Tagging Along (Eureka & Phil the Time Wizard)

[Eureka]

Mane Event's Traveling Wrestlepalooza... a feast for the eyes and the ears, hosted by the namesake himself, Mane Event. Traveling from town to town, he performs feats of strength to the awe of the crowd and demonstrate his toughness by taking on challengers in the ring. At a first glance, one might take this as a seemingly innocent and well meaning performer... but the ugly truth, was that the show was nothing more than a front for the insatiable ego of Mane Event. He didn't care about the enjoyment of the crowd... he only cared for one thing. To deliver a clear and simple message. It was all about "M.E."... Mane Event. The strongest... the fastest... the best Equestria had to offer.

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Mane Event had done it yet again... he had reigned supreme over yet another pony. Standing above the fallen foe, he raised a hoof in victory, smirking all the while. He was smugly proud of himself... but a part of him felt unsatisfied. It was almost too easy. The fans in attendance weren't applauding as one might expect... they were booing... and who could blame them? Not only did he just demolish a pony in an unsportsmanlike manner... but he'd spent the previous ten minutes berating Fillydelphia and the fans in attendance to boot. M.E, the egomaniac that he was, didn't seem to register the booing for him. In his mind, they were booing the effort of his weak opponent. Mane Event decided to give the fans what they wanted... at least in his mind. He raised a hoof, silencing the crowd... and shouted for all to hear.

"Fillydelphia... mark this day on your calendar and hold on to your ticket stubs, so you can tell your grandkids where you were and what you were doing on this day... because I'm about to make a once in a lifetime announcement! Normally, I only take on and defeat one chump from the crowd... but for one time and one time only, I'm going to lay down the gauntlet... and take on ANOTHER pony! That's right... without pause for breath and with as beaten and battered as my body is... I'm going to take it to another pony! So who's it gonna be? Don't be a coward! Put your skills to the test against a REAL stallion!"

Mane Event surveyed the crowd who surrounded the ring. A mix of fearful and angry eyes stared back at him. Mane Event claiming to be beaten and battered was a clear lie... the pony he'd faced had never even laid so much as a hoof on M.E, before the stocky stallion had steam rolled over him.

"Is there no pony else who thinks they have what it takes to take me on? No pony at all? I'm sorry... I thought I was in Central Park... it turns out I must have made a wrong turn, and wound up at at a nursery... because all I see are a bunch of babies!"

Mane Event sucked on his hoof, mocking the crowd.

"Oh, pwease don't let the devilishly handsome and oh so strong Mane Event get me Mommy!" mocked M.E. in a childlike voice. "I can't help dat I'm a baby who still shweeps with his blanky and needs a nighty wighty! D'awww! The fact that I'm also a gwown stallion is especially embawasing!"

Boos... and lots of 'em. It all went in one ear and out the other for Mane Event, as he began to get frustrated with the lack of another challenger.

"Fine, nopony wants to step up? Then I'm done! The show is over! And you know what the best part about the show being over is here in Fillydelphia?"

"Does it mean you're gonna shut up?" shouted a voice in the audience as everypony laughed.

"Who said that?!" shouted M.E, caught off guard. If there's one thing he hated... it was being made a fool of. "No, smarty pants. The best part about the show being over here in Fillydelphia is that I'm that much closer to leaving Fillydelphia! Good night everybaby!"

Mane Event bowed, as ponies continued to boo, some even throwing garbage into the ring. Mane Event ignored it, as he stepped through the ropes and headed up the ramp, into his tent. He waited it out in the tent, until it seemed like the crowd of ponies had dispersed. One could say he was waiting for everypony to leave, because he was scared of the backlash he'd get. In Mane Event's mind... he just didn't wanna be mobbed by his adoring public. Some time later, Mane Event decided to head downtown and pick up supplies for his trip to the next town of ponies he'd leave in shock and awe. As he left the tent, he felt like he was being watched. "A challenger not wanting to be embarrassed in front of a crowd?" Mane Event thought. He trotted along the street as he felt the prescence follow him. It was really starting to get on his nerves. In a flash, he spun around and raised his hooves in preparation for battle. "Ah-HA!" he shouted, attempting to catch the stalker off guard.

