ZephyrBurst

As they all walked toward the restaurant of Max' choosing, Zephyr had been eyeing Max as something was off about how he walked. He kept a close eye for awhile and as they entered the restaurant, he realized what was wrong. Max had a slight hobble coming from the leg that Zephyr had nearly broken back in the cave. Seeing his handiwork affect Max for such a long time didn't make Zephyr feel that great and reminded him of why Max was probably treating him like dirt for most of this. The lack of windows made the place rather drap as it was completely reliant on artificial lighting and no view, but other than that, Zephyr didn't mind it. He was certainly happy to hear that Max would be paying. Max was on his way to having a reliable protector in Zephyr if he fed him well. Zephyr thought about speaking it out loud, but kept that thought to himself. He paid no mind to the other customers inside, though their greet was rather odd. They spoke as if they knew Max on a personal level. Did Max frequent this place or live in Appleoosa? No way, that was impossible. Not Max. There was an awkward silence and then a sudden outburst from Silversword. She must've sat on something unpleasant from the looks of her. It was hard, but Zephyr managed to hold back a laugh. When she sat, Zephyr averted his eyes from her and remained quiet. The atmosphere being somewhat tense and awkward as none of them smiled or spoke. Which then led to another decently sized speech from Max... 'Wait a minute... Max LIVES here?!' Zephyr couldn't believe that. Max living in a place like this? He had a bit more respect for the rich stallion. Zephyr didn't know Max was capable of living in places that weren't a big luxurious mansion probably made of gold and diamonds. He knew his thoughts about Max were wrong and unfair, but he felt ponies like Max were why he had such a hard life in the past. It was hard breaking this misconception. Zephyr thought about everything Max had said. He lived here in Appleoosa and they were going to Stalliongrad to discuss something. It must be about the railroad he mentioned that he would have built. All Zephyr was supposed to do was protect him in Stalliongrad and do whatever else he was told. Though Zephyr didn't understand why Max would need the protection of two ponies there, it was probably no better or worse than Manehattan in terms of crime. He had heard the place was a bustling economic center. Zephyr put all the pieces together in his head to something that made sense to him and verbalize his thought to Max. "So you're having a railroad built from..." Just then, the waiter approached and asked to take their orders. Zephyr took Max' earlier advice, saying it exactly as Max had said it, as he had no idea what that was except for the alfalfa part. "Oh! I would like an alfalfa and watercrest sandwich and an..." Since Max was paying and he DID mention it. "apple pie! Those would be great!" He turned back to his two table companions with a smile, ready to eat, as he was hungry from the long train ride. Silversword seemed to have calmed down, from the expression on her face. Good, he hated her, but it would be nice to get to know her a bit better without scornful remarks from either of them. If Max was going to make an effort for this, Zephyr felt it only fair to try as well. In a sense, Max could be doing him a favor.

Something needed to be done about this dreary atmosphere between them all. Max seemed to want to lighten up the mood and Zephyr felt compelled to follow suit. He was surprised and a bit impressed with Max, despite his seeming lack of experience with this sort of thing. He could tell Max wasn't that great with getting others to work well together. Or at least it didn't show. Forcing the two into the same room when they already hated each other didn't seem like a good idea. Despite this, Max was honestly trying and Zephyr found it deserved respect, so he would comply without question as long as he remained fair. Though he still wanted to hit him for the tracking device. Zephyr was going to try and remove it when he got the chance and discard it in a hole in the desert somewhere. Or the Manehattan junkyard. Zephyr saw Max picking up the pace after he glanced back to the two of them and did the same to keep up. He decided to keep a lightened tone as they made their way into town. "Looking forward to that apple pie, I suspect you'll be taking care of our food expenses?" Zephyr really hoped the answer was yes as he was sure Max wouldn't be cheap. Since they were going to be spending a lot of time together, Zephyr was sure he would be eating where Max ate, which meant good food. As they made their way further into Appleoosa, Zephyr glanced around at the town's sights. Wow was it ever... sparse. Zephyr was used to big cities like Manehattan, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. Being in such a small town was actually a nice change of pace. This place was even smaller than Ponyville, which Zephyr found small. A few times, Zephyr had to flick his ear and shudder his back slightly as a fly would land on him. Of what he knew about Max, Zephyr couldn't believe that Max would be found in a place like this. Why wouldn't they just meet in Manehattan where Max lived? This dusty desert town was just so... unlike the Max he remembered.

Leaving in a week so the two of us can get to know each other? Zephyr couldn't believe this. Of all the bad luck. Couldn't they just get to know each other on the train there since that's also going to take a few days? Bleh, he didn't want to get to know her at all. Sure he had to work with her for a few weeks, but that was it and then they would go their seperate ways and hopefully never have to speak with each other again. Zephyr wasn't ready for what Max said just before he started trotting off. Rooming together with that... thing? Zephyr was sure this wouldn't end well. He'd rather room with Max instead if there were only two rooms, or her with him would be even better. Plus, he had a marefriend and he knew she would not approve of him sleeping in the same room with another mare. This whole situation was a disaster just waiting to happen. Every moment it just got worse and worse. Just as Silversword started her trot after Max, Zephyr began his as well, trotting faster than her and going passed her closer to Max, not even glancing at her as he passed her by. And great, the three of them eating lunch together. It was starting to get pretty obvious that Max had no idea what he was doing. It was as if he wanted this to fall apart before it even began. He had thought about warning Silver, as he passed by, that he had a marefriend, and to not get any ideas, but knew there was no point. Upon getting closer to Max and thinking of food, he realized he hadn't eaten for the entire trip to Appleoosa, and was hungry. He spoke lightly on the subject. "Lunch sounds great, what are we eating?"

