Chapter 8: Unexpected Events

Flamingsteel's house, Everfree Forest
Local time: 0630
Eleven days since arrival

It was just another normal day here... who am I kidding, except for the first few days, not one day here has been normal. I got up at 0500 did my usual 5k run and began my training routine. I did sit-ups, chin-ups, and crunches. But just as I was about to finish my routine with some pushups, I saw something moving in the tree line. I immediately went inside and put my poncho on. "I really hope nopony saw me. Nopony... God these mannerisms are going to drive me insane," I thought. I surveyed the tree line and saw three distinct creatures. However, I couldn't tell what they were. As I approached the tree line I could hear voices.

"Ah told ya we overslept." "It doesn't matter. We still need to clean the campsite, fast." "Why are you in such a rush, Sweetie Belle?" "Well I don't know about you guys, but I didn't tell Rarity or anypony else we were camping out here." "Oh man, we are going to be in so much trouble." Sweetie Belle, if she's here than the other two must be Apple Bloom and Scootalo. I had never met them, but from their voices I could tell they were just kids. I watched as they attempted to clean their campsite. They were trying to put away the tent. After many unsuccessful attempts, I couldn't suppress a chuckle. Unfortunately, they heard me.

"Oh no." I thought it was cute how they said the same thing at the same time. They approached me looking at the ground expecting a punishment. "So... how much trouble are we in?" asked Scootalo. Oh, this is going to be fun.

"Well let's see... I could tell your families what you were doing. Or I could tell your teacher or perhaps I'll write an article in the paper about how I found you in the forest." Every time I suggested another possibility their head dropped lower. "But, I think I'm just going to keep this our secret." They looked at me with stunned expressions as I laughed and finished packing up their stuff. Apple Bloom was the first one to recover from the shock. "Why are ya helpin' us, mister?"

"Well there are two reasons. The first is I don't want you three to get in trouble for having a campout. The other is well... It's because you remind me of when I was your age. Come on, let's head back to town." We grabbed the stuff and headed back to town. Just as we got to my house we heard Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash calling their names. "Oh no, we are in so much trouble now." said Sweetie Belle. I just looked at them and smiled. "No you're not. I've got a plan, give me your stuff." They gave me their stuff and I went to my house. I put their stuff inside just as the others arrived. They all looked worried.

"Where have you girls been? We were looking all over town for you, what were you doing out in the forest?" Rarity was pissed. Note to self: do NOT piss off Rarity. She is more dangerous than a nuke. She was about to yell again when I intervened. "Relax, they weren't doing anything dangerous." They finally noticed me standing in my doorway. "And how da
ya know what they were doin'?"

"I meet them on my morning run. They were wondering around the
outskirts of town when we crossed paths." I couldn't tell, but I thought they believed the story so far. "We talked and they said they were trying to get cutie marks for getting up early or something like that. Anyway, I asked them if they wanted to finish my run with me. We finished the run and came back here. That's when you guys showed up. Isn't that right girls?"

"Yeh what he said." replied Apple Bloom. Rarity and Rainbow Dash believed the story, but I could tell Applejack wasn't buying it. Rarity and Rainbow Dash took Sweetie Belle and Scootalo back home, but Applejack and Apple Bloom stayed behind. "Now, why did ya just lie to us? And don't say ya weren't lyin'." Caught…damn.

"Fine, you caught me, I lied. But the point is that I just kept the girls from being yelled at. So I don't care what you think." She looked at me for awhile before responding. *sigh* "Ah don't really care what happened as long as mah sister is safe, but what we ya doin' in the forest."

"Well we were tryin' to get camping cutie marks so we slept in the forest. We planed on bein' back before you guys woke up, but we overslept." Before Applejack could reprimand her sister, Pinkie Pie came out of nowhere and whispered something to them and left. And before I could ask what was going on a royal guard came over. I could tell by his amour that he was one of Princess Luna's personal guards.

"Excuse me, are you Flamingsteel?" I watched him, looking for any signs that he could be a threat, while I nodded. "Princess Luna wants you to meet her in the park in five minutes." I just left and headed toward the park. It took me longer than five minutes to get to the park since I had never been there before, and when I arrived Luna was waiting for me. "Thou are late, am I correct in guessing that you got lost on the way here?"

"Yeah... I got lost. But it's not my fault you asked me to meet you someplace I've been to before." I retorted. "Come walk with me there are some things I want to talk to you about." We started walking and we talked about my life before I came here. I tried to keep my answers as vague as possible without making it look like I'm hiding something. We talked for about two hours before she said something I was unprepared for.

"Steel, I noticed the condition of your house the other day…" all I could think was "Not good." "…so I got you a gift." She then made a key and piece of paper appear and handed them to me. There was noting special about the key and even though I could understand their language I couldn't read anything. "Uh ... what's this princess?"