[RarityDash]

Spirit Flame stared on in confused awe. She had been out doing errands for her teacher and guardian, Gray Lexis, when she had come across this huge crowd in the middle of the park. How curious. Spirit didn't like loud noises, or being touched by a lot of ponies, but she disliked not understanding things more. Her curiosity was piqued, so she had to investigate. Slowly she slipped into the crowd, getting as close to the center as she could so she could watch what was happening.

There she saw him, a really funny looking stallion. He was really big and muscular and had a funny mustache and a slicked back mane. He was doing a lot of shouting which was making the crowd make angry sounds, though Spirit didn't entirely understand. Every so often a pony from the crowd would step forward and then the two of them would play some kind of physical game. It reminded Spirit of her foalhood, and the sorts of games the manticores would play with each other. It seemed to really get the crowd excited too, as they cried out things like "Get him!", "Bring that jerk down!" and "Show him what Fillydelphia can do!" When the big mustached pony inevitably won each game, the crowd just got angrier. They all made the same strange sounds. The muscled pony then started to shout some more until another pony would step forward.

It was all really, really loud, which kind of made Spirit uncomfortable. All the same, she found it fascinating. She didn't understand any of it. Mr. Gray hadn't taught her about anything like this. The energy, the raw emotions and physicality really did remind Spirit more of the beasts in Everfree than most anything she had seen since rejoining pony society. She was simply mesmerized by the strange display, unable to tear her eyes away.

Eventually, after shouting more things at the crowd, the strange muscled pony left and went into a nearby tent. The crowd started to disperse. Spirit stood still, confused and a little disappointed. She still understood so little of this event, but she had found it so interesting. Like reading a good book, she felt as if she was taking in so much new information in watching it all. She found herself standing still for a while, before eventually she decided to continue on her way.

Just then, right as she was going to leave the scene, the tent opened and the funny mustached pony emerged again. Was he going to put on another strange show? Spirit was curious. Either way, she wanted to learn more about this strange pony and what she had witnessed. She turned around then and began to follow him from a distance.

Suddenly, the pony turned around and shouted out "Ah-HA!"

Spirit didn't even react; she didn't flinch or cower or shoot fire at him. She just stared ahead, confused as she stared at the pony inquisitively. "Oh, hello..." she said in a quiet monotone, tilting her head as she continued to stare.

[Eureka]

Standing behind him, strangely enough, was a scrawny looking filly. Not exactly the tough foe Mane Event had expected. "Probably just a fan" he thought to himself, as he spoke in a bored tone. "Look, I'm real busy right now, ok sweetheart? So I haven't got time for autographs."

Mane event turned around and continued onwards. Turns out he didn't wait long enough for EVERY pony to leave the area after all. "Oh well... at least I gave a face to face experience of a lifetime to ONE lucky fan. I'm such a generous pony." thought M.E. as he sighed. He continued through the town expecting that to be the end of the filly's following... but he had a strange inkling in the back of his mind that he hadn't seen the last of her.

[RarityDash]

"Look, I'm real busy right now, ok sweetheart? So I haven't got time for autographs."

Spirit pondered the brief response the funny stallion gave her before turning around and continuing to walk. Autograph? What did that mean again? She wasn't sure. Did she want one? Was that what a normal pony would want in this situation? She really had no clue. She was, however, more curious than ever. She nodded and continued to trail after the pony immediately.

She let him continue for a while, then she decided to speak. "You said you are busy?" she asked, her voice remaining in her usual high, mild monotone. "What are you busy with?"

[Eureka]

Of course, the filly had continued to follow Mane Event... much to his annoyance. He sighed and turned his head to his stalker. "I'm shopping for supplies so I can leave this miserable city. So if you don't mind, you're wasting my valuable time. Now be on your way." spoke M.E. firmly, hoping that would be the last of that as he began walking again.

[RarityDash]

"I'm shopping for supplies so I can leave this miserable city. So if you don't mind, you're wasting my valuable time. Now be on your way."

Spirit cocked her head again, but was completely undeterred by these words. No, she was even more curious. What supplies did a strange pony like this need? Where was he going now? There were a lot of questions. He seemed kind of upset though. Spirit didn't know why. She was pretty sure it wasn't something she had done. She had just asked questions and been pretty nice about it, she was pretty sure. Maybe this was about the crowd from before?

