#27

When I woke up, it wasn't like I had expected, both of them were quite strangely absent-minded about what had happened last night. I let slide as an attempt to get rid of the embarrassment, a good theory since I did the exact same. Now, I slouched on the couch, staring at the sword on the opposite side of the room, as I argued with myself about what the future holds. I had no need for it right now but I truly never knew what the future holds in store.

"What to do?" I whispered to myself as I slouched over to my other side and continued eyeing the sword. My mind was either leaning towards finding something to do or show off something new, I loved to show off but I had so many things I could do that I couldn't decide.

"Maybe some magic tricks? Nah…"

"How about a race!?"

"Oh shit!" I thought as I jumped to my side to see Dash giggling a bit at my slight jump. I chuckled along as I shook away the creeps I felt, she gave me a grin as she firmly smacked her hoof on my arm. For once I actually thought I'd end up bruised, she hit me really hard.

"What's this race you speak of?" I asked as I rubbed my arm to rid the slight pain, her ears pointed straight up as I smiled back at her. Her grin turned to a nervous smile as she scratched the back of her head, she lied to me about this race that actually intrigued me, how sad.

"Well, it's not today but in a few weeks!" She replied trying to lighten me up with an overexcited tone, it worked. I smiled a bit wider before leaning forward and looking at the floor, it was weeks away so I still needed something to do. I stroked my hand down my chin as I thought about it, I could actually feel a bit of my beard coming back after the last shave which was last week when I lived alone in an empty home.

"Sounds like fun, but I still need something to do today,"

"Right…but what?"

We both pondered it for a few seconds before Dash lit up with an idea, she flew up and aimed her hoof at me in excitement. I stared curiously at her as Flutters trotted into the room, I noticed but my full attention was on Dash.

"How about Guitar! Applejack told me you could play that!" She excitedly claimed, I lit up with excitement as well, I had forgotten about that, "You're right! I need one!" I agreed with a finger aimed at her.

"You can play guitar?"

I quickly turned to Flutters, she had this calm smile over her cute little face as she aimed a hoof at me as well. I nodded with a smile before looking to my sword and picking up the bag of bits off it, just the bag. I tied the bag down to my side and left the sword there, I had no need for it but Dash and Flutters thought differently.

"Are you gonna leave the sword?" Dash asked as she flew down to the floor and stared curiously at it, I looked at her and at the sword before nodding again, "Yeah, I don't think I'll need it for today."

"Fine," She replied giving me the "suit yourself" tone, I ignored I made 180 for the door. I managed to place my hand on the knob before being pulled back by Dash's hoof, I let her hoof spin me around. I stared curiously at them as they seemed to worry about something, probably a secret due to the blushes they had.

"You won't tell no pony, right?" Dash asked before Flutters nodded in agreement. I obviously wouldn't say a thing, I wasn't that type of person but they didn't know that. I smiled reassuringly, "Of course I won't unless Y'all tell me otherwise."

They sighed in relief as they gave faint giggles, "Thanks"

"Don't mention it,"

I turned to the door again and revealed the bright glare of the world beyond the door. I had to shield my eyes for a few seconds before taking my first step out the home, it felt great to feel the nice climate, not hot or cold, just perfect. Easily noticeable, it was strangely noisy in the direction towards the town but I refused to pay attention to it as both ponies came out a bit uneasy. I would've been uneasy too but I was good at dealing with stress, that is specific stress.

"Come on! I'm gonna show ya something with that guitar once I get it!" I motivated, they took the motivation but didn't rid their insecurity. I smiled as I turned away and began in the direction of the center of noise, they followed but with their heads hanging low.

The trip to town was uneventful and silent, which was expected after what was going on with the two behind me. The town was a bit aggressive now that I was close, from the way they spoke to the way they scoffed when I greeted them. Something was wrong, very wrong, either I did something to anger them or they turned rebellious against me because I had accumulated a crowd of three ponies in front of me, each cursing at me for a strange reason.

