I walked back into the castle entry. The servants parted before me as I stormed through towards the odd mare out. A cart full of cloth behind her told me everything. "Hey, whitey-" I whistled sharply, "-up here!"

The mare looked around to me, sporting an outragously swirly haircut. "Oh! Oh my, so that's what you look like." She smiled and nodded. "A pleasure I suppose--"

"Hi, what the fuck?" I kept my hello pleasant, but immediately switched to an annoyed tone with the rest. I walked up to the cart and rummaged through it until I found my uniform. The old dirty white coat and pants were bleached pure and clean. "I mean you can't-- Oh...." I held the coat up, finding my black undershirt sitting dark and redyed within. "...Alright." I tossed my actual uniform over my shoulder and pulled my underwear on. I got suited up and straightened it out. "You don't have--" The way the sleeve sat against my wrist felt tighter, the bulletholes, burns, slashes, and other assorted tears were either patched or stitched together. "I don't-- Fuck it."

The mare lifted a hoof over her face. "I'm sorry?"

I took a deep breath and looked to the cartful of clothes. "I don't need all this.... You fixed this, so thanks, but it shouldn't have taken you that long." I grabbed a bundle of black and held it out to her, bunched up in my hands. "You do know why I wear white, right?!"

The mare cleared her throat. "I don't. Assumptions were made of nobility and higher standing."

I stared at her, then took a quick look at the black outfit. "You're wrong...." I unfolded it and looked it over. It was an exact copy of my CPI coat, even sporting a woodpecker patch on the shoulder. I looked back to the mare. "It's camouflage. I worked in the snow, and it's really important not to be seen. I'm not going to go out wearing black to--"

The mare nodded. "Well are you working now? Because from what I've heard you've simply been a guest." She brushed her coat and stepped lightly against the floor. "And I'm sorry about your original, it was far beyond repair." She tugged the white clothes now covering my body. "I took the pattern, cut it to the same measurements and built this one from scratch. I tried to match the weight--

I looked down over myself. I honestly couldn't even tell. The patch was exactly the same, the weight was heavier if anything, but the material was soft on the inside, and it held in the warmth far better than my tattered jacket. "No, it's good...." I rubbed the sleeves. "I still think you--"

"Well I'm glad you think so, Mr. Able." She smiled at me. "Word was that you were quite the ruffian."

I took a deep breath. "God damn you...." I tossed the black coat onto the cart. "I come in here, ready to explode at someone and smack a bitch, then you come in here like, oh good morning, I made you a sweater!"

"I did actually." She turned to the cart and started levitating a few things out. "They're all very similar, I just changed the materials, used a few patterns from the diamond dog torsos and tried to keep towards your original's pattern." She smiled wide and pulled a pale blue set of fatigues out and held them for me. "I feel like the sapphires might be a bit gaudy considering how austere your first was, but I felt it added some pop."

I rubbed my forehead. "Alright...look, I'm gonna start yelling and shit, don't take it personally. Normally I would want you to take it personally but-- But...buaaaaah...." I watched in awe as a little purple lizard started walking out from one of the halls. "Buaghhhh."

The mare cocked her head. "What? I don't understand."

I didn't know what the fuck it was, I didn't know why it was here, but I wanted it to die. "Get that fucking thing away from me." I clutched my bicep. "I'm gonna kill that fucking thing if it walks towards me!"

The mare turned her head. "I don't-- Spike?" She whirled her head around towards me. "You won't touch a scale!"

The little lizard was frozen in place with one foot stuck out. It made my skin crawl. "I'm serious...if you can understand me, back up right now little shitbird." I shifted in place, giving my legs a good stretch as the thing silently backpedaled towards a maid. I nodded slowly. "Get the fuck out of here...."

The mare stepped over between me and the lizard. "Excuse me!" She flipped her mane back. "It's very rude of you to--"

I snorted at her. "I don't do lizards. I just don't, so fuck off." I felt the rage build up once again. "Don't defend that thing, just get and keep it away from me!"

