Fallen Eagle

Prologue: Shattered Skies

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The faint sound of jet engines shutting down for the night filled the air of my temporary bunk room. The smell of burning jet fuel entered my nose and kept me calm. I kept the window open since the sound of dead silence would have driven me insane long ago. My radio was connected to my phone, playing Bad Moon Rising from CCR. Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway near my room, for several pilots had just exited their jets and were getting ready to retire for the night. Being a fighter pilot in the movies looks badass, but in real life, it takes its toll on people. My eyes hadn't opened since I put music on, allowing me to relax until tomorrow.

I see a bad moon arisin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today

My left eye creaked open when there was a soft rapping on my door. My hand reached down and turned the volume down until the song was playing as a faint whisper. "Cougar, you awake?" I heard a voice question. I propped myself up and stretched my arms out, putting on my United States Air Force hat and started to go for the door. Before opening the door, I turned my lamp on, quickly illuminated my small room. "Hey Cougar, how you doing?" A man about my age entered the room.

Don't go around tonight
Well, it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise

I shut the door as he entered and turned the radio completely off. "Can't sleep Reaper," I replied, calling my best friend by his call sign. He smirked and sat down on a small wooden chair in the corner of the room. "There's just too much going on to let me sleep," I added.

"Yeah me too," Reaper replied, "ever since this second Missile Crisis started, I've been more on edge than before; I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than 40 minutes straight." I pinched the bridge of my nose when I heard him talk about the missile crisis. Having to be relocated from our home base of Elmendorf in Alaska to this makeshift base at the Homestead Airport put a lot of stress on us and the rest of our squad mates in Ghostrider Squadron. It still amazed me how fast the airport and practically every citizen that had zero military experience had been evacuated.

"Well I understand your situation, at least you have a family to think and worry about back home," I quietly reminded my friend. Reaper sighed and put and arm on my shoulder and hugged me tight.

"Don't think like that Cougar, I'm sure that your family is still proud of what you've been able to do in the Air Force," he reassured me. My eyes drifted over to a picture on the table next to my bed. My eyes fell onto a picture of myself and my parents on the day I graduated from the academy.

"You know Reaper, sometimes I think humanity is just a waste, and what we're up against here doesn't make me think otherwise. Whenever I strap into my jet and soar through the clouds, I feel at peace. It makes me feel that humanity can and should be better, but maybe that's because I'm all by myself up there," I kept talking down.

"Come on Cougar, I know it sucks that we're practically in World War III here, but you and I are apart of something that can stop this from going further. As long as there are people like us in the Air Force, humanity has a chance to live on." I looked back up at Reaper and cracked a smile.

"You're the only family or friend I've got left, I won't let you down, I can promise you that," I put my hand on Reaper's shoulder.

"Cougar, you've never let anyone down before, I doubt you're gonna start with me," Reaper replied and sat up from his chair. "And I know how much you want this war to be over, trust me on this Cougar, you're not the only one that hates it," and with that, Reaper left. Just as I was about to turn my radio back on and try to fall asleep, my phone rang.

"Cougar, we need you in the briefing room, we may have a crisis situation so bring your flight suit and helmet," I heard the base commander on the other end of the line, "I'll also be getting in touch with Reaper, Grizz, Boa and Tex, this may require the best we've got," the Base Commander added before hanging up.

"Better to be up and at it than failing at sleep," I said to myself as I opened my closet to find my green flight suit with various Air Force and F-15 patches sewn on. I grabbed my duffel bag to store my helmet in just so I wouldn't drop it on the ground. I also grabbed my phone, which was odd since I've never and the desire to bring it before, but something told me I should bring it just in case.

---

"Gentleman, I apologize for calling you in this close to lights out, but we have a slight problem," the Base Commander known only as Stinger announced as myself, Reaper and the three other pilots arrived inside the briefing room. Stinger had a pot of coffee ready for us and had us all sit down at a round table in front of a large computer screen. Out of instinct, I had my helmet sitting next to me on the table, ready for when I had to put it on for a flight.

"What do you need us for sir?" Reaper asked when another officer flicked on the computer screen to show the schematics of a recon ship known as the SS Layton. Stinger cleared his throat and pulled out a laser pointer from his front shirt pocket.

"Three hours ago, the Recon Ship SS Layton launched for a nightly patrol from north of the Florida Keys on a mission to the East Florida keys," Stinger waived the laser pointer around a picture of the ship. He clicked on a mouse and the image changed to show a map of the ship's route. "However, one hour ago, the commander of the ship failed to check in and we need to find the ship to make sure it's safe and that the crew is safe as well. The area near Cuba is very dangerous right now and we need these patrol ships to make sure we will not get attacked," Stinger informed us.

"So do you want us to find the ship Sir?" Tex raised his hand in question.

"Find it and escort it to it's destination," Stinger replied as he pointed the laser pointer to the eastern most island. "I've already gotten off the phone with the port where the Layton is supposed to dock and they are expecting a four jet escort. They even have reserve fuel on standby for your jets, any other questions?" Stinger asked. When no one else raised a hand, Stinger put away his laser pointer. "Then good luck to you gentleman and be safe," he wished us.

"Let's do this!" Grizz exclaimed and grabbed his helmet. We all put on our helmets and jogged on out to the makeshift hanger where our jets were kept. My personal F-15C Eagle was sitting proudly on its wheels at the head of the group with my call sign painted just below the canopy. Reaper's jet, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, was sitting to the left of my jet. We both jogged on over and climbed into the jets as other aircraft personnel hooked our jets up to trucks to tow us out of the hanger and onto the taxiing area. I looked behind me briefly in time to see Grizz climb into his F-22A Raptor and quickly shut the canopy before buckling in. I set my duffel bag in the little area behind my seat and hooked it to my seat as I had been ordered to do ever since I joined the Air Force. Not only did it house my helmet when I wasn't using it, the duffel bag also had a spare set of clothes, a first aid kit, food, water, an emergency CB radio, a pair of aviators for flying during the day and for special occasions, a .44 magnum pistol.

"Are you boys ready?" I heard Tex call from his T-38 Talon.

"Born ready Tex!" Boa called from the backseat of the T-38. Normally the Air Force used the T-38 for strictly training purposes, but Tex and Boa worked so well together in a T-38 that the Air Force had specially weaponized one just for them. And boy, I knew they were dangerous in that jet. As I hooked up my oxygen mask to my helmet, I heard from the tower that we were ready to launch.

"Cougar this is tower, you are cleared for launch," the tower controller radioed to me. I breathed in deeply and replied, "Tower this is Cougar, I copy that," I radioed back. My hand moved from the joy stick to the throttle control and inched the lever forward. The rumble of my F-15 engines built up until there was a deafening roar and I released the break. Instantly my jet took off like a cannon. My speed built up and up until I reached 200 miles per hour and I gently moved the joystick back and my jet took off for the wild blue yonder, or the black yonder as the sky was currently turning. "Cougar is airborne, I repeat, Cougar is airborne," I radioed back to the tower.

"Roger Cougar," the tower controller replied, "maintain speed of 700 knots and an altitude of 9,000 feet," I was ordered. I checked the altimeter on my dash and pitched my jet further up until it read 9,000 feet and my speedometer read between 698 and 702 knots. Soon enough, Reaper, Grizz and Tex and Boa were in the air along side me and we headed for our destination of the last known area of the SS Layton: Key Largo.

"So Cougar, where exactly are we heading?" Grizz asked me.

"Key Largo is near where we lost contact with the ship and that's also near where it was supposed to dock," I relayed back, "so about 30-40 miles west of Key Largo," I explained. I could hear Reaper whistling slowly in amazement.

"Wow, that's near the Bermuda Triangle!" He commented, "or at least right up against the border, maybe the ship got lost in the Triangle and got sucked up into another dimension," he pondered. Boa and Grizz snickered while Tex began howling with laughter. Although light was still fading away, I could see his Red, White and Blue Texas themed helmet bobbing up and down as he laughed.

"Boy Reaper, you sure do love those science fiction shows don't ya?" Tex teased. I even cracked a small smile at Reaper's expense whom just sighed at us from his F-16.

"Say what you want boys, but there are phenomenons in this world that we can't explain," he retorted.

"Alright that's enough guys," I stopped the laughter, "I hate to be a party pooper but we still have a job to do," I reminded the rest of my Ghostrider Squadron. Every pilot shut up at that statement. Even though we all lost our maturity at some points and had fun immature times, we still got serious when the time called for it, and this was one of the most important times to be serious. "Boa, anything on radar yet?" I called to Tex's WSO.

Boa gave me a second so he could check his radar for anything. "Nope, nothing yet, but we're getting close to Key Largo as we speak," Boa radioed, "should we try radioing to the Layton? Maybe they've got communications back online," Boa suggested.

"I don't think so, we should wait until we're right at the exact spot of where we lost contact," I replied.

"So Cougar, have you ever given thought to ditching your dusty old Eagle for a Raptor or maybe an F-35?" Reaper asked me as he and Grizz grouped up closer to my jet. Truth be told, I had thought about it before, right when Grizz dumped his F-16 for a new F-22 that was personally delivered to our squadron. The way he could out maneuver all of us was just astounding to me, but the F-15 had never let me down and has always exceeded my expectations.

"Not until Stinger holds me down and forces the crew to dismantle my jet," I replied, "we've been through too much together to part ways," I added with a smile. The rest of the flight remained a silent journey. My eyes kept drifting down to the radar on my dash, waiting to spot a blip for the SS Layton. The sky was now completely black and the only things any of us could see were the stars and tail lights of all the jets. "Alright boys, time to flip to night vision," I radioed. I flicked my visor down and clicked a button which switched it to bright green so we could see.

"Hey Cougar, my radar is picking something up about two miles to the west of our location," Boa relayed.

"Roger that, let's descend to 7000 feet and keep our eyes peeled for that ship. Reaper, you try to hail them," I ordered my friend. Reaper gave me the thumbs up signal and began attempting to hail the SS Layton. We all began to slowly drop our altitudes and scanned the ocean waters.

"SS Layton, this is Reaper with the Ghostrider Squadron, do you have a copy?" We all heard Reaper in the radio. "Hmm, nothing but static guys, I'll try again."

"Keep it up Reaper, we need this ship," Grizz reminded. Reaper nodded before reattempting to hail the recon ship.

"Again, SS Layton, this is Reaper of the United States Air Force Ghostrider Squadron, do you have a copy?" Reaper called. He waited a few seconds before groaning in frustration, "still nothing guys. Boa, how's your radar looking?" He asked.

"We're just about on top of the ship guys. There it is!" He exclaimed. We all looked down to scan the ocean where we saw a faint spec with our night vision visors. "Your call Cougar," Boa said.

"Try hailing her one more time, if it fails, we'll have the Coast Guard come out here and investigate," I replied.

"SS Layton, this is the Ghostrider Squadron," Reaper skipped his name this time, "do you have a copy? We are here to escort you to your destination." Finally, there was a crackle and hiss in the middle of the static.

"-urn, ba-, ow," we all heard a faint voice.

"SS Layton, please repeat that," Tex said.

"Turn, back now," the voice whispered in the radio. My heart stopped at what happened next. We all heard the distinct sound of a gunshot on the radio and a body thumping against the floor.

"SS Layton! What's going on!?" Reaper shouted into his radio. Some fumbling was heard on the other side before we heard heavy breathing on the other end.

"Hello, American Scum," a spanish accented voice said on the radio.

"Who is this!?" Tex demanded. The voice cackled and teased us.

"The one who just ordered your execution, DEATH TO AMERICA!" The voice cut off transmission. Suddenly, all of our radars went crazy as four surface to air missiles came flying at us.

"EVADE, EVADE!" I shouted. Reaper and I broke to the right and barrel rolled while Tex and Boa and Grizz broke to the left. Through my night vision, I saw two missiles fly in between our four jets. "Homestead Tower, the crew of the SS Layton is dead and the ship has been taken over. We have just been fired upon," I relayed back to base.

"Roger that Cougar, any enemy bogeys?" The tower questioned.

"None yet so far, but keep the alert backup on standby," I replied. Just as I ceased communicating with the tower, there was a loud and long sustaining tone bombarding me. "Reaper, check our tails," I nervously stated.

"Oh shit, we got about ten enemy bogeys behind us!" Reaper shouted.

"Tower this is Cougar, we have ten enemy bogeys on our tails and have us locked on. Launch the backup squad now!" I ordered the tower.

"Backup is on their way Cougar," the tower reported, "we have orders from Stinger for you to take on as many enemies as possible and lure them away from Key Largo."

"You heard them boys, let's blow them right outta the sky!" Tex cackled and dropped below the wave of enemy fighters and came up behind them. Grizz did a 180 and took the bogeys head on. Fearing a collision, three bogeys broke away as Grizz started firing off his guns. Tex maneuvered his T-38 upwards and began to pursue two of the enemy jets.

"Alright Reaper, attack pattern Delta now." Reaper flew just below and to the right of me as we suddenly dropped down and hit the brakes. The other five jets flew past us overhead and we both locked onto two jets. We both flinched as we heard a large explosion followed by the flash of fire.

"Got ya you miserable SOB!" Tex declared and began to lock onto another jet.

"Better move it Tex, we got one trying to get on our six," Boa radioed to his pilot.

"Reaper, stick together, we got these two up ahead of us," I told Reaper. My tracker waved around on the screen, trying to lock onto the bogey ahead. The tracker turned from Green to red as it hovered over the jet I was pursuing. "I got tone, firing!" I announced. My thumb clicked down on the button and a missile dislodged from my right wing and fired off towards the enemy. There was a loud explosion as my missile made contact and demolished the jet. "Fox 2!"

"Cougar, I'm too close for missiles on this one, switching to guns," Reaper informed me.

"I roger that Reaper, I'll drop in behind and cover you." I yanked the joystick to the left and my F-15 pitched to the left hard, forcing me against the right side of the fuselage. As I turned around however, I could feel something hitting my Jet in the rear. My jet began shaking and an alarm went off. "Guys, we've got more enemies coming in from the south! I'm hit in the right engine," I informed my sqaudmates. I quickly killed the engine so my jet wouldn't seize up.

"Get out of here and get your plane fixed!" Reaper ordered me.

"I'm not leaving you guys in danger!" I shouted back, "I can last on one engine, but I just can't perform the same maneuvers." I checked my radar only to have my heart stop at the sight of thirty more aircraft heading right for us. "Tower, where is the backup aircraft?" I asked.

"HELP US! WE'VE BEEN BOMBED! ALERT AIRCRAFT HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED!" The tower screamed back.

"Guys, our base was attacked, help isn't coming," I said with a stopped heart.

"We've gotta retreat to the nearest air field and request help, we don't have enough weapons for this!" Grizz worriedly replied.

"Not with thirty eight enemies trailing us, we can't just lead them to another air field," I replied. "We can try to lose them in the darkness of night, but that may not work," I said as I fired my guns at an enemy. My bullets hit their target and the jet exploded. The familiar sustained tone of being locked on hit my jet again. I checked wildly behind me while pitching my jet back and forth. I knew I was putting too much stress on my one engine, but I had to keep fighting to keep my friends safe.

"Hold on Coug!" Reaper shouted and blasted the enemy out of the sky. As the explosion went off, I could see the faint outlines of the enemy jets above us.

"They're everywhere. We've gotta move!" Grizz shouted. Despite having one of the most sophisticated jets ever created, Grizz was at a big disadvantage with being outnumbered.

"You got a bogey to the left at 3 o'clock! He's gonna fire!" Tex exclaimed. We all heard the sustained lock on tone and saw a flash of light as the missile took off.

"AHHH!" We heard as Grizz's F-22 went up in flames.

"GRIZZ!" I screamed. The flaming remains of his F-22 Raptor crashed into the ocean and fizzled away into the night. I could feel a tightness in my chest and a tear roll down my cheek.

"His whole plane went up, there's no way he could've ejected," Reaper said solemnly.

"THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!" Tex shouted and went ballistic on the enemies; firing bullets and several missiles everywhere. For reasons I cannot explain, Tex actually took down three more bogeys because of this.

"Jesus Tex, calm down, we can outsmart these guys!" Boa said in a panicked tone from the back seat of the T-38.

"They took down Grizz, now they're gonna pay," Tex gritted his teeth and went to pursue another bogey. He was pushing his T-38 to its limits. Tex was pulling off dangerous moves that could cause his engine to stall at any moment.

"COUGAR! BOGEY ON YOUR TAIL!" Reaper shouted. I braced my hand against the glass of the canopy to look behind me and saw flashes of light coming from an enemy jet.

"Shit," I commented as I barrel rolled and ascended higher. "Tex! You get your ass over near Reaper and I and we can outrun these guys!" I ordered the T-38 pilot.

"For the love of God do what he says, please!" Boa begged from his seat. Tex ignored me and continued to try and bring down another jet with his guns.

"Just a little closer," Tex growled and switched back to his missiles. "I'll bring down one more then we'll join your escape route," Tex relayed back. I heard through his radio that he had locked onto the bogey. Suddenly, the jet in front of Tex pitched up and vanished for a brief moment before reappearing behind his T-38.

"Now he's behind us!" Boa looked behind wildly. "GET US OUT OF HERE!" Boa shrieked as the bogey locked onto their T-38.

"Reaper follow me and take down that bogey!" I ordered. Reaper banked left and followed me over behind the enemy.

"I've got a lock on," Reaper reported and fired his missile. Right as he did however, the enemy launched his and his jet exploded. "Tex, break left! His missile is still heading towards you!" Reaper warned.

"My engines stalled, dammit!" Tex cursed in his radio. "PUNCH US OUT BOA!" Tex yelled. Their canopy exploded off the jet and I saw their seats rocket from the fuselage. Right as they ejected, the missile hit their T-38. The explosion engulfed the pilots before they drifted away in their parachutes.

"No," Reaper breathed out. I couldn't say a word. Three of our friends were now gone. "Come on Cougar, let's get out of here before they can catch us," Reaper suggested, "maybe we can hide out at Daytona Air Base."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," I said as we both pitched lower to the islands to mask our planes. "Fly tightly together," I reminded Reaper. As we descended lower, an alarm went off on my Dash. "NO! Don't seize up on me!" I tried to jiggled the joystick around to try and speed my jet up faster.

"Come on Coug, before they catch up," Reaper slowed down to stay with me. I finally got my engine re-fired, but that also alerted a nearby bogey of our location. I felt the pinging sensation of 30MM bullets piercing through the left engine of my F-15. "COUGAR!" Reaper exclaimed as my engine let go. I had to shut it off before it exploded and took me with it.

"REAPER, I CAN'T CONTROL IT!" I shrieked as the force launched me forward into the dash while my F-15 was sent into a flat spin. "Save yourself Reaper, you've got a family to think about! Forget about me!" I begged as my jet started doing random barrel rolls and pitches. My altimeter and GPS were going haywire, trying to figure out where my jet was going to end up.

"Cougar, eject out of there. I'll give you cover until you're out," he informed and started to encircle me. My GPS started to fizzle out when we crossed over the border for the Bermuda Triangle.

"Just leave me! I'm done for!" I ordered him.

"I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU!" Reaper replied and shot his guns in all directions, trying to keep enemies at bay. I found myself having trouble breathing with all the pressure being exerted on my body. With all my strength, I lifted my hand up and grabbed onto the ejection lever. The canopy jettisoned off my jet and my pilot seat rocketed out of the fuselage. The 20Gs of pressure from ejection was almost too much for me. I felt my seat jerk when the parachute opened. My jet had plummeted towards the ocean below me, but I was curious as to why I didn't see a splash or hear a crash for that matter. My helmet was still on, but my oxygen mask was gone. The energy I had was almost empty, and as I looked up towards Reaper's F-16, all I could see was a ball of fire engulfing his jet.

"Rea-" I said until I blacked out and the world around me disappeared.

End Prologue.

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Well, here's the prologue to my newest MLP story: Fallen Eagle. I really hope this was a good and intense start. And, most of the call signs were inspired by Top Gun and most of the jet facts come from my grandpa and my dad. And I hope you all like the cover, I made it myself using photoshop. Also, in case anyone is wondering, Cougar's real name will not be revealed until much later on in the story.

I do not own MLP, the USAF or Bad Moon Rising by CCR.

This story also has it's own soundtrack that I've picked out. Some songs will be played from an MP3 source, be played just to set up a scene, or actually be sung by the cast. Please read and review!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter I: Saviors

Hello all! Thank you so much for coming back for another chapter of Fallen Eagle. In this new chapter, the events of Dishonorable just finished up and Celestia, Luna and 5 of the Mane 6 investigate the strange craft that crashed in Ponyville near the lake. Various third person and first person points of views are expected!

And I guess you could call me a Brony since I have seen every episode at least once by now, excluding Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks. I have no clue if I will ever see those.

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(With the Investigators)

Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy, all galloped as fast as they could towards the Ponyville Lake. Two pegasus guards flew forward to clear a path for the seven ponies. "Official Royal business, everypony clear the way!" One of the guards ordered. Ponies on both sides of the main road moved out of the way for fear of being trampled. Celestia flapped her giant wings and lifted off the ground to catch up to one of the guards.

"Does anypony else know of this strange craft's existence?" The princess questioned the guard. The pegasus cleared his throat and turned towards his Princess.

"No, we have four other guards that have quarantined the area so no other pony can discover the wreckage," the guard explained, "the safety and sanity of the populous was our main priority your majesty." Celesita smiled and slowly lowered her hooves back to the ground and began to gallop quickly once again.

"But sister, remember the guard said some creature may have crashed along with the craft," Luna reminded.

"Yes, well if it is true Luna, the creature may be injured and we must tend to it," Celestia replied. Rarity grimaced at the thought of an unknown creature and craft appearing in their world.

"But Princess, what if this creature is highly dangerous and hurts somepony?" Rarity questioned. As the large group approached the lake, they were met with the sight of black smoke rising from the ground and two guards standing still as statues near a tree.

"Rarity!" Twilight scolded, "we have to show mercy and compassion to whatever creature is here. If it realizes we are kind and caring, then there is a good possibility the creature could return the same feelings."

"Yeah, and maybe the whatever it is loves to party!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, "do you think they'll like cake and ice cream and loud music?" She asked. The other ponies rolled their eyes and stopped when they reached the lake and gasped. They saw a large metallic object split in two. The back was burning and had two large openings with two large and tall tails atop the backside. The front side had two strange and rounded triangular wings with a long and narrow tube at the front. Inside the tube were various lights and buttons and weird controls no pony had ever seen before. "Oooh! I wanna touch those buttons, maybe balloons will pop out the holes in the back!" Pinkie Pie started to hurtle towards the craft but was lassoed by Applejack.

"Hold on there Pinkie Pie, d'you really think touchin' those strange buttons is a safe idea?" The country pony asked. Pinkie Pie whined a little and struggled against the rope tying her legs together.

"Oh my, the color choice is simply dreadful! The dull grey is boring, bland and simple enough to make me lose my breakfast!" Rarity covered her eyes. Fluttershy meanwhile brushed some dirt and sand away from the tube and discovered writing below the opening.

"Hmm, who is this, Cougar?" Fluttershy wondered, but no pony heard her.

"Twilight Sparkle, look at these strange markings," Luna pointed out as she hovered around the tails of the craft. Twilight flapped her wings and raised herself off the ground.

"Hmm, USAF, F-15, AK? I've never seen markings like these before, we're more than likely dealing with, an Alien source," Twilight gulped. "Princess Celestia, have you ever seen anything like this?" Twilight asked.

"No Twilight, but this provides an interesting opportunity for us to discover and study a new species," Celestia began, "now then guards, where is this strange creature?" The guards nearest the group nervously looked at each other before pointing their shaking hooves upwards in the trees.

"U-up th-there your m-majesty," one of the guards worriedly replied. Everypony gradually looked upward and dropped their jaws, save for Rarity.

"AHHHHH!" She screamed and fell onto her fainting couch, "that color of green is absolutely hideous! Did that creature come from the land of vomit fashion?" Rarity covered her eyes again.

"Twi, what in tarnation is that thing?" Applejack asked. In the tree was a tall monkey-like creature with wires from a parachute holding him up in the tree. On his body was a strange dark green jumpsuit with numerous patches and markings adorning the sleeves and chest area. On his head was a purple colored helmet with yellow piercing eyes on the front and images of claw marks going down the sides. Just below the yellow eyes were the white letters of the name 'COUGAR.' His eyes were covered with a visor and his mouth hanging open, but no noise was coming out.

Princess Celestia flew upwards to the tree, despite various objections from a few ponies. She gently placed a hoof around the creature's neck and lowered her head onto his chest. "He's unconscious, but still alive," she reported, "quickly, let's get him down and bring him to the royal infirmary," she declared.

"Sister, are you sure that's a good idea? We have no clue where that thing even came from!" Luna objected. Celestia glared at Luna and held onto the body while her magic cut the wires of the parachute from the back of the creature. She held onto the body while a large bag crashed to the ground and a black box fell out and smashed to pieces.

"Don't be cruel Luna, it is our duty to nurse this injured creature back to health, correct Fluttershy?" Celesita asked Fluttershy whom just quietly nodded from behind Applejack.

"Oooh, free bag!" Pinkie Pie declared and snatched the bag from the ground.

"Careful Pinkie!" Twilight warned, "we don't know what could be in there." Pinkie Pie glowered and hoisted the bag onto her back. "Princess, what about this wreckage? We can't just leave it here, some ponies will find it and panic," Twilight pointed out. Celestia gently touched back down onto the ground and set the unconscious creature onto her back.

"You're right Twilight Sparkle, Luna, help me transport this wreckage to the largest Dungeon cell," Celestia ordered. Luna stepped forward to her sister and both horns began to glow simultaneously and the wreckage soon disappeared in a flash. "There, now let's take, Cougar, to the royal infirmary. I shall request Rainbow Dash to moved to the Royal Infirmary as well, all of your friends will be valuable assets in assisting Cougar to adjust to our world," Celestia informed. Twilight and the rest nodded towards their Princess whom sprouted her wings and took off for the castle.

"Ah can tell y'all one thing," Applejack began, "that there ain't no Cougar, that's fer sure."

---

(At the Royal Infirmary)

"So, what'd exactly you guys find?" Rainbow Dash curiously asked as she was transported to the castle hospital and awaited for 'Cougar' to show up. Soarin' was sitting on a stool next to her new bed and Spike was in the corner, pretending to flip through a comic book, trying to hide his boredom.

"We already told you Rainbow Dash," Twilight annoyingly replied, "Princess Celestia will be here any minute, she had to make sure none of the guards or doctors would breath a premature word of this until she herself made an announcement."

"Okay that totally didn't answer my question," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Fluttershy, you guys said there was a strange monkey like creature with the word Cougar everywhere?" Rainbow asked.

"Well," Fluttershy began quietly, "yes, but we're not quite sure what it was. It was a male, that was certain, but he had on this strange dark green jumpsuit with various cutie marks all over and he had on these strange sunglasses and a purple helmet with the word Cougar in white letters below yellow piercing eyes," Fluttershy explained, "and he was unconscious, but that's all we know. Even though he was strange and came in a weird craft, I felt horrible for him, he looked really innocent."

"He called himself Cougar? That's actually pretty cool," Rainbow Dash commented, "do you think he was some sort of daredevil? Maybe I could teach him a few things, right Soarin'?"

"You could teach anypony anything on stunts Rainbow!" Soarin' replied with his usual goofy grin. Suddenly, the door burst open with two doctors, a stretcher with the creature known as Cougar laying down on top, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and a nurse hurrying through.

"Alright, let's get an IV in him and a heart monitor hooked up," one of the doctors ordered. He took off Cougar's visor and quickly looked into his eyes with a flashlight before stick bandages over them. "His eyesight seems fine, we don't want to blast bright lights in his eyes after being knocked out for no pony knows how long," he explained and lightly taped white bandages over his eyes.

"We should probably get an X-Ray scan as well, he may have broken something," the second doctor said to the nurse. The second doctor took a stethoscope in his hoof and placed it in his ear and on Cougar's chest. "Princess, would you please remove the helmet and jump suit?" Celestia's horn glowed as Cougar's jump suit and helmet levitated off Cougar's body and were gently hung on a coat rack in another corner of the room.

"Woah, you guys were right, he is strange looking!" Rainbow stared wide eyed at Cougar. Below the jumpsuit was a dark blue shirt with the words U.S. Air Force imprinted with white letters across the chest. Below that was a pair of dark cargo pants.

"Well, he certainly does work out," Rarity commented on the muscles, though not flustered or anything of that nature. The second doctor ignored all the remarks and placed the stethoscope on Cougar's chest and listened very carefully.

"Heart rate is actually normal, breathing is labored, but he is unconscious so that is to be expected. Pulse is normal as well," he reported and scribbled his findings on a clipboard. "Well he is healthy, just knocked out, we'll have to wait until he wakes up so we can get the full story, and we'll still need an X-Ray scan and maybe a CT Scan as well, we want to make sure he is 100% healthy." Pinkie Pie pulled a cupcake from under her chair and zoomed over to Cougar.

"I know what'll wake him up, a cupcake a day will make anypony play!" She declared and stuck the cupcake under Cougar's nose.

"At least ya got a cool roommate this time Dashie," Soarin' joked and nudged Rainbow's arm. Suddenly, the heart rate monitor began to beep slightly faster and a quiet moan escaped Cougar's mouth. Little shrieks and grunts also began to escape his mouth and his body began to shift. Pinkie slowly moved her cupcake away as Luna approached Cougar and softly laid a hoof on his forehead.

"He is having a nightmare," she said, "I shall see what is the matter," she touched her horn to his forehead and then in a flash, she was gone.

"Okay, let's bring the X-Ray machine and the CT Scanner over," one of the doctors ordered the nurse. The unicorn nurse levitated a machine over Cougar's body and flicked it on. "And let's have a look see here," the two doctors studied the images on the screen.

(With Luna)

The Princess of the Night transported herself into Cougar's nightmare to find out what was bothering him. In a bright flash, she found herself in the sky, flapping her wings quietly. "I don't want to frighten him, I must make myself invisible," she told herself and became invisible. Suddenly, a roar like distant thunder invaded her ear drums. Luna turned her head to the side and ducked as four strange crafts, one of them belonging to Cougar, flew by her at an incredible speed. "By my Sister's name, what is going on?" About 100 more strange objects, all looking vaguely similar to one another, flew past where she was hiding, pursuing Cougar's and the other three crafts. Luna transported back to Cougar's craft and kept up with it.

"He's gonna fire!" A voice shouted out. Luna looked behind and saw a weapon smaller than the crafts flying towards the group. One of the metallic crafts exploded in a ball of fire, causing Luna to cover her mouth.

"Such violence, what would cause any creatures to resort to something so disgusting?" Luna questioned. Luna then jumped as even smaller weapons began to fly at her and Cougar. The little metallic objects pierced Cougar's craft and caused one of the engines to start smoking. A second craft then exploded near the group.

"TEX, BOA!" Cougar and his friend shouted.

"He is a creature of violence and anger, we cannot let something as dangerous as him roam around Equestria," Luna gritted her teeth, but then Cougar's craft started to fly in a crazy pattern.

"No, Reaper, get out of here now! Go back to your family and leave me!" Cougar's voice pierced the sky.

"Just eject Cougar, now, I'll get the Coast Guard to come back for you!" His friend known as Reaper replied. Luna looked upward to see the other craft firing off its weapons to defend his friend when suddenly, the other crafts went away and a demonic laughter came out of nowhere. The black sky turned red as a shadowy figure with two devil horns appeared in the sky. Only its mouth and eyes could be seen on the backdrop of the shadow. A clawed hand reached up and grabbed the second craft.

"REAPER, NO!" Cougar shouted. The demonic figure ripped Reaper's craft apart and held his body. Luna froze in terror, but shook it off as Cougar started to scream and panic.

"ENOUGH!" Luna shouted as the dream began to dissolve and Cougar calmed down before appearing as himself in the hospital bed. Luna quietly walked over to his body and laid her horn on his forehead again. She had him pinned all wrong. On the surface he seemed like a violent creature with the weapons he was utilizing, but she could sense he wanted everypony he knew to be safe and sound. The way he feared for his friend's safety was proof of that, though he would be in for a surprise when he woke up. Cougar was still shaking like a leaf, but Luna whispered into his ear, "You're safe Cougar, now awaken."

---

(Cougar POV. Royal Infirmary)

Breathing hurt my lungs. Every time air entered my lungs, it felt like I was breathing in burning gasoline. The scene played over and over again in my head. I just couldn't fathom that my friends were dead. Wait a minute I realized, I'm breathing? How am I alive? Unless this is purgatory. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. Luckily, my arms and legs still worked and I could feel the fabric of a hospital gown and a hospital bed sheet. "Stop, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling," a heavenly voice told me.

"Wh-who are you?" I called out.

"Shh," the voice reassured me, "we found you hanging from a tree by a parachute. Your back was injured in the process; the doctor told me your spine isn't broken, but you need to take it easy for a few days until your back heals," the voice explained.

"Am I dead?" I asked. I know it was a rather brash and bold question, but I had no clue where I was and I wanted answers, now.

"No, we saved you just in time. Your craft was severely damaged in the process, but luckily we had it transported to the castle dungeons." Dungeons? Castle? Before I could ask the voice where exactly I was, I heard footsteps entering the room.

"Ah, the patient is awake, we can finally remove these pesky bandages around his eyes," I heard another voice say. Bandages? That would explain why I couldn't open my eyes.

"Well before you do, could you please tell me where I am?" I asked. My voice was shaking a little, but who wouldn't be a little nervous in my situation? Being tended to in a hospital in an unknown country? And who knew if they were just going to nurse me back to health and use me for target practice? The heavenly voice cleared her throat before replying.

"You are in the royal infirmary in Canterlot, Equestria."

"Excuse me?" I replied in shock. I then froze when I felt the bandages peeling off my face and my eyes were bombarded with bright lights. They were open, but I could barely see anything until my sight was adjusted.

"He has blue eyes huh? I imagined him havin' green eyes fer some reason," a southern accented voice pointed out. I raised my hands and rubbed my eyes before sitting up slightly. I felt a tiny twinge of pain in my back, but that was the least of my worries. I blinked a few more times until my vision was back to 100%. Around me were at least ten ponies of all things, and a small purple dragon, all standing and staring at me. In fact, all the ponies were different colors instead of just brown or white.

"Heya roomie! Bout time you woke up!" I looked over to see a cyan pony with a Rainbow mane and wings in the bed next to mine.

"Welcome to our world Cougar," a large white pony with a mane that flowed without wind, a small sun on its hindquarters with wings on its side and a horn atop its head greeted. I reacted the way I believe any normal person would've. I started to panic and ripped the various wires connected to my body, causing the equipment I was hooked up to to start blaring.

"Please, calm down!" A dark blue pony with a horn and wings begged.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I shouted and tried to run away, but I couldn't get a grip on the floor with my bare feet. My hand reached out and grabbed a railing from my bed and I used it to propel myself to the door. A white pony with a horn and diamonds as a cutie mark cowered in the corner at my outburst and the little dragon got in front of her for some odd reason.

"Stop him before he hurts himself!" A pony wearing a lab coat declared. A lavender pony with a horn and wings along with an orange pony with a cowboy hat jumped in front of the door.

"Please Cougar, we just want to help you!" The lavender pony exclaimed.

"How do you know my call sign?!" I demanded as I raised my fists up. I then looked down to find that my flight suit was gone and I had a hospital gown on. "And where is my flight suit?! I swear if you did any experiments on me or did any weird satanic ritual you'll be sorry!" I warned. Suddenly, a pink pony with poofy hair and a joker-like smile hopped up in front of me.

"I like him! He's feisty and has some really nice moves!" The pony exclaimed and held out a cupcake, "wanna cupcake Mr. Cougar?!" She exclaimed more loudly. Then, the orange pony with the cowboy hat slowly approached me, causing me to move back into a wall.

"Now jest take it easy there Cougar," she said in her southern accent, "we jest wanna help ya okay? But you gotta relax and let the doctors here do their job, are ya thirsty?" She asked. I was shaking like a leaf and my breathing was very short as I could only breathe through my nose.

"Where is my flight suit and helmet? I know they didn't come off by themselves during the ejection," I replied. I kept my fists up as the largest pony in the room approached me and laid a hoof on my shoulder. I jumped slightly, but something made me not take a swing at her.

"Please do as our friend Applejack says," she pleaded softly. So she was the heavenly voice I heard, "if you lie down on your bed, we will explain everything to you," she stared into my eyes kindly. I can't explain it, but there was something in her eyes that made me trust her, not completely, but enough to where I listened. My fists were lowered to my sides and I slowly walked back to my bed. The pony smiled and her horn glowed as a glass of water was levitated towards me. I took a few sips before setting the glass down on the table.

"Okay, first thing, I can trust you all enough that you'll heal me, but I'm not just going to trust you on everything all at once okay?" I pointed to everyone in the room.

"That seems fair," the blue pony remarked, "if I woke up in a hospital in a strange world I would have a hard time putting my complete trust in just anypony," she explained.

"Second thing," I continued, "how do you know my call sign?" I asked. The lavender pony levitated my flight suit and purple helmet above me, "oh I see," I blushed slightly at my brainfart. Applejack cleared her throat and walked up to the bed.

"D'you have a real name there Cougar?" She questioned.

"Sorry," I replied, "but I'm not going to tell any of you until I feel the time is ready," I explained. She nodded and dropped her hoof from the side of the bed.

"That seems fair," the largest pony smiled, "I understand your fear and uncomfortable attitude."

"I apologize, but what is your name?" I asked the pony.

"My name is Princess Celestia, I rule over all of Equestria and this is my sister Luna," she used her wing to point to the blue pony next to her, "and myself, her and Princess Twilight are alicorns," she explained and pointed to the lavender alicorn pony.

"Princess Celestia, that's a very holy sounding name," I commented.

"Why thank you Cougar," she bowed her head.

"So, why did you guys save me? I mean, I'm sure my appearance scared some of you." A few of the ponies nodded, except for the Rainbow maned one in the other hospital bed and the pony sitting next to her.

"Well, we couldn't just leave a poor, innocent and injured creature to die, that would be cruel of us," a yellow pony with a pink mane and wings commented.

"I thank you for that, but I still don't have any clue as to how I got here or even survived, I should've died last night," I said aloud. I heard a few gasps and Luna placed a hoof on my chest.

"How could you say such a thing young Cougar? I felt the nightmare you were having and I entered so as to make you feel better. I saw the bravery you showcased by attempting to sacrifice yourself to save your friend known as Reaper," she explained. My heart stopped, and my body went limp.

"Reaper?" I choked out before thoughts of my now dead best friend flooded back and tears started to flow down my face. I covered my eyes and looked away from the ponies that rescued me.

"Oh my, are you alight?" The yellow pony asked.

"No, I had to watch-" I started before I stopped and wiped my eyes, "it's nothing. I don't want to talk about it right now," I covered up.

"Well, is there anything else you'd like to tell or ask us?" Twilight asked. I sighed and looked back at everypony in the room.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude but I've had a very stressful last few hours. If you let me sleep for a little bit or just leave me alone, I will tell you a little more about myself if that's what you want, but there's a lot of things I've got to think about," I instructed. Celestia bowed her head and respected my wishes and led everypony out of the room, save for Applejack for some reason.

"Cougar, I know ya want to be left alone fer a little bit, but I can tell ya don't actually want to be alone, and if ya want, I can stay here with ya if ya ever need somepony ta talk to," she offered with a smile. I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow. Damn, she was good at spotting lies. I didn't really want to be left alone, I just didn't want to answer any questions.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that Applejack," I returned the smile. My eyes drifted over to a few of the chairs in the room and I spotted my survival duffel bag. "Hey, could you please bring that over here?" I pointed out to Applejack. She turned her head to see what I was talking about and fetched the bag for me.

"What's in it?" She asked me as she looked at it curiously. Since these ponies were kind enough to save my life, I decided to hide my pistol so I wouldn't scare them. I grinned as I pulled out my iPad.

"What is that thing?" the cyan pony next to me asked as she propped herself up to look at what I was holding," it looks like a book with a screen," she commented. I turned on the power button and entered my password and I was met with the main menu of my iPad.

"This is an iPad, it's an entertainment device that my species uses to avoid doing anything on our days off from work," I explained and hit the music app. I scrolled though the library and clicked on one of my favorite songs.

"Where in tarnation is that music comin' from?" Applejack jumped as the music started.

Out of touch, out of reach yeah
You could try to get closer to me
I'm in luck, I'm in deep, yeah
Hypnotized, I'm shakin' to my knees

"The music is coming from this device," I explained as I clicked the repeat button and laid the iPad on the table next to my bed. My eyes started to feel heavy. I expected that as I used up a lot of my energy trying to escape. Though I expected I didn't have that much energy to spare anyways.

I gotta know tonight
If you're alone tonight
Can't stop this feeling
Can't stop this fire

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria

"This is a pretty good song," the cyan pony said, "so what was your world like?" She asked.

"Rainbow Dash," Applejack started. 'So that's her name,' I thought. "Cougar said he ain't answerin' no more questions tonight alright?"

"Fine, guess I'll just get some more shut-eye too," Rainbow yawned. Before I fell asleep however, I turned to Applejack.

"Hey, sorry for jumping to conclusions and threatening to hurt you," I apologized as a doctor came by and reattached my IV tube.

"Don' worry 'bout that Cougar, you were scared and confused, I understand yer reaction," she replied, "but what's a satanic ritual?" She asked.

"Nothing, just nothing," I replied as the IV fluid finally made me fall asleep.

End Chapter 1

---

Alright, chapter 1 is in the books! I hope Cougar's reactions weren't too rushed. I felt that he responded appropriately and come on, I'm sure Celestia's mother-like voice and reasoning would swing anybody if they were non threatening. Next Chapter, Cougar gets released from the Hospital and Celestia has him explain a little more about his past and tries to get an answer about how he got to Equestria and we find out where Cougar is going to live.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter II: A Moonlight Chat

Hello one and all and welcome to Chapter II of Fallen Eagle! I am so ecstatic and grateful that I now have 8 followers and 5 favorites to this story! I know it's not much, but I am happy to have that many early on. In this chapter, Cougar awakens in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, so he decides to take a little walk to tire him out and help him wrap his head around why and how is in Equestria. Luckily for him, a certain Princess of the Night is on patrol and decides to help him open up a little. And an FYI, Luna is one of my favorite characters.

And to the guest review who asked 'Why does Cougar's tail have AK painted on when he was stationed in Florida?' An excellent question my friend. Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough in the prologue, but Cougar and the rest of Ghostrider Squadron were originally based at Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage, Alaska (where my grandfather was stationed at in his final days of serving in the USAF) when they were moved to Florida at the start of the second Cuban Missile Crisis. The Air Force didn't think changing the tail initials were a very high priority.

By the way my fellow readers, do you like only having Cougar do a first person point of view so you can all have a better sense of his internal struggles?

---

(Cougar's POV)

Surprisingly to me, I actually slept pretty good. Probably due to how exhausted I felt from ejecting from my F-15 and then having the big reveal about being saved by talking ponies. My slumber didn't last very long however, for I woke up due to a slight tugging on my right hand. My eyes snapped open and my left hand immediately smacked down on whatever was yanking on my right hand. I looked over to see a poor nurse pony shaking from my hand smacking her hoof. "I-I ap-apologize s-sir," the nurse said and pulled her hoof away, "but the IV is empty and I was going to remove the cord from your hand," she explained and turned away in fear. My tongue briefly stuck out to moisten my dry lips as I opened my mouth to reply.

"No that's alright," I replied, "it's just instinct with how I was trained back on my world. I didn't mean you any harm," I apologized with a smile. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," I quickly added. The poor mare slowly turned around with fear in her eyes and slowly removed the needle from my hand. She went to leave, but I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, I don't want to hurt anyone or anything while I'm here, you just startled me," I kept apologizing and explaining. The nurse gave a weak smile and trotted out in a hurried pace. "Nice going Coug," I mentally cursed myself. My trust with these ponies was still extremely limited, but I still felt horrible for smacking a nurse on her hoof for doing her job.

My eyes drifted up to the clock only for a groan to make its way out of my mouth. "Only 2:34 in the morning?" I complained and laid my head back down. The faint glow of the moon shone through the window of the room and briefly shed light on the bed next to mine. Rainbow and her boyfriend (I'm guessing) were sound asleep, not together of course. I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs over the side of my bed. Again as I tried to stand up, a small twinge of pain radiated throughout my back. My top teeth bit my lower lip to keep a swear from making itself public while I rubbed my back. "Celestia wasn't kidding about me having to take it easy," I remarked as I slowly stood up and began to walk out the door. Luckily these ponies left my cargo pants on so I didn't have to double check to make sure my back door wasn't wide open. Untying the knot in the back, I removed the hospital gown and laid it on my bed before putting on my Air Force shirt and quietly opening the door and silently walking out. Going on short walks always helped me to get back sleep when said sleep would do its best to avoid me.

The hallway I strolled into was huge. The ceilings were at least twenty five feet high and there were about twenty foot windows all along the wall, allowing a brilliant white glow from the moon to illuminate the entire hallway. Taking in all the decor and statues, I rounded a corner only for my heart to freeze before jumping into my throat. About four pegasus guards were standing in front of a giant pair of doors. "Who goes there?" One of the guards flew up and landed in front of me. "State your business," he ordered me as a spear was produced from behind him.

"I'm the creature your Princesses brought here to heal and all I want is to take a little walk to help me sleep, alright?" I explained. The guard looked from me to back behind him where another guard nodded towards him.

"Very well, but stay away from these doors," his free wing gestured to where the other three pegasus guards were, "these doors are private and only Princess Celestia or Luna may enter," he explained.

"Understood sir," I instinctively saluted and turned away from the giant pair of doors. Obviously I was curious, but since I was grateful for Celestia and her friends for saving my life, I wanted to honor her privacy. But before I left, I turned back to the guard, "hey, which door is the exit to the balcony outside? I Just want to maybe walk a few laps around it to get tired," I questioned.

"Turn back around, past the infirmary and it's the first door on your left," the guard replied. I looked back from where I came and nodded a thank you. I soon found myself on the outside of the windows on the balcony, basking in the moonlight. The night air was cool and relaxing as I did what I came outside for: Walking laps. The view of a city down below, was to die for. Even though a good majority of the lights were out, I could faintly make out the silhouettes of the buildings in the distance. My feet stopped waking and refused to move as I leaned on the concrete railing, overtaken by the beauty of this night.

A gentle breeze flowed past me, but I barely noticed. Forgetting all the harshness and negativity of the past 24 hours, I was absolutely lost in what was feeding my eyes before me. I was so lost, that I failed to hear the sound of wings flapping and hooves clacking onto the concrete behind me. "Hello, young Cougar," a gentle voice remarked, making me nearly fall over the railing, "what are thou doing outside, shouldn't thou be in thy hospital bed recovering?" She asked with a smile as she folded her wings in. The dark blue alicorn walked up to me before standing beside me as I caught my heart. "I apologize, did I startle thou Cougar?" She apologized.

"Just a little bit," I replied while pinching my thumb and index finger close together.

"My apologies," she said again and rested one of her hooves on the concrete railing. I waived it off as my heart rate got under control and I sucked in a deep breath. "So, what are thou doing out of bed?" Luna questioned curiously.

"A nurse woke me up by accident while taking the IV tube out of my hand," I explained, "so to get back to sleep, I decided to take a little walk throughout some hallways until I saw this balcony. The view of the city below is absolutely beautiful. I haven't seen a view like this since I was a child," I told the dark blue Alicorn Princess.

"Hmm, yes the view is quite breathtaking from here," Luna remarked. I looked up from the city to the night sky and again got lost in the sight.

"The night sky is probably the most beautiful thing I've seen in my life. I've always admired the twinkling stars against the inky blue sky," I whispered. Luna's hoof dropped from the railing and dropped onto the ground.

"I thank thee for the kind compliments young Cougar," Luna thanked me.

"What do you mean you thank me?" I asked, completely confused as to what she meant.

"I am the Princess of the Night, I raise the moon at dusk every night and I lower it at dawn every morning. The night sky took me quite awhile to get right, but the sky felt so empty with only the moon occupying the space, so I created the stars to give ponies and other kinds something to admire besides the moon," Luna delineated.

"Wait, you raise and lower the moon, every day?" I asked. I couldn't believe someone could actually do that, then again, I was rescued by talking ponies and Alicorns, so I shouldn't be getting so surprised.

"That is correct, and my dear sister raises the sun at dawn every day and lowers it at dusk every night," Luna said as her horn glowed and a table with two chairs appeared in front of us, "please sit down so we may talk further," she asked nicely. Still feeling wide awake, I pulled a chair out for Luna and then one for me. "Thou are quite the gentlecolt," Luna complimented.

"Thanks," I replied, trying to get the hang of the different Lingo.

"So dearest Cougar, who raises and lowers the moon and the sun in your world?" Luna questioned. I swallowed, still marveling in the fact that the moon and the sun didn't move on their own in this world.

"Well Princess, nobody does," I began to explain, "you see, in my world, our moon orbits our planet, meaning it raises itself every evening and lowers itself every morning. In turn, our planet orbits our sun, so it raises itself in the morning and lowers itself at night." I purposely didn't explain about planet rotation since I was afraid she would start asking questions I couldn't explain. Let's just say science was not my strongest point in High School.

"Fascinating," was the only thing Luna could say at my explanation. It was then I remembered what Luna told me earlier about my nightmare I had, so I decided to pry into that a little harder.

"If you don't mind me asking Princess," I began, "what did you mean earlier when you said you entered my dream?" I questioned.

"Oh I do not mind at all Cougar. Along with raising and lowering the moon, my duties as Princess of the night also include becoming in charge of citizen's affairs during the night and also protecting my subjects from their nightmares or sharing advice with them in their dreams. Not long after we brought you here to heal you, you began to show symptoms of a nightmare, so I entered it to protect you," she explained. "Many times I have had to enter dreams of my subjects to make them feel better or to prevent them from making a terrible mistake."

"Wow, that's amazing," I remarked and setback on my chair.

"Tell me young Cougar, who watches over your dreams in your world?" Luna politely asked me.

"Just like with the sun and moon, no one does your highness. If we have nightmares, we wake up and handle it our own way. I would listen to my favorite song or just tell myself that my nightmares cannot hurt me, though different people had their own ways of dealing with them." Again, Luna's face was of complete surprise and shock.

"You're telling me that nopony watches over thy dreams at all?" She questioned.

"Kind of," I decided to have a little fun, "there is this movie where someone enters random people's dreams and well, he kills them," I cracked a small smile. "His name is Freddy Krueger."

"How gruesome!" Luna exclaimed, "why would thou create something so evil?" Luna shook her head back and forth.

"Because, that's how some of my species liked to spend their time, watching others- eh never mind," I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to scare her of how my species behaved most of the time. Luckily for me, she refused to hear any more of the dream murderer. "Princess, I have to be honest with you, I may be calm right now, but I still don't really know how to react to being a new world," I admitted, "and I'm not worried about not being accepted by everyone, heck I'm still shocked you and everybody that saved me is alright with me being here. "It's just, this is so strange seeing another species other than mine being the dominant one. Everything is upside down to me and to top it all off, I'm still confused as to how I got here and how I am still alive."

"Do not fret, I went through the same thing young Cougar," Luna replied.

"Excuse me?" I replied.

"Well first off, I was locked away for a millennia and when I returned, the speech patterns had changed, behaviors and customs had changed. It took me almost a year to get the hang of the newer lifestyles," she told me, "second, what do you mean you do not understand how you survived?" Luna leaned closer to me. I let out a long and loud sigh before attempting to explain.

"When I ejected from my jet, there were 20Gs of pressure being exerted onto my body. Some pilots are lucky enough to escape with a broken arm or leg. Sometimes if a pilot is not sitting in the correct position, their bodies could be put under too much pressure and it can kill them. And I injured my back because of how I was sitting, but even if that didn't kill me, I should've drowned from crashing into the ocean, but I somehow missed the entire ocean and wound up here," I explained as bet I could.

"Perhaps it was a saving grace from forces beyond on even my comprehension, or because you showed humility and tried to sacrifice yourself, you were blessed with a second chance," Luna offered.

"If that's the case, I'm going to do my best to embrace it," I remarked. "But, I'm terrified Princess. I don't have a clue if I will even fit in here. I'm mostly worried about causing a panic from your subjects and ruining your, Celestia's and Twilight's reputation as Princesses. And plus, who is going to take me in?"

"My sister and I can if you are willing," Luna replied with sympathetic eyes and patted my hand with her hoof, "you are scared and that is normal, but with time you will learn to accept friendship from anypony and our world can learn to accept you."

"That might not work Princess. No one here has ever seen a creature such as myself and if word got out that you and your sister are housing a dangerous new species, I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me, I've been through that too much in my life," I let out.

"Well, you have the rest of the night to relax young Cougar. Tomorrow you will be released from the infirmary and meet with my sister, Twilight and the rest of the elements of harmony," she smiled and got up from her chair.

"I am willing to embrace my second chance and prove that I am capable of sharing living quarters with somepony," I attempted to use the local terms, but found it very weird to say. "I do not wish to harm anypony Princess and I will work to the bone if that's what it takes to find a house to stay in."

"Very well, now sleep on it Cougar, you have a busy day tomorrow," Luna touched her horn to my forehead and I suddenly felt extremely tired. "Oh, and if you ever need anypony to talk to, just close your eyes and call my name," she advised and took off from the balcony. I watched her groggily as she flew upwards into the sky and disappeared in a quick flash.

"Did I just, make a new friend?" I asked myself. Thanks to Luna though, I shook it off because I was suddenly tired, so I walked back into the castle and found the infirmary. The nurse whose hoof I accidentally slapped earlier was refilling the IV bag near my bed and started shaking when I re-entered the room. "Hello nurse," I grinned, "I am still very sorry about slapping you earlier, can we please start over?" I extended my hand out.

"O-o-okay," she trembled and shook my hand with her hoof.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Nu-nurse Candy Striper," she replied.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I bowed my head slightly and held the door open for her as she left. As I was about to fall asleep, I heard some mumbling behind me. I saw Applejack whispering to herself, but also shaking slightly.

"G-granny Smith, couldja please shut that winda? It's gettin' a lil chilly in here," she wrapped her arms around her torso. My eyes fell upon the coat rack where my helmet and flight suit was. I grabbed the flight suit and laid it out over her like a blanket. It was obviously too long for her, but it fit around her just enough. I wrapped the sleeves around her neck and she snuggled right into it.

"Goodnight, Applejack," I said before tossing my shirt onto the nightstand next to me and climbing back into bed. I could've sworn I heard Luna's voice wishing me a good night's rest before I shut my eyes.

End Chapter II

Fallen Eagle

Chapter III: Shedding Some Light

I just want to take a second to say thank you guys so much to give me 11 followers and 5 favorites already for this story. And I love all the kind comments, that's what keeps bringing me back to write. I'd like to apologize for the nearly week-long wait. My mother had surgery on her foot last week and I had to drive around on her errands. She's fine, she just couldn't walk at all. Anyhoo, in Chapter III, Cougar wakes up (again) and has a small meeting with Celestia and the entire Mane 6 plus Spike just to shed some more light.

And I apologize for the extremely lame names of the doctors.

---

(Normal POV)

Cougar, Soarin, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were snoring soundly in the hospital room while the doctors finished up removing the equipment from Cougar and Rainbow's bodies. Nurse Candy Striper approached both Applejack and Soarin and woke them from their sleeping states. They both grumbled awake and yawned. Applejack went to rub her eyes, but instead found something laced across her body. "Huh? Whut in thu hay is coverin' me?" The orange mare asked.

"It looks like that jumpsuit thingy that Cougar was wearing when he got here," Soarin' said while let out a big yawn as he slowly walked over to Rainbow's bed where the daredevil was sleeping peacefully.

"Well, how in thu world did this thing get on me?" Applejack questioned and unwrapped the jumpsuit from her and set it back on the coat rack in the corner of the room. She adjusted her cowpony hat and stretched out her forelegs. "Them chairs ain't that comfortable, but Ah've slept on somethin' worse," she commented, "oh, mornin' Doc," Applejack added to the glasses wearing light Tan Pegasus Pony with a black and yellow mane in a lab coat.

"Good morning Miss Applejack," Doctor Needle replied. His horn lit up and his glasses floated in the air before wiping themselves on his lab coat and returning back to his face. "Much better," he said under his breath while looking over the charts for Cougar.

"So, can Rainbow go home today?" Soarin' asked the other doctor in the room, a light green earth pony Stallion with a cyan mane.

"Of course Captain Soarin', she should be fine, but we will send her home with some pain pills just in case," Doctor Scope replied with a smile. Soarin' let out a sigh and smile of relief and put his hoof on Rainbow's forehead, looking forward to their Apple Pie and Apple cider date in the future.

"And, whut about Cougar over here?" Applejack questioned Doctor Scope, "is he goin' to be released today as well? Or has sumthin' else come up?" The mare farm worker wanted to make sure. Doctor Scope darted his eyes across Cougar's information clipboard and smiled.

"Yes, other than his tweaked back, the patient should be able to go home- I mean be discharged today," Doctor Scope put the clipboard down. Applejack smiled and trotted over to see how Rainbow and Soarin' were doing.

"So, Ah'm guessin' yer gonna want sum cider 'n apple pie fer tonite Soarin'?" Applejack asked the newest Wonderbolt Captain.

"I-if you don't mind Applejack," Soarin weakly smiled at the orange mare.

"As long as ya take good care 'o my friend here Soarin', I'll give ya all ya need," Applejack replied and lightly slapped her hoof on Soarin's back. The two ponies looked down as a snore from Rainbow Dash was cut off with a yawn.

"Ahhhh, I still hate these hospital beds," Rainbow yawned and scratched her back, "but as long as my friends are here, I guess it's okay," she joked.

"Good mornin' to ya Rainbow," Applejack greeted her friend.

"I've got good news for you Rainbow," Soarin' cut in. Rainbow gasped and gripped her blanket tightly.

"The newest Daring Do release date has been set?!" She exclaimed. Soarin' and Applejack both gave each other looks of confusion before Soarin turned back to his Marefriend.

"Uh no, but the doctor told me that you'll be able to go home today, and Applejack said she would lend us some cider and some Apple Pie tonight, if you're up for our date tonight," Soarin' explained. Rainbow gave a quick look of disappointment, but immediately smiled and hugged her colt friend.

"That sounds great Soarin', but I get the first drink of the cider, got it?" She made sure. Soarin' smirked and decided to have a little fun with Rainbow.

"Are you ordering your Captain around?" Soarin' teased.

"Captain shmaptain, I'm the Marefriend Soarin', so that means whatever I say goes," Rainbow crossed her forelegs in front of her chest. Soarin' playfully stuck his tongue out at Rainbow and ruffled her mane. Applejack rolled her emerald eyes and grinned at Rainbow and Soarin' flirting with each other.

"At least they ain't as mushy and gooey as Big Mac and Cheerilee were that one time," Applejack shuddered under her breath. Her eyes drifted over to the sleeping form of Cougar next to Rainbow Dash's bed. Careful as to not wake him, Applejack tip-hoofed as quietly as possible over to him and sat down on a stool. She was wondering if Cougar was the one who wrapped his jumpsuit around her body last night, or if one of the nurses or doctors had. One thing was for certain though, he had to have gotten up in the middle of the night since his hospital gown was wadded up on the night stand right next to his blue shirt.

"Hey Applejack, toss me that pad thingy that Cougar was playing with last night," Rainbow pointed her hoof to the flat and square device on the nightstand underneath the shirt and hospital gown. Applejack removed the clothing from atop the device and noticed the music wasn't playing anymore. She touched a little button on the front with her nose, but nothing happened.

"He musta turned it off las' night," Applejack concluded, "and 'sides Rainbow, it's his property, and he doesn't really trust us all that much, how would he react if we just got into his stuff and snooped around?" The farm worker asked.

"Fine, killjoy," Rainbow muttered and finally climbed from her hospital bed. "Oh Celesita does it feel good to stretch," Rainbow groaned as her back and muscles popped.

"Yes it does," A heavenly voice replied as the door to the room opened. Everypony in the room instantly snapped up as Princess Celesita entered. They all bowed while Princess Celestia held the door for Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike, whom was walking right next to Rarity.

"Ah Princess Celestia, what can we do for you?" Doctor Needles stood up from his bow. The Princess of the Sun casually walked over to the bed that housed Cougar and placed a hoof on his forehead.

"He is still sleeping soundly, I had Luna make sure his dreams were peaceful and she did a good job," Celestia commented. She then turned to the group that had stayed the night. "It is time for Cougar to awaken and be welcomed to our world, but we also need to learn more about him," Celestia added. Rarity cleared her throat and approached the Princess.

"Princess, are you sure about that? He refused to tell us much last night and I fear he may never tell us anything. Not to mention, he is easily tempered and resorts to violence rather briskly," she countered. Twilight glared at the seamstress and her wing lightly punched Rarity's left foreleg.

"Rarity, he was frightened and injured. How would you react if you suddenly woke up in a strange place with different creatures surrounding you? He was only going to defend himself," Twilight lectured. Rarity 'hmphd' and turned around. Ignoring all the conversations, Pinkie Pie pricked up at Celestia saying Cougar needed to wake up, so she took matters in her own hooves.

"Come on Cougar! Wakey wakey cookies and cakey!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly and hopped onto his chest and bounced up and down.

"PINKIE NO!" Twilight shouted.

---

(Cougar POV)

I was sleeping peacefully, though my dreams were just repeating my talk with Luna. Now, I had no romantic feelings for her, she's a pony for God's sake, yet I saw her as a good friend for wanting to talk to me. I honestly would not have approached her to have a conversation, save for maybe saying hi. I was thankful she wanted to make me feel more at ease and at peace, and I'm glad she was my new friend. Even though I vowed to make these ponies earn my trust, Luna broke through that barrier just for talking to me.

These ponies saved my life, that much I am grateful for, but I still don't want to just give them my life story in one day. It may seem unfair and ungrateful, but I want to treat this like getting back with an ex. Racing back to what we had would do neither side good, but building friendships and trusts works overtime and if this was going to be my new home, then I was going to earn their trust and vice versa. Suddenly, my dream shattered and something was pumping my chest up and down.

"WAKE UP!" A high-pitched and overly happy voice penetrated my eardrums. I snapped my blue eyes open and was met with bright blue eyes set on a pink face and a pink poofy mane.

"GAHHH!" I screamed and shoved the face out of my face. "What the hell?!" I demanded as the pink pony fell on her butt, yet got right back up.

"Good morning Mr. Cougar!" The pony exclaimed and kept bouncing up and down as if the floor was her personal trampoline. "Didja sleep well? Want a sweet donut for breakfast?!" She pulled a donut out of, nowhere, and held it in my face. I held my breath and politely shoved the donut out of my face.

"Could I please get some space?" I asked. I expected the overly energetic pony to be sad, but she still had a smile plastered on her face.

"Sure thing, just tell me when you want that donut," She put it back behind her. I looked around at every other pony in the room and gave a little wave before opening my duffel bag and putting on a new shirt. It was white and had a picture of the Thunderbirds on the front. My dog tags were wrapped in the shirt and I decided to put them on, but under my shirt. I also threw on a new hat, my black and red Drive to End Hunger hat that I've cherished since 2011 when I was 13. I sat on the edge of my hospital bed and silently put my regular shoes on.

"What are those?" A new voice asked. I looked up to see the purple dragon pointing at my shoes on my feet.

"Oh, the dragon talks?" I asked, not meaning at all to sound like an asshole, but he took it the wrong way.

"What is that supposed to mean tough guy? Yeah I talk!" He angrily replied, "you think just because I'm a baby dragon I can't talk? Well I'm very mature for my age!" He shouted. I put my hands up in defense.

"Geez, take it easy there, I didn't mean to insult you, I just thought maybe you were a pet of one of these ponies," I explained. I wasn't prepared for making things worse, though the small white unicorn, Applejack and Rainbow shared a good chuckle. Twilight, Celestia, the pink pony and yellow pegasus all flinched at what happened next.

"A p-pet!? I am NOPONY'S pet!" The dragon screamed at me and clenched his teeth in a harsh frown.

"Woah, I didn't mean to offend you, what's your name?" I asked. The dragon crossed his arms and turned away from me. Twilight bent her head down and nudged him.

"Spike, don't be rude to Cougar," she scolded. 'Alright, so his name is Spike,' I thought to myself.

"But Twilight, he called me a pet!" Spike replied.

"Well he didn't know," Twilight scolded again. Spike sighed and turned back to me, but not looking happy about it. Celestia walked back up to me and I stood up out of politeness.

"So, I take it you slept well Cougar?" Celestia asked me kindly.

"Yeah," was all I replied while stuffing my bag with my Air Force shirt and my iPad, careful to not accidentally set off my pistol. I put the strap on my shoulder and bent up slightly, only to have my back twinge again. "Ah," I groaned slightly. It didn't really hurt that much, but it was enough to grab my attention.

"You need to take it easy there," one of the doctors reminded me, "one wrong twist and you could throw your back out." I knew it all too well. My mother didn't have the best back in the world, and my favorite NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, suffered from back pain in 2008.

"I will," I said to the doctor as the pain subsided and I stood up fully. "Okay, so you said you wanted to know a little more about me and I could learn a bit about you?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, I mean, if-if that's okay with you, C-Cougar," the yellow pegasus replied in a meek voice. I walked over to the coat rack and grabbed my flight suit and helmet and quickly stuffed them inside my duffel bag, just barely able to close it. I briskly walked to the door opening and turned around when no one was following me. Soon, Celestia led myself and the seven other ponies plus Spike to what appeared to be the throne room.

"Wow, this is nice," I commented while gazing over every inch of the throne room.

"Have you never been in a castle before?" Rainbow asked while waking extremely close to the lighter blue pegasus next to her.

"Hell no," I replied, "but I've seen some on TV before and on postcards," I explained.

"What's TV?" Applejack questioned. I was actually about to answer when Celestia cleared her throat.

"Now Applejack, let's start off with making sure he knows all of our names," she said. "You already know myself and my sister Luna," she began.

"Yeah, and I know Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, and Applejack," I pointed to the four animals. Celestia's left wing sprouted and pointed to the yellow pegasus with a pink mane. Her pupils shrank down to the size of peas and her knees started shaking slightly.

"M-my n-name is F-Flutter-" she began, but didn't finish.

"Flutter what?" I asked.

"Flut-Fluttershy," she whispered. She must've been scared of me, but then again, I did tower over everyone being 6'2". I must've been extremely non-threatening while laying in the hospital bed.

"And I am Rarity," the white unicorn proclaimed. Alright, I detect an English accent on her voice now that I'm fully paying attention. "I am the seamstress and dress designer for Ponyville where we are located," she explained. 'Great, now they're gonna tell me what they do and they'll expect me to do the same,' I thought, then remembered they already know I was in the Air Force. Next, the Pink and hyper pony bounced up and down.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! I plan all the best parties in Equestria and I help run the bakery in PonyVille! Which reminds me," she produced the donut again and I politely declined. The light blue pegasus next to Rainbow raised his hoof.

"I'm Soarin' and I'm Captain of the Wonderbolts," he declared.

"What are the Wonderbolts?" I questioned. Rainbow's jaw dropped and she gasped.

"The Wonderbolts are only the best flying demonstration team in the world!" She announced. I chuckled at that and pointed to my shirt.

"Yeah, these guys are the best flying demonstration team ever," I said.

"The Thunderbirds?" Soarin' read my shirt.

"Yep, they represented the United States Air Force and toured the country I lived in trying to recruit new members," I explained. Rainbow rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Well, that's pretty cool," Soarin' said and bumped my shoulder with his hoof.

"Where you apart of them?" Applejack asked me.

"No, they flew F-16s and I flew an F-15, besides I wasn't one to show off," I replied. I looked around the throne room and noticed that Luna was not there. "Hey Princess Celestia, where is Luna?" I questioned.

"She is asleep at the moment since she is awake during the night, though sometimes she will skip sleep for a day and stay up," Celestia explained, "and she did tell me about your talk you had last night and how both learned a little about each other."

"Hold on!" Spike butted in, "you've repeated several times that you don't want to tell us anything, but you go and blab your story to Princess Luna!?" He shouted.

"Spike!" Twilight's wing smacked his head, "be polite or else you won't get any gems tonight for dessert."

"For your information Puff the Magic Dragon, I only told her that the moon and sun raise themselves in my world and that I have no clue as to why and how I got here," I said calmly.

"Alright then," Rarity said, "where in fact did you come from?" She questioned.

"Fair question. I came from a place called Earth, Alaska, United States to be more specific," I replied.

"And what was your world like?" Rainbow asked me, getting more and more curious.

"I don't want to answer that one," I said quickly. Everypony in the room all looked at each other weirdly and turned back to me.

"Okay," Applejack started, "besides the Air Force, didja have any other jobs?"

"Before the Air Force I worked in a mechanics shop," I said, "I enjoy hard work, I also helped work outdoors with friends on construction projects or cleaning up their properties."

"Did you have a special somepony back home?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"What the hell is that?" I replied with a cocked eyebrow.

"Like a marefriend, or girlfriend," Twilight explained to me.

"Oh, no," I replied.

"What's your real name?" Applejack questioned.

"Sorry, don't want you to know too much, you can call me Cougar or Coug if you want, but not my real name just yet," I said rather harshly.

"What was Alaska like?" Soarin asked me.

"It was a beautiful place to live," I said, "in the summer time, it was nice and warm with beautiful blue skies and plenty of wildlife to admire. In the winter time, it was cold and sometimes dark, but still a great place to live and be away from too many people." This piqued the interest of Fluttershy when I mentioned Wildlife.

"What kind of wildlife was there?" She asked me.

"Oh, well there were bears, moose, caribou, deer, plenty of birds, an abundant amount of fish, otters, whales, foxes, wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, I could go on all day," I explained briefly.

"Wow," Fluttershy whispered.

"One more," I said to everyone, "you already know where I lived, what my call sign is, that I did not have a 'special somepony' and what I did before joining the Air Force." Twilight put her hoof under her chin and smiled when an idea popped into her head.

"Did you like music?" She asked.

"Oh of course, my favorite band was Def Leppard," I replied, smiling at talking about my favorite band.

"Your favorite band was a group of deaf felines?" Princess Celestia asked and Fluttershy gasped at the thought of leopards who couldn't hear.

"No, the band was made up of five guys from England and they called themselves Def Leppard."

"So, they named themselves to make fun of poor kitties who couldn't hear? That's gruesome," Fluttershy frowned.

"D-E-F L-E-P-P-A-R-D," I spelled for them, "the best part was their drummer had only one arm," I said, putting my left arm behind me to show what he looked like.

"That's insane, how is that possible?" Applejack asked me.

"Sorry, but I really don't want to answer any more questions until later," I politely apologized, "but I will let you guys know that I am not here to hurt you and I don't want to hurt anypony," I used their Lingo, "okay?"

"Understood, we actually learned a bit about you Cougar," Celesita smiled. "It's an honor to meet someone that served in the military of your country and who is kind like you."

"Well, thank you Princess," I took her hoof and shook it.

"Now, Luna also mentioned that you were curious about where to stay while living here," Celestia added. Crap, I forgot.

"Right," I said, "well I wouldn't be offended if any of you didn't want to take me in. I would actually be surprised since I won't tell you a lot about myself and that I'm strange to you," I explained.

"Don't be silly Cougar," Twilight chuckled, "you are kind to us and we're all on the same page. You are strange to us, but we all don't know much about each other so it's a great learning curve for us and you," she explained.

"That's really kind of you Twilight," I smiled and patted her head.

"So, which one of you will take in Cougar?" Celestia asked.

"I would, but with Sweetie Belle frequenting my boutique more and more, I simply don't have enough space, but I do hope you come in though Mr. Cougar, you could use a new outfit," Rarity offered.

"I don't think he could live on a cloud right?" Rainbow asked.

"No, I didn't even know that was possible," I replied with shock.

"The library doesn't have any more room," Twilight said in an apologetic tone.

"All the rooms are taken at The Cake's bakery," Pinkie Pie looked sad for minute but perked up when she ate a donut.

"With all the animals in my house and Discord coming and going a lot, I don't have another guest room," Fluttershy said. All eyes, including mine, turned to Applejack.

"Aw Heck, I'll take 'im in," she smiled, "he said he likes to work hard and we could use another set of hooves to help out on the farm," she grinned.

"You work on a farm?" I asked.

"Yes indeed Cougar, wide open spaces, fresh air n' hard work at Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack painted the picture for me. I loved working outdoors and the fresh air was the icing on the cake.

"Alright, but Applejack, I don't want you to just give me a place to live, I want to earn it," I said, "I'll work my ass off everyday in exchange for living on your farm." Applejack chuckled and smacked my back with her hoof.

"I like yer attitude pardener. Alright, if you work hard everyday without complaint, I and my family will gladly let you stay on the farm, heck, you could even be apart of the family if ya work at it," she said. I froze when she mentioned the word family.

"Hey Coug, you alright?" Rainbow nudged me. I snapped out of my funk and nodded my head.

"Uh yeah," I replied and adjusted the strap on my duffel bag. "Princess Celestia, I want to thank you again for saving my life and I wish to offer you my services if you ever need anything," I bowed.

"Thank you Cougar," Celestia offered me her hoof and I shook it again. "I will send you and everypony in the royal carriage while I have Spike take this letter to the Mayor to let everypony know that you will be arriving and to not be afraid," Celestia smiled.

"Come on Cougar, I can't wait for you to meet ma family!" Applejack grabbed ahold of my hand and began to gallop towards a golden carriage.

"Ooh and we can give him a tour of Ponyville after he's settled in!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down.

Despite being happy that I will have a job and a place to live, I was still worried about how these ponies that offered me friendship would be treated for bringing a strange and dangerous creature like me to their town. Sure, I was nice and humble and cared for the people, well ponies now, around me. But I still knew how my old world was, and how I grew up, wasn't a good bedtime story for kids. But, like I said to Luna, I will make the most of this and try to live out my second chance.

End Chapter III

---

Well, there's chapter III! Hope you liked some of the Pinkie Pie and Spike jokes. And the ponies know basically what you guys know, which is next to nothing. But don't worry, this story will be a day by day type story so over time Cougar will begin to unravel his whole story. How will PonyVille react to Cougar and how will Applejack's family react? Find out next time in Fallen Eagle Chapter IV: Meeting the Apples.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter IV: Meeting the Apples

Before we begin, it's time for another author's note. Just, man you guys are AWESOME! No other word to describe this. Doubling the amount of favorites and adding five more followers? It's just so awesome of you guys. I'm so glad that you all love this story already, but we're just getting started. I want at least 40 chapters MINIMUM for this story, so you can all enjoy it. And if there's anything you guys don't like, don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix the problem. If I can get at least 50 reviews for this story by its end, I'll be extremely happy. Also, if anyone is curious as to exactly what Cougar's Drive to End Hunger cap actually looks like, just Google 'Jeff Gordon 2011 Drive to End Hunger Pit Cap' and you'll find it.

And without further ado, let's kick off Chapter IV!

---

(Normal POV.)

Cougar readjusted the strap on his duffel bag as he got back up from his bow to Princess Celestia and turned back to the group. "So, where is this royal chariot?" He asked. Princess Celestia cleared her throat and two pegasus guards stepped aside to open a set of doors which revealed a large golden chariot encrusted with gems and other jewels. It was large enough to hold all non-flying ponies and one 6'2" human male. The two guards trotted quickly to the front of the chariot and hooked themselves up, ready to pull the group to Ponyville.

"I trust you'll all have a safe flight?" Celestia smiled.

"Of course Princess," Twilight smiled back and gestured for Cougar to take a seat first. The Air Force pilot took a deep breath in through his nose and climbed aboard, setting his duffel bag down on the floor.

"Wow," he whispered as he traced his fingers over the shiny golden surface, "I've never seen this much gold in my entire life," he commented and relaxed back onto the cushioned seats. Pinkie Pie hopped up and down until she landed right next to Cougar and stretched out with him.

"Princess Celestia sure knows how to ride in style, if only this chariot had a cupcake dispenser, I'd never leave it!" She exclaimed and tapped her fore hooves together. Cougar chuckled and looked behind him.

"Well, you guys coming or not?" He called. Rainbow and Soarin' stretched out their wings and flapped them until they were hovering in the air.

"Nah, we'll just fly along side you guys," Rainbow saluted.

"Yeah, haven't flown in about two days, these babies need some exercise," Soarin' added and did a few loops. Soon enough, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack and Spike joined in the chariot with Pinkie and Cougar. Being the gentleman that he was, Cougar held out his hand and helped the ponies and dragon into their respective seats. Twilight and Spike both sat down in the front seat while Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack joined Pinkie and Cougar in the back. Rarity was a little hesitant at having her hoof held by whatever was on Cougar's arm, that and she was still skeptical of him.

"I won't bite," Cougar smirked and motioned with the long curling devices on the end of his hoof. Rarity whined slightly and placed her hoof on Cougar's and the things wrapped around her hoof.

"Oh my!" The White unicorn shrieked while Cougar led her to her seat. "Thank you, but what in Celestia's name are those things on the end of your arm?" Rarity asked. Cougar looked at his hand and curled his fingers several times.

"You mean my fingers?" Cougar questioned.

"Yes, they feel, very weird," Rarity kept inspecting her hoof. Cougar chuckled and sat back down in between Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Up ahead, the two Pegasus guards both turned around and cleared their throats.

"If you are all ready?" The guard on the left asked. Everybody in the chariot nodded and the two guards sprouted their wings. They flapped their wings mightily and the golden chariot lurched forward.

"Weeeeeeee!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily exclaimed when the group was soon flying above Canterlot and over the valley. Applejack held onto her hat tightly so it wouldn't fall off while Fluttershy shook and covered her eyes. Cougar took notice and tapped Applejack on her shoulder.

"Hey Applejack, what's wrong with Fluttershy?" Cougar asked the apple farmer. The orange mare's emerald eyes darted from Cougar to Fluttershy and smiled a little.

"Oh, don't worry none 'bout Fluttershy, she's jest got uh fear uh heights is all," Applejack explained. Cougar raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how that was possible.

"But isn't she a pegasus?" Cougar questioned. Applejack chuckled and rested her arm on the side of the chariot.

"Ya, we can't figure it out either, but once she's on thu ground, Fluttershy is the kindest pony y'all ever meet," the farmer replied. Meanwhile, Soarin and Rainbow were flying directly next to the chariot, all while doing various loops and barrel rolls.

"Oh man does it feel good to be back in the air!" Rainbow shouted and started flying on her back. The wind whipped through her mane and she rested her head on her arm. On the other side, Soarin was just chilling while taking in deep breaths.

"Ah, now this is relaxing," Soarin sighed and looked down at the scenery below him. "Hey Cougar, how does it feel to be back in the air again?" Soarin called. Cougar looked up and over to Soarin and clicked his tongue.

"Well, I wish I was in control, but this is nice," Cougar replied. He sat back down and tried to get a good look at what wonders lied on the ground, but was stuck in the middle seat.

"Hey Pinkie, could you switch me for a sec? I want to just see what everything looks like," he asked politely. The poofy maned pony grinned like the joker and picked up Cougar and scooted him to the side.

"Now, will you meet Gummy later on?" Pinkie asked.

"Who is Gummy?" Cougar replied before getting a chance to look at the landscape.

"My pet Alligator of course! He's the cutest and cuddliest little reptile you'll ever meet in your life!" Pinkie exclaimed and squeezed the air around her. Cougar turned his eyes away from Pinkie and shuddered at how overly-hyper she was. Ignoring her for just a brief moment, Cougar leaned over the side of the chariot and gazed upon the land before him.

"Wow," he whispered, "this is beautiful." Nestled in a valley was a quaint little village surrounded by acres upon acres of green hills and fields and various streams. Down below, he could spot numerous colors of different ponies on the ground, unaware that he was above them. He looked up ahead further and saw something he didn't expect to see in this land of ponies. "You guys have trains?" He asked in a curious tone.

"Yep!" Twilight replied from the front seat, "you sound surprised, do you have them back on your world?" She asked, sneaking in a question for her journal studying.

"Of course we have them on my world, I just didn't expect you guys to have them here, I thought you could just gallop or in some cases fly!" He pointed to the two pegasi flying next to the chariot.

"Well, Earth Ponies and unicorns can't fly Cougar, and some places are very far away!" Twilight explained. Suddenly, Twilight felt herself be pulled down on her seat by a clawed hand. "Spike!" Twilight scolded, "what are you doing?" She demanded as she fixed her mane.

"I just need to talk to you for a second Twi," Spike explained.

"You could just tap me on the shoulder instead of yanking down on my mane!" Twilight annoyingly exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't like this guy Twilight," Spike admitted, "I think he's here to find our weaknesses and bring his species here to he can overthrow us." For another time that day, Twilight's wing slapped Spike upside the head.

"You listen here Spike," Twilight glowered, "Applejack can sense when someone is lying, and she hasn't said one word about him not telling the truth, and he looked so helpless and scared in the infirmary. He doesn't want to hurt anypony and he wants all of us to earn his trust and that's exactly what we're going to do, even if it does take awhile," Twilight scolded Spike.

"Fine, just don't complain if this all backfires on us," Spike pulled a comic book out of nowhere. Twilight rolled her eyes and breathed a sigh. 'I can't wait to tell Shining Armor and Cadence about this. I wonder if we can take Cougar to the Crystal Empire someday?' She thought to herself. Finally, the chariot began to slow down and descend upon Ponyville.

"Spike, do you still have that letter that Princess Celestia gave you to give to the Mayor?" Twilight asked. Still reading his comic book, Spike held up the rolled up scroll and set it down next to Twilight. "Alright now Cougar, we're about to land, how are you feeling?" The purple Alicorn asked. Looking up from admiring the town, Cougar blinked hard several times and gulped.

"I have an idea on what will happen, but I've only seen it happen in Monster movies," Cougar replied. Applejack scooted past Pinkie and placed her hoof on his shoulder.

"Come on now Cougar, yer not a monster. Sure yer different, but that don't mean anything as long as yer heart and mind are in the right place. Like fer you, these other ponies might take some time to get used to ya," Applejack replied.

"I know Applejack, but what about you guys?" He asked, "I don't want every other pony to shame you guys or ostracize you all just because of me," Cougar admitted. Now Rainbow and Soarin flew closer to the chariot so as to get a better listen to the conversation.

"Pfft, don't sweat it Coug, we already know you're not dangerous to us, and besides if they mock and shame Twilight, they'll be shaming a Princess and Twilight can take care of them," Rainbow rubbed her hooves together evilly.

"Rainbow, you know I'm not going to use my Princess status to abuse my power just because other ponies have a different opinion," Twilight glared at her friend.

"Oh come on, I'm just saying once isn't gonna kill you, and haven't you always wondered what it would be like to always have the final say?" Rainbow asked.

"Try living with her and you'd understand," Spike remarked in a smart aleck tone. Twilight ignored Spike and braced herself as the Chariot touched down on the ground.

---

(Cougar POV)

This was it. I finally get to reveal myself to more than a dozen ponies now. I was dreading it more than looking forward to it. I couldn't care less about how they reacted to me, I was far more worried about how the others would get treated. I wouldn't call them my friends just yet, but they had saved my life and I wanted to try and at least make new friends. The Chariot touched ground and the two guards pulling said chariot galloped until they came to a complete stop in front of what I guessed was the Town or City Hall. Immediately, ponies of all colors, species, sizes, ages and genders were wide eyed at the royal chariot landing in Ponyville. I could hear various voices talking to one another about what the royal chariot was doing in their town.

"Okay, I've got the letter for the Mayor, do you have everything Cougar?" Twilight asked me. I couldn't speak. Not a word, not a sound, but I nodded slowly. The two guards opened the doors to the chariot and we all stepped out. A hushed silence fell upon the crowd as I stepped out with my duffel bag hanging from my shoulder. Dozens upon dozens of ponies' eyes were as big as dinner plates staring at me.

"Come on Coug, just ignore them for now," Soarin' tried to get my spirits up. I made sure to not make a sound for fear of there being a large panic ensuing.

"What is that thing?" I heard a voice ask. I turned slightly to see a little filly that was pink and had a tiara on her head and on her hindquarters. That I'm gonna have to ask about. Another filly that was silver and had a tattoo of a spoon on her rear stood next to her.

"It looks like a monkey and a minotaur had a baby, and an ugly one at that," the two snickered at the comment. Thankfully, I had learned to not give a crap of what negative opinions others had of me a long time ago, so I easily ignored the two brats. I allowed Twilight to lead the way since she was the Princess of this group. Her hoof knocked on the front door of the town hall and a Mare with a gray mane and a pair of glasses on her face answered.

"Oh hello Princess Twil- OH MY!" She shrieked when she saw me, "your highness, what is this creature that is with you?" The Mare Mayor asked. I just realized the pun there if there was one.

"Hello Madame Mare, this is Cougar, we found him near Canterlot unconscious, injured and without a place to stay," Twilight covered up where I was truly found, "so we decided to take him in at Ponyville and Princess Celestia sent us this letter for you," Twilight explained. She levitated the scroll into the hooves of the Mayor whom promptly opened it and read it aloud.

"Dear Madame Mayor, we found this poor human who calls himself Cougar injured and alone near our castle in Canterlot. We know not how he arrived here or why, but we took him in at the royal infirmary and now the Elements of Harmony have taken it upon themselves to give him a loving home in Ponyville. I know this is all sudden and that Cougar is vastly different than any of our creatures in our realm, so please give him a kind and warm welcome, for he promised us he is not here to harm us, and my sister has already made his acquaintance, so he is a kind soul." The Mayor ceased reading the letter and set the scroll down on the table.

"We couldn't have just told her that ourselves?" Rainbow questioned.

"Or that he was really found-" Pinkie started before Applejack shoved an apple in her mouth. I chuckled at Pinkie's reaction.

"Well, this is strange, do you talk Cougar?" The Mayor asked me.

"Unless you have a different word for it, but yes I am," I joked. She looked like she had seen a ghost after I talked. She calmed herself and took a sip of water from a paper cup before resuming.

"It is a pleasure to meet you then if the Princesses trusts you, but I must warn you, other ponies may not take your presence here lightly," she warned me.

"Don't worry, I kinda figured that," I replied, "as the letter said, I don't know how I got here, but I'm here and I will make the most of it, but I don't want to hurt any of your citizens okay?" I asked her. She cocked her eyebrow and slowly stuck her hoof out to me. I shook it and she had the same reaction Rarity had earlier.

"If you have any questions I'm sure one of the Elements can help you or you can come talk to me," she informed, "and I will hold a conference with the town later on to ease the town's mind," she added and showed us the door.

"Wait, is that it?" I asked.

"Yes, I am very busy today and it was nice meeting you, but you have to go," she shoved us out the door and shut it.

"That went better than expected," I commented before looking at the sea of ponies all surrounding us, "and we're surrounded," I said.

"Okay, let's back it up ponies, we gotta get our friend out of here," Rainbow floated in the air and motioned for everyone to move.

"Yeh, jest move outta our way so we can git on home," Applejack joined in. The sea of ponies parted ways, leaving a thin aisle for us to walk through. It felt weird being stared at like I was an animal in a zoo, but I trudged forward, ignoring the stares.

"I must simply get back to the boutique!" Rarity exclaimed, "Sapphire Shores is beginning her tour in a month for the summer and I have to make a different outfit for her and her dancers!" Rarity galloped away.

"And I better get back to SugarCube Corner and help out the Cakes make goodies," Pinkie licked her lips, "stop by any time for a cupcake or a milkshake Cougar!" Pinkie hopped away just like Pepe La Pew.

"Cougar? That is not a cougar, have these ponies gone mad?" I heard another voice ask. I turned and it belonged to a tanned stallion with a black mane and three bags of money on his hindquarters.

"It's just a nickname buddy," I replied without thinking.

"IT TALKS?!" Several dozen voices asked at the same time. A good majority of the crowd vanished into different buildings while some stayed behind.

"Well, I've got to get back to the library and start on my report," Twilight said as Spike followed her.

"Report fer whut?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"Oh, nothing," Twilight hid her face and disappeared with a flash of pink light. I turned around to not see Fluttershy anymore, except a cloud of dust where she was.

"I'll go get ready for tonight Rainbow, I'll pick you up around seven?" Soarin' asked her.

"Sounds good, you're paying right?" She asked.

"As a good stallion would for his amazingly awesome and beautiful mare!" Soarin replied and took off after hugging Rainbow.

"At least he's not all icky and mushy about it," Rainbow shrugged after turning back to Applejack and myself.

"So, are you gonna come with me and Applejack then Rainbow?" I asked the lightning fast mare. She cracked her neck and stretched out her arms some more before answering.

"Nah, I've gotta read up the last two Daring Do books before the next one comes out, and maybe take a little nap before my date with Soarin," she replied with a smirk.

"Yet you complained about being confined to a hospital bed for two days," I reminded her.

"Yeah, but naps happen when I decide, and plus my bed is comfier than a hospital bed," she said while sticking her tongue out.

"Whatever floats yer cloud Rainbow," Applejack chuckled. Rainbow crouched down like a Tiger stalking its prey and launched into the air like a freakin' space shuttle. She even left behind rainbow contrails.

"Okay, that was pretty cool," I admitted as Rainbow disappeared into the sky. Applejack and I soon found ourselves leaving the staring eyes of the towns ponies and walking along a dirt road.

"Yeah, Rainbow is cool, yet sometimes she can sometimes be a pain in the neck, but she's also a pretty good friend," Applejack replied to me, "she ain't the element o' loyalty fer no reason," she added.

"Elements? Are you all like heroes or something?" I asked, knowing that it was kind of unfair since I requested that no one else ask me any more questions. However, Applejack smiled and replied.

"You could say that, Ah mean we've all defeated several different villains in the past five years," Applejack explained. "Ah'm the element 'o honesty, which means I never lie and I can tell when someone is lyin'," she explained, "and despite you not wanting to tell us much, I can tell you ain't lyin' Cougar," she added. She adjusted her hat so it wouldn't slip down ever her eyes as we ascended a small hill in the dirt road and I was greeted with a beautiful sight. "Here we are, Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack raised her hoof and gestured to the view in front of us.

There were thousands upon thousands of tall apple trees with various colored apples growing on the branches. A large red barn sat in the middle of the farm with dozens of hay bales nestled inside. A chicken coop sat perched about twenty yards away from the barn and a nice two story house sat about forty yards to the left of the barn. Several animal pens were sitting a few hundred yards away from the chicken coop with sheep, cows and pigs living inside them. I saw a large red stallion with a dirty blonde mane and a large half green apple on his hindquarters hauling a cart full of farming equipment.

"Well, whut do ya think Cougar?" Applejack asked me after lightly pressing her hoof on my foot to get me out of my daydream.

"This place is beautiful," I replied and sniffed rather loudly, "and it smells delicious, like apples," I pointed out the obvious.

"Haha, Ah'm glad ya like it, now let's go meet mah family," Applejack chuckled. She led the way as continued down the dirt road. I didn't notice how warm it was until the shade from the apple trees covered our bodies.

"So, do you guys harvest these apples?" I asked.

"We sure do Cougar, every beginnin' o' Summer we buck these apples off the trees and make 'em into pies, cider, apple sauce, cobbler or we just sell 'em at the Ponyville market every Saturday, which just so happens to be today," Applejack told me.

"Oh, do you need any help getting the apples?" I offered, ready to work.

"I like yer enthusiasm, but no, harvest don't begin for another week," she replied, "looks like you got here just in time," she joked. I smirked at the joke and swapped my duffel bag strap to my other shoulder. "There's Big Mac, he's my big brother." I looked up at the big red Stallion who just disconnected himself from the cart and was taking a breather. "Hey, Big Macintosh!" Apple called to him. The stallion looked up at us and froze when he saw me.

"Hello there Big-" I started before Big Mac was immediately in front of us and was glaring at me. I wasn't much taller than him, I guess that's why his name was Big Mac, though Celestia was obviously taller.

"Big Mac, this here is Cougar, you wanna say hello?" Applejack asked her brother.

"Nnnope," Big Mac said slowly. Applejack sighed and shook her head. "What're ya and what're ya doin' with ma sister?" Big Mac demanded from me.

"My name is Cougar and I'm a human, I woke up here when my craft crash and I have no way to get home," I explained, giving him the abridged version.

"So, what're ya doin' here Cougar? If that is yer real name, ya don't look like a Cougar ta me," Big Mac growled. Applejack got in between us and glared at her brother.

"I decided that we'll take him in while he's here Big Mac. He didn't have any uther place ta go so I volunteered to take him in, and you're gonna be fine with it right?" Applejack glared.

"But why sis? Aren't ya worried he could just be usin' us to plan an invasion for his species?" the large stallion asked.

"Now you listen right here Big Mac," Applejack stood on her hind legs to look straight into his eyes, "Cougar is mah guest and he's going to be staying here with us for the foreseeable future, yah got that?" She pointed her hoof in his chest.

"Eeyup," Big Mac grumbled and turned around to go inside the house. Applejack sighed and turned back to me.

"Sorry 'bout that Cougar, Big Mac can get a li'l stubborn sometimes," Applejack apologized.

"It's no big deal, I was actually ready for him to knock me on my ass," I reassured her. She led me inside the house where an older pony that was green and had an apple pie on her hindquarters was napping in a chair.

"That there is Granny Smith, she's a good pony and still a hard worker, even at her age," Applejack said as she nudged the old pony. "Granny Smith, wake up, Ah've got a surprise fer ya," Applejack whispered. The old pony suddenly sprang to life on her legs and started shouting random things.

"Hey, where's mah walker? What in tarnation happened to mah glass o' milk on the table?" Granny Smith shouted before shaking her head and turning to Applejack. "Oh hello dearie, and who's yer friend here? Don't reckon Ah've seen somethin' like him before," she got real close to my face and squinted.

"Uh Granny, this here is Cougar, he's gonna be our guest for awhile," Applejack replied.

"Oh and where'd ya find him at? Didja meet in town at the restaurant?" Granny asked and nudged myself and Applejack whom blushed. I knew what that meant, and I quickly extinguished that idea.

"No Granny Smith, we're uh acquaintances, no romantic interests here," I shook my hands. "I'm actually surprised you're not afraid of me like nearly everyone else has been," I added. Granny Smith chuckled and placed her hoof on my shoulder, or tried to anyways.

"Ah don't believe in judgin' Celestia's creatures based on their outer appearance young feller, Ah believe in getting to know somepony before ya go off and judge them," she advised me.

"Well, thank you, and I'm also here to help your farm with harvesting apples and other chores," I explained.

"Can't have too many helpers that's fer sure, Ah think I'll fix up some lunch, ya hungry?" She asked us.

"Actually, I think I could eat," I replied.

"Me too," Applejack seconded and we all headed into the kitchen where I set my bag down on the floor near a chair and took off my hat after Applejack. Big Mac headed back outside after rinsing out a glass. I soon heard the pattering of tiny hooves on the wooden floor and a little yellow filly with big orange eyes, a red mane and a pink bow in her mane scampered into the kitchen.

"Applejack, how is Rainbow doin'? Why were ya gone fer two days-" She began until she saw me sitting at the end of the table.

"Hello," I said. The little filly froze and hid behind Applejack's chair, away from me.

"Applebloom!" Applejack scolded, "that's no way to treat our guest, you come out here and say hello young lady," Applejack ordered. Applebloom slowly stepped out from behind the chair, looking down at the floor. She looked up at me and then flinched away.

"He's not gonna hurt me is he?" Applebloom asked Applejack.

"'O course not Applebloom, he's very nice and just needed uh place to stay," Applejack replied, "now please come out and say hi, ya might like him," she added. I could hear Applebloom breath deeply and step out from behind the chair again.

"Hello, Ah'm Applebloom, what's your name?" The little filly asked me.

"Cougar," I replied, "and let me say, you have got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen!" I reached out and petted her head. She shook in fear slightly, but let me pet her head.

"Thanks, are you friends with mah sister?" Applebloom asked.

"More like acquaintances AB," Applejack replied. Applebloom pulled out a chair next to Applejack and waited patiently for lunch.

"Applejack, are there any rooms left for me in here?" I asked her.

"Right, no there ain't but we do have an old storage shed that's been empty fer about five or six years now, but it may need a little fixin' up," Applejack grimaced.

"Well, let's go see it while we're waiting for lunch," I offered.

---

(Outside near the house)

Myself, Applejack and Applebloom were standing outside the shed that Applejack talked about. Fixing up was an understatement. The walls were old and rotting away and the only window had a hole in it from what I could only guess was from a rock or a baseball. The roof seemed fine, but I would take a look at that. The frame looked to be in good shape as well, just the siding and the window needed a lot of attention. "Well, here it is," Applejack announced, "Ah know it ain't much, but it's somethin'," she apologized.

"No, it's fine. I've always dreamed of having my own place to fix up," I said and grabbed the door handle. I pulled on the door and the door came off the hinges and the rotted wood fell into a crumbled pile until all I was holding was a rusty handle. "Hmm, faulty door handle," I joked.

End Chapter IV

---

Phew, this one took awhile. So, Cougar has been introduced to the Apple family, Ponyville chapter. I know some parts where Cougar met someone was rushed, but I didn't want to make it boring as hell where he'd always say the same thing. And now Cougar has a place to stay, he just needs to fix it up and that is where Applebloom will really come into the story because I want her and Cougar to be good friends. Who wouldn't want to be friends with an adorable little filly like Applebloom?

Fallen Eagle

Chapter V: Cougar's New Den

You guys, you guys are AWESOME! I've never had 16 favorites and 20 followers after only (technically) five chapters in a story. I'm really thankful that this many readers like my story that much. And to what Nomad King of Kyralia said, "I wish I had your talent for writing." That right there makes me so happy to hear. I honestly think I'm good, but not as great as some of the other authors on this site, but that compliment means a lot to me and it's stuff like that that keeps me coming back to tell stories.

Anyway, in this chapter, Applejack and Applebloom help Cougar fix up the old storage shed behind the Apples' house due to his back and wanting to be good hosts, though Applebloom is still rationally timid of Cougar. And it will be built in this chapter, I don't think fixing up a shed to live in would be entertaining to read for three chapters lol.

Also, just to let you guys know, I have now finally seen Equestria Girls, and it was alright. But this is important because the events of Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks never happened in my story's universe, just to keep up with the continuity that no pony knows what fingers are.

As Monty Python said, "GET ON WITH IT!" So let's read Chapter V shall we?

---

(Normal POV)

Applejack rubbed the back of her head and let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, so, maybe a li'l paint and lacquer'll spiffy this place up nice!" She exclaimed and kicked a little bit of the rotted wood which crumbled up into even smaller pieces. Applebloom rolled her eyes and shook her head at the situation.

"First yer old clubhouse, and then yer old storage shed, what else 'o yers are ya givin' away that needs fixin'?" Applebloom muttered. Applejack growled at her sister whom shut right up and sat down on the ground. Cougar just smiled and tossed the rusted door handle on the ground.

"Well, do you have the materials here Applejack?" He questioned while studying the shed.

"Ah think so. We might have some sidin' left over from when we put up the new barn, but Ah'm not so sure if we have any more windas left," she thought for a second. Cougar stepped in through the now open door way and tried to flick on the light, but it didn't come on. He gradually reached up and unscrewed the lone lightbulb from the ceiling. Luckily, it was still bright out and light was coming in through the open doorway and broken window.

"Burnt out," he commented and set the lightbulb on the window sill, "the framing actually looks really good and sturdy," he felt around the inner wood, "but that ceiling could use some new shingles," he said. "Other than the door, siding and the window, I think I can make this thing work." Cougar's eyes drifted up to see a ladder connected to an upstairs loft that he assumed was once used to house various farming equipment. He set his foot on the bottom rung of the wooden ladder and pulled himself up. There was a loud creak as he applied pressure onto the wooden rung. "Maybe a new ladder too," he added and stepped off before it crashed to the floor, "but it's just big enough for me. So, just tell me where the materials are and I'll get this puppy fixed right up," Cougar cracked his knuckles. He then looked down at his hands that were now caked with layers upon layers of dust. He shook off his hands and wiped them on his jeans. Applebloom held her mouth to keep from vomiting at having to witness Cougar cracking his knuckles.

"Ah don't think so Cougar," Applejack brought the human back out from the storage shed.

"And why not? I can do this myself," Cougar replied.

"Ah know you can Cougar, but remember whut Princess Celestia and them doctors said? Yer back is tweaked and ya need ta take it easy for at least two to three days," Applejack explained. Cougar rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry Applejack, but I'll go crazy if I'm not doing anything productive," Cougar countered, "and I want to be able to fix up a place that'll be mine." The orange mare threw her right foreleg onto Cougar's back lightly and patted it. The motion soothed his back that was still slightly sore, but it only reminded him of how limited he was in working.

"And ya will Cougar, jest with me and Applebloom here helpin' ya. Ah don't wantcha ta hurt yer back anymore than it is," Applejack explained to Cougar. The human sighed and adjusted his ball cap. "Cheer up Cougar, Ah still appreciate yer work ethic," Applejack smiled, "now come on, Granny Smith should have lunch finished, then we can start rebuildin' yer new Cabin."

---

(With Spike and Twilight)

Spike sighed as he put away his broom and dustpan in the broom closet and shut the door. "Come on Twilight, are you really gonna study that Cougar guy?" Spike asked his best friend. The lavender alicorn failed to answer the purple dragon and kept leafing through a species book whilst using her magic to write with a quill. The dragon rolled his green eyes and picked up a book from the bottom shelf of one of the book cases and lightly let it hit the ground.

"AH!" Twilight squealed in surprise, "careful Spike, you don't want to damage the spines," Twilight warned as her quill fell onto her wooden desk. Owluicious picked it up with his talon and inserted it back into one of Twilight's ink bottles.

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk for a bit," Spike said and sat down on top of Twilight's stack of books. Twilight smiled, marked the current page in her textbook and closed the cover. Twilight turned from her desk and faced Spike.

"So, what's on your mind Spike?" The alicorn questioned her dragon friend. Spike bit down on his lower lip and crossed his arms over his scaly chest. Twilight's face fell as she could tell what Spike was going to say. "Is this about Cougar?" She asked. Spike nodded, causing Twilight to roll her eyes and groan in frustration.

"Why are you studying him? I mean it's not like another one of him is gonna fall out of the sky again," Spike explained, "he doesn't even know how he got here, so what's the point?"

"You don't know that Spike. He may have accidentally found a portal to our world, and what if his friends in his Air Force come looking for him? And if this was a one-time freak accident, studying him can allow us to understand him better and then other ponies won't be so afraid of him; you saw how most of the town reacted to him just talking," Twilight pointed out. Spike rolled his green eyes and hopped off Twlight's stack of books, grabbing a few to put back on the shelves.

"Well, I think he's hiding something," Spike said while shoving books into their respective slots on the book shelves, "he didn't really tell us anything, and he keeps avoiding questions like what his world was like and he won't even tell us his name for Celestia's sake!" Spike exclaimed and shoved a book into the book shelf. Twilight scoffed and levitated her journal into the air.

"Don't worry about that Spike, Cougar just wants a fresh start, maybe something happened to him back in his world that traumatized him, he was in his world's military after all. And you heard Luna, she said he sacrificed himself to save his friend Reaper," the purple Alicorn pointed out, "so, he can't be all bad."

"Yeah, maybe his friend is the Grim Reaper and he just wants to kill us all for his sick amusement," Spike retorted and grabbed a handful of gems from a basket sitting on the kitchen table. Twilight glared at her dragon friend and levitated the gems from his claws and put them back in the basket.

"Would it kill you to be positive about this Spike?" She angrily asked. Spike pouted at having his snack taken away and rubbed his temples.

"If he doesn't trust us Twilight, then why should I trust him? Do you even remember what happened when he first woke up? He tried to attack you and Rarity at the same time!" Spike rose his voice.

"Maybe if you were paying attention, he was scared out of his wits and just wanted to escape from this strange new world; he calmed right down and let us heal him," Twilight explained and put her journal up near her bed. "Now, I need to go out and get some more ink, if I'm going to learn a lot about Cougar, then I need to write everything down to send to Celestia, and start thinking more positive about Cougar, you might find him pretty cool," Twilight left the library. Spike grumbled and grabbed another handful of gems and put some in his mouth.

"He's gonna have to do something pretty amazing for me to trust him," Spike said to himself and began dusting Twilight's desk.

---

(Back at Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

Lunch was, interesting to say the least. It wasn't that awkward, but the food was quite surprising to me. "Dig in!" Granny Smith announced proudly and set various plates with sandwiches on the table. Big Mac strolled in and took the seat across from mine, glancing up at me every so often. Being the eldest member of the Apple family, Granny Smith took the head of the table whilst I took the left side of the table with Applejack seated next to me and Applebloom at near the bottom of the table. I know earlier I said I wanted these ponies to earn my trust before I told them much more about me, but because of her young age, I felt like I could have a friend in Applebloom. She looked innocent enough to not throw my trust under the bus, yet she was intelligent for her age, mainly due to the fact she lived on a farm. Throughout my life, I always valued street smarts over book smarts, and this entire family ran off street smarts, or maybe I was just a sucker for just how adorable she was.

"So Cougar, do ya eat hay in yer world?!" Granny Smith sort of shouted at me. I guessed that her hearing was slowly and slowly getting worse with her age, which I understood completely. I looked down at the sandwich on my plate and took the top piece of bread off to reveal a small stack of hay and some mayonnaise on top of the hay.

"Well, ponies in my world do, but not my species," I replied, trying my best not to offend anypony at the table. Applejack swallowed her bite before replying to me.

"Okay then, that's fine, but whut does your species eat Cougar?" She asked politely and took a swig of water. I opened my mouth to respond, but a thought crossed my mind. Would they take it well if I told them I ate meat before? I didn't mind some veggies and fruit now and then, but I mainly ate meat my whole life. I didn't want to scare them or make them think I was some sort of cannibal, even though I've never even thought of eating my own kind.

"Oh, my species ate mainly fruits and vegetables, or pastas and breads. We loved ice cream too," I replied, not really lying, just not telling the whole truth. I heard a small belch and turned to see Applebloom wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Who doesn't like ice cream? Even ponies who are lactose intolerant love ice cream!" She exclaimed. I chuckled at her response and politely shoved my plate towards the middle of the table so one of the others could eat it.

"What can I fix ya up then feller?" Granny Smith asked, starting to get up from her seat.

"Oh no, don't get up Granny, I'm very thankful for the sandwich, but I think I can find something to eat," I replied, not wanting her to make a big fuss over me. "Do you have peanut butter and jelly?" I questioned.

"Jelly's in thu fridge 'n peanut butter's in thu cupboard next to thu fridge," Applejack told me. I got the two jars out of their respective spots and spread them with a knife onto a piece of home made bread.

"Your bread is delicious," I commented after swallowing a bite of my sandwich.

"Why thank ya Cougar!" Granny Smith smacked me on my back, "yer manners sure are top notch," she added. Big Mac excused himself from the table and walked out of the kitchen while keeping an eye on me. I finally finished my sandwich and set the plate in the sink before turning back to the table. Applejack and Applebloom were patiently awaiting for me to start on fixing up the old shed.

"So, who wants to do some demolition?" I asked. Granny Smith had some errands to do in town and Big Mac went off to visit his Marefriend, somepony by the name of Cheerilee or something, since his chores for the day were completed. Applejack and Applebloom raised their forelegs and got up from the table. I smirked at Applebloom as I turned my ball cap around and took out my black aviator sunglasses from my duffel bag. "Weren't you afraid of me like twelve minutes ago?" I asked the little filly. Applebloom pondered upon my question for a brief moment before answering.

"Ah figure that if mah sister and mah Granny think yer a good guy, then Ah'll believe 'em, and plus Ah don't like basin' ponies off 'o their outer appearances, Ah've been there," Applebloom explained to me. I looked up at Applejack with a smile.

"She's been raised good Applejack," I complimented. The orange mare grinned and put her cowgirl hat back on.

"Are we gonna keep jabberin' or we gonna fix ya up a place to live?" AJ teased me, "AB, don't forget the spare lightbulb in the utility closet," she reminded her little sister. Applebloom trotted over to a closet and pulled a lightbulb out of it and trotted back over.

"AB?" I asked.

"It's sumthin' some ponies do to uther ponies that have two names," Applejack said, "sometimes I call her AB, but most 'o the time I call her by her real name."

"Do you think I could give her a nickname?" I asked Applejack.

"Only if she's okay with whut ya call her," Applejack replied. All three of us headed outside to the shed, but not before grabbing some sledgehammers, framing hammers, tape measures, nails and carpenter pencils.

"Any ideas in mind Mr. Cougar?" Applebloom asked me.

"Nope not yet, but if I live her long enough, then maybe soon," was all I replied. "Do you have any power tools Applejack?" I asked.

"Sure do, we got a miter saw and a table saw stored in thu barn. We put them there cuz we can use the excess saw dust to cover the barn floor," she explained, "oh, and Ah also have a reciprocatin' saw in our uther storage shed on thu other side 'o the house."

"Good, I've been using those kinds of saws since I was a kid," I replied, "and the reciprocating saw will come in handy," I added. We got back inside the shed which still had some sunlight shining through the cracked window. "Okay Applebloom," I said and curled my fingers around her torso, "don't be scared, I'm just lifting you up so you can put the lightbulb in the socket," I explained when she cringed at being felt by my fingers. Trust me, I'm no child molester, I even kicked a guy's ass once back in Anchorage when he tried to kidnap a kid from a playground. Slowly, Applebloom inserted the new lightbulb and instantly, the shed was bathed in a yellow glow. Even though I was 6'2"and had three foot arms, the shed was still about 10 feet tall, so I couldn't reach the light socket . The loft itself started at about the six foot mark, so I had about a good four foot space for head room, especially with the sloped ceiling.

"Okay, now we probably should brought the dusters," Applejack clicked her tongue now that the dust was much more visible.

"We should worry about that later, we got some rotten walls to bust down," I grinned while putting Applebloom down on the floor. I picked up a sledge hammer and Applejack picked up a smaller one with her mouth and Applebloom picked up a framing hammer. Instantly, we got to work, pounding away at the rotted siding. It came off easier than anticipated. Chunks of rotted and mossy wood flew off the 2x4 boards that served as the framing for the shed. We worked for about twenty minutes, and we already had one wall done.

"Wow, guess we haven't touched this shed in longer than Ah thought," Applejack scratched her head with her hoof. Applebloom set down her hammer and took a bit of a breather.

"Didn't work yourself too hard did you?" I joked.

"Nah, just need a breather," Applebloom replied. I set down my sledgehammer and thought for a minute.

"Applejack, should we just get the siding on now or should we demolish the rest of the walls first?" I asked.

"Ah think we should keep on demolshin', Ah mean, this only took us twenty minutes to do one wall," she explained, "and we can cut the sidin' right quick, though ya might be without a door fer a night since puttin' up the sidin' might take awhile," she said.

"That's fine, just need some walls and plywood for the inner walls and insulation," I replied.

"Come on Cougar!" Applebloom exclaimed and started pounding away at the back wall of the shed, "this is the fun part!" She shouted and continued to demolish the rotted wood, taking notice to miss the 2x4 framing. Applejack and I looked at each other before resuming the demolishing.

(1 hour later)

All three of us breathed a sigh of relief as we sat down on the little porch hooked onto the front of the shed. It took an hour of demolition, but we finally had the all the rotted walls gone. Since the nails and rotted wood fell away without clinging to the framing and the studs, the saw reciprocating saw was useless. I heard a gasp when Applebloom started trotting around and, chasing her tail? "Hey Applebloom, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Maybe I got mah cutie mark in demolition or construction!" She exclaimed and kept twirling around. When she saw her hindquarters were still empty, Applebloom pouted and sat down like a puppy.

"A cutie mark? Is that those butt tattoos on everyone's butt?" I questioned. Applejack snickered slightly before wrapping her foreleg around Applebloom in a hug.

"Not exactly Cougar, a cutie mark is a special symbol that appears on a pony's flank when they discover their special talent," Applejack explained to me.

"Wait, no one gets to choose their own destiny? What if a pony doesn't like their cutie mark?" I asked. AJ put her hoof on her chin and rubbed it slightly.

"Don't recall any stories like that Cougar, but Ah know when Applebloom gets her own Cutie Mark, she'll be happy," Applejack replied as she released her sister. Applebloom's eyes grew big as she seemed to suppress a sob. I don't know what in the world came over me, but I bent down to Applebloom's level and wrapped my arms around her. Only less than a week here, and I'm already giving out hugs, but how could I just let a little kid cry?

"Cheer up Bloomin' Onion," I blurted out, "so what if this didn't get you a cutie mark, you're still helpful and smart and downright adorable, I'm sure you'll get it soon; maybe I can help you if you want," I kept blabbering on and on. She wiped her nose to stifle a sniffle.

"B-bloomin' onion?" she giggled at what I called her.

"Sorry if you don't like it that name, my mom made me that for a snack constantly when I was a kid.

"N-no, Ah like it! It's funny and it's uh, unique," she smiled.

"That's good, now let's keep working, you can still help if you want," I replied and ruffled her mane.

"Ah'll start gatherin' up the sidin' for you 'n AJ to cut!" She declared and trotted out to the barn. I smiled and got up from the ground and looked over at Applejack.

"That was sweet 'o you," Applejack smiled at me, "Ah didn't think ya liked mah sister that much," she said. I sighed and scratched behind my neck.

"Well, she's just a kid, I don't want to see her sad or give her the cold shoulder like I've been doing to you guys, there's just some things I'm not ready to relive in my life," I admitted.

"Ah understand completely, and Ah think Applebloom is really startin' to take a shine at ya, and that nickname is adorable," she tacked on at the end. "Whaddya say we finish up yer house 'n then we can start to get all this Celestia forsaken dust outta here," she suggested.

"Good idea," I replied. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw what kind of siding the family had stored away. It was just like the siding my high school construction class used for the sheds we built instead of the horizontal siding my grandfather put up on his house. I took out a tape measure and measured out one piece of siding. "Alright, so the shed is ten feet long by ten feet wide and it's ten feet tall," I commented as I measured a piece. "And these are luckily ten feet tall and five feet long, so we only need two pieces on each side," I kept commenting as I scribbled down the mark where we needed to cut.

Soon, the sounds of power saws cutting into fresh pieces of wood filled the air around us. Mounds of sawdust covered the barn floor where we were cutting the wood. It didn't bother me one bit that we had to haul the pieces one at a time about 500 feet away, especially since I had help. We found ourselves pounding in nails to get the pieces of siding up without a hitch. I finally had Applejack check the time and we found out it was already 5:00 in the evening, but we were done. The shed now had new walls to keep me warm in the winter time and keep me safe. I still needed a new window, but I'm sure we could find one at a hardware store in town.

"Good work Bloomin' Onion," I complimented Applebloom for helping us. I was shocked she didn't earn her cutie mark since she was amazingly talented at construction and wood working.

"Thanks Cougar," she hugged my leg before letting go, "Ah gotta git ta mah crusaders meetin', Ah'll se ya'll later!" She called while galloping away.

"Ya best be home 'fore sundown ya hear!?" Applejack called out to her.

"Thanks to you too Applejack, I couldn't have done this without you," I thanked my technical boss.

"Aw shucks Cougar, yer mah guest and it wouldn't be very neighborly 'o me to leave you alone to do this, specially with yer back," she replied, "speakin' o' which, we should get ya checked out with the local doc at the hospital to be sure." I nodded, knowing she was right.

"I'll go get my duffel bag and then I'll come back and help sweep," I said with a grin.

"Ok, Ah'll jest be here sweepin' by myself!" I heard Applejack call back. I got my duffel bag and put my aviator sunglasses back inside and wiped the sweat forming on my forehead. I took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink before downing the beverage in about five seconds. I looked outside to see Applejack talking to someone, but because of where the house was situated, I couldn't see who it was. Curiously, I put my bag on my shoulder and walked back outside to see Applejack casually sweeping up the porch. "Back so soon?" She asked.

"Yeah, who were you talking to?" I asked her.

"Ah wasn't talkin' to anypony Cougar," she chuckled. I was so sure she was, but maybe I was just seeing things. The light inside the shed was off, so either it already burnt out, or Applejack turned it off for me.

"I got the extra broom and dustpan," I said before turning on the light and getting the scare of my life.

"SURPRISE!" A loud and high pitched squeal entered my ears and about raped my ear drums. "Happy 'Shed warming' Party!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down with a huge cake on her hoof. I clutched my chest and thankfully held my bladder together as I looked around to see Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash and Soarin' all waiting inside.

"When the hell did you set this up?" I asked. There was also a record player, a table filled with sweets and punch and various streamers hanging off the ceiling.

"When there's a party to be planned, time has to make room for me!" Pinkie replied and shoved a piece of cake into my mouth. "So, how do you like Applejack's farm? I mean you must like it since you already fixed up a place to live?!" Pinkie asked me whilst talking a mile a minute.

"I liked what you've done with the place Cougar, but you really should invest in a book collection," Twilight offered me a wrapped book. I took it and unwrapped the wrapping paper to see what looked like an Indiana Jones type pony hanging from a rope on the cover.

"Daring Do and the quest for the Sapphire Statue?" I asked.

"Yep, the first book in the most awesomest amazing book series of all time!" Rainbow exclaimed before sipping on some punch.

"I do like adventure books, thanks Twilight," I said, "but I don't have a bookshelf and I don't like leaving books on the floor. Twilight smirked at that and gave Spike an I-told-you-so look. Rainbow and Soarin' both gave me a Wonderbolt's hat and T-Shirt, while Rarity simply gave me the time her business was open because she insisted that I have an entire wardrobe makeover. Fluttershy, though shy still, gave me a book on the various creatures in Equestria and how to be kind to them.

"Thanks guys, but it's not my birthday," I commented at looking at the gifts I'd received.

"Come on dude," Soarin' started, "it's the least we could do, you're new here and we wanna show you that we're nice, most of us anyway," he replied.

"Oh, well thanks again guys," I said again before having a green scaly faces with purple eyes thrust into my own face.

"Gummy wanted to say hi!" Pinkie Pike shouted as she crammed the little gator's face into mine. He opened his jaws and clamped them down onto my nose which tickled since he had no teeth and his eyes didn't blink at the same time.

"Uh hi?" I patted his head as Pinkie Pie took him away.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen? I mean besides me anyways," Pinkie Pie gushed and crammed her face against Gummy's. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Applejack standing behind me.

"This party was actually mah idea Cougar, I just wanted to give ya the warmest welcome to yer new home," she smiled at me. I smiled back and patted her head like a dog which she didn't seem to mind.

"Thank you Applejack," I replied.

"MUSIC TIME!" Pinkie shouted and started blaring music on the record player. It was sort of like techno pop, but I didn't say anything for fear of insulting her which could be the worst choice in my life if I did so. Somehow over the music, Twilight was able to talk to me.

"So, since you were in the Air Force in your world, was your country in many wars?" She asked me.

"Could we please leave that alone Twilight?" I replied politely.

"Oh sure, but at least tell me what your species was like. Were they like us, only looking like you?" She questioned. I simply sipped on some punch and ignored her, not being polite, but just avoiding her. She grumbling and trotted back over to talk with Fluttershy. I also heard Soarin' talking to Applejack about getting the cider and pie for his date with Rainbow Dash. I don't know why, but I felt rather comfortable with these ponies now, but both parties still had work to do for us to trust in each other. About an hour later, Soarin' and Rainbow left for their date and Twilight had some letter she had to send to Princess Celestia. Pinkie was sad, yet she claimed there will always be parties, always. Everyone packed up the remnants of the party and left, save for Applejack since she lived here too.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time," I said to Applejack as I laid down on a cot I had discovered in the barn.

"Ah'm glad ya liked it Cougar, sorry 'bout Twilight drillin' ya fer questions again, she jest gits so worked up over studyin'," Applejack explained.

"Eh it's fine," I replied and pulled out the book Twilight gave me.

"Well, if ya need somethin', jest ask away," Applejack said before leaving the shed. I looked as her shadow slowly left my field of vision from where I was laying down before opening my new book. It was actually very well-written and very engaging. I read to about 3/4 of the book before realizing it was night time. That and Applebloom came home just before sundown to tell me goodnight.

"Sleep tight Bloomin' Onion," I said as she trotted back inside her house.

"See ya tomorrow Cougar!" She replied. I put my book on the window sill and rubbed my eyes, exhausted from the day's work. I fell asleep almost the instant my eyes shut tightly.

---

(Normal Point of View)

"Cougar, how was your first day at Sweet Apple Acres?" Cougar heard a voice calling from a distance. The Air Force pilot opened his blue eyes to see Princess Luna standing before him with a smile on her face.

"Luna, shouldn't you be in Canterlot?" Cougar asked.

"Remember Cougar, I am the Princess of the Night and can enter dreams, I just wanted to see how your first say faired," she replied with a knowing smile.

"Hey, you're talking more normally," Cougar pointed out. Luna smiled as Cougar sat up and looked around the dream world.

"I'm getting better, hopefully I can get to talking like my sister and her little ponies soon enough," Luna replied. Cougar was glad he had Luna to talk to since he had an interesting first day. He told her all about fixing up his own place to live and how they even threw a welcome to sweet apple acres party. "So, I take it thou enjoyed your first day?" Luna slipped back into her old ways.

"Actually yes I did, but I think I'm failing in my claim Luna," he replied.

"How so young Cougar?" Luna came to a dead stop.

"I didn't want to get too friendly with you guys so early on in case something happened, but these ponies are making me feel so, so," Cougar couldn't find the right word.

"Familial?" Luna inserted with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"You must remember that all of these ponies have been through a lot together in this half decade Cougar," Luna explained, "they value friendship over everything else and despite what you think, they are very trustworthy."

"I hate sounding like that," Cougar let his head droop, "but I learned at a young age to make people earn your trust because you don't want to wake up one day to find that you were friends with an enemy spy," Cougar said as an example.

"I understand Cougar, but please give these ponies a chance, I have even seen young Applebloom take quite the shine to your kindness," Luna gracefully lifted his chin up with her hoof.

"If that's what the Princess wants," Cougar bowed to Luna.

"Farewell Cougar, I must go and calm the nightmares of young Button Mash," Luna disappeared into a void.

And Cougar slept peacefully with a smile on his face for the first time in years.

End Chapter V

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Phew, that was a week in the making people! Sorry if it was boring, but I didn't want to rush anything. At least now Cougar will be more light-hearted with making more friends than besides Applebloom and Luna. Next chapter will take place in the morning after, but transition into about two weeks. And I hope you guys liked Applebloom's nickname that Cougar gave to her.! Please review

Fallen Eagle

Chapter VI: On Display

Get used to this saying guys, but you are so *BLEEP* awesome! I've worn that word out already, I need a new one. Anyway, it felt so good to obviously get more and more reviews, but I am really thrilled to have 18 favorites and 23 followers for this story. If this story gets more than 30+ of each, I will be so happy. And to the guest reviewer who asked "When you say Normal POV, you mean 3rd person right?" Yes I do mean that. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I just assumed everyone would know what that meant, my bad.

Also, this chapter will mainly be flashbacks, so hope you all enjoy those.

That's pretty much all I have to say folks, please enjoy chapter VI and don't forget to review, follow and favorite!

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(The morning after, Cougar's POV)

I was surprised that I got to sleep at all last night without hearing jet engines rumble and raising hell all night long. Nonetheless, I felt fully rested when I awoke the next morning. With a yawn and a stretch, I sat up from my cot and scratched my back. It was then I realized from looking outside my doorless door frame and cracked window that it was still nighttime outside, though the sky on the horizon was slowly getting brighter as Celestia and Luna performed their morning routines. "Well, no point in going back to sleep," I said to myself and stood up onto my feet and put my shoes back on. I grabbed my T-shirt whichwas hanging from a loose nail on the trim around the door frame as a makeshift coat hanger.

The floor beneath me squeaked rather loudly since it was extremely silent outside, not even crickets were chirping. The only noises I could hear was my own breath and the sound of snoring livestock. "Wish I had my watch," I muttered and stepped outside onto the ground, sucking in a deep breath through my nose and out my mouth. My nostrils were rewarded with the sweet and soothing smell of the country side, apples and grass. Hoping I wasn't waking anyone too early, I walked as quietly as I could towards the house, taking in how beautiful the farm looked in the early morning dawn. A small stream of light cascaded outside the windows of the Apple family's dining room and kitchen. From outside, I could see the dark silhouette of somepony wandering back and forth through the kitchen.

Squinting my eyes, I could tell that it was either Applejack or Granny Smith since Big Mac was definitely more noticeable and Applebloom wouldn't have been tall enough to be seen through the window. I still walked quietly to the kitchen door and softly knocked on the wooden door. The figure inside the kitchen turned around and walked over to the door and opened it to reveal the sweet, green and wise face of Granny Smith. "Well, good mornin' there Cougar!" She exclaimed and welcomed me inside. I thanked her and shut the door for her as I walked in. "So, didja sleep good? What're ya doin' up so early?" She asked me with genuine curiosity. I took off my Drive to End Hunger hat and set it on the table to be polite.

"Yeah actually," I rubbed my eyes, "that cot is pretty comfortable," I added. I could smell the ever so enchanting aroma of eggs, oatmeal, coffee and biscuits with country gravy being cooked on the stove top.

"Ah'm glad yer first night here was comfortable," Granny replied, "are ya always up at 5:00?" She asked me again and stirred the scrambled eggs and oatmeal.

"Being in the military for seven years, I was always up this early," I said and stood up from the table, "here Mrs. Smith, let me help you," I offered and grabbed a big wooden spoon to stir the gravy and the oatmeal.

"Well, ain't you the sweetest thing?" She pinched my arm sweetly and went to check the coffee maker. I smiled at her and grabbed a silverware spoon from the drawer to taste the gravy. "'N you can call me Granny Smith, everypony calls me that and Ah never liked them fancy formalities anyway, 'cept when Ah was uh filly 'o course and called mah elders Mr. Ms. Miss or Mrs.," she explained.

"Alright then Granny Smith, I just wanted to be formal and polite to my boss," I replied. Granny poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"Ya don't have to worry 'bout that, jest mind yer manners and treat everypony how you wanna be treated 'n you'll fit in jest fine!" Granny sipped on her coffee. A timer went off and Granny sat up from the table and opened the oven.

"Those smell delicious," I commented after the smell of fresh home-made buttermilk biscuits wafted over my nose.

"Ole family recipe from when I was uh lil filly, haven't changed the recipe at all 'n Ah don't plan on changing it now," Granny set the baking sheet full of a dozen biscuits on top of the stove in front of the pots of gravy and oatmeal and the pan of scrambled eggs.

"So, what time does everypony else wake up Granny Smith?" I asked her, still getting used to saying pony instead of body. The elderly green pony looked out the window as Celesita's sun peaked over the horizon.

"Three, two, one," Granny counted down and pointed out towards the picket fence next to the chicken coop.

"COCKA-DOODLE-DOO!" The rooster crowed loudly. The food was done and Granny handed, or hoofed I should say, me a bowl with a ladle to pour the gravy in, a basket for the biscuits, a large plate for the eggs, and another bowl for the oatmeal. From downstairs, I could hear the sound of the three ponies upstairs waking up from their slumber. The sound of hoof steps clacking on the wooden floor easily alerted to me and Granny that Applejack, Applebloom and Big Mac were on their way down.

"'N that should jest about cover breakfast!" Granny declared after putting the coffee into several mugs and set them on the table. She sat down at the head of the table, awaiting her grandchildren to enter the dining room.

"Mornin' Granny Smith!" Applejack entered the room without her signature cowgirl hat atop her head, "oh, mornin' to ya too Cougar," she added with a warm grin and sat down next to me. Applebloom scurried into the dining room and hopped up onto the seat right across from me, looking as hungry as ever.

"Hey Cougar, how was yer shed last night?" She questioned.

"Morning Bloomin' Onion," I said, to which she giggled. "It was perfect, kept me nice and warm and the cot was actually pretty darn comfy," I replied. The adorable yellow filly licked her lips at the sight of the breakfast before her and awaited her big brother to finally come in.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac announced when he entered, he then lowered his eyebrows when he saw me and then sat down next to Applebloom.

"Cougar, didja help Granny with breakfast?" Applejack asked me after looking at all the food and then at me as I had a few splotches of gravy on my fingers from the spoon.

"Yeah, I woke up earlier than I thought I would, so I came in to help Granny," I said.

"Well, ain't that jest the cat's meow?" Applejack commented with a chuckle, "ya really want ta prove yer worth here huh?" She asked me. I nodded in reply, but I didn't say anything.

"Are we gonna jest jabber-jaw to the cows come home?" Applebloom asked, "or we gonna chow down?"

"Whut? Them cows got out again?" Granny asked, "Ah gotta get a new lock fer their pens," she added, "anyhoo, let's eat," she said and we all started digging in.

"So after breakfast, Ah'll show ya basically what yer gonna be doin' here on the farm Cougar," Applejack swallowed a bite of her eggs.

"Sounds good, but when do we start the harvesting?" I asked.

"Wednesday 'o next week if everythin' is on schedule," Applebloom took a sip of her milk.

"But I'm sure harvesting apples is not all you do around here, correct?" I took a bite of a buttermilk biscuit dipped in country gravy.

"Nnope," Big Mac replied to me, not saying anything else while drinking his coffee. Applejack suppressed a belch with her hoof before responding.

"We also feed all our critters, plow the fields, sell our apples, repair farming equipment, plant new trees, we also got corn, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and all sorts o' vegetables to harvest aside from our main harvest o' apples," she explained.

"Sounds like fun," I shot back while motioning with my cup of coffee, "I am pretty good with fixing things," I added.

"Well, sum 'o our wagons do need regular fixin'," Granny Smith exclaimed. Breakfast went over pretty quickly. Since it was a Sunday, not that much work besides straightening up the house had to be done. Applejack took me around the farm and showed me everything they did and told me what my job would be.

"Alright Cougar, in the mornins' after breakfast, we come out and feed the chickens in the chicken coop, milk the cows and feed them as well, feed the sheep and clean out their pens," she explained, "after that, we start bucking trees to git the apples off."

"My legs aren't anywhere as powerful as a ponies," I pointed out, "so how am I going to buck trees with you and Big Mac?" I questioned.

"Not to worry, you'll be responsible fer bringing those big wooden barrels out fer the apples to fall into and then we take 'em and store 'em in the cellar below the house and like Ah said before, we take five barrels o' apples to the Saturday market 'n we sell 'em. And then we also do routine maintenance on various equipment, chop firewood, mow the lawn etc. 'N if ya have any questions while yer workin', don't hesitate to ask," she smiled at me, "'n possibly I can make sure ya work with Applebloom often since she really likes ya."

"Wow, sounds like a dream," I commented, "I love fresh air and hard work that makes you sweat," I said.

"Ya came to the right place then, now, Ah don't want you to push yerself too hard until ya get to the doctor to get yer back checked on Tuesday, but tomorrow ya can help feed our livestock 'n mow the lawn," Applejack motioned.

"I can't wait to get started," I replied.

---

(Two Weeks Later. Cougar's POV)

It was a Friday evening and I laid down on my cot in my living quarters, head resting on my hands while listening to my iPad. The last two weeks have been intriguing to say the least. It pretty much started on Tuesday when I was scheduled to go back to Canterlot to have the royal physicians look me over. But, that's not all that happened. Despite Celestia giving an announcement to all of Canterlot, the ponies of the posh city still didn't take my arrival lightly. Luckily for me though, I had my six acquaintances plus Spike with me.

*FLASHBACK*

"You guys really didn't have to come with me and Applejack," I said to the five other ponies and dragon inside our train car, "it's just a routine doctor visit," I added. I was sitting closest to the window, watching the beautiful scenery pass by. Next to me was Applejack whom had snuck a few apples aboard and was quietly munching on one. Twilight and Spike sat nearest to the car's door, the former reading a book that I couldn't identify while the latter was reading a comic book with the title Power Ponies adorning the cover. I noticed that his reptilian eyes darted up from the colorful comic to Rarity whom sat across from him several times. And every time he did, his eyes would linger upon her for at least three to five seconds.

Rarity was seated next to and chatting with Fluttershy, something about visiting the spa again. Even back on Earth, I never understood why women loved the spa so much, but then again, I really didn't care. Rainbow Dash was snoring loudly and muttering something about Daring Do in her sleep and Pinkie Pie was seating directly across from me, eating cupcakes and kept babbling on and on about how much better my back might be and was beating around the bush that she might want a piggy back ride. I may never understand that particular pony.

"Don't mention it Cougar," Twilight looked up from her textbook, "we're all friends, for the most part anyway; I was also hoping to see Princess Celestia again about the Summer Sun Celebration," the purple alicorn went back to her textbook.

"Okay, but I don't want you guys to get bored or anything for just a check-up," I repeated. Rarity ceased her conversation with Fluttershy just to gasp.

"Perish the thought Cougar, Canterlot is the capital of sophistication and elegance," she described, "and I hopefully will get to meet up with Fancy Pants and Fleur-De-Lis again. It has been sometime since I've talked with them face to face," she tapped her chin with her hoof. Applejack tapped me on the shoulder and stuck her hoof into her mouth, making a gagging motion which made me chuckle.

The train lurched as it came to a stop at the Canterlot train station. The sudden motion jerked Rainbow awake from her nap. "Gah! 44?!" She exclaimed as if answering a surprise math problem in school. Her eyes darted around the room of the train car and looked outside to see various ponies awaiting to board the train from the platform. "Oh, here already?" She yawned and stretched. Twilight's magic opened the door and all eight of us exited the room where other ponies merged with our group to exit the train, though not all ignored me. Several ran right back into their rooms or ran as fast as they could to get out of the train. Some just cowered as they walked near me, scared of what I might do.

"Jest ignore 'em Coug," Applejack advised me, "Celestia said she would explain everythin' to the ponies 'o Canterlot 'n the news might still be unbelievable to 'em," she explained.

"To be honest, I really don't care Applejack," I replied, "I won't bother them if they won't bother me, simple rules for dealing with certain creatures in my world," I explained to her.

"Oh, um like what certain creatures?" Fluttershy spoke in her soft as cotton voice.

"Bees mainly, sometimes bears or moose," I retorted. The sun seemed to be shining brighter in Canterlot, or maybe I was just seeing things, but either way, I put on my aviator sunglasses and my vision was filled with much less glare. Thankfully, there was a path cleared for our group with Twilight leading the way. We had left the train depot and were on what I believed to be the main road to the castle.

"Is that that creature the princess spoke of?" I heard a posh voice ask. Great, just what got under my skin the most. Rich, stuck up people (or ponies in this instance) that believe just because they have money and speak in fake accents that they are better than everypony.

"It is absolutely hideous!" I heard another voice exclaim. I tuned them out by focusing on the walk ahead of me and thinking of working back on the farm, which worked. Rarity scared the crap out of all of us when she shrieked so loudly I worried that all the glass in Canterlot would shatter.

"FANCY PANTS!" She shrieked before regaining her 'normal' composure and briskly trotted up to a white unicorn that had a blue mane, a tiny blue mustache, a tuxedo and was adorning a monocle on his left eye.

"Ah, Ms. Rarity, a delight to see you again!" Fancy Pants exclaimed and wrapped a foreleg around her. A female unicorn with a very light pink and white mane and had light purple eye shadow on was, hanging to Fancy Pants. Literally hanging onto him and leaning over his back. I leaned over to Fluttershy.

"Who is hanging onto Fancy Pants there?" I whispered.

"That's Fleur-De-Lis, she's Fancy Pants' wife," Fluttershy explained, "they help design fancy formal attire for Canterlot's most elite figures."

"Okay, I had a totally different idea of what she was from how she was hanging off of him," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, and who and what is this creature over here?" Fancy Pants' magic cleaned off his monocle. He politely stuck out his hoof. This guy is off to a good start for me. He doesn't sound or act like those stuck up spoiled snobs I grew accustomed to on Earth. My sunglasses were removed before I talked with him.

"My name is Cougar; I'm a human from a world I called Earth," I shook his hoof.

"A human named Cougar you say?" He raised an eyebrow, "how did you ever get that name young sir?" he asked me.

"It's my call sign, I was in my country's Air Force before I somehow transported here," I explained.

"Well I suppose any friend of Rarity's is a friend of me and my wife," Fancy Pants smiled.

"We're not friends," Rarity and I both said at the same time. "More like acquaintances," Rarity finished.

"All the same to me, now I must be off, I hope to speak with you later Mr. Cougar, you seem like an interesting fellow," Fancy bowed and left with his wife whom was still clinging to him like a dog to a piece of ham.

"That was a great job socializing Cougar!" Twilight congratulated me.

"Thanks I guess. I do know how to politely socialize," I replied, putting my sunglasses back on, "as long the pony I'm talking too isn't being an asshole that is," I added. I suddenly felt my arm being yanked out of its socket by Pinkie and thrust into the face of another Canterlot pony.

"Try it again! You there, say hi to our friend Cougar!" Pinkie kept pushing me towards the unsuspecting pony.

"Please don't hurt me!" The pony galloped away.

"GET BACK HERE AND LOVE HIM!" Pinkie shouted at the cloud of dust the pony left behind.

"Come on guys, can we get to the castle already? These stuck up types really bore me," Rainbow commented.

"Ah couldn't agree more Rainbow," Applejack agreed. And with that, we headed off for the castle once again. We reached the main golden gates that had two guards with golden helmets and spears standing in front. One was a yellowish pegasus and the other was a white unicorn.

"Princess Twilight, here to see Princess Celestia and Luna I presume?" The pegasus guard asked.

"Of course Flash; I trust you like your new post here in Canterlot?" Twilight responded as the unicorn guard opened up the gates.

"Yeah, I liked my position at the Crystal Empire, but I like being away from the cold north," Flash replied. The eight of us entered and Twilight gave a more than friendly wave to the guard known as Flash.

"Anything going on between them?" I asked Rainbow.

"Like you wouldn't believe," the cyan pegasus replied as she floated above us, "but they deny it like their lives depended on it," she explained. The walk up to the main doors of the castle went by without a hitch. Applejack knocked on the door for us and two more guards opened said door.

"Twilight! Do come in!" I heard Luna's voice speak over the two guards. The doors opened wider, allowing us to pass through to see Luna in the foyer. "And young Cougar, how are thou doing?" She asked me with genuine curiosity.

"Other than not being able to work because of my back, I'm doing alright I guess," I replied after shaking her hoof.

"I take it thou are here for a physician check up?"

"Yeah, and hopefully I can get right to work when we get back to Sweet Apple Acres," I walked with the group to what I hoped was the royal infirmary wing.

"Princess Luna, where is Princess Celesita?" Twilight asked Luna.

"My sister is in the throne room, but-" Luna started before Pinkie rushed to the throne room doors and threw them open.

"Founder her, found her, found her!" She exclaimed while jumping up and down.

"Hmph!" Celestia squealed in surprise with cake in her mouth. My mouth dropped at the amount of cake in her throne room. Her muzzle was covered with crumbs and frosting and I swear some cakes were taller than me!

"Good God, did you rob a bakery? I've never seen this much cake in my life!" I commented. Celestia blushed and zapped the cake out of the throne room.

"Hello Cougar, are you enjoying your stay at Sweet Apple Acres?" Celestia swallowed her bite of cake.

"Yep, and I really can't complain your highness, some ponies in PonyVille are afraid of me, but I really don't care," I responded.

"Well, with time, I'm certain my little ponies will grow to befriend you; I see the goodness inside of you Cougar, don't let false accusations consume you," she advised.

"Not a problem at all your-" I started but was cut off with a scream of what I thought was a little girl.

"AHHHHHH! Aunties Celestia and Luna! What is that vile creature that you've brought into our castle!" I looked over to see a stallion unicorn cowering near the door. "Did you shave a pet monkey or something?" He questioned.

"Blueblood!" Luna scolded, "this here is young Cougar. He is a human that was somehow transported to our world with no way back to his own. He is our guest and my friend and you shall treat him the way you treat Celestia and myself, do you understand?" Luna tapped his chest with her hoof.

"Respect a primate? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound Aunty Luna?" Blueblood berated his aunt which made my blood boil. Obviously this brat never learned how to respect authority figures or his elders or even the female of species. "How could I respect something that has the IQ of a sunflower and cannot speak!?" He demanded.

"You back off there bub," I warned and approached him.

"The primate talks!?" Blueblood replied to me, "don't you dare touch me with those filthy things, I swear I'll have you thrown in the dungeon if you mess up my coat!" he threatened. I stood higher than I normally did, trying to intimidate this pathetic excuse of a stallion.