"What?" I asked out of the blue, I had no clue how to respond to the insults I was getting or why I was getting them. Dash and Flutters emerged from my sides and asked the same as I did, that wasn't the best move, they gasped when they saw them come from behind me.

"Flutter Shy? Dash? What are you doing with this monster?!" One of them asked loudly, I wasn't offended maybe they weren't familiar with me or something. I observed as Dash and Flutters took the question offensively and defended me.

"What do you mean monster? He isn't that!" Dash defended while Flutters, surprisingly, added on, "He's our friend, he hasn't done anything wrong."

They retracted a step back but firmly returned with something towards me, "Then why did he make Twilight cry!?"

"Yeah?!" the ponies by her side added.

I gave them all a glimpse of my confusion as I lowered my hand to stop the ponies from behind me from speaking, they took a step back. All three of ponies in front of me retracted a whole step and stared at me with worry as I looked down at them seriously. I would've walked by them before they mentioned Twilight but now that it was on the table, I wanted to know.

"What happened?" I briefly asked making sure that I got my point across, they seemed to back off a bit but that didn't stop them from continuing.

"You should know!"

"But I don't," I continued, answering only briefly, with good reason, they seemed to calm down. They exchanged a looked amongst their group before they all glanced up at me.

"You are friends with Chrysalis, we saw you, everypony did," They responded in unison, I looked up and around at the town of ponies, they all stared at me a bit too strongly. I had a basic idea of what was going on but to explain it was a problem. In my mind, only one name circled or letter: "K"

"I think I understand part of it, but who's Chrysalis?" I asked hoping to get insight, they frowned at me as they became annoyed by my questions.

"Chrysalis is a monster! Simple!" Another responded, I lifted an eyebrow, for such a pretty name it had such a bad description. I crossed my arms and smirked at their response, I knew that whoever it was probably wasn't that bad, no one is really a monster until I see them with my own eyes and label them "monster".

"Don't attack me for this, but this "Chrysalis" honestly doesn't sound like a monster," I answered back, they quickly returned with a hoof out at me, "THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID TO HER!"

"Okay listen, that wasn't me but someone that looks like me," I responded back hoping to get them to back off me. Both Flutters and Dash came from behind me and added on to my point.

"Yeah, His name is K!"

"And they're almost identical!"

All three of the ponies took another step back before smiling nervously at me, they believed me now.

"Ohhhh! We…er…sorry about that!" They all responded in unison as they began trying to leave but I halted them quickly. They froze and turned a bit fearful, I would've let them go but I really needed to know what they meant by Twilight crying and this "Chrysalis" character.

"Ye-yes?"

"You mentioned Twilight was crying, why?"

They paused for a moment to think about it before aiming a concerned hoof at me, "K, was it? wanted to go after Chrysalis but Twilight didn't let him, now that I think about it, Twilight was a bit too harsh about it."

"Ah, so Twilight must have felt bad about it! That's one answer, now the next one, who's Chrysalis?" I asked they exchanged a look among themselves making me add another word to my question, "Seriously…"

"Well, we don't know much, but we know that she's Queen Chrysalis-"

"Of the Changelings!" Flutters responded from my left before Dash added from my right, "She's not cool at all!"

I thought about it for a few seconds but only to remember the details I had heard: they were going to come up later, I know it would. For now, I let it slide, I needed to get to my main objective for today not to say I still wanted to get to it.

"I guess that answers another question, but I still got one more."

"Yes?" they asked curiously, I raised my hands to my chest to emulate a guitar and strung an invisible string.

"Where can I buy a guitar?"

This place wasn't as I expected but it had instruments all over so I knew I was in the right place. I greeted the bored clerk that leaned over the cashier counter with her hoof pressed her cheek, I didn't get anything but a weak wave.

"She's pretty bored," I mentioned as I spun in circles looking at all the instruments that hanged and spread across the floor evenly.

