The next few days had gone by smoothly with his new job at Sweet Apple Acres. He came at sunrise every morning and then on the walk back into town almost everyday he had seen one of his new friends. What he was excited about was that he had almost enough bits to get a house, but the problem was that he would still need to furnish it. He didn't care though he just wanted a place to call home after so long.

"Hello Brawny coming back from another days work, you really seem to be getting a work out from all that bucking?" Rarity said

"Sure am." He could even admit he was. He could feel his new strength, he'd never felt anything like it before. Something made him smile and he felt proud. He had been working more hours than Applejack could go. He really needed a house and food. Rarity came trotting over to him, he  just looked puzzled.

"This may be a bit personal, but have you considered finding a marefriend yet, not me of course, unless?"

He laughed, Rarity knew he was only teasing, "no I haven't why do you ask?"

"Well probably because hearts and hooves day is coming up" face hoof. He completely forgot about it she just smiled and went back to her chores.

He had never had a special somepony before, he thought about it. The other mares he knew in Canterlot never wanted to be his either, mainly cause he was street trash. Look at me now huh girls he thought to himself. Even he knew he was a handsome stallion but he never was told it by except, He gulped, Applejack. He pondered it for a moment and then decided that he would think about it. He remembered right then and there that Twilight, Applejack, and all of them were the only friends who he saw here so far. The reason he came here was to see more of his friends, he sighed. BONK!

He had been walking the whole time and he had just ran into a pole, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Someponies never change." He recognized it instantly.

"Lightning?" Could it really be him what a coincidence.

"Yup it's me why didn't you tell me you were here, surprise visit or something?" lightning answered. He was a tall blue pegasus with a electric yellow mane and a blue strip.

"No actually I moved here."

"Thats awesome meet any sexy mares yet?" He winked at him.

He rolled his eyes, "come on at least a pretty mare?" Lightning asked.

"I met six of 'em actually, but we are just friends right now."

"Why, you not gonna have a very special somepony again, come on just ask one as a friend."

"I'm gonna have to pass on that one they aren't like that, besides I’ll bet they have already somepony. I can introduce you to them if you want?"

"Sure why not lets go seem 'em." the first place they went to is the library. knock knock

"Hey brawny, is this one of your friends? Hi I'm Twilight." Twilight said.

"Names lightning, nice place you have here." She smiled and invited them inside.

They all took a quick look around the library, not that Brawny needed it. "Hey Twilight?"

"Yes Lightning, do you have a question?"

"You don't have a special somepony for hearts and hooves day do you?" She looked bewildered. Brawny just face hoofed.

"Thats a bit of a personal question don't you think? Matter of fact no i don't though." Brawny was surprised to hear this. really Twilight doesn't. Does this mean that everypony else doesn't as well. Lightning and him went around town asking all his friends they all answered no.

"Well there you have it Brawny not one of your friends have a very special somepony, so you have six choices."

"Hey now, hold up a minute there cowcolt, I don't think I would be comfortable asking them I’ve only been here a week."

Lightning shrugged, "Suit yourself I have my own somepony to get back to, talk to ya later." he waved. The first thing Brawny did was start a walk out of town a bit.  He plotted his flank into the dust and looked back over Ponyville it was at sunset.

The town looked absolutely beautiful at this time of day he could see all the ponies going into their houses. He saw Applejack cleaning up her apple stand in the center of town and started to head down the road he sat on. She looked like she was having a bit of a tough time pulling the cart there were two hook ups. He assumed that big mac was supposed to help her. He obviously had something else to do, that stallion never talked much anyway.

"Hi there brawny" she said sweating. Her voice was cut out by her attempts to get the cart up the hill. He took the liberty of hooking himself up and helping her.

"I'm fine really brawny you don't need to help me" but he continued to pull and she just smiled and looked extremely exhausted.

He stopped "is something wrong?" she said sounding very tired. he began to unhook her. "what in tar.." she didn't say anything else she knew what he was doing. "Brawny I know your trying to help, but I can't let you do that. Besides I'd rather be hooked up to a handsome stallion.” He blushed. Applejack just hit on me? That didn't seem like her normally.

he saw what looked like a tall red stallion in the distance trotting towards them. It was Big Mac.

Applejack rolled her eyes "your a little bit late ya know" big mac just turned and started back towards the farm in a hurry. He probably just had something else to do as usual.

"Sorry, here wanna take a break?" he didn't say anything he plotted his flank by answering.

she looked back over the town, "beautiful ain't it?"

"Yeah," but he wasn't looking back towards the town he was staring at her. He never really noticed that she was a beautiful mare, in his eyes. She noticed that he had been looking at her, not the town, she turned more red than big mac.

