“King?”

“King.” She echoes.

I narrow my eyes. “And why in Hell would I agree to join you?”

This surprises her. “Wh- what?”

“I don’t know how I got here, but obviously you had something to do with it.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play games with me, I’m not some stupid pony. I was captured and taken here, trapped, then attacked.”

“But my changelings-”

“Are brainless. You said so yourself. Look at them down there. They won’t do a single bloody thing until you tell them to. I was captured and assaulted by your wishes!”

“I-”

“No, shut up! Don’t you try your silver tongue bullshit with me. I realize you’re desperate for help, and you have my pity, but if this is how you plan on enlisting me? Then you can starve for all I care!”

She’s... crying. Wow. “P- please. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? We need help. I’m so sorry for what I did, but with the way we look, we couldn’t approach you in public. I had them attack because I... I was scared. I didn’t know what you were capable of. I didn’t want you to-”

“Fine. I’ll think about it.”

“Y- you will?”

“Send me back to Ponyville and I’ll consider it.”

“Oh thank you, even the prospect of help for us makes me so much more hopeful. You are a good person.” She casts her spell and teleports me back, but not before I correct her. “No. I’m not.”

I’m in front of the Town Hall and immediately approached by Rainbow Dash. “There you are!”

“Uh, hi Dash. What’s up?”

“You think I forgot about our wager? You weaseled out on it!”

“No, I just kept getting, er, distracted.”

“Excuses excuses.”

“Yep, now if you don’t mind there’s something I need to do, uh, somewhere else. Bye!” I run off as fast as I can, frustrating Rainbow Dash into chasing me. Crap. I continue my running until I come up on a dead end in an alley.

“End of the line, Anthony, time to pay up.”

I let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, I... I... what’s that!?” I yell out pointing at the sky behind Rainbow Dash. She whirls around and sees nothing. I take my chance to Spark up and run through the wall to the other end of the alley.

“Anthony!!!”

That was close. I decide to lay low for a bit, and I end up in the market stall lane again. This time, I’m allowed to get within two feet of a stall before they are suddenly closed. I walk up to the Apple Family stall and say hi.

“Howdy Anthony, haven’t seen ya ‘round here much.”

“Yeah, a lot has been happening lately. So how’ve you been?”

“Business is great, and so far, there’ve been no troubles at all!”

“That’s great, AJ.”

“Hey Anthony!”

I look down and see Applebloom again. “Heya kid, how’ve you been?”

She looks like a lightbulb went off in her had. “Ahm great, ‘cause I jus’ got an idea!”

“And what’s that?”

“I can take yah t’ meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“The what?”

“Me an’ my friends formed a club dedicated to finding our Cutie Marks! Ah want you ta meet ‘em!”

“That sounds great, if Applejack can take care of the stall by herself.”

Applejack just grins. “Aw, I do it all th’ time, you run off and have some fun.”

“Thanks sis, seeya later!”

Applebloom takes me to Sweet Apple Acres and through a bunch of foliage. Then I see a cool little treehouse.

“Here we are! The CMC Clubhouse!”

“It looks great ‘Bloom, but I don’t think I’ll fit inside.”

“Oh... yeah... uh, hold on!”

She rushes into the clubhouse and after a few moments, out comes Applebloom, and two big piles of karma. Shit. Next Chapter: Chapter 24 Estimated time remaining: 31 Hours, 53 Minutes