Bros in Equestria Bonus Chapter: Rep Grinding.


                                            =Bros in Equestria Bonus Chapter=


                                            >Year not even six months in Equestria.

                                            >Two days after the Cult of Discord had been put down and a day after Mous's trial.

                                            >You haven't moved from your bed since you and Rainbow came home from the trial and all but collapsed into it.

                                            >These last few days, man...

                                            >It wasn't common for you to spend a week planning to put your best friend down because you thought he's destroy the world.

                                            >It took a lot out of you.

                                            >So you'd just lay here and take any rest you ca-

                                            >Something is poking you in the ribs.

                                            "Nuuuuuhh..."

                                            >"Anon, wake up." a familiar voice says.

                                            "NUUUUHHHH!"

                                            >"Anon it's almost noon!"

                                            >You reach out and put the pillow over your head.

                                            "Daaaaash, I was pulling late nights for the past week trying to fix this Discord mess, let me sleeeeeep."

                                            >Rainbow boops the pillow off your head. "You've been asleep for hours, Anon! Any longer and you'll get stuck there."

                                            >You look at your clock. Sure enough, it says noon. You'd been asleep for sixteen hours.

                                            "...Buh."

                                            >"Oh don't be a filly."

                                            >With great difficulty, you push yourself off the bed and up into a seated position, stretching and letting your joints pop and snap in protest.

                                            "I don't know why you woke me, do we even have stuff to do today beyond being glad we're alive?"

                                            >Rainbow flutters over to you and up to your eye level. "SOMEONE has to help the town get back to normal."

                                            >You look at her with your groggy eyes.

                                            "And because I helped the Princess and you're and Element of Harmony, that means us, doesn't it?"

                                            >Rainbow crosses her hooves and nods.

                                            >BUH.


                                            >After some more prodding, Rainbow rolled you off the bed and into the shower.

                                            >After that you scarfed down some toast and juice before throwing on whatever didn't smell and headed out.

                                            >You hold your hand in front of your face to shield your eyes as you step out into the early afternoon sun.

                                            "Nnnngggg...now I know why Mous complains all the time."

                                            >"I thought that was just because he was a grouch."

                                            >You join Rainbow on the road into town.

                                            "That too, but I think I see his point here."

                                            >The two of you walk for a bit and you happily enter the part of the path with some trees for the shade.

                                            >As you do, a question forms in your mind.

                                            "So...is the town all wrecked or something?

                                            >Rainbow turns to you as she flutters forward. "Huh?"

                                            "Back at the house, you said we had to get the town back to normal? What changed?"

                                            >Rainbow rubs the back of her head. "Well, they did kinda interrupt the Winter Wrap Up ceremony. Some stuff got wrecked in the chaos. Not to mention that we've got a couple hundred people who are being held by the guards and waiting for trials."

                                            "Oh yeah...leave it to him to bring 300 sum odd people with him when he surrenders."

                                            >"Yyyeeeaaaah..that's another thing."

                                            "Huh?"

                                            >Rainbow's face falls a bit. "The last thing a lot of people in town saw was him siding with those cultists and running away, or the trial if they were there. They're not gonna have the best opinion about him."

                                            >Oh shit, you totally forgot about that.

                                            "Well...guess we know where we should head first."

                                            >Rainbow floats up to you as you walk ahead.

                                            >"Where are we going?"

                                            "To tell the truth, I have no idea."

                                            >Where the hell DID Aloe and Lotus live, anyway?


                                            >Turns out Aloe and Lotus lived on the North end of town.

                                            "See? I told you we'd find it."

                                            >Rainbow grumbles next to you. "Only took getting lost five times..."

                                            >The market was a confusing place.

                                            "Hey, I got us here eventually."

                                            >You knock on the door three times.

                                            >From inside the house you hear somep0ny moving about as well as a few saucy words in another language.

                                            >The door to the home opens and Aloe stands on the other side.

                                            >"Ah. Anon, wasn't it? What can I do for you?" she asks.

                                            "Hi Aloe. I think you have something of mine here?"

                                            >She sighs and steps aside, pointing her hoof upstairs.

                                            >"Third door on the right, but good luck."

                                            "Thanks."

                                            >You and Rainbow head up the stairs and find the door. You reach your hand out and knock three times.

                                            >"Go'way." the voice on the other side says.

                                            >You sigh and knock again.

                                            >"Fuggoff."

                                            >Three more times.

                                            >You hear someone moving around on the other side of the door before it's thrown open and Mous' head gets thrust out.

                                            >"WHAT DO YOU-oh hey."

                                            "Hey man."

                                            >"I'm busy, what do you want?"

                                            >From the bare shoulder and his head you could see, you can imagine what.

                                            "We're going into town, we need to fix some stuff."

                                            >His face hardens. "Please tell me what needs to be fixed so bad that you're here right now at the WORST time."

                                            "Your reputation."

                                            >Mous winces and looks away. "Yeah...yeah okay, hang on."

                                            >He shuts the door a bit and you hear more ruffling of fabric through the small crack left open.

                                            >The door's weight lets it creak open and you see Mous bare backed and manticore scarred and rooting around behind a bed with a lightly dozing Lotus under the covers.

                                            >"Where the fuck is my fucking shirt?"