They both continued to walk down the rest of of the road back to Sweet Apple Acres. The entire way Brawny couldn't pull his eyes away from Applejack's flank. He noticed where all the hard work from apple bucking went to. He shook his head and continued on pulling the cart

"Well here we are, we can just put the cart by the barn hopefully big mac will help me next time. Thank you again for helping."

"No problem applejack!"

He started his way down the road and when he entered Ponyville he headed straight for Sugar Cube Corner.

"Hello brawny." Mr cake said as he walked in.

"Hi, just one more day and I’ll be able to buy a house tomorrow. Thanks a lot for letting me stay and all."

"No trouble at all, oh i think pinkie pie needed your help with something." He wondered, with what? When he got upstairs he knew almost instantly what she needed help with. The babies.

"Hey brawny I need your help real quick" pinkie said holding her breathe "can you change pumpkin pie's diaper? I saved it just for you it's a nasty one."

He just gave her a dirty look. This was the one thing he hated. He knew that someday he would have foals and have to do this. He thought may as well learn now. He was finally finished after a few minutes of figuring out how to put the diaper on her, it wasn't all that bad except for the stink, oh Celestia the stench.

"Thanks brawny." He dashed back to his room before she asked him anything else.

My last night in this bed, he thought to himself, then he would finally have his own place hopefully. Thinking about what day it is he thought about hearts and hooves day coming up. Then, Applejack popped into his head. Did she even like him was the question? He did that was for sure but, did she? She was a bit nicer to him than all the other ponies. He had no idea what to do he had never been good at love and from what he could tell neither did she, not in an insulting way, but still. He needed sleep either way he had a week to think and so did Applejack.

He went through the day as normal, nothing out of the ordinary so far. He had to work extra long today because he needed extra bits to pay for his house and few extra in case he wanted to furnish. he wanted to wait till tomorrow to buy it though. He hoped he hadn't overstayed his welcome at Sugar Cube Corner. It was sunset and he took a short cut through town behind Sugar Cube Corner and from an alleyway he heard what sounded like a mare crying. curiosity got the better of him as he started down the ally. He began to see a faint green light. He kept moving he began to see shadows of body parts of all sorts of animals like goats, dragons, and a whole mix. The next thing he saw was bright yellow eyes as the figure turned around and he was immediately flung out of the ally and into a crowd. He sat up scratching his head, everypony stared at him and then he saw it, a purple flame on his right hoof. It wasn't warm but not cold either it just glowed purple. He tried to shake it off but he couldn't he concentrated on making it go away and as he did so it disappeared. He concentrated on making it and it reappeared and again and again. He was a bit creeped out by his new power but found it interesting. He could experiment with it tomorrow.

He woke the next morning and remembered last night and looked at his flank, he saw a purple flame. He smiled with glee at his cutie mark no wounder he couldn't find his cutie mark before. He went to the bathroom to clean up and he conjured the flame he tried to draw something in the mirror. He started with a circle and then stopped, he could see in the other bathroom. He saw Pinkie starring into the mirror. He was looking through his mirror out the one in pinkie's bathroom and with a wave he was looking into another bathroom. This one was empty he crossed out the circle with the flame and it disappeared.

"Wow Brawny I didn't know you could do that." pinkie said from behind.

"Oh uh hi Pinkie, oh what this," he held up the purple flame. "funny story about that.."

"Oooooo you got your cutie mark too?" he nodded.

He told her all about his new found power except the part where he could look into other mirrors hoping she didn't see that.

"Wow thats amazing, I can't help but wounder who that was in the alleyway though?" brawny shrugged. "okidokiloki, I'll talk to you later let me know when you get your new house alright?"

Brawny was walking down and out the shop he took a deep breathe of fresh air. He thought he might pay a visit to Twilight's library. knock knock

"Oh uh... hey Brawny come in, wait  here I'll go get twilight." Spike said. He plotted his rear on the wooden floor. Twilight came down and obviously...

"Hey Brawny... hey did you get your cutie mark, congrats what does it mean?" Twilight asked. He didn't need to explain showing her would be enough.

"Wow I’ve never seen magic like that before it's great. You don't use unicorn magic either do you?" he shook his head. "You'll have to tell me some other time right now I have to get ready for tonight."

"For what?"

"Oh every once and a while I have all of my friends come over for a sleep over, but spike has to stay in the basement obviously."

"Sounds like he gets bored really easy down there."

"Well why don't you come over and hang out in the basement with spike. He doesn't really have any friends or anypony to talk to except me and allowishes, but he doesn't say anything except for who."

"Sure I don't see the harm in hanging out here for the night I never really got to know spike anyway."

