A/N: Huh...I actually decided to write on break...Anyway, I'm working to get a job and my Food Handler's card when I decide to check up on this FanFiction when I found something I never thought I'd see for at least three more chapters...Someone Reviewed! Well, others reviewed before but that was on Chapter 1. If you two are reading this, then I am sorry for not replying in chapter. I did however P.M. you two. Well, Might as well acknowledge their reviews now, BoltFire! Get in here!
BoltFire: What?
Author: Help me with the reviews.
BoltFire: Ugh, do I have to?
Author: Well, this story IS about you. And because I said so. Now get to it!
BoltFire: ...you're a cruel bastard, you know that?
Author: Meh, I've been called worse. Now, onto the reviews!
In reply to: Chief Wolfee
Author: Thanks, it's a pleasure to be here. Oh, and congrats on being the first reviewer!
BoltFire: He probably doesn't even read this anymore because you hadn't posted the second chapter for a couple months.
Author: Aw, what do you know? He's probably reading right now and neither of us can tell.
BoltFire: You kept me in a coma for three months!
Author: Hey, don't blame me. Blame Discord, he's been rampaging in my brain.
BoltFire: ...You're hopeless.
In reply to: ogatasensei123
Author: Wow...someone likes my story...
BoltFire: *Face-Hoof* Dude, did you already forget all the views and favorites this story has?
Author: Well, so far four people have favorited the story, six people are following it (or me) like stalkers and its gotten 522 views...
BoltFire: See? Do you think all those people (or other species) would read if they didn't like this?
Author: ...well they could just be passing the time...
BoltFire: Ugh, stop that. Anyway, we're getting off topic. Onto the next reviewer.
In reply to: Dragonfang20
Author: Thanks! And yeah, she may come off like that but she's actually a pretty cool mare. I have been given permission by her creator to go along with the idea I have so this story isn't going to get boring anytime soon!
BoltFire: Oi! Don't say that! The universe almost made you not post the last chapter! Good thing Pinkie was there to...are you...blushing?
Author: Um...no?
BoltFire: -_- ...is there something that I shouldn't know happening between you and one of my friends?
Author: O_O WHAT?! Where the hell did you come up with that?!
BoltFire: One, you're blushing like mad. Two, you only started when I mentioned Pinkie. And three, you over-reacted just now. What happened?
Author: Well look at the time! Time to ship out a new chapter!
BoltFire: Hey! Don't just cut me of-
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony, or anything that I make reference to in this FanFic, those belong to their respective owners. I do own BoltFire and any other OC's that appear unless otherwise mentioned.
Author: Also, BIG shout out to my first four favoriters! Those four are:
Poke-lover (The first to favorite me!), bronydudeshadow, Miffdogga, and Dragonfang20.
You guys are buckin' awesome!
BoltFire: ...you do know I'll find out when I read the previous chapter, right?
Author: ...SNEAK ATTACK!
BoltFire: What the hell are you do-GAH!
*BoltFire falls to the floor unconscious*
Author: Phew...safe for a couple hours. Now, without further delay, the seventh chapter.
F.Y.I.: Until further notice, thoughts shall be in [Brackets] and Italics...I'm pretty sure I said that before...oh well, chapter time!
OC's so far:
BoltFire - Mine
Double Pump A friend's from school.
*Updated 9/30/13*
Fixed the bit amount and tree count, both were a tad too high for someone who just got out of the hospital to do.
Chapter 7: The Job and Awkward Moments
*BoltFire*
For what seems like the fifteenth time today, I ask myself ,and the pony next to me, the same question.
"Um...Pinkie...What the hell is that...?"
The mare in question, as usual, doesn't answer me. Instead, she just smiles a little bigger than the last time I asked her.
I'm standing outside of Ponyville with Pinkie next to me while we're staring at...I don't even know how to describe it. From a distance, it looked like a solid wooden block. Up close? LOTS and lots of different pieces overlapping each other but with some distance between them.
She speaks up for the first time since we arrived in front of this...thing "It's a maze, silly! You run through it!"
I tilt my head "But why? What's the point?"
