> The Neon Bat Pony
>  by DeffBwade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





A pony wakes up in an unfamiliar forest, unable to remember anything about himself.




Our story begins in the middle of a forest located on the eastern side of Equestria. It was currently night time among the land. The sky was dark, the stars were shimmering like little lights in the darkness, and the moon was raised high above as a much bigger light. The inhabitants of Equestria have their Princess of the Night to thank for such a lovely night sky, as well as a good night's sleep. Animals both big and small, from the chirping birds and the chittering squirrels to the screeching eagles and the roaring grizzly bears, slept in their respected habitats as the night continued on both peacefully and quietly.

In a small clearing in the forest, in addition to all of the wildlife that lived around there, a small quadruped creature with an equine appearance laid unconscious on the ground, his upper left limb resting on his chest while his other limbs simply were splayed out on the slightly damp grass. None of the animals dared to go near the equine, believing that it was some kind of trap meant for them.

However, there was one animal that wasn't scared as it was quite familiar with who the ponies are.

A curious little bird decided to see who this pony was and flew down to him. The fact that his chest was slowly rising up and down indicated that they were still breathing and alive, making the bird chirp with delight about the fact that he wasn't some poor soul that met his end. The little bird then proceeded to move next to his head and chirped at him politely to wake up, causing the pony's ears to flicker. All of a sudden, the bird flew back a bit when the pony stirred and started to wake up.

"Urgh...wha...what happened?" the pony thought to himself as his eyes slowly fluttered opened. The first thing he saw when his vision fully came back was the beautiful night sky as well as a few trees looming overhead, "Where am I?"

The pony then proceeded to sit up in order to look around. He hissed and laid back down, however, as his head suddenly ached with pain. He tightened his eyes shut and started to rub his head in an effort to soothe the splitting headache.

"Ah jeez!" he seethed. 

When the pain finally subsided, he opened his eyes again and started to sit up slowly this time. He looked around in confusion and saw nothing but grass, trees, bushes, and a few boulders.

"Where the heck am I?" he asked out loud, "Hello!"

To some, waking up in the middle of a random forest at night would've caused a panic to occur. To the pony, despite the fact that he was panicking on the inside and that he was breathing a little bit faster than normal, he overall managed to keep a calm and collected demeanor. The reason for that, however, was the part that was unknown.

He looked down and proceeded to inspect his body for any injuries. His light gray fur contained no signs of injury. No scars, no bruises, not even any scrapes or scuff marks. Besides the slight headache that he had, the pony was completely fine. This made him slightly relieved as he now knows that he wasn't kidnapped and dropped off here.

But that brings up the question.

How did he get here? In fact, where was here exactly?

CHIRP CHIRP

"Gah!" the pony yelped at the startling noise. 

He looked to his side and started to calm down as he saw a little bird waddling up to him. It had a pretty thick neck, a solid black head and back, a breast and outer tail feathers that were a nice flame-orange color, a greyish beak and talons, and a white bar that ran across its black wings.

"Phew. Hello there, little fellow. You gave me quite the scare there," the pony chuckled as he continued to calm down. The bird tilted its head before it chirped happily when the equine wasn't mad at it for accidently scaring him. The pony then held a hoof up horizontally with a smile, prompting the bird to fly up a bit and perch on his hoof, making them at eye level with each other.

"Would you happen to know where I am little one?" he asked.

The bird wasn't exactly sure what it was about this pony, but for some reason it felt...safe and at ease around him. As in he wasn't going to hurt it. Although that was probably because a lot of ponies that it met were kind and caring. Curious to know more about this stranger, as well as being glad that it's able to help him, the bird chirped in response and nodded its head.

"Really?" the pony smiled at the thought of getting out of this dark forest, "Mind showing me the way out?"

The bird chirped with a nod once again. It knew that quite a distance away from here, probably about a 1 or 1 and a half hour hike depending on how fast you go, there was settlement that contained lots of pony. It should know as it has traveled there many times and only twice has it encountered a pony that chased it away. The other times it was greeted with smiles and kindness.

Before the bird could fly up and lead the way, however, something caught its eye in its peripheral vision. It turned and tilted its head in confusion at the strange object that laid less than a foot away from them. It got off of the pony's hoof and flew towards it.

The pony was at first confused at what the little bird started to peck at after flying off of his hoof. He then noticed that it was pecking at...a rock probably about the size as the bird's head and beak combined. And a strange looking one at that.

"What is this?" he questioned as he picked up the light rock, and then realized as it was also a necklace as a thin chord of string went through a hook on the top of the rock and was tied together at its ends. 

The first thing he took note of was its oddly, almost perfectly spherical shape. Its surface was perfectly smooth so the possibility that this was some kind of debris from a mountain was out. Not to mentioned the professional looking crystal pattern that was decorated into it. It was eight lines originating from a center point and spreading out in a radial pattern. He turned the the rock around and saw that the crystal lines all had arrows at the end of them and were pointing at a circular hole. He looked closer and saw that there was another crystal. 

"Whatever this stone is, it must've been made by a professional um...rock...decorator," he surmised as he continued to stare at the strange object, "There's no way that a rock this intricate and detailed could've just come straight from the land."

He decided right then and there to hold onto the stone. He was unsure the reason for doing so was either that it was lost and had to be returned, or that it just gave a sense of...importance. It didn't really matter to him in the end.

The pony placed the stone over his head and around his neck before he started to get up. After a few seconds of trying to gain his sense of balance, he stood up proudly on all four hooves.

The bird chirped and flew up into the air just a few inches higher than the pony. It chirped again as if to say "follow me" and proceeded fly away from the clearing, the pony immediately walking after it.



"So...I suppose I should give you a name," the pony said after almost a half hour walking in silence, the only other sounds being the leaves and bushes swaying in the wind, as well as the sound of flapping wings from the bird and its occasional chirp, "Unless you're willing to just tell me what it is?"

The bird, in response to the pony's, simply chirped in an almost deadpan tone.

"Heh. Yeah. I figured," the pony chuckled, knowing that it couldn't speak actual words but still found it amusing to hear it chirp in such a way, "But should I call you exactly?"

He figured that he should name the bird based on its appearance, but then realized that names such as "Phoenix," "Flare," or "Orange Puffball McGee," while they were all nice and cool, didn't seem quite fitting for such a helpful companion. It could've just leave him be to find a settlement on his own, but the bird decided to be nice and guide him to safety.

"...Hmm...Oh! I got it!" the pony resolved after a few seconds of thinking as a particular word came to mind, "How about I name you...Willow? Yeah. Willow. I think it's a nice name."

The bird seemed to think about the name before it chirped in a way that the pony could tell that it was satisfied with it.

"Well Willow. It's nice to meet you. I'm...uh...M-my name is...is..." the pony trailed off in his greeting before his eyes widened as he started to slowly come to a stop as he realized something.

The newly named Willow, still waiting for the pony's name, turned around at the silence and saw that he was now sitting on his haunches and was looking...distraught. It flew closer to the pony and chirped in a confused and slightly worried tone, wondering what was wrong with him.

"I don't...remember my name," he responded in a sad tone. In fact, now that thought about it, his name wasn't the only thing he couldn't remember about himself. Who he was, where he came from, what kind of life he lived, everything. Everything from before he woke up in that clearing, he just couldn't remember. It was like it was all just erased from his mind.

The pony felt tears starting to form as he looked to the side and saw a small pond. He walked over to it and looked at his reflection for what he believes is the very first time.

The reflection that stared back had light gray fur as he saw when he inspected himself earlier, but now he was viewing himself in so much more detail. His black mane that reached down to his neck had a spikey style to it, as well as a drooping fringe that very slightly covers his left eye and has two streaks (one being blue and the other being pink) running through it and to the back of the mane. His eyes had slitted pupils to them and were colored brown. Two ears sat on the top of his head with tufts of fur at the end of each one. Finally, two small fangs were jutting out of his mouth.

His face looked quite young, yet mature at the same time. He guessed that he was probably about 18 years old.

The pony then proceeded to check out the rest of his body.

The first thing he noticed were the leathery appendages that were draped across his back. For a while he wondered what he was feeling on his back. He tried moving around the extra appendages, and to his surprise, they spread out to reveal that they were wings! Their appearance were akin to that of a bat's and the boney part were the same light gray color as his fur, while the membranes were a solid black.

He looked further back and saw that he had a tail that had pretty much the same appearance as his mane. Black, spikey, one streak of blue, and one streak of pink.

The pony couldn't help but think that he saw something colorful on his flanks. Struggling a bit, he lowered his wings back down and confirmed that there was something on both sides of his flanks. It was some kind of smiling face, with X's to act as the eyes and the mouth looking stitched up with vertical lines in the middle and more X's on the sides. The face was accumulated of the colors blue and pink, the same colors as the streaks across his mane and tail. At first, he thought that it was paint, but after rubbing the smile a bit, it seemed to blend into his fur.

The pony looked back at his reflection, tears now falling down his cheeks as he sniffled a bit.

"Who am I?" he asked somberly. Just the thought not knowing his own identity simply scared the pony. He could've been part of a sweet and caring family for all he knew. If that was the case, then he wouldn't be able to remember their names and faces while they're off wondering where he was at the moment.

A few seconds went by before he heard the familiar flapping of wings and saw Willow perch on top of his head in the pond's reflection. He heard Willow give a few chirps in what sounds like either a sympathetic or apologetic tone. Who knows? It might've been both. But the tone alone was enough for the equine to understand what Willow was trying to say.

