Short Story "Awkward Moments" Book 3

[DantonDamnark]

If you want to read Books 1 & 2 - Click Here

Ch 1 was slight changed so that it could seem a little nicer. Yulin takes over Danton's second Line.

How the Clown met the Hermit

Chapter 1 - At the Cafe

It was an average day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the streets were crowded, and Jiktin and Danton were at the coffee shop. Danton face was pressed against the table top while Jiktin seemed to be talking without end.

"AndthatswhenIfoundthewheelofcheesebutitwasbluenowbutIateitanyway..." blurted Jiktin, who was wired on 3 cups of coffee.

"ButIforgottoremembertotellyoutoforget... to..." Jiktin's speech started to slow, and he started to sway.

"Jiktin!" Danton yelled, "Breath!"

Jiktin took in a huge gulp of air and released it in a satisfying fashion.

"Thanks, Danton" said Jiktin.

"What would you do without him, Jiktin?" Yulin asked rhetorically.

"I'll tell you the story!" said Jiktin.

"No, Jiktin!" said Danton, "That's not what I asked!"

"What didn't you ask me, Danton?" Jiktin asked with severe confusion.

"To tell me that story" Danton answered.

"What story?" asked Jiktin.

"The story of how we became friends" replied Danton.

"Okay, it was just a normal day in Ponyville..." Jiktin started.

Danton realized what he just did and started pounding his head on the table as Jiktin spoke. Yulin leaned in and listened intrigued about the story.

-------

So that you, the reader, has a chance to moderately understand this story, we will be looking at this from Danton's point of view.

It was 6 years ago in the Everfree Forest. Danton was walking about the forest picking and studying plants he was to use in potions. Danton looked slightly different than he does now. His eyes were brighter, to the point where they glowed in the night. He also seemed to have eyeliner, yet he did not wear make-up. His pelt was also a bit darker and he had a permanent scowl on his face.

The weather today, in the Everfree Forest, was dark and gloomy.

"No... No..." Danton said to himself as he looked at the mushrooms growing on a dead log.

"This will-" Danton stopped himself and backed up.

Just as Danton had finished backing up, a strike of lightning hit the mushroom he was just about to pick. The mushroom, now having been struck by lightning, was now glowing blue with the energy of electricity. This was indeed what Danton needed!

It started raining. Danton was about to pick it from the dead tree. But something in the sky caught his eye. Looking to the sky, Danton saw a green Pegasus with a long, luscious blonde mane.

If you don't know by now, that Pegasus was Jiktin.

Not long after Danton saw Jiktin, the bolt of lightning struck Jiktin and he plummeted to the ground below. Jiktin hit the ground at an angle, leaving a rut as he skidded across the dirt. To make things worse, Jiktin's mouth was open and all the dirt he dragged with him went into his mouth.

Jiktin got up and spat out about 5 pounds of dirt. If Danton was close enough, he would of heard Jiktin say this:

"Peft! Needs more salt"

Jiktin then assessed his wounds. First of all, one of his wings was sprained but more importantly, Jiktin's hair was almost completely burned off! Jiktin got over the loss of his hair and started to walk off, but he tripped over the dirt he just spit out.

Getting up, Jiktin looked around and saw a cave. He then entered the cave with the intention of staying there the night.

Danton had seen the whole thing.

"What an idiot!" Danton said as he facehoofed, "He just went into a Dragon's Cave!"

Danton wasted no time in getting to the cave. Before going in, Danton looked around and picked up a fallen sign. He then replanted it in the ground near the mouth of the cave. The sign said: "Here be Dragons!"

Danton cautiously entered the cave in search of the fallen Pegasus.

Chapter 2 - A Debt Owed

Danton walked down the long tunnel of the Dragon's cave. Eventually, Danton made it to the mane chamber. There he saw something that would amaze anypony. Mounds upon mounds of gold coins, jewelry and gems.

Danton's attention quickly shifted from the gold and silver to the Pegasus trying to gather as much as he could in his hooves.

"You!" Danton said with an authoritative voice.

"Huh?" said Jiktin as he looked around, "Who me?"

"Yes you!” said Danton, "You've got to get out of here"

"But why leave when I have all this neat stuff?" asked Jiktin as he pointed out the gold.

