The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Ch 89 – The Rise of a Pleasure Pony

- A Week Later -

"Nooo!” The dark stallion called out as he fell to his knees. He was all alone and all seemed lost as he looked up from the gravely field he was on. His options were dwindling and his health was almost spent as he saw his fate stepping closer to him threateningly. “Not like this… It can’t end now! Not after how far I’ve come!”

“FOOL! What did you think would happen after standing before me?!” Bellowed an illustrious voice. A brilliant figure clad in armor of gold and pearl towered overhead. A winged figure of white raised their head majestically and without pity for the dark stallion below them. “I am a paladin of the heavens! What chance did you have? Throw your poisons of which my body is immune. Launch your attacks of which they lack the skill to harm me. For we have reached the crescendo of our little bout and I am here to render your judgment!”

“It can’t end like this!” He screamed in defiance looking one way and then the other but found no help in the hillsode wasteland to aide him.

“Silence fiend! All you wrought has been for not! I know of your ill deeds… stealing the talents of beasts like a savage! Manipulating magics to pervert them from their natural course! You are a monster! I shall smite thee down and there is naught you can do to stop me! You are wicked, I am righteous! You are profane, I am divine!”

“And you talk to much!” Came another voice from the distance. Looking over his shoulder the stallion smiled as there on the hillside stood a purple dragon in long robes beside a red stallion in dark armor. “Master Altero, how fair you?!” The dragon shouted.

“Heh, I'm down... but not entirely defeated yet!” The dark stallion replied while popping a health potion. “All the same, it is a relief to see you Master Garbunkle and Sir McBiggin!”

“I am glad to see you were successful in your task of holding the enemy distracted until more support could arrive!” The dragon shouted out.

“WHAT?!” Cried the paladin in surprise, looking down to the blue mage they had been fighting and realizing only now that he had just been a distraction.

With a smirk the black stallion yelled, “Were the efforts of you and Captain Wuzz successful?!”

Then another voice cried out from distance forest. “Frok the looks of things, more successful than you were at keeping yourself together.” Shouted an archer who stood proudly before a distant treeline. That was when their opponent took a nervous step back as an army rose over the hillside as well as from the trees. “Get your filthy shining claws OFF of our friend! He may be a monster but he is OUR monster. CHARGE!!!”

“DISCORD!” Rayne yelled out as Spike and Big Mac lowered their game pieces and stared at the Draconequus irritably. “Don’t call my character a monster… It hurts my feelings.” The stallion remarked as the other two nodded along.

Discord pulled back and crossed his arms as he stared at the others from across the map table. The whole countertop was covered in a massive Ogres & Oubliettes field that now had a single boss opponent surrounded by the forces of all their allies they'd built connections to throughout their game. “Oh fine, fine. I apologize. Now can we have our grand cinematic battle now?”

The others looked to each other to make sure they were all in agreement and then nodded excitedly. Then Discord snapped his claws transporting them into a chaotic reenactment of their own game. Now the four of them were charging along with their army toward the tyrant who had persecuted the lands under the guise of righteous expurgation.

- A Couple Hours Later -

It was with hearty laughs and exhausted smiles that Spike, Big Mac, Discord, and Rayne all stepped out of the castle together and into the noontime sun. “Phew! What a game!” Spike cheered.

The stallion whipped his tail about excitedly as he said, “Yeah that was a blast! It’s not often that we get to have guys night together early in the morning. Why didn’t we think of doing this while the girls are off working at the school ages ago?”

“Indeed. Even I have to agree that this was some remarkable storytelling on your part Spike. I dare say you’ve done even better than I could have at this whole game master thing. Remarkable job, just remarkable.” Discord applauded.

“Eyup!” Big Mac added in.

“Awww you guys! Come on, that’s enough hehe” The little dragon gushed. “Alright anyways, I had better get going. I promised Twilight that I’d be back at the school by twelve and it’s a little bit passed that now. Thanks for lifting my spirits before it’s all grading papers and reviewing schedules for the rest of the day.”