"I don't care what you think of me, but I will NOT have you berating your aunt, who is an authority figure and most importantly, a FEMALE. You will show her respect and Princess Celestia and you will apologize to both of them for your piss poor behavior, do I make myself clear?" I got close to his face.

"You DARE talk to a royal like that?" He pawed the ground with his hoof and tried to charge at me. Luckily, the Air Force trained me in more than just flying an F-15. I ducked low and let my legs fall out from underneath me. My hands gripped the floor and my legs swept out like a broom, tripping Blueblood and forcing him to roll into a vase near the wall. There was a deafening crash when he hit and his horn got stuck in said wall. His front hooves hit the wall as he tried to pull himself out to no avail.

"That, was, AWESOME!" Rainbow cheered me on and patted my back.

"Thank you for putting that wretched pain in the rump in his place," Rarity actually smiled at me.

"Well young Cougar, it appears you do have goodness in your heart, thank you for sticking up for me, though my punishment would've been far worse for him," Luna winked at me.

"I was raised to never insult or attack a female, and I won't have somepony like him doing that; I'm more than sure you can handle him while I see the good doctors?" I replied.

"Of course Cougar," Celesita teleported some cake back to the throne room and watched as Blueblood attempted to escape the wall. He was screaming loudly, but the wall muffled him out.

"Pass some cake sister?" Luna conjured up some tea and a few chairs. Twilight stuck behind to talk to Celestia while the rest of us left.

"So, Ah'm taking Cougar to the doctors, what're yer plans?" Applejack asked her friends.

"I'm gonna go see if I can make some of the guards smile," Rainbow took off.

"I want to see the animals in the gardens, hopefully I can actually make some progress with them this time," Fluttershy trotted happily away.

"Well, I shall take a nice and quiet stroll about the castle and perhaps have some tea, Spike, care to come with me?" Rarity called out. Spike instantly was at her heel and she patted his head. Pinkie said something about going to sneak some goodies from the kitchen, but she talked too fast for me to hear correctly. This left myself and Applejack standing in the hallway.

"So, to the doctors?" I asked.

"Ah guess so. By the way, I can't thank ya enough for standing up fer Princess Luna," Applejack complimented, "that stuck up Prince gits away with so much 'n Ah couldn't stand how he was talkin' to a Princess, his aunt no less, 'n after what he did to Rarity a few years back at the Gala, he jest makes me so mad," Applejack gritted her teeth.

"Like I said before Applejack, I can't stand how some males treat females. I was raised to treat females with the utmost respect and kindness and to defend them if necessary." We soon found ourselves in front of the Royal Infirmary. I opened the door to see Nurse Candy Striper taking care of what looked to be one of the guards.

"Oh hello Cougar," she said, "are you here for your follow up visit?" She asked me.

"Yes I am, and I really want to get back and work," I replied.

"That's good, I'll just page the doctor and he'll be in with you in a moment."

*End Flashback*

To sum that trip up, my back was no longer tweaked and I could get back to work. Although, I heard it took both Celestia and Luna to pry Blueblood out of the wall. I smirked, thinking that he got what he deserved and then some. And though she didn't have to, Applejack baked me an Apple pie to celebrate my good health. Suddenly, there was a knock on the new door of my living quarters. I paused my iPad and took off my headphones. "Cougar, can Ah talk to ya please? Ah'm really sorry 'bout what happened down at the lake," Applejack called through the door. I got up and trudged to the door and opened it to reveal Applejack holding her cowgirl hat in her hoof.

"I already said that it's fine Applejack; I just don't want to talk about that anymore," I went back to my cot. Applejack put her cowgirl hat back on and followed me in only to sit down next to my cot.

"Pinkie didn't know what would happen when she did that," Applejack explained.

"She also doesn't know what personal space is," I replied, thinking about what happened.

*New Flashback*

I had put in a good two weeks of hard work at the farm. Every morning since I had arrived, I had gotten up at exactly 4:30, helped Granny and Applejack with breakfast and got right to work. The lunch break I had refused to take at first. I insisted on just bringing lunch in a pail and snacking on it while working, but Applejack and Applebloom practically forced me to take lunch breaks. I can't express how much I loved to work. In fact, I worked so hard that on numerous occasions I lost track of the time and would work till seven 'o clock. "Cougar, I appreciate how much ya like ta work, but ya really need to back off a bit," Applejack had told me as she let me get off at 3:00 today.

"Applejack, I just like to work," was all I replied. Good lord was it hot today. Sweat was pouring off me like I was standing under a waterfall. And it sucked that I only had two shirts that now stunk with sweat. I took off my shirt and balled it up under my arm. "Hey, you alright there Applejack?" I asked her. She seemed to be staring off into space, forcing me to snap my fingers at her.

"Uh yeah, s-sorry," Applejack rubbed the back of her head, "look, jest take the rest 'o the day off alright? Maybe go into town 'n git a milkshake or see if Fluttershy needs sum help, ya gotta relax," she advised me.

"Fine, I will, just let me get my other shirt," I replied. Applejack galloped away back to the house to speak to Granny Smith, leaving me next to the picket fence surrounding the property. I froze when my skin tingled and I felt eyes looking at me. I turned to see little fillies about Applebloom's age staring at me. I immediately recognized two of them. More particularly the pink one with the tiara on her head.

"Look everypony," she said in her snobbish voice, "the Apples aren't just a bunch of inbred, uneducated hillbillies," the brat remarked, "they now house freaks!" She pointed with her hoof. The grey pony with glasses standing next to her howled with laughter and everyone in the group joined in. This was the fourth time this week and ninth time overall that some ponies would come by the farm just to stare at me while I worked. I felt like an animal on display at the zoo, and now I felt bad for those animals in the zoo after going through what they did.

"At least they work for a living instead of mooching off their rich daddy," I replied with a smirk. The pink one stopped laughing and glared at me.

"You DARE talk about my father like that, you ugly ape!?" She screeched, "you wouldn't be fit to shine his hooves you pet!" She added with a hoof shake. Suddenly, a fling of mud flew past me and hit the pony square in the face.

"Great shot Applebloom!" I heard Scootaloo compliment while Sweetie Belle was rolling on the ground laughing.

"Ah! My father will hear about how you stained my coat hillbilly!" The pony swore and left in a huff.

"Keep walking Diamond Tiara, or else we'll get Cougar to snap that little head piece in half!" Sweetie Belle swore back. I finally remembered her name, but I really couldn't care less. Scootaloo bumped my fist with her hoof and leaned against my leg. When Applebloom introduced me to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, the two reacted better than Anypony in town did. I guess since they trusted Applebloom, they met me with confidence.

"How'd you keep your cool like that Cougar?" Scootaloo asked me.

"Simple," I replied and started heading for my living quarters, "I've dealt with creatures like her in the past; I keep thinking that just because she has a rich daddy doesn't mean she's better than me or you," I explained, "plus her insults suck," I added.

"Well, Ah did like the mooching remark," Applebloom admitted.

"We totally need to hangout sometime," Scootaloo rapidly flapped her tiny wings.

"If I ever have time off from work," I replied with a smirk.

"Anyway, we've got some serious crusader business to deal with, bull fighting!" Scootaloo declared. The three fillies said their goodbyes and left me at my living quarters. Sighing and stretching, I opened the door only to have Pinkie thrusting her face in mine.

"HEY COUGAR!" She yelled. I freaked, only for a second and fell onto my back with Pinkie Pie standing over me. "So I was watching you work and thinking why doesn't Cougar ever ever take a break from working? Is he a workaholic or does he just not have a social life?" she blabbed on and on. "And anyway, I was hoping you'd join me and the girls at the lake so you can relax and cool off with some lemonade and cookies?" She touched my nose with her nose and put on puppy dog eyes.

"If I say yes, will you get outta my face?!" I asked loudly. She grinned widely and hopped off of me. I picked myself up and dusted myself off. Applejack rounded the corner of the house and discovered myself and Pinkie.

"Pinkie, didja hide from Cougar again and scare him?" She asked.

"No, I just surprised him silly, BIG difference," Pinkie stretched her forelegs out. Applejack smiled and rolled her eyes.

"So, ya ready to go to thu lake Cougar? You've worked hard enough to earn a little break," she asked me. I took off my Drive to End Hunger cap and put my aviators back on.

"Actually a cool dip does sound nice," I remarked and tossed my shirt into my living quarters.

"Great, the others are waiting for us," Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as the three of us made our way to the PonyVille lake. When we arrived however, I realized that I didn't have swim trunks with me, at all. I guess you forget your swim trunks when you get transported to a different world.

"Hey guys, water's great!" Rainbow did a cannon ball dive using her speed and splashed us good. Twilight and Fluttershy were swimming around and relaxing while Rarity was sitting on a lawn chair with a tanning mirror. Spike was fanning her with a giant fan and drooling a little bit. I looked over to not see Pinkie anymore. Applejack took off her hat and jumped into the water.

"Ahhhh," she cooed, "that does feel relaxin'. You comin' in Cougar?" She called out. All the ponies stopped what they were doing and waited for me to jump into the lake. Pinkie appeared from under the water wearing snorkeling gear.

"Yeah, thing is, I don't have swimming trunks," I rubbed the back of my neck.

"What are swimming trunks?" Rainbow asked me as she used her wings to stay afloat. I did not want to explain why I needed trunks, so I used the abridged version.

"It's a swim suit that human males wear and have to wear when they go swimming," I explained. Pinkie hopped out of the water and stopped right in front of me.

"Well, can't you just swim in your clothes then?" She asked.

"No, I don't want them to start smelling like fungi. That combined with sweat will knock a buzzard off a gut wagon," I shuddered. Then, the worst thing that's happened to me since I arrived happened.

"Okay, then what do you need these clothes for? Off they go!" Pinkie grabbed the top of my cargo pants and yanked down at what seemed to be the speed of light. My brain couldn't compute what had happened so fast. I heard seven loud gasps when Pinkie yanked down. A small breeze made its presence known in between my knees. Looking down in horror, I saw Pinkie backing away and my pants were down at my ankles.

"Oh my," Rarity blushed and covered her eyes and Spike's. Fluttershy dove below the water, Twilight used her wings to shield her eyes, Applejack blushed like crazy and looked upwards at the sky, Rainbow zoomed across the lake and turned around and Pinkie looked down at the ground.

"Oh shit," I panicked and yanked my pants back up. Embarrassment turned to anger as I turned around quickly, "I'm going back to the farm!" I shouted.

"No, wait!" I heard Pinkie yell and appeared in front of me. "I'm so so sorry, I had no idea that it was always out!" She apologized over and over.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied and ignored her as best as I could.

"Look if you're embarrassed about the size I'll be the first to say it's actually pretty b-" Pinkie started before I covered her muzzle with my hand.

"Just, stop, please," I said with gritted teeth and walked back to the farm.

*End Flashback*

"Well Cougar, Ah want to make it up to ya," Applejack said softly to me.

"And how are you going to do that? Do you have something that will make me forget that six female ponies and one male dragon saw my package?" I replied, "because that's not what I wanted to do when I said I'd go swimming."

"Uh no, but Applebloom wanted ta go campin' next Saturday after we git done sellin' apples 'n we were both wonderin' if ya wanted ta join us?" Applejack asked with hopeful eyes.

"Just us three?" I asked.

"No, Rainbow Dash 'n Scootaloo would come 'n so would Sweetie Belle 'n Rarity. It would be a whole weekend's trip if yer up fer it," Applejack explained. I put my iPad under my cot.

"I don't have a tent," I said.

"That's okay, Ah have a spare with me. You ever been campin' before?" Applejack asked me.

"Years and years ago, but I remember most of it," I responded.

"Alright then, next Saturday it is," Applejack patted my back. She was about to leave when I stopped her.

"Hey, could I go with you and Applebloom to sell apples? I kinda want to see what else PonyVille has to offer," I asked.

"'O course Cougar, yer gonna love it. Ya might even meet some new friends besides Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom," she replied before leaving. And with that, I put my headphones back on and resumed listening to my music.

End Chapter VI

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Here's a long chapter just for you guys! I hope this made up for the lack of events in the previous chapter. And yes, I despise Blueblood and Diamond Tiara. Will Cougar ever talk to Pinkie Pie after what she did? How will the camping trip go? Find out in a couple chapters!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter VII: The Broken Headphones

I can't believe it folks. NEVER have I been blessed with 3000 views and 22 favorites and 26 followers only eight chapters in, and I just want to thank you guys so much for the support that Fallen Eagle has received and we still have a long road ahead. I haven't had this much fun writing a story in quite some time and It's only going to get better from here.

And being a fan of Seinfeld, I'm just going to give the names of chapters to the plots of each chapter instead of trying to come up with clever titles which I believe haven't been all that good. Anyways, it's time for Chapter VII!

Just a quick warning though, this chapter contains borderline 'M' content, but doesn't cross over into 'M' territory.

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(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

Ever since I had that match of wits with that spoiled as crap Diamond Tiara, those school aged kids stopped coming over to stare at me like a freak in a sideshow. Though, I didn't mind Bloomin' Onion, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle talking to me after or right before I got off work. The trio kind of reminded me of myself and Reaper growing up, so optimistic and full of energy. "So, what are your plans today Bloomin' Onion?" I asked Applebloom while repairing a few broken posts in the fence that I'm sure Diamond Tiara and her little friend broke in the middle of the night.

"We're runnin' outta ideas Cougar," Applebloom replied whilst softly pawing at the ground with her hoof.

"Cheer up Applebloom," Scootaloo patted the yellow filly's back, "we'll think of something," the orange filly's wings rapidly flapped with excitement, almost like a dog wagging its tail in excitement.

"Yeah, maybe we should start thinking outside the box," Sweetie Belle chimed in. I couldn't help but grin at the three filly's. I guess figuring out one's career is far more important here in Equestria than back on Earth. When I was kid, all I remembered thinking about doing as a career was flying a jet, playing Major League Baseball or racing in NASCAR, yet I could change my career at any moment. Here however, once that mark appeared on a pony's butt, game over, whether they wanted it or not.

"Oh, and Bull Fightin' wasn't outside the box?" Applebloom glared at her two friends.

"Hey, that totally would've worked out if we could've stayed balanced on each other's backs," Scootaloo defended. Suddenly, a few ideas came to my mind to help them. I took off my aviators and leaned against a new post to talk to the fillies.

"Scootaloo, you like action and intensity right?" I asked her.

"Y-yeah, why?" She replied.

"Well, Rainbow Dash told me about the Wonderbolt Derby races in Cloudsdale and Canterlot, why don't you try talking to the pegasus that announces the races? Maybe you could get your mark in announcing races?" I offered up. Scootaloo's purple eyes lit up until her pupils covered up all the whites of her eyes. Her muzzle started grinning almost like Pinkie Pie does on a daily basis.

"That's like, the BEST idea ever!" Scootaloo hopped off the ground and hovered for a brief second before touching back down. "I better talk to Rainbow Dash when she gets off from Wonderbolt Training today!" The orange filly exclaimed and bit her lower lip to contain her excitement.

"And Bloomin' Onion," I turned to the little yellow farmer, "don't you like mixing potions?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but I'm still just a beginner," she replied with dejection.

"Okay, but if you keep practicing, maybe you could be a doctor or a pharmacist working with medicine; you could save the lives of countless ponies!" I exclaimed. Applebloom's front hooves began to pound the ground quickly, her mouth trying to suppress a squeal. I patted her head and turned to Sweetie Belle.

"And you, Sweetie Belle," I started off, "you need to start thinking about a career with singing," I exclaimed, "your sister is in a quintet; you have an amazing singing voice that I heard when you were in the clubhouse," I explained.

"NO!" the little white unicorn immediately replied and covered her face with her hooves.

"Why not?" I asked her and petted her mane.

"She has wicked stage fright," Scootaloo explained. I nodded, understanding right away.

"Well, have you talked to Rarity about it Sweetie Belle?" I asked her. Her hooves left her face and softly touched the ground. She shook her head left and right, not saying another word to me.

"Look, I think you should talk to her about it because she's your older sibling and she's a singer herself; she should have tons of advice for you," I remarked. Sweetie Belle's eyes looked up from the ground and back to me.

"Al-alright Cougar, I'll try, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna sing on stage the next day," she responded.

"Well that's a start," I replied while putting my sunglasses back on and picking up my hammer. "By the way, are you three excited to go camping tomorrow?" I asked them as I pounded a nail into the next fence post I was repairing.

"Heck yeah!" Applebloom replied, "we haven't been in almost two years," she explained.

"Why's that?" I pounded in a second nail and wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Our sisters just haven't found the time since," Sweetie Belle answered. Pound, pound, pound. A third nail was driven into the wooden post. 'Only a couple more to go,' I thought to myself.

"I haven't been camping since I was six years old, but I remember the gist of it," I explained to the trio. "As long as someone brings the marshmallows, we'll all be fine," I smirked at them.

"It wouldn't be camping without marshmallows Cougar," Scootaloo joked, "that's like peanut butter minus the jelly."

"French Fries without the ketchup," Applebloom added.

"Ice cream without chocolate syrup!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. I ceased working on the next fence post and lowered my aviators towards the unicorn.

"I don't even want to think about that Sweetie Belle," I shivered. The other two fillies nodded in agreement with me, thinking of the horrors of ice cream without the chocolate syrup on top.

"Anyways Cougar," Sweetie Belle continued, "Rarity says that Pinkie Pie is exhausting herself trying to think of ways to apologize to you, what did she do to you? My sister wouldn't say," Rarity's little sister asked. The reminder of the event frustrated me so much that I pounded in a nail with a single thrust of my hammer, rightfully scaring the little fillies.

"I don't want to talk about it alright? And plus even if I told you, your sisters would mutilate me," I responded. Now their curiosity is going to get the best of me.

"But Applejack likes ya," Applebloom told me.

"Yeah, as a farmhand, but I can kiss this job good bye if I tell you what Pinkie Pie did to me," I said under my breath. Before Applebloom replied to me, Sweetie Belle butted in.

"Rarity did come home that night after spending the evening at the lake really flustered and red-faced," Sweetie Belle pondered.

"And Rainbow Dash wouldn't talk right the next day," Scootaloo added.

"Let's just drop it and start thinking about the camping trip tomorrow alright?" I suggested, "and maybe you all could get a head start on your new crusader ideas?" I tried to get them to leave me alone for the day now. I liked talking to the three, but I did not want to keep reliving being pantsed by Pinkie. The three gasped and galloped away, kicking up dust in my face. 'Better than them pestering me,' I thought and resumed repairing the fence. I reached into my pants pocket and pulled my phone which I recently remembered having before leaving for my mission near Key Largo.

"It's really hot today," I said as I poured a bottle of water over my back and plugged my headphones into my phone. It only took a matter of minutes before my shirt was completely dry from the water and sweat began to from on the chest and armpit areas. "Ah, nothing beats working and listenin' to Rock 'N Roll," I sighed happily and turned the volume up on Armageddon It. I worked until I looked up and saw a maroon mare with a light pink mane trotting happily to the front gate where I was working on the final post to fix.

"Oh hello there," the mare said rather happily.

"Hi, who are you miss?" I questioned and took off my hat as a sign of respect for females.

"I'm Ms. Cheerilee, I'm Applebloom's teacher and Big Mac's mare friend," she smiled.

"Ah yeah, Bloomin' Onion talks about you all the time," I grinned, "she loves ya to death, constantly talking about you being the greatest teacher of all time," I went on and on.

"Applebloom is a sweetheart, but I'm here to talk to Big Mac, is he around?" Cheerilee asked me, shuffling her front hooves together. Either she was nervous about talking to me, (who could blame her) or she was really excited to talk to Big Macintosh.

"Uh, here, I have one last nail to put in this post and I'll take you to the west side of the orchard, I think that's where he and Applejack are working," I explained.

"That would would be sweet of you," Cheerilee said and sat down next to the gate. "By the way, what is your name?" She asked me nicely. You'd think I would get sick of that question by now, but not really. Only like a dozen or so ponies know my name, the rest of the populous was either afraid of me or was disgusted by me.

"Name is Cougar, and that's all anypony here knows," I replied and struck the final blow into the fence post, "Haha, finally fixed!" I declared happily and looked at the twenty posts I had to repair today instead of helping out Applejack with apple bucking, though she requested politely that I fix the fence to get out of my normal routine, which I was happy to.

"Cougar? But Cougars are felines, and you look more like a primate," the school teacher studied me for a second. I chuckled and gathered up my tape measure, hammer and box of nails from the ground.

"It's not my real name Ms. Cheerilee," I replied, "It's my call sign from the Air Force branch of my country's military," I explained.

"Oh, and what's a call sign, like a nickname?" She asked me as we walked and trotted through the apple orchard, looking for my bosses. To be honest, the shade from the apple trees felt like heaven.

"Yeah, it's a nickname a squadron leader decides for several of his pilots for either a mistake they made, a play on their last name or just a play on their personality," I elucidated. Cheeriliee's curiosity piqued and she pulled ahead of me.

"That's interesting, what did you- oh hi Big Mac!" Cheerliee waved to Big Macintosh as we discovered he and Applejack bucking at Apple Trees. They both had baskets on their sides that were filled with apples.

"Howdy Cougar, Ms. Cheerilee," Applejack wiped the sweat from her forehead after taking off her cowgirl hat.

"Hello mah beautiful Mare Friend," Big Mac rubbed his nose against Ms. Cheerilee's. "How ya holdin' up over thu summer?" He asked her.

"Oh, it does get a little boring, but I did get a job helping out Bon Bon at her candy shop part time," the maroon mare replied.

"Go on 'n take off early big brother, Ah'm just 'bout done here," Applejack waved Big Mac away. The two turned tail and trotted away towards the farm. "'N don't forget to drop them apples off in thu cellar!" AJ called after her brother.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac's voice echoed from behind the trees. My left eyebrow was cocked upwards and my eyes were darting between Applejack and where Big Mac's voice came from. The orange mare put her cowgirl hat back on and turned to me.

"So, didja git that fence fixed up Cougar?" she asked me and bucked another tree, causing numerous apples to plop down into new baskets. Her old baskets were sitting inside a cart full of other baskets.

"Yeah, didn't take too long," I replied and leaned against another tree, "those fillies sure like to talk," I added and plucked an apple from a branch and bit into it, savoring the delicious juices that cascaded over my tongue and down my chin. Applejack chuckled and loaded the now full baskets into the last empty spot on the cart.

"Yep, always goin on about getting their cutie marks. What crazy idea did they come up with this time?" She asked me. Crunch. Another bite taken from the juicy, succulent red apple.

"Well, they claimed to be running out of ideas, so I gave them a little push," I swallowed the bite.

"Oh really, like whut?" My boss inquired. "By the way, could ya help me hook up to this cart? One 'o thu straps keeps slippin'," AJ informed. I threw the apple core away (Applejack told me that it was fine to leave apple cores near the trees so we could feed them to their pigs) and helped her strap into the cart. "Thanks," she said and smiled at me. I smiled back and we both set off for the apple cellar.

"Okay, so I convinced Scootaloo to try and ask Rainbow Dash about becoming an announcer for Wonderbolt Derbies," I explained.

"Wow, that's a good one Cougar," Applejack complimented.

"Yeah, and then I told Sweetie Belle that she should definitely pursue a career in singing because I've heard her voice coming from their clubhouse while I've been working, and just wow," I continued.

"And lemme guess," Applejack cut in, "she refused all the way?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, but I at least got her to promise to ask Rarity for advice since Rarity is in that quintet with Big Mac and Fluttershy," I mentioned.

"Dang Cougar, yer excellent at givin' advice! Were ya ever a counselor before?"

"No, that's just something I'm good at besides flying a jet at 1000 miles per hour," I joked.

"'N shut about Applebloom?" Applejack looked over at me.

"Bloomin' Onion? Well, I remember her telling me that she is interested in mixing potions and other chemistry stuff so I told her if she pursued that, she could become a doctor or a pharmacist creating healing medicines," I replied.

"DAMMIT!" Applejack shouted, forcing me to jump a little and bonk my head into a tree branch.

"What? Is it because her career wouldn't involve apples?" I asked her and rubbed the top of my head. My hat had fallen off to the ground and I picked it up and put back on my head.

"No, sorry fer mah outburst Cougar," AJ apologized, "the axle on this cart broke, that's the fourth time this week!" Applejack angrily stamped the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me? I said I can fix things," I asked her.

"Oh you were doin' such a good job at all yer other chores that Ah didn't wanna bother ya," Applejack explained and unhooked herself to survey the cart's rear axle. I nodded, but didn't understand. She wouldn't have bothered me if she asked me to help fix the axle, fixing things is one of my hobbies. "Well damn, this axle is done for good. Couldja run back to the barn 'N git a spare? There should be a few next to the miter saw," she told me, "oh 'N the washers 'N cotter pins are sittin' on the shelf above the saw!"

"Yeah sure, be right back," I hustled to the barn. Leaving the cooling shade of the apple trees was a little bit of a let down, but I couldn't disappoint Applejack, so I pushed all the thoughts of it being hot to the back of my mind to I could accomplish my final chore for the day. My headphones were bouncing up and down on my neck while the wire swayed back and forth. Barrels of sweat were pouring down my body, but I embraced the sweat that was the reward for hard work. I rounded the bend that would lead me to the barn and stopped at the large door to take a breather when a peculiar sound caught my attention.

'Grunting? What in the hell?' I thought to myself. I caught my breath and ever so slowly, opened the door. The grunting seemed to be coming from the stall near the miter saw and spare axle parts. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that grunting sound was. It sounded like a pig with a stomach ache, or a pig that was constipated. I crept closer, stepping around a bay of hale to get to where the miter saw was. If the sound was a sick pig, I'd tell Applejack right away, but something in my gut told me that it wasn't a sick pig.

"Oh Cheerilee," came a gruff voice that was extremely deep. My eyes widened at the sound of the voice. Having an idea of what was going on, I still tip-toed around the bay of hale and saw the miter saw and axle parts. Quietly, my hand reached out and grabbed one of the spare axle rods, two washers and two cotter pins.

"Bi-i-i-ig M-a-a-a-ac," came a feminine voice that sounded like it was on the verge of being able to shatter glass. I turned to hustle out, but knocked an unlit lantern off the shelf and it shattered against the ground loudly.

"COUGAR?!" Big Mac and Cheerilee exclaimed as the shattering made me jump and fall onto the stall wall, revealing all to me.

"GAH! OH GOD!" I screamed and turned to run out as fast as I could, trying to hold onto the tools I needed. Unfortunately, my foot caught the edge of the hay bale and I tripped, causing everything in my hands to go flying with a louder clatter. I fell to the ground with a hard thud. I also heard a loud crunch which I couldn't identify, nor care about.

"You peepin'!?" Big Mac shouted at me. Oh God, was he coming after me? Was he gonna trample me? I gathered up the tools and ran out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. I knew I would be scarred for life, the image of what I saw and the noises I heard weren't going to leave me any time soon. The run back to where Applejack was waiting for me was nothing but a blur.

"I'm never gonna be the same again," I exclaimed to myself and kept running and running and running. I stopped when Applejack waved me down.

"Oh good, ya found the parts- woah, whut in the hay happened to ya?" Applejack asked me and cocked her head.

"What do ya mean?" I asked, trying to cover up what I had seen.

"Well, yer paler than a baby cow! 'N yer eyes are shakin', whut happened?" She asked again. I gulped and wiped the sweat from my head with my hat.

"N-nothing Applejack, I just haven't had any water to drink lately," I lied. Applejack narrowed her emerald eyes at me and got into my face.

"Now Cougar, Ah can tell when sumpony ain't tellin' thu truth, 'n yer lying 'bout as much as a 2x4," Applejack glared at me.

"Look, if I tell you, I'm dead, if I don't tell you, I'm dead, I can't win this," I retorted. "Besides, what I saw will haunt me, probably until I've only got a couple marbles rolling around up inside my head," I said in a hollow manner and stared off into space. Applejack's expression softened, but she was still glaring at me.

"Cougar, Ah'm the element 'o Honesty, 'n yer my fri- uh acquaintance so please jest tell me thu truth," she asked. I collapsed near the trunk of one of the trees and my hands fell to my lap. At the time, I didn't notice her slip up by calling me a friend.

"Well, I went into the barn," I started, "and I heard strange noises coming from where the miter saw was, so I went to get the tools and when I rounded the corner I saw-" I paused, unable to continue.

"Then what? You can tell me Cougar," Applejack placed a hoof on my shoulder. I shuddered before resuming.

"Bi-Big M-Mac and Che-Cherilee were uh making baby foals," I said and covered my face. Silence. Nothing penetrated the airwaves, not even a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. I uncovered my eyes to see Applejack have the creepiest smile on her face. Her right eye twitched and her pupils were as small as peas. "AJ, are you alright?" I asked, scared to death.

"Yeah, Ah'm fine, why don't ya go into town 'N git yerself sum new headphones," she suggested. I looked down to see my headphones were broken in half and hanging from the internal wires, probably from when I fell down. "While Ah go have a little chat with mah dear big brother, we'll fix thu wagon in the mornin'," her eye twitched again. She stood up to let me get off the ground.

"Where do I go for new headphones?" I asked her.

"Oh, jest go ta town 'N stop by Vinyl Scratch's shop, it'll have a picture of a musical note hoverin' over a turntable," Applejack replied before slowly walking back to the barn. I shook my head several times and then jogged to the dirt road and slowed my pace down to a calm walk. I used the walk to my advantage to clear my head and forget the scene that I unfortunately stumbled upon. I know that I might sound like I'm overreacting, but witnessing anthropomorphic ponies doing something like that, it was uncomfortable seeing dogs perform that, ugh.

I kicked a little pebble out of my way, concentrating on only the ground. I passed the time this way a lot in my life. Just staring at the ground and walking. It was nice when I was rewarded with $20 bills, a wrapped candy bar or a full bottle of Pepsi Max, that's a good reason why I just stare at the ground when I walk outside. But the odds of finding any of those on the ground here in Pony World weren't in my favor. Horseshoe prints, that's pretty much what I was rewarded with.

To my left, I could hear the sounds of colts and fillies laughing and playing, enjoying their lives. I even saw one colt wearing a propeller hat and playing what looked like a Gameboy color. And how do they push buttons with no fingers? I chuckled at that thought. A good majority of these ponies pretty much had the freakin' force and could use magic, and here I am wondering how they push buttons, whatever. The clock tower rang six times, indicating it was six 'o clock in the evening and the sun was gradually falling closer and closer to the horizon.

My head looked up to my front and I could see various ponies getting ready to close down their business for the day. Yet, I didn't have a clue whether or not it was because it was really time to close, or because I had shown up. I was leaning towards the latter when three mares who appeared to be running a flower shop dashed into their store and put the closed sign in the window. "Didn't care for flowers anyway," I said sarcastically and smirked. Several whispering conversations were taking place at the same time as I strolled through town. Looking around, I saw a sign that had several pieces of candy falling from a bag into a bowl hanging above a building entrance. An aquamarine unicorn and a lightly tanned earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane were chatting up rather closely together.

"Hello young Cougar, what brings you to Ponyville?" a regal voice asked me. I stopped in my tracks and looked back ahead of me to see none other than the midnight blue coat of Princess Luna.

"Oh hey Princess," I waved and bowed a little to Luna.

"Rise Cougar, with your military status, it is I who should be bowing to you," she replied and made me stand up.

"You do that and we're gonna have some problems," I joked with her, "it's my honor to be a soldier," I added. She smiled and turned to walk forward with me. I could see several dozen ponies' mouths drop at their Princess of the Night and Dreams casually strolling through PonyVille with me. "I could ask you the same thing though Luna," I referred back to her original question.

"I felt rather bored, so I decided to come down to PonyVille to see how you are fairing," Luna explained.

"Ah, well I'm here because I need a new pair of headphones," I held up the demolished pair in my hands.

"Oh my, what happened to your music listener?" Luna asked me. I seethed a little and put the headphones back around my neck. Though, Luna couldn't tell that I didn't want to talk about what had happened.

"I tripped and fell on them," I lied, grateful that it wasn't Applejack I was talking to. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, feeling more casual than ever here now that Luna was walking along side me.

"I am sorry that happened Cougar, it's most unfortunate for one to lose their beloved music," the midnight alicorn apologized to me.

"Eh, it happens," I replied, "now I'm looking for Vinyl Scratch's music shop, do you know where it is?" Luna rubbed her chin with her hoof and looked around several times before spotting a white unicorn off near the bakery. She appeared to be cleaning the display window of her store.

"There is the pony you are seeking," Luna pointed her out to me. I looked to where the Princess was pointing and saw a white unicorn with an electric blue mane, purple sunglasses and a musical note on her flank. "Let us go shall we?" Luna offered.

"Oh you don't have to go with me if you don't want to Luna," I politely told her.

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed, "it'd be my pleasure, plus we would technically be 'hanging out' as some of these younger ponies say," Luna quoted with her hooves. Not seeing a valid reason to argue, we both set off for Vinyl Scratch's music studio. "So, what are your weekend plans?" The princess asked me while we trotted and jogged to our destination.

"Well, Applejack offered to take me camping with her, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and all their little sisters," I retorted.

"Oh, Scootaloo is not Rainbow Dash's sister, though they both act like it very much," Luna explained to me. I snapped my head to look at Luna while we walked. She had to be joking, I mean, Scootaloo practically worshiped Rainbow and Rainbow really seemed to take the orange pegasus filly under her wing, no pun intended. "A sad story young Scootaloo's is, but my sister and I have faith that Rainbow shall eventually adopt Scootaloo as her daughter or sister shortly," Luna said.

"Especially with how Rainbow and Soarin' are," I added. Luna chuckled a bit, though I was actually being serious.

"Anyways, a camping trip does sound a lot like a good time, I hope you and your friends have fun," Luna said. There was that word again, friends. How could I have made friends in only three weeks more or less? I had to push that thought to the back of my mind as we approached Vinyl Scratch's store and I braced for the usual response using the word monster, freak, weirdo or hideous.

"Oh hey Princess, and you're that new creature the three princesses brought here right?" Vinyl greeted us.

"Hello," Luna greeted.

"Uh, yeah I am actually," I replied in shock. Vinyl stuck out her hoof and shook my hand.

"Well, it's great to meet you, my name is Vinyl Scratch, but my stage name is DJ-Pon3," she explained.

"You're not scared of me?" I asked.

"No, just because you're different?" Vinyl laughed, "forget about it! I'm different, we're all different," Vinyl said. "So, what can I do for you two? Need to book me for a show? Need a new record or record player, or do you need a new pair of headphones?" Vinyl looked from behind her sunglasses at my broken pair of headphones.

"I'll take that last one, I can't live or work without my rock 'n roll," I tossed Vinyl my pair of headphones.

"That's the smartest thing I've heard in my entire life, what's your name?" Vinyl questioned.

"Cougar, and I leave it at that," I replied, "so do ya have some new headphones to sell me?" I asked her.

"Yeah, come on in Cougar and Princess," the music loving mare led us inside her workshop.

"Damn, you sure love turntables and keyboards huh? Any guitars?" I took off my aviators.

"In the back Cougar," Vinyl replied and grabbed a pair of DJ styled headphones off a rack, "here, will these do you good?" She asked me. I plugged them in my phone and turned it on. I couldn't believe it, I felt like I was right there listening to a Van Halen concert! The most crystal clear headphones I've ever listened to. If these existed in my world, Bose would piss themselves!

"Now those are the best headphones I've ever listened to," I said to her, "it's like I'm at a concert!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, I make my own headphones, music's my life," she gestured to her shop.

"And you perform your career so well from what I've heard," Princess Luna commented while spinning a recored on a turntable, fascinated by the contraption.

"So, that'll be 12 bits please, they aren't exactly cheap to make," Vinyl apologized for the price. I took out my wallet and then realized a large error on my part.

"I'm sure my money isn't worth piss in a boot here huh?" I questioned and tossed a $10 bill and a $5 bill on the counter. Both Vinyl and Luna chuckled at my response but were intrigued by my version of money.

"Who are these people of your species?" Luna asked me.

"The guy with the beard is Abraham Lincoln, he was a president of my country about 130 years before I was born, and the other guy was our first secretary of treasury," I explained.

"President?" Vinyl turned Abe Lincoln upside down and cocked her head from side to side.

"Our leader is called a President," I explained further.

"Wow, your world is so cool!" Vinyl declared, "but anyways yeah I can't accept this money, sorry bro," she began to hand it back to me.

"Keep it, you can stick it on your wall, I won't need it." Vinyl smiled and taped ole Abe onto the wall. I'm guessing she wanted something cool from my world. Luna produced about twelve gold coins and laid them on the counter.

"Here are the bits you require Ms. Scratch," Luna said in her regal voice. Before Vinyl could take the coins, I snatched them and placed them in Luna's hoof.

"Don't even think about it Luna, don't waste your bits on me," I told her.

"But I am your friend, and I believe friends buy other friends gifts from time to time?" The princess asked me.

"Yeah, but-" I started but Luna silenced me.

"No buts, I shall buy you the headphones," she playfully narrowed her eyes at me.

"Hold on, I have an idea," Vinyl grabbed a guitar from another room and tossed it to me. "I'll cut you a deal, if you can impress me with a guitar riff with music from your world, then I'll let you have the headphones," Vinyl offered. I pondered the offer for a minute before replying.

"I haven't played the guitar since I was 15, but let's see how much I remember," I winked at her. I thought of a guitar riff before remembering one of my all time favorite guitar solos from Van Halen. And with that, I hooked the guitar up to an amp and began to murder the strings with Eruption. My fingers danced and slid across the strings with ease at what seemed to be an impossible speed which only Eddie Van Halen himself could accomplish. At first Luna was dead impressed, but Vinyl looked stoical, but that was apart of my plan.

As I neared the bridge, the music got faster and faster and faster until I came to a stop.

"Is that all 'cause if not-" Vinyl started before my fingers EXPLODED. I started tapping the neck of the guitar with one hand and letting my other hand strum the guitar so fast that I could smell the friction coming off the strings. My hands gained minds of their own as the song just kept getting faster, but it didn't stop me. I kept going and going, making Eddie proud until I reached the end and let my fingers rest. Sure they would be a little sore tomorrow, but the look on the mare's faces before me was worth it. Vinyl's glasses fell off her face and hit the counter with her jaw dropped all the way to the floor. Luna on the other hand looked as if she had witnessed the birth of the universe.

"So, how was that?" I asked and breathed really hard to get oxygen back into my lungs. I handed Vinyl the guitar back which was sort of smoking.

"Dayum son!" Vinyl finally said and slapped my hand, "that was the sickest guitar work I've ever seen! We've got to play some shows together!" She pretty much freaked.

"I've got plenty more songs where that came from," I said and took the headphones, "I'll see ya around. I normally get off work at six if you want to jam after that," I said to her.

"I'll keep that in mind bro!" Vinyl touched the strings of the guitar and yelped from the burning sensation of the friction as Luna and I departed the store.

"Hey Luna, what time do you have to raise the moon?" I asked the mare.

"Oh, not until ten o'clock in the summer time," she replied and looked up at the PonyVille clock tower which read 7:00.

"I'd like to see you raise the moon tonight Luna, I think it'd be cool to see you do it in person," I remarked. Luna smiled and wrapped her wing around me in a hug.

"I shall see you at 9:45 then, I do have some duties in Canterlot to attend, mainly seeing if Celestia hasn't eaten the kitchen out of cake, again," Luna said.

"See ya then," I patted her wing and we both went our separate ways. I grinned as I plugged in my headphones and relaxed as I walked back to Sweet Apple Acres.

(At the Farm)

"Heya Cougar!" Applebloom greeted as I entered the house.

"Hey Bloomin' Onion, where's Applejack at?" I asked her.

"She's in the kitchen with Granny Smith cookin' up supper," Applebloom replied. I followed her as she happily trotted into said kitchen where the heavenly aromas of baked potatoes, apple pie, gravy, baked beans, cornbread and tomato soup attacked my nostrils.

"Well, if it ain't the resident workin' machine!" Granny Smith pinched my arm and patted it at the same time.

"Welcome back Cougar," Applejack wiped her hooves, "supper's jest 'bout done," she told me and noticed my headphones. "Ah see ya got yerself sum new headphones, how'd you get them?" She asked me, remembering I didn't have their kind of money.

"Well, Vinyl lost a bet to me involving a guitar," I explained and set my hat on a hat rack. I tucked my sunglasses into the collar of my Thunderbirds shirt and sat down at the table. Big Mac suddenly walked in and I had to suppress a laugh.

"Wow Big Macintosh, where'd you get that shiner?" I asked him. He ignored me and hid his face behind a newspaper dated two weeks ago. Applejack gave me a knowing look which was all I needed. "Anyways, I ran into Princess Luna in town and she went with me to Vinyl's shop," I drummed up a conversation.

"Really, whut was she doin' in PonyVille?" Applebloom asked me.

"She said she was bored and went to see how our town was doing and she saw me so she decided to hang out," I explained.

"So, Ah'm guessin' you two are friends?" Applejack asked me.

"I guess, she said she would show me how she raises the moon tonight," I smiled. Suddenly, Applejack sort of slammed down the tin of cornbread onto the table.

"Supper Time," she said through gritted teeth. Woah, where did that come from? I had to ask her what was up after supper. I kept my mouth shut throughout dinner in case I accidentally pissed off AJ more. Once supper was concluded, Granny sat in her rocker chair while Big Mac and Applebloom went to their bedrooms. I stayed behind and helped Applejack clear the table.

"Hey, are you okay Applejack?" I asked her while washing some of the dishes.

"Ah'm jest peachy," she remarked while sharpening a knife. 'Oh crap. Don't talk to a pissed off female who is holding a knife you idiot!' I scolded myself. "It's jest, Ah try to be a good friend from when you woke up in the infirmary, but you refused and told all mah friends you wanted us to earn your friendship, yet you go and get all buddy-buddy with Princess Luna all of a sudden! Ah was fine with you bein' friends already with the crusaders since they're just kids and you understood that, but Ah can't believe you have the audacity to make us earn your friendship but you let Luna in!" She ranted. 'Is she jealous?' I thought

"I thought you and I were?" I asked Applejack whom put the knife down which made me feel much better.

"Whut are you talkin' about?" She remarked.

"Well, we talk just about everyday and you invited me to go camping tomorrow, I thought only friends did that," I asked. "And you helped me fix up the old shed so I could have a place to stay," I added. Applejack sighed and leaned against the counter.

"Boy I feel like an idiot," she said, "Granny Smith always taught me not to jump to conclusions, 'n here I go accusin' you 'o having double standards," Applejack scolded herself.

"You're far from an idiot AJ," I said, "I should've told you when you earned my friendship, I'm sorry for being selfish and keeping things to myself," I apologized. My friend turned to me with a smile.

"Guess we both done messed up sum huh?" She guessed.

"I'd say so," I checked the time. "Luna should be here any minute, wanna come with me to see her raise the moon?" I offered.

"Only if Ah can bring this," Applejack opened the fridge and produced a six pack of a beverage labeled "Marewaukee Brew."

"Is this, alcohol?" I asked.

"Best around, save for mah cider o' course," she winked.

"Alright then," I grabbed a can and cracked it open. "Wow, that's smooth," I commented after taking a sip. Suddenly, Princess Luna appeared in the kitchen with us.

"Ah, enjoying a more adult beverage I see," Luna remarked.

"Yeah, just ready to watch the moon be raised," I replied and held the can up. Luna transported all of us into the middle of the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack cracked open her own can and sipped it while Luna's horn glowed and the moon peaked over the horizon and the stars against the inky blue backdrop followed suit. The sun was gone, and a bright shining moon with twinkling stars lit up the night sky.

"Breathtakin'," Applejack said as she sipped her beer.

"That, was pretty sweet," I said.

"Thank you both," Luna bowed a thank you to the both of us.

"Wouldja like a can Princess?" Applejack offered.

"AJ, she's royalty, I'm sure she wouldn't drink a beer when she probably has fancy wine back at the cast-" I started.

"BUUUUUUUURRRRRRP," A loud belch stopped me from talking. Applejack and I turned to see Luna exhaling after producing the loud burp and crushing the empty can against her forehead with her magic.

"Princess?" Applejack dropped her can on the ground.

"Holy Crap!" I commented, "I didn't know you liked beer so much," I was awestruck. The midnight blue alicorn simply laughed at our response to her belch and can crushing.

"So many ponies think they know everything about me," Luna bragged, "but truth be known, I am a mare who loves to party, or just relax with a few drinks," she grabbed a second can and downed it. "But I do show restraint and know my limits," she finished the second can, not going for a third. "All the politeness, regal talk and sophistication is all an act, for me anyway," she added.

"Well then, we need ta have a special party sometime in the future," Applejack remarked, "Ah do occasionally like a good party."

"If there's chips, dip and rock 'n roll, I'm there," I smirked.

"Or perhaps just spending time like this with friends," Luna referred to what the trio were doing at the moment.

"That does sound like fun too princess," AJ responded with a tip of her hat.

"Yeah, count me in for that," I threw in.

"Very well, I must go patrol the dreams of my little ponies tonight, farewell Cougar and Applejack and have fun on your camping trip!" Luna dematerialized into thin air, presumably into the dream world.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning," I said, "thanks for the beer," I waved my can at Applejack.

"Hold on there partner," Applejack tugged at my arm, "why don't we watch the stars tonight?" She offered.

"You star gaze?"

"Well, sometimes, but since all we're doin' tomorrow is sellin' apples, we don't have to be up too early," she explained.

"Alright then," I said and sat down on the ground next to Applejack. I couldn't get comfortable sitting, so I decided to lie down on my back. "Your grass is so comfy," I remarked.

"Granny uses special fertilizer that makes it nice 'n strong, but soft as a cloud," Applejack sipped the rest of her can and lied down about a foot away from me. Unfortunately, that's the last thing I remember before falling asleep

End Chapter VII

---

Next chapter, The Camping trip! Who knew Princess Luna loved to Party deep down? And now Cougar has Vinyl Scratch as a friend, where could that lead Cougar?

And the guitar solo Cougar performed was Eruption by Eddie Van Halen which I do NOT own.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter VIII: The Camping Trip

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in so long! I've gotten a new job at my local Home Depot and I have to give up working at the movie theatre. I am very sad I have to say goodbye to my movie theatre, I loved working there and I will miss the memories of the movies that played there. Anyhoo, after the fun of hanging out with Princess Luna and Applejack, Cougar is ready to take a little breather (that he and Applejack rightfully deserve) and go camping. And thanks to this chapter, the rating has changed to 'M' for violence, language and frightening situations.

And we've reached 31 followers, thank you guys SO much! I'm enjoying writing this story and I hope to never disappoint!

Let's get on with Chapter VIII shall we?

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(The next morning. Cougar's POV)

I didn't remember much of last night to be honest. The only thing I could remember was seeing Luna raise the moon and her dropping the regal masquerade and acting like a commoner without a care in the world, which was pretty damn cool. The first thing I felt in the morning was not the warm rays of Celestia's sunshine, but a few pairs of eyes piercing into my soul, that and a warm furriness cuddling me. I carefully and slowly opened one eye and looked over to see a confused Bloomin' Onion staring at me. "Mornin' Cougar," Applebloom greeted.

"Morning," I replied and went to rub my eyes but found my arm trapped. Looking down, I saw the easily recognizable orange fur of Applejack laying on my sleeping arm and cuddling up next to me.

"Did you 'n mah sister do somethin' last night?" Applebloom cocked her head sideways. Before I could answer, I heard an approaching voice heading our way, and my body froze when I found out who it belonged to.

"Applebloom!" Big Mac called, "didja find Applejack 'N that Cougar feller?" The giant red stallion called. Panicking, I tried in vain to get my arm out from under Applejack's sleeping body, but all I did was yank too hard and flipped her on top of me. 'Well, I'm dead,' I thought to myself. I cringed when I also saw a few empty cans of Marewaukee Brew scattered about the ground, one was mine, two were Luna's and I'm guessing the other two were AJ's. "There ya are," Big Mac said to Applebloom who turned around, "didja find-" the stallion started before laying his eyes on me.

"He-hey," I smiled and shifted Applejack's hatless head aside to where it was laying on my shoulder, "sleep well?" I asked Big Mac.

"Whut the TARTARUS am Ah lookin' at?!" The elder child of the Apple family bellowed, "WHUT are you doin' to mah sister?!" He demanded and stamped his way up to us. This finally awakened Applejack. She yawned and smacked her lips before realizing the compromising position myself and her were in.

"Woah there!" She scrambled up from me, kicking wildly and luckily missing my family jewels. "M-mornin' everypony, are ya ready to sell sum apples?" AJ asked and nervously put on her cowgirl hat. I stood up finally and shook my arm to get the blood back inside.

"Applejack, did he do anythin' to ya last night?" Big Mac eyed the empty beer cans on the grass. The orange mare shook her head wildy, having to hold onto her hat that threatened to fly off at any given moment.

"Whut could they have done Big Mac?" Applebloom asked her brother.

"Nuthin', yer too young to know 'bout that stuff, now go 'n git them apple carts loaded up," Big Mac growled at his little sister. Applebloom ignored Big Mac and stuck around for the end of the conversation. I adjusted my NASCAR cap and nervously rubbed the back of my head. Big Mac turned back to us and jabbed my chest with his hoof. "Answers, NOW," he demanded. I swear that steam was starting to escaped from both his nostrils and ears. I gulped, knowing that lying would be wrong, but I honestly didn't know.

"Maybe Applejack knows, because I can't remember anything very well from last night," I admitted, "but I didn't get drunk, sometimes I do forget what happens before I go to bed," I explained, "doesn't that happen to everypony sometimes?" I asked. Big Mac growled at me again and turned to his sister.

"Nuthin' big brother," Applejack replied, "all we did was have a few beers with Princess Luna and star gazed fer a bit. Ah guess after we fell asleep Ah rolled over into Cougar's body 'n we cuddled, but that's IT," Applejack explained. Big Mac grunted before turned around at both of us.

"Fine, but don't let me catch you two doin' anythin' yer not supposed to be doin'!" He yelled at us as he walked away.

"Fer yer information, Ah am 23 years old Big Mac; Ah can make whatever decisions Ah want to!" Applejack threatened. The red stallion ignored her and went about his saturday chores. I turned to Applejack who looked up at me.

"Sorry," was all I said to her. She slowly turned her head with a cocked eyebrow.

"Sorry fer whut Cougar? Ya didn't do anythin' wrong last night. Neither of us did," she told me. We both forgot that Bloomin' Onion was there, but her voice broke the awkward silence and arm/foreleg rubbing.

"Seriously, whut was Big Mac talkin' about?" The little yellow filly asked the both of us, "you two weren't kissin' were ya?" Applebloom asked us, not teasing, but seriously. I flailed my arms out and Applejack shook her head violently again.

"No, no no!" I exclaimed.

"Cougar 'n I aren't like that, we're just acquaintances!" Applejack went into defensive mode.

"Where'd you get an idea like that Bloomin' Onion?" I asked her. Of course I was nervous about this. I mean come on, a human and a pony? That's the kind of talk that'd get someone back on Earth thrown in the nut house! Applejack and I waited for Applebloom to give us an answer, which surprised us when she gave it out.

"Well, ta be honest, even though Big Mac can't be replaced, Ah think Cougar'd make a great brother, " the little yellow filly admitted. My hand went up to my ear and started scratching. Thankfully, Applejack stepped forward to speak with her little sister. I wouldn't have been able to find the words to respond to that statement.

"Look Applebloom, Ah know how great Cougar is, but we're jest friends, nothin' more. Besides, how d'you think everypony'd respond to that?" AJ questioned Applebloom. The read-maned filly sadly kicked the dirt below her. I almost felt bad for her.

"Well, a lot o' ponies support Spike tryin' to be with Rarity, 'n they're about as different 'o species as you can get," Applebloom sadly said. Now was the time for me to step in and fix this, but not ruin the friendship I had with the two.

"That's fine, but whose to say I can't be your surrogate brother? Applejack and I don't have to be a couple or get married, if you want to tell ponies I'm your surrogate brother, then that's fine with me; you're good little sister material," I ruffled her mane for her. A smile spread across her face which warmed up my heart. Applebloom started to hop around and prance.

"This is awesome! Ah gotta new big brother!" She started dancing around. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief and playfully rolled her eyes at her little sis.

"Ah guess that fixes that," she winked at me, "now, let's stop lolly gagging' 'n sell sum apples," she stated. Applebloom galloped away towards the cellar where the five barrels of apples were awaiting to be sold. AJ and I started to slowly walk in the same direction when the orange mare started talking to me. "You like Applebloom don't ya?" AJ asked. I put on my aviators and looked down at her.

"How could I not?" I replied and stuck my hands in my pockets. "She's adorable, smart, caring and funny, she's a great little sister," I explained, "that and I never had a little sibling," I admitted.

"Really? Well you woulda made a fantastic older brother," Applejack told me.

"Eh, I liked kids. My cousin had a little boy that always wanted me to hold him, even if his parents were in the same room," I said, "and when I set him down with someone else to go to the bathroom, he'd start fussing, it was cute," I finished. Applejack chuckled and we continued our journey to the apple cart. "Now Cougar, don't be discouraged if sum ponies don't want to talk talk to ya when we're sellin' apples alright?" She asked me.

"I'm more worried about costing you and your family your hard earned money than ponies ignoring me," I replied. We had finally reached the cellar where Applebloom had begun loading the cart full of barrels. "Here, let me help Bloomin' Onion," I offered.

---

(In Ponyville. Cougar's POV)

"Hello there sir, care fer sum down home fresh apples?" Applejack gestured towards her apples to a pony. The three of us had been trying to sell apples for about two hours now, and we had managed to sell about half a barrel, which Applejack said was not that bad.

"I'll take a bundle of 20," the light brown pony with blue horseshoes on his flank replied. He produced ten bits and exchanged them for the apples before he went on his way.

"Thank ya kindly Caramel, you take care now ya here?!" Applejack waved to the pony. "He used to be a farmhand," Applejack explained and pocketed the coinage from her transaction.

"How come he still isn't one?" I asked while shining a few of the apples. Applebloom meanwhile had been trying to get ponies to come in and buy apples by doing tricks with a hula hoop, but she called it a loop-di-hoop, I think.

"Well, he's a nice pony, but he's jest too forgetful," Applejack explained, "oh, you wanna take this one Cougar?" Applejack continued. I turned around to see an aquamarine unicorn with what appeared to be a heart shaped harp on her flank, and boy she looked familiar. I took off my sunglasses and placed them on my hat.

"Hi, can we interest you in some fresh and delicious apples?" I offered and held up a few specimen. The unicorn didn't say or do anything at all. She just kept staring at me with her golden eyes, like she was checking me out, so I decided to have a little fun with her. "See something you like girl?" I played around and took off my hat to slick my hair back. Behind me, I could hear Applejack attempting to suppress a chuckle.

The pony STILL didn't say or do anything and I was starting to get both annoyed and bored. "Alright, look do you want apples or not, we're very busy here," I said to her. She cocked her head from side to side and scrunching her face up. "Why don't you paint yourself a picture, I'm sure it'll last longer," I finally said. Before Applejack or myself could say anything else, the earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane came trotting up.

"There you are Lyra," she scolded, "don't you know how rude it is to stare at somepony, even if they're not a pony?" The earth pony scolded.

"S-sorry Bon Bon, he's just so interesting," Lyra replied with a gulp. So, her name is Lyra huh?

"I'm terribly sorry Mr. uh," Bon Bon had turned to me.

"Cougar, you can call me Cougar, no Mr. please, I hate formalities," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. Something was, off about these two. Bon Bon was scolding Lyra not like a friend or a sister, but something more.

"Sorry Cougar, Lyra can sometimes get lost for words and just stare at anypony," Bon Bon explained, "we'll buy the rest of that barrel of apples for your troubles," she produced fifty bits and handed them to me.

"Uh thanks," I said and placed the rest of the apples in Bon Bon's saddle bags.

"And you, come on we have more candy to sell," Bon Bon took Lyra away. That was a little weird for me. I pocketed the change into the front pouch of my apron and turned around to face a smiling Applejack.

"Well there cowboy, that was a nice job ya did," she patted me on the back, "Ah didn't know you were a looker fer sum ponies," she teased me.

"Oh please, she's obviously gay," I joked back, but didn't predict the response I got back. Applejack grinned at me and leaned against the cart.

"So? Lyra and Bon Bon are some of the nicest ponies around; sexual orientation shouldn't have to sway yer opinion," she explained and got off the cart. I turned to look back to where the pair had been standing only moments before and saw them arm in arm (so to speak), hugging on each other and laughing.

"I was just joking Applejack," I held my hands up, "but that kind of stuff doesn't bother me at all. Just as long as somepony isn't a self centered asshole, I won't have a problem with them," I explained. The emerald eyed mare snickered at me and took a bite out of one of her personal apples. "And you were screwing with me huh?" I flicked my aviators back down over my blue eyes.

"So, I see you met Lyra and Bon Bon?" I heard a posh voice ask me. Turning around, I found Rarity along with Spike and Sweetie Belle standing on either side of the older pony. "Lyra does make some beautiful music with that harp of hers and Bon Bon makes some of the most delicious sweets in town. I know I've been there multiple times for some chocolates," Rarity explained. Sweetie Belle and Spike set down the large stacks of material in the arms onto the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Spike," I waved to them, "interested in any apples?" I offered. Sweetie Belle and Rarity politely waved the idea off, yet Spike simply crossed his arms and shook his head, not even making eye contact with me.

"Now now Spikey-Wikey, no need to be rude to Cougar," Rarity ruffled his head. For a brief moment, I could see Spike's tongue trying to escape his mouth, kind of like a dog.

"Whut brings you guys over here?" Applejack finally asked the trio, "come fer sum apples or didja come by to discuss the campin' trip later today?" Applejack questioned while putting up an 'ON BREAK' sign over the cart.

"Yes dearie," Rarity took Applejack aside. I could still hear them as they walked away from the cart for more privacy, "we just wanted to know what time we were going to meet up at the beginning of the trail," Rarity's voice faded over the noise of the street crowd.

"So, did you talk to Rarity at all yet Sweetie Belle?" I asked the little unicorn filly after taking a seat on an empty overturned barrel. By this time, Applebloom had put down her hula hoop and joined the party. Sweetie Belle looked down on the ground and pawed at it slowly, indicating a no.

"Sorry Cougar, it's really hard for me, I have stage fright," Sweetie Belle covered her eyes. I sighed and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked back up at me, trying to not cry.

"Okay, maybe I pushed you too hard; Rarity may not be the pony to talk to about this, but Fluttershy might be able to help you out," I said, "Applejack told me how she had, well still has, stage fright, but she's working her way up to larger and larger crowds. I think she can help you overcome stage fright Sweetie Belle," I explained. The little unicorn blinked away several tears before sighing sadly.

"I'm pathetic aren't I?" She asked quietly as a church mouse. I gasped at that statement. I slowly petted her mane down and scratched behind her ear.

"You are far from pathetic kid," I whispered, "I'll let you in on a little secret alright?" I asked. Sweetie Belle's ears perked up and she leaned in closer to hear me as she wiped her nose. "When I first joined the Air Force Academy and wanted to be a fighter pilot, the cadets had to fly a simulator of the jet of their choice, in front of everyone in the room. Including other cadets, trained pilots, majors, captains etcetera. And I was terrified about flying a simulator in front of a large group of people."

"Well, how did you overcome it?"

"I sucked in a deep breath and climbed into the simulator. The major in charge of training us switched it on and I pushed the thought of everyone watching into the back of my mind. It even helped that I hummed my favorite song while doing the simulator. Soon enough, I forgot that I was being watched and focused 100% on performing my task, which I did with the highest score in Academy history," I smiled at her.

"But if I'm up onstage singing, how can I hum my favorite song without screwing up?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"That may not work for you, but here is what I can suggest, just close your eyes, and don't think about anything but the song. Forget that ponies are watching you, just focus on the song and nothing else." The unicorn wiped her nose again and wrapped her forelegs around me. "Hehe, you're welcome Sweetie Belle," I returned the hug and stood up.

"Thanks Cougar," Sweetie Belle smiled at me.

"Why don't you just mind your own business?" Spike cut in. I looked up and over at him to see him with a scowl decorating his face and his arms crossing his scaly chest. Applebloom was none too pleased with Spike and stamped onto his foot. "OUCH!" Spike screamed in pain and grabbed his throbbing foot.

"Whut's yer problem Spike? Cougar's been nice to everypony 'n has helped us out at thu farm," Applebloom interrogated.

"He's too secretive and he won't tell us anything! He's definitely got something to hide and I won't trust him until he tells us what it is!" Spike retorted angrily. I rolled my eyes at the little dragon and bent down towards him. But rather than trying to intimidate him or yell in his face, I decided to tease him.

"Won't Rarity hate it that you're judging somepony too fast?" I asked him. Spike froze and let go of his throbbing foot that was starting to swell a little.

"You leave Rarity outta this," Spike growled at me.

"Ah, I see, you've got it sooooo bad for Rarity," I teased and bopped my finger on his nose, "I can help you get her, if you want," I offered the little purple dragon. Spike glowered at me even more and bared his tiny fangs.

"I can do that on my own, human, and what would you know about getting a girl? No girl around here is going to want you, you're too different," Spike retorted back. By this time, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were moving their heads back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match at Wimbledon.

"And there's the double standard mares and gentle colts," I raised my index finger, "you're different from Rarity too Spike, so why can a dragon have a pony, but no female will want me, a human?" I asked him. His face and arms fell at my conclusion.

"You win this round human, but I'll find out what you're hiding, you'll see!" Spike threatened.

"Ah hope y'all are done talkin' 'cause we've got a campin' trip to start," Applejack cut into our conversation. All of us stood up and smiled, even Spike.

"Yep, just talking to the little ones," I exclaimed and gave Bloomin' Onion a noogie.

"Well, we must begin packing, Sweetie Belle, would you please assist me? And Spikey-Wikey, be a dear and carry my bags," Rarity pouted her lower lip.

"O-of course m'lady," Spike bowed and gathered up every single bag and material Rarity had with her.

"We'll meet you and Rainbow Dash at the head of the trail in 2 hours!" Rarity called as she, her sister and the lovestruck dragon headed off to her boutique. Applejack had begun to close up shop while I gathered up a few Apples that fell out of the barrels.

"Does Rainbow know when to meet us?" I asked Applejack.

"I SURE DO!" Rainbow Dash called from a cloud in the sky. She was on her back, leaning over the edge and looking upside down at myself, Applejack and Applebloom.

"Were you spyin' on us again RD?" Applejack called back.

"No, I just happened to be taking a nap on this cloud and I overheard you talking to Rarity!" Rainbow Dash replied. "I'll make sure Scootaloo gets to the trail head on time too, see ya later!" Rainbow zoomed out of the cloud and disappeared. I packed up the last of the barrels and helped Applejack hook up to the cart.

"So, are we packing when we get back, or are you already packed?" I asked Applejack. The orange mare adjusted her cowgirl hat before setting off back to Sweet Apple Acres with Applebloom hitching a ride on the top of the cart.

"Ah already got most of the supplies ready, but Ah need to get the tents all packed up, ya don't mind havin' yer own tent do ya?" Applejack asked me. I chuckled a bit and bit into an apple.

"Of course not, it's actually safer for everypony," I replied. AJ's eyebrow cocked up to her mane line.

"Whut do ya mean Cougar? You've never shown any violence to anypony around here," she pointed out. I licked my lips, trying to figure out the best way to word my phrasing.

"Well, if something abruptly wakes me up in the middle of the night, like a sudden noise or something hits me, I've been trained to respond by hitting the nearest thing in case it's an enemy," I explained. "So if you or Applebloom were to roll into me hard enough in the middle of the night, I might accidentally hit you, and I don't want that to happen," I added.

"Oh, well Ah guess that is good, but can you control it?" Applejack asked as we left the town and began our journey to the farm.

"Sometimes, but I once accidentally punched my friend Reaper in the gut when he woke me up. I've been trying to control it ever since," I explained. Applejack nodded.

"Well, ya didn't hit me last night," she said.

"That's a sign I'm getting it under control, though I don't want to lose it entirely," I responded. "By the way, are there any wild animals we need to watch out for in the woods?" I asked.

"Mainly the bears, but Fluttershy told us that they usually won't bother us if we don't surprise them ya know?" Applejack said. "Anyhoo, let's get started on packing," Applejack exclaimed as we entered the farm.

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(2 Hours Later. Cougar's POV)

We had met up with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo at the trail head, just waiting on Rarity and Sweetie Belle to join us. I utilized my duffel bag to pack my extra set of clothes, (I had left my helmet back in my shed since I didn't need it) some water and food. Before we had set off for the trail head, I had sat on my cot, holding my .44 pistol, contemplating on whether or not to bring. I hadn't told anypony about it, not even Applejack or Luna. The sole reason was because I didn't want to frighten them with my advanced weapon. Applejack almost caught me with it when she knocked on the door and I thrust it into my duffel bag, sandwiched between my spare set of jeans and my spare shirt.

I had fully decided to bring it along, one reason because if I took it out, Applejack would've seen it and probably demanded what it was, and another reason was because I don't know if I'll need it, but I won't just whip the gun out at any random noise. If the situation requires me to use it, then I will and explain later, but hopefully that won't happen. "Come on," I whined, "what is taking them so long?" I complained and sat up from a rock I was sitting on.

"That's what," Rainbow pointed her hoof to a towering cart full of suitcases and bags. I had to crane my neck back to see the top of it that eclipsed the tops of the trees surrounding us.

"Sorry we're late everypony!" Rarity called as she reached the top of the hill. "I just couldn't decide what would go with the color of the leaves and if I needed to bring my mane spray," she explained. I noticed that she trotted happily along with no cart behind her. Sweetie Belle reached the top of the hill with the cart behind her and collapsed from exhaustion.

"We..made...it," she breathed out and caught her breath.

"Jesus, did you pack a whole fucking hotel?" I asked Rarity whom had sunglasses and a sun hat adorning her head.

"Now now, no reason to reduce to vulgarity Cougar," Rarity sort of scolded me, "besides won't you look the fool when you won't have a comb to tame that unruly head of hair on your head?" She made fun of me. I took off my hat and slicked my hair back to it's original form. "Oh mock me all you want," Rarity stuck her nose in the air and joined up with the rest of the group.

"So, if we're all done yapping, we got some hiking to do!" Rainbow declared and hovered in the air. Scootaloo pulled out her scooter and put on her own helmet.

"Alright y'all! Jest follow me 'n Applebloom, we're goin' to thu same campsite we were at last time," Applejack announced. All seven of us began to set off until I realized Sweetie Belle was worn out from hauling the giant cart of miscellaneous shit Rarity packed. I stopped and unhooked her from the harness.

"Come on Sweetie Belle, you've hauled enough, why don't you rest on my shoulder?" I offered and placed her forelegs onto my right shoulder so she could hang on. I quickly hooked the straps around my waist and began to pull. The cart actually wasn't that heavy for me, but for a little filly like Sweetie Belle, it must've been like hauling Mt. McKinley.

"Thanks...Cougar," Sweetie Belle thanked me and clung tightly around my neck without strangling me.

"I'm getting a good workout at least," I managed to make her smile as I caught up with the rest of the group. I had to set my duffel bag on the cart since I couldn't haul it with a little unicorn clinging to me. "So Applejack, you said you went camping in this spot two years ago?" I asked the pony leading the expedition.

"Yep, it's not too far fer sum ponies who enjoy the outdoors," Applejack poked fun at Rarity who at the moment was filing one of her hooves as she walked.

"Anything interesting happen last time?" I asked further, enjoying talking to make the walk seem shorter.

"Interesting how?" Rainbow cut in. She had been floating above us, probably getting impatient at how slowly we were walking.

"Like did a wild animal attack you guys or something?" I asked them. All six ponies laughed at my question, making me look like a fool for asking such a question.

"Naw Cougar," Applejack finished chuckling, "the only wild animals anypony regularly fears 'round these parts are Timberwolves, though they mainly stay in the Everfree Forest," she explained, "in fact, Ah can't even recall any stories 'o them ever bein' spotted outside the Everfree forest," Applejack pondered momentarily. Before anyone else could say anything, we had come to a fork in the trail. "Aw dammit," Applejack swore, forgetting that Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were with the group, "Ah forgot mah map!" Applejack swatted at the ground.

"Now hold on, which way were we heading?" I asked the orange mare.

"We're supposed to be heading north, that leads us to the campsite we were at last time," Applejack replied. My eyes scanned the trees that bordered the trail around us. Off in the distance, I could hear the mighty roar of a river, hopefully teeming with trout or salmon.

"Head to the fork on the left," I pointed out. Rainbow and Applejack looked from me to the direction I had pointed in. The cyan pegasus crossed her forelegs across her chest and shook her head.

"And how could you possibly know that?" She demanded.

"Easy, when I was in the Boy Scouts, we learned that moss always grows on the north side of a tree, I'm hoping the same thing happens here," I explained. AJ smacked her head with her hoof in frustration.

"Now how could Ah have forgotten that? Thanks Cougar," Applejack thanked me. My eyes drifted upwards towards the blue sky above us, and noticed that the sun was starting to get lower and lower in the sky.

"We better hurry, it's going to be dark soon and I don't have my night vision visor on me," I exclaimed.

"Why the rush Mr. Military, afraid of the dark?" Rainbow teased me and hoof-bumped Scootaloo.

"As a matter of fact, yes," I bravely admitted. Bad experiences in the dark when I was a child made me fearful, but I hadn't faced the dark in a number of years, so my fear had been growing and growing for a number years. "Anyways," I continued as the journey had resumed, "why are ponies so afraid of the Everfree Forest?" I questioned, "did somepony disappear in there a long time ago and was never seen again?"

"Oh it's more than that," Rarity replied to me, her voice shaking. "Animals can care for themselves, without any assistance from anypony," she said fearfully.

"Not to mention, the clouds don't need pegasi to move them," Rainbow continued for Rarity, a slight drop in her voice indicated that she was a tad freaked out.

"And like Ah said, that's were the Timberwolves are. We only go in there to visit our zebra friend, Zecora, or to help fix up the Castle of the Two sisters," Applejack concluded with a gulp. I sneered at the mares and laughed at them.

"That's just like my world almost!" I blurted out, not realizing I had just revealed information I wanted to keep hidden. Applejack stopped abruptly, forcing me to stop so I would run into her.

"So, animals can tend for themselves without assistance from your kind?" Rarity asked me, "interesting," she added. Rainbow continued on upwards, more than likely trying to see if she could spot the campsite in the distance. I took this as a golden opportunity to keep them from asking about me.

"Anypony know any good songs to sing to make the trip shorter?" I asked. Sweetie Belle released her forelegs from my neck and sped to the front of the group as Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack.

"I do, I do!" She declared and cleared her throat.

"Nice going Cougar," Scootaloo groaned along with everypony besides Sweetie Belle.

"NINETY-NINE BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WALL..."

---

(At the Campsite, Cougar's POV)

"ZERO BUCKETS OF OATS ON THE WAAAAAAAAALLLLL!" Sweetie Belle finished before silencing herself and breathing in deeply. It wasn't the worst song I've ever heard, but at least it made the trip go by faster. Applejack finally declared it when we found our campsite. Thankfully, a stream leading into a river was literally five feet from the site, so I could possibly use the water to cool off. Hauling that massive fucking cart of Rarity's shit really made my sweat work overtime. Before we even started unpacking, Applejack started to give out orders.

"Alright, Rainbow 'n Scootaloo, you two are in charge 'o firewood," Applejack ordered. Rainbow and Scootaloo saluted AJ and headed off into the woods to find firewood. Applejack turned back to myself, Applebloom, Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

"Cougar, you 'n Rarity start unpacking everythin'," Applejack instructed. I nodded my head and started helping Rarity unpack everything from the cart and our bags. While working, I heard Applejack give out the last of the instructions to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"'N you two will help me with settin' up the tents, got it?" The orange mare asked.

"Sure thing sis!" Applebloom drug all the tent bags out and laid them out evenly. Sweetie Belle's little horn began glowing as the tents began to unravel themselves from the bags.

"Hold on, I do have my tent as well!" Rarity threw what appeared to be an inflatable raft on the ground and pulled the cord. Instantly, a TWO-STORY rubber tent had begun to inflate itself and rose to about fifteen feet high. "Ah, home sweet home," Rarity walked to the upstairs part of the tent and stood on the balcony. I turned to Applejack and shook my head.

"She can't be serious," I whispered. Applejack rolled her eyes and replied, "I still can't believe it either." Even though I knew Rarity wasn't really getting the camping experience, (a VASE for her tent?) I pushed that out of my mind and continued to unpack the cart of water, food, sleeping bags and lanterns. Soon enough, the cart was unpacked and I laid down on my sleeping bag.

"We're back!" Rainbow announced. She dropped several good sized logs on the ground and dropped about twelve rocks around the edge for the campfire ring. Scootaloo appeared from behind Rainbow on her scooter and skidded to a stop with a few other logs to be used as benches. By this time, the sky went from a calm baby blue to a brilliant pink and orange with only about twenty minutes of daylight left until Luna's moon would retake the sky. Applejack started up a fire with her sticks and string and Sweetie Belle came up with the marshmallows.

"Does everypony know their sleeping' arrangements?" AJ questioned us.

"Actually, whose Cougar gonna sleep with tonight?" Rainbow retorted.

"By myself, it seems appropriate," I replied quickly while getting up from my sleeping back and chucking it in my tent that AJ had lent me. I quickly regretted phrasing my explanation in that matter. Rainbow got a devilish grin on her face and rubbed her hooves together.

"Appropriate huh? Were you planning on getting 'closer' with one of us tonight?" She teased me and air quoted using her hooves. "Admit it, you want one of us don't you?" She tickled under my chin with one of her hooves. The crusaders gagged at the way Rainbow was teasing me, but Applejack was using her hooves to suppress a laugh while Rarity was giggling. I rolled my eyes and shoved Rainbow out of the way.

"In your dreams Dash," I tossed my hat into my tent, "besides, it seems like you're the one putting the moves on me, and how would Soarin' react if I told him you wanted me?" I folded my arms across my chest. The pegasus admitted defeat and sat back down with Scootaloo. Applejack began snickering which turned into a full out laugh fest at me and Rainbow.

"Yeah, that's a good one Rainbow, 'ol Cougar and one 'o us gettin' together, that's a good one!" She wiped a tear from her emerald eye. Applebloom growled in frustration and produced a bag of marshmallows and three sticks.

"If y'all are gonna keep jabberin' about mushy crap, then we're gonna have marshmallows ourselves!" She motioned towards Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. AJ set her cowgirl hat onto the log she was sitting on and patted her little sister's head.

"Alright there AB, we're done," Applejack said and grabbed herself a stick. Sweetie Belle roasted a marshmallow for Rarity and hoofed it to her. The littler unicorn then trotted inside Rarity's hotel tent and came back out with a cup of tea on a saucer.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed, "can you forget about your fancy teas and fashions for one day and enjoy the great outdoors by roughing it like everypony else?" I complained to the pearl white unicorn. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and set the tea cup and saucer down on her stomach, darting her eyes around.

"I am not a savage Cougar, I do enjoy my cleanliness and hygiene; nature is just not my cup of tea," she added a punch line and sipped her beverage. I gave up and started roasting my marshmallow, getting it to a nice golden-brown before eating it. All seven of us sat in silence near the campfire, eating our marshmallows and just enjoying the quiet of the outdoors. And as Luna's moon once again conquered the night sky, an owl hooted in the distance, the roar of the river seemed to have quieted down some, allowing the nocturnal animals to have some peace as they awakened and ventured out for food. The fire crackled and popped as it devoured the wooden logs chosen for elimination.

Orange flames danced inside the ring of rocks as the light cast long shadows of the logs and all of our figures out to the tree line where they danced in different shapes. The embers of the fire drifted upwards towards the inky black and blue sky, never to be seen again. I recall from Native Alaskans that believed the embers represented souls that have passed on as they traveled to their next destination in the after-life. I unscrewed a water bottle and downed the cool and clear liquid, washing the sweetness of the marshmallow treats down my throat. Rainbow finally broke the silence with a belch.

"So, anypony know any good scary stories? I kinda want somepony else to take reigns tonight," she exclaimed and scratched her belly. Rarity's hoof went up into the air, though not wildly.

"I have one that'll scare anypony with any good fashion sense," she offered.

"If it's one where a pony forgets her makeup bag before a job interview, that's pathetic," I butted in. Rarity blushed in embarrassment and sipped the rest of her tea in silence. Rainbow chuckled and clapped her hooves together.

"Well, what about you Cougar? I'm sure you've heard plenty of scary stories from your world," Scootaloo asked me. I cracked my knuckles and looked upwards at the twinkling stars in the sky, thinking about the scariest story I've ever heard. An evil smile crept on my face as I thought about one of my favorite horror movie villains. Yet, before I could begin, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I turned, trying to use the light of the campfire to scan the tree line.

"Sumthin' the matter Cougar?" Applejack curiously asked me. I squinted, but nothing came across my line of vision.

"No, I just thought, something was spying on us, probably just a squirrel in a tree or something," I brushed it off, "anyways, do you guys have Halloween here?" I asked the group. All six ponies looked at each other before looking back at me.

"What the Tartarus is Halloween?" Rainbow asked me.

"It's a holiday where kids dress up in costumes and get free candy," I explained.

"That's Nightmare Night!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "do you guys celebrate it to offer the candy so an evil ghost doesn't eat you?" She wondered aloud. My face scrunched in that of confusion.

"No, we EAT the free candy, that's how I always enjoyed Halloween before I joined the Air Force, then I used it to watch scary movies and buy candy at a discount."

"Well, anyway, get on with yer story," Bloomin' Onion crawled over to me and sat on my lap. I cleared my throat, hoping that this story would scare them.

"Listen up ponies, and I'll tell you the story of how Halloween is known as the scariest holiday of all-time," I began.

"Is this story true in any way Cougar?" Rarity questioned.

"Yes, and don't interrupt unless you're screaming," I warned. "Anyway, this all happened about 35 years before I was even born in a little town called Haddonfield, Illinois..."

*One Story Later*

"And Dr. Loomis grabbed his own knife from the downstairs kitchen, knowing that the evil Michael Myers was upstairs. He quickly, yet silently crept up the stairs only to find the teenage girl being strangled by the evil man," I picked up a sharpened rock and held it like a knife. The little fillies were cowering with each other against their respective sisters. Rarity was covering her eyes while Applejack nervously ate marshmallows. Rainbow's pupils shrank to a tiny size and darted around her eyes. "Risking his own life, the good Dr. Loomis ran up and stabbed the evil shape in the neck, drawing blood, and making the man growl in pain. Dr. Loomis then rammed the knife into Myers' chest and pushed him as hard as he could over the outside balcony railing where the man fell onto the ground with a loud thud, the knife still sticking into his chest with blood dripping out, " I dropped the rock to symbolize the body hitting the ground.

"Th-then w-w-whut happened?" Bloomin' Onion chewed on her hoof.

"Oh Dr. Loomis took a good look at Michael's body before going to check on Laurie. She asked him 'Was that the boogeyman?' To which Dr. Loomis replied, 'As a matter of fact, yes.' He then went back to check on the body as police sirens began to grow louder and louder, but when he looked over the railing, the body was, GONE!" I yelled, scaring the shit out of all the ponies there.

"AHHHHHH!" They all screamed.

"What happened to Michael after that?" Scootaloo peered from behind Rainbow.

"Oh, eye witnesses report seeing him living his old abandoned child hood home, while others say he did get up from the ground, but he died in the woods somewhere. I think he's still out there, waiting for the right time to kill Laurie," I explained.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, I won't let anything happen to you," Rarity patted Sweetie Belle's head.

"Ah think it's time fer sum shut eye," Applejack yawned and pried Applebloom from the log. Rainbow, still visibly shaking, flapped her wings and held onto Scootaloo.

"We'll just uh turn in okay?" She said and zoomed into her tent.

"I'll take care of the fire," I volunteered and kicked dirt onto the fire, knowing that smothering it was safer than pouring water on it.

"Good night Cougar," Applejack called as she entered her tent, leaving me alone near the fire ring. I let out a good yawn before heading for my tent. But, that feeling of being watched still lingered on the back of my neck. I checked out the tree line one more time before turning in for the night. Before I went to sleep, I opened up my duffel bag and set my combat knife and pistol on top of the pile of clothes, just in case. I prayed that Luna would keep a close eye on us tonight, unless her royal nightly duties prevented her from watching over us.

---

I was sleeping soundly in my tent when something happened. My eyes shot open as the most wretched, disgusting, foul and pungent odor I've ever smelled in my entire life raped my nostrils. I sat up and covered my nose, attempting to keep my dinner down. "What the fuck is that smell?" I whispered to myself. I wished an animal would crawl into my tent and die just to mask the odor. Slowly, I kept pinching my nose shut and unzipped the front flap of my tent. My heart froze when in the light of Luna's moon, I saw the silhouette of a wolf. With my breathing in check, I spied on the wolf as it scrounged around the perimeter of the campsite, evidently looking for food. Suddenly, the wolf ceased movement and started to head for Rarity's hotel tent!

"Oh fuck, she'll never be able to fight that wolf," I whispered to myself and picked up a nearby rock, chucking it off to the side of the camp. Thankfully, the wolf turned tail and ran after the noise. Wasting zero time, I quickly burst from my tent and tried to get Applejack's attention from her tent. "Psst, AJ, wake up, now!" I whispered loudly. When I got no answer, I had no choice but to unzip the flap and pour water on her.

"GAH! WHUT IN TARNATION!" Applejack yelled as Applebloom squealed from the coldness of the water.

"SHH, SHH, SHH!" I shushed while the two southern farm girls, the two athletic pegasi and two fancy unicorns emerged from their tents. Rainbow yawned and stretched her forelegs.

"What's going on? It's like two in the morning," she yawned again and tried to stay awake.

"Cougar, this had better be good, or yer gonna be sleepin' with mah horseshoe up yer ass," AJ growled at me.

"Guys, we've gotta get outta here, now," I replied, "I saw a wolf scrounging around the camp, and it smelled awful," I explained. From the silvery light of the moon, I saw the color drain from all the faces of the ponies.

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed, "but Applejack, I thought you said Timberwolves don't leave the Everfree Forest!" She exclaimed in a frightened tone.

"Ah never said that, Ah said that no pony has ever seen one outside of the Forest, but that's not important, if Cougar saw one, then we need to quickly pack up and leave!" Applejack ordered. Without missing a beat, all of us packed up the tents and our bags as fast as possible, all while not saying anything.

"Alright, is that everything?" Rainbow asked.

"Should be," I replied, "now, let's just stay quiet, Applejack, you and me will head the group, Rarity will stay in the middle and Rainbow you cover the back while the little ones stay in between us," I ordered and pulled out my combat knife. Everypony did as I said and grouped up. We headed off back down the trail from where we came from. I had all of my senses on high alert, knowing how dangerous and unpredictable an Alaskan Timberwolf could be. We didn't get far when, it happened. A loud howl from somewhere in the trees made us all stop dead. "There's that smell again, what is that?" I demanded.

"Their breath," Applejack said quietly.

"ROAR!" A Wolf leapt from the shadows and charged at our group.

"HIT THE DIRT!" I shouted and yanked down Applejack and Applebloom down with me. Rarity transported herself and Sweetie Belle out of the way while Rainbow yanked Scootaloo into the air. The Timberwolf crouched down and stared all of us down. It's green eyes glowed brightly as a lantern as it licked its wooden chops. Drool dripped from its fangs like water from a stalactite in a cave. It raised its paw and tried to swipe down at Applebloom, but Applejack bucked its paw out of the way.

"RARITY, GET THU FILLIES 'N YERSELF OUTTA HERE NOW!" Applejack exclaimed as the Wolf tried to swipe down at her, but my knife cut into the wood on its paw. The wolf howled in pain and it dropped to the ground. Without second guessing, Rarity gathered up Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom and prepared to teleport out when a second wolf appeared. It roared just as loudly as the first wolf and attempted to attack us. Rainbow utilized her speed and smashed into the side of the wolf, knocking it to the ground.

"Come on you overgrown shrubs!" Rainbow dared. The two wolves stood up and leapt at all of us. I tried to shove Rainbow out of the way, but I didn't make it. The first wolf swiped at the Cyan pegasus, making contact with her right side wing. "AHHH!" Rainbow cried in pain as her wing bent out of shape and started leaking blood.

"Rarity, take Rainbow with you!" I ordered her while I jumped on top of the wolf and slammed my knife onto its back. The wooden animal screeched in pain and attempted to throw me off its back. Rarity charged up her magic and transported herself, the fillies and Rainbow Dash out of the woods and back home. I jumped off the back of the wolf and met back up with Applejack. "How do we kill these fuckers?" I asked, "they keep repairing themselves," I mentioned.

"Ah don't really know how, we just smash up 'till they take forever to fix themselves 'n then we run," Applejack frantically explained. The deep gash I put into the back of the wolf sealed back up and the animal glared angrily at me with its green eyes. The second wolf had fixed the dent Rainbow had put in it and joined up with the other wolf. I gritted my teeth and raised my combat knife once again.

The wolves started to slowly stalk Applejack and myself, forcing us to back up. Unfortunately, the stream next to the campsite was growing closer and closer. "Stay behind me Applejack," I told my friend. I used my left arm to shield Applejack should I need to. Suddenly, the wolves made their attack. They split and tried to come at us from the sides. I kept Applejack behind me as I sliced as fast as I could with my knife, cutting up splinters from their bodies. I found myself overpowered while I shoved Applejack away. One wolf knocked my knife out of my hand and pinned me to the dirt, it's mouth dripping as it eyed me for a midnight snack.

"COUGAR!" Applejack exclaimed and leapt between me and the wolf pinning me down. "GET OFF MAH FRIEND YOU BRUTE!" She screamed and bucked as hard as she could on the wolf's lower jaw, dislocating it from the head.

"Watch out!" I shouted as the second wolf reappeared and bit hard into Applejack's right rear leg. I could see blood being drawn from the wound on her leg. I hoped that the wound wouldn't be long lasting, she was a vital part of Sweet Apple Acres. "NO!" I reached for my knife and stabbed the wolf that bit Applejack straight in the head, drawing what appeared to be tree sap from inside. The wolf howled in pain and let go of my friend whom slumped to the ground from the pain. I dropped my knife and reached up with my hands and started to strangle the wolf's neck. It's forelegs began to flail around, trying to gain oxygen into it's lungs. Using this opportunity, I kicked with my legs as hard as I could into its stomach, forcing it off me and onto its back. I scooped up Applejack and ran for my duffel bag as the wolves gathered themselves back up.

"Whut-whut're you doin'?" AJ asked me as I reached into the bag and pulled out my .44 revolver.

"This may come in handy," I responded and took cover in the trees near the banks of the river. The wolves were pissed off now as they growled and nipped at each other, appearing to place blame on one another. While I had the time, I set Applejack down and ripped off my shirt.

"Whut now?" Applejack weakly said. Great, that wound is worse than I thought. Who knows if it's already infected? I used my knife to cut my shirt into a smaller section and wrapped it tightly around her leg. She seethed in pain and clenched her teeth as I knotted the fabric.

"We're gonna get out of this," I promised Applejack and picked up my pistol again. Just then, the wolves burst into the brush and roared at us. Acting on instinct, I pointed my pistol forward and fired at one of the wolves' faces. A large hole appeared in between its eyes where I shot it. Gallons of tree sap began to pour from the wound and the wolf collapsed to the ground. The other wolf roared for its fallen comrade.

"Ah think ya made it madder," Applejack fearfully said. Stomping wooden paws started coming towards us. I raised my pistol again, but the wolf swatted it away rather quickly.

"NO!" I shouted as my gun fell downwards into the raging river from the force of the slap. "HANG ON!" I declared and held onto Applejack as I fell backward to get away from the dangerous animal. The next thing I knew, I was freezing cold and unable to breath. I gasped for air when I floated back to the surface of the white water rapids. I thrust Applejack's head above the water so she could get air to her lungs. "You okay?" I asked her over the roar of the river.

"Jest freezin' is all," she replied. I tried to hold her above me so she wouldn't be rammed into any rocks that the river was raging towards.

"I think we're safe, at least until we make it to dry land and find some help," I commented, trying to catch my breath. I was freezing as well, the water was dropping my body temperature at an alarming rate, but I had to stay alive to keep my friend safe.

"COUGAR, BEHIND US!" Applejack screamed over the river. I turned around to see the last Timberwolf clawing its way through the water trying to get to us. Placing AJ on my back, I started to try to paddle as fast as I could to get away from the ravenous wolf. However, I had no clue whether or not it was still hungry, or trying to avenge the other wolf. I began to use the sharp rocks to my advantage as cover while the wolf was in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, the wolf was able to maneuver around the rocks as fast as I could. "GIT BACK YOU MOTHERBUCKER!" Applejack shouted and tried to use her good rear leg to kick at the wolf's face.

"Oh sweet Jesus," I said as we rounded a bend. My energy was starting to drain as the blood in my body began to slowly leave my limbs to protect my vital organs. With the speed of the river, I had no clue how far we had traveled, but we were nearing PonyVille by the sights of the lights. "OH THANK GOD!" I exclaimed as I saw a low hanging branch crossing the river up ahead. It was connected to an oak tree that was sitting about on the edge of the river bank, but I could also see the tops of a house behind the tree. "Applejack, do not let go!" I ordered her. I felt her forelegs tighten around my torso as I brought out my knife again and stabbed the branch of the tree. I hung onto it as the river tried to sweep us further downstream.

"ROAR!" The wolf seized the opportunity and clawed at my legs. I screamed in pain as I felt the frigid water enter the cuts on my leg. With the last of my strength, I started to use the knife as a pick to latch onto the brach and pull myself and Applejack up the branch. Ever so slowly, I crawled up the branch towards the river bank with the wolf clinging to the branch as well. Suddenly, I heard the branch creaking from the excess weight.

"Hurry up!" Applejack tried to get me to move faster as the wolf approached. I started crawling faster and faster, eventually losing my knife when I missed the branch and it fell into the water, joining my pistol. We were SO close, but I wasn't giving up soon. Looking behind me, I saw the paw of the Timberwolf coming straight at us. I picked Applejack off my back and tossed her up onto the bank. "JUMP!" She shouted at me as the Wolf hit me in the side of the head, opening up a wound on my forehead and cutting my lip. With the last of my energy, I leapt off the branch and grabbed ahold of Applejack's hoof. She yanked me onto the river bank as the wolf leapt at us.

"RUN!" I told Applejack as the Wolf landed on the bank, baring it's fangs and drool at us.

"Ah'm not leavin' ya ta die!" Applejack retorted. The wolf charged at us, but I charged at it. We met together and began to fight. I started trying to jab it in the eyes with my fingers while it bit into my exposed shoulder. I groaned as the bite hurt more than anything in my life. Using my fingers, I jabbed my index finger into it's left eye socket, pushing in as hard as I could. The bright green liquid beneath the surface of the eye began to gush out as I popped the eye like a paint ball. I bared my own teeth and dug around it's eye socket. The wolf released my shoulder and howled in agony. I wiped the bright green goo on my pants leg and screamed at it. Picking up a rock near the bank, I smashed into its other eye, blinding it fully.

With another breath, I used the rock to jam into it's chest where tree sap poured out like a waterfall, cascading its stickiness onto my hand. Dropping the rock, I grabbed the Wolf's heart and ripped it from it's chest cavity. Clenching my teeth, I squeezed the tree sap heart until it burst like a fruit gusher. The now dead wolf fell back and into the river, breaking apart from the rocks.

My labored breathing ceased, leaving me in silence. Applejack cautiously approached me, unsure of what to think of me. But, before she could say anything, I reached deep down and found my inner predator, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I bellowed out like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, declaring my victory with a barbaric war cry. Finally, my knees gave out as I stopped my cry that echoed all throughout Equestria. The adrenaline from the fight began to wear off and the pain from my wounds started to come forward.

"Cougar, are ya okay?" Applejack asked me with worry.

"I-I think so," I wheezed out. "Is shelter close by? Neither of us can make it very far," I exclaimed.

"Ah know, we're in the Everfree forest now thanks to that river; we'd better hurry 'cause more wolves'll show up, but luckily the Castle 'o the two sisters is close by," Applejack helped me up. I picked her up like a puppy and carried her with my leg limping and my shoulder throbbing. My face felt warm with all the blood trickling down it. I don't know how far I had walked, but Applejack told me stop at an old abandoned castle. "There it is, jest walk in, thu door ain't locked up," she informed me. Despite the burning pain, I forged on and got inside the castle. A large foyer with tapestries and a huge fireplace met my gaze. I briskly walked to the fireplace and set Applejack down on the rug.

"I don't have any matches or a lighter," I said after patting myself.

"Use them logs in the fire place," Applejack told me. I'd only used sticks, not logs, to start a fire, but beggars can't be choosers in this case. I picked up one log and started to rub it as fast as I could until a tiny spark leapt out and engulfed the fire place. The soothing warmth of the flames felt good against my goose bump and blood covered skin. I pulled a stone block up to my back and sat against it as the fire in the fireplace roared on. I looked over to see Applejack curled up by herself on the other side of the rug.

"Hey, come here," I patted the floor next to me. The orange mare's ear pricked up and she turned her head over to me. "We better share body heat with the fire to get our temperatures back up," I explained. Weakly and with her bad leg, she limped her way over and collapsed next to me. She snuggled up to my leg and placed her head in my lap, like my dog used to do.

"Thanks fer savin' mah life Cougar," she thanked me and went to sleep rather quickly. Her soft breathing made me feel better, knowing that she was safe. Acting on instinct, my hand laid across her head and softly stroked her golden blonde mane. I had just realized that she lost her hat in the chase, but I chuckled, knowing that was the least of her problems. I also realized that we wouldn't have the strength to look for help until morning, so I forced myself to stay awake all night long, making sure nothing would attack me or my friend.

End Chapter VIII

---

Holy crap guys, holy crap. This is a milestone for me, I've NEVER written a chapter or even a one shot story this long in my entire FanFiction career. So, now that they've been through this ordeal, will Cougar and Applejack remain friends, or do you guys think a spark has occurred? Tune in next Chapter where help arrives and Cougar meets another friend of the group who loves to have fun at other's expense.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter IX: The Painful Truth

Hey guys. Thank you all SO much for beating my personal goal of at least 30 followers and favorites. And I'm really glad everyone liked the suspense of the fight in Chapter VIII between Cougar, AJ and the Timberwolves. Just saying that originally Rainbow wasn't going to be injured; she'd follow AJ and Cougar to the castle of the two sisters, but I wanted Cougar and Applejack to have a special moment together so Rainbow had to get her wing injured.

I'd also like to say I am really happy that some readers didn't question why Luna didn't show up to help. Well, as I was writing Chapter VIII, I was watching 'Sleepless in Ponyville' and Luna didn't rescue Scootaloo from the waterfall, and that was never explained as to why, so there's no reason Luna didn't save Cougar and Applejack. Also, this is where the whole premise of the story picks up, the ball is rolling, the pedal is to the metal. And to a reviewer whom suggested that Cougar get to meet Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, that WILL happen, just not yet.

The plot for this chapter is Cougar and AJ are discovered in the castle and are rushed to the Royal Infirmary. However, one of the secrets Cougar wanted to never reveal is about to be exposed to Equestria. How will the ponies react? Find out…

---

(The same night, Third Person POV with Rarity and Rainbow Dash)

A brilliant flash of light briefly illuminated the night as Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle appeared in front of the new Golden Oaks castle in Ponyville. "Is everypony alright?" Rarity briskly questioned her friends and little sister. The three little fillies nodded as nothing had injured them, but they were still frightened from the ordeal.

"Oh sure, we're alright, but my bucking wing is broken! I'm just dandy!" Rainbow cursed the fashionista pony.

"Watch your language in front of my sister Rainbow Dash," Rarity glared at her friend, "I know you are injured and scared, but that's no reason to reduce yourself to common vulgarity to get your sarcastic point across," she scolded.

"Well, why did you take us to Twilight's?!" Rainbow demanded, "why not take us to, oh I don't know, a HOSPITAL for Celesita's sake!?" The cyan pegasus mocked. The white unicorn ignored her friend and panically knocked on the main door to the Golden Oaks Castle. Without missing a beat, the door opened to reveal Spike with frazzled scales and a comic book rolled up in his right claw. He rubbed his green eye and gave out a great yawn.

"Rarity, Rainbow Dash, shouldn't you guys be camping right now?" A groggy little dragon asked. Before Spike knew it, he was knocked flat on his back as all five ponies burst through the door and into the castle, shouting for Twilight.

"TWILIGHT, COME QUICK!" Rarity shouted in her damsel in distress voice. Her cry for help resonated throughout the castle.

"Ow," Spike groaned, "what happened to you guys; where's Applejack and that Cougar guy anyway?" Spike questioned. Unfortunately for the little dragon, he didn't get an answer as a certain lavender alicorn princess of Friendship appeared in a zap of lavender light.

"What's the matter?!" Twilight reacted quickly to Rarity's pleas for help, "and what happened to your wing Rainbow?" She asked worriedly.

"Our campsite was attacked by a pair of Timberwolves!" Applebloom exclaimed in a horrifying manner. The purple dragon and lavender alicorn both gasped at the same time, knowing how serious this issue was.

"Where are Cougar and Applejack?" Twilight questioned as her wings unfurled from her sides to show her fear. By now, the entire group of seven had gathered in a circle to better communicate.

"Well, we were woken up by Cougar and then we started to pack up our campsite after he scared one off, but then two attacked us as we were hiking back down the trail," Scootaloo explained.

"Yeah, but Rainbow hit one in the side to buy us time to hide, but the other Timberwolf swatted at her wing and broke it," Sweetie Belle took over. "Then Cougar ordered Rarity to zap us and Rainbow Dash out of the woods while he and Applejack tried to fight them off," she concluded. Twilight's face fell once again as the information soaked into her nerdy brain.

"They're still out there?!" She demanded, "we've gotta find them! There's no telling what's going to happen, especially Cougar! He's never faced something like this before," The princess frantically exclaimed while flailing her hooves around.

"Then let us head off for the campsite darling!" Rarity declared and opened the castle door with her magic, but was cut off by Twilight. The alicorn Princess launched from the ground and landed in front of the white unicorn.

"Firstly, Spike you stay here and watch the Crusaders, secondly, let me get in contact with Princess Luna, she can manipulate the moon enough to give us more light to look and we can have her bat pony guards protect us if we need it," she explained.

"Aw, but we want to help you find mah sister!" Applebloom argued.

"Yeah, we want to kick some Timberwolf butt for attacking us!" Scootaloo continued. Rainbow put her hoof up to Scootaloo's face and took in a deep breath to suffer the pain in her wing.

"No way, this is WAY too dangerous for you three," Rainbow said sternly, "you three just stay here and try to not burn the castle down," she ordered. The three fillies' heads dropped low and they solemnly sulked over to Spike and stood behind him.

"Rainbow, you've got to get your wing treated too," Twilight added. Rainbow's face contorted into that of sadness and frustration at the sentence.

"Come on!" She whined, "I'm not going back to the hospital AGAIN! Can't you just cast a healing spell or something?" She begged. Twilight shook her head and pointed out the door with her own wing.

"I'll get you checked in to the royal infirmary and get your wing looked at Rainbow, I know this sucks for you, but I'm sure a broken wing can be mended in a few hours with the royal doctors," Twilight explained. The alicorn kneeled down on her forelegs and shut her eyes tightly as she began to contact Princess Luna via mental link. Suddenly, her eyes shot open in a bright white and blue hue as Princess Luna appeared in the middle of the castle.

"Princess Twilight, what is thy need?" The Princess of the Night asked.

"Luna, Cougar and Applejack have been attacked by Timberwolves near Winsome Falls!" Rarity explained, "we've only gotten back moments before, but they're still in grave danger!" Luna's face drained of color and her eyes widened.

"We need your help to save them before something bad happens!" Twilight continued for her friend. Before anything else happened, Luna's horn shot off a huge blue lightning bolt into the air of the Library and two of her midnight pony guards appeared.

"Midnight Guards, we are to head to Winsome Falls to find our friends Cougar and Applejack, does thou understand?" The princess asked. Her bat pony guards nodded and drew up a chariot for Luna, Twilight and Rarity to ride in to their destination. "Oh and young Rainbow Dash, my condolences about your wing," Luna shot a beam of magic at Rainbow Dash whom vanished into thin air.

"Spike, NO ice cream or other sweets this late, understand?" Twilight ordered as the chariot rose from the ground. Spike's eyes darted back and forth as an evil smirk spread across his face.

"Sure thing Twilight, you can count on me, your number one assistant," Spike bowed to hide his smirk. Once the chariot had left, Spike turned around to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, rubbing his hands together, "now then, how about cookie dough ice cream or chocolate fudge?" Spike licked his snake tongue.

*At the Campsite*

The chariot landed, and all five ponies (including the bat pony guards) began to search and call out for their comrades. "Cougar, Applejack!?" Twilight called out against the faint trickle of the stream next to the campsite. Luna manipulated the moon enough to shine more light upon the area they were searching to better see clues.

"Well, I can certainly see the struggle," one of the bat pony guards commented as he sniffed at the dirt kicked up in the scuffle. There were deep impressions with claw marks decorating the edges of said impressions of the dirt.

"I think I found some blood," Rarity gagged and looked away from a small puddle of something liquid on the ground. The rest of the group galloped towards her and inspected the liquid she had discovered. Luna bent down and sniffed at the substance before checking out the marks on the ground.

"No, this is tree sap," she explained, "it appears as though Applejack and Cougar put up a valiant fight against the Timberwolves over here," she pointed out the claw marks, human shoe prints and horseshoe prints near the trail head. "The footprints seem to head near the creek where this tree sap puddle sits," she continued. Her eyes scanned the area before Twilight shrieked loudly.

"Princess, is this blood on the ground?" The lavender alicorn worriedly asked. The other bat pony guard bent down and sniffed at the ground where Twilight was pointing. He froze when he stood up from the ground.

"This is blood, equine blood to be exact," he shuddered. "But look here, it looks like a Timberwolf fell to the ground near the blood," he examined the large indent in the dirt, "so maybe Applejack kicked one and the other scratched her somewhere," he pondered. Twilight couldn't look at the blood, but she followed the stream near to where the stream joined up with the river. Not looking where she was going, Twilight tripped over a branch and fell down to the ground.

"Princess!" One of the guards exclaimed and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you," Twilight thanked and got back on her hooves. "What did I trip on?" Princess Luna utilized her magic and removed several of the bushes behind Twilight. The bushes fell to the ground as the magic ceased and revealed what was behind the bush. The dead body of a Timberwolf lay in front of the group near the head of the river. All five of the ponies could not believe what they were seeing. Seeing a dead Timberwolf was a rare spectacle that not many had seen before.

"How, how did they do this?" Rarity questioned as she looked upon the rotting wood that once was a live Timberwolf. Princess Luna dispatched her bat ponies to inspect the body while she searched for more clues. "Eww, more blood!" Rarity whined as she tip toed around the droplets on the ground. Luna inspected the blood and found out that it was again, Applejack's.

"Is this, Cougar's shirt?" Twilight asked as her magic held up torn up fabric. Rarity eyed the fabric until reaching a conclusion.

"Yes, indeed it is Twilight," the fashion pony gulped in dread.

"But, there's no blood on it," Twilight replied as she looked over the torn shirt several times. Princess Luna looked at the torn fabric as well and her head dropped low.

"Perhaps a Timberwolf tore it off of him," the Night Princess said sadly. Rarity and Twilight took note of the Princess' sadness and put the shirt down. Luna trudged over to the side of the river and laid down in a saddened state.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?" Rarity asked.

"No," was all Luna said, "I am the Princess of the Night, but I failed to protect my friends from these monsters," she pointed to the decaying corpse of the Timberwolf only a few feet away, "what kind of princess am I that fails to protect her friends? I could've and should've been able to save them," Luna covered her eyes with her silver hooves, letting a few tears fall down her cheeks.

"Luna, please don't blame yourself," Twilight consoled her fellow Princess.

"Yes, it was a freak attack, but you had your other nightly duties to tend to, who could have foreseen the events that transpired her tonight?" Rarity added, "and besides, they could still be alive, maybe the fell into the river after killing the Timberwolf," Rarity too attempted to calm down the princess. The brief moment between the trio was cut short when one of the bat ponies cleared his throat.

"Ahem, your highness, we scrounged the area looking for whatever could kill a Timberwolf and all we found, was this," the guard held out a metallic looking cylinder in his hoof. Luna levitated it out of the hoof with her magic and brought it close to her face.

"I have never seen anything like this before Guards," Luna said whilst studying the strange object.

"Well, can you see into Cougar and Applejack's minds to see where they are?" Twilight questioned as Luna tossed the metallic object behind herself.

"Yes, but only if one of them is asleep, the only time I could do it when they were awake is if they were day dreaming," Luna explained while trying to get inside either being's mind. "Aha, success!" Luna declared after a few minutes of meditation, "Applejack and Cougar are in Celestia and mine's old castle, but we must hurry," Luna excitedly sprang up into her personal chariot. "I must lower the moon first so we can utilized my sister's sunlight."

---

(Morning. Cougar's POV)

All night long, that's how long I had stayed awake, listening to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. Sure I was exhausted and aching from my injuries, but I didn't want to run the risk of anything potentially attacking myself or Applejack if I were to fall asleep. The mare in question, was still sleeping soundly with her head resting upon my lap and her orange fur nestled against my right leg. The piece of my shirt that was tied to her leg was still soaked with some blood and dirt, but the bleeding had stopped long ago, though I feared that the wound was infected. My hand never stopped stroking her mane throughout the night, even when the rest of my body froze at the slightest noise, my hand never stopped trying to calm her sleeping form.

"I hope we can find civilization soon," I mentioned in a raspy voice to myself. Celestia's sun poured through the various windows and cracked walls of the castle, allowing me to know that a new day had started for the rest of Equestria, but not for me or Applejack. I had to keep myself from looking down at my left shoulder as it was covered with wooden teeth marks, splinters and other scratches. It hurt like a motherfucker to move it, so I kept that to a minimum. Thankfully with my Air Force training, losing sleep wasn't that bothersome, but I had exerted a ton of energy last night and lost some blood, both of those are a recipe for bad consequences. While stroking Applejack's mane, I heard her snort instead of snore, indicating that she was ready to leave her slumber. I lightly brushed some hairs out of her eyes while she blinked several times and yawned.

"Mornin' Cougar," she said tiredly and stretched her body until she yelped from the pain in her leg.

"Just take it easy, you got bit pretty bad last night," I comforted her. Ever so carefully, Applejack stood up on all fours and popped her neck a few times.

"'N you didn't?" She finally asked me, leaning against the stone block for support, "yer lucky that Timberwolf didn't take yer whole leg off or bite yer arm into little pieces last night," she exclaimed. She had a point there, but I really didn't care. The wolf was dead, and we were safe, for the most part anyways. Bracing my right arm on the stone block, I boosted myself off the ground and laid against the block as huge vibrations of pain shot through my left shoulder and right leg. Applejack gasped as she stared at my shoulder in the full light of the morning sun. "C-Cougar, yer-yer collar bone is broken!" She screeched. I looked down at my shoulder and indeed saw a huge bulge of my collar bone threatening to burst from my skin like Joe Theismann's leg bone. Gathering up the courage, I felt the jutting bone with my right hand, seeing if it was truly broken.

"No, it's just out of socket," I replied and started putting pressure on the bone. "GAH!" I screamed in pain and collapsed on top of the block. My breathing was coming out in rapid spurts like a three burst machine gun. The pain was unbearable; I wished that I had lost my arm instead of having a collar bone out of place.

"Careful!" Applejack warned as she patted my back. Sweat began to protrude from my forehead as my body reacted to the pain, "yer not a doctor; don't go tryin' ta fix yer broken bones!" The orange mare lectured me.

"Fine," I held up my right hand, "just let me try to think about how we can get back to Ponyville in our conditions; we still need medical attention," I added. Applejack begrudgingly rolled her eyes and laid her head next to mine on the stone slab.

"You're fairly warm by the way Cougar," she said out of nowhere, causing me to halt my thinking if only for a brief moment.

"Thank you," I replied, trying to hide my confusion so I wouldn't offend her. "Sorry if I scared you last night from my war cry, I don't know why; it just came over me," I explained.

"Eh, that's fine, Ah've jest never seen anypony take out a Timberwolf like that before, let alone TWO 'o them!" The mare exclaimed. I said nothing in reply, feeling like crap more and more as I went on without receiving medical attention.

"Sorry about your hat," I pointed out, trying to not relieve what I had done the night before. Her emerald eyes drifted upwards to her empty head before she chuckled.

"Ah don't give a damn Cougar, Ah've got dozens 'o them back at home," she chuckled. "Sorry 'bout you losin' yer shirt and yer other shirt and the rest 'o yer clothes in yer duffel bag," she apologized.

"As long as I have my pants, I'll be fine," I replied with a smirk.

"Maybe Rarity can make ya sum new shirts," AJ said. I was about to reply when the Castle doors burst open to reveal ponies with bat ears and bat wings?

"Your highness, they're in the foyer!" One of the bat-like ponies announced. All at once, I saw Rarity, Luna and Twilight appear in a light of blue magic in front of myself and Applejack.

"Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed and hugged her friend.

"Cougar, are you okay?" Luna tried to hug me, but I yelped and grimace in pain. "I'm sorry for hurting you Cougar," she instantly apologized.

"No, it's okay," I seethed through the pain and held my right arm around Luna's torso. Both of Luna's guards picked up AJ and supported her on their backs as they escorted us back to Luna's silver and blue chariot.

"Oh my Celestia Applejack, what happened to your leg?" Twilight asked as she spotted my ripped up shirt tied around Applejack's rear leg. The guards eased Applejack into the back seat of the chariot as Luna levitated myself to sit down next to the Orange Mare.

"A Timberwolf done bit mah leg pretty darn hard last night. Cougar here tore off his shirt to tie around the wound," Applejack explained. Twilight sat next to me as Rarity and Luna took the front seat and the guards hooked up to the front of the chariot.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Rarity asked me and attempted to suppress a gag at the protrusion of my collar bone. Twilight's magic held me down as the chariot lurched forward.

"Timberwolf bit into my shoulder, though I didn't realize my collar bone was busted until this morning," I replied and laid back against the seat. We were finally airborne and heading back to the royal infirmary at Canterlot Castle.

"So, how did you manage to kill a Timberwolf?" Twilight finally asked me, "nopony has ever actually killed one, they've only managed to demolish it and run," she explained. My head laid back against the top of my seat, hanging upside down with my eyes staring up at the blue sky above. I gulped, fearing that I would eventually have to explain that I used my pistol; then I realized that even though I lost my gun in the river, somepony could find it and potentially hurt themselves!

"Well, I uh tried to use my combat knife to stab them, but I dropped it in the river," I began, "so after Applejack and I climbed from the frigid water, I picked up a rock and bashed it against the chest of one of them and ripped its heart out," I explained. Everypony except the guards pulling the chariot and Applejack sat still inside the chariot, only breathing and contemplating what I had just informed them of.

"Seems a bit excessive don't you think Cougar?" Luna asked me as she turned around in her seat. Before I could say anything else, Applejack spoke up in my defense.

"That buckin' varmint woulda killed the both 'o us if Cougar hadn't done that," she defended me, "after losin' his knife, he didn't have much of a choice," she added.

"Okay, but that's just one Timberwolf, how did you kill the other one? We didn't find anything except a small cylindrical metal shell thing," Twilight chimed in. My eyes widened at the description of the bullet casing that they had found. 'You're Screwed Now' I thought to myself. Even AJ was looking at me funny, awaiting my answer.

"Yeah," Applejack cut in, "what was that loud weapon ya used last night?" The mare asked me. I was afraid to bring myself to explain what my gun was. Slowly lifting my head up from the head rest, I was met with eight piercing eyes boring into me. The sound of the bat pegasi wings flapping agains the air seemed to make the situation more uncomfortable.

"Cougar, just please tell us," Luna asked me kindly. Looking around, everypony had a reassuring look in their eyes, even Rarity had a friendly and understanding look. Sighing in defeat, I tried to sit up from my slouching position, but that only caused pain to vibrate throughout my leg and shoulder. I suddenly felt a warmth spread through my body as a dark blue aura flashed around me from Luna's horn. Instantly I felt the pain soothe and go away, almost like I was just injected with a five gallon bucket of novocaine. "It's only temporary, so take it easy," the alicorn of the moon warned.

"Thanks," I breathed out as I felt much better, though my injuries still remained. "Do you guys have cannons here?" I asked them.

"Yeah, they're all around the perimeter of Canterlot Caste as a means of defense, why do you ask?" Twilight asked me. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I finally revealed what my gun was.

"That's what I used last night to kill the Timberwolf. It's sort of like a miniature version of a cannon that is handheld and much more portable," I explained, "it's great for self defense in the right hands, or hooves."

"Okay, but how come Ah never saw this 'gun' before?" Applejack air quoted with her hooves, "why were ya hidin' it from us?" She questioned me.

"Because I was afraid how you guys would react to me having a dangerous and deadly weapon with me," I explained, "I had to have it in my survival pack in case I was shot down over enemy lines as a means of defense." Twilight and Rarity said nothing as their faces contemplated the sound of a portable cannon.

"That sounds really dangerous Cougar, why would your species invent a way to make the cannon even deadlier? Was crime that rampant in your world?" The purple alicorn asked me. I was extremely thankful that the chariot lurched to a stop as we had landed at the castle.

"Your highness, we have arrived," one of the guards informed his princess. Almost immediately, the novocaine spell wore off and Applejack and I found ourselves being lowered onto stretchers.

---

(In the Hospital. Cougar's POV)

"Ah, back again are we Cougar?" Nurse Candy Striper joked with me as Applejack and I were wheeled into the same room as Rainbow Dash. "Oh my, what on Celestia's good name happened to you?" the nurse asked me as she checked myself and AJ over.

"Yeah, you looked like shit Cougar," Rainbow chimed in, noting my swollen lip, blackened eye, deep gashed leg and protruding collar bone.

"Let me offer you a wing and a prayer," I flicked her the bird with the middle finger on my right hand. The cyan pegasus' face scowled at me as she flipped onto her side with her back facing myself and Applejack. Before either of us knew it, Celestia appeared in a flash of white and gold light, her face showing worry for the both of us.

"Oh my, are you two okay?" The Celestia being asked Applejack while Doctor Needle hooked the mare up to an IV machine and took the makeshift bandage off her hind leg. The doctor threw my piece of shirt away into a bio-hazard safe trash bin and started to rinse out Applejack's wound with water, but thankfully I couldn't see any puss or any sign of an infection.

"Other than getting mauled by evil tree branches, I'm doing fine," I said while Doctor Scope checked my eyes and heart rate. He then trotted over to get a rag and wash some of the dirt off my forehead so he could clean the gash left over from the claws.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you two; how did you escape a Timberwolf attack of this magnitude?" The princess asked me.

"Cougar saved the day," Applejack cut in, "he did what he had to do and saved me," she gave a weak smile as the the exhaustion from the previous day was still high. Celestia placed a Gentle hoof on my good shoulder and pecked my now clean forehead with her lips. I froze, not moving from the shock of getting a kiss from Princess Celesita.

"Thank you Cougar for showing bravery in a time of uncertainty and for putting your friend's life before yours, you truly are a good man," Celesita said to me and gave me some space.

"I-It's my honor to do the right thing," I replied and reeled back from the forehead kiss. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Luna, Rarity, Twilight, Soarin', Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

"Rainbow!" Soarin' exclaimed in fear and rushed to his mare friend's side.

"Hey guys!" Applejack tried to exclaim, but the the IV fluid was making her sleepy.

"Ohmygosh!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, "Twilight and Rarity told us that you and Cougar were attacked by a pair of Timberwolves and Fluttershy and I were all Nuh-Uh! And Twilight and Rarity were all Totally!" The party pony talked a million miles a minute. "Did you wear a mustache to disguise yourselves?" She asked me.

"No, what the fuck would a mustache have done?" I replied in shock.

"Well duh, a mustache will make the Timberwolf think you're not you so he'd leave you alone! Basic trickery 101 Cougar!" Pinkie Pie bragged. I rolled my eyes and looked at Fluttershy and remembered that she loves animals.

"I can't believe you survived an attack like this," Fluttershy said in her meek voice.

"Look Fluttershy, I'm sorry I had to-" I began before the butter colored pegasus put her hoof to my mouth. I braced for a slap or a punch or something from her, but I didn't predict her to forgive me.

"It's fine Cougar, the Timberwolf is one animal that even I can't fully train. And while I normally berate somepony for even harming an innocent animal, I understand the situation you were in called for drastic measures; I don't blame you," Fluttershy said with a weak smile and patted my head. Our friendly moment was interrupted by the doctor peering into my eyes for a second time.

"Your eyes are completely blood shot, have you been getting sleep lately?" Doctor Scope put away his mini flashlight.

"Yeah, but I just had to stay up all night to make sure nothing else attacked myself or Applejack," I explained.

"Well, you're suffering from exhaustion right now, but that's completely normal considering you did lose a fair amount of blood, but not enough to raise alarm," he assured me, "you just need to get some sleep for now and we'll fix up your wounds for you," the doctor said.

"Is Applejack going to be okay?" I asked.

"Oh of course!" Doctor Needle replied from Applejack's bed, "she just got a cut on her leg that'll heal soon enough, but you my good friend have a bit of a recovery night. We can put your collar bone back into place, but we need to keep you under over night observation," he explained, "but other than your collar bone, everything can be fixed in a jiffy." I rested my head on my pillow and stared up at the white ceiling above me. I looked over at Applejack whom gave a wave to me.

"Ah'd do what the doctor says Cougar," she told me, "you've done worked yourself hard the past few weeks, rest yerself," AJ said.

"I shall watch over your dreams Cougar, now sleep," Luna's horn touched my forehead and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up.

---

(Hospital Room, 3rd Person POV)

"Alright then, now we can get to work," Doctor Scope announced as Cougar drifted off thanks to Princess Luna. Using his magic, Doctor Scope levitated a syringe of novocaine over to Cougar's shoulder and injected the numbing agent. "Anypony with a weak stomach, look away," He forewarned. Rarity and Fluttershy disappeared from the room while Celestia decided to have a chat with Twilight. Applejack, Soarin, Rainbow and Pinkie Pie all peered over to see what Doctors Needle and Scope were about to do.

"Careful now," Doctor Needle warned as the two doctors held Cougar's sleeping body down and shoved his collar bone back into socket.

"NEAT!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Soarin, Rainbow and Applejack grimaced, but held down their stomachs. There was sort of a popping noise as the doctors kept moving around the bone until it settled back into place. The two doctors then took put a small tube of ointment and rubbed it over the human's eye to get the swelling down.

"Well, his gashes on his leg aren't as bad as I thought, but they still require some stitches," Doctor Scope commented as he brought out the needle and stitches.

"Right, I'll check out his throat, normal procedure," Dr. Needle replied as he cleaned off his glasses and peered into Cougar's mouth with a flashlight. "Uh-oh," he said and dropped the flashlight on Cougar's chest.

"What's up doc?" Soarin' questioned. The light blue pegasus and Pinkie Pie approached Dr. Needle to see what the problem was.

"I was just checking up on his throat to check for any soreness or redness, but I discovered something peculiar about his teeth," the doctor explained.

"Is there sumthin' wrong Doctor?" Applejack tried to see what he was talking about. Dr. Needle breathed in and flicked his flashlight back on to show the other ponies what he found.

"See, our teeth are more flat and rounded for eating fruits and vegetables," he began to explain.

"And Candy!" Pinkie Pie munched on a chocolate bar.

"But here, his teeth are more pointed and narrow, but in the back they are wider and more dense, these are called canine teeth, they are specifically made for one thing: ripping and tearing flesh," he announced. Everypony in the room froze at the statement. Princess Celesita walked over to see what the Doctor was referring to.

"So, he eats meat in other words?" The princess asked cautiously.

"I'm afraid so your highness, this man is a carnivore or an omnivore if he's been eating vegetables and fruits," Dr. Scope cut in for Dr. Needle.

"Yeah, he's been eatin' those, but he never done told me 'bout eatin' meat," Applejack narrowed her eyes at Cougar. Twilight gasped at the thought of somepony lying to Applejack.

"You mean, he said his species doesn't eat meat?" Twilight asked.

"Granny Smith asked him whut he eats 'n he said fruits, vegetables 'n bread," Applejack replied, "Ah can't believe he lied to me and Ah couldn't sense thu lie," AJ looked down upon herself. Pinkie Pie gasped and grabbed Applejack's head.

"If you couldn't sense a lie, then that must mean you're not Applejack at ALL!" She screeched and started to try to pull Applejack's 'mask' off her head. "Reveal yourself you body snatcher! Or maybe you're a changeling!" Pinkie started to shake AJ's body.

"GET OFF ME!" Applejack used her good leg to kick Pinkie Pie away.

"Yep, that's Applejack alright," Pinkie groaned in pain. Dr. Scope concluded sewing up Cougar's gashes and set his lab coat on the coat rack.

"Well, all he needs now is to keep resting and he should be fine, other than-" He cut himself off and left the room.

"I must say I am disappointed that Cougar didn't tell the truth about his species' eating habits, although I think that can be overlooked, he should know that lying is wrong," Princess Celestia announced.

"Well Princess, Ah'm gonna let him know that lyin' is wrong when he wakes up, you can count on that!" Applejack promised.

---

(Four hours Later. Cougar's POV)

I groaned as I woke up, feeling so much better after my nap. "Nice," I commented as I could finally move my arm around again, though I couldn't feel it, perhaps it was from novocaine or something.

"Mornin' Mr. Liar," Applejack cut in as I groggily wiped my eyes.

"What?" I asked her, "did I do something wrong?" Her emerald eyes glared at me as she sat up from her bed, an IV tube to longer attached as her gash was sewn up.

"How could you lie ta me Cougar? You said your kind doesn't eat meat, but the doctor done said yer teeth were specifically designed fer rippin' 'n tearin' meat apart," she growled at me. 'Oh fuck,' I thought to myself as Applejack towered above me.

"Like before, I didn't want to scare you and your family by telling you I eat meat, how would Big Mac or Granny Smith have reacted? What about Applebloom? She wouldn't be my friend would she?" I asked.

"We woulda been shocked at first Cougar, but with how you respectful you've been with us, we would've ignored that fact and accepted you fer who you are," AJ exclaimed.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have been so accepting had I told you I eat cows knowing that they talk to me when I milk them, would you have kept that secret from them?" I retorted. "I'm sorry, I like meat, it's in my nature, but I was willing to eat only what you ponies eat as vegetables just to keep you guys from being more afraid of me," I explained.

"Be that as it may Cougar, thu fact is that you still lied ta me, a fact that's hard fer me to swallow considerin' how close you are to me 'n mah family now, that you started the relationship with Granny Smith based on a lie," Applejack turned away from me.

"Look Applejack, I'm sorry I lied, but I just didn't want you guys to be scared of me."

"Ah know yer sorry, but Ah'm not ready to accept yer apology yet Cougar, Ah'll see ya around once yer out of the hospital," Applejack limped out of the room. I sighed sadly and laid my head down on my pillow.

"Rough Dude," Soarin' said out of the blue, "so you don't eat meat anymore?" He asked.

"No, I haven't eaten meat since I got here, besides, where would I have gotten meat to eat around here?" I questioned. He nodded, accepting my point as he stared down at Rainbow's sleeping form as her wing healed.

"Soarin' I don't suppose you'd be willing to get Princess Luna would you?" I asked him. The pegasus looked up from his mare friend and nodded at me.

"Sure thing; even though I know you eat meat now, I know you won't eat us," he said.

"Trust me, that was illegal where I came from," I proved his point as he left me with a sleeping Rainbow in an otherwise empty room. Feeling thirsty, I reached down and grabbed a glass of water and brought it up to my mouth when a new voice startled me.

"We haven't even been properly introduced and you're already wanting to kiss me?" A male and teasing voice asked me. I looked around the room, checking for wherever the voice could be coming from. "Down here," the voice said again. I looked down to see a pair of yellow eyes in the water glass looking back at me.

"AHH!" I screamed and chucked the glass against the wall. The water sopped onto the floor with the yellow eyes floating in the liquid. The water suddenly turned brown and the eyes stopped floating as the water materialized into what looked like the spawn of Satan himself.

"Now, now, isn't chucking a new friend against the wall kind of mean," the goateed creature asked me. He had what appeared to be a deer antler and gazelle or antelope horn, a lion's paw, an eagle talon, a bat wing and falcon wing with a pony leg and dragon leg and dragon tail.

"What the fuck are you?" I demanded.

"Oh excuse me where are my manners? Probably where you left yours when you threw me at the wall," the creature teased. "I am a draconequus, and my name is Discord, hence why I look the way I do," he explained.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, "you look like something Ozzy Osbourne smoked and shat out," I replied.

"Now that is a little rude wouldn't you say?" Discord put on a sad face and pouted his lips while twirling his tail in his hands. I almost felt bad before he snapped his fingers and I found myself floating upside down above my bed. "Now, I've heard so little about you 'Cougar'," he air quoted, "so tell me a little about yourself," he snapped his fingers again and had on a school girl's outfit and laid down on his own bed with he legs crossed and his head propped up by his fists.

"I'm a human that was in the Air Force, that's all I'm telling you," I crossed my arms as he lowered me back onto my bed.

"Aww pish posh, that can't be all! I heard you killed not one, not three, but TWO Timberwolves!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke only to reappear holding a spear and dressed as Muldoon from Jurassic Park, "you must teach me how to hunt like that," he threw the spear at Rainbow, but said spear turned into silly string and covered the sleeping Pegasus.

"I had no choice, they would've killed me and Applejack; I acted in self defense," I replied. Suddenly, Discord appeared in small form on the bridge of my nose back without any costuming.

"Ah yes, you and little Applejack, I must say you two make more of an interesting and weird couple than Rarity and Twilight's little dinosaur friend," the draconequus teased and got up right in front of my eye.

"Forget that! We're just friends alright? We don't have any 'feelings' for each other and she's pretty pissed off at me," I said solemnly. Discord turned to his regular size again and leaned his arm against my head.

"Right, the whole lying is wrong thing really hurt the element of honest, there's a shock," Discored hit my forehead with a joy buzzer and shocked me.

"Fucking bitch!" I screeched and rubbed my head.

"Hey, do I look like a girl dog to you?" He asked as he appeared as Lassie. "Anyway," Discord changed back to his regular form yet again, "being the spirit of chaos is fun of course, but even I know that lying is wrong because the little white lie can grow and grow until it comes back and splats all over your face," a cream pie suddenly hit my face. I wiped it off and clenched my teeth as I wanted to murder this guy. "Though you technically didn't lie from what I heard," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Discord groaned as he transformed into a sherlock holmes draconequus complete with a pipe and started smoking it.

"You never really lied to Applejack, you just kept the whole truth from her, and although it's a pretty bad thing to do, you never truly lied to her," he explained and then gobbled up the pipe. I contemplated his words, and soon discovered he was actually right.

"Well, how am I going to convince Applejack to forgive me?" I asked Discord.

"That shouldn't be too hard now should it?" The hodgepodge creature asked me, "just promise her that you won't lie to her ever again and case closed," He violently shut a brief case closed.

"But everypony has to lie eventually," I pointed out, "I don't want to lie to her about lying!"

"If you're so bent up about being 'honorable' and 'doing the right thing' then I suggest-" he started before a digital tone went off, "oh would you look at the time, I'm late for a tea party at Fluttershy's cottage, ta-ta now Cougar!" Discord tipped a top hat and walked out of the room, leaving me to think about how re-gain Applejack's trust.

End Chapter IX

---

Okay, writing Discord is a ton of fun! I hope I can use him again sometime in future chapters! Please review everypony! Next Chapter, the Summer Sun Celebration!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter X: The Journey Home

---

(Hospital Room. Cougar's POV)

Despite being hung upside down for a mere few seconds was the worst thing Discord did to me, I still felt uncomfortable after our little meeting. What was next? A surprise musical number from Pinkie? Scratch that, I'll take Discord's treatment over Pinkie Pie's. And thanks to that hodgepodge that Mother Nature spat out, I was still thirsty and had nothing to drink, just great. My head smacked onto my pillow as I grumpily laid back down on my hospital bed, secretly wishing that Rainbow wasn't sleeping. Then, there was a soft knock on the door that garnered my attention. Slowly the door opened to reveal Soarin' and Luna trotting inside the room.

"Found her for ya Coug," Soarin exclaimed and sat down on his stool next to Rainbow Dash, "wasn't too hard," he added, "she was just in the kitchen grabbing a small bite to eat," he explained. Luna floated a bag of what looked like ordinary corn chips up to me.

"Would you like some Cougar?" She offered while two chips floated out of the plastic bag and one floated towards me and the other into Luna's awaiting muzzle. She used her magic to shake the bag a few times, tempting me to take a chip or two.

"No thanks, I'm more thirsty than hungry," I politely shoved the bag of chips back towards the midnight blue alicorn. Luna shrugged and then poured the rest of the chips down her muzzle and tossed the empty bag like a basket ball into the nearest trash bin. After wiping her muzzle of crumbs, she produced a six pack of Marwaukee Brew and levitated it in front of my face.

"Then how about a drink if you are indeed that thirsty?" She winked at me. How could I resist that offer? Even though I'm not an alcoholic, who wouldn't pass up a cold one after what I went through?

"Sure, why not?" I joked and grabbed a cold can from her magic aura and popped the top. "Soarin' you want one?" I offered up and took a second can from the six pack rings. The Wonderbolt rested his stool on all four legs and leaned forward with his right hoof.

"Buck yeah, toss one over Cougar!" He exclaimed excitedly. I smirked and tossed over the second can which Soarin' caught in his mouth and popped the top off to start drinking it. Luna then let out a much softer belch than her one the other night and wiped her mouth from the foam.

"Much better," Luna began, "now, what did you need to talk to me about Cougar? Is it about your lie to Applejack?" She asked me. My eyes widened and I ceased drinking the beer. Save for the beeping of the hospital machines, things became silent. Even Soarin' stopped sipping his beer that I gave him.

"Woah Luna, how did you find out? I never said anything about it," The Wonderbolt Captain said, flabbergasted. The alicorn in question simply rolled her eyes and chucked her empty can into the rubbish bin across the room.

"Even though I watch over dreams as I did with you Cougar," she pointed her hoof towards me, "I can still sense conversations in the real world, hence how I knew Sweetie Belle was going to save Rarity's hat from falling apart not too long ago," she explained and used her magic to pull up her own chair. She cracked open a second beer and sipped it but grimaced slightly as the liquid flowed into her muzzle. "Hmm, not cold enough," she stated and the can was suddenly surrounded in her whitish aura. The can now looked as if it had been in an ice chest for a day or two and cold steam slowly swirled out of the aluminum can. "Ahh, that hits the spot," she wiped her mouth. "Now, back to the matter at hand, what is on your mind?" Luna crossed her legs and rested her head on here foreleg.

"Well, it's actually two things Luna," I sighed in defeat and set my can on the nightstand adjacent to my bed, though I didn't say anything else for a minute. "First thing is yes I did sort of lie to Applejack, though Discord of all, whatever the fuck he is, told me that all I did was hide the whole the truth instead of lying."

"Which can be just as bad Coug," Soarin' took a slow sip of his beer, "I mean, I've been given the shit end of the stick a ton in the Wonerbolts," he added.

"Yes, I've witnessed several of those events Soarin', but you've proven yourself to be a fantastic Captain," Luna replied to the Wonderbolt. The pegasus set his beer can down on the floor and tilted his stool back.

"And what happened to you if you're the Captain? I mean, you didn't throw the ponies that hid the truth from you into the stockade or the pit for lying?" I asked.

"No, no, I've only been the Captain for a month, but before then I was the co-captain and the other captain hid the truth and lied to me several times for half a decade until her most recent ploy got her ass thrown in the dungeon," Soarin' explained. The anger inside me rose; I couldn't bear the thought of a Captain or my own CO lying to myself or the rest of my squadron for his own personal gain.

"I'd love to get my hands on that bastard and ring his neck," I commented and angrily sipped my beer.

"Spitfire was a girl," Sparin replied as he finished his beer. I was set to reply when Luna cut off our conversation.

"IF we can get back to the matter at hoof," she said in a louder voice, "Cougar, I think what you did was both bad and good. Yes, you kept the whole truth locked away in the dark from your friends, but at the same time, you were trying to keep them from becoming frightened of you and fearing for their own lives, I would say you are definitely, uh," Luna tried to come up with a good euphemism for me.

"Up shit creek without a paddle," I said for her.

"I was going to say stuck between a rock and a pickle, but yours works too," she sipped her beer again. Soarin' and I exchanged quick and confused glances at Luna's accidental mashup of two euphemisms. "Anyway, I do believe that once you apologize, she'll forgive you since you saved her life and have been a good friend to her for a month now," Luna attempted to cheer up my demeanor.

"Except for the fact that my relationship with her family was started off a lie basically," I countered and took another drink of my beer, the can now becoming lighter and lighter. Soarin' set his stool down on the tiled floor and crossed his forelegs together.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Coug, like you said, you just wanted to keep them from getting scared of you, I'd say that's pretty friendly," he reassured me.

"Okay, let's say I go right after this hospital visit to talk to Applejack about it, she already knows I'm sorry and she won't accept my apology yet. I don't want to be that one guy who begs for his friend to forgive him and be all cliched by saying I'll do anything for her to forgive me, and plus that'd make me sound like I'm trying to get a girlfriend back," I threw in.

"So, how are you going to get her trust and forgiveness back Cougar?" Luna curiously placed her elbows on her knees and chin on her hooves. Boy being original is harder than I thought.

"I don't know; I've gotta come up with something by tomorrow at least so she can know I'm really sorry and not putting on a show," I explained. The Wonerbolt and the Princess both nodded their heads at me, yet said nothing for a good while.

"And there was a second thing you wanted to talk to me about Cougar?" Luna asked me.

"Oh right. Well, I lost my gun that I used to kill one of the Timberwolves and it fell into the river. I'm afraid that somepony could find it and accidentally hurt themselves or somepony around them," I said. Luna stood up from her chair and tucked the remaining two cans of Marewaukee Brew into her mane.

"I shall have the Elements and several royal guards stationed near water ports to be on the look out for a miniature looking cannon and if we find it, it shall be returned to you Cougar, you have my word," Luna bowed. Her magic aura surround the door knob and opened the door, yet she stopped halfway out of the door. "Oh and one more thing Cougar, you may want to talk to Rarity about making you some new duds since you lost a good majority of yours," the Princess of the Night bid farewell and trotted outside of the hospital room.

"Oh man, did the Timberwolves rip all your clothes up Cougar?" Soarin' asked me.

"Something like that," I replied, pissed that I only had my cargo pants and my flight suit left as reasonable clothing, though in this heat, my flight suit would be out of the question.

"At least it's not Wintertime," The pegasus cheerfully said, "I'm sure nopony will mind if you don't wear a shirt; most ponies don't wear clothes at all unless they're at a huge event like the Grand Galloping Gala," he explained to me.

"The fuck is that, a masquerade party?" I replied.

"Not really, it's for Canterlot's most elite and sophisticated ponies to gather with Princess Celestia and Luna in the Fall. The Wonderbolts get invited every year and it's always a blast, for most of us anyway," he said. "And this is the first year Dashie is invited as a Wonderbolt, this is gonna be the best Gala ever!" He declared. My eyes went to automatic roll at his nickname for Rainbow, though I gotta admit, they are perfect for one another. Suddenly, Rainbow let out a mighty yawn and sat up in her bed, scratching her back.

"I think butt is making its own imprint on this bed, I gotta get outta here!" Rainbow complained and stretched out her wings, but she didn't wince or cry out in pain. "Yes! I can get back in the air in no time-" she started celebrating, but stopped when she saw Soarin's crumpled up beer can in the trash bin. "Did you guys have beer?" She asked us.

"Yeah, Luna brought some by for us and we shot the breeze," I replied while scratching my ear.

"Well, is there any left?" Rainbow asked hopefully.

"No, Princess Luna took the last two cans back with her," Soarin' explained. Rainbow's face scowled at Soarin' and myself and she crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and laid back down with a pout.

"And nopony bothered to wake me up to give me one?"

"Sorry Dashie, you were asleep," Soarin' apologized. Before Rainbow could retort, the door to the room opened up and the whole gang minus Luna, Celestia and Fluttershy trotted inside.

"Rainbow, you're awake!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, blew a noisemaker and quickly tied a Rainbow colored balloon to Rainbow's foreleg.

"Is your wing feeling better Darling?" Rarity's fake accent asked. Rainbow's demeanor brightened as her friends surrounded her hospital bed. I was actually glad more of our friends came in the room, things were starting to feel a little gloomy in here.

"My wings feeling awesome! If the doc'll let me go soon you can count on a Sonic Rainboom as we leave Canterlot!" The adrenaline junkie announced. Twilight rolled her eyes like me and patted Rainbow's back.

"At least your spirit isn't damaged," Twilight joked. I took notice of the fact that Applejack didn't even glance my way, though I completely understood why. At least Pinkie came by after a few minutes of chatting with Rainbow.

"So, how's the hero patient doing?" She grinned widely and handed me a cupcake, "You deserve the best tasting cupcake in all of Equestria for saving Applejack's, Rainbow's and Rarity's lives Cougar!" She patted my head like an owner to a cat or a dog. "And Gummy is even proud of you too!" The baby alligator was laid onto my stomach where he proceeded to try and bite me.

"Wow, this is pretty delicious Pinkie Pie," I said after eating the whole cupcake and petting her alligator.

"I made it using the Cakes' special ingredient that makes them oh so special!" She whispered loudly in my ear.

"Well, thanks Pinkie," I replied and scratched behind her ear as a thank you which she enjoyed, a lot.

"Ooooh right there, that hits the spot!" Her rear leg started to kick up and down on the floor. Smirking, I stopped scratching her ear and handed her pet back to her.

"Hey Pinkie, I noticed you've stopped trying to beg my forgiveness for the incident at the lake, any reason why?" I asked her. I was actually wondering why she stopped; she didn't seem like the kind of pony to just up and quit something.

"Oh, well I was planning on slipping you a cupcake with sleeping pills, throw you in a burlap sack and bring you to Sugar Cube Corner to throw you an 'I'm Sorry Party'," she began before I cut her off.

"Wait, you were going to drug me and kidnap me!?" I asked in a fearful tone.

"Details, details," Pinkie Pie shrugged, "anyway, then I began to think, what if me asking you over and over again would just drive you away from our friendship since it was brand new? Heck, I would've pressed on if I did that to one of my other friends and wanted their forgiveness, so I decided to do something different, I just let you be and I continued doing what I do best, being Pinkie Pie!" She threw a foreleg around my neck and hugged me. A lightbulb went off over my head as I processed exactly what Pinkie Pie had told me.

"Pinkie, you're a genius," I whispered to her.

"Why does everypony keep saying that? I'm just a party pony and sometimes a chicken," the pink mare questioned, yet looked towards the wall. She then frowned at the wall and shook her head.

"Whatever Pinkie Pie," I said as she hopped her way back to Rainbow's bed, "hey Rarity, can I have a little chat with you please?" I called to the pearly white Unicorn with three diamonds on her flanks. Rarity adjusted her purple mane, turned around and trotted over to me. My fingers pressed down on the adjustment button for my bed so I could sit up more to be more polite to Rarity.

"What can I do for you Cougar for saving my life?" The sophisticated pony asked me.

"How'd you know I wanted a favor?" I replied curiously. Rarity playfully rolled her eyes and flicked up her mane.

"Oh Cougar, I know the face of many a pony who want a favor done by me, and your face is no exception, what with the furrowed eyebrows and darting eyes," she explained to me. Damn she's good at this.

"Alright, yes I do need a favor Rarity," I admitted, "could you please make me some new clothes? Thanks to those Timberwolves, I'm only down to my Cargo shorts and my Drive to End Hunger hat," I asked her politely. She raised her foreleg to tap her chin as she considered the proposal. "Hmm, I don't know Cougar, I don't even have a mannequin that looks like you, and I don't have your ahem, measurements," she explained.

"Look, for the summer, I may not mind not having a shirt with all the work I'm doing at Sweet Apple Acres, but come winter time, I will need some more protection, and from what I hear you're the best pony for the job," I asked, but did not beg her. "Come on, it's only maybe a few T-shirts and new jeans, that's all I'll need until the snow starts to fall."

