Hair Based Shenanigans are the Worst!! [Dead]

[CableZ]

A'bek had been putting this off for awhile, he didn't entirely know why it just hadn't been at the top of his priority list. He knew at some point he was going to end up here but it had taken awhile to end up in this area, he'd been in the south more than anything recently and it was only now he'd worked his way past Ponyville.

In general he avoided cities, he was a being of nature and these sorts of places were a little over whelming in their lack of plant life and what not. Although ponies were better than more at integrating the outer world in their cities and towns, there were always a pleasant number of trees and parks. The walk up to Canterlot surely was a pleasant one, he'd opted to take a more indirect route. Instead of the long and imposing path up to the city gates, he'd taken a more alpine approach. Being a goat he naturally had a knack for mountain climbing, he could walk across sheer cliff faces that ponies would think were impossible to traverse. Then again a lot of ponies could fly or teleport so he was already at a disadvantage.

He'd made his way around the mountain the opposite way that the path curled around, as such he wasn't spotted, he wondered if they knew about that as it seemed like a security risk. As he slide off the mountain and walked up the rest of the path toward the gate, he received some very confused looks from various ponies. Nopony even knew what he was, let alone having never seen anything like him before. It was easy to identify him as some kind of goat, but beyond that there was nothing. No information of the Ibex existed any more, no stories, no legends, not anything. According to history and to the world, the Ibex never existed. There were but a few simple stories that remained, with only a handful of individuals in the world knowing them and all of them believing them to be mere fairy tales.

Because of this, the guards were very very hesitant to allow him in. They looked up at him with caution and confusion, it took him the better half of an hour to explain that he was simply a goat. He ended up simply saying he was an especially large goat with a modest horn size, they were sceptical but they had no cause to doubt him. It wasn't everyday that a goat as tall as Celestia herself just walked up to the city gates and acted totally normal, it was hard thinking you were weird when you'd always been like this. He was reminded of just how much of a sight he was when he entered through the city gates and the entire street came to a halt to look at him. Gulping softly as he began walking forward, the hushed whispers and double takes were abundant. Giving a few sheepish grins to some gawking passers by, he noticed that a substantial number of ponies were now following him down the street.

As he got closer to the city centre, more and more ponies were staring and following as they wondered just what was this impossible creature. It got to the point that the crowd in front and behind him was a little too thick to make any sort of move forward. They sort of circled him and finally came to a halt, a large crowd around the poor goat. One pony stepped forward, a little filly actually who had to look completely all the way up to get him in her view. A'bek who was thoroughly uncomfortable looked down at her with a happy smile, trying to remain calm.

"Um..mister, what ARE you?" She asked in a sweet voice, with a sigh A'bek knew this would take a while.

[ScratchThat]

Today was a good day. Well, for a certain mare it was, anyway. Why was it a good day? It was Sharaletta Novella's day off of work, and as always this put her in an overly optimistic mood - possibly even more so than she usually was! Deciding to not stay cooped up inside all day, she'd ventured out onto the streets of Canterlot, which were as busy as ever. It probably wasn't just her day off! About half an hour ago, she'd settled for a cup of coffee at a local café. As per usual, it wasn't overly fancy or pretentious like most places in the capital. In fact, it had a rather modest look, and this is what attracted Shar to the café in the first place.

Inhaling the sweet, warm scent wafting up from the drink, she took a long sip, licking her lips afterwards. The mare had taken the seat by the window that overlooked the streets, so as to catch up on some pony-watching! This was a great hobby of the mare's, as at one time she'd considered becoming an author, and observing different ponies mannerisms was a great way of gaining ideas for characters. Now, she knows not to judge a book by its cover, but honestly, you could tell a lot about someone simply by how they walked and carried themselves!

Seeing as this was Canterlot, everypony you usually saw always seemed to fall into the stereotypical posh and fancy category, but of course some were exceptions. Disappointingly she hadn't seen anypony all that interesting yet, but surely it was only a matter of time before something would catch her attention, right?

