I Am a Stone
by Symphony
Chapters
Awkward
I landed in the middle of some square with a thump. The townsponies turned their heads to me, surprised by the sudden commotion by a pegasus stallion abruptly landing. I dismissed their stares and flicked my hood off my head. A relieving wind stroked through my navy and indigo mane. I shuddered slightly at the sensation and looked around.
I was in the middle of a square, ponies were handling their businesses or talking to their friends. I was here for only one mare. I had been told that she moved to this town, Ponyville. I wasn’t given much information of where she lived these days but I’ll be damned if I don’t find her. All I knew was that she moved here and became a librarian. It fitted her, as she was always so fascinated in books.
I decided to take a stroll through the town to see if I could find anything. Several ponies smiled as I passed them. Even a group of mares whistled as I passed them. I wasn’t here for some cheap tramps, I was here for a delicate flower. I walked towards a stand that was handled by a massive red stallion, I'd might as well ask him if he knew where the library was.
I’m not exactly a lightweight, but this guy was HUGE. He acknowledged me as I came closer.
’‘Excuse me,’’ The red stallion just looked down at me. ’‘but do you know where the library is?’’
’‘Eeyup.’’
’‘...Mind telling me where it is, then?’’ Either this guy is slow or a genius who doesn’t talk much.
The red mountain of a pony raised his left foreleg and pointed at a huge tree. Was the library in that tree? I didn’t think of it much more and thanked him for the help. He just nodded. I trotted towards the tree, but my pace was lessened to a slow walk.
What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she have moved on? What if she gets mad at me? My legs started shaking. Even with me being made of tough stuff I was never good at keeping my emotions in control. I flicked my hood back onto my head.
I don’t know why, but me wearing a hood makes me feel calm in some strange way. It wasn’t a normal thing to see a pony with a hoodie, even stranger to see a pegasus with a hoodie but I loved my grey hoodie. It contrasted nicely with my white coat. I had to have it custom made for it to fit my wings without destroying it entirely. I was finally by the door. I took a few deep breaths before I raised my right hoof to knock. I hesitated at first but I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I knocked.
-----
Twilight Sparkle was rummaging through her books. She was searching for a special edition book that Spike had accidentally placed into the shelves containing all the other books. Twilight didn’t blame him for it, as she hadn’t told her anything about it.
It was a book that she had been given by Princess Celestia herself, it meant a lot for her as it was one of the first books she had been given personally by the princess. She groaned and levitated the books from the now empty shelf back to their places and started with the next shelf in line.
Spike was in the kitchen making lunch to himself and Twilight. Just some ordinary daisy sandwiches, nothing fancy. As he was making his final touches to them, a knock on the door disrupted him from his delicate work. He groaned and walked to the door and opened it. A white pegasus stallion with a messy navy and indigo mane stood there. He had a grey hood on his head.
-----
I stared down at the purple dragon. Last time I saw him he was still learning how to send letters with his breath. I can’t remember his name though. He had an impatient expression, obviously waiting for me to say something.
’’Um... Is Twilight there?’’ I grinned sheepishly, the dragon just stared at me.
’‘Yeah, I’ll get her. Wait a sec.’’ With that, the dragon turned back into the library and called for her. I heard her voice call back to him. My ears twitched and I just wanted to hear more of her voice. I gulped nervously as I heard her walk to the door. That’s when I saw her.
My jaw dropped the instant I laid my eyes on her. Her lavender coat was giving a beautiful shine in the light and her mane... Her mane was amazing. The pink streak emphasized her face, her beautiful face... But the top thing about her was her deep purple eyes. I could stare into them all day and night and never get tired of seeing them. That’s when I realised that I had been standing there and smiling like an idiot for two minutes now. She looked like she was about to run.
I shook my head a couple of times, grasping reality again. I also realised that she’d might not recognise me with me wearing my hood. I gracefully flicked my head back, sending the hood back to rest on my back again. Her eyes widened when she could see my face and not just a grey curtain. I shuffled my hooves nervously.
’’S-Stronghold?’’ She stammered. I just nodded and smiled. ’’Oh my gosh! it is you!’’ She pounced me before I could react. It ended up as an awkward tumble with her landing on my stomach. ’’I haven’t seen you in ages!’’ She squeaked as she stood up from me, blushing a little.