"Can you blame me, I haven't had a customer since last week!" She responded back to me as she laid her head on the counter and sighed sadly. I chuckled a bit as I looked down to the sets of drums that bombarded a corner.

"Well, ya got one now!" Dash happily exclaimed.

"I do…I DO!" She cheered as she jumped from the back of the cashier and landed face first onto the floor before quickly rolling right side up. I would've asked if she was fine if it weren't for how quickly she began introducing the store and showing me the wide variety of instruments.

"What would you be looking for?!" She asked finally taking a breath of air, she was worrying me a bit with her color going from gray to blue. I gave a small 360 before aiming my finger at the line of guitars on stands.

"I need a guitar!"

"A guitar?!" She asked, outraged by my selection. I lowered my hands and crossed them across my chest as I frowned slightly.

"Yeah, what is wrong with it?"

"It doesn't have a harmonious tone or any musical sense for that matter!" She exclaimed as she shook her head in disproval and continued on with a rant. I felt offended, she must have lost her mind or she's never heard a guitar go at full potential before, because for me a guitar tops all instruments. If there was anything that might give the guitar competition it would be the piano. For every insult she threw at the wooden instrument, the joy of proving her wrong surged through me. She wouldn't be saying that for long.

"And then it-"

"What if I show you?" I offered, she glared up at me with suspicious looking eyes as I grinned with positivity. She shook her head and chuckled as if I was going to lose a bet, she triggered my inner challenger. There was no backing away from this, I was going to give her a run for her Bits and I will make her suffer for the insults.

"Do you have any idea how silly you sound?" She smirked as she looked off the corner of her eyes to a huge cello. I glanced over at it before nodding and turning to chuckling to myself, I like it when my challenger actually challenges me.

"Silly? We'll see who's the silly one when I make you cower before my skills," I countered making her giggle to herself a bit before shaking her head and walk over to the guitar section. I followed her as Dash and Flutters kept quiet behind me, they both seemed to bite their hooves in worry as they followed.

"Fine then, we shall see, where would you like to show me your superiority?" She giggled as she passed a few guitars and looked at them with disgust. I couldn't pay any attention to what she was saying since my mind was lost within one damn question.

"Why do all these guitars have two strings?!"

Both Dash and Flutters came from behind me and to my rival's side as they all stared at me confused. I aimed a finger at the guitars as I indicated the strings again, they glanced at it and back at me.

"What do you mean? That's how they are!" Dash added making me gasp in shock as I ran my hands through my hair in disbelief, they couldn't be serious!

"Yeah," The Flutter added making me want to rip out a good handful of hair off my scalp, thankfully I'm not that crazy. I sighed deeply as I lowered my hands and turned to the clerk, she studied me with a cocked eyebrow as I began using my fingers to count the materials I would need.

"No worries, do you sell any strings separately?" I asked quickly, she glared up at me with a nod as she trotted off to behind the cashier counter and with her mouth placed a select number of rolled up strings on the table. I walked over and studied all four rolls she placed on the table as she began explaining each one.

"These are guitar strings (two strings per roll), those are lyre strings (seven strings per roll), here are cello strings (four strings per roll), and these are harp strings (forty-seven strings per roll)," She explained, I didn't even have to think twice about it, the harp strings where the only ones long enough and the right thickness.

"I'll take these!"

"Very well, forty bits!"

"There, and one more thing, do you also sell the tuners for the guitar?" I asked as I handed her the bits she asked for. She took the bits and disappeared under her counter only to appear with the tuners I asked for, she placed a pack of two on the table.

"Nice, I'll take six of them," (twelve tuners in total)

"Alright, thirty-five bits!"

She got her bits and she gave a smile before letting them fall into the cashier machine. I smiled as I had all the pieces I need all I needed was a guitar shell for my size, and I knew exactly where to get one. I turned back to her, she reorganized the collar around her neck as I grinned down at her.