She smiled before replying. "That is the key and deed to you new house here in Ponyville." I just stared at here unable to respond. "Why would she go through the trouble of buying me a house?" I thought. "She barely knows me and she's giving me a house. It doesn't make sense." I was lost in my thoughts and didn't notice us arriving at my new home. "Well here we are. This is your new house, Steel." Unsure of her motives for buying me this house, I carefully inserted the key and opened the door slowly.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of light, the first sign of trouble. I entered the building and tried to find a light switch when I was 'ambushed'. "Surprise!" I immediately went into a defensive stance trying to figure out what was going on. When I finally recovered from the shock I noticed everypony I knew, along with a few I didn't know and Luna, wearing party hats and a banner that said 'Welcome to Your New Home'. "Another party for me?" I thought. "Do they do anything other than party?"

The party started and I was introduced to my neighbors, Vinyl Scratch along with Derpy Hooves and her daughter Dinky. After about five hours, it was just me, the princess, the mane six, and my neighbors left at the party. So I decided to ask the question that's been on my mind since I meet Luna. "So why did you guys organize this party for me?"

"Why wouldn't we organize a party, you got a new house." replied Pinkie. "Besides isn't that what friends do, make each other happy?" Oh, hell no. "Let's get this straight. You are not my friends. You never will be. The last thing I need in my life is friends." Saying they were shocked at my statement would be an enormous understatement. Pinkie was the first to recover.

"Why would you not want friends? Everypony wants friends!" I just glared at her. "Friendship isn't real. The ponies who say they're your friends are only using you. The only reason they pretend to care about you is because they want something from you. I learned that the hard way and the sooner you accept that, the better." They all looked concerned even my new neighbors. We sat there in silence until Twilight was able to gather up enough courage. "What happened to you that would make you not want friends?"

"It is a long story and I would rather not bore you with it." They just looked at me waiting for me to continue. "Fine, but I'm warning you it's not a pleasant story and please don't tell anypony else."

"I was with a very special friend of mine. We had been dating for about seven months. I had pulled a lot of strings to get some good food and some alone time for us. I planed on asking her to marry me, but before I could ask alarms started going off..."


Location: Classified, Afghanistan
Codename: Firebase Light
Date: October 15, 2002
Time: 2045

"What's going on?" she asked. "I have no idea." I replied. "This is General Montgomery. We have a spy inside the perimeter they have obtained the secure files on the up coming invasion of Iraq. They can not be allowed to leave detain them if possible, kill them if necessary."

"Come on we need to get to the armory. We wont be able to do much if we only have knives." We sprinted to the armory got our weapons and started searching the base. We searched for awhile before running into my best friend, Adam. "Adam, where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry, I was on the can when they alarms went off." We continued our search and we near the southern exit of the base when it happened. We arrived at the door leading outside and were about to go back and recheck all the rooms when I heard a gun shot. Time seemed to slow down as I fell to the floor someone had put a bullet in my back. I looked up just in time to see Adam with his weapon pointed at her head. I watched as he put a bullet in her head unable to move. She was dead before she hit the ground.

"Adam! What the fuck?! Why, why would you turn your back on your country?" He walked past me to the door before replying. "Easy. Money, lots and lots of money." I looked at him in disbelief. "You were my best friend, I trusted you!" I started to lose consciousness. "This has to be a dream." I thought...


Present Day

"…Three days later I woke up in the base's medical wing. The doctor informed me that it wasn't a dream. My best friend, someone who I knew since we were no older than five, had shot me in the back and killed the one person who I wanted to grow old with. I also learned that he was killed trying to escape the base." I pulled out the black box I had kept with me everyday since that day.

"This box has the ring I was going to give her. I haven't opened it since I bought it and I can't sell it, so I keep it as a reminder that others cannot be trusted. Now if all of you could leave, it's been a long day and I want to get some rest." The story had lasted about three hours. They all left and I went upstairs got into the bed and started to cry.


POV change: Luna

Canterlot, Equestria
Time: 2000

I was sitting in the dinning room with my sister. Meals were the only time we actually had to talk. But today I didn't feel like talking. What Steel said was still on my mind. "His best friend betrayed him and killed his marefriend, no wonder why he doesn't trust others. I wonder how long ago that happened." I was lost in my thoughts and didn't see my sister looking at me.

"Luna, is everything alright?" I wasn't paying attention and almost didn't hear her. "Oh, I'm fine. But I'm worried about somepony I know." She looked worried. "Who are they?"

"His name is Flamingsteel, I'm sure Twilight wrote about him in one of her letters." She nodded. "Well today, I found out that he doesn't believe in friendship and after hearing why I don't blame him."

"What? He doesn't believe in friendship? Luna, what happened?" I then told her what Steel told me. After I finished retelling his story, saying she was shocked was an understatement. In fact she looked heartbroken by what Steel had experienced. "I just feel so bad for him. He really needs a friend… that gives me an idea! Sister, can I go spend the next week in Ponyville?" She smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Oh and sister you must not tell anypony what I said, I probably shouldn't have told you. He doesn't want too many ponies knowing about what happened and I don't want to lose his trust."

"I understand. You don't want to lose a friend." We continued to talk about what happened today, but I could tell something was bothering her. "Sister, you seem distracted what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just remembered an old legend our father told me once."

Authors Note: Well, now you know why he's antisocial. Review (insert reasons to review here).