Rainbow in the Dark

by Sayer

First published 2nd of January, 2013

A pony moves to Ponyville in search of a new life, and in the process finds the mare of his dreams

My life in Hollow Shades wasn't too bad, but I wanted to start a new life somewhere else, so one day I packed my things and moved to a town called Ponyville. A place where I could start a new life, make some friends and get a job. What I never expected was to find the mare of my dreams...

Edited and revised by Kalash93.
Now in TvTropes.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville

I found myself waking up from a deep slumber inside a blue train car with white seats. Crimson curtains hung in front of the window, blocking my view of the outside. I took this train about two days ago, making thousands of stops and watching ponies coming and leaving all the time until I was the only one left. The car was wholly empty and lifeless besides me, my belongings, and a few bits I had saved up to find a new home.

I put on my glasses and rose out of my seat, blinking a few times to adapt my eyes to the darkness of the car before heading to one of the windows. I opened one of the curtains, only to find total darkness as if the train had been swallowed and was now placed inside the belly of a dragon. Looking upwards, I couldn't find any stars from Luna's mantle until the sun shined again. It was then I realized that we had been passing through Saddle Lightning mountain, which was underneath Canterlot.

“Well, that means that Ponyville is a few hours of travel. It’s about time.” My voice echoed inside the car, reverberating and fading into oblivion. I was talking to myself, like countless times before.

I headed straight to the bathroom and spent a few minutes trying to open the damned door. These round doorknobs weren't designed for Earth Ponies, forcing me to use my mouth to open it. Cold metal’s taste shocked my tongue. Gross. Once inside, I took off my glasses and filled the sink with water until it rose to an acceptable level and submerged my face in the sink for a few seconds, resurfacing in search of air. I felt fresh and renewed as the last stragglers raced across my mouth towards their demise.

I looked in the mirror. It spat back the image of a half-asleep pony with glasses, a brown coat and a spiky black mane. Two brown eyes were staring back but I quickly looked away, focusing on my favorite Iron Mane t-shirt and stopping at the blue jeans that kept my Cutie Mark hidden.

When I returned to my seat, I found a pony sitting in front of my place. She was a purple unicorn with a lavender mane featuring a band of purple and pink stripes. My unexpected companion was reading a book about Equestrian history. I tried to see her Cutie Mark, but a saddlebag blocked my view and I wasn't in the mood for talking to strangers.

She had probably gotten on board during the last stop while I was in the bathroom, I thought to myself. I tried to sleep again so that the rest of the travel wouldn't feel so long and boring, but I was quickly interrupted.

"Excuse me; are you going to Ponyville, too?"

I sat up and opened my eyes. I quickly noticed the book placed on the seat besides hers, now free to focus all of her attention on me.

“Yeah… Why do you want to know that?” I was a bit irritable after spending the last two days travelling aboard the train and being confined to the uncomfortable seats around the clock.

“Well, I was curious because I’m heading there, too. Are you looking for a job?”

A grin crossed my face. “You must be some sort of psychic.” Silence- damn! So much for humor. “I'm moving out of my parents' home and I was told that Ponyville is a nice place to live," I replied. “I'm guessing that you're coming back home because none of those rich ponies would leave their mansions unless it's for a party at another.”

The mare was giving me a seriously odd look. "Wow, you have some..." She shrugged, trying to find an answer. "You have some interesting ideas about the rich."

My old grudge came to the surface. I exploded. “Well, the rich haven’t worked a single day. All they do is spend the money they inherited from their fathers after wasting their entire lives to make an empire, only to have their descendants come and start wasting their money on throwing parties while they exploit those who work in their factories.” I really should see a therapist.

“Not all of them are like that. I mean, yeah, most of them like parties. But a lot of them do a lot of important work. Princess Celestia is always busy, having to control the sun and the whole country. And many of the nobles are administrators, ministers, and diplomats- they don’t just sit around all day.”

I tapped my hoof on the carpet. “If she wasn’t our ruler and had to control the sun, then I bet she would attend a lot of parties. But yeah, that’s only my opinion. I don’t want to bore you with my image of the rich, miss…”

“Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle,” she replied with a smile. “I should have introduced myself earlier.”

“Oh, Twilight Sparkle…” That name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember why. “Twilight Sparkle- Wait a moment, I know you! You're one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony," I exclaimed. Her expression of fear and shock told me that she didn't expect such reaction. “I can’t believe it! Can I have your autograph?”

I couldn’t contain my excitement, like a colt who had received a NeighStation 3. The adventures of the Elements of Harmony were very famous in Hollow Shades, and meeting Twilight Sparkle has been the most amazing thing to have yet happened in my life. Well, maybe behind getting my Cutie Mark. Maybe.

“Certainly, it’s my pleasure. It’s very rare that someone asks me or my friends for an autograph,” she replied, taking out a pen and paper from her saddlebag. “To my greatest fan…” She stopped writing and looked back at me. “What’s your name?”

This was gonna suck. “My name, yeah… I bet you’re going to laugh when I tell you.” I looked away, remembering the laughs other ponies had gotten from jokes about my name.

Surprisingly, Twilight looked nonplussed. “Oh, don’t worry about it. We have ponies in town with weird names. Trust me, you’d be surprised.”

“If you say so…” I looked back at her and gulped very loudly. “I’m Brownie..." My voice gradually faded away as I mentioned my name, expecting to hear a laugh or some kind of joke, but that never happened.

“Brownie? That’s a nice name. I don’t see the problem,” she replied, handing me her autograph.

I raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Well, you’ve obviously never visited my hometown. Everypony there makes jokes about my name, like, 'Hey, shouldn’t you be in the bakery?'. Or they'll say, 'Yesterday, I ate your sister. I think she was called cupcake.' And it only gets worse.”

“Don’t worry, Ponyville is a great place. Yeah, when I met the ponies living there I thought they were crazy, but they’re very nice. Besides, my friends are living in Ponyville, too.”

“Wait, what? You and your friends live in Ponyville?” My surprised stare was probably priceless.

“Of course! I thought everypony already knew that.” Her amazed tone was evident in every word.

“Well, I can’t talk about others, but where I come from, nopony knows where you guys live. I always thought you’d be in Canterlot, or in a luxurious place instead of living in a small town like a normal pony,” I couldn’t believe it. One of the most famous ponies in Equestria was leading a normal life, without using her fame for her own benefit. “I mean, it’s not something bad, but if I were you I’d probably do a lot of things, like getting a big mansion, buying a lot of fancy stuff. You know, live like a fat mule. No offense to mules, of course.”

She seemed to regard this with slight curiosity. “Well, I can’t speak for my friends, but I love Ponyville and wouldn’t change it for anything.” Did I see a flash of anger, or was it just my imagination? “My friends are worth more than anything.” She was leaning forward with each word, and I knew that she was being completely candid.

“If everypony was like you, Equestria would be a lot better,” I spoke without thinking. Panicking, I realized how stupid and cliché that sounded; I couldn’t help bursting into laughter. “Sorry, I promise not to say that again.”

“Don’t worry, you’re excused," she replied with a small chuckle. “Oh yeah, before I forget, I’m in charge of the library, so if you ever need to borrow a book you’ll find me there. I hope you have a great time in Ponyville.” As if prompted, she picked up her book and started ruffling its pages.

I blurted, “I will. I mean, I met you on the train to Ponyville, and your friends are living there, too. I hope that everything is really happening instead of having a dream where I will wake up and discover that nothing happened.” Why can’t I be sensible for once in my life?

We talked all night long about her adventures since had she arrived in Ponyville and all about her friends. I couldn’t help but envy her. She was famous, with a lot of friends and a job she loved- unlike me. As the sun started to rise, I watched the silhouette of Ponyville appear on the horizon as the golden dawn brought warmth and light back to the world. This was the first day of the rest of my life.

The wheels screeched like a thousand nails on a thousand blackboards as the train stopped, savaging my eardrums in the process. The doors soon opened and I grabbed my suitcase, waving goodbye to Twilight. After asking a brown stallion with an hourglass Cutie Mark for a few directions, I managed to find the town hall. The sale negotiations had already been made, and all I had left to do was to pay the two thousand and five hundred bits to claim it.

A mare with a mane that looked suspiciously like toothpaste guided me through the process. The paperwork was quickly finished and I was handed the keys, a map and the owner’s deed. My new home was around the outskirts of the town, perhaps only fifteen minutes from the market. On my way there, I stumbled against a pink pony with puffy hair and blue eyes pulling some kind of weird carriage I had never seen before. It looked as if it was the survivor of a rampaging candy and party store attack.

I thought she was building a stage for a concert or something similar and I didn’t want to disturb her, so I simple trotted by her side without saying a word. The next thing I remember, I was on the floor with the pink pony standing over my body and talking so quickly I barely managed to understand what she said. Farewell virginity, I thought for a moment there, but I already knew that was something that wouldn't happen even in my wildest dreams.

“Hey, you’re new in town, aren’t you? I know because I remember everypony who lives in Ponyville, and I’ve never seen you before around here. Are you visiting the town? Or maybe you’re passing by? Where do you come from?” I even imagined for a second that she was emitting fire and flames from her mouth.

I was rescued when a very musical, western voice suddenly demanded, “Pinkie, what are ya doing to that pony?” From my position I couldn’t see the other mare, but all I could think at the moment was how lucky I was for being saved. “Let him breathe. You’re going to scare him away.”

The pink pony giggled as she bounced off followed by a spring sound that I swear came from her legs. I stood up and searched for my suitcase, but it was nowhere to be found.

I turned my head to the left and saw a pony grabbing my suitcase. “Looking for this, sugar cube?” The other pony passed it to me with a smile plastered on her face. Her cowboy hat, yellow mane and orange coat with those ghostly freckles didn’t go unnoticed by me. “What’s with that face? Did ya see a ghost?”

My voice trembled. “You’re… You’re Applejack, right? Then that means…” I looked back to the pink pony, realizing her true identity. “You’re Pinkie Pie? Oh my Celestia, I can’t believe I just met another two of the Elements of Harmony!”

Pinkie Pie giggled, “Oooh, so you’re one of those fans,” as she crushed me with a bear hug, choking me. “Welcome to Ponyville,” she chirped. “You’re going to love it here! But wait, that means that you don’t have any friends? Of course! You need a welcome party to meet other ponies and make new friends! Wait! I don’t know your name.”

I bit my tongue. It couldn’t hurt to say. “I’m uh, Brownie.” She nearly exploded with excitement.

“I love brownies, I-” Applejack saved me by slapping a hoof over her mouth. I wish I know what she was on and where I could get some. And with that sentence, she quickly left the scene, pulling her carriage so quickly that nopony would believe me if I told them.

Applejack said to me, “Excuse her. She’s always like this.”

“Where… Where did she go?”

“Don’t worry, Brownie, she does this whenever a new pony comes to town. Ah’d like to give you a tour around, but I have to keep working at the farm. See ya.”

She trotted down the street and disappeared around a corner, leaving me alone. I thought it was a bit weird, but I was new to the town and I barely knew anything aside from the fact that they’re famous and what they looked like. After a short walk, I finally reached my new home and tried to open the door. I was so eager that I almost swallowed the key, but after a few tries I succeeded in gaining entry.

“SURPRISE!”

I hit the deck. At the exact moment when I opened the door, I found myself greeted by a crowd of ponies stuffed inside my new home holding a welcome party. Needless to say, I hadn't expected this. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared from nowhere and started to talk as quickly as when I met her earlier. I staggered inside as she followed me, bouncing and chattering all the way.

“Do you like it? It was a bit hard to pull it off because everypony was scattered all over the town, but I know you would like it, so I quickly brought them here! The hardest part was finding the directions, but I asked Town Hall and they told me everything I wanted to know. Do you have friends? Well, I don’t think so since you just arrived, but don’t worry, I’ll introduce you to everypony here!”

“Ehm… Thanks?” This was going to be a loooong night.

“Come on, Pinkie. You’re scaring him.” Twilight Sparkle appeared at her side, managing to stop Pinkie’s verbal onslaught. “When Pinkie told me she was making a party for a newcomer, your name quickly came to mind.”

A distinctive mare’s voice sounded in my ear. “Yeah, a pony wearing clothes ain’t very common in this town,” Applejack added, standing on my left. “When Twilight told me about a stallion she’d met on the train, ah thought it might be you.”

From within the crowd, a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and sapphire eyes emerged. This must be Rarity, element of generosity. She stared at my clothes and I couldn’t help but feel as if I were being scrutinized like a bug under a microscope. She circled around my body thrice before stopping in front of me with a look of distaste.

She gasped, “These clothes are so vulgar! The shirt is riddled with holes everywhere, not to talk about the hideous monster portrayed on it! And let’s not talk about how deteriorated your jeans are- How long have you been wearing them?”

“I can’t remember… About two or three years, more or less…” I hadn’t the foggiest idea.

“Two or three years? Oh, what a disgrace! You need new clothes as soon as possible!” Definitely Rarity. She was so melodramatic that for a moment there I thought she was pulling a prank on me. Well, either that or faint. “But don’t worry, I will gladly make you a new set of clothes. After all, I am a fashion designer.”

“Thanks for the offer, miss Rarity, but I don’t want new clothes. These were a gift from my family, and I don’t want to get rid of them. Besides, these holes are like a medals for metal head." Being part of the Heavy Metal cult was something sacred for me, and knowing Rarity, she probably didn't share my opinion.

“Well, if you’re alright with it, then I don’t mind. Anyway- So, you recognized me? Twilight said you were one of our fans, but that you knew next to nothing about our appearance.” How in the world had all this information traveled so quickly? Did she have a dragon sending messages for her?

“Well, your speech and observations about my clothes betray your knowledge of fashion, so you’re definitely a designer. It was an easy guess.” I gave a kind of shrug.

“Why, thank you. It’s very hard to find such a gentlecolt like you. I assume you haven’t met Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash yet, right?” I nodded.

“Come on, Fluttershy! Get out here and meet the new pony," Pinkie Pie shouted as she pushed what appeared to be an oversized cream-colored lump. Upon closer inspection, I could spot a pink mane and a yellow body with a group of three butterflies on her flank. Fluttershy was hiding her face behind her mane, as if I were a monster trying to eat her for breakfast. Wasn’t she some sort of war hero?

For several moments, I just stood there, unsure of what to do. Applejack reassured me, “Don’t worry, she’s always afraid of anything that’s not a small animal.”

“Yeah, I heard some rumors, but I never expected them to be true…” The yellow pegasus let out a few squeals before hiding under one of the tables. “Well, maybe in a few months she won’t get shell-shocked from looking at me.” The joke fell flat. It was not a good day for comedy.

A voice barked at me from the ceiling. “We don’t make jokes about that!” I looked upwards to see a stunningly beautiful vividly-colored pegasus. “Don’t worry, she’ll get used to you. Just wait a while.” The rainbow-maned, blue-bodied pony that descended from the ceiling caught me by surprise, but had I already expected her to appear eventually. “I assume that I don’t need to introduce myself, right?”

What do you think? “Yeah... you’re… Rainbow Dash, right…?” I tried to talk, but no sound came out of my mouth. After containing my excitement from meeting the rest of the girls, I couldn’t contain it anymore after Rainbow Dash talked to me. She was my favorite, and I was talking to her. I couldn’t believe that it was really happening! My knees gave out and the world turned black.

“Hello? Anypony home?” When I came back to my senses, Rainbow Dash was knocking on my head like a door. Fluttershy was looking at me with an expression of such pure concern. Element of kindness indeed, I smiled. Could be worse.

I shot up. “Sorry… It’s the excitement, you know…?” At that moment, I only wanted to dig a very deep hole and disappear underground. “I never acted like this before… You know what I mean, right?” If I didn’t die from the excitement, then it would be from embarrassment.

Rainbow casually dismissed it with a flick of her trademark mane. “Nope, I don’t get it." Pow, right in the kisser. "Come on, it’s your party! Have a drink, eat some cake and have some fun! We’ll introduce you, don’t worry about it.” I found myself being dragged by the fastest pony of all of Equestria, and boy was she fast.

The party went on through the entire day and was not finished after Luna’s mantle of stars had enveloped the sky and the moon was watching over us, unblinking and staring at the town below.

Pinkie Pie provided the entertainment for the party with a lot of games while Twilight tried to make everypony follow the ‘party protocol’ or something like that; I assumed that it was some sort of Ponyville tradition. Applejack brought a lot of cider and even offered me a mug, but I refused to drink since I don’t like that sort of thing and Rarity gifted me an old bed to sleep in until I could buy a new one. She even had thrown in a free set of sheets and blankets with a pillow, showing why she was the Element of Generosity after all.

Needless to say, living in Ponyville has proven to be my best decision so far.

Author's Notes:

My first try at doing a romantic story involving Rainbow Dash and my original character, Brownie. This could be considered an experiment since I never tried to write a romance before, so please, be gentle. EAnd at last, thanks to kalash93 for helping me with this chapter.

Chapter 2: Shopping day

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 2: Shopping day

The alarm clock emitted a shrieking sound, bursting my eardrums on the process (okay, maybe not bursting, but it was still pretty loud). I raised my right hoof towards the nightstand, but I couldn’t reach it. I leaned closer to the edge of the bed and extending my hoof as far as I could before losing my balance. I fell face first onto the wooden floor. Lovely. The pain stung every bit of my face in an awful throbbing, which gradually faded away.

The shock of pain was good for one thing; I was definitely awake. I looked at my unfamiliar surroundings. “Where am I?” That’s when I remembered that this wasn’t my old place in Hollow Shades. A torrent of realization crashed against my thick head. “Oh, yeah, I’m in Ponyville now.” The party last night must have dragged longer than I thought. That’s when I realized that something was off. “Wait a minute; I don’t even have a clock. What the hell is making that noise?”

Following the sound, I stumbled into the kitchen, devoid of any furniture except the sink and some empty cupboards. A pair of windows allowed me to see outside, but all I could see was a distant forest. It was boring, but much nicer to look at than a dilapidated industrial park. That’s when I looked to my left and I finally found the damned clock with a note underneath its feet. I deactivated alarm and looked at the letter curiously. The writing was pretty and tidy; probably written by a unicorn, because only unicorns have the magic needed to precisely control a quill. The writer also had to be a mare, because no stallion habitually scrawled anything in dainty calligraphy. Besides, I didn’t meet any stallions in Ponyville.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. I hope you managed to find this note. Well, if you’re reading this, then it means that you found it, right? Sorry, I don’t even know why I’m writing this down. If you need help, then I’ll be glad to help you. I marked a place on your map where you can get some furniture for your new home. I also marked where the library is. If you want to drop by, then don’t hesitate. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” I knew it. A grin appeared on my face.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the signature. “My faithful student? Does she always sign her notes like this or what?” I said to myself, quickly followed by my stomach growling to bring my attention. My belly is a harsh mistress. “I’ll get to the library later, but first, I really need to get some food before I keel over.”

After finishing my morning routine of bathing and such, I took my map and some bits before heading into the town to visit the store Twilight mentioned. I had done my best to memorize the map, but living in a new place wasn’t an easy task, and my poor sense of direction didn’t help. I asked a fuchsia mare with a golden mane for directions, and she thankfully obliged. The ponies in this town sure are nice.

The store was vaguely shaped like a giant carousel, but there were no signs identifying it as one. I mean, who designs a shop to resemble a foals’ ride? I walked up to the door, but since I didn’t know the local customs, I nervously knocked thrice on the door frame and stood slightly off to the side.

This was fortunate, for within seconds, the door opened swiftly. To my surprise I didn’t find an adult on the other side, but instead I was greeted by a filly unicorn with green eyes and a pristine white coat. Her curled mane was painted with grayish mulberry and soft rose. Just when I thought Fluttershy to be obnoxiously adorable, there came this filly to replace her. I noticed she didn’t have a Cutie Mark, but I quickly diverted my gaze away. She almost certainly wasn’t the owner, unless a filly was allowed to start her own business.

Silence. I went first. “Excuse me, is the owner here?”

Her response was quick. “Yes, one moment please.” I expected her to go inside and bring the owner, but instead she turned her head around and shouted into the boutique, “Rarity, there’s a stallion asking for you!” Did she just squeak her words? How was that even possible?

Wait, did she just say “Rarity”? No bucking way, I thought to myself. I resisted the impulse to ask the filly if she was part of a union.

A voice replied from the inside. “Just a moment, dear!” The sound of hooves clopping against the floor grew louder with each step, announcing her arrival. “Excuse me, I was a bit busy sewing a dress for a very important client.” She swatted the air with her hoof. “Never mind that. How can I help you, darling? It’s because of that old bed I gifted you? You don’t like it?” She’s such a drama queen. Ugh!

“No, the bed is fine, thanks.” I had never been treated with such delicacy in my entire life. I suddenly felt like somepony important. “I wanted to buy some furniture, and Twilight mentioned your store.” Her ears pricked up when I mentioned Twilight.

“Don’t worry, dear. Twilight always knows what’s best for everypony,” she replied as she gently waved her curly mane. I couldn’t grasp how many hours of hard work she would need to polish her mane. “Why, yes, I have what you’re looking for. Enter, please.” Rarity then turned her head to talk with the little filly, who had remained silent during our conversation. “Sweetie Belle, why don’t you go and play with your friends while I find something suitable for this gentlecolt?”

Sweetie Belle gave a shrill squeal and leapt into the air. “Yeah! Cutie Mark Crusaders, go!” She quickly ran away, as if a pack of Timber Wolves was chasing her.

I was at a loss for words. “Cutie Mark Crusaders? What the hay is that?” I followed Rarity inside the Boutique, closing the door behind us. The first floor was occupied by the business, but also featured a kitchen and living spaces. Of course, the exterior walls were curved.