"It's...it's sorry?" he wondered, surprised by Willow's tone. Once again, the pony was practically a stranger to the bird, and yet it was showing sympathy for him. That fact alone managed to cheer him up a bit. Now he knows that even if he doesn't remember any friends he had, he has one right by his sight at the moment, even if it's just a bird.

"S-sorry you had to see that Willow," he sniffled as he rubbed the tears away. He then looked up and just stared blankly into the night sky and all the shimmering stars that were up there. The pony then started to feel something else as he shut his eyes and took a deep breathe. Determination. Hope. Whatever the feeling was, it drove him to the realization that despite the upsetting fact of memory lost, there was only one way he can go, "Well...even if I don't remember who I was...I can only mo—...no...I have to move forward!"

Willow chirped in delight, glad to see that the pony was choosing to stay positive and push forward.

With a face of determination, the pony got up from his haunches, prompting Willow to get off his head and flap in the air.

"Well Willow..." he said with a smile as he looked at his little bird companion, "...lead the way!"




> Chapter 2: The Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The nameless pony, now guided by his new bird companion Willow, proceeds to head out of the forest.




"Jeez. How much further do we have to go?" the nameless pony asked in his head as he continued to follow Willow through the forest. 

It's been about 20 minutes since he had that nervous breakdown after realizing that he doesn't remember his own identity. Despite still feeling upset at his adversity, he still managed to maintain a face full of confidence to just move on forward, knowing that he wouldn't go anywhere, both figuratively and literally, if he just sat there and cried.

Willow was honestly impressed with the pony's mental attitude. If there was one word it could use to describe him so far, it would probably be "optimistic." After all, if it was the one that was suffering from amnesia, it would've cried and/or panic for a while. But instead, the pony just shrugged it off (well, not completely as it could tell that he was still feeling down), continued to stay positive, and move on.

Willow proceeded to chirp in a singing tone in order to get the happy mood going and pass the time. At the pace they were currently going at, the bird estimated that it would be another 20-30 minutes before they reached the nearest city. Thankfully, the singing seemed to be doing the job of making things cheerful as the pony now had a small smile on his face and was even humming along with the tune.

"Hey Willow? Can I ask you something?" the pony asked out loud, catching the bird's attention, "This may seem like a dumb question, but...what gender are you?"

Willow, in response, chirped in a deadpan tone, asking something along the lines of "are you serious?" At least, that's what the pony believed it was trying to say.

"S-sorry, it's just...I don't really know how to tell the gender of a bird," he stated.

Willow, while a part of it was upset that the pony didn't know its gender, couldn't be mad as it understood where he was coming from. After all, one could only tell the difference between genders through their color palette and patterns, and it's not like all of Equestria knows a lot about birds.

To answer his question, Willow perched on top of a nearby branch and seemed to point at something in his direction.

At first, he was confused on what the bird was trying to communicate, but after a few seconds realized that it was pointing at him. Just to be sure, he pointed a hoof at himself and gave a questioning gaze to the bird, who then nodded in response.

"He's pointing at me? Wha...I don't get it. I don't understand. What do I have to do with...oh...oh!" the pony realized as he finally understood what the bird was saying.

"Oh! Same as me? You're a...male?" he asked to which Willow nodded and chirped in confirmation, before a smirk appeared on the pony's face, "Huh. Funny. I thought for sure you were a female due to how high in pitch your voice is."

Willow, as expected, glared at the pony before going into a bit of a tantrum, flapping his wings like crazy and chirping angrily in the process, causing the pony to giggle.

"Hehehe. Relax. I'm only joking with you dude," he giggled, which calmed his bird friend down.

About a minute later, though, the pony was finally exhausted from walking non-stop (apart from the part where he stopped due to his little breakdown) for almost an hour. He needed to take a break to rest his hooves.

"Phew!" he sighed as he sat down on his haunches against a tree, causing Willow to turn around, "Hey Willow? Is it alright if we rest here for a little bit? My hooves are starting to kill me."

The little birdie, while he didn't want to stop due them being close to reaching the city, had to admit that he too wanted to take a break from all the traveling if the wings that were starting to ache a bit were any indication. Even flying had its limits after all, and he was close to reaching it.

Willow nodded in agreement before perching on top of the pony's head, using his mane as a makeshift nest. 

"You know..." the pony started to speak, catching Willow's attention, "...I'm kind of glad that I met you Willow. Without you, I would probably—...actually scratch that...I would totally be lost and just decide to live out here, probably eating bugs and berries that I'm not sure whether or not are poisonous, drinking questionably clean water, and eventually lose my mind due to being alone for months. And luckily none of that happened so I can joke about it and laugh."

Willow, unbeknownst to his companion, was too glad that he met this random pony. While many of the ponies in the nearby town were friendly, he never exactly had a conversation with any of them. It was more like the ponies simply glanced at him for a second before continuing on with their day, or threw him either bread crumbs or bird seeds, although the latter was usually by elders.

No, wait...Willow can recall this one time where he was at the park with a few other birds, and this yellow pegasus mare came and actually communicated with them. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember her name due to being so long ago. He believed it started with the letter "F," but that's pretty much all he knows. Oh, what the little bird would give to see that sweet and caring mare again!

...He was going off track at this point.

But yeah. Unlike the others, and besides that mare, this pony actually took the time to get to know him. Well, as much information as Willow was able to convey to him through chirps, head movements, and wing gestures, but still.

There was one thing that Willow wanted to know about the pony, and that was his species. Yes, he knows that he's a pony, but the type of pony he is is what he doesn't know. 

To his knowledge, there's three types of ponies that exist. There's the earth ponies who were known for their strength and connection to the earth. The pegasi who could control the weather and fly into the sky due to their wings. And the unicorns who use the horns that sat atop their heads to directly utilize magic and perform spells such as levitation and teleportation.

Willow could probably chalk the pony off as a pegasus, but they normally have bird-like wings with feathers. His companion, however, had leathery, bat-like wings, as well as fangs and tufts of fur on his ears. So in a way, he was technically a pegasus, just with the qualities of a bat.

Could he be a hybrid of some sort? Actually, now that Willow thought about it, he realized that he didn't want to know the exact details that led to the pony being born.



About 10 minutes have past and the duo finally felt well rested and ready to continue on with their walk, or flight in Willow's case. The pony stood up on his four hooves and Willow took flight once again. Same as before, the bird took the lead and started to fly towards the city.

The pony was feeling excited at the idea of finally getting out of this wretched forest. He wouldn't say this out loud, but while he enjoyed Willow's company, he really wanted to have an ally that could speak the same language as him. A conversation where one couldn't understand what the other was saying could only do so much in regards to gaining information. Whoever he meets could tell him where he was and maybe even who he was.

He was so much in thought, however, that he didn't notice that he was walking towards a ravine until his front hooves slipped.

"Woah!" he yelped as he leaned into the ravine Luckily, he managed to catch himself on his back hooves and prevent a nasty fall downward. Having a clear view of the bottom, he could tell that a fall from this height could lead to death, or at the very least have all of your bones broken. He backed up and held a hoof to his chest as he took deep breathes in and out, "Holy crap that was close!"

When Willow heard the yelp and turned around to see what was going on, he immediately felt guilty. Being a creature that flies around to travel a great majority of the time, he has no problem getting over obstacles on the ground like ravines, running waters, and dangerous predators. He was meant to be this pony's guide to safety and he almost let him...him...oh wait a minute. This pony has wings. He could fly as well.

He still felt guilty about not warning the pony about the ravine, but not to the point where he had to apologize like crazy.

Actually, now that Willow thought about it some more, this pony has been walking the entire time despite having wings. Why didn't he just opt to fly? Doing so would've made this hike go by so much more quicker. Not to mention easier.

Oh well. What's done is done. The pony probably just wanted time to take in the scenery of the forest. He couldn't blame him. The forest was pretty nice at night, but also scary.

"Now how do I get across this?" the pony asked out loud as he looked to see if he could just go around the 4 meter (about 12 feet) wide ravine, but found that it seemed to stretch on for many, many meters. Willow, in response, chirped in a deadpan tone before perching on the pony's back and gesturing to his wings. The pony folded his wings up before facepalming himself, "Oh duh! I have wings."

Willow gave a deadpan stare before he flew off of the pony's back.

The pony then flapped his wings slowly and then with haste as a means to stretch them, before he folded them back down and began to back up so he could get a running start. Once he was a meter away from the edge, he stopped in tracks and started to sprint forward.

Willow just hovered there waiting for his pony ally to fly across...but that's when he realized something that made his eyes widen. The pony has amnesia. Does he even still remember how to fly?

Once he realized this, he began chirping like mad, trying to get the pony's attention. It was all for naught, however, as he jumped, spread his wings...and started falling to the bottom of the ravine.

"AHHHHHHH!" the pony screamed as he began to panic, flapping his wings like crazy and flailing his hooves in an effort to get him to slow down even just a little bit. Unfortunately, that not exactly how science works so he only continued to fall at an increasing velocity.

He then noticed after a couple of seconds of falling that there was a protrusion of rocks hanging on the side of the ravine that he could grab onto. He reoriented his trajectory so that he would fall towards the rocks, and when he was finally within reach he grabbed onto them. For a second, his hoof slipped, but with the adrenaline rush he managed to keep his grip and hang on.