The mare shook her head. "You know, you were actually slightly tolerable for the first few minutes--"

I held my arms out. "Oh, you want the anger!? I'll fucking show you the anger!" I pointed at her while I walked around to the cart. "You could have prevented this, you could have just got a bunch of nice words and left, but no...." I snapped my head around, finding the little lizard hiding behind a pillar. "I'll fucking skin you and make a pair of boots you fuck-bird-lizard-anus!" I grunted at the thing and stepped towards it. I had no idea why I hated it so much, but something about the colors, the bipedal movement, and the scales was really pissing me off. "Don't look at me you little fuck!" I pointed at him. "I can still fucking see you! I will throw you through a window if you don't leave!"

The mare stormed over, her hooves barely making noise as she stomped. "Really? Must you pick on a child to make yourself feel better?!" She pouted and puffed her chest out. "Pick on somepony your own size!"

I slowly turned to look down at the skinny mare. She wasn't the shortest, but compared to me she was a stick figure. "Are you serious?"

The mare stomped her hoof. "I won't have you bullying--"

"It's not really bullying, I just don't like that thing!" I looked back to where it was. "Oh Jesus...I don't like not knowing where that thing is." I shivered hard. "I need a perimeter."

The mare rolled her eyes. "Oh I'm sure he'll hurt someone your size. Gnaw on your ankle--"

I turned to the cart. "Alright...well, since you seem so eager to take a bullet for that thing." I looked into the cart and pulled out the black uniform. "This...okay, I'll probably wear this." It lacked a hood, and generally felt like a dressier version of my old outfit. "This-" I pulled out a bright blue suit with rhinestone studs buried in the lapels. "What the fuck even is this?" I looked it over, it was covered in glitter and jewels. "Who the fuck would wear something like this?"

"Ah!"

"Fucking blind a flock of seagulls with something like this." I tossed it to the floor and grabbed the next one. "Holy shit, it's getting worse." White variant with golden trim and a few silver buttons. "Hello sailor, how's the seamen taste?" I tossed it away. "What the fuck is this?" I reached in and grabbed a vest, still based off my uniform. It had two giant emeralds imbedded in either side of the front, and a long line of gems up and down the zipper. "Who would wear stones!? That sounds, and looks, like one of the least comfortable things you could do!"

The mare lifted a hoof up and let out a sharp gasp. "How dare you! I worked very--"

"I know! I can tell you worked hard." I looked at a bright pink set of pants. "It takes hard work to fuck something up this bad! I mean damn, I set off a nuke, but hell if you didn't do more damage!" I tossed it into the air and held my arms out. "Remember...you could have avoided this!"

The mare just stood there, frozen, hoof raised, mouth open, eyes watery. "I--I--I--"

"You?" I lowered my arms and adjusted the black cloth on my shoulder. "Are a lizard ally? Are a gaudy prissy little shitebasket? Are--you're crying...."

The mare rubbed her eyes and stepped back. "Unbelievable!" She turned away and walked towards the castle doors. "I try to do something nice and this is how I'm treated!?"

I held my arms out. "I told you, don't defend the lizard!" I turned to look at one of the maids. "Did I not tell her?!" The maid looked over and slowly backed out until she slipped into another room. A few others joined in, hiding or escaping the soon to be warzone. "Oh you fucking cowards."

The mare spun around, black streaks running down from her eyes. "I spent hours making these for you! And you just--"

I held my hands up. "Why!?"

The mare sat on her haunches and waved her hooves around like a crazy person. "I was trying to be nice!"

"Why!?" I held my arms out towards her. "I've worn this same outfit for a solid year! I've got three of these exact same uniforms in my locker back home! I lived in a warzone! Fashion is for the whores or the officers! I am neither!"

"Stop yelling at me!" The mare stomped her hooves. "How was I supposed to know?"

"You stop yelling!"

"I'm not yelling!" The mare's horn lit up. The cart flipped sideways as the mare stood. "This is me yelling! Do you like it when I yell!"

"I don't fucking mind! Everyone else probably fucking does!" I walked up to her and stood off with her. I took a deep breath and hopped in place, trying to get rid of some of the tension. "Look...thanks for the fix, but fuck your lizard friend."

The mare stared up at me, eyes watering. "That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

"Yeah." I walked around behind her cart and picked it up. I tossed the flashy clothes into the back and fixed the standing bit. "Ask anyone else here, I don't say nice things often." I walked back to her and stuffed my hands in my pockets. I took a deep breath and looked around. "Did you get paid to do this?"