On the way, Rarity answered my questions. “It’s some kind of club she formed with some of her friends. She says that the group was formed to find their Cutie Marks, but to no avail. But I don’t mind as long as they don’t get near my boutique.” In that case, why didn’t she strictly segregate between the business and home by putting them on separate floors? I guessed that her talent did not extend to organization or logic.

“I see.” That was all I could reply. After all, I got mine fairly late. I distinctly remember that I earned it for doing something that I had already long enjoyed and was good at.

The store was dominated by pink and purple, making a comfortable color scheme. Curtains everywhere and a stand with three mirrors where I could see my own reflection, realizing how much I contrasted in this place. Unlike the living spaces, all was quite orderly. A few mannequins were placed on different spots of the room, with one of them standing in front of the stairs to the upper floor. It was otherwise completely bare.

I was amazed by the vibrant design. This was the first time I had visited a place that wasn’t painted in dull colors and without taste. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you grow up in an industrial town. “Wow, this place looks very fancy. Did you work on the design?” I said.

“Why, yes. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time somepony said anything about my store.” Really? Wow, these ponies aren’t impressed by something like this? “I have everything in the back.” An aura of light blue magic enveloped one of the curtains and pushed it aside, revealing a door frame hiding behind. “I keep them hidden from plain sight because I don’t want to give the image of a disordered pony.” Her tone of voice hinted how obsessed she was with giving a good image to the other ponies. And was it just me, or did she seem to be picking up a hint of a Trottingham accent? The Element of Generosity seemed to be a slave to public opinion. “It’s been a long time since anypony visited my store without ordering a new dress. But have no fear; the quality of my products is excellent.” Rarity sounded almost conceited.

The room was shrouded in darkness; I couldn’t see in front of my nose until Rarity turned the lights on and its contents were revealed to me. No wonder it was kept dark and hidden. There were a few copies of everything scattered all over the place; tables, chairs, beds and closets. But what especially brought my attention was the mountain of couches stacked in one corner of the room, all of them sharing the same design.

I had the need to point it out. “Wow, that’s a lot of sofas…” Truthfully, I was more reminded of how a collector might stash away their most prized coins.

“Do you like them? I use them for my emergencies,” she asked. Emergencies? Either she ran a storage business, or provided special services to stallions. I changed the subject of our conversation to why I was here before I made a bad dirty joke about it.

The prices were outrageous! I had no idea that I’d been getting ripped off by retailers my entire life. After a few negotiations I bought a pair of chairs, a dining table and one couch from her personal collection. She offered me a wardrobe for my clothes, but I declined her offer since I wouldn’t need a whole wardrobe just one outfit. Rarity assured me that I would receive them this afternoon without a scratch via PonyEx, a reputable delivery company. And get this, it was also run by Ponyville locals. How provincial! Once we were finished, I paid and thanked Rarity for her help. And then I went on the prowl for breakfast. I hadn’t planned on buying furniture before eating, but I felt even less like backtracking.

The market looked like nothing I had ever seen before in my old town. The place was full of ponies trading between them and the atmosphere was very nice and comfortable, and even better, there was no armed security to be seen anywhere. The market was a bit noisy, though, but it was tranquil compared to my old neighbors who insisted on blasting dubtrot early in the morning. I strolled around the market in search of some food and useful items when I was stopped by a talking bow with a red mane.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was just a yellow filly. What was it with the local fillies and businesss? Her western accent was unmistakable, sounding like a juvenile version of Applejack’s unmistakable twang. “Howdy,” she greeted. “Y’want some apples, mister? We just finished harvesting them!” Mister? That’s a fair sight better than my usual epithets. She appeared to be approximately as old as Sweetie Belle. Maybe she was one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?

I was curious, and since I was going to buy food anyway, I asked her. “Apples? Yeah, I’d like some. How much do they cost?”

“Two bits an apple, sir!” She replied gleefully. Was she trying to rob me?

“Wait, what? Isn’t that a bit expensive?” Did she think this was Canterlot?

The filly opened her mouth, but stopped cold as another familiar voice came from somewhere behind me. “Of course it’s expensive! Now, Apple Bloom, ah already told ya it’s a bit for an apple!” Apple Bloom hung her head as Applejack trotted around me and took up position in the stall. “Sorry for that, mister. My sister is still learning how to handle the business of the Apple family.” Applejack glared at her sister.

“Your sister? Interesting… I just visited Rarity and met her sister, too. I think she’s called Sweetie Belle.”

Apple Bloom forced her way into the conversation. “Yeah, Sweetie Belle is my friend, and there’s Scootaloo, too! The three of us together formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders to find our talents,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “We have a reunion today and they agreed to come and find me before starting.”

“I remember that she shouted something about some crusaders, but I didn’t know what was about,” I replied.

“Ya’ll didn’t hear of us before? We’re scattered all over Equestria,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. I doubted that.

Applejack replied with a deadpan expression, “The only member outside of Ponyville is your cousin Babs Seed from Manehattan.” Figures.

“Yeah, but it’s a start. She’ll help us find more members for our group,” the yellow filly replied.

“Obviously, it’s a real phenomenon,” I replied sarcastically. My stomach painfully twinged again, prompting me to get what I’d come for. I turned to Applejack. “Before I leave, I’d like to buy three of your best apples, please.”

“Not a problem, partner.” She placed three apples in my saddlebag with care. “If ya ever want more, we got orchards full of ‘em at Sweet Apple Acres.”

I generously paid her five bits. “Keep the change, and thanks for everything.” She bowed her hat and said that I would always be welcome if I ever wanted more apples. I left the market, returning for the peaceful solitude of my home to wait for the delivery. Rarity had told me that it’d be along that afternoon, as unlikely as that seemed, but it’s not like I had anything better to do. After that, I’d probably go to the library and read some books, since I left my collection back home. The weight combined of all my belongings would have crushed me.

Once back inside my home, I carefully deposited my saddlebags in the atrium. Next, I headed straight to my room and leapt into bed and rolled around a few times before I realized that I had nothing to do, and that I certainly was not going to get any more sleep. Then I remembered that I still had my things stored inside my suitcase like my Walkmane, comics, books and a lot of junk that would make the wait less boring.

After searching through my belongings, I took out the Walkmane and looked at all the music I had brought with me. It was just a modest collection, but I was really proud of what I had gathered so far, and I had planned for a lot of expansion once I had bits to spare. I checked my collection of cassettes like Iron Mare, Hooves and Roses, Megaspell, Poniez, Saddleton, Blue Berets and others. I grabbed Ride the Rainbow by Maretallica and got settled down for a nice long jam session over what was probably technically lunch. I then took one of my fresh apples took a bite. What I did was taste was nothing short of absolute perfection! In a matter of seconds, I had devoured the apple; not even the core survived. After waiting a few more hours, somepony knocked on the door. I quickly got up and opened the door, glad that I would finally have some diversion.

As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a group of two ponies. The first one was a gray pegasus mare with blonde hair and yellow eyes looking at opposite directions, and her partner was a ludicrously muscular stallion with comically small wings. I got a blind friend called Bright Eyes – a very unfitting name – so I understood and held my tongue. But as for the ripped stallion, I couldn’t resist a jab at him. “Is this a delivery or an anti-steroid PSA?” They laughed, breaking the tension.

“Good morning, sir!” The pegasus exclaimed. It was already mid afternoon, but it didn’t matter. “I have a delivery for somepony called…” She pulled out a clipboard as her eyes frantically searched through all the names written. “Brony, was it?”

The other pegasus peered over her shoulder and corrected her, “That’s Brownie.” He looked up at me. “Sorry about that, Brownie.” At the point, the grey mare cut in.

“I’m Hooves. Derpy Hooves. At your service!” Her eyes rolled around in their sockets, which I took as a sign that she was trying to focus on me. “Here’s your delivery, sir.” She pointed to a big cart containing all the things I bought from Rarity. “My partner, Roid Rage, will place the furniture, so you don’t have to worry.”

“YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!” The white pegasus exclaimed. The sun was momentarily darkened by flocks of startled birds vaulting into the sky. He carried two pieces of furniture as if they were clouds and went –or should I say, flied - inside the house. I’m not certain how he managed to fly with those tiny wings, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

“Wow, your partner is amazing. With those muscles, even one kick from him could send me to the moon.”

Derpy turned her attention from the clipboard to me. “I know, right? He looks scary, but he’s a really good friend. It’s a matter of knowing him. Besides, he helped me a lot since that accident when I dropped a delivery.” Her voice trailed off.

“That doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, dropping something from the carriage wouldn’t break any piece of furniture.”

“Well, the truth is that I dropped it from the sky.” Ouch. “And by ‘it’ I mean an anvil, a piano and a carriage full of hay.” And I thought that I was a force of destruction after that incident with the skateboard and the fire extinguisher. Her eyes parted in different ways again. “Luckily nothing bad happened. Just a few injuries, but fortunately nothing too serious, so instead of firing me out I got reassigned to work on the ground.” Why did I get the horrible suspicion that this was considered completely routine for her?

“You got really lucky. In any other place they would have fired you for even less.” Still, I couldn’t believe someone survived after being crushed by all those things. Without notice, Roid Rage reappeared from behind me and went back to the carriage, getting himself ready to pull it again.

“Well, looks like our job here is done. That will be ten bits, sir.”

“Sounds fair. Thanks for everything, Derpy,” I replied as I paid her. “I’ll call you again if I need something else.” Note to self: never trust her with cooking, dishes, or knives.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.” She cordially smiled before reuniting with her partner and flying off into the distance. I, meanwhile, went back inside to see my new furniture. Needless to say, it looked astonishing; it was even better than what I had back at my old home. With nothing else to do, I decided to visit Twilight’s library and maybe borrow some books with which to while away the empty hours.

As I went through the town, I expected to see Pinkie Pie popping out from a corner in any moment, but she didn’t appear. Guess that if I could think of that, then it would be too obvious for that crazy mare. I watched ponies come and go as I walked through the streets, but the one that caught my attention were a mint colored unicorn using some kind of weird machine that only allowed her to stand on her rear legs. I thought that was weird, but nopony else raised an eyebrow or even looked at her; maybe that was like her usual routine, even though I couldn’t grasp what kind of routine could be. Did I mention that all the ponies in this town are probably crazy?

When I arrived at the library, I couldn’t help but feel amazed by the structure. I knew something about tree houses, but I never thought I would see a house tree; or library in this case. Seriously, what was up with the architects in this town? I strolled through the door and took a gander at the inside. The library had been carved from the living tree, with countless books resting on endless shelves and a stump resting in the center of the room, probably serving as a table. The only living creature inside was a small dragon with purple scales and a green dorsal ridge. I had never seen a dragon before, but I was glad that this one didn’t seem very mean or hungry.

The dragon turned his head around and fixed his eyes on me. The pupils were not rounded, unlike ponies, but long and thin. It had a definitely male voice. He called, “Twilight, there’s somepony in the library! Come down!” the dragon shouted. The sound of hooves clashing against the wooden floor announced the arrival of Twilight Sparkle.

“There’s no need to scream, Spike,” she chastised. She spoke to him like a mother would to a child, but I’d rather not think too hard about it. Twilight looked me in the eyes. “I guess that you found the note, right?”

“Yeah, it was impossible to miss. By the way, what was all that about ‘Your faithful student’? I’m not a teacher.” I couldn’t help but show a small grin.

Hearing those words had the reaction of turning her face red like a tomato. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a habit. It’s how I always sign my letters for Princess Celestia.”

“So all those rumors about you sending letters to Princess Celestia is true after all?” A lot of rumors out there said that Twilight always talked with the Princess via letters, but I didn’t believe them. After all, they’re rumors and most ponies thought the Elements of Harmony were living in Canterlot like the Royal Family. Why would they write to each other? “I also didn’t know that you had a dragon. I’ve never seen one before; well, at least not a living one.”

“His name is Spike- my number one assistant. Don’t worry about him, he’s perfectly harmless,” she replied.

“Yeah,” he added. “The ones from the Dragon Realms are really nasty. I’m not like them at all.” He seemed overly anxious to establish that he was civilized and safe without me even broaching the subject. What kind of jerk did he think I was?

“So, how’s been your first day in Ponyville?” Twilight asked me.

“It’s been great so far, and everypony here was very nice with me. I got new furniture from your friend, Rarity, bought some apples from Applejack, and met a mare called Derpy Hooves. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, the members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. What do they do, exactly?”

Twilight launched into a recap of what Applejack and Rarity had told me. “That’s a group they created to find their special talents, but it usually ends in a failed attempt at whatever they try. There was one time where they acted in front of their school and won a Comedy Award.” Not bad.

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

She clarified, “It was supposed to be a musical.” If it had happened to me, I wouldn’t know if I should be happy for winning or sad because it wasn’t what I had expected. “But that didn’t stop them, and they keep trying day after day until they get one or get bored.” Bored was probably the default state in this town.

“Did nopony tell them that a Cutie Mark appears when you realize your real talent instead of just spinning the roulette and seeing what happens?” It was worth a shot.

“We tried everything, so in the end we resorted to the ‘let them be and wait until they get a Cutie Mark’ plan. It works so far.”

“Of course it’ll work; it’ll happen eventually.” I changed the subject of our conversation to why I was here. “So, what do you have in stock here? Do you have Daring Do?”

“Why, yes I do. They’re on that shelf,” she replied as she pointed to one of the shelves. “It’s the entire saga. I even have the newest one, Daring Do and the Temple of Nightmare Moon.”

I lit up excitedly. “You already have the tenth one? I can’t believe it!” I quickly ran to the shelf and grabbed the book, examining the cover like Daring Do when she found the Griffon’s Goblet. “This book isn’t supposed to be on shelves until the next month! How did you get it?”

Twilight bemusedly admitted, “Well, being a famous pony does have its advantages…”

I chuckled back. “Yeah, I can see that. Do you mind if I read it?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Of course. After all, it’s a library.” And the winner of The Dumbest Question Ever Asked award is me. “You’re allowed to read as much as you want.”

I took a seat on the round table and placed the book in front of me. I was so excited that I got to read it before it had even been officially released! I just had to savor every moment of it; however, before I could open the book, a new visitor entered the library. I didn’t pay attention and continued to read. I stopped when a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Dammit, I was late!” I turned my head around, coming face to face with Rainbow Dash. “I wanted to be the first pony to read the new Daring Do!” Sorry, too late. I got here first.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you liked to read Daring Do.” Rainbow Dash reading a book? Now that’s something new. “But don’t worry; it won’t take me too long. After all, I’m a very fast reader.”

“A fast reader? Right.” The sarcasm was strong with this one. “Oh please, everypony says that.”

I shot back, “Well, I’m telling you the truth. I learned to read books in less than a week. Or at least that’s what my mother says.” I could hear a faint chuckle escaping from her lips. I had just won the Worst Comeback in History award. Man, I was really on a roll today.

“Really? Prove it! Let’s see how quickly you can finish the book. And don’t try to cheat, because I’ll know it.”

“You’re challenging me, right?” She nodded as a raging fire appeared in her eyes. This mare really loved to prove herself as not only the fastest flier in Equestria, but also as the best pony at everything she did. I knew that Rainbow wouldn’t leave me alone until I was done, so I just went along with her challenge. There were worse things than being near a beautiful mare.

“Hey, Twilight,” she called. “Brownie and me are going to see who can read this book the fastest. The winner gets to take the book home first. Care to ref?”

Her friend sighed, “Oh, fine, Rainbow. I’ll judge.” Her horn shimmered and a clock zoomed to the unicorn’s hoof.

Presently, the race began. I went first.

Normally, I initially read books at a rapid pace and then I read them again to discover details I missed, but this wouldn’t be one of those times. I did my best to speed read, scanning each page as quickly as possible to show her that I could really do it. After racing through all the pages and memorizing everything I could, I closed the book and let out a sigh of relief. Twilight marked my time on a piece of paper.

Rainbow Dash seemed suitably impressed. “Well, you’re not a slow reader, I’ll give you that.” I didn’t know if she was praising me or using sarcasm. “Now sit and watch how the fastest pony of all of Equestria reads. I’ll be done in ten seconds flat.”

Rainbow Dash certainly was a fast reader, making me doubtful that I would manage to surpass her. The library was almost silent aside of the sounds from a ticking clock and rustling pages. After Rainbow Dash had finished, Twilight looked to her paper as we waited for the results. I didn’t care one bit, since all I wanted to do was read the book but Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was visibly anxious to know the results. She couldn’t stay still, always looking around nervously and with her wings stuck out as if she were about to take flight.

For a brief moment, I was tempted to touch her outstretched wings. The feathers looked so delightfully soft, like bits of cloud. Surely it couldn’t hurt to just lightly caress one with my muzzle, or maybe accidentally-on-purpose brush it with my side. What harm could it do to have just a little feel? And it was attached to such a gorgeous creature. I knew I was staring and I didn’t care in the slightest. I vaguely remember hoping that nopony noticed that I was completely wingstruck.

Because I had grown up in an earth pony town, I never knew many pegasi. The community was so remote, and all the jobs called for either earth pony with great strength or unicorns with exceptional magic; fliers weren’t much in demand. The only pegasi I regularly saw were weather controllers, and because we only got coverage thanks to our inclusion in Hoofton County I almost never got to see them up close.

I was snapped back into reality by a feminine voice. I startled! Fortunately, nopony noticed that I had been absent. Rainbow’s wings folded, the anticipation torturing for her. “Alright, I have the results. Rainbow Dash, your time is one hour and fifty-two minutes.”

“Aww yeah! I told you that I would win! Of course, it’s natural since I’m the fastest pony in Equestria.” Unless she’d suddenly developed telepathy, then she was being presumptuous. Her wings flared briefly, until Twilight told her to settle down so that my time could be announced. Why bother?

Twilight Sparkle read the results without emotion. “And Brownie, your time is one hour and thirty-four minutes, so that makes you the winner as the fastest reader.” Exactly who did you say is the fastest pony in Equestria, Rainbow?

POMF! I nearly got an eyeful of feathers! “Wait- what that can’t be right! Are you sure that you didn’t change our times or something?” Rainbow Dash was visibly angry, and for a moment I even thought that her mane was on fire.

Twilight hardly seemed affected by the display. “I’m sorry, but I already checked it a few times. Besides, you’re getting angry only because he can read more quickly than you. Didn’t you learn your lesson during the Running of the Leaves?“

Rainbow slowed down a bit. Her wings folded. “Yeah, but…” She took a deep breath and calmed herself before speaking again. “Sorry. It’s just that I hate losing, and I never lost to anypony aside of Applejack.” Given that Applejack was alive today meant that I probably wasn’t going to turn up in a ditch one morning.

I tried to make her feel better. “Sorry. I didn’t really want to beat you. I just wanted to show you that I wasn't bluffing. I mean, if you want we can say that you’re the fastest reader of the two.” Why can’t I speak to this pony?

She looked back at me, with an expression of disbelief. “Would you really do that for me?”

“Yeah, I don’t really mind. I don’t want to get a prize, and besides, nopony would think I managed to outpace the fastest pony in Equestria when it comes to reading a book.” That was a very stupid achievement, but since it seemed so important for her, I gladly gave up.

She shook her head and smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but you can keep it. I’d rather win because I can really do it.” She placed her right hoof over my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes as heat rushed to my face. Thank Celestia that my coat is so dark. “But thanks for the offer. You know, it’s hard to find somepony that can give me a real challenge. Let’s do this again when the next one comes out.”

I controlled my voice carefully. “Alright, then. I’ll wait for it.” I was almost trembling.

A big smile spread through her face as she nodded her head before leaving the library. I couldn’t help but glance at her plot before I realized what I was doing, quickly diverting my eyes away. Fortunately, neither she nor Twilight seemed to notice. I thanked Celestia for that, because I would have died of embarrassment.

I quickly departed for home as I tried to contain my excitement and nervousness from not only having been able to talk to Rainbow Dash without panicking too badly, but being able to beat her in a contest of speed. As I lay down on my bed, I couldn’t help but think about how lucky I was before falling into a deep slumber. Not bad for a boring day.

Author's Notes:

And that's the end of chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing. Thanks for my editor kalash93 for helping me to correct and fix any grammar mistakes.

Chapter 3: Time to work

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 3: Time to work

I woke up in the middle of the night, at the verge of dying from asphyxia and coughing so hard that I thought my lungs would exit through my mouth. I trotted to the kitchen in search of a glass of water and swallowed it in a big gulp. Oxygen filled my lungs again, and I found myself panting for a few minutes before returning to my bed to return to sleep. I always had some troubles sleeping.

After what seemed like an eternity I finally fell asleep again, only to be awakened by my alarm clock. Silently cursing it I searched for it, instead grabbing my sack of bits. Curious to see how much money I had left, I started counting the bits stored inside; much to my chagrin, I barely had enough to last me the rest of the week. Considering that I already spent like a week and half without a job, I’d say it’s been better than expected.

Without better ideas or alternatives, I worked on some posters to advertise my services as an artist and placed them all over the town, hoping that I could get some clients. It was very basic: what I could draw, a list of prices, my address, and to leave a letter in my mail if I were absent. My last stop was in front of what could only be described as some kind of gingerbread house, decorated with chocolate, frosting and candy canes. The only normal thing was a sign with the text “Sugarcube Corner” written on it.

Are any buildings in this place normal? As I tried to leave, I noticed the weird carriage Pinkie Pie had been pulling the first time I met her. As if tempting fate, I remarked, “And here it comes…” I don’t know if she really was waiting until I said that, but in the blink of an eye, I was again pinned against the ground with Pinkie Pie on top, like our first time. Alright, that came out wrong.

