricks, then." Joey spat, starting to walk away. "Go find a hobby."
"Like reading perhaps?" the tan one snickered. "I know an article you'd like. Newly published, too!!" The two ponies broke out into laughter.
Joey stopped and turned to face them once again. "What... article?"
"Wait... he doesn't know?" the tan one said gleefully, looking at his comrade with wide eyes.
"Should we tell him?" the grey one snorted.
"No no, let him see it for himself!" the tan one cackled in replied. The two of them turned tail and trotted off with raucous laughter.
"If the monkey wants to make a movie, he should do it himself! As if! Ha!"
Joey watched them go with an uneasy feeling. Their taunts didn't bother him; they reminded him of Twitter users back home. Still, they mentioned an article... was that something he should be worried about? What would it even be about?
He saw a streetside vendor that was selling magazines and newspapers. As he approached, he began to slow as he tried to get a better look at the merchandise.
"Cold, eh?" the elderly stallion behind the counter said, shivering. "Any of these fine prints interest you?"
Joey didn't reply as he scanned the racks. Then he saw it, with a plummeting sensation in his belly.
Brightshade's Monkey Business!! Famed director's foresight a saving grace for Palomino Studios?
"Can I... see that one?" Joey sighed, pointing at the magazine in question.
"Oh sure! Let me just-" the stallion agreed before actually realizing which one the human wanted. "Oh - er, that one. Are you... sure?"
"I just want to see what it says, then I'll be out of your hair - er, mane."
The pony nervously handed the magazine to Joey, who quickly took it and began to read.
Sassy Scribbles ~ Las Pegasus has always been known to attract a crowd of creatures of all types, which has long been one of our city's sources of pride. Sometimes critters aren't simply fit for certain roles, as Palomino Studios quickly realized shortly before Hearth's Warming. The creature in question was none other than one of the infamous standed Humans.
"My first thoughts were, 'Are you serious? This colt has no chance!'" remarks Cobalt Brightshade, famed owner and movie director at Palomino Studios. "He had manners, but just because you have a sad backstory doesn't mean you'll just get hired anywhere. We ponies pioneered the movie industry, and I can't take the chances of letting an ape messing up anything we've worked so hard to build here at (Palomino Studios)."
Further remarks were made at a news conference held at the...
Joey forced himself to stop reading. Ouch. What a fucking asshole.
"Erm... not to be rude, but are you going to pay for that?" the stallion asked nervously. It was then that Joey realized he had been gripping the magazine so hard it was beginning to tear.
"Oh shit, um - here." Joey responded quickly, feeling bad as he fished in a pocket for some bits. "How many?"
"Five bits."
Joey handed over the coin to the shivering stallion and paused as the poor thing seemed to be really struggling with the weather. Sighing, he smiled weakly and offered his scarf to the old pony.
"Oh no, I couldn't -" he began to protest, but Joey simply placed it down on the counter and began walking.
"Take it." Joey ordered. "I can't feel the cold anyway."
"Joey... can I have a word?" Marble asked as the human was going about his daily break room coffee routine.
Joey nodded in response and followed his boss to the office. Was this going to be about the article? Had he seen it yet? Joey didn't need any reminders.
Marble plopped down into his swivel chair with a groan. "Alright - I'll cut to the chase. I really need the Hearts and Hooves merch stocked on the shelves as soon as you can. I've had countless ponies come through asking if we had any, and it feels like the bits are slipping from my hooves."
"So... you just want me to get on that sooner?" Joey asked.
"If you don't mind. I'll give you a paid lunch break for it today."
"Yep, on it. I'll get it done as fast as I can."
So his boss apparently hadn't read the magazine article. Then again, it was a magazine article rather than one from a newspaper, so less ponies were bound to see it. Still, talk about adding insult to injury.
Now that Joey was working on the floor, he couldn't help but notice that Marble was right. Even though Hearts and Hooves was only two days away, he saw countless blushing couples come into the store to purchase what he could only assume to be cheesy mementos for cheesy reasons. Many of them were slightly startled to see the human working there, but quickly seemed to accept this fact and turn their attention back to more, ah... romantic things.
Again, he really didn't care all that much. His thoughts were always drifting back to that stupid article.