Taking yet another sip of coffee, she gulped the last few drops down, grinning in a satisfied manner. Ah, she'd have to remember this place! Good coffee was hard to find nowadays. Seeing as she wanted to stay a little longer, she gazed out the window once more, her eyes hazing over as she thought. Where should I go next?, she wondered, placing a hoof to her chin. Perhaps I could visit the park? Huh, Raffa will be so annoyed that I haven't taken him, though... Her thoughts continued on like this for a few more minutes as she debated what to do. Due to it being a nervous habit, she ran her hoof through her mane, which - as per usual - was styled heavily. At the back it was pinned up into some sort of bun, whereas two clumps of hair on either side of her face were braided in a messy fashion for style. They seemed to frame her face quite nicely, making her bright blue eyes stand out.

Blinking those eyes quickly, she tilted her head to one side. It seemed something had finally caught her attention. Outside the café, a huge crowd had seemingly gathered within the last few minutes, confusing the mare. Perhaps there was a street performer? Curious by now, she stood up, deciding to go and investigate. Waving the stallion behind the counter off, who was supposedly now her acquaintance, she opened the door and stepped outside, a cool breeze greeting her and whisping her mane up at the sides. Heading towards the crowd, she tried to peer over a number of heads, which was quite difficult when you were slightly shorter than most mares! Sighing, she waited. The crowd would surely disband when they'd seen enough, right?

[CableZ]

After around twenty minutes of questions from wide eyed, curious ponies, A'bek had had quite enough. Not that he didn't like pony kind but this made him feel like was some kind of museum exhibit or carnival show and beyond not liking it, it was kind of insulting to his being. After a few more minutes of trying to get the crowd to calm down and let him speak, he had to raise his voice slightly. Thanks to his huge lungs it was quite the booming voice, to any onlooker that couldn't see what was going on, it would be quite the shock. Clearing his voice and smiling softly to reassure them, he looked around before addressing the crowd although it would be tricky to hear on the out reaches of the large gathering.

"My apologies, my little ponies. I only came to visit the city, please will you let me be? I do not mean to be rude, I simply want some peace." While a few of the less considerate ponies returned to their incessant questions, they were soon silence by the more respectful lot who smiled at the large goat.

Nodding in thanks to them, he began walking forward. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but the crowd were kind enough to part slightly for him, if not in a disorganized manner at first. Smiling at a few of them as he walked by, all of them looking up at him with the same awe as before. He closed his eyes with a happy sigh as he neared the edge of the crowd, that was until he felt a soft little thing bump against him as he walked. Taking a step back, he looked down at the small pony before him. Small was the right word, although not as small as a silly certainly a little smaller than the average mare.

"Oh, excuse me little one." He smiled down at little Novella.

[ScratchThat]

Twenty minutes is a long time, but - although she was bored out of her brains, not being able to see a single thing - she was patient, and for some reason she felt a little stubborn. The green, open parks filled with towering trees and sweet scented flowers awaited her, yet she must finish her investigation, and she would not be satisfied till she'd done so. As always, her thoughts rushed through her mind all too quickly, the last fading into obscurity before another took its place as she tried to work out what all this commotion was about. Ponies were speaking, yes; but she couldn't make out what they were saying, giving her the impression that the crowd was indeed packed. Was it a street performer? If it was, ponies would surely be coming and going when they'd remembered what they needed to do or had simply witnessed enough. Standing on her tip-toes, she tried to peek over various ponies heads, but to no avail. Well, she hadn't seen any fire, water, or anything of that nature, so if it indeed was just a performer, they weren't doing anything all that spectacular. Perhaps they were singing or playing a song? Perking her ears, she abruptly shook her head, braids flinging about with it. Nope, there was no sound.

And just like that, twenty minutes whizzed by in a blur. All the while the mare was staring ahead of her, eyes clouded over as she thought to herself. When the crowd finally started to disband, letting whoever it was through, she was still in this thinking pose, clearly not taking in the development around her. It was A'bek's voice that finally snapped Shar out of her thoughts. Glancing upwards casually, as if she were just awaking from a dream, her eyes fell upon the tall goat. The reaction was immediate. Her eyes went wide with both shock and embarrassment, and she stumbled backwards in awe, only just catching herself on the gravel.

This guy was huge. Heck, she'd only ever caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia through a crowd at the Summer Sun Celebration, and already she knew that this guy was either the same height, or maybe even taller! Because of his rather intimidating tallness, her voice came out quite tentatively, and was even more raspy than usual, possibly due to the lump rising in her throat. "O-oh!" She gasped, stammering slightly. "I'm sorry." The shorter-than-average mare bowed her head, stepping out of the goat's way.