Now Rayne reached a hoof around his shoulders and gave a knowing smile. “Aw come on. We all know that you enjoy helping Twilight just as much as you do gaming with your buddies here.” The others chuckled in agreement. “Alright well let’s not keep you. I’ll give you lift. So long Spike.” Then with a wave the stallion teleported the dragon away. “Anypony else?”

Big Mac just raised his hooves. “Nope. Gonna do some shopping. Then I’ll head home after.”

“Alright then take care bud.” They nodded which left Rayne and Discord alone with one another now.

“Saaaay…” The serpentine mismatch of creatures cooed out while slinking around the stallion through the air. “It HAS been quite the long time since the two of us spent any real buddy-buddy time together without any other pony around, hasn’t it?”

“Heh, heh. Up for a private inter-dimensional convoluted debate about reality while taking a walk?” Rayne asked with a laugh as the two proceeded on down the walk ways in Ponyville.

“Now Rayne… You know that you aren’t supposed to say things like that. When I speak of such things ponies just write it off as Discord being crazy. If you start talking like me then who knows who might start taking things seriously. And then I loose an entire subject field of which to joke at!”

But Rayne had already looked around to make sure no pony else was walking nearby them at the moment. “So no fourth wall breaks then?”

“RAYNE!” Discord whined as he summer-salted through the air nervously.

“Oh well if you aren’t interested in having such a conversation...” Rayne lifted his head and turned away from Discord but peaked back through the corner of his eye as the Draconequus frowned and crossed his arms.

“Oh well now I didn’t say that.” Discord relented and snapped his claws to teleport the two of them to his house in his chaos dimension. “Tea? Earl Gray?”

“Oh black please, lemon if you have it.” Rayne responded as he sat back onto Discord’s couch. Once they both had settled in and had their drinks levitating before them Rayne asked, “So how does it work anyways?”

“What do you mean?” Discord queried.

“Oh come on. If someone hears us at this point then it’s your fault. Stop talking to me like I’m a pony.” Rayne said directly. “How is it that I’m here? How is it that out of all the possible movies and games and stories that fans have idolized over that I should be one to actually get transported into a world of my desire? Wait, I’m not IN the tv show am I? Please tell me I haven’t been living out through the final season.”

With a jovial laugh Discord waived his claw and reassured him, “Oh no, don’t you worry about that. I assure you that you are not in the show. You just exist in the background in between episodes so to speak. For instance, you don’t think that ponies never went to the bathroom just because that wasn’t portrayed in the show did you? You are like that.”

But this caused the stallion to hesitate for a moment. “Wait a minute… Did you just compare the weight of my entire existence to ponies using the bathroom?”

“Heh heh, why yes I did. You Rayne… are a bathroom. Ahahaha!” The Draconequus laughed until suddenly a cup of tea landed against his face. “Hmm. Didn’t take you for having slapstick as your sense of humor.” He stated before magicking himself clean again. “Fine, look! What is it that you want me to say Rayne?!”

Now feeling like he was being given his first opportunity for real answers Rayne shouted out, “Tell me what this is! It can’t be a dream, I’ve been here for months! No dream lasts that long no matter how fast my imagination could be running. I’m not dead am I?”

With a heavy sigh Discord told him, “No Rayne, you aren’t dead. You aren’t in a coma and no this isn’t a dream either. It isn’t anything like that." Suddenly Discord changed to a more skeptical tone. "Why do you ask? Are you unappreciative of being here? Would you rather you had never come here? I might be able to make that happen you know? Just a snap of my claw and your entire existence of living in Equestria could be gone as easily as-

“NO! No, ahem… I mean, no, thank you.” Rayne was quick to seem apologetic after accidentally shouting at Discord. “I am very happy to be here. In fact, I’ve never felt like I do here at any point in my entire life. It’s just…” He trailed off having an internal debate about what the situation actually meant to him.

