Chapter 16-

A/N Stuff is finally happening, in my brain, making words. Please enjoy.

"Wake up sleepy head," Pinkie said, while shaking Flash's shoulder. He rolled over with a groan, the light burning his eyes. He slowly sat up. Once Pinkie saw that he was awake, she walked into the kitchen, leaving Flash, rubbing his eyes.

Flash stumbled towards the kitchen. At the door he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Inside the kitchen, Pinkie stood by a stove top oven. The sizzle of haycon and the smell of eggs filled Flash's senses. The room was slightly smaller than the living room, but there was still quite of bit of space. Every bit though seemed to be used by something. In one corner stood a large fridge that could be used to store an entire buffet table. Next to that was a series of cabinets above a large counter. To his right pressed up against a wall was a small table with two chairs across from each other.

He slipped inside and sat at the table and watched as Pinkie prepared breakfast. He cleared his throat and scratched the side of his head. "Hey, Pinkie would you like to go out to lunch with me?"

Pinkie laid two plates down on the table and sat across from Flash. She kissed him lightly on the nose and said, "I'd love that, but your broke, you don't know where any restaurants are. Also, Twilight and Rarity are expecting to see us for lunch."

Flash turned red as he realized it was true, he had left all of his meager funds in a safe at the circus. Though it was not likely that Flash would have been able to withdraw it from the safe anyway. Probably was not that smart to not keep it with him in the first place, but hindsight's twenty-twenty.

"Shit," He mumbled as realized he would need to find a job. "Would you mind helping me find a job?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't, I have to work today." Pinkie finished her plate and put in the sink. She asked Flash, "Would you be ok, with me staying here and you going out to look, until lunch?"

"Sure, I'll come by before lunch and we can walk over together." Flash gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and felt a blush go to his cheeks, as he kissed such a beautiful mare. The same blush was on her cheeks as he smiled and climbed down the stairs to search for a job.

Pinkie smiled to herself as Flash slipped down the stairs. She slid their plates into the sink and went down the stairs to work.

Pinkie entered the kitchen and was greeted by Mrs. Cake. "Good morning honey, nice to see you up," Mrs. Cake said from the frosting counter, before her lay some half coated cupcakes. "I'm sorry Pinkie, but I need your help. Would you mind frosting these while I bake some cookies?"

Pinkie smiled and said, "Of course not, I'm here to work." Pinkie took Mrs. Cake place before the counter and proceeded to work. She made short work of the cupcakes and carried them out to put behind the counter.

Mr. Cake was at the front door changing the sign to say "open". He smiled when he saw her. "Why, hello there Pinkie, the missus told me you arrived home last night. We're happy to have you back." He stepped to the kitchen door and told Pinkie, "You manage the cash register today."

Pinkie arranged the cupcakes and cookies as they came out. It wasn't long till she heard the door chime. She looked up and saw a bedraggled Rainbow Dash. Pinkie called out, "Good morning Dashie! How'd you sleep?"

Rainbow Dash looked around and replied, "Good morning Pinkie. I'm fine. Hey, where's Flash?"

"Oh he went out to try and find a job. Rainbow, I have some great news." Pinkie leaned over the counter and hugged her friend as she squeaked and said, "Me and Flash are dating now! Isn't it great?" Pinkie was so overjoyed that she didn't notice the look upon Rainbow's face.

Rainbow managed a smile and said, "That's great Pinkie. That's really great for you two. Well I'd better go."

Pinkie held her exuberance and asked, "Oh really? But you just got here."

Rainbow Dash nodded, "Yeah I only stopped by to see how you were doing. Right now I've got to work, they're coordinating a really large storm and they need all the help they can get.

Pinkie waved as Dash slipped out the door. Outside, Dash only let a single tear fall. She told herself as she flew to work, "Its ok they're together now. Keep it together Dash! You wanted to see them both, well now you just have to convince them to go out with you. They've already done half of it for you."

The café-

Rarity sat sipping her tea as she waited for the others to arrive. She hoped that Rainbow Dash would also be joining them, but rarely is life so simple. Last night Rarity hadn't heard from Dash, after she sent her off to tell them. To the best of her knowledge, things could have worked out, they could be trying to figure something out, or Pinkie and Flash could have flat out rejected her.