Blinking suddenly, she wondered why she was being so timid, and gazed up at him again. Well, despite his unusual height, his fur was gorgeous. It didn't appear he had any dominant 'mane', but his fur was so thick, it was almost like he had a mane all over! He must get overheated, surely?, she thought, tipping her head backwards so she was viewing the sky. Fortunately, it was overcast today, and the slight breeze was still rolling through the trees, providing some cool air for the goat. Zoning out once more, she imagined braiding and styling the goat's fur, and instantly the idea appealed to her, and her eyes lit up. She'd have to get his attention first; strike up a conversation or something of the like. No problem, for this she was good at.

Catching up with the goat by breaking into a slow trot, she took a deep breath, preparing herself. Although she hadn't been paying attention, at the back of her mind she knew she'd processed that loud and booming voice, and she needed to put up a brave defence totally unlike how she'd addressed him previously. "Sir," she began coolly, trotting a little faster to keep up with him - man, he had long legs! "I just wanted to say, you have lovely fur. Very thick and a nice hue that compliments your eyes." Despite the nature of what she was saying, her voice was completely honest - she totally meant it, and wasn't going over the top about it at all. Nah, it was a mere compliment, and she nodded her head humbly. "I'm guessing it's to help protect you against the cold weather?" She continued, before thinking a moment. "If it's not too much to ask, when did you last have it cut?" Strange question, indeed - well, for anypony who didn't know who she was, which she presumed he didn't - but it was still said in that friendly tone, and a small smile appeared on the earth pony's lips. Maybe she'd possibly make a friend out of this?

[CableZ]

This little one seemed scared of the large Ibex, A'bek never wanted to instil fear in any onlookers. As the crowd behind him dispersed and went back to their days, leaving the two new acquaintances to themselves and the occasional pony who might have stared as they passed. To put to hairdresser at ease, A'bek crouched down to bring him lower to her eye level so that she could see he was not some imposing monster, he had a warm smile and a cheery feel to him. Although he was certainly confused, in his time in Equestria he'd had a lot of questions asked of him. More often than not the first questions that were asked were usually things along the lines of 'What are you?' or 'Where did you gone from?', questions about his fur were very low down on the priority list and never before had he been asked about it first.

He didn't really know how to respond, how often do you immediately get asked about your hair when you meet someone? Well there was no point simply dwelling on the odd, this was Equestria after all. Chuckling awkwardly, no reason to prolong the answer.

"Well...uh, thank you my little pony. I grow it myself." He had to chuckle at his own bad joke. "Yes, I originate from the frozen north and as such needed to be well protected against it's inhospitable cole...ness?" A'bek didn't know if that was the right word, but it got the point across. "When I last it cut? Oh well I don't know frankly, I'm not one for styling and I never put much thought into it.." Standing back up, A'bek rubbed the scruff of his chin with a possibly concerned look. "Though I suppose a trim might not be uncalled for, I look the elder with this beard." Shaking his thoughts back to a focussed state, he placed his hoof down and looked at the pony before him. "Pray tell, what is your reasoning behind your fixation on my hair?"

[ScratchThat]

Although Shar'd been seemingly intimidated by the goat's appearance before, when he ducked down so she had a better view of his features, she didn't look the least bit frightened, but rather fascinated. The mare enjoyed studying other ponies - or in this case goats - and was not the judging kind, so her smile seemed to widen a little when she realised the goat was trying to appear less intimidating. Truth was, he had kind features that were possibly a little worn from travelling, but he also had a warm aura radiating off him, instantly soothing any worries the mare might've had. After all, if he'd scowled at her or something of that nature, it would mean that she hadn't made the best first impression, and that was a displeasing thought.

With him being more low down, she also noticed the beard-like fur sprouting beneath his chin, but shook her head, not wanting to stare. Instead, she gazed into his eyes steadily, chuckling a little at his joke. It was something that other ponies may've judged A'bek for, but Shar kinda admired him for not being phased by it, or even expecting it. As he continued, she perked her ears, intrigued by his mention of the frozen north. "Coming from there must've been quite the experience!" She exclaimed, eyes wide with interest, but her face returned to a more normal expression as A'bek continued.