The mare huffed and rubbed her eyes. "No. Celestia asked me for a favor, and I thought I'd be nice and do more."

I felt my lips tug against my cheek. "Hmm." I turned to a vase standing next to a pillar. "Wait here." I hurried over and carefully picked up the vase. I carried it over to the cart and plopped it down amongst the clothes. "I don't have money...."

The mare stepped back and looked at the vase in her cart. She took a deep breath and turned to me. "You don't interact with many ponies...do you?"

"Like, three?" I tried to count the ponies I knew by name. "Celestia...Luna....Uh, Celestia." I scratched my head. "Not even three."

The mare took a deep breath and planted her hooves. "You, are a savage." She flicked her mane back. She let out a sharp huff and blinked a few times. "Get out, talk to ponies, and stop being such an absolute animal." She levitated the vase out and set it on the ground. "...Apology, mildly accepted."

I pointed to the vase. "That wasn't an apology--"

The mare hooked herself to the cart. "It was an attempt."

I lifted my finger. "That's-- Ehrup...." I slapped the back of my neck and watched the mare roll along towards the castle doors. "Do you like...want help with that or something?"

The mare shook her head and walked over. "No."

"But--"

"I said no." She stomped her hoof. "Spike, we're leaving."

The little lizard popped out from behind a pillar and ran past me. I stepped away as his dirty little lizard feet slapped lewdly against the ground. "Disgusting."

The little lizard hopped into the cart and the mare saw herself out. I just stood there, with fixed clothes and a new black copy of my old one.

Deep in the pit of my stomach, in the depths of my heart, I felt a weight. However slight, it was there, and now it was refusing to move. "Holy shit...first time I've felt guilty in a long ass time." I scratched the back of my neck and looked around. "Well shit."

The castle door popped open a few seconds after the mare left. "Able? What happened?" Celestia hurried over and looked me up and down. "Did Rarity arrive?"

I sighed softly. "There was a lizard...I might have been an asshole about it." I scratched my arm. "Still, fuck that god damn thing."

Celestia cocked her head. "Lizard?"

I breathed slowly in. "Celestia?"

She turned to me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a prick." I grunted and shook my arms out.

Celestia looked down at me. "You were mean?"

"I made her cry...."

Celestia swung her head around to look at the door. "Oh dear...."

I sighed loudly. "God damn it." I rubbed my face. "Being nice is fucking hard."

Celestia looked back to me. "You could ask for help--"

"Oh fuck that!" I scoffed and crossed my arms. "I'm not that socially crippled."

A maid coughed loudly. "Yes you are!"

I just stood there. Celestia walked around me once and looked me in the eyes. "No rebuttal?"

I groaned softly and slumped forward. "No...."

Celestia looked towards the door deeper into the castle. "Do you want help?"

I shook my head. "I wanna go home. War is less work than being nice damn it."

Celestia patted my head with a wing. "Why not work on both?"

"I dunno."

Celestia looked me over. "She did a good job."

"Yep."

She tapped her hoof against my boots. "Polished them--"

"Yep."

Celestia cleared her throat. "Something like that black, would be good for a social gathering--"

"I feel terrible enough! Stop it!" I held my arms out. "Seriously! I get it!"

A few maids went to try and fix the vase situation. One walked over and stared up at me. "Then stop."

I felt my eye twitch. "It's not that easy, dickhead."

The maid nodded. "Then start." She turned her nose up and walked away.

Celestia walked to my side. "Able, don't."

I felt my frown grow heavy. "I'm not going to...." I took a deep breath and turned to face her. "When's that dinner?"

"A day or so, why?" Celestia looked around. "Planning something?"

I looked at the black outfit on my shoulder. "I don't know. Probably never going to be good at being nice, but that seriously felt like bullying." I scratched my arm. "I'm alright with being a vulgar asshole, but damn...." I pointed to the door. "That shit--"

Celestia swung herself around to stand with me and cupped me in her wing. "Do you want to take a seat? You seem a bit rattled."

I stepped away. "I'm fine." I scratched my arm again, same spot. "I'm gonna go to bed." Next Chapter: A.T.W.M. Estimated time remaining: 38 Minutes