"I-I don't know Cougar, this would be something extremely new and challenging for me," she paced around the foot of my bed, studying my figure. "I mean I've created costumes for other creatures, but none quite like you. It would be a complete and total experiment." Great, now I'm going to have to persuade her.

"Think of it like that then Rarity. You'll be the first and ONLY pony to ever design for a human." Her eyes lit up at that statement. "Your designs for me will go down in history as some of the most important pieces of fashion memorabilia of all time. Think of all the jealousy from rival designers and all the notoriety you'll gain," I did my best to persuade her. She bit down on her bottom lip to contain her excitement as she began to tremble at the endless possibilities this could take her career into.

"Meet me at my boutique at 2:00 'o clock sharp tomorrow Cougar! We'll take the fashion world by storm!" She rubbed her hooves together and trotted merrily back to the rest of the group.

"What, have I created?" I softly rubbed my temples.

---

(Train Ride. Several Hours later. Cougar's POV)

After finally getting the clearance from the doctors, Rainbow and I literally ran out of the Royal Infirmary. "Oh it feels good to stretch!" Rainbow stretched out and popped her cyan wings above me. "I swear I am NOT going back into a hospital bed unless my wings are cut off!" She swore and did a few loops in the air.

"How do you keep up with that?" I whispered to Soarin' and nudged his shoulder as we boarded our Train. The pegasus smirked at me and nudged me back.

"I got may ways, but I'd do anything for my Dashie," Soarin' replied with a warming smile as Rainbow landed in front of us and took the first empty compartment she saw. Not trying to make fun of Fluttershy, but since she had already left earlier to tend for her animals and have a tea party with Discord, the compartment was a little roomier than the last time we all rode the train.

"Window seat, I call window seat!" Pinkie Pie shoved Twilight out of the window seat. The alicorn grumbled in frustration but took her seat next to the compartment door. I took the seat next to Soarin' who was sitting next to Rainbow's door seat, but Applejack sat across from me, rather than next to me like last time. Rarity sat next to me instead, which I was fine with. Luna's moon was just starting to peak over the horizon as the engineer blew the rain whistle and the train lurched forward. I let out a little yawn as I stretched my back again and leaned back against the wall of the compartment.

"Twi," Applejack began, "are we gonna be ready for thu Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow? Ah'm sure sum 'o the ponies back home started on decoratin', but there may still be sum things ta take care of," the southern mare asked the Princess.

"Well luckily for us, I've already begun a preparations check list," she bragged and brought up a large check list for us to read, "and a checklist for that checklist," she boasted once more and used her magic to show us the second check-list. I raised my hand in front of her like a student, to which she actually called on me. "Yes Cougar?"

"Yeah, is there a check box for us giving a crap about your second check list?" I asked in a smart-ass tone. Rainbow and Soarin' held their hooves to their mouths to stifle their laughter while Pinkie Pie giggled and held her belly, and Rarity just smirked. Twilight and Applejack on the other hand weren't so enthralled by my joke. Twilight zapped my face with her magic and I found my mouth zipped up with a zipper, but at least I could still breathe through my nose.

"Ya don't have ta be so damn rude Cougar," Applejack spat out and looked out the window. After a little struggle, I managed to unzip my mouth zipper and got it off my lips without ripping off any skin in the process.

"Sorry, I just think having a special check-list for another check list is a little redundant," I explained and tossed the mouth zipper onto the ground. Twilight huffed and flared her nostrils at me.

"You were in the military weren't you Cougar? I'm sure they made you guys double and triple check everything!" She pointed out. She got me there, I recalled being busted once in my rookie days for not double checking over the operating systems of my F-15, luckily nothing happened; the base commander berated me severely on the importance of double checking things.

"Yeah, but when we double and triple checked everything, we didn't make out new check lists for them, we put the double check check box on the same check list, it saves paper and our sanity," I retorted. "But I'm sorry for making fun of you," I extended out my hand. The Princess glared daggers at me, but she reached out with her hoof and shook my hand.

"Apology accepted Cougar," she said with a forced smile. "By the way," she added, "did you have to submit any reports after flights or anything?" She asked me.

"Yeeeeesssss," I said slowly with a raised eyebrow.

"Like reports for accidents or if one of your fellow pilots had to make an emergency landing or if they were shot down?" She asked me. I suddenly had a Flashback of Reaper's F-16 Falcon engulfed in flames right before I blacked out and woke up in Equestria. "REAPER!" I heard Twilight's voice as a far away echo and I felt my body shaking violently.

"What!?" I replied with a shout and blinked several times to find myself still in the train compartment.

"You just froze there and were saying Reaper and No several times, is everything alright? Reaper was your best friend right?"

"No more questions," I glared down at the floor.

"Come now Twilight, the poor dear has been through enough the past 24 hours, I think he could use a little breathing room," Rarity cut in and patted my head.

"Thank you Rarity," I said quietly, trying again to repress the memory. But then, as if by a saving grace, a mare's voice called out in the hallway of the train.

"Anything from the snack kart? Anything from the snack kart?" The voice called out. My stomach rumbled slightly and I reached into my pants pocket to produce about five bits.

"Anypony want something to snack on?" I asked.

"Naw, I'm all set," Pinkie Pie grinned like the Joker again and held up half a dozen cupcakes.

"Actually, I could go for a soda and some cookies," Rainbow's mouth drooled.

"I second that!" Soarin' smiled.

"Not at the moment, but thank you for the offer Cougar," Rarity replied and opened up a fashion magazine.

"I wouldn't mind a fruit cup," Twilight licked her lips.

"Can do," I smiled and opened the compartment door. Unfortunately, the mare that was running the snack kart had a negative reaction to my presence. I tapped her on the shoulder and showed her that I have the money for snacks, but instead was replied with.

"What the buck is a hairless ape wandering around the train for, did you escape the zoo?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" I asked her, hoping that the clacking of the wheels on the tracks drowned out what she actually said.

"A hairless ape that talks? What kind of freak are you? DON'T TOUCH ME!" She scolded, "did that monster Luna give you the ability to talk so she could have some company?" Oh fuck no, she did not just say that.

"Don't you DARE, talk about my friend like that lady," I jabbed a finger in her chest. This bitch would've been the perfect mate for Blueblood.

"I'll say what I want, it's a free country."

"You have a monarchy dumbass," I replied. Now the compartment full of my friends heard the debate going on and poked their heads outside the doorway.

"What would you know two-legger? I don't serve freaks like you, now get out of my way so I can serve four-leggers," she hit me with her hoof across the jaw. Now, I know some folks might think I lost my temper and hit her back, but I didn't. Instead, Rainbow flew out of the compartment at full speed and knocked the mare onto her back.

"You say one more bucking racist thing to my friend here," she began.

"Or hit him," Pinkie Pie warned while Applejack pounded her right hoof into her left hoof and Twilight flared her wings.

"And we'll pound you into cream bucking corn!" Rainbow held the mare by her shoulders and shouted in her face.

"Oh the elements of Harmony and Princes Twilight!" The pony gushed, "this is your friend? I didn't know he was your friend, what can I serve you?" She asked as Rainbow let her off the ground.

"We don't want anything from you anymore madame," Rarity replied, "you are by far one of the most despicable and rude ponies I've ever met," she huffed and turned tail back into the compartment.

"What is your name?" Twilight asked the pony.

"Ladybug," she replied with a fake smile.

"Well then, I'm sure Princess Celestia and Luna will love to hear about how you not only assaulted my friend Cougar and acted like a racist towards him, but you also insulted Princess Luna and called her a monster," Twilight warned. Ladybug's eyes shrank and she cowered to the floor.

"N-no, p-please. I'm going to college and this was the only job I could get on the weekends!" She begged. Twilight smirked and stamped her hoof to make Ladybug stand up.

"Then I suggest you apologize to my friend here, take your little snack kart and zip up your bucking mouth, got it?" Twilight gritted her teeth. Woah, I've never taken Twilight to be a pony that swears, but I guess this just got under her skin enough.

"Y-yes Princess," Ladybug turned to me, "I'm sorry for acting racist towards you and hitting you," she apologized.

"Just get out of here," I replied. The pony grabbed ahold of her kart and quickly trotted to the next compartment.

"Cougar, are ya alright there?" Applejack asked me, "that was a mean right hook she gave ya across the jaw," she took a close look at where I was hit. "Twi, his jaw is startin' ta turn purple, do ya know any healin' magic?" Applejack questioned while we all sat back down in our seats.

"Hmm, there's one that I know of," Twilight replied and touched her horn to my jaw which was starting to turn sore. I seethed as she touched it a little too hard, but I didn't stop her. My jaw began to vibrate as her lavender aura surrounded my head and softly dissipated into the air and my jaw felt fine. I put my fingers on the spot where I was punched and applied pressure, only to find nothing.

"Thanks Twilight," I moved my lower jaw around. "I'm lucky I didn't lose any teeth; that was a pretty hard hit she gave me," I joked.

"We've still got another hour before we arrive in Ponyville, why don't we get some rest?" Rarity suggested as Luna's moon was now high in the sky.

"What? No, let's have a midnight train riding party!" Pinkie declared before slumping down and resting her head on the wall of the compartment, letting out small snores. Rarity's aura engulfed the light switch and flipped it down, killing the light of the compartment except for the glow of the moon. She too fell asleep, resting her head on her forelegs while Soarin' and Rainbow snuggled against each other. Twilight yawned and wrapped herself in her wings for a blanket.

"You tired Applejack?" I asked the southern mare.

"Sense we were in the hospital all day long, Ah ain't tired that much yet. Ah can wait till we git back home," she replied, staring out the window at the silhouetted landscape. "What about you Cougar?"

"Please, I was asleep practically all day; I think I can stay up for a little bit longer," I grinned. We both sat in silence for a good fifteen minutes, listening to the clacking of the train wheels and the whistle of the train itself before I opened my mouth again. "Applejack, can we talk for a bit?" I asked her.

"Depends on what that is Cougar," she turned to me. Thanks to the shadows of the night, only the lower half of her body was shown, her top half was hidden from the shadows, but I could still make out her emerald eyes in the darkness.

"I really just wanted to say I'm sorry again for lying to you," I said. Applejack sighed and trotted over to me and sat down next to me with her head hung low.

"Cougar, thu fact that you lied to me isn't what Ah'm upset about. Ah'm upset because ya lied to mah family. Especially little Apple Bloom, she's goin' through a tough time right now tryin' ta git her cutie mark; Ah don't think she'd appreciate thu fact that ya lied to her when ya first met," Applejack explained to me. I opened my mouth to reply, but Applejack had more to say, "'N then there's Big Mac, he already doesn't like ya very much 'N now he might even try ta run ya off our farm! 'N Granny Smith, she puts her trust in only a select few ponies, Ah don't know how she'll react, but Ah think she won't be very happy," Applejack scolded me.

"I wasn't proud of myself for that," I replied quietly. "It's just, every time I get friends, no matter what I do, I lose them," I felt my eyes begin to water and I wiped them with my thumb, but they would just get wetter every time I wiped them. It was strange, I could literally feel Applejack's disappointment vanish and comfort set in. Her hoof began to rub my bare back.

"What are you talkin' about Cougar?" She asked me softly. I sniffled and wiped my nose. I wasn't bawling, but manly tears were slipping out of my eyes.

"I swear, I have a curse or an omen set on me. Every time new friends enter my lives, they somehow find themselves out of my friendship. Like, when I was six, I had Reaper of course, but I also had another friend named Richard. The three of us were inseparable; a year later, he got Leukemia and had to leave for another town to get his treatment where died five months later. Then in eighth grade, I met a new friend name Greg who liked to hang out with me and Reaper, but his abusive Dad killed him in a drunken rage only a month after we met. And then Grizz, Tex and Boa, I only knew them for several years before-," I couldn't say anything more; more and more tears began to fall out of my eyes and I covered them with my hands. I choked a few times before saying one final thing, "th-that's why I l-lied to you and you-your family. I-I didn't want to lose a ft-friendship before it st-started," I clenched my eyes shut to keep more tears from falling. Applejack's hoof left my back, but I instantly felt the warmth of her orange fur against my torso as she hugged me.

"It's okay Cougar, Ah'm here fer ya," Applejack whispered and hugged me tighter. "Ah didn't mean ta snap at ya earlier."

"I'm just a b-bad fr-friend, you should just forget I ever existed Applejack, only bad things happen to my friends," I was able to speak without a sob interrupting.

"Now you stop that thinkin' right this instant Cougar," Applejack pushed me away and glared at me, "Ah ain't that shallow or selfish; Ah treasure our friendship, especially after you selflessly saved mah life and mah friends' lives and mah sister's. None of those bad incidents were yer fault, they were just unfortunate accidents," Applejack hugged me again.

"I still have a big apology to give," I wiped my wet eyes.

"Ya won't have ta give it alone, Ah'll give it with ya in case Big Mac has a negative reaction," she gave me the warmest smile I had ever seen in my life, even warmer than Celestia's or my mom's.

"Thank you," I hugged her in return.

"What're friends fer?" She asked me. I chuckled a bit as we sat close to each other. "What's so funny?" She questioned.

"This morning, you said I was pretty warm, but you're the one warming me up tonight," I smiled.

"Well, ya don't have a shirt anymore to cover ya, what time didja say Rarity was gonna meet with ya tomorrow?" She asked me.

"She said around 2:00 in the Afternoon after everypony helps with the Summer Sun Celebration decorating," I replied, "by the way, will you still be able to buck apples with your leg?" I asked curiously. AJ looked down at her right rear leg with all its stitching and wiggled it around.

"Ah still can, Ah jest have ta watch how many trees Ah buck in a day," she explained.

"So, what is the Summer Sun Celebration?" I asked her after not realizing what exactly the holiday was.

"It's to celebrate the longest day of the year fer us. Luna lowers the moon really early in the morning 'n Celestia raises the sun really early too. Everypony gathers 'round early in the mornin' jest to see it happen. After that, we have a big get together to celebrate both the moon 'n the sun 'cause the days start ta get shorter till the winter months," AJ explained to me.

"Sounds like fun to me," I grinned. "Do you want to come with me to Rarity's?" I offered up.

"No thanks, Ah've gotta get baked goods ready fer the celebration while everypony is decoratin'." she replied.

"Alright, how bad could getting a new set of clothes be?" I asked.

---

(After the train ride. 3rd Person POV)

"It's good to be home," Applejack trotted happily away front the train station and took a deep breath in of Ponyville air.

"I must agree, our simple little town may not be fancy like Canterlot, but the charm it has is second to none," Rarity adored how the town looked in the white light of the moon. Cougar adjusted his hat and wiped his hair down.

"Hey Rainbow, before you go, I lost my aviators back at the campsite, do you know where I can get a spare pair?" he asked the Wonderbolt. Rainbow thought for a minute until she realized she was in the Wonderbolt's for Celestia's sake!

"Yeah, I think Soarin' can scrounge you up a pair of official Wonderbolt Shades, right Soar?" Rainbow asked her boyfriend. Cougar turned to the pale blue pegasus with a raised eyebrow, the guy code for asking.

"Sure thing, I'll see if I can find a new pair for ya Coug," Soarin' told the Air Force pilot, "anyways, we've got training early tomorrow," Soarin' took a quick look at the local clock tower, "whaddya say we get back to the academy and catch some zees?" he asked Rainbow.

"I'm all for that Soarin'! I'll catch you guys tomorrow night for the celebration!" the dare devil called as she and Soarin' took off together into the dark blue night. Pinkie Pie also had to get up early and begin making snacks, so she headed back to Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Cougar stood at the Train Station for a few moments before heading off towards the Golden Oaks Castle so Rarity, AJ and Cougar could collect their respective fillies and catch some shut eye.

"Do you think our sisters are already asleep Twilight? Sweetie Belle does tend to get restless, especially since she has been here for whole night and day without us," Rarity asked the Princess of Friendship.

"Ah think they should be dozin' off by now," Applejack replied, "'N we shouldn't be worried. Spike may be jest a few years older than our sisters, but Ah know he'll do a good job takin' care 'o them, 'member how he took good care of our pets?" She pointed out.

"Oh I'm not worried about how Spike-Wikey took care of them, I'm just worried that Sweetie Belle will want to play a game or something when I take her home; I am not in the mood to stay up any longer than I have. I need my beauty sleep and my 100% total focus on making Cougar some new clothing," Rarity explained. The quartet turned a corner and found the castle looming in front of them.

"Well, here we are, I think I'll skip my book reading session tonight," Twilight chuckled and the door knob glowed with her lavender magic. The door swung open and Twilight gasped. "SPIIIIIIIIIIKE!" Her voice shouted into the castle.

"Kid's in some deep shit," Cougar said as Twilight marched over to Spike's sleeping body. His belly was distended and he had dried melted chocolate ice cream all over his face, belly and the floor surrounding him.

"Sweetie Belle! Did you eat like a little piggy!?" Rarity nudged her little sister who was surrounded by what Cougar believed to be vanilla ice cream.

"Applebloom, ya git up right now young missy," Applejack rolled Applebloom over onto her back. The yellow filly had both chocolate and vanilla ice cream splattered all over her face. The little purple dragon burped fire in shock and accidentally singed Twilight's eye lashes off her face.

"T-Twilight! What're you doing back so soon?" Spike fearfully asked whilst trying to hide the ice cream.

"We've been gone for a day! And I see you've helped yourself to all the ice cream in the castle after I specifically told you to leave all the ice cream alone mister!" The alicorn glared at the little dragon.

"What's gonna happen Twilight?" Spike gulped in fear.

"You're in BIG trouble mister," Twilight's magic cleaned up all the ice cream and yanked the dragon by his ear, "upstairs, bed, NOW! No comic books for a month!" Twilight scolded Spike and tossed him into his bed. Rarity, Applejack and Cougar gathered up Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo from the ground and hauled them outside.

"See you tomorrow Twilight!" Rarity called cheerfully as the six shut the door to the library.

"Wait a minute, who gets to scold Scootaloo?" Cougar asked, referencing the little pegasus that was still sleeping.

"Jest bring her to thu Farm Cougar, she can stay in Applebloom's room," AJ replied.

"Haven't I taught you better than to eat like a little piggy Sweetie Belle? Imagine the look on mother's face if she saw you scarfing down sweets like that!" Rarity berated her little sister. "We'll see you all tomorrow, especially you Cougar, my ticket to Fashion history!" Rarity waved her hoof. Cougar slung the sleeping Scootaloo over his right shoulder as Applejack and Applebloom began to walk back to their farm.

"So, didja have fun at Twilight's Applebloom?" AJ asked her sister. Applebloom looked down at the ground in shame, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Ah'm sorry Applejack," she replied.

"Don't be tellin' me yer sorry, ya best apologize to Twilight fer deliberately disobeyin' her instructions," the older mare said to her sister in a tone that wasn't angered, but held a tone of disappointment. "Yer grounded missy, Ah hope ya know that," Applejack added.

"F-from what Applejack?" Applebloom asked with fear.

"Ya can't do any Crusadin' business fer two weeks, understand?" The orange mare instructed.

"WHAT?! B-but how am Ah gonna earn mah Cutie Mark Applejack?" The little filly asked in desperation.

"It'll still come naturally little sis, but ya can't go and hang out with Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo startin' tomorrow afternoon, got it?" Applejack scolded.

"Cougar, ya gotta back me up, isn't that a little harsh?" Applebloom pouted her lips and begged to the Air Force pilot. With his arm still cradling Scootaloo over his shoulder, Cougar looked down at his little friend's begging face.

"Sorry Applebloom; this is a family matter and Applejack gets the final say, I can't say anything to swing her decision," Cougar apologized. Applebloom let out a choked sob and ran away quicker to the house, crying. "That hurts," Cougar said after Applebloom ran off.

"Don't worry about it Cougar, she'll be alright. Thanks fer carryin' Scootaloo all the way out here," Applejack said.

"It's no trouble, she's light," Cougar bounced Scootaloo on his shoulder. The two didn't say anything else after that. Cougar and Applejack walked into the house and gently laid Scootaloo onto Applebloom's bed where the yellow Earth Pony was silently sobbing. Cougar leaned down and ruffled her hair before turning around with Applejack and exiting the room. The two stood outside in the hallway, not saying much of anything.

"Well, good night Ah guess Cougar," Applejack placed her hoof onto Cougar's chest with a warm smile.

"Good night Applejack," Cougar replied and softly stroked her blonde mane. "Hope you sleep well," he added as the two let each other go and parted ways.

"Same to ya," Applejack responded and entered her room, softly shutting her door. Cougar then found himself lying down on his cot inside his house, staring up at the wooden ceiling, hands behind his head, thinking. His talk with Applejack on the train sparked old memories that he wished he could erase permanently. He reached in his back pocket of his pants that were lying next to his cot on the floor and pulled out his phone. The battery was at 14%, but Cougar knew he could probably have Twilight or Luna charge it with their magic.

Sighing, the pilot clicked his thumb on the pictures app on his phone and scrolled down to a file marked Ghostrider Squadron Inaugural Flight. He then clicked on the first picture he saw of himself, Reaper, Grizz, Tex and Boa all standing in front of their respective planes, though Grizz hadn't yet received his F-22 at the time. All five were arm in arm, smiling with their flight suits and freshly painted helmets with their call signs on. A small smile appeared on Cougar's face as he started to shake and cry. More tears started to streak down his face as he scrolled through pictures of he and his friends celebrating their goals that they had reached. He stopped scrolling when he came to a picture of himself and Reaper sitting on the ladders connecting their two jets in a hanger, both of them arm in arm, wearing their respective purple and red helmets and giving the thumbs up to whomever took the picture. He looked at the date the picture was taken: June 21, 2018.

"I'm sorry," Cougar whispered softly as his thumb stroked some tears off his phone screen. Cougar lost all feeling in his right hand as he let his phone drop from his grasp and fall onto the floor. He turned onto his side and rested his wet eyes onto his arm as he cried himself to sleep. Even though his sobs were quiet, Cougar didn't realized he was heard. Up above his little shack, Applejack was leaning out her window, laying her head on her foreleg as her heart broke for her friend.

End Chapter X

---

I know I said this chapter would contain the Summer Sun Celebration, but I think this was a great place to stop. Next chapter I PROMISE we will have the Summer Sun Celebration. Also, we delve into how crazy Rarity will get in creating a new wardrobe for Cougar.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XI: A Royal Proposition

Thank you guy so much. I'm not going flip out like a fanboy like before, but I am SO grateful that so many people enjoy my story so much. 52 followers? I've never even given that number a thought before, and I thought thirty was a big number. I really hope you guys love what I have planned, and I apologize for Chapter X taking a while to come out, I kept rewriting a few key scenes and taking a while to decide whether or not to end the chapter with what I ended it with or continuing.

OBSERVER01: Yeah it was. I like to go for emotional endings or situations between characters. Cougar looking at a past picture of his friends was an homage to Maverick looking at an old picture from 20 years prior in Top Gun.

ninjagofangirlrb: I'm both sorry and glad that it made you cry. I don't like cheap emotional jabs at the audience, I like to dig deeper and make an impact worthwhile. And thank you for the compliment :)

adhdLuke: Thank you, and sorry it took me awhile to get it out.

Furi Poi: Thank you, but I'm a little confused by your question. Cougar is an OC of mine, he just happens to have the same Callsign as Cougar from Top Gun (1986).

Brony At War: I know what you mean. Just because she's a Princess doesn't mean she has to act all regal and proper 24/7. Plus, I think we can all understand swearing in that situation.

Dixie Darlin: Well Discord is still kinda new at this friendship thing. And Luna is Cougar's closest friend next to Applejack, so a good friend should have good advice. And I wanted a scene were a pony was acting Racist towards Cougar at one point and this seemed like a good point for it to take place.

PRR Gangsta: Wow, two times already? I don't know what I'm doing that you like so much, but thanks for that compliment. I hope you'll keep reading when it's over.

AndJrew76: I'm both sorry and happy you cried. When I write an emotional scene, I feel bad when people don't cry.

I hope there are some ZZ Top Fans in the audience...

---

(Rarity's Boutique. 2:00 PM. Cougar's POV)

I stood in front of Rarity's business, nervous about going in. Applejack said that Rarity called it "Carousel Boutique," and I can see why. But the name and the appearance weren't the reasons why I was nervous about entering the dress maker's shop. I don't particularly like people, or ponies for the matter, being that close to me, with the exception of medical doctors. Plus, I don't like the idea that she's never measured a human before, and I didn't want to get stabbed with that fucking needle, especially in that tender area.

As I reached out and touched the door handle, the image of coming clean earlier that morning came back to mind.

*FlashBack*

I had actually slept in until seven that morning, though Applejack didn't seem to mind. I had awoken to a hoof resting on my shoulder and gently shaking me awake. "C'mon Cougar, time ta get up now," Applejack's voice soothed. I snapped my head up and looked up at the emerald eyes of the working pony staring down at me. "Didja sleep good there Cowboy?" she nudged me to get up and out of bed.

"Y-yeah, I did," I replied and stretched as I sat up on my cot. The orange mare stepped back and gave me room as I stood up and dropped the blanket off of me and neatly made my cot in no time. Thankfully, Celestia's sun was nice and warm even this early in the morning, so my shirtless torso wasn't too chilly.

"Oh, Ah'll uh, give ya a sec," Applejack turned around and looked outside the door, leaving me momentarily confused, until I looked down. I quickly bent down and yanked my cargo pants off the floor and I heard my phone clatter onto the wooden floor.

"Sorry about that," I apologized as I pulled my pants over my boxers and buttoned them up. When the zipper went up, Applejack turned back around with a shy smile painted on her face. "So, breakfast and then explaining what we've been through?" I suggested and patted her head. She chuckled as we both jogged/trotted our way over to the house where the delicious aromas of Granny Smith's breakfast were wafting over the farm.

"Sounds good Cougar, now don't be nervous 'bout Big Mac alright?" She reassured me whilst opening the kitchen door, "Ah'll make sure he don't turn yer brains into mush," she joked, at least I was hoping. "Here, mah cousin Braeburn left one 'o his vests here awhile back, maybe it'll fit ya," she offered me from the coat rack.

"Thanks," I said as I put on the vest. It was a little snug, but it covered up most of my scars near my collarbone and neck, " Though I'm more worried about Bloomin' Onion not talking to me anymore to be honest," I replied just as I sat down at the table. Applejack trotted into the living room, opened up a closet and pulled out a brand new hat and placed it on her head. I heard her sigh happily before trotting back into the kitchen.

"Soups on!" Granny Smith declared and set the breakfast of Buttermilk Biscuits with country gravy, coffee, pancakes and eggs on the table. "So, how was yer campin' trip? Didja have a hip swingin' time?" The elderly pony asked us. I was about to answer when Applejack cut in for me.

"Ah'd like ta explain when everypony is here Granny," Applejack explained to her Grandmother as Big Mac trotted happily down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Explain what AJ?" The big red stallion sat down and dumped about three biscuits onto his plate. That was when his eyes drifted down to AJ's right rear leg and saw the stitches over her scar. "WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME DIDJA DO TO MAH SISTER!?" He bellowed out at me and slammed his hooves onto the table, almost breaking it in half. Some of the dishes clattered as they shook violently from Big Mac's slam. I could see the steam emitting from Big Mac's nose as he snorted at me.

"What are ya on about Big Mac?" Granny Smith asked. Big Mac raised a hoof and pointed towards Applejack's leg. The elderly pony got off her chair and strolled her way over to check out what her Grandson was on about while the red stallion kept his eyes glued on me.

"Now, we were in a bit of an accident Granny," Applejack started to explain.

"Good Gravy, looks like sumthin' tried to bite yer leg off!" Granny exclaimed as she prodded the stitching. She looked up at her eldest Granddaughter, "what kinda trouble did y'all run into up at them falls Applejack?" Right when Applejack was going to finish her explanation when Applebloom walked into the room, albeit with a pissed off expression on her face.

"What's goin' on everypony?" She asked as she poured herself a cup of milk and studied the situation. She looked down to see AJ's injury and gasped, "oh my gosh! Applejack, is that what that Timberwolf did to ya?!" She exclaimed in fear for her sister.

"Timberwolf!? I thought you said you were gonna hike up to Winsome Falls?" Big Mac questioned and got his hooves off the table, allowing me to breath when his gaze turned from me to AJ.

"Well, now that everypony is here, we can explain," Applejack's hoof gestured towards me, "everythin' was goin' fine with thu trip. Unfortunately, after we told sum scary stories, a pair 'o Timberwolves appeared in our site." This statement generated gasps from Big Mac and Granny Smith, though Applebloom still didn't know exactly went down after Rarity teleported her out of there.

"My first priority was to get the kids out of there, so AJ and I had Rarity teleport them back to Ponyville where it was safe. Rainbow got her wing injured and had to be evacuated out too, but Applejack and I stayed behind to lure the wolves away from the rest of the group."

"So, you just hid while mah sister let herself git injured, is that it!?" Big Mac shot at me. Applejack lifted her hoof and smacked Big Mac away from me just when I thought he was going to pound me.

"He fought his ass off to make sure Ah was safe Big Mac," Applejack clenched her jaw, "Ah tried to kick one in the jaw after it scratched up Cougar's shoulder, but the second one bit mah leg," she explained and removed part of the vest covering my shoulder.

"That's gross," Applebloom held her mouth shut.

"You fought two Timberwolves, well how in the wide, wide world of Equestria didja git away?" Granny Smith asked me.

"I killed them, one with my gun, the other by, more gruesome means," I replied and put my vest back on. "I'd go into detail, but I don't want you guys to lose your breakfasts," I apologized. Granny Smith gently touched my shoulder and spun me around on my chair.

"Lemme git this straight Cougar, you sacrificed yerself, just to save mah Granddaughter?" I replied with a simple nod, but that was enough to have Granny throw her forelegs around my neck and hugged me tightly. "Yer a blessin' from sumthin' far greater than Celestia herself Cougar," the elder mare smiled at me.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," I smiled back.

"Luckily though," Applejack continued the rest of the story, "we bunkered down in the 'ol abandoned castle fer the night 'n were picked up by Luna the next mornin'. We spent all 'o yesterday in the Royal Infirmary gettin' all patched up," she playfully slapped my back.

"Them doctors are gettin' used to ya Cougar," Bloomin' Onion joked, forgetting for a brief second she was mad at myself and AJ.

"Yeah, let's hope it'll be years before I have to see another doctor," I replied. We all sat back down at the table to eat, but Applejack cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at me. "Right, Granny, Applebloom and Big Mac, I have something else I need to tell you guys."

"Ah'm listenin'," Big Mac replied while keeping a stern eye on me. My mouth refused to open, no matter how hard I tried, my lips stayed tightly sealed. I cleared my throat and took a swig of coffee, but no words could escape. Applejack laced one of her orange hooves over my hand and lightly rubbed circles around the top and smiled warmly at me. Even though she didn't speak either, her eyes said, 'I'm with ya.'

"I don't eat just fruits, veggies and dairy," I blurted out, "I also eat, uh, meat," I exclaimed and looked down at my plate. A pair of silver forks clattered onto the plates of the table loudly, jolting myself out of my seat. Six eyes stared at me as I attempted to gather my composure to explain. "I'm an omnivore, I can eat just about anything edible, but I haven't been tempted to eat any meat since I've been here."

"Why didn't ya tell us this from the beginnin' Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, but not in a threatening tone.

"He was scared, 'n rightfully so," Applejack replied for me, "at first, Ah was madder than a hornet that he kept the truth in the dark, but the more Ah thought about it, 'n after explainin' more to me, Ah understand why he was scared, especially with how you jump to conclusions Mac," she pointed her hoof towards her big bro.

"Me?" The red stallion replied.

"Yes you Big Brother," AJ said, "ever since Cougar first came here, ya never did like him, 'n you always think the worst 'o him without even gettin' ta know him. He's kind 'n he cares fer the betterment 'o everypony.

"Ah'm jest tryin' to look out fer mah family," Big Mac said as he stuffed a biscuit in his mouth.

"We appreciate that Grandson," Granny Smith patted his dirty blonde mane, "but we Apples can take care 'o ourselves. Now Cougar, do ya NEED to eat meat, or is it optional fer yer species?" I couldn't believe how well they were taking it. Then again, these folks took me in when no one else could, and I have been pretty helpful to them, so maybe they were willing to cut me some slack on this.

"I've gone for about a month without meat and I feel fine, I guess your home cooking does wonders for the body," I chuckled.

"That's what Ah like ta hear Cougar. Now then, let's quit jibber-jabberin' 'n chow down, we got a festival to start preparin' fer!" She declared and started to wolf down her breakfast. Applejack leaned over to my ear and whispered inside.

"That wasn't so bad was it now?" She teased me.

"Guess not, now I only have to help you guys prepare for the Celebration and then get some new clothes made up for me," I shuddered. Her hoof patted my back again and she teased me even more.

"Have fun parter."

*End Flashback*

After all that, the rest of the morning was pretty uneventful, just baking and setting out decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Thankfully, Applejack allowed me to keep the vest on so I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention to my scarring and stitches on my shoulder. But now I found myself standing outside of Rarity's place of business, nervous about going in.

"Oh, hey Cougar," I heard a sweet sounding young voice call to me. Turning my head, I found the pale green eyes and multi-colored mane of Sweetie Belle, "are you here for your new clothes?" She asked me. Rarity must've sent her to get a few things from the market. She had a saddle bag on filled with supplies.

"Yeah I am, is she home right now?" I replied, releasing my hand from the door handle.

"She should be, she was up super early preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration and for designing your clothes," her magic aura opened up the door for the both of us. I felt out of place almost immediately. Fashion magazines and numerous pictures and drawings of different dresses and tuxedos adorned the walls and tables of what I assumed to be the waiting area. And of course, the aroma in here was of fancy smelling perfumes and something that would make Febreze jealous. I spotted a tray of tea and crumpets on the counter of the kitchen area. The only time I have ever eaten tea and crumpets was when I was stationed in the UK for about a month with the Royal Air Force during a joint operation.

"This place is too fancy for me," I uncomfortably scratched my neck. And everything was so, shiny. I liked to have a clean barrack to live in, but this was too much.

"You'll be fine, Spike loves to come in here all the time," Sweetie Belle put her saddlebag on the kitchen counter and motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. "Rarity! You have a guest!" She called to her older sister.

"Oh, do come up Cougar! I've been waiting all morning for this," the fashion insane pony enveloped me in her magic and thrust me inside her room, which was a giant mess. Now this room was more like my speed, not too fancy, but manageable. "I do hope you're ready Cougar, I have so many visions for you, my little project," she produced a measuring tape and measured me all over. After taking the measurements, she put on a pair of red glasses and a whole shit load of things began to hover above her.

"Do you really need all of that?" I gulped as I stood on top of a stool. A pen started to scribble something onto a piece of parchment while some pieces of fabric floated over to me and laced themselves onto my torso.

"Quiet, I am in the zone," Rarity shushed me and showed me the picture she drew. "Now, this is what you called a 'T-Shirt' correct?" She asked me. I nodded which made her giggle, "Simple enough Cougar." Suddenly, the fabric around my torso tightened and a pair of scissors flew towards me. My eyes clenched shut as I prepared for the worst, but the scissors jumped over my head and cut the fabric into two large pieces.

"For the pants, please just use my cargo pants as a reference," I begged, not wanting sharp scissors to come anywhere close to, there.

"Of course, though that will require you to take them off," she warned me, "luckily I have a privacy screen over there." I looked up to see the two dark blue pieces of fabric cut into two sides of a T-Shirt! Then came the sewing part. Unfortunately for me, the pieces of fabric had to be hovering over my torso so the measurements would hold up. The invisible hands holding the needles and threads quickly went to work and sewed up a plain dark blue T-Shirt for me. "There, how is that? Too snug, too loose? I need to know darling," Rarity begged me to let her know.

"It's perfect Rarity," I admired myself in the mirror, "I've never had a T-Shirt fit so well right away, usually I have to break them in," I explained.

"Well, you haven't worn any of my designs Cougar," Rarity bragged.

"So, is that it? You can just use those measurements as a reference right?" I asked as I tried to walk out of the room. But, Rarity had other plans as her magic yanked me back to the stool.

"Ah, you're not going anywhere, we're just getting started," she grinned evilly and raised her fabrics, threads, needles and parchments. "I told you Cougar, you would be my ticket to fashion history, and one piece of clothing won't get me there," she narrowed her eyes. I have never been so scared in my life.

"Have fun Cougar," Sweetie Belle left the room.

"Beginning?" I gulped

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am goin' to.

After a little bit of planning and scrapping other ideas, Rarity made me a new outfit and had me stand in front of a mirror. "So, what do you think Cougar? I think you pull off the Greaser look nicely."

She had me with slicked back hair, blue jeans, a white T-Shirt and a black leather jacket. Before I could say anything, she stuck a cigarette in my mouth and stepped back. I coughed as I smoked the cancer stick, "I like the jacket, but I'm not a big fan of the Greaser look," I explained. She snapped a quick picture before tearing the outfit away.

"Fine, Mr. Picky Pants, we'll try it again," She ripped the jacket from me, "and no, you cannot keep the jacket!" She shouted. That hurt a bit.

Silk suit, black tie,
I don't need a reason why.

Again, Rarity spent a while thinking of a new look for me and remeasuring me while sewing up the new outfit. This was painful for me; I can't stand in one spot for too long, and plus this was both boring and terrifying. "While I don't condone this type of business, I think the Pimp look is quite dapper for you," she batted her eyelashes at me and stood me in front of her mirror.

"Gah!" I exclaimed. She put a zebra patterned hat on my head with a purple feather, a fur coat with no shirt and skin tight leopard print pants on me. "Get this off me now!" The white unicorn huffed and had me take off the clothes, but not before snapping another picture. "How about just a windbreaker and some blue jeans?" I offered.

"Much too simple Cougar, I know!" She gasped.

They come runnin' just as fast as they can
'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.

Gold watch, diamond ring,
I ain't missin' not a single thing.

"I think, we have our championship look sweetie," Rarity held my shoulders in front of the mirror. "I don't appreciate the 'Death Metal' music genre, but I do like how bold some of the musicians are with their outfits." Staring back at me, was an exact duplicate of Gene Simmons, but without the long tongue. Even the makeup was pretty damn close. Rarity snapped another picture before grinning like an insane person, "What do you think?" She asked me.

"I don't like death metal, and I like the look, but I'm not going to be wearing this, any time soon," I took all the heavy metal gear off.

And cuff links, stick pin,
When I step out I'm gonna do you in.

They come runnin' just as fast as they can
'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.

"Now, anything wrong with this look?" Rarity asked me as sweat was forming on her forehead. In the mirror, I saw the reflection of, me. I had on a nice plain shirt with boots, a brown belt and blue jeans.

"I love it, this is my look," I flexed my muscles in the mirror. "You're a genius Rarity," I complimented. Rarity snapped another picture, but she wasn't too pleased with the outfit. "I have an idea," I chimed in.

Top coat, top hat,
I don't worry 'cause my wallet's fat.
Black shades, white gloves,
Lookin' sharp and lookin' for love.

"There, now this is perfect," I said. I had Rarity make me a dark brown leather jacket with some stuffing on the collar of said jacket. And I even showed her some pictures of my patches that I wanted sewn onto the jacket. Grumbling, Rarity made the jacket, but she herself was pleased with the outcome.

"Oh my, that jacket does indeed fit your physique and personality," Rarity studied my look. "IDEEEEA!" She sang and snapped numerous pictures of me. "I shall call this, 'The Military Fashion Sqaud,' Cougar. Oh, Military enthusiasts will love this look, especially Wonderbolt fans," she grinned.

They come runnin' just as fast as they can
'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.

"Glad I could help," I shook my head as my vision cleared up from the flashes.

"Now, these will take some time to develop, but you may wear that out of the shop," Rarity explained.

"Thanks, how much do I owe you?" I asked.

"It's on the house darling, this will take me to newer levels and I can't thank you enough for the opportunity," she thanked me. "Now then, it's almost time for the celebration to start," she looked at her clock which read 8:00. It wasn't even that dark out, but then again, it was the longest day of the year.

"You're too kind, how much?" I repeated the question.

"Cougar dear, if you don't put that money away, I'll find a nice snug little place for it," she smiled. I quickly stuffed the money back into my new pockets and began to head out the door to help Applejack. "Oh before you go, I have a treat for you," Rarity called out to me just as I pushed open the door.

"What is it?" I questioned, fearing that it was a makeup kit or something.

"I remembered your predicament at the lake so I whipped these up while you were in the bathroom," She tossed me a bag. Wondering the fuck she meant, I reached down and pulled out a pair of swimming trunks.

"But, how did you-" I began.

"They're made of the same material that I use for my swim suits for the summer swim suit competition in Las Pegasus, and I used your measurements, easy peasy."

"Swim suit competition?" I wanted to know, but she shoved me out the door.

"Sorry about this, but I still have work to do before the celebration starts!" She shouted and slammed the door, leaving me outside holding the bags of my new clothes.

I thought I would look a little strange carrying bags of clothes with me through town, but I realized practically everypony had bags of clothes or food with them. The town square did look nice I have to admit. Pegasi were flying up and tying golden colored streamers to the lamp posts surrounding the town hall and connecting them to the top of Town Hall. "Perfect My Little Ponies, keep up the good work!" Mayor Mare called to the working Pegasi. I looked up to see if I could spot Rainbow or Soarin, but they were probably still at their Academy training. That reminded me that hopefully the duo would bring me a pair of new sunglasses; the sun was blinding.

"HEADS UP!" I heard a voice shout. Looking back up at the baby blue sky, I saw a grey missile heading straight for me. Clutching my bags close, I leapt out of the way and landed on top of a bush just as the missile hit the ground. The resulting shockwaves knocked one of the lamp posts over and tore one of the streamers clean off the roof of Town Hall, which in turn ripped an entire row of shingles off the roof.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" I asked as I dropped my bags under the bush and rushed towards the missile pony. She had a dirty blonde main, grey fur and a couple bubbles on her flank. And her eyes were crossed too.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the mare pegasus replied and brushed off her wing that was covered in dirt and dust. "I just don't know what went wrong," she added and hopped back onto her feet. I know saw the mailbag hooked around her neck and the mailman hat atop her head.

"You took a nasty fall, are you sure you're alright there Miss?" I asked the mare.

"Oh sure, I've taken harder falls from higher heights. By the way, my name is Ditzy Doo, or Derpy for short," she saluted me. "Say, you look like a Military Pony, but you're that one Cougar Monkey guy right?!" She exclaimed in excitement and stared at me, at least I thought she was staring at me.

"If you say you're alright," I replied. "But yes, I'm Cougar, nice to meet you uh Derpy," I stuck out my hand to shake her hoof, but she waved her hoof around trying to find my hand. I eventually held her hoof with my other hand and shook it, finally getting the awkward meeting out of the way.

"So, how'd you get the name Cougar anyway?" She asked me.

"It's kind of a long story Derpy, and it looks like you have mail to deliver?" I asked.

"Nope, just finished the last letter of the day; now I get to go home and see my daughter Dinky and eat muffins before the Summer Sun Celebration!" She said excitedly and clapped her hooves together.

"Well, take care Derpy, please," I silently begged her. She sprouted her grey wings and took off, only to have another streamer catch on her left rear leg and be yanked off the roof again, ripping off more tiles.

"SORRY MADAME MARE!" Derpy shouted while flying away. I adjusted my Drive To End Hunger Cap and picked up my bags from under the bush. As I walked through town and back home, I waved hello to all the ponies I had met so far, even ones I would call my friends. Apparently Vinyl Scratch had been hired to play some music during the celebration, and she was stoked about it. Along with Applejack and Pinkie Pie bringing baked goods, Bon Bon was going to bring some of her famous chocolate candies to the celebration, and that was big honor that Princess Celestia chose her candy shoppe to bring candy, though I was positive Celestia had other plans, all involving eating Pinkie's cake.

Eventually, I had made it back to Sweet Apple Acres where the smells of Apple Pie, Apple Cobbler, Apple Fritter, Apple Brown Betty and cider greeted me. "Now tasting is something I can help with," I wiped my mouth with my jacket sleeve as I knocked on the front door. Bloomin' Onion opened the door for me and let me inside as she admired my new jacket and pants.

"Wow, cool jacket Cougar!" she exclaimed and starting dancing circles around me to get a good look.

"I had Rarity make it. She made it look exactly like my old Air Force jacket back home," I explained and set the bags of clothes near the door to pick up later. "So, how goes the dessert making Bloomin' Onion?" I asked the little Filly.

"We got enough desserts to last until Hearth's Warming Eve!" Applebloom showed me all the different desserts the Apple Family cooked up while I was away. I looked around to make sure no one else besides Applebloom was watching. After determining the coast was clear, I leaned forward to take a tiny piece of Apple cobbler for a quick snack when suddenly a wooden spoon smacked down on my hand. I groaned in pain and bit my finger to keep me from screaming.

"Not until later Coguar, nopony is gonna eat mah desserts till Ah say so!" Granny Smith shook her wooden spoon at me.

"Y-yes ma'am," I replied and shook my throbbing hand. The elderly mare smiled at me and continued to pack up the desserts into tins and pans. Applebloom snickered at my injury and went back to mixing up some apple butter. I took off my jacket and put it on the coat rack along with Braeburn's old vest. I then put on one of my newest T-Shirts and turned back to Bloomin' Onion and Granny.

"So, where's Applejack at?" I asked.

"She's jest feedin' the chickens since she can't buck Apples fer a while," Applebloom replied.

"If you need any help, just ask me," I opened the kitchen door and left to head towards the chicken coop. The dirt made my boots give off a thumping sound as I trudged my way over to the orange mare that was throwing chicken feed around near the chicken coop.

"Alright, come 'n git it Chickees, nice 'n fresh food fer ya!" Applejack called. Several chickens walked out of the chicken coop and began to peck at their food on the ground. I smiled at how Applejack patted the heads of every single chicken, letting them know they were loved and an important part of the farm.

"Which one's the pet of the family?" I joked, causing AJ to slightly jolt at the sudden surprise. She turned around and adjusted her cowgirl hat atop her head and trotted over to the part of the fence I was leaning against.

"What brings you out here Cowboy?" Applejack leaned up close to me, "did Rarity drive you nuts, or did she lose her mind 'n give up?" AJ opened and shut the gate to the chicken coop and we both started to walk along the farm.

"She drove me nuts, but she let me go, after eight hours of my life I'll never get back," I stared off into an Abyss of nothingness. Applejack chuckled and slapped her hoof on my back.

"Yeh, but she means well, Ah do like them new boots she made ya," AJ pointed out to me, "'n that shirt fits ya real good," she added. "Ah remember fer the first Grand Galloping Gala thu six 'o us plus Spike went to, Rarity designed six new dresses fer us."

"How'd that turn out? Were you guys okay with how they turned out?"

"Nah, the rest 'o us were foolish into thinkin' we knew what we wanted in a dress when Rarity knew all along 'n we took advantage 'o her. Not this cowgirl's finest hour Ah'll admit; then we learned jest how much Rarity cared 'bout someone when she spends hours 'n hours on end jest to make a new outfit fer them," Applejack explained.

"I guess that makes sense," I sat down on the front porch of the house, "so, what do we do at the Summer Sun Celebration anyway Applejack? Do we just watch Luna lower the moon and Celestia raise the sun or what?" I questioned for like the millionth time. I was still in a strange world; I wanted to minimize the risk of upsetting anypony, especially Luna and Celesita should I make a mistake. Applejack popped a piece of wheat stalk into her mouth and started chewing on it, reminding me of so many Western movies I saw as a kid.

"Well, we wait around thu town square, jest drinkin' cider, eatin' food, have a good time 'till Luna lowers thu moon 'N Celestia raises thu sun," the wheat stalk bobbed up and down as AJ spoke, "then we usually swim or jest party to welcome in thu longest day 'o the year," she finished explaining.

"Sounds like fun AJ, we don't have to dress up though, do we?" I replied and readjusted my hat to wipe the sweat from my brow. Even though it was late at night, I still had a sweat working up from my hat being on all day.

"Pfft, no 'o course not Cougar, jest wear that getup that yer wearin', it suits ya," the wheat stalk bobbed up and down again. Finally, Luna's moon overtook the good night sky, but I knew it would be gone in just a matter of a few hours rather than eight or nine. "We best be goin' soon Cougar," Applejack patted my leg and we both stood up.

"So, what do you want me to do to help you guys?" I asked her. AJ turned around to face me and leaned close to me, even though she was about three heads shorter than myself. She placed her hooves on my chest and stood up, looking into my eyes.

"Ya can go take a shower, please, ya stink," she said and fell back onto her four legs and walked back inside. Feeling surprised, I bent my head down and sniffed my arm, only to be met with the foul stench of sweat. I grimaced and went back inside to grab another shirt to wear after my shower. After grabbing my shirt, I went up to the hall closet and grabbed a white cotton towel from the closet and swung it around my neck before walking back downstairs. The entire Apple family trio was standing in the kitchen, putting on last minute preparations for their food.

"Can we help ya Cougar?" Granny Smith asked me while wrapping up a pan of apple fritters in tin foil.

"I'm just letting you guys know I'll be in the shower if you need me, I shouldn't be long," I let them know.

"We should be good to go for the celebration Cougar," Applebloom replied to while balancing a plate of apple crisp cookies on her head. I waved to the family before departing for the bathroom.

---

(At the Celebration Several Hours Later. Cougar's POV)

This was a pretty magical celebration as many ponies I talked to claimed. Vinyl was playing some pop/dubstep music on her turntables while many ponies were swaying to the music and drinking Applejack's famous cider and eating Pinkie's pastries. The streamers had fortunately been repaired from Derpy's crash landing and golden lights were wrapped around them, giving off a heavenly golden glow and atmosphere surrounding the celebration.

"Oh my, this music is certainly giving me a pounding headache," I heard Rarity whine while drinking some of Applejack's cider. "Couldn't they have gotten he string quartet that plays during the Gala? Some classical music would surely give more sophistication to this celebration." On cue, me and everypony that heard the outcry rolled their eyes, save for one certain purple dragon.

"An aspirin pill for you most beautiful?" Spike so cheesily offered to Rarity. The unicorn smiled and popped the white pill into her mouth.

"Always the thoughtful one my little Spikey-Wikey," Rarity cooed and rubbed his head like one who loved their dog, "if only more ponies shared our enthusiasm for music that makes one think." Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated Spike away from Rarity as she had begun to speak to another pony about an outfit for the fall Gala.

"Dude, why are you acting like a puppy dog to her?" I asked Spike.

"Pfft, what do you know about love Cougar? Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Spike replied with crossed arms. I didn't speak for a moment; the memories of always being the single guy at school or at base came flooding back to me, but I shrugged them off.

"Firstly, no I haven't Spike, but come on, if you keep acting like this, Rarity will only think of you like a little brother. Just say that you're happy to help or it's not a problem. With the way you're speaking, she's pretty much got you wrapped around her hoof," I explained.

"If you haven't had a girlfriend before, then I don't have to listen to you, human. Now why don't you stay out of my business, I'm doing just fine," Spike turned around and flicked his tail at me. I flicked my hands up and turned around to.

"Fine, be that way you ungrateful lizard," I said under my breath.

"Cougar, you shouldn't just give up on the little guy," a meek voice cut into the air. I almost couldn't hear it under the penetrating beats of Vinyl's music. Looking behind me, I saw the creme colored fur and pink mane of Fluttershy. Her little rabbit Angel was perched atop her head, munching on a carrot.

"Look, I don't mean to be a jerk Fluttershy, but if he doesn't want any advice on how to win Rarity's attention, then why should I help him?"

"I have something else to explain, you know, if you still want to hear it Cougar? But if-if you don't want to, I understand," she whispered softly. I nodded my head, wanting to get this conversation over with. A small smile spread across the mare's face as she was given the permission to speak, "Spike has had a crush on Rarity ever since he arrived in Ponyville, and he hasn't really wanted any help in winning Rarity's heart, his dragon code won't allow help with finding a mate, or as he calls it, 'His beautiful Princess.' It gets really serious with him, so we just keep letting him flirt with her," she explained.

"That's interesting Fluttershy, but listen to me. He's setting himself up for heartbreak. If he thinks she likes him the way he likes her with her cute compliments, it's gonna hurt him even more than if he actually asks her out and she says no. He could wind up walking into her boutique to see her accepting a dinner invite with another stallion; that's gonna kill him," I retorted. Before Fluttershy could reply, Twilight cut in.

"He's getting more mature everyday Cougar; he's going to have to learn things like love the hard way," Twilight looked at her dragon assistant with motherly eyes. I was in complete shock. These ponies knew that Spike was going about his crush for Rarity the wrong way, yet they were going to let his heart break just to force him to live the harsh realities? I understand, most sentient beings will have to live harsh realities, but their friends and family can help them take steps so they won't have their hearts broken as hard.

"Fluttershy, you're the nicest pony or person I've ever met, you have to admit that what you're allowing Spike to go through is wrong?" I exclaimed to the shy pegasus. Said pegasus drug her hoof through the ground and looked down, apparently hating being put on the spot.

"Uh, well, uh I think that Spike, oh would you look at that, a poor beaver needs help getting his uh tail out of a log," Fluttershy pointed to a happy beaver waving towards her. Suddenly, Fluttershy was gone in a flash and the ground was sort of smoking where she once stood. I shook my head in shame and turned around to see none other than Luna standing before us.

"Hello Cougar, I hear you are fearing for Spike's heart?" she questioned me. I looked around to see the rest of the gang just standing around while Luna approached me.

"Yeah, but let's just push that aside for now, this is a party right?" I asked with a grin and handed Luna a cup of cider. The midnight blue alicorn happily accepted her cup and took a nice long sip from the plastic device.

"So, how are things holding up with your injuries? I fear your collar bone may be hurting severely from the extents of the injury," she asked me with concern.

"Oh, it's feeling fine. I haven't really pushed it too far yet," I took a sip of my cider.

"Good to hear. Now then, I was wondering Cougar, with your military experience and the way you handled those Timberwolves, have you given any consideration on becoming a royal guard for Canterlot?" Luna asked me. I lowered the cup from my mouth and let it rest next to my side.

"Cougar, a royal guard?" Rainbow looked back and forth from myself to Luna.

"Are you sure he can handle that?" Twilight questioned.

"An Earth Pony has NEVER been a royal guard yer highness," Applejack said, "'N Cougar is about thu same, he don't have wings or magic."

"Yes, but he has brute strength and cunning smarts when it comes to combat," Luna responded, "I have a feeling he could become even a royal body guard, or maybe Captain with his past military experience." I quickly refilled my cider from a punch bowl and took a quick but large sip.

"Luna, I may have hand to hand and weapons combat training, but I'm more qualified to fly jets, more specifically an F-15. And since mine is permanently out of commission and you guys are not even close to that technology, I'm afraid I may not be able to help you," I delineated. Luna raised an eyebrow and sipped her cider until the cup was empty.

"You should think about it Cougar. A man of your honor and military training could prove quite useful as a guard, or even help training some new guards in hoof to hoof combat. Some of the new recruits rely far too much on either their magic or their wings, and with Shining Armor now the Prince of the Crystal Empire, we have nopony good enough to train our recruits." I pondered on the idea of training the recruits for guards for a brief moment. This was an interesting idea albeit an out of the blue proposition. Would my training even help pegasi and unicorns? Would they even listen to me?

"I'll give it some thought, but I think Sweet Apple Acres needs me a little bit more right now Princess," I replied and patted Luna's shoulder.

"Keep thinking Cougar, and if you change your mind, well you should know what to do by now," she winked at me.

"I will Luna," I shook her hoof and then saw a flash of white light as Princess Celestia appeared on stage, "oh and I'm sorry you have to lower the moon early tonight," I quickly apologized while everypony went silent.

"Welcome one and all to the 1005th annual Summer Sun Celebration!" Celestia announced. Everypony in the audience started to stamp their hooves on the ground, sort of their own version of applause. "Thank you thank you all, but remember, this is also a celebration for my sister Luna!" Celestia cast a golden light over Luna, "for now she gets to bless us with her beautiful night earlier and earlier as the year goes on!" The sun princess announced. More stomping followed her statement. I started applauding with my hands so I wouldn't disrespect anyone.

"If I may, fair sister?" Luna questioned as she teleported onto the stage next to her elder sister. Applebloom was starting to jump up and down as she tried to see Celestia and Luna perform their duties. I bent down, grasped her forelegs and plopped her on top of my 6'2" shoulders.

"Enjoying the view?" I smirked. Applebloom hugged around my head and then placed her fore hooves on top of my head. Suddenly, both Celestia's and Luna's horns spurt out (like the Death Star laser) their respective colors into the night sky. The moon soon started to lower under the brim line of the horizon while the sun followed suit, except staying in the sky. The loudest stomping occurred and I joined in with my clapping as the duo ended their spell and took a bow on top of the stage. The warm rays of the sun beat down on my skin as the moon completely disappeared from view.

"Now, enjoy the day my little ponies!" Celestia announced as she trotted off stage and approached Twilight. I took Applebloom off my shoulders and placed her on Applejack's back.

"That was awesome Cougar! Thanks!" The little filly thanked me as she hopped off her sister's back.

"Boy that little filly jest loves thu Summer Sun Celebration," Applejack smiled.

"I can tell, she must get it from her sister."

"We do both enjoy plannin' our Family Reunions," Applejack pointed out, "Ah guess it jest rubs off on other celebrations. Speakin' 'o which, when is yer birthday? Ah'd be happy to git Pinkie Pie ta throw you a party," she offered. Before I could answer, I saw Big Mac talking with Cheerilee near the back of the audience.

"Hold that thought Applejack," I said and jogged over to the red stallion. "Excuse me Cheerilee, can I borrow your Stallionfriend for a minute?" I asked her.

"Oh, uh, of course Cougar," she allowed me and Big Mac some space and went to grab a snack.

"What do you want, Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, clearly in an upset tone. I'd be to if someone I didn't care for that much interrupted me and my girlfriend.

"Look, I just wanted to talk, man to stallion alright?" I asked. The red stallion's eyes looked me over, but he gave me a contented sigh and bowed his head down.

"Eeyup," he replied.

"I care for your family Big Mac. You guys took me in and allowed me to stay in your home and work at your home, but why don't you like me? I've lived with you and your family for damned near a month now, but you're the only one that doesn't like or trust me, what's up?" I asked him.

"We've had ponies give us the same fancy song 'n dance before about bein' hard workers and they won't hurt us. But several times, we've hired ponies that are lazy as buck or some that have stolen from us. Applejack has nearly been raped before too in the barn," Big Mac explained, "'N since our Mom and Dad are gone, Ah've been the Stallion 'o the house to keep mah family safe. Ah jest didn't want to trust anypony anymore, we can get by on our own Cougar, 'N I want mah sisters 'N mah grandma to be safe from freeloaders 'N sickos that won't take no fer an answer. Especially Applejack, she's taken a real shine to ya as a friend 'N I don't want her to be hurt again." I stood in shock in front of Big Mac. It wasn't because I wasn't a pony, Big Mac just didn't want his family to be hurt, which was understandable, but to think Applejack had almost been raped? That made me sick to my stomach and pissed off at the same time.

"That gives me a lot to think about Big Mac," I replied.

"Ah'm sorry I jumped to conclusions this mornin' though," Big Mac apologized.

"I get it, your baby sister was injured and the guy you trust the least was with her when it happened," I explained for him. "Big Mac, I'm sorry if I placed a lot of stress on you or made you think you weren't being a good brother."

"Ah'm sorry fer being an ass," he apologized a second time. I stuck out my hand and shook his hoof.

"Look, let's just start over. We don't have to be friends, we can just not verbally attack each other, how does that sound?" I asked.

"Good 'nuff fer me Cougar," Big Mac actually smiled at me.

"Now get out of here, I'm sure your Marefriend is missing ya," I smacked his side.

"Jest don't let me catch ya peepin' again. Applejack has a mean right hook," Big Mac replied while trotting back to Cheerilee. I leaned against a tree and looked over to see my friends enjoying the new day. I was thinking just how far Big Mac and I got in the span of about five minutes, though I'm sure Applejack helped my case by talking to him before.

"Cougar, come on!" I heard Applejack call, "we're 'bout to start the pie eatin' contest!" I smiled again and got off the tree and started walking back to my friends.

End Chapter XI

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So, Cougar has new clothes and enjoyed a night partying with his friends. And will Cougar take the proposition Luna gave him? Anyway, the next chapter, prepare to have your heart strings tugged.

Also I do NOT Own Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XII: A Bruised Apple

Hey guys, I really can't thank you all enough for the positive response this story has gotten. Just reading how much you readers love this story warms my heart every time I sit down to write a new chapter. And SIXTY followers?! SIXTY!? Holy crap guys, I just don't know what to say. Never in a million years did I think any of my stories could get that many followers, or 43 favorites. I know that's not a lot considering how many stories have 100+ favorites and followers, but I feel blessed :). Thank you guys. BTW, I would have gotten this chapter out sooner, but a funny thing happened to me on the 20th, I turned 20! And before I forget, let's reply to some reviews.

Ljungberg: The thought never crossed my mind to have Discord invade Cougar's mind. I've got other plans for Discord.

Dixie Darlin: It was time for Big Mac and Cougar to wipe the slate clean and start over. That much tension from Big Mac couldn't be healthy for very long, especially since both his sisters and Grandmother like Cougar.

OBSERVER01: Thank you.

ninjangofangirlb: Well then, I hope you like this one!

Guest: PM me if you really want to know.

SquirtlePWN:Out of literally 13K+ MLP stories, THIS is the first one you've enjoyed reading? Wow, that's actually a very kind compliment. I don't know what I'm doing that makes you like it so much, but I'll keep it up! BTW, Squirtle was my third favorite Pokemon when I was a kid. Right behind Charzard and Pikachu.

Silence is Gold3n: I understand that capitalizing timber wolf is a grammatical error, but since it played the part of a villain and is referred to only by that name, I decided to bend the rules slightly. But thank you for caring enough to tell me! And I'm glad you enjoyed the musical montage!

Also, if there are any fimfiction authors reading this story, please PM me with information on the fimfiction website. I've gotten recommendations on joining it and adding this story to the site, but I am just curious at this point. Like, what makes it better than this website? Any information will be helpful.

Alright guys, a fair warning: If you cry so much your eyes dry up and you go blind, I am not responsible, please enjoy Chapter XII!

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(Three Weeks Later. Sweet Apple Acres, Cougar's POV)

I had woken up at the same time I had been for over two months now, but Applejack called me in to the kitchen before I could even start on my daily chores. Granny Smith already had breakfast all set up and Big Mac and AJ were waiting for me. "So, what's going on here?" I pulled a chair out, grabbed a buttermilk biscuit and mug of coffee and sat down.

"Well first, we gotta wait fer Applebloom Cougar," Big Mac replied as he began to stuff oatmeal in his face and downing the food with coffee. As if on cue, the cute little filly bounded down the stairs and happily hopped into a chair next to me. I just remembered that today was the day that her two week punishment was officially over. Applebloom happily sipped down on her cup of milk while waiting for the announcement from the rest of the family.

"Alright then, Cougar, Applebloom," Granny Smith began. Everyone at the table fell silent, "today, Ah have ta go 'N help out yer Aunt Apple Brown Betty with her illness. She's been feelin' under thu weather lately and wrote to me askin' fer help, so Ah'll be gone all day today, but Ah'll be back later tonight," Granny Smith explained. I quietly continued to sip my coffee as I tried to remember as many relatives as I could from when Applejack told me. Unfortunately, Babs Seed, Braeburn and her Aunt Apple Brown Betty were the only three I could remember.

"'N we've got pie deliveries ta make ya two," Applejack cut whilst setting down a map for herself and a map for Big Mac, "it's a day long trip fer the both 'o us," the orange mare looked at me. I was finally putting the pieces together: Applebloom and I were going to be left alone at the farm for a whole day, did that mean I was going to be in charge of the entire farm for the day, or would Bloomin' Onion be the one in charge? The latter made more sense to me, seeing as how she's lived on the farm her whole life while I've barely scraped by on almost two months. "Cougar? Didja hear me?" I heard AJ's voice cut into my thinking, causing me to jump slightly in my seat.

"I'm sorry what did you say Applejack? Is Bloomin' Onion going to be in charge for the day?" I asked her. This brought hearty chuckles from the three eldest members of the Apple clan sitting in the room.

"If she was the only one here, then yeah," Big Mac chuckled as he shoveled more food into his mouth.

"But since yer the oldest one here after Applejack," Granny Smith continued.

"Yer goin' ta be in charge 'o Applebloom today!" Applejack enthusiastically explained, for some reason. I started to sip nothing but air from the mug in my hand, so I set the mug down on the table softly. Applebloom had the same idea as me to ask why, getting to the point faster than myself.

"But why?" She asked not in a whining voice, but a curious and concerned voice, "Ah wouldn't mind spendin' the day with Cougar, but Ah can take care 'o myself if I need ta!" She countered.

"We know that lil sis," Applejack replied and wrapped an arm around Bloomin' Onion's neck in a hug, "but Ah figured if you'd stick around the farm the whole day with Cougar, he'd be in charge 'o ya, but ya can still go into town and hang out with Scootaloo 'N Sweetie Belle if ya want while Cougar watches over the farm," AJ explained to her little sis.

"Wait a minute, you just want me to watch over the farm?" I asked in shock, "no chores for me to do? Nothing to fix or errands to run?"

"Nope, jest relax fer the day Cougar, you've earned it with how hard ya worked the last two weeks, even after yer little escapade with them timberwolves," Granny Smith explained to me. No, this couldn't work for me at all. I can't be stuck with nothing to do; I get bored extremely easily and I feel like I'm lazy if I don't do anything all day long. Nonetheless, Big Mac, Granny Smith and Applejack left the dining room and began to prepare for their daily trips. Applebloom and I cleared the table together, though it was mostly silent, so I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the filly.

"So, do you want to do anything today Bloomin' Onion? We could go for ice cream or a milkshake, or we could watch movies on my iPad together and eat popcorn?" I offered to her. The yellow filly gave a mighty sigh as she stacked the dirty dishes from the morning's breakfast into the sink and she wiped her brow with her hoof.

"That sounds good; maybe Scootaloo 'N Sweetie Belle will meet us at Sugar Cube Corner," Applebloom tapped her chin with her hoof and ran water over the dirty dishes.

"Maybe I can hang out with Vinyl today to, and then probably come back and organize the barn a little."

"Ah said yer gunna take a break today and that means yer gunna take a break there youngin'," Granny Smith sternly slapped my back with her hoof.

"Yes ma'am," I replied and rubbed my back which I'm sure was red with a horseshoe print glowing. Granny had a duffel bag with a medical plus sign adorning the side and a sun hat on top of her grayish mane. Applejack and Big Mac appeared wearing saddle bags on their backs, presumably hosting water and food for their long treks.

"AJ, is your leg healed enough for you to go on this long of a trip?" I questioned. The mare in question narrowed her emerald eyes at me and trotted her way over to me, turned sideways and raised her rear leg only to rest her hoof on my knee cap.

"Ah can show ya that it's healed enough partner, or you can take mah word fer it," she threatened. I quickly and softly patted her leg until she lowered down onto the floor. "Good boy," she winked at me, "now Ah guess that's it, wanna help us hook up to our wagons?" Applejack asked me and Applebloom. The two of us then found ourselves outside with the two large pie wagons, ready to be hitched up.

Applebloom helped hitch up her sister while I helped hitch up Big Mac. Having hitched up Applejack before, hitching up Big Mac wasn't too hard. I tightened up the leather strap around the harness and patted his back. "That's it big guy, not too tight is it?" I asked. The red stallion rolled his back around a little and shook his head.

"Nnope, it's perfect Cougar," Big Mac replied to me, "you'll take good care 'o mah sister right? She can take care 'o herself, but I want ta know that if anythin' does happen to her, you can watch out for her," he explained to me. The statement caught me off guard, I could take care of Applebloom no problem, but I had no clue what could happen to her. Scraped knee? Twisted hoof? A cold?

"Yeah, of course Big Mac, she'll be just as you guys left her," I patted his shoulder.

"Good ta hear, we best be off!" Big Mac called to Applejack whom as hugging Bloomin' Onion tightly.

"Be good fer Cougar now Applebloom!" The older sister called as she and Big Mac set off for their pie delivers. I couldn't fathom just why her saddle bag had a whip and a chair poking out, or why she was wearing black leather leggings, but I decided not to dwell on it. The primitive technology of this planet was already giving me a headache.

"Ah will!" Applebloom called back, "bye Granny Smith!" Applebloom shouted while Granny casually walked her way to the train station and vanished behind the steam of a locomotive. And finally, Big Mac and Applejack disappeared behind the hill behind Sweet Apple Acres, leaving myself, Applebloom and of course, Winona. The little pup whined that Applejack left but Applebloom scratched behind her ear. "Don't fret now Winona, she'll be back in no time!" The filly comforted the dog.

"So, let's go back and finish up the dishes and then we can go for ice cream, my treat!" I ruffled Applebloom's red mane. The yellow filly jumped in the air and clapped her hooves before trotting inside. "Come on Winona, I'll give you some leftovers," I patted her belly. She barked in response and jogged with me back inside to the kitchen. Luckily, there weren't that many dishes left, so cleanup was a breeze. The rest of the eggs in the pan went straight into Winona's food bowl, which she happily gobbled up.

"Do you have a favorite ice cream flavor Cougar?" Applebloom asked me as she dried dishes to put back in the cupboards.

"Chocolate Fudge Brownie," I replied quickly, "even in the winter time, I could never get enough of it as a kid."

"Ah like strawberry ice cream mahself," Applebloom explained to me, "Ah especially like the little chunks of strawberries in the ice cream itself." She dried the final dish and set it in the cupboard. I dried off my hands and set the brush I was using behind the sink.

"Alright then, how about some ice cream?" I asked with the cheesiest green I could muster. Applebloom giggled and rushed over to the front door of the house. "Winona, you're in charge until Applebloom and I get back okay?" I asked the dog that was stretching out and chasing her tail around in the living room. I chuckled and followed Applebloom out the door and we took a little time on getting to town as we enjoyed the beautiful day, though pegasi moving the clouds around still creeped the hell out of me.

---

(In Town. Cougar's POV)

"Hey Pinkie Pie, how're you doing today?" I asked the pink mare as the little bell rang inside Sugar Cube Corner. The mare in question turned around from frosting and sprinkling doughnuts and a huge smile spread across her face.

"Hello Cougar, was your sugar sense tingling this morning?" Pinkie Pie questioned and thrust a box of chocolate chip cookies into my and Applebloom's face. I politely shoved the box down onto the counter and rested my elbow on said counter.

"You could say that; Applebloom and I just wanted some ice cream if you can handle ice cream of course," I teased Pinkie Pie. The mare gasped in shock and narrowed her eyes at me.

"I can handle any sweet, any time bub, you don't know who you're messing with here," she jabbed her hoof in my chest with a serious growl, though that really didn't faze me at all.

"Then I'll take a chocolate fudge brownie in a large waffle bowl," I growled right back. In no time flat, Pinkie Pie thrust a large waffle bowl full of my ice cream into my face. Impressed with her scooping skills, I took a bite of the ice cream and I froze. "Ah, ah, damned brain freeze," I rubbed my temples.

"Ha, Pinkie Pie 1, Cougar 0!" Pinkie did a little victory dance behind the counter. I rolled my eyes as best as I could with my brain freezing faster than Han Solo. Applebloom hopped on upwards towards the counter and pondered on what she wanted.

"Hmm, Ah'll take a medium strawberry shake please Pinkie," Applebloom politely asked. Pinkie ceased her victory dance over me and quickly made up Applebloom's requested milkshake.

"There ya go, that'll be six bits please," Pinkie stated to the yellow filly. Thankfully, by this point my brain freeze had gone away and I could think once again. Digging into my pants pocket, I produced the six gold coins and let them clatter onto the counter.

"Keep the change Pinkie; don't spend it all on one thing," I winked with a smart ass demeanor. Pinkie pouted her lower lip and lowered her eyebrows at me, but took the money and placed it into the cash register.

"Hope you're feeling better!" She called as Applebloom and I sat down at a table near the window and began to eat and drink our sweets. We both sat in silence for a few moments, just admiring the view outside the window and listening to the cheerful chatter the cafe held. Suddenly, a yellow stallion wearing an apron and a paper hat trotted up to the table and took off said hat.

"Hello, you're Cougar correct?" The stallion asked me politely and stuck out his hoof. I grasped it and shook it like normal.

"That's right, and you are?" I replied with a question.

"I am Mr. Cake, my wife and I own Sugar Cube Corner," the stallion replied as his wife approached the table, "Pinkie told us how you risked your life to save your friends, we're grateful to have you in our humble store," Mr. Cake bowed his head at me. I snapped my fingers at him, causing him to jolt his head back up to eye level with me.

"I was just doing what a friend and a soldier would do Mr. Cake, I'm nothing special," I added as I took a bite of my ice cream.

"Nonsense, Pinkie is lucky to have a friend like you," Mrs. Cake patted my head with her hoof. Pinkie then randomly jumped out from under the table with napkins for myself and Applebloom.

"Yep, we could always use a nice big strong set of muscles for security!" The pink mare hopped up and down. Mr. Cake produced a newspaper article from his apron pocket and stapled it upon the wall next to our table. I had become too familiar with the article. The Ponyville Gazette had done a front page article on how I had saved three of the elements of harmony and their sisters while putting my life on the line to do so. It was a tad embarrassing to be honest. I didn't want to be praised and showboated around like certain celebrities of Earth. Just a simple thank you would've been fine; lucky for me the Apple's respected that and didn't hang up the newspaper article like a trophy.

"Well, if there's anything we could do for ya, just let us know," Mr. Cake said as the trio left to make more sweets. Applebloom must've noticed how uncomfortable I was; she stopped sipping on her milkshake and looked my way.

"You alright there Cougar? Ah know ya don't like the praise ya get from ponies, but ya could at least enjoy a bit 'o bein' a hero," she asked me. Sighing, I set my near empty waffle bowl onto the table and wiped my mouth of the chocolate.

"Like I've explained before Bloomin' Onion, I didn't join the military just to bask in glory, or to be hero celebrity, I joined because of the honor I thought I could give my country and my species, and to do the right thing. I don't mind a thanks now and again, I just don't want to be put on a pedestal and glorified like a God."

"Ah get that, but ya don't have ta be shy 'bout it," the filly countered, "Applejack 'N Big Mac don't like ta be glorified either, but they deal with it until it dies down; it honestly ain't that bad either," she sipped on her milkshake once more.

"Yeah, but I don't like that. The only ones in my opinion who deserve praise like that are doctors, scientists and firefighters." I took the last bite out of my ice cream and started to munch on the waffle bowl.

"Soldiers too," Applebloom quickly added. Before I could retort, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo burst from the door and bounded up towards our table with huge grins on their faces.

"Applebloom, isn't today the day your punishment was lifted?" Scootaloo's wings vibrated and flapped constantly.

"Yep, sure is, so what plans do y'all have today?" Bloomin' Onion grinned back and scooted over on her bench to let her friends sit down. I wiped my mouth again as I finished my waffle bowl and Applebloom finished her milkshake.

"What happened to the ideas I gave you?" I asked the little orange pegasus. Her ears and wings drooped in embarrassment and a pink glow appeared on her cheeks.

"Well, Rainbow Dash did get me an opportunity to be a race announcer in Cloudsdale, but I apparently showed "too much favoritism," whatever that means," she rolled her eyes.

"I still haven't talked to Fluttershy yet," Sweetie Belle looked down at the table in shame. I didn't look at Applebloom; I already knew she hadn't done any cutie mark crusading for a fortnight.

"Well, whatever, you guys still have plenty of time to come up with new ideas," I chuckled, "anyway, can I get you two some ice cream or cookies?" I asked the unicorn and pegasus.

"No, we're cool Cougar, right Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. The little unicorn nodded in response.

"Alright then, Applebloom, are you going to go hang with your friends then?" I questioned. The three little fillies hopped up from their bench and opened the door, the little bell ringing in the process.

"Yep, Ah'll be home around 5:00 since mah family'll be home 'round seven," she replied and trotted out the door with her friends. I sat back in my chair and rested my head against the wall.

"Can I get you anything else Cougar?" Pinkie Pie asked me, "coffee? Soda? Cookies? Hot towel? The rest of the script?"

"The rest of the what?" I asked, but Pinkie bounded away to take somepony else's order. I shrugged it off as one of her "Pinkieisms" and left to go see what Vinyl Scratch was up to.

---

(4:30. Cougar's POV at Sweet Apple Acres.)

"Boy Winona, Vinyl sure likes my kind of music," I poured some kibble into the pup's food bowl and patted her head. The dog wasted no time in gobbling up the food like a rabid wolverine. I set the bag of kibble into the pantry and wiped the remaining sweat off my forehead from the jam session I had with Vinyl. She couldn't get enough of the music from my world; my phone was set to replay numerous times.

"Bark!" Winona replied to me.

"You're welcome," I smiled and poured water into her water bowl. I probably would've gotten bored out of my mind if Vinyl was too busy to hang out, there was nothing else to do at the farm today anyways. I wouldn't having a beer with Big Mac now that we've started over, though he was still gone and wouldn't be back for several more hours. My train of thought was disrupted with the front door bursting open and the sound of little hoof steps galloping through the house and up the stairs. "Applebloom, is that you?" I called out as I jogged over to the bottom of the stairs. When I didn't get an answer, I quickly hustled up the wooden stairs as the steps squeaked and creaked with my heavy footsteps.

Her door slammed shut just as I got halfway up the stairs, forcing me to stop momentarily. Fearing the worst, I hustled even faster upstairs and began to softly knock on her door. "Applebloom, is everything okay?" I asked her and leaned my ear against the door, only to hear muffled crying and wailing emitting from the room. "I'm coming in, okay?" I asked her. I reached for the golden door handle and turned it, slowly opening the door until I walked into the room. The yellow filly had her face buried in her pillow, crying hard.

"G-go, aw-away," she cried as I sat down on her bed.

"What happened Applebloom? Did you and your friends get into a fight?" I rubbed the back of her head softly. Her crying ceased, but the sniffling didn't.

"I d-don't want to talk about it," Applebloom quietly replied.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong Applebloom," I said, my voice cracking just a bit. It pained me so much to see Applebloom crying like this, it hurt knowing that she was so happy-go-lucky most of the time, yet here she was, crying her eyes out into her pillow. Instead of replying, Applebloom lifted her head off her pillow and turned to me. My hand shot up to my mouth and covered up a gasp. Her right eye was completely blackened and swollen like a baseball. I instantly wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly.

"I hate her, I HATE her so much!" Applebloom wailed and buried her head into my stomach. She tried to choke back her sobs, but I couldn't let her bottle up her pain for very long, knowing how dangerous that was.

"Shh, just let it out, let it out Bloomin' Onion," I shushed her and rested my head atop hers as my own tears began to stream from my eyes. "Please tell me what's wrong," I whispered as I rubbed her back as tenderly and softly as I could as she continued to cry. When she couldn't respond, I just said, "It's okay, Cougar's here for you," I cooed like a big brother comforting his sister. My body froze as it realized what I had just said. 'Where is this coming from?' I thought to myself, but brushed it off.

We both sat on her bed for about thirty minutes before her crying finally stopped. "I hate her Cougar," she said for a third time and wiped her nose. I turned around and grabbed a box of kleenex off her nightstand and handed them to her. I wiped my own eyes so she wouldn't see I had been crying with her.

"Let me guess, Diamond Tiara?" I asked her as I sucked in a breath through my nose. Applebloom blew her nose and nodded, throwing the used tissue into the rubbish bin.

"Sh-she and Silver Spoon wouldn't leave us alone while we were tryin' ta earn our cutie marks," she explained, "'N she kept badgerin' us 'n badgerin' us until Ah said she was nothin' more than a spoiled little brat who has her daddy do everything for her." I mentally smiled; that was a good comeback for the little rich bitch.

"So, she hit you in response?" I asked.

"No, she called me out on my parents," Applebloom whispered as more tears threatened to make a comeback. Oh, fuck, no. That's the LOWEST someone can go. Mocking someone for their dead parents? "She shoved me as she said it, so Ah shoved her back. Silver Spoon, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tried ta git us ta stop, but Diamond Tiara punched me right in thu eye and shoved me down onto thu ground 'N said, "You'll always be a useless piece of trash to society Blank Flank, ponies like you should be used as safety testing dummies, if we lose you, it wouldn't matter." Applebloom couldn't hold it back anymore and buried her face into my stomach and wailed again. I wrapped my arms around her again and kissed the top of her head.

"She's jealous of you Applebloom," I replied.

"W-what?" The filly wiped her eyes.

"Look at her. She's a spoiled rich girl who has everything handed to her and her cutie mark is a tiara. What the hell kind of cutie mark is that? I'll tell you: It means she's next to useless. All she'll EVER be is a rich girl. She's jealous that you're more independent and have a better opportunity to have a cutie mark that will make you better than her, she's afraid of you and she insults you to make herself feel better," I explained.

"D-do you really think that?" She asked me.

"I do Applebloom. You're a special pony. You're smart, funny, independent, witty and sweet, and you'll do great things one day and Diamond Tiara will be begging you to be her friend," I smiled. The filly wrapped her forelegs around my belly and snuggled close.

"Thanks Cougar," she whispered.

"And you'll make a lucky colt really happy too," I teased.

"Eww! No, I don't like boys like that!" She blushed.

"Ha, gotcha!" I ruffled her mane and laid her down on her pillow, "I'll be right back," I jogged downstairs and into my little house, grabbed my iPad from my bed and jogged back upstairs.

"Whatcha got yer iPad thingy fer?" She curiously asked me as I turned it on. I flicked the screen over to the movies app and clicked on it.

"I just need to take care of something really quick, just watch this and I'll come right back to watch it with you," I explained and clicked on a movie before hustling out the door.

"Hmm, Wreck-It Ralph?" I heard Bloomin' Onion say before I left.

---

"Hey, Lyra," I called to the aquamarine unicorn, "do you know where Flithy Rich's house is? I have a delivery slip I need him to sign," I lied to the unicorn. She gave me the directions I needed and I wasted no time in running on over there with the same expression Steve Rogers had in Captain America when his doctor friend was shot. "Here you are," I said as I found the address. From the street, I saw Filthy Rich sitting at the dinner table with Diamond Tiara and a light pink mare (lighter than Pinkie Pie) with a vanilla colored mane and an open book on her flank. Instead of ringing the doorbell like a gentleman, I banged on the door like a madman.

"Yes, can I-" the mare said as she opened the door for me.

"Hello, I am Cougar, and you are?" I asked politely, knowing this mare had no fire in this battle.

"I am Pennyblossom, what can I do for you Cougar?" She asked, "you're the human right?" she added.

"Yes, but I would love to speak with your husband and daughter," I said politely. She opened the door further to let me in and she trotted into the dining room.

"Rich, Tiara, there is that Cougar fellow here to see you," the mare said. I heard the distinct sound of chairs sliding across the hardwood floor and the two ponies in question appeared in front of me.

"I was wondering when one of you heathens would come by and apologize for Applebloom's behavior," Filthy Rich said to me.

"Excuse me?" I said and raised my eyebrows.

"My little girl told me all about how those pathetic crusaders wouldn't leave my angel and her friend alone and shoved them to the ground and spat on them! You're lucky I don't have Applebloom arrested for assault!" He jabbed his hoof in my chest. I lost it. I grabbed his collar with my hands and rammed him into the nearest wall, knocking a painting off and onto the floor.

"I've got a good mind to take your ass to a glue factory buddy," I gritted my teeth. "You know that's all a fucking lie," I added.

"Let go of my husband!" Pennyblossom shrieked. I ignored her and rammed Filthy back into the wall.

"You know your little spoiled brat started it and Applebloom just defended herself. ANSWER ME!" I shook him violently.

"Put my father down you brute!" Diamond Tiara tried to bite my leg.

"Now, you listen here human, if you don't put me down in five seconds, I WILL call the authorities and have you locked away in the zoo and the Apples will lose their biggest customer, me. They'll go out of business and it will be your fault," the stallion smiled evilly at me. I slowly caught my breath and let go of the stallion where he fell to the ground and dusted himself off. "Good human, and if you ever make false accusations of my perfect little girl, I can see to it personally that Applebloom's education ceases, understand?" He gave me a shit eating grin and got into my face.

"Let me see if YOU understand," I growled at him, "if Applebloom EVER comes back home and she has a similar injury like the one Diamond Twat gave her," I started and the trio gasped at my foul language, "I'm going to come back here with Big Mac and we'll beat the shit out of you," I threatened.

"What did you say?" Filthy Rich put on his macho pony act.

"We're gonna knock your dick in the dirt, your money can't protect you forever. Now be a stallion and raise your daughter right. If you want to come over and apologize for your daughter's behavior, you know where to find us," I got out of his face and slammed the door shut as I walked back outside. Sucking in a deep breath, I whistled a merry tune and walked back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Thanks Lyra, I was never here," I walked past her and Bon Bon.

"Applebloom, I'm back!" I called out when I got back home and walked up to her room with an icepack. Applebloom was giggling as she watched a movie on my iPad. "Hey, you enjoying your movie?" I asked and sat down next to her.

"This movie is awesome!" She replied as Wreck-It Ralph chased Vanellope through Sugar Rush covered in green goop. "But, where'd you go?" Applebloom paused the movie and looked up at me. I gulped, not wanting to tell anypony what really happened between myself and Filthy Rich.

"I just made sure Diamond Tiara won't bother you or your friends ever again," I replied and she cuddled up next to me.

"Really, how'd ya do that?" She looked at me dumbfounded.

"Military trick of persuasion," I didn't really lie. "Trust me, she won't bother you ever again, I give you my word," I assured her and hit play on my iPad. The last thing I remembered was shutting off my iPad as we both fell asleep several hours later.

---

(3rd Person POV. 7:00)

Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applejack all arrived back at the farm at relatively the same time, though Granny's train was a tad early. "So, didja git them pies delivered?" Granny asked her eldest grandchildren.

"Sure did."

"Eeyup," the two replied as they produced their bags of money to Granny Smith.

"Ah'm proud 'o you two, how 'bout we relax now with a nice cup 'o cocoa?" the green pony offered. Big Mac and Applejack unhitched themselves from their wagons and stretched their backs from the long journey they had just completed.

"How do you think Applebloom and Cougar faired today?" Applejack questioned.

"Nuthin' ta worry 'bout Applejack, Ah'm certain Cougar did a fine job watchin' her today," Granny opened the front door of the house, allowing Big Mac and AJ to walk inside.

"Cougar, AB, we're home!" Big Mac shouted. When he got no reply, he and Applejack headed upstairs to see if at least Applebloom was asleep. "Psst, yer not asleep are ya-" Big Mac began before he stopped mid sentence. "Applejack, git over her," Big Mac ordered.

"What's goin' on brother?" Applejack replied as she peered into her little sister's room. "Aww, isn't that the cutest thing?" Applejack held her hoof over her chest as she saw Cougar laying down asleep with Applebloom snuggled into his right arm. Soft snores emitted from both of them as the sand pony kept them in slumberland.

"It is cute, but why is he cuddlin' with our little sister?" Big Mac asked, concerned.

"Big Mac, ya worry too much," AJ poked Cougar in the chest.

"Ah, I'm up sir!" Cougar's eyes snapped open as he tried to salute, but only shifted Applebloom off his arm. "Oh geez, what time is it?" he stretched his back and arms.

"It's a little past seven," Applejack replied, "so, you 'N Applebloom were a cuddlin' huh?" her emerald eyes stared directly into Cougar's baby blues.

"Yeah," he sheepishly replied, "if that's okay, I know it's weird with the age difference," he explained.

"Ah shucks Cougar, it's alright, unless she says ya did sumthin' to her," Applejack narrowed her eyes.

"Woah, I'm not like that," Cougar defended.

"We're only jokin'," Applejack stuck her tongue out, "wanna join us fer some cocoa?" Applejack offered. Cougar nodded and silently shut Applebloom's door before heading downstairs.

"Guys, there is something I need to tell you," Cougar admitted after he sat down at the table.

"What's wrong boy? Did somethin' happen while we were away?" Granny Smith set down a mug for the human. Cougar sipped the warm chocolate milk before explaining the situation.

"Well, Diamond Tiara gave Applebloom one of the worst black eyes I've ever seen today," he explained. Big Mac stopped sipping his cocoa and let the liquid dribble down his red coat.

"She did WHAT to mah sister!?" Applejack flared her nostrils.

"Applebloom came home after we both did our own separate things and she had a black eye the size of a baseball. She told me that Diamond Tiara punched her and gave her the injury."

"So, what'd you do?" Granny Smith questioned and calmly sipped her drink.

"I comforted her and then went over to talk to her father," Cougar said, "and now I know I'm not a family member and I understand if you guys are mad at me for that, but I couldn't just let this slide by, so I went over to Filthy Rich and told him that if Applebloom came home with a similar injury again, then he would pay for it with dire consequences." The trio of Apples pulled up chairs around the table and stared at the human.

"You're tellin' us, you handled the situation and comforted Applebloom?" Applejack asked me.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for doing your guys' job, but you were all out raising money for the farm, I'm sorry," Cougar apologized.

"Why in Celestia's world are ya sorry boy?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ya did the right thing, 'N what's this talk 'bout you not bein' 'o family member? Ya live her don't ya? Ya work as hard as us don't ya? Ah don't care if yer a pony or not Cougar, we're proud to have you in our family," Granny Smith patted Cougar's shoulder.

"So, you're not mad?" Cougar asked, flabbergasted.

"Ya took care of mah sister and comforted her when she needed it, there's absolutely no reason fer us ta be steamin' at ya," Big Mac explained.

"Yeah, Ah'm glad we have you around Cougar, Ah wish more ponies could be like ya," Applejack hugged him. Still dumbfounded, Cougar returned the hug and patted AJ's back.

"Well, it's getting late, I'm turning in for the night, I'll see you all in the morning," Cougar said as he stood up from his chair.

"G'night Cougar, we'll see ya later!" Granny Smith replied. Cougar walked outside and back into his little house where he collapsed onto his cot and rubbed his eyes.

"How did I dodge that bullet?" He asked himself. Cougar felt a strange sensation in his chest. He felt good that he had comforted Applebloom when she needed it the most, but perhaps he felt guilty about going a little overboard with Filthy Rich. "Maybe I should apologize to him and settle it man to stallion over a cup of coffee," Cougar turned off the light of his little house and shut his eyes. If only he knew, what the late August held for him.

End Chapter XII

---

Okay, so to make up for the sad, yet touching chapter, next chapter will be the host to many jokes to get your spirits up when Cougar is forced to spend a weekend with Spike! Why do you ask? Well, just find out next time.

And I am going to start another story here shortly. I recently watched Rainbow Rocks on Netflix and although I enjoyed the film, I really wish there was more 'Rocking' in the movie instead of pop music. So, I'm going to do an alternative version of the movie, soon.

Also, I want to wish all my friends, favorites, and followers a very merry Christmas as this is the last chapter I will write before December 25th, so without further ado, here's a song for you all! (I DO NOT OWN IT!)

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
with lots of presents to make you happy
I wanna wish you a merry christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
with lots of presents to make you happy
I wanna wish you a terrible Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
with lots of presents to make you happy
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Ano Felicidad.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XIII: Weekend Escape Part I

I hope everypony had a wonderful Christmas! I had a great Christmas posting another MLP story, though you guys don't have to read it if you don't want to. I just wanted to experiment with doing more than one story at once. Anyhoo, in this Chapter, the story REALLY earns its 'M' rating, well, that depends on everyone's opinion. I'll leave it at that and hope you find it as funny as I do. In this chapter, Spike and Cougar are rounded up by the Royal Sisters and are forced to stay in Canterlot Castle for a whole weekend. Why you ask? Just read the chapter.

OBSERVER01: Thank you my good friend.

Guest (1): Thank you. I originally was going to have them watch The Lion King, but I really wanted to put a little bit of the kid inside me in the chapter.

ninjagofangirlb: Why yes, Feliz Navidad is spanish for Merry Christmas. It's actually one of my favorite Christmas songs, right next to Jingle Bell rock and Josh Groban's Drummer Boy.

killer43penguin: I've been planning on that one since I introduced Cougar to Applebloom.

Guest (2): Hmm, a coincidence perhaps?

bubbahCakes: Thank you sir! I waited long to put Discord in the story because I wanted to make sure I wrote him correctly, and I am glad I did! As for the realism, I wanted to have the story to be somewhat grounded in reality rather than have cartoony things happen, save for Pinkie Pie. I hope you like the rest of the story I've got planned.

---

(Late August. Canterlot. With Luna. 3rd Person POV)

It was that time of morning when Luna would be forced to retire the moon and for Celestia to raise the sun and give birth to another beautiful day in Equestria. Though for the midnight blue Alicorn of the night, something kept pecking at her mind, and she could not figure out what it was or why it kept bothering her. Luna kept pacing and milling around her own personal chambers after a stressful showing at her Night Court. Concentrating on her work was near impossible with her mind up in the air. Letting out a frustrated groan, Luna raised her silver horseshoe covered hoof and slammed it down onto one of her mini desks, smashing it to pieces. "Gah!" She exclaimed and rubbed her temples. She then heard the sound of galloping hooves clacking loudly on the marble flooring of the hallway outside her chambers.

"Lulu, are you alright?" Celestia worriedly called out.

"Guardians of the night, let her in," Luna sighed and continued to rub her temples with her hooves. Outside her chambers, her personal guards slinked away from the door and allowed Princess Celestia herself into the room. The pearly white Alicorn trotted quickly into the room and immediately stopped at the side of her little sister.

"Sister, you've been troubled all night," Celestia started as Luna looked her in the eye, "ever since your Night Court began, I have sensed something has been bothering you, and now you're smashing desks, please tell me what is on your mind sister," Celestia begged Luna. The smaller Alicorn shook her head and began to pace around her room once again, stopping in front of the fireplace.

"Blast this infernal mind slip!" She exclaimed and put a crack into the stone structure of the fireplace. A wide eyed Celestia approached Luna with caution; she knew to keep a safe distance when Luna was in a troubled mood.

"Perhaps a pot of tea will help calm your nerves?" The sun Alicorn suggested and conjured up a tea kettle inside of Luna's fireplace and a pair of cups and saucers on the coffee table. Neither of the two sisters said another word as the pot of tea boiled. Luna sat on her haunches and stared at her moon while Celestia darted her eyes back and forth from her sister to the tea pot.

"I am sorry for my behavior sister," Luna finally said just as the tea pot whistled.

"Oh, it's quite alright Luna," Celestia replied as she poured herself a cup of tea and one for Luna, "we all lose our tempers at one point or another. It's only what makes us ponies," she smiled and patted Luna's back with her wing. A white aura engulfed Luna's teacup as it tipped backwards to release the tea into her muzzle. "So, what's got you in such a dour mood sister?"

"All day and night long, there has been something on my mind and it involves Cougar," Luna explained.

"Do you still fear for your friend's safety Luna?" Celestia replied and took a small, regal bite of coffee cake. "From what Twilight and her friends have told me, his injuries are healing fairly quickly," she added with a swallow.

"No, at least I don't think so," Luna roughly set her cup back on its saucer. "It was something of the utmost importance that I had to tell him, buck it!" Luna shrieked and threw the tea cup at the wall of her room. "If only I could remember what it was!" Even though Celestia was worried for her sister, she remained calm and collected while Luna held her head in her hooves.

"Lulu, how about we switch the subject?" The Princess of the day suggested, "perhaps that will help jog your memory." Celestia warmly smiled. Luna took several deep breaths through her nose and nodded. "Alright then," Celestia set her tea cup and saucer down on the table, "are you prepared for the Grand Galloping Gala yet? It's only a few short weeks away."

"Yes, I am sister, though I do hope Princess Twilight and her friends bring along their hijinks, or else I wouldn't be able to stand the Gala," Luna replied with a smirk.

"I couldn't agree more Luna, but luckily I already sent out seven invitations for the elements and Spike," Celestia responded. Luna pondered the response whilst enjoying the crackle of the fire close to her.

"Did you send one out for Cougar as well? Perhaps he would like to go with his new friends?" Luna suggested. A small blush forced its way onto Celestia's pearly white cheeks as she looked away in embarrassment.

"No, I didn't believe this would be Cougar's cup of tea Luna, so I just didn't send him one," Celestia nervously bit her lower lip.

"I'll ask him if he would like to attend the Gala the next time I see him sister, are we still set to go to the running of the leaves next week?" The midnight blue Alicorn questioned. Princess Celestia nodded in reply and took another bite of cake. "Good, I hope he enjoys the race; he appears to have a soft spot for this 'NASCAR,' racing, thing," Luna air quoted.

"I think Cougar will enjoy it Luna, especially if he gets to sit in our personal private box seats," Celestia exclaimed, "Oh and I heard the Earth racing pony, Checkered Flag, is going to be an honorary guest at the Running of the Leaves," she added. Luna's face lit up as she jumped up from her seat excitedly.

"Checkered Flag is going to be there?!" Luna rose her voice excitedly. Celestia raised her eyebrow and smirked at her sister.

"My my Luna, you're acting like quite the filly, do you have, feelings for Checkered Flag?" Celestia teased her sister. A massive pink blush crept across Luna's cheeks as she sat back down and rubbed her face a few times.

"N-no of course not Sister!" Luna rejected the idea, "I am the Princess of the Night and have no time for romance or a stallionfriend! Especially not one as handsome, caring and charitable as Checkered Flag," Luna held her head in her hooves as she let her crush slip, "how did you find out anyways?" She questioned.

"Oh, Cadance has noticed before when the four of us were in the Crystal Empire for the charity bowl and you were thinking how perfect of a Stallion Checkered Flag was, especially for matching the winning percentage of his own money for charity," Celestia wiped her mouth. "Perhaps if you'd like, I can extend an invitation to him as well when we are at the Running of the Leaves for him to join us at the Gala?" Before Luna could answer however, there was a knock on her door.

"You may enter!" Luna called to one of her Bat Pony Guards.

"Sorry for the disturbance your highnesses," the guard apologized, "but it is time for you two to lower the moon and raise the sun," the guard explained.

"Thank you Bat Fang, you may take a break for awhile," Luna smiled at her favorite guard.

"Oh thank you Princess Luna, I shall," Bat Fang replied and bowed to the two sisters and turned to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot Princesses, I needed to tell you that all the married guards departed earlier to be with their wives for the Fall Estrus weekend, along with guards and maids in a committed relationship, it starts today, so I thought I'd remind you in case the regular guards are gone," Bat Fang reminded and shut the door.

"Ah yes, I do recall Flash Sentry asking permission to be with Twilight for the weekend," Celestia got up and stretched, "I also wrote a letter to Spike explaining that he must be at the castle for safety reasons, per the usual every Fall and Spring Estrus season," she added. Suddenly, the couch that Luna and Celestia were sitting on was destroyed with a deafening crash.

"OH DEAR YOU!" Luna shrieked at Celestia.

"What is the matter Luna?!" Celestia demanded and utilized her magic to clean up the mess.

"I must get to Ponyville immediately; Cougar is in great danger!" Luna disappeared in a brilliant flash of white light. Celestia rolled her eyes and lowered the moon and raised the sun.

---

(At Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

"Oh, Scarlett, we barely know each other," I said in a haughty voice. There was a deep and sensual feeling rising up between my knees as I watched Scarlett Johansson's hand snake down my six pack stomach and into my most tender of areas. She didn't reply with her voice, but her hand eventually reached its destination. Softly and slowly, her hand began to rub my tender area passionately, eliciting a moan from my mouth.

"You do know how to please a man Ms. Johansson," I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment as my member throbbed hard. Suddenly, the rubbing ceased and I whined a little.

"Ya want me ta continue Loverboy? Ya sounded like you were enjoyin' my treat," a southern voice replied to me. My eyes snapped open to reveal a certain cowgirl hatted orange mare with her hoof resting on my 'pitched tent.' "Don't pretend ya didn't like it," Applejack said in a rather breathless voice.

"AJ! WHAT THE FUCK!?" I shouted and smacked her hoof away and stuffed my blanket against my groin.

"Playin' hard ta get eh? Momma likes herself a challenge," AJ licked her lips and slowly stalked towards my member. Using my military training, I threw the blanket in her face and rolled off the cot to get away. I noticed that her emerald eyes were much smaller than usual, as if she were brainwashed. "C'mon Cougar, I jest wanna thank ya fer savin' mah life," she licked her lips and tossed the blanket away from the cot.

"What's gotten into you Applejack?!" I demanded and quickly threw on my pants. Drool was emitting from her mouth as she slowly stalked her way over to where I was. Luckily, I threw the cot down in between us and we started to encircle each other.

"Jest relax," Applejack tried to soothe me, "'N Applejack'll make ya feel real good parter," she took her red hair bands out of her pony tail and her hair fell all the way out, but she kept her cowgirl hat on for some reason. I realized that she had only looked me in the eye once, the rest of the times her emerald corneas were glued to my crotch area. Then, she started to get impatient, I mean really impatient. She leapt over the cot and tackled me to the ground, straddling my groin. "Ah'm hungry Loverboy, Ah ain't had any in a looooong time, 'N speakin' 'o long," she purred and reached for my zipper with her muzzle. Even with all my strength, I failed to pry Applejack away from me.

"Please let this be a nightmare," I begged. I was literally terrified, despite a part of my anatomy enjoying itself. Applejack was the pony I trusted the most besides Luna here, and she never tried this before, nor did she show any rapist qualities about her. My hands clenched the floor as a bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. I heard and felt the familiarity of my zipper sliding down the front of my pants.

"Oh yea Sugarcube, keepin' it nice 'n clean fer Momma, good boy," AJ purred again as she unbuttoned my boxers. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light inside my little house as Luna appeared, flaring her midnight blue wings.

"Uh-uh Princess Luna!" Applejack looked up from her task of unzipping Cougar Junior and glared at the Princess, "he's mine! 'N Ah ain't sharin' with nopony!" She growled in anger and lust. Then, she froze in place, a cold glare plastered on her face.

"Cougar, we must get you out of here now!" Luna exclaimed and levitated Applejack away from me. With what seemed to rival the speed of the Millennium Falcon, I buttoned up my boxers, zipped my pants up, grabbed a shirt and threw it on. "Bring your duffel bag with you for the weekend," Luna stood guard as I packed what she specified.

"Luna, what the hell is happening?! Applejack is going crazy!" I exclaimed, worried for my friend. The Alicorn in question leered outside of my house, checking to see if it was safe.

"Okay, we're in the clear, we cannot have the possibility of bringing another horny mare with us," Luna explained.

"Another horny mare?" I asked in disbelief. Luna turned to me and placed her hooves on my shoulders.

"Cougar, the Fall Estrus has begun in Equestria; every mare that has gone through puberty and that has not reached Marenopause is in extreme heat, and they will stop at nothing to get what they lust for the most," she explained. I gagged after realizing what she was talking about.

"In heat? Oh Christ, but why would they want me? I'm a fucking human for your sister's sake," I pointed out.

"It doesn't matter Cougar, a mare in heat will seek out a sentient male to mate with for the weekend."

"I didn't have to deal with this shit back home," I replied and checked behind my back.

"The female of your species doesn't go into heat?" Luna curiously asked.

"No, if my species was in the mood, we'd fuck or have a private moment alone in the bathroom," I replied, "now can we stop talking about this and get out of here!?" I begged. Luna nodded and held onto me with her wings in a bear tight hug as my eyes were blinded. We landed with a thud and I fluttered my eyes open to see us in the throne room of the castle.

"Ah Cougar, I trust you made it out of there okay?" Celestia politely asked me.

"Define okay Celestia," I breathed a sigh of relief and released Luna, "thanks for saving me Luna," I added.

"It's no problem at all Cougar, you're lucky I remembered in time," she folded her wings back onto her sides, "and don't worry about Applejack; she'll unfreeze in a few moments." I nodded and sat down on the floor, trying to recollect myself after what just happened.

"Your highnesses," I heard a guard's voice call out. Celestia, Luna and myself turned to the main doors of the throne room just as they opened to reveal Spike carrying a hobo stick behind him, "Spike the Dragon," the guard announced. The little dragon jogged his way in and set his hobo pack onto the floor.

"What're you doing here Cougar?" Spike questioned, but it wasn't in his usual distrusting tone of me. He held an actual sense of genuine curiosity in his voice.

"The very same reason you are here Spike," Luna replied, "and I got him out of Ponyville just in time," she added. I gulped and shook my head from side to side to get myself to think more clearly. I stood up and looked at both Princesses in front of me.

"So, we have to be here for the whole weekend?" I asked.

"That is correct Cougar. We cannot have Spike and yourself be subjugated and be put in harms way during the Fall Estrus since the two of you are not married to a mare and are not in a committed relationship with one."

"And do not think that you are stuck here, you may do as you wish here. The castle has many activities for you two to do," Luna explained.

"I can show him around, unless he wants to be nosy and search out every inch of the castle," Spike volunteered.

"I'm not nosy kid, and I was just trying to help your Rarity situation," I replied with crossed arms. The dragon rolled his eyes, untied his hobo sack and stuck a gem in his mouth. "Wait a second," I realized, "what about the nurses or the castle maids?" I asked.

"They have been sent home Cougar. You have absolutely nothing to worry about while you're here," Celestia reassured me. I narrowed my eyes at the two sisters and put my hands on my hips.

"Do we have to be worried about you two?" I double-checked. Luna and Celestia gave hearty chuckles at my question. I dropped my hands from my hips and let them rest on my sides.

"Alicorns only go into heat once every five years Cougar," Luna began.

"And for us, it won't happen again until next year," Celestia finished. "Now then, it's just about breakfast time and the cooks have finished preparing food, are either of you two hungry?" The sun Alicorn questioned us. Spike picked his hobo stick back up and I slid my duffel bag strap into my hand as we followed the two Princesses into the dining room. Despite the bad air between us, Spike actually wanted to talk to me! Perhaps it was because we were both in the same boat so to speak, or maybe I was just the only thing to keep him entertained.

"So, what'd you bring for fun?" The purple reptile questioned. I unzipped the bag and shifted through its contents, searching for what I had brought. Seeing as how Princess Luna evacuated me as if a hurricane, a tornado and a volcanic eruption were going to happen all at once, I couldn't remember exactly what I had packed.

"Just my iPad, headphones and my Daring Do book which I've read three times already, and that's it for entertainment," I replied and re-zipped my bag. "Oh and my phone, but the battery has been dead for three days, and I have no way of charging it," I added as two royal guards opened the dining room doors to reveal a large table with various food on top.

"Breakfast is served, your highnesses and prestigious guests," the head chef bowed as we all took our respective seats.

"Cougar, may I see your phone device please?" Luna asked me. I stopped plating some hash browns and pulled my phone out my pocket and tossed it over to the midnight blue Alicorn. "So, how do we charge it?" She asked again.

"Well, I have the cord, but you guys don't really have the same electrical outlets as my society did," I replied, "but if you can get electricity into the hole on the bottom, that'll charge it," I explained and slid an omelet next to my hash browns. Spike on the other hand cut open an omelet and stuffed it full of gems and began to eat. Luna studied my phone before floating it up to her horn and inserting the tip into the charging port.

"Let's see if this works," Luna said as little bolts of white lightning were sent up into my phone. After a few seconds, she ceased the lightning and tossed my phone back to me. I clicked the on button and was shocked to see the battery had 400% power! I dropped my fork to the floor where one of the butlers picked it up and handed me a new one.

"Th-thank you Luna," I said in a dumbfounded tone.

"You're quite welcome Cougar," she replied with a smile and started to eat a salad. "Oh and before I forget Cougar," she swallowed, "the yearly Grand Galloping Gala is approaching, would you like to attend?" I shoveled some omelet into my mouth and took a minute to enjoy the peppers and cheese flowing through my tastebuds.

"What is that? Like a charity auction or something?" I questioned and sipped on a cup of milk.

"No, it is a formal gathering of all Canterlot's most sophisticated and important ponies. The importance behind the Gala is to get them all together and swap different ideas and is a Canterlot tradition," Celestia explained.

"Nope, sorry, doesn't sound like my kind of thing," I replied and continued to cut into my omelet and hash browns. I kept on eating until I realized it had been quiet for some time, so I looked up to see Luna and Celestia with disappointed faces. "What? Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

"Well, why wouldn't you want to go Cougar? It is actually a fairly enjoyable evening," Luna protested.

"Sorry, I don't do phosistication things," I replied in a joking manner. That's when the doors flew open once again and my old friend Bluebutt strolled in.

"Ugh! YOU again?! Let me guess, you were rejected by every Mare during the Estrus?" He rudely guessed and sat down with a huff, "doesn't surprise me, you couldn't lay a mare in the dungeon with the keys in your disgusting digits," Blueblood began to cut into a salad with his magic.

"BLUEBLOOD!" Luna shrieked in her booming voice. I held onto my plate to keep the vibrations from forcing it off the table. Spike was hit directly with the voice and his chair fell backwards onto the floor, his face covered with soggy eggs and bits of gemstones. "You will leave Cougar alone!" She sneered at Blueblood, "he was nearly raped by-" I stopped her right there.

"Some mares tried to jump me when I went to town for some errands," I tried to not paint Applejack in an unflattering manner, to which Luna thankfully understood.

"I find that extremely hard to believe," Blueblood ignored Luna's warning and continued to eat. It then dawned on me that Blueblood was here eating, and not in his room, or a hotel room somewhere in the city.

"So, where's your mare then Bluebutt?" I asked casually and continued to eat.

"What did you just call me?" He demanded and snapped his fork in half with his magic.

"You were just mocking me for being here and not with a mare, so why are you here instead of entertaining a mare somewhere?" I questioned smugly and took a long sip of milk. Bluebutt glared at me and mumbled when he munched on his food.

"I would if my aunties weren't such cock blockers," he mumbled.

"THAT'S IT!" Luna screamed, flew up from her chair, grabbed Blueblood by his horn with her magic and drug him away, "I shall return momentarily, after I punish our nephew sister," Luna informed Celestia and left the dining room.

"I apologize for Blueblood's behavior boys," Celestia apologized to myself and Spike.

"I'm used to it Princess, but thank you for the breakfast," I replied and set my fork down on my now empty plate.

"Princess, I still can't believe you allow him to stay here," Spike piped up after picking himself up from the floor and licking the rest of his food off his face, "especially after how he treated Rarity," Spike seethed in anger.

"Well, I'm well aware of my nephew's poor manners, but besides Cadance, myself and Luna are his only family members, his mother abandoned him when he was just a baby and we never knew who is father was; we've been trying to teach him manners and how to be a responsible and selfless member of royalty for nearly thirty years, and no results," Celestia explained.

"Oh, but that still doesn't excuse how big of a jerk he is," Spike retorted and set his empty plate down.

"Have you tried military school or hiring a CO to privately tutor him?" I asked.

"Luna proposed that idea several years ago, but I thought that to be much too severe for him," the Princess replied.

"Look Celestia, you've tried and you were too easy for too long, I think the next time he does something terrible, like how he greeted me when I first arrived, then send his ass to Military school and straighten him up," I explained. The princess rested her chin on her golden covered hooves and pondered the idea momentarily.

"I shall discuss this with Luna Cougar, but we must think of this. In the mean time, Wadsworth, please show Cougar and Spike to their rooms," Celestia requested, "Spike, you'll stay in the guest room next to me and Cougar, Luna requested that you sleep in the guest bedroom next to her chambers," she got up from the table, "and don't forget to enjoy your weekend boys," she bowed before leaving.

"Pardon me sirs, but it is time to show you to your rooms," a butler pony exclaimed. Spike and I got up from the table as the various cooks from the kitchen cleared the dirty dishes. "Follow me Cougar, Mr. the Dragon, you know where your room is," Wadsworth explained. Spike jogged away with his hobo stick in hand while I walked with Wadsworth to my temporary room.

"So, what is there to do in the castle Wadsworth?" I asked politely.

"Ah, the castle does house a fencing arena, a natural lake for swimming, a gymnasium, an archery range and a library filled magical books, I do enjoy a good read on my time off," Wadsworth replied, "though you must have permission from one of the royal sisters to enter parts of the library," he added.

"What else is there for fun?" I asked.

"Well, we do have the royal jester, but unfortunately he had to be with his wife for the estrus," Wadsworth explained as we rounded a corner. "And I know at first the guards may be intimidating, but as long as you do not threaten to harm anypony or steal anything, they will leave you alone," he informed.

"Ha, what guards?" I asked as I only spotted one in the hallway.

"Well, the majority have left for mating season, leaving but a handful of guards left, ah here we are Mr. Cougar," Wadsworth utilized his magic and opened the door for me. I thanked him and dropped my bag beside the King Sized bed.

"I may not enjoy fancy things a lot, but I can live with this Wadsworth," I laid down on the bed and stretched. The room had a nice silver chandelier suspended from the ceiling, a fireplace on the far corner, a personal bathroom on the other corner and a nice balcony outside.

"Well, if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask," Wadsworth turned to leave.

"Hold on there," I said and produced ten bits from my pockets, "thanks for showing my my room," I grinned.

"Thank you sir," Wadsworth bowed his head and left the room. I took one more look around my room before exiting and going to find Spike to see if he wanted to do anything. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I strolled down the hallway. 'Maybe we could go for a swim, or run some laps in the gym,' I thought to myself. The hallway I was in had the large bay windows, allowing Celestia's sun to stream in seamlessly.

"Ah there you are Cougar, enjoy your room?" I heard Luna ask. I turned around to see the Alicorn trotting her way up to me.

"Yes I do Luna, thanks for letting me stay next to you," I replied and stopped so she could catch up.

"It's no trouble Cougar, but do you have any plans for today at the castle?"

"I was just going to see what Spike wanted to do today, see if we can clear the bad air between us," I explained.

"That sounds like fun Cougar, let me transport you to Spike's room if you would like that," she offered. I nodded my head and suddenly found myself outside a golden door. "Now, I must retire for the day, but I'll see you tonight before you go off to bed," Luna disappeared in a flash of white light. I gathered my thoughts together, (my mind still wasn't used to this teleportation concept and left my head spinning) and knocked on the door.

"Yeah? Oh, hey," Spike said dejectedly as he saw it was me.

"Hey Spike, want to hang out and do something together?" I asked. The little dragon froze in spot and turned around, a look of disbelief painted on his face.

"Why do you want to hang out with me Cougar?" He asked curiously.

"Well Spike, we're both basically stuck here, and I thought we could pass the time together you know? Maybe go for a swim, or run a few laps in the gym, or go to the library?" I offered. Spike's hand slid off the golden door in exasperation.

"Please, I work in a library with Twilight all day every day, do you really think I'd want to hang out in a library all day doing nothing?" He replied.

"Right, sorry," I looked around, trying to get rid of the awkward air.

"But really, why do you want to hang out with me? You know how we don't trust each other," he pointed out.

"I just thought we could at least be nice to each other, you know, for our friends' sakes?" I explained. "We don't have to be friends, just not be assholes to each other." Spike looked down at his feet and back up to me.

"Well, a swim does sound nice."

---

(1 hour Later. Cougar's POV)

We both decided to wait an hour before we went for a swim so we wouldn't cramp up. But, while I was changing into the swimsuit Rarity made for me, I had a flashback back to this morning. I braced myself against the wall as I shook my head, attempting to get rid of the memory. "No, I can't be getting afraid of Applejack," I said to myself. Despite my understanding that it was normal and in her nature, it was still a frightening experience for me. "Maybe I need to see her again once this shit is over," I said out loud, "that could help."

"Cougar, are you ready?" Spike knocked on my silver door. I snapped myself out of my thoughts and opened the door to see Spike, in nothing as usual. "Hey, nice outfit, did Rarity make it?" He asked me.

"Yeah, she made them special after, Pinkie," I replied.

"Yep, only Rarity could make something so simple so fantastic," he gushed. I rolled my eyes and patted his head, motioning for him to follow me. "So, are you still not going to the Gala? Applejack is coming," Spike asked me. We had begun our trek outside to the lake, luckily there was a guard in the hallway to tell us where the lake was.

"No, and why would that sway my decision?" I asked.

"Well, because you guys are good friends and you really bonded from the timber wolf attack," he exclaimed.

"Spike, she's a pony, I'm a human, we're friends, end of story," I shut that book.

"Well so? I thought maybe if you went with her, you wouldn't mind the snooty ponies attending?" Spike questioned.

"Nope, it's not my kind of thing Spike, I really don't think anything will change my mind," I said.

"Fine, but you're really gonna miss out," Spike teased as we opened a door to reveal a path to the lake. "Come on Cougar!" Spike burst into a sprint and dove into the lake. I dropped my duffel bag with my towel on the shore and dove in after the dragon. The cool water felt amazing on my skin from Celestia's sun bearing down on me.

"Oh yeah, this is nice!" I exclaimed as I rose from the water. Spike popped from behind me and spat water at the back of my head. He chuckled and dove below the surface as I tried to splash him.

"Missed me!" He teased and popped up somewhere else. I yanked on his tail and held him upside down just above the surface.

"Gotcha punk," I dunked him under the surface.

"Let me go Cougar!" He laughed at me. I reared my hand back and tossed him about ten feet away. He made a huge splash as he made contact with the water. "You'll pay for that!" He threatened when he re-surfaced with soggy spikes and scales.

"Come and get some kid!" I called out to him and gave him the 'Bring it On' hand motion.

"Oh, it's so on Cougar," Spike playfully growled. Diving below the water, Spike shot towards me and yanked myself under the water with his tail wrapped around my ankle. I held my breath as he drug me under the water, but as he did, I had another flashback.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe and I started to panic. I thrashed my arms around and let out an underwater scream. Spike's tail let me go, but I couldn't get back up to the surface right away. Luckily, he grasped my hand in his claws and he pulled me back up onto the shore. "COUGAR!" Spike slapped my face a few times, "are you okay?" He worriedly asked.

"I think so," I choked out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to let that happen," he apologized. I held my hand up as I caught my breath.

"No, I just had a flashback of the timber wolf attack, it's not your fault," I lied to him, thanking God that I wasn't talking to Applejack or Luna.

"Well, we can go back inside or we can wait a minute for you to catch your breath," Spike assured me.

"No, just let me catch my breath and we'll go back to swimming," I patted his back. Finally, my heart rate went back down and my breathing returned to normal. I made the first move and jumped back into the water, Spike following closely. Unfortunately, as we both surfaced, something appeared to be following us in the water. "Spike, do any lakes have sharks in Equestria?"

"Sharks? No they're only in the oceans, why?" He asked me.

"Then what the fuck is that?!" I yelled. He turned to where I was pointing and his irises shrank. Closing in on us was a curved fin, traveling at us quickly.

"SHAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRK!" We both yelled and tried to get out of the water, but we both felt something grab our legs and yank us under water...

End Chapter XIII

---

Please excuse the shortness, or else this chapter would be 12K+ words. What's gonna happen to Cougar and Spike? Will they be safe, or are they going to be breakfast? Will Cougar ever be able to face Applejack again despite the fact she had no control over what she was doing? And will Cougar accept the invitation to the Gala? Read Part II next time to find out!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XIV: Weekend Escape Part II

Guys, before I reply to any reviews, I just want to sit down and thank you all SO much. When I got the notifications that I now have 74 authors following this story and 54 who have favorited this story, I was blown away. When I started out Fallen Eagle, I was still very new to this amazing fandom/community, and I didn't know how people would react. I figured it would probably have maybe four favorites and twelve followers, but to hear how much people love the story and how much they love my OC, Cougar, it just brings so much happiness to my heart and I'm glad to use that happiness to fuel my desire to keep writing.

Mallory Shadowielder: Yes, yes I did. I was hoping someone would get that reference lol

OBSERVER01: I know. That's a lot to go through.

deltafrost: They're really close friends. Luna was the first pony to sit down and talk to him in a non-interrogating setting, hence why he trusts her as much as he does with AJ.

Guest: Lol, if Cougar were to die now, the story would end way too soon! We still have a LONG way to go.

chipmunkfanatic: Well, Jaws wouldn't really make sense. And Celestia is too busy with her day court to pull any pranks.

AK74FU2: Woah, be cool man, we're all friends here. Here's Chapter XIV.

Fear-Less 1300: You laughed at that? Aw, I wanted it to be surprising yet horrifying at the same time since he's basically about to raped.

SquirtlePWN: Thank you so much! And remember that it is the Fall Estrus Weekend, Pinkie is a little busy with Cheese Sandwich, if ya know what I mean.

guestperson: Excellent theory, though seeing as how Luna is asleep and Celestia is dealing with her day court, I can't see how they're able to pull of a prank.

Ljunberg: No cookie for me :( But I know how much people despise Cliffhangers, but that keeps bringing them back.

Dixie Darlin: It can be on an unsuspecting human.

brony at war: Checkered Flag doesn't appear for another few chapters. Though in case you're wondering how he is handling the Estrus, he masks his scent and hides away in an emergency bunker.

killersqueenalpha: That means a lot to me. Though I really hope you mean when AJ got close to his face and told him to take a shower. But it is way too early for them to be doing anything romantic. I want it to progress naturally, though as the pairings in the story summary confirms, it WILL happen, I just won't say when.

---

Lake behind Canterlot Castle. Cougar's POV)

To say I was terrified of whatever was following myself and Spike to the shore of the lake would've been an understatement. The shark fin-like object seemed to be gaining speed traveling at us. On instinct, I got behind Spike and pushed him through the water faster, making sure he'd escape the lake first since he was just a kid. "Cougar, come on!" Spike paddled faster and faster as I picked him up and lifted his body out of the water with my legs still kicking as fast as I could. "What're you-" he started before I chucked him onto the shore. His body landed with a thump onto the sand, yet he wasn't fazed as he got up and motioned for me to hurry.

"Kid, get away from the water!" I ordered him. Turning my head, I saw the shark fin getting closer and closer, so I paddled faster and faster than ever.

"GUARDS!" Spike started to shout at the top of his lungs back towards the castle, "HELP!" he added. Suddenly, I felt something wrap around my leg and yank me hard, but I never fell below the surface.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as I missed a breath and coughed into the surface of the water. Spike's shouting had ceased and he stood on the shore, glaring behind me. It was then I had realized that whatever had chased me, stopped and even the water had calmed itself.

"Oh come now, you two invite yourselves up to the castle for the weekend and you don't even bother to invite your dear Uncle Discord?" I heard Discord mockingly ask. Rolling my body over onto my back (I was close enough to the shore now that I could sit on the bottom under the surface) and placed my hand in front of my eyes to shield Celestia's sun from blinding me.

"Haha, good work Discord," the sun princess in question giggled and floated down from a cloud. "Oh, you two are indeed fun to be around," she gave another polite giggle. Her cloud vanished into thin air and she extended her legs onto the sandy shore of the beach.

"Princess Celestia, what's wrong with you!?" Spike exclaimed angrily, clenching his fists.

"Live a little Spike, you were never in any danger," Discord rolled his eyes which turned into two giant beach balls and knocked against my head and Spike's head before deflating and appearing in Discord's head which was now lying flush with the ground.

"What did you use as a shark fin then?" I finally croaked out after catching my breath again. I slumped down onto some soft grass and leaned up against a bush, allowing Celesita's sun to start drying me off. The creature that was a result of mother nature dropping too much acid reached up with his eagle talons and yanked his large crooked tooth out of his mouth.

"This tooth comes in handy more often than you'd think Cougar," the tooth vibrated a few times before flying onto Discord's back and grew larger to the size and color of a shark fin. He snapped his lion paw and the tooth reappeared into his mouth. I rolled my eyes and leaned over to grab my duffel bag that housed a towel. I wiped my face over and over again before rolling up said towel and lacing it around my neck.

"So, I take it you had to leave Ponyville as well?" I questioned and stood up with my duffel bag.

"That would explain his sudden appearance, somewhat," Spike replied as he shook his body a few times to get the remaining water droplets off his scales.

"Well yes, unfortunately being the lord of chaos, I sometimes forget important events on the schedule when planning to spread harmless chaos for my entertainment," Discord replied as he put on reading glasses, stuck a bubble pipe in his mouth and pulled up a daily planner. "So, when I entered a seemingly deserted Ponyville and headed to Fluttershy's cottage to kill some time," he tossed a spear at a clock and blew it up, "I happened upon Fluttershy yanking poor Caramel into her cottage as her animals were standing outside, shivering with fear."

"Oh God," I muttered at the thought of innocent little Fluttershy, well, you get the picture.

"And anyways, I was just strolling around my own personal Canterlot when I thought to myself, 'I wonder what Celestia is up to?' and I appeared in her day court room."

"Which was actually a nice surprise since I had only two guards to keep me company. The Fall and Spring Estrus seasons really make crime rates go down for the weekends, but that leaves nothing for my day court, so I've been putting off paperwork to keep me sane," Celestia explained.

"Well, have you tried scheduling court dates for the Estrus weekend princess?" Spike questioned and hopped onto her back, which I was surprised that she allowed him to do.

"Luna suggested that about a month before the Fall Estrus a few years ago, never again," she shuddered.

"Why not? Didn't it keep you busy?" I asked as I threw on my shirt.

"Yes, but keeping that many males in one place for that long, did not end well, those poor guards," Celestia shook her head. Finally I had begun a trek back to the castle, forcing the rest of the group to follow.

"Hang on a sec, Discord, how did you walk through Ponyville without getting mauled by a group of horny mares?" I paused halfway up the hill.

"I didn't walk through Ponyville, I teleported after realizing the place was emptier than, well the Canterlot bakery on Celestia's birthday," Discord responded as Celestia embarrassingly blushed, "and even then, I put a magic spell around me that masks the scent mares in heat go after," he explained.

"Cougar, I hope our prank didn't upset you in any way, I thought you could use a good laugh," Celestia said to me in her motherly voice. Yeah, I was kinda pissed since I don't think pretending to drown someone is funny, but at least I knew they were trying to cheer me up.

"It's okay, but I just hope I don't get anymore surprises this weekend. I just want to ride it out until we get the all clear to get back to Ponyville," I replied. Just as we reached the top of the hill, two guards came rushing out of the door, spears in hand.

"Did somepony call for assistance?" One of the guards asked.

"Yeah, like five minutes ago guys! What if Celestia was in trouble?" Spike angrily hopped to his feet on the sun goddess' back. The two guards rubbed their necks and blushed in embarrassment for their shitty reaction time.

"Now, now Spike," Celestia calmly spoke up, "these two are rarely on the main guard line, plus they're one of the few handful of guards left in this wing of the castle," she politely explained.

"And I had to make sure I had backup in case something went wrong," the second guard added, "we're always trained to have backup when heading into an emergency," he explained.

"Exactly, we can't stay in one spot like most pairs of guards, we have to constantly move around during this weekend," the first guard piped up.

"Okay, alright we get it," I held my hand up, "you did your best, and that's fine, now let's get out of here before Discord rearranges my internal organs," I shot a quick look at the conniving draconequus.

"What else do you wanna do Cougar?" Spike asked me, leaning against the back of Celestia's neck as the two unicorn guards escorted us back to the castle. Slinging my duffel bag strap over my shoulder, I took a quick whiff of my arm and grimaced.

"First thing is I'm gonna take a shower," I replied, "I was gonna take one earlier today, but I wanted to see what there was to do around the castle." The two guards opened the doors for myself, Celestia and Discord before locking the doors behind them and standing guard in front of them.

"Eh, I'll probably take a bath," Spike whiffed himself and jumped off Celestia's back.

"And don't you change our water to custard or barbecue sauce or something Discord!" I exclaimed, pointing my finger back at the creature in question.

"What? Moi? Perish the thought!" Discord kicked two 55 gallon drums of custard and barbecue sauce behind a post. As the four of us rounded a corner to get back to the hallway that housed Luna's private quarters and my temporary quarters, Celestia stopped us.

"Well, if you want to find something else to do, you can always ask me Cougar; I'm still trying to keep myself occupied today," Celestia let out a sad sigh. Then, Discord appeared next to her, leaning against her shoulder.

"I can think of a few fun things to do Celestia," Discord winked and earned himself a punch to the nose. "OW!" Discord held his nose, "I didn't mean that!" He whined and conjured up an ice pack. Spike and I chuckled as Celestia shined up her golden hoof plate against her furry chest.

"Next time don't say it like that then Discord," Celestia trotted away. Discord picked himself up off the floor and held his bloody nose in his eagle talons. I turned back to Spike and chucked my towel and duffel bag into my room.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you in a little bit Spike, we can hang out in your room and watch movies on my iPad if you want," I offered.

"Yeah, I got tons of comic books I'll let you read if you promise not to get them dirty or ruin them," he threatened.

"I won't ruin your precious comic books Spike," I rolled my eyes, patted his head and shut the door to my room.

---

(One hour later. Cougar's POV)

After getting used to taking a shower in a bathtub meant for ponies at least half a foot shorter than me, I dried myself off, tossed my iPad into my duffel bag and headed out of my temporary room. It was hard, practically having to stand on my knees just to be able to turn the knobs and keep my head under the water stream. The body wash was alright I guess, coconut creme. "Good day Mr. Cougar, I trust your morning has gone well?" Wadsworth asked me in his British accent.

"Yeah, Spike and I had a little surprise waiting for us in the lake, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," I turned to the butler Earth Pony.

"Well, is there anything I can get Mr. Cougar?" He politely held up his right foreleg with a handkerchief (or would it be a hoofkerchief?) strewn about. I held up my hands and shook my head at the butler.

"Nah, I'm good, just going to kill some time with Spike," I replied. "Look, I know I'm not in charge of you or anything Wadsworth," I stopped walking for a brief moment, "but why don't you go get yourself a cup of coffee or a veggie sandwich?" I suggested.

"Hmm," the butler pondered for a second, "I think I shall, but please do not let either of the princesses know I'm slacking off," he pleaded and put unbuttoned the top of his suit.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied with a wink. Wadsworth smiled and trotted away, shoving his white cloth into one of his many pockets before disappearing around a corner, probably heading to his butler quarters or a break room for guards, maids and butlers. Adjusting my Drive to End Hunger hat, I kept on walking through the halls of the castle, occasionally pausing to look at busts of pony rulers of the past, statues, paintings and glass stained windows.

"Cougar, can I help you?" A voice calmly called out. Thank God no one else was there, or else the secret of me screaming like a little girl would be about as concealed as the rumor of Carl Edwards joining Joe Gibbs Racing.

"AHH!" I yelled and grasped a lighting fixture to hold my body up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Celestia apologized and rubbed my shoulder with her right wing. I nodded my head and got my wits about me before politely shoving her wing off my shoulder.

"And I didn't mean to wander, where am I exactly?" I attempted to dissect my exact whereabouts.

"You're just about to enter the royal bathhouse," she replied. I'm an idiot; I didn't notice until now that her horn had a towel wrapped around it. The doors shut by themselves, revealing the two guards standing behind them.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry Princess, I wasn't trying to peek or anything," I apologized and turned away from her. Celestia chuckled before tossing the towel into my face and walking along with me.

"Don't worry about that Cougar; I was just washing my mane," Celestia explained. "So, where are you heading now?" She asked me.

"I was just going to see Spike and watch a few movies on my iPad, or maybe just talk you know," I replied, patting my duffel bag that had a spare set of clothes and my iPad. Celestia sighed and lowered her head. "Is everything okay Princess?" I asked, stopping in the hallway. The huge bay windows allowed light from her sun to pour through; I had to squint and lower the brim of my hat over my eyes.

"It's nice that you and Spike are trying to keep the peace between you if only for the weekend, I just wish sometimes Luna wasn't nocturnal or that our duties and work didn't get in the way so much," she confessed, "I missed her so much for the 1000 years I was forced to banish her to the moon," her horn lit up and projected the image of a black Alicorn as large as Celestia herself onto the nearest window. The image showed rays from Celestia's horn shooting at the black Alicorn and forcing it into the moon. "And even though she's been back for five years, we still don't get to spend that much time together." The image disappeared and the window went back to normal. "I wish we could go back to the days of our fillyhood and spend a whole day together, no villains or paperwork to go through," she added. I clicked my tongue several times, looking down the hall and back to the saddened Princess before me.

"Look Celestia, you said you practically had nothing to do today right?" I asked. She nodded and looked back up at me. "Well, if you really want to and really have nothing else to do today, would you like to hang out with me and Spike?" I questioned.

"You wouldn't mind having me spend time with you and Spike?" She replied, a hint of happiness riding on the edge of her voice.

"Nah, in fact it might be good for us to have someone of a regal status to keep us guys from acting stupid," I replied with a smirk. Celestia perked her head back up and smiled largely.

"Ahem, well then, shall I escort you to Spike's room then?" She offered her hoof to me. I took the gold plated hoof and we whisked away to the door next to Celestia's private chambers. "Ah, Glock, my faithful guard, you may take a break, I'm sure we'll be fine with Spike," Celestia granted the guard some time off.

"A-are you sure your majesty?" Glock stammered, "I wouldn't want to shirk my duties," he said in complete shock.

"Yes of course, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, especially with the dragon who saved the Crystal Empire and the human with a military background and who killed two Timberwolves bare uh," Celestia's mind went blank as she forgot what my hands were called.

"Handed," I said for her, nudging her shoulder.

"Yes that's right, and if something horrible happens, which I doubt it will, I believe we'll manage, and you deserve a day off Glock," she touched her horn to his head, removing his golden helmet to reveal a blue mane on his white body.

"If only I had a mare to share it with," he said gloomily. The guard drug his spear along the ground, walking away from the one thing today that made him feel important. I felt bad for the guy, so I spoke up.

"Hey Glock, you know, there's this nurse in the Royal Infirmary that's really nice, maybe once this weekend is over you could invite her to dinner or something, her name is Candystriper," I called out. The pegasus guard ceased and turned around to face me.

"I'll, keep that in mind, thanks," he gave me small smile and walked away.

"Well Cougar, that was very kind of you," Celestia complimented and opened the door to Spike's room, "and how did you know Nurse Candystriper was single? She closed the door as I walked in.

"She just seemed a little alone when she was helping myself, Rainbow and Applejack a few weeks ago," I replied, "hey Spike, what are you reading?" I asked as Spike hadn't noticed either of us enter the room.

"Aw, come on Humdrum," Spike rolled his eyes, "you had one job! Watch the door!" The dragon scolded his comic book.

"Does this happen often Princess?" I questioned Celestia while the oblivious reptile continued to read his comic book titled Power Ponies.

"I've seen this before when Twilight was a student of mine and Spike brought these comic books along while Twilight studied and practiced magic with me," Celestia responded, "however, I have been shown a method or two to snap him out of his funk," she added and trotted over to Spike, "Spike, oh Spike," she said in a teasing voice, "Rarity is here with a plate of gems; she wants to share them with you over dinner," she whispered. Instantly, the dragon sprang from his chair, the comic book flying out of his hands and landing perfectly on top of the stack of comic books next to his chair.

"Where is she? Oh, how do my spikes look?" Spike glossed over his green spikes with his right hand. Then, he realized Celestia was joking and his ears and spikes drooped down, "Come on guys, that's not funny," he hopped back onto his chair.

"Well, you were lost in the fantasy world of super ponies wearing tights, how else were we gonna get you back to reality?" I asked and ruffled his green spikes.

"So? You don't mess with a guy's feelings like that," Spike picked up his comic book and went to reopen it, but Celestia wrestled it from his grip with her magic; Spike crossed his arms and glared at the Sun Princess.

"I am sorry Spike, but Cougar has some movies he wants to watch with us," she explained and sat down next to the small dragon. Taking my cue, I set down my duffel bag and opened up the zipper.

"Alright, since you like superheroes so much kid," I flicked my thumb across the dozens of movies on my iPad until I rested on one of my favorite superhero movies of all time, "how about one about one of the greatest superhero teams ever?" I questioned.

"How did your dimension know about the Power Ponies!?" Spike exclaimed excitedly.

"Power Ponies? Yeah, right," I showed both Celestia and Spike the iPad screen. The screen showed a picture of a group of superheroes standing in a demolished city. One was wearing red and gold plated armor with lasers shooting out of his right hand. Another had a red, white and blue costume on with a blue helmet that had a big silver 'A' on the front and he was throwing a circular red white and blue shield. A third superhero had a large maroon cape, silver armor and a huge hammer being held in his right hand. A fourth one was a large and green angry looking behemoth. The fifth and sixth ones had black leather costumes on.

"The Avengers? Please, I bet the Power Ponies could whip them without losing their breath," Spike rolled his eyes.

"Oh really? Ya wanna find out?" I replied and clicked play, "Princess, you don't mind a superhero film do you?" I asked. Instantly, the Princess conjured up three large buckets of popcorn that levitated in front of all of us.

"Why don't we make things a little bigger?" She took a smile bite of popcorn as her golden aura surrounded my iPad. The screen began to stretch and deform as it suddenly grew to the size of a 32 inch TV screen and floated in mid-air. Then, the curtains in the room closed and the fire died down, making the screen appear clearer.

"Director Fury, what do we do now?" Agent Coulson questioned to his superior over the walkie-talkie. The screen changed to show a badass looking black male with an eye patch. He lowered his walkie-talkie before looking up into the distance. Suddenly, the screen went dark as the words THE AVENGERS appeared in big bold letters.

"Interesting so far," Spike said nonchalantly and threw some popcorn in his mouth.

---

(A little while into the film)

"Cougar, who is this man?" Celestia asked while taking a sip of water and munching on popcorn. The man on the screen was viciously punching a punching bag inside a 1940's styled gymnasium as he had flashbacks to his prior life. The movie showed the man in his superhero costume, running through a winterized forest with explosions and bullets covering the area.

"Peggy, it's too dangerous, I gotta put her in the water!" The man exclaimed. The screen showed him deflecting some sort of laser blast with his shield pounding another man's face in.

"You won't be alone," a woman's voice said softly as it showed a large machine crashing into ice.

"My God, this guy's still alive!" A second man shouted as the man in his costume was shown frozen in a block of ice.

Suddenly, the screen went back to real time as the man in the gym punched the punching bag so hard it exploded, sending mountains of sand everywhere and flying the remains of the punching bag across the room.

"That, is Captain America Celestia," I smirked and popped some snacks into my mouth.

"Oh my, he's certainly a strong human," Celestia stopped munching on her food to stare in awe at how strong Captain America was. Spike chuckled when Cap grabbed a second punching bag, hooked it to the ceiling and began to punch at it.

"Let me guess, this guy was some sort of soldier and he fell into a vat of toxic waste or was struck by lightning or whatever?" Spike played with is tail.

"Nope, he was experimented on," I replied and sipped on a cola. Just as Director Nick Fury was about to hand Cap his mission briefing, there was a knock on the door. "I got it, don't get up guys," I allowed the movie to keep playing since I've seen it dozens and dozens of times. "Yeah?" I opened the door only to discover an empty hallway. "Celestia, is this another one of yours?" I asked and held the golden door wide open.

"What are you talking about Cougar? I didn't do anything," a confused and puzzled Celestia replied to me.

"Eh nothing, I must be hearing things," I said and shut the door. I sat back down in my chair which suddenly turned to a huge mound of popcorn, as did Celestia's and Spike's.

"Hey, what's going on!" Spike's muffled voice came from underneath his popcorn. Celestia's head poked out the top of her popcorn chair with some butter dripping off her horn.

"Discord," Celestia seethed as the chaos raving maniac appeared from thin air wearing blue and red 3D glasses.

"What, I thought you could all use a refill," he flicked some of the buttery goodness into his mouth and swallowed it. He then snapped his lion paw and a jumbo cup of soda appeared in front of him. However, instead of putting the red straw up to his lips, he inserted it into his ear. "Ah, refreshing," he sighed happily until he groaned in pain, "AH! BRAIN FREEZE!" He shouted and grabbed his head. I finally crawled from my mound of popcorn with bits of the snack sticking to me thanks to the butter.

"Did you want to watch the movie with us?" I asked, beginning to lose my patience with this guy.

"Oh goody, I thought you'd never ask!" Discord clapped his paw and talons together. He conjured up a lawn chair for himself to sit in and laid back, still drinking his soda pop.

"You could've just asked Discord," Spike crawled from his trap and coughed up some food.

"Where's the fun in that kiddo?" Discord teased. Celestia's horn flashed a bright golden light as the chairs returned to normal and all three of us were cleaned up of the butter and popcorn.

---

(Cougar's POV. 7:00 PM)

After finishing up the Avengers, the four of us took a break before returning to watch some more movies on my now gigantic iPad. When we were done with the Avengers, it was about 2:00, so we watched a comedy because Discord claimed he wanted a good laugh. So, I chose one of my favorite all time comedies: Dumb and Dumber.

"One half tea-spoon, for fast effective relief," Jim Carrey's character laughed evilly as he poured half a bottle of Turbo lax into Jeff Daniels' character's coffee mug.