Ah, so he wasn't that into styled manes, or was he just generally not into styling them himself? The latter seemed more probable, as she was almost sure he would've given her mane an odd look if the first had been the case. That and she didn't think styling manes would be his calling, for whatever reason. Pressing her hoof to her chin, she wondered whether he may want somepony else to try fixing his coat up a little, and it seemed her assumptions were correct as he carried on. Grinning, she once again started picturing the endless possibilities of styles she could try with his fur. Anticipation seemed to surge through the mare. By now she was determined to cut his fur!

Pushing these thoughts to the side for one moment, she decided to just come clean with him. After all, the quicker she got his approval, the quicker she'd be styling! "Well, you see sir, I'm a hair stylist myself, and it's been a while since I've had an interesting project to work on." She started, pausing to let this sink in. "Most of my customers are ponies, so I've never had a goat's thick fur to work with, and I think it could be a good experience for me." By now it must be pretty obvious what she was going to ask, but she decided to clarify anyway. "And, if you did want a small trim, I'd be more than happy to oblige." The earth pony laughed a little, already excited by the prospect. "Or, if you wanted to go all out, I could even style something for you!" By now it was blatantly obvious of the mare's excitement. So much, in fact, that a few ponies who'd been previously looking at A'bek also turned to give her a sideways glance, cocking their heads to one side in a questioning manner.

[CableZ]

This certainly was an odd little pony, then again that was like saying this pony had hooves. Still, his fur was not on his mind and he was unsure why it would be on a strangers. Hobby was one thing but this didn't seem like something you asked someone you just met, not least a member of a species that didn't exist according to history. Regardless, A'bek didn't exactly have time for this today. He didn't come to the capital of the entirety of Equestria to get his hair cut, frankly he hated having his hair cut. He enjoyed the feeling of freshly cut hair but it would be several weeks before all the loose hairs were finally gone and he'd stop itching, it was not worth the hassle right now.

He found it a little unsettling that she referred to him as a new 'project' but glancing over that, A'bek had neither the time nor the patience for a haircut!

"Ah, well pardon me Madam but a 'trim' as you say doesn't exactly appeal to me." Smiling down at her, he gave her a nod and became walking away. "If you'll excuse me." As he turned his attention away from her, his smile faded away to a straight face as he took a look around. He didn't think however that it would be so simple, sure enough he felt a recently met presence walking by his side.

A'bek hoped that she was simply walking the same way as him but he felt that was slightly naive, still he wasn't inpatient so he didn't mind too much. He was simply hoping that it wouldn't be too much of a distraction, he was hoping for a nice down out in Canterlot but he was getting the ever present feeling that that idea wouldn't pan out.

[ScratchThat]

By now, Sharaletta was indeed confused. Why was she being struck with the thought that she'd said something wrong? The goat's manner seemed to change, as he responded more coldly than how he'd been previously addressing her. Another factor that lead to her confused state was what he was actually saying. Hadn't he, literally about five minutes ago, stated that a trim was not uncalled for? Blinking, she glanced up at him, before taking one pace back. For whatever reason, he now seemed a little bit more intimidating like before, however warm his smile was.

Shifting her hooves a little, she wondered why she wasn't feeling ever-so-slightly offended. After all, it felt very much like he'd just insulted her job. It shouldn't make a difference that he was a stranger, as running a hair dresser's meant that everyone who walked through the door ultimately was one. Shaking her head a little, a small frown appearing on her face, she watched him speechlessly as he trotted away. Now, usually if someone had upset her, she'd downright avoid them altogether until the bad vibes had subsided, but her determination to cut his fur was still very much there. After all, he hadn't technically been rude or unkind to her, so she saw no reason to give up just yet.

Gaping a little, she moved out of the way as various ponies struggled to get passed. It was a rather narrow street, and she'd been literally standing right in the centre! Shaking her head, she dismissed the lingering idea of going to the park. But one thing was for sure, she needed to move before she caused some sort of traffic jam! Only one thing to do, then...

Wordlessly, she began following A'bek, slightly curious as to where he was headed for the most part. No doubt about it, she would cut his fur before this day was up, but she decided that she'd give it a little more time. Wait until he had a decent amount of time for it, she supposed. Now, Shar was not a stalker, and didn't want to appear as such, so she stared off at various buildings around her. All the while she kept a note of where A'bek was, however.