Pinkie just rolls her eyes "Because the author messed up and started to delete this part but decided to see where it goes, now run!"
I open my mouth to say something but close it almost immediately. I learned from all of my other friends to not question Pinkie logic. I even learned that first hand a couple days ago when we went to Fluttershy's cottage. With a sigh, I look back at the monstrosity before me.
[How did I get roped into this? Oh yeah...'that' happened...]
(Earlier that day...)
I woke up in the usual manner, slightly tired from staying up all night with Luna, but rested enough to get through the day. This time, however, I had a feeling that today was going to be...off, for lack of a better word. It first started to head down that route when I walked into the upstairs bathroom to clean myself up and answer nature's daily call.
While washing my hooves, I looked in the mirror to see a couple rebellious patches of my mane sticking up at odd angles. Thinking nothing of it, I go to work on getting them back to their original spots. I was so focused on quelling the rebellious patches that I didn't hear the door open, nor did I see the only other pony that lives in the house through the mirror. It's only till I hear the sound of running water that I notice I'm not alone.
I slowly turn to the sound, only for a hoof to slap me hard enough to turn me towards the door. I'm then sent flying through the door by what feels like a buck to my hind quarters. I hit the wall with my back and slide down till I'm resting on my neck. I look the way I just came out of to see a pissed Double Pump with her mane clinging to her body and a small amount of red across her muzzle. Before I can say anything, she slams the door and leaves me upside-down on the floor. I sigh, saying something to no-one in particular "Hell of a way to start the day, huh?"
I pick myself up, shake myself a little, and head down to the kitchen. The light from the sun reveals things that are normally hidden by shadows. All of the appliances are stainless steel while the island is made of granite and the table, chairs, and cabinets are made of what looks like elm. All in all, a pretty good looking kitchen.
I make my usual breakfast, mainly just an apple, toast, and a glass of juice or water. However, the apple was...occupied, the toast burnt rather quickly, and the juice was expired...
Forecast for this week? Sunny with a chance of 'not my day'.
I clean up what I can, don't want my landlord having a fit...well, no more than she has already. Anyway, after I clean up I leave for my first day of work at Sweet Apple Acres.
I arrive with barely any time left. Applejack was waiting for me in front of the gate, so she could go over a few things before I get started.
"Now, the firs' thing ya need ta know is tha we're a bit...traditional, when it comes ta gittin our apples. So we'd appreciate it if ya don't fly up ta git 'em."
I cock my head to the right "Um...ok...how am I supposed to get them off the tree then?"
She smiles "Why, ya buck 'em of course."
Staaaaaare~
One of her eyebrows arches up a little "Ya know, kick the tree?"
Realization dawns on me...finally.
She goes over the proper procedure for kicking the tree, placing the buckets, and where to store them when the buckets are full. There's surprisingly a lot of math involved with bucking a tree. You can't just hit it as hard as you can, that'll either bruise or break the tree. You have to apply just the right amount of force on a spot at a certain angle to send enough vibrations up the tree to shake the apples loose. The apples fall almost in the same spot as to where their hanging so all you really need to do is line them up as best you can and hope they don't bruise.
She first demonstrates what she told me and ended up getting all the apples to fall into the baskets on the first buck. Not a single one fell out of a basket. She then sets up a group of baskets under another tree so that all I had to worry about was getting the apples to fall. My first kick managed to get about half of the apples to fall, kicking again caused the rest to fall.
She tips her hat up a little, a slightly impressed smirk adorning her features "Huh, tha right there's actually pretty good fer ya firs time. Keep at it an ya'll be able ta knock 'em all down in one go. Anyway, ah need ya ta buck about twen'y more trees fer now. When yer done, just come find me an ah'll have yer pay ready."
I nod and she leaves. For the next couple hours, I continue bucking and storing the apples in the barn. The first group of trees wasn't so bad, but after that it felt like I was bucking boulders. As I set the last bushel down, my legs finally give out from underneath me. I lay there for a couple minutes, catching my breath when Applejack walks up to me with a sack on her back "Ah take it yer done fer the day?"
I nod, not finding the energy to reply any other way.