"Oh ho, ho, ho!" Discord guffawed, spilling some popcorn into Celestia's wavy rainbow mane. "I LOVE this Jim Carrey fellow, I simply must see more of his works," Discord slapped his knee. Suddenly, there was another knock on the door, so I paused the movie. Celestia, Spike and myself turned our heads upwards to Discord. "Oh sure, blame the guy who pulled the last prank, how typical." Instead of one of us opening the door, the knocker in question appeared in the room herself.

"Luna!" I exclaimed and stood up to shake her hoof. "I take it you slept well?" I questioned the princess of the night.

"Oh most definitely," Luna stretched out her neck, "though I have been awake since 5:00," she winked, "and I see you've spent some time with my sister, little Spike and, Discord?" She questioned when the draconequus was spotted.

"Yeah, he wanted to tag along so we let him," I explained.

"Tia, did you get any of your work done today?" Luna asked her sister.

"Yes, though there was not much to do considering what weekend it is," Celestia got up from her chair.

"Hmm yes, this weekend does limit what we can do sister, though I do have one case in my Night Court tonight," Luna grumbled. "But anyways, the head chef has alerted me that dinner is ready if you're all ready?"

"Well, I am kind of sick of popcorn," Spike tossed his empty bucket into the garbage can. I turned off my now gigantic iPad and held the golden door open for everyone as we all exited the room to head for the dining hall.

"So Luna, what's on the menu for tonight?" I questioned, hoping for some barbecue corn on the cob or some mashed potatoes with country gravy and possibly cornbread, though I'm sure none of it would be as good as Granny Smith's recipes.

"The normal routine for us," Luna led all five of us down the hallway as Celestia joined us up front and Spike hopped onto Celestia's back for the second time, "a regular vegetable salad, fruit salad, pasta and baked jalapeño cheese bread for the side," the Princess of the Night explained, "and of course gems for Spike," she patted Spike's head. "Is something the matter Cougar?" She asked when she saw my crestfallen face.

"No, of course not," I replied, trying not to offend her, "it's just, I'm so used to the Apple family's cooking and I haven't really had any other food than theirs since I've been here," I delineated.

"Ah, that does make sense Cougar," Celestia chimed in, "although, after you and Spike left to go swimming this morning, I requested that the head chef make you a meal that they would normally make for the Griffon King and his guards when they arrive," she told me.

"Griffons?" I asked in disbelief, "well I shouldn't be too surprised," I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, and although we do not ourselves eat meat, King Gryffindor showed us an alternative to meat called Seitan," Luna piped up as the main dining hall doors flew open. "Ah Bat Fang, there you are."

"And Glock too, I trust you all had an interesting day?" Celestia and Luna greeted their personal guards. I had never ever tried Tofu before; fake meat sounded nasty and cheap to me back on Earth, but the princesses and the chefs went to the trouble just for me, I might as well try it. Discord, Luna and Celestia's noses crinkled at the smell coming from the kitchen, but my nose was loving it, Spike however, was indifferent.

"That smells really good," I wiped my lips of saliva as I smelled beef, most likely a steak or ribs. We all sat down at the huge round table as the few remaining servers set down glasses of water and milk.

"Speak for yourself Cougar," Luna wiped her nose. I chuckled and sipped on my water while Glock and Bat Fang stood around the table.

"And dinner, is served," one of the servants announced. Six plates, one for each of us, (and Bluebutt I'm guessing) were brought into the room and set down before us. The servers uncovered the plates and we began to eat. My dinner was Seitan beef tips, which I was still hesitant to try at first, but I slowly stabbed on cube with my fork and stuffed it into my mouth.

"Well Cougar, do you enjoy your food?" Celestia questioned while swallowing her salad.

"This is pretty damned good," I stuffed another cube of Seitan beef into my mouth and swallowed it. I then buttered a piece of bread and ate that as well. Discord on the other hand, was being Discord of course. He used his magic to turn his dinner plate and utensils into pieces of salad and his actual salad into broken pieces of dinner plate.

"Mmm," his teeth crunched the dinner plate, "my compliments," he belched. Then, the doors flew open to reveal, a very different Blueblood. He was shaking all over and his mane was a complete mess, kind of like Sarah Connor's hair in Terminator 2.

"Nephew, so glad you could join us," Luna smiled evilly and quietly stuck some vegetables into her muzzle, chewing slowly. Blueblood's hooves clacked against the marble flooring several times, almost as if he were trying to crack the floor itself.

"S-s-so m-m-much d-d-darkness," he shivered and sat down, the chair vibrating violently.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" I whispered to Luna.

"Ha, an old friend of mine taught him a valuable lesson about treating others with respect," Luna politely sipped her water.

"Lulu," Celestia glared down at Luna. I was confused as hell, but Spike and Discord continued to eat their dinner as if everything was okay. Blueblood was breathing shakily while trying to pick up his fork with his magic. The silver utensil was vibrating to and fro, like it was having its own seizure during an earthquake. The fork clanged against Blueblood's dinner plate loudly, picking up some salad that flung off as he couldn't stop from shaking.

"He'll be fine Tia," Luna said, "besides, you don't mind it when I transform during Nightmare Night," the midnight blue Alicorn countered.

"Yes, but that's just for fun; using her to purposefully scare somepony into acting the way you want them to is wrong," Celestia scolded her eyes and chewed menacingly at her younger sister. My head darted back and forth as they retorted to each other, like I was watching the championship tennis match at Wimbledon. Spike chuckled when Bluebutt was finally able to take a bite of food without shaking it off his fork.

"What exactly are you two talking about?" I wiped my mouth.

"Oh, nothing Cougar, Luna just didn't think straight when punishing our nephew," Celestia looked back and forth from Luna to Blueblood.

"What the hell did she do to him exactly?" I asked again.

"I showed him what would become of him if he continued to treat his fellow creatures like garbage," Luna explained before polishing off her pasta.

"S-s-so d-d-d-dark," the white unicorn in question spilled his water onto the table. One of the servants quickly wiped up the water from the table.

"Anything else going on?" I changed the subject so there wouldn't be any bad air between Celestia and Luna considering how much Celestia missed spending quality time with her sister.

"Well, besides the Gala which you seem determined to miss," Luna started, "the annual Running of the Leaves in Ponyville will be occurring towards the end of next month, about a week and a half before the Gala," Luna explained.

"It's a race where any species of pony can run, and it's all for fun, an exhibition really," Celestia doused some of her salad in ranch dressing.

"A race huh?" Now they had my full attention.

"Yes, and we were curious to see if that would peak your interest," Luna downed the last of her water before a servant refilled the glass.

"And it's called the running of the leaves because it's in fall?" I asked, finishing up my Seitan beef tips.

"Something along those lines Cougar," Celestia swallowed her food, "mainly what the event is for is to make the gusts of wind generated by the running ponies to lift the dead leaves off the trees to make way for winter," the sun pony finished explaining. Boy, I hadn't been to a race since I was a teenager; this sounds like it could be fun.

"Do any of my friends compete?" I asked and started to pick apart my loaf of bread.

"Oh yeah, Rainbow Dash and Applejack run every year," Spike chimed in, crunching on a huge green gem, "Twilight did one year, but she really ran to just take in the scenery, not to compete," he explained. "Oh, and Pinkie Pie and I do the commentary every year!" he added with a sparkly grin.

"This sounds like fun, did you want to have me compete? I'm in shape, but not into running unless it's for my life," I said.

"No Cougar, we wanted to invite up to our private viewing booth at the top of the grandstands for a spectacular view of the race below," Luna cut in.

"Will there be nachos and soda? That's all I'll need to say yes."

"Of course, it wouldn't be a sporting event without nachos and soda would it?" Celestia replied, "or without cake," she added as quietly as possible, but we all saw right through it.

"Ah yes, the Running of the Leaves," Discord belched out some dust from the plate he feasted upon, "I was hoping to make things more, interesting at this year's run," he drank his cup of water.

"Discord, no," Celestia put her hooves upon the table, glaring at the draconequus.

"Whatever do you mean Princess?" Discord pouted like an innocent puppy dog.

"No greasing the path with axle grease," Celestia ordered.

"Or digging pits for the racers to fall in," Luna added.

"Ah, or trip wire across the path to trip the racers," Celestia pointed her golden hoof at Discord. His parchment marked 'Dastardly Plans' disappeared in a ball of fire, leaving him in an unhappy state.

"Fine, fine, we'll have it the old boring way if you want, but don't whine to me if it is boring!" Discord shook his lion paw. He suddenly yawned, covering his mouth with his eagle talon; snapped his lion paw and appeared in a slumber outfit, complete with Teddy Bear and night cap. "Well, I'm off to bed," he announced.

"At a quarter to 8:00?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Oh what, do I have to stick to the sleeping schedule your mommy gave you?" Discord bopped Spike on the nose, "I'm over a thousand years old; I'm old enough to make my own bedtime and I'm tired now!" Discord whined, "so, where will I be sleeping Celestia?" He appeared in Celestia's forelegs, sucking his thumb and cuddling his Teddy Bear.

"Well certainly not with me!" The Sun Princess dumped him into a bowl of pudding that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Luna, myself, Spike and even Bluebutt snickered as Discord shed himself of the chocolate pudding.

"Aw come on Celestia, I can sleep on one of the chairs in your room, you won't even know I'm there!" He begged.

"No means no Discord, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in the guard quarters tonight," Celestia crossed her forelegs across her chest.

"OH PLEASE NO!" Glock dropped to his knees in a begging motion, "for the love of the monarchy your highness, anything but that! I don't want him to mess anything up and put the toilets on the ceilings or something," Glock begged. The Princess of the Day looked from Glock to Discord and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, you may sleep on the little couch in my room next to the fireplace, but," she sneered, "if a single picture is so much as a centimeter off normal, you're gone and sleeping in the gardens, understand?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh but of course, and thank you Celestia!" Discord kissed her hoof, making her blush slightly, "I'm off to bed now, I'll make sure nopony disturbs your room!" He saluted and disappeared in thin air. The servers then took our dirty silverware and plates and brought in a huge covered tray on a cart.

"And your dessert for the evening ladies, gentle colts, gentledrake and gentleman?" The main server questioned. I nodded with a smirk. Two other servers took the lid off of the plate, but where flabbergasted to find nothing, nary a crumb on the silver-plate! "But how can this be?! I just checked the dessert cart before we left the kitchen!" The server pony checked everywhere for the dessert.

"I wouldn't know," Celestia looked back and forth after wiping her foreleg across her mouth.

"Tia, honestly," Luna shook her head. Celestia gave a small and cute little belch.

"Oops, excuse me," she blushed.

"Well, today was fun, but I'm gonna go lay down until I fall asleep, I'll see ya tomorrow kid," I rubbed Spike's head. The dragon stretched and yawned before hopping off his chair and scratching his back.

"Okay, well have a good night you two!" Celestia called.

"I shall see you in your dreams!" Luna added. I wish she had thought about that before saying it out loud.

---

(Midnight. Cougar's POV)

I had lay down in bed for four hours now, but the Sandman never seemed to check in for his scheduled appointment with closing my eyes. The only light in the room was the silvery glow from Luna's moon pouring through the balcony doors and the small reddish glow of the fire in the silver and black fireplace. I wasn't too warm or too cold, I just couldn't sleep.

It wasn't because of my rude awakening with Applejack, nor was it because of nearly drowning earlier that day. Maybe I was too tired to sleep? No that's stupid. Was it because I missed the sounds of jet engines landing and taking off? No, I've been able to sleep for three months without them now. Was it because I didn't belong in a castle like this? And bingo, that was it. A castle was just too of an unfamiliar territory for me, so I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes and fall asleep, even trying a second shower for the day and listening to my phone. Whether it was the large rooms, the sophisticated atmosphere, or the fact that it was a rather large building that was nearly empty thanks to the Estrus Weekend, something just didn't sit right with me. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on my door and Luna poked her head in.

"Cougar, are you alright? I couldn't find you in the dream realm," she asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, sitting up and propping my back against the headboard of the bed.

"Oh, well then what is troubling you?" she sat on the edge of my bed.

"Nothing really, I just can't sleep," I stretched my arms around, "and I don't even feel tired really," I added. Being too bored to sleep was certainly a possibility as well. Luna tapped her chin with her silver hoof plate.

"Have you tried warm milk?" She asked.

"Nah, and to be honest, I don't really care if I do sleep or not," I admitted. "Is there anything I can do at night that won't disturb anypony?" I questioned, getting off the bed and grabbing my navy blue T-shirt off the top of my duffel bag.

"None that I can think of at the moment Cougar," Luna said as the clock in my room chimed 12:15 AM.

"Besides watching over dreams, what else are you doing Luna?" I asked her, leaning against the wall of the room.

"Unless you count my night court, then nothing Cougar, and I have but one case tonight; it shouldn't take too long to do anyways, so I'm trying to get it out of the way at half past midnight." Her eyes lit up as she mentioned her night court and she too sprang from my bed, "how would you like to join me? It would certainly pass some time for you if that's your main goal for the night," Luna asked me.

"Join you in your court? Like just sit in the court room and watch as you sentence a pony or let him free?" I questioned.

"Not exactly, for you see, Bat Fang is my only guard left until Monday and I would rather have two guards in the court room should something go wrong, even though I can handle myself mind you," Luna raised an eyebrow at me.

"You want me to be a guard?" I asked another question.

"A temporary guard for the night to be exact, if you want to of course, I'm not forcing you if you don't want to Cougar; I just think it may lead to something like my offer I made to you a few months ago." I breathed out, contemplating Luna's offer for a brief moment. What the hell was I going to do for the rest of the night?

"Sure, at least it'll kill some time, but what about a guard uniform or armor?" I asked.

"My, my, you are the curious one tonight," Luna teased before I was engulfed with her white aura and found myself wearing dark blue, black and silver armor, complete with a black helmet with the blue furry thing that Marvin the Martian wore, dark blue body armor with black and silver trimmings and a big white crescent moon on the chest area, black and silver shoulder pads and finally, black leg armor with white and dark blue flames going up the legs. "Well, what do you think Cougar? I think you look very stylish," she checked me over.

"Wow Luna," I whistled, "you sure know how to give your guards some kick ass looking armor," I admired my reflection in a mirror, "although, I do have one complaint," I said nervously. Luna's face froze and she gave a stoical look at me.

"And what might that be?" She asked. I took off the helmet, set it gently on the bed, unzipped my duffel bag and inserted my head into my old and familiar purple and yellow Air Force helmet.

"I'm more comfortable with this helmet," I buckled the strap onto my chin. Luna smiled and playfully smacked my shoulder.

"I do like that helmet," she peered into piercing yellow eyes above the white letters that read COUGAR below the left eye of the helmet, "especially the bloody claw marks down the sides," she added. "Now, for your weapon," a spear appeared in my left hand. "Now, you are ready to be a guard Cougar," Luna exclaimed.

"Thanks, let me get that for you," I opened the door for her. I found out that although my armor was actually fairly thick and heavy, it was still easy to maneuver around in.

"Oh, where we're going, we don't need doors," Luna winked and we were whisked away to the courtroom where there was a giant clock above the judge's bench. with only one had that pointed to Luna's cutie mark on the bottom. I'm guessing it pointed to whoever had the court as judge determined by the day or night.

"There you are princess," Bat Fang bowed, "and Cougar, that armor suits you pretty well; nice helmet," he complimented me.

"Thanks Bat Fang," I replied, setting my spear to the side as I stretched around a bit. "So, where's the accused or whatever you guys call them?" I asked.

"Oh, he's chained up right outside here, shall I get him your majesty?" Bat Fang asked Luna as she flew up and perched herself atop the judge's bench.

"Yes you may Bat Fang, bring forth the accused!" She boomed in her royal Canterlot voice, surprising the hell out of me. Bat Fang bowed to his princess, flew back to the doors in the back of the courtroom and opened them up. Right away, Luna and I were met with a loud, cursing voice.

"LET ME OUT OF THESE BUCKING CHAINS YOU BAT FREAK!" a burly stallion's voice shouted.

"Calm down sir, don't make it any worse than it is!" Bat Fang struggled to keep the stallion in his grip. As they entered, I saw that there was a large set of silverly chains locked with a dark blue key lock on the front of the guy's chest all around the tan stallion's legs. He had a black mane that was ruffled up and he had a stench of alcohol that was so powerful that even Luna had to hold her nose. The tan stallion had a heart as black as ink on his flank with a bloody knife stabbing it in the center.

"I'M INNOCENT CELESTIA DAMMIT! LET ME GO BEFORE I KICK YOUR ASS! AND WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT THING DOING HERE!?" The stallion kept shouting and noticed me standing in front of Luna's bench. Bat Fang kept pushing the stallion until he was stopped right where there was a sign that read 'Accused' painted on the floor where he now stood. Looking up, Luna looked pretty fucking intimidating from up where she was perched, but that was probably the point, though I couldn't imagine Celestia looking that intimidating.

"Welcome to the Royal Canterlot Night Court, the honorable Princess of the Night Luna presiding," I cleared my throat.

"Thank you Cougar," Luna cleared her throat as well and read off several sheets of parchment. "So, you are the stallion known as Darkheart correct?" Luna politely asked.

"Yeah, and you're that bitch Nightmare Moon that tried to bring nighttime forever five years ago, yet you're not in jail are you?" Darkheart spat at Luna.

"SHOW YOUR PRINCESS RESPECT MAGGOT!" Bat Fang yanked his chains down hard, bringing Darkheart's head down.

"I've heard worse Bat Fang," Luna nonchalantly sipped on a mug of cocoa. "Now, you stand accused of Drunk and Disorderly, assault and battery on another stallion, and stalking your ex mare friend, how do you plead?" She asked.

"Not guilty your whoreship," Darkheart grinned evilly and spat some spit in Luna's direction.

"Hey asshole!" I exclaimed.

"What the buck do you want you bucking monkey freak!?" Darkheart exclaimed at me. "Look at you, you're more of a freak of nature than Discord, you should've been dissected the moment this bitch and her whore of a sister found you," he growled.

"THOU SHALT NOT TALK THAT WAY ABOUT MY SISTER! Luna's Royal Canterlot voice bellowed out, breaking a few windows in the court room.

"You're treading deadlier waters by the minute fucker," I jabbed the blunt end of my spear into his knee cap.

"One more bad word outta you and you're out of here, buck the trial," Bat Fang agreed with me. Unfortunately, this drunk piece of shit didn't know the meaning of shut the fuck up.

"And what's with this Cougar bullshit? You ain't no cougar," he hiccuped drunkly, "what's your real name? Only bucking cowards hide their real names, like a scared little bitch! I bet that's all you are! A scared little bitch, letting others around you fall while you run with your tail between your legs," he spat on me, the loogie trailing down my leg. I then had a flashback of back to when Reaper and I received our call signs.

"SILENCE YOUR BUCKING MOUTH!" Bat Fang jabbed his hoof into the rear leg of Darkheart.

"THIS MAN SAVED SIX PONIES FROM TWO TIMBERWOLVES! HE HAS MORE HONOR IN HIS EYES THAN YOU DO IN YOUR BODY!" Luna shouted again. That snapped me back to reality. I shook my head and continued to point my spear at him. "Now then, with the written testimonies of witnesses and the owner of the bar who's window you broke, and the fact that this is your fourth offense, you are to serve 5 years in the dungeon, no parole! And we'll tack on another six months for threatening the lives of my two guards, dismissed!" Luna banged her gavel.

"You bucking BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU AND YOU'RE BUCKING COWARD GUARDS!" The Earth Pony began to thrash around. Bat Fang and I stabbed him in the sides with our spears, but not enough to kill him, just immobilize him. However, he kicked his legs out so hard that he tripped Bat Fang's legs, causing him to fall down and the tip of his spear to break the lock off Darkheart's chains.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE MOTHER FUCKER!" I stabbed his rear leg with the tip of my spear as the chains released their grip on his legs. He kicked out with his legs, hitting my gut in the process. "Oof!" I groaned and buckled down, but grabbed onto his tail. "No you don't," I yanked him back and held onto his head in a headlock. "Luna, we need some help!" I shouted. But before she could help, Darkheart reared up with his fore hoof and sucker punched me across the face, breaking my nose. "AH FUCK!" I shouted as blood gushed out my nostrils.

"See ya in Tartarus assholes!" Darkheart bolted out of the courtroom and into the hallways of the castle.

"Cougar, are you alright?!" Luna exclaimed and magically healed my nose.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but we gotta catch that guy before he escapes! With the Estrus still going on, no one is gonna see where he goes!" I shouted as the three of us dashed out of the Courtroom.

End Chapter XIV

---

The hunt is on for Darkheart who just made his sentencing even worse! Will Cougar, Bat Fang and Luna catch him, or will Darkheart escape the castle and into the night? Find out in Chapter XV: A unexpected find

BTW, I'm glad everypony was patient for this chapter. I know it took awhile longer than most, but I do have my other story I'm working on, so I'm churning out chapters as well written and as quickly as possible. Please review!

Also, did you guys like Discord's return?

I do NOT own The Avengers, Captain America or Dumb and Dumber

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XV: An Unexpected Find

Okay guys, I'm going to cut you all a deal. I've been looking up Fimfiction a lot more and I've come to a decision on Fallen Eagle's fate. IF I can get at least 85 followers, 65 favorites and 150 reviews by Chapter XX (Chapter 21 in reality) then I will create a Fimfiction account and publish this there, but don't worry, I won't delete it off here, though I am nervous about how this story will be received on the other site.

Dixie Darlin: If anypony in MLP world would like Jim Carrey, Discord would love the randomness Carrey brings to every character.

Mallory Shadowielder: Well, I wouldn't say that since he really didn't ask her out, that'd be weird. But more like she kicked him to the curb.

adhadluke: I wanted to get the chapter out and I just thought of a name on the spot, had a feeling it was used somewhere else, but had no clue exactly where.

ninjagofangirlb: They have Tartarus, but I get what you're saying. Maybe Cerberus can use him as a chew toy?

King Rocket: Thank you for the compliment and thank you for pointing out my mistake about the faux beef.

OBSERVER01: I really have no clue what you mean by that, sorry.

Youtubepoopfan: Nope, just came up with the name on the spot. I had a feeling it was used before, but no idea WHERE exactly.

PRR Gangsta: Thank you, hope you like this next one.

Guest: I'm glad you liked both, though Tia has been used numerous times for Celestia and it fit in this particular chapter so I used it.

Fear Less-1300: Well with Discord, I combine randomness with taking metaphorical phrases literally. For instance, if he wanted to see time fly rather than kill it, he would've shot the clock out of a cannon.

Okay guys, so this chapter will follow Bat Fang, Cougar and Luna chasing Darkheart through the castle, alerting other guards in the process in case the drunkard passes by them. Also, Cougar makes an unexpected yet amazing discovery; this chapter is going to deal with the end of the Estrus as well. It will also get a bit emotional in some parts, I don't expect anybody to cry, but it will get emotional for some. Just so you guys don't get confused and question whether or not I left some good chunks of the story out of place.

---

(Canterlot Castle, Cougar's POV)

Surprisingly, the armor shielding my body didn't slow me down, at all. I was still able to run as fast as I could while being able to maneuver around. "BUCK!" Bat Fang exclaimed as all three of us rounded the corner after leaving the court room, only to find an empty hallway. "There's a million bucking hallways he could've hidden in!" He cursed again, punching the marble wall.

"Calm down Bat Fang," Luna said in a comforting manner, "we will find Darkheart and bring him to justice. But for now, we must alert the remaking guards of the castle to keep a close eye on the doors so he does not escape," she added. Bat Fang and I nodded in response, allowing Luna to take the lead for the time being as we covered her six.

"So, do we need to wake up Celestia and-" I began before Luna spun around, knocking Bat Fang and I to the ground with a crash.

"NO!" Luna bellowed in her loud stadium-like voice, "Sister needs her sleep! Waking her up unless there is a threat against Canterlot is one of the worst things anypony can do!" Luna warned, "Tartarus hath no fury like a tired Celestia." I got to my feet and helped the bat pony to his hooves as Luna turned back forward and began to patrol the hallway.

"Okay then, asking Celestia for help is out of the question," I adjusted the strap on my helmet. We began to walk and trot briskly through the castle hallway. The torches lining the walls in between the large bay windows were barley lit so as not to disturb any nighttime wanderers in the castle, but Luna's moon cast a silvery sea of light, filling in the role of the torches. All of a sudden, we heard the distinct sound of hooves clopping against the marble flooring of the hallway.

Clop, clop, clop.

"Hold on your majesty," Bat Fang stopped us as we came across another corner. "There's somepony coming," he whispered and pointed his spear forward. The shadow of a pony was slowly creeping up on the marble wall in front of us. Bat Fang motioned for Luna to get behind us and for me to strafe the wall to surprise the guest. I set my spear down, knowing it would just get in my way and crept up with my back flush against the wall, crawling along the surface with the palms of my hands. The shadow on the wall was growing bigger and bigger as the pony trotted their way closer to us.

Clop, clop, clop. The hoof steps were growing closer, evidenced by their sound growing louder.

"Get over here," I whispered to the bat pony guard who silently as he could tip-hoofed his way next to me. The hoof steps coming towards us were getting louder and louder until we knew the pony was right on top of us.

"GRAB HIM!" Bat Fang shouted as he took off into the air and dive bombed the pony that just stuck his head around the corner. Bat Fang tackled him to the ground and I joined into the fray on top. Holding down his legs, I waited for the bat pony to wrap his forelegs around the mystery pony's neck. The pony began to put up a damned good fight. He thrashed his legs around violently, throwing me off and back into the marble wall. The pony raised his fore hoof and struck Bat Fang across the jaw, sending him flying back.

"Stop! Stop immediately!" Luna's voice shouted just below her booming stadium voice just as Bat Fang and I were about to jump the pony again. The midnight blue Alicorn lit up a few of the torches on the walls to reveal a pissed off and shocked Glock. He was slightly dazed and his mane was a mess, though I couldn't decipher if that was from bed head or the fact we jumped him. "Glock, what are you doing out and about in the middle of my night?" Luna demanded, "I thought Sister allowed you to retire for the night several hours ago?" She helped Glock to his hooves. Celestia's personal guard cracked his neck a few times and sighed in relief.

"What the buck was that for Bag Fang?!" Glock hissed at the bat pony and punched him in the shoulder. "And you Cougar!" Glock turned to me and punched my shoulder where the armor didn't cover, "why are you wearing this armor?" He demanded.

"Do we really have time to explain this right now?" I asked Luna, "we've gotta make sure Darkheart doesn't escape!" Glock looked back and forth from all three of us, confused as hell. Luna grumbled in frustration and took the stage for the time being from myself and Bat Fang.

"We three are tracking a criminal that escaped my Night Court," she explained to Glock, "and I needed one extra guard and asked Cougar if he would like to fill the role for night, why are you up?" Luna questioned the guard.

"I was just getting a drink of water and a small bite of some hay from the guards' break room when I heard you shout, so I was heading over here to see if I could be of assistance," Glock replied.

"Yes, you can be Glock," Luna quickly responded, "we must alert the rest of the night guards to keep their eyes peeled to the doors so Darkheart cannot escape!" She declared and retook the lead of the group.

"I'll run back and grab my armor and spear from the break room," Glock galloped ahead and around the corner. Luna dimmed the flames of the torches back to their nighttime settings and followed Glock to the guard break room. As we entered the room, I set my spear against the wall and scanned my eyes around the room. On the back wall where Glock was slipping on his golden armor, I saw a shelf which contained about a dozen or so flashlights, backups most likely.

"Hey Bat Fang, are those flashlights for backups only?" I questioned. The bat pony looked up and over to the supply shelf and shook his head.

"No, we just have that many flashlights at the castle," he replied and quickly snatched up three of them. I was about to question why he didn't grab one for Luna while handing one to me and Glock while keeping one for himself when I realized Luna could probably see in the dark.

"Are you quite ready Glock, time is of the essence!" Luna impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor.

"I'm ready to roll your highness," Glock bowed quickly and took his position next to Bat Fang and myself in our little formation. Bat Fang and Glock stuck their respective flashlights into their mouths and clicked them to the on position. I looked down at the handle of my flashlight and grimaced, but pushed the thought into the deep recesses of my mind; there were more pressing issues at hand. Switching the torch on, I pointed the yellow stream of light forward, illuminating the wall at the end of the long hallway.

Meanwhile, a bright ball of silver light appeared at the tip of Luna's horn, emitting a brilliant beam shooting down the hallway as well. "So, shall we split up to cover more ground?" Luna suggested, pointing her personal beam of light down an adjacent hallway.

"Sounds good to me your majesty," Bat Fang replied, looking back behind us.

"I'll go down this hallway," Glock said as he started to turn away from the group. My hand shot out and grabbed his tail, yanking hard as I could. A pained yelp shot out of Glock's muzzle, followed by an angry stare in my direction.

"Sorry Glock," I apologized, "but obviously you guys haven't watched enough horror movies," I stated.

"What are you talking about Cougar?" Glock snatched his tail away from my grasp.

"It's too dangerous and too cliche, we've got to stick together; Darkheart couldn't possibly handle all four of us," I explained. The three ponies all exchanged glances before looking back at me with raised eyebrows.

"Fine Cougar, but this will take longer," Luna complained, once again taking the lead.

"There should be a pair of night guards stationed at the next pair of doors," Glock exclaimed, "unless they're moving around," he added. Up ahead, there was indeed a pair of nighttime unicorn guards, standing still as statues on either side of a large set of golden doors.

"Good evening Princess," one of the guards greeted when we reached them. "And Glock? I thought you retired several hours ago soldier?" The guard asked.

"Look Remington, we don't have much time to waste, but there's an escaped felon running around the castle, you haven't seen anything have you?" Glock asked. Remington and the other guard shook their heads.

"No, but we'll be sure to relay a message to you Princess Luna if we do see anything," the second guard replied.

"Thank you Spear Head, just be sure to stay here at this door, do not move unless we ask for your assistance, is that clear?" she questioned. Both Remington and Spear Head stood at attention, spears clenched tightly against their bodies as they nodded. "Good, we'll be on our way then." We all froze suddenly as Bat Fang sprouted his bat wings. He opened his muzzle to reveal his literal bat fangs and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I think he's down here," Bat Fang pointed his flashlight down an empty hallway that housed several doors but no guards. We couldn't see anything, even with our flashlights, so Luna's silver light emitting from her horn glowed even brighter, fully illuminating the long hallway.

"AHA!" She exclaimed as we saw the familiar tan fur of Darkheart as he was sneaking his way down the hallway.

"SHIT!" He shouted and began to try and run away; the marble flooring holding him place for the time being. I turned around and ordered Remington and Spear Head to stay put in case Darkheart somehow got past us. Bat Fang and Glock dropped their flashlights onto the floor where they clattered loudly and the glass casings over the bulbs shattered. The two sprouted their wings and launched down the hallway.

"Climb aboard Cougar!" Luna ordered me. I hopped onto her back, surprised that she was able to hold me with all my armor on, but that wasn't important. Remington and Spear Head conjured up a magic shield to prevent Darkheart from escaping the end of the hallway. Luna's large wings sprouted and we took off for the criminal. With the air whipping past us, the three ponies and myself barreled down the hallway. Looking behind him, Darkheart had his flank against the magic wall that had him trapped.

"Stay right where you are!" Bat Fang ordered as we neared the creep.

"Your ass is under arrest," Glock growled. Darkheart then lunged at one of the doors nearest to him, hoof on the door handle, desperately trying to escape. However, the door was locked for him, leaving him up shit creek. Standing up on Luna's back, I jumped off and skidded down the flooring, grabbing ahold of one of the stone columns to stop myself from skidding in to the magical wall.

Just as we were about to catch him and Luna was about to cast a spell to lock him back in chains, Darkheart kicked the door with so much force that the hinges broke off, and he entered the room. "No you don't!" I shouted while I skidded to a stop on a column and swung myself into the room, pointing the flashlight inside. The room was a supply closet with various carts, tools, cleaners and books, but no pony. "What the fuck?" I asked myself.

"Oh no, this supply closet leads to the library," Bat Fang cursed and pointed to the closed door that was partially hidden by some shelving.

"But I thought you locked the library at night?" I asked in response.

"Only the highly advanced and dark magic sections," Luna explained, "the rest of the library is closed, but unlocked; he can still get out and hide from us," she punched a wall with her hoof. Glock and I backed away from the night Princess' fury, though Bat Fang seemed pretty nonchalant about her rage. She ripped open the door leading to the library and turned to all three of us, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" She shoved us into the library and lit the torches up slightly brighter, but not by much.

"Okay, there's no place he can run now," Glock commented and made sure to lock the door he was closest to. Taking his cue, Bat Fang and I locked the rest of the doors surrounding the library, trapping Darkheart inside. "Good, it's just him and us now," Glock took to the second floor of the library with Bat Fang, leaving me and Luna to cover the bottom floor. Luna's horn once again cast the silvery glow to light up the aisles in between the tall book cases. Thankfully, I didn't drop my flashlight like Glock and Bat Fang, so I could help her shed some light.

"Have you ever had a court appearance end like that Luna?" I questioned, casting the yellow glow of my flashlight onto floor in front of us. I never knew how creepy a library could be at nighttime, especially with all the pony statues at the end of every aisle.

"Never Cougar. Though I've had my fair share of delinquents and fighters, my court has never had somepony escape. I've had fights break out and the average pony swearing death to myself and my guards, but a runner?" Luna shook her head back and forth.

"I guess that's my fault Luna," I solemnly said and pointed my flashlight at a few book titles on the shelf on the wall. Luna turned her head to face me and accidentally blinded me temporarily with the bright light from her horn. Shielding my eyes, Luna extinguished her horn light and her jaw dropped.

"How could you say such a thing Cougar? It's not your doing and I nor Bat Fang blame you!" She exclaimed. We kept on walking while continuing the conversation, "what in Equestria could make you think I'd cast fault onto you?" My armor clanked against itself as I raised my hand and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Well, I was the last one who had Darkheart contained and I let him go," I said, "there was more I could've done to keep him held down while Bat Fang locked him back in chains," I explained. The Alicorn stopped us right at the end of an aisle of bookshelves, right next to a statue of what looked to me like a pony version of Merlin the Magician. She placed a hoof on my shoulder and her eyes glowed white. My whole world then flashed white and I felt myself being pulled away. "LUNA!" Came a scared shout from my mouth. "Oof!" I exclaimed when my body slammed into the ground.

"Stand up Cougar," Luna's soft and tender voice spoke. Her silver hoof grasped under my arm and she gently pulled me to my feet. I still couldn't see a thing; stars still clouded my vision. Shaking my head, my vision became clearer and I found myself and Luna back inside her court room, though we were transparent. "I shall prove that it is not your fault Cougar." I wanted to slap myself a good few times when I saw another me holding Darkheart down on the ground.

"Stay where you are mother fucker!" The other me shouted. Darkheart then raised his back leg and slammed it into my exposed gut. My doppelgänger released Darkheart and clutched his stomach in pain, rolling on the ground.

"See you in Tartarus Assholes!" Darkheart shouted and ran out of the room. I turned to the present time Luna whom had her eyebrow raised, looking from my clone back to me. Her wings then flared out and we were blown back to the present time, but this time I landed on my feet.

"So you see Cougar, you did everything you were supposed to; Darkheart was just a slippery bucker. If you hadn't had been there, I fear for what could've happened to Bat Fang," the princess patted my back.

"But now he's gone and can still hurt somepony, especially if he gets out of the castle," I replied.

"Yes, but we will bring him back to justice Cougar, and I have faith you will not let me down," she smiled and relit her horn. My mouth opened to say something else, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the giant statue behind Luna shift in the dim glow of the torches.

"MOVE!" I lunged into Luna's body and tackled her out of the way just as the statue of the Merlin pony crashed to the ground.

"Princess Luna!" I heard Bat Fang exclaim from the top floor.

"Shit, you're quick on your feet monkey," Darkheart teased from behind the bookcase, "let's see how you like some 'light reading,'" he then pushed against the bookcase as hard as he could. I grabbed Luna by her forelegs and yanked her out of the way just in time again as hundreds of hard covered books smashed into the ground along with the bookcase.

"GET AWAY FROM OUR PRINCESS!" Glock drew his spear and aimed it at Darkheart. I got up and off of Luna's body, helped her to her hooves and got her out of the way of harm, but she insisted she stay to help, which I wouldn't argue against.

"You're gonna pay for attempting to murder our Princess," Bat Fang bared his fangs and also drew his spear. The two ponies backed Darkheart into a bookcase, trapping him. "Come on, you're done maggot," the bat pony sneered.

"I'd rather die than go to the dungeons based on this bitch's order," Darkheart growled in reply.

"Come with us, or we'll use force," Glock threatened, "and we've been itching for some excitement this weekend," he added.

"Excitement? I'll give you something to get excited ABOUT!" Darkheart shouted and drew a letter opener from behind his back. It happened so fast that Bat Fang and Glock didn't have time to react. The criminal pony slashed the sharp device so fast he cut nice gash into Bat Fang's muzzle, drawing blood from the end.

"RAHHHH!" Bat Fang screamed in pain and grasped his bloodied nose, trying to stop the bleeding from escalating.

"Bat Fang!" Glock shrieked and tackled Darkheart, slamming him into the bookcase. Numerous texts from Equestrian History fell around them with loud thumps. I turned to Luna and grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

"Get Bat Fang away; I'm gonna help Glock," I gripped the top of the flashlight, prepared to use it like a police baton. Luna teleported over to Bat Fang and transported him to the second floor of the library to help him heal. Meanwhile, Glock had Darkheart pinned to the ground, the letter opener still in Darkheart's right fore hoof, Glock was still trying to get it away from the criminal.

"I'm gonna stab you and gut you, you white faggot," Darkheart clenched his teeth and shook his body as he fought against the royal guard pinning him down. He kept trying to raised his hoof to slice or stab Glock, but the guard was too strong.

"You're lucky I don't just stomp your throat in," Glock grunted as he utilized every sweat of strength in his body. I ran up and kicked the letter opener out of Darkheart's hoof, rendering him weaponless. However, this distracted Glock enough to where Darkheart used his rear foreleg and kicked Glock in his nether region, sending him onto his back in pain.

"NO!" I shouted and pinned Darkheart to the ground as he grasped Glock's spear and chucked it at the guard.

"AHHHHH!" Glock howled in pain as the spear tip pierced into right foreleg, trapping him into the ground with blood gushing out of the wound.

"LUNA! HELP HIM!" I shouted and began to pound the shit out of Darkheart. I reared my fists back and hit his face as hard as I could, my anger rising with each blow. "YOU, *Punch* MISERABLE *Punch* PIECE *Punch* OF *Punch* SHIT!" I shouted with each blow to his face. The punching ceased momentarily as I stopped to breathe, "I SHUOLD RIP OFF YOUR FUCKING HEAD!" I slammed my fist down into his face again. There was a loud crunch as my fist demolished his nose; blood was pouring out of his nostrils and his eyes were blackened and swollen.

My fingers wrapped around his neck and squeezed as hard as they could, choking the life out of him. The anger inside me completely took over as I started to slam his head into the floor, Darkheart making barely audible gargling noises as I did.

"COUGAR STOP THIS AT ONCE! HE'S HAD ENOUGH!" Luna ordered me, but I ignored her, continuing to slam Darkheart's head into the floor. "I ORDER YOU NOW!" Luna's stadium voice bellowed, knocking me off Darkheart's body and bringing me back to reality.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?!" Remington unlocked one of the doors and he and Spear Tip ran inside frantically. Bat Fang flew down holding his nose and landed beside Glock who had some cloth tied tightly around his wound, but he needed more medical treatment. My hard breathing returned to normal as I collapsed onto my rear end and rested my head onto the wall. Remington slapped cuffs and other golden chains onto Darkheart who was still conscious, but not speaking. Spear Tip helped Glock to his hooves and helped balance him.

"Those cloths should keep the blood from flowing out of the wound," Luna explained to Spear Tip, but he must keep himself from moving at all until the Estrus ends and our medical staff returns," she added as Spear Tip slowly helped Glock walk out of the library. "Bat Fang, go get that wound dressed, I must speak with Cougar alone," Luna turned her gaze to me.

"Yes your highness," Bat Fang held his muzzle up in the air. Luna closed her eyes and wrapped her wing around my torso. A huge vortex appeared around us and we were suddenly in the dungeons, I knew this because of the cells and the dripping wet stone blocks. Luna conjured up a table and a pair of stools.

"Sit down," Luna said quietly, so I did.

"A MALE! COME HERE BIG BOY! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE!" A raspy female voice blurted out. I ignored it and faced Luna. She sighed softly and placed her chin in her silver plated hooves.

"Cougar, what was that? You had Darkheart detained; you didn't need to pulverize him into jelly," Luna said with care and concern. Sitting back in my chair, I rubbed my hands over my mouth, trying to come up with something to say in return.

"I don't know," I groaned out, "I-I was just so angry at what he did to Glock and Bat Fang and what he said about you and your sister that, I just lost it," I replied and covered my eyes. Luna shook her head and placed her hooves onto the wooden table.

"That's no excuse for trying to murder the pony Cougar," Luna scolded, "true, he did attack two royal guards, however, one or two blows had him detained; punishing him further like you did was borderline torture. He was a cynical, foul mouthed and easily tempered stallion, but that was uncalled for Cougar, why didn't you stop when I first asked you?!" She demanded, raising her voice. Clasping my hands together, I brought the pair up to my lips and sucked in a deep breath through my nose.

"I'm sorry Luna, I lost control of my emotions, I just wanted to punish that fucker for what he did; I don't know what he would've done had he escaped, what if he ended up escaping and hurting somepony in Canterlot? And it was obvious he didn't care for who he hurt or what he hurt, he needed to be brought to justice," I explained my side.

"Yes, I haven't a clue what he would've done had he escaped the castle grounds, but you took it too far Cougar and I am worried for you," she lowered the volume of her voice and took my hands in her hooves. "I sense much anger and violence in you Cougar; I don't want you to snap and do that in front of somepony somewhere else and have you thrown in jail or worse. However, I do sense much love and compassion in you as well, but if you feed that violence like you did tonight, you'll end up causing more harm than good, I should know," Luna looked off into the distance.

"Hey," I said, thrusting Luna back into reality, "I can keep a tab on my anger okay Luna? And if I do start to lose it again like that, I'll come talk to you about it, is that okay?" I asked her.

"Of course Cougar, as they say: What are friends for?" She made the table disappear and wrapped her forelegs around me in a hug. We soon released the hug and she fell back onto her legs. "Oh and you can keep the armor if you want, I do like how it looks on you," she smiled.

"Thanks, I kinda like it," I replied. My head then turned to another cell and my jaw dropped. It couldn't be, no, I thought it was destroyed. Slowly, I picked my feet up and walked over to the cell which housed something I thought I'd never see again.

"Cougar, what are you-" Luna started before looking at the cell I was attracted to. "Ah yes, don't you remember what we said when you were brought to the Royal Infirmary?" Luna asked.

"No, I don't remember if you told me or not," I replied and rested my head against the cell door, staring at my wrecked F-15C.

"Celestia and I transported it here when we found you," Luna explained, opening the cell door for me. "We sort of forgot about it after awhile, but we had to get it away from the citizens of PonyVille so they wouldn't cause a panic," she said. I nodded in understanding as my hand grazed softly against my Call-sign painted just below the cock pit of the fuselage. "Is there a chance you could repair it Cougar?"

"There's no chance in repairing this thing," I chuckled, "it's torn in half Luna," I checked out the gaping hole in between the front and rear of the jet. The wings and tails were still in great shape, but the impact ripped the front end from the rear end, so I could use it for spare scrap metal if I wanted. So many memories came rushing back as I climbed into the fuselage and sat where my seat used to be housed. Looking down, I saw the yellow and black striped ejection handle that saved my life almost four months ago now.

"Tell me, were you a talented flyer Cougar?" Luna landed on the front of the nose of the jet and closed her wings back up.

"I don't mean to brag, but I wasn't the leader of Ghostrider Squadron for nothing Luna," I chuckled and gripped the joystick.

"Do you miss flying?" She asked.

"Yeah, but maybe it's for the best that I'm done flying Luna, I've grown to enjoy the peace the ground has to offer here," I began to climb out until I spotted something unusual. Behind where my seat used to be, there as a door ajar, most likely from the impact of the ground. Curious, I reached back and ripped the door off, tossing it onto the stone ground with a clatter. Behind the door was a little compartment with what looked like a backpack inside.

"Is that a medical kit Cougar?" Luna asked me and inspected it as I held it up in the air.

"It's heavy, I can tell you that," I replied and slipped the loops over my armor. The belts then tightened up against me and a loud beep went off. A paper note was ejected from a pocket on one of the leather straps and I grabbed it.

"What does the note say Cougar?" Luna questioned me. I brought the note up to her horn where she lit it up so we could read easier.

'Dear Cougar, if you are reading this, the Air Force has been working on better technology for ejection sequences for pilots for years. We believe you would be the best candidate to test out this new and much safer ejection practice should you ever need to eject. This is a prototype jetpack that attached itself to your seat after you pulled the ejection handle. The point of this was to be able to steer you safely to the ground slower to reduce the risk of broken bones or blacking out, making for a safer landing with your parachute. Once having landed, you'll be able to strap the jetpack on and fly to allied land. From there, you'll be able to radio us and we'll bring you back home, we hope this has worked and we would like your input on the practice.

-Stinger.'

"A jetpack?" Luna questioned, "what does that do?" her mind was boggled.

"Well, in science fiction and comic books in my universe, jet packs allowed people who couldn't naturally fly, fly and fast too, but I thought that technology was too advanced for my time," I looked over the jet pack that was strapped to my body. On one of the straps was a large, round and red button. Curiosity taking over, I pushed the button and two large wings appeared out both sides of the jetpack. They were flexible and were cut on the bottoms to represent feathers.

"Fascinating," Luna cocked her head from side to side at the wings. Suddenly, there was a roar as I was lifted off the ground and hovered in the air. "Cougar," Luna giggled as she too floated up to meet me, "enjoying the weather up here?" She teased. I hit the button again and the wings disappeared back into the jet pack and I landed on my feet. I was panting; the breath was just gone from my lungs from the shock of finding a real jetpack.

"This is, surprising," I finally spat out and took the jetpack off of my armored torso.

"Well, now you can fly again if you wish Cougar," Luna gave me another friendly smile, "of course you might need lessons on how to pitch, roll and bank your body, perhaps Rainbow Dash and her Stallion-friend Soarin' could give you lessons?" She suggested. I stepped out of the cell with my new jetpack in hand and held the cell door open for Luna.

"Maybe, you know, if they're up for teaching a human how to fly," I replied nervously, "I'm not even sure how fast I can go with this thing," I added.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about speed Cougar," Luna laughed, "Rainbow Dash is the only pony to ever pull off a Sonic Rainboom," she explained. Before I could answer that I knew about Rainbow's speed of sound achievement and that it wasn't exactly what I was talking about, a pony in another cell scoffed at us.

"HA! Rainbow Dash! That cyan bitch ruined my career!" I turned my head to see a golden fur colored and fire-blazed maned pony shouted. "If it weren't for her, I'd still be the captain of the Wonderbolts and basking in glory!"

"Hey, who the hell are you to talk about my friend like that!?" I demanded and stood up next to the pony's cell door. I soon remembered I forgot it was Estrus weekend.

"Oh hey there sexy, wanna come in and have a party?" The pony licked her hoof and slicked her fiery mane back.

"Wait a sec, you're that Spitfire pony that tried to frame Soarin' aren't you?" I realized.

"So? The past is the past right? Anyway, I got a fire that you could help me extinguish," she winked. I groaned and rolled my eyes, turning around back to Luna. "Come on, you can't ignore me forever!" Spitfire flashed her eyes at me.

"Let's get out of here Luna," I escorted her out of the dungeon. Just as we left, Remington appeared with a grumbling and moaning Darkheart. Luna teleported myself back to the temporary room I had been staying in all weekend.

"Well Cougar, this has been an interesting night," Luna looked all over with a smile, trying to think of a way to say it.

"Yeah, you said it," I unbuckled the strap of my purple and yellow helmet and took it off. Luna chuckled at my greasy helmet hair and the sweat trickling down my forehead. I swiftly wiped my hand through my hair. Opening the door to my room, I chucked my helmet onto the bed and set the jetpack next to the door. "Well Luna, I guess this is goodnight," I stuck out my hand. Luna pushed it aside and squeezed my armored torso as hard as she could in a tight hug.

"Friends hug each other Cougar, hoofshakes are much too formal for me anyways," she released me and bowed her head. "I shall resume my duties of watching dreams tonight Cougar, I will see to it that you have happy dreams," she disappeared in a cloud of magic dust or whatever.

"Good night Luna, hopefully I'll see you tomorrow," I said to the void where she was, "I'm thinking of sleeping all day," I yawned, stripped my armor and clothes off and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

---

(The Next Day. 3:00 PM Cougar POV)

I was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about fishing by myself when I started to shake, not violently, but enough to grab my attention. "Cougar, Cougar come on wake up man, I'm bored," Spike's voice cut into my dream void.

"Wha!?" I shot up and swatted at the air above Spike's head.

"Hey, watch it!" Spike exclaimed and ducked so I wouldn't hit him. Shaking my head and rubbing my eyes, I looked over at the clock on the wall of the bedroom. "I didn't mean to startle you, I'm just bored and I don't want to hang out with Discord, I don't know what he'll do to me," the little dragon shuddered.

"Damn, I've been asleep for nearly twelve hours?" I yawned and scratched my back. "Did I miss anything exciting so far Spike?" I stretched my arms and back and slipped my T-Shirt back on.

"No, there's nothing to do here!" Spike grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Well, what'd you want to do today kid?" I slipped my pants and hat back on. Spike produced a few stacks of comic books from behind his back and grinned. "Shoot, I'm game for some reading," I commented and produced my Daring Do book from my duffel bag.

"Hey, I think Celestia has copies of the other books in the library if you want to see," Spike offered.

"I thought you said you were going to avoid the library at all costs today Spike?" I asked and opened the door for us to leave the room. On our trek down the hallway, we ran into Remington who looked dead tired. "Oh hey Remington, what are you still doing awake?"

"Hey Cougar," the poor guard yawned loudly, "I have to pull a double until Glock is fully healed," he explained and struggled to stay awake.

"Doesn't Celestia have a spell to keep you awake buddy?" I questioned with deep concern for the guard. He didn't hear me as his eyes closed and snoring started to come from his mouth. "Oh boy," I said and hit over the head with one of Spike's comic books.

"I'm awake!" He saluted me and snapped his eyes open.

"Go get some coffee before you keel over Remington," I ordered the guard. Without argument, the guard walked passed us and headed to the kitchen.

"Woah, what happened there Cougar?" the dragon asked as I handed back one of his comics and we resumed our trek to the library. To be honest, I was at war with myself over whether or not to tell him. I'd probably have to explain how I lost my cool and almost killed that bastard Darkheart, and I didn't want to kill the progress the two of us had made this weekend.

"Nothing Spike, Glock injured himself training last night," I lied, which he bought. "Anyways, back to my question, didn't you want to stay far away from the library while we're here? Why're you so cool with going to it all of a sudden?"

"Eh, I may say stuff like that, but I was raised my whole life around books with Twilight, so being away for too long makes me homesick," he replied, "a tiny vacation is all good, but soon the books start calling me back," he added.

"Ah, good morning, or afternoon as it were Cougar, and to you too Spike," Celestia's heavenly voice called as Spike and I entered the library. The sun goddess was busy writing something down on a scroll when we had entered.

"Afternoon your highness, Spike and I just decided to have a more peaceful day in the library today," I bowed and patted her shoulder.

"Yep, these comic books won't read themselves!" Spike instantly plopped down into a chair and opened up the issue on top of the stack. Celestia and I both chuckled while Spear Tip and another guard both hoisted up the statue of the Merlin pony back onto its base.

"Cougar, could you tell me what happened in here last night?" The princess asked calmly, "I'm not upset if you had anything to do with it, but I just don't like to find books on the floor and bookshelves toppled over in our nice and quiet library."

"I completely understand Celestia, but you might want to ask Luna, she might be able to give you a clearer answer when she wakes up," I suggested. Celestia thought about this for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and walking out of the library with her scroll.

"You're right Cougar, and I'll see you at dinner in awhile, have fun," she called and left. I turned back around and hovered near the Action and Adventure section of the library until I found the Daring Do shelf. I scanned my index finger over the spine of the first book and pointed to the book next to it.

"Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet, is this the second one?" I asked and opened up the to Chapter 1 of the text.

"Yep, that's the second one, it's one of Twilight's favorite of the series," Spike looked up from his comic book. Smiling, I sat back down, plugged my headphones into my phone and cranked up some Def Leppard. After getting about halfway through the book and through the first three albums by Def Leppard, I shut the book, paused the music and decided to stretch a little bit.

"Aw come on Radiance, why can't you at least give Humdrum a chance?" I heard Spike talk to his comic book. Rubbing my ears to get the feelings back, I studied Spike while he was reading his comic with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Everypony knows he's clumsy, but his heart is in the right place, can't you see that he'll always be there for you and your friends?" Standing up, I walked over to Spike's chair and peered over to see what he was talking about. I couldn't help but smile a bit as he was staring at two characters working together. One was named Humdrum and the other named Radiance; both bared a striking resemblance to Spike and Rarity.

"She reminds you a lot of a certain fashion pony?" I asked quietly, bringing Spike back to Earth.

"Uh, no! No of course not Cougar," Spike shut the comic book and tossed it to the bottom of the pile, "what makes you say that?" He drummed his fingers across the armrest of his chair.

"Oh maybe because those two look exactly like you two and I know how bad you're crushing on Rarity," I replied in a smart aleck tone. Spike blushed a scarlet red and hid his face from mine. "Spike, it's nothing to be ashamed of kid, I mean having a crush on an older woman is perfectly normal and a part of growing up," I explained and sat back down.

"It's not a crush Cougar," Spike replied gravely, "I do love her, but I just don't know how to tell and I just can't," he admitted.

"I may not be a psychologist or some mumbo jumbo doctor, but I listen fairly well if you want to talk about this," I placed my hands on my knees and put on a comforting smile for the dragon. Spike looked up and down a few times before sitting down in a more relaxed position and nodded.

"Only if you promise to take this seriously, most of my friends think it's just a crush too," he asked me.

"Not here to judge Spike," I put my feet up on the table in between us and crossed my arms. "Alright, just tell me about your feelings for Rarity Spike," I allowed him to start.

"Okay, well it all started back when Twilight and first moved to PonyVille five years ago. We were just checking out the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration when we came across, the most beautiful pony to ever exist," Spike said dreamily. "I knew I loved her the instant I saw her deep blue eyes, finely coifed mane and heavenly accent."

"Alright, so bam, love at first sight huh?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, I never felt like that about any mare before in my life," Spike replied. "Well, as time went on, I just kept falling harder and harder for her, though she kept giving me cute little nicknames and petting my head, I always had a feeling that she only saw me as a little brother," he said sadly. I rubbed my chin, thinking about what he said.

"Did you ever even try to tell her how you feel?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but only once. I tried to tell her after I shrank back down to normal size after growing to a full grown dragon and wreaking havoc in PonyVille the day after my birthday a few years ago," he explained. "But she stopped me and gave me a teary-eyed look, as if she knew what I was going to say, so I never did. She did kiss me twice on the cheek for my birthday," he added.

"Godzilla rampage and a kiss on the cheek, interesting," I made a mental note.

"After that, I mainly just helped her around her boutique, gathering supplies, putting orders away or helping her straighten up. It wasn't until last year that she was told off by a customer and she was crushed, I mean so crushed she downed about fifteen cartons of ice cream in an hour," Spike exclaimed in surprise.

"And what did you do to help?" I asked.

"I found a book in the old abandoned castle called Inspiration Manifestation, it allowed Rarity to create anything she could think of so she could fix the problem she made with the customer. And it worked, a little too well though. She went crazy and started changing PonyVille into something so twisted that Discord would've been freaked out. Anyways, I told her the truth that she wasn't changing things for the better and the spell wore off," he finished explaining and rested his head on the chair. I calculated everything that Spike had said to me, trying to come up with my own answer.

"Well Spike, I think it's safe to say it isn't a crush like most ponies believe, I'd say you're certified in love with her Spike."

"You agree with me?" Spike asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I mean if it were just a simple little crush, you wouldn't be so loyal to her and you would've moved on years ago to another pony. And that thing about you turning into a full grown dragon, how did that happen; I have a theory about all this if it's true," I asked.

"Well, my dragon greed was activated when I received a bunch of presents for my birthday and I went crazy, why?" He retorted.

"Hmm, and Rarity is the Element of Generosity, now it's starting to make more sense Spike. You're a dragon, and like you say, dragons are born with a natural sense of greed in them while Rarity is the most generous pony in Equestria. I think you two are meant for each other. She compliments your dragon greed and counteracts it with her generosity. Tell me, did you act differently to other ponies besides Twilight before meeting Rarity?"

"Yeah, I was a little more of a smart aleck and while I did and still do care for Twilight a lot, I never really thought about other ponies, but that changed once I met Rarity. I was still a smart aleck a lot, but I thought more about other ponies' feelings."

"I see it now kid, you're attracted to the generosity flowing within her, but you still love everything else about her," I explained.

"That makes sense now! But what do I do about it Cougar? Do you know how I can tell her and be with her?" He begged for an answer. I clicked my tongue and drummed my fingers together.

"Unfortunately, all I can tell you is to stop acting like a puppy around her. Don't give her cheesy compliments like "Anything for you most beautiful," or "Whatever you say m'lady," those are cute, but you'll only drive her to think that you're a little brother. Give her more natural responses and compliments like, "Hey Rarity, looking good as always," and just say no problem or happy to help someone like you if she thanks you, that's a start at least," I replied.

"Thanks Cougar, I feel so much better about it now," Spike smiled and jumped into my chest and gave me a hug.

"Ha, no problem Spike, I'm just happy to help," I replied.

"And if you want, I can tell you how to get closer to Applejack."

"What?!"

(The Next Day. 10:00 AM. Cougar's POV)

"Thanks guys, we'll be sure to say hi next time we're at the castle!" Spike called as two pegasus guards took off from PonyVille with the chariot in tow. It felt nice to finally be back in PonyVille with everypony going on about their normal routines instead of, well I've thought about that enough. Spike and walked along the main road through town waving hello to all of our pony friends. "Morning Cougar, morning Spike!" Vinyl Scratch waved as she unlocked the door to her music shop.

"Good morning boys, we'll be up and running shortly," Mrs. Cake appeared from inside Sugar Cube Corner. Spike and I waved back and turned to another road to lead us back to the huge castle just on the outskirts of the town.

"Spike, is there anything I need to know about how they are after the Estrus?" I questioned.

"No, they're pretty much the same, except a LOT more satisfied and mellow, at least for the first day," he replied. I nodded in respond and adjusted the strap on my duffel bag. Luckily since I didn't pack much, the jetpack fit nice and snug inside, the only thing left was to explain what it is to my friends, oh joy. "Hey, there's Twilight's pet owl!" Spike exclaimed as an owl greeted us outside the castle. "Hey buddy, did you miss me?" Spike gave the owl a high five.

"Hoo, hoo," the owl replied.

"Good, now are Twilight and the girls up?" Spike asked. the owl opened up the castle doors and led us into the foyer.

"SPIKE!" A bunch of girl voices shrieked, followed by the sound of clopping hooves against the ground and basically attacked Spike with hugs.

"It's so good to have you back!" Twilight hugged her, son I'll say.

"Sure ain't the same without ya partner," Applejack patted his back.

"I'm thinking of a reunion party!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Welcome back Spike," Fluttershy smiled.

"Sup kid, did ya have fun without us?" Rainbow teased and gave Spike a noogie.

"I am so happy to see my favorite Spikey-Wikey back," Rarity cupped Spike's cheeks and pinched them with her hooves. I smirked as kindly as I could and set my duffel bag on the floor.

"And Cougar, don't think we've forgotten about you," Fluttershy walked up and patted my arm.

"Eh, it's cool guys, Spike's been around you all longer than I have," I replied.

"Forget that!" Rainbow smacked my back, "we can't forget about the coolest human to ever set foot in Equestria!" She exclaimed.

"So, how did you and Spike fair in Canterlot with the sisters?" Twilight questioned.

"We had a lot of fun Twilight, we went swimming and watched movies and just sat and read in the library," Spike pulled a gem from a treasure chest and began to munch on it. Twilight froze in place, trying to process the information.

"I thought you didn't trust Cougar?" She said in shock, her wings twitching a little.

"Yeah well, that was before I got to know him a little better and realize he's not such a bad guy after all," Spike fist bumped me. I looked around the room and locked eyes with Applejack who still hadn't said a word to me. In fact, she looked away the instant I locked eyes with her, as if she were scared of me. I then pushed my way past the other ponies to talk to my closest friend here besides Luna.

"Hey Applejack," I greeted cheerfully. I won't be afraid to admit it, but I was a little hurt when she didn't even look up at me. Instead, she continued to look at the ground and kick her foreleg back and forth.

"Can we talk in private?" She finally said, but darkly and down at the ground.

"Y-yeah, sure," I replied. Applejack turned tail and I followed her into an empty room of the castle. She let me in and shut the door behind me. "So, any plans for today Applejack? Chores at the farm or do you usually wait after the Estrus is over to recoup?" I asked.

"Alright cut the crap Cougar, and just say it already, Ah can't live with ya bottlin' up how angry you are with me," she blurted out. I was taken aback by her outburst and I darted my eyes around the room.

"What do you mean Applejack? Why would I be angry at you? You've been a good friend to me and allowed me to stay at your farm," I replied.

"Jest stop it already with this playin' dumb crap Cougar!" Applejack shouted, "you should be afraid 'o me 'n callin' me a monster!" She exclaimed. "Ah tried ta rape you Cougar, Ah'm a buckin' monster!"

"You remember that?" I asked.

"'O course I do! Ah can't forget how Ah tried to molest 'n try ta rape one o' my best friends. Yer scared face'll haunt me forever Cougar, the day Ah ruined our friendship because 'o the monster inside me!" She collapsed onto a chair and covered her eyes, trying to stifle her tears. "Ah've been through the same thing, Ah know how scared you were," she added with another cry.

"Applejack, please stop, you're not a monster, and I don't blame you at all for what happened," I rubbed her back.

"What do you mean Ah'm not a monster?!" She screamed as more tears flowed out of her emerald eyes, "ya begged fer me ta stop, but Ah couldn't. Ah didn't care if Ah hurt you or not, jest as long as Ah was pleasured. Ah don't deserve yer friendship. You should jest stop talkin' ta me altogether so Ah don't hurt you ever again," she choked out as she just let her tears fall. "Ah'm a freak, a sicko 'n Ah belong in Tartars fer mah actions," She cried out.

"Applejack, stop thinking that," I asked her, starting to feel my chest tightening.

"No, Ah'm a predator, 'n you should be reportin' me fer what Ah-" she kept beating herself up until I had enough.

"APPLEJACK, SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME NOW!" I bellowed out. Her crying stopped, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground. "Look, I was afraid and scared when it happened, but after learning about how mares go into heat in the spring and fall, I immediately forgave you!" I lifted her chin up with my index finger so she'd be looking at me.

"Wh-why would ya forgive a sick pony like me that quickly?" she croaked. I stuck out my thumb and gently wiped her salty tears out of her eyes before wrapping my arms around her.

"Because you're my friend, and what you did was in your nature. I could never live with myself if I killed our friendship over something you have no control of. Following something like that because it's built into your code isn't your fault, it's how you were made," I explained and held her. "And I know if you were able to think straight, you would never do that to me because I trust you," said and let go of the hug.

"B-but, those things Ah said and I t-touched you in a p-place Ah should never touch," more tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"Applejack I forgive you. The past is the past, we can't change that, but we can put this behind us and continue our friendship, I want nothing more out of you, okay?" I asked with hope that she could put the incident behind her.

"How c-can Ah make it up to ya Cougar? Ah gotta make this up to ya somehow," Applejack finally stopped crying.

"Just accept my forgiveness and keep our friendship, that's all I ask Applejack," I replied with a smile. She smiled and wiped the residual tears from her eyes and hugged me back.

"You got it Cougar," She released the hug and we stood up. "How about we go get sum grub from Granny Smith 'n git sum chores done today?" She offered.

"I thought you'd never ask," I smiled and exited the room with her.

End Chapter XV

---

Alright so Chapter XV is in the books! And Cougar forgives Applejack for what she did after realizing it was in her nature and she was just reacting upon those Estrus Urges. Next time: The Running of the Leaves! We finally get to see Checkered Flag!

As for the jetpack, Cougar will reveal it probably after the Running of the Leaves so he can practice it. He won't use it 24/7 after getting lessons from Rainbow, but there will be times he needs to use it.

And just in case anyone is curious, Caramel, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin and Flash Sentry already left to go back to their respective towns or back to their jobs.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XVI: Checkers or Wreckers

I'd like to thank you all for getting past 100 reviews for this story. Reviews do mean a lot to me, but I'm still having so much fun writing this story that I don't want to stop!

Also, some big news, if anyone would like to be the Beta Reader for this story, PM me and we'll talk business.

Anyway, I think we have some reviews to reply to.

Dixie Darlin: The last one who did, well, did you ever wonder what happened to her other personal guard? And this was actually an important part to the story. Cougar is NOT the cookie-cutter good guy who always knows what's right and wrong. He has his flaws like losing his anger rather quickly and losing his sanity for brief moments in flashes of anger. That and if you think about it, he is acting pretty selfish... And when I wrote the code line, I didn't even think of that being a WiR reference, but I guess it is now!

OBSERVER01: Thank you sir.

noah2x4:It may startle them at first, but they may grow to accept it.

ninjagofangirlb: SPARITY FOREVER! Just wait to see how Spike tells his true feelings later on.

PRR Gangsta: I don't think every story needs horny mares/girls but it does make things more interesting, like a jetpack now of all things!

knightsofstories141912: Only a true friend like Luna would sit down Cougar like that and tell him what he did wrong. I want their friendship to be rock solid. Spike just needed to take off those sunglasses that blocked a true view of Cougar and accept the fact that he's here and he may as well deal with him, and the fact that he's the ONLY one who takes his love for Rarity seriously just helps.

yorkmanic89: I knew Darkheart would piss off a ton of Luna fans, though it was needed to show that Cougar isn't a perfect person, he has major problems that he keeps stuffing away. And Luna is my third favorite character in the show.

hammeruniverse22: Again, thank you for pointing out my errors which I have now fixed thanks to you. And thank you for doing it in a polite and constructive manner. I'll more than definitely take that advice and be much more meticulous on spelling.

Nathan Rowe: No, I didn't really do a good job on proofreading. But again, thank you for telling me and getting me to fix them. As for your feelings on the vacation, I'm going to have to politely disagree with you. For one, it was really only two chapters longs with 13 and 14 being one chapter split into two chapters. Second, taking away the prologue chapter, Cougar and Applejack's friendship has been growing every chapter, and this arc of the story was required to help Cougar grow in Equestria without Applejack being there, plus, he really needed to start over with Spike.

Guest: Thank you so very much. And don't worry, I'm having FAR too much fun to just abandon this story.

King Rocket: Thank you good author. And thanks for the info on Fimfiction. To be honest, I really haven't checked out any stories, but I've been told that website is the pinnacle for MLP fics so to hear some of the stories are utter garbage really surprises me.

Also, for continuity purposes, the episode Simple Ways never took place.

---

(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

"Alright Applebloom," I tossed a rotten apple in my right hand up in the air and caught it, only to repeat the process, "got a fast ball coming in hot," I warned the little yellow filly and hiked my right leg up and reared up my right hand. Applebloom held up a large wooden bucket atop her head, ready to catch the rotten piece of fruit.

"Bring it Cougar," the filly teased me, weaving back and forth about ten yards ahead of me, "ya haven't made me drop one yet; Ah don't plan on startin' now," she smirked at me. Smirking in response, I gripped the fruit even harder, making squelching sounds as rotten juice was squeezed out and dripped all over my hand. Then, like a flick of a switch, the apple was launched out of my hand and zoomed through the air like a baseball. Applebloom moved around a few times, trying to zero in on where the now missile-like object would land. She then stopped and bent her head down low and the apple smacked hard on the inside of the wooden bucket.

"Damn," I snapped my fingers as Applebloom set down the now full bucket of rotten fruit onto the ground and did a little victory dance.

"Ah yeah!" she showboated, "who's the best rotten apple catcher? Ah'm the best rotten apple catcher, uh-huh!" She bragged to me and continued with her victory dance. Rolling my eyes with a smile, I ruffled her red mane and picked up the bucket to drop off at the pig pen.

"You know Bloomin' Onion, you could make a good baseball catcher, maybe you should consider that for a cutie mark?" I suggested, dumping the rotten, putrid fruit into the pig pen. The pink swines happily squealed and began to scarf down the nasty fruit like the Cookie Monster and his cookies. I turned on my heel and set the now empty bucket near one of the storage sheds. The little filly paused where she was standing and put her fore hoof up onto her chin, tapping it lightly to help her think.

"Eh, Ah don't know, Ah don't really much like baseball Cougar," she replied and trotted to catch up with me as I made my way to the house to get a quick drink of water. Celestia had her sun really working hard today; sweat was pouring off me like a waterfall.

"Oh really, then what sports are you interested in?" I opened the kitchen door for Applebloom before wiping some sweat off my forehead and leaving my shirt on a hanging nail outside the door frame, leaving my glistening muscular torso exposed.

"Namely Earth Pony racin'," she replied and grabbed a chocolate ice cream sandwich from the freezer and began to chow down. I on the other hand grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up to the brim with water from the sink and began to gulp it down.

"Really?" I took a big breath of air after downing the entire glass and began to refill it, "I haven't heard much about racing here other than the Wonderbolts Derby and the Running of the Leaves." Before she could explain further, Applejack appeared and set her cowgirl hat onto the table.

"Afternoon lil sis, Cougar," she greeted and sat down at the table next to Applebloom, "did ya get them rotten apples taken care of?" Applejack grabbed a knife, some butter and a piece of bread.

"Yep, your pigs are eating them up like hot cakes," I paused from drinking my second glass of water. "So, how's your practice for the Running of the Leaves going?" I asked Applejack and put the empty glass in the sink. The orange mare buttered her piece of bread and took a pretty large bite.

"Oh, it's goin' on just fine," she swallowed her bite of bread, "Ah've been workin' up a sweat harder than an ice cold can 'o soda pop," she replied and finished her snack in one more large bite. "Ah still can't believe Luna 'n Celestia invited ya to sit with them in their private VIP box," she added and tossed the buttered knife into the sink along with my water glass.

"Yeah well, they know I like racing," I scratched the back of my ear, "anyway, do you want any help with practice? I'm sure I can help you improve your lap times or something," I offered up and leaned against the refrigerator door. AJ softly chuckled before placing her hooves on top of each other.

"Lap times? That's funny Cougar," she teased me, "it's one big 'ol lap 'round the trail and back," she smirked in my direction.

"Okay, one lap is good enough for a race," I retorted, "but is there anything about the race I can help with? I'd like to help you win," I added. Applejack cocked her head sideways and studied me before returning her head to its normal position.

"Ya do know that this is just an exhibition race right?" She questioned, "there's no prize money or nothin', just ponies runnin' ta get the leaves off the trees for Fall 'n get ready fer the winter season," she explained. "Ah used ta care 'bout winnin' the race back when Rainbow was more of 'o spotlight hog, but she's cooled down some since then," she continued. "Ah mainly use the Runnin' 'o the leaves as an excuse ta get more exercise , Ah like ta keep mah legs nice 'n strong," she bragged, but in a friendly manner.

"Really?" I got off the refrigerator door and put my hands down on the table top, "so you don't need any help with practice?" I asked. Applejack shook her head back and forth several times, her ponytail swishing quickly.

"Nope, Ah can run a few laps 'round our makeshift track on the farm by myself, but thanks fer the offer Cougar," she smiled. I pushed my hands off the table and stood back up straight. Applebloom belched softly and tossed the ice cream sandwich wrapper into the trash can.

"Well then, good luck with your practicing Applejack," I wished her, "but since Bloomin' Onion and I got our chores done early, I'm going to teach her self-defense if that's alright with you?" I requested permission. The little filly in question grinned widely before putting on a tough face and swatted at the air a few times with her fore hooves. Applejack meanwhile, raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Applebloom and I both remained quiet as Applejack thought about our proposal.

"Right, Ah do remember you bringin' that up after the Diamond Tiara incident awhile back," she scratched her chin, "but Applebloom doesn't get into many fights 'n she's smart enough to know when to back away," Applejack brought out the uncertainty in both her voice and demeanor. Her sister was prepared to put on the puppy dog eyes that I guess Sweetie Belle taught her, but I stopped her from performing the trick.

"I know that she is AJ, but there comes a point in every person or pony's life that they need to know how to defend themselves if help isn't around or close enough," I explained, "and about the Diamond Tiara incident, Applebloom was shoved first and then hit first, at that point, she had a right to defend herself against Diamond."

"Ah guess ya got a point there," Applejack looked down at her twiddling hooves before looking back up at myself and her sister. "It's just, Ah don't want her ta start goin' out 'n pickin' fights ta prove she can defend herself," Applejack admitted.

"But Ah'm not a bully!" the filly cried out in shock and anger. She crossed her forelegs and glared at her big sister for thinking of something so heinous about her dear little sister.

"Don't worry AJ," I softly patted her shoulder, "I'll make sure of that," I promised her. The mare's emerald eyes looked back up into my pale blue eyes, locking for a brief moment. I felt a strange sensation welling through me, almost like the temperature in my chest began to rise. "Cougar, you alright?" Applejack softly patted my cheek with her right fore hoof.

"Uh, yeah, I'm, I'm fine," I muttered and shook my head clear.

"Well good; Ah said ya can go help Applebloom," she explained as she pushed her chair out from the table, making a soft screech on the wooden floor. I nodded my head in reply, still trying to figure out what the hell just happened to me. "After all, this is the perfect opportunity for yer military trainin' to finally make itself useful," she winked at me and stuck her tongue out. That joke brought me out of my funk, I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really now? Then I guess you won't mind if I teach Applebloom how to rip somepony's heart out and show it to them before they die?" I mocked her. The mare stopped dead cold in her tracks and whirled around so fast that her ponytail smacked the wall.

"WHAT!?" Applejack screeched.

"Gotcha!" I bopped her on the nose and chuckled, "come on Applebloom," I gestured for the smaller pony to follow me outside. Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted towards the front door of the house, her hooves clacking loudly on the floor.

"Good one Cougar," she said sarcastically and opened the door, "Ah'll be at the market if ya need me," she reminded myself and Applebloom as both the front and back doors shut in perfect synchronization.

---

(Outside, several hours later. Cougar's POV)

It was nearing 5:00 PM; Celestia's sun was getting noticeably lower in the sky with each passing glance. Thankfully, that also meant the temperature was cooling slowly, so I could ditch my white T-Shirt without risk of sunburn. Applebloom and I had been practicing non-stop on her self defense skills for a few hours now, and she was improving with each round. First and foremost, I had decided to teach her boxing since throwing punches was the fighting style of choice for kids on a playground. "Now remember Applebloom," I said as we sat down and took a break, "you are only to use this for self-defense," I reminded her.

"Ah understand Cougar, Ah don't go pickin' fights like Diamond Tiara, I have a life," she joked at the end and took a swig of water. This family's snarky behavior was a force to be reckoned with. But I shoved that aside and turned to face Applebloom, a serious glare hung on my face.

"I'm being serious Applebloom," I replied much more darkly and seriously, "I'm just warning you that if I ever find out that you've been starting and picking fights to just prove how tough you are now, I will not teach you any more self defense techniques and I won't speak to you for awhile, do you understand?" I reiterated what would happen if she broke her promise.

"Yes Ah do Cougar, Ah won't disappoint ya," she put on her puppy dog face but with a smile this time instead of a frown. I grinned at her and chuckled.

"Alright cut that out; you're gonna kill me with your cuteness before I teach you how to sweep the legs of your opponent," I gripped the fence we were sitting against and hoisted myself up off the ground. Applebloom hopped to her feet and shifted all of her weight to her right foreleg and put on her war face. "Okay, I've taught you how to dodge an opponent's swings and how to catch a punch an twist your opponent's arm," I cleared my throat, "now I'm going to show you the perfect opportunity to disable an opponent by sweeping their legs," I explained. Raising both of my fists, I motioned to the filly to come and attempt to attack me, using everything I had taught her so far.

"Heyah!" Applebloom cried out and rose to her hind legs with her forelegs outstretched in front of her. She raised one of her hooves and started to send a punch towards my stomach as hard and fast as she could. Instead of dodging or grabbing her foreleg, I smacked it upwards, surprising her momentarily. Using my opportunity, I kicked my right leg out and lightly hit Applebloom's right hind leg.

"See, now if we were really fighting, you'd be on your back and out for the count," she lowered herself back down to all four legs and I put my leg back into place.

"So, do Ah always have ta smack their forelegs away?" She asked me, cocking her head sideways. I shook my head in response, running a hand through my sweat stained hair.

"Nope, just use an opportunity you see, but only after you're ready to defend yourself," I warned, "don't automatically use it if say all Diamond Tiara does is shove you out of the way," I explained. Sitting back on her haunches, Applebloom processed what I had told her. "If what happened last time happens again where she punches you and pushes you, wait for her to get in a fighting stance and throw a punch. She'll be too distracted with hitting you that you can drop down and sweep her rear legs out from under her."

"Okay, Ah think Ah understand," she rubbed the top of her head where he bow was, trying to scratch her head by the looks of it. "Let's go again, Ah'll try 'n make it easier for ya," her eye winked at me. We both resumed our fighting poses, standing as still as statues, waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly, I lunged at the little filly with my right fist heading for her head, but she ducked down below my fist and stuck her little leg out. I felt my foot go out from under me and my body flying backwards. I soon found myself looking upwards at the sky that was starting to turn pink and orange. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Applebloom dropped down to my side and gripped my hand in her two hooves.

"Yeah, I'm cool," I leaned upwards to sit up on my rear. "That was perfect kid, not bad for your first time," I congratulated her.

"But Ah didn't mean ta actually hit ya," she apologized over and over again. I wasn't hurt, nor was I upset or angry at her. I was proud of how well she could take in this much information in one day and already use it.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I knocked my instructor on his ass more than once," I calmed her down as she helped me to my feet and dusted off my back. It was then we both heard a male voice calling out to us, but one neither of us had heard before.

"Well, this is the legendary Cougar that the papers have talked about so much," the voice said in what sounded like accomplishment. Applebloom and I remained silent as this mysterious pony trotted his way from the main gate of Sweet Apple Acres and stopped just a few feet from us. He had much taller legs than anypony I had seen here with the obvious exception of Celestia. He was tan, had a blonde mane and tail with a white streak through the middle, wearing a collared sweater vest with different patches on each sleeve, glasses and had a pocket protector. The first thing that crossed my mind was an image of Homer Simpson shouting, "NNNNNEEEEEEERRRRRRDDDDDD," so I had to keep ahold of myself from bursting out laughing in this pony's face.

"Can we help ya mister?" Applebloom stepped forward to greet this pony.

"Oh excuse me, but I am Trenderhoof, the most interesting pony in all of Equestria!" He bragged and placed his hoof over his chest as if it were that big of a deal. I rolled my eyes, thinking that just about everypony I had ever met was more interesting than this nerd. "And you must be Cougar, the rare and elusive human!" He stuck out a hoof to shake my hand.

"Elusive?!" I exclaimed, "I've been living here since May! Where have you been?" I asked in response.

"Of course you're not elusive, I keep up with the Equestria Times," he pulled out a newspaper from his pocket to show the front page headline explaining my run-in with the timberwolves and put it back in his pocket. "But elusive just makes for a better title for my newest article," he added.

"Article for what?" Applebloom questioned him.

"I am doing an exclusive, deep and personal interview with you Mr. Cougar!" He exclaimed quite happily. My heart stopped for the second time today, but this was different than the first time; I knew why I was feeling this feeling.

"Access denied Trenderhoof," I immediately spat out. The journalist's face fell when I told him the bad news.

"B-but my readers want to know everything about you! What kind of transportation you had in your world, what kind of diet your species had, was your species violent or peaceful, your real name?" He tried to tell me what kind of article he was looking for. "The readers have a right to know whether or not you're a peaceful creature!"

"Hey! You leave Cougar alone!" Applebloom kicked him in the shin, making him cry out in pain, "he's one 'o the kindest creatures Ah've ever met; he doesn't need a pony like you to twist his words around for your stupid little tabloid!" She shook her hoof in anger. Trenderhoof's leg stopped throbbing in pain and he set it back down on the ground, but he didn't look displeased or angry at Applebloom, 'good boy,' I thought to myself.

"I do not write a tabloid you little uh, ruffian," he responded politely, "Cougar is probably on par with me on being the most interesting creature in Equestria; my readers need to figure it out for themselves," he produced a pencil and notepad.

"Uh-uh, Rita Skeeter," I shook my head and pushed the writing utensils back, "I wouldn't even let Princess Twilight interview me, so you better get out of here so you don't waste anymore of your time," I gestured back towards the gates of the farm.

"Howdy y'all, Ah'm back from the market!" Applejack's voice rang into the airwaves of the farm. Applebloom and I wanted to say hello, but there was a loud gasp heard that prevented us from doing just that.

"Who, is, that gorgeous mare?!" the nerd pony's voice questioned out of breath. I looked from his gaze to where Applejack was trotting happily towards us with a bag of bits on her back.

"Um, that's my sister Applejack," Applebloom explained, not getting at how awestruck this guy was at Applejack's appearance.

"Hey Bloomin' Onion, why don't you go wash up for dinner?" I suggested and nudged her along with my foot. Without much fight, the little filly galloped her way inside to wash her hooves for dinner.

"Applejack, a beautiful name befitting of a queen," Trenderhoof, "more beautiful than Celestia," he added quickly before Applejack fell within earshot of us. My eyes lit up as he said that and his gaze turned more lustful as Applejack grew nearer. I've seen this look in many guys before back on Earth.

"Well, howdy stranger, what can I do ya for?" Applejack greeted the stallion with her usually kind and trusting demeanor. I shifted my position around so I had both ponies in my field of vision when Trenderhoof grabbed Applejack's fore hoof with his own.

"Ask not what you can do for me fair Applejack," he kissed her hoof causing her to blush and my eyebrows to furrow, "but ask what I can do for you," he still held her hoof and stared into her green eyes. Applejack was clearly embarrassed, but pushed it aside to keep being polite.

"Hehe," she chuckled, "well you're very kind, but what may Ah ask are ya doin' on my farm Mr. uh?" She hadn't been given his name yet.

"Trenderhoof here was just about to have an exclusive interview with me, right Trenderhoof?" I grabbed ahold of his shoulder and turned him to face me. The journalist seemed to snap out of his lustful entrancement to speak to me.

"Uh, yes, but since you declined, I decided to do a whole new report on the Running of the Leaves," Trenderhoof eyed the number bib marked 43 inside of AJ's saddlebag. 'You son of a bitch,' I thought to myself.

"Is that a fact?" Applejack replied, "well Ah'm not the pony ya want to talk to about the leaves race," she remarked and started to trot towards the house, "ya might wanna talk ta Princess Twilight or Rainbow Dash, she's the pony that's all about winnin' the race." I started to follow her back towards the house, but not before noticing what Trenderhoof was staring at. He was walking slowly, almost like Frankenstein or a zombie with his eyes narrowing and sticking to one particular spot. His muzzle curled up into a sickening smile worthy of defeating the Grinch's own. Studying his stare, I followed his line of eye sight to, Applejack's flanks.

"So, hypnotizing," he said in a trance-like state and began to follow Applejack as well. Not trusting what this pony was thinking, I kept pace with him up until we got to the door of the kitchen.

"Hey, where in Equestria do you think you're going?" I stepped in front of Trenderhoof, halting his progress to get to my friend. "I don't recall Applejack inviting you into her home, so why don't you run along and start writing up a story for the big race?" I suggested. His eyes and ears fell when I pretty much told him to get the hell off the farm, but still didn't leave.

"Well, I was just going to ask if I could have a few apples for my trip back into town if it wasn't too much trouble," he explained and adjusted his sweater vest collar, "I also have a great appreciation for the working ethics of Earth Ponies," he tacked on the end of his argument. Crossing my arms, I raised my eyebrow once again, still having serious problems with his motives. "And since the Earth Pony Racing League is fairly popular around here, I thought maybe getting some insight from an Earth Pony racer that isn't a professional could help with the article." My blue eyes looked up and down from my feet to Trenderhoof's eyes several times before I came to a conclusion.

"Fine, you can come in and have a few apples to go and a few questions for Applejack, but that's it," he happily trotted inside the kitchen with me right on his tail. Applejack was busy putting the bits she had earned in town into a cookie jar while cooking up some corn on the cob and mashed potatoes for dinner and an apple pie for dessert.

"Oh, Ah didn't know Cougar let ya in Mr. Trenderhoof," she gave me a sly smile and looked back towards the journalist pony. "Is there anythin' Ah can help ya with?" She stirred a pot of mashed potatoes.

"I was hoping to get a few apples for a snack back into town," Trenderhoof said in a dreamy state as he sat down at the table, but in the chair closest to where Applejack was working. "And maybe pick your brain about Earth Ponies and racing," he added with a hint of excitement as AJ swished her ponytail around and took off her cowgirl hat.

"Well that sounds mighty kind 'o ya to care about what Ah think, but Ah don't like bein' interviewed all that much, plus like Ah said before," the mare put some boxes away in the pantry, "Ah'm not the right pony to talk to about the Runnin' 'o the Leaves," she said for a second time and tasted the potatoes before turning up the heat a tad more. Trenderhoof wasn't really paying attention to what Applejack was saying; his head was held in his hooves as he watched her move back and forth in the kitchen.

"Hey AJ, want some help?" I offered and got in between Trenderhoof's field of vision and Applejack, causing the stallion to growl and glare at me in anger.

"Sure, you can start moldin' that pie crust in the pie tin," Applejack tossed me the rounded metallic object along with the pie crust. Setting the tin down on the counter, I began to work at the job I was given. "As fer the apples Mr. Trenderhoof, you can have a couples 'o spares over in that bag," her hoof pointed to her saddlebag full of apples. "Uh, you okay there cowboy?" She asked in a now uncomfortable voice. Sensing the change in pitch, I kept my hands molding the pie crust while I turned around to see what was wrong.

"I'm doing just fine Applejack," Trenderhoof had risen from his chair and had walked over to get even closer to Applejack, practically rubbing up against her. "Apples have always fascinated me," he bragged and 'accidentally' bumped shoulders with my friend, "you know, fruit experts once found an apple thought to be extinct," he bragged again.

"Really?" AJ moved away from him and stirred the potatoes again.

"Yep, and I ate four of them," Trenderhoof followed Applejack again.

"Sounds like a waste of a good apple," I chimed in, hoping to bring this creep back to reality.

"Waste? I think not Mr. Cougar, they were absolutely, delicious," he commented in a sultry tone as the orange mare dropped her wooden stirring spoon and bent down to pick it up. I picked up an apple off the counter and chucked it at Trenderhoof's head, hitting him square in the middle of his forehead. The red fruit fell into a nearby wastebasket with a thunk. The journalist was shocked at what happened and stood still, like a deer in a pair of headlights. My index and middle fingers pointed at my eyes and then back at his own, sending him the message that he'd better watch his own ass.

"Look Trenderhoof, Ah'm sure yer a kind pony, but Ah my sister 'n my friend Cougar here are 'bout to sit down ta dinner, so you'd better start hittin' the road," Applejack tossed him a few apples from her saddlebag.

"Our time may have been short Applejack," the nerd pony grabbed a couple of apples from Applejack, "but I shall return one day, hopefully to continue our little tango," he bowed his head down. Applejack shuttered in disgust and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Ah'm so sure of it," she said in a highly sarcastic tone. Suddenly, I heard a sharp gasp come from Applejack's mouth. Fearing she had possibly burnt her hoof, I spun around, ready to help to cool it. However, what I discovered, was much worse. Trenderhoof's fore hoof was on Applejack's flank. His hoof was on Applejack's flank, and he was squeezing it. For a moment, nopony said or did anything. Applejack was still frozen in shock at being groped at while I just stood in place, letting the anger in my eyes rise.

"Just a few apples for the road huh?" He said in a teasing manner. Applejack gained control of her own hooves again and smacked Trenderhoof in the face.

"YOU KEEP YER HOOVES TO YERSELF YOU CREEPY PERVERT!" She screamed in his face and shoved him into the wall. "GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!" She shouted at him again. Deciding to finally take action, I marched my way past the angry and shocked mare and grabbed the nerd by his collar.

"We're going for a little walk," I brought his face up to mine and shook his body. Releasing him and allowing his body to smack the wooden floor, I kicked the kitchen door open and drug him outside by his mane, leaving a confused Applebloom whom had just trotted into the kitchen to tend to her sister.

"Ow!" He cried out in pain as I yanked him hard by his hair, "isn't this a little too brutal?" Trenderhoof whined. He soon found himself with his back shoved against the trunk of an apple tree. A few leaves and apples fell around him from the violent hit.

"Too brutal?" I asked in a mockery tone, "you'd better thank whatever gods you ponies pray to that I don't break your nose right now!" I slammed his head against the tree again. "You don't ever touch a woman's body unless they give you 100% permission, you got that?!" I spat in his face and gripped his collar even tighter. The pathetic nerd's eyes shrunk as he saw that I wasn't messing around.

"B-but, it w-was just a simple accident!" He pleaded, "I uh went to shake her hoof and I missed, you gotta believe me!" his fore hooves clasped together in a begging manner. Does this guy think I'm just an idiot that was born yesterday?

"Bullshit!" I smacked his muzzle, earning yet another cry from him, "I saw the way you were staring at her body and licking your lips. I know what you were thinking; I've seen countless guys before you give the same looks to girls they want to hump and dump. Well here's a headline for you newsboy," I released him from my grasp, allowing his head to fall back onto the trunk of the tree, "you are not going to do that to my friend, you got that? If you so much as sneeze in her direction again, you're going to find yourself with a tube in your throat that serves you your lunch," I glared daggers at him as he picked himself off the ground. The response he gave to me in return was not one I was expecting at all. The bastard started to chuckle at me! "What is so funny pervert?" I demanded and clenched my hands together.

"Haha, this is astounding!" he wiped blood from his muzzle, "the only human in all of Equestria, has feelings for his friend the element of Honesty!" He exclaimed, "this will make a fantastic story!" He whipped out his notepad and pencil and began to jot things down. My world froze again. Feelings? For a pony? "Hey!" He whined when I snatched the writing utensils from his hoof and mouth and chucked them into a pile of dead leaves.

"You sit here and listen to what I have to say," I kicked his rear leg, making him sit down on his haunches, "Applejack took me in when nopony else could. She and her family have allowed me to live on their farm in exchange for doing chores and helping them in town or just being all around nice," I explained, "so when some perv like you thinks he can just walk into her house and start touching her in her private places and staring at her like she's a piece of meat, I'm obligated to protect my friend like a good person or pony would do." He gulped in fear as I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up until his eyes were level with mine. "So, if I or any of our friends see an article written by you that mentions anything more than friendship going on between myself and Applejack, you're going to know how those timberwolves felt," the color drained from his face and his eyes shrank down again, "now get your flank out of here!" I grabbed his tail while still holding his neck and chucked him over the gate of the farm. His legs kicked furiously, knocking up dust into the air as he struggled to escape.

I stared at the dust cloud that remained after Trenderhoof had run away from possibly being skinned alive by me for a wall decoration. "Hey, what happened ta Mister Fancy-britches?" Applebloom trotted up beside me. Looking down, I wanted to tell her how bad some stallions are and that this one is among the worst, but since she was still young, I figured I shouldn't scare her away from boys, yet, plus I think Big Mac would be more qualified for that job. Instead, I bent down and scratched behind her ear; she loved it when I did this.

"Oh, he had a story that wouldn't stop kicking him in the rear," I replied, "now how about we go have some dinner?" I suggested and picked her up and slung her over my shoulder.

---

(Several Days Later. Cougar's POV)

It had been only a few days since I personally threw Trenderhoof off of Applejack's farm, which she thanked me with my own apple pie and a tight bear hug. But now, a good majority of Ponyville had shown up at the 'track' as I like to call it, for the annual Running of the Leaves. Applejack tightened the last strap of her number bib onto her sides and adjusted her cowgirl hat. "Alright, how do Ah look?" She questioned, trying to smooth out the bib so it wouldn't crease.

"Like a winner!" Applebloom smacked Applejack's shoulder.

"Thanks li'l sis, Ah just hate havin' ta wear these numbers, they're itchy," she scratched at her side with her hoof.

"For the record, I offered to paint the number 43 on your side," I reminded the mare and handed her a bottle of water. Applejack sighed at my reminder and took the bottle and downed the entire thing in one gulp.

"'N Ah told you Cougar, Ah don't want ta risk the paint fadin' into my fur, Ah'll look ridiculous if Ah still have a 43 dried into my fur during Hearth's Warmin' Eve," she replied and tossed the empty container into a nearby garbage can.

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed and then found Applejack's hoof in his side, "oof!" he groaned and clutched his side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't second place?" An all too familiar pegasus' voice greeted to us. Rainbow Dash landed in front of us and curled her wings back onto her body. Her number bib had the all too important 3 stitched onto the side.

"Hey Rainbow, good thing you finally gave Soarin' a break so you two can do something in public," I joked. Rainbow blushed and looked away from us, her hoof covering her cheek. I braced myself to get a good smack from Applejack, but I got a few snickers from her instead. "Where is Soarin' by the way?" I questioned. The cyan pegasus finally regained enough composure to talk again.

"Soarin's making a deal with the owner of the Neigh York, Neigh York hotel in Las Pegasus to do a Wonderbolts Show to ring in the new year," she replied, "I know it's really early, but booking a show in Las Pegasus takes a long time to do," she explained.

"Uh huh," Applejack said, "so you remember that this is just a fun race right Rainbow?" She cocked an eyebrow up.

"Well duh, of course it's a fun race, 'cause I'm gonna take the checkers!" Rainbow bragged and struck a pose holding an invisible trophy. Normally I despised people that bragged that they'll win, but Rainbow just had a certain awe about her that made it not so aggravating, especially since she could walk the walk to back up her talk. A large gaggle of ponies wearing number bibs began to assemble near the starting line, but the race wasn't set to start just yet. Suddenly, everypony dropped down in a bow as Luna, Celestia and Twilight all arrived with Spike bringing up the rear. The three Alicorns flared their wings and curled them back up to their bodies and stood at the starting line. Looking over at Twilight, she was still uncomfortable with being bowed to. I wondered how anyone could possibly get used to that.

"Rise my little ponies," Celestia finally said as the masses rose back to their feet. "The race will begin momentarily as our Grand Marshal is on his way," she announced and flew up to her VIP box. Twilight and Spike trotted/jogged our way and Luna just walked casually through the crowd.

"Spike!" Pinkie Pie jumped for joy and sort of hovered in the air for a moment, "are you ready to do the commentary!?" She held up two megaphones for the little guy. Grinning, Spike proudly took one and clicked it on.

"You know it!" He exclaimed, "I think this year is gonna be the best Running of the Leaves ever!" he added and fist bumped Pinkie's hoof.

"I know! I think this could possibly be better than getting a hoofacure while eating cupcakes, drinking chocolate milk and jamming out all at the same time!" She seemed ready to burst with joy, better keep my distance.

"Oh, I offered to add a touch of color to these dreary number bibs; I guess somepony doesn't care how our racers look while getting rid of the leaves!" She shot a glare at the pony hoofing out last minute number bibs.

"Alright girls, we're not going to repeat the first time I was involved with the race, are we?" Twilight grabbed ahold of Rainbow and Applejack in both of her forelegs. Both mares groaned and shoved Twilight away from them.

"Geez Twi, every year with this!" Rainbow hovered in the air, crossing her forelegs.

"Yeah, we learnt our lesson, nearly five years ago!" Applejack agreed.

"Can't be too careful though girls," Twilight reminded her friends, "so Cougar, Luna told me she invited you up to the private royal box?" She turned to me.

"Yep," I shrugged, "I told Luna how much I love racing so she told me I could join her, Celestia and yourself up in the royal box for the race," I replied and adjusted the collar of my shirt. The purple Alicorn nodded and turned to talk to Fluttershy. The two mares chatted amongst themselves when I felt a hoof tapping my shoulder.

"Hello Cougar," Luna greeted me with a hug. I returned it and patted her back, "are you as excited as I am for the race?" She questioned. I was still surprised that she was up this early, for her anyways. And she didn't seem to have lost any sleep.

"Yeah I am, I'm betting that Applejack will win; she's been training hard for a week and plus, she's got the Earth Pony legs for it," I placed my bet figuratively.

"Hmm, you raise a fair point, but I think Rainbow Dash shall take the crown at the end of the race," Luna countered, "pegasi have a natural tendency for quick maneuvering, a must when the trail is littered with twigs, rocks and branches," she explained. Then, a loud trumpet blared over the loudspeaker of the grandstands. "Ooh, the race is getting ready to start, let us make our way to our seats posthaste!" Her wing grabbed ahold of my arm and yanked me up to the royal press box where Celestia was waiting.

"Woah, wait for Applebloom!" I exclaimed. Luna stopped momentarily as Bloomin' Onion hopped onto Luna's back and took us up the box. My stomach growled just as I was about to sit down, so I started to look through the grandstands, hoping to find a vendor to serve me up some nachos. Finally, I spotted a pony wearing a striped paper hat and had a tray of nachos and bottles of soda strapped to his neck.

"Hey snack pony, Nachos and a cola!" I ordered. The vendor trotted his way up to the press box and handed me a tray of nachos and a bottle of soda.

"Seven bits please," he asked. I dug around my pocket and gave him a ten bit piece and told him to keep the change. "Thank you sir," he pocketed the money and trotted off to serve somepony else. There was a small drumroll as the racers took their positions on the starting line. Applebloom propped herself up on the edge of the railing while standing on my lap to get a better view of her sister.

"Welcome Everypony to the annual Running of the Leaves!" Spike announced from a pink hot air balloon.

"We have a super duper special treat for all you Earth Racing Pony fans out there!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down. I chuckled as I munched on my snack, "oh it's so exciting, if I bottle it up anymore, confetti will explode out of my ears!" She clapped her hooves together.

"Right you are Pinkie," Spike replied, "our grand marshal today is Seven Time Earth Pony racing champion with 97 total career victories in 23 years of Earth Pony racing: Checkered Flag!" Spike gestured with his hand down low as a white pony with a checkered flag wrapped around trophy cutie mark, blue eyes and a checker patterned mane and tail walked onto the track.

"It's him, Ah can't believe it!" Applebloom hopped up and down on my lap excitedly.

"He's just as handsome as I remember," Luna said with her eyes half closed.

"Somepony's crushing," I whispered into Applebloom's ear. She giggled up a storm while Luna still admired Checkered Flag. Meanwhile, Spike handed down a spare megaphone for the pony to talk into.

"Hello everypony and human," he said up to me. 'Why does that voice sound so familiar?' I asked myself. "It's an honor to be named the Grand Marshal for such a historic event in this little town. Being born and raised in Foaldotna, I always heard about the Running of the Leaves in Ponyville, but I never got to compete or attend a race until much later in my life. This event I know is important to help jumpstart winter, but I have a surprise of my own," he reached behind him and produced a check, "once the race is over, I will personally donate 5,000 bits for the local school's athletic program and another 5,000 bits towards the local orphanage," he announced. There was thunderous hoof stomping at Checkered's announcement from just about everypony, including myself though I was clapping.

"YOU ROCK!" Scootaloo jumped into the air and struck a pose like a rock star.

"Sister, are you alright?" Celestia asked Luna whom was starting to get red-faced at Checkered Flag.

"I also wanted to thank Princess Luna for keeping the moon as bright as she possibly can for our nighttime races in the Earth Pony Racing League," he winked at the midnight blue alicorn.

FOMP

"Ahhhh!" I screamed as Luna's wings snapped open without warning and one smacked into my food tray upwards, hit me in the face and knocked me several feet onto my back. "Uuuuggghhh."

"COUGAR!" Luna, Celestia and Applebloom exclaimed as they helped me up. There was cold soda and hot melted cheese running down my face as I sat up on my butt. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Cougar," Luna made the cheese and soda disappear off my face, " I did not mean for that to happen!"

"Luna, what the hell did I do to you?" I asked in an upset tone.

"Cougar, you must understand that when pegasi and alicorns to an extent find a pony they are attracted to, their wings unfurl by themselves as a sort of mating call to let their potential mate know they are attracted to them," Celestia explained.

"Simple biology," Applebloom added in a cute manner.

"Oh," I shook my head to get the stars out of my vision, "so, she basically got a Wing Boner?" I asked.

"Or Featherection for the younger ponies," Celestia covered Applebloom's ears. Nodding, I looked back over at Luna whom had a severely apologetic look on her face, yet her wings were still stiff.

"It's okay Luna, I forgive you," I hugged around her neck. "Now, let's get your wings back in place before you give somepony a concussion," I suggested and started to push against her right wing. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how strong the wings were in this position.

"Grrrrr," Luna growled as she too tried to get her own wings to obey her command. These things just wouldn't budge. It was like trying to push a semi truck that was in park.

"Geez Luna, you could take up gliding with these things," I huffed and pushed with all my might. Finally, her wings snapped back onto her body and I could breathe again. Twilight finally showed up and didn't notice anything had happened. After things settled down, the race official raised his whistle and a green flag in front of the racers.

"And in 3, 2," Pinkie began counting, "1 and 7/8, 1 and 3/4, hey Spike can I gave a sip of your soda?" Pinkie asked.

"GOOOOOOO!" Spike shouted into his megaphone. The official blew whistle and waved the green flag and all the racers took off in a cloud of dust.

---

(One Race later, Cougar's POV)

"And unless something happens, it's a two pony race folks as Rainbow Dash and Applejack have completely checked out from the rest of the pack!" Spike called from his megaphone. The hot air balloon was high in the sky, keeping the grandstand updated. I never knew how nail biting a race was without cameras to show the actual racers.

"We're approaching the final leg, and Rainbow is taking a bit of a lead, is Applejack losing energy? Oh no, what if she is, somepony call a doctor!" Pinkie Pie screeched, causing many ponies to cover their ears.

"Nope, she's saving the last of her breath for a final spurt!" Spike shouted. We all turned our heads as the two ponies in question reappeared over a hill that would take them to the finish line. "Applejack back to the lead!"

"Rainbow shuts the door on her!" Pinkie Pie cut in.

"Applejack pulls the crossover!" Spike started to bite on his claws.

"Come on AJ," Applebloom and I said at the same time.

"It's gonna be a photo finish!" Pinkie Pie fell out of the basket but landed in a tree. Numerous flashbulbs went off as the two ponies broke the tape and crossed the finish line. Immediately, there were hundreds of panicked voices shouting to the heavens.

"WHO WON?!"

"APPLEJACK TOOK IT!"

"ARE YOU BLIND IT WAS CLEARLY RAINBOW DASH!"

"If anypony has a photo of who crossed the line first, we'd greatly appreciate it," Pinkie Pie bounced up from the tree. Discarding my trash, the three princesses, Applebloom and I headed down the steps to greet the two ponies who finished well ahead of the others. Applejack was fanning herself with her hat while Rainbow dunk her head into an ice chest and didn't come out for awhile.

"You were awesome big sis!" Applebloom hugged AJ's leg.

"I'm surprised you never got into a career with racing Applejack," I doused a bottle of water over her head.

"Farmin' is more important than racin' Cougar," Applejack huffed.

"Well no matter the outcome, you raced your heart out, and that's all I care about," I ruffled her golden mane. Then, Checkered Flag appeared with a huge and proud smile on his face. Celestia held Luna down with magic to keep her from squealing like a teenager.

"You two are very impressive and should be proud of yourselves," Checkered congratulated them. That's going to drive me nuts on who this guy sounds like. "I haven't seen such passion or intensity in racing in a long time," he added, "oh and Princess Twilight, I trust you can give this to the Elementary School teacher and this to the pony in charge of the orphanage?" Checkered handed the checks to Twilight.

"You can count on me Mr. Flag," the alicorn tucked them into her hair, "and thank you for your generous donations," she shook his hoof.

"Don't mention it," he winked. Applebloom and Scootaloo burst from behind my legs and started to jump up and down in front of the pony.

"You're like the greatest racer ever!" Scootaloo's wings were flapping so hard I thought they were going to fly off.

"Can we get yer autograph please?" AB's eyes grew into puppy dog eyes.

"Well, how can I say no to such adorable faces?" he pulled the cap off a permanent marker and signed his name across two pictures of himself posing with a trophy.

"AH'M GONNA FRAME THIS OVER MY BED!" the two fillies jumped up and down. The racing pony chuckled before turning to Luna and Celestia.

"Ah, your highnesses," he bowed, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He politely asked. Luna just stood still, making a little sound out of her mouth. Celestia and I nudged her to bring her senses back.

"Mr. Flag I was wondering if you wish to attend the Grand Galloping Gala to honor all of your charitable donations and for helping to bring joy to thousands of ponies?" She asked in a cracking voice.

"That depends your highness, would I be going with you?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh-um, y-yes, if you want to," Luna blushed furiously and had a hard time breathing.

"Then I would be honored to go with you to the Gala Princess Luna," Checkered Flag kissed her hoof, "now if you'll excuse me, I have another race to train for in Appaloosa, good day everypony," he galloped off into the noon sun.

"Way to go Luna," I teased her and nudged her side. She let out a dreamy sigh before collapsing onto the ground. Celestia conjured up some water and doused it all over Luna's face, awakening her.

"Checkered Flag is accompanying me to the Gala, am I dreaming sister?" Luna asked Celestia. A lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere and struck Luna in the butt. "Gah! You know you could've just yanked on my mane," she grumbled. Before I could say anything, Pinkie Pie screeched gleefully into her megaphone.

"WE HAVE A WINNER EVERYPONY COME AND SEE WHO IT IS!" Pinkie declared. Almost like the opening of a store on Black Friday, everypony swept up each other and darted for Pinkie Pie.

"OUR WINNER IS," Spike started as he held up a picture of the finish.

"APPLEJACK!" Pinkie Pie cut off the little dragon. There was a large roar in the crowd as Big Mac and myself hoisted Applejack up onto our shoulders.

"That's my sister!" Applebloom followed us.

"I knew you could do it AJ!" I cheered for her as we set her on the ground. A ton of ponies came by to give their personal congratulations to Applejack, and by a ton, I mean just about the whole freakin' town.

"YOU!" We all heard somepony shout. A path was cleared to reveal Rainbow with her mane dripping wet from the ice. We all stopped celebrating as Applejack removed her cowgirl hat and the two mares approached each other. "You are still one stubborn and competitive pony," Rainbow said. Applejack raised an eyebrow as if to say, "So?" But then, Rainbow smiled and patted her shoulder, "But you can practice with me anytime I'm on the ground," she smiled.

"Ah think Ah'll take up yer offer," Applejack smiled back and the two mares hugged. As they released their hug, I grabbed a bottle of Apple Cider from the concession stand, shook it up and sprayed it all over the two who screamed from the cold.

"That's how you celebrate a victory on Earth!" I exclaimed as I continued to spray the two mares with the bottle.

---

(Sometime Later, 3rd Person POV. Canterlot Castle)

"That was quite the race, wouldn't you say Lulu?" Celestia sipped her tea and read from the Canterlot Times. Luna was preoccupied with reading a horror novel to notice that her sister had said anything. "And I'm glad Cougar enjoyed it as well; that cider celebration was exciting," she refilled her tea cup.

"Hmm, too much gore, not enough suspense," Luna tossed the novel into the fireplace. Then, the doors to the throne room burst open with a messenger pony hauling ass inside.

"Ah, messenger Newpony, what is the trouble?" Celestia set down her tea cup and stood from her throne. The slightly overweight pony huffed and puffed as he caught his breath from running so hard.

"Your *wheeze* majesties, the string quartet *wheeze* has come down with a severe case of the flu; they can't make it to the Gala," he explained as he leaned against a table.

"Well that's awful, I hope they'll be alright," Luna said in a worried tone.

"I'm sure they'll be fine Luna, the flu isn't too much to get worried about, but the Gala does need a musical presence," the taller Alicorn paced back and forth. Newpony got up and turned to leave the throne room. Glock walked in with his injury all patched up and spear in hoof. The two stopped and glared at each other.

"Hello Newpony," Glock sneered.

"Hello Glock," Newpony sneered back and left the throne room as Glock took his usual position. Meanwhile, the sisters we're still attempting to figure out their conundrum involving the now absence of a musical act when Luna suddenly had an idea. She strolled over to one of the large bay windows and looked down towards Ponyville.

"Sister, if I may make a suggestion?"

End Chapter XVI

---

Okay guys, sorry for the long wait, work got in the way and my dad and I have been reflooring our entire house for the past week and a half. I hope this was an enjoyable chapter and I hope Top Gun fans and Seinfeld fans appreciate the cameos ;)

BTW, Checkered Flag is voiced by Jeff Gordon, just in case you guys are wondering.

Also, although you can't hear it, when Cougar gets hit by Luna's wing and falls back screaming, he is letting out the classic Wilhelm Scream

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XVII: Sinful Monster

I wish to thank you guys for getting this story up to 90 followers and 67 favorites. If it gets to 100 followers, I don't know what I'll do.

OBSERVER01: Thank you

Guest (1): I'm glad you enjoyed the wing-boner joke. I wanted to use it someplace and I thought 'Luna could be a surprising yet hilarious candidate for that.'

Dixie Darlin: Yeah, he even creeped me out in the actual Simple Ways episode. Every time I watch it, I'm like, "Come on AJ, just tell that perv to get lost!" I agree with Luna, horror doesn't automatically mean gallons of gore, suspense like in the masterpiece of Halloween, scares people more. And I needed a name for the messenger pony and I was watching Seinfeld at the time.

hammeruniverse22: Thank you and thanks again for getting me to double-check everything in my chapters.

Nukem999: Well, I feel Luna in the show hasn't got nearly enough screen time and all we really know about her is she brings night upon Equestria and helps eliminate nightmares of ponies as well as help ponies with problems like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Since Celestia gets so much screen time in the show, I wanted to give Luna more time in the story than her big sister by portraying her as a social pony who just likes to hang out with friends and still gets attracted to certain stallions from time to time to make her more relatable to the average viewer/reader. Cougar KNOWS how to treat the female gender, with respect and patience. And he could never forgive himself if he did anything of that sort to the pony that took him in.

Ljungberg: Trust me, it's not the most enjoyable activity in the world. Moving furniture is a pain.

King Rocket: Eh, he was acting like a perv in the actual episode so I went with that route, and plus it's to help further the development between Cougar and AJ. I have never heard that phrase, 'Rustled my jimmies' before. As for action, well Cougar has to learn how to properly use his jetpack at some point.

Nathan Rowe: Yes, I do believe character development is one of the most important tasks to take on when writing. If an audience doesn't connect or grow with the characters, then they will lose interest extremely fast. That's why I love Captain America: The First Avenger. The writers for that movie knew what they were doing when it came to character development with Steve Rogers.

necron-lordwesly: Don't worry, now you can re-read this chapter just to watch Trenderhoof get his ass kicked.

Alright, so first off, I hope you all enjoy my new avatar, it's my OC Checkered Flag crossing the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So you guys know what he looks like!

This chapter takes place one day after the events of the last chapter.

Also, a warning. This chapter contains disturbing and painful passages. Some readers may find it to be too emotional and I wouldn't blame any of you if you decided to skip certain parts of this chapter.

---

(3 A.M. One day later. Cougar's POV)

For the past few days, something had been lingering in the back of my mind. Something that could only be compared to as the same annoyance as an itch that one just could not reach or could not satisfy. I couldn't understand why, but this lingering feeling felt like an omen, possibly a warning that something terrifying was about to happen, or maybe worse. I did the best I could to mask the feeling of dread welling up inside my bosom; I didn't want to scare anypony nor did I want to take away the fun that we had at the Running of the Leaves. Unfortunately, it didn't help when nearly every time there was bit of silence around me, whether it was just sitting alone in my little house or when conversation ceased at the dinner table, a huge weight seemed to sink itself lower and lower onto my shoulders. Who knew that all it took was a simple thunderstorm to reveal just what had been itching at me. God, I wish I had never woken up from that plane crash.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

I jolted awake from my cot, nearly falling off the side and onto my ass. You might think I shouldn't be surprised by the sudden occurrence of a little thunder and lightning storm since I've been in the Air Force with loud jets flying overhead every night for seven years, but I still get a nice shock when those noises occur out of the blue now and then.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

"Damn pegasi," I grumbled as I gazed up at the clock in my house. Using the lightning as a quick light source, the clock on the wall read 3:00, too early to be getting up and moving around on the farm. Laying back down, I smoothed over my eyes and hair, trying to get my head relaxed once again; then the rain came. The rain came down like soft pellets, a soothing and relaxing sound compared to more bullet sounding rain drops I saw and heard in Florida. 'Your fault.' My eyes snapped open when I thought I heard someone whispering through the rain."H-hello, is anyone there?" I questioned, reaching for my revolver that I realized was still missing in the river. "Rainbow I swear to God if you're trying to prank me I'm going to shave your mane and tail off," I threatened.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

Lightning and thunder were the only things that bothered to reply to me. I thought maybe that the wind could've easily made a whispering sound, but as I listened closer, there was no wind, only rain, lightning and thunder. My cot creaked and groaned as I laid back down and rolled over onto my right side, staring at a blank wall that I still had yet to decorate. I tried listening to the gentle rhythms of the night to get back to sleep now that I was used to the thunder. Closing my eyes, I did everything I could to command my body to get back to sleep for another two hours. I even resorted to trying to count how many raindrops hit the roof of my house to try and bore me to sleep, but to no avail.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

"Oh screw this," I exclaimed, reached to the little nightstand beside my bed and grabbed my headphones from Vinyl's work shop. I quickly plugged the end into my phone and went to turn on some music to soothe me to sleep. Yet, when I unlocked my phone and blinked several times to get my eyes adjusted to the brightness, my heart stopped. I haven't had my hands become so numb yet so shaky in almost a year. Eventually, the shakes traveled up my arms and spread across my body like the flu or a juicy rumor at a high school. My breathing became ragged as my phone shook so violently from my numb hands that the device slipped from my lessening grip and clattered to the floor, ripping the jack of the headphones out of its socket.

Breathing became a little harder as the image on my phone's screen burned an imprint in my head. I blinked several times, trying to get my head to stop spinning. Finally, I slowly raised both my shaking hands and clamped down onto the sides of my head. The shaking of my hands momentarily ceased and my breathing somewhat went back to normal. My eyes which were now producing hot tears darted downwards where my phone had laid to rest on the wooden floor. For what seemed like an eternity, I sat there, the rain continuing to pelter the house second by second as I attempted to gather up enough courage to pick up my phone.

My right hand grasped around my phone (which had fallen face down) and brought it up to my face quicker than I had realized. Taking one last breath, I blinked more hot tears away and flipped my phone over to the front where the lock screen was now displayed.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped as my eyes fell upon the absolute worst date of my entire life. The date that haunted me and changed both my life and my outlook on the subject: September 11th. 'Your fault!' The same voice penetrated my ear drums again. "NO!" I shouted as another flash of lightning appeared upon the inky backdrop of the night sky and thunder rattled the little window of my shack. Jolting up from my cot, my phone was sent flying into the wall where it clattered to the floor yet again. Grabbing ahold of my hair, I felt the room begin to spin around me like I was in the center of a merry-go-round.

"My God, he's dead!"

"No!" I screamed again as I slammed my eyes shut and burst out of my shack. I didn't care that my shoeless feet were now caked with mud and soaked with rain, nor did I care that I only had on my thin lounge pants. The rain seemed to gain in ferocity as it pounded away at my body. The hot tears running down my cheeks were now being washed away by the cold rain as I grabbed ahold of my head again and ran around outside, trying to get the painful memories and voices out of my head.

"They were unarmed and had NO defense!" Another voice of my past shouted into my head. My feet squished against the cold and wet ground as I kept running and running around the farm. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped again whilst I tried to shake the thoughts from my mind. With my eyes snapped closed as hard as I could force them, I couldn't see where I was going as my ever numbing foot tripped over a piece of farming equipment, sending me flying into the mud and rain puddle riddled farm ground. My face landed straight into a puddle, both dousing myself with water and covering my torso and pants with mud.

I coughed and sputtered, trying to get the filthy water out of my mouth. "REAPER!" My voice rang inside my head as I remembered the day my best friend died, all because of me. Finally, I could not take it anymore and began to sob.

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!" I heard my voice shout from the day I had assaulted Filthy Rich. There was now a tightness moving around in my chest. Another feeling was gnawing and itching at the back of my skull. And to top it all off, I felt as if I had a 747 jumbo jet resting upon my shoulders. Looking back up as the rain washed mud away from my face, I saw lightning briefly illuminate the tree where I beat up Trenderhoof only yesterday.

All I could see at the tree was an image of myself kicking, slapping and beating up Trenderhoof. 'You're a monster.' The faceless voice echoed throughout my head again. Looking back down in the puddle, I shrieked as I saw a skull with crossbones covering my face instead of seeing my actual face. I slapped the water to get rid of the evil reflection.

'If it weren't for you, your friends would still be alive,' the voice spoke more than just three words this time. At last, I gathered up the strength from my now numb body and pulled myself up into a sitting position against the plow I had tripped on. I bent my legs up and rested my drenched forehead against my knees and sobbed quietly to myself.

"I'm death," I faintly whispered over the sound of rain still falling around me.

'THERE WAS MORE YOU COULD'VE DONE!' The phantom voice yelled inside my head, forcing me to clasp my hands around my ears. I lost what little balance I had and fell onto my side onto more mud. With another flash of lightning, I briefly looked into the reflective surface of the plow next to me. I was both horrified and disgusted with the image I saw. It was an image of myself holding a timber wolf's heart in my hand as I squished it between my fingers like a rotten tomato.

"I. Am. A. Monster," I slowly said to myself. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter than I ever had before; tears kept on flowing out of my eyelids.

'This family doesn't deserve to have Death living amongst them,' the phantom voice whispered inside my head. I let out a choked sob as I realized what I had to do. This was a difficult decision that broke my heart, but I had to do this to protect the family that accepted me with open arms and hearts. Gripping my hand on the plow, I picked my mud caked body off the ground and stood up, allowing the rain to wash away my back. The conflicting temperatures of the rain and my tears was an eerie feeling against my cheeks, but that wasn't important right now. My hand felt hot and wet as I gripped it into a fist. Turning it over, I saw a fresh cut and trickles of blood flowing down my palm from the plow. The rain water quickly disposed of the scarlet liquid and I rested my hand back against my leg as I trudged forward through the mud soaked trail leading to the main house.

Since I hadn't cut my hair in nearly four months, some of my hair was matted down due to the rain, and it was covering my eyes. Wiping some wet strands from my vision, I found the door leading to the kitchen in front of my face. I felt slightly empty now that the awning of the house protected my skin from the never-ending assault of the cold rain. I felt even colder now that I had entered the house, but not before tossing off my socks into the garbage can outside. Although I had lived on the farm for a third of a year, I still had yet to see what it was like in the dead of night.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

The lightning gave me a quick snapshot of the ground floor. The house always gave off a cozy and heartwarming aura to me, like a family home, and it made me sick. Not because I hate family, but because how I had polluted their family lake. Looking at the wall nearest the staircase, there was a portrait of Granny Smith, Applejack, Big Macintosh and little Applebloom, all looking happy together. However, as if God, or Satan, were teasing me, there happened to be a picture-sized mirror right next to the family portrait of the Apple family.

The person looking back at me was unrecognizable. Mud caked face, matted and wild hair, blue eyes that seemed as black as coal, and an emotionless mouth that seemed to belonged to Michael Myers himself. I blinked, and I nearly punched the mirror, for I was suddenly met with the face of the devil himself as I saw the dead bodies of every person I had ever wronged standing behind me.

Was this God sending me a message of my deserved fate in Hell? Or was I going down an insane path that would force me to cause more harm others around me? I had done my best to ignore what I had seen in the mirror and the evil phantom voice that mocked me to finish what I had to before setting off and making sure I wouldn't harm another innocent life. Setting foot on the stair case, my heart stopped when the stairs creaked and groaned. The last thing I wanted right now was for one of the family members, Applebloom specifically, to see me like this and ask me what was wrong. For what seemed to take a century, I tip-toed up the wooden stairs without alerting anypony to my nighttime presence and ascended the final stair to appear at the front of the upstairs hallway.

Granny Smith's bedroom was first on the left, and the elderly pony was snoring quietly. She mumbled something in her sleep, but I didn't pay attention to what she had spoken. "Goodbye Granny." Walking ahead, Big Mac's room was the first room on the right and his door was partially open compared to Granny whom had her door wide open. Peering my head through, the huge red stallion was curled up in the fetal position, whinnying with every snore. My eyebrows went up as I saw Big Mac cuddling up with a stuffed doll. Shaking my head, I pulled away from Big Mac's room and silently crept along the eerily empty hallway. Passing the bathroom, my bare feet stopped at the entrance to little Applebloom's room.

My head leaned against the door frame as I watched the little yellow filly sleeping peacefully in her bed. Not knowing what force came over me, I walked forward into her room, tears beginning to flow again. The salty droplets flowed down my cheeks and onto her mane, thankfully not disturbing her. "I'm gonna miss you k-kid," I tried to squish the tears away by blinking, but to no avail. I bent down and lightly pecked her cheek, as if I were kissing my own daughter I never had. "W-whatever y-you do, don't e-ever stop reaching for stars, y-you're gonna d-do so much good s-someday," I choked out and softly padded the top of her head.

Applebloom softly stirred, but stayed under the sandpony's spell and continued to sleep. I whirled around and quieter than a mute church mouse, I left her room, leaving only one pony left. I had no clue if I could do this or not, but I knew I had to. Opening her door, it almost broke my heart to see Applejack asleep so peacefully in her rodeo themed room. She softly whinnied and smacked her lips as she snored in her sleep. The pony that took me in and accepted me as a member of her family, Applejack Apple, had no clue of the horrors that were caused by my doing back on Earth, and that wasn't fair. I was such a selfish bastard. I should've told everypony that had saved my life about the unspeakable acts I had done. Now it was too late to fix anything. I cried like a bitch more, knowing that even though I had caused no physical harm to Applejack, Luna, Rainbow or Fluttershy, I had hurt them on the inside.

"I'm s-so sorry AJ," I whispered when she turned over onto her side and faced the wall I was standing against. I couldn't believe the amount of irony that was dripping from God's pot. The plan I had put into place to protect my friends from me had become a double-edged sword. Trying to save them from the horrors and evil nature about me only worked against me; now that I had to tell them the truth, a little bit of themselves on the inside will die for trusting a demon like me. Bending down, I stroked Applejack's golden mane as I saw it for the first time without a hat and without the red ties; she looked amazing.

'NO! You selfish son of a bitch! You'll only hurt her more.' The voice screamed at me some more. I sobbed silently more and more. Aside from Luna, having to say goodbye to my closest friend in Equestria was the most painful thing I had experienced here.

"It's for the best Applejack, I can't hurt you anymore," I promised her as I softly rubbed her cheek with my thumb before letting go. Exiting the room, I went back to Applebloom's room, grabbed a pencil from her backpack and a piece of paper from her stack on her desk and wrote a letter explaining everything I was going to do and to tell her to not come looking for me. Her. Applejack was one of the most special beings I had met in my life, her honesty and true meanings of friendship were second to none. Other than Reaper who had always stuck by my side, I'd never had any friends before like Applejack. Placing the note on her bedside, I wiped some more tears from my eyes before heading silently downstairs and out the door for the final time. As I shut the door, I leaned against the house, breathing deeply as I tried to keep myself from crying. I sniffled and bent down before taking in one last look at the farm and heading to Ponyville.

I soon found myself at the ticket booth for the train station, with a strange bit of luck, there was an early morning line heading for Canterlot at 3:30 AM, and no force on Earth or Heaven was going to keep my off that train. "Oh hello Cougar, what brings you here this early?" The ticket booth pony asked.

"One way ticket to Canterlot please," I replied grimly.

"Any particular reason you need to head to the royal city at this hour?" He gave me the ticket as I gave him the bits. I said nary a word, pocketed my ticket and boarded the train.

(One Silent Train Ride Later. Cougar's POV)

The main clock in Canterlot rang four times as I departed my empty train car at the Canterlot train station. I'm sure I would've garnered a thousand stares had I arrived around the normal time for the stuffy ponies to be roaming about. Wearing nothing more than my muddy lounge pants, I looked like a bum, or a crazy creature. I settled for the few stares of the elitists that were waiting at the train station and set off for the castle. I made sure to stay amongst the shadows in case Luna was on a nightly patrol around Canterlot; the last thing I needed was to run into her right now.

"No rain," I commented as the sky was clear and beautifully showed off Luna's fantastic work. The stone sidewalks felt odd against my bare feet, conflicting against the dirt roads that patterned Ponyville. Walking along an empty street in a strange city with nothing more than the silvery gleam of the moon to keep me company cast an eerie vibe across my entire body. Trying to keep my eyes ahead instead of at my muddy feet, I could barely make out the images of two bat pony guards standing guard in front of the gates of the castle thanks to Luna's moonlight. "Shit," I said when I realized that one of the ponies was Bat Fang himself.

"Halt!" The second guard hoisted his spear and pointed it down at me as I approached the pair.

"Cougar!?" Bat Fang exclaimed in surprise and ordered the second guard to stand down, "what in Luna's name are you doing here at this hour and without your clothes?" He asked. "And, why are your eyes red?"

"Bat Fang," I started and raised my limp, numb hands out, "take me to the dungeon," I replied. Bat Fang's spear clattered to the ground, the echo reverberating down the street I had taken from the train station.

"What?" He shook his head in disbelief, "are you feeling alright?" He questioned.

"No, but you still need to take me to the dungeon," I replied quietly.

"Is this guy insane?" The second guard asked Bat Fang.

"Shut up Venom," Bat Fang silenced his partner. "Look Cougar, what are you talking about? Why should you be in the dungeon? That's a place for only the worst criminals in Equestria, one step above Tartarus," he warned.

"I don't care Bat Fang," I growled, "put me in the fucking dungeon. Three counts of assault against three different ponies and numerous counts of murder," I glared at him, praying he'll listen and finally toss me inside.

"Assault and murder against who?! Is this some kind of joke Cougar? This isn't funny," Bat Fang gritted his fangs.

"You want names?! Filthy Rich, Trenderhoof, Dark Heart!" I shouted at him.

"Dark Heart? You know that bucker deserved it, but there's not much we can do until we get statements from Filthy Rich and Trenderhoof themselves, and I don't believe for a second you're a murderer," Bat Fang placed his hoof on my shoulder. "Do you need to talk to Luna? I'm sure she can help you," he offered.

"Statements? You want statements?!" I exclaimed, grabbed ahold of Bat Fang's shoulder and landed a right hook across his scar from where he got cut. The bat pony went flying backwards into the gate of the castle, the punch so powerful, his helmet strap snapped.

"STAND RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Venom jabbed me in the side with his spear, "You want to go the dungeon? Consider your wish granted," he slapped a pair of hoofcuffs onto my wrists and slammed me down onto the ground. Bat Fang collected himself and tossed his silver helmet onto the ground before rubbing his muzzle.

"What happened to you Cougar?" he asked as he and Venom picked me up and escorted me through the gates into the castle.

"I stopped masking the truth," was all I replied. The two led me down the corridor into the dungeon area where I had been just a few days before. Numerous criminals ran to the bars of their cells, curious as to what fresh meat the guards had brought. The two stopped me at a cell directly across from Spitfire whom had been watching us from behind her sunglasses.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Cougar," Bat Fang apologized as Venom kicked me violently in the back to get me in my cell. I landed face first into the stone wall and collapsed onto the bench inside. "You go back to your post, I'm going to find Luna," Bat Fang said to Venom who nodded in reply and trotted back to his post. Bat Fang gave one last look at me before sprouting his wings and zooming away. I looked around my tiny, cramped cell. Nothing more than a toilet and a bench to keep me company. I sat down on the wooden bench that creaked and groaned under my weight. Leaning my head against the stone wall, I softly shut my eyes as I tried to get used to my new home.

'It's for the best. Get used to it; this is just a preview of what Hell has waiting for you.'

(Sweet Apple Acres. 3rd Person POV)

Applejack gave a mighty yawn as the farm's rooster alerted the Apple family to get up and get moving. The orange mare scratched at her face with her hoof and stretched as she threw the covers off her body. "Ahh, whew, them pegasi definitely put a whippin' on Ponyville last night," Applejack put her hair twists back in and her hat back on. She was set to leave for breakfast when a folded up piece of paper that was lying on the floor near her door caught her eye.

"Applejack, move yer caboose there youngin'!" Granny Smith called from downstairs. Applejack picked up the letter in her mouth and briskly trotted downstairs to where the family was eating breakfast.

"Hey, where's Cougar at Applejack?" Applebloom asked her older sister.

"Ah don't know, maybe he decided ta get a lil more sleep, he's been workin' harder than Big Mac over the summer," Applejack set the letter down onto the table.

"Eeyu- hey!" Big Mac exclaimed.

"Oh lighten up there Grandson," Granny Smith bopped Big Mac on the head. "What's that there letter for Applejack? When did the mail start comin' this early anyways?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ah found it in my room," Applejack replied as she unfolded the letter, "and it's from Cougar."

"Did he tell ya where he was goin' this mornin'?" the youngest family member swallowed a bite of her waffles. Applejack's eyes scanned the letter, ignoring questions from her family. They took note that her eyes grew bigger and bigger and her breathing became shallower and shallower.

"Well, what's it say?" Big Mac finished off a cup of coffee.

"Dear Apple Family, I'm sorry to say I am not the man you think I am. I'm no hero, all I've ever done in my life is hurt others. I thought joining the Air Force would get me on the path to saving and protecting others instead of hurting them, but my past keeps following me wherever I go. Applejack, I assaulted Filthy Rich in order to get him to have Diamond Tiara leave Applebloom alone, and I'm sorry for not telling you. What I am most sorry for is the fact I betrayed the trust you all set within me when you took me in. A loving and caring family like yours doesn't deserve to have a Sinful Monster living with them. It was despicable of me to only think of myself by not telling you of all my wrong doings back on Earth. You are all still special to me for accepting me into your family, but the only thing I did in return was put an ugly blotch onto your lives. This was not easy for me to do, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you even more. I am leaving the farm and your family forever, but do not cry for me or come searching for me; I am not worth it. I do not deserve friends, family or kindness from others. As you're reading this letter, I am gone and now doing what I set out to do when I signed up for the military: Protecting you, from the demons inside me.

-Cougar.

"C-cougar's gone?" Applebloom whined as tears spilled out of her eyes. "B-but, he was one 'o my closest friends!" the filly covered her eyes and began to cry.

"Where do ya think he went?" Big Mac solemnly slid his plate to the center of the table.

"Ah don't believe a word 'o that letter," Granny Smith smacked the table top with her hoof, "Ah've looked into his eyes, he has a heart 'o gold!" She defended. All eyes turned to the mare holding the letter. She had stayed silent ever since she finished reading, so silent in fact that the ticking of the clock sounded like a drum. Instantly, the mare slid her chair back, dropped the letter and burst outside to Cougar's house.

"No, no, no, no," Applejack chanted as she galloped over and burst through Cougar's door. "Cougar!" She exclaimed when she opened the door and found Cougar's cot flipped on the side with his blanket thrown across the room and his phone laying against the wall. "Dear Celestia no!" She frantically searched for clues as to where Cougar could have gone. Applejack grabbed the sides of her head and bolted outside and ran as fast as she could to Ponyville to find her friends, hoping that they could help her.

"Applejack, where are you going in such a rush?" Rarity asked her farming friend as Applejack banged on the door of the rainbow castle as hard as she could.

"It's Cougar! He ran away from the farm!" Applejack replied.

"What do you mean Cougar ran away?" Rarity questioned, confused as how a grown creature could run away.

"Look, Ah don't have time to explain it to you, Ah need to see Twilight!" Applejack shoved Rarity out of the way and galloped to the throne room where Twilight was signing a few papers whilst reading a textbook. Applejack couldn't stop in time and ran into Twilight's throne, knocking her over and ceasing her levitation spell, causing all of writing utensils to fall to the floor.

"Applejack, what was that for!?" Twilight angrily picked herself up off the floor as Spike gathered up her tools. "This had better be good, you just made me lose my train of thought!"

"Ah'm terribly sorry Twi, but Cougar's run away from my farm! He says that he's doin' it ta protect my family 'n all of us!" Applejack replied in a panic. Spike dropped all of Twilight's things on the floor, Rainbow accidentally knocked over her own throne, Fluttershy dropped an entire bushel of carrots on Angel and Pinkie Pie gasped and all of her balloons deflated in sync.

"What do you mean he ran away? Where would he go and why?" Twilight forgot about what she was doing and hopped back up to her hooves.

"Ah woke up 'n found a letter from Cougar addressed to my family inside my room. Ah read it out loud at breakfast; it explained that he ain't the man we think he is and he's leavin' to protect us all. Ah'm scared my friend is gonna hurt himself, or kill himself!" Applejack cried as she held her eyes in her hooves.

"He likes Rock music right?" Pinkie Pie jumped in front of Applejack, "if we play Rock music everywhere, maybe he'll come back?" She suggested.

"Wha- no!" Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie aside, "Ah have no idea where he went; Ah wouldn't know where to start!" Applejack threw her hat on the ground.

"Well uh, you know, as your friends we'll help you find Cougar, if you want help that is," Fluttershy patted Applejack's back.

"Yeah! With all six of us searching, Cougar can't hide forever!" Rainbow flexed her wings. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light engulfed the throne room, blinding the occupants until it went away. Standing in the middle of the throne room was none other than Princess Luna.

"Luna! We were just about to send out a search party for Cougar, what brings you here?" Twilight quickly bowed and popped back up with Spike standing next to her. The midnight blue alicorn trotted up to Applejack and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Applejack, our friend Cougar resides in the Canterlot dungeons," Luna announced.

"What did he do Princess?" Spike questioned.

"He turned himself in for three counts of assault on three ponies, but not before punching my personal guard Bat Fang to secure a spot in the dungeons," Luna explained. "There is something wrong with our friend. He's distant, he will not speak to anypony and all I can see is darkness within him, darkness and dread. I attempted to speak with him so we could get to the bottom of the situation, but he remains silent and unresponsive, like a statue or painting. I fear we may lose him unless we can get him to confess what is wrong," Luna exclaimed quietly.

"Did you at least try and look into his past like you did when we first met him?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, but he's blocked it off; all I saw was utter blackness. All of us must return to Canterlot to save Cougar from his own demons before he does something unspeakable," Luna conjured up a spell and whisked the Mane 6 to Canterlot.

---

(Canterlot Dungeons. Cougar's POV)

I hadn't moved an inch since I had arrived in jail. Just as promised, Bat Fang left me in my cell and returned with Luna to try and talk some sense into me. My alicorn friend spent more than an hour trying to get me to talk to "bring me back," but I had no desire to do so. The only things I did in response were turn my head and look at her with my bloodshot eyes. I gave her an 'A' for effort though; Luna did everything from trying to be a therapist to just trying to have a beer with me.

Across the way, Spitfire would also try to talk to me, but even if I wasn't feeling like this, I would want no part in talking with her. Every so often she'd partially drop her sunglasses and stare at me with her icy blue eyes. A part of me wanted to throw my arms around Luna and spill everything wrong so at least she could understand why I had made my decision on locking myself away from society, but another part of me won that battle, the part that wanted to tell her as little as possible and to stay silent; she knew enough about me.

Finally, Luna decided that she could not do this alone and disappeared into a cloud of white magic and vapor. It didn't feel that cold down here despite the fact that I was wearing nothing but muddy lounge pants. Glock and Bat Fang stopped by to see if I was hungry or thirsty, but I gave them the same treatment that Luna received. Bat Fang had told Glock about the incident and wanted to help me, but I turned him away. For the first time in my life, I felt exactly like Morgan Freeman's character in The Shawshank Redemption. I was guilty of my crimes, as was Freeman's character, Red, and I also knew that I did belong here while most of the other criminals here gave a BS story that made them look innocent. At least I've still got honor on my side for turning myself in.

"Cougar!" A country voice I knew all to well bounced off the stone walls of the dungeon, followed by the clopping sounds of hoof steps. My red eyes slowly drifted to the left as I saw seven ponies and one dragon stop in front of my cell. "What's gotten into ya?" Applejack tried to open the cell door.

"What are you doing here?" I barely squeaked out.

"We're here to bust you out silly goose!" Pinkie Pie pulled out a hoof-file and began to try and grind away at the bars. Ignoring the pink pony, I rolled over so my head was no longer leaning against the corner of my cell.

"I told you to not come looking for me," I replied and lowered my head to look at the floor. Luna's magic unlocked the cell and she, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow, Spike and Rarity entered the cell. It was getting really crowded with seven figures inside the cramped space; Pinkie and Fluttershy watched from the hallway.

"And why would we just leave you to rot in a jail cell Cougar?" Rarity questioned, "you've been a model citizen ever since you've arrived," she attempted to lift up my spirits.

"Not to mention you saved us and our sisters from two timberwolves and put your life on the line, that's pretty badass dude," Rainbow patted my back. I shrugged her away, keeping my eyes glued to the stony floor below me. Applejack removed her hat and softly wrapped her foreleg around my neck.

"Look Cougar, we just want to know why you turned yerself in to jail and why you won't talk," Applejack sat down next to me. When I still didn't answer, Applejack pressed on, "Ah was a little shocked at yer confession 'bout assaultin' Filthy Rich, but Ah understand you were lookin' out fer my sister; that Ah appreciate so much." I sighed heavily and ran both my hands through my hair.

"I ran away to protect all of you, from myself," I admitted darkly.

"What do you mean by that bro?" Spike leaned on my muddy pants with his claws.

"I'm a violent, sinful and evil man, and you should have left me to die when my plane crashed!" I yelled out, scaring everypony in my cell and in the dungeon. "All I do, no matter what, is hurt people around me, mainly people I love and care for. Had I told you some of the things I've done on Earth, you would've killed me the moment I finished my sentence, and you would've done yourselves a favor," I cooled down but still shook Applejack's grip off my shoulder. "This day, is just too painful for me. I wish I had a time machine to either be able to skip this day or go back and fix what I fucked up," I grubbed the side of my bench. Twilight cleared her throat and pushed my chin up with her magic.

"Cougar, if you just tell us why you're acting this way, we can help you; we want to help you, if you'll just let us," she kindly explained. "If you just take us back to when this all started-"

"NO! NO! I AM NOT RELIVING THAT DAY!" I angrily shouted at her and began to cry again. Luna sighed and produced my phone from Applejack's hat. "M-my phone?"

"Cougar, forgive me, but Applejack showed me a rather important picture," Luna scrolled through the photo album on my phone until she reached the specific picture she needed. I wanted to question how they knew my password, but I guess their magic could do more than I can imagine.

"Listen to me Cougar, Ah know exactly how it feels," Applejack whispered to me to control my crying.

"W-w-were you r-responsible for yours?" I silently cried.

"Please, just tell us. We'll believe you," Rarity begged.

"We want to help," Twilight repeated. The last thing I looked at was Applejack's emerald eyes before diving headfirst into the worst moment of my entire life.

*FLASHBACK. 21 years ago*

"Alright son, now we're going to be heading to New York for our business meeting soon," Cougar's father, Nick explained. A little two and a half year old boy was busy playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine toys while his father and mother packed their bags.

"I wish you weren't going, I love you daddy," little Cougar sadly pushed Thomas across the floor. Nick hugged little Cougar tightly and picked him up from the floor.

"I know, I hate being away from my baby boy, but mommy and daddy have important jobs, and they require us to travel," Nick set little Cougar down at the table and placed some Cheerios in front of him.

"How would you like a little T-Shirt son?" Cougar's mother, Patsy bopped his nose.

"Is it one of those I heart NY shirts that I've seen in the moving pictures?" Cougar replied as he ate his snack.

"Of course, nothing is too good for my special little baby," Patsy blew a raspberry on Cougar's tummy. That night, the night before Nick and Patsy were set to leave, Cougar awakened in his room, throwing up with a fever.