The pink pony started to talk even faster than the first time I met her. “Hey, how nice that you paid me a visit! But how did you know I was working here? Maybe Twilight told you? Oh, yeah, she already told me how you managed to defeat Rainbow Dash in a reading contest. Wow, that must mean that you’re very fast, right?” As she continued chatting, the flyer I had placed on Sugarcube Corner fell down and landed on top of my face, blocking my vision. It somehow managed to silence Pinkie, thank Celestia. “Is this yours? You’re an artist?” I simply nodded, knowing that if I opened my mouth I would be interrupted again. “Oh, that’s amazing! I will tell my friends about this, which means that the everypony in Ponyville will know what you do, and ask you for a drawing and you’ll get rich! This’ll be awesome!”

“Okay…?” I was very scared of this mare, and her randomness was even worse than what the rumors said. How could the rest of her friends survive her horseplay? “Could you get off me, please?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’m always excited when I have a new friend.” Wow, she had a bit weird concept of friendship. Not that I complained, though. “Hey, you still haven’t spoken too much with Fluttershy, didn’t you?!” She continued before I could even reply. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you with that! Well pay her a visit!”

Before I even realized what was going on, I was suddenly pulled by Pinkie Pie through the entire town so quickly that for a moment there I thought that Rainbow Dash had grabbed me. The rest of the world was turned into a messy blur of myriad colors, fused with the buildings in the background. After what seemed like a few seconds, Pinkie suddenly stopped dead, launching me against a wall with her inertia.

She started bouncing around like a hyperactive rabbit crossed with a kangaroo. “Here we are. Fluttershy’s cottage! Did you enjoy the ride?”

Dizzy and confused, I tried to stand up the best I could. “I don’t know… Let me see if I have any missing parts…” Before I could even react, she was already slamming at the door so hard that I thought she was trying to break it down. “Fluttershy! Are you there? Open the door! Fluttershy!”

I tried to stop her before Fluttershy ran away thinking that a serial killer was trying to invade her house. “Don’t you think that this is going to scare her? I mean, if somepony knocked on my door like this I would probably run out the back.”

And because the universe is always against me, the door started being opened, the yellow pegasus pushing it from the inside. “Oh, hello, Pinkie. What’s the matter? Is Gummy ill?” Gummy? Who the buck is Gummy?

“No, silly. Gummy is fine. I wanted to introduce you to Brownie.” She pointed her hoof at me, expecting me to say something, but I was at a loss of words. “I thought it would be a good idea if you two got to know each other a bit more. You barely said anything at his welcome party, Fluttershy. I bet you could become great friends.“

Fluttershy turned her eyes to me, trembling as if I were some kind of monster. “I don’t know… Maybe?” The urge to hug her and never let her go was increasing with every passing second. “I was going to meet Rarity at the spa, sorry… But some company would be great. If you’d like, of course…”

“Yeah, of course. It will be a pleasure, Fluttershy. And meanwhile, you two can meet each other and become super great friends!” Waiter, I’ll have whatever she’s having.

“Uhm, alright.” The yellow pegasus stuck her head inside the cottage. “Good bye, Angel. Take care of everything while I’m away.”

“Who’s Angel?” I asked her.

“Oh, he’s my little bunny. Don’t worry, he can take care of himself.” That’s something I couldn’t do until I reached twenty. “Let’s go to the spa. If that’s okay with you, of course…“ By Celestia, her cuteness was increasing with every word she said!

Pinkie Pie started a new conversation, helping Fluttershy and I to our reservations. “So, did you know that he managed to defeat Rainbow Dash in a reading race?”

Her surprised expression was a bit exaggerated. “Is that true? Wow, that’s a real achievement.” From anypony else, that would have sounded sarcastic, but I could feel that Fluttershy was really impressed.

“Come on, it’s nothing special. I mean, it was just a stupid reading contest without a prize for the winner or anything like that,” I replied. The last thing I wanted was to become famous because of a stupid feat. Without anything better to talk about, I changed the subject of our conversation. “So, I was wondering, do you have a job, or you just get paid by Princess Celestia for defending Equestria?”

“Well, I have a job, and I take care of other ponies’ pets when they’re on vacation… Oh, and I take care of some animals until they can find a good home, aside of some gardening so they can have food. Rarity always gives me a part of her earnings to buy food for them.”

I was amazed by how much Rarity helped her. “That’s very nice from her. I wish my old friends were so loyal and helpful.”

“Why do you say that? I bet they were very nice and great,” Pinkie replied.

“You obviously don’t know them. I barely had friends, and the ones I had were a bunch of liars and backstabbers. They only used me to get things they wanted.” Fluttershy remained silent, but her expression told me that she had gone through something similar.

Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, remained as happy and cheerful as always. “The past is the past. Ponyville is different, and I’m sure you’re going to make lots of great friends. And we will help you; right Fluttershy?”

The meek pegasus was hiding her face behind her pink mane, trying to disappear. “Yes… I guess?” By Celestia, why is this mare so cute and adorable?

“So, I found him in front of Sugarcube Corner, placing flyers about how he’s an artist, and that he needs money, so if anypony wants a drawing they could pay him for one. Isn’t it great?”

“Maybe?” She looked at me with a puzzled expression, probably expecting a different reply. “Sorry, it’s just that I think it’s funny how much I changed my opinion about my talent. When I was just starting, I felt like the best artist in Equestria, but when I got my Cutie Mark I started to think my drawings weren’t very good, even though everypony else praised my work.”

Pinkie Pie quickly replied with great enthusiasm. “Don’t worry; I’m sure that you’re a great artist, even though I haven’t seen any of your works. But that’s okay; I know a great artist when I see one!”

Fluttershy soon followed the conversation. “I know that feeling. But don’t worry; we’re here to help you.”

Before I realized it, I found myself smiling thanks to their speeches. “Thanks, you really helped me a lot. I wish I could have met both of you before back at Hollow Shades, or that at least I had been born here. It would have been great.”

“Hey, you know what this calls for?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Fluttershy and I shook our heads before being crushed in a bear hug. “A group hug! Because that’s what all good friends always do!”

Between being crushed by this crazy mare and standing so close to a pegasus, I didn’t know what was I supposed to feel, but from Fluttershy’s pained expression, she wasn’t enjoying this too much, either. After what felt like hours of being crushed without air, we finally escaped from Pinkie’s clutches, dropping to the ground like lifeless dolls.

My lungs burned upon contact with fresh air, still hurting from last night. “My goodness… For a moment there I thought I wouldn’t survive this encounter.”

“Don’t worry, it’s a matter of getting used to it.” Fluttershy replied, her voice so low that for a moment there I thought I had gone deaf.

The rest of our travel was very quiet. Well as quiet as it can be with Pinkie Pie around, but we got to know each other better and even started a new friendship. I couldn’t help but feel that Ponyville was the best place to make new friends. I instantly recognized the spa partially to the unusual structure, but mostly because Rarity was waiting at the front door.

Rarity quickly fixed her attention towards me. “Oh, hello darling. I didn’t know you wanted to enter the spa, too. I could have invited you to come along.”

I quickly corrected her. “No, nothing like that. I just got dragged along by Pinkie Pie to meet Fluttershy and we accompanied her.”

Pinkie burst it, “Oh, and did you know that he’s an artist? He was advertising himself all over the town with flyers! Isn’t it great?” Thanks, Pinkie. That was very subtle.

Rarity looked very impressed. “Is that true?” I nodded. “Oh, but that’s wonderful! And how many clients did you have?”

“Still nothing. I just finished advertising myself when Pinkie Pie found me. I’ll need to have clients every day to make money, so I’ll do something else and just do work on commission.“

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that you will get enough clients to concentrate on your drawings. I’ll talk about your talent to some of my friends from Canterlot.” I doubted that any of those ponies would ever require my services with all those famous and professional artists out there, but maybe I would be lucky and get some clients.

With nothing else to do, we parted ways and I went back home. I opened the mail, hoping to find a not or something similar, but it was empty. Of course, I had been expecting that, but I hoped that somepony would require my services. I headed inside, ready for a session of doing nothing but reading comic books and listening to music, but as soon as I stepped inside my bedroom, somepony knocked on the front door. “One moment, please.” I silently cursed Muffin’s law and headed to the door, opening it swiftly. I would have never expected to find Rainbow Dash at the other side, holding one of my flyers with her mouth. “You wanted something?” Oh yeah, a very intelligent question.

She handed me the flyer before delivering an answer "It landed on my face while I was slee- I mean flying." Yeah, right…

“And you came here to return it to me?”

She chuckled before answering. “Well, the truth is that I was interested. It’s the first time I see somepony advertising himself as an artist, and I thought it would be cool to have my portrait taken.” I couldn’t believe that Rainbow Dash was in my house! And on top of that, she was my first client. I took a few breaths to calm myself so I didn't cause a scene.

“Alright then. Since it’s you, I’ll give you a special discount. So, what’s your request?”

“Well, I know it’s weird that I’m asking you this, but I wanted a portrait of myself. You can do that, right?” If this was a dream, this would be the point where my sexual fantasies would start.

“Yeah, of course. How do you want it? Head, half body or full body?”

“Full body, of course. I can’t be portrayed with parts of my body left out. I’m too cool for that.”

“Alright then. Please, follow me to my studio. It’s the best place to work, and I can draw any pose you want.” I started to imagine her lying on my bed and whispering “Draw me like one of your French mares” into my ear. Alright, enough fantasies for today.

She followed me back to my room and landed on my bed as I took out my drawing tools – a pencil, an eraser, and a white sheet of paper. Most artists used lots of different tools, pencils, paints and high quality materials, but I loved simplicity. As I got ready to start our art session, Rainbow Dash was still finding a good pose that would immortalize her. She finally decided on a crouched position and a defiant look, as if she were going to start a race.

“Is this pose good?” She asked me.

“As long as you like it, I don’t really mind. I want my clients to be happy with my drawings.”

She winked an eye before returning to her position. I started by drawing a skeleton of her body, formed by a circle for her head and curved lines for her limbs and torso. Then, I added the basic forms for all her body parts, erasing and drawing again anything wrong before adding the finishing touches, like her mane, tail and expression. I worked very hard on the drawing, trying to capture all her essence and personality on the blank paper, but unfortunately it was incomplete without her characteristic rainbow mane. There was nothing I could do, since my skills with colors were pretty bad; I still had a long path ahead of me.

“Alright, I finished it. Tell me what you think.” I handed her the drawing, nervous and worried that she would reject it.

“Awesome! You did a great job! I love it!” Everything went better than expected. “Wait until my friends see this. They’ll be green from envy. Thanks a lot, Brownie.”

I was dumbstruck, but I managed to reply with great effort. “No problem. After all, that’s what friends are for, right…?”

“You’re a great friend. Oh yeah, before I forget.” She handed me some bits. “For the drawing, and because you’re so cool. Consider me your best customer.”

And with those words, she quickly left my home, leaving me behind and wondering if I just imagined everything. The bits she handed me were still there, as proof that had really happened. My life was starting to change, and for once, it was for the better.

Chapter 4: Running of the leaves

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 4: Running of the leaves

I said farewell to my last client, Colgate. “Call me again if you need another drawing.”

The blue unicorn replied back, “Thanks, I will!” Her blue and white toothpaste mane bounced, following the rhythm of her hooves clashing against the ground and with her face plastered with a big smile as a reward for another job well done. She had the greatest teeth I had ever seen in my life; very appropriate for somepony called Colgate.

It’s been a month since I had been commissioned by Rainbow Dash, and word had quickly spread all over the town, allowing me to keep focused on my drawings. In the worst case scenario, I would work on something else, but fortunately that wouldn’t be necessary for now.

I’ve been suffering from an excess of mucus in my lungs, forcing me to cough every moment to try and clean my lungs, but they didn’t seem to come to an end. I already suffered from this a few times during my life, but this time it didn’t seem like it was going to disappear soon. The extra money helped me to buy medication, although I was always afraid that I would run out of money, and be unable to buy more. My thoughts were quickly interrupted by a familiar scream coming from the heavens.

“Look out below!” Before I could even react, a grey and yellow-colored blur crashed onto the floor, leaving a small hole on the surface. The pegasus pony quickly stood up, doing a military salute. “Derpy Hooves at your service, sir.”

The first time this had happened, I didn’t know how I should react, but after the tenth time, it became routine.

“Hello, Derpy.” That’s when I noticed she was carrying a mailbag. “What are you doing here? You already delivered my mail this morning.”

Her unsteady eyes floated around her face, trying to focus on me. “I did? Well, anyway, I got a note for you. I was asked to bring you this because she was too busy to do it herself.”

I was consumed by curiosity. “Too busy? Doing what?” Before she could reply, I coughed as hard as I could, blocking my mouth with my right hoof. “Sorry”.

“Don’t worry.” Derpy ‘stared’ at me. “I don’t know. She asked me to tell you this and to meet her at Rusty Gear on twelfth street right away.“

I made a mental note. “Rusty Gear... twelth street. Got it. Thanks for telling me, Derpy.”

“Always at your service! And now, if you excuse me, I have another delivery for this afternoon.” Without another word, she flew away into the distance.

She didn’t have a break between working as a mailmare and making deliveries, but at least she was happy to find a job where they didn’t mistreat her because of her clumsiness. She told me once that in Cloudsdale everypony made fun of her problem, but that stopped as soon as she moved to Ponyville in search of a new job. They should rename this town “The only place where you can fit in no matter who you are".”

I tried to look presentable for meeting my new client, so I got my saddlebags and packed my drawing tools before I paid her a visit. I had spent some time earlier learning the name of the streets to make the navigation easier and avoid being late for my appointments. To my surprise, my destination was a garage I had never noticed before, even though I had walked by countless times.

The place was like the rest of the buildings in this town, but instead of a small, wooden door, there was a giant metallic blind which when lifted, allowed everypony to take a look inside. The entire place was covered by a thick layer of dust, and the walls had been decorated with countless tools and some posters and calendars. But what brought my attention was a giant deflated balloon with its basket lying in the left corner of the garage.

That’s when I noticed a green pair of legs protruding out from underneath a damaged carriage. I approached the carriage with caution to avoid scaring their owner and provoking an incident. "Excuse me. Derpy delivered a message for me asking that I come here. Did you send that?"

The hind legs sticking out from under the carriage dragged themselves out, followed by the rest of the body, revealing a unicorn mare. The bright yellow lines of the suit combined with the blue fabric clashed horribly with her green coat and emerald eyes. A yellow hard hat placed around rested atop her head, and her gray mane was tied up in a ponytail, which I found more amusing than I should have.

“That’s me. I’m glad to see that Derpy delivered her message quickly. I was afraid she would deliver it to the wrong pony or forget about the whole thing.” She offered me a hoof. “My name is Mechanic Wrench, but you can call me Mecha. Pleased to meet you.”

My muscle memory combined with my survival instincts kicked in, blocking her offering hoof for a split second. I quickly realized my mistake and offered my hoof to her. “Sorry, it’s a nervous habit. I’m Brownie. So, you require my services as an artist, if I’m not mistaken.”

She quickly nodded. “You got that right. I found one of your flyers on my door, and Pinkie Pie assured me that you’re a great artist. I wanted to repair this hot air balloon that will be used to host the Running Of The Leaves, and I was asked to add some decorations for the event.”

That name sounded very familiar to me. “The Running Of The Leaves? Oh, wait, I think I know it. Is that one where ponies race through the forest to make all the leaves fall off the trees?” She raised an eyebrow so high that it almost reached the ceiling.

“That sounded like you don’t know too much about the festival.” And she hits the bullseye. “Well, I come from Hollow Shades, and we don’t celebrate it because of an incident where the entire village was buried under tons of leaves. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, because the entire village is surrounded by a forest of trees, some of which are as tall as Manehattan’s skyscrapers.”

The green pony tapped her chin with her hoof, reflecting about everything I just told her. “I see, given that it's a village surrounded by a giant forest. That’s interesting. But let’s get back to business! I didn’t call you here to tell me your life's story. The reason I called you is that I want your help to make some designs for the festival. I know it’s not what you specified in your flyers, but I’ll pay you well for this job.”

I didn’t waste a single second to reply. “Well, I can’t stop my career at making portraits of ponies, so I’ll gladly accept this job. It’s nice to have a challenge from time to time.”

Her eyes quickly lit up, as if a switch had activated inside her head. “Thank you, thank you! I was very worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it in time! I've never failed a client before, and if that had happened, then my reputation would be tarnished!”

I was a bit surprised by her sudden euphoria. “Alright… Can we get back to work?”

“Yeah, let’s keep focused on what really matters. We have to get this job finished, and the deadline is in a week. All I need are some designs for my client so she can take a look and choose one. Then I will work with the one that gets chosen.”

After we finished our negotiations, I paid a visit to Twilight’s library to find a book about this festival and gather some inspiration to help me with the designs. I stopped coming to the library about two weeks ago, when Twilight was crowned as a princess and moved to Canterlot until she finished learning her new duties. All I knew was that Spike had been appointed as the new librarian and that he was having some trouble.

As I opened the door, I quickly noticed how much this place had changed since she had left. Mountains of books were scattered all over the library, papers scattered all over the floor, and Spike working hard at keeping everything tidy, but to no avail. I coughed a few times to make Spike notice my presence, stopping him in his tracks.

“Wait a moment, please. I’m trying to clean up this mess.” He replied, collecting all the papers he could handle before stacking them on the table in the center of the room. I tried to help him by picking up a few pages.

“You’re having problems running this place by yourself, I see.”

“No shit, Sherclop.” A very appropriate reply from a baby dragon working in a library.

“I assume you wanted to borrow a book?”

“You guessed right. I wanted to borrow any books that talk about the Running Of The Leaves.”

“Running Of The Leaves? I remember that we had a book about Ponyville’s festivals. It could come in handy for you. Just let me see if I can find it.” Spike rummaged through the shelves and the books stacked up all over the room, trying to find the one book I needed.

I started a new conversation with him. “So, how are the rest of the girls? I suppose that this must have been a very hard hit for them, after spending so much time together.”

He hesitated as if he didn’t know what to say. “Well, at first they handled everything well, but they’re clearly sad about her departure. They don't say anything, but it's becoming more obvious every day that passes. Rainbow Dash stopped taking naps and focuses more on weather patrol. Rarity uses more gems for her dresses. Applejack works twice as hard at the farm. Pinkie Pie doesn’t stop throwing parties and Fluttershy spends more time with her animals.”

“So they’re basically trying to fill the gap left by Twilight with something else that can keep them busy.” I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. After they went through so many obstacles and countless adventures, they were suddenly separated from their friend, who had helped them realize their true destinies. “I wish I could do something to help them… ”

“We all do, pal. We all do… Dammit, where did I leave that stupid book?”

My lungs were again drowning in the seas of mucus, yet my efforts to get rid of them didn’t work. Looking at my surroundings, I could see the bottom shelves devoid of books, now scattered all over the library, piled on top of each other like skyscrapers. Suddenly, a realization struck me. “Spike, why is the library so messed up?”

The little dragon suddenly froze like a statue. “Well, that’s because I’ve been busy trying to rearrange everything. It's not easy to do this by yourself.”

“Don’t take me for a fool, Spike. The only books out of their shelves are the ones of the bottom. Or to be more precise, the ones you can reach easily, so it wasn’t very hard to realize that something was wrong with you. Twilight is always obsessed with order, and that would mean that you had to help her to rearrange everything.” I walked towards one of the stack of books and looked at the titles printed on their spine, noticing that all of them had been arranged alphabetically. “Old habits are hard to break, don’t you think? All you do is take out the books, stack them and then place them back inside of their respective shelves to keep yourself busy.”

Spike started shaking as tears covered his face. “I miss her so much… I wanted to go with her, but she said that someone should take care of the library while she’s absent, and that she would come back soon, but…”

I placed my hoof on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “I know how that feels, Spike. It’s hard to endure the pain, but you can overcome it. The girls are suffering, too, and they need your help.”

Spike looked straight into my eyes, unsure of what he should do. “Me? But… what can I do?”

Look at me. I only wanted to borrow a book, and instead ended up trying to help a baby dragon and his friends. “First of all, clean up this mess, and then we’ll go and find the girls.”

He wiped off the tears with his claw. “Alright… But why are you helping us? I mean, we barely talked to each other, and you barely talked with them. You don’t really need to help us.”

That was a good question. Why was I doing this? This wasn’t my problem, and I barely knew them. But something pushed me to help them; to make something right. I already had an answer. “Because I know how it feels to lose a friend.”

It took us a few hours and travelling all over the town to reunite everypony in the library, ready to start a “friendship” session. I didn’t want to reunite the girls using lies, so we simply told them to come to the library. The girls were obviously curious as to why we called them to the library, but none of them dared to speak a word until Pinkie Pie broke the silence. “Hey, look, it’s Brownie!” She quickly crushed me in one of her special bear hugs. “Did you get called here too?”

I tried to speak, but words failed to exit through my mouth until Applejack intervened. “Pinkie, ya’re choking the poor guy. Release him!”

“Opps, sorry.” She quickly dropped me to the floor, allowing my lungs to refill with fresh air.

Rarity was the first to complain. “Why did you even call me? I was working on a new line of dresses for an important client.”

Rainbow Dash quickly joined the conversation. “Yeah, and it better be important. I was going to practice my aerobatics!”

The only ones who still remained silent were Fluttershy, trying to hide behind Rainbow Dash and Spike, who was afraid of opening his mouth. That left me alone to talk with them.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your routines, but we called you here because I think that you need help dealing with Twilight’s absence.” This was quickly met with complaints and accusations of being a liar from some of the girls, but Applejack stepped forward to my defense, as befitting of the element of honesty.