[CableZ]

Now while A'bek easily dwarfed all the ponies on the street, he wasn't oblivious. He knew that the plucky hairdresser was following him, even if she was out of his periphery. It actually brought a smirk to his face, although he was unsure on how to go about dealing with it. He was not a mean guy, he wasn't going to yell at her and to be honest he didn't even mind her following him, however he was adamant that he didn't want his hair cut so he'd have to do something about it eventually. In the mean time he was happy to simply take in the sights of Canterlot.

Walking down the market streets with ponies stopping and staring, him meeting their perplexed and awe struck gazes with a happy smile. Occasionally he would stop to inspect a shop window which would thoroughly confuse those indoors and it all of a sudden seemed as though the sun was blotted out. It was when he came to a stop that he decided to break this façade and simply speak to the girl.

"Tell me Miss Hairdresser, I can understand a desire to better one's skills." He turned to look down at her. "But is there some reason for your infatuation with my fur beyond how much of it there is?"

Spotting a nearby public garden, A'bek began walking again. Canterlot was full of little areas of grass, flowers and trees. This one seemed a little larger, it had winding paved paths and a little metal fence around it. It wasn't big enough to be called a park, but certainly there was plenty of room. A'bek made a bee line for the flower patches, lowering his head down the substantial distance to sniff them. Turning his gaze to look at Sharaletta while his head was down, He raised an eyebrow for a moment before straightening back out and looking down at her once more.

"I'm A'bek by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you my little pony."

[ScratchThat]

Canterlot was certainly bustling with all different kinds of ponies that particular day, and Sharaletta — who rather liked pony-watching — couldn't help but let her attention on A'bek drop for a while, as she observed those around her. It wasn't unusual to see a variety of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike, but it wasn't too often that you spied anything else. But today, it seemed quite a few griffons had decided to visit the pony capital, and Shar gazed over at them as they passed in turn, wondering how far they must've travelled. The griffon kingdoms were out of Equestria — that much she knew — but it still didn't offer much guidance on the distance. The mare had only ever lived in Canterlot, and hadn't actually visited any other places besides it. Needless to say, geography wasn't her strongest subject. No, she'd always preferred history.

Turning to face forwards once more, her eyes went wide with sudden panic when she realised she'd completely lost track of where A'bek was! Whipping her head round, she sighed in relief when she noticed him gazing into a shop window, and couldn't help but laugh at the look on the shop keeper's face. Did ponies not realise how rude they were being? A'bek was only a goat, for Pete's sake! Albeit a tall goat, but a goat nonetheless.

Okay, so maybe she hadn't studied the 'ancient species' part of her history text book, but you can't blame the girl.

Trying to remain out of his sight, she kept following him as he made his way towards a public garden. Hmm, well, maybe she would be visiting a park that day, if only for a little while. Before they both reached the gate, however, Sharaletta jumped in surprise as A'bek began talking to her once more. He noticed me!, she thought worriedly, desperately hoping the goat wouldn't be angry with her. Gulping, she settled down a little after he spoke. He didn't sound particularly infuriated. More questioning, or perhaps curious, if anything. "Well..." She swallowed, her throat a little dry. Pausing for a few moments to give herself a decent amount of time to consider the question, she responded, "Well, you see, I've heard that goats have very thick coats, and thick hair always makes for better styling." Tilting her head to one side, she tried to think of a better way of explaining it. "You can do more with it." She said at last. "The more hair, the easier it is to try more complicated styles, because you have more to work with. But, thick hair's usually always quite rough to keep whoever it is warm. Like a blanket, I suppose. If whoever it is doesn't get a trim, they could find themselves getting very overheated." The mare let a small grin play on her lips, knowing she was messing with him a little, but all good-naturedly.

Blinking, she trotted after him as he made his way across the neatly trimmed grass towards the flower beds. Taking a moment herself to appreciate the scenery, she glanced back up at him. "Nice to meet you, A'bek." She bowed her head slightly; a habit she'd picked up. "My name's Sharaletta." It didn't seem like the appropriate time to mention that he could call her Shar if he wanted.