The mud on her face still made her look rather cute, she was definitely easy on the eyes. Zephyr was actually feeling bad for how he led her on to thinking that he had liked her. Though the thought did cross his mind during all this, he was still unsure and wanted some time to really think it through. He did feel that it was right to accompany the mare for the evening, as per her wishes. She walked toward her growing watermelons, giving one a nuzzle, and talking about how she talks to her plants. A thought he found odd. She passed him a grin and patted the spot next to her. He knew what it meant and found no harm in sitting next to the mare. On his way toward her, he began thinking of conversation topics, he was no good at this. He realized they were back to a situation that he wasn't all that great with. There's got to be something we can talk about. I don't want to disappoint her more than I already have. Or maybe I do, if she doesn't like talking to me, she won't like being around me. He reached the spot she had gestured for him to sit at and for her pleasure, sat just next to her. He still hadn't thought of a topic, and he couldn't go through with trying to get her to dislike him. If anything, he wanted to keep her as a friend as he did like that she was okay with his awkward social nature. He sat in silence for a moment, when a question came up. It was so obvious a question to him. His ears perked up and he smiled as he looked toward her at his side. "Why do you talk to your plants? Does it do anything to them?" It was the perfect conversation topic, at least he thought.

For once, Max said something in Zephyr's favor and actually apologized for Silver's threat, even reprimanding her. It was a bit assuring for him and he didn't feel quite so down as before. As long as nopony was unfair, Zephyr felt they could possibly get along. Though he couldn't help but think what could happen if the two of them were alone. Then again, she had her honor to protect, surely she wasn't stupid enough to just start a fight with him over nothing. "I merely stated my opinion. While I recognize it may have seemed arrogant.." 'May have seemed arrogant? This mare sure is full of herself.' Zephyr hated her more with everything she said. Seemed arrogant, it WAS arrogant and ignorant in his eyes. She nothing about him and made these big claims. He wanted to hurt her so much. "It would be far more dangerous for one to go in a large group." Zephyr did agree with that however, but kept to his previous thought and said nothing, so he simply nodded in agreement with her statement. Zephyr just wanted to move on with this, but he didn't want to say much, hoping to not upset anypony again. If he just remained quiet and did as he was told, he could get through this with as little trouble as possible. "When do we leave for Stalliongrad?" It was a simple question and to the point. He stopped at that and waited to hear the rest of the plan and hopefully his duties, but he wasn't expecting that much. He figured his job details and duties would change as this went along.

"Why are you recommending that I watch My Little Pony? You HAVE seen the previous renditions of this right? They all SUCK!!"

Her being the element of generosity wouldn't change how she is. Yes, she's got those traits which led to her matching that element, but it's not going to suddenly magically change her to compromise in every situation. I felt she was written right in this. This is her work, her entire livelihood. For the most part, it's usually the only times she truly freaks out is when it involves her work.

Zephyr was hating this situation even more as Max was now talking down to him as if he thought he was better. He felt himself getting angry at Max' condescending tone, but he kept himself in check, he didn't need this silly knight here for that. Whom he could feel staring at him with those cold eyes and that annoying smile that he really wanted to smack off her face. Of course she'd have a weapon, she's probably not a decent enough fighter on her own. Though Zephyr wasn't assuming this to be the case, he was sure she had some martial training. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at Max' desert comment. Like Zephyr was scared of being left somewhere. He knew how to take care of himself. Even in the desert, he was sure he'd figure something out. Though Zephyr wouldn't have done so if he knew Max was simply going to use yet, another condescending tone with him. His last words stung however, even from Max. Zephyr wasn't sure how a simple eye roll in response to what he saw as a rather ridiculous statement could be considered disrespectful. "Unlike this one, I could actually survive in a desert.." He knew it, she DID think she was better. Of course she'd join in and kick him while he was down after Max' whole ramble. He wanted to explain to her about his being able to take care of himself and survive on his own, but seeing how Max had just told him to get along with her and to be 'respectful' or whatever, he didn't and remained quiet. Yet she didn't stop, she kept making small quips toward him. Zephyr was beginning to feel... bullied. It wasn't a good feeling. He didn't know why he even cared, but he felt oddly alone and horrible that everypony here hated him, neither of them even know much about him. Maybe it was due to knowing he was going to be spending an extended and unknown amount of time with the two of them. He didn't want their approval, he didn't care for that, but he felt he didn't deserve the treatment he was getting. Zephyr thought back on what had happened so far, and he realized all he's done is ask a simple question for clarification and an eye roll to Max, maybe a glare or two to the knight. He sighed after Silversword made the last verbal jab toward him and his ears drooped down. If this was the way it was going to go, he would simply interact with the two of them as little as possible. Zephyr ignored the mare once again, he didn't pass her a glare or any mean looks, and glanced to Max. He spoke softly, looking down somewhat. "I understand Max. I won't be a problem for you." He would try to get through this with as few incidents among them as possible. That mare had better watch what she says though, Zephyr felt her lucky that he was under such strict conditions. He wasn't scared of her, he simply hated her, he hated everything about her. Everything she said and did only reinforced his self-given perception of her job.

Just as Max noticed Zephyr was close, without warning, Max levitated an object toward Zephyr and snapped it to his left hind leg. "What the hay is this?!" Zephyr shouted instantly the moment it snapped onto his leg, as he started giving it a shake to knock it off, which it did not budge. "Do not be alarmed, Zephyr. It's merely a tracking bracelet, nothing more." Zephyr just knew there would be much more to this than was originally told to him. He wasn't happy, in fact, he was angry about this. This rich snob was now his boss for all of his community service time. As Max continued, Zephyr began to wonder if it would be better to simply beat Max up again and take up the remainder of the sentence along with another assault charge, in a cell. He quickly threw that thought to the side. It can't be that bad, and that cell was terrible for even that one night, or at least it would have been if his cellmate wasn't there for most of the waking time of it. Plus he wouldn't get to see Mal again for an even longer period of time. Periodically, Zephyr would poke at the bracelet with his right forehoof or shake his left slightly, hoping the bracelet would give a slight budge, but it didn't move a single millimeter. Then Max mentioned something worse for Zephyr. This silver pegasus, who seemed to be hiding her wings, was a knight. Even worse, he would have to take orders from her. Zephyr did not do well when around authority of any kind, and now he would have to take orders from one for an extended period of time. This wasn't going to be good at all. 'I should take her out now while she's not expecting it, then break ALL of Max' legs. Yes, take out her hind legs first, maybe one of her wings, then fly up with Max and drop him.' These thoughts whirled through his head as Max spoke and the knight looked at him. This whole situation was unexceptable, but he had no way out. It was this or a cell. It wasn't even freedom, he was almost literally chained to Max. He chose to stick with it. Silversword glanced to him and smiled. 'Don't smile at me you self-righteous twit.' Zephyr simply frowned and gave her a glare before returning his eyes to Max. The mission wasn't exactly clear to him, but he still reluctantly replied. "I understand." It hurt to say it. Zephyr had to add his confusion to the statement however. "I'm a little confused though. Why me? If I'm such a 'wild card', why do you want me here? I mean, it's me and this... her here." He pointed his left hoof toward her, the bracelet rubbed against him as he did so. Already this thing was beginning to show just how annoying it was going to be. "Are we protecting you from something?"