Applejack struggled to talk, to find the correct words. “Ya’re right, we need help dealing with this, but I didn’t know what to do. Ah admit it, I tried to focus more on the farm to avoid thinking about Twilight, but that didn’t change anything. In fact, ah only managed to feel even worse than before.” They looked at each other, realizing the truth they had tried to bury under their hard work.

The next one to step forwards was Rainbow Dash, representing the element of loyalty. “Look at yourselves! We should have been sticking together, but instead, all we did was distance ourselves from each other. I know that our friend is missing, but she will come back!” She pointed her hoof menacingly at them. “Do you want her to come back, only to find that we aren’t talking to each other anymore? That without Twilight we can’t even be friends anymore? Well, I won’t let that happen! So tell me, what are you going to do?”

Pinkie Pie quickly erupted, “We’re going to throw a party!”

Rarity quickly stopped the hyperactive pink pony from using her party cannon – which she wasn’t carrying before, and as of now, I don’t even know where she keeps it. “Darling, this isn’t time for parties. What we must do is stay together and show Twilight how strong our friendship is, even without her.”

Fluttershy finally stopped hiding behind Rarity and stood up at her side. “I agree. We shouldn’t hide from each other. Instead, we should stay even closer.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s the spirit! Those are the heroes I know! The ones that always work together to solve their problems!” Their attention then shifted towards me, making me feel uneasy. I wasn’t accustomed to being the center of attention, especially for a group of beautiful mares. “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Rarity was the first to break the silence. “Interrupt? Why do you say that? You helped us to strengthen our bonds.” I felt a hoof resting on my shoulders, and to my surprise, it belonged to Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, if it hadn’t been for you, this situation could have been worse. You handled this situation like a real professional. Are you sure your talent isn’t to solve friendship problems?” No, thanks. I’m happy enough to be an artist.

“I don’t think so, but I must admit that I’m curious. How would that cutie mark look like?”

Rarity joined the conversation. “I don’t know, but I’m sure that it would be fabulous.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed. “Hey, you know what this calls for?” Please not a party, please not a party… “A very big group hug!” Wait, what? CRUNCH! I was suddenly enveloped in a hug by everypony, Spike included, in the biggest group hug of my life. Alright, the only group hug of my life. Back in Hollow Shades I had some friends, but this was the first time I felt so integrated in a group, and to top it off, I was surrounded by mares. If this wasn’t a dream, then I had just hit the jackpot.

After the reunion, the girls decided to help Spike with the library and to hang out more often instead of isolating themselves in their jobs. Feeling great after reuniting them again, I went back home to focus on my last job. I couldn’t believe that I helped them solve their friendship problems. A part of me felt great for helping them, but on the other side, I felt like I was replacing Twilight’s place while she was away. My coughing quickly dissipated such thoughts, escalating beyond my control and forcing me to regain my breath before resuming my travel.

I spent the next two days working on some designs for Mecha to place the hot air balloon that would represent the spirit of the festival. I grabbed my finished designs and headed straight to her garage. When I arrived, I found her talking with Pinkie Pie, which seemed a bit strange for me, but since this pink pony was friends with the entire town, it didn’t come as very unusual. I tried to break the ice. “Hello, girls. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

Mecha replied first. “Oh, don’t worry. She wanted to see if I repaired her balloon in time for the Running Of The Leaves.” Wait, that thing belongs to Pinkie Pie? Who the buck allowed this crazy pony to own a balloon in the first place?

The hyperactive pony quickly joined the new conversation. “Do you like it? I can’t wait to fly through the skies and announce the race!“ And she’s the announcer, too?

“Oh, yeah, before I forget, I brought you the designs for the balloon. Tell me what you think.” I took out my designs and intended to give them to Mecha, but they were intercepted by Pinkie Pie, who didn’t give them more than a simple glance before choosing one and showing it to Mecha. So much for my work…

“I want this one! This one! Oooh- oooh! I want this one!

A jade glow enveloped the sheet of paper floating in front of the green unicorn. “Alright then, I’ll start working with this design. I’ll finish in time for the Running Of The leaves.” Her attention focused in to a small drawer, from which she extracted a small bag filled with bits and passed them to me. “Here’s your payment for helping me with this order.” A smile quickly stretched over her mouth. “Thanks for your help. I’ll call you again if I need something else.”

“No problem. I’ll come back if you ever require my services again.” Before I could leave the garage, Pinkie Pie blocked my way, standing between me and the exit.

“Aren’t you going to participate in the race? You’ll have lots of fun!”

“Sorry, Pinkie. That’s not my plan… I suck when it comes to running and I don’t like to always end up in last place. After the millionth time, it just gets boring.”

“Wow! You participated in more races than Rainbow Dash?” Yeah, I wish… “But you don’t have to worry about that. It’s just a race to have fun, although they only give medals for the three fastest ponies, but they’re not important! So, what do you say?”

I was probably going to regret this, but I consented to run. If there was a race, Rainbow Dash would probably be there, and I always wanted to see the fastest pegasus of all Equestria in action. I arrived at the starting line very early, getting a sticker with the number nine on my jeans, and since I always considered it to be my lucky number, I had a small hope that I could finish this race. Or at least not drop dead.

Pinkie Pie’s voice boomed from the sky so loudly that she almost burst my eardrums. “Hello, everypony, and welcome to the last competition of the Running of the Leaves! But don’t worry, by last we mean that it’s the latest race, not that it’s going to stop being celebrated!”

I looked for the source of her voice and I found her inside the basket of the hot air balloon that was floating in the sky. What really caught my attention was the new design of the balloon, now resembling a floating tree with a giant crown full of leaves. From all the designs I made, why did she chose this one? Well, as long as I got paid for the job, I didn’t really care what they did with my work.

At her side was Spike, or at least one I thought was Spike, since the only thing I could see was some kind of eggplant sticking out from the basket holding a microphone. “I think they understood it, Pinkie," Spike moaned. Then he composed himself and announced cheerfully, "The race is about to start, so we ask all racers to wait at the starting line so we can begin the Running of the Leaves.”

I followed the group to the start line as I tried to find Rainbow Dash, but to no avail. It looked like the entire town was participating, so I was unable to find her distinctive color palette in the crowd. In the end, I resolved to have fun and avoid being the last one, but that would prove to be impossible unless one of the participants was a turtle. Or a snail. Or a creature fusing a turtle and a snail.

A part of me wanted to leave the race and go back home and forget about this stupid thing before I made a fool of myself, but the other part wanted me to stay here and run, to do my best and show Rainbow Dash what I was made of.

Before I knew it, both commentators were already finishing the countdown to start the race. “Three… Two… One… START!”

The participants quickly launched themselves so rapidly that I only saw them as a multicolor blur that outdistanced me in a matter of seconds. I had only just started the race and I was already losing. I galloped as fast as I could to reach them, but it took me only a few minutes running at full speed to find myself alone in the middle of the forest as I caught my breath. My legs were aching, my lungs burned, my heart raced so fast that it threatened to escape from my chest, and to top it off, I was coughing harder than before. I was starting to regret even joining this stupid race. A familiar voice called me from behind.

“Saving your strength to beat them on the final stretch?”

I turned around to talk face to face with Rainbow Dash. “No. I just got tired from running at full speed.”

“So soon? I know that I’m too fast, but I thought that a normal pony would be able to last longer.”

“Yeah, but I’m too lazy. I should have trained every day instead of reading so many comics and listening to music.”

Rainbow Dash quickly caught up with me, standing on my right side. “Well, I always spend my free time training. I can lend you a hoof if you want.”

I wasn’t sure if I got lucky or just buried myself deeper. “I hope it’s not training from hell or something like that.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll just make you race around the town a thousand times or so. After that, you’ll become a great runner. Or maybe die from exhaustion, who knows?” It could have been a joke, but knowing this mare, she could have been telling the truth all along.

Suddenly, Applejack ran past our position as if a hive of bees were pursuing her. “I’ll be waiting for ya two at the finish line!”

“Hey, that’s not fair! Get back here!” Without any hesitation, Rainbow Dash quickly launched herself after Applejack, leaving me in the dust.

I tried to join them, galloping as fast as I could, but they were faster and had more stamina than me, quickly disappearing in a matter of seconds. I tried my best to maintain a good pace and catch them again, but the forest didn’t seem like it had an exit.
As I repeated my routine of running and walking to regain my strength, I managed to advance pass other runners who were too tired to continue the race.

“Well, it seems that for once I won’t be the last one to finish a race,” I thought to myself. “I bet Rainbow Dash already crossed the line hours ago.” And because the universe loves to prove me wrong, I found Rainbow Dash and Applejack resting under one of the trees, panting and sweating from overexertion. Guess that even the fastest pegasus in Equestria needs to regain her strength too. I couldn’t resist but have some laughs at their expense. “What are you doing here? Waiting until the finish line comes to you?”

Rainbow Dash quickly delivered a reply. “Yeah, laugh while you can. Just wait until I can get up and I’ll kick your plot all the way to the finish line.”

Applejack responded, “Don’t worry, pardner. We’ll overtake you in a few minutes, so ya’d better run while ya can.”

I didn’t enter this race to win against Rainbow Dash, but this opportunity was one in a million, so I took it. I did a final sprint to gain some advantage over them, lasting for a few minutes before I had to stop. I never tried to run so hard before and it was starting to take its toll on my body. As I moved forward, I found more ponies who were trying to continue, even though they could barely run.

“So that’s what Rainbow Dash was talking about before. They used up all their strength and stamina, while I took some stops to continue.” If only I had known this trick before, I wouldn’t have finished last so often.

Finally, after Celestia knows how much time since I started this race, I could see the end of the forest, and with it, the finish line. The multitude of ponies waiting there told me that I wasn’t running for the first place, but at least I wouldn’t be in last place for once. As I got closer, the sound of a stampede clashing against the ground started to sound louder and louder. Glancing back, I found myself being pursued by Rainbow Dash and Applejack trying to outrun each other with such ferocity that they looked capable enough of destroying anything standing in their path, including me!

Scared by such sight, I commanded my legs to give me one last burst and win the race, or at least avoid being run down by those two. My body started to complain, telling me to stop and let them run past me, but I didn’t listen. I never felt so alive- so great, and I wasn’t going to stop it now! The line was getting closer, but so were Rainbow Dash and Applejack, eventually reaching my position before leaving me behind. Upon reaching the finish line, I fell to the ground after subjecting my body to such punishment. I couldn’t feel my legs, my lungs stopped working, and my brain shut down as darkness surrounded me; I was trapped in my own broken shell, unable to move. I shouldn’t have joined this race in the first place.

A voice screamed from beyond the darkness. “Brownie? Are you alright? Brownie! Say something!” My cheek suddenly felt warm, and I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by a lot of ponies, with Rainbow Dash pressing her hoof against my face. “He opened his eyes! Brownie, say something! Speak to me!”

“I… What the hell happened?” I replied, slowly standing up on my four legs. “The last thing I remember was crossing the line and then I fell to the ground.”

Applejack appeared at my side. “That’s exactly what happened, sugarcube. As soon as ya crossed, ya dropped to the ground. For a moment there, it looked like you'd just died, and everypony rushed to your aid.”

I felt awful for making such a scene in the middle of the festival. “I… I’m sorry. I’m not used to running for so long, and I forced myself to keep up even though I was already at my limit.” Where’s the closest hole to bury myself, please?

Rainbow Dash tried to cheer me up. “Hey, why the long face? You just got knocked out. There’s nothing to regret. Besides, you ended up in the ninth place, just like your banner.”

“Really? Well, at least something good happened. I’d call it a balanced day.”

“Yeah, more or less. I’ll accompany you back home, just in case you have another blackout. After what happened, you should take a very long rest.”

“Thanks. You’re a great friend.”

“Well, duh. I’m the element of Loyalty, after all. I would never leave a friend behind.” The way back home seemed to drag on indefinitely because of the pain my legs were suffering. I could walk, although very slowly, and if it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash, it would have been a very unpleasant experience. She helped me during the entire walk, supporting me with my right hoof resting on her shoulder so I could walk better. This was probably the closest I could get to her and I enjoyed every second of it, although I tried to hide my happiness in case she thought it was just an excuse to get feel her up.

As soon as we reached my house, I let go of her, as I wanted to do the final stretch to my bed by myself. “Thanks for your help. I don’t think I could have gotten here before it got dark.”

“It’s been a pleasure, but next time, don’t push yourself so hard. You still have to attend my training from hell.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment.

“Don’t worry, I will attend it, but when I feel better. I’m going to take a very long nap, so wake me in about a year or so.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you later.” She hugged me very tightly before flying back into the sky.

As I dropped into my bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt to be so close to her, the warmth of her hoof on my check, the hug she gave me… I would probably have dreams about her for months, but at the same time I was worried that she would discover the truth about why I blacked out after I finished the race. Fortunately, she had believed the excuse about my laziness, but I won’t be able to hide it forever. My thoughts quickly vanished into thin air as soon I fell asleep, the darkness surrounding me.

Author's Notes:

And here's chapter 4. We discover another bit of Brownie's past as he makes a new friend and gets a bit closer to Rainbow Dash. What will happen next? There's only one way to find out, and that means that you should keep reading.

Chapter 5: Dashing through the skies

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 5: Dashing through the skies

Rainbow Dash was laying on my bed, inviting me with the sweetest voice I ever had to chance to hear before. “Draw me like one of your French mares, Brownie.”

I was dumbstruck, trying to avoid staring at her. “Yes, of course. Just let me get my pencil, and…”

As soon as I turned around, I was pulled towards the bed, facing Rainbow Dash as she embraced me. “You don’t need any tools. Just stay with me, forever…” A green aura surrounded her as she now turned into a changeling version of her original self. I tried to escape, but she didn’t budge an inch. “Your love will be mine forever!”

I leapt out of bed, screaming and covered in sweat as I tried to breathe. I searched frantically inside my night table’s drawers until I found my inhaler, placing the device inside my mouth and pressing the button as hard as I could. A small puff of air full of medication filled my lungs and got rid of my problems, but it was just a temporary remedy.

I was already accustomed to having asthma, but since I arrived in Ponyville, I’ve been trying my hardest to hide my problem from everypony, especially from Rainbow Dash. If she ever found out the truth, I bet she would stop being my friend. After all, she loves to race, and I can barely run for more than five minutes at full speed before getting winded. And even then, my top speed is that of a little filly.

Rainbow Dash materialized in front of me, full of hate and displeasure after finding out the truth with a tone of hate in her voice.

“How could you expect me to be the friend of somepony as slow as you? Even Fluttershy could beat you in a race!”

Her image disappeared quickly from my mind, returning my focus to the real world. She was the bearer of the element of loyalty. The only friendship she had destroyed was because her best friend was a bully, and I only have asthma. And the speed of a turtle and a level of stamina so low that even a little filly could defeat me in a race… I’m the exact opposite of what she loves to do.

Since the running of the leaves, I’ve been hanging out with her, although we still haven't had another race because I told her that I was afraid of fainting again if I tried to pushed myself too far. We’ve been very close lately, and even though it’s a bit hard for me to admit it, I think I’m really starting to like her, possibly as more than a friend.

Trying to avoid such thoughts, I plugged my earphones into my Walkmane and inserted my Iron Mane cassette. The guitar solos quickly released me from my troubles as I worked distractedly for a while on one of my commissions, but inspiration had abandoned me. Instead, I opted to pay a visit to the local arcade before meeting with Mecha to work on another design for her clients.

The place wasn’t very crowded; a few fillies were playing videogames and a unicorn stallion was playing Call of Cutie. I didn’t focus too much on him, heading straight to the Metal Bug cabinet. I owned this game back home, and after playing for so many years, I memorized the enemies’ positions and the bosses’ patterns so the result is that I can finish this game using only fifteen bits, more or less.

I inserted a coin and pressed the start button, ready to start a new game. I was quickly progressing through the first level, avoiding the enemies’ attacks as I diminished their ranks without them landing a hit on my character. In the middle of the fight where the enemies wouldn’t spawn, I heard the familiar voice of a certain little filly called my name. I turned around and saw a small orange filly.

The little pegasus looked at me with puppy eyes. “Hello, Brownie. Can I join?”

“Of course, Scootaloo. We’re gaming pals, remember?”

“Cool! I bet that if we finish this game, I’ll get a gamer Cutie Mark!”

“Well then, let’s find out, shall we?” The orange filly quickly inserted a coin into the slot and took her place as the second player. I met Scootaloo a month ago, presenting herself as Rainbow Dash number one fan, quickly confirmed by Rainbow Dash.

She appeared along with her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, to try and see if they could get an artist Cutie Mark, but dismissed the idea after I told them that it took me thirteen years or so to discover my talent. The next time I met her, she was in this arcade trying to earn a videogame Cutie Mark, but her skills needed to be polished a bit. I felt bad for her and tried to help her, turning into her new videogame master.

We spent a few hours and a few bits on the machine until we managed to defeat the final boss. This was as easy as a walk in the park for me; unfortunately, Scootaloo had finally reached her limit, but she didn’t show any signs of defeat and continued to play. Finally, the last boss was defeated, and Scootaloo rejoiced.

“Yeah, we did it!” She quickly looked at her flank in search of a Cutie Mark, but to no avail. Her flank remained as blank as ever. “Awww… I’ll never get my Cutie Mark at this rate.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that you’ll find it when you least expect it. I have to go to work, but we’ll meet another tomorrow, okay?”
She nodded so quickly that her head almost flew through the air. “That’s for sure, master!”

We did a brohoof before I headed to Mecha’s garage, ready for another day of work. Since everypony loved the design of the hot air balloon, Mecha had received some requests to decorate carriages and other vehicles. Naturally, she asked me to help her with the designs. Of course, I accepted, and now I spend almost all my time in her garage, coming up with new designs and giving a hoof with the paint job and outlines.

The garage was as dirty as the last time I had stepped into this place, but this time, there were more carriages than I expected, and a pair of green legs was visible under one of them. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they didn’t move, along with some kind of weird sound.

“Mecha?” No reply. “Mecha?” Still no reply. “Mecha!”

Her voice quickly replied from under the carriage. “Yeah, yeah. One moment, please!” The green pony quickly came out, staring daggers with her eyes. “Was it really necessary to scream like that?”

“Only if you fall asleep in the middle of the job and hide under the carriage so that everypony else thinks you’re still working.” After spending so much time working with this mare, I already knew all her tricks and routines.

Her face suddenly turned red like a tomato. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was examining the axel.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, right. And I’m Princess Luna.”

She quickly replied with a childish tone, “Really? Oh, Princess, thank you for paying a visit to such place.”

I did my best impression of the princess to continue the shenanigans. “What’s that? Laughter? When I was younger, there wasn’t laughter! I helped my sister establish the round table, where everypony would be equal. And then we bought flying chairs so we could stand above everypony and look down at them, because royalty isn’t supposed to sit in normal chairs!” I let my imagination flow, spilling as many crazy decrees as I could before I burst into laughter, quickly joined by Mecha. We laughed like hyenas for what seemed like hours before we finally calmed down.

I took a few breaths to get rid of the euphoria as Mecha tried her best to speak. “By Celestia, I almost choked to death from laughing too hard!.”

“Yeah, me too. Well, shall we get back to work?”

Mecha nodded. “We need to paint this carriage with the pattern you sketched yesterday.”

She pointed her hoof to the sketch I drew all over the carriage, now with some letters added inside each area. “I scribbled these letters to remind us what colors we have to use. Since the client requested it, we’ll have to comply. It’s not a problem for you, right?”

“Nope. This will be easy as cake.”

I brought the paint cans beside the carriage and sank the brush inside the pot, coating all the hairs before scribbling over the wooden boards. Slowly but steadily, they started to shift one by one, some of them requiring a few layers of paint to fuse with the carriage. The colors were blending with their neighbors, working together to make a colorful design and make me proud of their teamwork. We spent all the morning working on the paint job, but the final result was amazing, even for my current skills.

I packed my things and equipped my saddlebags. “Well, I’m leaving for now. I’ll come back tomorrow to finish the other carriages.”

“Alright then. And before I forget, here’s your payment for today.” She passed me a small bag full of bits, which I gladly took. “Have a good time.”

“Thanks, I will.” I left the workshop with a smile on my face and headed towards the fields outside of Ponyville and searched for a good spot in the middle of the green sea of grass, flowers and trees.

I laid down on the ground and focused my attention towards the blue sky, watching the clouds going by as I waited for her arrival, which usually happened around this time of the day. My view was suddenly blocked by the face of a pink pony appearing so suddenly that I almost died from a heart attack.

“Hi, Brownie! What are you doing here? Are you taking a break from your work? Or maybe you’re waiting for somepony? Oh, oh, can I wait too? Is somepony I know?” Ah, Pinkie Pie. You’re such a motor mouth.

“Yeah, I’m waiting for somepony.” As soon as I finished talking, a rainbow blur passed by, dashing through the sky. “Look, there she goes!”
Pinkie Pie quickly copied me, lying on the grass beside me. “Oh, oh, and what are we going to do? Are we going to watch her as she flies? Or maybe it’s a competition to see who lasts more time without doing anything?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I love to see how she flies through the sky. Her tricks, acrobatics, speed… It’s just so great that I could stay here my entire life watching her as she rides the wind.”

“I know, right? She’s so fast and cool and amazing, and...!” I stopped listening to her, focusing all my attention towards the rainbow-maned pegasus as she performed her tricks, her movements so subtle and smooth that for her, it probably felt as natural as breathing. I envied her for being able to touch the sky with the tips of her wings, able to break free from the bounds of earth and gravity. Rainbow Dash suddenly turned towards our position, falling like a rock before stopping her fall at about three meters up, descending in a slow but magnificent manner.