“Yessss? It’s just...?” Discord purred out awaiting for the stallion to finish that statement.

“Heh, it’s inconsequential.” Rayne stated flatly to which Discord frowned feeling unsatisfied with that response. “The thing is Discord… I’m here now. I AM here now.” Refilling himself a fresh cup of tea Rayne explained, “You see Discord, back in my old life I was living a literal physical hell. The only way for me to get through the misery of what I’ve endured was to manically and obsessively live in the present.”

“You don’t say?” Discord asked as he leaned in now becoming curious to hear this personal confession of the stallion’s inward feelings.

“When you’ve lived experiences that surpass that of Hollywood horror and lived, well keeping your mind in the past does nothing but drive you crazy. I’ll spare you the gory details of why my body in… in my last life, was so broken.” Rayne specified, being careful with his phrasing. “But as I was saying, with the devolving conditions I had... looking to the future also provides nothing but a showcasing of all the things I will never accomplish.”

“Hmm, that’s rather mild way of putting it don’t you think?” Discord asked with an eyebrow raise. But following a mutual sip of their tea he went on to ask, “Alright so if living in the past or the future are their own inescapable downfalls, where does that leave you?”

“Why in the present of course. You see Discord, if there is one thing that I’ve learned it is that the present is not a gift. It is a bubble.” The stallion uttered bluntly.

“Interesting. Please explain.” His companion requested while setting his tea down and levitating into the air beside Rayne.

“The present is your freedom from weight of your past and it is your safety buffer from what lies to haunt you in your future. I have no idea how I left my last world behind me and ended up here. But I’m not there anymore now am I? Nor do I know if I will ever return."

"Are you certain that you aren't being intentionally narrow minded in your perspective here?" Discord pondered.

"Oh I absolutely am." Rayne stated proudly seeming to have no problem with that. "All I can do is live here for as long as I remain here. And that is just what I intend to do.”

Now Discord was slowly spinning in mockery of Rayne’s serious toned conversation. “Ah yes, and what a life indeed. You’ve what, all but wrapped Equestria around your little hoof? Hip deep in every mare you come across? Thieving both beast and land alike for all the power they possess? And just what has your collection of bits come to these days?”

“Discord...” Rayne frowned. “You’re making it out to sound worse than it is.”

“No, no! Hold on! I think I’ve really got something here!” He laughed, rising his mockery to almost full blown insulting. “First you start a business model that makes you a national success all over Equestria. Then you partner yourself with the land owner of an entire town giving you a mild share of all his holdings. Not to mention you live rent free with a mare who can pry money off of her walls. And now you're an up and coming rock star with a thriving music career?! Just how rich ARE you Rayne? Yessss, QUITE the life you have here indeed I say.”

“ALRIGHT!” Rayne snapped before straightening up and giving a cough to regain his composure. “Alright you made your point. Can you really blame me? You give a cripple the ability to walk and doesn’t he want to run? You give a pony a heart and don’t they seek to share his love as much as he can?”

“Oh yes, my aren’t you just the victim of fortunate circumstance then?” Discord continued.

But now Rayne crossed his hooves and remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t until Discord faltered from his silence that he said, “Can we end this charade and agree that you've called me out on my bullshit already? Yeah, I’m the walking embodiment of Pleasantville okay? Someone real goes to a fantasy world and manipulates it for themselves. I get your point already.”

“Annnnnd?” Discord continued on still not letting up from the point that he'd been trying to drive the stallion to this whole time.

“And… maybe I’m grateful.” Rayne admitted. “I’m glad to be here. And maybe it’s time that I acted more appreciative for it.” Curiosity rose within the chaotic serpent again as he listened without interrupting. “Now I can’t promise that my selfish deeds are necessarily going to stop. But aside from that, yeah I would agree it’s probably time that I put all these talents I’ve gained to better use. I mean after all, that’s what you’ve been waiting for me to do. Isn’t it?” Rayne suggested with a sly smirk.