He ended up going without breaks over the next two days, which was honestly fine by him. Marble wasn't aware of this and would have scolded him if he found out, but the Valentine's - sorry Hearts and Hooves (bleh) merchandise was selling at a crazy rates. How many damn couples were going to go tourist mode in early February?? The fuck? Go eat Italian food or something like a normal stereotypical couple.
Actually, no. He was glad they were enjoying themselves. He needed to keep all this negativity into his own little world. Besides, every single time he had trusted another pony to open up he ended up just being forgotten again.
Finally, the rush was over and Joey could be on his way. After the recent workload, he really needed a drink. Something to help temporarily burn away the stress so he could relax the following day.
Something to bury the pain, even just for a night.
Dusty Mug stood in his usual spot, chatting with some regulars from across the counter. Joey took a seat at the bar next to the far wall, wanting to be far removed from the energetic atmosphere. While some might assume him to be lonely and jealous at a glance, he simply just wanted some quiet and hard liquor.
He never really drank before coming to Equestria. Now... it was almost every other day.
"The usual, Joey?" Dusty called out.
"Nope, something harder if you don't mind. Surprise me, I don't really care." Joey replied with a strong voice. As he was looking towards Dusty as he said this, a pony out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze. She wasn't peculiar looking or anything, she was simply just... staring. Joey nodded at her politely and broke eye contact, hopefully signaling the end of the interaction.
Unfortunately, it wasn't. Just as he found his thoughts drifting off somewhere else he heard the scrape of the barstool next to him as the mare took a seat next to him. She had a yellow coat accompanied by a mane with black and white streaks. It was like she wasn't a bumblebee, but almost there with the color scheme.
Joey tried to ignore her, but the mare cleared her throat. "Ahem... ah, hi!"
He looked at her as Dusty set down some sort of crimson mixed drink in front of him. "Hi...?"
"Don't think I've seen ya here before." Dusty commented, squinting at her slightly in that manner he always did when thinking hard. "Do ya know my human friend here?"
"You only call me that because I'm a regular here." Joey deadpanned, taking a sip as Dusty barked out a laugh.
Ooh. Burnt citrus bitters. Or something. He was only just learning his drinking vocab.
"Oh - uhh..." the unicorn mare said shiftily. Her mane almost hid her horn, but the way she moved as she spoke made it poke out a pit. "N-No, I'm just visiting."
"Thanks for the drink, Dusty." Joey acknowledged, hardly even regarding the mare next to him. She seemed very uncomfortable in a... what was it? Nervousness? Anxiety? Hard to get a read, but it was suspicious.
Dusty nodded and shuffled off to the others again.
"So um... how are you?" the yellow unicorn asked awkwardly.
"Not to be rude, but I don't know you." Joey sighed flatly, making a face as the alcohol burned his throat. "Do I?"
"Ye- no, we haven't met." she stammered, earning a raised eyebrow. "I just saw you in that magazine."
"That - magazine?" Joey responded, knowing damn well which one. "Oh. That one. That's nice."
There was an awkward silence between them, but Joey was almost too tired to give a single fuck. Every bit of emotional investment he had taken a chance making in this world had left him empty as hell. Purposeless. Why should he care if some random ass pony was trying to chat him up?
It was her reason for doing so that concerned him.
"So... your name is Joey, right?" she asked.
Joey froze. The article made no mention of his name as far as he knew. "Yeah... that's me. You are?"
The mare seemed to be stumped by this question, which alarmed Joey. "I'm... um... I-I'm - um - Lemon... Pepper!" she stammered.
"Sure. Whatever you say." Joey groaned. "Do you have a reason for talking to me?"
"What do you mean?" the pony apparently named 'Lemon' asked. She seemed to be sweating now. Yeah, nope.
"You know what? I'm gonna go drink somewhere else, so go bother someone else." Joey said darkly as he stood up and moved to another corner of the bar. Fortunately Lemon didn't follow him, so that was that.
He did keep a wary eye out, however. For some reason that exchange made him deeply uncomfortable. Obviously he had managed to avoid any seedy business in the city but that didn't change the fact that he was one of a kind. You never know who might try and leverage that.
The drinks came quick and fast, and soon Joey barely even registered how many he had taken. Dusty wasn't hovering around like he usually did to stop ponies from overdrinking, he was too distracted. Maybe it had something to do with the holiday. Who knew? As long as Joey could do his own thing for as long as he wanted that was perfectly fine with him.
