Me, Myself and I

by Cynical Page

17 - Touching Grass Can Have Consequences

Author's Note:

So sorry this chapter took so long. Lots of life crap, blah blah, I think it's sorting itself out. I love to read your comments, they inspire and motivate me. Thank you all! ❤

Joey was exhausted. Even though it had been nearly a week since his meeting with Celestia and Luna, he was still processing everything. After all, his whole world had been rocked in a matter of hours. Those who he thought had forgotten turned out to be unable to reach him, and unwilling to overstep boundaries to do so.

Well, they might now. Actually, he kinda wished they weren't as careful. Maybe it was just a cliche in his mind, but shouldn't real friends go the distance for one another? Then again - to expect that from them when they hardly had any history was really unfair.

The only parts of that whole mess he had managed to unpack were the reasons why he accepted their apology so readily - for one, the reasons made sense. On top of that they weren't told to him as if they were excuses, and he could tell they were very sincere about it.

The second reason he had been so receptive to them was simply because he dearly wanted them to care, even when he thought he spited them. He was spiteful simply because he trusted them, liked them, and valued their wisdom. It was hard to put into words. Celestia may have forgotten his name, but she seemed to be fully intentional on giving him a firm chance at a good life here.

Luna shared common ground with him, although her history was a lot more intense. Still, she knew how it felt to be neglected and overshadowed constantly. Despite being a princess and having a loving sister she was somehow forgotten. This resonated deep with Joey for obvious reasons. He needed a friend who could understand him like that, and vice versa.

Above all... whether he cared to admit it or not, his gut knew that the two sisters cared about him. He could keep holding a grudge, but grudges were exhausting. He was being given a chance, and he would be wise to take it.

True, he had tried like this before but he never really had a foothold. Bad things were already happening to him then. This time, things were different - there seemed to be ponies who genuinely wanted him to be happy, even if they didn't know him that well.

He had been cooped up in his room for most of the previous week, working tirelessly on recreating Tolkien's books. He was trying to do it in mind of his audience, however - there was no doubt that some things in the books might be lost in translation to the ponies, containing references for things they may not understand.

For the most part, as Joey worked through the early chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring, there didn't seem to be any conflicting phrases. Still, he had an Equestrian thesaurus at his side just to be safe.

A knock came at the bedroom door. Perhaps Aqua bringing him dinner again?

"Come in." he replied loudly, not taking his eyes off of his work.

The door creaked open, but instead of Aqua he heard Cadance's voice. "Hey Joey! How's the writing coming?"

"It's... slow." Joey said, clearing his throat. "There's so much left, I haven't even finished three chapters."

"Is it a bad time?" she asked, pausing at the door.

"Well... not really. Don't you have court or something?" he responded, finally turning to face her. "You aren't usually free at this time of day."

"I have a little bit before the Yakyakistan ambassador arrives for the meeting." Cadance sighed. "Princess stuff. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Joey murmured, squinting at the page in front of him. "...What the heck does that accent mean...?"

"Listen - Joey. I've been a bit worried about you." Cadance began, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "Are you... okay? I meant to ask, but I still really didn't expect you to agree to see the other princesses so soon. Especially when you... when had that... you know."

Joey sighed and returned his attention back to the pink princess. "Listen, it's fine. Yeah, I think you rushed it. At the same time, I figured I'd have to face them sooner or later at some point. I'm sure I would have had another panic attack or whatever if I put it off. The gamble paid off too, didn't it?"

"Joey, you can't brush off a mental breakdown like that and tell me that 'it's fine'!" Cadance argued.

"Sure I can. I do it all the time. Also, that stuff happened a week ago." Joey said calmly. "Why bring it up now?"

Cadance bit her lip and looked at the floor. "I... didn't know how to bring it up. Or how you would react."

"Look, there's no taking it back. You've seen me at my worst already, it's humiliating enough." Joey grunted. "My dad always taught me that those who see you at your worst and stick with you are probably worth sticking with. In other words, you've seen me in some really bad moments. I don't really know how far my trust goes with you ponies, but I can at least trust you enough."

Cadance stared at the human shrewdly, before sighing. "Okay. I can understand. I'm just... concerned. I gave it some thought, and I'm not entirely sure you trust Luna and Celestia as much as you claimed to."

"I didn't say I trusted them. I don't remember ever mentioning it." Joey deadpanned, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "I trust them enough. Just like I trust you enough. You girls are the only ponies or PEOPLE to have even tried making it look like they care. Or remember! I don't think Celestia is going to stop apologizing about the Gala for a while."

Cadance nodded thoughtfully.

"I could hold a grudge against anyone, princ- sorry, Cadance." he continued, grimacing slightly at the mistake. "Anyone can hold a grudge, though. Here's the thing about grudges - they're exhausting. I'll avoid it if it's unnecessary. Why hate someone just for the sake of hating them? Of course I have grudges right now - but you princesses aren't part of them."

"Even Twilight?"

"Oh - nevermind. I guess there's ONE princess who is an exception."