Now Discord seemed genuinely caught off guard as he wasn’t expecting this to turn back on him. “Me?! What has any of this have to do with me?! We were talking about you!”

“Heh, heh. Yeah… but you’ve been trying to subtly help me all along. Haven’t you?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know WHAT you’re talking about.” Discord remarked while turning his back with his arms crossed.

“Oh I think you do. Back when I first arrived it may have been Zecora who brought it up but you were the one who helped explain to me all about what a pleasure pony in Equestria is supposed to do.”

“Err-auuh-well- ah… That doesn’t prove anything. We were already on the topic. I was just helping to illuminate the situation. You ponies take so long to explain everything with just words.” Discord sulked still feigning his innocence.

Rayne on the other hand felt that he knew exactly what Discord had been doing and he relished the opportunity to call him on it. “You’ve probably been waiting this whole time to see me go out there and make a difference in other ponies lives. Haven’t you?”

“Uhh-well-mmmh… I don’t suppose that would be a bad thing really if you were to do that?” He shrugged, refusing to give into his guilt.

“Awwww Discord.” Rayne suddenly beamed, enjoying their interaction even more now that he had the chance to make his friend feel uncomfortable.

“What? Wait… what are you doing?” The master of chaos asked nervously as Rayne outstretched his hooves.

“Discord! You care! You really care… aww that’s so sweet.” Rayne was absolutely grinning now. “Give me a hug!”

“WHAT! NO!” The Draconequus shouted while levitating away from the stallion.

“Awww come on! What’s a simple hug between friends?!” Rayne was trying and failing to contain his laughter now as he stood and began walking closer with his arms still outstretched. “Just one little hu-” But that was when Discord frowned and snapped his claws. The next thing Rayne knew the grou d fell out from under him to a dark place with fire in every possible direction and he was falling straight toward an endless pit of lava. “AAEUUAAAAAAHHHUUUAAAAHHHH!!!”

Not a second later there was another snap and they were back in Discord’s house with the Draconequus sitting in his chair looking sourly. “Are you finished?”

Meanwhile Rayne was twisting around on the couch as he held his chest attempting to fend off a heart attack. “Uhhh! Huuuuahh…! Pheeaaww…!” Then with a nod he gulped. “Yeah… all finished.” He stated while making a mental note not to push Discord’s buttons again.

“Good.” The spirit of disharmony said before straightening up. “But I suppose there is at least some truth to what you claim to be true. Believe me Rayne, I’ve lived the life of self indulgence and as much as I hate to admit it, living your life for others really is far more self gratifying.”

Now the stallion dared to smirk but didn’t push his luck passed that. “I would agree. I suppose I’ve had my fun. Now I don’t intend to become a nun or anything… But I suppose that being a pleasure pony does give me a job to do.”

“Yessss, it doesss.” Discord purred again. “And just how do you plan to go about fulfilling that job while you are so far behind in your selfish desires?”

“Heh, watch me!” Rayne grinned with confidence.

- Back in Ponyville -

https://youtu.be/OLqD8u3eFeM

When Rayne returned to Ponyville the stallion strutted straight down the main street like he had a funky rhythm playing through his head. His hooves marched along and his smile gleamed as ponies turned to stare wondering what had so inspired the stallion's attitude. “Ohhhh I’m gonna rock this like the Zohan! Ponyville doesn't know want it's in for.” He laughed to himself as he gave a hooves-up to another stallion on the road and did a spin to smile at a group of mares passing by.

The stallion chuckled and the girls flat out laughed at his ridiculous behavior and yet after they passed the dark stallion’s infectious smile was one that they couldn’t resist but to take with them. Then after looking around at what was in view from the town fountain Rayne saw what his first target of the day was going to be.