As soon as she blushed, I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and never let go. I decided not to, as it would make this even more awkward than what it already was. ’’...Hi Twilight’’ Suddenly my hooves seemed very interesting.
’‘Come in!’’ She offered and moved away from the doorway. I walked inside in a slow pace, careful not to touch anything. ’‘Can I get you anything?’’
’’No... I came here to... you know... Talk...’’ I must’ve shrunk visibly.
’’Oh?’’ I saw her walk closer to me in the corner of my eye. I tensed up immediately. ’‘What do you want to talk about?’’ Crap. I couldn’t just barge inside and tell her that I love her immediately. I had to play this out.
’‘About you, maybe catch up a little?’’ I grinned sheepishly, my mane covered my right eye but I flicked it away.
Twilight giggled. Her soft giggling made my heart flutter and my eyes widen. Damn, how I love her laughter. ’‘I’d like that.’’ She smiled softly. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Great, another smile that made me look like an idiot.
We spent the next hours talking about what we had done over the six years we spent a part. She talked about her friends, her studies and stopping Nightmare Moon and Discord. Who would have known that such a small pony would pack a punch like that? She asked about what I had been doing. When we first met, I had just begun my training and she was another student at Celestia’s school. I continued my training and finished it. Six years ago, I was stationed in Stalliongrad and had to leave. I had to leave my station because I was unstable to say the least. I broke down in other words.
After a few more hours of talking, not one of us realised that it was late. I excused myself and headed for the door.
’‘Wait!’’ She called for me. I stopped by the door and looked back to her. ’‘You can’t fly back to Canterlot at this hour!’’ Dammit, she was right... I sighed, walked to a corner, laid down and rested my head on my forelegs. She cleared her throat. I raised my head groggily to see what she wanted. She gestured towards the stairs. I gulped and tried to avoid popping a wingy right there. I stood up slowly and trudged up the stairs behind her, trying hard not to focus at her swaying flank in front of my head.
Her room was like another library inside a library. Her bed was on a loft above the room. Another set of stairs. Don’t stare. Don’t stare. Don’t sta-Dammit. When I saw that there was only one bed, I gulped again. She climbed up on the bed and moved the cover. I just stood there and inspected the ceiling.
’‘Well?’’ She asked impatiently.
’‘Wha-wha-wha-what?’’ My ears splayed back as I saw her invitation, I was unsure of what to do.
’’I have only one bed, as my spare bed was destroyed by my friends during a sleep-over. We’re going to have to share.’’ I took a shaky step toward the bed, taking deep breaths as I came closer. I tugged my hoodie off myself and laid it on a desk. I cautiously laid down on the edge of the bed so I wouldn’t disturb her. ’‘You don’t have to be so careful, I’m not asleep yet.’’ She groaned with her back towards me. I scooted a little closer to her, still unsure of how close I should get to her.
After a few minutes, I had made myself comfortable. She had rolled onto her back, snoring softly. That was one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen in my life. I sighed and closed my eyes. This felt right somehow.
Ouch
The morning sun was shining right into my eyes, teasing me to wake up. I defiantly threw my right foreleg over my eyes to block away the irritating sphere. I shifted and rolled onto my side. Twilight was lying on my left a- wait. Twilight, my arm. Holy shit. I moved my right arm and peeked.
She was lying on my arm as a pillow. Her back was only a few inches away from my chest. I could feel my heart trying desperately to pound its way through my chest. I held my breath, afraid to move a muscle. She suddenly stirred awake. I tried desperately to look away from her, so she wouldn’t think that I had been watching her sleeping.
She rolled around and faced me. Her mane was frazzled and unkempt. I liked it. She looked at me with tired eyes and smiled. I just froze. I couldn’t move or do anything but to stare at her. Dammit! Get a grip for Celestia’s sake! I shook my head and she giggled. Damn, another stupid smile...
Twilight stood up on the bed and started walking towards the edge of it. I sat up and cracked a few joints. Instead of jumping off the bed, she took cautious steps. Her flank raised significantly as she stepped down with her forelegs.