"Mommy, Daddy, I feel icky," little Cougar groaned as his mom held him over the toilet.

"Oh no, he's burning up Nick," Patsy felt his forehead. "Let's take him to the emergency room," Patsy quickly changed her son's clothes.

"I'll start the car," Nick replied as he threw a coat on. Cougar groaned as his little tummy still churned.

"N-no mommy, I don't want to ruin your trip."

"The trip can wait another week. My top priority right now is making sure my baby is healthy," Patsy kissed his head.

(Two Days Later)

"Hi Darrell, Nancy, thank you so much for watching over our son for the next few days," Nick thanked his friends.

"It's no trouble, besides, our boys both get along great; this'll be just like a sleepover for them," Darrell replied and ruffled Cougar's hair.

"Thank you for taking me in Mr. Jones," Cougar thanked his best friend's dad.

"I think our son is downstairs playing on his Nintendo 64, why don't you go join him?" Nancy suggested. Cougar gave a tearful goodbye and hug to his parents before they set off for New York, on flight Flight 175

The next morning, Cougar awoke to see Darrell and Nancy watching the TV in shock. Cougar didn't understand what was going on. The skyscraper on the TV screen was burning up with a large hole in the middle.

"What movie is this Mr. and Mrs. Jones?" Cougar asked. Cougar's friend then joined up with some Froot Loops in hand while his parents remained silent.

"OH MY GOD, ANOTHER PLANE HAS STRUCK THE SECOND TOWER!" The TV announcer shrieked as another airliner came onto the screen and hit the second world trade center.

"This, this can't be happening," Darrell looked as if he was going to throw up.

"We've just gotten word that the second plane was Flight 175," the TV announcer announced. Darrell and Nancy both looked at each other and tried to turn off the TV, but Cougar had heard.

"F-Flight 175? Wasn't Mommy and Daddy on that flight?" Little Cougar asked. The two and half year old reached into his pocket and looked a copy of his father's plane ticket and saw the label Flight 175 printed on the top corner.

"Now, now Cougar," Nancy tried to change the channel and get him away from the TV. The copy of the plane ticket fell out of Cougar's hand as he slowly walked up to the TV that showed both Twin Towers engulfed in flames and smoke against the blue backdrop of the September day.

"Mommy, Daddy?" Cougar reached up and caressed the TV screen with is fingers as tears began to creep out of his eyes. "Are my Mommy and Daddy okay?" The little boy tearfully turned to Darrell and Nancy whom also had tears in their was all Cougar needed as he collapsed onto his knees and cried at the base of the TV. "M-mommy, D-daddy! Come back, please! I love you!" Little Cougar wailed.

*End Flashback*

(Cougar's POV)

"So, my parents were killed because of terrorists who hated our country," I held in my tears as long as I could. All around me, my new friends were struggling to do the same, though Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow were all already sobbing. "I never got to see my parents again, except an image of their plane hitting a building," I started to sob at the painful memory. "My best friend's parents took me in as their son and raised me, and my friend turned out to be Reaper, that's how we became the best of friends because we turned into brothers."

"Oh Cou-Cougar," Applejack's emerald eyes were now turning red as she wiped her salty tears away. She embraced me in a tight hug and didn't let go as she started to cry too. "Ah-Ah had n-no idea," she sniffled and continued to hold me.

"B-but the worst part is, it was all my fault! I killed my parents!" my hands tried to rub tears out of my eyes, but they were flowing too fast. "I killed them, they're dead because of me!"

"How is this your fault Cougar? You did not crash that plane," Luna pointed out, her wing wiping her tears away.

"If I hadn't gotten sick, they would've gotten to New York one day earlier than when the attacks happened!" I yelled.

"Don't, don't think like that dude," Rainbow sniffled, "how could you have known you were going to get sick?"

"What difference does it make?" My voice cracked, my vision blurred and my nose sniffled, "because of me, my parents were ripped from life far earlier than they should've been. But it doesn't stop there. As I grew older, Reaper and I would befriend other kids who would die before their time. My friend Richard died of Leukemia, my friend Greg was killed by his dad in a drunken rage. I was always the common denominator. This is why I wanted to seal myself away from you all, before you all died because of this curse the Devil put me under!"

"You, you stop thinkin' like that right now," Applejack pulled away from her hug and glared at me with wet eyes, "none of that is your fault, 'n you know it," she breathed deeply.

"Even if I wasn't directly responsible, all of those close to me died sometime after meeting me. That's why I vowed to never get close to others again so I wouldn't seal their fate!" I explained loudly, "but then came the mission that took my best friend's life. When he was killed, I wanted to die, and sometimes I still think I should have died; I don't know why God continued to let me live after everything I've done. I couldn't live if something happened to any of you! All of you are the best friends I could've asked for, right up with Reaper. When I realized what today was, I was reminded of how many I've hurt and I didn't want to cast that onto any of you."

"Just stop, stop blamin' yerself for all those bad things!" Applejack demanded.

"Why? So I don't feel bad? It's all my fault! Even more than any of that! From that child molester I beat to death instead of letting the law handle it to killing thousands of innocent people because our President ordered us to despite us not knowing until it was all over, all the facts are there, I am the living embodiment of SIN! I'm a monster, and monsters deserve to die or rot away alone," I whispered the last line.

"We don't think of you like that, at all," Twilight wiped her nose with her hoof.

"You are one of the kindest, carin', most gentlest souls we've ever come across, that's the truth Cougar," Applejack's eyes still squeezed out a few tears.

"Cougar, I, nor any of us, think you are a monster, but a young man that has been put through more horrifying tests and trials than one should in their entire lives," Luna started to cry again, "b-but you preserved and joined the military to help others, th-that is something no monster would do!"

"It doesn't matter, no matter how much good I do, the demons inside me will find a way to show their work," I solemnly replied. "I let my best friend die; there was so much more I could've done to save him, but I failed; I don't want to fail any of you."

"Y-you won't fail us," Fluttershy stood up from her corner, "I've seen all the good inside you; it triumphs the evil in and around you."

"You saved Princess Luna and two guards from the wrath of a psychopath, you're a good man Cougar," Spike patted my leg.

"Please Sugarcube," Applejack swallowed her tears, "if there's anythin' we can do to heal yer pain, please tell us, Ah can't stand ta see one 'o my best friends cryin' over somethin' that ain't his fault." She begged me. All of a sudden, there was a new twinge in my chest as I looked around the small cell that housed friends that wanted to help me heal. Friends. The word had seemed foreign to me for so long that I had begun to take the word for granted. Just like Reaper did, these ponies wanted to go out of their way just to help me forget about my parents and other things I'm ashamed of. Those are true friends, I guess one could say that Friendship is Magic.

"Thank you," I replied and began to cry both happy and sad tears.

"W-what did you say Cougar?" Rarity questioned.

"Thank you, thank you for being my friends," I cried out and hugged Applejack and Luna tightly. Soon, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie jumped on and joined the group hug, "thank you!" my tears rolled off my cheeks and onto Applejack's mane.

"How about a 'Make Cougar Feel Better' party with just us and uber close friends?" Pinkie Pie calmly suggested.

"Pinkie Pie, I'd love that," I smiled for the first time that day. I politely shoved the ponies away and stood up from my bench. Twilight quickly zapped everypony out, leaving enough room for me to leave.

"Eh, but before we leave," Rarity started and zapped me with her blue magic. I looked down to see regular blue jeans and a white t-shirt covering my body; my muddy lounge pants were long gone. "There, much better," the white unicorn slyly smiled. I nodded a thank you to her and shut the cell door on the now empty cell behind me. Luna opened the dungeon door and allowed all of us to leave the dark and dreary cavern. Spike jumped up into my chest and gave me a hug while Fluttershy hugged my leg. Pinkie wanted to tackle me; luckily Twilight held her in place with her magic until she promised to calm down.

"So Cougar, would you like it if I joined your party?" Luna questioned when we met up in the foyer. Celestia apparently had mounds of paperwork to do and after raising the sun, only wanted to speak to somepony if the world was going to end.

"Well, I'd love it if you would, but you haven't gotten your sleep yet," I replied, "isn't this about the time you go to bed?" I questioned. Luna placed a hoof under my chin and just held my head in place as she smiled at me.

"Making sure my friend is alright and happy is more important than my sleep right now," Luna replied with a tight hug. Patting her back, I pulled away and was met with Bat Fang watching us.

"Here, just give me a minute before we head back to Ponyville," I turned around to face the guard whose muzzle was swollen. "Hey Bat Fang," I looked down at the ground, "look I'm sorry about punching you in the-" I started before I felt an immense pressure on my nose followed by warm blood gushing out of the nostrils.

"There bud, we're even," Bat Fang shined his hoof on his armor and adjusted his new helmet strap and went back to Luna's side. Wiping the blood from my nose, I chuckled softly and nodded.

---

(Back at the farm. Cougar's POV)

All nine of us arrived back at the front door of the Apple house soon after leaving Canterlot via teleportation; none of us really wanted to run into anyone else on the way back. "Alright Sugarcube, it's up ta you ta set things straight with my family, though Applebloom might still be ticked at ya fer leavin'," Applejack pushed me towards the door. I gripped the door knob before turning it slowly.

"Hello, Big Mac? Granny? Applebl-" I called out before I found myself on my back with a big ball of yellow fur standing on my chest.

"Cougar! Where've you been? Ah've been worried sick about ya!" Applebloom jumped up and down. Big Mac picked Applebloom up off me and set her down so I could get back up to my feet.

"Ah think we've all been worried sick 'bout him Applebloom," Big Mac held the filly back.

"Oh, Princess Luna, what brings ya here ta our farm yer majesty?" Granny Smith quickly bowed and got another charlie horse.

"I'm here to spend time with my friend Granny Smith, and you have a lovely home," Luna replied while Big Mac quickly hit Granny in the spot where she was stuck, eliminating the pulled muscle. Applebloom took advantage and wriggled out of her brother's grasp and jumped onto a chair to get closer to my face.

"We want answers! Why did ya have ta leave us? Where did ya go?" She questioned again.

"Hold on there lil sis, Cougar's gonna explain everythin' right quick," Applejack explained while everyone else filed inside the house. And so, I sat down and explained everything to Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith. As expected, tears were shed, though not from just those three. Even though I was over the hump for this year, I still let a few tears slip out when mentioning my parents. I explained why I ran away and why I felt I had to do so, and that it was also a mistake. When I had finished, Big Mac was cradling his head in his hooves, Applebloom's lower lip was quivering and Granny Smith was wiping her eyes with her bandana.

"So, are ya gonna leave again?" Applebloom questioned with puppy dog eyes while quivering her lip. I placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it softly.

"Not a chance in the world kid, no way," I gave her a little peck on top of her head.

"Good," she grabbed my collar with her hooves, "'cause if ya left like that again Ah'd have ta put a whuppin' on ya so hard yer shadow'd grow its own bruises," she threatened. I chuckled and patted her forelegs.

"Well that's good to know."

"Cougar, if there's anythin' that's a-botherin' ya, ya can always talk ta us about," Granny Smith held my hand with her hoof as Applebloom hopped off the table.

"I know Granny, thank you for letting me know," I replied. Suddenly, there was a loud blast as party streamers, balloons, banners and a record player burst from Pinkie Pie's party cannon (that still freaked me out how that little thing can hold so much junk inside) and decorated the entire ground floor of the house.

"Come on everypony, let's turn these frowns upside down!" Pinkie declared as she stuck a lamp shade over her head.

"But, nopony is frowning anymore," Spike pointed out.

"See? It already worked!" Pinkie cheered and blew on a horn, "now let's jam!" She turned on the record player to her personal favorite song. For hours, we all danced, laughed, played games, drank enough punch and soda to rot out everypony's teeth in Equestria, told jokes, told more happy stories of our past and just had a good time as friends. I felt bad that Luna didn't get any sleep today since she was helping me cheer up, but she insisted that should could miss one day of sleep and make up for it tomorrow. The night hit us rather abruptly, and I mean that literally. Spike looked as if he was going to throw up, but he belched out green fire and a scroll appeared in mid-air as he opened it up.

'Dear Twilight, I hope my sister is okay and near you, for it is time to bring out the night. She has ten minutes before I do it myself. Signed Princess Celestia. P.S. please remind her that I need to speak with Cougar as soon as possible,' Spike read the letter out loud. Luna snapped her neck up to look at the clock in the living room.

"Oh Celestia! It's already 8:30!" Luna spat out her soda and brought the moon up so fast that it felt like a literal light switch was turned off.

"Well, I guess that's our cue to go to bed, I have a huge order of suits and dresses for the Gala to create," Rarity bid her fancy farewell, but not before at least giving Spike a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Cougar, feel free to stop by the castle at any time," Twilight levitated a love-dazed Spike onto her back and left. Luna gave out a mighty yawn as she nuzzled my neck tiredly.

"Never forget that you're a good person Cougar," her eyelids threatened to glue shut at any moment, "and I was supposed to remind you of something about the Gala, but I'll let Celestia handle it tomorrow," she shook her head to stay awake before teleporting home, at least I hope she teleported home and not under a lake or inside a volcano in her sleepy state.

"So, if you want Cougar, maybe you'd like to come and help with my animals, you know if you're not too busy that is. At least it's something that can be rewarding other than farm work, which there's nothing wrong with," Fluttershy covered up to not offend Applejack.

"I'd like to meet some of your animals Fluttershy, though don't you have Discord to help?"

"Yes, but some of the animals are still afraid of him, though I don't know why, he's changed so much in the past two years," Fluttershy replied. "But whenever you have free time, stop by with a smile on your face and a caring heart and you'll be all set," Fluttershy waved goodbye. Big Mac picked up a sleeping Applebloom and carried her off upstairs to tuck her in; Granny put her teeth in her jar next to the sink and slinked off upstairs, leaving me and Applejack to turn the lights off and put dishes away.

"Hey, can Ah ask ya somethin' Cougar? If you still don't wanna answer anymore Ah completely understand," she wiped a plate clean and set it in the dish rack where I dried them.

"Yeah shoot, talking about it is actually lifting the weight off of my shoulders," I dried another dish. The mare scrubbed out a glass cup before giving it to me and starting on another one.

"How did ya fight that fer over twenty years? Especially last night? Ah don't think anypony could've fought off those memories fer that long 'fore snappin' like ya did," she asked me. I momentarily stopped drying the cup and stared at my reflection in the window of the kitchen. 'Here it comes,' I thought.

"Uh, here's the thing, I never really fought the memories Applejack," I admitted. The mare's hooves stopped scrubbing off a plate, leaving only the sounds of the ticking clock and the swirling of the sink water to fill the void.

"'Scuse me? What do you mean you never fought yer memories or yer inner demons?" She asked, completely flabbergasted.

"You see, after the whole 9/11 incident, on the days leading up to the anniversary, Darrell and Nancy would always pretty much fight them for me. They'd always distract me from it and basically treat it like another birthday. It wasn't until I was 5 that the idea it was my fault popped into my head, but they were there to help me repress it and keep me happy," I explained.

"But, how were ya able ta do that fer twenty years?" Applejack asked, still in shock.

"Oh sure, some years it was tough, especially when the tenth anniversary hit. I couldn't talk to anyone for the week leading up to it, but that was when they kept me home from school on the eleventh and would change the date to stay the tenth, making me believe the day hadn't arrived yet and then changed the date to the twelfth the next day, making me skip it. Once Reaper and I hit 17, we lied about our ages and signed up for the Air Force. Then he assumed the role that his parents had and kept me happy, making me forget about it. I would still feel sad about it throughout the year, but nobody had any clue how I would react on the actual day if anyone forgot. This year was the first time I was unprepared and had no one to keep me distracted."

"Ya had us," Applejack reminded.

"I know, and it was stupid of me to not tell you guys, but I didn't want to put a damper on any of your lives and make you feel like you had to keep a watch on me." Once I realized what day it was this morning, the awful memories hit me, and with no distractions, I just laid down and let the bad memories win. I never even tried to fight them off and convince myself that it wasn't my fault. Turning myself in was my defeat in a battle I never even showed up for. But that defeat taught me a lesson, whether you have new friends or old friends, any friend is better than no friends on days you need them the most. I took you and everypony for granted, thinking there was no way to help me, and I'm sorry for that Applejack," I grinned weakly.

"Come here," Applejack hugged me again, "Ah'm glad ya learned that lesson partner, but there's still one thing Ah wanna know," she crossed her forelegs. "At least tell me Reaper's real name. It's really weird that his name was Reaper when you had to go through all that."

"Yeah, I know," I rubbed the back of my head, "Reaper's real name was Adam, Adam Jones," I explained.

"So then, what's your real name partner?" Applejack craned her neck to the side.

"There's still a few things I need to come to terms with Applejack, not that many, but a few important terms." Suddenly, the pantry door burst open and Pinkie Pie fell out with a huge can of cake frosting.

"Jeez guys, gettin' a little sappy there huh?" Pinkie slurped into her can of frosting.

"How long were you in there for Pinkie?" I clutched my chest.

"When did Luna raise the moon?" She answered my question with her question.

"'N you were eavesdroppin' on us?" Applejack placed her forelegs on her hips.

"No, I just needed more frosting duh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes, "do you guys want any?" She offered. We both grimaced and shook her heads as she kept digging into the can with her tongue. "Okey-dokey-loki, see you later!" She bounced away like Pepe La pew.

"That's one of the terms, to see if I can last here with Pinkie Pie," I admitted. Applejack chuckled and slapped my back.

"Well, dishes are done, oh and do ya mind if Ah do somethin' Cougar?" She asked me permission.

"Sure I guess," I replied, confused as to what she needed permission for. The orange mare blushed, stood on her hind legs and kissed my cheek. And not just a small peck like Celestia gave me on the forehead or the ones I give to Applebloom, she left her lips on my cheek for a good five seconds before removing them.

"Sweet dreams parter," she smiled as the moonlight glistened off her eyes and she trotted upstairs. I brought my hand up to my cheek and held it there until the tingling sensation went away.

"Yep, and that's another one," I said to myself.

End Chapter XVII

Yeah I know everypony going to bed that early is a little odd, but they've spent the whole day partying and loading up on enough sugar to kill the racers in Sugar Rush, that high has to come down at some point.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XVIII: Preparations

---

(Sweet Apple Acres Cougar's POV)

"Soups on everypony!" Granny Smith passed out breakfast to all of us at the breakfast table. Today's menu was an assortment of chocolate chip pancakes, coffee, scrambled eggs with ketchup and hash browns.

"Perfect as always Granny," I complimented her with a hug. It had been several days since the incident with the dungeons in Canterlot, and I still felt the sting of that day for some time, but I had allowed all of my friends to coax me through the end of it. I didn't feel like turning myself in anymore, nor had I felt like I still had a jumbo jet parked on my shoulders. Instead, I just really didn't feel like talking so much.

"Why, thank ya Cougar, though ya still helped like always. Couldn't have done it this fast without ya," She patted my back and started to dig into her own food. Sipping my coffee, I had begun to think about what I was going to do after my chores were done. Granny had to go to a bridge game, Applebloom was going to try and get her cutie mark with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle by doing something with tennis rackets and banana peels, not going to ask. Big Mac was going to help Cheerilee fix up some broken window shutters at the school house and Applejack was going to Rarity's to have her look over her dress for the Grand Galloping Gala. After spending what seemed like a whole afternoon of Rarity measuring me and making me numerous sets of pants and shirts, I felt glad I rejected Luna's invitation for the Gala. I wasn't about to have Rarity measure me again for a tuxedo.

"Trust me Cougar," Applejack pointed her hoof at me while munching on her hash browns, "if it were up ta me, Ah wouldn't care 'bout gettin' my dress looked at, but Rarity kept on badgerin' me 'bout it; Ah had ta shut her up somehow," she explained. I set my empty mug down and went back to eating my pancakes. "Now, are ya sure ya don't wanna go? Ah have authority ta invite ya from the Princesses themselves," she offered. Nearly every single one of my friends that had tickets to the Gala kept trying to invite me, but I had provided the same answer every time.

"Thanks AJ, but no thanks," I wiped my mouth from the sticky chocolate, "I never even attended my high school dances; they were too boring and never really interested me," I replied.

"Well, the Gala does sound borin' on the surface ta some folks, it's actually much better ever since Twilight and us started goin' regularly for the past five years. We'd make sure you'd fit right in if that's what's got ya worried," she assured me.

"I'm not worried about not fitting in Applejack, I know I'm just going to be a boring stick in the mud not enjoying myself and I will NOT ruin my friends' evenings just because I'm not having fun. Don't worry about me AJ," I patted her hoof, "Bloomin' Onion and I will just watch movies on my iPad," I took another bite of my hash browns. Applejack grumbled and took another bite of her eggs and a swig of her coffee.

"Ah wish Ah could go to the Gala," Applebloom pushed her food around with her tongue, not even taking a bite.

"Sorry little sis, but yer just not old enough ta go yet," Applejack replied, "you wouldn't have any fun with nopony there your age," she explained. Slightly shoving her plate away, Applebloom propped her chin up on her hooves. Big Mac and I sensed a feeling of uncomfortableness coming on; we just started to pick at our food more and kept to ourselves.

"Ah could try ta have fun," Applebloom countered, "and Ah wouldn't get in the way, promise," she put on her puppy dog face. Thankfully to years of training, Applejack wasn't moved by the face, though if it had been up to me, I'd have let her go in a second. Never mess with the power of the puppy dog eyes and the quivering lip, unless you've had experience.

"Look Applebloom, Ah trust that you would be responsible and not get in the way, but these high class, snobby and uptight rich ponies would get on yer nerves. They get on my nerves every year 'n Ah can barely keep myself from givin' them a piece 'o my mind. Point is, you wouldn't have fun, at all," Applejack drilled the point in, "but Ah do know you can have fun with Cougar while the rest 'o us are busy," she gestured to me as I refilled my coffee mug.

"Yeah AB," I sipped my drink, "we can watch The Terminator or Halloween," I offered.

"Cougar, remember what I said about no horror movies or swearin'?" Applejack smacked her hoof in front of my hand, coming close to breaking all four of my fingers. I swallowed my coffee nervously in a big gulp.

"Just kidding AJ, just kidding," I moved my hand away from her hoof, "or how about Toy Story? Toys that secretly come to life when the owner isn't around and hang out together?" I offered.

"Eh, I guess," Applebloom took a slow bite of her eggs.

"Or I may have some Kung Fu movies on my iPad," I slyly smirked. "Like, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy," I added. Instantly, her eyes lit up and her demeanor changed from sad and sulky to hyper and happy.

"Kung Fu movies? Why didn't ya say so? I'm all fer that fancy butt kickin'!" She did a chop with her foreleg, only to smack her hot cocoa cup across the table and splatter all over Big Mac's face and food. After wiping the liquid from his face, his green eyes narrowed towards his youngest sibling as a growl emitted from his throat. "Hehe, oopsie," Applebloom blushed and went back to eating her food. A small snicker escaped my nose while I tried to eat my hash browns. Big Mac turned his growl and glare towards my direction. If looks could kill, I'd be in a coffin six feet under somewhere.

"Haha, very funny Cougar," the red stallion dried himself off with a dish towel and set his empty plate and mug in the sink. "Now if y'all will excuse me, Ah've got some haulin' ta do 'fore Ah go help Ms. Cheerliee with her broken windows," he exited the kitchen.

"I'd make a joke, but younger audience," I casually cut the last piece of my hash brown up and ate it. Applebloom cocked her head to the side, attempting to decipher what I meant while Applejack gave me a look that read she was happy I didn't make the joke, but she was miffed I thought of it. "And anyway, the lawn isn't going to stop growing anytime soon," I set my dirty dishes in the sink, ruffled Applebloom's mane and put on my sunglasses to go mow the lawn.

"Hey Cougar, wait up," Applejack called after me. I picked up my flight gloves from my duffel bag which I now used for some of the chores on the farm and stuffed them into my back pocket as I turned around to face Applejack.

"Do you need help with anything AJ?" I questioned, cracking my knuckles and adjusting my ball cap.

"No, nothin' like that," she waved her hoof, "Ah was just wonderin' if ya had any plans fer after the daily chores are done?" She asked. It was then I realized that I hadn't planned on anything to do in the afternoon.

"Actually, not really," I replied, "maybe I'll see if Vinyl Scratch is busy to jam or not," I suggested and pulled my gloves out of my pocket and put them on to pull the lawnmower out of the storage shed. "Why do you ask anyway?" I carried the mower over to the start of the field and began to push it. Getting used to an old fashioned push mower over a gas powered mower I grew up with was quite an adjustment, but I didn't mind it.

"Well, I was wonderin' if after you were done with jammin' out with Vinyl if ya wanted ta grab a bite at Hayburger or Sugarcube Corner?" She followed by me as I pushed the mower down a path on the grassy field.

"Uh, why? Is there something important we need to talk about?" I slowed the pace of my lawn mowing, but not too much to come to a complete stop.

"No, Ah just thought the two 'o us could have some nice dinner together 'n just hang out someplace other than the farm," she explained, still walking beside me. Now that made me stop mowing in my tracks, almost making me trip over mower itself.

"You mean, just the two of us? No Twilight, Fluttershy, Applebloom or Pinkie Pie?" I asked, unsure if she had ulterior motives or not.

"Yeah, if you want to 'o course, Ah'm not gonna force ya if ya don't want to. It's just two friends havin' dinner 'n spendin' time together," she repeated, trying to coax me into joining her. I leaned against the mower and thought about her proposal. Just two friends hanging out in town was something Reaper and I did on a regular basis when we had time in the Air Force, and I haven't really done that too much since I had arrived.

"Sure, but does the restaurant have food I can actually eat? You know I don't eat hay," I reminded her.

"Well, if ya take the hay off the sandwiches it's a ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce, cheese 'n tomato sandwich," Applejack grimaced at what she considered to be the best part of the burger to disappear.

"I'd put that fake meat Luna and Celestia gave me on, but I'd prefer to do that amongst friends so I don't creep out or scare anypony, but I guess that sort of sandwich does sound good," I pondered. "And the fry situation, hay too?" I asked.

"Nope, hay and tater fries," Applejack grinned, "mixin' them together's pretty dern tasty," she licked her lips.

"All right sounds good AJ, but I'm paying," I stated, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow above my sunglasses.

"No, Ah invited ya, Ah'll pay," she squinted her eyes at me. I took off my sunglasses and set them on top of my hat.

"Where I'm from AJ, the invitee always pays, especially if the inviter is a girl," I countered back. Finally, she rolled her emerald eyes and stamped her hoof on the ground, clearly upset at losing the debate.

"All right fine, you win," she admitted defeat, "Ah'll come find ya at Vinyl's shop when Ah'm done at Rarity's," she trotted away to do one of the last rounds of apple bucking for the season before Fall really hit and the trees would stop producing apples.

"See ya then AJ!" I called back and started pushing my mower again. I was about to connect my headphones to my phone when Applejack responded.

"It's a date!" She replied, "Or not!" She added with a chuckle and galloped away. I tensed up at her comment and stopped mowing again, thinking about what she had just told me. A date? But she said it was just friends hanging out, right?

"Ugh," I grumbled and resumed my mowing duties for the third time, "different dimension, different planet, and I still don't know jack-shit about how girls think."

(Several Hours Later, Cougar's POV)

After hours of mowing the lawn, bringing in eggs from the chicken coop, cleaning out the pig pen and helping Applebloom wash some of the pigs, my chores were done and I was ready to relax for the rest of the afternoon. "Have fun with, whatever your cutie mark plan is," I hugged Applebloom before she bounded off with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to their clubhouse.

"See ya Cougar!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"I've got a good feeling about today girls," Scootaloo pulled a tennis racket out as the three trotted away. I shook my head, not in disappointment, but in fear for how far the girls would go just to get a tattoo on their butts. Applejack and Big Mac had left already, so I only had to say goodbye to Granny before heading out to Vinyl's.

"Granny, I'm heading out to town, thought I'd just say goodbye," I poked my head into the kitchen door just as Granny was loading up her saddle bag with crackers and playing cards.

"Oh, well ain't that sweet?" Granny pinched my cheek with her hooves, "You go 'n have fun now Cougar, Ah'm gonna tear up that Bridge game!" She declared and exited the house, leaving me to grab a quick drink before heading out.

"Eh, a quick one won't hurt," I grabbed a bottle of Cider and left the house. Walking through the town, I waved hello to some ponies that I considered to be friends, like Lyra, Bon Bon, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Derpy, the Mayor and Rainbow Dash. "Hey Lyra, Bon Bon," I waved to the two mares that were sipping soda cups and hanging out outside Bon Bon's candy shop. Thankfully, word hadn't gotten out of my delusional descent, so nopony was afraid to talk to me.

"Hey Cougar, what's up?" Bon Bon waved back and lowered her sunglasses.

"Just heading to Vinyl's to relax after a day of chores," I replied and sat down at the table next to them, "so, is the candy business good Bon Bon?" I asked.

"Yes, especially since Pinkie Pie lives here and Pipsqueak and Button Mash always come by after school," Bon Bon replied. She reached into a bowl of candy and stuffed some into her mouth before sipping on her soda.

"Do you guys have any peanut butter cups?" I licked my lips. Lyra reached into the other bowl and tossed me one. "Thanks," I popped it into my mouth and ate it before taking a swig of cider. "Hey, are you two going to the Gala this weekend?" I set my bottle down on the table, "nopony will shut up about it," I added. Lyra took off her shades and set them atop her horn.

"No, unfortunately," She sipped her soda and glared, "I've always dreamed of going to see the Princesses and go into the castle with Bonnie on my foreleg as waves of classical music wash over the both of us," she said dreamily.

"Yep, you're the dude in this relationship aren't you?" I asked Bon Bon, taking another swig of cider.

"You said it Cougar," Bon Bon chuckled, "never been too fond of that nickname 'Bonnie,' but I do love Lyra," she held Lyra's hoof, "and I wouldn't mind going to the Gala too." Lyra leaned over and laid her head against Bon Bon's neck and nuzzled it.

"That's sweet you two," I threw my empty bottle in the trash and stood up. "So, is this the norm here?" I asked, "I mean, same sex relationships were around where I was from, but not too many people embraced it," I explained.

"A lot of things fly around here Cougar," Lyra replied, "same sex relationships, herds, unicorns marrying earth ponies, pegasi marrying unicorns and so on. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Absolutely not," I put my hands up, "get together with whoever you love, that should be your decision, and if somepony doesn't like it, buck them," I said casually.

"Good boy," Bon Bon tossed me another peanut butter cup. "Hey let me ask you something," She took off her sunglasses and set her soda cup to the side.

"Shoot," I said, crossing my arms.

"Is there anything going on between you and Applejack? You two seem really friendly," Bon Bon asked as if she and I were discussing a sports team.

"W-w-what?!" I burst in reply, "No! Of course not! We're just friends, why would you think that?" I asked. "Besides, she's a pony and I'm a human, two completely different creatures!" I countered.

"Yeah, so?" Lyra asked, "just a minute ago, you said you didn't mind same sex and interspecies relationships."

"And I mean, you two really seem to click together. You both are honest and caring towards your friends and you both love to work hard. The only thing that's missing is the occasional kiss," Bon Bon agreed.

"Look, we're friends and that's it. I live on her farm to do chores for her and her family as payment for taking me in, I don't know HOW many times I've explained that, but it's getting old," I pointed out in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, just calling what I see," Bon Bon casually sipped her soda.

"Well, get yourself some glasses then," I replied in a huff and turned to head to Vinyl's. Before I left however, Lyra stood up from her chair and blocked my path. "Do you need something Lyra?"

"Uh, I was just wondering if I could uh hold your 'hands' I think you called them?" She asked and held up her hooves. Cocking up an eyebrow, my eyes darted up from her face to her hooves several times, completely caught off guard by this unusual request.

"Suuuuuure?" I replied and grasped her hooves with my hands. Her forelegs stiffened and then shook as she moved her hooves around in my hands.

"Hehe, thanks," she released my hands and stared at her hooves. I looked up at Bon Bon who just rolled her eyes and popped what looked like an M&M into her mouth and munched on the candy.

"Yeah, no problem Lyra," I replied and stuffed my hands into my pockets, "I'll see you girls later then," I gave them the two fingered wave and walked away from the candy shop. I wiggled my fingers around, trying comprehend why Lyra was so fascinated by them and my hands. Sure, the ponies here haven't really seen hands or fingers, but didn't Griffon and Discord's eagle talons count, or Spike's claws? I guess my fingers and hands were softer than either, whatever. After narrowly dodging a falling mail satchel and grey pegasus bomb, I arrived at Vinyl's music shop.

"Welcome to Vinyl Scratch's Studio, how can I-oh what's up Cougar?" Vinyl stopped her usual greeting as the deep bass store bell went off while I entered the store. We greeted each other with a quick one armed/leg hug.

"Hey Vinyl, I was just hoping you'd want to jam today for a bit," I replied when we released our hug, "I just got off of chores from Sweet Apple Acres and wanted to relax for a bit," I explained. Using her magic, Vinyl grabbed a guitar from the wall of her shop and flung it over to me. I caught it with one hand and threw the strap over my shoulder.

"You came over just in time Cougar," Vinyl floated her DJ headphones over and placed them on her head, "things tend to get a little slower around here when the Gala approaches," she added. "Now, you got the music right?" I reached into my pocket and tossed her my phone which she caught in her magic aura. Vinyl plugged my phone into her sound system and decoded the song to delete the guitar parts so I could play.

"Ready to be a hero?" I asked her with a wink as Vinyl pressed play and a bass drum and bass guitar began to play through her speakers. Vinyl twisted knobs and slid switches on her DJ stand, adjusting the equipment so the song would sound better. "Standin' in the rain, with his head hung low..."

(A few Songs Later)

"Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear, OH! Livin' on a prayer!" Vinyl and I sang as our fifth song came to a close. She clicked stop on my phone and took her headphones off of her hears. They were matted down a bit with some sweat forming on the outer edges.

"Phew, now that was a kick-ass jam session Cougar," Vinyl levitated a bottle of water over and took a nice long swig. Taking off the guitar and setting it off to the side, I grabbed my own bottle of water and downed almost the entire thing.

"I still can't believe how good you are mixing up tracks like that," I complimented, "I never really cared for DJ's back where I came from, but I've gained a whole new respect for them from you," I wiped my face with a towel.

"And I've never met somepony as insane as you on the guitar Cougar," Vinyl wiped herself with another towel. "We need to find a good place to have a gig," she threw her towel into the back room, "maybe the Barley Pit will take us on as an act?" She suggested. Before I could answer, her personalized deep bass store bell went off, letting us know potential customers had wandered into the store. Vinyl wiped the rest of the sweat off of her forehead with her hoof, sprang to her legs and wandered into the front of the store. "Oh, your highnesses, what can I do for you?" I heard Vinyl greet. Getting up from my seat, I rounded the corner of speakers and saw Vinyl bowing to none other than Luna and Celestia.

"Well, I knew Luna liked to party, but I didn't think this'd be your cup of tea Celestia," I shook their hooves.

"On the contrary Cougar," Celestia chuckled, "I do occasionally like to step away from classical music, but that's besides the point of us coming to Ms. Scratch's shop," the white alicorn explained and stretched her wings out a bit. Looking out the window of the shop, I saw Glock and another one of Celestia's guards standing as still as statues in front of the door.

"Would either of you like a drink?" Vinyl led the princesses into the break room of the place of business. In it was a small table with four chairs, a medium sized refrigerator, a microwave and a pantry full of snacks.

"You wouldn't happen to have chamomile tea by any chance Ms. Scratch?" Celestia sat down at the table next to her sister.

"Sorry, I've only got Colta-Cola, Coltweiser, Marewaukee Brew, Mareller, Sweet Apple Acres Cider and Smarenoff," Vinyl apologized and read off the available drinks in the refrigerator. I pulled out a chair for Luna before sitting down myself, waiting for Celestia to order a drink.

"Hmm, I guess I'll take a Colta-Cola please," Celestia ordered. Vinyl tossed the red can to Celestia with her magic.

"I'll take a Coltweiser," Luna grabbed the can with her magic and started to drink out of it right away. I asked for a Marewaukee Brew while Vinyl just took out a Smarenoff beer from the fridge. "Okay, now that we're settled in and have refreshments," Luna began and set her can down on the table, "you're both probably curious as to why we wanted to see you?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"What, you don't just want to hang with your citizens Princess?" Vinyl nudged Celestia's ribs with her elbow, garnering a short giggle from the white alicorn. Celestia cleared her throat and took a sip of her soda.

"Vinyl Scratch, you are friends with Octavia Melody correct?" She questioned.

"Yeah, and she's got a nasty case of the flu, sucks," Vinyl wiped her mouth from the foam of her Smarenoff. "And she was really lookin' forward to playing the Gala again this year," Vinyl added. I had never met Octavia before, but Vinyl told me she's cool for "an uptight Trottingham mare" as Vinyl put her.

"Well, that is specifically why we wanted to contact you Ms. Scratch," Luna replied, "and Cougar as well," she glanced over at me. My hand gripped tightly around my beer can, but not enough to crush or dent it. My eyes looked from Celestia to Luna, trying to decode why they wanted to talk to me about this issue. I cleared my throat and took another sip while drumming my fingers on the table top.

"Yes, and Luna informed me that both you and Cougar would make fantastic substitutes for the string quartet that normally plays the Gala," Celestia casually wiped her mouth with a napkin. Substitutes, us? Vinyl slowly lowered her shades from her eyes with her magic, her eyes as big as saucers. She then turned her can around and looked at the ingredient label on the back.

"Let me get this straight your highnesses," Vinyl slowly breathed, "you want us to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?" She asked, as if she were in a dream. I realized how much it must suck to not be able pinch yourself with no fingers.

"I know it's last minute, but the Gala has always had a musical presence, and we thought you two were talented enough to handle it," Luna explained. Vinyl rubbed her head with her right hoof, letting the news sink in. Finally, I decided to speak out about the proposal.

"Uh, forgive me Luna, but exactly why us?" I pointed to Vinyl and back to myself, "no offense Vinyl; you're awesome," I added. She sent a shrug my way, letting me know I wasn't trying to offend her.

"I've seen you two play your guitar and musical system together," Luna explained, "you're both extremely talented and there are no other musical acts in Canterlot or Ponyville that are available for the Gala."

"Well, ones that are talented enough anyway," Celestia chimed in and continued to politely sip her Colta-Cola while Luna chugged down the rest of her Coltweiser with a burp. Celesita gave her sister the stink-eye while Luna shrugged it off.

"Okay, but don't you think our music is a little too, uh?" Vinyl tried to think of a word to say.

"Intense?" I offered with a crack of my knuckles.

"Yeah, that'll do," Vinyl turned back to the princesses, "don't you think a good chunk of the Canterlot guests attending the Gala will find our music too intense and 'immature?'" Vinyl put on her Octavia voice.

"Honestly my little pony and Cougar," Celestia looked back and forth from us, "ever since Twilight and her friends have been allowed to attend the Gala, it has gotten much more exciting and interesting every year, and this year with the unfortunate circumstances regarding the usual string quartet, I feel this could be the wildest Gala of all time with you two hosting the musical accompaniment," she explained.

"Wild?" Vinyl asked, "the Princess Celestia wants a wild and crazy Gala?" She checked the ingredients label again on her beer.

"Yes, and I understand this is a little strange, but once in awhile I do like relax and let loose a little," Celestia slyly smirked, "not as much as my little sister though," she peered over at Luna whom was leaned back in her chair with her forelegs crossed.

"I've seen that side of her, it's fun," I joked back.

"So, anyway, do you two accept our proposal, or not?" Luna leaned her two forelegs on the table.

"It's up to you Cougar, you know I can't refuse a gig," Vinyl turned to me, "but you and I play good together and I'd like to have you on stage with that guitar of yours," she didn't beg nor plead, but gave me the friendship smile.

"And this isn't a ruse to get you to the Gala Cougar," Celestia assured me, "we really need a good band to play the Gala, no matter how extreme and intense," she admitted. I set my fists underneath my nose and breathed, contemplating the proposal. Did I want to go to the Gala? Hell no. Do I like playing the guitar especially with Vinyl? Hell yes. Plus I'd get to see my friends that night.

"I just hope you know that you're gonna get rocked ladies," I smiled, accepting the proposal.

"Excellent!" Celestia exclaimed with a smile.

"I'm glad you accepted Cougar and Ms. Scratch," Luna hoof bumped myself and Vinyl, "eh, you might want to start coming up with songs to play," she winked as she and Celestia stood up from the table, "and extra loud," she whispered.

"The Gala starts at 8:00. Just show up at 7:30 and set up your equipment. We'll begin the festivities after Twilight and I greet all of the guests," Celestia explained.

"We'll be there Princess C!" Vinyl raised her hoof in the air. Before the two left however, an idea popped inside my head and I stopped them from leaving.

"Wait a minute, can I get a favor from you Celestia?" I asked. She nodded, waiting for me to ask my favor, "could I possibly get seven tickets? There are some ponies who didn't get any this year," I asked.

"Oh, of course," Celestia conjured up seven fresh tickets and floated them over to me. "But, who are these for exactly?" She questioned.

"You'll see your highness," I winked and pocketed the tickets. Luna and Celestia bid farewell and left the music shop, leaving Vinyl and I to begin making our setlist for the Gala. We didn't get far however, as Rarity came bursting into the shop.

"Cougar, there you are! Oh, and good evening Vinyl," she said hello.

"Uh, wasn't Applejack going to come get me when you two were done?" I asked. Rarity yanked me away from Vinyl with her magic, sending a few pencils clattering to the table top.

"Yes, but we are in dire need of help or this could turn into the WORST POSSIBLE THING EVER!" She threw a foreleg over her forehead before yanking me out of the shop.

(At Carousel Boutique)

"Okay, okay, let go of my arm!" I ripped my arm away from Rarity's blue magical grip. She shoved me inside her house/business and slammed the door. "Now, what's this big emergency? Mouse? Fire? Cockroach?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"Rarity, did ya foalnap Cougar?" I heard Applejack's country accent ask as she appeared out from behind the dressing room door. "Uh Cougar, we don't wear clothes, no need to cover yer eyes," she chuckled as my hand on instinct covered my eyes.

"Oh sorry," I blushed and put my hand down at my side. "Now why am I here again?" I asked.

"We need a stallion's opinion on choosing the perfect dress for Applejack at the Gala," Rarity explained and forcibly sat me down in front of the stage inside the boutique.

"What? I'm a human, why would my opinion matter?" I demanded.

"We needed a male's opinion and you were the only one available, now silence and Applejack, get into your first dress I made you five years ago!" Rarity ordered. Applejack mouthed an apology to me and went back behind the dressing room door.

"Hang on, if she already has a dress, why do you need my opinion?" I asked.

"She looks perfectly fine in her original Gala dress, but I saw a spare dress I had made awhile ago and thought it would look absolutely darling on her," Rarity explained, "and since she's going to try and impress stallions at the Gala, she needs to look her best," she added.

"Ah ain't tryin' to impress nopony!" Applejack shouted from the dressing room.

"Again, what does my opinion matter? I'm a human, I don't find ponies attractive!" I exclaimed. Before Rarity could answer me, Applejack stepped out of what apparently was her first Gala dress from the dressing room and appeared on stage.

"Haha," Rarity giggled, "come again Cougar?" She teased as I watched Applejack walk down the runway and pose in front of us.

"Well, what do ya think Cougar? It's just fine right?" Applejack asked and showed off pretty much all of her dress, like all of it. She had a different cowgirl hat with apples embroidered on the bill, a red apple bolo tie, red and green cowgirl boots for her forelegs, a saddle for some reason and the rest of her dress extended well beyond her back legs in a sea of green with brown clippings on the end. And her mane was now curled around her face and braided near the back.

"Uh, uh yeah, it looks great on you AJ," I looked away from the mare in front of me. "No need for trying on the other one," I stammered out, trying to keep my composure. Applejack smiled at my compliment and smirked at her friend.

"See Rarity, Ah told ya my first dress was just fine!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"No matter Applejack, we're still trying on that second dress for you!" Rarity hovered another dress with her magic and dropped it on top of Applejack's back. "Now, come with me, we must fix your mane to compliment the look," Rarity tried to drag Applejack back into the dressing room.

"Uh-uh Rarity! All Ah wanted was fer ya to just double-check and make sure everythin' was fine with the dress which Cougar thinks is great," Applejack braced herself against the frame of the dressing room door.

"But I know this second dress will look gorgeous on you! You must try it!" Rarity pleaded.

"Ah said no!" Applejack fought back. Finally, Rarity started to sweat from trying to push Applejack into the dressing room and stopped her assault.

"Ew! I'm sweating! I need a towel, stat!" She rushed into the bathroom, leaving Applejack victorious.

"Phew, finally," Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, "about time she gave up," Applejack started to discard her dress. A few beads of sweat began to form on top of my eyebrows and my cheeks were warming up. "You alright there partner? Yer sweatin' like a caterpillar in an apple on cider makin' day," she asked and sat down next to me.

"Yeah, it's just a little warm in here," I lied, then realized who I was talking to.

"You ain't seen a girl in a dress in a long time haven't ya?" Applejack leaned close to me. I gulped and sighed.

"No, not since high school and I just never really knew how to talk to women," I admitted. Applejack threw her foreleg around me and hugged me.

"It's okay Cougar, ya do a fine job talkin' ta all 'o us 'n princess Luna," Applejack pointed out.

"I meant talking to women in dresses," I corrected, "regular clothes or in your situation, I do fine, but if it is at a dance setting and girls are in dresses, I lose my ability to talk and start sweating," I admitted.

"Well, that's normal Cougar, and don't worry, Ah don't think yer weird or sick fer likin' what Ah look like in my dress. Ah actually kinda find it flatterin'," she smiled.

"Flattering? But we're completely different-" I began when Applejack put her hoof to my mouth.

"Stop with that different species crap Cougar, if you find a mare 'round these parts attractive, well she's a damned lucky one to have a person like ya havin' feelins' fer her," Applejack released her hoof from my mouth.

"Th-thanks," I whispered as Rarity reappeared.

"I had to use a whole bottle of perfume, but the icky smell of sweat is gone, and I smell like a fresh field of flowers!" She announced.

"Awesome," I said sarcastically. "And oh by the way, I have some news you'll both like," I stood up from my seat. "Luna and Celestia invited me and Vinyl to be the musical guests for the Gala since the string quartet is out with a bad case of the flu," I announced.

"Well, ain't that a hoot!?" Applejack shook my hand, "do ya know what songs you two will play?" she asked.

"Oh dear Celestia, please don't say rock 'n roll!" Rarity begged, "that music has no place at the center of sophistication!" she whined.

"Only the best music ever created Rarity," I teased her and ruffled her mane, "Vinyl and I will dedicate the loudest and rowdiest song just to you," I grinned.

"I'll be sure to bring my ear plugs," Rarity hoofed over Applejack's dress which was now in a bag.

"Thank ya kindly Rarity, now before we leave, can Ah use yer bathroom?" Applejack asked. Rarity rolled her eyes and allowed her to go. I stood next to where AJ and I were sitting, holding Applejack's dress in the bag. It was then that I had remembered the Gala tickets Celestia had given me were still within my pocket.

"Oh and another thing Rarity, give this Gala ticket to Sweetie Belle," I handed her one of the seven tickets.

"WHAT? WHERE IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU GET THIS!?" Rarity shouted.

"From Celestia when she asked me and Vinyl to be the musical guests," I replied.

"I can't believe my little sister got a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. I MUST CREATE!" Rarity gasped at the idea of designing a dress for Sweetie Belle and put on her red glasses. "And by the way Cougar," she added, "not attracted to ponies hmm?" She teased me. I froze in place and for a brief moment I thought I heard the sound of glass breaking.

"W-w-what? No it was just hot in here!" I debated Rarity's accusations of my flushed cheeks and beads of sweat. The seamstress chuckled and lowered her read glasses to look down at me, despite the fact I was about two feet taller than her.

"Oh ho ho, do not play coy with moi Cougar," she said in a condescending tone, "I can see the way you look at her and how you act around her. And I think it's absolutely adorable that you have a crush on your friend that took you in, especially after you saved her from the timberwolf attack. You two are getting closer everyday and the Gala is perfect for you two to get even closer!"

"Hey, I can say if a mare looks good in a dress or not!" I defended, "it's a compliment and in no way shape or form means I love them!" I pointed my finger in her face. Rarity chuckled again and moved my finger with her magic.

"I was only talking about a crush Cougar, but if you think it is love..." she trailed off with an evil smirk on her face.

"J-just shut up!" I crossed my arms as Applejack reappeared.

"Alright, let's go grab somethin' ta eat Cougar," Applejack grabbed her bag in her mouth. Rarity winked at me and put her hooves together and made a kissy face as we left.

"I'll use your measurements to make you a tuxedo for the Gala Cougar!" Rarity shouted as the door shut behind us.

(At The Barley Pit)

"Ah thought we could go to more of an adult place fer dinner rather than the Hayburger," Applejack said as we sat down at the bar in the Pub.

"This doesn't bother me," I reached into a bowl of pretzels and popped some in my mouth. "Though, I've already had two cans of beer tonight," I added.

"Ah'm sure one more won't kill ya," Applejack joked as the barkeep placed two cans of Marewaukee Brew in front of us. "Hey, one Hayburger with tater fries 'n a double Hayburger with no hay," Applejack ordered. The chef behind the bar wrote down the order and began to prepare our food.

"So, hope you're not mad at me, but," I said to Applejack and pulled out the second of seven tickets from my pocket, "I got a present for Bloomin' Onion from Celestia," I handed AJ the ticket. Her emerald eyes bulged out of her socket as she held the ticket in her hooves.

"H-how did you get Celestia ta give ya an extra ticket?" She asked in astonishment.

"Actually, she gave me seven tickets, three for the Crusaders, two for Big Mac and Cheerilee and two for Bon Bon and Lyra," I explained. "And I already gave one to Rarity to give to Sweetie Belle," I ate some more pretzels.

"Well, if Celestia herself is okay with the Crusaders goin', Ah guess Ah don't have a problem," AJ put the ticket in her hat, "but you ask me next time," she gave me a stern look.

"Understood, ma'am," I winked and sipped my beer. Applejack sputtered and rested her chin on her hoof.

"So, Cougar, Ah'm glad you've started bein' a little more honest with us, but could ya at least tell me why you were so adamant 'bout skippin' the Gala?" She asked me and munched on her own bowl of pretzels. I groaned and set my beer can down next to the bowl of pretzels while a new song started to play on the jukebox and a couple of stallions began a game of pool.

"I've always hated dressing up in fancy clothes, putting on a fake persona and just not being able to be myself you know?" I asked her, "it's uncomfortable for me when I'm literally forced to act like someone I'm not." Applejack nodded while casually sipping her beer and munching on her pretzels.

"Yeah, Ah get what you mean Cougar. The only reason Ah went ta the first one was to hang out with my friends 'n ta raise money with my apple snack cart for the farm," she replied.

"That and I seriously cannot stand people who think they're better than everyone else and just act like it and demean ponies they believe are below them," I added. "The only time I've ever enjoyed dressing up in a suit and tie was for my Air Force Academy graduation ceremony and Reaper's wedding where I thought there was a good enough reason to dress up and I could be myself," I concluded and popped more pretzels in my mouth.

"Well, at least as the music act, you'll get ta act more like yerself right?" Applejack slid the now empty bowl of pretzels towards the barkeep for a refill.

"Yeah, except I don't know what the tuxedo will be for," I scratched my ear, "probably just for showing up in because I know it'll get hot and sweaty up on the stage," I tapped my chin, "maybe I can get Vinyl to cast a cooling spell on me so I won't sweat in the tux Rarity is making for me," I pondered.

"Possibly," Applejack agreed and dug in to the refilled bowl of pretzels. "So, why'd ya get tickets fer Bon Bon 'n Lyra?"

"Eh, besides you, your friends, the Crusaders, Big Mac, Cheerliee, Vinyl, Granny and Spike, only a handful of other ponies actually talk to me in town and those two are among those that talk to me. Plus I ran into them on my way to Vinyl's and they both talked about how much they wanted to go to the Gala, so I got tickets for them," I explained and tossed my empty can into the rubbish bin. Applejack nodded and looked back up to see if our food was ready yet. "So, do you guys bring dates to the Gala?" I asked.

"Only if we want to or have dates," Applejack explained, "no doubt Rainbow's gonna take Soarin', Fluttershy's gettin' really close to Caramel so she might take him, Twilight said she's gonna meet up with Flash at the Gala and Pinkie said Cheese Sandwich is comin' in just fer her to be her date," Applejack counted off the members of our circle that had dates. "As fer myself, Rarity 'n Spike, well, we're goin' as singles," Applejack said and fanned herself with her hat.

"Why doesn't Spike ask Rarity? I had a pretty good discussion with him about his feelings for her," I asked.

"He's still scared ta death of her reaction Cougar, 'n Ah don't blame him one bit. Ah couldn't imagine askin' somepony seven years older than me to somethin' as big as the Gala." The next issue was kind of hard for me to talk about, thanks to Rarity.

"And what about you? Are there any stallions in town you wanted to invite?" I questioned. AJ took a pretty long sip of her beer before tossing the empty can away and turned to me.

"Well, Ah tried, but he kept on refusing'," she replied.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, "any reason why he refused?" I popped another pretzel in my mouth, worried she was talking about me refusing her invitations over and over again.

"He said somethin' 'bout Earth Ponies 'n Pegasi should stick ta their own species," Applejack bitterly said.

"What the fuck is this guy's name?" I immediately demanded.

"It don't matter Cougar, plus you said you were gonna work on yer anger when dealin' with ponies like that right?" She reminded me.

"You're right, sorry. That guy is a jerk Applejack, somepony like you doesn't deserve to have that happen to you," I patted her back.

"Eh, no harm Cougar, 'n it's certainly not yer fault," she said trying to sound chipper about the issue.

"Well, I do sort of feel bad. You tried to get me to go as your friend and I kept ignoring you, and that's why I'm sorry," I gave her a quick hug. "Vinyl and I are showing up at the castle early on the day of the Gala to get setup and then we head back to Ponyville," I started, "so would it be alright if I rode with you guys to the Gala and walked you in?" I asked and then took a long swig of beer.

"Ye-yeah, Ah guess that'd be fine," Applejack stammered just as our food arrived.

"Heh, let's dig in I guess," I smiled as we picked up our food and toasted it together before chowing down. I gulped hard, but not from eating the food, it was how I was going to be able to stomach the Grand Galloping Gala, even with all my friends there and being the music guest with Vinyl.

---

Next Chapter: The Grand Galloping Gala. I don't know how many chapters it will take, possibly two or three depending how long it will be. Just be prepared for some good 'ol Rock 'N Roll and some touching couples moments.

I do not own Juke Box Hero by Foreigner

I do not own Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Fallen Eagle

Chapter XIX: Final Preparations

KillerWoW the Golden Foxy: He does have a lot of kindness within him. Cougar always looks to help better those around him

OBSERVER01: Thank you

litestardt: That's awesome. I love me some Bon Jovi, but not as much as Van Halen or Def Leppard

uyamir334: Thank you, I try to publish quickly, but quality comes first

knightofstories151919: The last two chapters, that's what I was aiming for. A really happy and light-hearted chapter to follow up a depressing and emotionally draining previous chapter. I think everyone will like what I have in store for the Gala.

Fear-Less 1300: Puns are somewhat of a gift for me. I won the award for best photo captions/puns my senior year when I was in Yearbook.

Dixie Darlin: Pepsi here is Pegapsi, yeah not really good. Yeah, AJ's like, "Ah'm right here, make yer move already!" Put yourself in Cougar's shoes and pretend you're fighting feelings for Big Mac. He's still a pony, how awkward would you feel to have feelings for him? As for Spike, just watch.

necron-lordwesly: I've got that all planned out.

Tycser: I'll take you up on your offer as a Beta Reader. I strive for a solid background for characters and for character development; it helps audiences better connect and grow with characters. And I'm glad you and everyone else likes the relationship between Cougar and Applejack, even though their closest moment was her telling him to take a shower.

Zachary Wisky: Thank you

adhdluke: I've never really listened to Green Day before.

---

(Ponyville Train Station. 10 AM. Cougar's POV)

"I still can't believe we get to play the Grand Galloping Gala!" Vinyl exclaimed as we munched on doughnuts brought by Pinkie Pie. Instead of friends going on a half day trip, Vinyl and I felt like we were being sent off to war or on a trip to study abroad. "I mean, I always wanted to go big, but this big? Un-freakin'-real Cougar," she sipped her morning Pegapsi.

"You two better not forget us little ponies when you're both playing stage shows in Las Pegasus, Marewaukee, Mannesota, and Bridleway!" Pinkie grabbed my shirt collar and shook me violently, causing my doughnut to disintegrate into tiny crumbs. I frowned, looked down at my now destroyed breakfast pastry and glared back up at the pink mare whom giggled nervously and straightened out my shirt.

"Vinyl may get a huge break with a record producer or most definitely get in a good word with potential gigs in the future," I began, "but I'm just doing this for fun," I explained, "you won't need to worry about me making it big and leaving Ponyville," I pushed Pinkie away. Luckily, Pinkie brought a whole box of doughnuts, so I grabbed another chocolate one and made sure Pinkie stayed away.

"We still can't thank ya enough fer gettin' us tickets to the Gala Cougar!" Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hopping around me like they had downed thirty cups of coffee. Scootaloo kept hopping up and floating in the air at my eye level as best as her wings could hold her.

"You're like, the best pony or whatever ever!" Scootaloo exclaimed and kept hopping up and down in front of me, "except for maybe Rainbow Dash," she added when Rainbow gave her the stink-eye.

"I thought Rarity was joking at first when she told me Celestia gave you a ticket to give me!" Sweetie Belle explained to me, "but when she showed me that ticket, I nearly BURST!" She squeaked the last word and little green sparks flew off her horn.

"Hehe," Applejack chuckled and lightly punched my shoulder, "looks like ya got yerself a fan club there Cougar," she teased me. I rolled my eyes with a smirk and bent down to calm down the little fillies that looked as if they were about to all have aneurisms.

"Look, it was no problem girls. I knew how much you all wanted to go and Celestia was just kind enough to give me extra tickets," I explained and petted all of their heads like dogs which they didn't seem to mind.

"We know, but we just need have a proper way to thank you," Sweetie Belle replied and calmed down as I ruffled her pink and purple mane. I heard Rarity hold her breath in as I ruffled her little sister's mane. Apparently she couldn't even handle her sister's mane being messed up by any amount.

"Well, I think a hug will do," I spread my arms out, waiting for the trio to jump into my arms and hug me. Instantly, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle jumped into my chest and grabbed ahold of my torso with their forelegs as I squeezed them with my arms.

"Aww, where is Photo Finish with her camera when you need her?" I heard Fluttershy gushing at the display before her. I looked over to see her little white rabbit, Angel, looking jealous and started to jump up and down to get his owner's attention. Finally, I released the crusaders and they fell back onto their hooves on the platform of the train station. I picked up my cup of coffee and took another sip, still waiting for the train to arrive. My guitar and amp were nestled right next to all of Vinyl's equipment near the edge of the platform. Thankfully, all of our friends volunteered to help us get the gear and instruments to the train station. Vinyl had opted to include bringing a keyboard along to play during our gig, though I was still skeptical on how ponies could play any instrument except the drums with their hooves.

"So Cougar, are you gonna play the loudest and most window rattling music you know?" Rainbow asked me excitedly, "Soarin's gonna be there with the rest of the 'Bolts, and they love rock 'n roll just as much as I do," she informed. I inwardly chuckled, knowing just the song to play for Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts; Vinyl luckily agreed to playing the song, so we were all set in that department.

"Hey don't sweat it Dash," Vinyl assured the rainbow maned Pegasus, "we gotcha covered, trust us," Vinyl lowered her purple shades at the cyan mare and winked. Rarity groaned and rubbed her temples with her hooves. Rainbow, Vinyl and I looked up and over at the seamstress whom had Spike standing close by.

"Again with this Rarity?" I asked in an annoyed tone. Spike place a claw on Rarity's shoulder to console her. The white unicorn smiled at the purple dragon and patted his spines, glad to have him on her side.

"So what if Rarity doesn't like your kind of music Cougar?" Spike asked me not in a defensive or upset tone, but more of a 'mind your own business' tone. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, like comic books are real books," Spike shot a glance at Twilight, causing the lavender alicorn to frown at him.

"That doesn't bother me," I replied, "the thing is, Celestia and Luna hired me and Vinyl because they want a wild and crazy Gala, and we can deliver that," I explained. Rarity let out a sigh of defeat and groaned again.

"Just please play at least one tame song? That will more than make up for your jungle music," Rarity begged. Vinyl and I looked at each other and back at Rarity. She had her lower lip stuck out in a pout and her eyes looked like puppy eyes.

"Oh fine, just stop that!" Vinyl looked away from Rarity whom smiled in triumphant victory and flipped her mane around, clever girl. Before I could say anything else to Rarity, magic glow surrounded my arm and yanked me away from Vinyl and Rarity, forcing me to look at Twilight.

"Hey, what gives Twilight?" I asked and rubbed my arm. A quill and parchment scroll appeared floating in front of my face due to Twilight's magic. The scroll unrolled and the quill began to scribbled on the blank front.

"Okay Cougar," Twilight cleared her throat, "you do know that despite it's just you and Vinyl that you'll still be around Princess Celestia at the Canterlot castle right?" The Princess of Friendship asked me like a teacher asking a dumb student a question.

"Yeah, and what's your point?" I retorted, not understanding what Twilight was getting at. The alicorn smirked and chuckled knowingly.

"I'm glad you asked Cougar," she replied as her magic continued to make the quill write on the parchment just like Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes quill. 'For the love of God, do NOT break into a song please,' I thought to myself. "I just need you to remember that since you'll be in the castle and not out in public like at the Running of the Leaves, you need to be on your perfect behavior for royalty," she informed me. My jaw dropped open at the statement.

"What the hell does that mean? I'm always polite and a gentleman around her and Luna," I pointed my finger in Twilight's face.

"You spend more time with Luna than Celestia, so you're bound to be a little more loose and care fare which is exactly why you can't offend Celestia in any way before or during the Gala," Twilight turned the parchment over so I could read what she wrote. "This list should help you cover the bases."

"Always bow when greeting the princess. Always say 'Good day' when starting or ending a conversation with a servant or guard. Never make inappropriate jokes or chew with your mouth open when eating. Cover your mouth when you have to burp and never forget to say 'Excuse me' afterwards. Remember to let the Princess introduce you to others and wait your turn to speak. Never interrupt the Princess. Always ask permission to be excused if you need to relieve yourself in the bathroom. Do not just ask Celestia a question, ask if you may ask a question. Never stare at a piece of cake for too long. What the hell does that last one mean?" I pointed to the list.

"Trust me, that one is better left unknown," Twilight advised.

"Oh, this is ridiculous Twilight!" I exclaimed and shoved the floating parchment out of my face. "I know to be polite and be on my best behavior around authority figures including royalty!" I added. "I once spent an entire afternoon with the head pilot of England's Royal Air Force and the Queen of England and both were pleased with my visit!" I said as-a-matter-of-factly. The Crusaders and Rarity oohed at my statement.

"Wow, the Queen?" Applebloom grinned.

"Did ya get some political affairs taken care of with the Queen?" Rainbow nudged my ribs, winked and clicked her tongue. I almost wanted to puke; I'm sure my face turned green. All the ponies and dragon cocked their heads at my reaction.

"Ugh, that's nasty! She was in her mid-eighties and I was 20 when I visited her in London!" I groaned and held my stomach. Everypony grimaced at my explanation and gagged as well.

"Sorry, forget I said anything," Rainbow shuddered. Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped the quill against the list, getting my attention back.

"Just take this list and keep it with you at all times," Twilight reminded me and handed me the now rolled up parchment. Grumbling, I accepted the rolled up parchment and stuck it into my back pocket and crossed my arms. "Good boy, you'll do great with Celestia, I'm sure of it," Twilight smiled. I could've sworn somepony stepped on a squeaky toy when she grinned.

"For Pete's sake Twilight," Applejack slapped her own face with her hoof, "why are ya gettin' so anxious 'bout Cougar bein' at the castle with Celestia? Did ya forget she likes him 'n enjoys his company?" the orange mare reminded her alicorn friend.

"You can't be too careful around royalty Applejack," Twilight warned, "what if Celestia gets a surprise visit from King Gryffindor of the Griffon Kingdom and Cougar sets off a war between Equestria and the griffons because he accidentally sneezed in his direction?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"You worry way too much Twilight," Fluttershy advised, "Cougar knows what he's doing, right?" She backed me up. I mouthed 'thank you' to her in response as Twilight grumbled and started going off on one of her nerd rants.

"Not even 10:30 and she's already insane," Spike rolled his green eyes. Suddenly, a train whistle overpowered our conversation as the train pulled into the Ponyville train station and stopped right in front of the platform amidst a large cloud of steam.

"ALL ABOARD!" The conductor called from one of the train cars.

"Let's hustle!" I exclaimed to Vinyl as I grabbed my amp and guitar case as she floated a few of the lighter instruments with her magic into the luggage car. The rest of the equipment was hovered into the car by Rarity and Twilight or carried in by Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Rainbow and the Crusaders. Vinyl took one last sip of her drink before tossing the can into the garbage.

"Anything else before you leave?" Pinkie asked, "like some magazines or some cupcakes?" She held up a huge plate of the sweets.

"Nope, I think we're good, thanks for the help guys," Vinyl waved as she entered one of the passenger cars. I was about to enter when Applebloom pulled on my pant leg.

"Cougar, before ya go, could ya see if the Princess will give us three extra tickets?" She sheepishly asked.

"Sure, but what for Bloomin' Onion?" I knelt down to her eye level.

"Well, the girls 'n Ah wanted ta invite some special friends 'o ours," she explained, "like Featherweight," she said quietly.

"And Pipsqueak," Sweetie Belle added.

"Hopefully Rumble," Scootaloo blushed. Their older sisters 'awwed' and commented on how adorable it was that they had colt friends, though the trio insisted they were just friends.

"I'll see what I can do, promise," I gave Applebloom and Applejack one last hug before stepping onto the train car just as the train lurched forward and waved goodbye as the cloud of steam covered up the platform. Despite how loud the train whistle was and the noise of the engine and wheels combined, I could still hear Rainbow shout as the train left Ponyville.

"Wait a second. Rumble? THUNDERLANE'S younger brother? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I heard her scream. Chuckling but not thinking too much on Rainbow screaming, I followed Vinyl to our train compartment. Yeah, needless to say the hallways were a tad bit cramped and slightly short for my tall stature.

"Awesome, here's our seats," Vinyl's magic opened up the door to our compartment for the quick trip. She entered the compartment while I compressed myself against the wall as three other ponies trotted by, looking for their seats. Finally, I bent my head low and squeezed into the tiny compartment and sat down across from Vinyl.

"So, should we be worried about your stuff being stolen?" I questioned as the train began to gain speed and we left the outskirts of Ponyville. The electric blue maned unicorn stretched her back and loosened up, resting up with her back against the seat.

"Nah," she calmed down my worries, "I've traveled with that stuff on the train to as far as a club in Manehattan without anything bad happen to it; we should be fine," she nonchalantly waved her hoof.

"Alright, if you say so," I tossed my Drive to End Hunger cap to the side and ran a hand through my sweaty hair which was about as long as Steve Clark's by now since I haven't been to a barber since early May. "So, do you think we should go over our setlist one more time?" I suggested and crossed my left leg over my right leg.

"Might as well," Vinyl made the piece of paper with all of our songs in order appear out of thin air. "The train ride isn't that long, but this will at least pass the time," she joked as she hovered the setlist above our heads. I pulled out a pen from one of the pen holders in the compartment for ponies doing the crosswords and began to scribble on the list of songs.

"Okay, since I promised Rarity we'd do at least one tame song, we're going to have to drop this," I crossed out Come on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot and wrote in a much tamer song that actually suited the Gala pretty well. The white unicorn groaned and threw her forelegs up in protest.

"Aww, that one was heart pounding and kick ass," Vinyl objected at my modification, "I was kind of hoping we'd break a few windows with that one," she admitted. Cracking my knuckles and sighing and turned to face Vinyl.

"Look, Celestia wanted a wild and insane Grand Galloping Gala, and we both intend to fulfill her wish, but," I began to delineate, "maybe that one is a little too intense and wild for the Gala crowd. The last thing we or the sisters need is a riot breaking out from our music, that shit's happened before on my planet, and it does not end well," I cautioned.

"Of course they probably didn't, why else are they called riots?" Vinyl said in a 'duh' voice.

"Touche Vinyl," I chuckled before turning back to the setlist.

"All right, now can we move this one," Vinyl's magic actually moved one of the songs to the top of the list, making the rest shift downwards in order, "to the opening spot?" She asked, "what better way to give a wild Gala to Celestia than this song?" She tapped the list with her hoof. Rubbing my chin, I contemplated her reasoning before reaching a decision.

"Good idea," I agreed and then wrote on the list, switching around the order of two other songs, "as for this one, the Wonderbolts want a tribute by a song, then this one is perfect and it needs to be right in the middle," I said.

"Why right in the middle?" Vinyl lowered her purple shades.

"Well, we've already established our opening song," my pen tapped the paper, "and if do this song at the very end, it's like we put on the show just for the Wonderbolts instead of everyone at the Gala," I explained, "but if we put it right in the middle, it's a great build up for the Wonderbolts and a great lead in to the slow song," I finished.

"I get what you're saying Cougar," Vinyl smiled, "and I like it. But I think we're gonna score big with the ending song," she added and circled the last song on the list a few times with the quill.

"Yep, but are you sure we've practiced enough?" I asked.

"Pssh, buck yeah," Vinyl laced her hoof on my shoulder and rolled the setlist back up and made it disappear again. "All we gotta do now is set up our stuff and show up later lookin' good and ready to rock," she patted my back. My eyes shot open at her last statement.

"That reminds me Vinyl, I was thinking I could take off my shirt, tie and jacket for when we go on stage, but do you think you could cast a cooling spell around me so I don't sweat as much when I put them back on?" I asked. Vinyl opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped when the compartment door opened and the snack cart pony appeared.

"Can I interest you in some-" the snack kart operator asked but cut herself off when she saw me.

"Ladybug," I narrowed my eyes at the mare. She gulped and pursed her lips, just standing in the doorway with her snack cart.

"Cougar," she replied quietly, still not gathering up the guts to look me in the eye. For a minute, no one said a word. The hypnotic rhythm of the trains wheels clicking and clacking over the tracks was the only sound filling the compartment. Vinyl looked back and forth between us, confused why we wouldn't say a thing.

"Woah, this is major awkward bro," Vinyl finally cut through the silence, "everything okay between you two?" She questioned. Ladybug's hooves tapped against the hoof rail of the cart, only furthering her nervousness about the situation.

"So, how've you been lately?" I asked her, trying to kick the awkwardness out of the compartment.

"Fine," she replied quickly, "College is going well," she added.

"That's good," I commented and looked at the snacks and drinks she had on the cart. Yet, before I could order anything for myself and Vinyl, Ladybug let out a sheepish whine and pushed her cart forward so she could face me better in the compartment.

"I'm really sorry about the way I treated you Cougar," she apologized, "I didn't expect to see something like you riding the train and I thought you were just a mutated monkey or something," she explained. Vinyl sat still, her head darting back and forth between myself and Ladybug.

"Well, we all make mistakes Ladybug," I folded my arms across my chest.

"And you don't have to forgive me," the mare waved her hooves in front of her face, "I just wanted to let you know it was wrong of me to say those things and treat you like an animal and I didn't realize how much my words hurt you until I got home," Ladybug admitted. She stuck out her hoof, hoping I would take it in my hand.

"I don't hold grudges, so apology accepted," I shook her hoof and let her go.

"Thank you, and here's some on the house," she tossed myself and Vinyl some chocolate chip muffins, "hope you guys come ride the train again soon," she waved and went back to her job with a little more pep in her step.

"Okay, spill Cougar," Vinyl slapped the muffin out of my hand, "what was that all about?"

"Well, after the timberwolves incident," I started the story.

---

(Canterlot. Cougar's POV)

"Next stop, Canterlot Train Station!" The Conductor announced over the intercom for the train. Vinyl and I got up, stretched and departed the train where our music gear was waiting for us on the platform.

"Man, it's great to get out of that cramped compartment," I arched my back again. I felt something in my back pocket poke my back. Reaching back, I took out the list of do's and don'ts from Twilight earlier and tossed it into the nearest garbage can. "What a worrywart," I joked.

"All right, now let's start haulin' this stuff up to the castle," Vinyl declared as we loaded our gear onto trolleys provided by the train station. Thankfully, the road leading up through Canterlot to the castle wasn't that steep and our trolleys had handles to pull them.

"Wow, this place is nearly empty," I commented at the very low number of ponies strutting around, leaving but a few worker ponies like garbage ponies and waiting ponies. There were several 'elite' ponies roaming around, but they more than likely didn't care Vinyl and I were in their city.

"Yep, nearly every single 'elite' pony here treats the Gala like a million proms at once and the whole city practically shuts down for it," Vinyl grunted, pulling all of her equipment up the road with my help. "It's nice for once not to be made a sideshow attraction of just because I'm from Ponyville," she added.

"I know what you mean," I grunted as we began to get a little tired from hauling that much heavy equipment by ourselves.

"Ah, Cougar, good to see you again!" I heard a Canterlot accent call out. Setting the brakes on the trolley and turning, Vinyl and I saw Fancy Pants and his wife, Fleur-De-Lis waving at us from a restaurant, "do join us please! It's been much too long since we have spoken," Fancy asked. Shrugging, Vinyl set a security spell on our musical gear and we both hopped over the small fence separating the restaurant eating area from the sidewalk.

"Good morning," Fleur grinned as Vinyl and I sat down across from her and her husband, "And who is your new friend Cougar?" She asked politely asked in her fancy accent, "I simply love your mane," she complimented Vinyl.

"Oh, thanks Mrs. Fancy Pants," Vinyl chuckled and pulled up a menu, "my name is Vinyl Scratch or DJ-Pon3 when I'm on stage," Vinyl quickly answered Fleur's question.

"Call me Fleur please," Fancy's wife corrected my DJ friend.

"So, are you both going to the Grand Galloping Gala too?" I sipped a glass of water that the waiter quickly brought by. Fancy set down his glass of what I'm guessing was champagne and wiped his muzzle.

"Why of course we are Cougar," Fancy laughed politely at me, "my wife and I have been attending the Gala ever since we were in grammar school," he explained to me, "in fact, the first Gala we both attended was where we met," he held Fleur's face in his hoof.

"Really?" Vinyl played with her silverware with her horn. "So did you guys like go to different schools or something?" She questioned. The waiter returned and asked if Vinyl or I wanted food to which we declined having stuffed ourselves on muffins, soda pop and doughnuts before we left.

"No actually," Fleur cut in, "we did attend the same grammar school in Canterlot, but I was in the morning class and Fancy was in the afternoon class."

"We met when our parents introduced us at our very first Gala," Fancy continued for his wife, "and the rest everypony says, is history," the two looked into each other's eyes and shared a quick kiss. Not being fond of couples being lovey-dovey in public, Vinyl and I shared a disgusted glance at each other. "Anyway, what brings you here again Cougar? Nasty business those timberwolves eh?" Fancy mentioned my little run in near Winsome Falls.

"Right," I drummed my fingers on the table top, "I don't plan on running into more timberwolves any time soon, but Vinyl and I are here because Celestia and Luna hired us to be the musical act for the Gala tonight since the string quartet has the flu," I replied.

"Oh my," Fleur covered her mouth with her hoof, "I hope they'll be alright," she said worriedly, "uh but I am happy that you two got the job," Fleur smiled. "Now what kind of music will you be playing? Will you two be playing the same classical music?"

"Eh no," Vinyl rubbed her hoof, "you see, Princess Celestia wanted a change of pace this year and hired us for our more intense and loud music," she replied. Fleur's face sort of fell at the explanation.

"Aww," she said quietly in a disappointed tone. I smiled, admitting that was a pretty cute reaction. Fancy Pants wrapped a foreleg around his wife and drew her closer to himself and nuzzled the top of her head.

"Don't fret my dear Fleur, if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna entrust these two to bring their own taste for music to the Grand Galloping Gala, then I welcome it with open hooves," he winked at the two of us.

"Thank you Fancy Pants," I smiled at the unicorn stallion.

"No worries Cougar, I've always believed that everypony has a right to different opinions. Now, you'll be playing this Rock 'N Roll? That's what the colts and fillies these days call it right?"

"You got Mr. Fancy," Vinyl bobbed her head while drinking some of her water.

"And your friend Rarity sent in a request for at least one tame song, so you can slow dance with your lovely wife at the Gala as well," I informed the fancy couple that my respect for was growing every second. Fleur's demeanor perked right up at that statement.

"Oh, that's my favorite part of the Gala, dancing with my husband to a slow song and staring each other's eyes, it's just something, magical," she whispered into Fancy's ear. She then turned back to myself and Vinyl, "have you two ever experienced that with your own special somepony?" She nuzzled her husband's cheek.

"Nope, don't have a special somepony," Vinyl shook her head.

"I've never slow danced at all before," I admitted.

"Oh, but you simply must Cougar!" Fleur planted her hooves on my hands, keeping me trapped on the table, "you'll never know that special, magical feeling of slow dancing with the pony you're meant to be with unless you try," her violet eyes grew bigger into that of begging eyes.

"I never said I didn't want to, but Vinyl and I can't slow dance with somepony while we're performing the song on stage Fleur," I managed to wriggle my hands from her hooves' grasp.

"Ah, I see, well you both then should slow dance together while you're performing!" She suggested. Vinyl's head and my own whipped around as we looked at each other and then back at the Canterlot couple sitting across from us.

"Yeah, no," Vinyl waved her hoof.

"We're just music appreciators and I'd say friends, but there's really nothing else," I said in a calm tone without stuttering or anything.

"Yep, what he said," Vinyl motioned back to me with her hoof. The waiter reappeared and laid down two plates in front of Fancy Pants and Fleur, one consisting of a salad and the other a veggie sandwich.

"And we'll let you two enjoy your lunch," Vinyl and I scooted back our chairs and stood up, "oh and here's for the tip," I dropped down a ten bit piece for Fancy and Fleur.

"Ah, much appreciated Cougar, we look forward to hearing your 'jams' tonight, do blow the crowd away," Fancy bid us adieu and began to cut his sandwich into tiny squares. Vinyl and I chose to go out through the restaurant's gate instead of hopping the fence, grabbed our musical gear and headed rejoined our journey up to the castle. And with our drinks of water, we were ready.

"I like those two; they give a better view on how Canterlot ponies can treat everypony like equals," Vinyl remarked.

"Boy you said it, they really make Canterlot more bearable, well those two, Celestia, Luna and their guards," I added.

"Hey, do you two need some assistance?" A gruff voice asked from above. We both looked up to see a blindingly white pegasus guard hovering above us, "where are you two going with this equipment?" He asked and landed before us, folding his wings back onto his torso.

"Actually, we could use just a little bit of help, Mr. Uh," Vinyl spoke, but didn't know the unicorn's name.

"Major Velocity," he smiled and got behind the large box of equipment and helped us push the trolley.

"Thanks, I'm Cougar and this is Vinyl Scratch," I introduced the two of us, "and Celestia and Luna hired us to be the musical act for the Gala and this equipment is what we're using tonight," I explained.

"Oh, well I can fly up to the Castle if you want and have Celestia meet you halfway-" Velocity began to offer until an all too familiar heavenly voice interrupted.

"That will not be necessary Major Velocity," Celestia landed before us and folded her giant wings back, "good morning Cougar and Ms. Scratch," she warmly smiled to the two of us.

"Wassup Princess C?" Vinyl half-bowed at the Princess.

"Morning Celestia," I too bowed.

"I see you two have arrived much earlier than my sister and requested," her voice suddenly turned stern, "wonderful," she smiled again, "now you two will have much more time to test your instruments and speakers before preparing yourselves for the Gala."

"Yep, we caught the 10:00 train leavin' Ponyville, met up with Fancy Pants and his wife and then met up with you," Vinyl explained, "what are you doin' out here? Shouldn't you be triple checking everything in the castle for tonight?" the DJ pointed out.

"I always go for a mid-morning flight around Canterlot on the morning of the Gala, it helps me clear my head," she replied, "and since the city streets are practically empty, I don't have to deal with as much admiration as usual. Anyways, let's say we speed up your trip to the castle faster?" She suggested while her horn lit up in a golden aura. Vinyl and I barely had time to brace ourselves as we soon found ourselves and Major Velocity inside Celestia and Luna's castle.

"Hey, nice to see you again Cougar," Glock waved his spear back and forth at me. I grimaced as I saw a pretty bad scar on his shoulder from the little run in with Darkheart a while back. I waved back and slung my guitar case over my back and helped Vinyl push the equipment out of the way.

"Here, the Ballroom is this way," Celestia's wing pointed towards a hallway with a pair of guards standing in front of the doorway. The pair of guards parted out of our path while Celestia took point, leading us to the Ballroom as we pushed the trolley.

"Princess, before I forget, could you please give me three extra tickets? The Crusaders want some for their potential dates?" I asked in an apologetic voice. "Sorry for asking for even more tickets, but they really want to bring their own dates," I explained. Celestia giggled warmly and three more tickets arrived in my pocket. "Thanks," I said and patted my pocket.

"So, where is your sister Princess?" Vinyl questioned. Still trotting forward, Celestia turned her head back to speak to the both of us.

"Luna is asleep at this time Ms. Scratch, but she will be ready to go by the time the Gala begins," Celestia responded. "Cougar," Celestia called out, snapping my attention back up to her, "I trust that Ms. Rarity is creating a Gala tuxedo for you?"

"Yeah, she told me she'd use the measurements she took for my other clothes to make the tux," I replied, "at least I don't have to do any more measuring for some time," I sighed happily. "That reminds me, what are you going to wear Vinyl?"

"What I wore to Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor's wedding a few years back," Vinyl said, "I never bothered to get another dress; that one was just too perfect you know?" Vinyl asked. I nodded, understanding to not fix what wasn't broken. Celestia passed by another pair of guards patrolling the hallway and stopped to say hi.

"Hello Remington, I trust everything is going well?" The white alicorn questioned. Remington cleared his throat and stood off to the side.

"Yes of course your highness. The decorations are nearly complete, the cooks have begun their work on food and drinks for the evening's affairs and every potential way for somepony to crash the Gala has been neutralized with tighter security at every door leading outside," Remington went down the list of important Gala preparations. Celestia smiled and bowed her head to her second favorite guard.

"Excellent work Remington," she complimented, "and if you have the time, would you care to help Cougar and Ms. Vinyl Scratch set up their musical gear?" she politely asked the guard.

"Oh hey, didn't see you there Cougar," Remington peered around the pile of Vinyl's sound system. "Sure, I can help you two out," he smiled and held open the door next to us. Celestia walked in first with us still following her. "Just set this over here next to the stage," the pegasus guard ordered and then hovered my guitar off of my back and set it next to Vinyl's pile. The DJ sighed and wiped sweat off of her forehead.

"Phew, glad to finally take a break from pushing all of that," she waved a hoof in front of her face. Celestia's horn glowed and a bottle of water appeared in front of the musical mare's face. "Oh, thank you princess," she said and downed the entire bottle.

"You're quite welcome Vinyl," Celestia finally called her by her first name, "now there are a few more important affairs that require my attention, Remington, help them until they no longer require your assistance," Celestia royally walked out of the ballroom with the other guard.

"Of course Princess Celestia," Remington bowed to her. "Now then, let's start unpacking," he smiled as he and Vinyl's horns glowed and started to unpack all of her amps, lights, mixers and keyboard off of the trolley and onto the stage. I on the other hand, was still gazing around the enormous ballroom. Windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, a tall domed roof, two separate lines of columns on both sides of the path leading to a large pony statue. And the stage was right next to the statue in a little area surrounded by other windows. And not to mention the huge areas covered with tables off from the path where ponies could talk and mingle.

"Hey Cougar, wake up!" Vinyl shouted into my ear. I jumped and covered my ears until they stopped ringing. Remington and Vinyl laughed at me while I dug into my left ear with my finger.

"You're lucky I'm not deaf from that," I grumbled.

"Well, maybe you should stop gazing at the ballroom like it's a piece of food and start helping us like you said you would," she retorted in an upset tone.

"Okay, I'm coming," I dusted off my hands and went over to help Vinyl set her mixer up.

---

(Two hours later)

"Nice, got that plugged in," Vinyl muttered as her horn glowed and attached a cord into her sound mixer. "All right Cougar, plug your guitar in your amp and we'll see if the lasers are synced together," she ordered me. Strapping on my guitar, I plugged the cord into my amp and strummed all six strings. A perfectly in tune note came out for each strum and all six colors of a rainbow shot out of Vinyl's laser ball at the top of her mixer and shot into different directions. "Yes!" she pumped her foreleg in celebration, "finally got that perfectly synced with your guitar," she hopped down from the stage.

"And we've got all the speakers hooked up along with the lights and the smoke machine," Remington announced, "though don't you think that last one is just a tad too much for this crowd?" He peered over a checklist.

"You know, I think you're right Remington," I replied, "sorry Vi," I apologized. The unicorn in question huffed and unplugged the smoke machine.

"That's one of the best parts dudes, but we don't want these uptight types to think we're trying to set the place on fire," her magical glow surrounded the machine and shoved it behind the stage.

"Well, at least we're done and it's only a little after 2:00," I looked up at the clock in the ballroom, "so we've got plenty of time before we have to head back to Ponyville," I remarked and extended my hand to Remington. "Thanks for your help sir, we'll see you later tonight?" I asked.

"Ah, no prob Cougar, and yep, though I won't be dancing at all or anything," he pounded his hoof into his golden chest plate, "safety and security of the castle is my main priority," he announced. He was about to leave when another familiar voice pierced the airwaves.

"Cougar, so wonderful to see you again!" I found myself in a bone crushing hug from Luna. "I thought you and Ms. Scratch wouldn't be arriving until later this evening!" She exclaimed happily and released me from my hug.

"Well, we decided to arrive early to get our things set up before getting ready," I caught my breath, "besides, shouldn't you still be asleep?" I asked. Luna scowled at me and jutted out her lower lip.

"I am several thousand years old and I will sleep when I decide," she folded her legs over her chest.

"Oh fine, fine, but what are you doing up anyway?" I questioned. Luna's scowl disappeared, being replaced with that of a smile.

"My stomach woke me up," she pointed to her grumbling stomach, "so I came down to grab a quick doughnut from the kitchen, would you two care to join me?" She asked. Vinyl and I joined her and left Remington all alone in the ballroom.

"We stuffed ourselves on doughnuts and muffins this morning, but what the tartarus?" Vinyl joked, "I don't really care too much about my figure like some ponies I know."

"And oh by the way, you don't look that old to me," I joked with my friend.

"You're too kind Cougar, but I am spoken-" she started before clamping her muzzle shut with one of her hooves.

"Uh, that was just a compliment Luna," I uncomfortably looked around. Vinyl opened her mouth to say something but was shut up by Luna thrusting the doors to the kitchen wide open.

"Ah, my secret doughnut stash should be, here!" Luna opened a door in the wall that was nearly invisible to someone who didn't look hard enough. Inside the wall was a refrigerator filled with more doughnuts than I'm sure I've consumed in my entire life. "My sister has her cake addiction, leaving me and virtually every other pony in the castle cake less, so I stock up on doughnuts," Luna drooled a little and popped a chocolate doughnut in her mouth.

"Uh, is this why your picture is in a shrine in Joe's doughnut shop?" Vinyl cocked an eyebrow above her purple sunglasses and snacked on a doughnut that looked suspiciously like the pink frosted doughnut from the Simpsons.

"Mhmm," Luna mumbled and wiped crumbs from her muzzle, "I go by the first of every month in the morning and buy a month's supply that he makes the night before," Luna said and popped another doughnut in her mouth.

"Well, these are the best doughnuts I've ever had," I replied as I scarfed down a chocolate frosted and custard filled doughnut. "Don't tell Pinkie I said that," I shot a worried look to both Vinyl and Luna.

"Ha, you're safe with our silence," Luna chuckled.

"Say Princess Luna, are you ready for a slow dance with your Gala date tonight?" Vinyl asked. Luna's jelly filled doughnut exploded as her magical aura squeezed the literal jelly out of it. Strands of red raspberry jelly clung to her horn and face as she brought up a paper towel and wiped her face clean.

"I take it you're excited and terrified?" I handed Luna a wet rag.

"Oh you could say that," Luna replied, "it's just that this won't be the first time Checkered Flag and I spend this kind of time together," she sheepishly admitted. "And I've been keeping him a secret for some time from my older sister."

"Wait, you're saying you've been dating Checkered Flag behind Celesita's back?" I asked.

"Precisely, though we actually haven't been on many dates, we've kept in touch through letters and his dreams," she explained.

"But, why have you been keeping it a secret from your own sister?" Vinyl asked, "wouldn't you want advice from an older sibling?"

"Knowing Celestia, she'd make the biggest deal out of it as possible and keep pestering me about how we're doing and if we're having problems; we don't need that junk," Luna grumbled.

"Well, are you going to tell her at the Gala tonight?" I asked.

"I've thought of it Cougar, but I just don't know. I especially do NOT want the ponyrazzi getting ahold of our relationship and start ruining our lives," Luna delineated.

"Yeah, you don't want that, especially if they get the story completely wrong," Vinyl chimed in with a mouth full of doughnut.

"You do what your heart tells you to Luna; I'm sure Celestia will respect you and Checkered's privacy," I smiled. Right as Luna was about to answer, a certain white unicorn priss- I mean prince entered the room.

"Greetings Auntie Celestia and Cougar, good to see you again," the asshole actually smiled at me? 'Okay, what's he been snorting?' I mentally asked myself.

"Are you feeling okay Blueblood?" I skeptically asked.

"Oh, more than okay human," he grabbed a glass of water, "ever since my dear aunt Luna showed how great it is to be selfless and nice, my life has been so much better!" he exclaimed.

"Why do I have such a hard time believing you Blueblood? Oh that's right, you constantly belittled me and my friends, tried to attack me and made fun about me not getting any mare during the Estrus," I pointed my finger in his face.

"Dude, uncool," Vinyl stuck her tongue out at the unicorn prince.

"I know I've been a jerk and a pain in the flank, but thanks to my aunt Luna's darkness, I've seen the light and I am a changed stallion, I swear," he bowed to Vinyl. I placed a finger on my chin and tapped it several times, contemplating whether or not to believe him.

"Look Bluey, I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, but if you can prove it tonight at the Gala that you've really changed, I'll buy you a beer," I proposed the bet to Blueblood.

"Sounds good Cougar; I look forward to hearing you and Ms. Scratch play your music tonight. Oh and do you know if Ms. Rarity Belle has a date tonight?" He asked. Oh no, I knew Rarity was going alone, but Spike told me earlier he was going to ask her to dance, but I didn't want to lie to Blueblood, even if I didn't trust the bucker. Spike is such a good kid, but I don't want to be the reason his heart gets crushed.

"Oh I see you don't know, fret not Cougar, I shall ask her hoof for a dance tonight," he waved his own hoof politely at me. "I must get a bouquet of roses for an apology, perhaps Auntie Celestia will allow me to take a dozen from her garden?" He pondered and trotted away.

"Great, Spike may lose a chance at having a dance with Rarity tonight," I groaned, "but I'm not going to lie to Blueblood, that's still wrong, man this is way easier to figure out in the movies," I rubbed my head.

"Well, you still have several hours to think this over Cougar," Luna patted my back, "but perhaps it is time for you two to return to Ponyville and perform final preparations for the Gala," Luna shoved me and Vinyl out the kitchen door.

"You that eager to get rid of us Princess Luna?" Vinyl asked.

"No, I just need more sleep!" She zapped us with her magic and we found ourselves back at the Canterlot train station.

"Hey you two, where's that trolley you borrowed!?" One of the station workers shouted.

"ALL ABORAD FOR PONYVILLE!" The train conductor announced as the train began to pull out of the station.

"Sorry, I don't think we've met before, RUN!" Vinyl grabbed me in her magical aura and threw me into the train.

"HEY!" I smacked my head against the side of the train, "watch where you're throwing me!" I shouted as Vinyl set me down on the seat across from her.

---

(Back In Ponyville)

"Okay, I'll see you later Vinyl," I curled my hand into a fist and bumped her hoof.

"Catch ya later Cougar," she pulled down her sunglasses, winked at me and galloped towards her house. Adjusting my hat and wiping the sweat from my brow, I started off for Rarity's to pick up my tuxedo.

"Hello Cougar, thank you so much again for the Gala ticket!" Cheerilee greeted me as she exited Rarity's boutique with a dress in a bag on her back. The maroon mare smiled as I walked by and waved to her.

"No problem Cheerilee, hope you and Big Mac have fun tonight, but not that much fun," I winked. A bright pink blush appeared on Cheerilee's face as she looked away and began her journey back home. Taking in a deep breath though my nose, I entered the boutique to see Sweetie Belle trying on a dress extremely similar to Rarity's Gala dress in front of a mirror.

"Oh hey Cougar! How do you like my Gala dress?" Sweetie Belle began to show off, "don't I look marvelous?" She asked in an extremely Rarity-like voice. Oh boy, the last thing Equestria needs is two Rarities.

"Uh yeah, just like your older sister, only cuter," I patted her head. Her horn let off green sparks as she giddily smiled at the mirror in front of her.

"Pipsqueak is going to love it!" She squeaked on the word 'love.' "I've gotta put my lipstick on before I forget!" She ran into the dressing room.

"But you've still got two and a half hours!" I called to which she ignored.

"Ah Cougar, I was hoping you would stop by soon," Rarity descended her stairs with what appeared to be my tuxedo in a bag being held by her magic. "I finished it just a few moments ago, oh I do hope everything is perfect," she started to pull the tuxedo out of the bag.

"No! That's fine, it looks great," I snatched the dress from Rarity's magical grasp. "Here, how much do I owe you?"

"Absolutely nothing Cougar, I make dresses for friends because I am the element of generosity and it's no trouble," she smiled from behind her red glasses. I grumbled and tossed her a few bits from my pocket.

"Then keep the tip; I've got to go back home and put this on," I dashed out of the store before she could stop me. Okay, now all I had to do was shower, probably shave my five 'o clock shadow, put on my tuxedo and head to the Grand Galloping Gala with my friends. Though, I wondered how I'll be able to face Applejack in her dress again.

End Chapter XIX

---

Join us next time as The Mane 6, Cougar, the CMC and their dates, Big Mac, Cheerilee, Bon Bon and Lyra head off to what will be the most insane Gala of all time! Plus, will Spike get a chance to dance with Rarity? Or will the 'New Blueblood' sweep her off her hooves? What songs will Vinyl and Cougar play? Well, you gotta read it to find out!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 20: Nothin' But a Good Time

I just want to take a minute to say THANK YOU guys, THANK YOU so much! I just can't believe one of my stories has reached 100 followers. That's a goal that I never even considered thinking of. I'm so thankful to have so many people interested in reading this story, and we're not even halfway done yet. You guys are awesome, there's no other way of putting it. And I believe there are some reviews to reply to...

KillerWOW the Golden Foxy: Yep, I'm doing great as of right now. I know, seeing Blueblood not acting like a monumental prick is weird, almost like seeing Twilight turn into a slob.

OBSERVER01: It went better than Cougar thought it would with Blueblood acting really nice. As for the Gala, just wait.

litestardt: Sorry! I just like to keep the pacing to a consistent and high quality standard. And a few ponies did drink Colta-Cola in the previous chapter.

Dixie Darlin: You gotta have crazy OCD Twilight at some point, you just HAVE to! I added in that line about Rainbow right before I published the chapter. I can't imagine how she'd react if Scootaloo told her she has a crush on Thunderlane's little brother. Mmmm doughnuts. As for Blueblood, well, I gots plans.

necron-lordwesly: *Penguins of Madagascar* You didn't see anything...

KonigstigerAce334: I would have a hard time believing him too, knowing what he pulled in that ONE episode three seasons ago. It's weird we've only seen him once. As for the cliche' of Blueblood being a prick, well that IS his personality. But that doesn't mean people can't attempt to have him be nice like I'm doing.

Fear-Less 1300: Meh, I don't demand reviews the second I post a chapter. Who wouldn't want a secret doughnut stash of their own? With how he knows Blueblood, the stallion is definitely going to have to prove that he's changed.

Nathan Row: I get what you're saying and Cougar's said it numerous times about how beastiality or Zoophilia are extremely frowned upon in our society, both by religious groups and non-religous groups.

XxSkullCandyxX: Thank you. I try to keep every character in character, the story as realistic as possible and to have in as many themes and genres as I can to keep things interesting while not smothering every reader with it.

Okay guys, here I'd like to apologize. Why you ask? Well, you guys held up your end of the deal for me to publish Fallen Eagle to Fimfiction. However, I recently joined but found out that stories with copyrighted song lyrics are forbidden there, so no Fallen Eagle on Fimfiction :( Oh well, I love it here on Fanfiction.

I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I of course had to update Long Live Rock 'N Roll and just life preventing me from updating. It also doesn't help when the theatre I work at has only THREE employees (that's including myself) on staff full time when we have Cinderella opening weekend. UGH.

I do not own the song you will see in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the adorable Cougar and Applejack and Applebloom parts.

---

(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

After jogging through Ponyville and dodging just about every other pony that desperately wanted a ticket as well (damn Lyra's big mouth) I finally arrived back to the Apple family's farm. I'm kind of glad that Rarity put my tuxedo in the plastic bag; the dust trail I kicked up coated my current street clothes in a pretty thick layer. Double checking the clock on my phone, my face fell in annoyance to myself when I realized I still had two hours left until we only had to leave for the Gala. Slowing down to a casual walk, my shoes only kicked up minuscule dust particles that clung only to the bottoms of my shoes. Not really surprised to not see any members of the Apple family outside, I walked inside the house and draped the plastic bag over a chair in the living room and headed upstairs where I heard the familiar roar of the shower from behind the wooden door. "If yer thinkin' that's me or Applebloom, you'd be surprised," Applejack's voice called as her head poked out from her bedroom doorway. "He's been in there fer thirty minutes already," she added with an eye roll.

"Funny," I replied, heading towards the mare's room, "I just ran into his date outside of Rarity's place," I stopped just short of the doorway. Applejack stuck out her foreleg and motioned for me that it was alright to enter her room. "I would've been here earlier, but Bon Bon told me Lyra slipped that I got those two extra tickets; now every mare in town suddenly wants to be my best friend," I sat down in a chair in Applejack's room as she sat on her haunches on her bed. Before she or I said anything else, she took off her cowgirl hat and placed it gently on the rounded post at the end of her bed and took her red hair twists out of her golden ponytail, letting all of her mane out and fall past her shoulders.

"Eeyup," she responded almost like Big Macintosh, "every mare wants ta go ta the Gala. It doesn't surprise me one bit that they'd try ta mob ya fer spare tickets," she chuckled. "Speakin' 'o which, did ya get anymore fer anypony?" she asked and put her hat back on.

"No actually," I tore my gaze away from her longer mane, "I'm glad I didn't anyways. Celestia might start getting annoyed with me asking for more every time I see her," I grinned.

"Eh, Celestia doesn't get upset real easily, unless 'o course ya try ta take over Equestria or sneak a bite 'o her cake," Applejack joked. "Ah still think it was really sweet 'o ya ta get tickets fer Big Mac, Cheerilee, Lyra 'n Bon Bon."

"Well, I'm just a nice guy," I replied, crossing my hands together across my lap, "besides, I think we'll need the whole gang to reach Celestia and Luna's goal of having the wildest Gala ever." Applejack cocked her head from side to side, trying to discern what exactly I meant.

"Ah talk ta Lyra 'n Bon Bon on occasion, but none 'o us have really hung out with either 'o them," Applejack cricked her neck.

"Haven't you thought of expanding at all? I mean, six or seven close friends is a good thing, but I should know by now that the more friends you have, the happier you can be." The orange mare clenched her lips shut and shook her head in response.

"Naw, then it becomes a really big hassle ya know? Tryin' ta make time ta spend with all 'o them 'n feelin' guilty 'bout not hangin' with others as much as some," she explained still straining her neck around. Her hoof then shot up and she began to rub the back of her neck.

"It can get to be that way yes," I took notice of the pony uncomfortably shifting around on her bed. "But, the more friends you have to lean on when you're not strong, the more support you'll have to get on with life."

"Ugh," was the only thing she responded with. "Sorry Cougar," she groaned in annoyance, "my neck has been killin' me ever since ya left fer Canterlot. Ah strained it liftin' up a barrel 'o cider onto the top shelf in the cellar," she explained with another pained groan.

"At least you'll get a chance to hang out with Lyra and Bon Bon tonight," I tried to lighten the setting a bit, but that proved to be a challenge with Applejack in pain. "Hey, would it be inappropriate if I, you know, massaged your neck AJ?" I offered with a slight stutter. Her emerald eyes slowly drifted up towards me from the floor and just sat glued to my pale blue orbs.

"Ah, Ah guess that'd be okay," she replied with a stutter as well. Clearing my throat, I stood up from the chair and proceeded to walk over to Applejack's bed. "All right then, just be gentle okay?" She politely asked and turned around, still sitting on her haunches, so I could get a better view of her neck. Her hooves pushed her mane forward over her shoulders so I could get to her neck.

"I can do that," I said just above a whisper and placed my hands on the base of her neck. She groaned slightly as I applied the slimmest amount of pressure on her neck muscles and began to rub tiny circles all around.

"That feels, good," she groaned. Applejack stretched her neck out and rolled it a few times as my fingers expanded and contracted. "Did ya have a spare job as a masseuse back on yer planet?" She said in between moans.

"No, why do you ask?" I replied with a question, trying to not rub too hard to hurt her or to cause someone to come investigating her sounds.

"Well, yer fingers, they're like buckin' magic! My neck has never felt this good, even when Aloe at the spa massages it," she leaned back into my chest. I had to scoot back from the edge of the bed so I could still massage her neck.

"To be honest, I've never given anyone a massage before," I admitted.

"Mmm, well then, Ah'm gonna have ta start schedulin' appointments more often with ya," she rolled her head back and rested it on my shoulder, her eyes staring up at mine. Suddenly, her door burst open to reveal Applebloom. I released my hands from her neck, yet still caught her when she fell back.

"Applejack, can ya help me with-" she started but cut herself off when she saw Applejack being held by me against my chest. Her eyes shrank and began to twitch when she saw our predicament. "Uh, AJ, what are you 'n Cougar doin'?!" She exclaimed. Applejack pushed herself off my chest and sprang to her feet on her bed.

"Nothin' Ah swear! Cougar was just massagin' my neck 'cause it was hurtin', that's all," Applejack explained. I walked backward and gripped the edge of her desk, taking slow and deep breaths through my nose, thanking my lucky stars it wasn't Big Mac coming through the door.

"If you say so," Applebloom shook her head back and forth.

"You don't say nothin' 'bout what you saw all right AB?" Applejack sternly said to her little sister. "We weren't doin' nothin', but we don't need ponies ta get the wrong idea, understand?" She towered over the yellow filly. Applebloom nodded fearfully and cowered below her elder sister.

"What'd, what'd you need Bloom?" I questioned in between breaths after gaining back my composure.

"Ah just wanted Applejack's help with talkin' around Featherweight at the Gala, if ya weren't too busy ya know?" She looked from me to Applejack with her adorable orange eyes. Chuckling, I pushed myself off the desk scratched behind Applebloom's ear.

"Now Applebloom, you know Ah ain't ever really talked ta boys at all or even had a date before," Applejack replied.

"But, what about that Caramel feller?" Applebloom questioned. Applejack groaned in frustration and facehoofed.

"Why does everypony keep sayin' Caramel 'n Ah had a thing goin'?! Ah barely know the stallion! All Ah do remember him fer is forgetting' about every damn chore we had him do durin' the Winter Wrap Up a few years back," she explained angrily and cursed in front of her sister.

"Sweetie Belle told me that Rarity thought you two would look cute together; then 'o course she mentioned it ta the spa workers," Applebloom spilled the beans. Applejack clenched her teeth together.

"That damn Rarity, Ah tell ya," she threw her door open. "Big Mac! You done with that shower yet?!" She yelled.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied as he exited the bathroom carrying his tux and top hat on his back.

"Well good, Ah'm next!" Applejack trotted her way to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I turned to the little filly, the two of us still standing in Applejacks' room. Pointing my thumb towards the direction of the bathroom, I turned back to Applebloom.

"What the heck was that all about? She told me about Caramel, but nothing like that," I asked.

"Oh, she gets pretty upset when ponies keep pesterin' her 'bout her 'n Caramel," Applebloom told me, "she really didn't like him that much, but Rarity thought it was a love-hate kinda thing. Ponies 'round here love gossip, Ah know first hand," she mentioned solemnly. My mouth opened to comment on her escapades following the events of the Gabby Gums Incident, but I thought better of it and shut my mouth until I thought of something else to say.

"So, are you hoping Featherweight will ask you to dance tonight? Or are you a little nervous?" I asked. Sitting down on the edge of Applejack's bed, I grasped Applebloom around her torso and sat her up on her haunches next to me. Her upper teeth bit down on her lower lip and her eyes kept darting around the room like a humming bird.

"Ah'm actually kinda on the fence 'bout that Cougar," she admitted. "Ah mean, Featherweight is sweet 'n cute 'n all, but Ah just don't know if he just thinks of me as a close friend or a potential marefriend."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to Applejack? To see if you can find out if really likes you?" She slowly nodded yes and stared up at me with her orange eyes that pleaded for help on the subject. "Well, since Applejack said she doesn't really know how to explain it and I'm thinking Big Mac is opposed to his youngest sister dating, I think I can help you Bloom," I wrapped my left arm around her and pulled her close. Her fur lightly tickled my palm.

"Ya mean it!?" She exclaimed exuberantly.

"I may not have dated or had a girlfriend before," I began, "but at least I can help you on how to get a guy's attention and keep it, though I'm not telling you everything because you're not old enough and I want to live at least until I'm thirty before I die," I grinned. Applebloom's tail wagged slightly which I thought was adorable, and she quickly hopped around on her haunches to face me so she could get the full scoop.

"Ah'm ready Cougar," she clapped her hooves together, "tell me what ya know," she begged again. Chuckling, I gave her a quick hug again before explaining to her how some guys work.

"Okay so first off, stand close to Featherweight. You've got to let him know you exist and you are right there," I explained.

"But, we go ta school together," Applebloom said, "he already knows Ah exist..."

"Yes of course he does, but if you stand closer to him, like almost shoulders touching or off to the side and facing him," I replied, "he'll know something is up, but he won't exactly know what. Things can and will get a little awkward like that, but that's the first step. After the first step of standing closer to him than you normally would, you've got to let him know you're interested in the things he does. What does he like to do exactly?" I questioned.

"Uh, he does like takin' pictures with that fancy camera 'o his," Bloom stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and held her chin in her hoof, "'n Featherweight does also enjoy writin' stories 'bout whatever's on his mind," she added.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed, "you can talk in a mildly flirty tone, but take an interest in his photographs and stories. Kind of like, "Featherweight, how's yer stories goin',"? you know. Even if what he writes about doesn't grab your attention, at least acknowledge he wrote them," I said.

"Don't mock my family's accent like that," she glared in my face.

"Sorry, just trying to make my point," I cleared my throat again. "Now that you've shown interest with his hobbies, Featherweight will be either nervous and sweating bullets or interested that you're showing you're interested in him."

"What are, bullets?" Applebloom questioned.

"I'll explain later," I quickly retorted. "Anyways, since Featherweight is school aged and according to you hasn't had a marefriend before, he's more than likely going to be sweating up a storm with you getting close to him and talking about things he likes. Now step three, keep giving him a more than friendly look into his eyes and nowhere else," I focused on the end of that point.

"Why nowhere else?" She asked.

"You want him to think you're interested in an actual relationship, not one that you won't be ready for until, well you don't need to know."

"Ah guess that makes sense, whatever ya mean," she rolled her orange eyes. "Anythin' else Ah should know Cougar? Ah want to get this right," Applebloom asked me. Propping my chin in my hand, I scratched my five 'o clock shadow, trying to think of any other advice about acting around guys. Finally, I snapped my fingers in realization.

"Here's the last and most important thing you need to do," I leaned in close to her ear to whisper. "Giggle," I softly said into her ear. She pulled her ear away from my mouth and gave me a, 'Are you kidding me?' face.

"Giggle?"

"Yep, giggle at just about everything he says, unless it's sad or disturbing news of course," I quickly corrected.

"But, why do Ah have ta giggle at everythin' he says?" She asked me, "seems kinda, weird," she clicked her tongue. I responded to that the only way I knew how.

"How the hell should I know why you have to giggle?" I replied, "I mean, I don't have a clue on how it works, but it did on all the guys in my flight squadron when they got girlfriends or got married. Point is Bloomin' Onion, giggling triggers a positive reaction from guys, so if you want him to be your coltfriend or whatever, you've got to giggle," I finished my explanation.

"Fine, Ah'll giggle," she hopped off the bed, "'n thanks Cougar," she smiled at me. "Ah'm gonna go wait fer Applejack to get out 'o the bathroom."

"Sounds good," I also got up from Applejack's bed and shut the door to the room. "Oh but before you do, what is it about Featherweight you like Applebloom?" I crouched down to her level as best as I could.

"Well, he's just a really sweet colt, kind, good with that camera 'o his, he's smart 'n his really kinda cute," a tiny scarlet blush surfaced onto her cheeks, "especially his little wings 'n tail," she whispered and hid behind her hooves. I chuckled and gently ruffled her mane.

"Cute Applebloom, he's a lucky colt," I winked at her.

"Cougar, Ah thought older brothers protected their sisters from boys," Applebloom said in an innocent voice, "but, why are ya helpin' me with boys?" she asked me with her head cocked to the side. Twiddling my thumbs, I searched every recess of my brain for an answer to that. Applebloom referring to me as her second brother still took some getting used to, but I didn't mind it at all. She was the cutest filly in the country, at least to me, though Sweetie Belle certainly gave her a run for her bits.

"Well, sis," I awkwardly said, "you are very mature for your age and I can trust you to know what to do and what not to do around boys. Instead of sheltering you from boys until you're into your late teens, I think helping you get to know the do's and don'ts of acting around boys at this age will gain you experience that will help you in the future," I delineated.

"Okay Ah get that, but what if Big Mac sees me with Featherweight at the Gala 'n tries ta separate us?" She stuck out her lower lip.

"I think your teacher will keep him preoccupied Bloom," I joked. "But I'll stop and explain everything to him if he tries anything, I promise," I stood up and halted at the top of the stairs, "however, if Featherweight tries anything you're uncomfortable with, I will let Big Mac know, got it?" I asked her.

"Ah get it Cougar," she replied as we heard the shower knobs squeaking from the bathroom. I waved to Applebloom before heading back down the creaking stairs and grabbed my tuxedo bag and headed back to my house.

---

(3rd Person POV. Musical Montage)

At Carousel Boutique, Rarity was helping Sweetie Belle with her dress and mane in front of Rarity's tri-mirror set up. "Rarity, I already look great for Pipsqueak, what else do I have to do?" The younger Belle sister complained as her older sister repeatedly insisted on running a brush through her purple and pink mane.

"Oh Sweetie Belle," Rarity giggled, "you have so much to learn about looking your best for your date, especially a date at the Grand Galloping Gala, not to mention Pipsqueak is from Trottingham, a close equivalent of sophistication to Canterlot," she beamed. "My little sister, dating a Trottingham colt at the Grand Galloping Gala, I'm the luckiest big sister in Equestria tonight!" Rarity exclaimed.

"How? This is my date with Pipsqueak. You're not going to hover around us and micromanage everything are you?" Sweetie asked with a cough while Rarity sprayed half a bottle of perfume on Sweetie Belle.

"Um, only on occasion I shall try and check in on you two, but I swear on my Cutie Mark-"

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Oops, poor choice of words, sorry," Rarity patted her head, "I swear on my mane that I will let you two spend your night together alone or with your friends if you choose," Rarity put on her red glasses to closer inspect Sweetie Belle's dress and mane. "Ah there, yes, you will be the most beautiful filly at the Gala!" Rarity declared, "if only my film roll wasn't empty, though I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia and Luna will still have the photography team on standby."

"Thanks big sis," Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity's leg. "By the way, are you going to save a dance for a certain somepony tonight?" Sweetie questioned.

"No, I hadn't thought of it Sweetie Belle. Though if somepony were to ask, I may accept their invitation. Why do you ask?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, just curious," Sweetie Belle looked around.

Welcome to your life; there's no turning back
Even while we sleep we will find
You acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on mother nature
Ev'rybody wants to rule the world

(At Rainbow Dash's Cloud House)

Rainbow Dash was currently posing in front of a mirror in her rainbow and lightning themed Gala dress, not fashion poses like Rarity but awesome poses like she does when she's in her Wonderbolt Uniform. "I can't believe this Tank!" She exclaimed to her pet tortoise, "my first Gala as a Wonderbolt and with Soarin as my Stallionfriend!" She squealed like Rarity. Her tortoise's expression didn't change as he continued to munch on a lettuce leaf. "Um, yeah it's totally cool and all don't ya think?" Rainbow cleared her throat after realizing she produced a Rarity-like squeal.

Her head turned to a picture sitting on her nightstand that she got to take with Soarin a few months ago. Her heart pounded so loud and hard that she thought it would eventually burst out of her chest. She had been on a few lunch and dinner dates with Soarin and even spent the Estrus weekend together, but this was huge. Going to the Gala as a Wonderbolt instead of a guest of the Wonderbolts? Her second dream come true. "What do you think Cougar meant when he said he knew the perfect song to play for the 'Bolts Tank?" The cyan pegasus asked her pet. A tiny belch was all she was met with.

"Yeah, you're right Tank, I should just think about spending my time with my friends and my Stallionfriend," she put her headpiece on top of her head. "A slow dance with Soarin doesn't sound too bad also," she pondered. The Wonerbolt Co-Captain then double-checked to see if anypony was watching before opening a bottle of perfume and just spraying a tiny bit on her neck.

It's my own desire, it's my own remorse
Help me to decide. Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

(At Sugarcube Corner)

"Oh Gummy, can you just feel this magic in the air?!" Pinkie hopped up and down in her dress while her 'jam' was playing loudly over a record player. Her tiny pet alligator just blinked out of sync and bit down his toothless muzzle onto Pinkie's dress. "With Cheese finally being able to make it to the Gala and with Cougar and Vinyl jamming up the airwaves, this is going to be the most fantabulous Gala ever!" She burst in excitement. Gummy began to try and chew on her dress when she stopped hopping up and down.

"You're right Gummy," Pinkie dipped her hoof in a little jar of cake frosting and dabbed it behind her ears, "Rarity's cake frosting idea is sure to keep me smelling good all night. You know how sweaty Mama can get when she party hardys! Do you think anypony will notice if I try to smuggle in my party cannon Gummy?" The pink Earth Pony tried jamming her cannon into a briefcase. The little reptile smacked his mouth a few times in response before letting go of Pinkie Pie's dress.

"Eh, I'm sure Cougar and Vinyl will make it a rocking fantabulous Gala! Good thing Cheese isn't picky about music Gummy," the mare cuddled Gummy up to her chest and hugged him, "I wonder if Cheese will want to slow dance with me, or we can do our normal dance routine at all of our yearly get togethers!"

There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do, I'll be right behind you
So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Ev'rybody wants to rule the world

(At Bon Bon's House)

"Oh Bonnie, you look so beautiful in your dress," Lyra smoothed everything out on Bon Bon's Gala dress and fixed up her mane. The candy making Earth Pony grumbled as her marefriend kept fretting over ever little detail about her mane, dress and makeup. Bon Bon wanted to say something about it, but every opportunity that came up was quickly shut by Lyra suddenly trying to fix something else.

"Ly, Ly please stop talking for just a second," Bon Bon pleaded to her marefriend. By some stroke of luck, Lyra finally shut her mouth to allow Bon Bon to speak.

"Yes Bon Bon?" Lyra paused with a quick smile.

"Please, can you just stop fretting over every little detail about our dresses and hair and makeup?" Bon Bon asked. Stepping away, Lyra had a saddened look on her face and dropped all the tools she had that were floating in her magical grasp. "Oh Lyra, please don't look at me like that," Bon Bon begged, hating to see the mare she loved cry. The mint unicorn sniffled before replying.

"I'm sorry Bonnie, I just want this night to be absolutely perfect for us. Ever since we fell in love in school, I've always dreamed of being next to you at the Grand Galloping Gala and showing off what a perfect marefriend you are. And getting to see you in your special dress just makes me so happy that we're together Bon Bon," Lyra cried out. Feeling bad, Bon Bon wrapped her foreleg around Lyra's neck and hugged her close.

"Lyra, it's okay. And I don't mind dressing up like this to go to parties and other social events like the Gala, especially with you Lyra. But listen to me, as long as you're going with me and I'm going with you, everything is already perfect; I don't care what we're wearing," Bon Bon planted a passionate kiss onto Lyra's lips. "I love you Lyra," Bon Bon temporarily broke away from the kiss.

"I love you too Bonnie," Lyra pressed further into the kiss. Bon Bon got the shock of the week when Lyra suddenly pushed her onto the couch, quickly asserting the top spot.

"Lyra, what about our hair and dresses?" Bon Bon said in between moans.

"Buck it," Lyra replied.

I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you'll never, never, never, need it
One headline, why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world

(At Fluttershy's Cottage)

"So Discord, are you ready for your first Gala?" Fluttershy asked as two birds laced a flower band on top of her head. The Draconequus in question appeared wearing a monocle, a tiny pencil mustache, a kane and a tuxedo complete with white gloves.

"Oh, of course Fluttershy," the Lord of Chaos replied with a hearty chuckle, "and I promise to be on my best behavior, especially after everypony's trust in me is still rusty what with the Tirek incident," he added with a swish of his kane.

"I know, but at least our friends still have trust in you," Fluttershy fed some carrot to Angel. "And you do know that your best behavior means no cracking inappropriate jokes, especially about Princess Celestia's flank," Fluttershy's voice grew stern at the conclusion of her sentence.

"Moi, mock the Princess' royal hindquarters, perish the thought Fluttershy," Discord made a halo appear above his head.

"No spiking the punch or any other beverages with hot sauce, dish water, laxative or alcohol, understand?" Fluttershy went down her list. Discord let out an annoyed sigh and balled up a piece of paper before throwing it into a garbage can. The can let out a loud buzzer as the ball landed inside.

"Yes smother," Discord grunted.

"Aw, don't be a grumpy draconequus Discord," the yellow buttery pegasus patted his knee, "you can still have fun without causing chaos for everyone," she gave him a hug.

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

(At The Ponyville Castle)

"Spike, we're about to leave for Applejack's, are you ready?" The Princess of Friendship called from the foyer of her castle. The purple and green scaled dragon hustled down the stairs from the bathroom wearing the exact outfit he wore at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding: A tuxedo complete with a top hat.

"So how do I look Twi?" Spike spun in a slow circle for his best friend.

"You're the most handsome dragon in Equestria," Twilight quickly hugged her little dragon friend. Blushing lightly, Spike blushed and crossed his hands behind his back while he moved up and down nervously on the tips of his toes to the heel of his foot.

"Aww it's nothin' Twi," he tried his best to make the blush disappear on his cheeks. The dragon bit down on his lower lip, wanting to ask his best friend an important question, but was afraid of her answer. Unfortunately for him, Twilight saw right through him.

"All right mister," Twilight smirked, "what's on your mind?" She questioned.

"Well, I uh," Spike completely failed to keep eye contact with the purple alicorn princess in front of him. "Twi," Spike gulped, "d-do you think Rarity will want to dance with me tonight if I ask her?" Spike fearfully asked. Twilight sighed and shook her head back and forth softly with her eyes shut. This upset the little dragon whom whined a little.

"Spike, you are a great dragon and a good friend, and Rarity does consider you one of her closest friends, but you have to consider the age difference," Twilight began.

"But, she's only 24 and technically Twilight, technically I'm 17!" Spike argued.

"Yes you are technically," Twilight agreed, "but you're still considered a baby to everypony here," she explained. Spike opened his mouth, but failed to produce any words as Twilight continued talking, "not only that, Rarity has said specifically she wants a stallion and she only sees you as a little brother," Twilight said in an apologetic tone.

"I-I love her Twi," Spike choked out. Grabbing a rag with her magic, Twilight wiped a few tears away from Spike's cheeks.

"Please don't cry Spike," Twilight begged, "I know you'll find somepony or dragoness your own age, and she'll be the luckiest girl in Equestria," she attempted to cheer him up, "and I'll be there to help you as will Rarity; she does want you happy too Spike," Twilight smiled.

"Is it too much that I just want one dance with her?" Spike finally stopped the salty tears from flowing.

"Of course not Spike," Twilight hugged him again, "don't get your hopes up, but she may say yes," the alicorn released her hug on the dragon.

"Well, it just sucks that everyone going has a date, except for me," Spike said sadly.

"Not true!" Twilight exclaimed happily, "Cougar, Applejack and Vinyl don't have dates, and I'm pretty sure Discord doesn't either," she tapped her chin. "Now come on before we're late getting to Applejack's," Twilight offered Spike her wing so he could climb onto her back. "And when the night is all said and done, no matter if Rarity rejected your offer or accepted, I'll make you a big bowl of your favorite green gems," Twilight warmly smiled.

"Thanks, Twilight," Spike paused briefly before saying Twilight instead of the word he's wanted to use for so many years: Mom.

---

(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

Finally after Applejack and Applebloom evacuated the bathroom, I was allowed to go in and wash myself for the upcoming events of the evening. The steam from the shower was dying down as I dried my body and combed back my hair to sort of like a James Bond look, only with shoulder length hair. "Maybe I should see a barber after tonight," I double-checked the mirror. Luckily, Big Mac allowed me to borrow his shaving kit and I shaved my five 'o clock shadow from my face. Bracing my hands on the counter top, I looked at myself in the mirror, studying the different man I saw than the one that crash landed here four and a half months ago.

It was almost surreal, I didn't think the same as I did when I was back on Earth with Reaper and Ghostrider Squadron. I saw goodness and kindness in just about every pony I saw in this world, and I no longer thought negatively about everything. My thoughts then briefly drifted over to Applejack, and I just couldn't figure out what my emotions were trying to choose for me whenever the two of us were close.

"Hey Cougar, it's almost time fer us ta leave!" Big Mac knocked on the door followed by Rarity clearing her throat.

"Cougar, you mustn't keep a lady waiting, especially fourteen of them!" She shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I retorted before zipping up my pants, button up and tucking in my white shirt, throwing on my black jacket, tying my black shoes and throwing on my black bow tie. If it was hard to tell, I was uncomfortable wearing this getup. After throwing on some deodorant, I said to myself, "I wish I could go in my T-Shirt and jeans," I complained as I exited the bathroom.

"Oh my Cougar, you do clean up good," Rarity paused to look me over, "really good. You should definitely try and find a marefriend around here; they would be one lucky lady," winked at me.

"I feel like an idiot Rarity, just saying," I replied, "not saying your seamstress work is bad, I just hate tuxedos," I explained.

"Quit complaining and join your friends!" She lightly punched my kneecap to get me to move. Granny Smith waved goodbye to us as we descended the stair case and entered the living room where all of our friends were mingling. "Ahem, presenting the MUCH and VASTLY improved."

"Oh boy," I rolled my eyes.

"Cougar!" Rarity presented myself in my tuxedo. All eyes turned to me and Rarity at the front of the room and everypony looked shocked.

"Wow, you look like a million bits Coug," Rainbow complimented me.

"Very nice Cougar," Fluttershy smiled.

"Hmm, you look different somehow," Discord teased, "let me guess, new toothpaste?" he joked and lightly jabbed his kane in my gut, to which I yanked from him and snapped it in half. "You're no fun," he snapped his eagle talons and a new kane appeared.

"Whoo, you look hot Cougar!" Pinkie let out a wolf-whistle. "What, I'll admit he does," the pink mare asked as everyone, including myself, slowly looked towards her.

"Ah can say fer sure yer the handsomest human Ah've ever seen," Applejack winked. Okay, why do I feel like that only when she compliments me? I referred to an uncertain feeling in my chest.

"He does clean up pretty good," Lyra admitted.

"I'll feel better when I get to take off these clothes," I replied.

"Oooooohhhhhh," Rainbow replied.

"Real mature Dash," I glowered. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as a few golden chariots showing off Celestia's Cutie Mark appeared outside the house.

"Those are our rides, let's set off!" Twilight declared as I held the door open for all the ladies to trot through.

"Glock, what're you doing here?" Spike asked when all the girls exited the house and the guys got to leave.

"Celestia entrusted me with making sure your group made it to the Gala safely, especially with visibility lowering," he replied.

"Luna's moon is bright enough don't you think Glock?" I asked. He shrugged before opening the first chariot door which myself, Applejack, Applebloom, Featherweight, Spike and Twilight got to sit in.

"I-I brought you this flower Applebloom," Featherweight nervously placed the rose in her ear with his teeth.

"Aww, thanks Featherweight," the yellow filly cuddled up to him.

"Princess Twilight?" Glock asked.

"Yes Glock," Twilight replied.

"Princess Celestia has asked me to inform you that Flash Sentry, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich and Caramel have already arrived at the Gala and are awaiting your arrival," he read a parchment.

"Thank you Glock, much appreciated," the lavender alicorn thanked.

"Okay everypony, you know the rules!" Remington announced as all three chariots raised up from the ground. "Hold onto your tickets and please keep all legs inside the chariots at all times, unless you're a pegasus then do whatever the buck you want!" he added.

"Language Lt. Remington!" Rarity scolded the guard.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Rainbow dived from the chariot, only to face plant the dirt.

"You know, it would help if we were higher than three feet off the ground Ms. Dash," Remington suppressed a chuckle. The cyan pegasus grumbled as she wiped the dirt from her face and flapped her wings until she was level with the chariot Scootaloo and Rumble were sitting in. The chariots all lurched forward, and we were instantly heading towards Canterlot. I felt at peace with the cool night breeze flowing across my face as we flew towards our destination.

I never realized how beautiful this place is at night with Luna's moon being the beacon to lead our way. Like a giant lightbulb in the sky, plastered onto an ocean of navy blue and little silver pieces of glitter. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like singing, just to give my friends a little taste of what was to come.

Now Listen
Not a dime, I CANNOT pay my rent
I can barely make it through the week
Saturday night I'd like to make my girl
But right now I can't make ends meet

Everyone could hear me, and needless to say, they were weirded out that I had blurted out singing, despite Applejack telling me bursting out into song was normal here. I was cool with it, as long as it was more like Rock of Ages and less like High School Musical.

I'm always workin' slavin' every day
Gotta get A BREAK from that same OL' same OL'
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think this is what I'd say

"Cougar's paying rent now AJ?" Applebloom questioned her older sister as I kept singing.

"Nnope, he shouldn't be, but at least the song is catchy," Applejack began to pop her shoulders back and forth.

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

"Preach it Cougar!" Rainbow started to dance in the sky.

They say I spend my money on women and wine
But I couldn't tell you where I spent last night
I'm really sorry about the shape I'm in
I just like my fun every now and then

I'm always workin' slavin' every day
Gotta get away from that same old same old
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think this is what I'd say

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

You see I raise a toast to all of us
Who are breakin' our backs every day
If wantin' the good life is such a crime
Lord, then put me away
Here's to ya'

I picked up Applebloom and raised her slightly in the air when I sang about raising a toast. Thankfully nopony freaked out as I sort of danced with her in the chariot before setting her back down next to Featherweight.

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

"That's what's in store for you guys tonight!" Vinyl declared from her chariot.

As I finished singing, the castle was in full view and I could feel the chariot begin to descend towards the structure. "Nice Cougar," Twilight thanked, "a little traveling music couldn't hurt anypony."

"Brace for landing!" Glock informed us the chariot wheels touched onto the balcony which held Celestia, Luna, Checkered Flag, Flash Sentry, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich and Caramel. All seven ponies waved to us as we landed and the guards quickly opened the doors for us.

"Luna!" I briskly walked up to the midnight blue alicorn and hugged her.

"Oh my word, you look extremely dapper tonight Cougar," Luna teased me. Checkered smiled and waved hello to me as we let our hug go. "I trust the ride went smoothly?" She asked.

"About as smooth as you raising the moon," I replied and patted her shoulder.

"Twilight Sparkle, so good to see my favorite student," Celestia and Twilight bowed to each other. The rest of the group caught up with their dates that were either waiting for them or briefly said hi to different friends.

"It's good to see you too Princess Celestia, I have a feeling this will be the best Grand Galloping Gala ever," she exclaimed.

"Yes I do believe so as well," Celestia said as Glock appeared next to Celesita's side, though he seemed kind of, down. "Because I have a surprise for you Twilight," Celestia smiled.

"A surprise? All right Twilight," Spike said enthusiastically, "what is it Princess?" he asked.

"Come on out!" Celestia turned to the door behind her and she stepped aside.

"It's good to see you Twily," a voice said from behind the door.

End Chapter 20

---

Okay NEXT time is the Triple G, I PWOMISE! Anyways guys, I am sorry this took so long to get out, but as I said before, I had another story to update and work. So I'll work my best to get the next chapter out quicker, but as high quality as possible.

I do not own:

Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears

Nothin' but a good time by Poison.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 21: The Grand Galloping Gala Part 1

Welcome back guys to another chapter for Fallen Eagle. I still want to thank you guys so much for favoriting, following and giving me feedback; that's what keeps me motivated to keep writing. And I'm glad everyone was happy with me writing a montage, you don't have any clue how difficult that actually was. I'm still going to try and update as often as I can, but quality comes first and I also want to finish Long Live Rock 'N Roll. Before I get to rambling, let's reply to some reviews shall we?

OBSERVER01: Well he's certainly fallen victim to something, or somepony…

Glugthorn: Thank you. I like dramatic openings, like Goldeneye's opening, Dante's Peak's opening, Top Gun's opening etc.

SquirtlePWN: Thanks. Music montages (if done correctly) can be really fun, and what better way to get everyone ready for the Gala then to do brief shots of everypony gearing up for said Gala?

lifestardt: At a point like this, normally I'd deny it, but really, Shining's the only one to call her Twily. Did I make it too obvious? Maybe, but who cares? It's time Shining Armor and Cadence made an appearance.

KonigstigerAce334: Don't mean to brag, but I do kinda know what the best music in the world is. My parents raised me with 50s music to 80s music.

KillerWOW: I can't begin to tell you how many times I've flipped out over a new chapter, but shit kept getting in the way of me reading it. I think it' safe to say: We've all been there.

uss71832: Hell yeah man, can't go wrong with those two bands. But if you really enjoyed THAT, stay tuned for this chapter and the next chapter; I've got some really kick-ass songs coming up that Cougar and Vinyl will perform.

Dixie Darlin: No need to apologize, I understand work gets in the way sometimes. I thought that would be cool for people to see how everyone is doing before the big night. I believe Rainbow DID let out a Rarity-like squeal in the Season 1 finale if I'm not mistaken when Spitfire invites her to hang out.

Phew. Alright, one last thing. I finally broke down and watched ONE, yes just one, teaser for Season 5. If you're curious, it's the one where the writers showed the map inside the castle which alerts the Mane 6 about a friendship problem. It kind of reminded me of Charlie's Angels, but that's just me. Oh and I nearly crapped my pants when I saw Sweetie Belle getting ready to sing in front of a crowd. I have a theory on what that episode might be about, if you're curious just PM me on what my theory might be. But, I have a strong feeling this season could be Season 2 good, it's definitely too early to say that, but I have a gut feeling.

---

(At the Grand Galloping Gala. Cougar's POV)

I never thought I would actually hear a squeal that could potentially shatter glass or make ears bleed. But dammit if Twilight's squeal didn't come close to accomplishing that particular feat. Though I believe everyone save for Pinkie was slightly disturbed by Twilight's exclamation. "SHINING ARMOR! She shouted while jumping up and down in front of a white unicorn wearing a red uniform with a gold collar and had a three pointed shield cutie mark with a six pointed star in the middle and three five pointed stars above the shield. The purple alicorn practically tackled this Shining Armor and squeezed him tightly. "What are you doing here?!" She asked with an exuberant amount of excitement. Chuckling, the white unicorn returned the hug before softly prying Twilight off of him.

"Well, Cady and I received a special invitation from Princess Celestia to join the Gala this year, so we accepted and showed up last night," Shining explained.

"That, and we really wanted to meet your new friend you talked about in your letters," a pink alicorn with a multi-colored mane and tail and what appeared to be turquoise heart on her flank appeared next to Shining Armor. She looked up at me with a warm smile.

"Yeah, Cheetah right?" Shining asked.

"Cougar," I corrected, "and nice to meet you Shining Armor, you're Twilight's big brother right?" I questioned. Shining Armor nodded, but Twilight technically answered for him.

"Not just that, he's my BBBFF!" She hugged him again.

"And what the hell is that?" I asked, puzzled.

"No, don't!" Spike warned, but Twilight explained anyway, "too late," he rolled his green eyes.

"Shining is my Big Brother Best Friend Forever," she said, "and he's the best big brother ever!" she added. "Oh Cadence, how could I forget?" the alicorn face-hoofed. The two alicorns stood face to face and bent down with their flanks in the air. They began dancing and chanting something.

"Sunshine, sunshine ladybugs awake. clap your hooves and do a little shake!" The two chanted and shook their butts towards each other. They then proceeded to laugh while the rest of us stood awkwardly waiting for this to end.

"Not even gonna ask about that," I looked away.

"Oh, this is so sweet it's making me sick!" Discord appeared in a hospital gown and an IV bag.

"So Cougar, you've seemed to make quite the splash in Equestria," Cadence chimed in and produced a news article clipping of the day I fought the timber wolf duo. Thankfully instead of talking about it, she made the news article go away. "Tell me, how do you like Equestria so far?" She politely asked me. Before I could reply, Celestia cleared her throat to gather attention from all of us.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion so to speak, but Twilight, we must go and greet other guests to the Gala per tradition," she announced. "Everypony else, you can do what you want until the main event with Cougar and Ms. Vinyl," she added.

"Oh you're right Princess," Twilight bit her lip to suppress your excitement, "Shining, do you want to join us?" She asked.

"Maybe in a bit Twilight," Shining apologized, "I do want to talk a little military history with Cougar here," he patted my shoulder with his hoof. This definitely got my attention; I looked over at the unicorn with an unsure face.

"If you want, though I won't tell you much if that's okay," I didn't want to offend or upset anypony here.

"Classified information, best part of the job am I right?" Shining bragged. Cadence and Flash Sentry volunteered to go join Celestia and Twilight while everypony pretty much went their own way, though I heard Rainbow giving Rumble a small lecture before he set off with Scootaloo and the rest of the crusaders.

"Look Rumble, I think you're a good colt, but don't pull any crap your idiot brother would do, got it?" She hovered above the cowering colt with her nostrils flared and her hoof pounding into her other hoof.

"Y-y-yes Rainbow Dash," Rumble stammered out in fear.

"Come on sis, Rumble won't do anything," the orange filly got in between her date and her sister. "I can make sure of that," she assured the older pegasus.

"Well good, now you two have fun!" Rainbow's tone changed from grim and threatening to happy and chipper in an instant. Even that creeped me out a bit.

"See ya AJ, Big Mac, Cougar!" Applebloom hugged all three of us.

"They're not gonna break anything, are they?" I asked to make sure. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity all looked at each other and shrugged before continuing to go do whatever they wanted to do. "Eh, I'm worrying about nothing," I comforted myself.

"Come Cougar and Shining Armor, the night is just beginning!" Luna cheered.

"Hey Checkered," I shook the hoof of the racing pony.

"Good to see you again Cougar, and good to finally meet you Prince Shining Armor," Checkered gave a little bow. Checkered himself was also wearing a tuxedo, though his was actually white with a black undershirt, very creative I think. Looking back, Fluttershy and Caramel walked together out to the garden area, Rainbow and Soarin joined up with the rest of the Wonderbolts, Rarity trotted off to see Fancypants and Fleur-Dis-Lee while Spike followed. Flash Sentry tagged along with Twilight, Celestia and Cadence to greet ponies to the Gala. Big Mac and Cheerilee headed over to the snack table, Discord just vanished, probably to go cause a little trouble while Vinyl went to find some beer to drink and Lyra and Bon Bon attempted to talk to the Canterlot Elite. This left Applejack with pretty much nopony to hang out with.

"Hey Applejack, wanna come with us?" I asked, "always room for one more," I offered. Across the room, the orange mare looked over at us, back to where she was standing and nodded.

"Ah'm a-comin' Cougar!" She replied and trotted our way. Shining cleared his throat, gathering my attention. The white unicorn teasingly chuckled at me with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk carved into his face.

"So, Twily's been telling me in her letters that Applejack took you in to live on her farm," he said.

"Yeah, in exchange for chores and being polite yes," I replied, unsure of where he was going with this conversation.

"Well, she also mentioned how close you two are getting," he nudged me in the shoulder with his shoulder. I opened my mouth to counter what he was saying, but he kept talking, "you can be truthful with us Cougar," he motioned to Luna and Checkered Flag, "is she your date?" he asked with a smile. "Oh fuck," I thought to myself, "not this again."

"No, she is not my date," I defended, "besides, if I asked, what in the hell do you think her reaction would be?" I asked rhetorically. "I'll tell you what her reaction would be-" I began to answer my own question when Applejack finally caught up.

"Howdy Prince Shining Armor, Princess Luna, Checkered Flag, Cougar," Applejack greeted us. "How're things goin' in the Crystal Empire?" She asked Shining Armor. The royal unicorn tore away from me to address the orange mare.

"Oh good, the economy is great, crime is at an all time low and every citizen is happy," he replied. "Nothing really to complain about."

"I'm curious, who runs your Empire if both you and your princess are gone?" I questioned curiously.

"We have an ambassador who takes control of the Crystal Empire until our return, Ambassador Crystalline, good mare," Shining Armor said. "And before I forget, congratulations on your tie with Rainbow Dash in the Running of the Leaves," he congratulated Applejack.

"Thank ya kindly Shining Armor, it was a fun race," she replied, "these three can attest ta that," she added.

"I mainly remember getting slapped in the face with a dark blue wing," I smirked towards the alicorn standing off to my right. She blushed a deep scarlet red and looked away at Checkered Flag whom tried to suppress a laugh.

"You know I did not mean to do that Cougar," the princess squeaked out embarrassingly.

"Excuse my snickering your highness, but did you hit Cougar with your wing?" He questioned.

"Y-yes I did Checkered," Luna stammered, "I had a natural reaction that pegasi and apparently alicorns get when they see a potential mate they like," she explained, trying to keep a straight face while talking to said potential mate that gave her her wing-boner. "And unfortunately, Cougar was sitting in the wrong place at the wrong time," Luna added.

"Boy that had to hurt," Checkered grimaced an apology to me. "Who could've possibly made you have that reaction Princess Luna?" The racing pony tried playing dumb. I wanted to let him know that I knew he and Luna were already in a relationship, but someone beat me to the punch.

"Oh cut the crap Checkered, I already told him and Vinyl Scratch that we've been together for awhile now," Luna cut in. Checkered's ears dropped and his face contorted into an, 'I can't believe I made an ass out of myself,' face. Applejack however gasped in astonishment and immediately began to congratulate the couple.

"Oh my gosh! Well congrats Princess Luna 'n Checkered Flag!" She congratulated, "Ah'm really happy for ya two," she smiled.

"Thank you Element of Honesty, though Checkered and I wish for you to keep this a secret, mainly from my older sister," Luna requested as her face returned to its normal shade of midnight blue.

"'N why is that yer highness if Ah may ask?" the farming pony questioned curiously.

"She and Checkered Flag don't want Celestia to make a big deal out of it and pester them non-stop," I explained, "she told me and Vinyl earlier today," I added. Applejack complied with a quick nod and we went about our way.

"Nephew, you haven't said a word about this yet, is there any reason why?" Luna questioned Shining Armor.

"Well, if you're thinking I'm not happy for you, you couldn't be further from the truth Aunt Luna," the unicorn replied, "it's just, I already knew you and Checkered Flag here were a couple," he said. Luna stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the hallway, causing us all to follow suit. Her face had just about the perfect 'What the hell' faces I've ever seen in my life.