“Oh goodness!" Mrs Cake called out as the door to Sugar Cube Corner suddenly flew open. Several customers laughed seeing a stallion dance his way in to some invisible tune playing through his head. But they all cheered as in hilarity as he swept the shopkeeper into his arms. “Oh! Oh Rayne! Rayne you stop that! OH-hehe wait no!” The patrons were now holding their sides from the comedy of the scene as the baker protested while she herself was laughing just as hard.

“Oh my apologies Mrs. Cake, I assure you that I meant no offense.” He stated charmingly after releasing the mare who held onto the counter to balance herself a bit. “I was simply passing by when my nose detected the luxurious aroma of fresh baked pies that seem just about ready to come out of your oven.” Just then there was a ding from her oven in the back. “Or am I mistaken?" He asked as several ponies behind him awed in amazement. "If not then I’m sure I would love a slice or two. I mean anypony would, aren’t I right?” He asked before several others nodded along all now requesting an order for themselves.

Mrs. Cake laughed gave a playful poke to the stallion’s side. “Oh now you old rascal. Stop goading my customers out of their hard earned bits.” She teased him, and yet all the same poked her head around his shoulder asking to the customers, “Uh was that one slice or two for everypony?”

Once most of the patrons had had their fill and gone the shopkeeper then gave another playful nudge to the stallion’s shoulder as he stood beside her front counter with a sneer. “Oh you! What is this mischief that you’re getting up to in here? Huh?” She snickered to show she was appreciative to the sales hike he had just earned her.

“Mischief? Oh no mischief… well not really.” He smirked and she gave him a knowing stare back. “I’m just here to fulfill a promise is all.”

“Oh a promise you say?” She leaned her elbows down on the counter and looked from across the bridge of her snout to show that she wasn’t buying his whole innocent act.

“That’s right. Did I not promise you so long ago that I would stop by one day to trade recipes and maybe lend you a hoof in your kitchen after I had a little practice?” Now Rayne had a wide grin as the cyan mare thought to herself for a moment.

“Oh dear, why I guess you did say that didn’t you? Oh but come now. Surely you aren’t serious. You don’t want to spend your time hanging around in a sweaty kitchen with this old mare… Do you?” She paused before looking at him curiously.

Rayne also leaned his elbows down on the table too and coyly responded, “What's wrong? I'm not allowed to spend my time in a kitchen baking with a friend?”

“Oh!” She gasped as she straightened up. “Well… Look at that. I have a friend.” She mused to herself playfully before inviting the stallion into the back with her.

Once the two were in the kitchen together Rayne wasted no time in keeping up his antics for his new cooking partner. “Well now, let’s see what we can make.” He announced while levitating over some mixing bowls along with a case of flour and eggs.

“Now hold on there a moment mister hot shot. This is my kitchen and there’s a certain way that we do things around here.” She began to scold the stallion.

But being quick to remember how poorly it went when Starlight offered her services here he spoke up, “Oh don’t you worry about a thing. I wouldn’t dream of disrespecting your hard labor with some fancy magic what’s-it cake. I’m in it for love of the craft and the beauty of the art. I assure you.”

“Uh huh. Really now?” She asked to him skeptically.

“Heh heh, well… Who says you can’t have cooking with a little flare? Tell me Mrs. Cake, have you ever been to a hibachi grill before?” Rayne asked while pulling out four eggs and setting them each to spin in place with a flick of his wrist.

“Hey no- uh, oh well… No, I can’t say that I’ve heard of a… whatchamacallit grill before.” She answered while first being afraid the eggs would fall but then being relieved when they didn’t.

“Got it… so no hibachi grills in Ponyville. Well then… pleasure pony do your stuff.” He grinned before passing over a whisk, a stirring spoon, and then eventually eyeing a steel griddle spatula. With a flourish he slid it under one of the eggs and then flipped it into the air.

“OH! What are you doing?! No! You’re going to make a mess!” The mare screamed but then fell silent when she watched him catch the egg perfectly in the bend of the cooking tool. “Oh my goodness! Did you know that you could do that?”