"Woah!" the pony yelped before he glanced downwards and saw that he only fell about a quarter way down. He continued to catch his breathe from all the adrenaline before he let out a sigh of relief. He looked back up and was relived that the side of the ravine was formed in a way that he could climb up it. With all his strength, he began to climb up one step at a time, making sure to be careful of which rock each hoof was gonna grip lest he wanted to slip again. It was a bit of a struggle, but once he finally reached the top, he sat on his haunches and started to catch his breathe once again.

Willow flew in front of the pony's face and started to make chirping noises that had a tone of both relief and concern. He felt guilty about not voicing his thoughts before the pony jumped, despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to do so in the first place.

"Just...just give me a minute Willow. I'll be fine," the pony reassured before he spread out his wings and looked at them. 

To him, it was nothing but a miracle that that protrusion was there, otherwise he wouldn't be alive. What was that just now? He should've flew to this side of the ravine, not plummet down like a rock. He had wings, so he should've been able to fly.

...Right?

The pony sighed before he hung in head in shame and folded his wings back.

"Great. Just great. Not only do I not know who I am, but I also don't know how to fly," he lamented. He opened his eyes and lifted his head back up to see Willow looking at him with an apologetic expression. He then let out a small smile, "You don't have to be sorry Willow. I just have to...learn how to fly again. Now come on. Let's get out of here."

Willow was once again in admiration of his optimistic attitude. Being a species that flies a lot, he simply felt...vulnerable whenever one of his wings were broken. Yet once again, his companion just shrugs it off and moves on.

Just who was this pony?



After another 25 minutes of walking, the duo was able to finally see the edge of the forest. 

"Sweet. We're finally getting out of here," the pony thought with a smile before he decided to just run on ahead, this time making sure to be careful of any ravines that he could fall down again. Once he ran past the rest of the trees, he looked shook off any leaves that got in his mane...and gasped with awe at the sight that beheld.

He was overlooking a huge and colorful metropolitan city that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. He could see huge buildings, neighborhood houses, and even a beautiful harbor. He has never seen such an amazing view in his entire life.

...Well, at least he doesn't remember seeing one.

Willow caught up to the pony and chirped with delight as he saw his awed expression. He can remember how he felt the first time he visited this city. All the pretty lights, the activity that goes on both day and night, and the food. By the stars, all the tasty food that he may or may not have swooped in and stolen from unsuspecting ponies. 

Either that or from trash cans. The food was half-eaten anyway, so he didn't feel that disgusted from eating them.

"Well Willow..." the pony said with a bit of a sad expression, "...I guess this is where we part ways. I mean, you must have a life to live in the forest, and...I wouldn't want to keep you from that. So...thank you...you know, for helping me and whatnot. I really appreciate it."

As the pony turned and started to walk away, Willow chirped and flew to him. The pony was surprised when he felt the familiar feeling of his birdy companion perching on top of his head. He looked up and saw the bird looking at him.

"Willow?" he asked with confusion. He should be flying back home to his home as his parents must be worried sick. So what is he doing on his he—...Once the realization of what he was trying to convey, the pony's eyes widened in even more surprise, "You...wish to go with me?"

Willow nodded at his question. While was happy that the pony didn't want to keep him away from his friends and family, he was never one to just stay in one place. Rather, he was a bird of action and adventure. He preferred to go out and explore the world. And his friends and family knew of this and how much he especially liked the city, so they wouldn't mind if he stayed away from home for a while.

And besides, he knew this pony was one he could trust, so it wasn't like he was in immediate danger.

The pony smiled at his companion's response of wanting to stick by his side.

"Well if that's the case..." he said before pointing a hoof forward in a triumphant way, "...To the city we go!.....That sounded a lot cooler in my head."




> Chapter 3: Exploration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Having now found a city, the duo proceed to explore in an effort to get some help. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned.




"Holy crap," the pony thought as walked through the streets, Willow following him close behind. The city was even more colorful and big up close. Everywhere he looked there was some sort of light. Whether it'd be the lights from one of the numerous street lamps, the sign for one of the numerous places still open, or a fire barrel that a homeless looking pony was using to stay warm.

...That last one kind of depressed the nameless pony. 

As he continued, he ran into what he believed to be a news stands with its shutters currently closed. Makes sense that it was closed as it was still night time. Curious as to what activities has recently gone down, he walked up to the stand and picked up one of the newspapers that were hanging outside. The first thing the pony saw was the name of the newspaper in big letters.

"Baltimare Sun," he read. He figured that the 'Sun' part was supposed to have a similar use as the common newspaper names 'Times' and 'Gazette,' while the former word is meant to be the name of this city, "Well, now I have a name as to where I am. Although I can't help but think that the name 'Baltimare' is meant to be some sort of pun."

The news was nothing special. It was your typical, everyday news such as games that some sports team played in, what the weather is going to be, stores that either opening or going out of business, and some random crap about politics that the pony really didn't care about.

"Boring. Boring. Even more boring. Boring…..Hmm?," he mumbled as he scrolled through the pages before he read something that caught his attention. According to the article, something big happened happened in a city called Canterlot only three days ago, "Changeling invasion in Canterlot thwarted? Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor officially married? Interesting,” he read, “But what's a changeling? And who is this Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor? And congratulations to the two of them," he asked before he shrugged as he put the newspaper back, "Oh well. Questions to answer at a later time, I suppose."

He turned and proceeded to walk away. Maybe he should head to this Canterlot place to get help for his amnesia. After all, if a wedding between a princess and a captain occurred there, then that place must have some importance to it. Perhaps it’s the capital of wherever the hell he was?

Whatever the case, the nameless pony decided that, no, he figured that he should just find a hospital and get some help there. It was for two reasons. 1) He had no idea where and how far Canterlot was, and 2) even if he did, he didn’t have any money for transportation if needed. And there was no way that he was just going to walk there. 

“Hey Willow? Do you know where the nearest hospital is?” he asked, “I figured that who better to help with my amnesia than the medical professionals themselves?”

Sadly, the bird’s response was a shaking of the head and an apologetic chirp.

“Meh. Don’t worry about it,” the pony shrugged before he stopped in his tracks as he noticed a building up ahead that seemed to be sparking with activity, “Oh perfect.”

Based on the huge size of the building, a burly looking stallion near the door letting other ponies in or sending them away, and loud music playing, it seemed to be some kind of nightclub.

Although the fact that there was a big, colorful, and flashing sign that said “Neon Nightclub” was a huge giveaway.

The pony decided to approach what he assumed to be the bouncer. He will admit that the stallion seemed intimidating. Bald, sunglasses, goatee, muscular. Definitely not a pony to mess with.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Name?” the bouncer asked in a stereotypical deep voice.

“Um no, actually I was wondering if—“

“Then beat it,” the bouncer interrupted.

“…What?” the pony asked.

“You heard me. Beat it and go do your business somewhere else,” he responded.

“…Okay, but can you at least tell me—“

“I’m only gonna say this one last time!” the bouncer yelled with a stomp of his hooves, “Beat it, vampony!”

“Alright! Alright! Jeez!” the pony said as he stepped back, before he turned an started to walk away. Once he was quite a ways away, he mumbled, “Asshole.”

“Jeez. Did his wife divorce him or something?” he thought as he continued to walk down the street, ”Also…’vampony?’ Was that meant to be some kind of insult?”

Now that he thought about it, while that bouncer seemed to be the same species as him, there were quite a few differing features. 

The bouncer lacked fangs, wings, and tufts of fur on the ears. He couldn’t tell if the bouncer’s eyes were slitted like his due to the sun glasses, but he could only assume so.

Perhaps he wasn’t a different species, but rather a different…sun-species?

“Ugh! So many questions that need to be answered,” he thought in frustration.

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice Willow was flying back to him with a satisfied expression on his face after taking care of some…business.



“Grr. Stupid bucking birds,” the bouncer grumbled angrily in the bathroom as he continued to try to scrub the gunk off of his head.



The pony stopped in his tracks as his stomach started to grumble, “Crap, I’m hungry.”

He then heard Willow’s tiny belly start to grumble as well.

“Well, at least I’m not the only one,” he sighed, “And to add some salt to the wound, I’m also broke. Don’t suppose you have any money on you?”

Willow shook his head again, causing the pony to sigh once again.

“Double crap,” he mumbled, “Well I’ve got nothing. Any ideas on how we can fill our stomachs?”

Willow nodded his head this time. Whenever he visited Baltimare, and there weren’t any nice ponies to feed him or unsuspecting ponies to…borrow from, there was still one last option, and it always got him fed.

“Oh really? What is it?”



“Yeah…I don’t think I’m desperate enough to eat from the garbage,” the pony grimaced in slight disgust as he stared at the trash can lying in an alley with a couple of flies buzzing around it, “Seriously Willow. Whatever is in there is in the trash for a reason. Because it’s trash! What if there’s some disgusting mush filled with maggots a-and ants…”

Willow only proceeded to ignore the pony’s ramblings and lift the trash lid off with his beak. 

“Okay, I feel like you’re not listening to me,” the pony said as Willow carried the lid to the ground.

The little birds then flew up and perched on the rim of the trash can. He peered inside to see what treasures awaited them and…jackpot!

“Hmm?” the pony asked as Willow started to flap his wings and chirp, as if he was gesturing to him that he found something of interest, “What? What did you find?”