Zephyr wasn't happy at all about this, not happy at all. His initial punishment had been extended. Apparently upon reviewing the situation, he was found that he should have gotten much longer than a simple one week sentence of imprisonment for what he had done. Assaulting three royal guards and resisting arrest. Since he was let out early and given the community service time, they didn't put him back in. Instead, he was assigned to assist in this project until it was finished, or his community service time requirement had been reached, which he didn't want to think about. The extension on that was ridiculous in Zephyr's mind. Zephyr would have fought such things, but he knew he wouldn't be able to articulate his argument well enough and knew it would simply fall on deaf ears because of that. He knew he would be away for a few weeks before they would give him a break, which was greatly upsetting. All he wanted to do was spend more time with Mal again, but now this was getting in the way. He found it ironic that if he didn't get punished, he wouldn't have met the mare at all. He didn't even know what the this project was, only that it was privately funded. He was simply told to take a train to Appleoosa at a specific time and meet up with a white unicorn named Maximillian. The name was incredibly familiar. His first thought was the Max that he had gotten stuck with in a cave near Manehattan, but that was impossible. What would a rich snob unicorn like that be doing out in some dusty hole like Appleoosa? Zephyr had no ill will toward the town, in fact, he was somewhat liking the idea of being able to come out here. But he knew it was not a place that Max would like to be, he was sure Max would think the town was beneath him. So no, he was definitely meeting up with another white unicorn named Max. Zephyr hoped so... The train ride was uneventful. The car he was in was luckily very quiet. There weren't many ponies around. He did glance about a few times at the few that were in there. Some blue earth pony stallion, a silver earth pony mare that Zephyr noticed had a sword under a cloak, though upon having a second glance, he was sure he saw wings under the cloak. There were a few other ponies with various arrays of colors. "Everypony off!" Zephyr heard somepony yell it from the front. He waited for everypony else to leave the train before him as he was in no rush to get off the train. There were still a few ponies on board when Zephyr decided he would get off the train. He wanted to stretch his legs and wings anyway. Zephyr wasn't prepared for what he had just seen as he walked out of the train doors. There stood Max, the one he was hoping very much wouldn't be the Max he remembered. He was talking with that silver pegasus mare that he had seen before. He knew now this was who he, unfortunately, was supposed to meet up with here. Well, at least Max was simply the middlestallion in all this. Max would just be bringing him to his 'real boss' in this. Oh he so hoped that was true. This unicorn knew his secrets, and worse, he had crippled the pony during their last encounter. Hopefully Max did not know the reasons for his being here. Zephyr's legs reluctantly began to bring him closer to Max and the silver mare. When he was within a decent speaking distance, and in Max' line of sight, he stopped and said nothing, only looking at Max. There was no way this could end well.

Zephyr was thinking things over as he glanced back to Holly. He tried to pay no mind to her hoof on his flank, but it wasn't as if he could ignore it. It was a mare with her hoof there after all. Though all he could do was frown as he looked at her trying to convince him to stay. 'So she just wants to talk, that should be fine I suppose.' He finally turned his body to face her, still keeping his frown. "You didn't sound dishonest at all. I was just flustered and I'm sorry I said all that. A nice pony like you doesn't deserve such treatment." He sighed. "You go and admit you like me and I just shout in your face about it." Zephyr was feeling too down to feel nervous anymore. He hadn't been looking at the mare, but rather her hooves, with his head down. Zephyr knew he was being rude and lifted his head to look at Holly, trying to not look quite so gloomy. "I guess I could stay and talk for awhile. I don't really have many friends... I guess... I guess I don't really have any friends at all." Upon thinking more about it, he wouldn't mind having a conversation partner for the evening. It would be nice to finally have a normal conversation with somepony for once. If she didn't ask too much about his past, it shouldn't be too bad, he thought. With that thought, his frown shifted a bit to a lighter expression. "If you really don't mind, I'll stay for now and we can talk. I really should apologize again for all those things I just said. I didn't mean any of it. Well... except for the last part." His ears drooped down upon having to tell her this. "I'm just not a good stallion. It's better for you if you forget about liking me any more than a friend." Zephyr felt lucky. What were the chances that this mare actually liked him? Even so, he still felt he needed to think about this. Now that it was brought up to him, he didn't know how to really handle such things. Zephyr wondered if he just didn't like her back the way she liked him. Still, he did want a friend.