"Where would you like to have a musical showdown!?" I asked as I clenched in my hands the materials, she giggled as she turned away to a poster on the wall. I looked up at the poster, it read in big fancy cursive, "A Canterlot musical performance from the best talents in Equestria, anypony allowed to join in! Major News: Special performance from Octavia!"

I felt something rush through my veins, either adrenaline or fear, maybe both. I stared at the poster with a grin as I clutched the materials in my hands tighter. Both Dash and Flutters gave me worried looks as they flew came up my sides and gave me a slight tap.

"Ben…you can't be serious!" Dash exclaimed from my right as Flutters agreed with worry from my left. I chuckled as I nodded my head, she looked at the poster before winking at me playfully. I had all the motivation I needed: The fear and adrenaline.

"You know what, I'll even beat this Octavia pony too, I'll show off my true potential on the guitar!"

"But she's right in front of YOU!" Dash yelled aiming a hoof at the rival pony who had placed herself by the huge cello and picked up a bow. I quickly turned to her, she gave me another playful wink as rubbed a hoof on the cello's wooden side. I widened my eyes in excitement as I realized my rival was this "Octavia" pony.

"SWEET! I'LL GIVE YOU A RUN FOR YOUR BITS, CANTERLOT BETTER PREPARE ITSELF FOR A TRUE SPECTICAL!" I exclaimed in all my excitement as I quickly went for the door and placed my hand on the handle before stopping myself and turning around. All the ponies stared at me wide-eyed as I scratched the back of head awkwardly.

"When is this thing gonna happen?"

Octavia gave me a curious look as she trotted up to the poster and gave a glimpse at it, "Past tomorrow, in the afternoon," she responded cautiously.

"Thanks! Come on Dash and Flutters! We gotta ask Applejack for a tree!" I yelled as I flung the door open and stared into the town of ponies. I paused for a moment, in the background I could hear them speaking amongst themselves.

"Your friend is something special, but can he play as beautify as he looks?" Octavia asked making me chuckle a bit before turning around to her. I liked the compliment and I couldn't leave with that without responding her.

"I would ask the same of you," I complimented back making her blush and turn her body to face the poster on the wall. She giggled a bit before turing her head to me and replying, "Of course, I can!"

"I like challengers like you, maybe we'll meet again off the stage, see ya!"

I waved as I left the door open so the Flutter and Dash could follow, they closed the door behind them but not before a word slipped through the door.

"Maybe…"

I smiled softly as I turned to the town to see they all gave me more friendly looks than before as the group of ponies that halted me before waved at me joyfully. I waved back with a smile as I began walking in the direction the led to Applejack's place, the two ponies behind me followed as I made my way past a few homes before stopping at the hooves of a group of three ponies. I looked at three ponies that had pretty stern looks over their faces.

"Hey Vinyl, Lyra, and Bonbon! Hows it going?" I asked, they didn't respond but instead gave a mean stare at the two ponies by my side. I looked down at my side and back at them as I gave a weak effort in laughter, "Is something wrong?"

"You tell me," Vinyl responded making me slightly ponder the strange approach from her before placing my hands down. Flutters took a step behind me and hid while Dash stood by my side with a worried look on her.

"What are talking about?" Dash asked with a weak laugher to cover up for her worry, all three gave each other a slight glance before turning to Dash with suspicious eyes. Dash gave a weak chuckle as she slightly hid from them like Flutters, behind me.

"But aren't you the one who spent last night with Ben at Flutter Shy's?" Bonbon pressed Dash making her blush uncontrollably as she quickly hid from them. I stared at them seriously as I studied Bonbon carefully and then Lyra and Vinyl, it was obvious they knew so there was no point in hiding it.

"You stalked us?" I asked seriously, making them quickly turn to me sternly but their looks only lasted until they looked me in the eyes. They quickly turned their looks at the ground as they Bonbon began to speak out in a whisper.

"I observed you…do those things…to them" She began taking pauses at times, making me nod while biting my lower lip. I sighed deeply before turning behind me to see Flutters and Dash staring wide-eyed at each other in disbelief while trembling. It was a bit stressful to see them this way, they tell me to not say a thing but it appears these already know.