The pony walked up to the trash can and looked inside it to see a pizza box with an almost floral-like design with the words “Blossom’s Pizzeria” printed on it.

“It’s a pizza box,” he stated the obvious, “What? Are we gonna eat the box?“

Deciding to humor his little birdy friend, he picked up the box and was about to take a bite out of it…before he heard something shifting inside as he moved it around.

Curious, and a little scared that it was going to be a rat that he finds, he opened the box and was surprised to see a little under a half of a plain cheese pizza. Besides a little bit of ants crawling around it, it seemed to be in good condition.

“Oh crap. I take back what I said about not being desperate. I don’t even care about the ants. Extra protein,” he said with a smile, “We split it? 50/50?”

Willow nodded in agreement.

The pony then placed the pizza box on the ground before sitting down on his haunches, his back against the wall. He gently used his hooves to tear the pizza in half, making sure that they’re about the same size.

He then picked up his half while sliding the other closer to Willow.

“To living in poverty?” he questionably cheered, to which Willow gave him a deadpan stare, “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t do that.”

He then took a bite, with Willow starting to peck at it.

“Hmm,” he said as he chewed, “Tastes a bit funky, but I’m guessing that’s due to it being from the trash. Other than that, not bad.”

“Well well well. What do we have here?”

The duo turned to the voice and saw a trio of ponies approaching them from the shadows of the alley.

The first thing he noticed was that they each looked different from each other.

The one in front of the group, clearly the leader, looked similar to that asshole of a bouncer (no racism intended). He had light blue fur, a brown short mane and tail, brown eyes, and a symbol of a chain on his flanks.

The second one’s most prominent feature were the bird-like wings on his back. He had white fur, a black mohawk, a spiked black tail, orange eyes, and what seemed to be a symbol of a metal guitar.

The third one had some sort of horn on his forehead. He had green fur, a messy light violet mane that completely covered his eyes, an even more messy tail, and a symbol of a skull.

The way they appeared out of the shadows immediately sent red flags to the nameless pony. He didn’t want to be stereotypical or anything, but they looked to be a group of troublesome punks.

“A bat pony lost in the city. How…interesting,” the white one with the wings said.

“Can I help you three with anything?” the nameless pony asked as he slowly started to get up.

“You can actually,” the blue responded.

“Yeah! Yeah! You can help us!” the green one with the horn snickered.

“We’ve never seen a bat pony here in Baltimare before. You must be new here,” the blue said with a chuckle.

“Bat pony? First vampony, now bat pony? What’s next? Night crawler pony?”

“Yes. I am,” the nameless pony said. He wanted to see where this was going, but he was ready to run if the situation arises.

“Well, allow us to introduce ourselves. The name’s Chains,” the blue one said.

“I’m Metal,” the white one said.

“And I’m Skull. Hi!” the green one said with a wave.

“Heh. Pretty hardcore names you’ve got there,” the pony pretended to chuckle as he started to back away slowly, while Willow started to float away as well, “Well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I’m afraid I’ve got somewhere I need to be—“

The pony stopped in his tracks as he felt a tug on his hooves. As if something was holding them in place. He looked down and saw some sort of light purple aura around his hooves and Willow, who was as still as a statue in the air.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere,” he heard Chains apologetically, yet  smugly at the same time.

“Yeah! My magic has caused you to stay in that place…where you are!” Skull said giddily.

The pony looked back up and saw that his horn was surrounded by an aura that was the same color as the one around his hooves.

“What the heck is this OP crap?!” he thought as he tried to struggle out, “Hey! Let me go!”

“Oh we will,” Chains said, “But not before you give us all of your bits.”

“M-my what?” the pony asked as he continued to struggle.

“You know. Your money! Your moola!” Metal yelled.

“But I don’t have any money,” he said as he lessened his struggles.

“Quit lying!” Metal yelled again.

“I’m not lying,” the pony said as he stopped struggling completely.

“You so are—“

“Dude! You found me sitting in an alleyway…in the middle of the night…eating a pizza that literally came from the trash! I think it’s pretty clear that I don’t have any money or literally anything of value for you to steal!”

Silence hung between the two parties for a few seconds before Chains finally broke it.

“What about that necklace?” he pointed out.

The pony looked down at the stone necklace that hung around his neck.

“I mean…I don’t know if it has any value or anything—“

“Oh I’m taking that necklace even if I have to pry it off your beaten body!” Metal yelled before he spread his wings and started to fly at the pony.

“Gah!” the pony yelped as he shut his eyes in preparation for the strike. He mentally punched himself for deciding to wait and see what happens. He should’ve just ran when he had the cha—

CLANG

The pony flinched at the loud clanging noise that occurred right in front of him. Not feeling any injury, he curiously peeked his eye open and saw the trash can lid coated in a magenta red aura and floating a few feet in front of him.

Metal fell to the ground after impacting the lid completely unconscious, with a bloody nose and a couple of teeth missing.

“Jeez. Can’t a mare get some sleep these days?” a feminine voice complained behind the nameless pony.

He turned around and saw another pony with a horn. Based on her voice and her frame, it was likely she was a female. She had crimson fur, a short, light pink mane and tail, both with noticeable grey streaks, magenta red eyes with crow’s feet, and a symbol of a cherry blossom on her flanks.

“Hey lady! Who do you think you are—?!” Chains yelled before the trash can lid was suddenly launched at him, impacting his head and knocking him out.

“Woah! I best get out of he—!” Skull yelled as he turned and ran…straight into a fire escape ladder. It rang with a loud clang as he fell to the ground.

The telekinetic hold on the duo immediately vanished, causing the nameless pony to nearly trip on his hooves and Willow to almost fall to the ground before he readjusted his flight balance.

The duo turned to look back at the mare.

“Pfft. Troublesome brats,” the mare scoffed before she wrinkled her nose in disgust as she noticed the pizza right at the pony’s hooves, “Ew. You know that’s been in the trash, right?”




> Chapter 4: A New Identity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





After being rescued by a mare named Cherry Blossom, the nameless pony tells her about his amnesia.




The nameless pony remained sitting on the sidewalk as the police arrested the three stallions that tried to mug him, Willow perched on top of his head.

Metal’s wings were tied down to prevent him from spreading them, while some sort of ring was placed on Skull’s horn. And of course, all three of the stallions had their hooves chained together as they were loaded into a carriage with a cage attached to it.

“Hey, uh…where are these ponies taking us?” Skull asked.

“Well Skull, they’re taking us to the beach to make sand castles and swim with the dolphins—to prison you idiot! Where else do you think the police would take us?!” Metal yelled.

“Aww. I really wanted to pet some dolphins,” Skull whined.

“We won’t be in jail very long! You hear me?! Do you hear me?! We have our rights! We have our ri—OW! Hey, no need to shove! I’m going!” Chains proclaimed as he was shoved into the cage. As it was locked up, the stallion peered through the bars and glared at the nameless pony, “Mark our words, bat pony! This won’t the last time you see us! As soon as our mommy bails us out of jail, we’ll find you! We'll track you down and rob you of everything you’ve got!”

“Okay, cool. Thanks for yelling that out in front of me and the cops. I appreciate it,” the pony said with a smug grin as the carriage was carried away. Despite being almost beaten to a pulp and robbed, he felt a sense of satisfaction due to one simple fact.

The three stallions were clearly idiots.

So seeing them getting sent to prison just made him feel good.

“Also…do they not remember that I told them I have nothing?” he muttered.

“Eh. I wouldn’t worry about them,” the crimson mare said as she sat down next to the nameless pony, “Baltimare is a pretty big city. You’d have to be some kind of…I don’t know…a master assassin in order to track down some random pony, and those three are clearly idiots.”

“Oh yeah. I can tell,” the pony laughed, “I mean…the leader of the group said that their mommy was gonna bail them out of jail. His words, not mine.”

“…Then again…” the mare said as she looked the pony up and down, “…Maybe you wouldn’t be that hard to track down, seeing as you’re pretty unique.”

“Unique? What do you mean by that?”

“You’re one of those bat ponies I've heard about. In fact, you’re probably the first bat pony to make an appearance here in Baltimare. Congrats,” the mare smiled, “Well…the first bat pony that I’ve seen since Princess Luna returned a couple of years ago. The only other ones that I'm aware of are part of her Lunar Guard.”

The pony was about to question who this Princess Luna was, but managed to stop himself. If this Luna pony was a princess, then she was obviously widely known, meaning that he would look like an idiot if he did ask who she was.

“Again, questions for another time. So a bat pony is what my species is. And here I thought those muggers were just being racist. But would that mean that ‘vampony’ is an insult?” he thought as he picked up the pizza that was found in the trash.

“Ew. What are you—…You’re still gonna eat that garbage?” the mare asked in a disgusted tone.

“Well yeah. I’m hungry. What else would I eat?” the pony answered as he took a bite, slightly grimacing at the funky taste.

“Oh I don’t know…something that isn’t from the trash? There’s a convenience store that’s open 24/7 down the street where I get my groceries if you’d like to check that out.”

“I don’t have any money on me to buy anything and this trash was the only food I could find. Besides, it doesn’t taste that ba—”

Before he could take another bite, a crimson hoof suddenly slapped the pizza out of his grasp and onto the ground.

The pony slowly turned his head to the pizza that was now a mess on the sidewalk before slowly turning his head to the mare.