It was another delivery to Ponyville for Zephyr. This would be one of his last deliveries for awhile as he was being forced into helping the lead organizer for some project out in Appleoosa. Zephyr didn't know the details behind it, he just knew it was counting toward his community service and would be taking leave from his delivery job as the project apparently required him to stay on site around the clock. That was going to be annoying. No pay for 24/7 work, but at least it would quickly burn through that community service, which upon closer look at the official papers, was more than the 100 hours initially set. Zephyr had forgotten that the Canterlot Royal Guard's sentence said 'no less than 100 hours' which was convenient for them as they could set whatever they wanted. Due to this time that he knew he'd be away, he did go visit his 'partner in crime', Malediction, the day before this. He did say he was going to pay her a visit and Zephyr made sure to keep his word to her. It wasn't something he would ever forget, and he planned to go see her again as soon as he was able to. Now that Zephyr thought about it, this would probably be THE last one for some time. It was a bit depressing. Not that he wanted to do this delivery job forever. He just hated being forced into whatever that project would be. Though he had to be thankful that he didn't have to spend that time in a dungeon cell. There were two parcels he needed to deliver to two different businesses that he wasn't familiar with. He figured it would be best to start with the Ponyville town square. As he made his decent, he noticed a fancy carriage, much too fancy for Ponyville. Zephyr glanced at it pulling toward the town square, but quickly paid it no mind, it was none of his business and he had other things to worry about. Zephyr hadn't noticed that the carriage stopped in town square and as he landed, a red carpet was rolled out, which Zephyr landed on. It wasn't anything that he had ever seen before. Kinda soft, though incredibly pointless when there's nice soft green grass all around. Zephyr glanced around for some street names, hoping to see if one of the two packages matched a close by street address. Suddenly a loud announcing voice shouted. “ANNOUNCING HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, PRINCE OF CANTERLOT, AUGUSTUS BLUEBLOOD!” 'Augustus Blueblood?... Royal highness?... In Ponyville? Why?' He thought to himself as he looked toward the carriage, which wasn't far off. There was a pony inside, but Zephyr couldn't see him very well. The name Blueblood was unfamiliar to him. Again, Zephyr realized he had other, more important things to do. Royalty wasn't any concern of his. He still stood upon the red carpet, unknowingly tracking a bit of dirt on it with his hooves, glancing around to see if he could spot somepony that might know where one of these two businesses were.

Zephyr was not expecting the mare to retort in the manner that she had. He figured she would run away, try to fight him, just something to get him away. Zephyr figured if the mare didn't like him, it would be easier for her to get over his rejection, but now that gambit had failed in every way. Some of the things she said bugged him. Sure he could see ponies being in love, but love at first sight? That stuff is for fairy tales and foal's dreams. His cold, dark expression changed to confusion while she spoke. Zephyr realized that this was his fault, he probably led her on without knowing. Still, his idea not working caused some irritation. He didn't know anything about this mare, but he felt that stern look to be a bluff, it simply had to be. This mare was simply too... proper to understand him. Zephyr began to convince himself of this, and his earlier glare returned. "Love at first sight. You... you're silly. That idea is silly!" He backed away and started walking in circles in front of the mare, lost in his own confusion and anger. "You could... you could get hurt like this." He spoke while walking in his circle, looking down, and periodically glancing up toward the mare. "You have no idea that I could hurt you out here and nopony would be able to help you. And love... that's so silly. I can't believe you really think such a thing e-exists." Zephyr was simply rambling, continuing his angry circle walk. "All of that you said, it's... it's a lie. Why would you do that?! I think you're just saying all that stuff about liking me even if I killed somepony." He stopped briefly to look at her. "Which I DIDN'T!" And returned to his circle. "This is... this is just so silly. A mare like you, liking me. It's..." He finally stopped his anger induced circle walk and looked toward Holly. "It's all a LIE!" He stared at Holly, gritting his teeth in anger and breathing heavily. As he stared at her face, he couldn't hold onto that anger though. She didn't deserve to have all this said to her. Finally, the anger washed away from his expression and he looked upon Holly with sad eyes. "I'm sorry Holly Dash, but... I'm just not the stallion for you. I need some time to think about this." He turned away from her and starting walking away, his head drooping down.

Zephyr had to bring a forehoof up to cover a giggle when the colorful mare had rubbed mud on her face. It made her look far too cute, even Zephyr had thought so. She was just trying to wipe away tears, which sunk Zephyr's heart, as he had been the cause of that. He was ready to apologize for making her cry, but her next words caught him off guard. Sure she had said she liked him earlier, but a full on crush? Zephyr wasn't sure how to respond. And now she was apologizing to him, he was confused. 'She's never liked other colts like she likes me?' Everything the mare said made Zephyr feel worse. Uncomfortable... never. He stood silent, listening to the mare, and thinking about his response. He had to let the mare down easy. Or maybe he should say yes. Zephyr wasn't sure, he thought if he said yes to her, it would make her happy, but then he could possibly make her feel worse later. Then she mentioned the word, 'dating'. Zephyr's mind began a whirlwind of thoughts. 'What if I start to actually like her? What if she starts liking me more? Then what? What if she finds out about what I used to be? Would she approve... she wouldn't. She's far too proper for a pony like me. She would hate me if she knew.' Zephyr was nervous, it was clear as day on his face. He had to take a step back. 'What do I say?' Finally the awkward silence was too much and he started walking toward the mare. He knew how to handle this now. He'd make sure there was no way she could possibly like him. Not after this... His expression shifted suddenly. He began to slowly approach the mare with a menacing and cold stare, one which could make even most hardened of ponies back down. "You can't like me. You don't know anything about me, or what I've done." His tone matched his rather menacing expression and posture. "I'd like to hear you say those words after you know what I was... what I can be." Zephyr was only a couple paces from Holly and his distance was still closing. Whether she had back away or not wasn't something Zephyr was aware of. "I don't think you can... And I find it rather silly that you would lead me out here alone when you've no idea..." He was now face to face with the poor mare. "... what I'm capable of." His eyes had narrowed on hers, and his tone colder with his last few words.