Still... looking at all the happy faces around the pub, his peace was short-lived. He thought it was great that others had friends and partners to support them, but him? Still absolutely nothing. The closest living creature he had to a friend was Minty, and he hadn't seen her since suggesting she try performing for the fillies. Nothing from the Princesses, which honestly hurt more than anything.
They were definitely the busiest ponies on the planet, so of course he wouldn't ever hope to hinder them. That wasn't what hurt him. What hurt him were the promises (that he interpreted) that had been hung out to dry. To promise someone in his state, someone who was heading for rock fucking bottom, friendship and support? Then to throw it to the wind? That there hurt. If anything, it proved that he shouldn't trust anyone ever again. He had blindly trusted more times than he could count since coming to Equestria, and every single time he had been forgotten or thrown aside.
Hopefully Ginger and Andre were still doing okay. As for Bill, screw that guy. He clearly had a thing for Clara. It may have been subtle, but Joey could spot a simp like that from a mile away.
The alcohol was getting to him. He could still think, but his thoughts were traveling down a deeper and darker path. He felt a bit paranoid since he learned of that damn article's existence, but now he was under the influence it hit him stronger then ever. He could have sworn that a few ponies at nearby tables were whispering about him. What could they be saying? Was he overthinking?
Did any of it matter anyway? What was he even doing here? What was his purpose? Right now he amounted to nothing more than a stupid gift shop assistant. It paid the bills, sure, but he wanted to be more - he wanted to make and direct films! Hell, even just manning the cameras would be a dream come true!! He had wanted this since he was four!! Or was it five? Six? Ah hell, he forgot.
A large group of ponies entered Mug's Mugs, appearing to be a large friend group. Joey watched them merrily order a round, sinking deeper into his chair. Flashes of random faces went through his mind - Fluttershy, Celestia, Andre, Twilight, Spike - and a tight knot formed in his chest. Someone might as well have run him through with a blade made of dry ice.
None of them - and he purely believed it now, and had for a month - gave a single fuck about him. He could be dead, and they probably wouldn't even bat an eye. Then, it finally hit him. He... could theoretically get out of this nightmare in a sense. He just needed proper execution, so small amount of subtlety, and then Joey Belfort would no longer have to plague the conscience of the princesses.
Cursing to himself, Joey downed the last of his drink and hobbled over to the counter to pay his tab. Somehow he managed to avoid any awkward questions from Dusty. Then again, he had that unnatural talent for going unnoticed. Maybe he should join the X-Men. Snorting inwardly at that nasty bit of humor, he stumbled into the street outside. Even though it was early February, the ponies still seemed to think it would be a great idea to have another snowfall. This one was gentle but heavy, muffling any distant sounds.
Quiet. Peaceful. In the current mood, a bit depressing. It was perfect.
Instead of taking a right once he got to his apartment, he instead took a left and headed down an alleyway. He had a pretty good sense of direction now that had been in the city for a few months. The Featherbone Canal should have been somewhere in that direction...
He walked in silence. The once crunchy sound of his footsteps in the snow were now soft and muffled. He took in the sights. Honestly, the view of the snowfall on the surrounding buildings paired with the ambience... it almost seemed surreal.
Finally, there it was. Before him was a small bridge that sprawled over the canal. It wasn't a commonly traveled road, as one would of had to go out of there way to be here with the exception of those who lived in the surrounding neighborhood. (Hah. Get it, neigh? Ahaha. Ha.)
He slowly stepped up onto the bridge. He could really do it, honestly. Right now. No one or pony would notice. The distance should be enough for him to break the ice... but should he really do it? The thought of dying was terrifying. The alternative, though... was it really worse?
He leaned hard on the rail, looking down at the frozen surface of the water. A solid fifty feet. Cut right into the hill, they made this spot unexpectedly gorgeous. Why they didn't dig the canal around the hill, who knows. Still, it was oddly convenient...
But should he do it?
He half leaned over the rail, bringing his feet slightly off the bridge, but the settled back down again. For a few minutes he hesitated, on and off, pondering, wondering, weighing the consequences.
Then, finally, he made up his mind. Better to be dead than nobody. He took a deep breath and steadied his hands on the railing -
"What... what are you doing?" a familiar voice asked.