She smiled warmly at me. “Hello, Brownie. Having a good time?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Pinkie and I were watching your new tricks. They’re amazing!”

She looked at me, confused. “Pinkie Pie? But you’re alone.”

“No, she’s here with…” I turned around, and to my surprise, there was no trace of the pink pony. “But she was here a moment ago. She must have left when I wasn’t looking.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely Pinkie Pie. She appears and disappears at random, so don’t worry about it. So, enjoyed the show, did you?”

“Yeah. It was amazing! I still don’t get why the Wonderbolts haven’t invited you to join their ranks yet.”

“Well, I already went to their academy, but I still need to train a lot for the next year. They ask for very fast and skilled pegasi, you know?”

“I can only imagine. They’re the best team of pegasi in all of Equestria.”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe you could join me for some race training, unless you have something else to do, like the million other times I've asked you.” The tone of her voice announced to me how angry she was at me for not wanting to run with her. After all, I already spent the past two weeks since the race avoiding any kind of physical activity, fearing that I could suffer an asthma attack if I overdid it again. I hadn’t suffered from too many of them, or had many bad ones since I was a kid, but I didn’t want to go through that cycle again.

My brain worked at full capacity, thinking as quickly as I could to come up with an answer. I’ve been declining her for the last two weeks with stupid excuses, and I've finally run out of ideas. About two weeks ago, I told her I had to finish some drawings, and the next day I told her I was going to buy some groceries. The next ones were about feeling ill, feeling tired, buying some comics, cassettes, games, and etceteros. I was backed up against the wall without any more excuses that allowed me to escape this situation; I had wasted all my arrows and the wolf was going to slash me with his claws.

“No, I don’t have anything else to do… I can race with you without any problems.”

Her mood quickly brightened. “Great! I'll wait for you at the place where we started the Running of the Leaves, alright? Don’t be late or I’ll kill you!” She probably didn’t mean it seriously, but I didn’t want to find out.

I made a quick stop at home to leave all my stuff and get my Walkmane to help make the race easier. Looking back at my night table, my inhalerr stared at me, like the pieces of a broken vase, waiting until my mother would find them and scold me; but this time it would be something far worse than getting scolded. I opened the upper drawer and buried it beneath a mountain of comic books that I kept for reading before going to sleep.

I wasn’t ready to meet her, but I couldn’t avoid her anymore. I had to grow a pair and face the consequences.

“I’m royally screwed.”

I made my way towards our meeting place, hoping that maybe she forgot about our meeting, but much to my chagrin, she was waiting for me, eager impatient to start our race. Her mood quickly brightened as soon as she noticed my presence.

“Hey, you finally showed up! For a moment there, I though you’d have some unfinished business with Mecha that wouldn’t allow you to come.” Her voice seemed to have a hint of annoyance, but I had been avoiding her for two straight weeks with lame excuses.

“Alright. So, where’s the finish line? I’m curious about how long will this race last.”

She pointed over the end of the forest. “The finish line will be the same as the last time, when we participated in the Running of the Leaves. Don’t worry, this won’t be a race to see who’s fastest, but more like jogging. You ever tired it?”

I skipped some details and went straight for the shortest answer. “Nope. I’m not a fan of running. How does it work?”

“Well, since it’s you, I'll go easy this time. We’ll run together through the forest at a good rhythm, and then we’ll keep going faster as we go on. Got that?”

I saluted her like in the military. “Ma'am! Yes, Ma'am!”

She chuckled a bit. “Alright then, let’s get started.” She took the lead, running at what I called normal speed, which was probably a snail's pace for her, considering how fast she can run – and I followed her closely, keeping up with her. So far, I was handling this pretty well, but I knew things were going to get very rough very soon.
Rainbow Dash loved to taunt me during the whole race. “Getting tired already? We've barely started!”

“Don’t worry, I’m just warming up!” Of course, I was lying.

The jogging session continued for a while, getting faster and harder with every minute, until I was pushing myself to keep up with her past my natural limit, just like the last time. By this point, I was starting to reach my limit, but I didn’t want to disappoint Rainbow Dash after avoiding her for so much time.

I was enjoying these moments with her, and I finally realized the truth: I was liking her as more than a friend; I liked her more than anypony else I've ever met.. Yes, a slowpoke like me was becoming infatuated with the fastest pony of all of Equestria, as weird as that sounds. I had always searched for someone who would be loyal,- who wouldn’t leave me behind and use me like a puppet, and Rainbow Dash is the greatest mare I could find. Being the bearer of the element of Loyalty was like an official declaration that she would never betray me, but I can’t force myself to tell her the truth.

I’m just a stupid coward.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a race with Rainbow Dash if she didn’t taunt me. “Come on, tortoise! I want to reach the end of this track before the moon rises!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” The goal probably wasn't too far from our position, but I wasn’t sure that I could make it. My lungs felt like a Parasprite was ripping them apart from the inside and my legs hurt, as if a legion of Diamond Dogs were gnawing them.

Her voice called to me, pushing me to finish the race. “Come on, we’re almost there! Don’t give up yet!”

I tried to reply, but words failed to escape from my mouth. Everything was fading away, my legs stopped responding to me, crashing against the ground. All I could hear before losing consciousness was Rainbow Dash desperately calling my name as I slipped into nothingness.

Author's Notes:

Here's the latest chapter. What is going to happen now? Will he tell Rainbow Dash the truth, or maybe run away from Ponyville? Will she find out that he's a cyborg sent from the future to save her and is just faking everything? Stay tuned!

Chapter 6: Unveiling the past

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 6: Unveiling the past

The sound of his body crashing against the ground was familiar to my ears. I remembered all those times I had crashed training, learning new tricks, and such. I quickly realized what had happened. I turned back as fast as I could towards Brownie, who was now lying unconscious on the middle of the way. This idiot had pushed his limits too far again. I would have stopped if he had asked me…

I shook his body, trying to wake him up. “Brownie? Are you alright? Brownie?” He didn’t reply, but he was panting and sweating a lot, as if he were in pain. I tried to wake him up, but it didn’t work like it had last time. His condition was much worse than the first time he had fainted. Dammit, I have to find help! But I can’t leave him alone… What can I do?”

I looked around in search of anypony who could help me. Then as if Princess Celestia were watching out for me, Fluttershy appeared from between these two bushes, probably after moving a family of ducks or something like that.

I called out to her. “Fluttershy! Thank Celestia you’re here!”

Fluttershy looked startled, but her fear quickly faded as soon as she saw me. “Oh hello, Rainbow Dash. Are you taking a stroll?”

“Does it looks like I’m having a walk in the park? Brownie’s unconscious and I think he’s even going through a worse pain than last time!”

Her pupils quickly shrank, filled with fear. “Fever? Oh no! What are we going to do?”

“First of all, we need to get him home. Then we’ll call a doctor to take a look at him.”

Fluttershy timidly nodded. “O-okay.”

With her help, we carried Brownie back to his house. Fortunately, the keys were inside his pocket. I probably owe Rarity an apology from that time I told her that clothes were useless. After leaving him lying on his bed, I left him under Fluttershy’s care until I could fetch a doctor. Fortunately, it didn’t take me too long before I came back with help. I could only watch as the doctor examined him, still unconscious and oblivious from the danger he went through; I was trembling so much I felt like one of Pinkie Pie’s pastries.

The old unicorn had a grey color palette, a big white beard and a white medic coat covering his Cutie Mark I had the feeling that I had already seen him in the hospital that time I had broken my wing, but that wasn’t important right now. There were more important things at stake.

I succumbed to the urge to ask. “What’s the diagnosis, doctor Zaius? Is he going to be alright?”

The old doctor adjusted his thick glasses. “Don’t worry, lady. The poor guy only has a fever. He probably didn’t notice with all the running around and that caused him to faint. Do you know of any other illnesses?”

“Well, he was suffering from mucus buildup in his lungs not too long ago. About a week ago, it finally stopped, but he said that there was probably enough stored in his lungs to drown Ponyville.”

The old doctor caressed his beard with his hoof. “I see. From what you told me, he probably got a small infection because of the mucus, and that caused the fever. Fortunately, it’s nothing grave, but he will need to stay in bed for a few days until he’s completely healed.” A small notepad appeared, floating from his pocket along with a pen. He scribbled something on one of the pages before handing it to me. “This prescription for steroids should prevent relapse. Also, get some Ibuprofen to reduce the pain and help him to lower the fever. His life isn’t in danger, but better safe than sorry.”

I breathed a massive internal sigh of relief. “Thanks, doctor. I’ll take care of him.”

After that, I asked Fluttershy to fetch the medicines while I watched over Brownie, fearing the worst if he were left alone. He looks so cute when he’s sleeping, and... Wait, did I seriously just think that? What the buck is wrong with me? He’s my friend, sleeping in his bed, and looking so cute and adorable. Just like a big bear plushie…

Fluttershy’s voice released me from my trance. “Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

That was a silly question. “I’m not the one stuck in bed, Fluttershy.”

She was carrying the bag of medicines in her mouth, placing them on the night table. “Did he wake up yet?”

“See for yourself. I bet his second name is ‘The snoring beauty’, or something like that.”

I could see her trying to hide her chuckle using her hoof. “Do you need help with anything else?”

“No thanks, Fluttershy, I got this. You can go; your animals need you more than me.” Did she really think I wouldn’t be able to take care of this?

She seemed to doubt, but finally agreed with me. “Uhm, alright. I’ll leave you two alone, if that’s okay…”

She disappeared around the corner, probably heading back home. But why did she have to say “I’ll leave you two alone”? That sounds wrong, as if we’re going to start bucking as soon as he wakes up. But why in Tartarus am I doing this? Loyalty is my thing, but come on! It's not like he really needs my help, but the way he laughs and looks at me, it's just so cool… My thoughts were interrupted as soon as Brownie opened his eyes, looking around his room, confused and disoriented.

Brownie tried to open his eyes, barely managing to raise them. “What happened? Where am I? What did I do? Who did I do?” He turned his head, fixing his eyes on me. His voice was so soft as he whispered, “Dashie?”

Though flattered, I felt the need to correct him. “It’s Rainbow Dash for you, Brownie. Don’t go calling me that.”

He stretched a weak smile. “Sorry. So, what am I doing here? I thought we were having a race.”

The poor guy didn’t seem to remember anything of what happened yesterday. It was time for an explanation. “Yes. I called a doctor, and he said you had a fever; probably caused by an infection from that mucus in your lungs. I asked Fluttershy to get some medicine as I stayed here, just in case.” I bet he’s thinking I’m too paranoid. I read the pill bottles and give him the appropriate dosages. “Take these. They’ll help you feel better.”

He extended his right hoof towards me. “Thanks, Rainbow. You’re a great friend,” he says, swallowing them dry.

I was reluctant to give him my hoof, but after all, he’s my friend. There’s nothing wrong with shaking hooves, right? “Don’t worry. That’s what friends are for, right?”

I touched his hoof, now hot because of his fever, but it felt nice. So soft and… What the buck am I thinking?! Quick, think of something else! Like… Start a new conversation! Yeah, do it! “Well, I…” I looked around, trying to start a new thread of conversation before setting my eyes on a portfolio, which I quickly recognized as the one he used when he sketched my portrait. “Is that your portfolio?”

He looked towards the portfolio. “Yeah. That’s where I store my old drawings. Most of them are things I drew for myself when I was bored and training to be a good artist. The oldest ones are stored in different portfolios because they were threatening to burst it open.”

Yeah, this works! Keep going. “Do you mind if I take a look? If that’s okay with you, of course.” Great, now I’m turning into Fluttershy.

He ruffled his mane with a mixture of pride and sheepishness. “Yeah, don’t worry. It’s not like I have any mature stuff hiding inside. You can look if you want.” Now that’s a suspiciously specific denial, but he’s a guy. Twilight once told me that stallions show interest in porn and similar stuff, but it’s not like he would be as stupid as to leave it in front of everypony.

I took the portfolio and glanced inside, flipping through the drawings and sketches, taking my time to admire them. Brownie had stored a collection of countless different things – landscapes, characters, objects, designs… What surprised me the most was finding out there was a section filled with drawings of myself, all of them from a lower point of view and representing me as I soared through the skies. I recognized every one of his drawings from the times he had watched me as a spectator, but he had never brought his drawing tools with him on any of those occasions.

I brought the portfolio towards the bed so he could see them better. “Brownie? I know it’s a weird question, but, did you make these ones from memory?”

He examined them for a moment before focusing back on me. “Yeah. You were so fast that it would have been impossible to get a good reference.” I was flattered.

“Really? Wow, that’s impressive! But why didn’t you show them to me earlier?”

His face quickly turned as red as a tomato. “Well, I was waiting for the perfect chance, like your birthday party. I forgot I had placed them with the rest of my works…

Dammit! I had blown his chance for a birthday gift. Why did I have to be so curious? “Hey, don’t worry about that. Even though it won’t be a surprise, this will make for a great gift.” Now that was stupid.

“Thanks, but don’t worry about it. I’ll just work on a better gift. And this time, I’ll make sure to hide it better.” He chuckled a bit before coughing so hard that I thought he would spit out his lungs. “Sorry, it’s the damned mucus.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about his drawings and anything he could tell me about them, like the date, location and anything else he could remember. Before we realized it, it was already the dead of night and his condition didn’t seem to be improving, but getting worse.

He tried to convince to go home and leave him alone. “You don’t need to take care of me like this, Rainbow Dash. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Nonsense! What if the moment I leave through that door, you get a heart attack?”

He raised an eyebrow so high it almost flew off his face. “I have a fever, not a coronary problem.”

“Yeah, but you never know.” Curse you, Twilight. You and your medicine books have made me paranoid of even a slight headache!

He sighed before closing his eyes, ready to sleep. “Alright, you can do as you please. I’m too tired and apathetic to argue with you right now.”

Rainbow 1, Brownie 0. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch. If you need something, just call me.”

He quickly made a joke about the situation. “The couch? Why? Are you afraid of me?”

I almost burst out laughing. “HAH! What? Of course not!” Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Let’s fight fire with fire. “Why, you want some company?” I’d totally be down with that. Hey, I’m a mare with needs and I like the guy.

He quickly grinned. “Maybe. Or maybe not. Who knows?”

He’s not getting it. “I bet you get a lot of mares with those comments.” As much as I wanted to continue this conversation, I was too tired to keep it going for the entire night. Well, I could make an exception for certain activities…

I accommodated myself on his couch, trying to get some rest, but I couldn’t stop wondering why I was working so hard to take care of him. After all, he’s a year older than me, and he can take care of himself. But at the same time, he looks so fragile, and in need of somepony who can be there for him. I was quickly overwhelmed by Luna’s influence and pulled into the valley of dreams, silencing all my thoughts and worries.

The next day, I was the first one to wake up at around eleven A.M., with Brownie still snoring in his bed. I had the urge to go and wake him up, but I decided otherwise. The poor guy ought to rest a little more. I took this chance to read some books from his Daring Do collection to pass time. I had already read all of them, but I wasn’t going to bother him or leave him by himself. By the time he finally woke up, it was already lunch and he had a craving for apples.

The way he devoured the apple remembered me of Fluttershy, -- so slow and cautious. I asked him, “So, how are you feeling? Better?”

He looked up from his apple. “A bit, I suppose.” He sounded pretty out of it. He took a big gulp of water before resuming our conversation. “Sorry, I’m the kind of guy who wouldn’t notice if a timberwolf was biting his leg.”

“Let’s check on the thermometer, just to be sure.” He placed the thermometer in his mouth, and after a short wait, we looked at the result. “100ºF. Well, looks like your fever has gone down a bit.”

He wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Finally, good news.”

I felt sorry for him. Since I was probably the best friend he had in Ponyville, I knew he talked with the others and all that, but right now, I’m the only one who can take care of him, like his personal nurse… No, take that back, take that back! I’m not a nurse! And that didn’t sound totally fantasy-related! Quick, start a new conversation! “You know, it’s a bit weird to ask you this, but… Can you tell me something about yourself? I mean, all I know is that you come from Hollow Shades and that your family consists of your parents and two younger twin sisters. What about your childhood and your hometown?”

He stared back at me as if I had struck a nerve there. I was expecting an excuse or something similar, but he only sighed. “Sorry, I should have talked earlier about this, but it never crossed my mind. Besides, I barely know you either, so I’d say this is considered a tie.”

He got me there. “Alright, we’ll get to know each other better. I’ll tell you about myself, but you go first.”

He weighed these in his head before nodding. “Sounds good to me. But no backing out!” Brownie exclaimed, pointing me overdramatically. He chuckled a bit before resuming our conversation. The brown stallion made himself comfortable on his bed, now assuming a sitting position so he could face me better. He began, “You know anything about Hollow Shades?”

I tried my best to show off my limited knowledge. “Well, my geography is a bit rusty. All I know is that the village is located deep in a giant forest, surrounded by massive trees.” He seemed to agree silently. “The reason behind that name is because the trees’ leaves shroud the entire place in darkness like a giant curtain of leaves and wood. That’s all I can remember.” This must be the only time Twilight helped me learn something useful.

He smiled, probably pleased that I knew something about his hometown. “Yeah, that’s right. Not a lot of ponies know this, but Hollow Shades runs like it’s still in the Middle Ages. We have a castle in the middle of the village with a great wall that divides the nobles from the ‘peasants’, as they call us.” There was a degrading tone when he said peasants. He probably got called that a lot. “The nobility is mostly unicorns. They have parties every day and night as their subjects work on the fields and whatever their talents dictate.” His teeth clenched so hard I thought they would break like a porcelain vase.

I felt like I should try to calm him down. Placing my hoof on his shoulder, I gave my best try at giving him a warm smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know there were still places like that in Equestria, but you’re in Ponyville, now. ” A part of me wanted to give him a hug, but the other part was against it, finally winning the battle.

He snorted derisively, “Yeah, well, In Hollow Shades, our government didn’t evolve too much.” He paused to clear his throat before he resumed his explanation. “They demand tribute each month, and anypony who doesn’t pay will be left out in case of an attack by the forest creatures. I never saw it happen, but the newspaper always mention somepony who was transferred to the hospital during an attack because they didn’t pay the tribute.” He took a small pause, rubbing his neck before resuming his conversation. “And on top of that, most of the villagers are forced to work inside the walls, only allowed to leave on weekends. My father was forced to work there for years until they replaced him by someone younger and stronger. That’s what they always do. You toil like a mule for thirty years, then you die.” His hooves were shaking.

This was like something out of the old times before the three tribes started working together. “That’s horrible! Why doesn’t anypony tell Princess Celestia about this?”

He shrugged. “Beats me, but if I had to guess, I’d say that Princess Celestia can’t just go there and change the entire system. She may be our ruler, but I think that something like this will need more than just her orders. It needs time and the will of the people to change”. He trailed off, his ears lowered as he looked away.

I didn’t know what to say. “I see…”

He continued to explain. “Most of the peasant population is made up of earth ponies, but there’s occasionally a unicorn, although never any pegasi. We always have to hire them from nearby towns and cities whenever we need help with the weather, which is always, because we’re right in the middle of a giant forest.”

I tried to change the subject of our conversation. “And what about your childhood?”

His expression turned even sadder and darker than before. Great work, Rainbow Dash. Water pooled in his eyes. “Well, it wasn’t a pleasant experience… All the fillies always made fun of my name, and I was a constant target of bullying. I had very few friends. They only using me to get at my stuff or buy them things they wanted.” His saddened expression worsened, now holding his left leg, rubbing his hoof as if there was an invisible injury he was trying to heal. I really struck a nerve there. “It took me a very long time, but I finally made some real friends after I got my Cutie Mark.” This time, a little smile appeared on his face as his ears rose again. “I started to make drawings for money, and when I had earned enough, I decided to move to a better place. This is more or less my story.”

My curiosity got the better of me. “You’ve been wearing those clothes since we first met and I’ve always wondered what your Cutie Mark looks like., among other things…”

Brownie ruffled his hair and laughed nervously, “Oh, that? Yeah, well, I always used clothes since I was a foal to hide my blank flank, but when I finally earned my cutie mark, I couldn’t shake off the habit.”

He took off his pants slowly. He started by unbuttoning his jeans, and then slowly unzipped them before standing up to allow me a better view of his flank. I had expected an artist’s palette, but instead all I found was a pencil drawing a stick figure of a pony in a blank sheet of paper. But at least he’s got a nice plot. Wait, did I really think that? It’s not that I was having these thoughts, so much as the fact that they hadn’t started until pretty recently. Normally, I know from the start whether or not I dig a stallion, and I go from there. I suppressed an internal groan, although I’m certain that it came out in my tone the next time I opened my mouth.

I had to say something quick. “Interesting…” Yeah, nice work there. There’s no way he didn’t notice me practically ogling him.

“Is not what you expected, I presume?” he replied as he dressed up again before wrapping himself under the bed sheet. He got me there.

“It was cooler when it was a mystery.”

Oblivious as ever, he replied, “Yeah, I know what you mean. I remember that Pinkie Pie asked me if I was hiding scars under my clothes.”

“That’s Pinkie Pie for you.” For a moment there, I saw him covered in scars, like a protagonist of one of those action novels. I tried to imagined him wearing a military uniform. He didn’t belong in an Afghneighnka; the image just didn’t fit. I stifled the urge to laugh.

The brown stallion shifted around on his bed, trying to find a comfortable posture. “Well, that’s more or less the story of my life. Now it’s your turn to tell me about your life” He smiled back at me, and I don’t know why or how, but it felt different, like if he had managed to get rid of a great burden. I had the urge to hug him and never let him go, but I quickly dismissed that idea.