"Because, this is a Dragon's Den, and Dragons eat ponies who try to steal their gold" said Danton.

"Let me think about it... Nah!" Jiktin relied as he went back to gathering his gold.

There was a faint roar coming from the tunnel. Taking a look, Danton saw it was a Green Dragon. Thinking quickly, Danton grabbed Jiktin and hide behind a column by the tunnel to the exit.

"Hay! What are you-" started Jiktin before Danton showed his hoof into Jiktin's mouth.

The dragon entered the chamber and lay upon its hoard. Danton then dragged Jiktin out of the cave.

Once the two were out of the cave, Danton took his hoof out of Jiktin's mouth.

"Why did you lick my hoof?" Danton asked with annoyance.

"It was salty" responded Jiktin as he licked his lips.

"Ugh" grunted Danton as he wiped his hoof upon the dirty ground.

"You’re welcome by the way. If I hadn't dragged you out of that cave, you'd probably be in that things stomach right now!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing" Jiktin replied.

"How can it be a good thing?!" Danton asked angered.

"Well," Jiktin started, "I once found about 100 bits in a dresser drawer in a Red Dragons belly"

Danton stared at Jiktin in shock and confusion.

"My name's Jiktin. What's yours?" asked Jiktin. He then stuck out his hoof.

"They call me Danton" Danton said as he slowly brought his hoof with Jiktin's.

Jiktin grabbed his hoof and shook Danton up and down, rather than just his hoof.

"Nice to meet you, Danton!" Jiktin said heartily.

Once Jiktin stopped, Danton had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. It the rain had now turn into a down pour. Danton noticed Jiktin was in no condition to fly after that lightning strike.

"No need to stay out in the rain, you can stay at with me in my home till it gets better" offered Danton.

"Nah, I'll be fine" said Jiktin.

"Trust me, the weather in Everfree always gets 10 times worse before it gets better" said Danton.

Danton then show Jiktin to his home. It was once a library wing but it is mostly inaccessible. The only entrance is through a cave hidden behind a mound of white rock slabs.

"Home Sweet Home" Danton said. His voice echoed in the hall they were in.

"Coooooool" echoed Jiktin's voice.

"ECHO!" Jiktin said playing with the echo.

"Okay, that's enough" said Danton, "Now, do you want me to do something about your... mane?"

"No thanks, I don't have one anymore" replied Jiktin, with a smile(for some reason).

"I mean: Do you want me to make it grow back?"

"You can do that?!" Asked Jiktin, in shock.

Danton showed him to a room filled with beakers, flasks, tubes and more. Danton grabbed a few things and mixed them together.

"This should work" said Danton.

He gave it to Jiktin. Jiktin was about chug it until Danton grabbed it with his telekinesis and pulled it away.

"NO! You put it on your head" barked Danton.

Danton then proceeded to pour in on Jiktin's head. Jiktin's hair then exploded from what seemed like nowhere.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH! I owe you one! A BIG one!" Jiktin said with joy as he hugged Danton.

Though he felt awkward, Danton was happy for Jiktin. However, this 'one' was about to drive Danton crazy...

Chapter 3 - Misery

Jiktin insisted Danton come to Ponyville and see his home. Danton was reluctant to do so, but Jiktin would not let it go, at this point they were halfway to Ponyville.

"Jiktin" Danton said to get Jiktin's attention.

"Yeah?" asked Jiktin.

"Stop hugging me" replied Danton, "Now!"

Jiktin released Danton from his grip of awkwardness. He had not let go of Danton since he started hugging him back in Chapter 2.

"I really don't want to go back to Ponyville, Jiktin" said Danton.

"Why not? Ponyville is so nice and pleasant!" responded Jiktin.

"'Why not'?!" asked Danton rhetorically.

"I live in the Everfree Forest, inside a wing of a forgotten Library, even then I keep it fairly dark" lectured Danton.

"On top of that: I don't look like the most approachable pony" continued Danton.

"I should just wear a cloak or something"

"I wouldn't do that..." said Jiktin, "The last time somepony from the Everfree Forest came to Ponyville in a cloak, it took an arrogant filly and some Poison Joke to show Ponyville she wasn't evil"

"The difference would be that I don't< want to be there" Danton mumbled to himself.