"...stupid..." Was the mare saying he was stupid? Zephyr was confused. Was the compliment too much? Was she upset because he couldn't help her? Maybe it was his awkward way a speaking. "STUUPID!!! I REALLY LIKED YOU, YA KNOW!!!" And with that, the mare ran off. Zephyr was about to say something, but the mare was gone in an instant into the woods. He couldn't believe the words she shouted to him. 'She liked me?' But now she was gone. Zephyr thought about chasing her down, but instead he simply sat back on his rump with a dumbfounded look on his face. It was another example to him that he still wasn't ready for any real social relationships with anypony. Even though the mare had run, he caught a glimpse of tears as she ran away. No matter what, Zephyr found that all he did was hurt everypony he met, whether he wanted to or not. He blamed the afternoon's sudden turn for the worse on his inabilities at comprehending others well. He fell forward on his front side and laid in the grass, trying to hold back the tears that so desperately wanted their release. Crying wasn't something Zephyr ever liked doing, he usually always fought back any tears when possible, this moment was no different, they didn't flow. Then he caught sight of something... It was her fruit basket. The silly filly had left it behind. Zephyr couldn't let her leave it behind, so he got up from his mopy state, took the basket within his muzzle, and started toward the direction Holly had dashed off to. Even though he couldn't see her anymore, tracking her was rather easy as she left easy to see hoofprints on the ground. Zephyr picked up his pace since tracking these prints wasn't too difficult, eventually finding himself in Whitetail Woods. Once there, the prints suddenly shot off in a different direction. For what reason, Zephyr was uncertain. Why would a pony suddenly do that? The possible thought that she was being chased entered Zephyr's mind and he picked up his pace again, just in case it was something that was flying, as he didn't see any other prints along with the mares. Whatever it was that was chasing her was causing her to gallop as her prints were stretched far apart. Soon he could hear the sound of a hoof hitting the ground and Zephyr stopped, following the hoofprints slowly. There were no other sounds such as screaming or... he stopped thinking morbid thoughts. It was simply the normal sound of the woods, its soft breeze, birds chirping, woodland creatures scattering about their day, and that digging sound. Zephyr made his way through some brush, following the prints through them, finally reaching a... small shack? Zephyr wasn't expecting to see that, among other things, like a garden. Upon glancing over the garden, he saw the mare, harshly digging at the ground, putting effort into making sure her hooves could be felt along the soft soil. There was a sizeable hole by this point. It was clear she was upset, tears could be seen rolling down her face. He took extra care in his steps toward the mare, her back was to him, and he pondered on how to announce his presence to her. Upon reaching a few paces away, he laid the basket down in front of him and spoke softly, somewhat apologetically. "Uh... excuse me." He paused for a moment to be sure he had her attention. "You left your basket back there." He nudged the basket with his right forehoof.

When Mal covered herself under the bedsheets, Zephyr knew what that meant, and he brought himself over to the bed. He sighed as he knew it was going to take him awhile to get to sleep. His thoughts were still on Mal and how the bed was no longer as comfortable without it being shared. Even so, after some time, sleep approached. There was a banging sound in the distance. Easily ignored with the forgetful dream that was occuring in Zephyr's subconscious. The banging didn't stop, then a loud voice. Why do those guards have to speak so loud? Zephyr looked up with groggy eyes, giving a mumbled response to what he thought he heard. "I will not." He heard the creaking sound of a door, then a slam as a door in the distance closed. Zephyr looked toward the sound and caught a glimpse of Mal following a guard, then going out of view. He stumbled out of the bed to catch another glance to the mare, but only caught her back side as she, again, left the area out of view. He sighed and realized there was nothing else to do but go back to sleep, he was still tired anyway. He returned to the bed and laid on his front side with the sheets over him. ... He was awakened by a loud banging on the cell door. "Get up!" Zephyr responded cold and angrily, he didn't want to talk to them or see them. "Go away!" The door swung open and the sound of hooves could be heard. Zephyr growled, he was ready to strike the first one that dared touch him. He looked up out of the sheets, glaring toward the cell entrance. "I don't want to talk to any of you!" The guard kept his cool, despite Zephyr's threatening tone. "It looks like you've been released early." He narrowed his eyes to Zephyr. "So you may want to drop the attitude." Zephyr jumped out of the bed with surprise, stopping next to it so as not to startle the guard. "Early release? But why?" Zephyr couldn't believe he was actually questioning it. The guardspony didn't explain anything, it seemed he didn't know much of the details. Two others waited outside of the cell to escort him out. The area he was led through was familiar. They nearly backtracked their steps from the previous night. Finally he was led into an unfamiliar room where two ponies stood behind a desk, and his escorts left him with the two. One of them, being the lieutenant that Mal had spoken with. Zephyr tried not to look upset when faced before them, but his posture was a clear sign he wasn't happy, despite the good news. Simply being in this situation with these two ponies, who Zephyr was sure thought they were better than him, was enough to keep his mood sour. Luckily Bonfire was not among the two, nor was he seen as he was escorted here. The lieutenant spoke. "You're being released early on the condition that you will complete no less than 100 hours of community service. The documents for your local department are here." He slid a sealed envelope toward Zephyr across the desk. "Show them these and you can get started, they will handle the scheduling." Zephyr noticed his saddlebags were also in the room, along with the invoice for the package. Zephyr was thoroughly confused and couldn't hold back his question. "Why the sudden change in my sentencing?" He couldn't hold back his words. "Need the space for ponies that actually commited crimes?" As Zephyr thought, the lieutenant did not like his response. "If you'd like, we can put you right back in the cells. It would be wise for you to watch your words." He was right. They were offering a lighter sentence and Zephyr saw that he was mindlessly being rude. He softened his otherwise, snide tone. Though he averted his eyes as he apologized. "Sorry... And I guess I should say thank you for letting me out much sooner." The lieutenant responded quickly. "It's not me you should thank." Zephyr looked back toward the pony, a surprised and confused look on his face. "Huh?" "Get your things and go!" The lieutenant spoke with a stern voice. Zephyr would waste no time doing so and straped his bags to himself, being sure he had the invoice and the paperwork for his community service secured in them. No other words were spoken between the ponies and Zephyr was led out of the premise. There was quite a bit of relief that the pony didn't start in on the weight of what Zephyr had done. He didn't want to hear some big speech about it. Once he was out of their view, he took off to the skies, heading back toward Cloudsdale. After being in that cold cell for even one night, the freedom of the skies felt amazing. Zephyr smiled and enjoyed the rush of wind through his mane, never wanting to be in a situation like that again. On the way, he remembered his last words to Mal, that he would come to visit her. He thought about it, but knew he had better return to Cloudsdale as soon as possible. Once things got settled and straightened out as far his job and community service scheduling were concerned, he would go visit the mare. If he was going to show her that he followed behind his words, he had to keep to what he said. ... Explaining the situation to his boss wasn't easy, but Zephyr was allowed to keep his job. Any other infraction and he would be let go however. Should be easy enough to follow, as he never got into trouble during his deliveries. The community service was nothing too special or anything challenging. During his first, he thought back to Mal, and what the lieutenant had said to him. He was pretty sure it meant that it was her that was able to get the sentence changed. Something had to be done for that. As soon as he could, he would send a note to Mal, though what to write was beyond him. What could he say? The thought bugged him through most of the hours of that scheduled service. He finally decided on something. It would be short and to the point. The note would read: Thank you. -Your Friend Zephyr Burst He knew she was partial to gratitude and flattery, so the simple message was all that would be needed. The act itself would be enough for Mal to understand. His return address, should she ever desire it, was printed on the envelope. There was one other thing he could do for Mal. He would never expect anything in return, it was just something he wanted to do. Mal had made a passing comment about the beds in the cell being nicer than hers. While he knew she didn't covet material possessions, he was sure she wouldn't be upset. Of course he was sure she would want to test beds out, so he planned on buying her a new bed if she wanted when he was able to visit her.