"Great be here in a little while, like maybe a few hours?" He nodded and said goodbye. The first thing he needed to do was get his house. He started for town hall to talk to the mayor.

"Hello did you need something?" mayor mare asked.

"I was actually hoping to buy a house in town." Brawny replied.

"Sure there a few here is a map." She slid a map across the desk he looked for a available house near the edge of town some place he wouldn't have any troubles getting to Sweet Apple Acres for work. He found it the perfect house, one story one bed and bath, also within his price range too.

He pointed at the house and handed her the bits.

"Here are the keys and there is only a bed you will have to purchase and furnish the rest."

"Thank you mayor." He walked out the door and went to look at his new house.

He took a quick tour of the house living room, kitchen, bath, and bedroom it was a nice house in decent shape. The house needed a few touch ups here and there, but he got his moneys worth. knock knock

Twilight answered the door and invited him all six mares were there.

"Hi ya brawny wotcha doing here?" applejack asked.

"Oh Twilight invited me to hang out spike in the basement since he is normally alone."

When sun went down they decided to go their separate way. Mares upstairs and stallions and dragons basement.

"So what are we going to do exactly its not the most fun down here?" spike asked

"I know," he noticed a mirror in the dark corner of the basement, he had an idea. "Hey does twilight have a mirror in her room?"

"Well yeah why." Brawny walked over to the mirror and dusted it off. He summoned his flame drew a circle in the mirror and waved his hoof across it until they saw the six mares in twilight's bedroom. BRO HOOF

"Brawny your ama..."

"I know"

meanwhile...

"Ok enough talk girls first things first. Make overs!" Rarity announced.

(Brawny and Spike both sighed, brawny-"guess we'll have to wait.")

All the girls participated in the make over. Brawny was particular with Applejack. She didn't seem to care for that girly froo froo stuff which was goo in his opinion. Rarity was the crazed and obsessed one with make overs, oh yes no doubt.

(Spike-"isn't she beautiful?" Brawny-"yeah, wait who are you talking about?")

"Alright girls now lets play a game, anypony?" Twilight asked. "Maybe truth or dare?"

"I don’t know Twilight remember last time?" Applejack said to rarity who just shook on the spot.

"Oh come on please, besides rainbow dash won't do it again right?"

"well she did pick dare ya know, alright alright I won't." She replied

"Then I'm all for it," they all nodded. "Pinkie you start."

"Okidokiloki, hmm Fluttershy truth or dare?"

"Um, truth?" Fluttershy

"Darn should've expected it though, come here." Pinkie whispered something in Fluttershy's ear. Her eyes went wide.

"Yes Pinkie I am." Pinkie didn't say word. everypony was surprised.

"Rainbow dash." Fluttershy called. Rainbow's face went red.

"Truth." Fluttershy whispered something in her ear. "Yes" she answered wide eyed. Pinkie was the only one who understood what was going on at the moment.

"So Applejack." Twilight asked, eager to get her question out and change the subject. “Do you say I don't know, like Brawny more than a friend?" Applejack was bewildered she didn't have clue.

(Brawny-"Now this is what I wan to hear." Spike-"You mean you li.." Brawny nodded.)

"Well yeah I do, but I really don't know how to come out and say it. I’ve never really been good with relationships you guys know that." Applejack answered.

"Well I mean you could ask him to be your special somepony for hearts and hooves day. Applejack for the record I’ve caught him starring at your flank a few times in the past week."

(Spike began to laugh, Brawny just rolled his eyes and continued to watch.)

"Well I mean yeah I could. I’ll think about it I don't know about you gals but I’m tired." They didn't even answer they all had their heads on the pillows already.

back in the basement..

Brawny looked over and saw spike passed out on his pillow. He wasn't tired so he decided to take a midnight walk, when he stepped outside he took a deep breathe of fresh cold night air. He took a walk through the town to see if there was anything interesting happening. Lights were illuminating from a small pub at the end of the road as he made his way towards it. He had never had a drink in his life like hard cider he was of age, but he could never buy one.

"Hard cider please." He threw a few bits up on the counter. The bartender finished cleaning a mug and filled it and slid it over to him he downed almost half the mug and then sipped the rest. He spun in his chair to see the rest of the pub. The only other pony in the pub was an old stallion in the corner talking to himself sipping a weird looking drink. He gave the bartender a tip, waved and walked out the door back to the library. When he opened the door he expected nopony there but he saw two mares on the floor. There was a pool of essence on the floor and he saw a mare with a rainbow mane and one with a pink mane with their heads near each others  marehoods. Then he knew what Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash.

"Hey girls." He walked past them into the basement, found himself a pillow and went straight to sleep with nothing but his dreams and a dry mouth.