"I don't blame you. I can't say that I'm happy with any of the Elements of Harmony right now." Cadance agreed morosely. "I know we really haven't touched on what happened in Ponyville, but I find it hard to believe Twilight would throw you under the chariot like that. I'm on your side with this, Joey, but just know that you'll have to face them all sooner or later."

"You're gonna invite them too??" Joey groaned loudly, glaring. "No. absolutely no-"

"Hold on!! I never said I would do that!!" Cadance interrupted, raising her hooves. "I think that needs to happen on your own time. I think I did too much when I pressured you to force the princesses, and while it turned out well I'm not going to forget your breakdown. I'm not going to baby you, but I'm not going to try to force you to face things you aren't ready to face."

"I would go insane if you babied me." Joey sighed, smirking slightly. "There's no way I'd let you do that. Technically, you already are - you assigned a maid to me."

"That was necessary, I can't have you breaking and stealing things." she replied with a grin of her own forming.

"Wow - did you just use my own techniques on me?" Joey laughed, mouth slightly agape. "Not bad! Don't do it too much or you'll go cynical."

"It's refreshing. I wish I could see that side of you more." Cadance giggled. "Anyways, I should get ready for that meeting. Why don't you go outside and get some sunshine? You've hardly been outside of your room since starting that book."

"Oi! That isn't true!"

"Don't lie, Aquamarine tells me everything."

"..."

"Okay?" Cadance pressed, raising her eyebrows.

"Fine." Joey grunted, still smirking. Maybe some sunshine would do him some good. "See you at dinner then?"

"Of course!"

---

Sun is cool. Touching grass, even better.

In all honesty Joey found himself a bit thankful for this as he roamed down a small avenue, observing the ponies as they went about their business. Many stopped to watch him for a moment curiously, some even waved.

He would tuck his sketchbook under his arm and wave back. Yes, he was taking a break from writing. He was still going to include sketches of the characters and major scenes in the book. First he needed a good place to sit.

It wasn't long before he passed by a nice little park-like area, if you could even call it that - it was a nice square fifty by fifty foot space with a slightly winding crystalline pathway winding through the grass. A few benches sat at equal lengths from one another, alternating sides. It was surprisingly empty here except for one bench in the middle where a stallion sat hunched over a messy jumble of papers.

As Joey strolled past, he noticed that the papers appeared to be sheet music. Having been in his high school band, he was intrigued. As he neared he could also see worry and anxiety in the pony's face.

"Are you a composer or something?" he asked, causing the stallion to give a start.

"Wha-? I - uh, yes. I am." he sputtered, staring up at the human with wide eyes. At first they seemed frightened, then they relaxed a touch. "Wait - aren't you one of those aliens from the news? That got stuck here? I-I meant no offense!" he quickly corrected as Joey made a 'Jim Halpert' face.

"No worries, man. What are you working on?" Joey replied, peering down at the stallion's work.

"Oh, this? It's just a trial, mostly." the stallion sighed. "I'll be entering it into a contest in Canterlot, hopefully that will be the leg up I need."

"Are you new to it?" Joey asked, taking a seat in the empty space next to the stallion.

"Not really... it's a bit personal."

"Fair enough." Joey responded lightly. "I was kind of into orchestral music a few years back. Nothing more than a hobby, really."

This seemed to get the stallion to perk up a bit. "Really? That's - well - surprising."

Joey gave him a questioning look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh - nothing personal, I promise. It's just that nopony I meet ever seems to have any interest in this sort of stuff." he explained, blankly staring at the musical scrawl. "And those who are well versed in all of this, they're a bit... well..." His expression darkened noticeably.

"Tough crowd, huh?" Joey asked. "I know what you mean, pal. Snobs of the upper class in this place are all carbon copies of the celebrity attitudes you see where I'm from."

"It's infuriating!!" the stallion moaned. "How does anypony find work?"

"What specifically are you trying to do?" Joey asked.

"I'll settle for anything at this point... I just want to make works worth remembering - or I dunno, be PART of something bigger."

A lightbulb went off in Joey's head. This had to be fate or some kind of bullcrap. "Well - what about composing for movies?"

"M-Movies?" the pony stuttered. "Write for those abominations? I dunno what anyone sees in Palomino studios. It's no secret that they dominate the market, even if it's new. I would be caught dead before I contribute to one of their soulless projects."

Joey laughed. "I know, right?? That's why I'm making my own!"

"Are you being serious?" the stallion asked.

"Yeah, I'm actually reproducing an incredible trilogy that comes from my world." Joey explained. "It was also made into one of the best movie trilogies ever made. I'm gonna try and recreate it for Equestria to enjoy. I couldn't do it without a composer, though. I never asked, what's your name?"

"Treble Teller." Treble replied, looking a bit taken aback by Joey's statement. "And I don't know, if you're asking me to compose for a movie... well, there's no guarantee it would even be good at that..."

Joey found himself irritated with that statement, but then realized Treble was definitely right. Chances of a good outcome were definitely not guaranteed here.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to drop all of that on you suddenly." Joey apologized. "My name's Joey, if you're ever interested I'll be around here for a while. Good luck with your contest!"

"Er - thanks..." Treble sat there on the bench, blinking at what had just happened as the human left. He finally shook his head, snapping out of it and went back to work.

