Nighttime Wanderings

Bucky carefully counted his steps as he staggered around the town square. He was trying to figure out how many steps it would take an average stallion like him to walk around it, but there were a few obstacles preventing him from getting a proper count. First, the thumping of his guitar against his back was distracting him. Second, he was rather drunk and kept tripping over his own hooves every few steps. And third, he could have sworn he had seen that one particular chair over there before.

After a while he just gave up and plopped himself down on the curb, wings splayed as he slid his guitar around to the front where he could reach it better. The pegasus took a test strum and ran his hoof down the strings. It made a satisfying hum, so he plucked out a simple tune. At the moment he was just bored and needed something to entertain his alcohol-clouded brain. This was the only thing that was available.

"YEEEE-HAW!!!" Jessi yelled into the night as she attempted to 'wrangle' the fence while practicing her gallop by roping techniques. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to rope the heart shaped spoke out of the top of the fence. "Aww hog darn it!" She said chucking her Stetson to the floor, thus revealing a tiny strip of cloth dangling from her mane. "Ah should've gotten it that time... it's what... the fiftieth time tonight... Aw, shoot! even if ah could manage, ah'd never get into the upcomin' rodeo..." She shivered as the memories of her first rodeo flooded her mind. Hurdlers falling into thick mud, swarms of bees chasing the other foals off of the field...

Her ears perked up as a blue, rather ratty looking pegasus plopped himself down on the curb near her. She froze as the sudden icy black claws of terror wrapped around her "Eep!" she let out a sharp screech and darted for the nearest bush but not before picking up the Stetson and replacing it over her horn. Her breathing slowed to attempt to conceal herself and she just watched him.

There was a sharp "eep" that erupted near him, which confused him. He wasn't sure if a pony had made that noise or what. Bucky considered ignoring it and going back to his playing, but something about that "eep" had bothered him. He tossed his ragged, dark blue mane out of his face with a hoof and raised his head, squinting into the night. "Hello?" he called, having to pause for a moment to let out a few hiccups. "Anypony there?" What did he have to lose by asking? The worst thing that could happen was that he made himself look like an idiot because he had just imagined the "eep." It had sounded very pony-like, though...

Jessi's ears were instantly pinned against her head as she let out a small gasp when the azure pony noticed her outburst. Jessi's mind then clouded with her own anxieties as her head darted around looking for a way out but she was far too close to escape without being noticed. She tightly closed her eyes and quietly whispered "Please don't make a wish! Please don't make a wish! Please don't make a wish!!!" She knew that if he even made a silent, accidental wish, it would be granted without the cloth...

Her pupils then dilated as her right hoof then swung up to her horn making sure it was still wrapped. She let out a relieved sigh as the cloth remained tightly bound. She then replaced her hat upon her head very carefully knowing that even though it was wrapped, it wouldn't stop the glow. But the glow would be the only thing to happen if he did make an accidental wish.

He listened with his head cocked and ears perked for another sound. As far as he could tell, none came, so he simply shrugged and went back to his playing. He chose one of his favorite songs, one he had written himself, and set it at a brisk tempo, his hoof looking like a blur as he flicked the strings. Bucky closed his eyes to the darkness around him and sang the words softly, not noticing the slight slur and hiccups that broke up his voice. He didn't need anything or anypony else except his music right now. The only thing he could hear was his own playing, and that was one of the reasons why he loved nighttime.

Jessi's ears perked towards the sweet, yet broken melody as her pupils grew larger remembering when she used to sing herself... before she became an unlucky victim of a horrible cutiemark. She then shook her head furiously, accidentally brushing a few leaves and getting some of the branches stuck in her curly hair. "Ugh, great.." She whispered as she gently and quietly began to untangle her mane. Once out, it didn't seem like he was going to make any wishes. Which was a huge relief. But the night is still young... Jessi narrowed her eyes at the stallion as she then began backing slowly out of the bush until "swish, swish" the sound of the bush brushing against her giant puffy tail.

She froze as she then glued her eyes back upon the blue pegasus quietly hoping he hadn't heard anything. It wasn't until she noticed the faint scent of alcohol wafting through the air. "Oh great... this lummox is actually drunk... I'd better keep an eye on him to make sure he's ok... But then again... he could see me and make this really dumb drunken stupor wish like making it rain ducks or making a tiny rain cloud rain alcohol... OH geez, oh geez, oh geez, what do I do???" Jessi bit her lip throwing both hooves upon her head.