I began to relay my own tale. After all, he had told me everything about him, I had promised to tell him my story if he told me his. “I was born In Cloudsdale, you know, the floating city, and as you can guess by the name and the fact that’s made of clouds, the only habitants are pegasi. I wasn’t picked on very much, but when I was an older foal, I was made fun by a group of bullies who made fun of my name and color palette, calling me a lesbian and other things because I always acted like a tomboy.” He listened to me, paying attention to every word I said. “One day I raced against those bullies to show them a lesson, and in the process not only did I discover my passion for speed, but I earned my Cutie Mark and created a Sonic Rainboom that incidentally earned my friends’ Cutie Marks, too.”

His eyes quickly widened as soon as I finished my story. “Wow, that’s amazing! So young and you found your talent!” His expression quickly changed at the same time his face blushed. “I didn’t find mine until I was thirteen or so...” He gradually dropped to a whisper by the end.

I tried to cheer him up a bit. “Don’t worry. Applejack was the last one of her class to get her Cutie Mark, you know?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I know there are a lot of ponies who take a long time to find their talent, but I don’t really care about that. My mother always said that good things are worth waiting for.”

I was glad that he was smiling again, so I continued my story. “Well, I’m the fastest pony in Equestria, after all. I’m surprised I wasn’t born with a cutie mark. After that, my parents helped me to focus on my talent.”

He politely interrupted me. “Your parents? Can you tell me a bit more about them?”

“Yes, of course. My parents are both pegasi, still residing in Cloudsdale. My mother’s name is Firefly, a pink pegasus with a blue mane. Her cutie mark is a big blue lightning bolt and is currently working in the weather factory in the lightning and thunder department.”

He asked me another question. “Is that why you have a job with the weather patrol?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it was all her idea. She said that I had to work on something until I join the Wonderbolts, and since I didn’t have any better plans, I got this job. My father, Spectrum Floyd, has a rainbow mane and a gray blue coat.” His confused expression revealed to me what he was thinking. “And yeah, I inherited my rainbow mane from him. It’s a rare trait from his family line.”

He grinned a bit. “I bet your father and I would get along well.”

“Yeah, I can see you two drinking cider and talking about my embarrassing moments.” This spurted a small giggle from both of us. “They brought me to see one of the Wonderbolts acrobatic shows. Since that day, I’ve been training as hard as I can to join them, and I finally managed to enter their training academy. You already know the rest of my life, about discovering my role as the element of loyalty, saving Equestria, making friends, and all those things. I hope I didn’t miss anything.”

He smiled. “Well, now we have something in common. We had bullies harassing us and making fun of our names. My childhood was a living hell, but yours wasn’t easy either.”

The atmosphere was depressing again. What did I tell you about spelling things out? “Yes. But that’s part of the past, and you left everything behind. Try to cheer up a bit.”

“Don’t worry; I stopped doing that a long time ago.” There was a beat. “That reminds me… Could you tell Mecha that I will be absent for a while? We have to finish painting a few carriages, and right now I don’t feel like I have enough strength to even lift a brush.”

Urgh, I have to go and tell Mecha that her ‘coltfriend’ won’t be able to work because he’s ill? “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll get to it right away.”

He held up a hoof to stop me. “You don’t have to do this right now. It can wait until tomorrow. She’s probably home sleeping.” Wait? It’s night already? Damn, time flies with this colt. I smiled and told him that I’d get to it later. He smiled back at me. “Thanks. I owe you a big one for this.” He yawned.

“Tired?” He nodded, tucking himself in between the sheets. To be honest, that bed was starting to look pretty good to me, too. It’s been a long day. I had to tease him again. “Are you sure you don’t want company, tonight?” I asked him in my most sultry tone.

He considered my offer for a moment. “Nah, I’m good.” And not even a bit of flush. He’s no fun!

I stand up to leave. I lean on the door and turn to face him one last time “Well night, Brownie.”

“Night, Dashie.”

“Hey!” My anger was cut short by the musical sound of his laughter. I turn off the lights and leave him. I really ought to – never mind. I need to figure out what’s up with me. I normally don’t act like this. I lay on the sofa just like last night. Mercifully, sleep came easily.

I woke up in the early morning. A bloody glow was just spilling over the horizon, so it might’ve been just before dawn. I felt awake, energized- alive. All of me felt that way, all of me. Damn, a few days spent caring for somepony else can really make you neglect your needs. That reminded me, he’s got needs too… I smirked as I climbed up the stairs and walked down to Brownie’s bedroom. I saw a dim light shining from under the slightly ajar door as I came near. I stopped just short of the threshold.

I heard a muffled but distinct clopping sound. I cracked the door and looked in. Brownie was bent over, concentrating on something. Should I? Hell yeah! I flourish open the door. He jumps. Folding something in his lap, he snaps round to face me with something in his hoover.

“R-Rainbow Dash! W-w-what are you doing here?” There’s a noticeable tent in the bedsheets. He’s doing a bad job of hiding it, but I pretend not to notice.

I flash him a smile. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

He was blushing furiously. “Then could you please go?”

“Well actually, I’ve got a problem you can help me with Brownie.”

He sits at attention. “What is it?”

I flash him another smile and lie down on the bed, giving him a perfect view of everything. He started blushing redder than ever. He’s dumbstruck by the hotness that it me. I tease with the sweetest voice I can muster. “Draw me like one of your French mares.”

“Okay, just let me grab my tools,” he stutters, standing up. I only intend for him to need one tool for this. I grab him by the hoof. Then I push him onto his back. I look down and grin, pleased by his body’s reaction. I’m going to enjoy this a lot. Sweet contact.

I wake up. What the buck did I just dream? And why? Ugh! “I really need to get laid." I wouldn't mind doing it with Brownie, but he'd never go through with it. Besides, if he wants that, then it’s his duty to come to me. I took a shower. The initial blast of cold eased my heat, but it soon warmed up, helping me to relax and freshen up after spending two days watching over him. During the shower, the warm water refreshed my body and swept away dirt and stress I didn’t even know I’d gotten from the last two days. I also thought about my dream. So I know what I like and I’m aggressive at getting what I want, but that so was not me. For starters, “Draw me like one of your French mares.” How cheesy can you get? Secondly, there are two kinds of stallions, stallions I’ll befriend and stallions I’ll buck. The two should never cross and for good reasons! I dry myself off and go get breakfast. Afterwards, I brought him an apple.

To my surprise, Brownie was already awake and sitting up in the middle of the bed with a comic book in his hooves. I tossed him the apple and he dug into it enthusiastically, thanking me for it. “It’s cool,” I said, batting at his words with my hoof. I thought back on last night’s dream. There’s no doubt about it: I like him. I wondered if he likes me. I have to know. I watched him the whole time. He seemed at ease around me, or at least I didn’t scare him. I sat next to him on the edge of the bed. Brownie immediately got flustered. Damn, that’s cute. I scooted closer to him, looking for a reaction.

When we touched, he blinked and stared at me. That didn’t prove anything besides the fact that he can feel. I moved my hoof onto his. He tentatively held it for a few seconds before pulling his away, obviously confused. “Rainbow, what are you doing?” He inquired with a blush and a tremor. Okay, there’s real naïve, where a guy doesn’t understand, and then there’s sorta naïve, where a guy’s got an idea, but he doesn’t know what to do. Brownie was definitely the second. I just had to know if I was too sexy for him, or if he really didn’t know what to do.

“I was hoping you’d show me a good time,” I tease, reclining against him, giving him a good look down my front and placing his hooves on me. Once went just below my chest and the other one was right by my plot. I relaxed my grip and snuggled against him. His touch felt nice and relaxing. He didn’t enjoy this as much as me; he was all stiff and still, like he was scared of doing something bad. “Y’know, you can touch me.” Brownie relaxed a little bit, but he still stayed stiff. He didn’t feel me up or anything like that.

We kinda cuddled for a while, but he eventually spoke up. “Uh, Rainbow, are you just going to lie on me? I mean, it’s nice and all, but it’s making me uncomfortable.” He ruffled his mane, shifting awkwardly, trying to avoid my plot. At least he was enjoying it, that’s what his body was telling me. Just as I thought, he’s into me but doesn’t know what to do with mares because he’s probably never had one before. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be somepony’s first.

We played videogames at first. We had to do a cooperative one because I’m not too good at them and I hate losing. The next several hours were a lot of fun. We has just beaten a tough midlevel boss when he said, “Please don’t forget to go talk to mecha. Now’s the best time.” I got the implication.

I could feel a smile spreading across my face. “Oh, don’t worry. That’s what friends are for. Where’s the garage?”

“It’s in Rusty Gear street twelve. Do you need any directions?”

“Don’t worry, I know Ponyville like the sole of my hoof.”

I left his house, heading straight for the garage. I didn’t enjoy the idea of talking with her, since most of the times he couldn’t race with me he always told me he had work to do. Yeah, right. I bet they were dating instead of doing their job, and that’s really why he’d been avoided me for the past two weeks.

I wasn’t too familiar with this mare and her garage since I never stopped by, but I recognized it as soon as I got close. The place was very dirty, with all kind of tools scattered everywhere. Obviously, their work didn’t cover cleaning. A few carriages were resting inside, but only one of them had its paint job finished. I quickly recognized the design as one of Brownie’s works; his style was as distinct as his Cutie Mark. I felt like visiting a museum, now admiring the latest work of a famous artist.

The green and grey mare with the blue jumpsuit quickly noticed my presence and rolled out from underneath a carriage, greeting me. “Hello. Can I help you?”

Yeah, don’t act like as if you never did anything wrong. “Do I look like I have a carriage? I only came to tell you that Brownie won’t be able to work tomorrow.”

Her cheerful smile quickly faded away. “Brownie? Is he alright?” I didn’t feel like chatting with this mare.

“Your coltfriend has a fever and will have to stay home for a few days. He asked me to give you this message.”

This caught her off-guard. “Wait, what? Coltfriend?” She first stuttered and then lauched, “I think you got something wrong here. He’s not my coltfriend! Besides, I already have a marefriend.”

Alright, now I royally screwed up everything. “Marefriend? So you’re lesbian?”

“Bisexual, but I’m more interested in mares,” she replied, gesturing with her hoof. I’ve tried it; it’s okay. I’ll pass. “But what led you to think we’re a couple?”

“Well, I…” She got me there. “These past two weeks, whenever I asked him to race with me, most of the time he said something along the lines of ‘I have to work at the garage’, and given all the time he was spending here… Well, I mistook you two for a couple.”

She shook her head vigorously and raised her voice. “Working with me? He only appeared a few times. I only ask his help when there’s a paint job, or when a client asks for a drawing or design for their carriage. I don’t have a big demand, so I usually ask for his help one day, and the next one he can have a day off.”

I was dumbstruck. “So he lied to me? But why?”

“I don’t know, but you should ask him yourself. Besides, why do you care so much about him? From what you said, you two are friends, but it seems like you think of him as being more than a friend.”

My face quickly turned red. “What are you talking about? Are you saying that I have feelings for him?” Shut up, heart!

“If you don't have feelings for him, then why are you getting so defensive? And why are you acting jealous at the idea of him being with me? You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't have feelings for him. Admit it, you like him." I didn’t know then that Mecha liked messing with heads. I was the only one taking any of this at all seriously.

I was starting to feel embarrassed. “I-I don’t like him! He’s just my friend!”

“Look, I’m not the one you should talk to. You should go and discuss it with him. And while you’re at it, tell him that he can come back when he starts feeling better.”

I didn’t like to admit it, but she was right. I would gain nothing from discussing with her whether or not I feel something about Brownie. But what if she was right? After all, he’s the first stallion whom I can talk with, since Big Mac doesn’t say too much and I don’t know any others. He’s cool and funny and likes to read Daring Do, and that portrait he did for me was amazing! He’s just a good friend… Right?

My thoughts disappeared as soon as somepony called me. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!”

To my surprise, it was no other pony than my number one fan. “Hey, Squirt. Having another crusade to find a cutie mark?”

“Yes. I was going to the arcade, to see if I can find my game master. He’s the best player I’ve never seen in Ponyville.”

I chuckled. “Oh, really? I bet he wouldn’t be able to beat me.”

“Well, of course, you would win, but he’s amazing! He managed to beat Metal Bug with only three bits! I can’t even reach the third level without inserting seven coins.”

“Three bits?” That sounded very familiar. “I have a friend named Brownie who managed to do that same feat because he memorized most of the enemies’ positions’.”

Her small ears perked up as soon as I mentioned his name. “Brownie? Yeah, that’s him! He’s been coming to the arcade these last two weeks, teaching me tricks and how to become a better player!”

“These last two weeks?” It couldn’t be a coincidence, and I knew exactly what to ask. “Did he always appear every afternoon? As in the last two weeks?”

She quickly nodded. “Yeah. He said that he likes to play videogames on his free time. Why do you ask?”

So he had been avoiding me to go play videogames with Scootaloo. Well, at least now I know where he went during those escapades. But why did he do that? Why was he trying to avoid me? Or maybe he’s just obsessed with videogames? Either way, I had to tell the truth to Scootaloo, so she wouldn’t waste the whole day waiting for him at the arcade.

“I’m sorry, but Brownie’s sick in bed. The poor guy has a fever and won’t be able to play with you for a few days until he gets better. But I’ll tell him that you’re waiting for him, alright?”

The poor filly didn’t take my news well. “That stinks.” Her mood quickly changed. “Well, thanks for telling me, Rainbow Dash. You’re the greatest!” She suddenly hugged me before speeding off through the streets.

After a short flight, I was back with Brownie, ready to find out the truth. It was hard to not just storm up there and beat it out of him. I approached with a plainly false smile. “Feeling better?”

He smiled back at me. “Yeah, a bit. Thanks for taking care of me.” Yeah, smile while you can, liar.

“Don’t worry. That’s what friends are for, remember? I already told Mecha that you would be absent for a few days from your work. Oh, and guess what? She told me that you didn’t spend the last two weeks working on stuff at her garage during the afternoon.” His expression told me everything. Gotcha! “And then I met Scootaloo, who told me that she played you in the arcade during the same time you were supposed to be working.”

He tried to talk. “Rainbow, I…”

I shot my hoof past him and against the wall. I looked him in the eyes. He saw my fury. “No excuses! Why did you lie to me? Were you trying to avoid me? Tell me!”

Brownie shrank surprisingly like Fluttershy. He diaverted his eyes, not daring to look at me, like a colt that had been caught by his mother after breaking something. He sighed before coming up with a reply. “I’m sorry. It’s just that… I didn’t have the guts to tell you the truth, but I didn’t want to lie, so I avoided that subject of conversation.”

“You avoided what? What else are you hiding? Did you lie about your past, too? About your hometown and your family?” I knew that I should’ve probably been more tactful, but I was too furious to care.

Silence invaded the room, observing every one of our movements and reactions. Brownie was as immobile as a statue; his chest moving so slowly it also seemed as if he wasn’t breathing. He slowly opened the top drawer of his night table, revealing a collection of comic books lying inside before searching through the bottom, stopping only to extract a small plastic device.

He was the first to break the silence. “This is what I’ve been hiding from you… Do you know what is this used for?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I think I’ve seen one of these before, but I’m not sure. Don’t tell me that you’re taking drugs.”

“This thing is an inhaler. It’s for people with breathing problems. Or to put it simply, I’m an asthmatic.” He allowed the inhaler to rest beside him, avoiding any visual contact with me. I could feel his embarrassment and sorrow, and I hoped he felt my hurt and sense of betrayal.

I didn’t understand it. “But why didn’t you tell me about your asthma? I mean, what’s wrong with having an illness?”

He could only squeak pitifully. I expected him to hide under his bed or something similar. “I… I was afraid that you would reject me” Operation: Open Mouth Insert Foot has been accomplished.

The hey? “Reject you? For being an asthmatic?! What made you think I’d do something like that?” I’m Rainbow Dash! I AM loyalty!

He took a few seconds to think of his next excuse. “Ever since I was a colt, my parents never allowed me to play and run like other foals because they were afraid that I would suffer an asthma attack. My condition improved when I grew older, but it left me with low stamina and endurance; that means that I’m a slow runner and that I can’t run for more than a few minutes before getting exhausted. That’s why I fainted during the Running of the Leaves.” Wait – that wasn’t an excuse!

I suddenly exclaimed “Hello? I’m the element of LOYALTY! Why didn’t you talk about this before?” He tried hide again.

“I didn’t tell you anything because I know how much you love to run and compete with your friends. I feared the day where you found out my secret and reject me because of my condition. I know how much you love to run, and having asthma doesn’t allow me to run like other ponies.” Small crystal tears started to leak from his eyes, splashing against his cheek. He sniffled, “I did it because I like you…”

His declaration was unexpected for me. I would have never imagined that he had asthma, although it wasn’t hard to tell that that he had a crush on me. I should have noticed that something was wrong with him earlier. I stopped shouting. I lectured him coldly, as if I didn’t even care. “I’m not angry at you because of your asthma. What I really hate is that you lied to me instead of telling me the truth. You could have killed yourself because you were willing to risk your life rather than confessing that you shouldn’t go too far. I’ve never lied to you. Why couldn’t you do the same for me?”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I only wanted to be your friend! I always wanted to find somepony who would stay at my side, who wouldn’t betray me…” He turned his head back at me, tears filling his eyes. “That somepony was you. But all I did was screw everything up.”

“Yes, you really screwed everything up, Brownie… You really did. I need some time alone to think about this…”

I had the urge to slap him- to hit him as hard as I could, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t violent. I closed the door, leaving him and his confessions behind before heading back home to organize my feelings and thoughts about everything he had confessed to me. This was going to take a while.

Author's Notes:

And here's the latest chapter, now with more erotic fantasies and other stuff we had to take out because it wasn't suitable for our readers. Leave a comment below, folks!

Chapter 7: Of musicals, depression and artist block

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 7: Of musicals, depression and artist block

“Looks like yesterday was just a nightmare,” I said to myself.

Small droplets of water clashed against my windows, like a symphony played by the clouds above me. The blankets were wrapped around my body like a changeling trapping his prey inside a cocoon, but I managed get out of bed. My still head hurt as if Pinkie Pie had shot me with her party cannon, but the pain had subdued since yesterday.

“Rainbow, Are you still there? Rainbow?” The house was shrouded in silence, only defeated by the echo of my voice resounding through the hallways. Did yesterday really happen, or was it a nightmare induced by the fever?

“Did you call me?” She replied as she entered my bedroom. I felt relaxed to see that everything was still alright. “I was looking for lunch, but your fridge is empty. I think you should go and buy groceries later.”

“Yeah, I should go already. After all, you took care of me for two straight days.”

She looked at me, dumbfounded. “Are you alright? I’ve been taking care of you for three days already.”

“Three days? But, I…” I suddenly started to feel tired and heavy, forced to rest my head against the pillow. I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again, finding myself alone in my own house.

I was confused and still a bit dizzy, so I opted to read one of my comics. I turned my attention towards my night table. The inhaler lying on top of the furniture flipped a switch inside my brain, and the memories of what happened yesterday quickly flashed in front of my eyes like a slideshow. She left me because I had lied to her and put my life at risk. I felt the first twinges of a headache, but it was nothing compared to how my heart was feeling; torn out, broken, reduced to a million pieces, unable to beat... There are countless ways of describing a broken heart, but all of them meant the same thing. I was dead inside, without the will to do anything aside from lying on my bed like a vegetable.

Tears started to flow from my eyes, like a dam opening its doors to get rid of its contents. I cried out to my heart’s content, to the point that even though I didn’t have more tears, I was still sobbing uncontrollably. I opted to stand still like a rock, without moving a muscle until I would wake up from this nightmare. The only problem is that I wasn’t dreaming. I buried my face against the pillow, hoping that I would fall asleep and wake up to find out everything had been a hallucination caused by the fever, a bad dream, or simply anything that could fix this situation. Anything but this reality where I had betrayed somepony who truly cared about me and broken her heart.

My ears perked upon the sound of my front door opening, but I didn’t care. It could be a demon from Tartarus who wanted to deliver me in a silver plate to Hades for what I did, or maybe Rainbow Dash, wanting to finish the job with her own hooves. Either way, I didn’t give a flying feather. The sound of hooves clopping against the floor got closer until they stopped behind me. I could feel a warm breath over my neck, probably to check if I was still alive; I stood still, as if I were still sleeping, hoping it would go away.

A voice coming from a familiar mare yelled into my ear so loud it managed to make my brain bounce inside my head like a football in the middle of an earthquake. “GOOD MORNING, BROWNIE! IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP!”

“Don’t do that!” I yelled back as I fell to the floor loudly enough to be heard all miles away.

The crazy pink pony bounced all over the place, as if something bad would happen if she ever stopped moving. “Hey, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“What do you think? You enter my home, scream into my ear and make me crash against the floor!” I exclaimed as I got back, standing on my four legs. “If you want a drawing, come back another day. I‘m not in the mood for work, talking or anything involved with other living beings; especially other ponies.”

“Well, duh,” she replied with a gesture of her hoof. “I already knew that. That’s why I came to pay you a visit and cheer you up.”

I sighed. “So, I presume you talked with Rainbow Dash?”

Pinkie quickly shook her head. “My Pinkie Sense told me you were having a bad time, so I thought you could use a happy song to cheer you up!” Great, a musical number. Just what I need.

She took my right hoof and quickly dragged me outside. The grey sky hanging above my head leaked their contents against the town below. “Come on, sing with me!” She started her musical number as if I was watching a musical number in Broadbarn and soon started to sing, much to my chagrin. “My name is Pinkie Pie-”

I interrupted her, feeling the urge to start my own. It felt weird at first, since I never did one before and I wasn’t a great singer, but something was bringing me to act this way; to express myself with a song. And I knew what I wanted to sing.