Funny thing about being a pegasus; when you get excited, your wings snap open in a rather embarassing fashion. And when you have wings as big as mine, you get thrown out of balance. That’s what happened to me. Damn pegasus anatomy...
With a resounding ’‘pomf’’, my wings snapped open and my balance was thrown out the window. I was sitting by the edge of the bed as my wings opened. I raised my forelegs and flailed them to keep me from falling in vain. I fell off the bed and landed ungracefully on my head. Good times.
Now, with a pounding head, I looked up to see Twilight lying by the edge of the bed with her hooves dangling off the edge, snickering at me. Smooth move.
’‘Ouch...’’ I whined and rubbed the back of my head.
’‘Aww... Is the itty bitty woyal guawd hurt?’’ She teased me. So not cool.
’’Oh ha. Ha. Ha.’’ I stood up and cracked my neck. She jumped down from the bed and walked to the desk where my hoodie was.
’‘May I?’’
’‘Knock yourself out.’’
She lifted the hoodie with her magic and brought it over her head. After that, she stepped into the holes where her arms was supposed to be. When she was finished, the hood covered half of her face. Her horn poked at the fabric and made it look funny. All I could see from her face was her huge grin. Her legs ended too short for the arms of the hoodie. It made the arms look baggy and she was far away from having enough bulk to support all the fabric of it. It was freaking adorable with a capital A.
I grabbed it with my teeth by the hoodie and dragged it off her. She pouted and sat down after I had removed it from her. She looked like a five-year old filly that hadn’t been given what she wanted. I chuckled and expertly put on my hoodie without any magic. I flexed my wings momentarily. I flicked the hood up and grinned.
’’It looks better on you.’’ She complimented and walked down the stairs of the loft. I stood there dumbstruck and realised that she just said that I looked good. I mentally cheered and hoof-pumped as I followed her down the stairs. My stomach grumbled in protest. Twilight looked back at me and giggled. I blushed and felt like a jackass.
After navigating my way through the labyrinth of books, we came to a kitchen where the little dragon-dude was making breakfast. I sat down by the table and stared at my hooves. Everything felt so tiny in the library. Even the table seemed so small.
After a few minutes, he came to the table with two plates for me and Twilight. She dug into it with gusto. How can a small mare like that eat like a juggernaut guard? I’ll never know... I glanced down at my food. Eggs, hay strips and a daisy sandwich. Back at the camp, I’d be doing fifty laps around the track with weights strapped to my wings if I’d eat anything like this there. I shrugged and started eating. The dragon sure can cook. I’ll give him that.
’’So... Stronghold...’’
’‘Yeah, Twilight?’’ I stopped eating for a while to hear what she had to say.
’‘How long will you be staying?’’ I gulped. I haven’t thought about this.
’’I don’t know... Since I left the guard I have kinda been moving from place to place’’ I sighed, gaining a troubled look from Twilight.
’‘You could always... you know... Stay here...’’ What. I looked at her with food in my mouth. Because I’m classy like that.
’‘Really?’’
’’If... If you need a place to stay at...’’ Her ears was splayed back and she was blushing. I had to fight hard not to stand up, whoop and raise all sorts of hell. I took a deep breath to calm down.
’‘I’d like that.’’
-----
After breakfast, Twilight had insisted that I’d come with her to take a look around the town. I had been hesitant at first but she had pouted and looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. There’s no chance in Tartarus that I’d be able to resist that. So here I was, following her through town. She had been talking about me maybe meeting her friends the entire time. It had been tiring at first but now I’d gladly meet that Rainbow Dash she talked about. Apparently, she was fast enough to perform a Sonic Rainboom. I’ve heard about it, so it’d be fun to meet her.
We were walking through the same square that I had landed in when I arrived. There was a lot more ponies here today and instead of the red giant, an orange mare with a stetson hat was handling the apple stand. Twilight had explained it to be Applejack, one of her friends. Also one of her friends that destroyed her spare bed. I made a mental note to thank her for it.
When Twilight and I was closing in, I heard a sound from the air. I pushed Twilight out of the way and stood where she had been. I squared my shoulders, spread my wings and braced for impact.