"I know, but you should at least be more considerate of how others feel, they're your friends," I explained hoping to at least get them to feel some way. They looked at each other again before looking up at me with the strange wavy smiles from some time ago, it's been a while since I've seen those.

"You're right, it's just…weird when a friend gets something you want," Lyra answered letting out some sadness before getting two hooves over her mouth. I didn't know why they covered her mouth since they all felt the same way, yet Lyra had the courage to say it.

"I know Lyra, I know," I said, looking at her as they all turned to me before looking down at the floor a bit depressed. They let Lyra speak again, even though she already said all she needed to, Vinyl and Bonbon softly giggled as they turned to me.

"I guess she's right, we shouldn't let jealously strive us," Bonbon remarked as she looked to Vinyl, Vinyl lowered her shades down with a smile. Both dash and Flutters reappeared from behind me with thankful smiles but still remained shy.

"Agreed!" Vinyl exclaimed.

"Cool! I like that attitude! Now we can go build my guitar!" I exclaimed as I held out the items in my hands to show them, they glanced at the items before scratching their heads.

"Why not just buy one," Lyra asked me, making me recall the ones from the store and how I couldn't accept such a thing.

"NEVER! I don't need a two-stringed guitar, I need a six-stringed!"

"SIX-STRINGED?!" They all exclaimed even Dash and Flutters joined in. Whenever they yelled it was like a tide of air pushing against me, I quickly shook away the ringing in my ears and nodded.

"Yeah!"

"HOW DO YOU EVEN PLAY THAT!?" Lyra asked me as she out of nowhere took out an instrument that resembled the same one on her flank, "I can play this, but a guitar with six strings is like playing two lyres at the same time!"

"Yeah, but I have fingers! Look!" I explained as I wiggled my fingers in their faces before it hit me: maybe that was why those guitars in the store where two-stringed, for their hooves. They all gasped as they realized how crazy it was, they didn't seem to have noticed till now that I had fingers.

"WOW! How did we not see that!?" Vinyl asked as she lifted her shades to study my hand, they all stared at my hand as Lyra used her magic to manipulate my fingers.

"I know, they were right there all along!" Lyra added on with Bonbon continuing for her, "Is it like having five hooves on your hand?"

"I wouldn't really know, but I do know they will guide me to the victory!" I stated retracting my hand, they obviously had no idea what I just said, except for the two that knew.

"Victory?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get into that Canterlot music thing!"

They didn't react like I imagined it in my mind, they laughed flanks off as they refuse to believe the nonsense they heard. Dash and Flutters frowned at them as I smiled with their laughter, no pony would ever know how talented I am until I show it off.

"Alright then, be there past tomorrow and I show you what I got!"

"DON'T PLAY LIKE THAT!" Vinyl sternly replied as she slowly came to the fact that I really was going to enter.

"I'm not!"

"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Bonbon then added with the same attitude as Vinyl.

"I'M NOT!"

"CAN YOU EVEN SING?" Lyra asked next like the past two, I sighed deeply and tightened my hands into fists.

"You know what! I'll show you what I can do!" I offered as I quickly ran past them before turning and waving at them to follow.

"COME ON! WE NEED TO GO TO APPLEJACK'S!"

As Applejack wondered about her trees and studied them to make sure they were fine for bucking, she quickly came to a stop as she turned to look at K who had in his hands two guitar shells and a new wooden sword. He smoothed out the splintery edges of the guitar shells with some magic he used before he finally came to a stop when Applejack's shadow crept in front of him.

"Hey AJ!" He calmly greeted as he flipped one guitar over and ran his hand along the edge. Applejack's eye twitched as she gritted her teeth and grunted in frustration.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?"

"No, why do you ask?" K calmly asked back as placed the guitar shell in his hand down and began with the other guitar shell.