That's why she was so hesitant to have suggested that she tell them. But she knew that if Rainbow never tried, she would never forget and always wonder. Rarity quietly stirred her tea wondering how things could have gone.

"Hello Rarity," said a voice from behind, the sudden noise interrupted her thoughts and caused her to jump. She looked up to see Twilight smiling at her. "Hello Twilight, how has your day been?"

Twilight smiled. "Oh it's been a very nice day, but I hear the weather teams are planning a large storm to hit almost all the way across Equestria."

They filled the time as they waited for Pinkie and Flash to arrive with polite conversation. When finally Pinkie and Flash arrived, they walked side by side. It was obvious to anypony around that they were a couple. At the table Flash pulled out Pinkie's seat for her. Flash sat next to her.

Twilight smiled and said, "Oh I'm so happy for you two."

Pinkie gave Flash a quick kiss and Flash said, "Yeah, I'm happy too. I'm so lucky to have run into you girls at the carnival."

Rarity looked around them trying to glance further down the street. Rarity smiled and asked, " Have either of you seen Rainbow Dash.

Flash shook his head but Pinkie said, "Yeah this morning, she came into the bakery and asked were Flash was. I told her, he was looking for a job then, about how we're a couple now."

Rarity nodded and sipped her tea. She swallowed then asked, "What's this about a job."

"I was an idiot, at the carnival. I put all my money into a safe with some of the other workers. There was no way for me to retrieve it when it was time for me to go, so now I've been looking for a job."

Twilight and Rarity thought for a moment then Twilight suggested, "He could go work for Applejack? " Rarity dismissed the idea by saying, "She only needs help during Applebuck season. I need some fabrics picked up for me. Though it would only be once or twice a month, he'll need a different job."

They debated and suggested numerous jobs, but to no avail, they simply couldn't think of a job. Flash said with a smile, "Thanks for trying. I'll just have to look around town. But I'd be able to pick up materials for you just let me know when and where."

"I promise you'll be the first that I'll call." Rarity smiled and suggested, casting an eye to the clouds, "We might want to adjourn our little meeting, it appears the weather teams are hard at work." With that they were parted, each returned to their abodes.

Somewhere on the road-

"I win!" Reece shouted. Spades just stared at him, then at his cards, and then the piles strewn across the crates.

"How the fuck did you win!?" Spades shouted. "I had three aces and two kings."

"But I'm holding two aces… You're a cheater! And I still beat you! Ha, you cheated and I still won!" Reece shouted proudly.

A shout came from the front of their cart, "Guys, I've been pulling for hours! It looks like it's going to rain, I'm done." Aaron unshackled himself from the cart and went around back to pull himself inside of the cart. His progress was impeded by a hoof on his chest.

Spades pushed him back down and said, "You've only been pulling for about an hour. It's still your turn." Aaron tried to pull himself back on, but was pushed again, this time by Reece. "Sorry, but Spades is right, go pull."

Aaron snarled at them but went around front, shouting over his shoulder, "Fine, but if it starts raining I'm done!"

He latched himself back on and watched the clouds move ever closer.

An hour later, Aaron looked up. He had watched the clouds approach and was still surprised by how quickly they had surrounded them. With a crack the sky opened and rain began pouring down upon them. Aaron threw the harness from him and ran around back.

Reece and Spades were trying to pull a tarp over them. Using pipes they were trying to form a tent over their supplies and them. When Aaron tried to climb in, Spades pushed him back down.

Aaron looked up at him and shouted, "What the fuck! Let me up!" Aaron shook his head. As a crash of thunder was heard Spades shouted over the heavy wind, "We're sitting in the middle of a field, pull us to some cover, then get in." He pointed to the nearest cluster of trees and went back to putting up the tarp.

"Fuck this." Aaron tried to climb up anyways. Spades saw him and shoved him in the center of the chest. Aaron fell off the cart and landed in a puddle. The water grew a grey tint as Aaron ran to the front.

Spades and Reece raised the tent upon the cart and placed a lamp in the center of the tent. They shivered and took out the blankets, preparing for a long night.