To Zephyr's surprise, there was an emotional response to what was said. She seemed to be trying to hide it, he could see a slight glimpse of sorrow in the poor mare's eyes. Her pacing suggesting she was having trouble accepting what Zephyr spoke to her. He knew he had gotten to her in a small way, even if she wouldn't admit it. For that, Zephyr felt happy and relieved. When she got up to pace about, Zephyr reached out to pull her back, but barely missed her. He wanted the warmth her closeness brought. Why did she have to get up? The thought went through his mind as she paced back and forth. Zephyr remained quiet while she paced, he could see that she was thinking and didn't want to interrupt her. As he watched her, his previous mentioning of her being attractive popped back into his mind. He never really gave it all that much before this. Mal looked much more attractive to him when she wasn't scowling at somepony or angry. Of course, Zephyr knew not to say that to her, he would keep these thoughts to himself. Since he had a moment during her pacing, he couldn't help but admire her fair frame. Unfortunately that was stopped when she turned and started shrieking at him. It was a desperate attempt to deny Zephyr's words. Even Zephyr could see past it. There weren't any words that Zephyr could manage to think of. He wasn't much for words when he thought about it. Actions would speak more than anything he could say at this point and Zephyr figured a simple embrace would help Mal more than anything that night. Surely even a cold hearted mare like her would feel something during such a moment and during her mad shrieks, Zephyr got to his hooves and was about to approach Mal to give her the warm embrace he felt she so desperately needed. He wouldn't be able to do so though, as a few guards came in and interrupted Mal mid shriek, and were heading straight for her. Apparently the two of them were not supposed to be in the same cell, in fact, now that he thought about it, there were far more cells than ponies in here. Somepony had messed up and now came to correct their earlier mistake. The guards were quick to grab Mal, and remove her from the cell. Zephyr wasn't sure why, he didn't think it through at all, and simply acted on impulse. He galloped toward the guards taking Mal away, he wasn't done speaking with her nor did he want her being taken away. Having to spend entire week in this cold cell alone would was going to be bad enough, and seeing how Mal could be around for just one of the nights would ease the process. He wanted somepony close that night, specifically Mal now that he had been so close to her, and these guards dared take her away. Zephyr took a direct route for Mal, ready to buck the guards away from Mal, he couldn't believe he was doing this. There was no hope for it, nor should he try for her, but logic and reason had escaped his mind at that point. Mal and the guards taking her away were already at the cell door and Zephyr didn't make it there before being struck across his chest by an oncoming hoof, knocking him back. A commanding voice was heard, "Stand down!". Zephyr remained on his hooves and he refocused on his target, who was now out of the cell. He should have given up, but he didn't and took another blind gallop toward Mal, making it a bit further, but to no success. This time he was struck from the side by a rather large earth pony, who sent Zephyr sliding across the cold floor. The commanding voice spoke louder this time. "I said to stand down!" Zephyr did as he was told this time, though it didn't stop him from standing back to his hooves again, and passing the earth pony guard a glare. He didn't move from his spot as he didn't want that guard striking him again, thinking that Zephyr would be a continuing threat. Though he almost wanted the guard to approach him, it would give Zephyr a reason to strike. Then again, he really didn't want to be in here for even longer for assaulting yet, another guard. On another hoof, what's one extra guard added to his list of three that night? Nothing else between Zephyr and the guard occured and the cell door was shut behind the earth pony as he left the cell. Zephyr looked toward Mal, who was now placed in another cell across the hall. He was upset and angry that they would come and seperate him from her like that, just when he was getting through to the mare. Zephyr felt he could finally have a friend and it was all messed up now. The only pony he really trusted with his past was now out of reach. He wasn't really sure if he liked the mare, he just wanted to be around her more that evening. Zephyr stood at the edge of the cell, looking toward Mal and he called out to her. "I'll come visit you one day." He knew that was all that needed to be said. He didn't have the address on the package anymore, but he had gotten so lost during his search on the wrong side of Canterlot for her shop, that he had constantly checked back to the package to make sure he did read the address right. That address was burned into his memory. A sigh escaped him and he laid down at the edge of the cell, looking toward Mal. He was sure he heard a guard tell him to quiet down when he called out to Mal, but he was trying to ignore everything but the mare in the other cell at that point. The bed would be much more comfortable than the floor, but he'd go to it later.