“Nope!” He admitted with a laugh and then said, “And here comes something else I’ve never tried before either!” Then with a smirk he flipped it up again. The egg was danced up, around, and even behind him once before being caught each time. After that he slit the egg perfectly in mid air before catching the shell and dropping the yoke into the mixing bowl.

“Oh wow, ha ha. That’s some fancy flip work there!” She applauded as he repeated the process to the four other eggs. Not long later Rayne pulled out a stack of sweet rolls baked together like a cake tower. “Viola! I give you ‘leaning pasty of pony’!” He chuckled.

“Ohhh marvelous! And I can’t believed you baked it all by hoof without using any magic.” She complimented him.

“Aw, the magic is in the taste.” He grinned. “Now for the finishing touch!” He said as he began to spray a generous helping of whipped cream across the top.

“Ohh careful, careful! You’ll put too much!” Mrs. Cake called out but that just gave Rayne an idea as he smirked. “What’s that? You love this too much! Okay, I’ll put more on then!”

“Noooo!” She shouted with a laugh as she stepped over to stop him. “Stop it, you’re making it look like it has a swirly mane of whipped cream. Customers will begin thinking we’re selling pastry ponies if we served that!” She cried out.

Then his smirk spread into a grin. “What’s that? You want a whipped cream mane?”

Mrs. Cake’s eyes spread open wide. “You wouldn’t dare?! ...AAHHHHH-haha! Nooooo!” She cried as a spray of whipped cream chased her around the kitchen. However after a quick turn the older mane couldn’t keep her balance and ended up sliding half onto her baking counter. “No Rayne please! I can’t breathe!” She called out from laughing so hard as the stallion was turning his hooves through her mane like a beauty salon stylist giving her a new hairdo.

“WHAT IS GOING IN HERE?!” The both of them froze as they looked up seeing Mr. Cake standing in the doorway. He was carrying an arm full of groceries and did not look pleased to find his wife laying on the counter, laughing up a storm, half covered with cooking ingredients, and having another stallion running his hooves through her mane.

“Uhh darling...” She began but Rayne just looked at her and shook his head before giving her a wink.

- Five Minutes Later -

“Aha-ahhaahaah-ahahaha!” The married couple shouted together now as they both looked to have been on the losing end of a flour fight while Rayne twirled whipped cream through both of their manes now.

“Ah HA! Perfection!” He imitated a poor french accent purely for comical purposes. “I has created a masterpiece!” Rayne yelled in dramatic fashion.

When they both stood up they grabbed a pair of stainless steel pans to look at their reflections. “Oh well Ahaa-haa!” Mr. Cake chuckled.

“Oh darling we look ridiculous!” His wife shouted while giggling along beside her husband like a school filly. “Oh but wait! Who’s watching the shop?!” She suddenly asked becoming serious.

“Oh now is that worry I detect in your voice Mrs. Cake?” Rayne asked aloud in a jovial voice. “Well, we certainly can’t have any of that on this fine, fun, afternoon now can we?” He told to them both before guiding them upstairs into their living quarters above the pastry restaurant.

“Oh… OH! Rayne! Oh dear!’ Mrs. Cake called out nervously as he just shoved the two of them into a shower together both still fully dressed and turned the water on them causing them to laugh again. “I’ve got it all taken care of downstairs. You both just enjoy yourselves as you deserve to have a good laughing day today.” Then with a few married nervous chuckles the couple pulled their shower closed and began giggling for an entirely different reason as Rayne went downstairs.

- Fourty Minutes Later -

When Mr. and Mrs. Cake finally came downstairs they were amazed to find their kitchen looking spotless despite the mess that had been made from the recent horsing around. Furthermore the mature couple nearly dropped their jaws when they walked into their shop to find a bustling pastry store full of customers with the dark stallion seeming to be having problems with the register.