Sighing a little after a matter of seconds, she knew her behaviour was rather odd, and being an honest mare, she couldn't just lie about it, so she instead decided to apologise. "A'bek, I'm very sorry for following you around like I did back then. That must've been... odd. Sorry if I appeared rude." She dipped her head a little in apology, biting her lip when she looked up once more, but this time she was staring ahead of her rather than focusing on A'bek directly. "I suppose I just didn't want to let the opportunity go so easily." She mused, before adding, "It's a lovely day out here, and I wouldn't want to distract you from it. I'll leave now if you really don't want anything trimmed. It's your decision, after all." Shuffling her hooves across the grass, she awaited a response, but was ready to leave upon hearing one.

[CableZ]

He had to admire her tenacity, even now she was semi trying to talk him into going under the scissors. Still he stood by his decision, it was no discredit to her skills however, he simply liked his fur as it was. He regretted previously saying it could do with a trim, that seemed to be where most of the issues had started. However he had to shake his head at mention of possibility of her being rude, he chuckled softly.

"Oh please, no need for apologies Sharletta. I am not one to chastise for having a passion, I admire it really. Compared to me you are quite driven, I am but an aimless wanderer." A'bek was not one to let some pony punish themselves for doing little wrong, as such he was quite happy to reassure her of such. However he could only cheer her up to a certain extent and that sadly ended with the prospect of getting his hair cut. "I'm sorry however, I am not interested in a hair cut today, now if you'll excuse me. Have a good day."

There came that warm smile again and so he began to leave, turning to head further down the street. He'd hoped now that he'd had a proper talk with her that she would leave well enough alone, as such he wasn't really paying attention as much this time around. If she were to follow again, he wouldn't be aware of it. He just wanted a day in peace to look around the capitol. Sadly it seemed that today wasn't going to be that day, even if he thought otherwise for the time being.

[ScratchThat]

A'bek's kindness concerning the situation almost made a stab of guilt pierce through her, although she couldn't quite work out why. She'd be leaving now, and everything would be okay. He wasn't annoyed, irritated, or anything like that; A'bek was actually a very understanding goat, and Sharaletta was glad she'd met him, even if it was only for a short while. So, what was with this weird feeling? Why did she still believe that she was going to let him down and do something wrong? The feeling almost frightened her, in fact, and she thusly took two large steps back, gulping.

Squinting a little as she tried to keep the feeling at bay, she gazed up at him, nodding her head quickly. It seemed she was eager to get this conversation over and done with. "Well, I do enjoy what I do," she mused, chuckling a little edgily at how odd that sentence sounded. "But, then again, you still have that sense of freedom; you can still do anything you want to. I have to run my shop, no matter what, or else I won't earn anything." It was a rather cold reality, but it didn't change the fact that she adored running her store — it was more that she was trying to show some understanding towards A'bek, as he'd done with her.

Nodding once more, she gave him a little wave as he trotted away, leaving the public garden behind and opting to trotting down the street again. "Have a good day, also." She murmured, although she wasn't certain whether he'd heard it, as he was already quite a way ahead.

That's where it should've ended. That's when Sharaletta Novella should've turned back and gone about her business. For example, she had some shopping she needed to get done, she was in need of pet food for Raffa, she had to establish a meeting time for a client, and all sorts of other things. Yet she did none of them. No, instead, she started trotting away, before quickly ducking behind a bush in an effort not to be noticed by a certain goat. What am I doing?, she thought frantically. This was bordering on obsession now. Why was she so determined to cut his fur? Honestly, though, why? No doubt in her mind, however, she knew this was the feeling from earlier.

And so, she trotted after him, ducking behind various bushes, buildings, and even lampposts in an effort not to get caught in the act. All the while, she was still questioning what she was doing, and why. After a while, she just accepted that it was something she needed to do. Everything happened for a reason, after all. Now, she wasn't certain how she was going to get him to her shop, but an idea sprouted in her mind. Maybe she could risk getting caught by him a few times, possibly just out of the corner of his eye. Then, when he turned to look, she could hide. It sounded like the experience would be quite unnerving for A'bek, but it wasn't like she was going to hurt him. Besides, if she was in the right place at the right time, she should be able to get him down a street that led to her shop, by which point he'd feel inclined to have his hair trimmed, right? Well, that was the plan. A plan is usually easier said than done. Wordlessly, she continued on, always keeping the tall goat in sight, which wasn't the hardest thing to achieve.