Zephyr couldn't believe what he was hearing and as much as he didn't want to, he found himself believing what she was saying. It all made sense, and the more it all came together, the more empty and sad Zephyr began to feel. This mare's jaded way of thinking was making Zephyr very depressed. It made sense, but at the same time, Zephyr couldn't agree. It just felt wrong, for him, to agree. "I..." The words came out rough, as if he was fighting to hold them back. "Actually agree with that." It was hard for him to verbally agree with her just like that. It felt wrong. Part of him wanted to just drop the subject and leave it as is, but it left him feeling sad. Simply dropping it and giving up wasn't an option. "No... no I don't agree with that! How..." Zephyr lifted himself up again and turned to Mal. Reaching down, he put his hoof on her side and turned her to look at him. Of course it meant breaking what he had said to her earlier, but his simple action of turning her attention wasn't what she meant. If she wanted to hold it against him, he didn't care. Of course, the mare would be upset that he disturbed her physically like this, but no matter. His voice gave off a hint of desperation, no longer holding the stale casual tone it had before. "I understand what you're saying Mal, I really do. I've lived like that my whole life, and while it went far smoother than my life has the last few months when I've been trying to make friends, it just felt so empty and lonely." Exhale. "Even my short-lived acquaintances have held some meaning or added something to my life. I..." He had to pause for a moment, as he was losing sight of the words he wanted to use. His expression showing his confusion. "I'm not the best at explaining what I mean. Uh, and yes, friends do create an attachment, but I feel they give back far more than they take. That attachment makes a feeling that... oh what's the word?" Zephyr was lost on how to finish what he had started saying. Sometime during his short statement, he had moved his hoof off of Mal, which was now rubbing his mane, further showcasing his own confusion.

Zephyr felt sad when Mal admitted that she didn't want friends. It's what he was trying to go for. She didn't specify why, though he was sure he knew the answer to it already. "Oh... I wasn't trying to flatter you. It was just what I thought." He thought about her not wanting friends a little harder, it was really a sad thought to him that she didn't want any. Zephyr had nopony he could call a friend. He thought even this troubled mare would be a good friend to have, maybe the perfect one due to their similarities. There was nopony else Zephyr felt he could share his thoughts with like this one. She listened and responded in ways that no other pony would. He thought about ways to word it that could be in her favor. There had to be a way to get through to her. Zephyr knew now what set the mare off, so he knew his wording was important. Zephyr cursed his luck in his mind. Articulating things how he truly wanted wasn't a strong point of his. Still he would try. "You don't do friendships? ... Why is that? I've heard it's a great thing. I mean, I wouldn't know, I don't have any friends." He didn't speak as if he wanted sympathy from the mare, so he spoke plainly. "But you really don't trust anypony enough for any sort of friendship? What about a pony to help you if you need help, or somepony to talk to? One could help you search for books on your kind of magic." He waved his hoof that was opposite of her side, up in the air. "I'm curious why..." He knew he was about to get a mouthful from the mare, and probably anger. If she was put off at all about light flattery, he knew this probably wasn't a good subject for her.

Zephyr stiffened his body at first when Mal pressed her body against his, but the immediate warmth and comfort it provided subsided any nervous thoughts. While Zephyr could sleep on his back, he felt compelled to turn toward her and drape a hoof over her. It would be much more comfortable in every way he thought, but considering it meant going back on his word, he decided fighting against that urge and remained in his current position next to Mal. And to his surprise, laying like this next to the mare was rather enjoyable. He wasn't quite expecting Mal to say she respected him back. Any positive response from the mare seemed amazing in its own right. Zephyr smiled, even though Mal couldn't see it, he was sure she knew. The tension seemed to have subsided completely now. Considering her proximity and what she had just admitted to him, Zephyr was pretty sure she was finally comfortable with this situation. "Funny you mention that, well... I guess not really 'funny', err... anyway. During the warmer seasons, I would stay out in the woods close to Manehattan whenever I could. There's... freedom out there!" Zephyr spoke in a hopeful tone. "You know the feeling! Everything out there is just so... natural... and..." Zephyr's voice starts to show uncertainty. "Uh, I don't know the words for it. I've never been all that great with words." He thought about her fire statement. "I only tried to start a fire once, I had heard about how to do it, but I couldn't manage it then. Fire scares me a bit. I got a burn on my flank once when I stole from a unicorn. I... wasn't being very careful that time." He couldn't help but giggle a little, considering Mal wielded flame magic, and gave her a light nudge. "It wasn't you was it?" He spoke jokingly. Zephyr gave a comforting sigh. "I'm glad I met you. You're easy to talk to and you say some very insightful things."

Geez, this mare really thought the worst in everypony. He couldn't be mad anymore, it was already past, though he did want to clarify. He was still sitting up, looking down to Mal. "I wouldn't accuse you of trying that, you don't sound too interested anyway." He kept his tone casual to hopefully keep the mood passive. "And it was never on my mind when I hit that pegasus. And in here... I mean I've stolen a lot of things from others but, I would never uh... well..." Zephyr's tone changed to reveal a bit of frustration. "What's the word?" He growled lightly. "I have trouble explaining what I mean a lot of times... forget it." He finally laid back down, trying his best not to bump Mal at all, he still had to make contact with her side however. It was going to take forever to fall asleep, he wasn't tired, and he felt intrigued by this mare. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about. Finding another pony with a similar past was relieving, and though she was cold and distant, he still felt a kindred connection on some level. The word he was looking for had finally swerved its way into his mind, his ears shot up, though he stayed laying back. Zephyr knew that constantly moving about would be a bother and rather liked having another pony close by. "Ah! I wouldn't try anything funny..." What Mal said earlier in the cell came back. So that's what she meant, it went over his head earlier, and he assumed she meant something else. "because I respect you." There was a word he had never been able to use. Though now that he had said it, he wondered about the response. It seemed every time anything could be considered a compliment, she snapped at him, though he caught her grins at his 'attractive' comments.