"Uh, excuse me nephew?" She asked, bewildered, "Checkered and I kept our relationship a secret, how in my sister's name did you find this out?" the alicorn demanded with a hint of fire in her eyes. I backed Applejack away just in case.

"My wife is the Princess of Love Auntie," Shining rolled his eyes, "she could feel his love for you when he and the Earth Pony Racing League visited the Crystal Empire for their annual charity race," he delineated, "and when you fell for him, it's kind of like when Discord feels a surge of magical disturbance. Cady gets a huge chill up her spine when a strong pair of love is born." Luna facehoofed and groaned, feeling like an idiot over something that was apparently obvious to her.

"Of course, how could I forget such an important detail?" she growled.

"She felt another one back in June or July; she said it was one of the biggest ones she felt too," Shining added. Without another word, we began our trek once again, though I had no clue where we were going, it was nice just to walk with friends and spend time with them. "So Cougar, Twily said in her letters that you flew in your country's Air Force right?" the Prince of the Crystal Empire inquired. Stuffing my hands in my pockets I explained what I did in the Air Force.

"I flew an F-15C for seven years in the Air Force yes," I replied, "it was our duty to keep our country's air spaces free of unauthorized enemy aircraft and to ensure the safety of our country, especially with how dependent the majority of countries were on air space dominance," I explained.

"Were you in a lot of battles?" he asked again.

"I was, and so were my friends in Ghostrider Squadron. We were the Air Force's elite group."

"So, do you have any clue on how you even got here?" the pony prince asked a third question. Truthfully, I never questioned how or why I even got here; the memories of that night were just far too painful to relieve. However, I decided I could give an explanation on why I was here and not give him any details on losing every single one of my friends.

"Do you really want my theory? Because it'll sound crazy; I don't even believe it," I warned him.

"Shoot, I won't think you're crazy," he assured me.

"Fine. We were sent on an escort mission to get a recon ship safely to its next port when we were ambushed by an enemy squad. We knocked a few out of the sky before I was hit with gun fire in my engines, they stalled and my jet plummeted towards the ocean. I ejected as quick as I could but I blacked out and woke up here," I elucidated. "My only guess is we were above the Bermuda Triangle and it somehow transported me to Equestria." Shining stopped dead in his tracks as we rounded a corner. Applejack, Checkered Flag and Luna were just behind us.

"A triangle sent you here?" he questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Told you it would sound weird, and it's not really a physical triangle," I started to explain when a snooty couple bumped into us.

"I say, what is the matter with you, stopping in the middle of the hallway like common street rats," the male of the duo dusted his shirt off.

"Oh my Jetset," the female pony grimaced in disgust, "it's that horribly ugly monkey creature the princesses allowed to live amongst our kind, how dreadful!" She whined.

"Mmm, agreed Uppercrust, how could our beloved Princesses, well Celestia anyways, I don't really care for or trust that wretched Princess Luna," Jetset just nonchalantly insulted my best friend, "how could she allow an uncouth and rather grotesque animal to walk amongst us without a leash?" the grey pony jabbed my chest with his hoof. This guy was pissing me off. Insult me all you want, but you mess with my friends...

"Watch it there, that's my sister's friend you've just insulted," Shining Armor warned.

"And who are you again? You look familiar," Uppercrust studied the unicorn.

"PRINCE Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, husband of Princess Cadence, elder brother of Princess Twilight and nephew of Princesses Celestia and Luna," he glared at the snooty couple. The couple didn't shrink down in fear or flinch, they stood there like statues, as if nothing was said to them.

"Well, we have no personal problems with you, your wife or your kingdom Prince Shining Armor," Jetset adjusted his glasses.

"We just don't think a creature such as him should be allowed to live in Equestria unless a leash was attached to his neck or he was in a cage at the zoo," Uppercrust finished Jetset's sentence. Suddenly, Luna trotted up beside us, with a regal-like expression on her face. Now Jetset and Uppercrust shrank down in fear.

"So, Jetset and Uppercrust, are thou enjoying our Gala?" Luna politely asked.

"Y-yes of course your highness," Jetset stammered, "perfect as always, right Uppercrust?" he asked.

"C-couldn't be better Princess," her eyes were filled with fear.

"Oh, well I couldn't help overhearing that you believe my personal friend here," she nudged me in the gut with her hoof, "should be locked up in a cage in the zoo, or be attached to a leash, is that correct?" Luna questioned. Now Checkered Flag and Applejack appeared next to myself, Luna and Shining Armor, both looking unhappy at the couple as well.

"Uh-um well," Jetset began before Luna cut him off in her stadium voice.

"HOW DARE THOU SAY SUCH CRUEL THINGS TO THIS KIND CREATURE!?" She boomed, causing a few windows to rattle and a few guests to look our way. "THIS CREATURE HATH SAVED MANY PONIES' LIVES AND HATH BEEN A TRUE FRIEND TO MANY OTHERS. WE MUST ASK THOU TO LEAVE OUR GALA IMMEDIATELY!" Luna ordered the duo.

"B-but what if we apologized?" Uppercrust asked.

"After what you said about my sister? I think NOT!" Luna's white aura grasped Jetset and Uppercrust and tossed them out of an open window in the hallway. The two landed in a giant bush in the garden below where I saw Fluttershy and Caramel sitting around a few animals. "There," Luna dusted off her hooves, "I do believe the garbage has been taken care of. Checkered, if you'll join me please?" She asked.

"What a mare," the Earth Pony trotted ahead. Shining Armor, Applejack and myself all turned to each other and said the same word.

"Damn."

"Luna, you didn't have to throw them out," I said.

"Oh ho ho," Luna chortled, "those two are the worst of the worst when it comes to attitudes for Canterlot Elites. And NOPONY belittles my friends or my sister and gets away with it," she shot me a look of death which made me back down. Clearing my throat, I turned to Applejack to talk to her about her sister and her friends.

"Hey AJ, do you think your sister and her friends are doing okay in the castle by themselves?" I asked once we resumed following Luna and Checkered Flag.

"Well, that depends," Applejack replied.

"On what exactly?"

"The normal okay or the okay we reserve fer the crusaders?"

(With the CMC and their Dates)

The six school-aged ponies had ditched their older sisters and were busy checking out all of the neat paintings, busts, statues and tapestries that were set up all around the castle's hallways. Naturally, the six colts and fillies bumped into numerous ponies, but they didn't really care. "I say, watch where you are going, heathens," a snooty pony complained after Scootaloo bumped into his leg.

"Sorry mister!" she apologized as she and the others rushed by the legs of other ponies.

"Could we please slow down Sweetie Belle?" Pipsqueak politely asked his date, "I do want to see what the castle has to offer, but I would also like to see it in once piece without angering others," he held onto Sweetie Belle's foreleg as they weaved in an out of the sea of pony legs. The younger sister of Rarity giggled as the six came to a stop in a new hallway that was empty of other guests to the Gala.

"Aw Pip, don't worry too much," she said in a flirty tone that she obviously learned from her sister.

"Well, I just don't want to see my lovely date get injured," he held her hoof. Sweetie Belle blushed like mad and looked away from the charming Trottingham colt. Featherweight and Rumble both exchanged glances and rolled their eyes at their friend.

"Try hard much Pip?" Rumble asked his friend. Scootaloo elbowed him in the ribs and shot a glare that told him to keep his trap shut. Applebloom gasped as she realized they had entered the Hall of Canterlot History and started to look all around.

"Featherweight, you brought your camera right?" she made sure. The pegasus colt produced his camera from behind his back and held it in front of his girlfriend. "Good work, now this night we can really remember!" she pecked his cheek, causing the poor colt to seize up and collapse. "Oops, sorry Featherweight," Applebloom apologized and helped her date to his hooves. The colt shook his head and got the stars out of his eyes.

"Hehe, good goin' Featherweight," Rumble teased. Scootaloo shot him a glare that told him he better keep his trap shut, causing the pegasus to innocently whistle and look away from Scootaloo.

"Hey Featherweight, can you take our picture in front of this picture?" Sweetie Belle grabbed Pip and stood them in front of a painting of both Luna and Celestia. The silver nameplate below the painting read: Royal Sisters Celestia and Luna. 5 B.N.M. (Before Nightmare Moon)

"Okay, get a little closer," Featherweight looked through the viewfinder on his camera, his tongue sticking out slightly. "Hmm, Sweetie, do you think you can put your lips on Pip's cheek?" the photographer asked.

"Too easy," she flirted, closed her eyes and put her lips onto Pip's cheek, forcing a blush to creep across his face.

"Perfect," Featherweight snapped a quick picture, "okay all good," he announced. Sweetie Belle lightly tapped Pip on his head to snap him back to reality. The Earth Pony nervously wiped his cheek and moved away from the painting.

"HEY!" A gruff voice shouted. The six ponies all snapped their heads towards the sound of a guard's voice who was staring them down while trotting their way. The grey unicorn's bright blue eyes were furrowed down, staying opened as he headed towards his destination. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight both cowered while Applebloom, Pip, Rumble and Scootaloo stood their ground.

"Is something the matter guard dude?" Rumble asked, staying in front of Scootaloo.

"Rumble!" Applebloom scolded.

"Show some respect to authority!" Pip added. The guard in question stopped directly in front of the group, glaring down at the much smaller ponies. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight gulped as the grey unicorn shifted his eyes from pony to pony.

"My name is not guard dude," he growled and got face to face with Rumble, pushing his nose agains't the small pegasus. Rumble tried and failed to stay strong as his ears drooped and a few droplets of sweat trickled down his face. "It's Major Wesson," he corrected Rumble.

"Oh, okay then Sarge," Scootaloo appeared from behind Rumble, "did we do something wrong?" she crossed her forelegs and raised an eyebrow.

"How stupid do you punk kids think I am?" Major Wesson demanded, shutting up the orange filly. "You six go to school right?" he questioned.

"Yes, what's that supposed to mean?" Applebloom questioned. Grumbling, the ticked off guard slapped his hoof onto a plaque next to the doorway of the hall.

"ABSOLUTELY NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY"

"Can you not read, or do you regularly ignore posted rules?" Wesson spat to the filly. Finally regaining confidence, Rumble got back in front of his date and nudged his nose to Wesson's.

"Hey, back off there bud, we just didn't see the sign because we've never been in this area of the castle before," he growled right back.

"Mind who you're talking to you little punk, or else I'll throw all six of you out on your flanks and you'll go crying home to your mommies," he grinned. Silence met the seven ponies as nopony said a word. Applebloom linked forelegs with Featherweight to comfort him as he was still clearly afraid of the guard. "Now get out of my sight before I really get pissed!" He yelled, pointing his hoof towards the exit.

"Fine, we didn't want to see your stupid Hall of History anyways, jerk!" Scootaloo turned around with Rumble beside her and began to head towards the exit with the other four when another guard appeared, this one the group knew.

"Hey kids, enjoying the Hall of History are we?" Remington asked nicely.

"They were just leaving for breaking the rules Remington, no flash photography," Wesson reiterated. The white pegasus guard looked from his fellow guard to the little ponies several times.

"We just took one picture Lt. Remington," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Yeah, we apologized because that sign isn't showing very well," Pip added as he pointed out part of a Starswirl the Bearded statue blocked half the plaque. Featherweight stepped forward to add his two cents as well.

"And he just flipped out on us for no reason and threatened to kick us out even though we promised to leave," the photographer pony said. Remington's blue eyes looked up at Wesson's and he bared his teeth.

"Wesson, you've got to stop being such an ass and taking everything so damned seriously," the pegasus guard gnarled. Wesson stamped his right foreleg and laid his ears down on his head.

"Always have to be the nice guy don't you?" the unicorn guard replied, "You spineless wimp. Celestia was a fool to allow you on the Royal Guard," he snarled right back. The crusaders and their dates gasped in shock; they had no clue a guard would have the guts to say that about their princess. Remington slammed his hoof onto the ground, leaving a small crack where he slammed.

"How DARE you speak of our princess like that Wesson. And you forget who outranks whom, Major," Remington clenched his teeth hard. "I can have you demoted or put on suspension without pay, would you like that? These children are honored guests of Celestia, and the girl's sisters are three of the Elements of Harmony," he added. Wesson's face fell in shock and a breath was caught in his throat.

"Oh, that I didn't know. Please forgive me children, take all the pictures you want," he gulped.

"Now who's the coward?" Remington huffed. "Just get out of my sight Major Wusson," he ordered. Wesson saluted and quickly turned tail and trotted away before disappearing around a corner. Shaking his head, Remington turned around and smiled at the six ponies. "Sorry about him kids," he apologized, "he's just a self-centered jerk who only cares about advancing faster than anypony through the ranks," he explained.

"Isn't that what most guards want to do sir?" Pip asked.

"Yeah, but he cuts corners and reports things that nopony cares about, like this," Remington referenced the current situation. "And besides, that plaque's been up since I was a colt myself and ponies take pictures every day so nopony really cares," he shrugged.

"So, we can take pictures?" Featherweight produced his camera once again. Remington ruffled his mane with a smile.

"I didn't see anything," he winked, "have fun kids, I just have to ask not to touch anything, look with your eyes," he advised with a wave and disappeared down a different hallway than Major Wesson went down.

"Any idea where to go now?" Rumble questioned. Scootaloo tapped her chin with her tongue sticking out and looked around for other things to look at.

"Ooh, how about there?!" She exclaimed, pointing her hoof down a third hallway.

"I think that may be off limits to us Scootaloo," Pip advised his pegasus friend.

"Come on Pip, where's the pirate with the sense of adventure I like?" Sweetie Belle grasped his hoof and yanked him in the direction of the exhibit. Double checking to make sure Remington or Celestia forbid, Wesson, was watching, the Crusaders yanked their dates down the hallway filled with weapons past and present that Celestia and Luna's Royal Guard utilized.

"Woah, take a look at this battle ax!" Rumble began to drool over said ax that was mounted on the wall of the weapons hall.

"Hmm, says here this battle ax belonged to General Lightning Strike, the only Five Star General in the history of Celestia and Luna's Royal Guard, interestin'," Applebloom read the note card below the ax.

"With real authentic battle blood! Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Pipsqueak, put that down!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"What? You wanted my sense of adventure back didn't you?" Pipsqueak held a huge war hammer in his hooves.

"Be careful Pip, that belonged to General Thunder Clap!" Applebloom warned. Both Pip and Featherweight ignored Applebloom's warning.

"Pose for me buddy," Featherweight peered through the viewfinder. Pip held the huge hammer above his head with his hooves, but was obviously struggling to support it. "Come on, stay still," Featherweight annoyingly advised.

"Hurry up before somepony sees us and we really get in trouble!" Scootaloo hissed.

"Don't rush me," the photographer snapped.

"Hey, don't talk to my date like that!" Rumble shoved Featherweight. The shove resulted in Featherweight stumbling closer to Pipsqueak and accidentally taking a picture with the flash right in Pip's face.

"AHHH!" The Trottingham colt screamed, "I'M BLIND!" He flailed around, the hammer swinging around and threatening to hit some valuable piece of weaponry.

"Watch where you're swinging that!" Scootaloo hit the dirt.

"Be careful, don't hurt yourself Pip!" Sweetie Belle worried. Finally, Pip's balance gave out and he fell backward, the hammer smashing a suit of 500 year old golden armor worn by General Thunder Clap.

"Don't worry, I can see again!" Pip sighed in relief. "What's everypony looking at?" He asked.

"We are so DEAD!" Rumble shouted.

"This is all YOUR fault!" Featherweight jabbed Rumble's chest, "if you didn't shove me, this never would have happened!" he shook his hoof.

"Yeah, well you shouldn't have been taking so long!" Rumble shouted back.

"This really wouldn't have happened if Pip didn't touch the hammer," Applebloom grumbled.

"Can we just stop blaming each other and get out of here before we're caught?!" Sweetie suggested.

"Good idea Sweetie, let's split!" Pip agreed and held the door open for his friends and his date. Before any of them left however, Rumble and Featherweight quickly put the hammer back in its original spot while Sweetie Belle reassembled the suit of armor back on its stand, though there was a very noticeable dent in the side which she couldn't fix. The six school ponies dashed out of the weapons hall, deciding to go find something to do that wouldn't earn them a night in the dungeons, or worse: Getting in trouble with their parents/older siblings.

"Ya know, maybe we're still doin' better than Discord," Applebloom pondered while trotting.

(With The Spirit of Chaos)

A snooty Canterlot mare cleared her throat as she scooped a ladle into the punch bowl and filled up a cup full of berry punch. "Enjoying your evening madame?" A teasing voice asked her. Startled, the mare looked around to see who had asked her the question, though she found out that she was the only pony near the punch bowl. "Down here," the voice said. Her eyes peered down into her punch cup to find the ripples formed the face of the Spirit of Chaos himself. "That tickles!" he teased.

"AHHHHHHHH!" She screamed and smashed the glass onto the floor, running away in fear.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Discord braced his head with his lion paw as he guffawed loudly and fell to the ground. "The look on her face! I can't breathe!" he face turned blue while he pounded the floor with his eagle talons. Wiping a tear from his eye, the draconequus caught his breath and stood up to see everypony shaking their head at him. "Oh live a little ponies!" He grumbled.

"What was that Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked with Soarin attached to her foreleg.

"Fluttershy said I couldn't spike the punch with hot sauce, dish water, laxative or alcohol," he explained, "she never said I couldn't spike the punch with myself," he playfully grinned and snapped his lion paw. The troublemaker appeared smaller and sat in the punch bowl as if he were in a jacuzzi tub.

"Look Discord, if you want ponies to start trusting you again after the whole Tirek betrayal thing, you might want to let up off the pranking," Rainbow advised, walking up to the punch bowl to look the teeny prankster in the eyes. Snapping his paws yet again, Discord reappeared in front of the Wonderbolt duo with his hands on his hips.

"Oh really Rainbow Dash?" He asked, "what if I told you to let up on your flying hmm? Pranking is in my nature just like flying is in yours. Do you have any idea how crazy I went when I was trapped in stone for so long?" He demanded.

"Wait a minute, you were crazier than this?" Soarin joked. Growling, Discord clapped his talons and paw together twice, resulting in Soarin's wings to disappear. "MY WINGS, GIVE THEM BACK!" he started to freak. "I don't want to be an Earth Pony, they're so boring!" he whined.

"Hey, didn't you go to high school with Applejack's cousin Braeburn?" Rainbow questioned.

"Well, only a few are boring, but just give me back my wings, please!" Soarin begged. Rainbow looked up from her boyfriend to the draconequus standing before her.

"You better do it Discord, or else I'll get Fluttershy in here," she threatened. Not much could phase Discord or scare him, but the one thing that did scare him was not an angry or upset Fluttershy, but a disappointed and hurt Fluttershy.

"Oh, all right," he clapped his talons and paw together again, "here you go you crybaby," his eyes rolled out of his head like billiard balls before coming to rest in his head that appeared on the floor. The sky blue Wonderbolt captain breathed a sigh of relief as his beloved wings reappeared on his sides.

"Phew, that was almost as bad as losing you Dashie," he nuzzled his cheek against hers, "or pie," he jokingly added.

"You and your pie Soar," Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes, "and by the way, you're welcome that I got Applejack to send you free pies every week."

"Right, thanks Dashie," he wrapped a foreleg around her neck. Discord gagged and stuck his eagle talons in his mouth.

"Can we change the subject before I get sick? Trust me, you do not want to see me get sick, right Rainbow?" Discord grinned.

"Don't remind me about that Discord," she shook her head.

"Tell me Soarin," Discord leaned his elbow on top of Soarin's head, "how weird is it that you're here at the Gala for the first time as the Wonderbolt Captain and without Spitfire here?" Soarin's happy-go-lucky demeanor fell to a depressed one rivaling that of when he was ditched by Spitfire and Fleetfoot in the hospital at Rainbow Falls.

"Could we not open up old wounds Discord?" Rainbow for once politely asked.

"I'm just curious is all," the merry prankster defended, "don't get your tail all in a knot."

"It's fine Rainbow," Soarin sighed. "I guess I would say it's definitely weird and sort of empty without Spitfire's presence," he looked around sadly where he and Spitfire used to hang out together. "I still can't fathom why my old friend from even the academy days turned on me like that," the pegasus whispered.

"Huh," Discord replied solemnly, "now I understand how you all felt when I betrayed you for Tirek," Discord motioned towards Rainbow. The cyan pegasus blinked a few times before nuzzling her cheek against Soarin's.

"We all make mistakes Discord; you're lucky we're pretty forgiving," Rainbow replied. "Hey, this is the Grand Galloping Gala, can we stop all this mushy sad crap before I hurl? When are Cougar and Vinyl going to be on anyways?" she turned towards the stage empty of the DJ unicorn or the human.

"Not for a while Co-Captain Dash!" a white pegasus with a mane as poofy as Pinkie's and a Wonderbolt's uniform hopped around the trio. "Have you tried this punch? It's yummylicious!" she gulped down another cup. Rainbow Dash and Soarin looked horrified as their comrade kept drinking the punch, unaware that Discord used it as a bathtub.

"Surprise! I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Soarin warned.

"Why not? Do you not think it's very good? Maybe you should try some more!" Surprise declared and forced the tip of her cup into Soarin's muzzle.

"Eww!" Soarin spit the liquid out and rubbed his tongue with his hooves. "Somepony get me some water!" he begged before running for the bathroom.

"Some ponies just don't have a good taste in fruit punch," Surprise sipped more of the beverage.

"Has living in the same town as Pinkie Pie helped you with that?" Discord asked as Surprise hopped away to join Rapidfire and Fire Streak.

"Oh yeah, I hardly notice Surprise's antics anymore," Rainbow replied.

(With the other princesses and Flash Sentry)

"Hello, and welcome to this year's Grand Galloping Gala," Princess Celestia greeted another couple to the big event, "we're so glad you can make it," the regal alicorn added with a smile and a short bow. The three of the four princesses and Flash Sentry stood at the top of the grand staircase that led to the ballroom, overlooking the foyer below where a large group of the Canterlot Elite mingled and took snacks off trays from butlers. Glock, per his duties, stood to Celestia's side.

"Mmm yes, thank you Princess," the mare of the couple replied, "and it's good to see Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence as well," she said, "you, I don't know who you are," the mare referenced Flash Sentry. The pegasus guard kept his guard composure as she and her husband walked passed the four ponies.

"Eh, I'm used to it," Flash shrugged when the couple was out of earshot. Twilight slightly nuzzled him before Celestia welcomed another group to the Gala.

"You're doing great Flash, sorry if you're bored," the purple princess apologized.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'm fine," Flash replied, still keeping his guard face on. While Celestia welcomed another couple to the Gala, Cadence walked behind her aunt and appeared next to Twilight and Flash.

"So, how goes it between you two?" The Princess of Love asked, "I still feel a spark between you," she expounded. Twilight and her boyfriend both exchanged glances with a twinge of a blush plastered on their cheeks before looking away from each other.

"Things are going great your highness, we've never been happier," Flash cleared his throat and addressed Cadence just as he was trained to do back in the Corps. Giggling, Cadence lightly hit Flash in the face with her multi-colored wing, surprising him.

"Flash Sentry, you were once one of my personal guards and you're practically my brother now with you dating my sister," she winked in Twilight's direction, "you can call me Cadence," she smiled. Loosening his bow tie a bit, Flash breathed in through his nose.

"I wouldn't want to be rude around you Princess Cadence," Flash replied. He groaned in pain as the pink alicorn stomped her hoof onto his rather painfully. Celestia didn't notice and Twilight's eyes grew as her sister looked like she was attempting to break her boyfriend's hoof. Tears of pain welled up inside the poor pegasus' eyes as he bit his lip to keep from screaming like a little filly.

"I insist," Cadence said calmly with a sickening smile that would freak out both the Grinch and the Joker. She slowly lifted her hoof off of his, to which the guard shot it towards his mouth and stuck it inside.

"Y-yes C-C-Cadence," Flash stammered in pain.

"Here, let me see Flash," Twilight stood in front of him. Flash took his hoof out of his mouth and showed it to his marefriend who seethed at how blue and purple the hoof was. "I can fix that," she winced and touched her horn to his hoof. Her magic aura engulfed the hoof and the bruise went away.

"Ahhh, thanks Twilight," he nuzzled her cheek. "Cadence, how is the Crystal Empire doing after my transfer?" Flash changed the subject.

"Nothing much has changed," Cadence replied, "Crystalline still runs the Kingdom when both myself and Shiny are absent."

"Shiny? I'm glad you didn't call him that when I was there," Flash chuckled.

"What's wrong with calling my husband a pet name?" Cadence raised an eyebrow, "Shining Armor calls me Cady sometimes," she added. "And I'm sure Twilight has a pet name for you, right?"

"No, I just call him Flash all the time, or Flash Sentry when I'm angry at him," Twilight cut in.

"Which is never," the pegasus quickly added to Twilight's thought. The purple alicorn gave him an 'Are you serious?' look, forcing him to gulp once again. "Okay, maybe the one time when I accidentally stabbed one of her books with my spear," he said meekly.

"Thereby ruining the cover and the first three chapters," Twilight grumbled. Getting a devilish idea, Cadence grasped Flash's wing in her magic and lightly smacked Twilight's flank, earning both of them a squeak from her muzzle.

"Th-th-that wasn't me Twilight, I swear!" Flash feared for his life. A pink hue appeared on Twilight's cheeks as the tingling sensation vibrated throughout her body from the smack on her flank.

"I didn't take you as frisky Flash," she said in a haughty voice. Looking up at Cadence, Flash had a 'Help Me!' expression on his face. Cadence just winked with a smirk and looked all around the room.

"Twilight, if you and Flash need some alone time, the guest room next to my personal chambers is available," Celestia teased.

"Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, "how could you say something like that?"

"Oh, it's just a joke Twilight," the white alicorn giggled.

"Changing the subject, again," Flash wiped his brow from sweat.

"Okay fine, I was just trying to have a little fun," Cadence rolled her eyes, "Aunt Celestia, have you found a special somepony yet?" the Princess of Love asked the Princess of the Sun. Celestia froze on spot, her eyes darting around the room.

"No, why do you ask niece?" She responded nervously.

"Um, Princess of Love?" Cadence pointed out her heart-shaped cutie mark, "kinda my business."

"Yes," Celestia coughed, "though I am the Princess of the Sun, yet you don't hear me talking about it 24/7," she countered. Flash, Twilight and Cadence all exchanged puzzled glances at each other before turning back to Celestia.

"Woah, no need to get defensive Princess Celestia," Flash said, "it was just an honest question."

"I know," she sighed, "I'm sorry for my outburst Cadence," Celestia apologized, "it's just, I spent so long ruling Equestria alone that I had no time to find a special somepony, and I fear that my old age and immortality frightens most suitors," she explained. "That and the stallions who do seem interested only want to be seen with a celebrity or just for the crown," she finished sadly. Twilight nudged Flash with her elbow and motioned her head towards Celestia. Flash mouthed, 'What?' to his girlfriend whom rolled her eyes at him.

"Say something nice to her, compliment her," Twilight whispered.

"But, I can't say something like that to my boss or in front of you," Flash whispered back.

"Just do it Flash. Princess Celestia needs to know we still love and appreciate her for who she is, not what she is," Twilight ordered. Flash nodded and tapped Celestia's shoulder with his hoof.

"Uh, Princess Celestia," he asked. The alicorn princess turned to him to see what he needed.

"Yes Flash Sentry?"

"I still think you're a loving, caring, sweet and if I may say so, beautiful mare that any stallion would be lucky to have," he admitted while struggling to look her in the eye. Twilight patted Flash on the back of his neck while Celestia processed what he had said.

"Why, thank you Flash Sentry, that's very kind of you to say," she nuzzled his cheek. Flash prayed that Twilight wouldn't get jealous of the Princess thanking him for his compliments. Thankfully, Twilight just smiled and Celestia looked back up to welcome yet another group to the Gala.

"Don't worry Auntie," Cadence assured, "I feel somepony here at the Gala has strong feelings for you, I just can't see who it is," she revealed.

"I thought you knew who everypony liked Cadence?" Flash asked.

"No Flash, I can sense which pony is being loved after, such as with Celestia, but I cannot sense who has the feelings for her unless they tell me," she explained.

"Oh, well how strong are the feelings someone has for Celestia?" Twilight questioned.

"Very strong Twilight," Cadence replied, scanning the foyer, "I can sense they've had feelings for her for quite some time, but again, I have no idea who," she reiterated. Cadence quickly licked her lips, trying to think of something else to say. "So Twilight, how're you and Spike doing?" She questioned.

"Spike?" Twilight replied curiously, "he's still my number one assistant, staying out of trouble and being a good friend, why do you ask?" the alicorn cocked her head to the side of the other alicorn.

"Well, I just mean how are his feelings for Rarity doing? He's practically a brother to me as well," Cadence detailed.

"Oh you mean his crush," Twilight giggled, "he's still pining after her, though I'm sure pretty soon he'll realize it's just a childhood crush and then he'll fall in love with somepony else his age," she waved it off as if it were nothing.

"Twilight, is Spike your best friend, or something like your brother?" Cadence asked a deep question, catching the purple alicorn off guard. Twilight blinked a few times, her brain attempting to process the question she was just hit with.

"W-well, I suppose he's like my brother, I mean we grew up together, why?" She demanded.

"Twilight, I've gone over his feelings for Rarity numerous times; they're some of the strongest I've ever felt in my life. It's not a simple little crush he has on Rarity, he's in love with her," Cadence divulged. Now it was Twilight's turn to freeze in place, her eyes glued down to the stairs below.

"N-no, he can't be in love with her, he's just a baby!" She exclaimed.

"Princess Twilight, why are you so adamant about Spike's love life?" Celestia softly asked.

"He's a baby, he doesn't have a love life," Twilight reiterated. Cadence was about to open her mouth again and add more of her two cents, but Twilight wanted this conversation to END. "So Cadence, am I going to be an aunt soon?" Twilight's eye twitched.

"Wha?" Cadence blushed like crazy and looked away from her sister. Suddenly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pip, Rumble and Featherweight dashed by the three alicorns and the guard at almost mach 20.

"Hey, where's the fire kids?!" Flash shouted.

"Uh, bathroom break! But we can't find it," Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head as Celestia froze the six within her golden aura.

"Down this hall, make a left, mare's room on the left, stallion's room on the right," Celestia pointed her hoof down the hallway leading past the staircase. All six of the little ponies looked down where Celestia was pointing and then looked back at the group of four.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Scootaloo blushed, "can we go now?" she asked. Celestia gently lowered the ponies down to the carpeting and released them from her magical grip. Five of the ponies trotted away down the aforementioned hallway, but Pip stayed behind to have a quick word with Celestia.

"Your highness, may I trouble you for a question?" he politely asked in his Trottingham accent.

"Yes you may young Pip," Celestia was impressed by his impeccable manners.

"Where is Princess Luna? I was yanked away before getting the chance to say hello," he explained.

"I believe my younger sister is spending the evening with Applejack, Cougar, Checkered Flag and Shining Armor near the refreshments table," Celestia replied.

"Thank you your highness," Pip bowed.

"But it's almost time for the musical part of the evening in the ballroom and Luna and myself will be there," she added. Pip nodded before trotting away to rejoin his friends and date.

"Ooh," Cadence shivered, "he and Rarity's sister have feelings for each other," she quietly cheered. "In fact, all six of them have feelings for their respective date," she added. Flash Sentry looked up at the giant clock in the foyer and nudged Twilight.

"Ladies, I believe we should get going to the ballroom if I'm not mistaken," he announced.

"You're right Flash Sentry, let us set off shall we?" Celestia suggested.

(Ballroom. Cougar's POV)

"Okay couple questions," I picked some fruit out of my teeth with a toothpick, "Shining, you said your wife is the Princess of Love right?" I double-checked to make sure. The five of us were hanging out at the temporary bar that was setup in the ballroom.

"Yeah, why?" Shining downed a glass of Coltweiser and wiped his mouth with a napkin. I cleared my throat and set the toothpick down on a cocktail napkin in front of me before asking my question.

"And you said she gets like a chill up her spine whenever she feels love in the air?" Shining nodded, waiting for me to get to the point. "So, how in the hell does she survive, what'd you call it Luna? The holiday in February about love?"

"Hearts and Hooves day," Luna replied, turning away from talking with Checkered Flag.

"Right, thanks. Does she like go crazy during that day?" I questioned.

"Let's just say that on Hearts and Hooves day that she gets really really happy and I'm the one that has to cure it," Shining winked at me. Applejack blushed, trying to not think about it while Luna shrugged and finished off her second Marewaukee Brew. Checkered and I pretty much did nothing.

"Alright then," I went back to picking food out of my teeth. "Luna, are you going to tell your sister that you're dating Checkered Flag yet?" I asked my second question. Luna's can of beer exploded, covering herself and Checkered Flag in the alcoholic beverage.

"Another beer your highness?" The bartender wiped the counter down with his rag.

"Yes, please bartender," Luna coughed.

"Sorry Luna, didn't mean for that to happen," I apologized. Checkered Flag took out his handkerchief and wiped down Luna's face and dress on the front. The midnight blue alicorn allowed her secret boyfriend to wipe her down before replying to me.

"I'm sorry Cougar, but I don't think we're ready for Tia to start gushing over us," Luna returned my apology with her own apology.

"But Princess," Applejack chimed in, "aren't you tired of keepin' it a secret 'n hidin' it from yer own sister?" the farming pony asked as she sat next to me. Shining Armor nodded in agreement with the orange mare.

"She's right Aunt Luna," Shining cleared his throat, "and don't you hate that you don't even get to actually go out together?"

"Or that you can only meet in his dreams?" I added.

"I find that to be just fine," Checkered admitted, "I love Luna, and I want to make her as happy as possible," he softly patted his hoof on top of hers. "And if she's not ready to let her sister and Equestria know that we're dating, then I'll support her," he nuzzled her wing. Luna smiled as tears threatened to escape her turquoise eyes.

"Checkered Flag, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve a pony as sweet, charming and caring as you," Luna moved her other hoof on top of Checkered's, sandwiching his hoof in between hers.

"Hey, do you guys need some space because it feels like you're gonna have a pretty big moment," I offered to leave.

"No, we're fine Cougar," Luna briefly turned to me. "Perhaps it is time for me to let Tia know that I have a special somepony in my life," she wrapped her left wing around the grey Earth Pony's back. "Though with your racing schedule and my duties as Princess of the Night here in Canterlot, we still would be apart for some time," she frowned.

"Well good fer you Princess Luna," Applejack congratulated, "but Ah'm sure ya both'll work somethin' out," she said cheerfully.

"Cadence is going to freak over this," Shining groaned, "but I am happy for you Aunt Luna," he reassured the alicorn to not piss her off.

"Hmm, is this going to sit well with others?" I asked.

"What do you mean Cougar?" Checkered asked, shifting around in his seat as Luna's wing was still draped over his back.

"A few friends of mine, Lyra and Bon Bon, told me that while some ponies here support true love and all that gunk, others vehemently believe that certain species should stick to their species," I explained, "like Earth Ponies with Earth Ponies, Pegasi with Pegasi, Unicorns with Unicorns and Alicorns with Alicorns," I explained further.

"Well, do you see any male alicorns Cougar?" Luna snapped, "no you don't," she answered for me, "because none exist! And even if one did, I am certain he would be no match for Checkered Flag in any way, shape or form. It took several thousand years, but I eventually found the pony I loved, and I don't give a crap that he's not the same species as me; I love him!" She tightened her wing's grip on Checkered Flag.

"I agree wholeheartedly Aunt Luna," Shining announced, "I'm a unicorn and I married an alicorn because we loved each other."

"Guys, I'm not saying you should listen to that garbage. My best friend Reaper was caucasian and he married an Asian girl about five years ago. In other words, be with who you love, screw the same species or race crap," I polished off my second beer. Applejack shot me a quick look, but looked away when I turned my head towards her. I wanted to ask her what was up, but a tapping on my shoulder prevented that.

"Yo Cougar, are you about ready to go on?" I turned around to see Vinyl standing behind me wearing her usual purple shades.

"Yeah, of course," I stood up from my barstool. "But shouldn't we wait for-" the sound of trumpets blaring cut me off.

"Presenting Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, Princess Twilight of Ponyville and Princess Celestia of Canterlot," Wadsworth introduced the other three alicorn princesses as they entered the ballroom. Everypony began to softly clap their hooves together, reminding me of the polite clapping spectators of Golf would use. Behind them was the rest of our group: Big Mac, Cheerilee, Caramel, Fluttershy, the Crusaders and their dates. Lyra, Bon Bon, Rainbow, Soarin, Discord, Pinkie, Cheese, Rarity and Spike were all already mingling in other places of the ballroom.

"Hello Cougar, I hope you are doing well this evening," Blueblood approached us with a warm welcome.

"Yeah, I'm fine Blueblood," I replied, "I'm just about to go on stage with Vinyl here," I motioned towards my stage partner for the evening.

"Good to meet you Ms. Vinyl," the stuffy unicorn grasped her hoof and lightly kissed it, "I trust a mare as attractive as you will provide excellent entertainment for the evening," he flirted. Vinyl chuckled and pushed him away.

"Sorry, but I'm spoken for," she lied to his face which I was completely fine with. Celestia trotted up and took center stage and cleared her throat in front of the microphone as everypony else weaved through the crowd to join us.

"I wish to thank you all for coming out and joining us for yet another Grand Galloping Gala. This year, I am pleased to welcome new guests to this most prestigious event, some I am honored to call my friends and some I hope to become friends in the near future," she announced. Again, she was met with the soft applause that reminded me of Golf spectators. "Now as most of you know, a musical presence has always graced this traditional event, even back to its first occurrence, and sadly the string quartet that played for us the past five years has become stricken with an illness and has been unable to attend," Celestia apologized. She was met with a large sigh of sadness from every guest in the ballroom. "However, thanks to personal friends of both mine and my sister, Princess Luna, a new musical presence shall grace us this evening and one that I hope will become a new tradition for the Grand Galloping Gala. Please warmly welcome Ms. Vinyl Scratch and Lt. Cougar to the stage," she trotted away, allowing myself and Vinyl to take her spot.

"Break a leg Cougar," Luna wished me luck.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly and hopped up and down in her candy dress. Other members of our group began to loudly applaud the both of us while we set up and performed last minute checks on our instruments.

"That's the human that flew a jet," I heard Rainbow say to her fellow Wonderbolts. I still wanted to meet some of them, that was something I was going to do before the night was over. Looking up, I saw Celestia standing next to her sister and Checkered Flag. Luna looked a tad nervous as she was still contemplating on telling Celestia about her and Checkered Flag.

"I think we're good to go Coug," Vinyl stood behind her keyboard.

"Roger that Vinyl," I replied and stood in front of the microphone, my guitar was still leaning against the amp closest to me. "Hello," I said to the large crowd, "I just want to say hi and thank you for allowing me and my friend to perform for you. All of the songs we are about to perform, none of you have heard, but they were popular songs back where I came from and I hope you all enjoy and appreciate them too," I announced. "But before we begin, there is something else I have to do," I added and stepped away from the mic stand. Breathing in deeply, my hands reached up and began to unbutton my tuxedo jacket and the white button up shirt underneath.

"What is he doing?!" A snooty pony demanded.

"I do believe he is going to expose himself! How disgusting!" Another pony replied. Rolling my eyes and scoffing, I discarded my jacket and button up shirt to expose my six pack abs and muscular biceps to the crowd.

"Ah, that's better," I joked. A few mares in the crowd did swoon a bit at me, but Pinkie and Rainbow joined in on the fun and whistled at me, I swear I even caught Fleur whistling in my direction. Grabbing my guitar, I slipped the strap over my shoulder and held the instrument in front of me before reaching into my pocket and tossing my phone over to Vinyl. She plugged it into her sound system and clicked play on the playlist for the evening.

(3rd Person POV)

Kneel down ye sinners, to
Streetwise religion
Greed's been crowned the new King
Hollywood dream teens
Yesterday's trash queens
Save the blessings for the final ring-
AMEN

Not surprisingly, the majority of the crowd stood in shocked silence as Cougar and Vinyl Scratch assaulted their ear drums. The deep sound of the hard rock song faintly shook the marble flooring the grand ballroom, causing several ponies to drop their wine glasses. "I do believe I am going to be ill," one snooty pony held is mouth closed.

Wild side

I carry my crucifix
Under my deathlist
Forward my mail to me in hell
Liars and the martyrs
Lost faith in The Father
Long lost in the wishing well

Wild side

"Oh, my ears are bleeding!" Another pony held her ears clamped down with her hooves, but it proved to be useless as the volume of the song proved to be too much. Across the room however, Luna was head banging to the beat of the song while Celestia swayed her hips to the rhythm of the song.

"I think we made the right decision sister!" Luna shouted over the noise.

Fallen Angels
So fast to kill
Thy kingdom come on the wild side
Our father
Who ain't in heaven
Be thy name on the wild side Holy Mary
Mother may I
Pray for us on the wild side
Wild side. Wild side

Name dropping no-names
Glamorize cocaine
Puppets with strings of gold
East L.A. at midnight
Papa won't be home tonight
Found dead with his best friend's wife

Cougar's fingers never slowed down one bit while they danced across the metallic strings of his electric guitar. They were nothing more than a motion blur, rivaling only that of a hummingbird's wings. Off in the crowd, he felt a bit sad that the sweet and innocent pony, Fluttershy, seemed a little frightened of his song, but he also saw Caramel and Discord comforting her.

Wild side

Fatal strikes
We lie on the wild side
No escape
Murder rape
Doing time on the wild side
A baby cries
A cop dies
A day's pay on the wild side
Wild side, wild side
Tragic life on the wild side
Wild side, wild side
Kickin' ass on the wild side

As the near metal song from the 80s ended and Vinyl and Cougar ceased playing their instruments. They were met with silence from the crowd. Sweat was dripping off both of their bodies from the intensity of playing. However, all of their friends started to stomp their hooves and holler in appreciation for what they performed. "YOU ROCK COUGAR!" He heard Applebloom shout.

"Simply heart pounding!" Celestia cheered.

"Better than I expected Cougar!" Luna whistled. Eventually, other ponies followed suit, though Cougar suspected it was because it was the right thing to do. However, they did receive not so friendly critics.

"Ugh, that was horrid!" One pony exclaimed.

"Completely inappropriate for this evening, has the Princess been ill?" another one asked.

"Just barbaric, the only word to describe that act," a third pony critiqued. Then, out of the blue, both Cougar and Vinyl heard one fancy voice come to their defense as they prepared to be pelted with something.

"Oh, would you pull those sticks out of your bums?" Fancypants asked the three critic ponies, "so what if it's not what the Gala has always had, it was still quality music!" He shot them down, "do go on Cougar and Ms. Scratch!" He encouraged the duo. Even the Wonderbolts wanted them to continue as they all stood in a large group near the center of the ballroom.

"Well, since the majority of the masses want an encore, who are we to deny?" Cougar smirked. "If we could just get all the Wonderbolts in the front of the stage please?" The Air Force pilot asked. Rainbow and Soarin both quickly froze in place, surprised that Vinyl and I wanted them to come forward.

"What for Cougar?" Rainbow questioned.

"You'll see guys, just chill for a sec," Vinyl got the next song on Cougar's phone ready as all the Wonderbolts assembled in front of the stage with Rainbow and Soarin at the front.

"Okay, before we begin this next song, I just want to say that this is a song from one of my all-time favorite films and this song should also be the theme for the Wonderbolts, hence why I called you up front," he explained to the pegasi. Soarin looked intrigued by this and leaned forward to get a better listen while Rainbow shrugged and stood in place.

"1, 2, 3, 4," Vinyl counted and hit play on Cougar's phone before they both began to play their respective instruments, joining with the drums and bass from the sound system. A loud, cacophonous sound erupted from the amps and speakers as different colored lasers danced around the Wonderbolts.

It's just a ball of dust
Underneath my feet
It rolls around the sun
Doesn't mean that much to me

Of course with the song being rock 'n roll, the Wonderbolts instantly liked it, but so far couldn't tell why Cougar said it would make a good theme song for them. However, Rainbow was used to surprises her entire life and decided to be patient; maybe it would turn out to be the ultimate theme for the 'Bolts.

I take a chance on the edge of life
Just like all the rest
I look inside and dig it out
Cause there's no points for second best

There's a raging fire in my heart tonight
Growing higher and higher in my soul
There's a raging fire in the sky tonight
I want to ride on the silver dove
Far into the night

[Chorus]
Till I make you take me
On your mighty wings
Make you take me
On your mighty wings across the sky
Take me on your mighty wings
Take me on your mighty wings tonight

Cougar grinned as their was a short pause from singing and reveled as he saw all pegasi affiliated with the Wonderbolts freeze in place as he mentioned Mighty Wings. Check and mate, he thought to himself.

"YEEEEESSSS!" Rapidfire hollered and stood on his hind legs with his forehooves curled up in the air. In the back near the rest of the mane group, Scootaloo and Rumble were also cheering over the song.

With just a little luck
A little cold blue steel
I cut the night like a razor blade
Till I feel the way I want to feel

Celestia, Luna and Cadence all enjoyed the fact that Cougar was singing about flying and taking ponies up on Mighty Wings. Cadence used this as an opportunity to playfully slap Shining Armor's hindquarters each time Cougar mentioned wings, earning her sharp groans from her unicorn husband.

There's a raging fire in my heart tonight
Growing higher and higher in my soul
There's a raging fire in the sky tonight
I want to ride on the silver dove
Far into the night

[Chorus]
Till I make you take me
On your mighty wings
Make you take me
On your mighty wings across the sky
Take me on your mighty wings
Take me on your mighty wings tonight

Take me on your mighty wings
Take me on your mighty wings

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!" Rainbow's wings flapped so hard with excitement that she almost made the snooty ponies behind her fall on their butts.

"I take it you liked that one Rainbow?" Cougar teased and stuck his tongue out.

"That was bucking awesome bro!" Soarin cheered, "we need to talk after the Gala about using that song!" he added.

"Liked it? Liked? That was one of the greatest songs I've ever heard in my entire life! Of course I want the Wonderbolts to use it!" She flew up in front of Cougar and grabbed his shoulders.

"I'll talk to your boyfriend about it after the Gala, alright, so just calm down," Cougar pushed her off him.

"BOOOO!" Another snooty pony jeered. Thankfully, Celestia took the pony's wine glass in her magic aura and dumped it all over him. "Ugh, my tuxedo is ruined! Who is the ruffian responsible?!"

Just as Cougar and Vinyl were set to start up their third song which Cougar referred to as, "One that you ponies shouldn't take seriously," the Air Force pilot noticed something amiss in the crowd. Near the back of the crowd and in front of the large doorway, he could clearly see Blueblood trying to talk to Rarity. "Hold up Vinyl," Cougar stopped her from playing.

"What gives?" The DJ questioned. Cougar pointed his index finger towards the source of his disturbance. Blueblood and Rarity were talking to each other, but it looked pretty heated. Thankfully, this wasn't a true rock concert and the masses were fairly quiet.

"All I am asking for is a dance when this primate gets to his damned slow song, is that too much to ask?!" Blueblood demanded.

"No, it's perfectly fine for you to ask a mare to dance Prince Blueblood," Rarity replied with a huff, "though just because you ask does not mean I have to agree!" She yelled right back at the prince. Spike had a glare painted on his face with his arms crossed as he watched the pair from where Twilight was standing with Celestia and Luna. Cougar's fingers curled into fists as he kept a close eye on Blueblood's actions.

"You listen to me!" He gripped her arm hard with his.

"OW!" Rarity yelped in pain. Now just about everypony was looking in their direction. In a flash, Cougar had his guitar off and was ready to launch towards the unicorn should this get any worse.

"Oh stop your whining you pathetic welt!" Blueblood ordered, "I, the Prince of Canterlot and Equestria, have given you a heartfelt apology for my behavior five years ago, now I deserve a dance with you, do you understand?!" He shouted in her face.

"BLUEBLOOD! LET THIS MARE GO NOW!" Luna bellowed.

"Stay out of this Auntie!" Blueblood retorted.

"Let me go!" Rarity demanded and slapped his face. The sound reverberated all around the room, silencing everypony as they awaited what would happen next. Blueblood felt the spot where he was slapped by Rarity and growled.

"You DARE slap me? I will show you what you get when you hit me!" He gripped the top of her dress and slapped her back before shoving her to the ground.

"OW!" Rarity yelped again as her head smacked against the ground. She whimpered in pain as a few tears escaped her eyes. A loud gasp emitted from every guest at the exact same time at what they had witnessed.

"YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" Cougar shouted and burst from the stage as fast he's ever run in his entire life. Sure he said he would do his best to not hurt another pony, but he didn't care. NOPONY should ever hurt another pony, especially a stallion injuring a mare. However, before Cougar reached Rarity to assist her and kick Blueblood's pathetic ass, something beat him there. A purple and green blob moving at about Mach 50 smacked into Blueblood, sending him into the door farm with a deafening CRACK. Cougar stopped dead in his tracks at what was presented in front of him.

Spike stood above the downed unicorn that had a deep claw gash down the left cheek of his face with blood trickling out at a rapid pace. Where Blueblood hit the door frame, a large crack appeared. Yet, that wasn't what shocked everyone. Spike was bigger, about as big as he was when he first grew during his birthday fiasco a few years back, about as tall at a normal pony.

"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!" Spike roared at Blueblood so loudly it made the T-Rex roar from Jurassic Park sound like a yawn. "If you EVER touch the mare I love again, I will rip your head off, jam a stick down your throat and roast you over a fire, do you understand me?!" He grabbed Blueblood by the throat and slammed his head against the wall, his fangs clenched and a fire in his eyes.

"S-Spike?" Rarity squeaked out. The reptile blinked a few times, the red, angry fire in his eyes dying out as he looked over at the purple alicorn that raised him since he was a hatchling. Twilight cautiously tip-hoofed over to the taller dragon.

"Spike?" She asked softly. The dragon looked down at his free claws that had blood covering the tips from when he scratched the unicorn. His breathing became more rapid than before as a whine escaped his throat and his green eyes welled up with tears. He choked out a sob before dropping Blueblood to the marble floor where a few guards drug him out.

"I-I'm a monster," his hands started to shake.

"Please, let's just go somewhere and talk Spike," Twilight asked.

"NO! I'm a monster," a few tears escaped his eyes, "I'm sorry Mom!" Spike cried out, covered his eyes and ran out of the ballroom as fast as he could and burst out of a door to the gardens.

"SPIKE, COME BACK!" Twilight begged as her own eyes started to well up with tears and she took off in the direction the now taller dragon ran.

END CHAPTER 21

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Oh snap, how's that for an ending to this chapter?

I do NOT own Wild Side by Motley Crue or Mighty Wings by Cheap Trick

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 22: The Grand Galloping Gala Part 2

Holy crap guys. FOURTEEN reviews for Chapter 21? I had a feeling that chapter would be liked by a few readers, but I didn't expect it to be one of the most popular chapters of the story. I want to thank you guys so much; I enjoy writing this story, but without all of your love and support, I don't know if we would have made it this far. Chapter 21 was so much fun to write though and I just want to add a tid-bit of trivia: This Chapter, Chapter 22, is where Fallen Eagle was born. EVERY word, EVERY scene you see in this chapter, this is where it all started.

Oh and how FREAKIN' AWESOME was that Season 5 premiere?

I think it's time to reply to some reviews, don't you? ;)

MLP Brony Fifer: Nice to see a review from you bro. Good to see a little humor as well.

RenaTamer: Yes it is, especially against that arrogant a-hole Blueblood. Well now, don't go saying he has to be a monster; Cougar has a very interesting speech for the poor reptile. And as for the song, Danger Zone is absolutely badass, evidenced by the opening to Top Gun. However, Mighty Wings is SO perfect for the Wonderbolts, I couldn't pass it up. Danger Zone will be used somewhere in the Future of the story, just keep your eyes peeled.

OBSERVER01: Ya gotta do, what ya gotta do.

XxSkullCandyxX: Thank you Skull Candy! I give the a-hole credit, he did try to be nicer, but some people/ponies are just born to be jerks. And you try fighting off a pissed dragon that went through insta-puberty in three seconds, I think he'd be able to beat the crap even out of Celestia. And the snooty ponies don't care what he's done. He could resurrect Celestia and they'd still deem him an animal.

Megatronious: Oh, you'll see a chapter soon enough about that. Or you could read Dishonorable if you need a refresher.

KillerWoW: Good to see you again! 1) Loved writing for them. I love their adventures so much. 2) Just trying to make them more 3-Dimensional than stock. 3) The mare he loves with all his heart is in danger and is injured, he's going to protect her.

UpgraderIsAwesome489: Why thank y- AUUUUUGGGHH PINKAMENA!

litestardt: Rarity is in trouble, everypony better be ready to get out his way. Yeah Danger Zone is badass, but Mighty Wings (to me at least) makes more sense. But don't worry, Danger Zone will make an appearance.

uss71832: Okay, the only times you will ever see me brag are when I'm talking about NASCAR or music. I know which music is good and which music sucks, and I ALWAYS put the best music in my stories. Danger Zone, sometime in the future, Whisky in the Bottle, no plans.

Dixie Darlin: I like her as kind of like a kinky matchmaker. Do you really expect the Princess of Love to be all polite and full of positive advice? Roleplaying with my friend Sassymouse really helped me shape Cadence's character. The Crusaders are always adorable, though picking the cutest is impossible, okay Applebloom, no Sweetie Belle, ugh.

GetToTheCocainum: Captivating? Thanks for the compliment. Does anyone else though find it weird how we haven't really seen (or maybe just not heard) Blueblood since the Season 1 finale and we've already passed the Season 5 premiere?

Gardenfairy: A good soundtrack doesn't just mean popular songs. The songs have to help compliment and tell the story as well as visuals or in this case, words.

Caleb200888: You dream you're in Cougar's place? Never heard of that before. And you want at least 40 chapters? That's the minimum I want too, and by the way things are going, we'll surpass that easy.

And just in case I didn't make it clear enough, Spike is the same size he was in Secret to my Excess when he FIRST started growing and could still form coherent sentences and was about the same height as Twilight, maybe just a smidge taller.

---

(Cougar's POV. Castle Ballroom)

I couldn't believe my eyes, and I don't think anypony else could believe their own eyes. Seeing a dragon grow about 3 feet in seconds and bitch-slap a unicorn was a sight nopony expected to see tonight. "SPIKE, PLEASE COME BACK!" Twilight begged loudly as she ran out the same door Spike had. Luna and I exchanged quick glances with each other and our other friends, still frozen and processing what had just happened.

"Should uh, should we go after them?" I asked Luna. The midnight blue alicorn looked down at her hooves, unsure of what to say. A few Canterlot nobles began to murmur amongst themselves, probably saying nasty things about Spike, especially since he called Twilight his mom. Even though I knew judging someone or jumping to conclusions on what they were talking about was wrong, I think I had a pretty good case considering the ponies I had met here. Finally, Rainbow Dash blasted into the air and hovered above every member of our group.

"Come on, they're our friends!" She exclaimed, "they need us!" She added.

"Yeah, Spike's no monster!" Applejack agreed, kicking up her front legs and galloping away as Rainbow flew above her, still leaving a few of us glued to our spots. Luna shook her head quickly and nudged me with her muzzle in my arm.

"Let's go Cougar, our friends are in need of help," she ordered and got me to start running with the rest of the group. I reached down and helped Rarity to her feet, quickly brushing off her dress and making sure she was okay.

"Vinyl, entertain the crowd while we're gone!" I shouted while the wave of ponies following me grew bigger by the moment. The cool night air hit me like a ton of bricks as the stuffy air of the ballroom gave way, leaving my shirtless torso with pleasant goosebumps decorating my skin.

"SPIKE! TWILIGHT!" We all called out for our friends. Luna's magic beam from her horn lit up, igniting the moon even brighter so as to help light our way to find Twilight and Spike. "Is there anywhere in the garden that would make a suitable hiding spot?" I asked Celestia as she used her horn as a flashlight with Glock following her close by.

"None that I can think of Cougar; this garden is a large area. Spike could be hiding anywhere, if he's still here at all," she replied fearfully for the reptile. I recalled Applejack telling me the story of Spike growing to be a full-sized dragon in less than 24 hours a few years back due to his greed acting up from his birthday presents. Yet, this wasn't an act of greed, it was an act of selflessness and heroics, so why did he grow three feet?

"Any sign guys?" Shining Armor asked as Cadence, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Flash Sentry and Soarin took to the skies. The rest of us were kept on the ground in case Spike and Twilight were together.

"Nope, I can't see much in the dark," Rainbow squinted her eyes, scanning the gardens for either of her friends, "even with Princess Luna's brighter moon," she added.

"I can't find anything either Dashie," Soarin added, darting his head back and forth. The Wonderbolt duo traded spots several times, scanning each area the other looked at in case they missed something.

"Oh, poor Spike, he must be terrified," Fluttershy held her head in her hooves.

"Terrified?" I questioned, confused. The yellow pegasus landed next to me and Celestia and walked with us.

"Well of course, Spike was so crushed when he realized that he nearly destroyed Ponyville when his greed overtook him, and now that he's injured a pony, ugh, I can't even imagine what's going through his mind," the yellow pegasus shuddered.

"If you ask me, Blueblood deserved it," Discord piped up, speaking his mind. All of us wanted to say nopony deserves to get injured, no matter what they do, but we all silently agreed with the draconequus since Blueblood slapped and shoved Rarity.

"Are you alright Rarity?" Checkered Flag asked the still shaking unicorn seamstress, offering her a hoof to comfort her to which she politely declined.

"Oh of course, though still shaken up," she replied, "but my concern is for Spikey-Wikey," she suppressed a tear to Checkered, "he's no monster for saving me; he's too sweet and innocent to intentionally hurt a pony for no reason."

"Oh man, Ah hope this doesn't get to the tabloids," Applebloom bit her hoof while checking some bushes.

"I know, that would really suck for Spike," Scootaloo agreed.

"Ponies would get the wrong idea and demand he be thrown in the dungeon!" Sweetie Belle finished the thought all the Crusaders shared.

"Which is why we have to keep looking for my brother!" Cadence snapped, "so be quiet so we can hear if they respond!" she ordered all of us to shut the hell up. Bending down to try and see if I could identify any tracks belonging to said dragon, the mentions of familial names kept resonating throughout my brain, pestering me to ask Luna a question I've wanted to for some time.

"Hey Luna," I tapped Luna's shoulder.

"Did you find any sign of them Cougar?" The alicorn stopped mid-step to ask me. Shaking my head and standing back up on my feet and urged her to keep walking instead of stopping.

"Spike called Twilight Mom and Cadence just called him her brother," I began before turning my voice's volume down to a whisper, "did Twilight officially adopt Spike as her son?" I asked. Luna blinked her turquoise eyes several times, thinking about my question.

"No, Princess Twilight never did; she was and still is his caregiver, but she only hatched him when she was around five or six and my sister never made her go through signing any adoption papers," Luna explained, "why do you ask?" We had rounded another corner of the garden.

"Well, I think maybe she should. I mean she treats him like a little brother and he treats her like a big sister or even a mom," I replied. Right as Luna opened her mouth to say something else, Cheerilee silenced us all.

"Shh, does anypony else hear that?" the maroon pony's ear twitched. Being unable to move my ears, I still found that to be very odd seeing now everypony's ears twitching up and down, listening harder for the noise the school teacher had heard. Putting a hand to my left ear, I cocked my head to the side, trying to amplify sound that entered my ear. We all stood or hovered in one spot, listening to the gentle quietness of the night. A night so quiet, the cliche of a twig snapping would give anyone a heart attack. Finally, a faint sound entered my ears, the sound of muffled crying and rustling.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied to his marefriend's question. Suddenly, Cadence, Celestia and Luna's horns glowed together and a mixture of their aura colors shot around the gardens.

"Over there!" Cadence exclaimed and touched back down next to Shining Armor. Her hoof was pointed in the direction of a big oak tree that was sitting behind a hedge bush. Taking the front before anyone else, Rarity darted ahead as fast as she could to find her two closest friends with Checkered Flag easily following right behind her. To get her there faster, I picked up Applebloom and ran with her in my arms around the hedge bush with Applejack right by my side and everypony else on my trail. Rounding the corner, I about slammed into Checkered Flag as he and Rarity had both stopped immediately after the bend.

"What's going on? I can't see!" Pinkie Pie whispered and jumped up and down behind the moderately sized crowd. Soarin, Flash and Rainbow slowly lowered themselves and softly touched down on the grass, utterly speechless at the heart wrenching scene in front of us. I cautiously set Applebloom down next to her big sister whom had removed her cowgirl hat and set it on the ground.

Not even a breath from any of us could be heard as we studied the scene that was presented before us. The scene was so sad, even Celestia and Luna's manes and tails stopped freely blowing, instead drooping down in sadness. Sitting at the base of the tree was a crying Spike with his hands covering his eyes. Small amounts of dried blood from where he clawed Blueblood still stuck to his claws. Twilight was sitting next to the larger dragon, her forelegs wrapped around his torso in a loving hug as she shed her own tears. "Sp-Spike, please stop crying," Twilight's voice begged in a croak. Spike breathed out a sob in reply, not removing his hands from his eyes.

"N-no," he cried, "I'm a monster, I tried to k-kill another p-pony," he sobbed.

"You were j-just defending R-Rarity like the n-noble dragon you are Spike," Twilight looked up with her tear filled eyes, placing her hoof on Spike's arm.

"I'm a monster Mom!" Spike cried again, "I deserve to be b-banished to T-Tartarus f-for wh-what I-I did," Spike replied in a choke. He finally took his hands away from his tear stained eyes and cheeks, looking down at the purple alicorn. Twilight sniffled and pressed harder on his arm, not enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention. Still, none of us said or did anything. We still didn't know if these two had any clue we had arrived. All we could do was just sit and watch, and try not to cry ourselves, even me. I stole quick glances from Applejack to Luna, and everypony's eyes were big and wet and their lower lips were quivering, and shockingly, even Discord's.

"N-no!" Twilight exclaimed, "I-I d-don't care what anyp-pony says!" she countered, "you're my son, my baby dragon! And I love you Spike! I-I'm proud of the dragon you've become that I hatched so long ago," the tears were now streaming down Twilight's cheeks like a waterfall. "I should've told you that a long time ago, you're my little Spike!" she rubbed her cheek against his, "and you always will be!" Oh my God, this is one of the saddest yet most touching moments I've seen in my life. My eyes began to water themselves as I used my thumb to wipe the salty drops away before they escaped.

At last, one of us couldn't take it anymore. Fluttershy burst into tears loudly, collapsing onto her knees and burying her face into the ground. Naturally, this caused the purple alicorn and the purple dragon to snap their heads this way, tears still flowing from their eyes. "Twily," Shining Armor whispered out.

"NO! GET AWAY!" Spike shouted, inducing more tears from his tear ducts. "I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYPONY ELSE!" He cried. He began to struggle to try and get away, but thanks to Twilight's quick thinking, she gently restrained him with her magic. I didn't think Spike would intentionally hurt anyone, but he might accidentally hurt one of us with his claws flailing around. Celestia cleared her throat and tenderly walked over to the frightened dragon.

"Spike, can you please talk to me?" The white alicorn asked him. Twilight still never left Spike's side, her magic restraining him down, but she clung to him. Celesita's golden aura appeared around Spike's claws, gently clenching them down so he wouldn't accidentally scratch her or Twilight.

"Princess, get away from me," Spike begged, "I don't want to hurt you or my mom!" he kept attempting to break free and run away, but neither Twilight or Celestia's magic would allow that to happen.

"I trust that you won't Spike." the sun princess softly replied as she got closer to the purple duo. "Twilight Sparkle, please remove yourself from Spike. I promise nothing will happen to him," she swore. Twilight shook her head back and forth, squeezing Spike harder, refusing to let him go.

"No, I can't let him go!" She fought, "he needs his mother!" she buried her head into Spike's chest.

"Twilight," Celestia softly repeated, "please, let us help you help him," the alicorn requested. By this time, Spike had calmed down a little, but he was still struggling. We all continued to hold our breath as Celestia touched her horn to Twilight's. The magenta aura from Twilight's magic dissipated from Spike as she looked into her mentor's eyes and nodded. "I don't blame your son for what he did Twilight, nopony here does," Celestia helped Twilight to her feet. Flash, Shining and Luna were soon on their way and helped get Twilight away from Spike and Celestia.

"It's gonna be okay Twily," Shining promised while holding his sister close. He held her back, keeping her from lunging back at Spike and holding him while Luna and Celestia enveloped the dragon within their own magic.

"Spike," Luna began, "we are going to release you from our magic now, but we just want to help," she explained.

"Yes, we don't think you have a problem with hurting other ponies," Celestia agreed, "but we just want to talk." Looking frantically back to Twilight, I saw Spike begging his mom for comfort in his frightening situation.

"Mom," Spike choked out from within the sisters' magical grasps.

"Spike," Twilight reached a hoof out to him, "let them help; let us talk to you and help you through this," she begged softly. "Why do you think you're a monster?" she asked. At long last, the purple dragon calmed down. His arms and legs hanging with the rest of his body in mid-air.

"Are you calm now brother?" Cadence questioned. Spike looked over, eyes still tear filled and nodded at all of us. Luna and Celestia gently set him on the ground and deactivated their detainment spell, leaving him to run if he wanted, but he didn't. Instead, the reptile slumped down with his back against the tree, hands folded over his knees as the moonlight glistened off his wet eyes.

"Spike," Celestia kneeled down next to him, "I want to let you know that while I do not condone violence," she placed a hoof on his head, causing him to flinch, "I am not angry, nor am I upset that you struck Blueblood."

"Wh-why? I let my anger control me Princess," Spike sniffled in response, "I hit a pony and then strangled him while slamming him against a wall. That should guarantee me a cell in the dungeon for life, especially because I assaulted a royal!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you did assault a royal," Luna agreed.

"A royal pain in the rump. Prince Blueblood is far from how a royal should act," Celestia continued, "just because he is our nephew does not grant him permission to do whatever he pleases."

"I-I'm afraid I might hurt somepony else close to me," Spike admitted.

"Come on Spike," Flash spoke up, surprising us all, "you helped save the Crystal Empire, right Cadence and Shining Armor?" The leaders of the Crystal Empire nodded in compliance with the pegasus.

"Twily raised you since she hatched you," Shining added, "you were always one of the nicest little guys I'd ever met, albeit a little sarcastic to everypony," Shining muttered, forcing Cadence to elbow his ribs. Rarity stepped forward, trotting slowly to Spike.

"Why on Earth do you think you'll hurt somepony else Spikey-Wikey?" she questioned gently.

"LOOK AT ME!" Spike shouted, unintentionally I think since he was still stressed and scared at the same time. He raised his claws in front of his face, both limbs shaking. Rarity held her ground, waiting to hear Spike's explanation. "My greed is taking me over again! Thank Celestia I didn't hurt anypony physically the last time I grew, but who knows if now I enjoy getting aggressive and asserting dominance over everyone around me." He continued to hold up his claws that had dried blood so we could see his evidence, "only monsters have claws, and I've used them to cause harm!"

"You are not anything like a violent creature Spike," Celestia softly rubbed her hoof atop his hand.

"Most dragons are violent by nature princess, and I couldn't live with myself if I did anything to harm my friends. And if I hurt Rarity or Twilight, no!" he couldn't bear the thought of bringing harm to his crush or his mother. "Princess, say if you let me go and everything is all fine and dandy, what if somepony tries to hurt Fluttershy or my mother and I stop them, but then my animal instincts gain control of my thinking and I start to enjoy hurting others and then I start hurting my friends for fun?" Spike asked Celestia. Silence met the group once again, save for the sounds of crickets chirping or the sounds of Vinyl entertaining the crowd back in the ballroom, as no one could think of anything to respond. "That's what I thought," Spike exclaimed, "just take me away where I won't be able to hurt my friends princess, please!" Spike begged.

"Alright that's enough Spike!" Rainbow Dash snarled and pushed her way through the crowd. I almost jumped along with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at her outburst, but we all kept from jumping and stood still. Both Luna and Celestia jerked their heads towards the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice as she briskly trotted up to the dragon with a glare in her eyes. "Look buddy, you need to stop all your negative thinking and you're gonna stop right now!" she demanded.

"Rainbow!" Rarity scolded, "Spike is going through emotional turmoil right now; he doesn't need you yelling at him!" she gritted her teeth. Ignoring the seamstress, Rainbow turned back to dragon.

"Listen Spike," Rainbow said again, "I know you won't hurt any of us physically or even emotionally," the pegasus assured him.

"Wh-what makes you say that Rainbow?" Spike whined.

"Would a monster care for his friend's pets all day long and make sure nothing bad happened to them?" I heard Rainbow reference the time Spike had to petsit for his friends when they went off to the Crystal Empire for the Olympics or whatever.

"N-no I guess not," the dragon still couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Pinkie Pie hopped onto the backs of several ponies and hopped her way to the front, eventually bouncing off my head.

"OW!" I rubbed my head that I'm sure will have a knot now. The pink party mare caught her breath as she shoved Rainbow Dash out of the way.

"And would a scarifying monster like you claim to be bake us yummylicious treats and make us tea for snacks?!" She outstretched her forelegs, "'cause if that does make you a monster, then you'd be the scariest-" Twilight's magic zipped Pinkie's mouth shut before she could say something stupid and moved her next to Rainbow Dash. 'Clever girls,' I thought to myself and rubbed my chin. This was turning into sort of a reverse intervention where everyone reminded Spike of just how much of a kind dragon he is. I smiled as Applejack finally trotted up to him for her turn.

"Spike, look at me lil partner," she placed her booted hoof under his chin and slowly made him look up. "Ah know fer a fact that monsters don't go 'n proclaim to help somepony for the rest 'o his life," she rewarded him with one of her soft smiles that made me grow warm, what? My thoughts were interrupted when Fluttershy stopped her silent crying and walked slowly up to the ever growing group around the dragon.

"A good friend like you Spike who risked his life to save Rarity from Diamond Dogs could never be a bloodthirsty monster," she smiled and patted his head, earning her a slight moan from the reptile. Now, everyone around the dragon that was close friends with him began to hug him, save for the Crusaders who still stuck by me.

"Do we even need to mention how many lives you saved at the Equestria Games from the ice cloud?" Shining Armor and Cadence joined the hug.

"And a monster wouldn't help his mother adjust to living in a new town and help her make new friends," Celestia hugged him as well.

"Agreed sister, nor would a monster risk his life to make sure his mother was okay," Luna squeezed herself in on the hug. Suddenly, the Crusaders all galloped their way over and joined in the dog-pile hug as well. Everyone then turned their heads towards Rarity as she had not yet given another example of his friendly nature.

"Spikey?" she finally exclaimed and looked at him in the eyes. "Remember when you broke that spell that turned me insane and forced me to keep changing everything? A monster would have continued to let me go crazier and crazier until all of Equestria had been changed to 'my' liking," she air-quoted. "I am honored to call you one of my best friends," she snuggled up under his chin right next to Twilight.

"And I could never be prouder than you Spike of helping me overcome my overzealous behavior during my tardy episode," she hugged him tighter. "Or when you helped us escape that comic book." Myself, Discord, Checkered Flag, Rumble, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, Flash Sentry, Caramel, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Glock still stood where we originally stopped, having nothing else to add since everyone else pretty much did it for us.

"G-guys, I-I don't know what to say," Spike smiled and embraced the hug.

"Cougar, y'all have anythin' to add?" Applejack called me on the spot. I froze, surprised that they wanted me to add something to help Spike realize he was a true friend and not a monster that he thought. My eyes darted around, looking for inspiration to give Spike a reason to see we were right and he had just been over stressing the entire issue. At last, I started speaking and just literally began pulling words out of thin air.

"Spike," I began and slowly walked towards him, "a true monster knowingly and intentionally causes or inflicts harm on another creature for their own selfish and personal gains, feeling no remorse or guilt for their actions. You selflessly protected a mare you," I couldn't think of the right word to say instead of love to not scare Rarity. "Admire," the word rolled off my tongue as I stopped in front of the dog-pile hug, "from a real monster who dared to lay a hoof on her. Are you a monster? No fucking way Spike," I cursed, "you are a HERO," I emphasized, "and I am honored to know you," I stuck my hand out to shake his own.

"Woah," Glock whistled at my little spur of the moment speech.

"O-okay guys," Spike gulped, taking in everything everyone had told him, "maybe I'm not a monster." Everyone cheered, even Discord at his revelation. "But I still harmed a pony, shouldn't I at least be punished?" He asked as everyone released him and stood up. Luna and Celestia both looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Absolutely not Spike," Celestia smiled, "I shall decree it to be protection and you shan't receive any punishment," she bowed her head.

"She's right Spike," Twilight wrapped her foreleg around him in another hug, "you don't need to be punished for doing the right thing," she nuzzled him. "My baby boy," Twilight added, forcing an embarrassed groan to emit from Spike's mouth.

"Well I think I do," Spike asserted, "I want you to take away my comics for a week for using violence mom, and I won't take no for an answer," he put his foot down.

"Very mature," Cadence noted, "maybe this particular growth spurt is for the better and not like your greed spurt," she contemplated.

"Fine," Twilight giggled, "no comics for a week young dragon, but I will still make you your gems after the Gala," she swore.

"Thanks mom," Spike returned the hug. As we all regrouped and began to head back to the ballroom, I was still curious about the growing thing.

"So, how long before he shrinks back down to normal size like last time?" I asked. Twilight put a hoof to her chin and looked her son up and down a few times.

"I don't know Cougar, this time was different," she replied, "maybe I should talk to Zecora tomorrow and see what she says about it. She knows more than I do when it comes to dragons," Twilight explained. Rarity cleared her throat and stepped in front of Twilight and Spike. The dragon blushed, still feeling his attraction to Rarity even after growing.

"Spike, I never properly thanked you for coming to my defense," she said. The dragon in question nervously looked down at his feet, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, you're welcome Rarity, it was my honor as a noble dragon," he said, finally looking eye to eye with her. Then, something happened that shocked everyone around us except the white unicorn in front of Spike. Rarity softly cupped Spike's cheek with her hooves, making him blush in embarrassment and confusion. She then leaned forward and gently planted her lips on his own with her eyes closed. Twilight gasped, Spike squeaked and Pinkie Pie and Cadence squealed.

Nobody said a word as Rarity gave Spike a very special thank you for saving her; no one wanted to ruin the moment. Rarity departed her lips from Spike's leaving the dragon in an awe-struck state as the greatest moment in his life was over. "Just for you Spikey-Wikey," Rarity giggled at his dream state.

"Rari-wha-elwen kissed me," Spike babbled. Twilight lightly patted his cheek to get him back down to Earth.

"IT'S SO ADORABLE!" Pinkie squealed and grabbed Cheese Sandwich in a tight hug.

"Way to go dude!" Soarin congratulated the dragon.

"Spike, are you okay?" Rarity giggled yet again as we all waited for the dragon to form a coherent sentence. He shook his head from side to side and blushed a deep red, forcing a small chuckle to escape my throat.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine Rarity," Spike tried to sound cool, but still stuttered a few times. I then felt a tapping on my shin from a tiny hoof. Looking down, I saw Sweetie Belle trying to get my attention.

"What's up Sweetie Belle?" I bent down to her eye level. She motioned for me to lean closer, so I bent my head down so my ear was right next to her muzzle. I'll admit her furry muzzle and whispering voice tickled my ear, but I listened intently to what the filly had to say. When she was done, she nodded with an adorable smile and put on her begging eyes. "I think that can be arranged," I petted her mane.

"What's goin' on with Sweetie Belle Cougar?" Applejack asked me, getting close enough to bump my shoulder as I stood up.

"She was hoping that the next song Vinyl and I play would be a slower one considering we should all take a breather," I replied, softly brushing where her shoulder bumped mine.

"Yay! Come on Cheese, let's slow things down a bit!" Pinkie Pie grabbed her date and drug him back through the gardens.

"Spike, would you care to lead me in a dance?" Rarity batted her eyelashes at the dragon. Starting to babble again, Spike couldn't comprehend what was going on until Cadence lightly stamped on his foot.

"Of course milady, right this way!" Spike squeaked out and Rarity softly grasped his arm, helping him lead her back to the ballroom. The Crusaders grabbed their dates and ran quickly with Pinkie Pie, nearly tripping over their shoes that they wore for only one night a year.

"Since we are confessing feelings," Luna cleared her throat as I saw her foreleg intertwined with Checkered Flag's. "Tia, I must tell you a secret I've been hiding from you," she admitted.

"Maybe we should give ya some space Princesses?" AJ suggested and tried to push me and everyone else away.

"No, it's fine Applejack," Celestia softly replied. "What have you been hiding from me little sister? The fact that you have a secret doughnut stash in the castle kitchen or the fact that you've been dating Checkered Flag secretly in his dreams for several months?" She asked cooly. Luna and Checkered Flag's eyes grew to the size of saucers and they began to hyperventilate.

"But, what, how, did, you, I?" Luna tried to ask how her older sister knew while Checkered Flag couldn't speak, fearful for what would happen to him and more importantly to his secret marefriend. Everyone else froze too, interested in what was about to happen, though Applejack and I were still close.

"Oh stop it Luna," Celestia teased her sister, "the messenger pony always delivered letters during the day and delivered them straight to me," she explained.

"YOU READ MY PRIVATE MAIL?!" Luna shouted, "Newpony!" she growled.

"No, they were always addressed, "To the most beautiful Princess of the Night, Luna." And the return address was Checkered Flag's personal estate," Celestia revealed.

"Eh, sorry Moon Pie," Checkered Flag grinned uncomfortably.

"That and whenever you entered his dream, I could still hear you talking to him," the white alicorn teased. "And don't worry Lulu, I approve of your relationship," Celestia hugged her sister. I always knew Luna was worrying too much about Celesita's reaction.

"Y-you are your highness?" Checkered Flag asked in astonishment, "but I'm not royalty or even an alicorn," he pointed out, "just a regular Earth Pony."

"While that may be true Checkered Flag, I know you are a good stallion with a heart of gold and you love my sister with all your heart. You are the perfect match and make my sister happy; that's all I want," Celestia explained to Checkered Flag.

"Thank you sister!" Luna hugged Celestia tightly.

"Told ya Shiny," we heard Cadence taunt her husband who then dropped a few bits into her hoof. "Now come on, I think it's time for that slow song!" the Princess of Love announced to all of us.

"Yes, come now Cougar," Luna motioned to me and Applejack, "continue to make this the best Gala ever for all of us!"

---

(In the Ballroom. 3rd person POV)

As the sounds of numerous shoes clacked against the spectacular marble flooring of the castle ballroom, eyes of the Canterlot nobles bore into the crowd that included the four alicorn princesses while Vinyl continued to play her keyboard. She fell down on top of said keyboard, breathless, with her tongue hanging out. "Sorry folks," she wheezed, "but that's every song I know how to play on the keyboard," she apologized.

"Rarity, are you doing better?" Fancypants instantly questioned his friend as his wife looked her over with the dragon still attached to her foreleg.

"Much since I had a noble dragon and friend to protect me," Rarity replied happily.

"Well that's good then, you seem okay," Fleur helped straighten out Rarity's mane.

"Oh thank Celestia," Vinyl exclaimed when Cougar parted from his friends and hopped back up onstage. The stuffiness of the ballroom hit his body full force, but the pilot brushed it aside and grabbed the microphone.

"Hey good evening everypony," Cougar announced, "again."

"Oh joy, the animal is back," another pony insulted the human. Fleur reared her back legs and kicked the snooty pony in the sides. The mare yelped in pain and grabbed her side that now housed a dark blue bruise.

"Thank you Fleur," Cougar winked at the pony whom bowed in response, "now sorry for that brief interruption, but I think it's time we lay back a little and slow things down a bit, don't you think?" he questioned and switched to a new song on his phone. Yet, before he could press the orange play button, he had one other important thing to say. "Before we begin, I'd suggest everypony grab their own special somepony; things are about to get a little sappy," his eye winked at the crowd. Almost immediately, every stallion in the crowd slowly offered their hoof to their dates that they had brought, except in the case of Lyra and Bon Bon.

"May I have this dance my Princess of the Night?" Checkered Flag asked his marefriend respectfully. Blushing, Luna nodded and accepted his hoof, both of them stepping onto their hind legs. Meanwhile, since she didn't have a date for the Gala, Celestia stepped away from the crowd and decided to have a small drink while everypony else enjoyed a dance. However, before she reached the makeshift bar she felt a tapping on her side and the sound of somepony clearing their throat.

"Yes?" Celestia asked and turned around to find her most faithful guard Glock standing at attention.

"W-would it be alright if I asked you for a dance, your highness?" Glock gulped, offering his golden plated hoof to the Princess he'd guarded for so many years. Taken aback, the white alicorn looked from Glock's blue eyes to his hoof several times, trying to understand what was happening. After a brief moment of not saying anything, Glock pulled his hoof away from the princess, a pained look in his eye. "I-I'm sorry for acting inappropriately your highness, please forgive me," he apologized and tried to trot away. However, Celestia shot a beam from her horn at him, stopping the guard in his tracks.

"No, please don't go Glock," Celestia requested. "I was just surprised you asked me for a dance," she warmly smiled.

"I don't know what came over me Princess, I know it's not appropriate for guards to be-" he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Glock, you've guarded me for so many years and treated me as a pony instead of royalty or like many other guards who are only in it for the paycheck. I'd be honored to share a dance with you," she softly planted her lips on his cheek, inciting a red blush to appear on his face. "However, is this just a spur of the moment question, or have you been harboring feelings for me for some time?" Celestia questioned.

"I'll answer," Glock began, catching his breath, "after the dance, if that's fine your highness," Glock bargained.

"It's a deal Glock, and please," she took his hoof, leading him back to the dance floor, "call me Celestia," she winked. The pegasus guard looked back behind him to see Remington and Bat Fang, their mouths practically hanging down to the floor at their fellow guard's lucky break. Back up on stage, Cougar smiled as he saw numerous couples ready to dance to the slow song he had chosen. Yet, just as his thumb was about to press down on the orange and white play button, he spotted somepony in the crowd who didn't have somepony to dance with.

The human didn't know why, but he felt bad for the mare, and he also felt a slight twinge in his chest as she smiled and waved at him, her emerald green eyes staring right back at him. "Hey Vinyl, take the helm, I've got something to do," Cougar tossed the phone to Vinyl whom caught it in her magic.

"You want me to do more by myself Coug? Come on bro!" Vinyl exclaimed before Cougar could hop off the stage. "I don't mind going solo, but I thought this was gonna be more of a duo," she hissed, covering the microphone with her hoof. Cougar looked behind him to check on the crowd before turning back to the white unicorn.

"Look, you don't have to do anything except press that play button and then relax, okay?" Cougar explained, "just push play and grab a drink until the song is over," he added. Vinyl Scratch breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Good Cougar," she replied, "because I really need a drink, just let me know when you're ready," she winked.

"Glad we're on the same page," he gave her a thumbs up before putting his jacket back on over his torso and buttoning it back up. Weaving through the crowd, Cougar made his way towards Applejack as she looked happy at her little sister getting ready to dance with Featherweight, but sad that she didn't have a date to dance with. The orange mare took her cowgirl hat off her head and ran a hoof through her golden mane, sighing tiredly.

"Welp, guess Ah'll just go 'n get a drink," she took one look at the stage, hoping to see Cougar getting his guitar back on over his muscular chest. However, she froze when all she saw was Vinyl Scratch holding his phone within her magic; Cougar was nowhere to be found.

"Hey AJ," the mare's ears twitched as her name was called. Turning her emerald eyes around, Applejack found Cougar standing with his jacket buttoned back up and a shy smile on his face. All she could do was blink in response, wondering why he wasn't up on stage ready to perform. He said nothing else, instead Cougar cracked his knuckles a few times, trying to break the ice.

"Not that Ah don't mind talkin' ta ya Cougar," Applejack began, putting her hat back on her head, "but shouldn't ya be up there helpin' Vinyl?" She asked. The human cleared his throat before extending his arm and hand out to her.

"Well, I saw you didn't have anyone to dance with and I was wondering if you'd like to share a dance with me?" He asked as cooly as he could. Cougar's hand shook slightly as he awaited an answer from his best friend in Equestria. He was silently praying that she didn't think it was a sick joke or that he was creeping her out. However, he did get a shock when her face contorted into a smile and she raised her hoof and softly planted it in his palm.

"Ah'd be happy ta share a dance with the man that saved my life," she rewarded him with another smile.

---

(Cougar's POV)

When AJ's hoof touched my hand, my world froze. Her smile warmed my chest and made me feel, safe and welcomed, even after close to half a year here in pony land. Why? Why do I feel at so much peace around only her? I've hung out with Rainbow a few times, and Luna plenty of other times, but I've never felt like this around them. Fearing that I would worry Applejack for not immediately responding, I gently curled my fingers around her hoof and with my other hand, caressed her waist as she stood on her hind legs. She was just below my chin on her legs. The last time we stood like this was when she...

"Just relax Cougar, it's only me," she assured me when she felt my trembling hand.

"S-sorry, I just still never danced with a girl before, human included," I attempted to crack a joke.

"Well, since yer my friend 'n all, Ah promise not ta bite," she joked right back, easing some of the air around us, "too much," she chuckled, causing me to lose breath for a brief second. "Would ya look at that?" AJ motioned her head to our left and we saw Glock removing his helmet and putting it off to the side while he and Celestia held each other's hooves. Just about every other pony and the one draconequus in the room held the same expression as Applejack and myself at Celestia preparing to dance with a guard. I pictured the Queen of England dancing with one of her personal guards wearing those furry hats for a second.

"Eh, if an Earth Pony champion like Checkered Flag can land Luna, I'm sure a pegasus royal guard like Glock landing Celestia shouldn't be a surprise," I whispered into Applejack's ear. The mare turned her head, forcing me to move my head back as our noses brushed against one another's.

"S-sorry Cougar," she apologized, backing her head away to give me some more space. I could've sworn she had the faintest pink blush on her cheeks.

"Don't uh sweat it," I replied, blinking and not looking at her but at Vinyl back up on stage. She gestured to me with her hoof, asking if everything was set to go. Giving her a nod, I turned back to Applejack, making sure my grip on her waist didn't slip; I didn't want to drop her on the floor. Back up on stage, Vinyl re-connected my phone to her sound system and pressed play on the one song I thought was perfect for Spike and Rarity, yet it also held meaningful and beautiful lyrics and instrumentals. A perfect slow song that encompassed someone comforting the one they loved over a tough or hurtful period in their lives.

Right as the first few notes of a soft keyboard melody hit the airwaves from the speakers surrounding the ballroom, just about every couple moved in perfect synchronization, the stallions leading the mares per the norm.

---

(3rd Person POV)

I can tell by the look in your eyes
You've been hurtin
You know I'll never let you down oh, no
And I'll try anything to keep it workin

"Oh Spike," Rarity cooed as the taller dragon gracefully moved on his feet without missing a beat and without stepping on Rarity's hooves, "I didn't know you could dance so well!" the seamstress exclaimed, eliciting a pleasant smile from the reptile. "And I do like your deeper voice," she added.

"Well, I did dance with Sweetie Belle at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding," he explained, "but it wasn't anything like this," Spike chuckled, making sure his grip on Rarity was not too loose nor too tight. As Spike shifted their position around in a circle, Rarity pursed her lips, unable to find the courage to ask Spike an important question that she feared would offend the dragon. "Is everything okay Rarity?" Spike asked the mare, "I'm not gripping too hard am I?"

You gave me time to find out
What my heart was lookin for
And what I'm feelin inside

"No, everything is quite alright," Rarity quickly covered, "you really know how to make a mare feel cared for," she complimented.

"I know how to make my friends feel cared for," Spike corrected seriously. "Rarity, I know it's weird for me to be saying this, but if there's something on your mind, you can tell me," he let go of her hoof and softly stroked her mane.

"Spike, would you have reacted the same way you did to Blueblood had it been Rainbow Dash, Applejack or any of our other friends instead of myself that he struck?" Rarity finally blurted out. The dragon ceased dancing with Rarity, stopping them in the middle of the dance floor. Thankfully, the other couples were able to maneuver around the stalled pair to continue their evening.

"O-of course Rarity," Spike sputtered, "I love all of my friends and my mom deeply; I would've done my part to save any one of them," he promised. Rarity bumped her hoof into Spike's palm, insisting he continue dancing.

"Listen Spike, after this dance, I think we should have a little talk about us and this crush you've had on me for so long," the seamstress said both in a lighthearted yet serious tone of voice. Sweat began to emit from beneath the dragon's purple scales. "But uh don't worry, you're not in any trouble and I am certainly not mad Spikey-Wikey," Rarity softly laid her head on his shoulder.

In your eyes
I want to see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feeling to end

---

"You look beautiful tonight Moon Pie," Checkered Flag complimented his marefriend as he attempted to lead her in a dance. It wasn't particularly easy since Luna was an alicorn and taller than Checkered. Said alicorn attempted to hide a blush by looking away from her longtime coltfriend.

"And you look quite handsome as well Checkered," Luna sighed, laying her head atop his black and white short mane. "I'm so glad to be rid of hiding our relationship and lying to my sister Checkered."

"I know how you feel Luna," the stallion nuzzled her neck, "it was hard trying to come up with reasons to other mares why I couldn't enter a steady relationship with them. And I'm sure you saw that article in the Equestrian Enquirer about me uh, playing for the same team right?" The light grey racing champion muttered. Luna's turquoise eyes faintly turned red with anger at the memory of seeing that headline at one of the magazine stands in Canterlot.

"Yes, oh I wanted to track down that author and show him the error of his ways," she growled at Checkered Flag. "I've wanted to ban tabloids like that for many years, but Tia believes everypony has the right to say what's on their mind."

"Even after that article about her cake addiction?" Checkered questioned.

"Believe me Checkered, it shocked me as well, but that's why everypony loves her," Luna said with a hint of sadness, "she respects everypony's rights, especially that of freedom of speech." The stallion lowered his hoof onto her back and hugged her lovingly.

It took some time to find the light
But now I realize
I can see the heaven in your eyes

"Luna, I know things between you and most of the populous is still a little strained," he said warmly, "but you're making great progress and your sister is helping show how kind and loving you are. At least I know how loving you can be Luna," he nuzzled her neck again.

"I'm not jealous or anything of that nature anymore, I just wish some ponies still weren't afraid of me Checkered. I want to atone for my past mistakes and give back to the kingdom," she explained.

"Just keep doing what you're doing Moon Pie," Checkered cooed, lightly brushing his lips across her cheek, "and I have faith that everypony outside our circle of friends will eventually come around and see the loving and especially beautiful mare I know you are," he connected his lips to her.

"Checkered Flag, I am so grateful you invited me to your race in the Crystal Empire; I never would have met the stallion who is the stars to my moon," Luna rubbed her cheek against his.

Can't you see I'm finding it hard to let go oooh
All the heartaches we've been through
I never really thought I'd see this love grow
But you helped me see
Now I know what my heart's been lookin for
And what I'm feeling inside

In your eyes
I want to see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feeling to end
It took some time to find the light
But now I realize
I can see the heaven in your eyes

---

"So Glock, what caused you to ask me to dance?" Celestia questioned her personal guard. Glock had his hooves on Celestia's shoulders since she was so much taller than him, leaving her on all four hooves. "You don't have to be so nervous around me," she comforted as the guard had tiny beads of sweat dripping down his forehead and he couldn't look straight at her eyes. "You guard me every day and you stand roughly this close," she added.

"F-forgive me Celestia," the nervous guard apologized with a gulp, "but it's much different standing off to your side to guard you rather than standing in front of you, this close," he sheepishly explained. The princess of the sun giggled and patted his mane.

We've been livin on the edge
Where only the strong survive

"And why is it so hard to let loose a little and talk like friends?" She questioned kindly, allowing Glock to spin her around. "I wouldn't mind just talking to you even while you're on the clock and guarding myself."

"Well Princess, I could tell you, but then I'd be afraid of getting beheaded or tossed in the dungeon," Glock admitted. Celestia gasped, startling Glock enough to make him stop dancing with her.

"Captain Glock, what in Equestria's name would make you think I would punish you that harshly for telling me the truth?" She questioned, slightly hurt. "I have no ill will towards you, nor will I think of you any different." The guard took a deep breath before looking into Celestia's eyes. He blinked several times and licked his bottom lip.

"It's hard to stand this close to you Celestia because A) You're my boss and I'm afraid of doing something to offend you and B) I haven't always um been good standing this close to beautiful mares," he mumbled the last part, but he was loud enough so she could hear him. A slight blush crept across Celestia's cheek as Glock revealed that she was beautiful to him. Sure, she's heard that too many times to count, but coming from somepony she knew for over ten years, she felt her cheeks burning up.

"H-how long have you thought this of me Glock?" was all Celestia could ask. Wanting to keep as much attention away from the duo, Glock continued to dance with the leader of Equestria.

"I've always known of your beauty since I was a colt Celestia," he replied, "but when I was a colt, it was just polite to tell mares that, yet when I joined the corps and you greeted us new recruits on the first day of boot camp, I really noticed just how beautiful you were," Glock explained.

"Yes, I remember greeting your batch of recruits that day and that you were gunning for becoming my personal guard. You were very handsome in your boot camp uniform if I recall," Celestia flirted.

"Well you didn't hear the other recruits when you left," Glock rubbed the back of his head, "myself and Remington were the only ones not talking dirty about your uh, hindquarters," the guard tiptoed around the last word, still fearful of offending his princess. Instead, Celestia's muzzle curled into a smile and she snickered.

"I get compliments about my flank when guards think I can't hear them, it's quite comical actually," she snickered. She then thought of an idea that would be considered evil to anypony else, but she wanted to have a little fun with the guard admitting his feelings to her. "What do you think of it Glock?" she blurted.

"Ex-excuse me Celestia?"

"What do you think of my flank Glock?" she said in her same teasing tone, "don't be shy, you can be honest with me." The poor guard nearly froze on spot, but since he was given permission from Celestia, he didn't feel as scared.

"I-I think it's the nicest flank in all of Equestria your highness," Glock clenched his eyes shut, ready for any form of punishment to come his way. Instead however, when he opened his eyes, Glock found Celestia smiling at him.

"Captain Glock, would you like to join me for breakfast tomorrow morning?" the princess asked kindly.

We've been livin on the edge
And it's something that we just can't hide
Oh this feeling inside

"But uh, I always escort you to breakfast Princess Celestia," Glock breathed a sigh of relief. Celestia chuckled and pressed her lips against Glock's cheek.

"I meant would you like to eat with me silly," Celestia flirted with him yet again.

"Duh, uh, yes!" Glock squeaked out, drawing out another giggle from Celestia.

---

(Cougar's POV)

Dear God, why can't I look Applejack in the eye? Every time I tried, I felt lightheaded for a second or two before I looked away somewhere else. Through these brief glances away from the mare willing to dance with me, I could somewhat see Twilight dancing with Flash Sentry, yet she was staring intently towards Spike and Rarity as they talked and danced at the same time.

"Is everythin' okay Cowboy?" Applejack's southern drawl cut into my thinking. "Ya seem jumpier than a jackrabbit on a hot tin roof," she pointed out. I turned my gaze from Twilight and Flash Sentry back to the orange mare. And once again, the instant I looked back at her eyes, my head felt light and my heart seemed ready to jump out of my chest like a chestburster from Alien.

"Sure, everything is smooth right now," I gulped, "just a little stuffy in here you know?" I sort of made up. I really thought it was getting stuffy in here, but I couldn't understand what other reason there could be why I felt a little sick.

"Yeah, Ah guess it is a little stuffy in here, what with so many ponies in here at once," she agreed, scanning her emerald orbs around the room.

In your eyes
I want to see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feeling to end
It took some time to find the light
But now I realize

Sniffing the air a bit to get a true sense of how stuffy it was, a certain scent wafted its way into my nostrils. 'Cinnamon and apples...' My mind thought as I tightened my grip on Applejack's waist. "Ya know, I never did take ya fer a dancer Cougar," she complimented, "guess that's proof ya like ta keep ta yerself, 'n that's fine," she placated me. "Which is also weird since ya told me ya didn't really go ta yer high school dances," she pondered.

"Eh, I've seen enough movies to know how to slow dance, at least to good songs," I replied, trying to ignore the scent emitting from her natural odor from her body combined with body wash and shampoo.

"Ah'll agree ta that, ya do have great taste in music, though Ah wouldn't mind hearin' some country now 'n again," she admitted, looking at me with pleading eyes. 'S-stop looking at me like that, please,' I thought. "Ya do like country music right?" She asked. I licked my lower lip and clicked my tongue.

"Well of course, and you're welcome to listen to my iPad or my phone anytime you want Applejack; I don't mind at all," I replied.

"Or maybe we could listen to either 'o them together?" She suggested with her same puppy dog eyes before leaning her head closer and softly resting it on my chest.

"Whatever you want, Applejack," I managed to breath out. 'Come on, would it kill you to compliment your friend a bit?' My mind berated me. Breathing in through my nose again to take in her scent, I said to Applejack, "you smell good." Oh God, someone just kill me now, please. That was the best compliment I could muster? Idiots like me shouldn't be allowed to procreate. Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about that possibility in this dimension or whatever I was in. The orange mare picked her head up from my chest with a sheepish smile and a blush.

I can see the heaven in your eyes
Oh yeah, I can see the heaven in your eyes
Oh yeah, I can see the heaven in your eyes
I can see the heaven in your eyes

"Thank ya Cougar, ya look real good in that there tux," she complimented me right back.

"You look great in that dress too," I quickly, yet cooly replied, "and I really like the way you do your mane," I added.

"Smooth Cougar, ya flatterer," she teased me.

Heaven in your eyes oh
Heaven in your eyes
I can see the heaven, heaven in your eyes
Heaven in your eyes

As the song finally ended and the sounds of applause from hooves clacking against the marble flooring, I felt my hands moving up and gingerly caressing the side of Applejack's face, her face feeling warm and flush to my touch. My mouth opened and closed several times, trying form the right and coherent words to say to her, but I couldn't. "Cougar?" Applejack whispered softly as she looked straight up at me, her head moving closer to mine. I couldn't breath as a choke caught itself inside my throat, disabling my voice box and my ability to breathe for a second or three.

"I gotta go!" I blurted, nimbly drawing my hand back to my side and turning around to jog away from Applejack. "Thanks for the dance!" I nervously called as I got away from the mare. I didn't dare to look back at her for fear of what her facial expression read. I needed to talk to the one pony that could help me with this. But first, I needed to get out of the stuffy ballroom and find a quick spot to catch my breath.

"Cougar, what a wonderful song you selected!" I looked up to see Luna and Checkered Flag standing in front of me, "I knew you were the perfect choice to host this year's Grand Galloping Gala, I must speak to Tia about making you and Vinyl Scratch the permanent Gala hosts!" she complimented me. Still catching my breath, I couldn't say a word to either Luna or her date.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Checkered asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm, fine," I held a hand up and wheezed.

"Wheezing does not sound fine, do you require a drink of water?" a glass of water appeared in front of me thanks to Luna's magic. I shook my head and stood up at attention.

"No, I just need to talk to-" I started before Shining Armor and Cadence found the three of us. Both the pink alicorn and the white unicorn looked happy after dancing together seeing as how Cadence had her left wing draped over Shining Armor's back. In fact, Luna was doing the same thing to Checkered Flag.

"Cougar, great song for a slow dance, you have a keen ear for these things," Cadence congratulated.

"Cadence! I really need to talk to you, please it's important!" I blurted out to the alicorn, catching all four ponies off guard. The pink alicorn turned to her husband, puzzled and then turned back to me, darting her eyes around.

"Um sure, what's on your mind Cougar?" She questioned, taking her wing off of Shining's back.

"Actually, I was hoping to talk alone if that's at all possible?" I shrugged, mentally hoping she'd agree.

"That's, fine by me, no problem!" She exclaimed with a grin, "we'll be right back Shining, auntie Luna, Checkered Flag," she waved with her hoof and escorted me to an empty hallway. I will admit it felt great to get out of that hot room and into a cooler part of the castle, allowing me to think a little more clearly. Double checking to make sure no one was spying on us, Cadence asked, "so, what's on your mind Cougar?"

"Cadence, I need to know if I'm going crazy or not, can you help?" I asked, leaning my back against the wall, trapping myself between said wall and the pink alicorn.

"Going crazy? I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, you seem like a reasonably sane creature to me," she replied. Sighing and twiddling my thumbs together, I rocked back and forth agains the wall.

"Look, you're the Princess of Love right?" I asked.

"Yes I am," she replied with a knowing smirk, "are you-" she began to ask before I covered her muzzle with my hand, ceasing her ability to talk but keeping her nose clear so she could still breathe.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on with me. It's just that, every time now I look at Applejack, I lose my train of thought. And every time we talk, I get a little choked up and my chest tightens. Whenever we're close and whenever we're apart, I can't breathe and my hands tremble and I feel like I'm gonna puke. Other times, I feel happy around her and I really, really care for her. Earlier today, I gave her a massage on her back and shoulders and it felt good making her feel better, what the fuck is going on with me Cadence?" I begged her.

"Cougar, I think you know the answer to your questions," was her response.

"I believe I know, I just don't want to know that I'm right," I said, unable to look at her anymore. I soon felt a hoof gently nudging my chin, softly forcing me to look up into Cadence's purple eyes.

"Why did you come to me again Cougar?" a motherly smile carved on her face as she listened to my explanations. Blinking several times, I mustered up my reply to her.

"I was hoping you would say I'm just suffering from heat stroke or mild insanity," I replied with a slight choke in my voice.

"But we both know that's not it Cougar, right?" she asked me, peering her face closer to mine. "I won't say it for you; you need to realize it on your own sweetie," she talked to me like her son or a little kid.

"No," I refused, "no, no, no! I can't be Cadence, I can't be in love with Applejack!" I exclaimed in a whisper.

"Search your feelings Cougar and you'll know it's true," she blinked at me.

"But she's, and I'm, oh God I'm sick!" I punched the wall as hard as I could, a small crack appearing in the surface, though my hand soon throbbed in pain.

"Listen to me Cougar," she touched her horn to my hand, "I've felt your feelings all night long and I know that they are 100% true. You shouldn't bottle up your feelings, especially for somepony you love; it's not healthy," she cooed.

"Cadence, there's no way in hell I can tell her, she'll freak and kick my ass off her farm and never want to see me again!" I retorted. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, I've done that too many times in the past," I recalled my episode a few weeks ago.

"If she's truly your friend, then she'll understand. And she wouldn't freak out over it, she may be surprised, but she'll continue to be your friend," Cadence assured me.

---

(With Applejack. 3rd Person POV)

Applejack felt sad when Cougar bolted from their dance spot when the song concluded. "Ya stupid idiot!" Applejack angrily scolded herself, her cowgirl boots scraping against the floor hard. "Why'd ya have ta get that close 'n freak him out?" She berated. The mare was just trying to be friendly with her human companion, but her flirtatious side took over, freaking him out. "At least Ah didn't say anythin' stupid," Applejack muttered, weaving in and out of the crowd, seeing her big brother and Cheerilee warmly embracing each other after dancing.

Applejack always knew things happened for a reason. Coincidences and accidents didn't just happen. So there had to be a reason why her flirtatious side had awakened when Cougar danced with her, right? Searching for answers, the farming mare decided she needed to talk to the one pony that knew more about flirting than any other. "Hey Princess Celestia, have ya seen Rarity anywhere?" Applejack asked the princess whom was busy chatting with her personal guard, Glock.

"I think I saw her take Spike back outside to talk, is there a special reason why you needed to see her?" Celestia kindly questioned.

"Nah, just some answers Ah need," the mare responded before trotting back towards the door leading to the gardens for the third time that evening. Her thoughts kept drifting back to how comfortable and safe she felt, laying her head on Cougar's chest and having his arms wrapped around her torso. Sure she felt that way around her friends and family, but she never felt this comfortable or safe with her friends. The orange pony felt like Rainbow did as she soared through the clouds, like everything was okay and nothing would hurt either of them. As she exited the ballroom however, Applejack came across a certain purple alicorn peering around a hedge.

"Spikey, I'm flattered that you feel this way about me, and I am ever so grateful that you saved me from that wretched stallion, but I need some time to think long and hard about our friendship," Applejack heard Rarity talking from behind the hedge.

"Twilight, what in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria are ya doin'?" Applejack asked the alicorn in a whisper so as not to disturb Spike and Rarity's talk. Twilight jumped nearly three feet in the air at the sudden outburst from her country friend. "Yer not spyin' on Spike 'n Rarity are ya? You know that's a violation 'o privacy!" she scolded her friend.

"No, of course I'm not spying," Twilight blushed in embarrassment, "think of it as uh, a scientific observation, from behind a bush," she explained and turned her head back to her son and Rarity.

"I understand Rarity," Spike replied, mustering up the biggest smile he could.

"And don't think it's because of the species difference, that doesn't bother me one bit," she soothed the dragon's worry, "it's just we've been friends for half a decade and I consider you one of if not my best friend ever. And I would absolutely hate to begin a relationship and have it fall apart and ruin our friendship forever. I just need to think this over before we rush into things, you understand right?" The white unicorn asked the purple dragon. Said dragon took her hoof in his hand and kissed it.

"Rarity, for you, I'd wait for all eternity," he replied with a cheesy grin.

"I knew you'd understand Spikey-Wikey," Rarity blushed, "now before we wrap up the Gala," she kissed him lovingly on the lips again, "there's another treat for you," she tickled his chin with her hoof.

"Good, she didn't break his heart," Twilight wiped her brow.

"Ya know, Ah do not approve 'o this," Applejack told her friend.

"They're coming this way, pretend to talk to me!" Twilight motioned to Applejack.

"But we are talkin' Twi," Applejack corrected.

"Oh, hello Twilight and Applejack!" Rarity greeted when she and Spike rounded the corner of the hedge.

"Spike, Rarity, what brings you out to the gardens?" Twilight tried to cover her tracks, "how about that song huh? Pretty good I'd say."

"Yeah, I liked it, Cougar's got a great taste for music," Spike agreed with his mom.

"So, what brings you two out here?" Rarity repeated Twilight's question. Twilight didn't have a straight answer, but Applejack did. She took off her cowgirl hat and rested it on her back.

"Ah was hopin' ta find ya Rarity, Ah got somethin' important Ah need ta discuss 'n you were the right mare fer the job," she explained. Spike nodded, understanding the privacy needed from both Rarity and Applejack and grabbed his mother's foreleg.

"Come on Mom, let's go get a drink," he suggested.

"We'll catch up later girls!" Twilight bid farewell, leavin Rarity and Applejack alone in the gardens. Rarity spotted a bench near the doorway and patted the seat, wanting AJ to sit down.

"Alright Applejack, what can I help you with?" Rarity kindly asked.

"Ah didn't know who else ta turn to, maybe Cadence, but uh you were the first mare on my list," Applejack responded.

"List for what exactly dear?" Rarity cocked her head to the side. Applejack gulped, rubbing the back of her neck. She filled her mouth up with a huge gulp of air before letting it all out like a slow leaking balloon.

"Ah'm gonna cut ta the chase Rare," Applejack used her nickname for Rarity, "Ah have, feelings fer Cougar." Rarity's blue eyes blinked, not believing what Applejack just admitted straight to her face.

"Feelings as in?" She had to be sure.

"As in romantic feelings like in those romance novels 'o yers," Applejack delineated. Applejack had no clue what the seamstress' reaction would be. Whether it be one of hilarity, disgust, happiness, confusion or anger, the orange mare didn't know which it would be. She wasn't prepared for Rarity to squeal in delight so loudly that the windows around the ballroom threatened to break, nor did she expect Rarity to clap her hooves together at about a million miles per hour.

"This is simply extraordinary! Applejack, this is one of the most incredibly romantic things I've ever heard of!" Rarity gushed, "the only human to somehow appear in Equestria, and who should fall for him but a simple farm mare that took him in when no one else would or could!" Applejack wanted to say something else, but Rarity persisted to keep on talking. "Tell me, when did these feelings surface Applejack?" Rarity begged for the juicy scoop.

"Well uh, 'bout the time he saved us from them timberwolves," she admitted. "'N how he cares fer everypony over himself or how happy he makes Applebloom when he spends time with her. He takes her mind off not gettin' her cutie mark better than anypony Ah've ever seen. Ah guess that's what I've wanted in a stallion over the years."

"I do also sense a little Foalance Nightingale syndrome what with you taking him in on your farm," Rarity replied.

"Maybe," Applejack sputtered, "but Ah've been keepin' these feelin's bottled up, 'n it pains me that Ah haven't told him yet. 'Specially after our dance. Ah've never felt more at peace 'n happy than with Cougar just now, like we were the only creatures in Equestria."

"And why not darling? Haven't you both spent plenty of time together enough to tell him?" Rarity questioned.

"No. He's from a whole different dimension or however that fancy space-time thingy works," Applejack threw a hoof in the air angrily, "Ah can't just waltz up ta him one day and tell him Ah love him, can't Ah?" The mare asked in case she was wrong.

"Absolutely not!" Rarity exclaimed.

"But ya just asked if Ah ever had enough alone time with him ta tell him," Applejack said, confused as tartarus.

"Yes, but only if you've actually gone to dinner alone several times or if you've built up to it. I can't believe I'm actually saying this Applejack, but you've got to IGNORE my romance novels. He won't just sweep you off your feet and you'll both live happily forever after," Rarity explained, "it's like buying fish from the pet store and putting them in a bowl in your home. If you just dump them in the water right away, they'll die relatively quickly. However, if you put their bags of water inside the bowl, and allow them to adjust to the water temperature of said bowl, they'll live a lot longer, am I getting through to you?" the seamstress double checked.

"Crystal clear Rarity," Applejack gulped. "But Ah do have strong feelin's fer him Rarity, Ah just wish Ah could tell him," she said sadly, looking into the window of the ballroom only to still find no Cougar.

"And you can dear. You've just got to let him know you are interested. Invite him to do things for just two ponies or spend more time alone with him. Have him warm up to you even more and when you feel the time is right, tell him."

"But what if-" Applejack protested before Rarity covered her muzzle.

"Applejack stop doubting yourself please. If Cougar doesn't return your feelings, for one it's his loss and two: If he is one of your best friends as you claim, simply telling him you love him shouldn't tarnish anything. Sure it might make things a tad awkward for a short time. But if your friendship is true and pure, nothing will end it," Rarity smiled.

"Thanks Rare, Ah owe ya one," Applejack hugged her friend.

"Anytime darling. Now the Gala is wrapping up; we should get back to our friends," the two friends hopped up from the bench and trotted back inside.

End Chapter 22

---

Phew, longest chapter I've ever written and it was all for you guys! So, how was that moment between Spike and Twilight and how they called each other son and mom? And now Cougar and Applejack admit they have feelings for each other but are too scared to tell one another. When will they gather the courage? It's getting closer every day guys.

Also, there is a poll on my profile page about what Cougar should go as for Nightmare Night. That chapter is about two or three chapters away so you have plenty of time to vote.

Next time, we dip a bit into the Season 5 premier.

I do not own Heaven in your eyes by Loverboy

Major props to Sassymouse for the Twilight spying on Spike joke. If you haven't subscribed to her story Dashing and Soaring, I don't know what you're waiting for!

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 23: Some Assistance Required

mlp brony fifer: I imagined your laugh as Dr. Evil's laugh from Austin Powers. But don't worry, Blueblood is getting a well deserved punishment.

KillerWoW: I'm glad I can still give my readers the feels. And it was time to showcase other couples.

litestardt: I'll be sure to keep Spike away from your OC lol. And it's still way too early in my opinion for the two to start a relationship.

OBSERVER01: I didn't really care for the Ghost Rider movies, besides I love Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger and if it's voted for, I can think of a few funny moments for him as an actual Cougar.

Skull Candy: Weeeeeeeelllllllll, they're not really together yet. And it was so much fun to write other couples other than the normal ones I've already written.

UpgraderIsAwesome489: Thank you! And don't fret, there's still a long way to go.

RenaTamer: BEST. RECRUITMENT. POSTER. EVER! Though you gave Bat Fang and Remington the shaft.

Dixie Darlin: It took me a long time to make sure that part was perfect. Despite this being a pivotal chapter for Cougar and Applejack, it was time for Spike and Twilight to admit they're mother and son :)

Silence is Gold3n: I wouldn't say that, though no one is complaining, I sometimes believe I take too long.

SquirtlePWN: I'm not making fun of you, really I'm not, but that is pretty damn funny! I have yet to find ONE, just one Blueblood fan.

Konigster:Nope, I saw Starlight Glimmer as Pony Hitler.

Okay for all those who are voting for Cougar's Nightmare Night costume, the chapter is three chapters away so you have the next two chapters to vote, the poll will not close until the Nightmare Night chapter is up so as to keep his costume a surprise.

---

(Several Days Later. Cougar's POV)

Things between Applejack and I thankfully didn't get too weird after I dashed out on her at the Gala after sharing a dance. Naturally, she did wonder what happened to me and I told her the truth about going to talk to Cadence. I almost did a double take when she accepted the answer and didn't press forward for exactly why I did want to talk to Cadence. So what did I do? I just went back to my normal routine with the Apple family around the farm: Waking up, doing chores, eat lunch, do more chores, get off for the day and hang out with friends, eat dinner, go to bed.

Speaking of the Gala, Luna told me in a letter she had written that Blueblood's punishment was one of the most severe punishments both her and Celestia could come up with that was short of death. The snooty prince that blatantly assaulted Rarity was stripped of his powers according to Luna. One might believe that they had just drained his magic from his body, but when I read between the lines a little, I realized that they had actually removed his horn as well, turning him into an Earth Pony.

I was a bit shocked at that punishment, not because it was harsh, but because I didn't know that was even possible! The last time Celestia or Luna had seen Blueblood, he had been sent off to some special bootcamp in the Griffon Empire because, according to Luna, the Griffons were a proud warrior race that ate, drank, sweated and bled not only combat, but discipline, making them the perfect choice to shape up Blueblood. 'Ah, the good 'ol military style punishment always works,' I thought to myself whilst raking up a few red and orange leaves in the orchard. I was so lost in thought and my chores that I didn't notice a particular orange mare approaching from the house.

"Hey Cougar, Twilight wants ta meet me 'n the girls at the castle, wanna come with?" Applejack asked me, leaning against the nearest tree with a wheat stalk bobbing up and down in her muzzle as she talked. Setting the rake on the trunk of the same tree, I took off my hat and wiped the sweat from my forehead with my arm before putting it back on top of my head.

"What does she want Applejack?" I stuffed my gloves that of course Rarity made for me into the back of my jeans pocket and put my sunglasses atop the bill of my hat. Applejack spat her wheat stalk into my pile of leaves, landing perfectly upright in the middle of the pile. "Is she still trying to figure out why the castle appeared from the tree of harmony?" I questioned. Applejack nodded her head a few times in response.

"Yeah, but this time she just wants ta get all the friends together 'n talk; we haven't done that since 'bout before you showed up," she added and lightly kicked the tree, the lone apple on the tree falling onto her hoof and receiving a mighty bite from the mare.

"Which was also about two or three weeks after the whole Tyrek incident right?" I cracked my knuckles and began walking with Applejack back to my little shack to get a fresh shirt and a little spritz of deodorant.

"Tirek incident," Applejack corrected me as I scraped the dirt off of my shoes on my welcome mat and ditched my shirt into my dirty clothes hamper in the corner next to my cot. Applejack had in fact offered to help build me an actual bed, but the cot was still comfortable and my back has never felt better. "'N yeah, she's had months ta get adjusted ta the castle, but she still spends a lot 'o her time thinkin' 'bout why she got it," Applejack watched me put on deodorant from my doorway. Ah the Tirek incident. When Applejack told me the tale of that horror, it sounded like an actual horror story. Getting the magic forcibly sucked out of your body to me is akin to the Dementors from Harry Potter sucking out people's souls.

"Well, if I got a new house presented to me out of the blue, I'd probably think of the why, the how and what the catch is for it," I replied, throwing on a new shirt and my ball cap. "And this one doesn't count since we built it," I patted the doorway of my home and shut the door. Because Fall was practically here, the apple bucking was pretty much done; the only chores left was to rake up the leaves that fell from the trees and store the extra apples in the cellar or inside the kitchen for the winter. Plus, we also had the animals to take care of but that was the easy stuff.

"Ya know Cougar," Applejack walked along side me back to the main house on the farm, "ya still didn't answer my question," she smirked at me with a raised eyebrow. Thinking hard, I couldn't really remember what her question to me was. Damn my rambling mind!

"Sorry, it was about Twilight and her castle though right?" I asked.

"Eeyup," she retorted like Big Mac, "'n Ah just wanted ta see if ya wanted ta go fer a bit, maybe grab some coffee at Sugar Cube Corner afterward," she politely offered. Nobody's coffee beat Granny's homestyle coffee, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake did give Granny's a run for her bits. Furthermore, it had been about three days since the Gala and I hadn't seen Spike and I was curious as to what Twilight's zebra friend had concluded about his growth spurt and how long it would last. Not even Rainbow Dash or Rarity knew what the verdict was, and those two loved gossip despite Applebloom's Gabby Gums misadventure.

"Yeah sure, why not?" I shrugged, "Granny's at a sewing derby or a cook off right?" We had set off for the town.

"Nope, she's just at her sewin' club," AJ replied, "they're tryin' ta make the biggest quilt this side 'o Appaloosa," she added. "That's where my cousin Braeburn is from by the way," she reminded me. The only other time I could remember her mentioning Braeburn was when I borrowed a vest of his to wear to cover my surgical scar from my busted collar bone. As the birds around us chirped their morning song and Celestia's sun's rays poured over the mountain tops of Canterlot and the mountains around Ponyville, I was still curious about other places in Equestria to visit.

"Have you told Braeburn about me being here yet?" I asked out of the blue. I of course wouldn't be offended if she said no; we actually have been through a lot in four, nearly five months. As a matter of fact, out of all we've been through, I would be surprised if she hadn't mentioned me yet; it's not everyday a new creature just falls from the sky.

"Oh Ah write ta him occasionally," AJ explained, "mentioned you quite a few times. 'O course it took a couple letters ta him ta explain who 'n what ya are," she admitted. "But he is curious about ya 'n would like ta meet ya one 'o these days."

"Curious in meeting me to become friends or curious in meeting me to tell me to stay away from your family?" I asked, jokingly of course.

"Oh, Brae's got 'o heart 'o gold, you'd like him," Applejack chuckled and nudged my arm, "though he does get on my nerves a bit bein' so hyperactive all the time. It's like he drinks a whole barrel 'o coffee every mornin'," she exaggerated.

"So, a less annoying guy version of Pinkie Pie?" I compared.

"Just about," she chuckled yet again. The castle made an appearance as we crested the hill leaving Sweet Apple Acres in the distance just beyond Ponyville before disappearing behind the tops of the houses and businesses if the town.

"I've only been here and Canterlot," I interjected, taking a quick look around the tiny village, "I wouldn't mind venturing off and visiting other parts of Equestria at some point," I daydreamed. The Apple Family Reunion had come and gone and was hosted in fact at Braeburn's Farm, though I didn't go because I was still worried that Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applebloom would be condemned because of me. Stupid thoughts? Well yeah, but still, I don't want anything bad to come of these ponies.

"Well, if Braeburn needs us again in Appaloosa or Babs Seed needs us in Manehatten, y'all can come along this time. The family reunion was fun as always, but Ah did feel a bit empty that ya weren't there," she looked at me as we walked through town.

"I'll take that offer, not that there's anything wrong with Ponyville or to an extension your farm," I smiled and cracked my knuckles. A slight Fall breeze grazed itself on the back of my neck, sprouting up numerous goosebumps across my skin. I love feeling breezes like that, especially in this time of year; it's my favorite indicator that Winter is on its way. "Hey Applejack, can I ask you a stupid question?" I blurted out, causing a few ponies around us to snicker.

"Cougar, Ah don't know how you could ask a stupid question, but ya can ask me anythin'," she assured me, looking straight at me, letting me know that she cared.

"Alright," I chuckled, "well, you guys have winter right? With snow and colder temperatures?" I asked.

"Eeyup, 'n don't forget the hot chocolate, snowball fights, snow angels 'n snugglin' in front 'o a fire," she replied. I had nodded along with all of her favorite parts of Winter until she said that last part.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded and sure heard that wrong.

"Ya know, with a blanket hehe," she forced out a nervous laugh, a small blush appearing. 'Awkward,' I mentally said. And as if God decided to give me a lucky break, Lyra and Bon Bon came trotting up to us, taking the awkwardness and kicking its ass out the door.

"Hey Cougar, AJ," Bon Bon greeted us. "Cougar, we just wanted to say thank you so much again for getting us tickets to the Gala!" the normally calm and collected candy making pony was jittering all around.

"Yeah, it was the BEST night of our lives!" Lyra added giddily and sipped her cola.

"Girls, girls," I calmed them down, "you've thanked me every day leading up to the Gala, the day of the Gala, the night of the Gala, and now every day since the Gala," I explained in a tiresome voice, "you're welcome, it was my pleasure for being friends and actually seeking out to talk to me," I placed my hands on their shoulders to keep them as still as I could.

"Oh, sorry for being annoying," Lyra apologized and sipped her soda some more.

"It's just, you helped give us the best night of our relationship; we couldn't be more grateful," Bon Bon explained.

"Especially afterwards back home," Lyra said in a saucy voice.

"Too much information girls!" Applejack covered her ears, "y'all just keep that in the bedroom ya hear?" the farming mare ordered. Both mares blushed like mad and looked away from Applejack.

"What she said," I agreed. Bon Bon stole Lyra's drink and took a sip of it herself, her blush dying down with every drop she drank.

"Well Cougar, if you ever need help with anything and Applejack or her family members can't help, you can come get either or both of us and we'll help you for anything you need," the dark blue and pink maned pony shook my hand.

"Duly noted Bon Bon, now AJ and I have to get to Twilight's castle before she goes crazy and starts writing down a lecture about arriving on time," I waved to the couple and AJ and I resumed our journey.

"Okay, see you two later!" Bon Bon waved back.

"Nice girls," I commented to Applejack.

"Yeah, they are really friendly, though they really don't say much ta anypony unless they're spoken ta first," Applejack pondered, "don't know what that's 'bout but none 'o my business 'o course." The memory of talking to Lyra and Bon Bon before getting the news that Luna and Celestia wanted myself and Vinyl to host the Gala resurfaced.

"You know, they agree with what you said about me Applejack," I gulped.

"What about partner?" Applejack asked as we left the edge of the town, staying on the path to the ever growing castle in front of us.

"About, you know, me being attracted to mares at all. They said pretty much the same thing you did and would support me if it ever happened," I explained, still feeling awkward and uncomfortable about being attracted to the female of a species that wasn't human. Though I could picture them as aliens that just so happen to resemble ponies from back home, as every different color of the rainbow and then some.

"Oh, right. Well Ah don't think you should be ashamed 'o that Cougar. Now Ah know my friends do tease ya about it, but they support ya too," she informed me. We had arrived at the front door to the castle where I was about to continue my thought.

"That's all fine and good, but-" I began before we were joined by other members of our circle of friends.

"Hey guys, glad we caught up with ya!" Rainbow waved her hoof from the air.

"Yeah, we were just about to head to Sweet Apple Acres to get you Applejack," Twilight added. "I'm still trying to formulate a theory about the castle. And hello Cougar," she added, using her magic to throw open the castle doors.

"Come on Twilight, you talk more about your fancy shmanshy castle than I do about parties and cupcakes!" Pinkie Pie stuffed a cupcake into her mouth. "Not that there's anything wrong with your castle Twilight," the pink mare swallowed.

"Um, wouldn't a muffin be a more suitable breakfast choice Pinkie?" I asked her. She cocked her head at my like a confused puppy. "Right, I forgot who I'm talking to, sorry Pinkie," the mares all trotted inside the castle while I held open the door.

"Come on, ya've gone over this several times already Twi," Applejack mentioned to the alicorn that was mumbling to herself. We had all entered the castle and made our way to the throne room where Spike was curled up, asleep on a chair in the circle of thrones. Everypony hopped into their respective throne, literally for Pinkie Pie, with the exception of Twilight.

"Well it just doesn't make sense," Twilight argued as I sat down next to AJ's throne on the floor. I didn't mind since I was still eye level with all the ponies. Rainbow Dash groaned and slapped herself in the face.

"Would you just give it a rest and accept it Twilight?" She demanded, "you've gone over this a MILLION times!" She exclaimed. "We got all of the keys, defeated that jerk Tirek, and to top it all off, this SWEET CASTLE!" She declared, standing on her hind legs.

"Yes, I understand that Rainbow," Twilight agreed, "but why? Knowing something and understanding something are two completely different things." Applejack tapped her hoof on the side of her throne that had her cutie mark on the back to get Twilight's attention.

"Look Sugarcube, ya ever think it's just yer new house 'n that's it? Kinda like a reward fer defeatin' Tirek?" she suggested. Twilight held her foreleg to her chin, thinking about the theory.

"If I may interject," I raised my hand.

"Oh, go ahead Cougar, what's your idea?" Fluttershy politely questioned.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Applejack Twilight," I said in an apologetic tone.

"Of course you agree with her," Rarity said under her breath, but not in a mean tone, but in a 'that's not surprising' tone.

"Maybe you're just looking into it too much," I offered, "I'm curious about it too, but you might be thinking too hard," I explained. as the others began to agree with each other that the castle was sweet and Twilight was probably looking into it too hard, I noticed that as they were sitting, their cutie mark etchings were beginning to hum and glow. I didn't say anything in case they all thought I was crazy.

"I'm the Princess of Friendship and it's my duty to spread it all over Equestria. So why would the tree of harmony want all six of us to sit in a castle here in Ponyville?" Twilight asked us, "it doesn't make any sense!" She yelled and jumped into her throne. Suddenly, as if by the flick of a switch, all the thrones' cutie marks and the cutie marks on my friends began to glow and hum simultaneously. Light shot out of each throne and shined onto a bigger version of Twilight's cutie mark on the golden floor of the castle.

"Woah," I sat up as the castle felt like it was going through an earthquake and I held onto Applejack's throne so I wouldn't fall. The floor began to break up and jagged pieces shot up like miniature mountains from the floor. Everyone, except a still asleep Spike, looked on with astonishment and horror as a circular object made an appearance from where the floor was breaking apart.

When all was said and done, what appeared to be a giant 3-D circular map was resting in the middle of all the thrones. Nopony said a word as we all stared at the map that just appeared from nowhere. It sort of looked like those 3-D maps from Star Wars!

"Hmm?" The dragon groaned and yawned as the sandman allowed his slumber to cease. "Hey," Spike said as he scratched his back and looked at the map, "is that new? I like it," he said. "Sweet, this thing's got all of Equestria on it!"

---

(One Map explanation Later. Cougar's POV)

"Boy, it seems like you girls got a Charlie's Angels situation going on," I joked after they all discussed how the map worked and that their butts would vibrate from their cutie marks whenever there was a 'Friendship Problem' anywhere in Equestria and they would head on out to fix it. "Yeah I've got to explain a lot more to you guys than I already have," I scratched the back of my neck when I was met with a lot of blank stares.

"What's Charlie's Angels darling?" Rarity questioned.

"A show about a rich guy named Charlie who has three women who he calls his 'Angels' do tasks for them by telling them to do it over a phone or a radio," I explained.

"Oh, sounds cool. Was it the bestest show you've ever seen!?" Pinkie Pie bubbly asked me.

"No I never really watched it," I replied. "So, Twilight, is Spike gonna shrink back down at all?" I asked her, trying to deter the conversation a little. Twilight looked up from studying the location of where the map told her to go.

"Right," Twilight looked at Spike as he stomped over a few towns and villages on the map like Godzilla, "Zecora explained that because his growth was caused by selfless actions rather than selfish actions, he's growth is permanent," Twilight explained.

"Yep, take a look at my muscles, they're sticking around forever now ladies!" Spike flexed his arm muscles in front of Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. The three clapped their hooves for the dragon.

"Sweet, we got ourselves our own bodyguard now!" Rainbow Dash joked and lightly punched the dragon on his shoulder.

"Well, then I guess you won't be my Wittle Spikey-Wikey anymore?" Rarity giggled, forcing a blush onto the dragon's cheeks.

"Nice Spike, now yer not gonna let this go ta yer head right?" Applejack asked him. Spike lowered his arm and shook his head back and forth. "Good boy," Applejack patted his head.

"Anyway, come on girls, we've got a friendship problem to fix," Twilight urged the six to leave. "Spike, do you wanna go?" she offered her son. Spike reached behind his chair and pulled on a football-type helmet complete with soda cans and holders with straws on the sides. He hopped down from the table and took a few sips of soda before pulling out packs of cards.

"No thanks Mom," he replied, "Big Mac and I are gonna hang out all weekend and trade Hoofball cards, talk about Hoofball, argue about stats and who is the best player and all that good stuff," he smiled brightly to Twilight. The alicorn reached over and hugged her son tightly.

"Okay then, be safe Spike and don't get too heated about Hoofball again; we don't want a repeat of the Crystal Empire Hoofball game," she reminded the dragon who innocently whistled. Just as the six were about to head off, Applejack cleared her throat next to me.

"Hey Cowboy, ya wanna come with us? Always room fer one more," she offered with a hopeful smile. The others agreed and tried to coax me into going as well. This was a little weird considering AJ and I just discussed going to different places.

"Thanks AJ, but no thanks," I held my hand up. Applejack's face turned into one of confusion as she shook her head. Her cowgirl hat was threatening to fly off at any second.

"But, ya were just talkin' 'bout wantin' ta see 'n visit other places in Equestria!" She countered.

"Yeah, as friends for like a vacation or just a spur of the moment deal," I explained. "If you six are going for your royal duties or whatever, I don't want to get in the way," I said, "or bother you guys with complaining if you were done," I added. The next thing I knew, my ribs felt like they were being crushed over by a steamroller, carrying Godzilla who was being sat on by King Kong. I felt air not being able to get to my lungs and in the reflection of one of the windows, I saw my face turning blue.

"Don't worry Cougar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she squeezed me tighter than ever, "there's no possible way you could annoy us!" She smiled cheerfully.

"Uh Pinkie, yer hurtin' him!" Applejack exclaimed, biting her lower lip. Unfortunately for me, Pinkie ignored her.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'll keep you company by singing every song I know, talking about my favorite words to say, my favorite goodies to eat, my favorite books to read! It'll be a blast!" She shook me as she squeezed me. "What do ya say?!" She grinned at me.

"A-a-a-air!" I wheezed out. Finally the overzealous pony released me from her death grip, dropping me onto the floor where my lungs sucked in that sweet lady, oxygen. "I think you bruised a rib!" I exclaimed when my face returned to it's regular complexion. "As much fun as that sounds," I coughed, "that makes me even more confident to say: Just take a trip for yourselves ladies, you've earned it."

"You're 120% sure that's what you want Cougar?" Rainbow Dash hovered in front of me, "there might be some serious butt that needs kicking, do you really want to miss that?!" She tried to coax me.

"No thanks Dash," I repeated, "just bring me back a souvenir if you want, I won't hold it against you," I assured them with a smirk.

"Okay, good to know," Twilight spoke up, "if that's everything, we've got a job girls!" She opened the doors to the castle with her magic, urging the other five to hurry their flanks up and move.

"Goodbye Cougar," Applejack softly hugged me to not risk injuring my ribs any further than what Pinkie already did, "we shouldn't be gone too long. Just keep an eye on Applebloom since Big Mac'll be here all weekend 'n Granny is workin' on that quilt 'o hers at her sewin' club," she asked me.

"I'll do what I can Applejack," I returned the hug before pushing her away lightly. "But right now I think you have a problem to solve with your friends," I kept urging her to leave not because I wanted to, but to avoid Twilight becoming bossy again.

"Bye Coug, Spike!" Rainbow Dash flew out of the door.

"Bye, bye you two!" Pinkie Pie Pepe-La-Pew exited out of the castle.

"Ta-ta darlings!" Rarity called.

"Take care," Fluttershy softly trotted away.

"Be good Spike!" Twilight added.

"See y'all later!" Applejack shouted. As the doors softly shut, cutting myself and Spike's vision of the six ponies, we both stood awkwardly in silence. We were still pretty okay friends since the whole Estrus weekend, but we didn't really hang out all that much.

"So, unless I bump into Big Mac in town, I'll let him know you're waiting for him Spike," I stuffed my hands in my jeans.

"Thanks Cougar, but before you go," the dragon hopped from the table and landed in front of me, preventing my inevitable exit back to the farm. "Did you guys have Hoofball where you're from?" He asked.

"Uh, no," I laughed, amused. "We did have something that looks similar," I referenced the helmet still on his head, "but it was called Football even though they didn't use their foot that often. Interestingly though, there were several horse teams. Like the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts. There was even a Buffalo Bills team," I added.

"Cool, were you into it?" He asked.

"No, I was more into NASCAR," I replied opening the door. "See ya later kid," I said my goodbye and headed back to the farm to hang out with Applebloom, that is unless the other Crusaders had plans. And knowing the Crusaders, especially Scootaloo, they'd probably be gone all day long until dinner time. Now I didn't mind if Applebloom did want to spend all day with her friends; friends at her age are extremely important. However, since she's practically a little sister now, I'd like to spend more one on one time with her.

I kept mulling over different activities Bloom and I could do on a crisp and slightly chilly Autumn day. With the wind blowing leaves up into the air and making them dance in twirls and spirals before landing on the ground only to repeat the cycle until the wind stopped, playing catch with the remaining apple carcasses sounded like a fun idea. Or maybe we could practice her self-defense skills a little more, that could be fun. Or possibly make some hot cocoa and watch a movie or two on my iPad.

Whilst strolling through the middle of Ponyville alone, something that was still pretty rare for me, my mind kept wandering to the mission that the map sent Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash on. Adding to Charlie's Angels, the map also reminded me of Knight Rider with Devon giving Michael Knight his missions from a video screen. And what I said was the honest to God truth. Because the girls were sent on a mission instead of going for fun or as a vacation, I wouldn't want to go for fear of getting in the way or becoming a hostage to the bad guy they may have to fight. If a centaur could suck magic out of ponies, then I'm sure I could easily become a hostage to whatever the six had to face.

Of course, I wanted all of them to get their duties done and get back safe. Just like Stinger was sort of like the Ghostrider Squadron's Grandfather, always looking out for us and wishing us to get back safe. And I knew Applejack could very well take care of herself, but I wanted her to be safe as well, more safe than any of the others. Caring about her safety deeper than any of the other five ponies was pretty selfish, yet it was the truth. Would I be sad if the others got hurt? Absolutely; they're still my friends. However, if Applejack came back injured, I don't know what I would do.

That dance at the Gala opened my eyes, but I was still in no way, shape or from ready to tell Applejack how felt. I would be even friendlier around her and just maybe offer to take her to dinner more often. The memory of Applejack's leg getting bitten by that Timberwolf reappeared once again and how sad I was that I allowed it to happen. I'd probably lose my mind if she came back injured again and become one of those overbearing-

"Woah there, wake up Cougar!" Big Mac's deep, booming voice burst my thought bubble.

"Wha!?" I exclaimed, blinking several times and looking around to see Big Mac's red furry face in mine right in front of the Town Hall. "Oh sorry Mac," I apologized and dusted off his muzzle. "Guess my mind got in the way of my sight," I stepped away from the red stallion.

"Whatcha got on yer mind there?" he asked me, stepping out of the way of a few ponies entering the Town Hall.

"Oh, Applejack and her friends just shipped themselves off to some village to solve a friendship problem," I explained. The stallion sighed with a knowing roll of his eyes and a chuckle.

"'Sides Applebuckin' 'n bein' stubborn 'n honest, solvin' problems like that is what she's good at," Big Mac soothed my worry. "By the way, is Spike ready fer our big weekend hang out?" he questioned.

"Uh yeah he's ready," I replied, "but Big Mac, can I ask you something?" I asked him.

"Why sure Cougar," his right ear twitched slightly, "is somethin' the matter?" Hoping to make it sound like I was a friend who was worried more than making it obvious I had feelings for the mare, I asked my question in as normal a tone as I could. Though it probably still came off as suspicious as Hell.

"You've been watching your sister go off and do stuff like this in other parts of Equestria for over four years right?"

"Eeyup, what about it?" Big Mac leaned his foreleg against the railing.

"Well, when she first went off and probably a few times afterwards, how did you cope with her being gone? And the possibility of her being hurt?" The stallion clicked his tongue several times, squinted his green eyes and tapped the wooden railing with his hoof.

"'O course Ah was worried, 'n Ah'm always worried 'bout when my two baby sisters go off somewhere out 'o Ponyville on their own," Big Mac explained, "though the first time AJ left Ponyville fer a dangerous mission so to speak, Ah was scared 'n tried to focus on my chores ta take my mind off the situation."

"Did it work?" I blinked.

"No; AJ loves workin' the farm as much as Ah do; it just made me feel worse 'cause the farm ain't the same without her. So to cope, Ah always tossed as many apples as Ah could into our barrels one by one instead 'o puttin' them in buckets 'n haulin' 'em over ta the barrels. Fer every one Ah made, it took my mind off that AJ was gone, but fer every one Ah missed, it made me scared that she could get injured out there without her big brother to protect her."

"How often did you do that?" I pressed on.

"'Bout every time she 'n her friends had ta leave town fer 'bout the first year," he replied, still in his flashback voice. "Until one day when she went off, we didn't have any apples ta toss into barrels. Instead Ah just went into Ponyville 'n walked around for hours on end, clearin' my head. 'N ya know what happened Cougar?" He asked me a question.

"What?"

"She came back as strong, independent, honest 'n stubborn as before. 'Cause 'o that, Ah knew from then on Ah had nothin' ta worry about when she left, so it don't bother me as much anymore," he concluded. "'N that was actually when she left fer Manehatten by herself to become a fancy city pony with our Aunt 'n Uncle Orange. It was right after," the stallion paused, a small tear escaped his eye, "well, after somethin' happened. Granny 'n Ah cried just 'bout every night when she was gone," he wiped the tear from his eye and cleared his throat.

"Thanks Big Mac, that really helps," I offered him my hand which he accepted and shook it.

"That's right, ya haven't had ta see her off for one 'o these before," he chuckled yet again. "Trust me Cougar, she'll be fine. Ah know how much ya appreciate her friendship," he pushed himself off the Town Hall railing. "Ah'll see ya come Monday; Ah gotta knock some sense into Spike 'bout Hoofball," he said his goodbye and walked away. Taking off my hat and running a hand through my ever growing hair, I let out a sigh of relief and set back for home.

---

(At Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

When the small dust cloud around my shoes settled as I stepped foot back under the Sweet Apple Acres sign, I spotted just the filly I was looking for. Applebloom was sitting on her flank, moving a pebble around with her fore hoof. What was going on? I picked up the pace a little, kicking up more dirt and dust around my pant legs. "Hey, Bloom, what are you up to?" I asked her.

The little school filly slowly turned her head up from her little pile of rocks, a sort of glare plastered onto her usually cheery face. "What?" She asked in a grumpy voice. "I'm busy organizin' my rocks," she grumbled and turned back away from me. 'Holy crap, serious attitude,' I thought to myself, taken aback by Applebloom's sudden mood. The only time she sounded a little grumpy like this was when she came home from not getting a cutie mark.

"Just seeing what you're doing. You're sister, brother and Granny are all doing their own thing for the weekend, so I thought you and I could do something," I offered and softly stroked her back like I would a dog.

"Could ya do somethin' other than touch me?" Applebloom shook my hand away and stood up from her pile of rocks. Her head was drooped low, even her cute hair bow.

"Hey, is everything alright there Bloomin' Onion?" I asked, very concerned for her feelings.

"'N stop callin' me that! That's the dumbest nickname ever!" She exclaimed, making me jump and hit a tree branch. "What'd y'all have in mind ta do anyway?" She said, still cranky, "my rocks are borin' me 'n Sweetie Belle 'n Scootaloo are busy," Applebloom didn't seem to care I hit my head and just kept walking back to the house.

"Okay Applebloom," I said her name in an unsure tone, trying to not piss her off any more than she was. But the question remained: Why was she so cranky and grumpy? "Is everything okay?" I asked her again.

"Yes, everythin' is fine, why do ya ask?" Applebloom's tone was now a more cheerful one, okay then. Shaking it off and taking advantage of her more happy demeanor I read off the list of things I hoped to do today.

"Uh, well, I was thinking maybe we could play catch with some leftover apple carcasses and a wooden bucket, maybe spar again and sharpen your self defense tactics or make some hot cocoa, curl up and watch some movies on my iPad in the living room?" I suggested. The yellow filly's right eyebrow shot up as she studied my offers for stuff to do today. For a brief moment, she said nothing, not even muttering to herself.