---

What were you thinking, Joey?? You just met the poor dude and he was clearly already stressed!! Joey thought to himself morosely as he sat under the veranda of an outdoor cafe. Of course it couldn't have been that convenient. Nothing ever was. Still, it wasn't a no... regardless, he had gotten a bit too excited.

He had literally no idea how he would make a movie with a human cast in a world full of ponies. The few humans that were here were either super fake or just didn't give a single damn about his existence. Honestly he felt the same towards them at this point.

You're pouting again, dude.

Conscience to the rescue.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder how the others were faring. Were their lives a lot easier? Were the ponies still doting on them? How was Fluttershy doing? He didn't really hold her in any negative regard at the moment. Still, they all forgot him when it mattered the most.

You're doing it again.

Joey simply slumped into the backrest of his chair and sighed. He had no desire to write at the moment now that he was getting fresh air. Then again, if Cadance caught him back at the palace she would most definitely bully him into going back outside.

As he closed his eyes to try to soak in the moment, he thought he heard a familiar voice - one he had definitely not expected to hear in the Crystal Empire.

"Are you sure it was okay for me to come, Rainbow Dash?"

Oh no. Oh no.

He spun around on the spot to see an old face walking up the street. The butter-colored fur, the pink hair, the soft way of talking? Yep, it was her. That blue pegasus with the rainbow mane he had seen a couple times before accompanied her.

"I told you, it's fine!!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "I just want to have some company!! Spitfire will understand."

"I gotta go." Joey muttered. He couldn't bear to think of the horrible awkwardness that would be fall him if he were discovered. As fate would have it, the chair leg had some very different plans in store for him. As he made a movie to get up, his footing somehow got entangled with the base of the chair.

Before he knew it his face was getting quite intimate with the cobblestone. The metal wire chair collided noisily with the table, unfortunately drawing lots of attention his direction.

"Oi! Are you okay??" the owner asked, rushing over to him.

"Never been better. Cobblestone tastes like iron, though. You might wanna get that checked out."

"Sir, y-you're bleeding." the market persisted. Indeed, Joey realized he had slightly busted his lip during the fall.

"I'll get it fixed." he said hurriedly. "Thank you for the coffee miss, it was delicious! I really should be off though -"

"Joey...? Is that you?"

His worst nightmare confirmed, he turned to look at the two ponies he absolutely did NOT want to attract. Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry or beam, it was a really bizarre in-between. Rainbow Dash looked excited and shocked.

An awkward moment passed where no one said anything.

"I need to go walk my - my erm - toes? Yeah. Too busy to talk though. See ya." he said coldly, before briskly walking away.

Comments

[Animal]

I’m so happy that this is back!

[virtualGlimpse]

Welcome back welcome back

[Diamondized]

I get that certain ponies like Rainbow and Fluttershy might be worried or wanna set the record straight for selfish reasons, but how hard is it to let someone breathe for once? They should be well aware that Joey doesn't wanna see then for a long while- he'll be the one coming to them once he does.

Hm. Well, they're here now. They best step lightly if they don't wanna screw up things between Joey and them permanently.

[RomanceLover7]

Good update.

[LoserkidUwU]

Updates!!!!!!
YaY!!!!

[Skrepka]

Yooo
Thanks for the chapter!

[Prince Jules Moonshade]

Eyyyyy new chapter, Sweet!

[HIEfan]

Glad to see you are still working on this fic.

[LostAndOdd]

>>Diamondized
Joey never actually met Rainbow. He's likely avoiding her since he thinks she'll be like the rest of her friends he met, but that is also highly unlikely given Rainbow is of Loyalty, so she is the one most likely to support him given the circumstances, if not a bit too bluntly.

[Collared pet]

You had us wait for this hoopla!

Good. It was worth seeing Joey develop more

[TR4red4imp]

Omg its back! Holy balony i checked this site over and over the past months waiting for this!

[WumboKoDat]

It's back!!!

I love this series and seeing what Joey gets up to next. Glad to see life cleared up and gave you some time to write. Keep up the good work bubba!

https://www.deviantart.com/twilyisbestpone/art/Excited-Twily-GIF-943280151

[Skyblazer9]

11936313
Same here my friend.

[TheronActs]

A bass string strung, winded the tunes across the windy airy current of Crystal Range.
A clatter of hooves knock, knocked fervently present throughout crystalline streets.
Sunshine a blimp covered by hovered vapour, clouds latched together messily yet calm.
Glistened shadows, lighting reflect with glimmer through refract of many facets.
A scene unseen by any human pioneer, led instead by a recovering piece.
Piece it be wallow and grateful, justified and wronged.
Whirl emotion prevail, nonetheless a breathtaking interaction forgo limits, see beyond letters.
Hope you well dear Author.

[Orrm]

Wooooo-woo, it's just me mah-self and I, solo right until ah die, cause I--got me for life~

Wooooo-oooooo- I don need no han to hold, even when ma night is cold ah got that fiyah in May sooooul~

[Cynical Page]

11937639
Dude ever since I came up with this story that song is on repeat in my head haha

[SliverKnight]

Yay! New Chapter!