A rainbow streak crashed into my chest. I actually skidded a few feet until I dug my hooves into the ground and braked the momentum. I swiftly grabbed the pony that crashed into me in a headlock. Twilight reacted and told me to stop.
’‘Stronghold! Let her go!’’ I refused at first, but as the pony in my grip started to squirm I saw a rainbow mane. ’‘It’s my friend Rainbow Dash!’’ My mind became blank and I stared at the mare in my arms again. She was screaming a few unflattering words. I promptly released her from my grip. She cracked her neck and shot me a dirty look.
’’Oh...’’ I felt like an idiot. Again.
’‘Rainbow, meet Stronghold.’’ Twilight stood next to me and pulled the hood off my head, revealing my face.
Crap.
Contemplation
’’Uh... Hello...’’ What a nice way for me to make a first good impression. The rainbow pony just nodded once, acknowledging me and turning her head to Twilight.
’’So Twi, who’s this guy?’’ She jerked her head towards me, ignoring me. Biiiitch... I snorted and turned my head away from her.
’‘Well... Why don’t you ask him?’’ Twilight grinned sheepishly. Rainbow Crash didn’t seem too happy about that.
’‘Whatever...’’ Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. ’’So, who the hay are you then?’’
I sighed, she finally stopped treating me like air. Unbelievable. ’‘The name’s Stronghold. I’ve known Twilight here for about 8 years.’’ She didn’t seem too interested in that.
’‘Stronghold, how about you tell her about your former position at the guard?’’ Twilight smirked as Rainbow’s attention snapped to me in an instant.
’‘You are a guard?’’ I took a cautious step back from the mare, eyeing her suspiciously.
’‘Yes..?’’ I have no idea if it was a good idea to tell her that. She made a sound that reminded me of a fangirl squeal. Oh boy...
’‘That’s so awesome! Twilight, who would’ve known that you’d get a coltfriend who’s in the guard!’’ As Rainbow took a step closer, I took a step back away from her. Twilight’s expression was a mix between being confused and embarassed. She even started blushing.
’‘Rainbow... He’s not my coltfriend...’’ Twilight whispered loud enough for me and Rainbow to hear. I looked down at my hooves and kicked my left hoof.
’‘Besides, I was a guard...’’ I sighed.
’‘Was? Pfftch... You probably gave up...’’ My mind snapped. I couldn’t focus on anything else than the mare who just said that I gave up. I scowled and stepped towards her, easily towering over her.
’‘You know nothing...’’ I growled. ’’Do you know what it is like to see a filly, who’s about eight years old, die in your arms and there’s nothing you can do because her injuries were too grave?’’ I stomped. ’’DO YOU BUCKING KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE?’’ I took a few ragged breaths and felt tears surfacing in the corners of my eyes. I gritted my teeth. Rainbow took a few steps away from me. ’’...That’s what I thought...’’ I turned around and walked away from her. A couple of ponies were staring at me, startled by my sudden outburst. I violently flicked my hood back onto my head and spread my wings. I heard Twilight call for me to stay but I gave my wings a powerful thrust and shot up into the clear blue sky.
-----
'’Stronghold...’' Twilight whispered as she saw the stallion fly away. She turned towards Rainbow Dash, who was sitting on her flank, her expression was completely blank. Stronghold must’ve had an impact on her.
Twilight sighed and started walking back to her library. She didn’t know if Stronghold was going to stay after what Rainbow did to him. If she was lucky, he would come back to the library after venting for a couple of hours.
If there was one thing she knew about Stronghold, that thing was his pride for what he managed to do as a guard and as a good samaritan. He had sacrificed many things just to help using the best of his own abilities. That’s why Twilight cared for him so much. Stronghold would never take somepony for granted; he’d stay by their sides and power through with them.
She sometimes wished that they could be more than friends but by the looks of things right now, she’d be lucky if he’s still her friend. She sighed heavily and turned around, walking back to the library. Rainbow was still standing at the same place as she had been when Stronghold shouted at her. Her lower lip quivered and she flew away, leaving a polychromatic trail in her wake.