Despite most ponies' outlandish attitudes when drunk, Bucky's was remarkably calm. Although he had more trouble walking in a straight line, seeing, and focusing on things, he wasn't a flat-out drunken idiot. And he knew what a pony sounded like when he heard one.

The pegasus carefully pushed his guitar back over his shoulder and stood up, taking a minute to regain his balance before walking in the direction of the bushes with a puzzled expression on his face. "I know there's somepony there..." He sighed and plopped back down on his haunches. Oh, I wish they would come out so I could see them, instead of hiding like that, he thought.

Jessi's eyes widened as her ears were heavily pinned against her head. "Oh no... oh no... oh no..." 'Don't open the bush, don't open the bush, don't open the bush!!' she begged silently a turning her back to the slightly opened peep hole in the bush. She began quickly hyperventilating pressing her hat firmly against her head knowing he heard her until the wish happened... In the blink of an eye, she'd been teleported out of the bush and right in the blinding headlight view of the blue pegasus stallion. Normally, the wish wouldn't be granted, there'd only be a flash. But, due to the magic the cloth holds being absorbed rather than muting her magic, the wish worked putting her, face to face (A few yards away), with him.

Jessi stared at him, frozen in fear, with pupils now so small they were barely visible. Oh my stirrups! What the hay happened?? How the hay did it happen?? Now knowing the the muting wasn't working she wanted to run but, like a dear in the headlights, she remained frozen.

((I'll shoot myself for forgetting her countryisms XD))

The stallion popped to his hooves and took a few steps back as a unicorn mare suddenly appeared in front of him. Where the buck had she come from?! Bucky swallowed hard and reached up to rub at his eyes. He was just imagining things, she wasn't real. Ponies couldn't just appear like that...could they?

His mouth dropped open in shock before he quickly closed it. She was still there. Bucky swallowed again and took a few tentative steps towards the mare, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. "H-Hello? Are you...real?" Celestia, Bucky, that was a stupid question. He shook his head and tried again, feeling himself getting unnerved by the closeness of the pony. "I mean, uh...Where did you come from?"

Jessi remained frozen as his words stumbled clumsily through her head, yet the only thing on her mind was a frantic repetition of GET OUT GIRL, RUN!! HE MADE A FREAKING WISH, YOU SHOULDN'T BE OUT!! OH CELESTIA... OH LUNA... DANGIT RUUUN... As soon as he started advancing, she took a few steps backwards then bolted as if her life depended on it.

She sloppily skidded around a curve, due to her speed, trying her best to get perfect distance between them only to stop about two miles away thinking she had gotten away. She slowed then quickly panted unraveling the now useless cloth and tossing it in the nearest trash bin.

((She wasn't right in front of him, just a few yards but 'face to face' meaning she faced him/his direction.))

(Got it :P I was close enough)

Almost as sudden as she had appeared, the mare was gone again. Bucky stood there looking confused for an embarrassingly long time before realizing that she hadn't vanished as magically as he had thought; she simply just ran away. Even though mares made him uncomfortable, he was curious as to why she was so skittish. So the only thing he could do was to follow her.

He started trotting in the direction that she had gone, then he started galloping. After tripping several times he decided that that was't going to work, so he switched to flying instead. He made it about a mile and a half without huge trouble but right when he believed he could see her if he squinted hard enough, but the concentration that took caused him to miss a wingbeat and he crashed to the ground. With his fabulous luck, he landed right on his face, too.

Jessi darted behind a building quickly pinning herself to a wall and barely breathing to attempt to hide herself... "Oh, heavens to betsy! What in tarnation is with that stallion... it was the perfect night fer practice and to think, Ah could'a gotten away with lassoin' the fence!" She then slumped against the wall. "Ah can't even lasso right, how am Ah gonna ever be allowed into the Rodeo now?? Ah wonted so much to be rodeo star all mah life, but now, look at me... Why in tarnation am I inner-monologging..."

Jessi then quickly looked around the side of the wall only to see him tripping over himself and falling out of the sky. She gritted her teeth as she remained hidden seriously not wanting go stay there due to her unfortunate cutie mark.... She was vulnerable if any pony or any animal made a wish... but in the same instance, not wanting to leave this poor drunkard who couldn't even walk a straight line out in the cold... "Come on ol' girl, keep yer distance... what if he makes another wish?? He knows of you now..." Jessi closed her eyes and slumped to the floor then put her hooves on her head, yet again not even wanting to listen to her own thoughts rush through burying her subconscious in paranoia.