“Um…ow!” he said, irritation displayed on his face, Willow chirping angrily, “What’d you that for?! That was my dinner!”

“Not anymore it’s not,” the mare said as she started to walk down the street, “Come on kid.”

“…What?” the pony asked, now confused.

“We're going to the store.”

“But…why?”

“Uh, so I can get you some food that wasn’t from the trash. Duh.”

“…Really?” the nameless pony said before shaking his head, “L-look…that’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m afraid I can’t accept. You already—“

“Yeah yeah. I saved your life from a bunch of idiots. Blah blah blah. And now I’m giving you a chance to eat something that hasn’t laid in the trash for several hours with a bunch of bugs and other nasty stuff that I don’t wanna know about. So you can cut the humble attitude with me,” she said before pointing at Willow who has quickly perched onto her head and was now chirping happily, “See? You’re bird friend agrees with me.”

The pony really wanted to say “no.” Deep down, he knew it would be a good idea to accept this mare’s offer. But at the same time he didn’t want to be some kind of burden to—

“Look kid. It’s almost one in the morning and nopony else is here to offer what's basically free food,” the mare said, starting to get impatient.

Welp, can’t argue with that logic.

“I just…have one thing to ask,” the nameless pony said as his eyes narrowed in slight suspicion, “What's the catch?”

“...Hmm? Catch? Now what in Equestria are you talking about?”

“You clearly don't want any money in exchange for helping me since you know I don't have any. So what is it? A hoof massage? Want me to clean wherever you live? A simple IOU?”

The nameless pony knew it was wrong to be suspicious that the mare wants something in return, but he just couldn't help himself. After all, this mare was still a stranger to him.

The mare herself, however, was stumped. Did this pony really expect to give something in return for her doing a good deed? Well...a part of her wouldn't mind getting something in return, but no. That not's how she was raised.

“Hmm…well, now that you mention it, there is something I you can give me in return. And that...is nothing,” the mare said before smiling warmly, “Did it ever occur to you that I'm doing this simply because it's the right thing to do?”

The nameless pony stared into her eyes to see even the slightest hint of deception...but there wasn't any. No bead of sweat, no shifting pupil, no twitching eye. Nothing. Either she was a very good liar...or she was truly honest with her words. Truly touched by her generosity, the pony let out a small smile.

“But I wouldn't mind a hoof massage if you're still offering.”

The nameless pony’s smile dropped a little, before he started to chuckle.

“N-no. Sorry,” he said with a shake of his head before he got up started to follow the mare, “Thanks. I owe you one Miss…?”

“Oh hehe. I guess I forgot to introduce myself,” she chuckled, “Blossom. Cherry Blossom.”



“Gosh, this city is really beautiful at night,” the pony once again admired the lights as he alongside the newly named Cherry Blossom, Willow flying by his side.

“Thanks again Miss Blossom,” the pony said as they finally entered the convenience store. When Cherry said that it was open 24/7, she wasn't kidding. In fact, the name of the store was literally "The 24/7 Store." 

“Kid, while I appreciate, that’s like the third time that you thanked me. I told you, it’s fine," she reassured, “Also, please just call me Cherry. All that ‘miss’ talk makes me feel old.”

“O-okay…Cherry,” the pony said, albeit a bit hesitantly. For some reason or another, he felt like that he had to address the mare in a proper and respectful. But if she wanted to just be addressed by her name, then he had to respect that.

"I'm sorry, but pets aren't allowed in the store," the cashier said, noticing Willow, "I'm afraid the bird is gonna have to stay outside."

"O-okay," the nameless pony said. He could've sworn that the cashier felt...unease. What the reason was behind it, he had no idea. Regardless, he decided to let it go and turned to the aforementioned bird, "Willow, you mind waiting outside?"

Willow nodded with a chirp before he flew up to the roof of the building.

"So what are you craving for kid? Tater tots? Waffles? Something that I hope is either pre-made or super easy to prepare? Chocolate? Chips?" Cherry asked as they walked around the store.

"Um..." was the only thing the nameless pony could say. There were so many options to choose from, yet he didn't want to take too long to decide. Nor did he want to have Cherry spend too much money, or bits as Chains referred to, on him and Willow. He wasn't going to take advantage of her generosity after all.

"How about a carrot dog?" Cherry interrupted his train of thought, "You don't have to worry about cooking them or anything, just assemble it together and add whatever condiments you want. Plus, they're pretty cheap and...huh. Now I'm craving a carrot dog."

"Sure, that sounds fine," the pony answered.

"Might as well get some slushies while we're at it."

"Now you're speaking my language."



The trio were now sitting on the sidewalk right in front of the convenience store, eating their dinner, or midnight snack in Cherry's case.

Cherry, not being as hungry as the others, opted to just buy two carrot dogs, one for the nameless pony and one for her, and she split her carrot dog with Willow. Being such a tiny creature, she figured that the bird didn't have the stomach to eat a full carrot dog. By her side was a medium sized slushie that was, of course, cherry flavored. Meanwhile, the nameless pony also had a medium sized slushie that was strawberry flavored instead.

"This is pretty good," the nameless pony commented as he ate.

"Yeah. It acts for a quick and nice snack," Cherry said after taking a sip of her slushie, "So...um...what're you planning to do next?"

"Hmm? Oh that's right," the pony said as he finished his food, his hunger now satiated, "I need to go to the hospital and I was wondering if you tell me where the nearest one is."

"The hospital?" Cherry asked with confusion, "What do you need to go to the hospital for? You got somepony you know there?"

"No, it's...it's for myself," the pony admitted.

Now Cherry was even more confused. For himself? What did he mean by that? This pony didn't seem injured, ill, sick, or pretty much any known adjective in the Equestrian vocabulary that would constitute him to go to the hospital. Perhaps it was just some sort of checkup for...something?

"Well whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be fine kid," Cherry reassured.

"I'm 18 you know," the pony said, "You don't have to call me 'kid.'"

"Well I would call you by your real name, but you never told me what it is," Cherry shrugged, "Kind of rude if you ask me."

"O-oh," the nameless pony muttered, mentally facepalming himself. Of course she didn't know his name. He himself doesn't know it either, "W-well, you see...I'm kind of having some...memory problems."

"Memory problems?" Cherry asked, "What do you mean? It's not like your getting old or anything...unlike me."

"I mean...I don't...remember...anything...about myself," the pony admitted.

Now that caught the crimson mare's attention as she fully turned her head to the nameless pony.

"What? I don't understand. What do you—?" Cherry asked, at first not understanding what he meant, before it finally hit her, "...Oh. Amnesia, eh?"

"Yeah. The earliest thing I can remember is waking up in a forest about an hour or two ago," the nameless pony answered, "I was hoping that if I go to the hospital, then they could help me...you know...recover my memories and whatnot. Then I'll remember who I was and where I came, and while I'm at it, remember how I ended up in that forest in the first place, and eventually have a happy ending."

Oh, how Cherry wanted to refrain from telling this pony the truth, just to spare his feelings. Unfortunately, she had no choice. Otherwise, this pony would end up going to the hospital for nothing.

"...Kid, that's...that's not how amnesia works," Cherry admitted with hesitation. Upon noticing his confusion, she continued, "Amnesia isn't a disease that can be treated and cured by doctors and medicine. It's just something that has to be recovered from naturally."

"...What?" the nameless pony asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm...really sorry kid, but the hospital staff can't just light up a unicorn horn and perform a spell to help you remember who you were or...where you came from. It'll all come back to you overtime."

"And...how long will that take?" the pony hesitantly asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"...W-well...it...depends on how severe the amnesia is," Cherry explained, "At best, you're amnesia will only last for a week."

"...And at worst?"

"...At worst...it'll last for..." Cherry bit her bottom lip, "...a few months."

"A few months?! You're telling me that I'm not gonna remember anything about myself for possibly a few months and there's nothing I can do about it?!"

"...Y-yes?"

The nameless pony's eyes widened as he felt the gravity of the situation immediately. The fact that he was gonna remain nameless for a few months hit him like a brick. He wasn't sure what to feel at the moment. Anger? Sadness? Maybe both actually. He really wanted to scream out his frustrations and cry right at that moment. He wanted to shout at Cherry. Demand for some kind of...alternate solution to his problem.

But...he didn't. He couldn't.

Instead, he sighed and covered his face with his hooves.

"What am I gonna do?" he asked out loud, his voice muffled by his hooves, before he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He lowered his hooves and saw the sympathetic faces of Cherry and Willow.

"Hey now. Everything's gonna be alright," Cherry said, Willow chirping in sympathy.

"...I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Cherry...but I'm afraid it just isn't working," the pony said as felt tears start to form. He quickly wiped them and continued staring at the ground, "But I don't remember where I live, if I even live in Baltimare, I don't have any money, no job, nor can I remember any friends or relatives to ask if I could stay with them."

Cherry held nothing but sadness for the poor kid. After all, she would probably act the same way if she was in his position.

"Oh Celestia, what do I do?" she asked herself as he removed her hoof. Living in Baltimare, she had encountered a few homeless ponies here and there in the streets, but not once had she met one that was so young and so innocent. Not to mention one that was suffering from amnesia. Wondering what to do, she glanced at her cutie mark of a cherry blossom and reflected on its symbolism behind it, "He'll never forgive you if you just decide to abandoned this poor kid. Do the right thing. Do the right thing Cherry!"