"WHY!? YOU JUST CUT DOWN MORE OF OUR TREES! AND HOW DID YOU CUT THEM DOWN SO QUICKLY!?" Applejack argued as she looked at the two tree trunks that remained, she had checked on them a few minutes ago and now K had cut them down and had two guitar shells and a sword.

"Oh…never mind that, it will go to good use!"

"WHAT USE!?"

K aimed his hand at the guitar shells by his side and smiled as he gave each on a slight knock.

"TA-DA! Two guitars…almost, just waiting for Ben to come with the stuff!"

"WHY NOT JUST BUY ONE!?" She asked outraged by his reasoning, K quickly leaned away before shoving his pinkie into his ear to numb the ringing in his ear.

"Geez stop yelling, you're a foot away from me! Obviously, the ones at the store wouldn't suffice with just two strings…so I plan to help Ben make one, and out of it I got my sword back and my own guitar!" He explained, Applejack closed her eyes as she clenched her teeth once more and shook away her anger.

"Darn! I guess if it's for Ben, then I can deal with it but don't ya ever go and do that again! Ya understand!?" She asked reassuring K wouldn't continue on his tree murdering spree, K shook his head and looked at the tree stump.

"Nope, but I'm sure Ben will make up for it!"

Applejack paused for a moment before glaring at K's cliché grin as he looked back at her, "How?"

K chuckled as she reached his hand out for her hat and gave it a flick up with his thumb, "He'll let you rodeo him from dusk till dawn!" K was no good in keeping these types of secrets especially when they involve ponies.

"Wha-WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?" Applejack quickly asked jumping a bit from the response, she had a small red blush growing as she stared at K demanding answers.

"Ask Dash and Flutter Shy, they know what it means…" K responded tersely as he sighed deeply with a bit of disappointment following. Applejack quickly coughed out the little laugher she could before whimpering a bit.

"What…you…You can't be serious!"

"Shit, I wish I could say the same! I still haven't even gotten a blowjob, let alone some tongue!" K countered feeling disappointed with his own unachieved goals. Applejack quickly tackled K to the ground and pinned him down on his chest, leaving K staring back at her curiously.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

K stared at her as she continued saying the something over and over again before placing his hand on her chest and pushing her slightly, "Woah, calm down! I might look like him but shit I'm trying to get Chrysalis first!"

"HOW COULD BEN DO THAT!?" She asked pinning K down again and forcing K's hand to retract cautiously. K shook his head and shook a finger up at her.

"You have to understand that it isn't easy being surrounded by cute little ponies, especially when you're the only guy around!"

Applejack seemed to understand as she nodded but she couldn't get over the fact that her friends got the prize she wanted, "But, but, but, I thought…we had something,"

"Who said you didn't, Listen! It's like having to choose one friend to save and the rest will die, who do you choose!?" K helped, to see if she could understand how Ben saw the scenario. She understood that too but like before she couldn't accept her friends getting what she wanted.

"FINE! I get it! But…couldn't I have been…ya know…the first,"

K chuckled a bit before aiming a finger up to her, "Oh, about that, he still hasn't given that away!" In an instant Applejack gave a huge jump that probably defied physics and landed back on K's chest making him gasp out for air.

"Really!?"

"Yeah…Flutters and Ben made sure to save that for a special someone!" K breathed out with thin air before taking in a great amount of air.

"DO YOU THINK IT'S ME!?" She asked placing a hoof firmly on K's chest and smiling widely as she now had her spirits lifted.

"Shit don't ask me! I'm trying to get some Changeling pussy, you go get Ben's dick!"

"I would've whacked ya head for that, but I'm going to pretend ya didn't say a thing!"

K paused for a moment before smiling like he'd lost his mind as he grabbed Applejack's hoof and neared his forehead. He lifted the hoof a few inches from his head and faintly laughed out in fake laughter.

"I SHOULD KNOCK MYSELF OUT FOR REVEALING MY PLANS, ASK BEN FOR A GOOD-!"

Pop*

"WHA-NO! WAKE UP YA CRAZY IDIOT!"