Zephyr could tell he hit a nerve with the question, and opted to drop it, especially considering she had also changed the subject somewhat. He started to notice a pattern, any time he mentioned something that could be rough to deal with, she seemed to snap at him. She had quite a lot of these it seemed, much to Zephyr's dismay. Zephyr had a bit of anger behind his words, and he pushed himself up, lightly thumping against Mal's back as he did so. "You're right, they're not worth remembering. Not worth my time considering they would just leave their own helpless foal alone in a big city!" He turned and looked to Mal, who was still turned away from him. Her ear caught his attention, part of it was missing. He wondered when that happened, and thought about asking, though he figured a question about a wound like that was sure to ignite another snarl from her. An even weirder thought raced through his mind as he looked at her. He thought to reach a hoof over and graze over her broken ear. He had started to when lost in that thought, but quickly remembered he said he wasn't to touch her. That was a silly thing to say, he thought, in hindsight. Instead, there was another question that circled through his mind. He was so confused by what she meant, he needed her to clarify. In a concerned tone, "Earlier this evening, you whispered something to me... You said 'No good deed goes unpunished'. There was another word after, but I can't remember it. What did you mean by that?" The statement seemed so illogical, though Zephyr knew he wasn't that great at understanding words and articulating sometimes. (( Post referenced ))

Zephyr stood staring at Mal, he was pretty sure he caught a glimpse of a scar when she had panic'd earlier that evening, this confirmed it. Though it was worse than he thought. He wasn't sure what she was trying to do by revealing the scar in the way she did, but it certainly didn't take away from what he was staring at. To him, it revealed more about her experiences and hardships in life, which Zephyr could respect. He had scars of his own and knew each one had a story behind it. His near trance was quickly removed when the mare had asked if he was still awake. He shook his head and brought his focus back. "Oh uh, yes, sorry." A soft sigh escaped. "I'm not that tired, but I'll try not to move about so much while you sleep." Before lifting himself onto the bed, Zephyr straightened his forelegs and pushed his body back, lifting his rump in the air, and extending his wings fully. He grunted lightly and let off a satisfied low sigh during his stretch. Afterwards, he placed only his forehooves on the edge of the bed. "You're still very attractive." A grin slipped through, though he only meant it as a simple compliment and nothing more. He pushed down with his forehooves and lifted himself on the edge of the bed and rolled onto his back, just next to Mal. The bed was indeed big enough for two, but he found that his side had still made contact with hers. It didn't matter, Zephyr figured he might as well enjoy having a warm body close by, rather than worry about upsetting the mare. Due to the silence, Zephyr figured he would confirm what Mal had taken a guess at earlier. "You guessed right about me... I'm also an orphan. My parents left me on the streets of Manehattan when I was a foal, so I learned to take care of myself. I honestly can't remember their faces, like it matters. I obviously didn't need them anyway." Zephyr hadn't displayed much emotion in what he said. The thought of being left alone by his parents seemed normal to him at this point. He paused a moment and became curious. "What happened to you, how did you lose your parents? I mean... if you feel like sharing that is."

The longer the evening went on, the more insightful Mal appeared to be. He would have to remember to apologize for his last comment to her. Zephyr realized he was only interpreting Mal as being mean or hurtful. He had seen it happen when it was directed to him, and he was beginning to see the mare in a better light. Though she was still crazy in his mind. Her attempt to use magic to remove the sheet was humorous and Zephyr had to fight back a snicker. He had seen unicorns use levitation magic almost without thought. It seemed to come as second nature to them. Seeing Mal attempt to use it and fail was a rather humorous sight, and he let the sheet fall in front of him, simply listening to the mare. He couldn't help but smile when she took a guess with her orphan comment. The smile, he was sure, would give enough hint to the mare that she had actually guessed it. There didn't seem to be any point in mentioning it at that moment. He was so used to the thought of being an orphan, that it usually didn't bug him, this moment being another of them. Her offer wasn't what he had thought she would ever think to suggest. It caught him offguard, though it wasn't a bad idea. The floor was cold and hard, the air was cold, it just made sense. He stood at the side of the bed, giving a slight grin. "Oh please Mal." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You're a very attractive mare, but..." Zephyr paused and rubbed his mane in thought. "But uh... I lost my train of thought..." He brought his hoof back down and returned his look to Mal. "It doesn't matter. I've got no intentions beyond keeping warm for the night." The thought of sharing a sleeping place with another pony would normally have made Zephyr nervous. It meant being vulnerable, but Zephyr had an understanding of Mal, or at least he thought he did. He knew enough that she wouldn't try to bring any harm to him during the night. The idea seemed solid. "... Okay, we'll share it."

Repe... twa? Is that what she said? What's a magical repe-twa? Zephyr put it in context and figured it had something to do with her knowledge of magic. Thinking about it made him forget for a moment that Mal sounded nervous in what she was talking about. "That's a good question." He dug at the floor and looked down a moment. "I've actually given it some thought before. When I was younger, usually my only concern was finding my next meal while avoiding those types." He pointed a hoof to the bars. "I would..." Zephyr paused and sat back on him rump, bring a hoof up to his chin in thought. "Well, you're right, delivering packages was never on my list of things I wanted to do. I'm only looking to be happy, I just haven't quite figured out what it is that does that yet." He put his hoof back down, making sure to look to Mal's eyes. Zephyr's tone lightened up. "I'm good at taking things from ponies without them knowing and if I need to, I can fight well." Zephyr made various gestures as he spoke, sometimes looking away along with his gesture. He could quickly tell this isn't what Mal meant, and he frowned a bit while his ears when back. "Well uh... I didn't have any real schooling for flying or anything, but I can fly really well. I think I might even be better than most pegasus at it, and I really love flying! I just haven't found anything that goes well with that." Despite the subject matter, Zephyr kept his tone light. For some reason, he felt at ease telling Mal about some of his troubling past and lack of proper education. Zephyr stood back on his hooves and made a moderate pace back toward the bed. "And I'm just trying to be kind in letting you have the bed and sheets without any fight. Why does everything with you have to be so..." As he looked into Mal's eyes, he could tell she was not amused. Zephyr pinned his ears back, but his expression didn't follow through with his ears. "... Okay yes! I do want the sheets, but I'm simply choosing to be nice here. Would it hurt you to just accept a single act of kindness without some mean comment?"