"Anyway..." the nameless pony said as he stood back up, "Thanks for the food Cherry. I really appreciate it. Come on Willow, let's find somewhere to sle—"

"Hold on," the crimson mare interrupted, "If you'd like, you can...you can stay with me. My apartment doesn't have an extra room, but the couch is big enough for you to sleep on. You're little birdy friend can stay as well as long you promise to take care of him," she said before she pressed her hoof against the pony's mouth as she saw that he was about to speak, "And before you say anything, you're not gonna be burden by staying with me. Just clean up after yourself, help me with chores, and don't eat too much of my food and you'll be fine. Now you may speak."

Cherry lowered her hoof back down.

"...I...I don't know what to say...Thank you," the pony said with a smile, touched by how much this mare was willing to help him. Wanting to pay her back, he put on a face of determination, "I'll find a way to pay you back, Cherry! I promise!"

"Pay me back, huh?" Cherry muttered before she rubbed her chin in thought, "I think there's something you can do for me in exchange. And don't worry, it's not a hoof massage."

"Okay? What is it then?"

"I'll tell you in the morning. For now, there's one last one thing we need to establish."

"Which is?"

"A new name for you. Might as well give you one until you find out your real one. I may have been referring to you as 'kid,' but I don't think everypony else is gonna do the same."

"A new name?" the pony wondered. It only made sense that he makes one up. After all, he didn't want to be referred to as just 'bat pony' and definitely not 'vampony.' As cool as that name sounded, it also sounded a bit insulting now that he thought about it, "But what name should I call myself?"

He thought back to what he saw in his own reflection back in the forest. His light gray fur, his bat-like appearance, the two colorful streaks that ran across his black, spikey mane and tail, the colorful symbol on his flanks.

The nameless pony looked back at said symbol and just admired it. The way the blue and pink lines worked together to form a smile. Looking back now, it was oddly...nice just to stare at his reflection, specifically the bright colors against the neutral colors of his fur, mane, and tail.

He then started thinking back to earlier in the night, when he saw the flashing sign of that nightclub. The way the background was just black, and the flashing words bringing color and light to the sign. The nice contrast was truly pleasing to the eye.

And the name of the nightclub was still fresh in his mind.

The nameless pony let out a small smile, before he turned to Cherry and Willow and said one thing.

"My name is Neon."




> Chapter 5: Blossom's Pizzeria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Cherry Blossom offers the newly named Neon a way to pay back his debt.




BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Cherry Blossom groaned under the covers as her crimson hoof shakily rose up to hit the button on her alarm clock, causing the annoying beeping to stop.

After a minute of just lying there, Cherry slowly sat up on her bed and yawned. After rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she removed the covers and got out of bed.

A good stretching of her hooves later, she exited her room and out into the rest of her apartment.

It was a nice and standard apartment with a living room, a small kitchen, and a hallway that led to her bedroom and a bathroom.

She walked across the hallway and entered her bathroom, walking up to the mirror and staring at her reflection.

“Buck, I’m getting old,” she thought to herself before she did her daily routine of brushing her teeth and combing her mane.

Afterwards, Cherry exited the bathroom and proceeded to walk out of the hallway. Once she did, the first thing she did was glance to the side and saw her new bat pony roommate, Neon, sleeping on the couch, a blanket covering him up to his head which had a pillow beneath it. On the coffee table in front of the couch was Willow sleeping in a small cardboard box, one that Cherry may or may not have dug out of her trash, with a small towel lined up inside of it for comfort.

“Geez. It’s been a while since I’ve had company. Although I never expected said company to becoming a roommate,” Cherry before she let out a small smile, “Not that I mind, though. Just last night was enough to tell me that he’s a good kid.”

Neon was at first concerned that he would get her in trouble if he brought Willow into the apartment building, but Cherry assured him that as long as the bird doesn’t make a mess or make too much noise throughout the day, then the landlord would be fine with pets.

Still feeling tired, Cherry walked to her kitchen and did what she usually did the only thing to fully wake her up in the morning: make a cup of coffee.

After making the milky and energizing concoction, she used her magic to levitate two bowls and two spoons out of the cabinets before levitating a box of cereal and a gallon of milk.



“Hey kid. Wake up,” Neon heard as he felt tapping on his head.

Letting out a yawn, the bat pony rubbed his eyes. It took a second to remember where he was, as well as the events from last night. Getting out of that forest with Willow, meeting Cherry, learning that he’ll have to wait for his amnesia to recover, and adopting a new identity in the meantime.

“Well Neon. A new day, a new name,” he thought before looking up to see who was tapping him. 

“Morning Cherry,” Neon said as he saw the crimson mare standing there with two bowls of cereal being levitated, one of which was given to him as he sat up, “Thanks.”

“Im surprised this kid doesn’t seem the least bit tired, considering the fact that he went to sleep at one in the morn—oh right. Bat ponies are nocturnal…I think,” Cherry thought as the bat pony seemed wide awake already.

“Don’t mention it,” the mare said as she sat down next to the bat pony, “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Well you said that you had something for me to do and that you were gonna tell me this morning,” Neon responded as Willow ate from his bowl.

“Oh right,” Cherry remembered as she ate.

“…So…what is it you want me to do? Help you clean the apartment? Go on a few errands?”

“I think it’s better if I just showed you. Later, though. Mama needs her cup of coffee,” the crimson mare said before taking a sip.

“Right. Got it,” Neon said before he continued eating, “…So what’s with the ass tattoos?”



As the Sun was shining bright above Equestria, many ponies spent their morning in one of Baltimare’s numerous parks. The various activities that took place included getting their daily exercise, having a picnic, or simply taking a walk and admiring the scenery.

Most conversations that took place were about the recent changeling invasion at Canterlot. After all, it was on front page of Baltimare Sun. Of course, the wedding between Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor was also talked about, but admittedly a race of shapeshifting creatures that apparently feasted on love invading Equestria’s capital was much more exciting.

“…and the queen of the changelings actually managed to take down Princess Celestia.”

“No way. Our beloved princess that has lived for centuries? Defeated? You’re lying.”

“I swear I’m not! I saw it myself.”

“…That’s just…wow. I’m shocked. But if that’s the case, then how did the changelings get defeated?”

“You know those six mares that defeated Nightmare Moon?”

“Yeah? Why? Did they defeat the change—“

“Watch out!” a voice shouted as a speeding pegasus passed between the two ponies, nearly knocking them over.

“HEY! Watch where you’re going!” one of them shouted angrily as they recovered their balance.

“Sorry!” the pegasus shouted as he continued to fly through the park, warning other ponies to get out of the way.

The wind blew through his arctic blue medium length, stylized mane and tail, as well as his cerulean blue fur as he continued to flap his wings. His cutie mark of a white snowflake with white wings seemed to shine under the sun. His eyes, which were also arctic blue in color, paid close attention for any objects and unsuspecting ponies that he could potentially crash into.

He always loved going out for a flight in the park. Not only does he get his daily exercise and get a chance to just appreciate the park’s beauty such as the trees and critters, but also at this time in the morning is usually when he gets to see the…other type of beauty. 

“Speaking of…” the pegasus thought with a smile as he saw a pair of mares up ahead jogging towards him.

“Why hello ladies! Mind if I accompany such fine mares on such a lovely morn—“ he tried to greet, only for one of the mares to lightly scoff and roll their eyes as the pair just kept on jogging, “Welp…their loss.”

It wasn’t the first time a mare just outright rejected him like that. He was used to it.

“Not everypony can fall for my dashing good looks and charming personality,” he shrugged as he continued on his flight, but not before he took a quick glance back at the pair of mares.

He smiled in a giddy way.

The one that scoffed at him had quite a nice ass.



Back in the metropolitan part of Baltimare, a lone mare was walking down the street, minding her own business with a bit of a sour expression on her face. It wasn't that she was in a bad mood or anything.

It's just how she always is.

She was an earth pony with dark gray fur. Her emo-styled mane was black with dark violet highlights and covered one of her dark violet eyes. She also had a tail that had the same color palette as her mane. The cutie mark of a dark violet raven with a thick, black outline rested on the flanks of her lithe body. In addition, she also had black eye liner, skull piercings on her ears, a piercing ring on her bottom lip, and a black beanie.

As she was walking down the street, she had on black headphones and listening to some music, varying from rock songs to outright depressing-sounding ones that could ruin a pony's entire good mood.

In other words, her favorite type of songs.

A lot of ponies would question her taste in music, but she would just simply say that she just likes it. And then there were times where some would keep pestering her about it, then she would tell them to buck off and mind their own Celestia damned business.

As the mare continued to walk down the street, she happened to pass by an alleyway where a couple of punk looking stallions were hanging out in.

"Hello~ gorgeous," one of the stallions whistled as he saw the earth pony...only for her to just walk pass them.

The two stallions glanced at each other as they weren't sure if the mare's music was simply too loud for her to hear anything, or she just outright ignored them.

Unbeknownst to them, however, it was the latter.

Regardless, the pair continued their efforts and walked in front of the mare, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey, no need to give us the cold shoulder," the stallion that whistled at her said with a cocky smile on his face, "I was just wondering if—"

"Not interested," the mare interrupted in a quiet tone, a bit of annoyance evident in her voice as she walked past the two stallions. She already knew where they were going with their pathetic attempts to flirt with her. She had somewhere she had to be and she couldn't waste time talking to some random stallions on the street.