She smirks "Well, ya did good fer ya firs time. Ah actually didn' think ya'd do it all in one day. Anyway, here's yer pay fer the day."
(A/N: Lol, Rhyming.)
She picks up the sack and lays it down in front of me. By now I had enough strength to get up and sit down. I pick up the brown bag (A/N: Again, how the hell can that happen with hooves? You know what? Screw it, magic's involved.) and notice the considerable amount of weight the small thing has. Opening the sack reveals quite a lot of bits within. I look at Applejack slightly confused, she notices and explains.
"Ah paid ya 'bout five bits per tree. An' seein' how ya didn' complain none durin', ah threw in a lil extra."
A small smile grows on me as I look at my boss and friend "Thanks, Applejack. Is there anything else you need done?"
Her smirk turns to a friendly smile "Heh, wantin' ta work more, huh? Sorry, but ah don' got anythin' else needin' ta be done. Why don'cha go home an git some rest, ya'll gonna need it fer tommara."
I nod and we go our separate ways. On my way back to Double's house, I let my mind wander around for a bit. Not necessarily the best thing to do when I should be focused on not running into anyone, but at the time I didn't really mind. It's only until I run into a certain pink party pony that I realize I should have paid attention.
Pinkies head suddenly appears in my line of vision. "Hey Bolty!"
Her appearance wrenches me from my thoughts "Huh? Oh, hey Pinkie."
She tilts her head a bit, the ever contagious smile of hers present as always "What'cha doin'?"
Her question brings a slight smile to my face, much to her enjoyment "Nothing much, just heading home so I can get some rest."
"Well forget about that for now. I need your help with something."
I cock my head and raise an eyebrow "Oh? and what would that be?"
(Back to the present...)
[Note to self, NEVER look a mare in the eyes when they use that sad-puppy look...]
I shake my head and look at the...extremly out of place object before me. I sigh and glance at Pinkie once more before running through the...well, it's not necessarily a maze in the standard sense. More like an obstacle course with multiple routes to the finish, but cut out of a large cube of wood. Running through it wasn't really as hard as it seemed, but it was much longer than it looked. It took me about half an hour to get through the entire thing. I pause to catch my breath before turning to Pinkie "So...haa...what was the...haa...point of this?"
Pinkie tilts her head to the side and gives me a questioning look "Point? What point? I don't see a point anywhere. Why are you sweating?"
My eye twitches "Pinkie, why else would I be sweating?! You just made me run through that...monstrosity?"
Looking behind her reveals...nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's like that thing never existed to begin with. And no matter how many times I try to stop myself, I always try to make sense of the enigma-of-a-pony next to me...resulting in me babbling most of the time "hu...bu...wha...ho...whe...?"
She giggles at my, admittingly, stupid expression "Tee-hee, you're so funny. We should hang out again real soon. Right now, I have to meet somepony about something. See ya later, Bolty!"
And with that, she vanishes. Not letting me have the slimmest chance to respond. In my current state of mind, I couldn't have responded even if I wanted to.
After a minute or two, I shake my head and continue where I left off. This time I don't let my mind wander but I still run into someone about two-thirds of the way back. Well, I didn't actually run into them, they sorta ran into me. Which resulted in them getting knocked to the ground.
"Oof!"
[Mommy? I see stars. Shouldn't they be in the sky during the night, not the day time?]
I shake my head and look at who I ran into. I was actually surprised to see it was Derpy that I ran into "Oh my gosh, are you alright?"
She gets up and shakes her head "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for running into you mister...Oh!"
Her eyes widen as if she just realized who she ran into "I'm so sorry I ran into you! I wasn't looking where I was going and-"
Predicting that this would have lasted a lot longer than it should, I gently put my hoof on her mouth, effectively silencing her "It's ok. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings, so if either of us should apologize, it should be me. Your not hurt, are you?"
She blushes a bit and shakes her head "No, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you, though."
I shake my head and smile "Don't be. It'll take more than bumping into a pretty mare to hurt me."
(Sir, I would like to put a compliment into my account.
Certainly, sir. Will that be all for tod-aaaand it's gone. Please move to the back of the line for further service.)