The storm grew ever worse. Spades was about to call out to Aaron to call it quits and come inside when the cart lurched to a stop. Aaron clambered into the back, soaking wet. Aaron moved closer to the lamp in the center and brought his hooves next to the glass trying to warm them. Silence reined unchallenged by the ponies in the cart.

As Aaron warmed his hands, Reece looked at his soaking friend. His coat was matted down and water was dripping forming a puddle beneath him. As he watched the puddle grow he realized something. The water was a slight murky grey. Reece stuck a hoof into the edge of the puddle and brought it to his face. He examined his hoof, as the tinge stuck to his hand. After a moment he looked up and towards Aaron.

He studied him with renewed vigor, looking for anything out of the ordinary upon his friend. Reece stuck out a hoof towards Aaron's mark. Aaron looked at it and scooted away, but Reece continued reaching.

Aaron pushed it away and said, "Dude, don't touch my ass, I'm not gay."

Reece said, without looking up, "Shut up, neither am I." Reece quickly dragged his hoof across Spades flank and watched as his mark became distorted.

Reece looked up at him and said, "You paint your flank?"

Spades quickly looked up from where he had been resting his eyes. Looking down he realized it was true. "You paint your flank?" Spades broke out into a nearly incapacitating laugh. He calmed enough to say, "You don't have a mark, that's hilarious!"

Aaron looked away and said, "Yes I do."

Spades laughed out, "Yeah, what does it stand for? Being invisible?"

Aaron sighed and rubbed away the paint. It revealed, slowly, what seemed to be three red scratches running diagonally from the right to the left and another set intersecting it. They were crossed by a third set drawing straight down crossing the "X" formed by the other two sets.

Spades scoffed and said, incredulously, "That's it? It looks like a cat scratched your ass!" Spades began a new round of laughing fit.

His laughter was cut short when he heard, "It's a curse."

Reece and Spades looked at Aaron. Aaron looked up, as if talking directly to the fates that had given him this fate and said, "It's called, the Maledixit Benedictio, or The Cursed Blessing. Throughout the ages, the greatest of all heroes bore this mark. It's a death warrant. Ponies given this mark, are given one, and only one, legendary deed. Something no one else could ever do. Then within minutes of their greatest victories, they are slaughtered and left to rot."

Aaron continued, "Hell, my dad was such a 'patriot', the day I received my mark he notified the royal guard and I was carted off to military school."

Reece asked, "Why is it that you hide your mark?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Aaron asked. "I'm a fugitive. Celestia has a one stallion army at her disposal and he runs away, she's going to send ponies out after him. I, of course, was always reading, and in stories a colt can always trust clowns and acrobats. I figured, I need to hide, why not the carnival? So I managed to get to the carnival, half-starved, mind you. The clowns took pity on me and I took up residence with them. In return for help with their act, they fed me and taught me how to use disguises."

Spades asked, "And you think that they're still looking for you?"

Aaron pulled a book out of his duffle and tossed it to Spades. Though the book had taken some beating, it was clear that this was a fairly recent copy of the Guard Corps Manual "Take a look at page seven hundred and sixteen." As Spades turned Aaron said, "I have my own section."

Reece turned and pulled out a bottle of beer, hidden among their supplies. As he popped the top, Spades said, "One for the liar." He gestured toward Aaron.

Aaron replied with, "And one for the cheat."

Reece pulled out two more bottles and handed one each to his friends. He tilted his bottle back and took a swig. "You, know though, this whole thing really explains something."

Aaron looked at him and asked, "What?"

"How it is that you haven't said anything that sounded remotely smart. I mean you supposedly were a philosopher, but even your name sounded stupid."

Aaron laughed and said, "You do know I stole that name right out of a history book. He was great philosopher and mathematician."

After they laughed and cracked a few jokes, Spades fell asleep. Reece leaned against a crate and nodded off on the floor. Aaron sipped his third beer and listened to the rain fall. With a sudden rage he whipped the still full bottle out of the tent. He sat against the edge of the cart and watched the rain fall. He quoted his favorite line, "It is vain for the coward to flee; death follows close behind; it is only by defying it the brave escape."

He turned away from the lighting and the loud crash of thunder. Aaron screwed his eyes shut and lay his head against his duffle. Sleep fought him like a beast against the wall, but eventually his eyes stopped fluttering open and he lay somewhat close to peaceful.