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Chapter One1,462 words
Chapter Two1,701 words
Chapter Three2,132 words
Chapter Four2,240 words
Chapter Five2,906 words
Chapter Six3,042 words
Chapter Seven2,742 words
Chapter Eight2,583 words
Chapter Nine2,169 words
Chapter Ten3,184 words

Chapter Four

After flipping through a few pages of the book and marvelling once again at the numerous ways to die, I hear... bouncing. Like the sound of a spring repeatedly being let loose. It was a puzzling noise to say the least, especially since it was accompanied by the sound of hooves hitting the ground right before it sounded again.

"Do I get to see the super-secrety secret pony yet?!" A femenine voice shouts excitedly.

"Sure, sure. Calm down, though, he isn't used to new ponies yet. I don't want you scaring him." Shadow gently orders the new pony.

"Got it! I'll be extra-mega quiet, like in the quiet game! Mr. and Mrs. Cake love that game!" The new voice hisses in a whisper that still manages to be louder than normal speech.

"I didn't say you had to be quiet, just calm."

"Ok Shadow! I can be calm!" The bouncing noise stops. The door opens, and a pink mare with a cotton-candy like mane bursts into the house. I'm so startled I drop my book and scramble into a corner. The pink pony's cutie mark is a bunch of balloons. I don't quite understand how they relate to her behavior. "Where is he where is he where is he?!?" She squeals excitedly. Her gaze locks on me and I gulp nosily. Instead of continuing to freak out though, she stops dead.

"H-hi?" I squeak. Her eyes shoot wide open and she flings herself to the opposite end of the house.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!" She shrieks. Shadow bolts in and shoves a hoof into her mouth.

"Quiet! This is the new pony I was telling you about! He's nice, honest!" The pink pony, presumeably 'Pinkie Pie', smiles around his hoof.

"Ooof! Mhu bead!" She mumbles through his hoof. He removes his hoof from her mouth and she bounds toward me. "Hi my name is Pinkie Pie, what's your name? Do you eat a lot? You're too skinny! Here, come with me to the bakery and we can pick out a cake for your welcome party!" The energetic mare flies out the door after her rapid fire statments. I'm left sitting in the corner with my mouth hanging open, about to answer her first question.

"... Did you understand any of that?" I ask Shadow.

"She said 'oops, my bad.', asked if you ate a lot, then said to come with her to pick out a cake for your party." Shadow explains easily. I nod, then frown.

"Party?"

"Yeah, a welcome to Ponyville party. She always has almost the whole town come to a party for new ponies."

"... And you think this is a good idea for me?" Shadow's eyes widen.

"Oh buck!" He shouts, dashing out the door. However, he comes back in after only a few seconds with a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, that may not be a bad idea!"

"The whole town. Seeing me. Before we've had a chance to explain me. Sounds brilliant. I love angry mobs after all."

"Well, Pinkie Pie is friends with everypony in town. If she throws a party for you, everypony will know she knows you. If she knows you, you can't be bad! That way everypony will get to know you aren't bad without me slowly introducing you to all of them."

"Hmmm... So... then what's a real party like? I've only ever had really small parties with my parents."

"It's loud, fun, and exciting whenever Pinkie Pie is involved. It is her talent after all."

"Oh, and that explains the balloons and energy then. She's a literal 'party pony'."

"Well, yeah. Like I said, it's her talent after all. Anyway, I'll introduce you to more ponies later. Right now, I gotta get to work." Shadow turns and trots into his room.

"What exactly do you do?"

"Well, I'm an alchemist. Amateur of course. Not that I don't know my stuff... Nopony buys the medecines and such I make."

"Why not?"

"Well, I'm just not well known I suppose."

"Really? Are you shy or boring or something that would make ponies not notice you?"

"... You certainly are a blunt one. Well, in any case, I need to get to work now."

"I thought you didn't have any customers. Shouldn't your work be getting out there and attracting them?"

"Well... I would but..."

"Shy, totally shy."

"Shaddup. I actually have one thing I need to get done for a customer that should... be... arriving...... in a few hours." Shadow slowly turned his head to me and his gaze became fearful. "Oh geez..."

"What? Shouldn't ponies be coming to meet me anyway?"

"Well uhh... this one is... Look, it's just not a good idea. Here, come hide in my room." I follow Shadow as he turns and trots into his room. "Just hide in here for a bit, ok? She likes to come by early sometimes, and I'd hate for you to scare the daylights out of her."

"Shouldn't I just meet her and prove I'm no threat?"

"Look, it's just not a good idea."

"Fine, fine." Shadow turned his back to me resolutely and I heard some glasses clink as he went to work. I find myself extremely tired after my lack of sleep, sudden increase in running, and encounter with the impossibly energetic party pony. I look at Shadow's bed longingly, but it is far too small for me. I settle on stealing the pillow off of his bed and laying down at the foot of his bed. I fall asleep in seconds.

***************

I wake up to a gentle hoof stroking my foreleg.

"Oh please Shadow? You know you can't support a pet!"

"F-Fluttershy, h-he's not a p-pet!"

"Yes he is! Just look at him, all curled up next to your bed like a sweet little puppy! Except, you know, he's more of a big bald monkey. It's still sweet though." I felt a small kiss on my cheek. It reminded me of the kind of affection one would expect from a mother.

"Fluttershy, d-don't do that! I don't know how he'll r-react!"

"Shadow, please quit changing the subject! C'mon, let me keep him, pleeeeeeease?"

"What the Tartarus is going on here?" I interrupt sleepily. The warm weight that had been pressed against my side vanished suddenly.

"Eeeeee! It t-talks!!" The new voice, presumably this 'Fluttershy', squeaked.

"I t-tried to tell you!" Shadow retorts gently.