Joey quickly looked over and saw that yellow mare, 'Lemon', standing at the edge of the bridge. "I - uh..."
"What are you doing? Tell me. Please." She looked a bit scared.
"Mind your own damn business."
"No... Joey, c'mon -"
"I don't even know you!!" Joey snapped. "So please, just fuck off and let me do my thing! You ponies have been nothing but fucking trouble!" There was a really tense moment of silence. Joey glared at the infuriating mare as she stared back looking borderline desperate.
"We met once... I've been worried sick ever since you went missing."
Joey cocked his head and frowned before shaking his head and gazing back down at the canal far below. "Turn around... walk away... and forget we ever talked. I've never met you in my life. So just... go away. Please."
The mare looked like she was about to cry. She shook her head, frowning, then trudged off. Joey watched her go with a small pang of guilt. The last interactions he would ever have were putting someone down. Maybe it was better this way. He would be harder to miss.
Making sure the coast was clear, he swung his legs over the railing. He choked back the tears as happy memories floated up in his vision. His tenth birthday party. Getting the salutatorian award at his high school graduation. The many, many times he had watched movies with his father in the hospital, especially Lord of the Rings - he could have flown so high. If only he didn't go on this stupid, stupid school trip. If only he went with a simple internship instead.
Now he was a failure. That's how it would end. Sorry, dad.
He loosed his grip and let himself slip forward. Before his rear end completely left the rail however something yanked him back onto the bridge. Something much heavier collided with him from the side and the next thing he knew, he was being hugged tighter than ever by a pair of unmistakable yellow hooves.
Wait... not quite yellow. Yellowish pink? No... fully pink?
He watched the yellow fur inches from his eyes turn a soft pink. He could feel the mare tightly embracing him begin to grow a bit bigger. Finally, she whispered something to him, probably one of the last voices he was expecting to hear.
"I found you." Princess Cadance whispered.
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Damn. I really crave more updates.
I can’t help but wonder What is going on here?
Been forgotten by the others even princess Celestia in the introduction speech. While she tries to make amends she also breaks his hope when asking him to put his grievance With Clara aside. Princess Luna give him hope by saying she understands and see him because of their similar past experience. and yet she breaks his hope again because she doesn’t show up in his dreams at all. This lead him to commit suicide. And while princess Cadence saved him if she is to help him and then disappear like the others?
Lune. I thought you misstyped a with e but it still seems to make sense. Nice touch.
I wonder if Cadance has been looking since he disappeared. I figured the Crystal Empire would have kept her too busy to go running around looking for him. Was Shining part of the search too or has she been doing this solo. It has been a few months after all. Or perhaps it was entirely because of the magazine since we don't know how old the article might be yet. Regardless, good on Cadance for this rescue and I hope she has answers for him about at least Luna and why she has been MIA.
I cried out in joy. YES!
Well, I am very curious of where we are going now. Didn’t expect Candace to show up like that, wonder how much she figured out or knows, if she knows how much he hurts inside, and how much will be told by Joey. Damnit I’m so eager for a new chapter yet its existence eludes us currently.
All things consider, awesome job and keep up the amazing work. As stated before I’m eager for the next one.
Thanks for the chapter!
I think I know why I like this story so much I honestly didn't realize it till now but I was subconscious relating to joey without knowing it I know how it feels to be alone even around other people
CADY FOR THE SAVE
11816815
No. That's a bad twist. There are no Benefits for Joey to encounter Chrysalis. She will just manipulate him and throw him away once she is done with him. There is just more pain to be had in that road, or rather that would be the worst twist of all.
That was close. But will the princess of love be his salvation or just another show and go? I do not know. But I am eager to see where this goes.
God damn it Cadance. Maybe you should have grabbed the rest of the crew instead of trying to find him alone? Then again, they probably would have bailed after awhile.
What I'm most curious about, is he cursed or is it something else that makes him disappear from everybody's eyes and thoughts?
Can't wait for the next one. Hopefully, Cadance won't F up like the others.
Funnily enough there is a guy in the x men who has that ability
I've got the strange feeling, being what Cadance is and represents, things are going to go far from smoothly between them - less so than Cadance might be thinking.
I knew it he was a simp
Oh thank Luna *cries in joy* yes