“Heh, excuse me dear Cake’s. It would seem that this would need to be changed out.” Rayne told them with a smirk as they looked down at a register drawer so full of bits that it would no longer shut closed again. “Oh well… I suppose that since you’re both back that you probably have got it from here.” Rayne told them as they just stared ahead having no idea what to say. When the stallion walked out the door he gave a skip and a strut as if music were once again playing in his head.

“What… just happened today?” Mr. Cake asked in disbelief.

“Heh… I, I made a friend.” Mrs. Cake chuckled to which her husband looked at her having absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

Author's Notes:

First of all I hope you all had a laugh at the beginning of the chapter. I intentionally didn't explain that it was just Rayne playing Ogres & Oubliettes until later. Remember, the character that he plays is a blue mage. They encountered a righteous paladin who didn't approve of his practices. But his friends came to save him just in time. And then Rayne made a quick comment about not wanting to be called a monster.

The fourth wall break comment from Rayne was talking about the tv show, not breaking the 4th wall of this story. So far Deadpony has been the only one to do that.

Now Rayne actually got a bit of information about his situation here. I know that 89 chapters in is a bit of a wait for just a teaser, but it is the biggest mystery of this story. So I didn't feel it appropriate to bring up until now. Even so, the mystery continues... but at least Rayne found out that Discord knows SOMETHING about why he is here.

About Discord using magic on Rayne... I didn't forget that he still can't. But Discord can still use magic on the floor beneath Rayne and do other things like that.

Now as for Rayne's outlook on life... Some of you will understand this and some of you won't. There's nothing I can do about that. I, the writer of this story, suffer from several terrible medical conditions and injuries in real life along with a good helping of PTSD from certain things. That is not a piece of this story's fiction. For the hundredth time, yes I know I don't need to include that in my story but I still choose to. It helps to frame the background motivations of my character Rayne and I've stated before that I plan to make this important to the story later. But when you live a life of suffering... not hardship but real suffering, it makes you desperate to seek out every little pleasure you can find as a form of escapism from your troubles.

Alright now I KNOW that many of you have been waiting this entire story for Rayne's activities to get slapped back into his face. Everyone who wants to call my self insert a Mary Sue can get off their high horse now and maybe realize that for someone living the life of a hedonist, maybe Rayne's practices aren't so unrealistic after all. Anyways, Rayne admits here that he's been selfish and from this chapter on you're going to see him trying to spread his talents around a bit more.

Another point of criticism I'd like to knock off is my story being a wish fulfillment story. Now of course any self insert can be a little bit, but I'd like to think that a story with 89 chapters has a bit more substance to it than a concept like that. For anyone who has seen the movie Pleasantville, that is what Rayne was trying to do in Equestria so far. Look, truth be told Equestrian characters are still rather two-dimensional even in their thoughts and personality. Many ponies are incredibly intelligent, but they are still rather easy to manipulate if you already understand all the elements of their character. This isn't Game of Thrones were everyone from a commoner to a king is a mastermind. This is Equestria, where good hearted characters 'want' to believe in the best of everypony. But, that makes them easy to manipulate. Otherwise characters like Flim and Flam wouldn't be as influential as they are.

The song playing in Rayne's head was Superstition by Stevie Wonder but it was just the instrumental beat he was think about. It was just a 'Walking Tall' moment that he was feeling.

The Zohan reference was to an Adam Sandler movie where he played a character who was sexy, awkward, but alluring and he could basically do anything like a badass secret spy agent. You want a perfect example of a pleasure pony? Watch the movie 'Don't Mess with the Zohan.'

When Rayne was asking Mrs Cake about the hibachi grill he was secretly trying to see if they had such things in Equestria. Where I live they are a part of showmanship. A chief will cook your food right in front of you but make a whole performance about it. And Rayne just found out Equestria doesn't have such things.

Then of course at the end Mr and Mrs Cake enjoyed the most success business day they have ever had outside of a holiday season.

And yes I do like lemon flavored black tea. As always, thank you for reading!