Unfortunately, the stallions, mainly the one that tried to talk to her, didn't take to kindly to her attitude as his eyes narrowed in anger and he gritted his teeth.

"Hey! That's not the kind of attitude you should have with me!" he yelled, only for the mare to ignore him and continue walking, "Hey, don't ignore me!"

In an attempt the forcibly stop the mare, the stallion ran up to her and...pulled on her tail.

Oh what a grave mistake he just made.

Gritting her teeth in anger, the mare did the only natural thing a pony does when a stranger pulls hard on their tail.

They buck them harder in the face.

The mare quickly bucked her hind hooves back with great force, directly hitting the stallion right in the muzzle. The stallion then fell to the ground, clutching his muzzle with his hooves as it started to bleed.

"OW! AH BUCK! MY NOSE! YOU BROKE MY BUCKING NOSE! AHHHH! BUCKING GET HER, MAN!" the stallion commanded loudly as he looked at his friend, who then shook his head after the initial shock.

"Oh you're gonna get it now!" he said as he charged at the mare.

Needless to say...the fight didn't last more than 10 seconds as the mare went on her merry way, jamming out to her tunes, and leaving behind two injured stallions on the ground. One with a broken nose and the other with a black eye.

And if anypony asks, she could just play it off as self defense.



KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

No response.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Still nothing.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

She was starting to get impatient now.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Come on!" she said.

Silence...except for the sound of her brother's snoring and video game noises on the other side of the door.

The unicorn mare groaned loudly out of annoyance.

She was all prepped and ready for the day. 

Her sky magenta fur with a cutie mark of a shooting star has been brushed, her golden poppy mane and tail have been combed, with her mane being tied up into its usual perky pony style, and her shimmering blush colored glasses have been cleaned and placed over her golden poppy eyes.

And she has yet to see her lazy brother this morning. 

"This is getting ridiculous," she sighed heavily before opening the door and peering into the room.

As expected, she saw her brother not on his bed, but rather asleep on the floor with his NES (Neightendo Entertainment System) left on, a controller at his hooves, a couple of empty soda cans lying next to him, and a half eaten bag of chips.

Her brother had a fur color of maximum purple, a messy yellow-orange mane and tail, orange-yellow eyes that were currently closed, and a cutie mark of a bluish-white crescent moon with a golden star next to it.

Seeing the sight of her brother sleeping made the mare grunt in disappointment. Living in a suburban part of Baltimare meant that they had to leave a little early in order to get to work on time. Luckily, she knew of a way to wake him up.

With a smirk on her face, her horn shined a golden aura before she pulled the curtains wide open.

The effect was immediate.

"EEEEEEEE!" the stallion hissed as he tried to shield his eyes with his hooves, "BRIGHT LIGHT! BRIGHT LIGHT!"

Once his eyes finally adjusted to the sudden brightness of the room, he glanced over and glared at his sister.

"What the heck was that for?!" he demanded an answer.

"We're going to be late for work if you don't get up right now! That's what the heck that was for!" the mare answered, "Were you up all night playing video games? Again?"

"...No," the stallion lied as he shifted his eyes back and forth, to which his sister sighed.



"'Blossom's Pizzeria?'" Neon read as he looked at the building right in front of him.

He, Cherry, and Willow were now a few blocks away from where the apartment was. In front of them was a corner restaurant with a row of windows next to the door. On the wall around the corner was a smaller set of windows. Hanging above was a large sign with the same design Neon recalls seeing on that pizza box from last night.

“Do you own this place?” the bat pony asked.

“Heh. What gave it away?” Cherry laughed, “Is it the fact that it’s so magnificent looking like moi? If that’s the case, then thank you.”

“No, it’s the fact that your last name is in the title.”

“…Right…Yeah…,” Cherry shrugged off as she used a key to unlock the doors.

As Neon was about to enter, however, Cherry held out a hoof and stopped him.

“Wait. Hold on. I’m sorry kid, but Willow is gonna have to wait outside,” she said as she pointed at the bird.

“Wait what? Why? Willow has been a good bird so far. It’s not like he’s gonna poop everywhere,” he tried to reason as Willow chirped in protest.

“Yeah I know,” Cherry sighed, “But regardless on whether he poops everywhere or not, having an animal in here is apparently…a ‘health code violation under section’…I don’t know, I didn’t pay attention for most of the what the health inspector said.”

"I...I don't know whether or not to be concerned."

"Well, the restaurant isn't closed, right?"

"...I suppose so," Neon lightly sighed before looking up at his bird friend, "Willow, you mind...?"

Willow hung his head in defeat in response before flying up onto a nearby rooftop.

"Sorry Willow. I'll call for you as soon we're done here," Neon proclaimed, "You just...do bird things."

He then turned and entered the restaurant.

It was a pretty basic looking and small restaurant, having a rectangular shape to it. 

Clean oak wood floors laid across the place, while there was also walls made up of bricks. The ceiling was made of a darker shade of wood with a few lights and a couple of fans hanging off of them.

Half a dozen or so tables with chairs sat all over the middle of the room, while booths were aligned along the wall that had the long row of windows, as well as the wall opposite that, with there being a split in the middle of the booths due to two doors for what Neon assumed to be the bathrooms.

Over at the wall on the opposite side of the door was a register sitting on a counter that was made up of the same oak wood as the floor. Behind that was a window looking into what’s obviously the kitchen, with the entrance to it being next to the counter.

“Nice place,” Neon commented.

“Thanks,” Cherry said before heading towards the kitchen, “Come on. I’ll take you to my office.”

“You know, you’d think that with a cutie mark of a cherry blossom, you’re career would have to do with something…I don’t know. Not pizza related. N-no offense or anything,” Neon said, having learned from Cherry that cutie marks, or ‘ass tattoos’ as he referred them as, are essentially symbols that represent a pony’s special talent.

What his cutie mark represented, he had no idea.

“Hehe. Yeah,” Cherry chuckled before a small frown formed on her face, unbeknownst to the bat pony, ”…Yeah.”

The kitchen was exactly what one would expect it to look like. White tiled floors, concrete walls, and all the usual steel appliances such as a table, a sink, a refrigerator, and of course, a couple of pizza ovens.

Neon followed the crimson mare through the kitchen and into her office, which had oak wood floors and ceiling, dark wood walls, and a large desk with one chair behind it and two more in front of it.

“Ahh,” Cherry sighed in comfort as she sat down at her desk, slouching down on the chair “I’m so glad I invested in this chair. It’s so comfy.”

“Um…why are we here exactly?” Neon asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Hmm? Oh right,” Cherry sat up, “Kid, how would you feel if I offered you a job here?”

“Wait, what?” Neon asked, surprise evident on his face.

“You wanted to do something for me in exchange for a roof over your head. Right?” the mare asked with a shrug, “Well, this is your chance. You work here and you can stay with me until your memories come back. It’s as simple as that. So…are you in?”

“B-b-but…r-really? Just like that? Don’t I have to have an interview or fill out some sort of application?”

“Kid, let’s be honest. We both know you won’t be able to do either of that stuff.”

“Can I at least get the details on the job before I say my answer?”

“It’s quite simple. Everyday from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM, except on Sundays and holidays because that’s when the restaurant is closed.”

“Okay…but what will I do exactly?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“…Will I at least get paid?”

“Of course you will. It would be illegal not to pay you. Although since you’re living with me, I was hoping you would be alright with having it reduced. Think of it as your rent.”

“That depends, how reduced will it be?”

“Hmm…how would you feel about a…35% cut?”

“20%. 35% sounds too much.”

“30%.”

“25%. Take it or leave it.”

“Heh. You drive a hard bargain, kid. Alright, 25%,” Cherry declared before she held a hoof out, “So it’s a deal?”

Neon thought about it for a few seconds. Not only was this a way to repay his debt to Cherry, but he would also be getting paid as well. It was a win-win.

“Deal,” Neon said with a smile as he shook Cherry’s hand.




> Chapter 6: Getting to Know Your Fellow Coworkers 101
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Neon meets the ponies he’s gonna be working with.




The door to Blossom's Pizzeria opened as the dark gray earth pony mare entered with the same apathetic, yet sour expression on her face. Her head slightly bobbed to the beat of her music as she walked over to the counter near the kitchen.

The mare normally arrived early. About 15 minutes before her shift starts. Usually when the last of her fellow coworkers arrive is when there's 5 minutes left until opening time. In other words, just on time.

Being the first to arrive had its benefits. The main one being able to sit down and have little more time to herself before she had to work. Well...Cherry was actually always the first to arrive seeing as she's the manager, but she knows that the earth pony mare likes her peace and quiet, and she was willing to respect that unless there was something important she had to discuss.

She reached down into a compartment behind the counter and pulled out a crimson baseball cap with the restaurant's logo imprinted on it, opting to just leave it there instead of taking it with her whenever she got off the clock.

The earth pony mare was glad that the hat she was required to wear while at work was a deep red color, instead of something bright like pink. The very color made the mare internally cringe. It was just so...girly...for her taste.

She pulled out the chair from underneath the counter and sat down on it, resting her face on one of her forehooves as she leaned against the counter.

She sighed as she rested her eyes and continued to listen to her music, unaware of the bat pony currently watching her from the kitchen window.



"Who's the goth looking pony?" Neon asked as he pointed at the earth pony with the makeup and piercings, "Does she work here?"