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The day continued. Jiktin brought Danton to his apartment above the "Quill & Sofa" store. His place was 1 bedroom/living/room apartment, meaning he had only one room. He had no bathroom, but he said there was one down the hall.

After seeing his home, Jiktin took Danton to lunch. Jiktin pulled Danton's chair out for him, paid of the food, and even offered to chew Danton's food for him, Danton obviously, didn't accept the offer.

Jiktin also took Danton to the general store. Every time Danton picked something up to look at, Jiktin would immediately ask "You want that? I'll get it for you!", but Danton, again, declined the offers.

Later as they were walking to go see a movie...

"Jiktin, why are you doing all this?" asked Danton, who was wearing some pricey cloths Jiktin had bought for him without asking.

"Doing what?" Jiktin asked with a grin.

"This!" Danton replied as he showed off his clothes.

"The clothes, the offers to buy me things, the offer to chew my food and also the fact that you laid in mud and told me to walk over you so I wouldn't get muddy"

"That wasn't even mud, was it?!" continued Danton.

"No..." said Jiktin with sorrow.

"What was it?" Danton asked, egging Jiktin to answer.

"Pudding..." replied Jiktin.

"And whose pudding was it?"

"Mine..."

"Now, Jiktin" started Danton, "Why are you doing this?"

"Cause I owe you a life debt for saving my hair" responded Jiktin.

"It's just hair!" Danton answered with a bit of rage, "It would have grown back eventually!"

"Yeah, but not that fast" replied Jiktin.

"Besides, my hair is a part of me" Jiktin started.

He then pulled out a book and a pair of reading glasses, seemingly from thin air. Jiktin put the glasses on and opened the book.

"And the McRange family Code of Honor dictates: 'A part of a McRange's body is to be treated the same as the whole body'" continued Jiktin.

Jiktin returned the glasses and book to Celestia knows where.

"And on that note: I owe you a life debt" finished Jiktin.

"Well how do '<i>you</i>' pay off your 'life debt'?" Danton asked, eager to end Jiktin's behavior.

"Well, there are two ways" started Jiktin, "1. I can save the life of the one I owe the life debt to. You..."

There was a long pause that seemed to go one for minutes. Danton was waiting for Jiktin to tell him the second way. Danton made a circle motion with his hoof as to Jiktin to "Continue". But Jiktin just made the motion back.

"Ugh, what is the second way?" Danton finally asked.

"Oh, that's right!" said Jiktin, who seemed to have forgotten what he was saying before.

"2. The one I owe the life debt to, you, can exchange the Debt in return for being best friends with me" Jiktin said.

Danton knew his choice.

"I choose to be friends" responded Danton.

"YAY!" cheered Jiktin as he hugged Danton.

Epilogue

"Woopwoopwoopwoop" sounded Jiktin as he waved his hooves in a worm like fashion.

"Jiktin, what are you doing?" asked Yulin.

"Ending the flashback of how Danton and I met and became friends" replied Jiktin.

There was an awkward pause.

"Soooo, that's how you two met?" asked Yulin.

"Unfortunately, it is true" responded Danton, who was holding a cup of ice to his head. It was bruised from slamming it into the table repeatedly.

"And I never regretted Danton's decision!" said Jiktin.

"Most days, I wonder if I should have just jumped off a cliff and hoped Jiktin would save me" said Danton.

"If he saved me, he would leave me alone. If he didn't, I'd still be rid of Jiktin"

"Oh don't act like we haven't had good times" said Jiktin with a grin.

"True, my life would be dull without you" started Danton.

"And if it wasn't for you bringing me out of Everfree, I may have never re-met you, Yulin. Or even meet Lilly and Frilly"

"Speaking of which, Danton" Yulin said.

"Weren't you supposed to pick them up from school, like, 30 minutes ago?" asked Yulin.

"Aww, crap. Your right!" Danton said anxious.

Danton jumped up from his seat and ran off to the schoolhouse. Now it was just Jiktin and Yulin.

"So, Jiktin..." started Yulin.

"Yeah" responded Jiktin.

"Do you have any plans later?" asked Yulin.

"No, why?"

[DantonDamnark]

Chapter 2 is released.

1 Chapter + Epilogue remain.

[DantonDamnark]

Chapter 3 is done.

Edit: Epilogue, too!