It takes me a minute to realize what just came out of my mouth.
[Did...did I just say that out loud?]
Little did I know, she was thinking the same thing. Now, it's situations like these that are the most volatile. One wrong action or word could have the entire thing blow up in your face with no way of rectifying your mistake. Outcomes include, but are not limited to: Loss of friendship, being ran out of town, beaten by spectators, mauled by other's friends, etc.
So, we're standing there in the awkward silence, both of us with red faces, with no way of knowing how to continue the conversation. Fortunately for me, she speaks first "Do...do you mean that...?"
I blush a little harder, choosing my words before anything blows up on me "Um..."
Ah, thank you brain. The number one way to stall for time and/or cause everything to fall apart. I open my mouth again and an actual sentence escapes from my lips "Uh...yeah, I do."
Well, not exactly a sentence, but still more than my last attempt.
We both blush harder at this. Deciding I kept her long enough, (DEFINATELY not an escape plan) I speak up one last time for the day "Well...uh...I'll see you around."
Without waiting for a reply, I hurry off to Double's house. I admit, that was a stupid move, but what could I do at that point? When I get back to the house, I immediately head up to my room. I set my things down and lay on the bed, mulling over all that has happened today. Mostly just my last conversation.
[Hmm...why did I say that to Derpy? Do I really think she's pretty? Well, I don't find her UN-attractive...could I be...nah, it's too early for that anyway.]
I look out the window to see the sun starting to dip past the horizon.
[Huh...guess I should head over to the library right now.]
A sudden flash near my bags catches my attention. Laying against my bag is a small scroll with what looks like a dark blue ribbon adorned with a crescent moon holding it in place. I pick up the scroll, open it, and begin to read.
Dear BoltFire,
Forgive me for not being able to meet at the usual spot, but a rather pressing matter has come to my attention. I will not be able to meet with you for the next week or so. However, when I do have enough time I would like to invite you and your friends to the castle for lunch.
Your friend,
Luna
P.S. This may sound like an odd question, but do you know anything about a...how do I describe it...an obstacle course like thing carved out of a cube? i just walked into the castle gardens to find it looming above me. Any information would be appreciated. Anyway, I hope to see you soon!
I chuckle at the post script.
[So that's where it went, guess I'm not crazy after all.]
Seeing as I had nothing planned for later tonight, I decided to go to bed early. A final wish going out to my friends before I fall asleep.
[Sweet dreams, everyone.]
A/N: And there's the seventh chapter. Tell me what you guys think. Also, my school has decided to not allow me to continue writing during class even though I completed all of my work for the day. Sigh, such is the life of a writer. Don't want me to be a god in my own little world...anyway, these chapters may be coming out later than usual, but I won't take three months for it to happen! Also, Bolt seems to still be unconsious from earlier, so I may be safe for another chapter.
Rule of the day:
"The more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it." - Rule 43
Me: Why is this the rule of the day you ask? Well, I'm the author and I felt it was relevent...ok, it's not. But I still find it to be true.
Pinkie: *Walks into room and throws forelegs around my shoulders* Aw, don't be like that. It's relevent if you want it to be.
Me: *Blush~* Um...P-pinkie...what are you doing?
Pinkie: *Tilts head to the side* What? Can't I give my favorite human a hug every now and then?
Me: *Blush deepening* Um...that's fine...but why am I your favorite human?
Pinkie: *Smile spreads as she nuzzles my neck* Cause your so soft, and nice, and make a good pillow. Also, we're in an alternate dimension from all the other Pinkie's and Nick's, so I can like whoever I want.
Me: *Blink* L-like...? As in...
Pinkie: *Blush~* Did I say that out loud? Tee-hee, guess I did. Anyway, yeah. As in like-like.
Me: *Hugs Pinkie close* You are just too cute! Well, guess this is the end of another chapter. Pinkie, would you like to sign us out?
Pinkie: *Giggles and nuzzles my cheek* Sure, then later we can spend some time together. This is Pinkie Pie, signing out for Nick...I mean Dark-Wings! Have a good weekend, everypony!