((Sorry it took so long!!))

Bucky didn't see any reason to get up so he just stayed where he was on the ground, his wings and limbs splayed rather comically to either side. The pegasus puffed a ragged lock of his mane out of his face, frowning. That mare had to be around here somewhere...But where?

His following plan didn't really work out, so now it was time for plan B. "Hello? I know you're here somewhere. You don't hafta be scared of me, I'm not really..." He paused and glanced back at himself, chuckling weakly. "I'm not really a threat..." Although the fact that she was a mare kind of terrified him, despite appearances he was a pretty sweet pony. He was just trying to make sure that she was okay, whoever she was.

(AAAaaaaa I'm sorry this took forever, I was super busy ;-;)

Jessi remained pinned to her wall refusing to move from her seated position. "He's gonna make another wish... Ah haf'ta get outta here!! He's gonna use me jus' like every other pony here..." She began slowly whipping one hoof over her face and attempted to escape out of the other side of the straw house without him seeing her which was difficult, she thought, even in his drunken state he'd still see at least a blur.

As paranoia began taking over, her thought processes were becoming more like an animal backed into a corner having no where to run, yet not wanting to cause a scene. "No, no, NO!!" She said quietly, taking one more peek around the corner only to see the stallion still laying on the street possibly being crushed by his guitar. Jessi closed her eyes and in one fluid motion, she got up and jumped out into plain view with all four hooves firmly planted on the ground.

Tears streamed down her face as she stared at him with a deadly, icy cold, half turquoise, half lavender eyes. "Don't you Dare... DON'T YOU DARE MAKE A WISH OR AH'LL HAF'TA PAY FER IT AGAIN!!" She then began slowly backing up attempting to come up with an alternative plan in getting rid of him. She then remembered her rope! But heck if she knew how to use it despite being banned from rodeos and no pony ever wanting to teach a unicorn how to use it ever since that faithful day...

((Sheesh, I'm so sorry... I forgot all about this >.<))

A tannish blur suddenly came into his view and he barely had time to squint to decipher what it was when it screamed, "Don't you Dare... DON'T YOU DARE MAKE A WISH OR AH'LL HAF'TA PAY FER IT AGAIN!!" It took the intoxicated stallion a few seconds to realize that this thing was the mare he had been following, and she seemed to be in tears.

Wobbling to his hooves, he adjusted his guitar to its proper position on his back and took a step closer to her, looking confused. "Er...sorry? You're saying something about wishing? I...I'm pretty sure I didn't do any wishing...!" He had no idea why she was so upset and it was making him uncomfortable.

Jessi's face contorted from extreme fear to fury in a flash. "You made that wish fer me to come outta that bush, remember! It could'a been worse! Ya can't just throw them wishes around all willy nilly! Ah might..." She trailed off wondering if she should enlighten this drunk about her issue but immediately threw that idea out of her head as fast as possible. Jessi's ears pinned even further against her head as she began to back up. 'He's drunk, ol' girl... If ya really want messed up or diluted wishes for something awful to happen you'll be the mouse in a cat yard again!'

She gasped wondering if she said too much accidentally bumping into a light post which caused the candle wick to fall out and land on the ground near her without her noticing. An icy wind blew through her fur making it stand up on end, her breath stuck in her throat as her icy blue and purple eyes remained glued on him. She shook from fear ready to dash away at any moment. Soon enough, it sent an entire section of dried grass ablaze little by little around the few houses they were near.

((This ought to get the ball rolling! Having to work together should make it easier for her to trust him. :D))

He honestly had no idea what she was talking about and all this wishing nonsense was giving him a headache. Either that, or all the booze he drank. Or both. Bucky sighed heavily and plopped down on his haunches, rubbing his temples. Sweet Celestia, that hurt. His eyes were squeezed shut but he opened them when he smelled something burning. One yellow eye flicked open, and even in his drunken state, he easily pinpointed the small flames licking at the dead grass. The pegasus' wings flared out in shock and he backed up a few steps, eyes widening. "Uh...excuse me? Ma'am? I d-don't know if you noticed, but, there's kind of a fire. Like, right there...!"