                                            >You point up.

                                            "Dude."

                                            >Mous follows your finger to the ceiling fan where his shirt is hanging off of.

                                            >"Oh."


                                            >You wait outside for Mous to get dressed.

                                            >After a few minutes time he walks out the front door, Lotus walking next to him.

                                            >Mous leans down and gives Lotus a peck on the lips before whispering something that sounds WAY too close to "I love you." for him and joins you.

                                            >Oh well, ask about that later.

                                            >"Can we make this fast? I've been wearing the same damn clothes since Winter Wrap up and they smell terribly." he asks.

                                            "Are you sure that's not just your natural odor?"

                                            >"I saw that coming, fuck you."

                                            >You smile as Mous steams and Rainbow flutters ahead shaking her head. "I've known you two for months and you're still weird."

                                            >You and Mous fall in behind her and head into town.

                                            >Upon reaching town, you catch sight of everyone. They run this way and that on their errands and shop at various stalls.

                                            >Interestingly, the shoppers were 90% royal guard, it seemed.

                                            "What's with the security?" you ask.

                                            >"All the guardsponies are responsible for taking care of the prisoner Mous brought in, they're probably just trying to get food and blankets for them all."

                                            >Mous sighs. "Greeeeeat."

                                            >The three of you walk into the town square and all activity seems to stop for a moment as everyone looks at Mous before going back to their things a bit more cautiously.

                                            >"Jeeze, it's like our first day here."

                                            "Only weirder."

                                            >You hear Mous take a few steps back. "Look, if this is gonna be weird, I can leave..."

                                            >Oh hell naw.

                                            >You reach out and put your hand on his shoulder.

                                            "Dude, the journey of a thousand mile starts with a single step. And you having a rep around here that isn't hostile is a bit farther than a thousand miles away."

                                            >Mous sighs and runs his hand through his hair, then walking ahead of you.

                                            >"Come on. Show me where these prisoners are being held so I can get this over with."


                                            "Here, take these twice a day for a week and everything'll be fine."

                                            >The colt takes the pills and cup of water in his magical grip and nods. "T-thanks mister."

                                            >As the boy trots away back to his friends, you lean back and stretch out a bit.

                                            >You had taken a seat at the medical tent and just done what the nurses told you to do. Turns out that a lot of the ex-cultists were suffering from exposure due to inadequate shelter.

                                            >It felt good to help them.

                                            >"Hold the damn thing up!"

                                            >You turn around and see Mous helping a Minotaur in cultist colors haul a large box towards a tent.

                                            >Well, "help" is an operative word because it seemed to be crushing him as he held it over his head.

                                            >"Sir, I can carry this fine on my own." he says.

                                            >"How many times have I told you to cut that sir crap, Crete?"

                                            >He strains a bit and holds the box up higher. "Now where do you want it?"

                                            >The minotaur points out a spot and Mous drops the crate with a yelp.

                                            >"Are you alright si-"

                                            >"Crete, call me sir one more time." Mous says cracking his back.

                                            >The minotaur exhales through his nostrils and walks off to go do something else.

                                            "Working hard?"

                                            >"Eat shit."

                                            >You flip him off and lean back to relax a bit.

                                            "How are they?"

                                            >Mous walks over and practically falls on his ass down next to you. "Still calling me sir, I hate it."

                                            "They'll stop when they're ready."

                                            >"They need to hurry the hell up and be ready now."

                                            >You pat him on the back.

                                            "I know it sucks, man. But remember what you told me in tenth grade."

                                            >"If you kick your locker it opens without putting in the combo?"


                                            >You reach out and flick his face.

                                            "No dingus. It was after I kissed Mark and everyone was calling me a fag."

                                            >Mous taps his head a bit. "Uh...was it "If I go to juvie, break me out."? I remember I punched a lotta people that year."

                                            >You chuckle at the memory.

                                            "Close, but I think your advice was more "Fuck 'em, they're assholes and won't even care in a week."

                                            >Mous leans bag and slowly nods. "I think I remember..."

                                            "It'll probably take a bit longer than two weeks...but people will come around."

                                            >From behind the two of you, the group of colts you helped tread earlier run past chasing a ball and laughing.

                                            >The ball bounces off Mous' foot. The boys gasp and look to one another before one of them braves up and walks over to Mous.

                                            >"That's uh...that's my ball, sir..."

                                            >Mous, despite the title, smiles and picks up the ball. "That it is."

                                            >The boys smile and come closer, still looking a bit unsure.

                                            "What's wrong, little guys?"

                                            >They rub their hooves. "Well...Our parents are scared."

                                            >"Of what?"

                                            >The boys look at the two of you. "They said we all gotta go to Canterlot and get "tried" and that's bad."

                                            >Now you and Mous exchange a look.

                                            >One of the boys steps forward. "Sir...nothing bad's gonna happen, right?"

                                            >Mous sighs and rubs the colt's head. "No, kid. Nothing bad'll happen if I have my way." He picks up the ball and tosses it to the kid. "No go on, get out of here, go play."

                                            >The boys run off laughing again leaving you and Mous alone.

                                            "Well..."

                                            >"That's three."

                                            "Only got, what, a couple hundred more to go?"

                                            >Mous smiles for the first time today. "Pfffft. Easy mode."