“I'm cold and broken…”

The music started to play, and soon I could feel my body aching for me to start, to let it out already; to give everything and finish this penance.

“It's over. I didn't want to see it come to this. I wonder if I will ever see your face again… And I know that I will find a way to shed my skin. It's simple; I know that I will suffer in the end.” I walked aimlessly, singing to my heart’s desire. “Fast I fade away, it’s almost over.”

Pinkie joined me. “Hold on…“

I continued. “Slow I suffocate, I'm cold and broken. Alone…” Thousands of drops continued falling from the sky, clashing against my body and joining their fallen comrades. “It's hopeless; the end will come and wash it all away. Forsaken, I live for those I lost along the way; and I can't remember how it all began to break. You suffer, I live to fight and die another day.” I looked towards the dark sky as Pinkie Pie silently followed me, probably wondering what she could do to help. “Fast I fade away, it's almost over.”

“Hold on,” she replied.

“Slow I suffocate, I'm cold and broken. Alone…” I started to cry again, hiding my tears between the rain drops. I didn’t really care if Pinkie Pie noticed it, but if she didn’t, she didn’t show any hints. “Fast I fade away, it's almost over”

She stopped me. “Hold on.”

“Slow I suffocate, I'm cold and broken. Alone…” The clouds started to pour its contents with even a greater strength than before. “I'm cold and broken…”

A few thunders echoed in the distance, and although I was all soaked, I felt better than before. My depression was still present, looming over me like a dark shadow trying to suck out the happiness from my body, but his influence was starting to weaken. My wet clothes were pressing against my body, trying to subdue me without any results.

A pink hoof belonging to the crazy mare landed on my shoulder. “That was a nice song. Did anypony ever tell you you’re a good singer?”

A weak smile spread across my face. “Never, but the truth is that I never liked to sing. Everypony laughed at me, so I instead kept my mouth shut whenever there was a musical act. I only trained a few times each week, and only when there was nopony around to hear me.” Why am I telling her my life? It’s not like she cares or anything.

“So, why do you feel so bad? Do you need help?”

I considered for a moment about telling her everything; how I lied to my new friends, my love for Rainbow Dash, that she left after discovering the truth, how I had hurt her… “No, thanks. I can handle this on my own.”
“Oki doki loki! Good luck!” She quickly left me, disappearing through the maze of streets that was Ponyville. Sometimes I wondered if she was crazy or just acted like one to make her friends laugh. In any case, it wasn’t working for me. The streets were almost empty aside of a few ponies running back home to escape from the rain; the countless droplets clashing against my body reminded me that this wasn’t a dream.

I went back home and laid down on my bed again before looking at my clock, telling me it was about three in the afternoon, or so. My stomach grumbled, protesting the lack of food, but I didn’t care; I had lost my appetite and the will to do anything else. I spent what felt like an eternity with my mind blank, trying to push away anything that could make me think of Rainbow Dash, but it didn’t work; her image materialized in front of me, angry and disgusted at my actions. They say that guilt is felt loss of trust. I’m surprised that I’m not being followed by national security agents.

I got out of bed and took a seat at my desktop, trying to find an exit by working on one of the drawings I had left unfinished. I took a pencil and pressed it against the blank paper in front of me. No, that was wrong. I erased the lines. After a few more attempts, I hurled the pencil against the wall and threw myself down on the bed.

Somepony knocking on my door interrupted my thoughts. “Go away. I’m not in the mood for another song, Pinkie Pie.”

“I’m not Pinkie Pie, you Dummkopf,” a voice replied as she entered my bedroom. “What are you doing here? And why are you so wet? Did you take a bath with your clothes on and couldn’t find a towel or what?”

“What are you doing here? The door is locked with a key!” I countered. I didn’t expect her to pay me a visit, and even less to come inside my house without knocking on my door.

“I may work as a mechanic, but I spent a long time building doors and locks, like this one you have installed in your house.” Great, just what I needed, a lecture about how much she knows about machines and anything made of metal. “The one you own is a very bad model; even a filly with a stick could force it open in a matter of seconds. You should try to buy a new one from the Gordian Knots company; they can take the door down, but the lock remains there.”

“Great, I’ll go and replace it as soon as I earn enough money,” I replied. I wasn’t in the mood for talking. “What do you want? I’m a bit busy here, working on all the drawings I owe to my customers. If you want my help for another paint job, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline it until I finish some of my commissions.” I couldn’t come up with a better excuse to get her out of my house.

She ignored me, her attention caught by my bedroom. “So, this is your house? I expected a dirty place with everything scattered and a big mess, just like Discord’s disciple.”

I sighed.“Yeeeaaaah, because the god of Chaos and Disharmony would choose me to be his heir when he gets tired of having fun. Besides, Pinkie Pie would be a better candidate.” Great, now I’m getting sidetracked. “Do you want anything else, or you just wanted to pass by and laugh at my miserable life? I bet Rainbow Dash already told everything to the entire town.”

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “What the buck are you talking about? I came here because Pinkie Pie told me you were depressed, and since she couldn’t find Rainbow Dash, she visited me because I’m your second best friend. Or at least the closest friend you have in a hundred mile radius.”

I didn’t expect that reply. “So, you don’t know why I’m feeling bad, yet you still wanted to help me?”

She flashed a smile at me. “Look, I know our relationship is more that of boss and employee, but I know you’re a good colt, and if there’s something you want to tell me, I’ll listen to you.” Hey, you’re not that much older than me! Or maybe she is? She never told me about her age.

I started to feel relieved, but was still reluctant to tell her everything. “Well, I had a little argument with Rainbow Dash the other day, and she got mad at me. Now she’s angry and doesn’t want to speak with me anymore, but yeah, I can’t blame. After all, I’ve lied to her and everypony I know. Of course, that includes you too.”

I couldn’t quite decipher her expression. “And what did you lie about? Are you one of those transvestites or something? You’re a cyborg sent from the future? You’re her grandchild from an alternate apocalyptic future?”

I smiled weakly. “You wish… I have asthma, and I kept it hidden because I was afraid she would reject me, and everypony knows how much she loves to go full throttle and fly at high speeds. When I told her the truth, she got angry because I lied to her and left.”

“Wait, you have asthma?” That really took her by surprise. “But asthma doesn’t make you slow, nor makes you get tired faster. And it can be cured after a few years.”

A hoof suddenly slammed my berserk button. “That’s what everypony says! And let me tell you, there’s two kind of asthma: normal, and chronic. And right now, mine will last longer than Princess Luna’s banishment to the moon!”

The green pony unplugged her ears. “You didn’t have to yell at me like that.”

I sighed. “Sorry, it’s just that I get tired of listening to the same answers every time I say I have asthma, and after the millionth time it gets a bit frustrating. And the rest of my problems are because my parents never allowed me to run and play like a normal child. I never got to be a kid...”My shoulders dropped.

She took a seat beside me on the bed. “Getting back on track, why don’t you do something other than lie around, lamenting how much your life sucks?” She brushed against my legs, causing heat to rise to my cheeks.

I sighed. “What do you expect me to do? She probably doesn’t want to talk with me, and even if I tried to pursue her, she’s the fastest pony of Equestria! I would never catch her.”

“You know, when she came to tell me you were ill, she acted like your jealous girlfriend. Trust me, I know about that. I think she likes you too, Brownie. You’re a likable guy.”

My ears perked upon hearing those words. “Wait, what? Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious!” she replied, bringing rubbing my arm with her hoof.” Her voice suddenly became almost sultry. “Say, if things with her don’t work out, well, I swing both ways and my marefriend doesn’t mind sharing…”

“¡¿Q-Que?!” I sputtered, in my shock, reverting to my native tongue.

She smiled and looked me in the eyes. “Just remember that you have options, Brownie. Besides, sometimes, things just happen for a reason, and what you didn’t want or expect when you started turns out to all be for the best.” Well, she got me there. “Besides, if you don’t do it, I’ll fire you.”

I had a double take before realizing what she'd said. “Wait, what? Under what legal circumstances?”

The green mare used her magic to take out a scroll of parchment from one of her jumpsuit pockets and showed it to me. “It’s all in the contract. Notice the third paragraph's sixth clause.”

I read aloud the text scribbled on the paper. "Yes, I am your boss and I can fire your plot for any reason, or without a reason. This includes being a moping wimp." She took away the contract, hiding inside her jumpsuit. “Is that even legal?”

“I took it to a lawyer, and he accepted it as a legal contract, so yeah, I can fire you for being such a wimp.” I should probably read the next contract better. “Well, you’re never going to catch her lying here! Now move your plot and get her back, or you’re fired!” For emphasis, she slapped me on mine. What is up with her today? She was playful before, but this time she seemed to take another step further.

“Alright, alright, I got it!” I might have sounded reluctant to get her back, but the truth was that I just didn’t know how to make things right. I would need help, and I knew the best course of action. “Mecha, can you do me a little favor?”

She quickly frowned. “I’m not buying you groceries. But I can help in other ways.” She smirked and pressed against me. I blushed.

“Nah, this time is different. I want you to gather the rest of the mane six at the library for this evening just after sunset. I’ll fix this mess or die trying!”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said proudly as she relinquished her hold on me. I don’t mind her; this is just something that good friends do to each other. We went our separate ways.

As I waited for them at the library, I devised the possible outcomes from this reunion, and prepared a few responses based on what they would say. I had the feeling that just once, something absolutely had to go right today. If it did, it’s just that I didn’t know what I’d do. I couldn’t bear to think about it. And so it was with trepidation that I ate my last meal before stealing over to the library, not knowing what the future held.

The lights were on and I could distinctly make out five voices coming from inside. I stood outside the door, listening to the crickets. It is said that crickets chirp by rubbing their legs against their wings like tiny violins. A million violins playing for me… it wasn’t an unfitting idea. I turned the knob and walked inside with my head held high and my heart low.

Five ponies stood inside. They all turned and looked at me silently. Each step echoed through the room and my heart to magnify its wild beating. At long last, I soon stood at the podium – my scaffold, prepared to address my firing squad.

I desperately tried to recall their names from my welcome party, but my mind was frozen in fear. Their bemused eyes narrowed, the tension only growing thicker. “Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy; friends of Rainbow Dash. Thank you all for coming.” What am I, a condemned nobleman? “I know that I’ve done wrong, and I want to make amends for my mista--”

“Ya lied to Rainbow, pardner,” Applejack replied. “Why would ah help you?”

Rarity wasn’t much better. “How could you hurt her feelings like that?”

“You betrayed her trust and took advantage of her! That’s not funny, sir!” I had never seen Pinkie Pie so angry before. Well, the truth is I had never seen her angry before.

“You should have told the truth from the beginning!” Fluttershy exclaimed before returning to her normal self. “But um, I'm sorry."

Meeting them at the library started to feel like the worst idea of my short life. I tried to excuse myself. “Look, I know that what I did isn’t going to get me the bleeding heart prize of Equestria, but I’m trying to fix my mistake! I want to apologize to her for everything wrong I did, and…” I lowered my head, looking at the floor beneath me, wishing to be swallowed by the earth. “I was afraid she would dump me.” Now that I said it, I only thought, Just how damn childish are you, Brownie?

“Well, now she dumped you because you lied to her,” Applejack replied. “Now why should we help ya?”

Pinkie Pie quickly interceded. “Oh, oh, I know, I know!” She started to bounce all over the place with her hoof raised, as if we were in the middle of a class. “Because he’s really sorry?” I tried to jump on this one piece of flotsam, only to have it sink before I could reach it.

Rarity continued the rant. “Being sorry doesn’t fix anything, Pinkie. Especially after playing with her feelings. No matter what your intentions, you didn’t show her any trust or loyalty. Why should we show any to you?”

Fluttershy peeked out from behind the white unicorn. “She didn’t take it too well. I haven’t seen her so sad in a long time.”

“Ya want to do something right, pardner?” Applejack said, pressing her forehead against me. “Forget her, pack your things and go back to where ya came from. You've done enough damage to her already."

Fluttershy added, “If you were serious about making up, then you’d do it yourself. I’m sorry, but we aren’t your messengers.”

I lifted a hoof and struggled, “But, but…” The words just wouldn’t come. “Who am I kidding? I deserve to be alone...” My executioners walked away as I spent myself on the floor.

A familiar small hand rested on my shoulder, connecting back to a baby dragon’s body. “Hey, don’t have such a long face. Why don’t you ask Twilight for help? I bet she would probably fix this mess in a matter of seconds.”

I pondered that idea for a moment before scrapping it. “Thanks, Spike, but I don’t think that’s a hot idea, either.”

He gazed at me. “Are you sure? I mean, she is the princess of friendship, after all. It’s worth a shot.” I heaved a sigh as I picked myself up.

“Yeah, whatever, Spike. Go send off a letter and pray she doesn’t throw it at the fireplace.” As if Twilight would be any happier and eager to help me than Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy.

The next several days were a living hell for me. Not only did Rainbow Dash avoid me, but the rest of her friends too. Applejack would act as if I wasn’t there every time I visited the market, Pinkie Pie would disappear every time I visited Sugarcube corner, Rarity refused to open the door to Carousel Boutique, and Fluttershy… well, she didn’t really do anything, but her pet rabbit would make sure I didn’t get close to her cottage. My depression got even worse, and I only found refuge in Mecha’s garage, the only place where I was still accepted and wouldn’t stumble across any of them.

One morning I received a note from Spike, telling me that the new Daring Do book had finally arrived. For a moment there, I feared that Rainbow Dash would visit the library too, but such a lazy pony wouldn’t wake up until midday or so. Besides, the library was probably my third safe heaven, besides my home and the garage. I quickly went to the library, making sure to avoid the rest of the girls and any more death glares.

I stepped inside and called out, “Spike? Are you here?” No reply. He probably left to make some errands and forgot to hang a “Back in ten minutes” sign. I opened the book, ready to devour the story written inside when a familiar voice exclaimed something from the front door.

“What are you doing here?!” Rainbow Dash demanded. “I don’t want to see you anymore!” She tried to leave the library, but to our surprise, the door had been locked behind her. The mare stamped her hoof. “What the…? Is this your doing?” She hurtled at me on those wings and hovered about my head like a harpy.

“My what? I didn’t do anything! I only came here because Spike told me he got the last Daring Do book in a note I found in my mail about an hour ago.”

Her eyes widened and her voice lost its brittle growl. “A while ago? No kidding -- I got the same note yesterday, telling me that the book would be here by tomorrow morning.” Her glare evaporated.

Rainbow being too distracted to lash me was a luxury that I’d have to savor at another time. “But then who…?”

We heard clopping behind us, followed almost immediately by a voice familiar to Rainbow Dash but strange to me. “Sorry for deceiving you, but this was the only way to get you two in the same place.” We both focused on the stairs leading to the upper floor as a pony walked down the stairs, wearing a crown and a fancy dress that allowed her wings to move freely. “I should have done this sooner, but being a princess really takes up all my time.”

We exclaimed at the same time with me bowing, “Twilight Sparkle?!”

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry for the delay. My editor was busy with his real life and he couldn't work as much as he wanted on this chapter, but we finally released it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did working on it.

Chapter 8: A day you won’t forget

Edited and revised by kalash93. Thanks for everything, pal!

Chapter 8: A day you won’t forget

We were dumbstruck. Rainbow was the first one to break the silence. “Twilight? What are you doing back in Ponyville? I thought you were in Canterlot, learning how to be a princess!”

Twilight’s elegant dress bounced with every step she took, coming down the stairs until she finally reached the ground floor. “Yes, I was taking lessons from Princess Celestia, until the other day, when I received an urgent letter from Spike seeking my help.”

Rainbow interrupted her. “Why’d he send it?”

“Well, he told me that it was all Brownie’s idea,” the alicorn replied as she flashed a smile at me while Rainbow Dash stared daggers.

I tried to escape her rage. “He said something about sending a letter, and I replied ‘yeah, try it and see what happens’. I never thought she would really come back from Canterlot.” I was a dead stallion.

Twilight continued talking, managing to divert Rainbow’s anger for a brief moment. “The letter explained to me that there was a friendship problem between you two, so I quickly returned and devised a plan to get you two back together and repair your friendship.”

“Good luck with that,” Rainbow scoffed as she headed towards the exit. “I don’t want to be anywhere near this liar.” The cyan pony quickly opened the door and exited through, just to bounce back inside against an invisible wall, landing in an undignified heap on the floor. “What the-” She tried to exit again, but to no avail. She took flight and hurled herself through the door. “Whoa!” She crashed again. “Hey, what gives?”

“I’m sorry to have come to such extremes, but understand that this was necessary. I know Rainbow Dash probably wouldn’t take it too well, so had to plan a few steps ahead.” A small giggle escaped from her lips. “But of course, that wasn’t very hard when the pony in question is Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow sat fuming, unable to decide whom she was angrier at.

“So… when are you going to let us out?” I asked, fearing the answer.

Twilight took a deep breath and gave both of us a hard look. “This isn’t going to be easy, but I want to help you to overcome your problems and fix your friendship, so until then you’ll stay in the library, however long it takes; be it a few hours or even days.” Great, I knew it.

Rainbow’s eyes grew and then narrowed. "What? You mean I'm stuck here with him?" She gestured over to me and shook her head vigorously.

Twilight smirked and sighed. “Well, if you want to leave, you know what you have to do.” A white glow surrounded her body, culminating in a blinding light, forcing us to close our eyes.

When I regained my vision, I only saw an empty spot where Twilight had been a second ago. I slowly turned my head, afraid of what awaited me at the other end of the room. I loudly gulped as soon as I saw the look in Rainbow’s eyes. Rainbow Dash wore such a cold, furious, mirthless glare that for a moment, it felt as if the room had turned into a giant freezer. She approached me with an unflinching walk and staring straight into my soul. I leaned back.

“Uhm… Did I say already that I didn’t know this would happen?” I quickly backed away from her until I came to a halt against the wall. Cornered between the sword and the wall, what an irony...

“Happy?” She demanded, pressing her hoof against my chest. “We're trapped unless I forgive you, but we know that's not going to happen for a long time.”

With her threat finished, she left my side, going back to the other side of the room. I feared for my life, terrified that the moment I blinked she would kill me or maybe do something even worse. I sat there just staring at her. We spent what felt like an eternity in silence; I was too afraid of awakening her rage, and she was too angry to talk to me. Thus our paths slammed into a roadblock.

At first I decided to stand still, avoiding any kind of eye contact with her, but without being able to do anything, I started to become bored, so I opted to read something to pass the time. I gazed upon the shelves, muttering to myself the diverse and often bizarre titles imprinted onto the books spines.

“Magic Potions and Other Cooking Recipes, To Serve Pony, Magic 101, Humans: Myth or Truth?, Super Naturals, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Little Ponies, Big Plans, From Egg to Inferno: A Dragon-Keeper's Guide. Wraithstorm, The Balled of Kves and Atriy, Afghneighn Breakdown…” I wouldn’t be surprised if nopony but Twilight ever read them, owing to her catholic diet of literature. I turned my head to check the other side of the room, watching how Rainbow Dash was still trying to make a crack in the magic shield, again and again and again.

“You should stop doing that, Rainbow. At this rate you’ll crack your head open before you make it through.”

She slowly turned her head around, staring at me with a death glare that sent chills all over my body. “At least I’m trying. What about your books? Did you find a way out, or are you just wasting time?"

I knew she would say something like that. I sighed and made my best effort to talk sense. “Look, I want to get out as much as you do, but you heard her. Unless we overcome our problems, we’re going to spend a long time together.”

“I’d rather be trapped with Gilda.” Those words made it feel as if my entire body crumbled to pieces. “Do what you want; I’m going to escape.”

I left her alone as she continued to clash against the magic field, suffering as my soul was torn apart from my body. If I ever had a chance to like her, I just received confirmation that I blew it. I quickly opted to leave her alone and returned to my old spot, curled up like an abandoned puppy in the middle of the street as I waited for this nightmare to end.

Hours went by, and our interactions were kept to a minimum. We didn’t say a single word to each other, killing time by reading the few books I had within reach. I didn’t dare to cross the invisible line that divided the room in two, fearing retaliation. I didn’t dare to turn away her, as I couldn’t shake off the mental image of Rainbow backstabbing me. That was an absurd idea, but then again, I’d never seen her so angry before. Before I realized it, the sun was being replaced by the moon, and we hadn’t made any progress at all. Rainbow dash silently stared through the window, like a bird trapped inside a cage, longing to roam the blue skies again.

My stomach’s roar destroyed the silent barrier between us, echoing through the empty rooms. Her ears quickly perked and she quickly turned her head towards me, and for a moment there I swear she had a worried expression painted on her face, but upon a closer look, she was still just as angry as before. “So… Sorry.” I stuttered. “I’ll cook us something for diner…”

“What makes you think I’m hungry?” And just to contradict the rainbow pony, her stomach loudly denied this claim. Perfect timing. She blinked and admitted, “Okay, I may be a little hungry.” And Discord was only slightly mischievous.

“I’ll see what’s left in the kitchen that’s still edible,” I replied while heading towards our only source of food. In front of me stood a fridge, a kitchen sink, a lot of cupboards and cabinets and gem pattern curtains covering the only window. I didn’t need to be Sherclop Hooves to guess that Spike was probably the only one who did all the cooking. The only foods I found were a few fresh vegetables and half empty bottles of oil and vinegar; the cupboards only contained gems; rupees, sapphires, garnets, and such. Unless we wanted to break our teeth trying to eat the gems, our only options were a simple salad, probably left there intentionally.

I placed the ingredients over the worktop along with a glass bowl, a knife and a cutting board. I washed the vegetables in the sink and proceeded to extract the lettuce leaves one after another and left them inside the bowl. As if on cue, Rainbow Dash entered the kitchen, sporting an annoyed look on her face. “What’s taking you so long?” She asked before taking a closer look. “A salad? That’s taking you so long?”