[CableZ]

A'bek was oblivious to Sharletta following him once again, he figured he wouldn't need to worry about it after he'd spoken with her. Now he just had to deal with ponies staring at him, and this city not being built for something of his stature. Which was odd because from what he understood he was about the same size as the rulers of this land, whose names eluded his memory. He always thought it'd be fun to meet the leader of an entire nation, he'd always wanted a chance to meet the Empress of the Ibex empire but that was rather impossible these days.

Anyway as he walked the streets he took to peeking through a few shop windows, one Apothecary store caught his attention especially. It reminded him that he really needed to practice his potion skills. This was mostly his thinking as he walked down the streets, he didn't really have many concerns to worry himself over. That was however until he spotted a nearby bush moving against the wind, sure not. He didn't want to think ill of Sharletta, she was a reasonable and sweet pony and there was no cause to think she would stalk him a second time.

As he continued to walk he noticed more and more that strange things seemed to be occurring behind him, bushes that rustled and lampposts shuddering as if something suddenly moving from them. As much as he didn't want to think that Sharletta might have simply returned to stalking him, the niggling little thought was rising in the back of his mind. Still, he kept the faith in her albeit a little wavering. In fact the more he went about his exploration the city, the more and more he became uncomfortable, he wasn't so much worried but just a little unnerved. He was fairly sure that he could take her in a scrap, but he didn't really want an irritating pony following him around with the necessary hedge trimmer it would take to give him a hair cut.

It was a quick glance back that confirmed his suspicions, being a hairdresser she wasn't a stealth master. He quickened his pace in slight alarm, it would be an amusing sight to see such a large specimen running from a little pony.

[ScratchThat]

Well, personally, Sharaletta believed everything was going to plan. Of course, she was deliberately going a little slower from place to place than she actually would've done if she'd wanted to remain concealed, so naturally A'bek kept noticing a little blur of tan, rushing from bush to lamppost, lamppost to tree, and so on. Other ponies passing by weren't quite as understanding, however. After they'd finished taking in A'bek's giant self—if they ever managed to take it in at all—they'd immediately notice her. And what did they believe she was doing? Stalking him, of course. A'bek was supposed to notice her, but that meant others did too, and obviously they had no idea what was going on.

"Perhaps the goat is a criminal?" A young filly who was passing Shar glanced up at her mother warily, clearly trying to work out why Sharaletta would be following him. The mother was most probably from around these parts, as she merely stuck up her muzzle at Shar's rude behaviour, muttering in response to her child, "Perhaps it's the other way around." Although the young hair stylist would usually take offence to the insult, it actually only made her chuckle! How could the filly possibly think A'bek was a criminal? It certainly didn't appear like he was hiding, did it? She kept her thoughts about what the mother had said to herself. At least the older mare hadn't recognised her, right? Something like this could damage her reputation!

When that thought crossed her mind, she froze in place, completely in the open. "Damage my... reputation..." She mumbled, obviously a little dazed by the prospect. However, she quickly recovered, shaking her mane out. Nonsense! If she was questioned, she could easily explain herself! ...But, how could she without lying? Gulping, she breathed heavily. No. No. Sharaletta hated lying, and she wouldn't do it! ...So, what could she do? The answer was clear. No one could recognise the crazy stalker pony as Sharaletta Novella. Then, she wouldn't have to explain anything at all!

But that meant she needed a disguise of some sort. Rolling her eyes, she recalled just how random all this was. Yes, it was fine getting caught by who she was following, but not by everypony else! Ugh. Why was this turning out so difficult? Humming a little in desperation, she glanced around, before looking back to A'bek, who was picking up his pace considerably.

She wouldn't have time to buy anything! So, resorting to something she would not recommend to any customer—no matter how natural the 'product' would be—she dived inside a bush, shaking out her mane and subsequently getting many leaves stuck in it. Aha! No one would recognise her now! Sharaletta Novella, famed hair stylist of Canterlot, prancing about with leaves in her mane whilst stalking? Hah! No reporter would buy such nonsense.

Disguise now chosen, she continued following the goat, sprinting a little during intervals to catch up with him. He'd be venturing passed her shop's road very soon, and she needed to be in the perfect position to herd him down it!

[CableZ]

Sorry Scratchy, but due to the time between posts I've sort of lost my spark for this thread. It never really went anywhere and I'm not really in the mood to continue it.
I'll be moving it to the archives. Really sorry about this.