"Really? Is that all ya came up with? Did ya even try?" Applebloom rolled her eyes and spoke to me in a condescending voice.

"Jeez Applebloom, what the hell crawled up your butt?" I angrily asked. I knew I probably shouldn't have said something like that in an angry voice, but I don't appreciate being talked to like that, kid or adult, girl or guy.

"How about lunch?" She asked in a chipper tone, "Ah'm starvin'!" She Applebloom exclaimed and ran in a little circle to showcase her excitement for food. I stood in my spot right in front of the house as she did her little dance on the porch. My mouth was agape and my mind was scrambling trying to figure this situation out. I swear Stevie Wonder could have better luck picking out a criminal in a police lineup!

"B-but it's only 11:00!" I refrained from egging the filly on.

"Aww, but Ah'm hungry Cougar, please?" The filly begged and put on her puppy dog face, complete only with her quivering lower lip. Finally, my brain and mouth synced up and I could form intelligible and consistent sentences again.

"What'd you have in mind for lunch Applebloom?" I bent down and ruffled her red mane, still careful as to not swing her mood needle back to angry. The pony threw the door to the house open and trotted inside the kitchen with me following her in tow. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen and studied the room, taking in all of the ingredients that Granny had stored in the pantry and the refrigerator to decide what to eat.

Applebloom's tummy growled like a rabid wolverine moving in on a kill, startling the school filly. "Hehe, sorry," she blushed in embarrassment. "Well, Ah can't decide on anythin', how 'bout ya surprise me Cougar?" She hopped up onto a chair with her forelegs on the table, propping her up. "Please?" She added, again with the puppy face. Winona came running in and barking up a storm, clawing at the door that hid her dog food.

"I'll feed Winona first and then how about tomato soup and toast?" I suggested.

"Sounds good ta me," she clutched her stomach with her leg, "ooh, my tummy's a hurtin'," she grimaced.

"You sure you're okay Bloom?" I opened up Winona's food bag and dumped a cup into her food bowl. She barked a thank you and began devouring her kibble. Slamming her hooves on the table, Applebloom gave me a death glare.

"If Ah said Ah was okay before, what makes ya think Ah'm not okay now?" She asked in an eerily calm yet angry voice, "Ah just got a lil kick in my tummy, nothin' ta get worked up about," she added, crossing her legs over her chest.

"Sorry I asked," I muttered and grabbed a can of tomato soup from the pantry. The thought surprised me that Granny bothered to have canned soups when she had all the fresh ingredients literally in her own backyard. Although thinking about it, it does make sense for when the winter months roll around and the Apple family is bound to run out of fresh ingredients, especially with the way Applejack eats. Though I would never mention that to her, just my own thoughts."Do you want wheat or white bread for your toast?" I held up a bag of white bread in one hand and a bag of wheat bread in the other.

"White please, 'n with butter, not that margarine crap that Applejack likes ta push on me," the filly impatiently replied, slowly moving her hoof across the wooden table top. As I turned the stove on and dumped the tomato soup into a pot followed by some milk for a creamier texture, the only sounds in the kitchen were the ticking of a clock and Winona still gobbling down her food, only pausing to take drinks of water.

'It's like I'm talking to a pregnant chick,' I pondered, stirring the red soup in the pot. Putting some bread in the toaster for the both of us, my mind kept wandering. 'Now I feel bad about making fun of Reaper when his wife was pregnant,' I joked, cracking a small smile. "Did AJ say how long she'd be gone?" Applebloom asked.

"The girls said probably the whole weekend, so hopefully she'll be back around Sunday night," I retorted.

"Meh," she said in response, sort of groggily. Of course I wanted to again ask how she was doing, but I'd have better luck sticking a steak sauce coated arm into the cage of a pissed off Brown Bear. After about another ten minutes of silent stirring and tasting, the soup was fully prepared. I poured a bowl each for myself and Bloom and set the steaming bowls of soup on the table before grabbing plates for the pieces of toast.

"Soups on," I declared, sitting across from Applebloom, "literally," I winked with a cheesy grin. Setting a spoon into my bowl and bringing the creamy goodness up to my mouth, the warm, tomatoey liquid ran down my throat like a waterfall. "Mmm," I licked my lips while taking a breath, "good huh?" I asked my lunch companion. The little pony in question had tipped the bowl back so she could slurp it like a bowl of coffee. She didn't respond with words; her slurping was good enough. "So, how's school going Applebloom?" She had just begun school about a week before the Gala and she actually didn't mention it that much.

"It's school, it's there," she paused, wiping her mouth with a napkin before taking a bite out of her slice of toast.

"Well, is the homework hard?" I pressed on, taking a swig of Cider.

"What? Do ya think Ah'm too stupid ta know how ta do homework?!" She set her bowl down pretty hard. "Could ya do me a favor 'n shut yer mouth fer at least five minutes so Ah can get some peace 'n quiet?" she sarcastically asked me before taking another bite of toast. My spoon clattered onto the wooden table, my hand going slightly numb at the filly's comment. What happened to the happy-go-lucky filly that loved to hang out with me and always looked to the positive side of things?

"Hey, I never tell anyone this, but how about a little respect and appreciation Applebloom?" 'Stop talking you idiot; you'll just make it worse!' My mind's analytical side fought my aggressive side.

"Respect 'n appreciation fer what?" She asked, tossing her piece of toast into the trash and pouring the rest of her soup down the drain. "Respect 'n appreciation fer making such a crappy lunch? Even Sweetie Belle could make a better meal than this!" she tossed her now empty bowl into the sink which surprisingly didn't shatter from the force of her toss.

"You know what? If you want space and for me to shut up, then fine," I downed the rest of my soup and polished off my toast, "be that way. I don't want to do anything with you until you change your damned attitude," I glared at the little filly. Her response surprised the hell out of me. Her eyes began to water and she sniffled.

"Why are ya yellin' at me?" She snapped her eyes shut, squirting some tears out and running off up the stairs, closing her door shut with a slam.

"OH COME ON!" I shouted and kicked the wall, stubbing my big toe. "What am I supposed to do Winona?" I asked the dog. Winona cocked her head from side to side, whining slightly before letting out a little yelp. "Yeah, look at me, I'm asking a fucking dog for advice," I sat down on the sofa in the living room, running a hand through my hair as my hat was cast aside onto the little side table.

I covered my eyes with my hand, rubbing them lightly to try and help my brain relax from frying itself attempting to decipher what was going on with one of my best friends. I already knew girls were mysteries wrapped in an enigma and a riddle, but girls her age were pretty easy to figure out. Maybe Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are getting to her again at school. Perhaps a chat with Cheerilee was in order, and that wouldn't be too hard to schedule because Big Mac and her were still dating.

The slow, hypnotic ticking of the clock in the living room and the slight creaks of the wooden house fell upon my eardrums as I lay on the couch silently, just gathering my thoughts. Normally I'd use the magic of my favorite music to calm my attitude down and to let my brain juices start flowing like the Nile River, but that simply wasn't going to work right now. I certainly wasn't angry or upset; that couldn't be possible when it came to Applebloom because she was so sweet, innocent and adorable. Choosing what emotion or emotions I was feeling at the moment was not an easy choice.

I've never felt sad, confused and empty all at the same time before. Sad because Applebloom was yelling at me and acting rather harsh, confused because I didn't know why her emotions were more chaotic than Discord on opposite day and empty because I felt helpless that I couldn't help her feel better. Still, despite every fiber of my being wanting to throw my arms around the filly and hug her, I knew that might piss her off too, or it might make her cry.

How long had I been laying here exactly? I craned my neck up to look at the clock only to discover the minute hand had only moved two spots ahead. I groaned and put a pillow over my face. Watching movies on my iPad would only remind me of the activity I had suggested to Applebloom and make me feel even worse. It sounded like nothing more than a hollow dream now. If only Big Mac or Granny Smith were here, they'd know how to handle a disgruntled Applebloom. I never really liked kids back on Earth, but I made exceptions for the fillies and colts running around Equestria.

"Laying down on my ass won't get the dishes cleaned," I finally sat up from my five minute stint on the couch and re-entered the kitchen to clean the pot, bowls and plates we had used to eat lunch. However, just as I flipped up the lever on the sink and hot water started to melt away the toast crumbs and drying tomato soup in the bowls, I could hear muffled crying and painful groans coming from upstairs. Yet again, I was on the fence about racing upstairs to help or to just let Bloom have the space she desired. The groaning and crying finally stopped after about a minute or two of scrubbing dishes. It's hard to explain how my ears feel after have continuous noise flowing into my ear canals only to have it stop abruptly. Everything just seems, quieter.

"COUGAR!" Applebloom's voice screamed so loud that I jumped and accidentally threw the bowl in my hand up to the ceiling where it shattered and the pieces fell onto the floor, missing me. I could've sworn a few upstairs windows shattered with that scream. "HELP MEEEEEEEEE!" She screamed from upstairs again. Wasting no time, I spun around on my heel and ran like Satan's personal Hell Hounds were trying to chase me and drag me down to the bowels of Hell. Everything in the house became an indecipherable blur as I raced by the kitchen, the living room, the stairs and the hallway upstairs to Applebloom's bedroom.

"APPLEBLOOM!?" I pounded my fist on her door like a jackhammer, "APPLEBLOOM?!" I shouted again and pushed the door open. "What's the matter?" I asked as I dashed into the room and stopped in front of, an empty bed. "Where are you!?" my mind went into protective friend/military officer mode.

"Ah'm in the, ow! Bathroom," I heard hear reply painfully. Pushing my feet off the floor, I ran to the bathroom so hard I almost had a Kool-Aid man experience, but luckily I stopped short and just threw the door open.

"Bloom, what's the matter honey?" I instantly collapsed onto my knees and had my hands on her shoulders. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red and puffy. The only response I got was a few sniffles and unintelligible babbling. "Honey, just take a deep breath and tell me what's the matter," I said softly and stroked her mane to help calm her down. The filly swallowed and took a big breath for me before looking into my eyes.

"Ah-Ah don't know w-what's wrong with me! Ah've got a tummy ache, but Ah'm cravin' glazed doughnuts!" She cried, "'n my joints hurt like somepony's squeezin' 'em in a vice," she tearfully explained.

"O-okay, do you want me to get you some pain pills from the kitchen?" I questioned, but she wasn't done yet.

"Not only that, Ah've got so much pain in my," she hesitated to say the word, "lady area," she whispered, "'n Ah just checked, 'n Ah'm bleedin' down there too! Ah'm so scared!" She buried her face into my stomach and cried again. Looking onto the floor below her, I saw a few tissues with streaks of blood on the white surfaces and some droplets falling onto the bathroom floor, yet I didn't look in her area.

"Oh shit," I said about as scared as Applebloom. "Bloom, has Ms. Cheerilee taught you about when you become a mare?" I asked. Pulling her head away from my chest, she wiped her eyes again.

"N-no," she replied.

"Well then crap ,you're on your first period," I bluntly said.

"P-period?" She asked in a squeaky voice.

"It's your first step to becoming a mare," I quickly explained, "but does Applejack have any pads under the sink?" I asked.

"Pads? Uh, AH DON'T KNOW!" She wailed again. "Ah just hurt so much 'n Ah'm so scared Cougar, please help me!" She begged and threw her legs around my torso. Well shit, if Applejack doesn't have pads, I don't know what to do. And I'm not buying those kinds of products at the store. I wouldn't know what kind and size to buy and a guy buying them is just, off-putting.

"Just let me think," I set her on top of the counter with a red towel below her lower area. I kicked my brain into overdriving, trying to think of a way to help my friend's pain and scared demeanor vanish. "We'll get you through this," I promised her. My eyes popped open as I was reminded of the memory of this morning.

"Well Cougar, if you ever need help with anything and Applejack or her family members can't help, you can come get either or both of us and we'll help you for anything you need," Bon Bon's voice from this morning echoed in my mind.

"It may not be what she was talking about, but it's better than nothing," I whispered. "Applebloom, come on, we're leaving," I picked her up from the ground by her front legs, begin careful not to touch her lower area with my arm so I wouldn't hurt her, the blood wasn't an issue.

"W-where are we going?" She asked painfully as her lower area was still radiating with agony.

"Lyra and Bon Bon right now are your only hopes to help; I don't know what to do and since your sister and her friends are all busy, what choice do we have?" I asked her.

"Ah guess that makes sense," she agreed, still shuffling around. Flipping her over onto her back like a baby, I ran out of the house with her in my arms.

---

(Bon Bon's Candy Bowl. Cougar's POV.)

We got numerous stares from everypony in town what with our odd positions, but I pushed all of those stares away and set the filly in my arms down to the ground. Bon Bon's candy shop was sitting right in front of us as I knocked on the door profusely. Through the window on the door, I saw Lyra sitting up and trotting over happily. "I'm coming, I'm coming calm the Tartarus down," she opened the door where I almost punched her horn.

"Hey watch where you hit my marefriend!" Bon Bon jumped from behind her counter. "who's trying to kill you?" the Earth mare jokingly asked. Wheezing, I bent down with my hands on my knees and sat down on a bench inside the candy shop.

"A-A-Applebloom," I coughed.

"Yeah, what about her?" Lyra escorted the filly inside.

"She's on her period!" I blurted out after finally catching my breath. Both Lyra and Bon Bon's face froze like statues after hearing the surprising information. They blinked a few times before shaking their heads back and forth.

"Did you just say-" Lyra held her leg around Applebloom's head.

"YES! She's on her first period and we need your help please, I don't know what to do!" I begged for help. Bon Bon patted me on the back and handed me a glass of water which I chugged down immediately.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Lyra knelt down to Applebloom's level. She explained to Lyra the same thing she did to me, complete with the cramps, pain and bleeding. "Aw, come here Applebloom," the mint colored unicorn hugged Applebloom.

"You came to the right girls Cougar," Bon Bon congratulated me. "I'll close up shop and we'll all go to the store for what she needs," she told me.

"Well, we can just use Lyra, I don't want you to lose business Bon Bon," I solemnly said. The dark blue and pink maned pony waved her hoof in front of my face, letting me know not to worry too much.

"A filly is on her first period. She's hurting and frightened, this goes far beyond making and selling candy Cougar," Lyra told me as she opened the door for Applebloom, myself and Bon Bon to exit the store.

"We need you too Cougar, somepony as tall as you can help reach the higher shelves," Bon Bon added, shoving me out of the shop before locking up. Lyra walked ahead with Applebloom while Bon Bon walked back with me as we made our way to the store. "So, how long has it been going on?" The candy pony asked me.

"Uh, she just experienced the bleeding and the cramping, so not too long," I replied, trying to think of when this all started.

"Did she seem cranky, grumpy, indecisive about everything?" She continued to ask me.

"Now that you mention it, I've been home from taking Applejack to the castle for about two hours," I explained, "she was just really grumpy at me and yelled at me a lot," I added. Bon Bon slapped her face with her hoof and groaned.

"It's been going on for two hours and you just now come to us?!" She berated me, "you should have come to us a long time ago Cougar!" She raised her voice.

"Hey I'm sorry, I'm no expert on PMS!" I growled back at her.

"At least you did come to us, that was your first smart move. We're more than happy to help since Applejack is gone," Bon Bon said when we entered the store. Because it was Friday and the afternoon was just starting, a few teenage ponies were gathering chips, drinks and candy for a weekend away from the school year just starting or older ponies were getting alcoholic beverages for a weekend of partying. We stopped at the front of the store, looking around.

"Lyra, it's still hurtin'," Applebloom suppressed more tears.

"Lyra, you take Applebloom and help get her pain pills and pads while Cougar and I get whipped cream, chocolate sauce, pickles, chips, peanut butter and cookies," Bon Bon ordered her marefriend, "we'll meet back up at the checkout line," she added. Lyra winked her golden eye at Bon Bon and gently escorted Applebloom to the feminine product aisle while Bon Bon grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it around.

"Woah, do we really need to get a bunch of sweets for her?" I asked when the pony shoved a few bottles of chocolate sauce into the cart, "she's not pregnant," I added.

"For the love of Celestia Cougar, don't you know how these things work?" She scoffed. "When mares go into their periods, they hurt, get extremely cranky, emotional and get weird food cravings," She said in a duh tone. We rounded a corner into another aisle where Bon Bon ordered me to grab five bags of potato chips from the top shelf since those were the fresher bags.

"Oh sorry," I rolled my eyes, "when I first hit puberty, the only cravings I got could be solved in twenty minutes!" I exclaimed only to have a hoof slap me upside the head. "OW!" I yelled and rubbed my head.

"That's nasty Cougar, stop talking like that," she said through gritted teeth. Shaking it off, Bon Bon had me grab two jars of pickles from another shelf.

"Bon Bon, can I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind?" She grabbed some jars of peanut butter and cookies that looked suspiciously like Oreos.

"How do I handle it when she gets emotional? I know she doesn't mean what she says when she says hurtful things, but that fact doesn't make it hurt any less," I asked. Bon Bon stopped the cart and sighed, tapping her hooves on the handle.

"There's pretty much nothing you can do Cougar," she revealed, "all you can do is let her breath and help her let out her emotions and eat her junk food; it really makes it better for both mares and stallions," She explained.

"But how do I help her let her emotions out?"

"Again, feed her the junk food and tell her a sad story, that's better than letting her emotions out through anger," Bon Bon resumed walking with the cart, grabbing cans of whipped cream from the dairy section.

"I've got sad movies on my iPad, will that help?"

"Anything sad will do," she reiterated. "Okay, we've got enough junk food to feed Celestia's guard, almost enough," Bon Bon practically cleared the peanut butter shelf of creamy peanut butter.

"I wonder if Applejack is having a better time than I am," I pondered out loud. Once Bon Bon said we had gotten enough, she took me to the front of the store where Lyra's cart was full of, well I'd rather not say. But those pain pill bottles were fucking huge!

"Okay, we're all done here," Lyra announced as Applebloom was still uncomfortably fidgeting around. I stood behind the three as the checkout pony gulped at the large quantity of supplies we had chosen.

"Thanks girls," I thanked Bon Bon and Lyra.

"Anything for a friend and a filly in need," Lyra replied. "Now Applebloom, remember what I told you about putting these on," she reminded the filly. I stuck my fingers in my ear, not needing nor wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Comes to 66 bits please," the cashier held out his hoof. Without even questioning, Bon Bon pulled out a Fifty-Bit coin, a ten-bit coin, a five-bit coin and a one-bit coin for the cashier.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciate this," I said for the second time when everything was all bagged up and we exited the store.

"You two take care, we've got some more candy to sell," Lyra handed us the bags of stuff.

"We will Lyra, come on Bloom."

---

(Back at the Ranch. Cougar's POV)

We didn't say much on the walk home. In fact, we didn't say anything at all as I carried every bag for the still downtrodden filly. She practically sulked when we walked back through the front door and I set all the bags down on the kitchen table, taking all of the junk food out and setting it on the counter. Applebloom quickly grabbed the bag of her, things, and walked upstairs to the bathroom. Instead of sitting down and waiting, I put the jars of pickles in the fridge, along with the whipped cream. The jars of peanut butter, bags of chips and bags of cookies stayed on the kitchen counter. As for the chocolate sauce, I stuck those in the pantry.

"Ahem," Applebloom cleared her throat nervously and entered the kitchen.

"Hey scamp," I ruffled her hair kindly, "is it working?" I asked stupidly. She actually giggled in response and leaned closer to my hand.

"Well, Ah don't see anymore blood, but it still hurts," she replied. Whirling around, I grabbed the mega-sized bottle of pain pills and cracked open a can of soda for her.

"Here, take this Bloom," I said with a smile. The filly smiled in response and gulped down two pills and the can of soda. She gave me a cute little burp as a thank you and threw the empty can away. "So, anything else you wanna do?" I asked her, kneeling down on my knees. Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes watered again. 'Oh Christ, not again,' I thought and braced myself for another emotional roller coaster. Still blubbering, she couldn't get any words out, but she stood in place, not being able to move.

My parental instincts kicked in, causing me to scoop her up like a baby again and walk her over to the couch where I laid down with her on my chest. My arms snaked around her torso, embracing her in a tight hug. "Shh, it's okay Applebloom, you're gonna be okay, I'll be sure of that," I assured her with a kiss to her forehead.

"Ah-Ah'm sorry Cougar," She breathed heavily out crying.

"W-what'd you say Bloom?" My hand still stroked her mane and her bow.

"Ah'm sorry fer bein' so mean ta ya," she whispered out, "all ya were tryin' ta do was help me 'n spend time with me. 'N all Ah did was yell at ya 'n call ya names," She covered her eyes with her legs.

"Aw, come here Bloom," I moved her foreword so she could cuddle my neck. "I'm not mad at you, at all," I said calmly.

"Ya should be. Ah treated ya like dirt when you've always treated me like a sister, or a daughter," more tears came from her eyes as she sniffled.

"No, I could never be mad at you Applebloom," I smiled with tears of my own threatening to show. "You're too sweet of a filly and too cute to be mad at. And It would be so unfair of me to be mad at you for 'simple biology,'" I joked about the time Luna bitch-slapped me with her wing boner and Bloom said the same thing. She giggled and wiped her tears on my shirt. "Come on, why don't you get some sleep sweetie?" I scratched behind her ear.

"Ah could use a nap," she cutely yawned and snuggled closer to my chest.

"It might be the middle of the day, but hopefully Luna can watch over your dreams," I laid my head on hers, falling prey to sleep myself. Applebloom's breathing quieted as she began to enter the realm of sleep, but not before giving me a message.

"Ah love you Cougar," she yawned before falling fully asleep. My heart stopped almost immediately.

End Chapter 23

---

Awwww, now how about that for a sweet moment. And just so some people know, she means as a big brother or a father, but not romantically.

And I am fully aware that some of the dialogue is different than from what we saw in the Season 5 Premier. However, I did that intentionally to help the flow of the story.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 24: A Crystal Trip Part 1

WHOO-HOO! MAN YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! 210 reviews! I'm so thankful for this honor guys, and the fact that I have so many loyal readers warms my heart; I really feel like Jeff Gordon when fans tell me how much they appreciate my story and help me to make it as awesome as it could be. To commemorate 200 reviews in only 24 chapters (a record for me) and 200K+ words (another record) I have a treat for you guys. There's a new episode tomorrow morning, and I have TWO chapters written and will be uploaded simultaneously. Two chapters in one day? That's right, this is for all of you who have stuck by me for so long and for people who have come along later.

Thank you all so much, now how about we reply to some reviews huh?

OBSERVER01: Zombie Cougar? Interesting idea, but that idea has been done to death thanks to all the zombie movies and tv shows. I didn't want the period to be too mean-spirited or depressing.

Sassymouse: Before I reply to your review Sassymouse. *Brings out huge NASCAR Champagne bottle* CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING THE 200TH REVIEWER! *Pops cork and sprays you with champagne* You got diabetes? Well uh, if you read article five, subsection three *Runs away*

KillerWoW: You cannot escape the feels!

mlp brony fifer: I'm happy you enjoyed it. Yes, only me and my therapist knows what's going to happen next. Oop, I've said too much.

uss71832: Okay then. I wouldn't know since I'm a guy and, yeah. Chocolate solves EVERYTHING!

Gardenfairy: Well thank you! With work and my other fanfic, I do feel bad sometimes that I take long to update Fallen Eagle.

SquirtlePWN: I don't blame you for forgetting about him. I don't care if he does come back at all, but I DO know Braeburn is coming back tomorrow in a new CMC episode!

Guest (1): Thanks for the input, but yeah, not happening sorry.

Dixie Darlin: Once I saw the season 5 premiere, I had an idea for what Applebloom and Cougar could do with both Big Mac and Applejack off the farm. Originally, I had Cougar actually go with the Mane 6 and try to rescue them, but I couldn't figure out a legit reason for how Starlight could imprison him.

litestardt: I believe I said spoilers, if I didn't please accept my sincerest of apologies. And I read the trap part in Admiral Ackbar's voice.

Yo Biggest Fan: Drat, I was hoping it would be a surprise. Good call nonetheless

Guest (2): Actually, I never thought about that. I'm thinking that maybe the pads are the same color as her so no one would really notice? Or maybe Cheerilee has some extras on standby for fillies who have gotten their periods just in case.

Everyone please enjoy both Chapters I will ship out today. I only ask that you guys please review BOTH chapters, yeah it's to get more reviews, but it's also easier to get down ideas and feedback from different chapters.

---

(A few days later. Cougar's POV)

After that little incident between myself and Applebloom with her first period, we spent the rest of the weekend doing our best to try and forget about the negativity that had taken place. It was easier than I had thought as we did originally what I had planned: Playing catch with apples, sharpening her self defense skills and watching movies on my iPad. Although we had smoothed things out, her words she had spoken to me still hit me square in my heart. "Ah love you Cougar," kept replaying in my mind over and over again. Of course I knew she didn't mean it in a romantic way, but the way she said it had me thinking of her more and more as a little sister each and every day. Thinking harder about it, the month was late September, and I had crashed landed here about mid to late May, four months I had been occupied in Equestria. Four months since I had last seen a person physically in front of me. I couldn't grasp how it felt knowing it had been a third of a year and I was still getting adjusted to living here, but in that time I had made a lot of good friends and made a difference in a few pony's lives. And in four months, I had developed a strong attachment to the pony that first even showed interest in wanting me to live with them.

Speaking of Applejack, when she and the others arrived back late Sunday evening, it was really good to see them. Big Mac came home from his weekend hangout with Spike and Granny Smith returned from making her large quilt. Apparently all the ponies making said quilt forgot that they had made the biggest quilt in Equestria last year right when they were almost done with this one. Not knowing the proper procedure for the breakdown of Applejack's report on her mission, I just followed Big Mac and Applebloom's lead of talking about it at supper. She went on and on about this tiny village where she and her five friends journeyed to solve a problem, only to have their cutie marks ripped from their hindquarters and replaced with an equal sign. The pony that did it was a sweet-talking silver tongued mare named Starlight Glimmer whom brainwashed an entire village to create an army. I guessed that last part as Applejack and her friends couldn't figure out the real reason Starlight had sunken to that level. From AJ's description of the village, it sounded to me like it was a village full of Greg Biffle fans, all cheering on a boring NASCAR driver and agreeing on everything, ugh. Hearing that Applejack lost her 'countryisms' was a tad humorous to me, but I didn't say anything, even when she mentioned how awful it was that she couldn't properly buck her rear legs or speak in 'country talk' as the mare also called the language.

When it was mine and Applebloom's turn to talk about our weekend, we decided to not say anything as Applebloom would tell Applejack later about her first period; it was too soon for me to relive that experience. An experience that I knew I would never have to face again. Though when Applejack did find out about everything and how I helped Applebloom get over it with the help of Lyra and Bon Bon, I got a nice little thank you in the form of another kiss on the cheek. The orange mare kept going on about how scary and frustrating it was for both myself and Applebloom. She also apologized numerous times for putting me through that situation, but I quickly put that to a stop as I explained it was what friends did for each other and I couldn't leave Applebloom frightened and in pain all alone. The only thing I didn't say to Applejack was that Applebloom told me she loved me, and I don't believe Applebloom did either. I think she never realized she had said it.

At the moment however, my mind was elsewhere as I was currently in dreamland. I was lying peacefully on my cot with my NASCAR cap on my face and my arm propped under my head as a second pillow. It was Friday and this was my day to sleep in, especially with how much slower things were with the summer work done and summer business gone as well. As the fall temperatures dropped every day, I began to shut my door at night, though my little shack still became colder every night. Applejack planned to help bring in and construct a wood stove for my shack, and of course I was grateful for that offer. In the backdrop of my dreamland, I could hear the birds outside of Sweet Apple Acres chirping away, preparing to fly south before winter really hit Ponyville hard. I groaned and turned over onto my side to get more comfortable. My red and black cap fell off of my face and landed perfectly onto the floor bottom side down. "WATCH OUT!" a shout shattered my sleep and I jolted up like I was shocked with a taser.

"What's that?!" I held my arms and hands up in a defensive stance, ready to take on whatever was attacking us. CRASH! 'Are we being bombarded?' I thought to myself as I grabbed my hat, a pair of shorts and my shoes to run outside. "Applejack, what happened?" I asked as I dashed outside and saw Big Mac and the mare in question already outside. The brother and sister duo was standing beside a pile of wagons and barrels that were no longer stocked perfectly like Big Mac and I had a few days prior. My feet came to a halt right next to Applejack while we stared at the spot where something or somepony had crash landed by the looks of it. Some dust floating in the air around the pile of wood settled back down as a pony coughed and climbed out of a barrel. A dirty blonde mane, golden crossed eyes and a grey fur coat stared at me in the face as Derpy Hooves stretched after climbing from her barrel.

"Sorry guys!" She apologized and helped put the barrels back into place, "I just don't know what went wrong," the klutzy pony explained and adjusted her mail pony cap.

"Are ya alright there Derpy?" Applejack worriedly questioned the mail carrier. The grey pegasus held her hoof up in front of Applejack's emerald eyes and waved it off. She grinned and reached into her bag, pulling out a few envelopes, magazines and a package.

"I'm as good as a lemon surprise muffin in the morning!" she cheerily brought a yellow and white muffin from her bag to her mouth and ate it in one bite. "Oh and this mail is all for your family Applejack and Big Mac," she attempted to salute the two ponies but accidentally hit her eye. "And how are you doing Cougar?" she turned to me, at least I think she did. "Staying in shape I see," she patted my abs with her hoof.

"Working on a farm will help with that," I chuckled before grabbing a five bit coin from my shorts pocket and placed it onto her hoof. "And that's for you to buy some more muffins Derpy," I scratched behind her ear. She stuck her tongue out and rested her head into my hand. Her rear leg began to kick up and down like a dog.

"Oooh, that's the spot right there!" She urged me to keep scratching.

"Derpy, don'tcha have more mail ta deliver?" Big Mac questioned, seemingly uncomfortable with me scratching Derpy's ear. Gasping and sprouting her wings, Derpy got away from my hand and got into her flight stance.

"Right, thanks Big Mac. I'll see all of you later!" She said her goodbye and took off, slapping me in the face with her wing. "Sorry!" She apologized as she flew away. Shaking my head and rubbing my face where her wing had hit me, I groaned and felt around to make sure I didn't lose any teeth; that little pegasus can pack a wallop with those wings. And between her slapping me and Luna's featherection hitting my jaw, it wasn't outside the realm of probability that I could lose a tooth or two from the wings around here.

"Guess I'd better get used to being slapped," I joked to Applejack and Big Mac. The two ponies had smiles on their faces as they each carried their own fair share of mail from Derpy. "That can be a good alarm clock, though I'm sure your barrels and wagons wouldn't appreciate that," I quickly uprighted a few more before turning back to Applejack and Big Mac.

"You done ran outta there faster than rattle snake bein' chase by a mongoose," the orange mare chuckled and nudged against my leg with her shoulder. "Did ya think we were under attack or somethin'?" She inquired while we three trekked towards the farmhouse.

"I heard somepony say 'watch out' and then there was a huge crash. It could've been an intruder for all I know," I defended my actions.

"Aren't ya a little chilly?" Big Mac pondered, pointing to my exposed torso with the mail he was carrying.

"Nah, my blood pumping from that rush of adrenaline is keeping me warm Mac," I held the kitchen door open for the two. "Mornin' Granny Smith, Bloom," I smiled at the two other Apple family members that were sitting at the table with pancakes and apples on the table. A fresh pot of black roasted coffee was sitting patiently on the counter top near the stove, waiting for someone to get a drink to kickstart their day. "Mail's here by the way," I added, shutting the door when Applejack finally strolled through. She and her brother set down the mail onto the table and Big Mac began roll call for who had mail. Rather than joining the four ponies at the table for mail call, I strolled on over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup.

"Granny Smith, ya got yerself a letter from Aunt Apple Brown Betty," Big Mac announced, hoofing the letter over to the elderly pony. Granny excitedly cut the edge of the envelope with a pair of scissors and emptied the envelope of its letter. "And fer Applebloom, Earth Pony Racin' Illustrated with Checkered Flag on the cover," the red stallion tossed the magazine over to the yellow filly.

"Oooh, special collector's edition of his 22nd year!" Applebloom flipped open the cover of the magazine to read about Checkered Flag's most recent season. "Oh these idjits still think High Velocity is better than him, not in a million years," she shook her head, stuffing pancake into her mouth as she continued to read.

"Yes! Hoofball Monthly, this'll show Spike Ah know what Ah'm talkin' 'bout when it comes ta Hoofball," he grinned. 'It never changes,' I smiled and sipped my coffee from the counter as I leaned up against it. "As fer Applejack, ya read the paper more than any 'o us," Big Mac rolled the rolled up newspaper over to his sister who gladly took it and removed the red rubber band.

"Anything interesting happening in Canterlot or Ponyville Applejack?" I raised my mug of coffee jokingly.

"It seems Rarity's newest line 'o fashion, yer inspired Military Fashion Squad, was the best sellin' line 'o clothes over the summer," Applejack announced, "Ah don't rightfully care 'bout that, but good fer her," she looked back over at me.

"So, who got the package and who got the last letter?" I swallowed my drink. Big Mac set down his Hoofball magazine and looked at the address and names of the brown box and white envelope with what looked like glitter around the edges.

"Uh, you did Cougar, that's a first," his jaw dropped a little as he scanned his eyes over the pieces of mail. Curiously setting my coffee mug onto the counter and licking my top lip, I fast-walked over to the table and politely grabbed the letter and box from the tabletop.

"The box is from Luna and the letter is from, Cadence?" I flipped the envelope over and back, shocked that Cadence would bother to write a letter to me. "Which should I open first guys?" I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, having not gotten mail in about six or seven months.

"Box, the box. It's more excitin' Cougar!" Applebloom set her magazine down and swallowed a bite of her pancakes. Scanning my eyes around the breakfast table, the other three ponies nodded their heads towards the package I was holding in my left hand. Accepting the decision, I set Cadence's letter onto the table and took a cutlery knife from a drawer and cut the tape off. Opening the flaps, I took out a note card with Luna's writing that had a message for me.

Cougar, I came across these objects during a patrol of the river near Winsome Falls when a filly had a nightmare a few nights ago. Upon examination, at least one of these objects was not created here in Equestria, so I came to the conclusion that they must be yours that you lost many months ago. If they are, enjoy and I'm glad I could be of service.

-Yours Truly, Princess Luna of Equestria.

Setting the note card down, I reached into the box and wrapped my fingers around a handle. Tightening my grip, I pulled my arm back to see I had my combat knife sitting right in my fist. I hadn't seen this since June; it was a nice sight to see, even with the dried tree sap coating the blade. "Luna found my old combat knife, sweet!" I studied it before setting it behind me on the counter.

"The combat knife that ya used against them timberwolves?" Applejack questioned.

"Yep, only now it's covered in dry tree sap," I replied and reached my hand back into the box, having a good idea what was resting inside. My hand froze when my fingers barely touched the cool metallic surface and the smooth wooden surface of my .44 revolver. I had the urge to just take it out and look at it like with the knife, but my hand wouldn't follow the command of my brain signals. The biggest thing running through my mind was would the Apple family be okay with this 'miniature cannon' I had with me? The gun itself didn't scare me at all, but would Applejack or Big Mac be fine with it being on their property?

"Ya gonna show us what it is or are ya gonna stand there with yer hand in the box all day?" Applebloom picked up a tiny piece of pancake and tossed it my way, hitting my arm and withdrawing myself from my thoughts. My fingers finally curled around the handle of the pistol and brought it out for the ponies to see.

"My Smith and Wesson .44 calibre pistol, perfect for self-defense," I announced, holding the weapon in the air.

"Now Ah remember!" Applejack lightly slammed her hoof on the table, "that's what ya used to wound one 'o them timberwolves right?" She asked me. I set the gun down on the table top where I would normally be seated and nodded in reply. I could see from the cylinder that there were still a few bullets left as I recall not firing empty that night. Picking it back up, I unlocked the cylinder and three bullets fell out onto the table.

"Applebloom, you wanted to know what a bullet was right?" I held up one of the bronze projectiles. "This is it, just like a miniature cannon ball, only more pointed," I explained and tossed the bullet towards her. She caught it in her hooves and studied the piece of ammo with amazement.

"Why would ya need a miniature cannon Cougar?" Big Mac asked me, taking a pause from his Hoofball magazine.

"For self defense if I was ever shot down behind enemy lines and ground units would try to capture me," I explained, taking the two bullets from the table and the third one from Applebloom. Holding the three bronze items in the palm of my hand I stuffed them in my pocket and placed the gun on the counter. "I'll, take care of those later," I said and sat down to eat.

"Are ya gonna keep it Cowboy?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, but for the bullets, maybe not. I've only got three and I don't see a reason at all to use them," I cut into a chocolate chip pancake. "Maybe I'll take them apart, dump out the gunpowder and give them to a smelter or whatever for extra bits," I considered.

"Okay, but what'd Princess Cadence write ya fer Cougar?" Granny Smith downed a cup of orange juice. 'Oh Right,' I thought while chewing on my breakfast. Reaching over and grabbing the letter, I ripped off the end of the glittering paper container and dumped out the letter within.

"Would ya look at that border!?" Applebloom said with awe as I unfolded the letter, "talk 'bout fancy!" she referenced the tiny gems and crystals lining the borders of the paper with an official seal of the Crystal Empire at the bottom. Swallowing my bite of chocolate chip pancakes, I cleared my throat to read the letter out loud for the Apple Family.

Dear Cougar, Shining Armor and I had a wonderful time at the Grand Galloping Gala. You were a very humble and gracious host with a fantastic talent for music. We were more than delighted to meet you and enjoyed getting to know you, albeit as much as you wanted us to know. My husband and I had such a great time with you that we would like to personally invite you and all of our friends to the Crystal Empire this weekend for a mini-vacation. If you choose to go, have Spike send me and Shining an RSVP via fire scroll so we can get our crystal castle ready for your stay. We were hoping to welcome you to our personal kingdom to help you learn a little more about Equestrian society. Please respond soon.

-The Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire: Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza

"How lucky can ya get? A personal invite from Princess Cadence herself ta the Crystal Empire!" Bloom flailed her forelegs around.

"What are ya frettin' 'bout Applebloom?" Applejack began to eat her fifth pancake. "Ya went ta the Crystal Empire fer the Equestria games only about six months ago," she pointed out.

"Ah know, but it was just so pretty there 'n Ah wanted ta go again," the younger pony explained.

"Uh, hate ta break this up, but wasn't this Cougar's letter from the Crystal Empire princess?" Big Mac coughed to get everypony's attention as he bussed his plate and coffee mug over to the sink.

"Oh, right, sorry Cougar," the yellow filly blushed, "what's yer answer gonna be?" she sipped some milk. Folding the letter back up, I put it into my shorts pocket and threw the ripped up end of the envelope into the garbage bin.

"Eh, I'll think about it after breakfast; I'm still pretty hungry," I explained, swirling my pancakes in the brown maple syrup and popping them into my mouth. "What?" I asked Applejack when she gave me a funny look.

"Ya really gotta think 'bout this, even after that lil speech ya gave me 'fore me 'n the girls went off ta that village?" She questioned me.

"It's not that I don't want to go," I replied, "I just want to finish my breakfast first," I dipped the last little slice of pancake in the butter and syrup on my plate. Applejack's confused and frazzled expression morphed into that of understanding.

"Oh, sorry, yer still just hard ta figure out sometimes," she gave a hearty chuckle before belching, "'scuse me," she blushed. I smiled and stood up with my empty plate and grabbed AJ's plate.

"Mind if I bus this for you?" I asked. She shrugged and allowed me to take it to the sink. "Before I give you an answer AJ, how about we visit Twilight and our friends at the castle since it also concerns them?" I suggested. "That and I might want to know a little more about the Crystal Empire," I added, running hot water over the syrup covered plates.

"Uh, sure Ah guess," AJ responded. "They might be up 'n at it by now," she pondered.

"Yeah, well if they're not, tough," I joked and picked Applebloom out of her chair. "come on Applebloom, you're coming too," I set her down and gave her a noogie. The filly giggled and wriggled away from me. "You'll see," I said to Applejack before she could ask why her little sister needed to go.

(At the Castle. Cougar's POV)

Twilight's aura dispersed from the letter as she set it down on the table in the middle of all the thrones. Spike was sitting on the floor next to Twilight's throne, his hand petting her mane and giving her the occasional hug. "Well, this is certainly strange," Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. I was sitting next to Applejack's throne with Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo all peering at the map in front of me.

"What the heck is strange about it Twilight?" I asked.

"That my sister-in-law sent you a letter inviting us all to the Crystal Empire instead of me," she replied sending the letter back to me via teleportation. "Usually she or Shining Armor would send me letters inviting all of us to their castle, or I'd send them a letter inviting them here," she added.

"Like the letter said darling," Rarity cleared her throat, gathering the attention of everyone in the throne room, "Cadence and your brother really took a liking to Cougar and wanted to invite him personally to make him feel more welcome to Equestria, especially the Crystal Empire.," she explained.

"And Cougar did say he wants to learn more about our culture and see what other towns are like," Fluttershy added her two cents. "They're just giving him an opportunity," she smiled in my direction.

"He's been here for almost five months, what else could he have to learn?" Twilight asked Fluttershy.

"The fact that I've been busting my ass to help Applejack and her family on her farm was more important to me," I replied in a 'duh' tone. "I at least know that you guys don't have near the amount of technology I'm used to, you use coins instead of bills and you have a monarchy instead of a democracy," I explained what I knew to Twilight.

"Come on Cougar!" Rainbow completely ignored the debate going on between Twilight and myself, "are you really gonna pass up a free vacay to the Crystal Empire? It's only the best place in Equestria! Right behind Cloudsdale, The Wonderbolts Academy, Ponyville and my house of course," she bragged.

"Soarin's private quarters?" Spike coughed into his fist. Rainbow's cheeks blushed a bright pink as she hid under her hooves from the comment.

"Good one Spike!" Pinkie Pie clutched her stomach in her hooves and laughed her head off. Some whipped cream from her cupcake squirted out of her nose as she tried to contain her laughter.

"Spike! Where did you learn to talk like that?!" Twilight demanded from her son.

"Rainbow," Spike pointed her out with his thumb-claw.

"Although I agree with Twilight darling, it was rather funny," Rarity agreed, suppressing a snicker. Looking down, the Crusaders were giggling up a storm. I guess they either knew about mature jokes before now or they were just beginning to understand them. I was grinning and sniggering at the joke.

"By the way," I steered the conversation back to its original topic, "I wouldn't mind hearing more about the history of Equestria and whatnot, preferably the Wonderbolts," I reiterated Fluttershy's statement. "Anyway, before I accept the invitation or not, could you guys shed a little more light on the Crystal Empire?" I requested. Twilight's eyes fell and she sort of glared at me.

"Really? You want us to tell you more about one of our fellow kingdoms, one that's run by my family might I add, and you still won't even tell us your Celestia damned name!?" The purple alicorn shouted at me. Having been shouted at my entire life by superior officers and fellow airmen, Twilight yelling at me affected me about as much as Fluttershy's normal speaking voice.

"Ya don't have ta yell like that Twilight," Applejack scolded the princess.

"I know that's a little unfair Twilight," I replied softly, "I just like to know a little more about places I'm journeying to besides the name," I folded my hands across my knees. Twilight held her foreleg to her mouth, breathed deeply with her eyes closed and moved her leg back down as she exhaled her breath.

"My apologies Cougar, it's that I've been trying to figure out more about you without more information than you've originally given us; it's been driving me crazy," she said and calmed back down.

"Apology accepted Twilight," I reached over and shook her hoof, mentally rolling my eyes. "How about this, you tell me just one thing about the Crystal Empire and I'll tell you know another thing you don't know about me, I'll even let you ask a question," I proposed to the pony. Her eyes practically exploded to the size of bowling balls as she tried to suppress an excited squeal.

"Oh great, you broke her Coug, nice going," Rainbow kicked back, crossing her rear legs and laying her head back onto her forelegs.

"What'd I do?" I asked curiously as Twilight still looked like she was about to explode.

"She loves questions Cougar," Pinkie picked up an ice cream carton and slurped some ice cream out with her tongue. "Questions about anything really, the weather, history, spells, trivia. Anything to soak up more knowledge into that gigantic brain of hers," I grimaced when Pinkie slurped up practically the whole carton in one gulp. "And speaking of brains, BRAIN FREEEEEEZZZZE!" She clutched her head and shook it back and forth.

"Okay, noted," I raised an eyebrow to Pinkie as she fell onto the floor, still clutching her head. "So Twilight," I leaned my elbow on the table as if we were both about to divulge deadly secrets, "can you tell me what the Crystal Empire is like?" I asked her.

"Well, besides the fact that everypony resident within the kingdom is a crystal pony, besides my BBBFF and my sister-in-law, it's in the Frozen North of Equestria, so if you do decide to go, you might want to consider bundling up nice and warm for the journey. Even in the train it can get really cold on the trip before we arrive," Twilight explained. "Frigid temperatures don't upset you, do they Cougar?" Twilight cocked her head to the side.

"Uh, can we get back to the crystal ponies part?" I asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean Cougar? The crystal ponies are just regular ponies," Fluttershy detailed to me, "unicorns, earth ponies, peagsi and Cadence is the only alicorn in the Crystal Empire."

"Are you saying that they're literally made out of crystals?" I questioned. Yeah it sounds pretty stupid, but after all I've seen so far, ponies made out of actual crystals wouldn't and shouldn't surprise me at all.

"Not at all Cougar," Rarity corrected, "their coats are made of the most fantastic and gorgeous crystal fur coats. They shine so beautifully off Celestia's sun that it almost destroyed me when the effects wore off all of us," Rarity said gloomily. "Luckily when we enter the kingdom, we do turn a shade of glimmering crystal for a short period of time. If only I could find a spell to make it permanent to make myself look more beautiful all of the time," Rarity sighed dreamily.

"I don't think that's possible to make you more beautiful Rarity," Spike scored a few brownie points with the seamstress. I grinned at the dragon's determination to butter himself up to Rarity. The white unicorn giggled and patted the dragon's green spikes atop his head.

"Now if you're talkin' 'bout things bein' made out 'o crystal, that's where the Crystal Empire gets its name from," Applejack looked over to me. "Every buildin' 'n structure is made from crystals. It really is a beautiful sight ta see once yer there," the orange pony smiled. Right as I was about to make my decision, Twilight tapped the top of the table with her hoof to gather my attention. Her face had a twisted smile curling upwards, and it sort of looked like the shit-eating grin of a smart-ass gameshow host.

"Okay Cougar, now would you kindly tell us something else about you?" She rubbed her hooves together, just like she was about to eat a big, juicy sirloin steak, or should I say a salad?

"Sure, I even said you can ask a question," I grinned, "though if I don't like it, I can veto the question," I negotiated with the alicorn. Her face fell into a combination of disappointment and frustration. A tiny growl escaped her mouth, though it was suppressed at the last second so keep it quiet.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth. The princess took a breath before asking her question, "you said you were shot down during an air battle, correct?" She questioned. I responded with a slight nod, still keeping on my toes for what kind of question she had in mind. "Was this a normal mission, a surprise attack or was your country at war?" She got to her actual question. I swallowed, taking in her question as it reminded me that we were in World War III, at least the start of the war.

"We uh," I began, cracking my knuckles as I clenched my right hand into a fist, "it's a combination of a surprise attack and war," I replied. "Actually, scratch that," I revised my answer, "it was a combination of all three. We were sent on a routine escort mission when we were ambushed over the ocean," I explained.

"And you were at war during all of this?" Rainbow sat back up on her haunches.

"Y-yeah," I said. We all sat in silence as I stood up and leaned against Applejack's throne for support, trying to suppress that day. The orange mare sitting next to me smiled and softly laid her hoof onto my hand and stroked it. Her expression to me read, 'It's okay,' or, 'Ah'm here fer ya.' Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I took my hand from Applejack's hoof.

"Were you in many battles?" Twilight pressed on with further questions. I opened my mouth to politely burst her bubble, but Fluttershy beat me to the punch. Softly waving her hoof in the air, Fluttershy spoke out against Twilight's questioning.

"Um, Cougar only allowed you one question Twilight," she reminded the alicorn, "not that you're intentionally trying to go against his wishes," she tried her best to not piss off Twilight.

"No, it's fine Fluttershy," I waved her off. "I'm still not comfortable with that yet Twilight. The things I had to see will stay with me for a long time; I'm just not ready to talk about the battles I've been in. I know I sound like a wuss, but," I couldn't finish my sentence and shuddered.

"Ah understand Sugarcube," Applejack began to stroke my back, "'n y'all understand too right?" She shot a quick glance to everypony else in the throne room. The other eight ponies and Spike nodded their heads, understanding to listen to Applejack.

"Yer a soldier Cougar," Applebloom hopped up onto my lap, "that's all we need ta hear ta know how much of a good person ya are," she hugged around my torso. "'N Ah know askin' them kind 'o questions is hard fer military ponies," she added. Reaching my hands up, I held Bloom like a dog and scratched her back while nuzzling her cheek with my own.

"Awww, how adorable!" Rarity gushed. I smirked and set the filly back down next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"So, what's your answer Cougar?" Twilight cut back to the whole reason AJ, Applebloom and I even came to the castle. "Do you want to go with us to the Crystal Empire tomorrow or not?" All eyes once again turned back to me, waiting for an answer to give to the alicorn.

"You had me when you said the Empire was cold," I chuckled, "haven't seen snow since January when my buds and I were shipped off to Florida," I groaned while standing up from the floor. All the ponies except for the Crusaders began cheering and celebrating.

"Perfect, we'll leave late tonight so we can arrive tomorrow morning and spend the whole day with the greatest pony ever: Cadence!" Twilight hovered in the air with her wings. Stretching my back a bit, I looked down to see Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all looking sad and depressed at not being invited to go. A lightbulb went off above my head and I bent down to scoop up the three fillies standing below me.

"But!" I exclaimed to get everyone to shut up, "on one condition Twilight. And if that condition isn't met, then I'm not going," I set forth my demands. Twilight lowered herself back down onto the floor and looked up at me. We both stared each other down, just like Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars, only without a theme song or guns. And it certainly wasn't high noon.

"And what would those conditions be Cougar?" Twilight retorted with a squinted right eye, trying to intimidate me. I looked back down at the three fillies in my arms as they stared back at me, confused as to why I was holding them, but they were not complaining at all.

"I'll go only if these three bundles of cuteness get to go as well Twilight," I stated. All three of the fillies in my arms gasped excitedly and wiggled away from me onto the table in the middle of the room. They jumped up and down excitedly in front of Twilight and their sisters, begging them to allow them to tag along. Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack looked at each other and shrugged all at the same time.

"Ah don't see a problem with that," Applejack replied.

"Having my lil sis come along will just make things that much cooler!" Rainbow noogied Scootaloo's head.

"Ooh, Sweetie Belle and I can share some quality time together at the Crystal Empire spa!" The seamstress grabbed Sweetie Belle in a tight hug. "Won't that be fun sister darling?" She asked the filly. Sweetie Belle grimaced yet grinned at the same time, clearly indicating that a day at the spa wasn't really worthy of getting out of bed.

"Sure, anything to spend more time with my big sister!" she hugged Rarity around her neck. Twilight lightly tapped the table again to quiet down all three sets of sisters for her decision on whether or not Sweetie Belle, Applebloom or Scootaloo could go. This struck me as odd since the elder sisters all agreed their little sisters could go. Why should Twilight still have to make a decision on that?

"Of course you three can go," she beamed at the Crusaders. The three fillies jumped and hollered for joy at going to the Crystal Empire again. My gaze cast itself upon a lone clock on the wall of the throne room. The time read 8:53 A.M. and because it was Friday, school was about to start for the kids. Luckily, Applejack saw this as well and let them know about it.

"Oh boy!" She exclaimed, "go on 'n get yer butts ta school ya hear? If yer late, y'all can't go ta the Crystal Empire, now move it!" She ordered just like a drill instructor. Rarity's magic held the castle doors open as the kids scrambled out of said castle, leaving a tiny trail of dust behind them while they galloped their way to school. AJ laughed and sat back calmly into her throne. "That never gets old ta see them run like they got fire on their heels," she chortled.

"So, what time should we leave tonight by train if we're arriving in the morning?" I questioned Twilight. Instantly, a Ponyville train station itinerary appeared with a burst of her magic. Opening up the flaps, her eyes scanned the schedule, looking for a time in which we could leave. "Always prepared eh Twilight?" I joked.

"Well, you already know about triple-checking the double-checked check list Cougar," Spike rolled his green eyes, drumming his claws across the table.

"It looks like we can take an 11:45 P.M. train from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire and arrive at about seven in the morning," Twilight announced. "And the train cars are comfy enough to let us get some sleep so we won't miss a single moment with Cadence and Shining Armor!" She suppressed another squeal, but danced place like a kid holding in his pee.

"Sounds good to us Twilight," Rainbow announced, "I can catch a couple more naps today so I can be refreshed enough to sleep on the train car," she bragged.

"Then Ah guess we'll go home 'n pack fer the weekend, right Cougar?" Applejack lightly nudged my ribs with a wink. Thankfully, packing wasn't a huge chore or deal for me; I've lived out of a duffel bag for the past half year anyways. Just my iPad, phone, a pair of shirts for the two days, a couple pairs of socks and an extra pair of my boxers was all I needed. And I'm sure like at Luna and Celestia's castle, Shining Armor and Cadence's castle had body wash and shampoo for guests.

"Already, on, it!" Pinkie Pie grunted from behind us. All seven of us turned around to see Pinkie Pie hopping up and down on a suitcase that looked ready to burst like a volcano or a doughnut stuffed with too much jelly. "Come on stupid suitcase, you can't beat Pinkie Pie!" the pink mare groaned again, still hopping up and down on the lid. Suddenly, the suitcase exploded, sending confetti and baked goods splattering all over the walls of the throne room. Thanks to my reflexes from flying for seven years, I quickly ducked behind Applejack's throne so I wouldn't get hit.

"Aw, come on now Pinkie!" Applejack shook her hat free of cake frosting and confetti.

"My mane is covered with vanilla frosting! I need a bath, stat!" Rarity shrieked and teleported out of the castle in the blink of an eye. Rainbow shrugged it off and licked all of the frosting from her face, not a care crossed her mind.

"Oh well, I needed to do a little more cleaning around here anyways," Twilight shook herself dry in the same fashion a dog would. Spike immediately produced a dustpan and broom and began to sweep all of Pinkie's mess away.

"Maybe I should get a bigger suitcase?" The party mare had her tongue sticking out while scratching her head. "No, no I've got it!" She exclaimed, "I'll just get a more durable lock!"

"Or maybe you should forget six cakes, four dozen sugar cookies, two gallons of ice cream and a party cannon?" I suggested smugly. Normally Applejack wouldn't appreciate that kind of attitude from me, but she was a little miffed at Pinkie so she let it slide.

"Well, we best get back ta the farm Cougar," Applejack hopped down from her atop her throne. "Shouldn't take too long ta pack, then we can get some more chores done," she explained.

"I'm game for that AJ," I replied, "see you guys tonight!" I called while my friend and I were met with calls of goodbye and see ya from our seven friends. We escorted ourselves out of the castle and back to the farm.

(Train Ride, the next morning. 6:50 Cougar's POV)

'Ugh, damned this hot train car!' I thought while struggling to stay under the sandman's spell. We had indeed boarded the 11:45 train bound for the Crystal Empire and nearly everyone fell asleep within thirty minutes. Rainbow however, fell asleep in about five minutes; her snoring irritated us to the point that Twilight used a spell to lower the volume of the pegasus' voice. Twilight had informed us that after AJ and I left the castle, Spike had sent Cadence and Shining Armor a message with his green fire to let them know of our arrival in the morning. 'Can somepony open the damned window a crack?' The colder temperatures seemed like a hollow dream now that this car felt like a freaking furnace! I jolted awake when the train whistle sounded, acting like an alarm clock for me.

"Mornin' Coug," Applejack's southern twang greeted me as I blinked my eyes and yawned. "Ah take it ya slept well?" She asked me from across my seat. I responded with a nod as I was still a little sleepy and my yawning prevented speech to emit from my mouth. "Isn't that the cutest thing ya ever saw?" The orange pony asked me another question. Confused, I looked down and soon found out what she had meant.

'Now I know why it was so damned hot in here,' I chuckled mentally. Curling up all around me like puppies were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle had snuggled up against my side and gotten under my left arm. Scootaloo did the exact same thing, except she had snuggled against my side under my right arm and was mumbling incoherently in her sleep. As for Applebloom, she had latched herself around my torso and nuzzled her head against my chest, snoring softly. I felt like Dr. Alan Grant at the end of Jurassic Park with the two kids cuddling up against him.

"Morning Applejack," I finally was able to talk again. "And yeah, this is pretty adorable," I commented on the Crusaders, "though this is getting a little hot," I admitted, trying to shift around to get cooler air to my skin. Applejack hopped down from her seat, tip toed quietly to the window and opened it a small crack. Instantly my skin felt cooled and refreshed, but not too cold with my three personal heaters surrounding me. "At least these seats are pretty comfy," I leaned back against the soft padding of the bench seat. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity occupied my seat as well while AJ was joined by Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike.

"Eeyup," Applejack sounded just like Big Mac for a split second, "though Ah've been up fer 'bout thirty minutes," she stretched her body and groaned. "Ah wish we had a camera fer this," AJ pointed back to the three files snuggling with me.

"Hey Applejack," I blurted out.

"Yes Cougar?" She replied curiously.

"Did Applebloom," I tried to find the right words, "did she tell you all about our little escapade while you and the others traveled to that village?" I asked her. The mare stretched again and grabbed her hat from the hat rack on the wall next to her.

"She sure did," AJ responded. "'N Ah'm sorry Ah wasn't there ta take care 'o it," she apologized. "But Ah thank ya so much that ya care fer my lil sis enough ta help her through somethin' like that. It's not every day a boy's gotta help a girl with that particular subject," she thanked me.

"No problem Applejack, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I ignored her and let her deal with it herself," I reiterated what I had said before, yet I had forgotten to mention what Lyra and Bon Bon had helped, hence why I was reminding Applejack of the incident. "But you should also thank Lyra and Bon Bon for helping me help Applebloom," I added. "I don't think I could've gotten AB through that without their help." Applejack held her chin in her hoof and leaned back into the back of her chair. Her lips opened and closed several times. I'm guessing she was imitating chewing on a wheat stalk.

"Tell ya what, when we get back, Ah'll bake those two a few pies as a thank you," she suggested. "'N then Ah'll let ya deliver them personally ta Bon Bon's shop. Does that seem like a good idea ta ya?" The mare asked me.

"Yeah actually, do you know what kind of pie they like besides apple pie?" I asked. Applejack nodded in response as the train whistled once again. The train's speed decreased as the steel wheels ground against the metal train tracks. The combination of both noises was enough to wake up every other occupant in the train car.

"Now arriving at, the Crystal Empire!" The train conductor announced over the intercom system.

"CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" The Crusaders hopped away from me and pressed their faces against the glass window as our train pulled up to the station that was clouded by steam from the engine. "It's just as pretty as I remembered it!" Sweetie Belle squealed and did a little dance in front of the window.

"Mmm, I can already smell the train station bakery cinnamon buns!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down in front of the door, waiting for the all clear to depart the train. I reached up into the overhead bin and handed everyone their respective bags for the trip.

"Hey, what's going on with my voice?!" Rainbow Dash demanded in a whisper, though we all knew she was trying to shout.

"Oops, let me fix that," Twilight laughed and deactivated her volume spell on the pegasus. Rainbow coughed a bit as the spell wore off before shouting with glee.

"WHOO-HOO! I got my voice back baby!" She shouted, rattling a few windows on the train. Spike walked up to Rarity holding his bag and grabbed her personal bags for the weekend.

"Carry your bags milady?" Spike offered in a very cheesy voice. The seamstress cooed and gave Spike a hug as she allowed him to carry all of her bags.

"Of course Spikey-Wikey," Rarity replied while the train conductor allowed us to exit the train. Of course, Rainbow zoomed out of the train and flew up into the air and twirled a few times.

"Oh boy it's good to get out of that train!" She exclaimed and landed back in front of us.

"Ladies and dragons first," I stood behind the group to let them vacate the locomotive. I got a thank you from each of them, mainly a hug from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle plus an affectionate nuzzle from Fluttershy. Applebloom on the other hand, well she jumped onto my back and wrapped her forelegs around my neck for a better view. Pinkie Pie dashed away and came back with a bagful of cinnamon buns.

"Cinnamon bun anypony?" She offered while munching on three of them. Holding her bags in her magic, Twilight began to look around for either Cadence or Shining Armor to greet us. I didn't hear which one it would be. Twilight groaned and started to tap her hoof whilst staring at the train station clock. Numerous other ponies trotted by as they either entered the train or exited the station itself.

"They should be here by now!" Twilight said impatiently. "We were due to arrive at Seven 'O Clock and it's already 7:03, where are they?" She asked no one. We had all gathered at the station entrance to keep away from the large crowds boarding the mode of transportation. Suddenly, Rarity, Applejack and Applebloom began to giggle at me.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked them.

"Oh Cougar, you look so sophisticated and dapper in crystal," Rarity smirked. Looking at my arms, I was horrified to find them looking like crystals. And I was nearly see through!

"Ugh, get it off me!" I shook my arms wildly in the air. "I hate wearing a tux, how do you think I feel about this?" I asked the giggling ponies. As my skin shimmered brilliantly under the light of Celestia's morning sun, a voice called out to us, and I knew exactly who the owner of that voice was.

"Twily, gang!" Shining Armor waved to us. Twilight squealed loudly and teleported herself over to her big brother, squeezing him tightly in a hug. "Oof, it's good to see you little sis," Armor returned the hug. "Cougar, I see you're enjoying our little crystal side effect," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah, it's what I've always wanted to look like Shining," I retorted before my skin color returned to it's normal peach tone. Applebloom laughed with delight as she clung to my neck so she wouldn't fly off. Twilight released the hug from Shining Armor and gave him a kick in his shin.

"Ow, what was that for Twily?" The unicorn rubbed his leg. Twilight pouted out her lower lip and glowered at her brother.

"You should know big brother," Twilight showed him a clock, "we arrived at seven on the dot and it's already 7:05. You know how I feel about tardiness," she added.

"Well, the more time you waste berating me, the less time you'll have to spend with Cadence Twilight," the prince of the Crystal Empire smirked. Twilight's face brightened up at the mention of her sister and she squealed again.

"Then what are we waiting for?" She asked, clapping her hooves together. Shining led us through the small crowd up to the clear path that led to the crystal castle in the center of the kingdom. Rainbow held her bag and Scootaloo in her forelegs as the duo hovered above us so Scootaloo could get a better view. Sweetie Belle, for once, got to hop aboard Rarity's back so she could get a ride as well.

"Mush Cougar, mush!" Applebloom lightly kicked my shoulder blades with her rear legs.

"Hey, watch it squirt," I laughed and petted one of her legs that was wrapped around my neck. "Well Shining, I do have to say this is beautiful," I had to cover my eyes because of the sun's reflection was so bright off of all the crystal buildings. Everypony that lived here was indeed crystalized and did look pretty sweet, though that look was not for me.

"Thank you Cougar," Shining replied, "Cady and I do our best to make sure every citizen is happy and that our kingdom is clean and healthy," he explained. "Did your Prince and Princess of your country work as hard as us to ensure your fellow citizens' happiness?" He questioned.

"HA!" I replied with a loud laugh. "Good one bro, my country didn't have a prince and princess!" I wiped a tear from my eye.

"Oh, a King and Queen then?" The white unicorn asked me again.

"Uh, no," I stopped laughing, "we had a President that we elected by votes from the citizens," I explained. "Have you guys heard of a president before?" I questioned. Rainbow held Scootaloo upside down by her rear legs so she could look me in the eye.

"Duh, I'm the president of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club Cougar!" She exclaimed. Her face began to turn red from the blood rushing to her head. Rainbow quickly righted her sister so she wouldn't pass out.

"I meant presidents of different countries," I corrected myself.

"Nope, every country still uses monarchies Cougar," Applejack told me.

"Maybe we should try a voting system for leaders!" Pinkie suggested. I waved my hand in front of her, trying to tell her it wasn't a good idea.

"Sorry Pinkie, but why mess with something that's worked for you guys for so long? Don't fix what's not broken, that's a slogan I've lived by for a long time," I explained to my friends.

"Well, it didn't work so well when tyrants like King Sombra were in charge," Fluttershy replied.

"King who?" I asked, having never been told of him before.

"Here, Cady and I will tell you everything once we get to the castle and show you to your rooms," Shining told me. And with that, we entered the main doors to the castle while a pair of crystal guards held the large doors open for us.

End Chapter 24 Part 1

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Again, I want to thank EVERY SINGLE ONE of you for getting past 200 reviews. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming out MUCH sooner than you think...

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 25: A Crystal Trip Part 2

TWO chapters in one day? No, this is not an illusion, nor are you traveling through an alternate dimension. *Cue Twilight Zone theme*

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(At the Castle. Cougar's POV)

I gawked like a moron once Shining led us through the beautiful castle and into the throne room. "And I thought Luna's castle was nice," I craned my neck up to look at the high vaulted ceilings. Poor Applebloom had to cling for dear life so she wouldn't fall onto the floor. The throne room also had nice large open bay windows on the sides to see all around the kingdom, a nice touch that I wish I could build.

"Twilight!" Cadence exclaimed from her throne and glided over to our large group with her wings. Shining Armor backed us all away as Twilight and Cadence greeted each other with their personal hoof-shake.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" The two alicorns shook their butts towards each other and giggled. I groaned and did a face palm.

"I can never un-see what I saw," I murmured. Cadence giggled again and trotted up to me with her fore hoof extended. I smiled and shook her hoof to be polite after what I just said.

"Hello Cougar, I'm so glad you decided to take up our invitation to visit our kingdom!" She greeted me, "I hope our residents weren't too xenophobic about your arrival?" She asked me sweetly.

"Well, they did kind of keep their distance a bit, but no one tried to kill me, so it was fine," I joked.

"And I see you've taken up a passenger?" The pink alicorn giggled yet again as Applebloom propped herself on top of my head with her forelegs. "Hello Applebloom," Cadence said to the yellow pony, "enjoying your view up there?"

"Eeyup, Cougar's as big as a mountain! Ah've got the best view outta anypony here!" She posed like a mountaineer that had just dominated Mt. McKinley. Scootaloo cleared her throat and tapped Applebloom's head.

"I beg to differ Bloom," she stuck her tongue out at Applebloom from Rainbow's grasp.

"Haha, I'm not that big honey," I grabbed Applebloom around her belly and set her on the ground. The filly pouted but trotted over to Applejack who hugged her. Cadence smiled and turned back to her husband.

"On behalf of the both of us, I'd like to welcome all eleven of you to- Spike are you alright brother?" She stopped her introduction speech when she saw Spike with numerous bags on his back as he stood on all fours.

"With my new muscles, of course I'm okay Cadence," Spike boasted, showing off how strong he was now in his new body. Shining Armor's aura engulfed Rarity's bags and lifted them off of Spike's back, setting the luggage down beside the dragon and seamstress unicorn.

"Yeah, Twily told us that you're gonna stay that big from now on Spike," Shining Armor smiled, "at least until you start growing naturally due to age," he added. The purple dragon folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

"Have you made any significant advances with Rarity yet Spike?" Cadence curiously questioned. Spike and Rarity looked at each other and blushed, looking back away from one another. "Just asking," Cadence stuck her tongue out at the two in a teasing fashion. 'You troll,' I thought with a grin.

"Ahem," Rarity coughed, "we are still debating on the impact it will have on our friendship Princess Cadence," she delineated, "I would hate for our solid friendship to turn sour due to a bad relationship." Spike nodded in agreement.

"Understandable," the Princess of Love and the Crystal Empire bowed her head. "Anyways, as I was saying," Cadence got back to her original point, "on behalf of the both of us, we welcome all eleven of you to the Crystal Empire," Cadence announced, "and we hope you enjoy your stay with us," she grinned, sprouting out her multi-colored wings.

"Uh, thanks for the welcome Princess Cadence," Fluttershy spoke up, or as much as she could, "but we know you. You didn't have to give us this big of a welcome," she conceded.

"Oh don't worry about that Fluttershy," Cadence's wing gently stroked the yellow pegasus' mane, "I know we don't have to greet you all like that, but it's best to keep that opening rehearsed for when other dignitaries visit our Empire," she said.

"Okay, that makes sense," I set my duffel bag down; my hand was starting to cramp being in that position. "is there anyplace where we can set our baggage Cadence? My hand is starting to cramp up a bit."

"Our maids and butlers can take care of that for you," Shining Armor cleared his throat. All eleven of us looked behind us to see about a dozen maids and butler unicorns waiting to take our bags.

"That's okay, I can take care of my own bag," I grabbed the bag from the magical grasp of a unicorn maid.

"Uh Cougar, we usually let them take care of that to feel useful," Shining whispered into my ear, "we can take care of a whole bunch of stuff by ourselves, but we don't want to make them feel ineffective," he explained. Nodding my head, I handed back my dark green duffel bag to the unicorn maid who's aura reappeared around it and suspended it mid-air.

"As for your rooms, I can take care of that!" The Pink Alicorn suddenly beamed us away from her impressive throne room. I soon found myself lying in a heap on the floor with Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle lying on top of me. The two ponies got off of me as Cadence appeared above me. "Oops, sorry Cougar," a pink hoof helped me to my feet, "I forgot you're not quite used to that sort of thing," she dusted my shirt off.

"That's all right Cadence," I waved her off, "I'm fine," I assured her. After getting the stars out of my eyes, I scanned the hallway that we were in and saw crystal doors on either side of said hallway. There were also numerous paintings and pictures adorning the hallway, some of Cadence and Shining Armor, others paintings showcased other ponies, probably past leaders of the Empire itself. Busts and statues of ponies filled in the gaps in between the doors and paintings. One set of doors in particular were much larger than the others and had pictures of the prince and princess carved into the center of the doors.

Cadence's magic glowed over the glistening handle of the door next to what I'm guessing was the private chambers for her and Shining Armor. "Cougar, you shall bunk in Captain Flash Sentry's old room," she thrust the door open and practically shoved me inside.

"Shouldn't this be reserved for your new Captain of the Guard?" I asked the princess.

"It should, but the new Captain of our Guard likes to sleep in the same room as his marefriend, so here it lies, empty of an occupant. And since you have had military experience, I felt you deserved this room," she told me. The room was incredible to say the least. A few paintings of warrior ponies adorned the walls as well as torches that shined off of the walls, making the room look even brighter. Even some old antique weapons hung on the ceiling and in weapon racks on the walls.

In the middle of the room was a huge king sized bed sat waiting for someone to sleep in it. A large ruby comforter and dozens of the same colored pillows sat on top of the large mattress. On the wall facing the foot of the bed was a nice marble (surprisingly not crystal) fireplace, though the logs were not aflame as they sat fresh and ready for someone to start a blaze. On the right wall of the room was a wide set of glass French doors that led to a fairly decent sized balcony overlooking the kingdom. A Grandfather clock chimed 7:30 on the wall next to the door.

"So, what do you think Cougar?" Cadence asked me, "is this room nice enough for you?" She pressed on further.

"It's great Cadence," I smiled, "but I've never needed a bed this big before," I jumped and landed backside down on the mattress.

"Well, I am glad you are pleased with it," the alicorn breathed a sigh of relief. "However, maybe you can invite somepony to bunk in your room if you feel the bed is too big?" She winked at me and nudged my ribs, motioning her elbow towards Applejack.

"N-no, that's okay Cadence," I stammered and coughed. I'm more than certain that a blush spread like wildfire across my face.

"Oh you're no fun," she teased me while my duffel bag floated its way over and landed at the foot of the bed. The maid bowed to Cadence and myself, standing next to the bed. "Mayflower here will show the rest of you your rooms," Cadence announced. "I'm going to give Cougar a personal tour of the castle." Twilight's jaw dropped and she dashed over to her sister as I climbed off the bed and rejoined the group.

"Aw, but I have so much I want to talk about sister!" Twilight countered. Wrapping her leg around Twilight's shoulder, Cadence embraced the smaller alicorn with a warming hug.

"And we will have plenty of time catch up on current events Twilight," Cadence promised, "but as for now, Cougar is my invited guest and I would like to give him a personal tour of the castle to make him feel more welcome," she looked back in my direction. "Right now, Mayflower will show you to your rooms and our cooks should have breakfast waiting in the dining room with my Shining Armor."

"Bye Cougar," Applebloom ran up to me and latched herself onto my chest. I wrapped my hands around her and returned the hug. "Ah'll see ya at breakfast!" She called and jumped down to follow the others.

"Save some food for the rest of us AJ!" I joked. The mare hid under her hat and flicked her tail at me, probably their version of the bird.

"Ah don't eat that much food," I heard the pony say as her voice drowned out due to the echo of the hallway and all the ponies leaving the room. I breathed a sigh and turned to the princess still standing in my room. I was a little surprised that she had shut the door instead of escorting me out to take a tour like she had said. Ulterior motives perhaps?

"So Cougar, sit down with me," she sat down on the edge of the bed and tapped the blanket with her hoof. Looking around the room to see if anyone was still watching, I slowly walked back to the bed and sat down next to the pink alicorn. I folded my hands atop my lap while the bed creaked from under our combined weight. "I promise we will get to the tour soon, I just wanted to talk to you about, well you and Applejack," she revealed her plan, folding her left wing over my back. It felt warm, yet odd to have her sitting this close to me with her wing trapping me there. I figured that was something that pegasi and alicorns did only with their intimate lovers.

"Again? I'm sorry to disappoint you Cadence, but I haven't made any progress since our little chat from the Gala your highness," I crossed my arms across my chest. She sighed sadly and shook her head from side to side, holding her face in her hooves.

"That is rather disheartening to hear Cougar, though I am happy to see and hear that you've stopped pitifully denying it," she replied.

"Pitifully? I think that's a little harsh," I opposed. The pony princess rolled her eyes and unfolded her multicolored wing from my back. "I admit I denied it at first, but what's the point Cadence? Do you have any clue how hard this is for me to accept? Back on my world I would be ridiculed and cast down to the level of sodomites for admitting I harbored feelings for an animal." Cadence raised an eyebrow and stood up from the bed.

"In our world to us, you are the animal," she said coldly. That caught me completely off guard to hear that tone of voice from her. "However, you are fairly intelligent, peaceful and reasonable," she tried to comfort me. "To me and all of your friends, they don't give a flying buck that you're not a pony. You've shown them that you are a true friend and you put their lives and feelings ahead of your own."

"So? Take what you just called me, an animal, and if AJ did admit she loved me, which she never will because she's smarter than that, how would you react? How would her friends react? How would society treat her?"

"Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom and the Crystal Empire all have very flexible laws and customs. I'm sure you know of same sex and different species couples. You even support Spike trying to win over Rarity's heart!" She broke through my hypocrisy.

"Yeah, yeah Cadence. I'm friends with Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon in Ponyville. Wonderful mares and very nice to everyone they meet. And yes I support Spike and Rarity together as a couple. But try and see it from my eyes," I put my hand on her back. "Try living in a society for 23 years where having feelings for anything other than your own species, in my case a human, results in not only harassment, ridicule, humiliation and judgement from everyone else, but also jail time and in some countries, the death penalty," I growled the last two words as if I were talking about Satan, but I forged on as her eyes continued to shrink.

"Now keep yourself in my position. Think that you've lived in an entirely new civilization akin to Planet of the Apes, and now after nearly five months, you've developed strong feelings for a native, but not just any native. The native that gave you food, shelter and friendship. Do you have any idea how conflicted my feelings are right now? Apart of me wants to love and cherish Applejack, but another part wants to kill myself for being a sick fuck. It's not all sunshine and rainbows now is it?" I said into her ear. The mare gulped and blinked several times, keeping her gaze peeled to the marble flooring.

"I-I'm sorry Cougar; I had no indication that it was that serious for you," she apologized. "It was wrong for me to judge you like that," she added to her apology. "But would some countries really kill you for that, even if the animal returned the feelings?"

"Let me explain something else Cadence. First off, yes that would result in death for someone. Various religions, including my own religion, frowned upon this as sin, and some religions had no choice but to rid the world of that sin. Second, animals in my world, did not have the ability to speak. They relied more on basic animal instincts and survival to live their lives. They couldn't operate trains or build amazing structures like my species could," I divulged. "And believe me, none had magical powers like you and the unicorns which did not exist in my world, nor did pegasi."

"Wow," was the only word that could be released from her mouth.

"I didn't mean to scare you, but I had to let you know how hard it is for me to accept these feelings Cadence," I gave her a quick hug.

"Understandable now Cougar. But I assure you that once you do let your feelings flow and you tell Applejack, you will feel much better and happier with yourself. And I will not ridicule either of you. If I may say so, you two make an extremely adorable couple," she smiled, trying to lighten up the mood which had turned slightly dark. "I also know that your friends support it on either side, and that includes the Elements of Harmony's younger sisters, Big Mac, Granny Smith and pretty much every other pony you've made friends with." Taking all of this into consideration, I tapped my hands on my legs a few times in a mini drum solo, trying to think.

"Cadence?" I finally said.

"Yes Cougar?" She replied.

"Do you know how Applejack feels about me?" I asked her. She didn't answer my question for a little bit. The ticking of the clock was the only sound keeping us sane from the dangers of silence.

"I am the Princess of Love Cougar," she reminded me, "of course I know how she feels about you," she replied. My heart stopped, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up and my breath got caught in my throat. "Unfortunately, knowing too much about that can destroy a pony," she sounded a lot like Doc Brown, "and I cannot tell you her feelings. Some things are better left to be discovered on your own," she explained.

"That makes sense I suppose," I pushed myself off the bed and helped her to her own feet. "Now how about that tour?" I grinned at her. The mare smiled back at me and folded her wings back onto her sides.

"We shall get to that posthaste," Cadence returned to her more regal stature. "Eh, but before we do," she slowly opened the door, "what exactly is Planet of the Apes?" She curiously inquired. I chuckled and held the door open for her, allowing her to exit first.

"I'll tell you during the tour how about?" I suggested. She nodded in agreement and we set off for my own private tour of the Crystal Empire castle.

The tour was the best part of the trip so far for me. Cadence took me down and showed me the royal bathhouse for some reason, perhaps she was inviting me to use it even though my bedroom had a private bathroom. She also showed me the workout room for the guards, the watchtower, the racetrack out back for guards to sharpen their speed and agility. I also got to see an auditorium which Cadence told me my friends put on a welcome show for the wrong pony awhile back.

She also told me the story about the Empire's past, including how it was overthrown by an evil unicorn named King Sombra, and how he enslaved every citizen of the kingdom. Luna and Celestia had utilized the Elements of Harmony to defeat him and seal him within the ice of the frozen north, but not before cursing the Empire and sealing it away as well for a millennia. In an ironic twist, it sounded like Captain America's story of being frozen in the ice after defeating the Red Skull.

Cadence also went on to tell me that about a year and a half ago, the Empire reappeared and Celestia chose her and Shining Armor to be the new rulers of the Empire. Unfortunately, the Empire's reappearance had allowed King Sombra to escape his imprisonment as well and attempt to continue his tyrannical ways. But thanks to Spike and Twilight, the Empire was saved from Sombra whom had disintegrated after the battle.

The kitchen was one of my favorite things to see, or smell in this situation, as breakfast was being prepared and the chef's were making a cheese and meat-substitute omelet specifically for me. She literally had to drag me out of the kitchen with her magic as I had attempted to eat the whole thing before everyone else's breakfast was ready. I'm sure it was no match for Granny Smith's breakfast, but I was starving!

"So, are you enjoying the castle so far?" Cadence kept asking me.

"Yes, it's very beautiful," I grazed my hand across a wall. "I'm sort of surprised that it's not cold in here, though I am also glad that the walls aren't see through," I chuckled, "that would be embarrassing."

"And why would that be embarrassing? You should know by now that ponies don't normally wear clothes, even me right now," she pointed out. Had Twilight really not told Cadence about the little incident at the lake? Trust me, I'm glad she didn't, but I was surprised since she basically tells Cadence everything.

"Well, let's just say if I didn't have pants, I'd be arrested for indecency," I explained. Cadence's lips pursed as her cheeks flushed and her eyes looked away.

"Okay, now I understand," she cleared her throat. "Let us continue with the tour. This is the rotunda," she opened the door to a large circular crystal room with dozens of windows.

"And what exactly is it for Cadence?" I stood at the end of the rotunda, looking down at all of the crystal ponies that went about their business. With the sun beaming down through the crystal skylights and the windows around the edges of the rotunda, it was comfortably warm inside the room.

"Oh sometimes I use it to help me think, other times during more political meetings, Shining and I use it to discuss trade routes or treaties with other nations. And whenever we have a Crystal Ball, couples like to dance in here as well," Cadence explained. "Or if Shiny and I are really in the mood, we-" I clamped my hand over her muzzle.

"Yeah, I don't need to hear anymore Cadence," I released my grip on her mouth.

"Very well," she opened the door to her room with her magic. "Only one more stop before we can head off to breakfast," she announced.

"Hey, what's in this room?" I pointed to a door that was partially hiding behind drapes and some furniture. Deviating away from the alicorn, I removed the drapes and furniture that were fairly dusty and put my hand on the door.

"NO!" Cadence roared at me and yanked my hand away. "Do not ever go in that room Cougar," she calmed down, straightening out her disheveled mane. "Sorry, but the magic within that room is far too powerful and dangerous to be known outside of myself, Luna and Celestia," she apologized. My hand was throbbing and I rubbed the soreness away with my other hand.

"Okay, though you didn't have to try and rip my arm out of socket," I replied. Suddenly, we heard the sound of running water and clopping of hooves on the crystal floors. "Applebloom, what's going on?" I asked when the yellow filly zoomed by the two of us. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joined in as two maids and a butler ran by me and Cadence as well with water rushing by.

"We kinda broke our bathroom sink," Applebloom chuckled before running away from the maids and butler. Cadence and I gave a look to each other before bursting out into laughter.

"I needed a good laugh," Cadence caught her breath. "So, shall we continue along with our tour?" She proposed. My stomach growled loudly, inciting another laugh from Cadence. "Don't worry Cougar, it won't take long, then we can go meet everypony else at breakfast," she advised and teleported us then the water on the floor away. Luckily this time, Cadence caught me before I fell again.

"At least the side effect isn't puking," I shook my head and pushed myself off of Cadence. "So, where are we now?" I asked. From the distance I could see, we were at the tallest point of the castle. I could see as far as the snowcapped mountains of the frozen north beyond the border of the Empire.

"Look behind you, and you shall see the pride of the Crystal Empire Cougar," her soft voice spoke to me. Turning around, I saw the pink alicorn standing beside a giant crystal heart that was spinning between a crystal stalactite and stalagmite. Cadence beamed proudly as she put her hoof on the stalagmite that supported the heart. Little streams of lights shot out of the heart several times, going out of the Empire.

"What's with the heart Cadence?" I questioned.

"The Crystal Heart is what helped defeat King Sombra a year and a half ago Cougar," Cadence replied. "Sombra's soul was dark, evil, cold, violent and selfish. It could not withstand the warmth, love and joy that the heart produces from the crystal ponies in our kingdom. The heart also acts as a defense from attackers," she added. "And when love and friendship is absorbed into the heart, it spreads the same love and friendship all across Equestria," she explained. I put my finger on my chin, taking in all of the information.

"So, what if say Sombra came back, again, and it absorbed all of his evil. Would that spread across Equestria too?" I questioned.

"Unfortunately, yes, which is why we make certain that whatever outsiders get to see the Crystal Heart checks out with Shining Armor and myself. And you're one of the few lucky outsiders that gets to be this close to the heart," she grinned.

"Well, then I thank you for showing me this Cadence," I shook her hoof as my stomach growled again. "Can we get to breakfast now?" I questioned and double checked the time which read 8:30.

"Of course Cougar," Cadence took me within her wing again and transported me from the Crystal Heart tower to the dining room.

"It's about time ya'll got here," Applejack breathed a sigh and began to wolf down her food.

---

(Later that day. Cougar's POV)

After breakfast had concluded, Cadence and Shining Armor took all of us down to explore the kingdom a little more. Although everyone else had been here, the trip was for my benefit to see the town and meet other ponies. It was actually a blast to see the stadium where the Equestria Games had been held. The stadium itself looked about the size of two football stadiums, but nowhere near as big as say Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rainbow Dash had raced a few laps around the arena to stretch her wings out a bit and I got to try out what they called an ice arrow. Unfortunately, I had never received any formal archery training and missed the target by a country mile. Spike himself even told me the story of how he saved everypony in attendance from a giant icicle cloud during the games when a pony tripped over his quiver and launched an arrow into a cloud.

Once the Equestria Games Stadium was checked off the list, the Prince and Princess took us to a small diner rather than the kitchen at the castle for lunch. Since it was just a small family owned diner, they didn't have meat substitutes, but that was fine with me. Instead I ordered an egg salad sandwich with regular fries. Cadence insisted that she pay for my meal, but I took out my own bits and practically shoved them into the waitress' apron pocket. Not my smartest idea as she thought I was 'getting fresh' with her and she smacked me across the jaw. "I told her I was sorry," I rubbed my cheek in front of Shining Armor.

"You should have just let Cady pay for your meal," the unicorn held an ice pack to my jaw with his magic. "That mare sure can pack a wallop though right?" He laughed at my pain. Once lunch was done, it was about 2:30 and we were still looking for something to do. As luck would have it, there was a theatre near the diner with a play starting up at 2:45. Having never been to a play before, this piqued my interest enough to where everyone was okay with attending. The play was titled Hinny of the Hills, and judging from the poster in the poster box outside, it was a musical.

"You'll love this play Cougar!" Rarity patted my back while Shining Armor paid for our tickets, "its musical numbers and story lines are so joyous and uplifting. The play also won several Thoroughbred awards when it first came out and has been a sensation for several years!"

"I'm not really big on musicals, but what the hey," I took a seat next to Applejack and Applebloom. Going to see the play was a very good idea in fact as the songs were uplifting and very catchy that I almost didn't want to get out of my seat. I even stood up and applauded once the play was over, prompting everyone else in my row to applaud as well. The Crusaders went absolutely nuts and begged their elder sisters to go try and meet the cast. Giving in, Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack managed to keep their little sisters from rushing the stage in a frenzy. Luckily, Cadence and Shining Armor talked the play director into getting the cast to have a special autograph session for the Crusaders.

Not only did the Crusaders get to meet the cast of the play, the cast itself was pretty interested in talking to me. We talked for a few minutes while the director chatted with Rarity, something about costumes for his next big idea. Finally the theatre owner had to kick us out so the cast could have some downtime before the next showtime. We all found ourselves in the streets of the Crystal Empire at 5:00, still not time for dinner. Cadence on the other hoof, had an idea for all of us. "How would you all like a trip to the spa? My treat of course?" She asked.

"Yeah, no thanks," I refused, crossing my arms.

"Come on Cougar, it's so relaxing to soak in a mud bath and a sauna and have somepony massage your stress away," Fluttershy coaxed me. "Have you never been to a spa before?" She asked.

"No, of course not Fluttershy. Why would I want someone else touching me all over? It's kind of creepy if you ask me," I replied, shaking my head. Applebloom was interested in going to the spa as well and tried to get me with her puppy dog eyes, but I didn't budge an inch. A cyan foreleg wrapped itself around my neck, temporarily cutting off my oxygen. Rainbow Dash squeezed my neck tighter and shook me all around.

"FINALLY!" She cheered, "somepony who speaks the truth. I'm glad you see the truth about those creepy spas Cougar; who wants to have some stranger touching you for a few hours?" She asked the rest of the group.

"Hey, I find it's a really nice way to unwind after a hard day's work moving thousands of books around for mom," Spike defended the spa. I reached up with my hand and removed Rainbow from my neck before I blacked out.

"Spike, not you too!" I sputtered, "I thought you were a guy." Rarity furrowed her eyebrows at me and hmphd.

"The spa is not an endeavor just for females Cougar. Why I've seen plenty of stallions purchase memberships to get discounts on their weekly massages," the seamstress spat at me. I rolled my eyes, sighing sadly.

"More than likely scoping out mares for one night stands or a happy ending," I said sarcastically. Twilight, Rarity and Applejack covered the ears of Spike, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom at my explanation. As for Rainbow, she burst out laughing and fell to the ground, pounding away at the crystal sidewalk with her hoof.

"Is that all your species thinks about Cougar?" Twilight angrily asked, her hooves still around Spike's ears. "Just sex and food huh?"

"Some of us yes, but me, I like to think about sex jokes and keeping in shape," I replied, not really caring that she was mad at me.

"Well don't you know how completely immature it is to talk about that subject in public and how uncomfortable you make everypony?" She asked me, her eyebrows growing angrier by the second. "Maybe you need a little matureness lecture?" A scroll and a feather pen appeared in front of me.

"Now Twilight, Ah know it wasn't very appropriate, but lighten up a little," Applejack somewhat guarded me from the wrath of a boring lecture. Now Twilight was starting to annoy me.

"Something like that is no laughing matter. I had to give Spike 'The Talk' the same night he grew, do you have any idea how awkward that was for the both of us?" The purple alicorn shuddered.

"Twily, just calm down and go with Cadence and your friends to the spa," Shining Armor hugged Twilight, finally shutting her up. Pushing him away, Twilight gave her older brother a pleading look.

"You don't want to go either Shining Armor?" Twilight asked.

"Pfft, no way Twily," the white prince shook his head. His blue mane waved back and forth in front of his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I was going to invite Cougar here to join me in the workout room back at the castle. You up for pumping a little iron Coug?" He turned to me.

"Best damn idea I've heard in the past five minutes, no offense Cadence," I looked back to the pink alicorn princess whom shrugged.

"Eh, everypony has different tastes," she replied.

"Hey, count me in to that action! I could use a good sweat," Rainbow shoved me out of the way, waving her hoof in front of Shining Armor. The unicorn nodded, allowing her to join us.

"Anypony else want to join in?" He asked the rest of the group. I was hoping that AJ or Applebloom would ditch the spa and join us for a sweat breaking workout, but the only one that did ditch the spa was Scootaloo, and that was fine with me. As Scootaloo hopped over and landed on Rainbow's back, the four of us waived goodbye to the others while they entered the spa, leaving us heading back to the castle to get a little exercise.

The four of us soon arrived back at the castle where we were greeted by the two guards standing outside the main castle doors. "Good evening your highness," the guards said in unison, holding the doors open with their magic. Shining thanked them while Scootaloo, Rainbow and myself waved to the duo.

"So Cougar, did your Air Force make you work out a lot?" the prince asked me when we arrived at the private workout room where about half a dozen guards were using the various equipment. Rainbow immediately grabbed a barbell with her wings and began to pump them up. Scootaloo put on a sweatband and began to do pushups with a ten pound weight on her back.

"When I was in training, you bet they did," I grabbed two eighty pound dumbbells and began to alternately pump them. "But after training was over and I was a full-time pilot, it became optional for me, yet I still worked out pretty much all the time I wasn't flying," I replied, controlling my breathing. Shining Armor sat on what appeared to be a rowing machine and began to row, keeping his biceps and pecs rock hard. A few of the guards gave me uncertain looks which I had now become accustomed to, but one of them sneered and trotted over to his prince. He didn't even bother keeping his voice down as I could hear every word he said.

"Your highness, I rarely question the decisions you and your wife make, but are you certain you wish to open our workout room to, uh, outsiders?" He asked the white unicorn. Shining Armor set the rowers on his rowing machine back in their holsters and stared at his guard. "I don't mind the hairless monkey in here, it's just we don't normally open our workout room to anypony besides you and the rest of the guards," he added. I switched pumping up and down with the dumbbells to holding them outwards and hoisting them above my head.

"Corporal," Shining leaned onto the end of the rowing machine, "these are personal friends of mine," his hoof motioned from me to Scootaloo and to Rainbow Dash. "I wanted to loosen up a bit tonight by working out and I personally invited them all to join me since my wife, sister, brother and their friends all decided to go the spa for the evening," Shining told the guard.

"Apologies your highness, but I still maintain that this should stay a private workout room for yourself and the Crystal Empire guards," the Corporal pony firmly stood his ground. I continued to hoist both eighty pound dumbbells above my head, amused at the guard defying Shining Armor's orders.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but they're here to stay and have a nice workout," Shining said grimly to the crystal unicorn. "Any other guards have a problem with my friends here?" he raised his voice. He was met with a resounding, "No Sir!" from the five other guards in the workout room. Smirking, Shining Armor shook his head at his Corporal.

"Just throw the all the rules out why don't you?" The guard grumbled, going back to a punching bag in the corner, punching it extremely hard.

"Yo Scootaloo," I called out, "you want a heavier weight there?" I asked her. She nodded, wriggling out from under the ten pound weight and grabbed a twenty pound weight, putting it on her back and continuing to do pushups.

"How much can you bench Cougar?" Shining Armor resumed utilizing the rowing machine.

"Last I checked, maybe 250 pounds, why?" I quested, pausing my workout. The unicorn motioned with his head to a bench press sitting right next to his rowing machine. His magic surrounded the pin in the workout equipment and inserted it into the 250 pound block.

"Let's see what you got," he winked at me. I set my eighty pound weights onto the rack and walked over to the bench press. "I'll even spot ya," he added with a challenging grin. Taking off my shirt and tossing it into the corner, I laid down on the bench and curled my fingers around the handles that looked to be formed to fit hooves. Grunting, I pushed upwards with all my might, easily moving the 250 pound blocks upwards.

"Got a challenge for me Shiny?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Only Cadence can call me that Cougar," Shining's magic pushed downward onto the blocks of weight. I laughed as I easily countered the extra weight and pushed the weight back up. "Alright smart guy, try this on for size," Shining inserted the pin into the 300 pound block.

"Come on Shining, what am I lifting here, parchment?" I teased the prince. Sweat began to drip from my forehead and biceps as my body began to tire out, but I wasn't backing down from the challenge.

"Alright, alright," Shining finally held down the weight blocks permanently. "How about a little spar huh? If you're so tough?" He lifted me up from the bench. "Just a friendly little spar, I promise no injuries," he put green sparring gear onto his head and hooves.

"You sure about this Shining? I was specially trained in hand to hand and up close combat besides flying," I warned the unicorn as I put on orange sparring head gear and gloves. By now, the guards, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stopped what they were doing for a workout and formed a circle around us. "And no magic, just use your hooves and your wits," I added.

"Wasn't planning on any magic Coug," Shining began to move about in a circle. I raised my fists up, ready to block a punch that came my way.

"Kick his flank Cougar!" Rainbow cheered me on.

"Show 'em what the Crystal Empire is made of sir!" One of the other guards cheered Shining Armor. My eyes locked eyes with the unicorn as we started to move in a circle around each other. I suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure on my cheek as his hoof struck the side of my head, sending me sideways and a shot of saliva spat out of my mouth.

"Gotta keep your guard up Cougar," the pony teased me, wriggling his eyebrows. "Don't keep focused on your opponent's-" he tried to explain how to fight, but I decided to make my move and punched him in the ribs. "OOF!" He exclaimed and nearly fell to his knees.

"Less talking, more fighting," I chortled. "Come on, you're the big bad unicorn and I'm just a human," I jumped around him. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were whooping and hollering for me as the guards where jeering me for hitting their prince.

"Boy, you've got one heck of a punch Cougar," Shining caught his breath and got back into his fighting stance. He then jabbed at my own gut, forcing me to dodge to the left, but he anticipated that move and he hit me in the side of the head again. This time, the guards were cheering. Instead of punching back, I kept my stance and waited for the unicorn to punch again.

"You've gotta have more in the tank than that, Shiny," I pestered Shining Armor again. He growled and tried to punch me again, but I blocked his attack with my own gloves before jabbing my glove into his cheek, sending his own flume of saliva out of his muzzle. "Keep focused Shiny, keep focused. Don't let your anger get the best of you," I danced around him as he tried to punch like crazy.

"I've never lost a hoof fight Cougar," the unicorn tried to talk smack back to me. "If you think I'll lose to you," he once again caught me off guard with his talking and got a shot in under my chin, sending me reeling back into the forelegs of Rainbow Dash.

"Get back out there!" She shoved me back in front of Shining Armor.

"Bring it Shining," I shook the pain off of my chin. The fact that I had already been punched there earlier today from the diner waitress didn't help. But I pushed that into the back of my mind and kept focused on the spar between myself and Twilight's big brother. Rearing my left fist up, Shining got ready to block it, but instead I had my right fist at the ready and punched him in the gut again. His hooves fell from the block he had prepared and I attacked.

"Good shot Cougar! Hit him again!" Scootaloo jumped up and down as I sent a barrage of punches into the side of Shining Armor's headgear and into his chest. He was 'oofing' and grunting a lot from my punches. He then raised his hooves back up to block as I continued my assault like crazy.

"Come on sir, don't give it up yet!" The Corporal pony encouraged his prince. Shining roared and grabbed my shoulder with his left hoof, surprising me enough to where he used his right hoof to take several blows into my ribcage. My body jumped with each shot as he punched me over and over again. My right arm lifted up and laced itself around his neck, trying to push him away from me, but damn this stallion could hold his ground.

"Haha," Shining chortled, "I've got ya now Coug!" He declared. He sent one final shot into my chin, sending me spinning back into the wall which I hit flat with my back. "Are you sure you're the same one who killed two timberwolves?" the stallion joked. I spat some blood out of my mouth onto the floor and cracked my neck.

"If that's what you want pony," I slammed my fists together and ran towards him. I used my left hand to punch his face while using my right hand to uppercut his gut, and this worked. His forelegs flailed to and fro, unable to block my punches at all as I kept pushing him back into his wall. The cheering of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash and the jeering of the crystal guards were drowned out by my grunting from punching Shining and his grunting from being punched by me. I finally pinned him to the wall, still giving him jabs to the face as his forelegs became useless.

"Okay, okay, I give," Shining sputtered out in between my blows. "You win," he wheezed as I stopped my barrage of punches and helped stand him up.

"Let's sit down Shining, you'll be fine," I said to the stallion. "Hey, get us some water over here!" I barked. Scootaloo saluted me and dashed over to the mini-fridge that was stocked with bottles of water. "Drink some of this," I ordered Shining Armor when I unscrewed the cap. His lips curled around the tip of the bottle and he drank some of the liquid.

"You're one tartarus of a fighter Cougar," the stallion coughed out some of the water.

"Thanks for the opportunity sir," I quickly shared a hug with him.

"I've never faced an opponent like you in a spar," he removed his sparring gear, leaving himself with helmet mane. Though I had a gut feeling that Cadence would like that look. "I don't bruise easily, so Cady won't find out," he stood up and stretched.

"Find out about what Shiny?" Cadence's voice asked. Had we really been working out and sparring for an hour? I guess the fifteen minute walk cut into that. The pink alicorn trotted to her husband and shook her head. "You know how I feel about you sparring like this Shiny," she scolded.

"It was my idea," I lied for the stallion, hoping that Applejack wasn't around to hear that. "I wanted to show him how tough I was and he told me to not hold back," I explained. Cadence looked from me to Shining before nuzzling her husband.

"You killed two timberwolves, so please go easier on my Shiny-Whiny next time Cougar," Cadence said in a baby voice.

"Don't say that around the guards Cady," the white stallion whined, inciting a guffaw from each of us in the workout room. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stood at my sides in victory as my fans for the moment. I dumped the rest of the water on top of their heads, telling them that they were a little too sweaty. I grabbed my shirt and flung it over my shoulder like a towel as sweat poured off me like a waterfall, making my whole body glisten.

"Cougar, are ya in here?" Applejack asked into the room. Cadence and Shining Armor parted from the doorway to reveal Applejack. She was wearing her mane just like she did at the Gala, except with her normal hat. "Rarity insisted Ah try this look again, Ah just wanted ta shut her up," Applejack rolled her emerald eyes. There was a tapping at the glass window of the workout room, causing me to turn to my left. Rarity was smiling and pointed her hoof towards Applejack, winking in the process. "So Cougar, how'd ya enjoy yer workout?" The orange mare finally approached me.

The stench of sweat and determination left my nostrils as Applejack's scent of apples and cinnamon entered. She looked incredible with her mane in that style, and her emerald eyes shined brilliantly in the lights of the room. "You okay there Cowboy? Ya didn't push yerself too hard didja?" She asked me.

"N-no, just a little sparring session with Shining Armor," I motioned to the unicorn. I could've sworn she stole a glance at my sweaty torso, but I thought I was seeing things as I had just been punched silly by a horse.

"Ya'll look like ya had fun, Ah wish Ah had gone with ya instead Cougar," the mare stood closer to me.

"Yeah well, I still wouldn't have gone to the spa AJ," I replied, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I couldn't tear my gaze away from her face; it was like looking at a face carved by angels, and it belonged to a pony.

"Are ya sure yer okay Cougar? Ya seem a little, out of it," She placed a hoof on my arm. Her hoof felt soft instead of hard like I had expected, but that didn't stop my body from jolting slightly.

"Excuse me your highness," a maid stepped into the room, "I hate to break up your conversation, but dinner is served," she announced.

"Whoo-hee, Ah'm starvin'! C'mon Cougar, let's go grab a bite!" The orange mare led me out of the workout room with the others.

---

(Midnight. Cougar's Room 3rd Person POV)

The human lay on his bed silently as a small fire crackled in his fireplace. A scowl plastered onto his face as he intertwined his fingers together atop his stomach. There was a feeling going on inside of him that he tried to keep down, but it found a way to fight back and make itself known to only him. Cougar tried and tried and tried to go to sleep, but every technique and every sleeping pill didn't help as the sandman evaded him. Dinner had went swimmingly as it was delicious and everypony had enjoyed it. What had him so pissed off was something that happened in the library of the castle where everyone hung out until bed time.

Tossing and turning, Cougar shut his eyes to try get some shut-eye, but all he saw was her. No matter what, his mind always drifted to a certain pony that he knew. Even music couldn't help drown out the thoughts racing through his mind at a thousand miles per hour. He was angry, not too livid, but angry nonetheless at both himself and this certain pony. The clock in his room had stopped chiming, indicating that midnight had arrived along with the promise of a new day. How could he let her get to him like that? He was an Air Force pilot. Physical and mental strength was his bread and butter, but she broke through those barriers as if they were made of graham crackers.

Luna's silvery moon crept though the window of his balcony doors, drenching the room and his bed in a bright hue. Cougar also felt bad that his friends tried to question what was bothering him in the library, but he ignored their offers to help. It shouldn't have been this hard to get her off his mind, but dammit every thought that appeared in his brain, she wasn't too far behind. Groaning, Cougar removed the covers from his bed and swung his legs over the side, scratching his back. He hopped down onto the flooring and his bare feet smacked loudly against the crystal flooring.

He knew that the only way to get this off his chest was to talk to somepony about it; the one pony who could help him was staying in the room at the end of the hallway. Thankful to not be scared of the dark, the human used the flashlight function on his phone to guide him down the narrow passageway in the quietness of night, being sure to avoid the statues so as not to create unnecessary noise. He prayed he wouldn't run into anyone else, especially her; if he did, he didn't know how it would end up. Cougar hadn't really talked about his feelings before with anyone, even his friend Reaper, but he had to make an exception before his brain exploded from conflicting feelings.

"Here goes," Cougar said softly as he raised his hand and softly knocked on the crystal door in front of him. The snoring behind the door stopped as a snort took its place. Fearing that the pony behind the door didn't fall back asleep, Cougar held his breath, waiting to see what would happen. The clopping of hooves on crystal met his eardrums from behind the door as the pony inside the room came closer and closer.

"Eeyup?" Applejack tiredly yawned when she opened the door. "Cougar, what're ya doin' up so late Sugarcube?" She blinked several times, trying to stay awake. The human put his phone in his pocket to not blind the mare.

"Applejack sorry that I woke you, but there's something I need to talk to you about," he admitted to her.

"What do ya mean?" She yawned again. Cougar shuffled his feet atop the crystal floor of the hallway, knowing that if he told Applejack, it could spell disaster for them. "Here, you can come in if ya want ta," she opened the door wider, allowing her friend to walk in and sit down in front of the fire on a couch.

"Are you sure you're not too tired?" He wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Yeah, if one 'o my friends needs somepony to talk to, Ah'm always there," she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, gently patting the humans' arm. "Now, what's on yer mind Sugarcube?" she propped her chin up with her hoof. He gulped, realizing that he didn't even think of what he wanted to say to her. The human decided to wing it.

"Applejack, this is a personal issue of mine, and it was important that I tell you," he said quietly, putting his hand on her hoof. The mare blushed a bit as his soft hand curled around her hoof. "But I'm a little scared to tell you; I don't know how you'll react or if you'll even want to be my friend," he sadly admitted. This jolted the mare wide awake, sleep was completely gone from her mind.

"What? Why on Celestia's earth would Ah not want ta be yer friend anymore?" Applejack felt a little hurt that Cougar assumed she'd cease being his friend over something he had to say.

"Because I don't know how you'll take what I have to say. It's something that's been eating away at me for several weeks now, and you're the only pony I can trust to tell without freaking out," the human continued.

'Is this really happenin'?' Applejack asked herself mentally as a blush appeared on her cheeks. 'Or is this some kinda sick dream?'

"You can tell me anythin' Sugarcube, Ah promise Ah won't freak out at ya," she replied, still loving the feeling of his hand on her hoof. The distance between them on the couch began to close as they scooted closer and closer.

"It's just something that's hard to admit to somepony close to you, you know?" Cougar asked her, squeezing her hoof tighter.

'Just tell me Cougar, Ah promise Ah'll feel the same way!' Applejack shouted in her mind.

"Eeyup," Applejack responded, gulping hard when the duo was nearly nose to nose. The popping of the fire filled in the gap of temporary silence as Cougar dug deep down and revealed to Applejack what he had been feeling for a long time.

"AJ?" He asked.

"Yeah, Cougar?" Applejack's emerald eyes shined with hope and love, ready to take in Cougar's confession.

"I really, really don't like Twilight," the human admitted.

'COME ON!' Applejack roared inside her mind.

"What did ya say Cougar?" Her mouth luckily didn't sound as angry as her voice inside her head. Cougar moved away from her face, but still held her hoof in his hand for support. "Ya don't like Twilight? But why Sugarcube?" She asked with concern.

"Why? What do you mean why Applejack?" Cougar said, "she's bossy, a know-it-all, has to correct everyone on every little freaking detail, won't leave me alone because I'm choosing to withhold information from you guys, and she never, shuts, up," the human revealed the reasons why he couldn't stand the purple alicorn.

"Come on Cougar," the mare put her other hoof on his arm, "Ah know she seems like that ta some ponies, but she's really a sweetheart once ya get ta know her," Applejack tried to bring down his claims, but Cougar wasn't having any of it.

"I've tried Applejack, but that mare has a pole up her butt about twenty miles long. Does she even know how to loosen up and have fun?" He questioned the farming pony. "I-I-I just can't take her anymore. Every time she goes into her OCD mode and tries to take control of everything, I feel like punching a brick wall." Applejack took into consideration everything Cougar had told her.

"That is surprisin' Cougar, but Ah assure ya that Ah'm not mad at ya," she smiled to really let him know that she wasn't upset. Cougar looked down at her smiling face and smiled back at her. "Everypony has the right ta their opinion, 'n not everypony will like one pony," she added.

"But how will everyone else take this? Won't they think I'm a jerk for not liking Twilight? You all really value friendship and I wouldn't want to ruin anything for you guys," the human worriedly asked.

"Trust me Cougar, they're more understandin' than that. 'N besides, who said we had ta tell anypony else? This can be our little secret," she tiredly laid her head onto his arm and nuzzled it.

"Yeah, I guess I was getting myself worked up over nothing," Cougar laughed. "But she really annoyed the hell out of me in the library with her constant questions that I'm not ready to answer," Cougar said.

"If ya want, Ah can talk ta her 'bout leavin' ya alone 'till you are ready to tell us more 'bout yerself," the mare laid her head down again on his chest, her green eyes looking up at his pale blue ones. She tried in vain not to look disappointed at Cougar just because he didn't say what she wanted him to say.

"That would be nice, thanks Applejack," Cougar wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her.

"It's my pleasure ta help ya Cougar," the mare yawned.

"Sorry for waking you up though," he started to get out from under body, but her foreleg stopped him. Confused, Cougar looked back down at her, staying in place on the couch. "Is everything alright?"

"It's pretty late, ya'll can stay in my room if ya want Cougar," the mare gave him the puppy dog look that had grown accustomed to seeing from Applebloom. The offer surprised him to say the least. Staying in the same room as Applejack? Why that hadn't occurred since that night with the timberwolves.

"Well, if it's okay with you," Cougar replied nervously.

"It sure is," Applejack hugged him tighter.

"Um, do you want me to move so you can get up and back to the bed?" He offered. Applejack was far too comfortable in this position to move even an inch, but she had to give Cougar an explanation so he wouldn't feel like he was doing something wrong. "I'm fine with the couch," he concluded.

"No, Ah'm comfortable like this Cougar, if that's okay with you," Applejack bit her lower lip, unable to look at Cougar's face after she had said that. She was scared she had weirded him out and that she had blown her chances with him.

"You are pretty warm," he chuckled softly, pulling a spare blanket over the two of them. Due to how tired she was, Applejack practically fell asleep immediately. Cougar on the other hand, stayed awake, listening to her rhythmic breathing and taking in how adorable she looked all curled up like this. "AJ, if only I could tell you how I felt about you," a small tear escaped Cougar's eye as he nuzzled her cheek with his. Looking down at her comfortable face, Cougar leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips onto her forehead, not daring to even go near her mouth for fear of waking her up and angering her.

'That's probably the closest I'll ever get,' Cougar thought to himself before succumbing to the sandman finally and allowing his eyelids to close and his head to rest atop Applejack's.

End Chapter 25

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 26: Top Bolt

Oh, my, gosh guys. Thank you SO much on getting this story to 100 favorites! Triple digit faves, follows and reviews?! Every time I upload a chapter, you guys blow my expectations out of the water.

And before we get to the story, I just want to say thank you to specific author: Sassymouse. Thank you for allowing me to use your OCs from Dashing and Soaring. It was a ton of fun getting to use them in Fallen Eagle. And if you guys are not subscribed to her story, GO DO IT NOW! Or you know after you read this chapter lol. I promise, you will not be disappointed with her story.

Sorry guys, I'm really short on time, so no replying to reviews this time. I will however, do that next time, promise! If you have any questions, just PM me.

---

The second and final day of our trip in the Crystal Empire was not as eventful as the first day. In fact, I can barely remember anything about our second day besides prying Twilight away from Cadence when it was time to leave because she couldn't stop talking, or waking up cuddling with Applejack. Thank God nopony else knew about that, or else Cadence and Rarity might flip out and beg me to tell AJ how I felt. Speaking of the white unicorn, I do sometimes get nervous when I see her talking with Applejack since she was the first pony who saw my attraction to the orange mare. However, as far as I could tell, she kept my feelings a secret, but for how long could she do that? I had no clue.

As for now, it's been about a day since we arrived back in Ponyville and I had decided to do a little Fall Cleaning of my shack, mainly because it had gotten really dusty and I had wanted to secure the door and window and fill any cracks in the walls to keep the heat inside. Plus, the parts for my wood stove would be arriving soon and AJ and I had to plan where to install it. "Ah thought yer military trainin' would make ya keep yer barracks less dusty," the farm pony teased me with a stuck out tongue while she utilized a wet rag to clean my little window.

"Hey, at least I don't have dirty clothes just scattered about," I smirked back, sweeping some dust on the floor into a dust pan and dumping the contents into a trash bin. I mentally agreed with the pony though; I had been getting a little lazy with keeping my shack clean. Yet, it was in no way a disaster like I had seen Rarity's 'inspiration room.' I call bullshit on the fact that she believes 'organized chaos' helps get her inspired. "Although, you're probably not used to clothes right?" I paused my sweeping momentarily, looking over at the orange mare.

"Eh, with how much Rarity designs, Ah've gotten used ta seein' clothes more often," she responded, taking off her hat and wiping her forehead. "'N Ah'm proud 'o ya fer keeping yer room smellin' nice. Ah can't tell ya how many times Ah've just walked by my big brother's room 'n thought my nose was gonna shrivel up 'n fall off my muzzle," she chuckled. I snickered, knowing what she meant, but that didn't irk me. Guys usually have smelly rooms, but we don't care as long as we can find music, the TV remote or the bed.

"I wish Applebloom was here," I poured another dustpan full of dirt and dust into the trash bin, sighing and wiping my hands. Applejack tossed her wet rag onto her back for a short storage area and turned back to face me. "Not that you're not fun enough to be around," I assured her.

"Yeah, but she's doin' really well in school. 'Specially in chemistry thanks ta Twilight's tutorin'," she grinned. "Speakin' 'o school, be prepared fer her askin' fer help on math 'n writin'. Applebloom may be doin' well in chemistry, but math still confuses her sometimes," Applejack explained.

"I won't mind helping, I mean I did help her get over an important step in becoming a mare," I reminded Applejack teasingly. My friend's cheeks flushed pink and she looked away.

"Again, Ah'm sorry 'bout that Cougar," Applejack apologized for about the thousandth time on the subject.

"Yeah, I get that AJ, but I'm just letting you know Applebloom's never annoyed me and I don't think she ever will," I explained. Applejack smiled and took the wet rag off her back, soaking it in her water bucket and began to wipe down my tiny bookshelf.

"Have ya ever even gone up ta that there loft?" the mare asked me as she wrung out the rag and continued to wipe dust off anywhere she could find. "It looks like ya haven't even touched it since we fixed up this shed," Applejack added. I looked up at the ladder that was caked with dust and the darkened loft where light seemed to never exist. I have been up there only once, but that was awhile ago. The only time I ever even went up to the second story was when I stored the surprise from my F-15 under a brown tarp on top of the loft.

"Maybe once when we first fixed up this place," I casually turned back to her before returning to sweeping under the loft. "I don't have that much stuff with me; it doesn't really make sense to go up there," I explained.

"Well, ya could clean the loft out 'n use it fer a guest bedroom or turn it into yer personal bedroom 'n use this space down here as a livin' room or somethin' else," AJ said. I was only half-listening to AJ as my mind drifted back to the jetpack. Nopony but Luna, and maybe a few dungeon inmates, knew of the device's existence. Naturally I did want to tell her and Applebloom, perhaps Rainbow Dash, but how would I explain what the hell it is to them and how it works or even what it's for? I kept the notecard from Stinger tucked away as a bookmark in one of my three Daring Do books and read it once in awhile, but even I still couldn't figure out how the jetpack worked.

"Sounds good, but just a reminder AJ, the cot is good enough. I don't need a regular bed anymore," I replied, "the last time I even slept in a regular bed was when Luna 'invited' me to stay at the castle during the heat season."

"It'd be no trouble at all Cougar ta make ya yer own bed," she assured me with those shiny emerald eyes, practically trying to butter me up. "All Ah need is yer say so, 'n Ah could whip it up faster than Winona chasin' after Angel," she giggled. Sighing, I set my broom against the wall and put my full attention back to Applejack.

"Applejack, you and your family have already done so much for me. You don't need to waste your time and energy on something as frivolous as a bed when I have a nice and comfy cot to sleep on." Applejack was about to retort, but I continued to speak. "And if the cot ever busts or breaks, I'll sleep on the floor until I've acquired enough of my own bits to buy a new cot." The mare patted my back with her hoof, chuckling softly to herself in the process.

"Oh Cougar, sometimes yer just too modest fer yer own good," she started to wipe off the ladder with her wet rag, going up the rungs every few seconds. I gulped, silently praying that she wouldn't go all the way up to the actual loft. The brown tarp was just in front of the ladder, but not really visible from the bottom floor.

"And is that a bad thing?" I continued the conversation, hoping that it would distract her from the secret.

"Course not Coug," she looked back down at me from halfway up the wooden ladder, "ya've just done plenty 'o good things here 'n you deserve ta treat yerself ta a reward every now 'n then," she turned back to her task at hand and continued wiping down the wooden rungs. When she surpassed the top rung and I heard her hooves clopping on the loft floor, the sound of a tarp rustling made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Cougar, what the hay kind 'o backpack is this thing?" Applejack asked as the rustling sound of the brown tarp faded away. Looking up at the loft, the mare had the jetpack in both of her hooves as she showed it to me. "It sure is heavy," AJ added.

"Right, that," I exhaled, putting the broom up agains the wall and the dustpan right next to it. Ever so carefully, Applejack began to crawl down the ladder, trying hard not to slip or drop what she thought was a regular backpack. "AJ, let me take that," I grasped the device in my hands and took it from the pony so she wouldn't injure herself by falling or whatever.

"Ah'm very capable 'o carryin' heavy objects," she dusted her forehooves off when she got off the ladder. I took the jetpack that still looked brand new thanks to the tarp and set it in the corner near my tiny bookshelf. "Now, what in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria is that Cougar? Ah've never seen a backpack like that before," she asked me for the second time. My cot creaked as I sat down, propping up my head with my right fist.

"That's not a regular backpack," my hand softly patted the empty space on the cot next to me. Without hesitation, Applejack turned around and plopped right down next to me, though still confused about the device in the corner. "Do you remember back when I Luna invited me to stay at her castle for a weekend?" I asked. AJ nodded her head, pursing her lips a little at the memory. "Well, Luna took me down to the dungeons where she and Celestia had stored my jet that is pretty much useless now. Just for a trip down memory lane, I took a seat inside the cockpit, trying to recapture that feeling of soaring through the air."

"Didja find it inside your jet?" Applejack questioned.

"Yeah, I climbed from my cockpit, but I saw an open compartment door behind where my seat used to be and this was sitting inside. Apparently, the Air Force was experimenting with using what us humans called 'jetpacks' and pilots would use them if we had to eject for whatever reason behind enemy lines or if the rescue chopper couldn't reach us in time, we would fly back to base or to the nearest allied base," I explained. Applejack shook her head, shocked at my explanation.

"Hang on here a second, are ya sayin' that you can fly with that there jetpack?" her jaw dropped and her hoof pointed to the jetpack.

"That's the idea," I replied, "but I have no idea how to use it, what I would use it for here or even how it works. I'd probably get killed trying to fly it, so here it sat gathering dust for about a month until you found it."

"It didn't come with instructions? Hmm, Ah'd think the military'd care enough 'bout ya ta at least give ya instructions on how ta use it," she scratched her chin.

"Well, it came with one little notecard from my superior," I corrected the mare. "In it, he said that it uses a special power cell that helps it last for 120 years before dying and that when I wear it, tiny scanners scan my arms' positions, relaying the information back to the CPU which speeds it up and slows it down." Applejack gave me the ever so classic deer in the headlights look, and I would've been shocked if she hadn't. "Don't worry AJ, I don't know how the hell that works too; I'm no physicist or scientist."

"So what are ya gonna do with it?" She asked me, taking peering back at the corner behind us.

"I don't know, I'll probably keep it under the tarp or gut it and keep it as a wall decoration," I grunted as I stood up from my cot. Applejack hopped off my cot and opened her mouth to say something in return when we were joined by another pony.

"Good mooooorning Applejack!" Rainbow Dash poked her head through the door with a cheesy grin on her face. "Morning to you too Cougar," she added, trotting into my shack casually.

"Oh good, you're here to help us clean?" I joked.

"Nope, I heard you guys talking and I thought I'd grace you guys with my awesome presence!" She replied, leaning against the doorframe.

"Ya weren't eavesdroppin' on us were ya Rainbow?" Applejack's right eyebrow slowly rose up. The cyan pegasus gave a mocking scoff in reply, putting on an innocent display that only Discord could rival.

"What? No, I'm just here to see if you have any spare cider I can take back to the Academy tomorrow. The recruits and Soarin' can't get enough of it," she explained, licking her lips in thirst. "That and I overheard you talk about flying, Cougar," the pegasus turned to me with a smirk.

"And what's your point?" I questioned.

"If anypony's talking about flying, I'm gonna drop in my two bits," she stuck her tongue out at me. "So were you talking about flying your jet thingy in the past or maybe seeing if Luna will take you for a flight sometime?" Rainbow trotted over and stood next to Applejack. AJ had rolled her eyes when Rainbow revealed she had in fact been eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Firstly, I'm not sure Luna can support my weight," I began.

"Yer all muscle Cougar," AJ countered, "Ah'm sure she could handle ya."

"Wouldn't that make her look very demeaning?" I crossed my arms. Rainbow and AJ looked at each other before sort of agreeing with me. "And to answer your question Rainbow, I was explaining to AJ here that the Air Force gave me an experimental device that allows me to fly in emergency situations," I pointed my finger over to the corner yet again. Maybe I should build a big trophy case and put it on there so ponies can stop asking.

"How in Tartarus is a backpack going to help you fly?" Rainbow glowered at me as if she was telling me, 'Do I look stupid to you?' Grumbling, I picked up the jetpack, swung the straps over my shoulders, unfolded the arm bracings that housed the scanners, and pushed the red button on the right strap. Suddenly, the wings opened up with a FWOMP from the core of the jetpack and the engine kicked on, lifting me off the ground only by a few inches. Rainbow's eyes bulged out of her skull and her jaw dropped from the site before her. Rainbow grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shook me violently.

"RACE, ME, NOW!" She exclaimed, her wings flapping like crazy. Shoving her away and pushing the red button again, the jetpack engine slowly died and the wings folded back up into the core.

"Sorry Dash," I folded the arm bracings back up and took off the jetpack, setting it on my cot this time. "But I don't know how to fly this damn thing. I'd probably get killed if I tried. And even if I did magically know how to fly, tell me what use it'll be useful here in Equestria," I demanded. "Also, I have no idea how fast I can even go." Rainbow's face twitched slightly before her wings slowly calmed down and she gently touched her hooves to the wooden floor.

"That's a good way to piss a pony off Cougar," the pegasus grumbled.

"You think I knew you were gonna challenge me to a race? I figured you'd twist my arm and insist that you teach me how to fly with this thing," I said sarcastically. Rainbow did a double take before her eyes lit up again and she got a really creepy smile on her face. I wanted to tell her that I was joking and that I had no intention of ever using the damn thing, but Applejack unfortunately took what I said to heart as well.

"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea Cougar," the orange mare grinned, shoving my arm a little. "Ya got Rainbow 'n Soarin up there at the Academy that can teach ya. Why Ah reckon they can have ya flyin' like a bird by tomorrow evenin'," she added.

"I think you girls need a lesson in sarcasm," I muttered.

"Yeah! I can talk Soarin into helping me teach you all you need to know about pitching your body, doing barrel rolls, recovering from spin outs, all that good stuff!" She beamed, standing on her rear legs and squeezing me with her left foreleg.

"Ah don't think he needs ta learn all 'o that Rainbow Dash," Applejack clapped her forehooves in front of Rainbow's face, snapping her from her daydream. "'Sides, Ah think Cougar done learned all that in the Air Force, right?" She winked at me, causing my body to jolt slightly.

"Right," I sputtered out after blinking several times, "but can we think about this realistically please?" I begged. The two mares in front of me now gave me their full attention, waiting for me to get to the point. "If I do go and learn how to maneuver my body with this damn thing, tell me this: When in the hell will I ever need to use it realistically? Sure I miss flying, but between this and my jet is like comparing an apple to ice cream. They're both food, but completely different!" I exclaimed.

"You can perform air shows with us!" Rainbow Dash radiated excitement.

"You didn't hear anything I just said did you?" I said flatly.

"Well, ya could use it ta get apples out 'o the tops 'o the trees faster," Applejack explained, "or haulin' hay bales up ta the top floor 'o the barn," she smiled. "Ah know yer strong enough, but haulin' bales 'o hay still takes awhile."

"I don't want to get lazy," I quickly shot down the idea.

"Pfft, lazy ain't in yer dictionary Cowboy," AJ playfully shook her head. I face palmed, getting slightly aggravated that the two ponies were completely missing the point that I saw no need or use for learning how to use this thing.

"Hey, why are you so against this? Didn't you want to see the Academy at some point or the whole Wonderbolts Team face to face because we remind you of your Bluebirds or whatever?" Rainbow Dash demanded like a private investigator.

"Thunderbirds thank you very much," I got a little defensive about my branch's flight demo team. "And to answer both of your questions: Yes. But to actually fly without the aide of my jet? That's just too outrageous for me. And why are you so bent on getting me to go?" Rainbow Dash bit her bottom lip so hard that I thought she would draw blood, but she groaned and growled in annoyance.

"Maybe it's because I might wanna hang out with you a little more. You're one of the most badass creatures I've ever met and you love flying if you've spent seven years in the Air Force," she explained.

"Oh God, you're not jealous are you?" I asked stoically, hoping that she wasn't. In the back of my mind, I was pretty confident that she wasn't jealous that I wasn't spending time with her; she had Soarin, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie etc. to hang out with. Maybe I should try to spend a little more time with the others like AJ wants. Besides her, Luna and the Crusaders, I really didn't hang out with anypony else. Lyra and Bon Bon I've only really talked to so they didn't count. Although, I guess I could count the camping trip as hanging out with Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"Please, I don't get jealous. This is just a golden opportunity for us to connect a little more and for you to meet some of the most amazingly awesome ponies in Equestria!" She shouted into my face. Applejack grabbed Rainbow's tail with her mouth and yanked her away from my face.

"There's no reason tryin' ta make the guy deaf Rainbow, although Ah agree that ya bring up some good points," Applejack concurred with her friend. She then turned her gaze back to me, "Is there another reason yer so against this Cougar?" she softly asked me.

"No, not really," I sighed in defeat. "It'd be great to hang out with you Rainbow, but like I said before, this would more than likely be a one and done deal. I can't for the life of me figure out what else I could do with it." I jabbed my thumb back to the jetpack.

"Catching bad guys faster?" Rainbow shrugged.

"I'm not a cop," I replied, "or a guard," I quickly added.

"What about that one pony ya caught and beat up fer tryin' to kill Princess Luna?" Applejack placed her hoof in my hand.

"I would have to wear it 24/7 then; I'd look ridiculous taking Bloom to school or going to see Luna with that thing strapped to my back for no other reason," I gulped, slowly moving my hand away from her hoof.

"Put it on with your helmet and your sunglasses and you'd look like the second coolest thing in Equestria," Rainbow persuaded. I briefly imagined myself with the jetpack, my helmet and sunglasses on; what came out was a white version of the Falcon from Captain America 2. "Come on!" the cyan pegasus was practically in begging and groveling mode, "don't you miss just zipping through the clouds at Celestia knows what speed with nothing higher in the sky than the sun on your back?" Fuck, that was the biggest thing I did in fact miss about flying my jet, other than with Reaper as my wingman.

"If it's to hang out with you and Soarin, then sure, why not?" I gave in. "Plus, I've kind of wondered what it'd be like to fly like some of my favorite super heroes," my inner child bloomed for a second.

"YES, YES, YES!" Rainbow pumped both her forelegs in the air in victory. "I'll come by tomorrow morning at 0500 to take you up the Academy myself. You'll just need Twilight to whip up the cloud walking spell for you," she was about ready to burst with excitement.

"Hold on a second," I stopped her little happy moment. "You, Rainbow Dash, are aware that there's a 5:00 A.M.? I guess miracles do happen!" I teased the pony. Applejack had told me that Rainbow loved napping just about as much as flying; I've even found her snuggled up in some of AJ's trees occasionally.

"Just for that, your first piece of training tomorrow is gonna be on the dizzitron," she growled at me. 'What in the hell are you talking about?' I mentally asked myself before she turned back to Applejack. "And don't think I've forgotten why I came here in the first place Applejack," Rainbow Dash held out her hoof.

"Ah've got some spare cider in the cellar," AJ rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Come on Cougar, Ah need ya ta watch Rainbow so she don't take more cider than Ah give her," she shot a questioning look to her cyan friend whom innocently whistled. I followed suit, but not before realizing what else Rainbow had said to me.

"What exactly do you mean by a cloud walking spell?"

---

(The Next Morning. Cougar's POV)

As Celestia's sun peaked over the mountains on the horizon, a steaming mug of hot coffee was brought to my lips as I sipped the delicious drink. Applejack had taken me to Twilight's castle for the cloud walking spell after we gave Rainbow some apple cider for the Academy. So apparently only alicorns and pegasi can walk on clouds without the aide of the spell; how was I supposed to know that? It certainly wouldn't have surprised me if all pony races could walk on the clouds with all I've encountered here so far. But nonetheless, I received the spell so I wouldn't die from falling through the clouds. I was expecting a pinch or some kind of quick pain, but it was actually rather tingly, sort of like all my nerves within my central nervous system lit up at once and then went numb for a second.

My jetpack was currently strapped onto my shoulders, though I had the arm braces folded against the pack so I wouldn't accidentally bump the button and send myself flying through the wall. I also had my sunglasses tucked into my shirt collar and my purple helmet sat on the tabletop next to my plate of buttered toast, the sun's morning rays were gleaming off the purple surface. Taking a small bite, I wiped my hands of the crumbs and took another sip of my coffee. Checking the time on the clock above the door, I sighed, expecting Rainbow Dash to be a few minutes late, but it was already a quarter after 5:00 A.M.

"Ah figured ya would've been gone by now," Applejack yawned, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting down next to me. I've gotten so used to seeing her in her hat that whenever she woke up without it, she almost looked like a different pony. "Yer not too surprised are ya?" Her voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"No, not really," I chuckled, setting my mug down and pushing my plate of toast over to the mare. "You can have a bite if you want, I promise I'm not sick or anything," a smile spread across my face. AJ looked down from the plate of toast and back to me with a smile all her own as she reached her hoof down underneath the toasted bread with butter and brought it to her mouth, taking about half the toast in one fell swoop.

"Thank ya kindly," she swallowed and thanked, "oops, 'scuse me," she blushed as a tiny belch escaped her mouth.

"I'm a little surprised no one else is up at the usual time," I took the other half of the toast and took my own bite. Applejack had left the tiniest hint of apples on the edge of the toast, making it taste even better than before.

"Welp, since the usual apple season is over, we do normally sleep in till 'bout six or maybe seven durin' the fall 'n winter months," Applejack explained, taking a nice, long sip of her coffee.

"So then what are you doing up at this time?" I questioned, getting up from my chair and setting my plate in the sink. I ran water over it to wash off all the crumbs and little globs of butter so Granny Smith or Big Mac wouldn't have to wash it themselves. There was a faint thunk as AJ set down her red mug on the wooden tabletop.

"Ta be honest, Ah wanted ta see ya off myself," smiled warmly at me. "Ah wouldn't be much of a friend if Ah just let ya leave without somepony sayin' goodbye, even if it's just fer a day," she said gently. Before I could reply with a thank you, albeit a stammering one, AJ yawned mightily again, stretching her forelegs up in the air.

"You didn't have to lose any sleep over me," I quickly refreshed her coffee mug.

"Ah know fer a fact ya'd do the same fer me," her hoof softly laid atop my hand as I reached for my own coffee mug. My pale blue eyes looked up from her hoof and into her own emerald green eyes. Looking into her eyes reminded me of the old tails sailors being drawn by the call of mythical sirens from their songs, but with me however, AJ's trusting and kind eyes seemed to work the exact same magic. The sound of her chair scraping across the wooden floor made me realize that she had released my hand from my hoof. Shaking my head, the mare turned on the kitchen sink, splashing cold water on her face.

"Y-yeah, I would," I agreed with her statement. Suddenly, the kitchen screen door flew open, revealing Rainbow Dash standing on the porch. The pegasus mare stumbled inside and grabbed the entire coffee pot with both hooves, bringing it to her mouth and downing the rest of the caffeinated goodness.

"Ah'll clean that first 'fore Ah brew another batch," Applejack ran warm water over the lip of the coffee pot.

"Sorry I'm late Coug," Rainbow grumbled and burped at the same time. "My stupid alarm clock didn't go off this morning, and my coffee pot wasn't plugged in and I'm too cheap to buy coffee from one of the convenience stores," she explained with a groan.

"Oh, it's not a problem Rainbow," I assured her. "AJ and I were just enjoying some coffee," I gestured to the farm pony that was busy cleaning out the pot of coffee that Rainbow Dash drank from.

"Good 'cause we got a lot to do today Cougar," Rainbow nudged my elbow with her hoof. "come on, we gotta get going so we can have as much time to whip you into cadet status by dinner time," she got behind me and tried to push me out of the kitchen.

"Hold on now Rainbow," Applejack produced a pie from the refrigerator, "don't forget Soarin's pie now ya hear?" She slid the apple pie across the countertop towards Rainbow Dash. The pegasus took the pie and set it on her back.

"Thanks Applejack, good thing you reminded me. Who knows what Soarin' would be reduced to without his mid-week morning pie?" She joked. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed my helmet from the table and held it upside down in my hand, ready to leave.

"Ah guess Ah'll see y'all tonight then?" Applejack asked us. Rainbow Dash nodded and held the door open for me to leave. Taking a look back as I stood in the doorway, Applejack leaned against the counter, waving her hoof at me.

"Hot air balloon leaves in ten, let's get a move on!" Rainbow demanded. Ignoring her for only but a moment, I walked back into the kitchen and stopped in front of Applejack. Curious, the mare braced herself on the counter and used it to help steady herself on her hind legs. Wrapping an arm around her neck, I pulled her in close for a goodbye hug. Thankfully, I didn't catch her by surprise or anything as she returned the hug and seemed to nuzzle her head into my chest.

"Keep an eye on Applebloom AJ," I winked at her as Rainbow bit my pants leg and yanked, telling me to get my ass in gear.

(One Hot Air Balloon Ride Later)

You're not nervous about walking on clouds are you Cougar?" Rainbow teased me as she paid the hot air balloon pony a few bits. The Wonderbolt hovered above me with her forelegs crossed, impatiently waiting for me to exit the balloon basket. I still had my helmet in my hand and I now had my sunglasses over my eyes since we were now above the clouds.

"I'm more scared of falling through the clouds to be honest," I gulped in reply. Sure, I trusted Twilight enough that she wouldn't give me a bum spell on purpose, but what if it didn't work on me specifically? And I'm not sure Rainbow could support my weight if she tried to catch me.

"Don't worry, the cleanup crew is fast and efficient at cleaning up splattered gunk," Rainbow leaned against the basket with the very definition of a shit-eating grin on her face. Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed her Wonderbolt goggles, stretched them back, and snapped them onto her face. "YOWCH!" She cried in pain and rubbed her eyes to soothe her agony.

"You do know I'm actually serious about this Rainbow?" I asked her, not caring that she was still in a little bit of pain.

"Of course I know, just trying to lighten the mood Mr. Buzzkill," she put her goggles back over her eyes. "Now come on, Soarin and the cadets should be up in about fifteen minutes," she exclaimed. "Not to mention you're costing the balloon pony some bits for not leaving," she added. Indeed as I looked over at the balloon operating pony, the yellow pegasus with a Scottish golfing hat atop his head was giving me an icy glare.

"Hurry it up laddie," a thick Scottish accent penetrated my ears, "I can't have any lollygaggers taking up me precious business that feeds me wee ones," he gave me a mighty kick in the ass, making me stumble like a drunk out of the purple basket. I braced myself for the feeling of free falling into the ground below, but it never happened.

"Alright, you're not falling to the ground on your flank, now let's move it," Rainbow nudged me forward. Clearing my throat, I got ahold of myself knowing that Twilight's spell did in fact work and Rainbow began to escort me through Cloudsdale. I had to admit, it was pretty beautiful up here with Celesita's sun shining off the white columns of clouds that were layered all over the place. "So, do you like everything so far?" The pegasus and I crested a small cloud hill to reveal the heart of Cloudsdale. If real life had sound effects, a cash register sound would've played when my jaw dropped at the scenery sitting before me.

There were numerous huge buildings scattered around, and each of them were built with cloud columns as supports all around their circular cloud foundations. All of the buildings reminded me of artist renditions of ancient Greece and Rome from the architecture the pegasi had adopted. An old memory clicked on in my brain of Pegasus from Hercules the Disney movie. The little kid inside me expected to see Zeus walking around with his lightning bolts in front of Mt. Olympus. "That over there is the Cloudeseum where I won the Young Flyers Competition by saving Rarity, The Wonderbolts and performing my second ever Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow Dash bragged as she snapped my jaw back into place. Okay maybe she could support my weight if need be.

"This is beautiful Rainbow Dash!" I exclaimed, wishing I had brought my phone to take pictures.

"Yeah, it isn't called the greatest city in the clouds for nothing!" She declared. Apparently waking up early was a habit adopted by the majority of pegasus ponies. A few pegasi that I had never seen before stopped flying or walking on the clouds to take quick looks at me. 'I hope we won't have any scream teams,' I thought to myself. As if by chance however, the pegasi either just pointed at me with their hooves and flew off or just didn't say a thing and went on their merry way. Being pointed at didn't bother me a bit, I was point worthy after all. "If we had more time, I'd show you more of the weather factory over there," she turned my head to a large cluster of clouds surrounded by black storm clouds, a few real rainbows and what appeared to be rainbow waterfalls.

"Oh well, maybe next time when I have my camera," I said in a disappointed tone; that tour would've been really interesting. A few construction noises, mainly jackhammer sounds, nearly drowned out Rainbow's voice as she talked to me.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" A gruff construction worker's voice asked.

"It looks like that primate that's all buddy-buddy with the Elements of Harmony and the royal sisters!" Another voice explained as I walked by them. 'Better than being called a freak or a monster,' I shrugged off their comments.

"And just over here, is the greatest place where only the top 1% of pegasi go to become the most daring, amazing and spectacular flyers in Equestria: The Wonderbolts Academy!" Rainbow excitedly announced like Viper from Top Gun to me, grabbing my neck with her foreleg and pushing my cheek against hers as she motioned to a large cloud area just off the outskirts of Cloudsdale. A huge cloud building with the words Main Hall greeted us as we passed through a gate and under a sign that read Wonderbolts Academy.

"Good morning Rainbow Dash," a guard pegasus greeted us and granted us permission to enter the grounds.

"The obstacle course and training grounds are on the other side of the main hall, the mess hall, the gym, the weight training room and the barracks," Rainbow actually planted her hooves on the clouds and trotted along next to me. "Bugle call should be in three minutes, just made it," Rainbow congratulated herself as we entered the double doors of the main hall.

"Oh hello Rainbow, didn't expect to see you back this early," a dust colored mare approached us from the mess hall with two plates of food on her right foreleg. "And, is this the Cougar guy you keep talking about on your free time?" She tilted her head me as if she was studying an exhibit in a museum.

"Darn right, this is the coolest human you'll ever meet Feather Duster!" Rainbow shook me around like a trophy, causing me to drop my helmet. "And the only one," she added. I bent down and picked up my helmet before tucking it under my arm. 'Feather Duster? Doesn't sound like a Wonderbolt material name to me,' I pondered mentally.

"Don't worry, my real name isn't actually Cougar, it's just a call sign," I assured Feather Duster when she had a weird look on her face at the mention of my name. I guess we both had something in common.

"Nice to meet you," she said, not having enough forelegs to shake my hand. "What did Rainbow bring you for?" She questioned.

"To teach him how to maneuver his body in the air and to test out his jetpack," Rainbow said for me, turning me backwards to show the device to the pegasus.

"Interesting technology," she said, impressed. Well, it's good to meet you Cougar," Feather Duster smiled, "with what Rainbow's told us about your love for speed and flying, you'll fit right in here," she winked. "Now if you don't mind, I have to eat my breakfast before my janitorial duties call," Feather Duster explained before walking as carefully as she could on three legs. "Just please don't make too much of a mess if you do!" She shouted from down the hallway, stopping in front of an office door.

"Seems like a lot of food for such a small pegasus," I commented. She seemed to be in between Scootaloo and Rainbow's size, pretty small I had to admit. Rainbow Dash chuckled and patted the back of my jetpack.

"Oh, she hides it really bad, but Soarin and pretty much all of the guys told me she has a thing for Fire Streak," she told me, "except Fire Streak of course. But his twin bro Lightning pretty much confirmed it." I drew a blank face when Rainbow told me the names of her fellow Wonderbolts, making me feel sort of like an idiot. "Rrrrrrriiiiiigggggghhhht," Rainbow said slowly, "I've gotta introduce you to everypony before we begin any of your training," she gazed at the clock in the hallway. "The bugle is gonna sound any second. Let's head to the mess hall where Soarin and I can introduce you to the cadets and the rest of squad," Rainbow ordered me just as a loud bugle horn blasted through the loudspeakers of the academy.