“I’m trying to cook it right. How do you want it, then? Quick and awful, or slow and tasty?”

“I want it fast and tasty, of course. Outta the way; I’ll show you how it’s done!” She shoved me out of the kitchen, claiming the place for herself. If I was afraid that she could use a book as a projectile, then the fact that she now had her pick of sharp knives terrified me. After a few minutes, she came back holding a plate with the now-finished salad. I entered the kitchen as soon as she left, but to my surprise, there wasn’t a single leaf or a tomato slice to be found anywhere.

“Err, Rainbow? Where’s my part of the salad?” I asked her.

“Oh, sorry. Since you always lie, when you said you were hungry I thought you meant you didn’t want to eat.”

Great, just what I needed. ”Yeah, I guess I deserve some punishment for what I did. It’s not like I was hungry or anything.” Why am I acting like Fluttershy?

I allowed her to eat her salad alone as I borrowed the last Daring Do book to read it silently, taking advantage that Rainbow can’t read and eat at the same time to get some precious moments to myself. I immersed in the lecture, watching as the world around me faded as I teleported to the Canterlot University as professor Do started a new class after returning from Nightmare’s Moon temple and surviving yet another encounter against Krastos the Gluemaker, the evil monster who joined Ahuizotl in his crusade against the famous explorer.

“And that’s how the old Mareians build their pyramids,” Daring Do explained as she returned to her teacher’s chair. The springs inside the cushion groaned under the pressure. ”Any other questions?”

“I do have one, Professor Do,” a voice called from the classroom door where an earth pony stood, resting his body against the doorframe. The entire class was quickly filled with whispers and murmurs from the curious students, wanting to know who this pony was, and what kind of business he had with their teacher.

This mysterious pony had been gifted with an uninteresting color palette consisting of a brown mane, a pair of emerald eyes covered behind his glasses, and a cream coat. The stallion was wearing an old black t-shirt riddled with what appeared to be bullet holes combined with light blue old jeans full of tears and dirt stopping at the height of his knees. A small dog tag rested atop his chest, hanging from a metallic chain that went unnoticed by everypony in the room except one certain mare who had gifted it to him years ago.

The stallion stopped the student’s conversations on their tracks. “Why do you still waste your time teaching a group of students who stopped paying attention as soon as they entered this classroom? From what I’ve seen, about half of them were talking, six were drawing you as a chicken with an explorer hat, and the rest were too busy reading comic books.”

The teacher took her goggles out, placing them carefully on her desk. “Do I need to remind you that you repeated a few years in school, while all of these ponies passed with perfect grades? You’re not the perfect example of a good student!”

“There’s a very long list of ponies that never finished high school and are currently multi millionaires, but there’s no time for that. I’m here for you, Daring. Could we go to another place to have a private conversation between adults?”

Daring Do quickly stood up and threw herself at the mysterious pony, stopping only a few inches away from his face. “In case you haven’t noticed, Bones, I’m having a class of Equestria History before the start of the Princesses reign, one of the most important subjects of this year. Besides, I’m not in the mood of talking with someone like you, so just crawl back into the hole you came from and disappear from my life! ” The entire class sat spellbound with perhaps a little bit of fear.

Bones stood there as if he didn’t acknowledge her presence or her saliva splashing against his face. “Daring, I’m sorry to say this, but…” He swiftly took his glasses out and cleaned them with his shirt, quickly placing them again on top of his nose. “He came back.”

The mustard pony simply chuckled at those words. “They sent you because Ahuizotl came back again? Please, I kick his ass five times a week. Don’t they have anything better to do than waste everypony’s time and resources sending you to my class because he’s back again?” She quickly turned her back at him and headed back to her desk. “I only hope I don’t have to see your face again for the rest of my life…”

“Magpie,” he replied. That word managed to stop Daring Do on her tracks, a word she never expected to gear again in a long time, not since they had separated. “I’m not here because of Ahuizotl, but because of Krastos…”

Krastos. That name always sent chills down her spine, quickly followed by those horrible screams from the tape recorder she found in a cabin in the Everfree Forest. Even years later, she was still haunted by it.

“That’s impossible…” she muttered, turning back at him. “He’s dead! I saw it with my own eyes! That monster died like his victims!”

“Then, if he’s really dead, how can you explain this?” Bones took an envelope from one of his pockets and handed it to the mustard pegasus. “These photographs were taken the other day from the jail cell where Tottentäkher was locked. Maximum security, guards in front of the cell 24/7, and security so tight that not even Princess Celestia could get through without being spotted. His corpse, or whatever was left of him, was found a few days ago. The modus operandi matches that of Krastos, and since you’re the only pony to have survived an encounter with him, they want you on this mission.”

Daring Do opened the envelope and extracted a group of photographs from inside. Images from the cabin quickly flashed in front of her eyes, forcing her to hide the photographs inside the envelope and return it to Bones. “Yes, it’s definitely him… But why are you here, then?”

Bones took the envelope again before delivering a reply. “They wanted to have the mare that killed Krastos, and the only stallion to have ever matching Daring Do to form a tag team and discover the truth.”

“Really?” she replied. “Well, then you can go and tell them to shove it up their-”

Bones interrupted her. “Yeah, they knew you would probably reply something like that, so they asked me to tell you that you would be suspended of employment and salary unless you joined the investigation.”

“WHAT?!” Daring Do exclaimed. “They can’t do this to me!”

“I’m afraid that they already did it. So, unless you want to keep wasting your time, I’d suggest that you pack your things. There’s a train waiting for us at the station, at eight o’clock. Don’t be late, or else you will have to pay a ticket for the next one.”

The earth pony left the classroom and disappeared behind the door, leaving Daring to ponder what to do next. In the span of half an hour, the stallion that broke her heart had come back, one of her old enemies had been killed by another enemy presumed dead, and now she had to form a team with Bones to try and solve this mystery, or else she would be fired from the university.

Suddenly, I was pulled from my reverie as I felt warm breath coming down my neck. I slowly turned my head around, expecting Rainbow to be angry because I was reading the last Daring Do book before she could; instead, I was greeted by a rainbow colored pony holding a small plate of salad. “Yes, did you want something…?”

She seemed to doubt before coming up with an answer. “Well, uhm… Since you helped cook, I guess you can have some.” Wait, what? Who are you and what have you done with Rainbow Dash?

“Uhm… Thank you, Rainbow.” I felt myself smiling.

“On one condition,” she replied. She was beginning to scare me. “You wash the dishes.” I knew there was a catch.

“Okay…” I wasn’t sure if she was finally forgiving me or what, but I wasn’t going to reject her kindness. I took a small bite, paranoid that she had tampered with it in some way just to punish me, but to my surprise, the salad tasted even better than I had expected. A torrent of flavor quickly invaded my mouth, asking for more until I finished everything in the blink of an eye. I’m surprised it tasted so good, let alone not being poisoned.

The next hours were relatively less uncomfortable, although I could still feel some tension in the air. The night finally casted its spell upon us, and so we headed to the bedroom and hoped the next day we would be able to escape from this wooden prison. But to our surprise, the bedroom only contained Twilight’s bed and Spike’s basket.

I turned to Rainbow. “Uhm… It is just me, or is there only one bed?” I was almost hopeful that this was real.

“That egghead knew this would happen!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

I chuckled. “Five to one that she wanted us to share the bed.”

Rainbow did not share my humor, instead crossing her forelegs. “Well, that’s not happening.” Before I realized what was going on, she was already wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets.

“And where am I supposed to sleep?” I asked her, dejected.

“You can use Spike’s basket,” she replied as she tossed a small basket at me. Having caught it, I saw that there was a pillow and a blanket in it.

I shot back, “You’re kidding, right?” My face quickly morphed into an expression of disbelief. “I mean, I can barely get two hooves inside this basket. How am I supposed to sleep inside this thing?”

“Come on, it’s not that hard. Just do like Samus Maran and turn into a morphball,” she replied, flashing the biggest grin I had ever seen in my entire life.

“Yeah, thanks for the offer.” What’s next? Turtle food for breakfast? “I’ll be sleeping on the couch. Well, if there’s still a couch inside this giant tree…” I started down the stairs when Dash’s voice called me from Twilight’s bed.

“You’re a real pushover, you know that?” I turned around, and to my surprise, the sheet was only covering her side of the bed, with Rainbow Dash facing away. “We can share the bed, but if you try any funny business, I’ll kill you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” I replied as I lay down on the bed, covering my body under the sheet. As soon as I placed my head against the pillow, my fatigue and sleepiness quickly vanished into thin air, replaced by both nervousness and excitement over sleeping in the same bed as Rainbow Dash. I looked through the window at the thousands of fireflies flying over the dark mantle of Princess Luna, remembering my life in Hollow Shades as a little foal, but especially of a beautiful night years ago. I chanced to whisper, “Rainbow? Are you still awake?”

She mumbled something I couldn’t understand before coming with a decipherable reply. “What do you want? I’m trying to sleep.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but… There was something I’ve been meaning to tell you since I arrived in Ponyville.” I made myself comfortable, resting my head against the wall. “I once read a book about old Equestrian legends, and one chapter mentioned a natural phenomenon that’s considered a paradox of nature named ‘Shaanyu Burana’ in the old language.”

“Are you going to say something, or are you just practicing your Equestrian?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be brief,” I replied. “The reason I wanted to tell you is because ‘Shaanyu Burana’ translates to ‘Rainbow in the dark’, or as we say in Hollow Shades, ‘Arco iris en la oscuridad’. It’s often considered a legend since it’s impossible to see a rainbow in the middle of the night. The old equestrians usually considered this phenomenon as an omen of good luck and prestigious fortune for whoever witnessed one.”

“Do you know that rainbows can appear at night too, right?” She turned her head around with an annoyed look on her face. “The only difference is that their full spectrum of colors can’t be perceived. I studied four years at the weather school, and this is the most basic stuff I had to learn.”

“Really?” The more you know… “Well, I don’t think you will believe what I’m going to say, but I once witnessed a fully colored rainbow with all six colors in the middle of the night, back in Hollow Shades. That rainbow was the greatest thing I had never seen in my entire life…” I turned slightly to my side, looking straight at her magenta eyes. “This is the first time I told anypony this, and I know it may sound stupid, but I think that maybe that rainbow was an omen that one day I would meet you, and… And I-” I loudly gulped as I choked on my own words.

She looked at me skeptically. Rainbow Dash said, “So you think some ancient words from thousands of years ago and the fact that you saw a rainbow at night makes you think about me?”

I shook my head and replied, “Well, yes… When I discovered there was a famous pony called Rainbow Dash, I always believed it was you who caused the rainbow that night.” I looked at the starry sky, with the moon staring at us like a giant unblinking eye. “But of course, that’s just silly, right? Maybe I’m just a lonely pony seeking a connection where there’s nothing because he want to apologize to the mare of his dreams...”

I shifted my gaze back towards Rainbow Dash, who now had a more friendly, or at least a less hostile expression. “So, if I got it right, you got a crush on me because I remind you of that rainbow you once saw looking through your bedroom’s window because there’s an ancient expression about how a rainbow in the dark is a good omen because it’s a natural paradox?”

“Yes, I guess it could be summarized like that…” I replied, lying down on the bad again before covering my head under the sheets. “But sorry for wasting your time. When Twilight releases us from her magic field, I’ll return back home to try and repair some of the damage I have done to you…”

Her voice called me softly from behind. “Brownie… That’s the sweetest thing somepony ever said.”

I quickly turned around, unsure if what she said was real or part of my sadistic imagination. “Wait, what? Really? So you never had a coltfriend?” She nodded with a sheepish smile. “I always thought somepony as famous as you would have been in a few relationships…”

“A few, but nothing too serious and they didn’t last very long; mostly, some fun here and there. Well, there are ponies who would do anything to date me, but they’re just a bunch of idiots trying to take advantage of my fame. And I don’t know why, but there’s something different about you, something I can’t really explain…”

My ears perked upon hearing those words. “You’re… You’re serious? I mean, what are the odds the great Rainbow Dash could have a crush on a loser like me? I don’t have anything special or interesting. I’m the most ordinary pony you could find in all Equestria.”

“Look, Brownie, love isn’t always about being attracted to somepony’s color palette, his talent or whether or not he’s famous. What I really look on a pony is their personality, their loyalty and their honesty; I know you lied out of fear, to continue being my friend, but Gilda did the same thing too; she lied to me, bullied my friends behind my back…” She paused a moment as a sigh escaped from her lips before looking into my eyes. “But unlike her, you owned up to your mistakes. I may have been just a teensy bit too hard on you, and I’m letting you have a second chance.”

She held my hoof softly before moving closer to me. “Thank you, Rainbow. I promise you that I will never hurt you again.” Overcome with emotion, I threw my legs around her before I was suddenly pushed away.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself! I only said I’d forgive you. In what language does that translate to ‘I’m your marefriend’?” Great, I just screwed everything. Again.

“Uhm, I… Sorry, I guess I misunderstood you…” I replied, rubbing my hoof against my neck.

Her frown quickly returned to its original position. “Look, there’s a chance I may be able to forgive you, but that’s only if you play your cards right. I’ll tell my friends that we’re cool, just to avoid problems.” It didn’t take a genius to know what she meant by that.

I felt the impulse to smile. “Sounds good to me. Anypony else in your position probably wouldn’t give me a second chance. Well, I think we should go to bed already and wait for tomorrow so Twilight can release us.” I rested my head against the pillow before closing my eyes, ready to enter the land of dreams. “Good night, Rainbow.”

“Good night, Brownie.”

The next day we woke up with a letter from Twilight, congratulating us on being able to fix our friendship. I silently thanked her for deciding to help us out. I spent the next few days doing my hardest to earn Rainbow Dash’s forgiveness by spending all my free time with her. From sunrise to late afternoon, I stood by her side and pushed my drawing skills to the limit so I could gift her my best works to prove how much she meant for me. Although the rest of her friends were still reluctant to forgive, Rainbow Dash managed to convince them that I still deserved a second chance, and she would be the jury and the judge during my “parole”. I’m not going to lie; this was a hard and arduous task to accomplish, but I would descend to the depths of Tartarus if it was the only way I could earn her forgiveness.

It took weeks, but my efforts seemed to pay off when Rainbow Dash asked me to meet her at the field where she always practiced her stunts. When I asked her if she was finally going to forgive me, all she said was, “Just meet me there”. My entire body was trembling like a giant piece of jelly and my heart was beating like a rabbit. The day was gloriously sunny, with flowers in bloom and not a single cloud in the sky. The placidity did nothing to calm my nerves. I felt like the stallion who had to pick between two doors, with a mare behind one and a tiger behind the other. When I arrived at my destination, she was nowhere to be found, and I started to worry, thinking that I was late and she’d already left. I was about to go when a voice called from above.

“Glad you could make it.” The rainbow pegasus pony flapped her wings, slowing her fall with a smooth maneuver before taking a seat beside me. “So, I suppose you want to know my final answer?”

Here it was! I could barely keep myself from exploding in agonizing suspense as I stuttered, “Ye-Yes!” This was the absolute final obstacle, and it was everything or nothing; either I won it all or I lost everything.

“You know, we’ve been through so many things together… We’ve become very close, and I think that we’re no longer just friends.” I jumped for joy. Now I prayed to Celestia that she doesn’t trap me in the ‘brother’ zone. “I’ve met other stallions in the past, but they can’t compare to you, Brownie.” She flashed a smile at me, so sweet and beautiful that my heart melted in that instant. She stood there, as she was expecting me to say something.

I was shaking with anticipation. I was filled with excitement that maybe she'd say yes, but at the same time, I was filled with dread that she'd reject me. "What's the matter, Brownie? Feeling nervous?"

"Yeah," I said with some difficulty.

Rainbow gave me an unreadable look. "Chill out. Don't you trust me?" That stung. I nodded. "Then relax."

“So…” I slowly gulped. “Do you want to be my-“

Rainbow Dash interrupted my speech, pinning me against the soft grass in the blink of an eye. The spread wings fused with the sky above as the tip of our noses came in contact; I could see myself reflected on her magenta eyes as she spoke the best words of my life.

“Shut up and kiss me.” She pressed down and for the first time, I felt another’s warmth meet mine.

THE END

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Special thanks to kalash93 for being my editor since chapter 1 and helping me to improve so much writing this story. You're the greatest editor I ever had!

Author's Notes:

And this is it, my friends. This story may be finished, but don't worry, there's a sequel planned that I will start writing soon. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed what's officially my longest and most successful work ever written.

P.S: For those of you wondering, in this fanfic the ponies at Hollow Shades learn Spanish (from Spain. There's a difference between each country) as their first language and English as their second one. Brownie's accent was never mentioned, but he has an small but obvious Spanish accent when he talks.

Extras, trivia and other information

The original ideas before going with the asthma was that Brownie had been attacked by timberwolves as a foal and was covered in scars, hence why he was wearing clothes. My editor helped me realize that idea was stupid and so we went with the asthma one.

I picked Hollow Shades as the hometown of Brownie because the show still hadn't visited that place, and that helped me create a new and interesting place with its own culture and government system.

Half of the puns (Like the music bands or the library books) were added by my editor. Needless to say, they were too good to be taken out.

My editor always called the main character "Brownie Cupcake". I always took that out because I didn't have his last name planned, and to avoid the readers thinking he's suppossed to be a baker like Pinke Pie and added details about his family and such. I took them out because I didn’t want conflicts in future chapters.

Hollow Shades was designed with Feudal and continental Spanish influences in mind. The idea of it being an industrial town is Kalash's invention.

The only reason I called the main character Brownie is because of his color palette and to make a pun with his name, as I sometimes I mispronounced it as "Brony".

Mecha was a character in a failed fanfic about Fallout Equestria I once worked on. When I cancelled the fic, I felt like she still had potential and didn't deserve to disappear, so I added her to the cast of Rainbow In The Dark.

The only reason Mecha is bisexual is because in the fanfic she comes from I planned her to be the main character's love interest. The gender would never be revealed, so making her a bisexual was the best course of action. This is one of the few traits she maintained.

The name Mechanic Wrench originated from a joke the main character played about not remembering her name. Other possible options were Rusty Gear and Monkey Wrench.

Mecha doesn't really need a hard hat to work as a mechanic. She's convinced that if she doesn't wear her helmet, she'll take a blow to the head.

The reason Brownie and Mecha palettes are composed of two colors is because I liked the designs. I tried to change their coats and eyes colors, but I didn't like it as much as they do now.

I got some complaints that Brownie is a simple recolor of Dr Whooves, while the truth is that he was based on me, as it can be confirmed on the self portraits I keep in my Deviant Art gallery. The fact that he looks like Dr Whooves is because of his mane, as it's the same hairstyle I drew for myself during the past 3 years or so.

Kalash did not get involved until after the second chapter had been published. We are all quite glad that the initial versions are long buried.

Mecha's girlfriend is never seen or mentioned, but she's a bat pony. I'm still working on her design in case I want to show her in a new chapter. Kalash wanted her to be a background pony named Candylicious.

Half of the books that Brownie finds in chapter 8 are taken from Harry Potter because I couldn't find new ideas.

The book Brownie reads in chapter 8 is titled "Daring Do and Discord's Diamond." On the same line, Bone's color palette is based on a fanart of Nathan Drake from the Uncharted games ponified.

The story lasted 8 chapters because my editor once said that "It's better to write a good story in 8 chapters than a bad one in 16".

Mecha has an habit of insulting other ponies in different languages. German is for close friends and is said in a heartwarming way. French is for those she hates, and Russian is reserved for the worst scum of Equestria. Aside of that, she doesn't speak these languages.

No references or mythology gags were made about French or Russian.

Brownie sometimes speaks Spanish. His sometimes unusual syntax is meant to reflect his learning of English as a second language.

Kalash let a certain degree of awkwardness stand in the dialogue once he learned that Sayer's, and therefore Brownie's, native languages were not English. He also felt that it was better for Sayer to improve his English on his own and say what he meant instead of mutating the story by rewriting massive sections into what he thought they ought to be.

As hard as it seems to believe, I've been alone my entire life, and Kalash was the one who helped me write a good romance; he’s only slightly more qualified to write romance than me, as he only had one real girlfriend. He still beats me by one relationship.

The reason Rainbow Dash lost to Brownie was because she underestimated him. She always thought of herself as the fastest pony at everything, including reading. Of course, Brownie proved how wrong she was.

Shaanyu Burana was originally created by Kalash93 in a language building exercise. It was repurposed for the fic.
These are the original ideas Kalash93 proposed for the Ancient Equestrian phrase "Rainbow in the Dark".

Melodic: Flaereyimenoy va ji yusiwa = Rainbow in the Dark.
Harsh: Kroshnik tixa marchko = Rainbow in the Dark.
Flowing: Sejeongwu bafoxwang = Rainbow in the Dark.
Stunted : Molk ga zhen chogs = Rainbow in the Dark.

More linguistic work went into the creation of at least a semi formalized system which could be used to build a language, though no further construction has occurred.

It is possible that Rainbow in the Dark exists in the same universe, although perhaps not in the same continuity as Racer and the Geek. Small nods, links, and references are present. This is still completely nebulous.

Author's Notes:

Working with Sayer has been a lot of fun. He is more than a client, editor, or writer. He is my friend. – Kalash93

The feeling is mutual, my friend. - Sayer

Clopfic spinoff

Warning - Not Safe For Work: Through the prism.

Brownie and Rainbow have been dating for a long time now, and have become very close. Rainbow Dash feels like it's time to take another step, so she calls Brownie to her house to have sex with him for the first time.