"Are you upset because the ponies back there got angry and didn't want to play with you anymore?" Spirit asked in the exact same even tone as before.

[Eureka]

"Are you upset because the ponies back there got angry and didn't want to play with you anymore?" asked the curious filly... still following M.E, despite his obvious message for her to leave. At this point, he'd accepted the fact that this filly was obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer... but seemed mostly harmless. There would be no real harm in letting her follow... if nothing more than to make him feel somewhat important enough as to have an adoring fan.

"Didn't want to 'play' with me? That's one way to put it. Could you really blame them? I... Mane Event... am the strongest pony in all of Equestria! A part of me understands them not wanting to 'play'... No, I'm upset because of a certain filly who doesn't seem to understand the very clear and very obvious message that I am trying to give them. But at this point... I've all but given up hope on that message ever getting through to them."

[RarityDash]

"Didn't want to 'play' with me? That's one way to put it. Could you really blame them? I... Mane Event... am the strongest pony in all of Equestria! A part of me understands them not wanting to 'play'..."

Wow, the strongest in all of Equestria? That was really special, Spirit was sure. It was apparently very important to be the best at something. Mr. Gray often had a similar look on his face when he talked about having the greatest collection of rare and unusual books in all of Equestria. She was right to follow this pony, he was somepony very interesting. She wondered then if the ponies in the crowd hadn't just been jealous that this pony was the strongest ever.

"No, I'm upset because of a certain filly who doesn't seem to understand the very clear and very obvious message that I am trying to give them. But at this point... I've all but given up hope on that message ever being understood."

This part was more perplexing to Spirit. She wondered who this "certain filly" was. Maybe it was this stallion's daughter or niece or something? Why couldn't she understand his message if it had been clear when he delivered it? Perhaps he had written her a letter but the mail pony had dropped it in something on the way and the ink had all smudged and become illegible with no hope of the intended message being restored. That was kind of sad. If that was the case, Spirit could understand why he was upset.

"That's not good. I hope the next letter you send to her gets there safely," Spirit chimed softly as she continued walking.

[Eureka]

"That's not good. I hope the next letter you send to her gets there safely," replied the soft spoken pony. Mane Event stopped, cringed in thought and shook his head... trying to clear the cobwebs and make sense of the statement.

"What letter?!" he asked, turning to the filly. He sighed... continuing onwards. "Y'know what? I don't even wanna know what you're talking about. The last thing I need is your ignorance rubbing off on me."

[RarityDash]

"What letter?! Y'know what? I don't even wanna know what you're talking about. The last thing I need is your ignorance rubbing off on me."

The stallion seemed confused. Spirit was confused as to why he was confused. Had she said something wrong? She didn't think so. Ignorance? She supposed she really was kind of ignorant of some things. What did he mean by "rubbing off" though? Could ignorance be removed through repeated applied pressure?

Spirit lifted a hoof and began to rub her forehead with it. After a few moments, she wasn't feeling any less ignorant. Was she doing it right? She quickly caught up to the stallion to ask.

"How exactly do you get the ignorance to rub off?" she asked, her head tilted to the side in curiosity. "I can't seem to get it to work."

[Eureka]

Mane Event opened his mouth to respond... but reconsidered quickly. It might be better to just avoid the headache and not pour any more gasoline onto the fires of ignorance. He shut his mouth and grumbled..

"Y'know what? I'm not even gonna bother dignifying that question with a response. I only plan to be here for a few hours more tops... I haven't got all day to try and get through to you. I'm a wrestler, not a miracle worker." he spoke sarcastically.

[RarityDash]

"Y'know what? I'm not even gonna bother dignifying that question with a response. I only plan to be here for a few hours more tops... I haven't got all day to try and get through to you. I'm a wrestler, not a miracle worker."

Spirit nodded before chiming back almost immediately. "Of course you aren't. You're an earth pony, not a unicorn." Miracles were the same as magic weren't they? She figured they were. She'd look it up more when she got back home.

"So is wrestler what that game you were playing with that crowd was called?" Spirit added inquisitively.