"Were you just petting me?" I yawned at the blurry butter-yellow pegasus. I rubbed my eyes and blinked the sleepiness away. She had a long pink mane that was straight, save for the curls at the bottom. Her cutie mark was three butterflies with blue bodies and pink wings.

"Y-you talk..."

"Did you call me a monkey?"

"You found a talking animal Shadow! Ooooh! You gotta let me have him now! Pleeeeeeease?!" The pegasus turned to Shadow and gave him a look that could only be described as soul-suckingly pleading. I looked into those eyes and would have given her every bit to my name, had I any. Shadow seemed to lose himself for a moment before shaking his head firmly.

"For the last time, he's not an animal Shy! He can think and talk and such!" Fluttershy drops her begging stare and turns it into a little pout.

"That doesn't make him not an animal! As far as I'm concerned, he's just a big, smart animal that needs love and care!" She turned to me. "I mean look at him! He's got no fur, in this drafty house! You must be freezing..."

"Fluttershy, you're not normally like this." Shadow mumbles fearfully.

"Well of course not! There's an animal that needs a proper home though, and I intend to give him just that!"

"I-I don't mind it here..." I interject.

"Sush! You must be sick, saying things like that." She flew up to my head, which meant she was only hovering a few inches off the ground, and rubbed a hoof on my face. "You feel warm, that's it, I'm taking him with me Shadow!" I was pretty scared now, and I looked past the pegasus to Shadow and mouthed the words 'Save me' to him.

"Fluttershy, you can't take my friend! Please, listen!"

"Shadow, you're endangering this poor bald monkey! Look, if you can get this house fixed up, you can come get him, but for now he's coming with me!" Fluttershy starts pushing me towards the door, and I felt myself walking along.

"Ugh! Fine! Don't worry Star, I'll come and get you in no time!"

"Wait, she's pushing me outside! Help!" I yell.

"Don't be scared little monkey, you'll love it at my house. There is lots of food and other little animals for you to play with!"

"Could you quit talking to me like I'm a pet?!" I suddenly realize that we are in the town. In the middle of a huge crowd of ponies. All staring at me. Then I notice that none of them look mad. They're all staring at me and looking as confused as I felt. I guess I was much less intimidating with a tiny pegasus pushing me along. In fact, eventually a few start laughing. I just look from side to side in enveloping bewilderment. I keep looking from side to side even as we leave town and arrive at a little cottage inside a tree.

"Here we are little monkey! Your new home!" The pegasus announces. I'm pushed forward into the house. It's much warmer in here than Shadow's home. It's much bigger as well. There's lots of seats and a fireplace, and... animals. Animals everywhere. I recognized most of them right away. Bunny, robin, snake, turtle, eagle, butterfly, dog, cat, and many more. They all looked at me at the same time.

"... I'm scared." I whimper. I had just basically been abducted and was now in a building filled with potentially hostile little animals.

"This is the newest member of our little family guys!" The pegasus announces happily. "Hmmm, what to name you..."

"Star, my name is Star."

"No no, that's your old owner's name. Let's think of a new o--"

"No, it's the name my parents gave me. I'm keeping it. Also, I'd like to go back to my friend's house."

"Nonsense! It's my job to keep cute little animals like you out of unfitting homes!"

"Quit speaking to me like a dog! One, I'm smarter than some animal, two, I'm bigger than you, not some 'little animal', three, you just basically foalnapped me!"

"I didn't 'foalnap' you! I rescued you!"

"Look Ms. Fluttershy, I'm sure you meant well, but I was fine where I was!"

"Sush! No more arguing! It's not healthy to stay at that house. Shadow is nice and all, but he can't afford to support a pet."

"Not a pet."

"He can't afford another mouth to feed then! My point is, you'll be much better taken care of here."

"... What the heck is wrong with you?"

"I saw a starving," She poked my stomach, "cold," She rubbed my bare foreleg, "and possibly abused little animal." She poked another spot on my foreleg and I hissed gently. The area she had poked was a deep purple. A bruise I realized. I must have gotten it while running into the forest. "I had to get you away. When asking nicely didn't work, I had to take you."

"Well... I guess from that strange point of view it makes sense, nonetheless, I'm no animal and you can't just take me away like that. Besides, Shadow didn--"

"Well, you're not a pony, gryffin, dragon, zebra, minotaur, goat, mule, donkey, or cow, so you're an animal. You may be a smart animal, but you're still an animal."

"Ugh, you're not giving up on that are you?" She shakes her head firmly. I sigh. I briefly think about just leaving, but if the townsponies saw me trotting back without her, they might assume the worst. "Fine, I guess I'll stay here awhile."

"Yay! Don't worry, mama'll take good care of you!" She assures me with a light kiss on my head. I frown and stand up, forgetting to duck. Strangely though, I don't end up slamming my head into the roof. I can stand all the way up in the protective pegasus' house. Fluttershy wanders off to go tend to other animals as I take a seat on a couch. Luckily it was long and sturdy enough to support my weight and size. My thoughts quickly return to Shadow, and I feel bad about having to leave my first friend.

"Don't worry buddy, I'll be back." I mumble to nopony.

"Here, eat this." Fluttershy orders as she hoofs me a long, curved, yellow fruit. A banana. I had seen bananas, but never eaten one. My parents weren't fans of it. I shrug and open my mouth to bite it. "Whoa whoa whoa!" Fluttershy takes the banana and peels off the yellow outer layer. She hoofs it back to me again and I timidly take a bite out of the pale white part. It's ok, not something I'd eat all the time, but ok. Fluttershy smiles approvingly and gets back to work.

"Oh well, at least I know I've made another friend." I mutter to myself. I wasn't quite sure if my relationship with the pegasus really counted though. "Eh. I'll take what I can get." I admit to myself as I take another bite of banana.

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