"They're expecting me right? I don't feel like explaining about my name again," I said, holding the door to the mess hall open for Rainbow Dash. She flew in quickly, making a few banners above flutter in her breeze.

"Yeah, though you're used to being stared at right? Oh and I should warn you, there's a Wonderbolt here named Surprise, and she's sort of a, second Pinkie Pie, in pegasus form," Rainbow blushed, embarrassed that she forgot to tell me.

"Dear God," I said to myself as if time had stopped. "That's something that you should have told me about last night so I could be better prepared for a storm like that!" I scolded the mare.

"Also," Rainbow tried to change the subject on me, "stay away from the cookies until Rapidfire gets his own, unless you want to wake up in the dumpster out back," she warned me again.

"Cookies for breakfast?" I asked in disbelief. Rainbow nodded her head and gathered up a plate of food and some more coffee. Apparently, there was but one chef in the entire Wonderbolts Academy. This perplexed me until I realized there was probably less than thirty pegasi here, so one chef could easily prepare meals large enough. Speaking of the chef, a green stallion with a pot of vegetables as his cutie mark was eyeing me as I walked by the breakfast bar, grabbing a few doughnuts. "Morning," I smiled as I slinked my way down the bar.

"Don't worry about Steamed Vegetable, he's just all bark," Rainbow assured me when I sat down at the table next to her. Right then, the Mess Hall doors flew open as numerous other pegasi either glided in or trotted inside looking for food. Soarin was leading the group of Wonderbolts and cadets into the Mess Hall with a tired grin on his muzzle, though everypony maneuvered around him like a river going around a rock. The light blue stallion smiled even bigger as he waved to the both of us and flew over to our table.

"Hey, good to see you make it here Cougar," Soarin proclaimed, sitting across from me but next to Rainbow Dash. "What do you think of Cloudsdale so far?" the Captain of the Wonderbolts inquired. I could feel a few pairs of eyes staring at me from behind, but I paid no attention as I stuffed a doughnut in my face.

"I wish I had more time to tour Cloudsdale, I can tell you that," I swallowed my bite of doughnut. A few cadets sat down at the table next to us, eating their food and watching me.

"Well, you'll have to come up more often then," Soarin smiled. "To be honest Cougar, when Dashie here told me that you could fly with artificial wings on your back, I thought she had too much cider to drink," he joked, earning himself an icy glare from Rainbow. "But, I think this could be one of the greatest accomplishments not only for the Wonderbolts, but if our scientists can harness your technology, other pegasi that can't fly due to wing injuries or wing deformities can!" He declared.

"Soarin, did you steal a dictionary and a thesaurus from the library?" Rainbow lightly tapped his noggin.

"Uh no, why?" Soarin questioned.

"No reason," Rainbow Dash ate up some of her eggs. The clopping of hooves drew my attention over to my right where four pegasi were munching on food and staring wide-eyed at me. One mare in particular had white fur and a mane that looked exactly like Pinkie's, except it was yellow- oh shit.

"SURPRISE!" The mare screamed right in my face, scaring the shit out of me. My plate went sailing behind me, crashing into a million pieces on the cloud behind me.

"Celestia dammit ya buckin klutz!" The chef yelled at me, "do you have any idea how hard it is to find porcelain plates up here!?" After getting my pulse down to non-threatening levels, I turned to the Pinkie clone who was grinning at me really big.

"What in the hell was that for!?" I yelled back at her, though it didn't seem to faze her at all. Instead, the mare hopped up and down on her legs, giggling.

"That's my name silly!" She noogied my head, "I thought I'd skip the boring part of you asking my name and get right to me telling you my name!" She explained. "One of my bestest friends, Pinkie Pie, talks about you all the time in her letters to me," she didn't stop bouncing up and down.

"Lay off the damn sugar kid," I mumbled. "How did you guys pick her to be a cadet?" I asked Soarin. He and Rainbow Dash looked at each other before chuckling to themselves.

"She's actually a Wonderbolt Cougar," Rainbow correct. "Yeah, she's a pegasus Pinkie Pie, but she's also a really good flyer and takes her job seriously," the cyan pegasus explained.

"Just give me a cupcake and I'll fly for the next week!" Surprise stuck her tongue out as she smiled. "And if you want to know the best places in Cloudsdale to get goodies, just give me a holler Cougar!" She gave me a bone crushing hug.

"Cougar's here to fly Surprise, not die from your affections," Soarin pried the mare off of me. She waved goodbye and Pinkie-hopped away to the breakfast bar for more sugary snacks. "SURPRISE, WHO SAID YOU COULD HAVE MY COOKIES?!" A thick Austrian-like accent bellowed.

After making sure my arms were still able to move, I looked over at the other two pegasi standing next to me. One was a stallion pegasus with fur very similar to Soarin's and a spiked up dark and light blonde mane. The second pegasus was a pink mare with a dirty blonde mane and tail and a sneer across her face. Standing next to her was another pegasus mare that was purple in fur color and had orange and blue stripes in her mane, sort of resembling the colors from NERF darts. And the fourth pegasus was another stallion who looked exactly like the other stallion of the four pegasus group, except he had white fur and his mane was orange and cream colored.

"Name's Lightning Streak," the light blue pegasus extended his hoof to my hand, "I've been wanting to meet you for awhile now to talk about how you were able to fly in your world," he introduced himself. The second pegasus rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Oh shut up Lightning," he ordered, "you just wanted to meet him to see if he was smart enough to play checkers." Lightning turned to his twin and growled, holding up his hoof like a fist.

"Mind your own business bro," Lightning retorted.

"Name's Fire Streak, unfortunate big brother of this moron," Fire shook my hand. "You'll have to excuse him; he's a few arrows short of a quiver if you catch my drift. And very immature," he added. "Glad to finally meet you though Cougar," he greeted.

"Nice to meet you too Fire Streak," can't wait to get back up in the air," I replied. "And I don't like checkers, I'm more of a chess guy," I looked over at Lightning Streak.

"Buck that; it hurts my brain too much," Lightning shook his head. My gaze focused on the purple mare that for some reason couldn't keep her eyes on me for more than three seconds at a time. She was probably afraid of me; she was a smidge shorter than a few of the others and she looked like a quiet pegasus, kind of like Fluttershy.

"What's your name miss?" I asked the purple pegasus. She looked away, not saying a word before looking back up at me. Yep, shy as hell, not that it bothered me or anything. "I know I'm a very different creature than you're used to seeing, but I'm a nice guy," I tried to placate her fears.

"L-Lullaby," she whispered meekly in return. And like Fluttershy, her shyness was actually pretty damn cute.

"She a Wonderbolt too?" I leaned back to Rainbow Dash. She shook her head in reply, telling me she was a cadet. "Ah, well hope to fly with you today," I winked at her, "maybe you can show me a thing or two?" I asked. Lullaby 'eeped' and turned around, trotting over to the breakfast bar.

"Great, you managed to scare Lullaby," the last pegasus that bothered to see me rolled her eyes. The smug look on her face never once left during my introductions. "Is there anything useful you can do?" She asked.

"Knock it off Spring Song," Rainbow sounded just like Stinger when Boa would mouth off to everyone. "Remember, he saved me and my friends and sister from Timberwolves," she reminded this, Spring Song. The mare leaned against the table, getting into my face.

"Look, I don't care what you've done while you've been in Equestria. And frankly I don't have a problem with you," she assured, "just don't get in my way today; my official tryouts to join the Wonderbolts are soon and I need all the time to practice."

"Okay," I swallowed another bite of doughnut.

"I'm the best flyer here; I don't need some incompetent monkey ruining anything for me," she playfully yet in a bitchy way smacked my cheek with her hoof. Soarin groaned, setting his elbows on the table.

"Sorry about Spring Song, she's just a little full of herself," he said.

"A little?!" Rainbow's hooves slammed on the tabletop.

"Dashie," Soarin cut her off, "you know she's not worth it," he soothed her anger. "These two were at each other's throats for a long time until Rainbow was offered to join the 'Bolts. I thought Spring Song would take it hard, but she somehow found something good about it and proclaims she's now the best flyer in the reserves," Soarin delineated. "But she does have the skills, you have to admit Rainbow," Soarin turned back to his girlfriend whom nodded reluctantly.

"Ah, a combination of Maverick and Iceman, interesting," I polished off my doughnuts. "Boy, I really need to show you guys Top Gun," I replied to Rainbow and Soarin's blank stares. "So, am I gonna meet any of the others or is that it?"

"Well, breakfast is almost finished," Soarin stretched his wings, "and some of the cadets and squad members don't get a move on until afterwards, which is right about now actually. You ready to start practicing Cougar?" He asked me. Feeling a little more confident than last night, I stood up and pushed the button on my jetpack strap. Rainbow got an evil grin on her face and floated her way up to my eye level.

"First stop: The Dizzitron Cougar," she grinned.

(Outside at the Training Grounds)

I was staring at a green version of what looked like those cartoon hypno patterns outside at the training grounds. Soarin, Rainbow Dash and I were joined by the few cadets that wanted to watch and Surprise, Rapidfire, the Streak Twins, Spring Song and Lullaby joined us as well. "Okay, what the hell am I looking at?" I asked Soarin whom chuckled.

"First thing the cadets go through here at the academy is the dizzitron Cougar," the stallion proudly patted the side of the large saucer-like device. "It helps us get a measure on how well they can recover from a spinout," he explained.

"So, you purposely make them spin themselves off course with this thing?" I asked. I tried to imagine rookie NASCAR drivers purposely wrecking in order to practice recovering from a real wreck, or the Air Force putting me into a flat spin to see if I can pull out.

"Gotta learn it somehow!" Rainbow grabbed me and strapped me into the device. "Ya might wanna put your helmet on now," she advised as she double-checked everything on the dizzitron. I slid the arm braces over my arms, making the engine of my jetpack roar to life as the wings popped back out. I buckled my helmet on and tightened it so it wouldn't fly off and hit some poor pony in the head.

"Careful, some ponies are known to barf their first time around," Soarin warned me.

"Fifty bits says he upchucks all of those doughnuts bro," Lightning held out his hoof to his brother. I grinned as Fire Streak slapped his twin brother's hoof away, shaking his head.

"The record is held by yours truly, can you beat it?" Rainbow bopped my nose. She gave Soarin the okay to turn it on and test my ability to recover from a spinout.

"I wish I had some popcorn," Rapidfire licked his lips.

"Beat ya to it buddy," I heard Surprise munching on the buttery treat. The red stallion's jaw dropped at the bucket of popcorn that appeared literally from Surprise's mane. "Come on Cougar, you can do it!" She cheered me on. The machine turned on and I began to roll in circles, the image of the ponies in front of me began to go in circles as well. I shut my eyes and pretended I was doing a barrel roll in my old F-15 so I wouldn't feel sick, but it didn't work very well.

'I probably shouldn't have eaten anything,' I thought. The spinning started going faster and faster. I had forgotten my sunglasses, so my eyes were watering like crazy as I rolled through the air.

"RELEASE!" Rainbow Dash shouted to Soarin. All of a sudden, my restraint let go and I felt myself flying through the air at about 100 miles per hour. I opened my eyes to see the runway below me disappear, giving way to how high in the air we were. My mouth refused to open so I could scream; this was a pretty scary ordeal.

"FLY! FLY CELESTIA DAMMIT!" Rapidfire's thick accent shouted. Not having much time to think, I flung my arms to my side and the wings of my jet pack followed suit with a huge burst of acceleration from the engine. My speed picked up dramatically as I flew threw a few straggling clouds at God knows what speed. My arms flailed up as the jerkiness of everything at once had caught me off guard, and my wings spread out, slowing me down almost immediately. It was like hitting a brick wall, and I felt the sensation of dropping like a lead balloon.

"RECOVER! YOU CAN DO IT!" Rainbow encouraged me. My arms seized up, unable to swoop back to get my speed up to where I would stop falling and fly back to the group. "COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!" She shouted.

"OOF!" I shouted as my body hit the ground, or the cloud, below pretty hard. I bounced up and forward, somewhat rolling in mid-air. You'd think the soft, fluffiness of a cloud wouldn't hurt that much. But with Twilight's spell, it actually did hurt, yet not as much as if I were hitting real ground.

"OOOOH," the pegasi viewing me grimaced as I kept hitting the cloud. I felt my momentum slowing down as I kept bouncing off the cloud, but my eyes widened in fear as I saw how close to the edge I was getting. Outstretching my arms, I managed to twist my body around so my legs were dangling off the edge of the cloud rather than my arms. My arms gripped the cloud as hard as I could command them, trying to keep from falling. My jetpack was humming along, having not taken damage from the crash.

"Cougar!" Soarin screamed as he and Rainbow jetted towards me. I looked down at the ground that seemed lightyears away, but it didn't bother me thanks to my love of flying. The two blue pegasi landed in front of me and wrapped their forelegs around my arms, yanking me up onto the cloud. I had to catch my breath before doing anything except dropping to my hands and knees. Needless to say, my head was spinning from falling with style as Woody would put it. "You okay bro?" Soarin placed his hoof on my back.

"Yeah, that was a nasty tumble you took," Rainbow agreed while Lullaby, Rapidfire and Fire Streak trotted over to us. My body began to shake as a new sensation began to well up within me. Whether or not I had a concussion or I bruised a few ribs was left to be determined as I whirled around with my head sticking over the edge of the cloud.

"Is okay?" Lullaby softly asked Soarin.

"BLEEERRRGGH!" my morning coffee, toast and doughnuts were emptied from my stomach and out of my mouth. "And I thought my test flight in the F-15 was bad," I groaned, clutching my stomach as more contents were expelled out of my mouth.

"Those poor ponies on the ground," Fire Streak shielded his eyes.

"You done bro?" Soarin helped me to my feet. I shuddered, wiping off my mouth with my arm and stretching out my arms and legs that had cramped up. My response was a quick nod as I began to walk back to the dizzitron.

"Woah, maybe you should rest first?" Rainbow suggested as I was limping slightly while walking.

"Yeah, maybe you really hurt something internally," Rapidfire pondered. Holding up my hand in defense, I waved them off and got back in the dizzitron.

"I'm doing this until I get it down," I said with a few sharp breaths. "Just got the wind knocked outta me," I added. Surprise on the other hand had dropped her bucket of popcorn and was staring in shock at me.

"You're like a crash test dummy!" She exclaimed, earning angry glares from Rainbow, Soarin, Lullaby and Rapidfire. "I mean, you were just all zoom, shoo, crash, bang, crack and bleeeerrggh!" She imitated me throwing up. "At this rate, I'm gonna need more popcorn!" I'm pretty sure she didn't enjoy me getting injured and tormented, instead she probably marveled at the fact that I managed to get up after taking that punishment.

"Let's do this," my jetpack engine ignited once again as I pushed the red button. I had figure out a way to keep the engine off, but have the braces still on my arms. In a weird way I couldn't comprehend however, the engine could run without taking off if I moved my arms, even with the braces in their flying positions. There was a small probability that I had to thrust my arms back in order to take off, a theory that I had to test at some point. The machine whirred to life, and the background began to circle and spin once again.

(6 hours later)

After about my 15th attempt solo, Soarin decided that the strongest Wonderbolts, Fire Streak and Rapidfire, would follow the path the dizzitron sent me so I would stop busting my ass. We had been at it for hours, but luckily everypony here was determined as I was to help me get this down. Unfortunately, I had lost count of how many times I had tried this, but I didn't care about that fact; I was looking at it like Thomas Edison had when he created the lightbulb. I've figured out how to not recover from a spinout dozens of times. And the one time it will take me to do it properly will be a sweet emotion.

"We'll try one more before breaking for lunch," Rainbow bit her lip at the cadets and Wonderbolts that were losing patience and energy. At least Lullaby offered to bring me water and creme to dull the pain from the bruises.

"Need, pieeeeeeeee!" Soarin whined as he clutched his stomach.

"Ask Rainbow Dash, Soarin," Lightning Streak joked, nudging Fire Streak in his ribs at his 'joke.' Rainbow and Soarin glared spears at their fellow 'Bolt. As for Fire Streak on the other hand, he reared his hoof back and punched his brother upside the head, knocking him to the ground.

"For Celestia's sake Lightning, we're 24 years old!" He spat at his immature twin. Lightning Streak scoffed, dusting off his uniform as he picked himself up off the ground. "Grow up a little okay?" Fire Streak offered a little brotherly advice.

"Just because you have a fancy office doesn't mean you can be a bully bro," Lightning refused to look at Fire Streak.

"Are we really bringing up that nonsense again!?" As the twins began to bicker back and forth, Rainbow rolled her eyes and floated upwards to talk to me. She rested her cyan hooves on the restraint, making sure it was secure.

"You know Cougar, don't you think you should go home soon? I mean, I know you want to do this, but should you really risk broken arms and legs over defeating the dizzitron? " She asked me.

"Rainbow, you and Applejack wanted me to try this, remember?" I reminded her. "Sure I'm a little sore, but that's the military life. Keep picking yourself up until the job is done, and my job today isn't done," I refused to give up. Shrugging, Rainbow jetted down to the control panel and pulled the lever down to start up the dizzitron one more time. Securing my sunglasses, I held my breath when the machine reached full velocity and Rainbow activated the second lever, releasing me from the machine.

As I saw the group leave my eyesight from getting launched like a cannon ball, I took a few deep breaths as I thrust my arms back hard, reactivating my wings and the engine of the jetpack that hummed and then began to rumble. Keeping myself straight as I stopped rolling in the air, I began to zoom across in a straight line with my arms outstretched like the wings of an F-14.

"YOU'RE DOING IT BRO!" Soarin exclaimed from down below. Looking around after getting my eyesight back to normal, I saw that I was not spinning anymore; I was flying, with a jetpack, fulfilling childhood fantasies of superhero fans. Feeling excited, I thrust my arms back again hard, causing the wings to follow suit, shaping me like a bullet through the air and gaining me speed.

"DON'T GO TOO FAR!" Rainbow warned me as I was getting a little carried away with seeing how fast this thing could take me. However, who could blame me? Flying was my passion for so long and even though it was only four and a half months of being grounded, this was so refreshing to feel the wind on my face. Deciding that I had gone fast and far enough, I swept my wings forward, slowing me down to a relatively normal speed. I then realized that I had no clue how to turn, so I did my best by trying to bring as much weight as I could onto my left arm to bank my way around.

Banking and turning around was kind of wobbly, but I expected that would be my next lesson to work on before tackling the obstacle course. The pegasi below were clapping their hooves on the cloud and cheering as I approached them and prepared to land. However, the child within me surfaced again as I outstretched both of my arms, leaving my wings still perfectly straight, and flew over the group, but not before exclaiming one of my favorite quotes of all time, "To infinity, and BEYOND!" I shouted as I flew over the group and slowly descended until my feet touched the runway and I ran, jogged and finally walked my way back to the group.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow jumped up and hugged me.

"I knew you could do it bro, nice work!" Soarin patted my back.

"Congratulations, you stopped using your ass as a landing pad," Rapidfire joked. I managed to let out a little chuckle as I shook his hoof. I kinda felt like Maverick and Merlin at the end of Top Gun as everyone on their carrier congratulated them for a job well done.

"Okay, yes it was nice that you finally stopped sucking, but can we eat lunch now?" Spring Song crossed her forelegs. "It's two hours past the normal lunch hour," she whined. Soarin's belly growled in agreement with the whiny cadet.

"Break for lunch cadets!" Soarin announced as he nearly got run over by both cadets and squad mates as they flew past him to the Mess Hall. "You coming Coug? Steamed Vegetable makes killer pies," he licked his lips.

"Yeah, but just bring out to me, I need to sit down for a minute," I sat down at a table next to the Mess Hall doors.

"Are you sure you're okay dude?" Rainbow asked in a very concerned tone.

"I'm fine, just still trying to catch my breath," I replied, leaning against the table I was sitting at. Rainbow and Soarin exchanged worried glances before trotting into the mess hall. Removing the arm braces, I reached up and unbuckled the jetpack, letting it fall off my arms before setting it up on the table. "Ah," I grimaced in a little bit of pain while trying to stretch my arms. My torso was extremely sweaty, causing my shirt to stick to my skin. There wasn't too much pain radiating off my muscles, but it was still noticeable.

"N-need some more creme?" A sweet voice asked me. Lifting my head up, I saw the purple fur and orange and blue mane of Lullaby as she sat down across me with the tube of muscle relaxing creme.

"Uh, sure I guess," I removed my blue Air Force shirt. A few blue and purple bruises were tattooed across my arms, chest, abs and back, scaring Lullaby a bit by the looks of it.

"Oh wow," she said as her eyes darted away and put some of the creme on her hoof and began to apply it to my sore muscles. She seemed to be a little nervous around me still, I guess I'm gonna have to fix that. "You really took a nasty beating today," she added in her meek tone as her hoof softly traced over my abs with the creme.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Lullaby," I smiled down at her, "I'm a nice guy; I won't do anything to hurt you," I assured her.

"It's not that I'm afraid," her hooves began to rub over my biceps. I could feel her hoof trembling as she continued to rub the soothing creme all over my bumps and bruises. It wasn't cold out and I don't think she was sick or anything. Could she be angry?

"Well, then what's wrong Lullaby?" I asked her. She ceased massaging the creme onto my skin, dipping her hoof into the jar again and rubbing it over the side of my ribcage.

"N-nothing, it's stupid," she quickly stammered. "Spring Song just thinks she knows everything," Lullaby added, putting a little more pressure on my ribs, making me wince in pain. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, taking her hoof off of my ribs.

"It's cool," I seethed as the pain vibrated throughout my ribs. "And what's this about Spring Song?" I asked her. The purple mare sighed, setting the jar back down and wiping her hooves off on the cloud below.

"Spring Song kept being rude to you while you were trying to fly," Lullaby revealed, sitting back on her haunches next to me. "She wasn't cracking immature or rude jokes like Lightning Streak, she was just mocking you every time you crashed. It made me so mad because I knew you were trying your best," the mare gripped the tabletop with her hooves. Oh boy, the asshole squad mate, I knew that all too well from my early days in the Air Force and from Top Gun naturally. "I mean, you could've been seriously hurt and she was talking about how much you sucked and that you'd be a danger to every pegasi in the air if you kept trying to fly." I placed my hand on Lullaby's shoulder, making her freeze.

"Lullaby, you can't let somepony's words get under your skin," I advised, "you'll only make yourself miserable listening to hurtful things. So Spring Song thinks I suck, so what?" Lullaby sighed, looking down at the cloud and back up at me.

"It's not that her words got under my skin, it's the fact that she didn't care one bit that you could've been seriously injured. Instead, she kept mocking you and reminding us that you might break your neck." She laid her chin on top of her forelegs. "I'm used to her ego around the academy, but to say those awful things about somepony as brave and nice as you just hurts," she admitted. I wrapped my arms around her torso, which wasn't hard since she was a little bit smaller than the normal pony mare, and squeezed her lightly. She squeaked like Fluttershy did when I would hug Fluttershy.

"You're too kind Lullaby," I chuckled. "I thank you for being concerned for my feelings and health, but what Spring Song thinks, I don't give a shit about," I swore. Lullaby's golden eyes looked up at me, kind of like a puppy dog would look up at its master. "It doesn't matter what Spring Song thinks of me, what matters most is what I think of myself. Trust me, you'll be a lot happier if you only focus on your own opinion," I smiled. Still trembling, the purple pegasus gulped.

"I-I think you're one of the sweetest creatures I've ever met," she sheepishly smiled, climbing down from my hug.

"Woah, what's going on here?" Soarin asked as he belched. Some red goo coated his muzzle, probably from strawberry, cherry or raspberry pie. "We leave for a few minutes and you're trying to hook up with one of my cadets?" He joked. Lullaby blushed like crazy and denied it.

"N-no! I was just helping him with his pain creme and we started talking about Spring Song acting mean about him," she explained.

"At ease Cadet Lullaby," Soarin laughed, "I'm just teasing ya," he ruffled her nerd colored hair. The purple mare started to breath heavily and looked away from all of us. "Hope you like vegetables and pie," he announced, dropping food in front of me. I picked up a piece of celery and began to munch on it.

"So, we were thinking that after lunch, we could take you to the race track on the academy grounds and teach you how to turn without, you know, flying a hundred miles off course," Rainbow explained, taking a huge bite out of a hay sandwich.

"Race track?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, we use it to make the cadets run laps," Soarin replied. "Or, fly laps in this case," he corrected himself, digging his whole face into a pie.

"Okay then, who's gonna be the lucky one to help me with that?" I questioned, taking a sip of water to wash down the celery. Rainbow looked at Soarin who then looked around at a few of the pegasi that were hanging around outside. The two then looked across the table at Lullaby whom was nibbling on a carrot.

"Since we're not gonna teach you anything about speed just yet, I'm sure Lullaby can help you with that," Soarin said, swallowing a huge bite of pie.

"Wait a minute, you mean one on one with Cougar?" Lullaby asked, darting her golden eyes from me to her commanding officer. Soarin nodded in response, causing the purple mare to hide behind her hooves.

"Well, more like you'll fly next to him and teach him how to turn while we watch," Soarin tossed his empty pie tin into a nearby garbage.

"CUPCAKE!?" Surprise jumped out from under the table, holding a huge tray of cupcakes.

"Dammit, stop that surprise!" Rainbow pounded her chest, coughing up a piece of her sandwich. The white pegasus ate a cupcake in one bite, still offering us the tray.

"What? Surprises are good for the soul! They keep you on the tips of your hooves, sharpen your nerves and make you prepared for anything!" She struck a dramatic pose. "So, anypony want a cupcake? I made them myself!" She sang.

"Whatever," I grabbed a cupcake with red frosting and ate it. "Now can we get a move on with my training?" I asked the group.

(Soarin's Office. Cougar's POV a few hours later)

"Congrats, you learn fast bro," Soarin allowed me to enter his personal office. The blue pegasus flapped his wings as he landed at his desk. Needless to say, his desk looked nearly identical to Stinger's desk in his own office. "Though you're still rough around some areas, but if you come here on a regular basis, you'll get it down quickly," he offered me to sit down.

"Thanks Soar," I took up his offer and sat down. "Though I have to thank Lullaby for being patient with me when I kept crashing into poles and going off course," I admitted, crossing my leg over the other. Soarin's chair creaked as he leaned back in it, the room growing quiet as we didn't have much else to say.

"Yeah, she's a good mare," he finally replied. "I'm really hoping she can keep it up and be an official Wonderbolt soon," he grabbed a pen in his mouth. "I'm thinking you can come and train whenever you're available," he piped up after scribbling something on a sheet of paper with his mouth. "My only concern would be that you'd try it alone. I can't allow a bud to get hurt, so if you do come to train on a regular basis, be sure to check in with Fire Streak, Fleetfoot or Rapidfire if Dashie and I aren't here; I take safety very seriously," his green eyes did in fact turn serious for a minute.

"Gotcha Soarin. It's kind of like the gym rules back in the Air Force to always have a spot when working out," I replied. Looking outside from the window, I could see that dusk was beginning to arrive, meaning that it would get dark soon. "Hey Soarin, can I ask you a question?" I inquired. The pegasus' eyes turned back to his normal, laid-back demeanor.

"Shoot," he gave me permission. I've been wanting to know how he's been doing for awhile now after Rainbow told me about, the incident. And I knew that it would be a sensitive subject for him, but like I've learned here, some things are better to get off your chest.

"How're you holding up after what happened with you and, well Spitfire?" I questioned, leaning forward in my chair and folding my hands together. Soarin's face contorted into a very powerful glare the memories came rushing back to him; I've seen that look on my face many a time. He looked down at the floor, letting out a depressed sigh before looking back up. Now, his face wasn't angry or glowering, it was a sad face.

"I-" he tried to say before a few tears slipped out of his eyes.

"You miss Spitfire, don't you Soarin? Even though she tried to ruin your name, career and beat up your girlfriend?" 'You fucking numbskull,' I thought to myself for making painful memories resurface for Soarin. The pegasus wiped a few tears from his green eyes.

"Call it pity, remorse or emptiness, but you don't know how much I've been through with her Cougar," he began a trip down memory lane for me. Soarin stood up from his seat and turned around to face the window, placing a hoof on the glass. "We were both trained by Captain Nighthawk in our Academy and reserves days, and that was special; he never took on more than one protege at once before. I looked out for her and she looked out for me. And even with Braeburn's help, I was still pretty irresponsible in the Academy, but Spitfire would give me the flank kicking I needed to bring me back to my senses."

"Did you have special, feelings for her?" I stood up and slowly walked over to the downtrodden pony.

"No, she was like my older sister," Soarin reached into his pocket with his mouth and pulled out a wallet-sized picture. He gave it to me, dropping it into my hand from his mouth. The picture was one of him and Spitfire on the day of their graduation. The black pegasus behind them I assumed was the old Captain Nighthawk. "None of this makes a lick of bucking sense," Soarin muttered, squeezing his eyes.

"What doesn't?" I set the picture back on the bookshelf below the window. Soarin sighed sadly again, beginning to pace around his office, looking at all of the Wonderbolts posters, books and other memorabilia.

"What she did and why she did it," Soarin turned back around and swatted the picture into a desk drawer. "The Spitfire I grew up and trained with would never let something as frivolous and trivial as sponsors get in the way of our friendship," he said angrily, slightly scaring me. He slumped over another bookcase in the office, looking at the cover of a Wonderbolts History book that featured himself and Spitfire on the cover.

"So what do you think happened Soarin?"

"I don't have a bucking clue Coug. I don't believe for a second that she would snap like that. I've been over everything at least a million times in my head; what she did, the old Spitfire would never do."

"Maybe the stress got to her?"

"She handles stress like Celestia handles cake: Swift and aggressive. Sad thing is though, there's really nothing I can prove to show that she wasn't acting like herself," Soarin

"Well, she wasn't. She was being selfish." Soarin glared daggers at me for saying that, a sentence I wish I could take back. Yet, Soarin did nothing as he slumped back in his chair, hooves covering his eyes.

"Maybe I'm just having a hard time letting go of my friend. We haven't had an airshow since then, not even a private one for the royal sisters. We've had to deal with other sponsors threatening to leave, trying to figure out new stunts to perform, and we're cracking down on our newest recruits. I've never been under more stress in my entire life Cougar; I just want my friend back."

"Have you tried visiting her in jail?" I asked, leaning down to his level from the other side of the desk. "You know, trying to talk to her about it?"

"I've tried so many times, but I'm just afraid she won't be the same as I remembered her before the incident. I guess you could say I'm scared, but how can I face her if she still wants me gone?" He asked me.

"Soar, I can't answer that on the account of I've never had someone try to do that to me," I retorted. "But you need closure on this, whether or not she still is your friend. Trust me, if you want to clear your head of this, you're gonna need to talk to her," I advised.

"B-but," Soarin stammered.

"Quiet," I quickly shut him up. "I understand the pain you're going through of uncertainty and stress, but not knowing is what's really killing you on the inside, talking to her, even if she's in jail, can rustle you up some answers. And if she's truly changed the way you fear she has, you still have Rainbow, your cadets, your fellow squad mates, and a horde of friends in Ponyville to support you," I assured him.

"Spitfire would know what to do," Soarin sighed sadly yet again, "she always had the answers for everything." There was a knock on the door, drawing us away from our conversation as Rainbow walked in.

"Hey guys, just letting Cougar know the final balloon of the day leaves in a few," she warned. "What were you guys talking about?" She nuzzled Soarin's cheek. The two of us looked up at each other, knowing that bringin up our conversation around Rainbow was a bad idea.

"Oh, nothing Dashie," Soarin returned the nuzzle, "I was just telling Cougar he can come back at any time to practice with his jetpack," he placed a hoof on her back, "so long as he has a Wonderbolt watching him," he winked at me.

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe two or three times a week in the morning?" I asked.

"Sounds good, as long as you also bring a pie for me ever time," he lightly punched my shoulder.

"I'll see what Applejack can do," I replied. Rainbow and Soarin released their hug and escorted me to the gate outside of the academy. It was really starting to get dark out; visibility was dropping until Luna could get her moon up in the sky. Luckily though, the hot air balloon pony was accepting one more trip for the night, albeit for a hefty price which I could cover.

"Well, guess we'll see you soon Cougar," Soarin tossed my helmet into the basket of the hot air balloon. I climbed into the mode of transportation as the operator counted the bits I handed to him.

"Yeah, Luna mentioned something about Nightmare Night coming up soon, you guys take part in that right?" I asked.

"I'm the best Nightmare Night prankster in Equestria, of course I'll be there!" Rainbow bragged, bumping her hoof into my fist.

"Thanks again for this opportunity guys," I smiled when the operator flipped on the propane and the balloon rose from the clouds. The two blue pegasi waved good bye as the balloon drifted through the clouds and out of sight, heading back towards the ground. Thinking about the day, I thought I had made great progress in not only learning to fly, but also expanding my comfort zone in Equestria. It took me months to be able to just leave Ponyville and Canterlot to visit another town, or Empire in my previous case. And just a few days after that, I was willing and able to leave Ponyville again to Cloudsdale, a completely different experience.

Now, I wanted to see EVERYWHERE in Equestria. I wasn't getting sick of Ponyville, but there were so many more places to visit and meet new ponies, explore new philosophies and ideas that I couldn't wait for the next opportunity to spread my wings.

End Chapter 26

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Join me next time for when Cougar has to substitute for Ms. Cheerilee at the Crusaders' school!

I do not own, Spring Song, Lullaby, Feather Duster, Surprise or the Streak Twins

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 27: Mr. Cougar

Just checking up on the story to find 40K views?! Thank you guys so much! And 125 follows and 104 faves? Just amazing guys. I know a few of you were curious as to what Cougar will teach the class, well he won't actually teach them, but just find out what he tells them. On the surface, this does just look like an intriguing chapter, but this is an extremely important chapter to the story, you'll find out why soon.

Also guys, I do need a smidgen of help. Please give me ideas on what the Mane 6 could be for Nightmare Night. I don't want to be lazy and have them reprise their same costumes from Luna Eclipsed in Season 2.

Sassymouse: I tried my best to make you proud, and I'm glad you loved it. Hoping I can use them again in the future if needed.

mlp brony fifer: Thank you. And it's cool, I understand how awesome it is to spend time with family. Hope you had fun with them.

OBSERVER01: Yeah, and I think Surprise is a canon character, but her personality is Sassymouse's creation so that's why I called her an OC.

KillerWoW: Just wait until he actually needs it... And well, subbing a class can't be that hard, right?

Dixie Darlin: To be honest, I had to re-watch Sonic Rainboom again because I forgot what Cloudsdale looked like. And as for Lullaby, maybe a teeny crush...

Tycser: Good to hear from you again! And Dashing and Soaring is awesome which is why I wanted to use the characters from the fic. As for teaching the kids, he'll tell them an important part of his life.

UpgraderIsAwesome: Thank you!

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(Sweet Apple Acres. Cougar's POV)

Have you ever been sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden it feels like someone is performing CPR on your chest? Or possibly stomping heavy work boots on your chest? That's what I felt a few mornings after my trip to Cloudsdale and the Wonderbolts Academy. Something or somepony was punching my chest, causing me to snap my eyes open and to raise my hands in a defensive position. Upon opening my pale blue orbs however, I was met with a yellow face, orange eyes, red hair and a pink bow. "Wake up Cougar! It's almost time fer school!" Applebloom joyfully and excitedly kept hopping up and down on my chest.

"OOF!" I exclaimed as it felt like she was trying to squeeze food out of my esophagus. "What's going on Applebloom?" I asked as she finally jumped off my chest and landed with a tiny thump on the wood floor of my shack. The filly had a green backpack on her back and a cheesy grin on her face, anticipating something. Looking up at the clock, the time read 7:20 A.M. "Is there something important going on this morning?" I asked, getting up from my cot and stretching. I didn't care that I slept in yesterday's T-Shirt; it didn't smell or anything, so I decided to keep it and just threw on a pair of blue jeans.

"Aw, don't tell me ya forgot Cougar?!" Applebloom asked with a tiny hint of worry riding on her voice. The yellow pony jumped up onto my cot and bounced up and down as if it were a trampoline so she could talk eye to eye as best as she could.

"Forgot what exactly?" I put on my black and red NASCAR cap and headed out to the house for some grub with Applebloom following on my heel. The brisk fall air felt good as I took in a deep breath through my nose. A light breeze flowed by, swirling red and yellow leaves up into the air. "Morning Apple family!" I greeted Granny, Applejack and Big Mac whom were already eating at the table.

"Mornin' Cougar, sleep well there youngin'?" Granny asked, pouring her coffee onto a plate instead of her mug until Big Mac quickly swapped the two pieces of dish ware. I took a seat right next to Applejack, but right as I did, there was a tugging at my pants leg from Applebloom.

"Don't ya remember Cougar?" The filly's orange eyes blinked sadly at me. "Ya promised last night that ya would walk me ta school this mornin'," she sat on her haunches with a pouty look on her face. 'Oh crap, that's right. How could I forget that?' I mentally berated myself. Bending down in my seat, I picked Applebloom up and sat her on her haunches on my lap.

"Sorry Applebloom," I apologized, softly stroking her mane behind her bow, "I went to bed really late last night and it just sort of, slipped my mind," I explained, still petting her mane. Her face lit up as she believed my explanation, which was true by the way, and she hopped back down onto the floor.

"So, does that mean ya still wanna walk me ta school?" She clapped her forehooves together.

"Of course AB," I chuckled, tickling her chin with my index and middle fingers. The filly giggled, ducked away from my tickling and galloped her way over to the kitchen door, holding it open for me to follow her.

"We better hurry up then Cougar," she declared, "school starts right at 8:00; Ah ain't never been late before 'n Ah don't wanna start today!" She urged me to leave now. Double checking the clock in the kitchen, my eyes squinted in confusion as the kitchen clock read 7:26.

"You've still got 34 minutes before school starts Applebloom," I turned back to her. "Do you really want to get there that bad?" I asked.

"Well, usually Sweetie Belle 'n Scootaloo meet up with me halfway ta school 'n we chat on the way ta school," she replied, trotting back over to me. "Then we sit 'n talk with Ms. Cheerilee 'fore school actually starts. Or we chat with a few other ponies like Rumble or Pip," she added. A sly and devious smirk spread across my face as a tease welled up within me that I couldn't refuse.

"Do you chat with Featherweight too Applebloom?" I taunted the poor filly. Big Mac snorted and looked in our direction while Applebloom's cheeks turned from yellow to red in the snap of a finger.

"O-only 'bout his pictures he takes fer the school paper," she looked away from me meekly. I'm mean, yeah I know, but how could I resist the temptation. It's not like I was intentionally trying to hurt her feelings. At least Granny Smith chuckled as well.

"Hold on now Cougar," Applejack spoked out, "Ah don't mind my little sister growin' up, but Ah don't want her that grown up just yet," she warned me. Holding up my hands in defense, I quickly patted the filly's head and scooted my chair out.

"Fine, we'll go," I started, pretending to head to the door before turning to the left, heading for the food on the counter. "After I've eaten breakfast," I stuck out my tongue at Applebloom, causing her entire face to droop in annoyance. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around my shoulder as I stood next to her chair. Unfortunately, she squeezed the one still sore spot on my shoulder where I body-planted the cloud a few days ago at the academy. "Gah," I quietly yelped when her hoof squeezed.

"Oh sorry Cougar," the orange mare apologized and immediately relinquished her hold on me. I had shown Applejack and Applebloom my bruises when I returned back home after my day with Soarin and Rainbow Dash, deciding that it would be best if I told them and didn't try to hide them. Of course, Applebloom was really worried that I was hurt, yet at the same time was impressed I could take such a beating and still be standing. AJ on the other hoof didn't seem too worried since she's seen me take a worse beating from timberwolves. "Anyway," she said after the reverberating pain in my shoulder dissipated, "Ah was just sayin', go on 'n take Bloom ta school; it shouldn't take too long, 'n breakfast will still be here," she grinned.

"Unless 'o course ya eat it all as soon as he leaves," Big Mac said jokingly under his breath. AJ ignored him with a head shake and roll of her emerald orbs before lightly pushing me towards the door.

"Ah'll see ya in few?" She asked me. I replied with a simple smile, nod and a quick hug before setting off with Applebloom for school. "Have a good day at school now ya hear?!" Applejack shouted to us, although we were still right in front of the porch.

"I will mother!" I waved to the mare. Applejack heartily laughed as she backed up into the kitchen and let the screen door shut. In front of me, Applebloom was running in circles, kicking dirt into the air, anxiously and impatiently waiting for me to walk her to school.

"Did you finish your homework AB?" I stuffed my hands into my pockets, sounding like a parent. The yellow filly slowed her pace so I could walk side by side with her as she patted her green backpack.

"You betcha! The math was a lil challengin', but Ah'm sure Ah got at least a B+!" She beamed proudly. I recalled from the previous few days Applejack telling me that Applebloom would start asking me for help now that the new school year had begun, yet the youngest member of the Apple clan hadn't asked me for help on anything.

"What were you learning? Adding, dividing, multiplication, subtraction?" I questioned as we entered the town.

"Square roots 'n fractions," Applebloom shuddered.

"Ooh," I seethed, "math sometimes is a harsh mistress Applebloom, especially once you start getting into fractions and algebra," I shuddered along with her. "I can help you pretty easily on those, but I wasn't too bright with algebra and geometry," I explained. "Frankly, those should be elective math classes."

"Ah know right!?" Applebloom agreed. "The four basics Ah think are good enough. Plus, Ah know Ah need a little advanced math fer my chemistry studies, but Twilight helps me learn without too much complicated math, that's why Ah find it enjoyable 'n easy," she explained.

"You're gonna make a great chemist someday Bloom, or pharmacist," I picked her up and placed her on top of my shoulders just like I did back in the Crystal Empire. A few ponies in town smiled at the display as Applebloom propped her front legs on top of my head. Looking to the side, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake waving us over from their bakery window. "Hey Bloom, how about a quick doughnut?" I offered. The filly in question licked her lips and patted my head, urging me to go forth.

"Good morning Applebloom, Cougar," Cup Cake opened the door for us. Applebloom had to jump down from my shoulders so she wouldn't be knocked off from the top of the doorframe. "Taking this one to school I see," the bakery mare cooed, trotting behind the counter while Carrot Cake wiped down a few tables and windows.

"Yeah, Applebloom wanted to spend as much time as she wanted in the morning," I smiled down at the pony whom had her face pressed up against the glass cabinet full of goodies. A little drool dripped from her tongue as her eyes scanned the contents before her.

"Have you been to the school house before Cougar?" Carrot Cake asked from across the room, wringing out his rag before wiping down another table.

"No, but I guess it'll be interesting to see," I replied. "Pick what you want Bloom," I scratched the filly's neck.

"Ah want an apple fritter please!" her yellow hoof tapped the glass in front of the treat she desired. Cup Cake giggled at her enthusiasm and put the doughnut in a white paper bag, giving it to the filly.

"And for you Cougar?" She turned to me. I licked my lips while my mouth started to water at the biggest glazed doughnut in the glass cabinet.

"I'll take that huge glazed doughnut please," I requested politely. Cup Cake put the goodie in a paper bag and set it on the counter while she tallied up the total. My pale blue orbs quickly scanned the array of breakfast foods once again, landing on a lemon muffin. "Cup Cake, could I get three of those Lemon Surprise Muffins please?" I added.

"Well, since you asked so politely," she teased before grabbing three of the muffins and adding them to my giant bag. I thanked her once again when the cash register revealed the total. "Comes to 6 bits please," Cup Cake announced. I dug around my pocket until I found a five bit piece and a single bit.

"Here you go, and here's a little something for you and your adorable kids," I winked, placing another five bit piece in the tip jar.

"Thank you so much Cougar! Enjoy your day at school Applebloom," Carrot Cake waved us goodbye as we exited the store. The yellow pony briskly gobbled down her goodie, tossing the now empty bag into a nearby trash bin.

"Who are them muffins for Cougar?" she curiously asked. Right before I could answer, a shrill voice called us over.

"Applebloom, Cougar!" To our left, Applebloom and I saw the familiar faces of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle trotting over to us with huge smiles on their faces. "Since when did you get a cool ride to school?" Scootaloo craned her neck up at the filly on my shoulders.

"Since he promised me he'd walk me ta school last night," Applebloom leaned her elbow on my head. "Rainbow still up at the academy?" She asked her friend. The orange pegasus nodded sadly, missing her sister, but perked right back up.

"I can go a few days without being flown to school by the coolest flyer of all time," the filly shined her hoof on her chest fur. Sweetie Belle and I rolled our eyes at the same time as the other two bragged about who had the better ride to school.

"Do you girls have any school projects coming up?" I questioned the trio.

"No, not that Ms. Cheerilee has told us anyways," Sweetie Belle replied. "Besides, it's only the beginning of the school year," she added. We rounded a corner and I saw the red schoolhouse at the far end of the road.

"True, but when I was in fifth or sixth grade, my teacher paired my whole class up on like a photo collage or a written report on what we did over the summer, just a fun project to kick off the school year," I mentioned.

"We actually did that last year," Scootaloo exclaimed, "and thanks to Featherweight constantly taking pictures, we had enough photos to fill in our own personal yearbooks!"

"Eeyup," Applebloom agreed, "we had the best project out 'o anypony. Boy were Diamond Tiara 'n Silver Spoon mad!" She giggled at her rival's misfortune. As the schoolhouse grew closer, the playground brought back fond memories of Reaper and myself playing Star Wars, tag, hide 'n seek or soldiers on our old elementary school playground. In fact, for a brief second, I could have sworn I saw little ten year old versions of me and Reaper racing across the monkey bars.

"Well, what do you expect when your whole report is 'What our Butlers did for us over the summer'?" Scootaloo said in a smart aleck tone, crushing my daydream. "Too bad Ms. Cheerilee didn't have a grade for 'most boring report in the world,' or else they would've won it hooves down."

"Hey, why is the door locked?" Sweetie Belle asked when her magic aura glowed over the door but it wouldn't open or even budge. The worrisome unicorn knocked several times, yet no answer was given, nor was the door unlocked.

"The lights aren't on either!" Applebloom stood her hind legs on my head and peered into the window of the darkened schoolhouse. "It's not like Ms. Cheerilee ta be late!" she exclaimed with fear.

"Ms. Cheerilee and late go together as well as Snips and Snails and intelligence," Scootaloo peered into another window.

"Has she ever been late before girls?" I asked as I bent down, allowing Applebloom to join her friends on the ground. I was met with head shakes from the trio as Applebloom bit her lower lip. "Is today an inservice day she forgot to tell you about?" I scratched the back of my neck.

"Ms. Cheerilee ain't forgetful Cougar," Applebloom danced around. Suddenly, a loud sneeze made us jump about three feet in the air. On the opposite road was a maroon earth pony, walking along slowly, and she looked sicker than anypony I had seen before. Her face was completely pale, her eyes were watering and she had a tissue practically glued to her nose.

"Good, morning, ACHOO, girls, Cougar," she weakly greeted us with another powerful sneeze.

"Are you feeling okay Ms. Cheerilee?" Sweetie Belle gasped at her teacher's condition. The earth pony groaned, shielding her eyes from the sun while unlocking the schoolhouse door, allowing the four of us to enter.

"Ma'am?" I asked her with concern riding on my voice. Cheerilee weakly turned on the lights and sat down at her desk, moaning and groaning all the way. Her saddlebags drooped sadly down to the floor; she didn't seem to notice as she laid her head onto her desk.

"I-I'm, ACHOO, fine, just a tiny case of the sniffles," she sneezed and loudly blew her nose.

"A LITTLE!?" Scootaloo exclaimed, causing the maroon teacher to clasp her hooves over hear ears. "Oops, I'm so sorry Ms. Cheerilee!" She apologized. The four of us had surrounded the desk, watching like hawks over the sickened teacher.

"Ya better not let my big brother know yer walkin' around sick like this," Applebloom advised the pony.

"It's just a stuffy nose, nothing to-" Cheerilee tried to brush the accusations aside, but stopped and dove her head into her trash can. "BLEERRGH!" she vomited into the bin. None of us could utter a word as the poor teacher vomited for about three minutes, off and on.

"Okay, you shouldn't make yourself suffer like this," I held her mane so she wouldn't get her bile all over. "Case of the sniffles my white butt, you've got the flu," I broke through her lie.

"B-but, the children need to learn," the teacher defended, "th-they can't afford to miss a day on account of me," she peered up at me before sticking her head back into the trash can.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed, "or else we'll have to waste a day of summer next year to make up for the lost day!" She exclaimed. Sweetie Belle looked over at her friend with perhaps the greatest 'Are you freaking serious?' look of all time.

"Right Scoots, because us missing one day of summer is more important than our teacher's health!" she shouted.

"Calm down you two; I'm trying to think," I growled, shutting up the bickering duo.

"I have a list of substitutes, but it'd be- BLERGH, rude to ask them on such short notice," Cheerilee continued her off and on upchucking. The maroon educator then lifted her head out of the trash can, causing me to almost throw up as the can was nearly full of vomit. "C-Cougar, you're already here, would you mind going to ask Fluttershy if she's available to sub for at least until noon? Then the half day would count as a full day and the children wouldn't have to miss any summer," she explained.

Fluttershy, a sub? I could see Cheerilee's logic with how kind Fluttershy is and how good she can be with kids, but knowing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I feared poor Flutters would get eaten alive by those two. "Wait a sec Ms. Cheerilee!" Applebloom burst with an idea. Cheerilee managed to gather the strength to look over at the filly practically jumping up and down. "Why don't we just get Cougar ta sub for ya?" 'What?!' I thought in response.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Scootaloo's wings fluttered in agreement.

"How the hell is that a great idea?" My hands let go of Cheerilee's mane right as she upchucked again. "I've never taught a class before," I explained.

"So?" Scootaloo jumped on Cheerilee's desk, leaning against me ever so casually. "It can't be that hard to be a sub."

"Besides, we like you," Sweetie Belle smiled, "and you're good with authority and responsibility. Most of the class I'm sure would respect you."

"Not ta mention yer military background. Ah bet ya wouldn't take no crap from certain fillies," Applebloom deviously smiled. I looked down at Cheerilee whom had stood back up on all four legs, albeit still a little woozy.

"I can't argue that, but it's up to you Cougar. I would trust my class with you for half a day," she held her head. 'Oh, unfair!' I mentally complained as the Crusaders fell to their knees, holding their forehooves together, begging me to agree.

"Cheerilee," I began, "I wouldn't be good at explaining a lot of things," I said.

"Oh, no need to, ACHOO, worry," she sneezed again, reaching into her saddle bag on the floor, "just take in homework from last night and set it into my to do pile; I'll get to it when I return. Then just give them these math and writing worksheets, have them read Chapter 3 of their history textbooks and have a short discussion about it. Don't worry, Chapter 3 is only about seven pages long," she assured me. My eyes went over the math worksheet which was only about thirty questions long while the writing worksheet had a prompt about the kids writing about anything they wanted to.

"Are you sure you trust me to do this? What if we can't cover all of Chapter 3 or what if we don't get to it at all?" I asked worriedly, not wanting to mess this up for both the kids and Cheerilee.

"Of course I do Cougar," she weakly smiled at me, "and don't sweat it. As long as you at least get those worksheets done, it'll be fine. As for the writing worksheet, I find that having the kids write about whatever they want gives them room to grow and improve on their writing rather than having to write about a specific topic they do not enjoy. So what do you say?" She asked me. I took one final look at the lesson plan and the kids before turning back to Cheerilee.

"Just call me Mr. Cougar for the day," I smiled at the teacher.

"BEST SUB EVER!" Scootaloo jumped for joy. All three of the Crusaders jumped and hollered before remembering their teacher was in distress. "Sorry," the orange pegasus meekly apologized again.

"Now as for you Cheerilee," I started, "we have to get you home and in bed," I placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"But school starts soon, how will we get her home in time?" Sweetie Belle asked. Just then, the school door opened again to reveal Derpy walking in with a purple unicorn filly.

"Good morning- MS. CHEERILEE, YOU LOOK AWFUL!" Derpy exclaimed.

"Shhh!" I advised the grey pegasus, getting her to quiet down. "Yes, Cheerilee is sick, but she's entrusted me to sub the class for half a day," I gave Derpy the play-by-play explanation.

"Oh, that's terrible!" Derpy gasped, "the Ms. Cheerilee is sick part, not you subbing," Derpy reassured me. "Dinky, are you okay with Cougar being your teacher today?" Derpy asked the purple unicorn. The unicorn known as Dinky apparently looked between myself and her mother.

"I haven't actually met him before mommy," the unicorn replied to Derpy.

"Right! Cougar, this is the muffin of my eye, Dinky Doo, my cute little daughter," Derpy proudly announced, shoving Dinky forward. The unicorn studied me for a brief moment, cocking her head from side to side before reaching out with her foreleg.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Cougar," she greeted. Sure, seeing the unicorn daughter of a pegasus was a little strange, but there were two conclusions I drew from the circumstances. Either Dinky was the blood daughter of Derpy and the pegasus had unicorn ancestry, or Dinky was adopted. Which ever one was the correct option I have no clue; it is none of my business.

"Ah can't believe we never introduced ya ta Dinky before Cougar," Applebloom acknowledged our first meeting.

"At least I met your boyfriends," I winked at the Crusaders. The trio froze and hid their faces behind their backpacks. Dinky trotted on over and stood with the Crusaders as Cheerilee slowly put on her saddlebags and tried to head out of the door, but she was walking on jelly-like legs from what little energy she had left. "Hey Derpy, do you have any mail duties this morning?" I asked the mail mare. The dirty blond maned pegasus looked up in my direction and nodded.

"I always take my little muffin to school first!" She took a mail cap out of nowhere it seemed and placed it atop her head.

"Well would you mind helping Cheerilee home?" I asked, "I don't think she has the energy to get back," I said, looking sadly at the maroon earth pony that struggling just to keep her eyes open. Derpy took one glance at Cheerilee and nodded, placing the earth pony's foreleg over her neck to guide her back to her house.

"Come on Cheerilee, Derpy's gotcha!" The grey pegasus began to walk the maroon teacher out of the schoolhouse. "Oops, sorry!" She apologized when Cheerilee's head hit the doorframe. "Now you be good for Cougar Dinky," the cross eyed mare instructed her daughter.

"I will mommy! See you at noon," Dinky took a seat at a desk near the Crusaders as the clock grew ever closer to 8:00 A.M.

"Wait, one more thing Derpy!" I just remembered the treat I had bought for her in case I ran into her on the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Reaching down, I took the three Lemon Surprise Muffins out of the bag and her eyes grew until I thought they would make her head explode. My action was quickly regretted as the pegasus ditched Ms. Cheerilee against the wall and zoomed up to me, eating all three of the pastries in one bite.

"YOU'RE THE BEST HUMAN I'VE EVER MET!" She shrieked. I was about to correct her on the fact that I was the only human she'll ever meet when she pressed her lips against my cheek and gave me a big slobbery kiss. The Crusaders and Dinky giggled while Cheerilee still groaned in misery.

"Thanks, you're too kind," I wiped the slobber off my face. "Can you let AJ know I won't be back until noon?" I requested Derpy.

"Sure thing Cougar!" She saluted, "and I'll drop by all the parents' houses and let them know the up and up to get their kids at noon!" She reattached Cheerilee's foreleg to her neck, walking her out of the schoolhouse. Sighing from the immense responsibility Cheerilee trusted me with, I softly sat down in her chair and waited for the rest of the student body to arrive. And one by one until 7:59, students began to enter the classroom to sit down, albeit puzzled that I was sitting in place of Cheerilee.

RRIIIIIIINNNNBRRRRNNNNGGGG!

The school bell rang several times, indicating that classes had started. From what I could tell, every student was presently at school given that all of the desks were filled. I took the liberty of writing my name on the chalkboard because I couldn't think of any other reason to use the chalkboard today. Once the bell ceased ringing, I cleared my throat to begin talking. Luckily, all of the colts and fillies sat quietly, albeit some were very confused. "Good morning class, it's good to see all of you this morning," I stood up from the desk and walked in front of it, leaning backwards against he front.

"What've you done with Ms. Cheerilee?" Silver Spoon didn't even bother to raise her hoof, instead glaring at me like a police detective.

"Why do ya gotta assume he did somethin' ta her?" I heard Applebloom mumble.

"Now, now, settle down you two," I politely advised the bickering duo. "Although that is a rather brash assumption, Ms. Cheerilee unfortunately has a nasty case of the flu and asked me to sub for you guys until noon so you would not have to use a summer day to make up," I explained to Silver Spoon. The grey pony seemed to buy the explanation and slumped back into her chair. "And as for formalities, you can either just call me Cougar, or you may call me Mr. Cougar if you prefer, I don't really care which." Pipsqueak courteously raised his hoof in the air, waiting to be called upon. "Yes Pip?" I pointed to the colt.

"So, do we get a free day Mr. Cougar?" he asked me. I couldn't help but grin at the colt's gentleman qualities.

"To answer your question Pip, no," I replied, pushing myself up from the desk. "Cheerilee has asked me to gather up your homework and to leave it on her desk until she can come back and grade it." All of the kids, most of them anyways, shrugged in agreement and got their homework out of their backpacks or saddlebags.

"Ms. Cheerilee made the right decision," Diamond Tiara snickered while I collected the sheets of homework, "you'd probably give automatic A's to your blank flank friends, especially the hillbilly whose sister keeps you as a pet!" the pink earth pony insulted, resulting in a round of giggling from her and her goon. I froze as my hand grasped her homework sheet, nearly crumpling it up. I had to watch my anger; no one is going to insult my fam- friends. "Hey! Watch what those disgusting monkey paws do to my homework. I will NOT get an F because of your bumbling around," she demanded.

"Would you tone it down Diamond, the dude's just trying his best!" Rumble growled at the spoiled bitch. Unfortunately, Silver Spoon continued talking for her boss.

"If you," she pointed a hoof at me while I gathered up Featherweight's homework, "or anypony else think you can just waltz in here and replace Ms. Cheerilee, you are sadly mistaken!" Silver Spoon exclaimed.

"He's not trying to replace anypony!" Scootaloo turned around and shouted at the grey filly.

"Ooh, girl fight!" An extremely slow sounding voice excitedly shouted. Looking up, a dark yellow unicorn colt with a green mane and a snail for a cutie mark was smiling like an idiot. "Featherweight, get your camera!"

"Yeah," a light green unicorn colt agreed. This one had buck teeth and sort of a messy spikey mane and was rather round. "We've gotta document this for future generations to enjoy!"

"These two bicker on a constant bases, imbeciles," Featherweight rubbed his head.

"Shut your trap perverts," I groaned, taking their homework. I paused for a moment from taking in homework to lay a few ground rules. "Okay, before I continue, we need to all be on the same track understand?" The class, or the few that actually cared to listen nodded. "First, if you any of you have a question about your schoolwork or just want to talk to someone about something, I'll listen. Second, no passing notes amongst yourselves during class or interrupting somepony while they're talking. Third, if you have to go to the bathroo- Sweetie Belle, is he paying attention?" I pointed to a brown colt with a propellor hat on his head. His face was looking down at his desk and he didn't even have his homework ready.

Sweetie Belle looked over at the colt and rolled her eyes. "No, Button Mash always gets lost with that stupid JoyBoy of his," she explained. So that's his name huh? A gaming pony, guess I shouldn't be surprised. "Every day, he comes in playing his JoyBoy and forgets when class starts and Ms. Cheerilee takes it away from him." Getting the right idea, I stood next to the colt and placed my hand over the screen. Instead of shrieking or telling me to move, the little brat smacked my hand away!

"You, play time is over," I grabbed the blue portable gaming device and took it from Button Mash.

"HEY! I was about to- you're not Ms. Cheerilee, you're that human thing," he said, eyes growing big. "Is it snack time yet?" He asked, looking up at the clock. A few colts and fillies chuckled, apparently seeing this as a favorite pastime with Cheerilee.

"Yes, I am a human and NO it is not snack time Button Mash," I stuffed the little device in my pocket. "I hate to sound like the cliche teacher, but you'll get this back after class, or I can be an asshole and leave it on all day, draining the batteries until I give it back to you, DEAD," I swung the JoyBoy in front of his face.

"NO! If you do that, the save files will be corrupted! Three weeks will be wasted!" He cried.

"Then I will be a nice guy and give this back," I quickly tossed it back to him, "as long as you promise to keep it off until noon," I added. Naturally, I didn't trust the colt as I heard the click of the on button being flicked upwards.

"Hey! You took the batteries!" He whined. I laughed, tossing the cylindrical objects up and down in my hand. The Crusaders laughed too, as did Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, those two idiot colts and Dinky.

"Gotcha didn't I? Now, back to the rules," the batteries were stuffed into my pocket. As for using the bathroom, just go if you have to since the bathroom is in the same room as the schoolhouse. I understand both colt and filly needs when using the lavatory," I explained. Fourth and FINAL rule: There is to be absolutely NO bullying while I am subbing in this classroom," I said sternly to the class. "You don't want to have to find out what I do to bullies," I cast my evil glare towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "Anyway," my attitude switched back to my normal one, "how about roll call?"

"You already took our homework dude," Rumble pointed out, "isn't that enough to know we're here?" Fair point I had to admit.

"Nah, I want to make this official for Cheerilee," I replied, pulling out her attendance sheet and clearing my throat. "I already know the Crusaders, Dinky, Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, Diamond Tiara, Button Mash and Silver Spoon are here," I checked off ten names. "Okay then, Snips?"

"Here!"

"Snails?"

"Duh, is that me?" The dark yellow unicorn colt scratched his head.

"Okay then, well I guess that's good enough," I checked off the rest of the names as I again saw that every desk was filled. "Alright class, your teacher has given me these math and writing worksheets to fill the day along with reading Chapter 3 out of your history textbooks," I announced. "Dinky, would you please be kind enough to pass these around?" I kindly asked the pink unicorn. She nodded, hopping up from her chair and trotting over the big desk at the front of the room. Dinky took the papers in her mouth and passed them around to her fellow classmates. "Yes Featherweight?" I called upon the pegasus that had his hoof up.

"Are you sure we can finish all of this by noon? You're not gonna give us homework are you?" He questioned.

"No," I laughed, "subs shouldn't be allowed to give kids homework. Your teacher said get as much done as you can and she'll do a recap of chapter 3 with you guys tomorrow if she's feeling better." Featherweight wiped his brow and sighed in relief as Dinky placed both worksheets on his desk. "By the way, what time do you guys normally have recess?" I sat down in Cheerilee's big comfy chair.

"10:30 to 11:00 every day," Applebloom's orange eyes peered up from reading her math worksheet.

"An animal telling me what to do, my father will certainly hear about this," Diamond Tiara complained, scribbling down answers on her math worksheet with her mouth. Ignoring her, I stretched out my back, leaning back in the chair and just waited for a kid who wanted help.

(11:00)

The whole day pretty much went like a normal day for a substitute teacher. From 8:00 to 9:00, the kids used the hour to complete their thirty question math worksheet which was actually just a recap of long division and multiplying decimals. And of course, I went out of my way to help kids who asked for help. It didn't take long for me to realize I had to park a chair near Snips and Snails' desks with them asking every thirty seconds for help. After the math portion of class, the 9:00 to 10:00 slot of class time was used for the kid's writing.

It didn't matter to me, and I hope it didn't matter to Cheerilee, how much the kids wrote as long as they had fun and what they had written in the hour was readable. Once most of the kids were done, I had decided to take a few of the stories from a few of the students to read for them while the rest of the class finished. Out of the five stories I took from Dinky, Scootaloo, Rumble, Featherweight and even Diamond Tiara, Rumble's was by far my favorite. He wrote about a Wonderbolt in training that was tasked with saving the whole squadron of Wonderbolts when they went missing somewhere near Saddle Arabia. In short, it was sort of a short pony version of Iron Eagle, but much better. As for Scootaloo, I was intrigued that she wrote her own Daring Do fanfiction, chronicling a new adventure she called: Daring Do and the Demon at Phoenix Peak.

At 10:00, I had the kids read Chapter 3 of their History books, but since it was seven pages long, most finished within five minutes so I allowed them to sit and talk quietly until recess, nothing much really happened in that time either. However, now that it was 11:00, the kids were restless; there was nothing else to do and I couldn't think of anything for fear of ruining something Cheerilee had planned. "Anyone have an idea on what to do?" I asked the class, "I'm sure sitting and talking quietly for another hour would get boring."

"You could let us go home early, if you were smart that is," Diamond Tiara giggled up a storm.

"Tee hee," I rolled my eyes, unimpressed. "Did it take you all day to come up with that?" I shot back. Diamond's eyes shrank down as she hadn't prepared a comeback. "Ignoring that crap, come on, anyone have any ideas to pass the time? And no, a trip to the video game store is not gonna happen," I immediately crushed Button Mash's idea.

"Ooh, can we sing a song?" Dinky suggested, waving her purple hoof around.

"I don't feel like singing and how can one song last an hour?" I questioned the unicorn. She sadly put her hoof down and laid her head on her desk.

"Watch the History of the Wonderbolts Movie?!" Scootaloo practically screamed.

"Didn't Cheerilee's only copy melt on the projector?" Applebloom turned to her friend. The orange pegasus' eyes grew big as a few tears filled up her eyes and she brushed away her idea.

"Hour long recess?" Featherweight suggested.

"You just had recess kid," I shook my head with a chuckle.

"Field trip to Sugar Cube Corner?" Snails exclaimed.

"The last thing I need is a room full of colts and fillies all jacked up on sugar," I rejected the idea, crossing my arms over my chest. When all hope was lost for an idea, Sweetie Belle's hoof slowly raised up and she politely waited for me to call on her. "Yes Sweetie Belle?" I allowed her to speak.

"How about you tell us a story?" She advocated with her usual sweet smile. My arms uncrossed and fell to my sides while thinking about the suggestion. The only story I've really told anypony here was my own version of the original Halloween film. A few of the students nodded and chatted in agreement at the idea.

"Well, I'm not much of a storyteller," I admitted, "besides, what kind of story would you like to hear?" I questioned. That was kind of a mistake; the entire class erupted with ideas.

"An action story with lots of high speed, punches and explosions!" Rumble demanded.

"A crime drama!" Featherweight exclaimed, "like a newspaper reporter who uncovers a diabolical plot and decides to use his reporting skills to bring the bad guys to justice!" Pipsqueak jumped on top of his desk to better grab my attention.

"How about a pirate story where a kind pirate decides to overthrow his evil captain and becomes a pirate for hire and works under the Trottingham Armada?" He wished.

"Ah've got it!" Applebloom declared, "how about a tale of a hardworkin' farm pony that gets involved with the Royal Guard by goin' undercover to thwart a plot to steal millions 'o bits from a Las Pegasus casino?" 'Okay, that's somewhat the plot to Ocean's 11,' I thought.

"Tell us a romance story where a handsome, muscular stallion sweeps a mare off her hooves and fights to defend her from a bad guy or an ex-boyfriend!" Sweetie Belle gushed. The light grey filly's eyes shrank to the size of dimes as she realized what she had requested. "I'm hanging out with Rarity too much," she shivered.

"Okay guys, one at a time please," I wished for the kids to calm down. Finally, the class did quiet down to a hushed murmur as the kids still thought of ideas. "Scootaloo, any ideas?" I asked the purple maned pegasus. Her light purple eyes were back to normal as the memory of her favorite movie being melted disappeared. I chuckled at her face that contorted into many different expressions while she tried to conjure up an idea.

"Well, I've always been curious about how you got the nickname 'Cougar,'" she began, "so, how about you tell us the story of where your nickname Cougar came from?" Scootaloo proposed. A vast majority of the kids ditched their own ideas in favor of hers and pushed for it to go through.

"Oh, great idea Scoots!" Applebloom patted Scootaloo's back. "Ah've been curious 'bout that myself. How does an animal get their name from the name of another animal?" The earth pony filly pondered aloud. A sly smile creeped along the front of my face as that day came back to me. For once, a memory in the Air Force that the ponies brought up wasn't a painful one; it was actually a pretty fun and adventurous memory of my career.

"Funny you girls should mention that," I started to walk around the schoolhouse. "This story has a tiny bit of what you guys wanted," I grasped their attention even more. "This story has your action," Rumble's face lit up like a Christmas Tree, "your wish of some military presence," Pip's muzzle grinned, "and your romance," Sweetie Belle blushed at her Rarity-like wish.

"Huh, this is kind of like when we asked all of the older ponies how they got their Cutie Marks," Scootaloo commented. I walked past her and patted her purple mane.

"Now, a call sign is given to a pilot based on either their last name or a stupid and/or embarrassing moment in their lives during training or when they officially get certified to fly jets," I explained. "And they are given by senior squad members or in rare occasions, like mine for instance, the whole squadron leader can give a pilot their call sign. But I don't think this is quite like your world's Cutie Marks," I laughed. "Some of you don't know, but my friend, Reaper, and I weren't exactly old enough to sign up for the Air Force," I begrudgingly admitted.

"So, you guys lied to get into the Air Force?" Rumble leaned forward in his desk.

"Yes, but we felt like we had to; our country was on the brink of war and we knew we had to do something to help prevent it or protect our country. And for the record, I do NOT condone lying at all," I made sure the kids understood. "Getting back to the story, Reaper had already earned his call sign from the pilots that helped train us. Yes, Dinky?" I saw the unicorn had her hoof in the air.

"Could you guys reject a call sign your squad mates gave you?" She questioned.

"Oh of course, if we were okay with getting one more embarrassing or annoying," I replied. "As for Reaper, he got his call sign when during the training simulator, he would be dead quiet because he didn't want to say something stupid when he shot down a simulated enemy. For that, a senior pilot commented, 'That kid's like the Grim Reaper, silent but kills pretty much everything in site.' "Once his simulation concluded, the same senior pilot congratulated him and called him Reaper for the first time and it stuck."

"Okay, so how did your whole squadron leader come up for your nickname Mr. Cougar?" Pipsqueak propped his hooves onto his desk.

"It all started on a warm summer day…."

*Flashback. June 2016*

"Damn Adam, oops, I mean Reaper," a 17 year old version of me patted my friend on the back as we walked down the halls of our training facility. Reaper, another 17 year old caucasian male grinned at being called his call sign instead of his real name. "You really killed at the simulator, again," I congratulated my friend.

"Come on now, you're the one with the highest score in the history of the academy," Reaper encouraged me, "I may bag a few more bogeys, but you're way more precise, smooth and consistent which is what the simulator measures. We just need to come up with your call sign," Reaper slung his arm over my shoulder. The senior pilots that were overviewing our simulations had given us the rest of the day off, leaving us to rest until tomorrow. Soon, we would be ready to start going up in T-38s to get us ready for our permanent jets.

"Just don't try what all those other recruits did," I looked behind us at another trainee in our squadron. His call sign unfortunately was Twinkle Toes since he originally got the name Klutz for spilling Stinger's coffee all over his uniform. He whined about getting that name, so in turn, Stinger gave him the new name Twinkle Toes, poor guy.

"Reaper, Private!" Speaking of Stinger. The two of us turned around to see a man in his early fifties with his arms crossed and a pair of folders in his arms. And Stinger did not look very pleased with us.

"Something the matter sir?" Reaper and I quickly saluted him.

"Actually, I found something very troubling about your enlistment forms," he showed us what the folders contained. Instantly, our hearts stopped and we both looked at each other as the color drained from our faces. It was true, we had lied about our ages to get approved for the Air Force, but we weren't going anywhere just being stuck in High School. To our honest to God shock, we were accepted in February and had been training ever since. If anything truly surprised us, it was how long it had been that we hadn't been caught.

"And what would be the problem Stinger sir?" I gulped, releasing a shaky hand from Reaper's shoulder. The senior officer stuck the folders under his left arm and motioned with his right arm to have us follow him.

"We'll discuss this over a bite at the Flyer's Club," Stinger turned around and walked away with us in pursuit, albeit scared to death. The Flyer's Club was a local off base restaurant with a bar on the second floor which allowed us to eat below. Most of the pilots and staff members on base actually preferred to eat and drink here over the bar on base; there were better chances of meeting women. "Sit down," he ordered us once we strolled into the restaurant and sat down at a booth. "Order whatever you'd like; it's on me," he gave us a smile.

"Oookay," Reaper cast a worried gaze at Stinger, scooting me closer to the wall so he could sit down as well. The all too familiar clink of a quarter dropping into the jukebox at the back of the restaurant seemed to overpower the small talk going around. Since it was only four in the afternoon, the place wasn't too crowded. Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone began to play over the jukebox right as Stinger was going to deliver his speech.

"What can I get you boys?" A woman's voice asked us. All three of us looked to the side to see a gorgeous 21 year old waitress with the name tag Emma on the left side of her waitress uniform. "Hello Reaper," she greeted my friend in her flirtatious voice. The two had a playful banter they cooked up a few months ago and they seemed to enjoy it.

"Hey Emma," Reaper said ever so casually, "excited for College graduation next week?" He asked.

"Oh you know it, four long years are about to pay off, then I can go on and be a vet!" She contained her excitement. "Anyways, what can I get for you nice gentleman?" She asked, whipping out a pen and pad. The three of us recited our drink and food orders which Emma scribbled down faster than any known doctor could and delivered the ticket to the kitchen.

"Alright boys," Stinger opened up both files and turned them upside down so we could read them. In said folders were pictures of Reaper and myself that were paper clipped to our dossiers containing nearly everything about us. Sweat began to form on our palms as on the front page of both of our dossiers circled in red Sharpie were our birth dates and photocopies of our Alaska State driver's licenses. "Would you two care to tell me what is wrong with this picture?" His fingers softly tapped the pages where the Sharpies had circled.

We gave one final look at each other that read, 'We're screwed. No turning back now.' "Um, those would not be our real driver's licenses sir," I nervously gulped down my root beer that Emma had brought.

"Well, no shit," Stinger's icy glare never left us, nor did his eyelids blink at all. "I would like to see your REAL licenses if you don't mind," his right hand overturned to show an empty palm. Wasting no time, we dug our licenses out of our wallets and tossed them into his awaiting palm. I shamefully held my hands over my eyes, daring not to look at my Commanding Officer's face while he checked over our real licenses. "Just as I suspected boys, you're one year younger than you claimed to be on your enlistment forms," he said sarcastically, already knowing our real ages. "You are aware that it is a federal crime to falsify those forms, correct?" he sat our cards back onto the table top and closed our folders.

"Yes Stinger sir, we are completely aware," Reaper admitted.

"You were aware of the risks, yet you still falsified federal documents, why?" His voice never rose and never sounded angry. Stinger still sounded like a caring grandfather asking his grandkid why he stole a piece of candy.

"Stinger sir," I dropped my hands from my eyes, "Reaper and I have wanted to serve our country in the Air Force or the Navy, and as fast as possible. So we made sure to gather enough High School credits to graduate a year early so we could have a better opportunity to join," I explained. "We did consider dropping out, but Reaper made the point that it would look suspicious that high school dropouts wanted to join the military and that if we did get rejected, having no diploma would hurt us in the long haul."

"We meant no disregard or harm sir," Reaper assured our C.O. "But the reward of serving our country outweighed the risks of getting caught." The elder officer leaned forward in his bench seat, folding his fingers together.

"You two know that if I turn you in for this, you'll be going to federal prison for a long time and you can kiss the military and any good career goodbye?" He asked us. Just as we were about to answer, the front doors of the restaurant slammed open to reveal four bikers, all looking drunk and ready for a brawl.

"Oh God, not these guys again," Emma groaned from behind the counter. The supposed leader of this gang grinned, showing that he had missing teeth and that the remaining teeth were all rotted and nasty. "Look, my manager told you guys that you're not welcome here anymore, not after you smashed that beer mug on the pool table," she gestured to the pool table where a huge chunk of the green felt was missing.

"I haven't been here in awhile," Stinger completely forgot about our current conversation. "These guys common trouble makers?"

"Yeah, but most of the time they just try to look intimidating," Reaper replied, his eyes never leaving Emma as the leader of the gang was eying her up and down several times.

"They're mainly rude and loud," I added for Reaper taking a short sip of my soda. "These four have never really done anything illegal, but I've kept on my toes with their behavior, especially with the number they did on that poor pool table," I explained. One of the other bikers went over to the jukebox and punched it, switching the song from Danger Zone to some death metal song. Reaper's grip on his glass mug tightened as the leader of the biker gang began to trace his finger up and down Emma's arm.

"Hey baby," he said in very creepy voice, "what say you and I ditch this dump and head back to my place?" He tried to purr seductively, but he only began coughing. The waitress uncomfortably sidestepped away.

"You want me to get the manager?" I could hear the cook ask loudly. I suspected he said it loud on purpose to try and scare the bikers away, but it didn't quite work out. The leader kept his hand on Emma's arm, not willing to let go.

"Come on," he gripped her arm, causing a painful squeak to emit from her mouth. In an instant, Reaper and I were on our feet in case anything did go wrong. Stinger on the other hand whipped out his cell phone, ready to call at least the Military Police since the restaurant was literally one hundred feet from the gate. "I haven't had any in months, and you're just fine enough," he growled.

"Sir, please let me go before I call the cops!" She exclaimed. We couldn't see what she had done because of the counter blocking our view, but from I pieced together, she had used her heel to stomp him on his foot.

"YOU DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE!" The creep yelled and slapped her across the face. That finally did it. Reaper burst full speed from our booth at about Mach 15 and was at the counter in an instant. He grabbed the pervert by his collar and yanked him right over the top of the counter while Stinger dialed the MP to come by.

"NEVER LAY YOUR HANDS ON A WOMAN!" Reaper yelled as he threw the guy on the ground, pounding in his face. A few other patrons ran outside to get away from the brawl that was undoubtably going to happen. The cook threw down his hat and exited the kitchen, punching one of the other guys in the face that was about to attack Reaper. Emma screamed so loud that the manager's door opened so fast that the hinges nearly broke off.

"I told you creeps to NEVER come back here!" He pulled the cook off the guy he was beating. Unfortunately, the third biker snuck up from behind the manager and put him in a headlock, yanking him to the ground while the second biker jumped the cook. There was a loud crash as Reaper's struggle with the gang leader rolled into a few tables, bringing them and all the utensils crashing to the ground. Finally deciding I couldn't sit idly by anymore, I leapt into action, literally. Using the downed table as a launching pad, I jumped up and pounced onto the guy beating up the manager, shoving him headfirst into the bottom of the counter and knocking him out cold.

"Thanks kid," I helped the manager to his feet. He briskly grabbed Emma and ran into his office, locking the door to keep her safe. Stinger jogged over to the front of the restaurant and sealed the exit to keep the brawlers contained until the MP force arrived. Pushing myself off the out cold biker, I turned my attention to the cook and his dispute. The biker on top of him had a switchblade and was ferociously swatting at him. Though I had to admit, the cook was doing a damned good job at holding him back. So to help, I kicked the switchblade out his hand, sending it flying to the wall behind him.

"Gotcha!" the cook used his opportunity and gripped the biker's throat with his hands, slamming his head onto the hard floor. Seeing that this was under control, I turned to see the fourth biker just sitting at table, watching his friends get their asses beat. Shrugging it off, I pried Reaper and the other guy off of each other before I began to wail on the pathetic loser. Reaper had a swollen black eye, a bloody lip and was looking like he was about to pass out; thankfully though, the cook steadied him and helped him over to an empty booth near the manager's office.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" I punched the biker in the nose, shattering it until streams of red, oozy blood seeped out of his now crooked nostrils. "You have the audacity to try that with a girl and then you beat up my friend?" I shook the creep like a rag doll.

"Yyyyyour ffffrriiiieend," he slurred his speech, "hit me firrsssst," he groaned. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head as a pool cue broke against me, sending me and the biker to the ground. The fourth member of the gang cracked his knuckles and neck, ready for a brawl. The leader was on the floor, conscious, but not moving at all.

"Get up, pretty boy," the fourth biker growled. The pool cue was indeed broken, but he still had the blunt bottom end ready to beat me with. Standing up, I readied my fists for a tussle, but I instead grabbed the pool cue as he swung it at my head again. "Hey, let go!" He shrieked, jerking the stick around, trying to get me to give it up. Smirking, I yanked the cue so hard that I lost my grip and sent it careening back into the kitchen, knocking over pots and pans.

"Fists up, a-hole," I cracked my own knuckles. The biker clumsily swung his left fist at my chest which I caught with ease. I squeezed his hand so hard there was a faint crack heard as he fell to his knees, begging for mercy. "This one is for my best friend," I growled, twisting his left arm around and swinging my left fist up and punched his jaw upwards. About three teeth flew from his mouth along with a little spittle and blood.

"FREEZE, MP!" A stern voice announced as the little bell above the front door was ripped from the doorframe. About five Air Force MPs jogged into the restaurant, picking up the four bikers and handcuffing them.

"Good work gentleman," Stinger saluted the men. "My two golden boys are going to need a little medical attention as well, see that sickbay is prepped," Stinger instructed the head MP. He gave a quick nod and radioed back to base. The cook of the restaurant, named Ernie apparently, walked a dazed but otherwise fine Reaper over to me.

"Glad to see you're okay dude," Reaper and I fist-bumped each other. "How the hell did you not black out from getting hit with a pool cue?" he wiped some blood from his lips.

"Adrenaline most likely," I replied, seething as I touched the now growing welt on the back of my head. Emma rushed over from the manager's office and pretty much tackled Reaper onto the back of the seat, hugging him.

"Thank you so much Adam!" She planted a huge, wet kiss on his cheek. My 17 year old friend was visibly shaking, reeling in from the kiss as Emma cleared her throat and let him go. "Pardon me, but I'm so grateful you came to my defense, you too," she pointed to me.

"N-no problem," Reaper touched his cheek. Emma whipped out her pen and pad and scribbled something down before placing it in Reaper's hand.

"Call me sometime, fly boy," she winked at him. Stinger chuckled at what had just occurred and sat down next to us, allowing us to catch our breath and calm down before going to sickbay for a checkup. It was then that I had realized what we originally came here for, completely draining the remainder of my adrenaline. Reaper looked like he remembered too as he couldn't look Stinger in the eye.

"So sir," I groaned, "about our enlistment forms?" I asked. Stinger responded by opening up the folders, taking out the copies with the red circles surrounding our falsified birth dates and tore them to little pieces, chucking them into a half-full beer mug.

"I have no clue what you're talking about, Cougar," he winked at me.

"Cougar? What the hell is that?" My brain couldn't comprehend so many things at once after going threw a brawl like that. Stinger placed his arm around me like a grandfather and pulled me close

"Your new call sign kid. You pounced on those little scums like a cougar pouncing on its prey," he explained. Reaper gave me a weakened thumbs up and a half-smile, encouraging me to accept the call sign that Stinger gave me.

"You like Top Gun, take it dude!" Reaper exclaimed.

*End Flashback*

"So after that, Stinger personally drove us back to sickbay where we were treated and released a day later. In fact, that same night after our release, there was a knock on our barracks door and a package was left in the hallway. The package turned out to contain our freshly painted helmets. Reapers was white, black and red with a scythe on both sides and dripping blood all over. Mine, well, most of you have seen it. And that's how I got my call sign," I concluded my story. Throughout telling said story, I had walked around the room and ended up on my knees in front of Sweetie Belle's desk since she was the one who asked me to tell the story.

I was met with a stunned silence before Silver Spoon raised her hoof. "What happened between Emma and Adam, or Reaper, no Adam. GAH!" She growled angrily. Diamond Tiara tried to get Silver Spoon to stop being interested in my story, but to no avail.

"Actually, those two began dating right after that, got married a few years later and had two kids," I replied. The wooden floors began to hurt my knees; I stood up and was met with applause from the class.

"You totally earned that call sign dude!" Rumble congratulated.

"Somepony should make a movie about your Air Force life and call it Danger Zone or something," Scootaloo exclaimed happily. I smiled, giving her a quick noogie before looking at the clock that told me we only had about two minutes left until the kids could go home. I swirled around when I felt a hoof tapping my hip, only to find Sweetie Belle with another curious look on her cute little face.

"Cougar, remember how you said that your call sign wasn't like a cutie mark?" She asked me. All I could do was nod in response, confused and puzzled to where she was going with this. "Well, you couldn't be more wrong," she stated.

"Sweetie Belle, from what Twilight and Applejack told me, a cutie mark represents who you are, not what you are. And I am no cougar in any way, shape or form. Sorry to burst your bubble," I apologized.

"Just hear me out," she held my hand down with her hoof. "Yes, I know just exactly what a cutie mark means despite not having one," she grumbled and shook her head. "What I'm getting at is a call sign is a representation of who you are. I think what Stinger also meant, but didn't mention, was how a cougar protects its young or territory. And in your case, the young was your friend Reaper, the innocent cook and Emma the innocent waitress. Your friends are also your 'territory,'" she air-quoted with her hooves, "which, from what Ms. Cheerilee has taught us, cougars are very protective of. In other words, like a cougar, you're sort of a protector," she concluded, folding her forelegs.

"Woah, that's deep Sweetie Belle," Applebloom's jaw went slack. I blinked a few times, digesting what Sweetie Belle had just explained to me. Have I completely overlooked exactly what my call sign actually meant for seven years? Looking back at the restaurant incident, the Bermuda Triangle fiasco, the timberwolves adventure and defending Applebloom, it all made sense now. In every single one of those incidents, friends have always been the common denominator, and I was the one trying to protect them. Of course, I'd gladly give up my life to ensure my friends were safe, but I never thought about my call sign like that before.

RRIIIIIIINNNNBRRRRNNNNGGGG!

The school bell brought me back to reality as the kids jumped for joy, grabbed their stuff and trotted out to their waiting parents. "Excuse me, Mr. Cougar is it?" A sweet voice asked me. Cocking my head to the side, I was met with a brown mane and tan fur mare with a heart and milk bottle on her flank. "My son would appreciate his batteries back," she politely requested.

"Ms. Mash I presume?" I handed Button his batteries.

"Yes, and I can't tell you how ingenious that was to give him the JoyBoy and take the batteries. I'll have to use that sometime," she praised my tactics. "Button wasn't too much trouble, was he?"

"Oh no, once I took away his batteries he quieted down and did his work," I shook her hoof. "Have a good day Ms. Mash!" I wished her while she escorted Button out of the schoolhouse. "Are you ready to go home AB?" I asked once the kids all emptied out of the schoolhouse and I locked up for the day.

"Nah, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo 'n Ah are gonna meet up at Sugar Cube Corner 'n talk about our next Crusaders idea," Applebloom replied.

"But before we go," Scootaloo added. The trio ran up and knocked me into the wall of the schoolhouse, hugging me tight around the torso. The hug lasted for about ten seconds before the Crusaders released me and hopped down onto the ground.

"That's for being the best sub ever!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Thank you girls, that means a lot to me," I replied, but unsure if they heard me as they galloped away. Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I sighed contently, thinking I had done a good job and hopefully pleased Cheerilee for the huge responsibility. My shoe kicked a tiny stone down the dirt road I was slowly walking down, kicking up small trails of dust as I walked along. I felt a small tapping on my back, causing me to turn around to see who wanted to speak with me. It was a red pegasus with a brown mane and tail, and she had blue eyes. "Yes?" I asked.

"Um, excuse me, do you know where Sugar Cube Corner is? I've got a pretty good craving for muffins," she asked me, licking her bottom lip.

"Go down that road, make a right, head straight into town and you'll find it near the market. Just look for a crazy pink earth pony and you've found it," I explained the directions to the mare. She thanked me and took off, nearly slapping me upside the head with her wings. Spinning around on my heels, I began to head back in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres when I saw a particular pony. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I saw Diamond Tiara not far ahead walking down the same road with her father. Instantly, the guilt from what I had done to him washed over me, even though I believed I was over it.

"And so he made us do work that Ms. Cheerilee already made us do!" Diamond Tiara whined, "then he told us a gruesome story on how he got his name by beating up and nearly killing four other humans with his disgusting partner!" She lied to her father. I didn't care that she was lying to her father; it was none of my business and at the moment, I had more urgent matters to take care of. Swallowing my pride and gathering up the courage, I picked up the pace until I was behind Filthy Rich and tapped his shoulder.

"GAH!" He jumped at the sudden tapping. "And what would you want Mr. Cougar?" He cocked an eyebrow, getting in front of Diamond in case it was necessary. "My little girl has just told me an interesting tale about what you did while subbing for her regular teacher," he revealed. Despite gathering up the courage to talk to him, no words could escape my mouth; I honestly didn't believe he'd want to hear whatever I had to say. "Well? I'm a very busy stallion sir and my time is too important to waste," he impatiently looked at the clock tower.

"Mr. Rich," I stuck out my hand, "I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for my behavior and actions a few months back," I declared. Filthy Rich looked as if he'd seen his own birth.

End Chapter 27

---

Will Filthy Rich accept Cougar's apology or brush it off as a joke? Find out in a tiny reveal next time on Fallen Eagle where we tackle Nightmare Night and we find out what Cougar is going as...

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It was a lot of fun writing in more Derpy and adding in Dinky Doo, Button Mash, and some more lines for Featherweight, Pip and Rumble. And the reason why I didn't use a name for Button's mom is because I don't know her name. If anyone can tell me, I'll gladly add it.

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 28: Silence of the Fillies

NEW COVER, NEW COVER, NEW COVER!

Before I get onto ANYTHING else, I really hope you guys have checked out the new and final cover for the story. Back in March, I asked a good friend of mine in Tennessee if she could possibly draw Cougar for me and she said yes. Well, back on Sunday, May 31st, she emailed me the final version (which I added the tagline and title to) and I was blown away. I really hope you guys like the cover and the fact that Cougar now has a face. And I understand that the F-14 was never used by the Air Force, my friend did not know this but it's so trivial and unimportant that I didn't care to tell her.

mlp brony fifer: I'm glad you liked the story Cougar told and the ending. It took me awhile to come up with who should tell Cougar about the similarities between call signs and cutie marks.

Random Guy: Thank you sir; I hope you enjoy the future chapters

Dixie Darlin: Trust me, writing in the fillies and colts (especially ones we rarely get to see) was so much fun. I just used Button's personality from the fanimations I've seen on YouTube. And it was really good to write about Reaper again, that was fun.

Sassymouse: The best part of waking up would be a cute filly like Applebloom bouncing on your chest lol. I couldn't pass up using Derpy when using Dinky, that would be a crime and I would've had to punish myself. And I'm glad you enjoyed your OC!

adhdluke: Hey man! Haven't heard from ya in a long time. Good to see you're still enjoying the story. And I'm really glad you say this is your favorite chapter. If people are saying that with how many chapters I've written, I must be doing something right!

litestardt: I wouldn't have found it realistic if Cougar had mastered the jetpack right away, so I decided to have him bust his ass a few times lol. Also, FALCON IS AWESOME! Cougar teaching classes would be awesome, but alas, he doesn't have the proper certificates for that. And I think we can agree both Xbox and PS4 are better than the Wii U...

bronywells: Good to see some new fans here. I'm glad you like my story and hope you like what I have planned for the future! The backstory I was saving for a perfect flashback opportunity and having Cougar teach the kids was the best chance I had.

caleb200888: Bookmarked? That's awesome that you keep re-reading it bro. If you like CouJack, then stick around for two more chapters for that confession you've desperately wanted to see.

CorvusYT: Thank you good sir.

Okay people, this message is for all the fans that want to see Cougar and Applejack admit their feelings. I'm here to say it WILL happen, there's no secret about that. The confession is just merely two chapters away. I've been tinkering with a few things like what SONGS characters will sing and other ideas leading up to the inevitable confession. I'm going to work as hard as I can to bring you loyal readers the confession chapter that you all deserve! -Captain Alaska, out

---

(Late October. 3rd Person POV)

Things had pretty much went normal for the few weeks after Cougar's stint as substitute teacher. Nothing of importance was going on in Canterlot that needed the Mane 6's or to a degree, Cougar's, help. There were no problems going on in Ponyville that required Cougar to lend his hand to fix, nor was there many chores for the Apple family to do since the nights were becoming longer and with Winter around the corner, most residents were trying to get a jumpstart on preparations. Speaking of Cougar, now that he had a little more free time on his hands, the Air Force pilot was taking advantage of the spare time by heading up to the Wonderbolts Academy to further sharpen his flying. But, every time Cougar sent Applebloom off to school or walked with her and the Crusaders, he had to admit he did kind of miss subbing for the class despite it only being for four hours.

Although a good majority of the colts and fillies in Ms. Cheerliee's class (even Silver Spoon to some extent) enjoyed having Cougar as their substitute teacher, they were more than thrilled when Cheerilee returned only the next day, all cured up and healthy from Fluttershy and Big Mac helping nurse her back to health. The students prepared their own welcome back card that they all signed quickly when Ms. Cheerilee allowed for a quick recess outside while she went over the worksheets Cougar had the students fill out during his subbing. Eventually, the rut that Ponyville found itself in completely filled up when the final week of October rolled around. Almost all over the town, horrifying decorations were strung about, featuring bats, spiders, skeletons of ponies and different frightening images. With the help of Big Mac, Ms. Cheerilee had turned the schoolhouse into a haunted schoolhouse for the week leading up to one of Ponyville's most favorite holidays: Nightmare Night.

Bon Bon and Lyra worked day and night for days on end to make extra candy for the citizens of the tiny town to purchase and hoof out for the children on the night of the holiday. The amount of profit that the candy would bring in was the leading factor for Bon Bon to continue making candy, no matter how late into the night she worked or how tired she grew, that and she enjoyed seeing happy colts and fillies running about. And not to mention, several different ponies had contacted Rarity to make them new costumes or to request she help touch up or repair older costumes. Nightmare Night wasn't a major bit making holiday for Rarity, but as an owner, every little bit helped keep her business afloat and popular. Normally, the seamstress would be creating away in her boutique, possibly with Sweetie Belle or Spike lending their time to assist her, but Rarity, along with the rest of the Mane 6, Spike and the Crusaders, was sitting down in Applejack's living room at Sweet Apple Acres. They were currently watching a movie on Cougar's iPad that he allowed Applebloom to borrow. And thanks to Spike's memory of watching the iPad with Cougar and Celestia at the castle, Twilight was able to replicate Celestia's spell to make the iPad as big as an actual projection screen.

A piece of parchment was floating in the air near said seamstress, her blue aura engulfing its edges as she took notes on everything everypony mentioned about the movie that was displayed in front of the group. Thanks to the movies, the Mane 6, Spike and the CMC had spent all day watching several of them, from morning until late afternoon and early evening. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity cleared her throat, "are you certain you and your friends want these to be your costumes?" The white unicorn moved the parchment out of her way to get her little sister's confirmation.

"Heck yeah Rarity!" Scootaloo quickly turned around and shrieked, surprising Rarity so much that a huge black streak of ink now appeared across the front of the parchment when she jumped. "Hehe, oops," the orange pegasus chuckled nervously, "sorry Rarity," she apologized.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity questioned the cyan pegasus whom was completely enthralled with the current movie on the screen. Grumbling, Rarity set the parchment down on a nearby table and called Rainbow's name again, only be replied with a rude 'shh.' The white unicorn then hit pause on the screen of the iPad, only to be met with a resounding groan from everypony.

"Hey! We were watching that!" Rainbow turned around from the paused screen to glare at Rarity.

"You mentor Scootaloo and spend time with her more than anypony else, haven't you taught her what an inside voice is?" Rarity asked the rainbow maned pegasus pony. The Wonderbolt glared at the seamstress, flapping her wings to float above her friend, attempting an intimidation effect. Rarity, on the other hoof, wasn't the least bit threatened. "Now look, I have to restart my list. Nine hours wasted, and I have to start from scratch!" The unicorn whined.

"Come on, it's not like you can't read what we chose!" Rainbow tapped her hoof on the page of the parchment, "just copy what you wrote down before and keep quiet; we're still watching this!" she exclaimed, ending her mini-rant with a raspberry in Rarity's face. Her white cheeks turned red momentarily as she suppressed her anger that threatened to boil over in a shouting match between her and the pegasus.

"Be that as it may Rainbow Dash, your sister should learn to keep her voice down indoors," a new piece of parchment levitated in front of Rarity while her red glasses floated back onto her face and a feather scribbled down the contents of the previous list. "Ahem, so you girls are pleased with this particular choice of group costumes?" Rarity questioned while Spike hit play on the screen, resuming the movie.

"You bet!" Sweetie Belle responded with an excited yell and an extremely cheesy grin.

"Yeah, group costumes are the best!" Applebloom agreed, propping her head up with her elbows while lying belly down on the wooden floor, "'specially ones as cool as these!" her orange eyes expanded in utter glee. The purple maned unicorn scribbled down the Crusaders' choice for their Nightmare Night costumes and sighed happily, sitting down on a chair and mentally patted herself on the back, proud of a job well-done and glad to begin a new order for all of her friends.

"When did this place turn into a movie theater?" A male voice asked, surprising everypony that didn't hear him enter the room.

---

(Cougar's POV)

I had just arrived back from another hard training day at the Wonderbolts Academy and was eager to relax with a cold shower and eat supper with the Apple family. My jetpack was stored inside my shack before I trekked over to the farm house to let AJ and Applebloom know that I was back. There were a few new things I had discovered about my jetpack: One was I could get quick bursts of acceleration by bringing my arms forward and swinging them back quickly, sort of like an olympic swimmer. Another part of my jetpack that I had found out about was I could have the engine on without the arm braces and I wouldn't hover, but pumping my arms up and back would automatically snap the braces into place, allowing me to be prepared to fly quicker.

Walking into the farm house, I had a cocky smile on my face and expected to see Applebloom and possibly Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo watching something on my iPad while AJ was reading a novel or something. But what I didn't expect was to see all three of the Crusaders, AJ, Spike, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all sitting in the living room, watching my iPad that I suspected Twilight enlarged for all of the group to enjoy. What was even stranger was Rarity was studying the movie and talking with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle while writing down what I guessed was their responses on a piece of parchment. "Ahem," I softly coughed, trying to get somepony's attention.

"Yeah, group costumes are the best!" Applebloom exclaimed, completely ignoring me standing in the doorway. Looking at what movie the group was watching, I quietly chuckled to myself, knowing that Ghostbusters was indeed a movie that grabs one's attention. "'Specially ones as cool as these!" she added, clapping her yellow hooves together as her orange eyes expanded. The white unicorn then scribbled down something else on her parchment and sat down on an empty chair, sighing contently. Finally, I wanted to say hello to my friends and spoke up.

"When did this place turn into a movie theatre?" I joked, causing everyone else in the room to whip their heads around in my direction.

"Cougar!" Applebloom cheered, getting up from the floor and ran towards me, leaping up into my chest as I caught her. "How was yer day at the academy?" She asked after nuzzling my chest.

"Well, I'm busting my ass less and less, so that's something," I kissed her forehead before setting her back onto he floor. "I see more ponies and a dragon than I anticipated are enjoying my movies," I cracked a small smile.

"Oh, sorry Cougar," Twilight apologized, "it's just, one by one we all showed up for different reasons and became intrigued with your movie playing machine," she explained to me, gesturing to my tablet with her hoof.

"iPad," I corrected the alicorn, "and it's no big deal as long as you guys don't accidentally delete any of my movies." The group shook their heads, telling me that they were careful in selecting which movies to watch. "Let me guess, you guys were hypnotized by the pretty colors right?" I said in a smart aleck voice.

"I admit color movies are awesome!" Rainbow shouted, "but you know, that wasn't everything we liked about the movies you have," she insisted.

"And I wouldn't say hypnotized either," Rarity rolled up her parchment and stuffed it into one of her triple diamond embroidered saddlebags. "Though some were very thought provoking and at times, very intense." Placing my hands together and cracking my knuckles, I walked further into the living room, stopping in front of the 35" iPad screen.

"So, group costumes huh?" I turned to the three little fillies in the living room. They nodded as if they were bobble head dolls springing back and forth. "Any particular reason you guys need group costumes?" I questioned.

"Nightmare Night's comin' up soon Cougar," Applejack explained to me, sitting up from her haunches and walking over my way. 'Nightmare Night? That sounds vaguely familiar, where have I heard that before?' I mentally asked. "'N we were all thinkin' 'o dressin' up as some 'o yer favorite movie characters ta make ya feel a bit more comfortable fer yer first Nightmare Night," the orange mare explained further.

"Is that the holiday you guys told me about on our camping trip way back?" I asked, thinking that's where I first heard of the holiday.

"Yep," Sweetie Belle smiled, "and you said that it reminds you of your own holiday Halloween," she reminded me. Right, now I remembered that Nightmare Night was exactly the holiday I was told about from the camping trip.

"Sweet, free candy. Only a complete moron would pass that up," I chuckled, prompting Pinkie Pie to squeal and give me a bone crushing hug, again.

"That's the smartest thing I've ever heard anypony say!" She complimented me as she squeezed me tighter. Right before I could turn blue and start gasping for air, the pink hyperactive mare released me and dropped me to the floor. "Hey that reminds me, have you been planning your Nightmare Night costume? I bet it's something so spectacularly scary or amazingly awesome or greatly gross!" She exclaimed, counting off ways she could describe a costume.

"Um, no Pinkie I haven't," I coughed, "you guys just reminded me about Nightmare Night; I can't come up with a costume that quick," I snapped my fingers. Pinkie gasped and grabbed my shoulders, shaking my head violently.

"Then we need to start planning! Come on, you've got oodles of movies on this thing; we'll find you the bestest costume that your people have come up with! And I'm sure it'll wow everypony in town!" She clapped her hooves with glee.

"Woah there Pinkie," I put my hands up and out, "I'm gonna need a little time to think about it; I don't work very well just being thrust into choosing something, unless the situation is dire enough," I explained.

"And picking the perfect costume for your first Nightmare Night isn't a dire enough situation?" She countered with a questioning stare.

"Now Pinkie," Fluttershy began, "I'm certain that if we give Cougar enough time, he can pick the best costume all on his own. I know I'd hate it if it were me being put on the spot for picking a costume," she admitted. I stroked Fluttershy's pink mane like a dog as a thank you for getting Pinkie Pie off of my back, though if that pink mare can rake in enough candy to feed an army, she can annoy me all she wants.

"Thanks Fluttershy. Speaking of costumes, what are you guys going for Nightmare Night?" I asked, "what movies did you guys watch all day?" I added. The entire group rubbed the back of their heads before shaking them back and forth.

"Sorry Cougar," Applejack apologized, "but we decided we all wanted ta keep them a secret fer a nice surprise fer ya," she said. "Ah hope ya understand; we want ta make ya as welcome as possible ta Nightmare Night," she grinned wrapping her arm around my waist in a hug, which made my cheeks heat up for a second or two.

"Well, that makes sense, and makes me feel a little special," I cracked another sly smile, "though I'm not sure how you're gonna get famous movie costumes perfect in just a few days," I intentionally got Rarity riled up. The white unicorn gasped and marched up to me, sticking her head up and glaring at me through her red glasses.

"Do you have any idea what pony you're talking to? I've made half a dozen gala dresses in a matter of two days and an entire new fashion line in 45 minutes!" She said as a matter of factly. "Simple little Nightmare Night costumes are filly's play darling," she said teasingly, flicking her tail across my nose in a slap I'm guessing. "Even if you took until an hour before Nightmare Night festivities began, I could create your costume with my horn broken in half!" She declared.

"That reminds me Rarity," Applebloom spoke up, "do ya think you could sew our name patches on our Ghostbuster costumes instead of the movie characters' names? I can take care 'o the backpacks they wear 'cause Ah know a pony who can loan us a few Twittermite vacuums," the yellow filly asked and explained. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gasped and groaned at Applebloom accidentally revealing their costumes.

"Applebloom!" They both exclaimed, "there goes our surprise," Scootaloo kicked her hoof on the floor.

"Guess we'll have to to go with a different group," Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. Applebloom blushed in embarrassment and looked sad for ruining the surprise they had set in store for me. I bent down and lightly petted her head to comfort her.

"Come on girls, go as the Cutie Mark Ghostbusters," I encouraged, "you already picked it and I think you'll be awesome as the only Ghostbusters in Equestria," I said, lightly pushing all three together. "I can imagine all of you shouting 'Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!' all over Ponyville on Nightmare Night, getting insane amounts of candy for having original costumes."

"Ya still want us ta go as our original idea even though Ah ruined the surprise?" Applebloom actually looked like she might cry from embarrassment. I chuckled again and scratched under her chin with my index finger, tickling her.

"Well, there wasn't much of a surprise Bloom," I revealed, "you girls left the movie on and you were mentioning group costumes and pointing at the screen when I came in," I motioned to the iPad in the living room. The screen was still paused, but it showed a scene with all four Ghostbusters in action.

"Hehe, oops," Sweetie Belle blushed and hid her face behind her hooves.

"As for the rest of you guys, I look forward to see what tickled your fancy enough to be your costumes," I turned to the older members of the group. Apparently not believing me, Rarity added a lock to her saddlebags to prevent me from ever seeing the list of ideas. "Um Rarity, don't you need pictures of the costumes to replicate them?" I crossed my arms.

"Two steps ahead of you Cougar," Rarity laughed, "Applejack allowed me to borrow her family camera and I took pictures of the movies on pause to get the images I require for creating," she flicked her mane with her hoof.

"I guess that settles all of that then," I placed my hands on my hips, clicking my tongue. "Tell you girls and guy what," I winked at Spike, "whenever I find out my costume, I'll keep it a secret too, except from Rarity of course since I need her to make it," I turned to the seamstress whom nodded in approval.

"BELCH!" Spike burped as a massive ball of brilliant green fire erupted from his mouth. I will probably never get used to that; I had my arms up in front of my face, ready to attack nothing. A scroll with a dark blue ribbon tied around its middle landed in his claws as he opened it up. "It's from Princess Luna," Spike announced before clearing his throat. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, whenever you receive this message, please relay it to Cougar, for I require his audience tonight after I raise the moon. There a few matters that I wish to discuss with him and they are of the utmost importance. He is not in any trouble and neither is anypony else, but I must speak with him as soon as possible. Yours truly, Princess Luna of Equestria." Spike ceased reading and looked up at the rest of us.

"Hmm, the moon is going up be raised fairly shortly," Twilight looked outside to see Celestia's sun getting lower and lower on the horizon in the far distance. "I wonder what Luna wants to talk to you about?" She pondered to herself.

"Aww, I don't mind going to see Luna, but I just got home and wanted to relax a little," I groaned, sitting down on the floor with my back to the wall. "Not to mention I'm starving too," I added, my stomach grumbling loudly.

"Ah'll save ya some leftovers Coug, don't ya worry none," Applejack patted my shoulder. "Are ya gonna fly, or are ya gonna take the train?" She asked me. I stretched my arms and back a bit, popping my muscles in the process.

"Train," I replied standing up, "I'm still getting used to using my muscles with my jetpack," I explained.

"Well you better hurry Cougar," Spike informed me, "the last train leaves in ten minutes," he urgently said. Sighing, I took off my red and black cap, running a hand through my hair and tapping said hat against my leg. I didn't mind having long hair like an 80s hair band, but it was starting to get a little long.

"Rarity, before I go, do you think you can set me up with a barber or something for my hair? It's getting a little long for me," I asked politely. Grinning, Rarity produced a pair of red scissors from her saddlebags and in a few strokes around my head, all my long hair was lying on the ground and my head felt a little lighter. "Oh, thanks," I smiled, looking into a nearby mirror. "I'll see you guys as soon as I can," I waved to AJ and Applebloom.

"Wait Cougar!" Twilight's aura yanked my arm back, "I just have one question regarding this Ghostbusters movie," she said.

"And that would be?" I asked, holding the door open with my hand as I didn't want to miss the train.

"Were ghosts this much of a problem in your world? I know that this is just a movie, but is it based on actual fact?" She asked me. My left eye sank and my right eyebrow raised itself up to about my new hairline.

"Uhhhh, nooooo," I said slowly. "Ghosts aren't real Twilight," I laughed at her question before leaving the farmhouse and heading to the train station.

---

(3rd Person POV)

Right as Cougar left, pretty much everypony that didn't live with the Apple family decided that it was time to return to their respective homes for supper, but not before Applejack had something to ask of Rarity. The seamstress' blue aura surrounded Sweetie Belle, lifting her off the floor and onto her back to carry her home. "Hey Rare, can Ah speak ta ya fer a quick second?" Applejack requested.

"Oh of course Applejack," Rarity smiled. "What do you need darling?" She asked. Intrigued, Sweetie Belle put her forelegs on Rarity's shoulders, standing up closer to better hear what her older sister and Applejack had to talk about. "Sweetie Belle, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"Hey, you were the one who lifted me onto your back," Sweetie Belle pointed out. Rolling her eyes, Rarity then lifted her little sister off her back and set her down next to Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"Now then, what did you need to talk to me about Applejack?" Rarity politely asked her country friend. Applejack bit her lip, swinging one of her front hooves back and forth, clearly nervous about what was on her mind.

"Uh, ya know 'bout the costume Ah want ta wear right?" She said. Rarity replied with a nod, willingly listening, but curious as to why Applejack was reminding her of the costume choice. "Well, uh, do ya think you could also do my mane in the same hairstyle as in the movie? It's kinda important," She questioned.

"That shouldn't be a problem Applejack, but is there any special reason why this was an important request?" Applejack gulped, looking around and blushing, making sure nopony else could hear her while she whispered.

"Well, Cougar told me that's one 'o his favorite movies 'n Ah was hopin' that Ah could uh, get his attention a lil by dressin' exactly like her," she whispered as her cheeks continued to grow a more deep shade of red. "Stop lookin' at me like that," Applejack embarrassingly pursed her lips. Rarity had a cocky smirk on her face as she stared at the farm mare.

"Get his attention how Applejack?" Rarity teasingly asked.

"Ah'm not sayin' Ah wanna seduce him or anythin'!" AJ defended, trying not to raise her voice too loud, "Ah just wanna subtly let him know Ah'm interested 'n look maybe a little," Applejack paused, knowing what she wanted to say but felt a little too modest to say it until she mustered up the courage, "sexy fer him, can ya do that?"

"Sending signals eh Applejack?" Rarity grinned, "not the way I'd imagine you wanting to let him know of your feelings, but I completely understand how hard it must be for you to admit you have feelings for another species," the unicorn turned her gaze briefly to the purple dragon talking with Twilight, "I know how hard it was for Spikey to deal with his feelings," she said softly.

"Rarity, Cougar bein' a different species don't bother me, my feelin's come from knowin' how selfless, kind, carin', protective 'n well, handsome he is," AJ explained. "Ah love who he is, not what he is," she added.

"Aw, that's so sweet Applejack," Rarity hugged her friend. "Of course I'll help you look your best for him, you can count on me," she patted AJ's shoulder. The orange mare smiled and returned the pat.

"Thanks Rare, Ah appreciate you bein' there fer this kinda help," Applejack thanked as Sweetie Belle tapped Rarity's leg, letting her know that she wanted to go home. "It's time ta get supper ready anyway, nice seein' everypony!" She called to everyone that was leaving. "Applebloom, can ya please sweep up this hair 'fore helpin' with dinner?" she took off her cowpony hat and set it on a hatrack.

---

(Nightmare Night, Nightmare Moon Statue. Cougar's POV)

This was it, Nightmare Night had arrived and I was right: it looked exactly like Halloween had hit Ponyville. It brought so many smiles to my face to see little colts and fillies all excited and dressed up in so many different costumes that I lost count. Sure, there were the classics like mummies, zombies and vampires, but there were also interesting costumes like vikings, some Daring Do costumes and even a pony with a shark biting his ass. I'll give him props for creativity on that one. Luna had taken me on a quick stroll through the town to show me the different games that were setup along with all of the finalized decorations that looked badass.

I wasn't in costume yet, and neither was she, though I hadn't seen her costume at all because she wanted to save it for her grand entrance that she performs every year, although she told me the whole history of Nightmare Night and that she was Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago. She was the also only one who knew what my costume was; I had to show her a picture of what I wanted on my phone during our chat about Nightmare Night. The word nightmare had sparked an interesting idea for my costume and Luna went above and beyond what I had expected: Instead of producing a costume for me identical to the movie character I wanted, she actually turned me into the movie character of my choice, albeit with my own voice because the character's voice was too gravelly and scary for the younger crowd.

So, here we stood in the woods near the Nightmare Moon statue, awaiting for everyone to hear the legend of Nightmare Moon and to sacrifice their candy all in good fun for a good scare. "Hey Luna, thanks again for helping me with my costume," I thanked, checking out the area again so we wouldn't miss our cues. "And for letting me in on the fun,: I added, nudging her shoulder with mine.

"Please, do not mention it Cougar," she smiled, quickly hugging me with her left wing, "I've always wanted to tryout a partner for my little Nightmare Moon stunt, and your costume will be perfect for the icing on the doughnut," she grinned.

"I can't believe you thought I would be afraid of you for your whole alter ego debacle from 1000 years ago," I chuckled, leaning against a tree, eyes still focused on the statue in the moonlight.

"Well, I'm sure it's not everyday you're told about a tyrannical alicorn that transforms into an evil alicorn bent on permanent darkness," Luna joked, blushing and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, that's true Luna," I shoved my hands into my pockets, "maybe trying to overthrow your sister was a bit much, but you just felt unappreciated compared to your sister that was put on a pedestal, neither of you could help that," I pointed out.

"Yes, but my actions cost me 1000 years with my sister and subjects, something I regret with a passion," the alicorn looked back up at me. "Oh well, no use trying to change the past," she cracked open a quick can of Coltweiser. A twig snapped behind us, making us jump and turn around. "If thou are attempting to frighten us, thou do not know whom you are messing with!" Luna warned.

"Moon Pie, it's only me!" A voice called, waving his hoof.

"Checkered! What a wonderful surprise!" Luna threw her forelegs around her coltfriend. The Earth Pony champion chuckled and returned the hug before kissing Luna's cheek softly.

"This is like your second birthday Luna, and I wouldn't miss this for anything else," Checkered was rewarded with a nuzzle from Luna. It was really sweet to see how much Luna and Checkered cared for each other despite the fact that Checkered was a normal citizen of Equestria and Luna was royalty.

"And what are you dressed as?" Luna questioned, casting some more light over Checkered Flag. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked again. I noticed her mouth dropped open slightly and her wings started to quiver. The racing pony did a few poses for Luna so she could see everything about his costume which from what I could tell was a single piece of spandex.

"Do you like it Lulu?" he asked with hope, "I had a nice designer named Coco Pommel make this just for you. I'm pretty much the night sky Luna," he grinned. "See? I had her add stars, planets, galaxies, comets and a super nova or two. And finally, your moon, right here over my heart," the light grey pony took her blue hoof and placed it over his chest. "Do you like it?"

FWOMP

Luna's wings erupted from her sides, slicing two small trees in half, toppling them over as I dove out of the way. Both of the trees hit the ground with not a loud crash, but one that would definitely gain some good attention. "Geez Luna," I dusted off my shirt and stood up, "you're gonna put lumberjacks all over Equestria out of business with those things," I exclaimed jokingly. However, she ignored me and reassumed control of her wings, wrapping them around Checkered's body in a tight hug.

"I love it, and you Checkered," she planted a kiss on his nose, getting a chuckle from him in reply. "This is the best surprise I've gotten in over a thousand years," she added. "So, I take it you are here for the free candy?" She asked, finally releasing him from her wing hug.

"That and to see you of course Moon Pie," Checkered winked. "And it's good to see you too Cougar," the stallion stuck out his hoof which I graciously shook. "So, not meaning to sound rude, but shouldn't you be with your friends?" He asked me.

"I should be, but Luna helped me pick out my Nightmare Night costume and she liked it so much that I'm now apart of her Nightmare Moon act," I explained. "And I don't mind anyways; I like hanging out with Luna from time to time and I enjoy giving friends a good scare," I winked at the pony. He smiled and nodded, understanding what I meant and explained. Luna offered him a sip of her beer which he accepted and finished off since there was literally only a small gulp left.

"Luna, is there a set time that the kids are supposed to arrive?" Checkered asked his marefriend.

"Hmm, no, I just usually wait until they're close and I get into position, why do you ask?" Luna turned to Checkered. The light grey stallion shrugged and gave the empty can of alcohol to Luna whom made it disappear.

"They're probably hitting a few houses on a test run for candy before heading out here," I guessed. "Remember, Pinkie Pie of all ponies is with them, so they probably have the sacrificial candy plus extra candy for themselves," I reminded the blue alicorn. She nodded in agreement and squinted her eyes. The three of us stayed quiet while crickets chirped away and the occasional bat for Nightmare Night flew by. Things stayed pretty silent until something happened.

"Come on guys, we can't keep Princess Luna, I mean Nightmare Moon waiting forever!" A squeaky British-like accent announced off in the distance. Luna and I easily identified it as none other than Pipsqueak leading the charge of the group of fillies, colts, the Girls and Spike as they were prepared to give up their candy.

"Oh, places everypony!" Luna quickly blurted out to myself and her coltfriend. The stallion quickly tapped his hoof on Luna's wing, prompting her to turn around to face him.

"I thought I was just waiting in the woods until your little stunt was over?" Checkered asked, confused about what Luna wanted him to do.

"Of course you're not Checkered," she pecked his cheek, "you get out there and go along with the crowd until the show is over and then you can come with us as we get candy," she explained.

"Sounds good Moon Pie," Checkered returned the kiss and trotted out of the woods towards the group that was busy dumping candy at the foot of the statue.

"Luna, I'm no expert in relationships and I've never been in one, but I can tell you that you and Checkered work better together than any couple I've ever seen," I placed my hand on her shoulder. "I really hope you two have a long future together," I complimented the alicorn. Luna's blue cheeks blushed and she turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hey, Checkered Flag!" We both heard Applebloom exclaim happily, "did ya come here ta spend Nightmare Night with Princess Luna?"

"Th-thank you Cougar, and I hope you find your special somepony someday too," she replied to me, checking back over at the group to not miss her cue. "You'll make a mare very happy one day, I guarantee it," she grinned. "Now, are you ready for your transformation?" She asked as her horn glowed. "Once you hear the children scream, slink your way over and behind the statue," she ordered while I shut my eyes and nodded, not saying a word as her magic coarser through my body. The sensation was still fairly indescribable, but I guess I could say it felt like an under skin massage with a tickle in my spine. Just as soon as it began, the spell was over, and my transformation was complete. Opening my eyes, I could see Luna was gone and the wind picked up around area with the boom of a thunderclap and flash of lightning.

Even with the added light of the Moon surrounding the area, I decided to not pay attention to the costumes of everyone to keep them a surprise. My eyes peered around the tree I was hiding behind as Luna's Canterlot Voice boomed around the tiny clearing. "CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE, YOU WERE WISE TO BRING THIS CANDY TO ME! I AM PLEASED WITH YOUR OFFERING, SO PLEASED THAT I MAY JUST EAT IT, INSTEAD OF EATING YOU!" Luna's statue exploded into a million pieces with her new form standing on its hind legs, barring her fangs, growling and with her wings flared. I had not a second to admire her different form as the children screamed and ran away as the older ponies laughed at the little ones' fear.

I took my cue as Nightmare Moon turned around and gave me a wink while the others were distracted. Pushing aside the tree with my clawed hand, I sprinted behind the base of the statue and crouched, waiting for the group to return. "Princess Luna, you were perfect again!" Pip said to Luna.

"Yeah, I know it's all in good fun, but it's still pretty scary," Sweetie Belle agreed, standing close to her coltfriend as I peered around the corner. "Aren't you going to eat your candy Princess?" She questioned.

"Oh yes," Luna returned to her original form, "just, let me gather it all up," she tapped the statue with her hoof.

Screeeeech

"What the hay was that?" AJ asked while the four claws on my right hand scraped across the back of the base and a few sparks flew off the concrete and onto the ground. Getting into the character, I jumped up onto the back of the statue while Luna used her magic to lower the lighting. I'm not sure if they realized it was me at first (they should have since nothing else here looked liked me) or if they were too surprised and scared to notice. Standing as tall as I could, I extend my four claws and spoke.

"How sweet, rainbow meat," I cackled like Freddy Krueger.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" The children screamed and turned to run as well as a few of the older ponies. Luna zapped me with her magic again, transporting me in front of the ponies that were trying to run away.

"I've heard my children have been naughty," I scraped my claws together and grinned, showing off the bloody fangs inside my mouth. "And I'm here to punish the naughty children!" I announced, grabbing Applebloom with my non-clawed hand by her mane and hoisting her up in front of me. Her little legs flailed around in the air, trying to run away. Bringing her closer to my face, my glassy, pale eyes peered into her orange ones that were about the size of peas from her frightened state. My mouth opened up and my upper lip curled to show off more of my grotesque teeth.

"Lemme go!" Applebloom still squirmed and struggled within my grasp.

"Happy Nightmare Night Bloom," my claws took off the brown hat atop my head for a big reveal. Moving her down to my chest, I moved my hand to her little vacuum on her back and held her close for a hug.

"COUGAR!" She screamed at me and hit my chest a few times with her hooves. "Ya scared the apples outta me!" she shrieked.

"Out of all of us to be honest," Scootaloo was visibly shaking. Most everyone stood in pairs or groups of three, but they were still shaking from the shock and surprise of my addition to Luna's Nightmare Moon stunt.

"Sorry guys, I just wanted to have a hand in making Nightmare Night a little scary," I apologized, putting my brown hat back on my head. Luna and Checkered Flag stood next to me with smiles on their faces from my stunt. Applebloom stopped hitting my chest and finally returned the hug, looking up at me with her orange eyes.

"That was pretty fun Cougar, ya make a good horror monster or whatever," she nuzzled my chest before hopping down and rejoining Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in their Ghostbuster costumes. "What are ya by the way?" She questioned.

"I'm Freddy Krueger, a horror movie villain that kills kids in their dreams," I explained to the absolute fear and horror of the ponies in front of me. "Kinda makes Nightmare Moon look like Fluttershy huh?" I asked.

"Hey," Fluttershy said meekly.

"Your skin is, quite, icky Cougar," Rarity held her mouth with her hoof.

"Well, Krueger was burned alive by angry parents, but that's besides the point Rarity," I actually looked at everypony's costumes for once instead of trying to frighten them. My six friends, the Crusaders and Spike all stood in sort of a semi circle in front of me as the other children stood off to the side. "Woah guys, nice choices!" I complimented.

"Why thank you Cougar," Rarity touched up her mane which was now blonde. She also had on a familiar white dress that showed off her curves pretty well that any stallion would be a fool to not take a quick peek. "I thought that Marilyn Monroe was the perfect choice for me. She seemed to be quite beautiful to the men in one of your movies and I couldn't pass up the opportunity," she bragged, popping a few poses.

"I'm glad you didn't either," Spike's eyes never blinked as they followed Rarity's every move. Twilight smacked him upside his head to teach him not to ogle mares. I did a double-take once I glanced at the dragon and alicorn. Twilight's mane was dyed a silvery white and frazzled up with different hairs sticking up in every direction and a white lab coat adorned her torso with obvious holes for her wings, looking like a spitting image of Doc Brown. She even had the injury on her forehead right below her hairline. Spike on the other hand was wearing jeans, a black and white button up shirt, a jean jacket and a red vest to look like Marty McFly.

"Woah, I didn't expect you guys to like Back to the Future," I said to the duo.

"Oh please, Doc Brown was a scientist Cougar," Twilight waved her hoof, "and although he was a tad eccentric and the science wasn't accurate, he was also brilliant and caring for his friend, so how could I not go as him?" She asked rhetorically.

"We also wanted to do a mother/son group costume, so that's why I chose Marty," Spike explained, "that and he's a pretty cool underdog, like me," he crossed his arms over his vest.

"Princess Leia, Fluttershy? I kind of expected you to go as a flower or an animal," I asked her.

"Well, at first I was going to go as a breezie, but after watching a few scenes from Star Wars, I think, I loved how fearless and independent Princess Leia was and how she cared for her cause and wasn't afraid of oppression from anypony else," she said. Her mane was styled just like Princess Leia's buns from A New Hope and she also had on the long white robe that she wore throughout the film. "And Rarity did excellent work on my mane," Fluttershy added, prompting Rarity to nod in pride.

"Just so you don't have to ask," Rainbow Dash floated into the air, "I thought you'd enjoy seeing an action explorer," she produced a whip from her side and grabbed some candy from the pile in front of the statue, whipping it back into her bag.

"Nice, I expected you to like Indiana Jones Rainbow. What with how similar he is to Daring Do," I grinned.

"Similar? More like an exact ripoff!" Rainbow glowered, "sure Indiana Jones is pretty cool, but it's clear whoever made the movie didn't have to work very hard on the character," she rolled her eyes.

"I doubt George Lucas has ever heard of Daring Do Rainbow," I muttered and wanted to see who AJ was going as when a pink hoof slapped my face, causing me to stumble backwards. "Hey, Pinkie, what was that for!?" I demanded.

"That's for scaring us like that you chowderhead!" She shook her hoof in my face, "I've got half a mind to bop you with a hammer," she added. The only thing she had on was a different mane style, she was pretty much Pinkie as she wore nothing over her torso.

"Moe? You chose Moe, really?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Her mane poofed back into its normal state, "I saw a few episodes of the Three Stooges and they were so funny!" She danced around, "I mean Moe had to hit Larry and Curly for every dumb thing they did! It was like, bop, smack, 'Move it knucklehead,' 'Why I oughta!' And I thought since Moe was their leader, I could do the same thing and slap you guys for pointing out the obvious or doing something stupid!" Her mane poofed back to Moe's hairstyle. I'm not going to question how the hell she was able to do that; she's Pinkie, that's it.

"What do ya think 'o my costume Cougar?" AJ's country voice asked me. Turning away from Pinkie, I froze in my spot, taking in AJ's costume. The only way I could even tell it was still AJ was her orange fur and her accent; she looked different other than that. Her mane wasn't the tied up pony tail with the curl up front, instead it was all curled and bouncy. She also had on red lipstick and she was wearing a black suit jacket, a white blouse and a black skirt. "Ah thought you'd enjoy seein' Charlie from yer favorite movie," she winked her green eye at me.

I'm sure I looked like an idiot just standing there, just staring at Applejack and not speaking a word. But how could I; she was so beautiful in that outfit, and the fact that Kelly McGillis was already attractive in that outfit didn't help how I felt. "You look exactly like her AJ," I complimented, "if she were orange, standing on four legs and four feet tall," I joked, lightly brushing my hand on her shoulder.

"Hehe, Ah'm glad ya like it Cougar," she put her hoof in my hand. "Ah like yer costume too, pretty scary 'n, authentic," she grimaced at my burnt flesh. "Are ya ready ta get some candy?" she snapped me out of my trance from looking into her eyes.

"Y-yeah, of course!" I exclaimed, releasing her hoof from my hand.

"Well then, just stick with me," she bumped her shoulder into my leg, "'n we'll take ya ta the best houses ta get candy, then we can play some games like bobbin' fer some Sweet Apple Acres apples," she listed off the activities for the night, not moving away from me.

"Sounds like fun AJ, who's ready for some candy!?" I asked the group, getting back into my normal mood. A pink hoof slapped me again, causing me to rub my arm in pain.

"What kind of stupid question is that you lunkhead? It's candy, everypony is always anxious to get some candy," Pinkie Moe asked me and trotted away with her bag.

---

(Trick or Treating. Cougar's POV)

We had been trick or treating for about 45 minutes now, and our bags were almost full, but there were two houses in particular we had yet to visit. Pinkie wanted to save these two for last because she claimed they gave out the best candy. "Remember Cougar," Twilight cocked her head to me after we knocked on the door of a house, "the chant is: Nightmare Night, what a fright, give me something sweet to bite," she reminded me, "you don't have to say it, but it would be nice to get into the spirit a little bit more."

"Can I just say the chant I grew up with?" I replied. Before anyone could ask, I just repeated it for them. "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something sweet to eat," I recited. Everyone awkwardly looked away from me, apparently embarrassed that they had to hear that.

"Smell your feet? How abhorrent Cougar," Rarity sneered, "what does smelling feet have to do with receiving candy? You humans are such strange creatures," she muttered. Sweetie Belle shushed her older sister as the door opened.

"Nightmare Night, what a fright, give us something sweet to bite!" Everypony, myself, Luna and Checkered Flag included, chanted to Bon Bon.

"Hey guys!" Bon Bon greeted, "woah, sweet costumes!" She looked over everyone in the group.

"Thank you, I made them all myself," Rarity bragged.

"And, what are you three supposed to be?" Bon Bon asked the Crusaders suspiciously, "you look like janitor ponies," she giggled. The trio raised their 'Twittermite Vacuums' as Applebloom put them and aimed them at Bon Bon's pile of candy in her forelegs.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!" They declared, switching on their vacuums and sucking in the entire pile of candy.

"HEY! One piece per pony," Bon Bon growled, "do you know how long it takes to make this candy?" She asked, holding out her hoof for the majority of her candy back. AJ and Rarity glared at their sisters, their expressions were more than enough to tell them to fork over the candy. Rainbow Dash however, just snickered and moved her Indiana Jones fedora back over her head.

Doing as they were told, the Crusaders spat the candy back into Bon Bon's arms whom then proceeded to hand the candy back out to all of us. "Thank you," she told the three fillies. "And, who or what are you supposed to be Cougar?" she asked me.

"Human equivalent to Nightmare Moon," I quickly replied, not feeling like explaining the whole A Nightmare on Elm Street again.

"Interesting, and nice to see you Princess Luna," the candy making mare bowed to the blue alicorn. Luna bowed back, graciously accepting the piece of candy from Bon Bon. "And, Checkered Flag! I'm a fan sir, you're the best racer ever! Here, take all the candy you want," she dumped half of her load into Checkered's bag.

"You're too kind Bon Bon, but thanks for the candy," the polite stallion thanked.

"Are you supposed to be Luna's night sky?" Bon Bon asked. Checkered replied with a nod as Luna's wing wrapped around his torso. "Oh my Celestia, that's so sweet!" the mare gushed before a voice behind us shouted.

"Hey, move it or lose it! We want candy too!" A pony dressed as a tennis player demanded. Putting her bag down, Pinkie Pie trotted over, picked up a rock and bonked the stallion's head with it. "What's the big idea?!" He asked, rubbing his head in pain.

"Don't you know you're talking to ladies, an Earth Pony racing champion and especially Princess Luna?" Pinkie Moe asked, "where's your respect and manners smart guy? Get outta here before I really lose my temper," she kicked the stallion in the butt, prompting him to run away. Applejack tapped my arm, wanting to get my attention.

"Do ya think she's gettin' a little carried away with this costume Cougar?" AJ asked me worriedly.

"Maybe, or this is the funniest thing you'll ever see in your life," I clicked my tongue, nudging her with my elbow. Pinkie Pie trotted back to us, grabbed her bag and took the head point of the group. The next stop on our trick or treating tour was Sugar Cube Corner, or the Cake's house which was above the cafe anyways. Twilight took the liberty to knock on the door for us as everyone opened their bags.

"Are you sure they're not asleep from having a business to run and twins to take care of?" I asked Applejack.

"Ya'd think, but fer Nightmare Night, they love ta stay up 'n hand out candy ta friends 'n kids," she explained. I nodded in understanding just as the door opened up and the familiar jingling of the store bell rang over our heads, or in front of my face. We all recited the chant and received not candy, but cookies, muffins, doughnuts and cupcakes wrapped in cellophane to keep the frosting on the sweets.

"Oh my, Princess Luna, such an honor to have you at our store," Carrot Cake started to bow before Luna stopped him.

"I can see all of you put in a lot of effort for your costumes, especially you Cougar, I almost thought you were actually burned for a moment," Cup Cake's hoof traced over my non-clawed hand.

"You can thank Luna for that Cup Cake," I replied, laughing as her hoof tickled my hand a bit, "she actually turned me into my costume, I didn't put this on," I said as her hoof let my hand and dropped an extra cookie in my palm. I thanked the pony and dropped the cookie into my bag as she in turn dropped sweets into the other's bags.

"Pinkie Pie, don't worry about coming in tomorrow," Carrot Cake said as he dropped in extra goodies for the mare, "I know how much you love to binge sweets tonight, so you can just rest tomorrow," he smiled at his best helper.

"Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Cake, just leave me lots of play time for the twins tomorrow after work!" She exclaimed. A few ponies trotted by, drawn to the music from the string quartet that had gotten over their flu from last month, and the games that AJ told me about earlier.

"We've got enough candy here to feed an Army for three months," I scanned the contents of my bag and everyone else's. Rainbow Dash reached into her bag and pulled out a hoof-full of candy, shoveling it into her mouth.

"Yeah, the ponies around here know how to give out candy," Rainbow Dash munched on some chocolate. "And cookies," she added, tossing a chocolate chip one into the air and catching it in her mouth. "Hey squirt! Outta my bag!" Rainbow yanked her candy away from Scootaloo's vacuum as she attempted to steal her elder sister's candy. Blushing that she had gotten caught, the orange pegasus innocently whistled and backed away with her vacuum behind her back.

"Ooh, this way!" Rumble pointed his hoof at a house near the end of the street, "Button's mom loves to give out candy!" He exclaimed.

"Especially with how much Button stashes near his NeighStation," Featherweight agreed. "I think his mom uses Nightmare Night as a way to ditch his load of candy," the pegasus pondered.

"Makes sense ta me Featherweight," Applebloom trotted closer to her coltfriend. "Not that Ah mind that he smells like peanut butter cups in class," she giggled. I had to admit that sitting next to someone that smelled like peanut butter cups sounded awesome at first, but then after a week or two the smell would be ruined for me forever.

"Sorry AJ," I apologized after accidentally bumping my arm into her side.

"No problem Cougar, just lost track 'o where Ah was headin'," she responded almost instantly. Thinking nothing of it, I followed the rest of the group up to the final house on our list. The six little colts and fillies raced to the front of our pack and ferociously pounded on the door of our final house.

"Yes?" Ms. Mash opened the door for us. Behind her, I could see the faint glow and hear the sounds of somepony playing a video game system. The presence of such technology here perplexed me when the ponies' most complex form of public transport was a steam train. "Oh, you're Button's classmates!" The mother exclaimed happily, "good to see you! Button, get out here and say hello to your friends before we leave for the festival!" She shouted into the house.

"What?" Button replied, "we don't have a dog to feed mom!" he shouted. Ms. Mash slapped herself with her hoof and excused herself back inside the house. We all waited outside as we could hear the sound of a TV shutting off and some mildly raised voices. "Hey guys," the door opened wide to reveal Button Mash standing in front of his mother.

"Hey bro," Rumble greeted, "how goes defeating the zombie apocalypse?" He asked.

"I have a traitor in my presence," Button whispered, only to get slapped on the back of his head from his mom. "Anyways, sweet costumes guys! Where'd you get them?" He asked us.

"My big sister made them for us because she's sooooo generous!" Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity's leg, sucking up to her. I couldn't help but smile as Rarity cooed and hugged Sweetie Belle in return for the compliment. I knew Rarity loved her little sister, but I wish she could've shown it a bit more than she did.

"What are you guys supposed to be?" Button asked the Crusaders, "pest control, janitors?" He pondered.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Ghostbusters!" All three declared, turning on their vacuums and pointed them at Button Mash. Scootaloo's vacuum sucked up his green propellor hat, causing the brown pony to freak. The orange pegasus quickly hit reverse on her vacuum and spat the hat onto Button's face.

"I agree," Ms. Mash ignored what happened to her son, "those are some very well done costumes Rarity, and Princess Luna, what are you doing here?" She asked in astonishment .

"Just accompanying my favorite group of friends on our quest for candy," Luna replied with a warming smile. "You have a wonderful son Ms. Mash, I have had to protect him from nightmares before, but he is a loving colt with a bright future ahead of him," she winked at the Earth Pony.

"Why thank you Princess, I try my best," Ms. Mash bowed her head to Luna. As she turned around to give all of us candy, she noticed Checkered Flag standing behind Luna. "Oh, what a very authentic Checkered Flag costume," she commented, "he's my favorite racer too," she gave extra candy to Checkered.

"But, I am Checkered Flag ma'am," the light grey stallion corrected her.

"Of course you are," Ms. Mash giggled, "I love the dedication you have, especially the night sky outfit. You know, if you ever want to grab a cup of coffee or attend one of his races, I'm always available," she winked at the stallion. All of us held back our tongues as Checkered blushed and looked away from the mare in front of him. Instead of looking angry or threatening to behead Ms. Mash, Luna giggled and patted Checkered's shoulder.

"Come on Mom, I wanna go hang out with my friends!" Button pulled lightly on his mother's hair.

"Okay Button, just let Mommy lock up, and make sure you turn off your NeighStation," she rubbed the top of his head.

"Checkered, you're so adorable when you're confused and frustrated," Luna nuzzled his cheek to calm him down.

"Oh yeah, now we can PARTY!" Pinkie danced around with her sack of candy. As Button Mash and his mom joined us, our large group made its way over near town hall where the string quartet was playing a lively song, ponies were dancing and eating the goodies they had received and drinking punch that a purple mare with berries on her flank was serving.

"I bet I can beat you at the spider toss!" Scootaloo said to Rumble.

"Gimmie a break Scoots, you can't beat the master!" Her coltfriend replied, trotting ahead of her. Luna escorted Checkered over to the pumpkin catapult and coaxed him into giving it a try. Sweetie Belle and Rarity literally dragged Pip and Spike over to the stage where they danced merrily and drank punch together. Applebloom and Featherweight sat down at a table to talk and eat candy together, which looked adorable to me. Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves together and flew up to the nighttime clouds, lassoing a few together and zapped ponies on the ass with lightning. Button Mash trotted away to play one of the arcade games set up at the festival while his mom went to converse with Derpy. Twilight spotted Cheerilee and trotted away for reasons still unknown to me. Probably to talk about lending her some new reading material for her class.

Pinkie Pie dragged Fluttershy over to a horror house which the Princess Leia dressed pegasus dug her hooves into the ground, refusing to go in while Pinkie was practically talking to herself. This domino effect left only AJ and myself standing alone together in the middle of the festival. We awkwardly stood next to each other as the laughter, screams and music flowed over us. "So, how long are ya able ta last like that?" Applejack referred to my costume.

"Luna says it'll disappear once I say a special phrase," I replied.

"'N what would that be?" She asked me curiously.

"She, actually didn't tell me, though I'm sure she'll remember at some point," I scratched my burnt chin with one of my claws. "Or maybe it'll wear off once Nightmare Night is over," I pondered.

"Any games ya wanna try out? Maybe bobbin' fer apples, or maybe the spider toss? That one's loads 'o fun," she offered. Scanning my eyes over both games, I didn't find anything that really grabbed my attention to go play. Sure it all looked like fun, but I just didn't have the spirit in me to play anything, but talking with Applejack was going along just fine.

"Sorry AJ, but I'm just not feeling it," I apologized.

"Aw, well that's okay Sugarcube. Normally Ah run the apple bobbin', but Big Mac volunteered ta run it after he's done givin' cart rides ta the little ones, so Ah've got nothin' else goin' on too," she responded. Casting my gaze over to the edge of town, I saw a tiny hill with a lone tree atop the crest. Luna's moon was high in the sky, but the hill offered front row seats to watch it move across the sky with Luna's help.

"You wanna go watch the moon and talk AJ?" I offered, "maybe split a beer while we're at it?" I added. The orange mare's eyes darted over to where my hand was pointing at the hill. She squinted her eyes to get a better view before a smile appeared on her muzzle.

"That sounds great Cougar," she replied and wrapped one of her forelegs around my waist, "Ah've got a cooler full 'o cider near the apple bobbin' game. 'N don't worry, we got a lock on the cooler," she eased my worry that colts and fillies would get into it. "Ah'll meet ya there how 'bout?" She asked. I nodded in compliance and hoisted my bag of candy onto her back which she offered to carry and set off for the small hill on the outskirts of town.

"I'll be waiting for you AJ," I called back as she was still trotting away. I sighed as I walked along an old dirt path that lead me up to the hill, kicking a few rocks out of the way while the silvery light of the moon lighted the way. "For me to tell you I love you," I added as I sat down with my arms folded across my knees and my back leaned against the trunk of the tree. A soft glow radiated from my body as my Freddy Krueger disguise vanished without a trace. I looked up to see Luna waving at me from a cloud and winking at me. I waved back to the alicorn before she floated back to the festival, just as the sound of a pop top broke into the silence of the night and Applejack sat down next to me.

End Chapter 29.

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I hope you guys enjoyed Nightmare Night. And thank you to everyone that voted to have Cougar go as Freddy Krueger for Nightmare Night. Join us next time for, drumroll please, COUGAR'S 24th BIRTHDAY!

For the fans wanting to see the confession. It's only two chapters away, and I promise you that it will be the best damn chapter of the story!