-----
’‘BUCK!’’ I screamed from the top of my lungs. Who the hell does that mare think she is? This is... This is too much. And why does that annoy me so much? I just... Just can’t think about what happened... I don’t want to... I don’t want to remember... I landed on a cloud and covered my face with my hooves. I just wanted to dissappear. I don’t want to be seen by anypony and just be left alone...
But...
Twilight... I just can’t leave her like this, without saying goodbye or even what I meant to say to her from the beginning... I have to do this, no matter what. I’ll just say it to her and then I’ll be on my merry way away from Ponyville. I hear Trottingham is nice this time of the year...
Well, here goes nothing... I stood up, ruffled and spread my wings and leapt off the cloud, heading back to Ponyville to settle this for the last time. What if she doesn’t feel the same way..? What if I’m just another friend for her..? What if-
No.
I have to calm down... I can do this. I didn’t get accepted into the Royal Guard by cowering away when a mare taunted me. A mare for Celestia’s sake! I can do this... I pushed my wings harder with every stroke, grunting as I felt the edge of my capability.
-----
Rarity and Fluttershy had went to the library after they had heard about what had happened between the stallion they didn’t know and Rainbow Dash, where Twilight had been caught in the crossfire. Neither of them had seen Rainbow Dash yet during their walk through town, so she must’ve went up to her cloud home to have some time on her own.
As they entered the library, the first thing they noticed was the state which the library floor was in, and a certain baby dragon who was busying himself by cleaning up the mess. The two ponies just looked at the young drake with a worried expression which he understood immediately what it meant.
’‘She’s upstairs...’’ He said in a somber tone, sighing. He didn’t know why Twilight had been so upset, but when he had noticed the obvious lack of a white stallion, he got an idea of what had happened, but he had opted to not say anything as that could make everything much worse.
The two friends trotted up the stairs, heading straight for the lavender unicorn’s bedroom. As they opened the door, the first thing they noticed was the darkness inside the room. The windows had been covered.
’‘Darling?’’ Rarity called out as she removed the curtains, showering the room with some much-needed sunlight. A groan was heard from the loft where her bed was. Fluttershy flew up and inspected the source of the groan.
Twilight was lying in her bed with her cover lying ontop of her, not moving a single muscle. ’’Twilight?’’ Fluttershy whispered, the only answer she recieved was another forced groan.
’’Go away...’’ A muffled voice spoke up from beneath the covers while pulling the cover closer to it, making a perfect pony-shaped lump. Fluttershy pouted and poked the lump softly.
’‘You’re not being very cooperative here, Twilight. Why don’t you tell us what happened?’’ Rarity spoke up as she ascended the steps. A sudden rustle beneath the covers made the fashionista and the vet perk their ears in attention. Twilight threw the covers off her and sat up. Her mane was messy from being beneath the covers, much to the chagrin of the fashionista.
’‘I’m going to tell you girls about somepony I know. His name is Stronghold...’’ She talked about the stallion she knew. Rarity swooned as she got to know that he was in the Royal Guard. As she told them about his meeting with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy shrunk back and added a few ’oh my’s when the situation Twilight was speaking about justified it. Rarity’s expression was stuck somewhere between fascinated and horrified.
The three ponies heard the door leading into the library swing open and hit the wall with a thud. Twilight’s face lit up as she suspected it to be a certain somepony she wanted to talk to.
-----
I landed just in front of the door and swung it open. I cringed as the door struck the wall with a resounding ‘thump’. I walked inside to see that the library was in no uncertain terms; a mess. Books were lying everywhere. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect that a tornado had passed through the room. The little dragon was lying on a huge blue tome, snoring away while curled up into a small purple ball.
As I passed through the library, careful not to step on any books, I heard voices coming from up the stairs. I snorted a small puff through my nostrils and trotted up the stairs. I can do this and I will do this!
I noticed that the door into Twilight’s room was already open but I still charged through it. Two gasps and a giggle brought my attention to the loft where Twilight, and two ponies who I didn’t know were standing. Well... Now or never, I guess...
A/N: Well... This took a little too long to get published... Many things will be explained in the next chapter, such as the real story behind Stronghold's outrage and stuff. I have no idea when it will be released, though. Pre-read and edited by frieD195.