"Hmm?" Cherry asked as she leaned over to see who the bat pony was referring to, "Oh yeah, that's just Raven. She's in charge of the register."

"Ah. Got it. A fellow coworker," Neon said before he realized something, "I see she’s also a bit of an early bird. We arrived here not even 5 minutes ago and there’s still 15 minutes before opening."

Cherry explained to him that she wants her employees to arrive 5-10 minutes before the restaurant opens so they can prepare the kitchen and themselves and stuff. But that shouldn't be a problem since he's just gonna walk with Cherry to work.

"Yep. Raven just likes to come here early. Something about enjoying the peace and quiet, I don't know. You want my advice? Don’t piss her off and never, and I mean never forcibly remove her headphones when she's listening to music. Trust me, it won't end well."

Cherry shuddered as she remembered what happened to the last pony to forcibly remove Raven's headphones. Luckily, she was off the clock when it happened so no complaints were made. Well...no complaints to the restaurant.

"I'll take your word for it. Can I at least say 'hi' to her? I won't remove her headphones or anything," the bat pony asked as he figured that he was clearly gonna be working with the mare. And if that was the case, then it was only right that he introduces himself.

"Sure. Go ahead," Cherry responded, to which Neon walked out of the kitchen and towards the mare, "I know that Raven's the type to like dark and gloomy things. Like really dark and gloomy things. So how is she going to react when she meets a bat pony?...Okay, I got to watch how this goes."



"Um...excuse me?" a voice called out to Raven through her music.

Whose voice called out exactly, she had no idea. That obviously wasn't Cherry's voice calling out to her since it wasn't her usual feminine raspy voice. It sounded masculine and...not raspy at all. Not to mention young.

Maybe it was one of her coworkers? No, it couldn't be. They don't usually come to work this early. None of them did.

She stopped bobbing to her music and peaked an eye open to see who exactly wants her attention.

...

Taking her headphones off, her eyes widened a bit as she saw the stallion looking at her with a smile.

The protruding fangs, the slitted eyes, the leathery bat wings resting on his back.

She couldn't believe it. She thought for a second that she was dreaming, but no. She was wide awake.

Standing right there was the something she always to see since she's heard of them.

"A vampony?" she asked with the slightest hint of excitement showing in her voice.

What's not to like about vamponies? She couldn’t help herself but think they were just so hot. Their nocturnal nature leading them to wonder the streets at night, their solitary attitude from normal pony society, the fact that they survive off of blood.

And right here and right now was one standing right next to h—

“Hmm? Oh no, I’m not a vampony,” the stallion said with a wave of his hoof, “At least…I don’t think I am. I’m not burning up under the sunlight or anything. Nor do I have a craving for blood…Nope! I’m 100% sure that I’m just a normal bat pony.”

“…”

“…”

“Disappointing,” Raven mumbled as she put her headphones back on, the excitement lost in her voice.

“I’m Neon by the way,” she heard the stallion say.

“Raven,” the mare introduced herself without so much as turning her head or even glancing to the side to look at the stallion.

“…I’m gonna be working with you by the way. From now on till…I don’t know,” Neon said, trying to make conversation.

Raven’s only response was silence as she continued to listen to her music with her eyes closed.



“…Okay then,” Neon said with a bit of a frown as he stared at Raven who now had a bit of a scowl, “Jeez talk about quiet. Not to mention grumpy.”

Was this mare angry at something? At him? No, that couldn’t be it. They literally just met.

“Nice to…meet you…I guess,” Neon called out as he backed off into the kitchen, “Well she seems…interesting. I guess. A little rude, but…interesting,” he said to Cherry.

“Oh don’t mind her attitude. She’s like that with a lot of ponies,” the crimson mare nonchalantly explained.

“And she’s in charge of the register…why?” the bat pony mentally asked, “You don’t…think I pissed her off, right?”

“Well, you might’ve disappointed her a bit when you told her you weren’t a vampony,” Cherry responded.

“Are you ser—…Are vamponies even a real thing?” Neon asked, a bit dejected now.

“Heck if I know,” Cherry shrugged before smiling, “But regardless, I wouldn’t worry too much. Just give it some time. Raven’s the type of pony that just needs to get to know you a bit more.”

“And then she’ll be…you know…nice? Because of us being friends?”

“Define ‘nice.’ Because Raven has a whole different meaning of being nice…especially to her friends.”

“What do you me—“

“Yo what’s up everypony?!” a stallion’s voice called out as the front doors were slammed opened.



“Do you have to do that every time you come to work?” Raven asked the blue pegasus that had the same hat as her with a bit of annoyance as she took off her headphones.

“Aw come on Raven,” the pegasus said with a wave of his hoof, “I can’t say ‘hi’ to a fellow coworker and my boss?”

“If you’re gonna do so by slamming the door open and yelling, then no,” the mare answered with narrowed eyes as she glared at the pegasus.

“Alright Ms. Grumpy Pants,” he shrugged off before looking around, “I see the Star twins aren’t here yet,” he observed before jokingly shaking his head in fake disappointment, “Look at me. Not being the last one to arrive even after going for a fly through the park and admiring the scenery.”

“You were checking out all the hot mares again, weren’t you?” Raven asked.

“W-what? Nooooo. Where’d you…where’d you get that idea?” the pegasus stammered as his eyes widened a bit and shifted side to side, and sweat started to fall down the sides of his head, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Raven simply raised an eyebrow at this.

“I-I…um…” the pegasus stammered, trying to figure a way to change the subject, before he saw that somepony, or rather some ponies, watching them from the kitchen, “Oh hello there Cherry! And…whoever you are.”

“Neon. I’m going to be working here from now,” the bat pony introduced himself as he stepped out of the kitchen.

“Sweet. Name’s Arctic Blue, but my friends just call me Blue,” the pegasus introduced himself.

“Blue here is in charge of serving tables alongside me,” Cherry added.

“Wow. It’s just the two of you serving tables?” Neon asked.

“Pfft. It’s not so hard when you’re as fast as me,” Blue boasted before the crimson mare cleared her throat, shaking him out of his prideful state. “And, of course, I have Cherry to thank for helping. Not to mention that it’s a pretty small restaurant.”

“Still…impressive,” Neon said before he saw Blue checking out his wings, making him slightly nervous, “Umm…”

“Cool wings you’ve got there,” the pegasus whistled in admiration, “It’s about time I get to work alongside somepony that can fly.”

Neon stared blankly at Blur before he glanced at his wings. They appeared to have a more feathery appearance, exactly a bird’s, in comparison to his leathery bat-like wings.

“Yeah, I guess my wings are pretty cool,” the bat pony nodded as he spread his wings out…before he realized something that the pegasus said.

“Wait, hold on. I can’t f—“

His train of thought was interrupted as the door opened and two unicorns entered the shopping, panting and sweating as if they just ran a marathon.

"We...*huff*...we...*huff*...we made it!" the sky magenta mare said with glee before wiping her brow, "Oh Celestia, that was quite the run. I really need to start working."

"That...*huff*...that makes two of us, sis," the purple stallion said as he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Star twins. You two are lucky that I decided to be lenient if you arrive five minutes before opening, considering the fact that you two live in the suburbs. Otherwise you would've been about..." Cherry said as she glanced at the clock, "...two minutes late."

"Phew. I'm really sorry Cherry. We would've gotten here sooner if somepony..." the mare said, staring accusingly at the stallion, "...didn't stay up all night playing video games again. He didn’t have time to comb his mane!”

"You know very well that I don’t comb my mane! And I'm sorry if I needed to stay up late in order to fight the Ogres of Chuf Chor in order to defend the Shaunia town of Farnfoss," the stallion defended himself, much to every pony's confusion at his explanation, "You don't hear me complaining when you stay up reading your backwards comic books!"

"It's called manga! And it's art!"

"Alright! Alright! That's enough!" Cherry exclaimed, bringing the attention back to her, causing the two unicorns to huff.

"Fine," they both mumbled.

"Anyways...Raven, Blue. You two have already met our newest recruit. Nova, Astro," she said to the unicorn mare and stallion respectively, before pointing at Neon, "This right here is—"

"A bat pony?!" a voice yelled out in excitement.

Before Neon could even process what was going on, he suddenly found himself muzzle to muzzle and staring into the sparkling golden eyes of the unicorn mare named Nova Star who now had a big smile on her face.

"Oh boy," Astro Star mumbled as he facepalmed.

"...Umm—" Neon tried to say.

"Oh. My. Celestia! I'm actually meeting a real bat pony! Here in Baltimare! Are bat ponies actually nocturnal? No wait, that’s silly. You’re standing here in the daytime. Can you hang upside down on ceilings? Can you see in the dark? Can you use echolocation? Oh please tell me everything!” Nova said as she walked in circles around Neon, observing him, and even going as far as to use levitation to get a closer look at his wings as they shined in her golden aura.

“O…k…” Neon said nervously as he tried to pry away from the mare’s levitating hold but to no avail. He then leaned over to Cherry and whispered, “Should I be worried about this mare?”

“Maybe. Nova does like to learn new things. She’s a bit of a brainiac if you ask me,” Cherry chuckled before looking at the unicorn in question, “Nova, please give the new recruit his wing back.”

“Hmm?” Nova asked unconsciously, before she  slightly blushed and let go of the bat pony’s wing as she realized what she was doing, “O-oh! S-sorry. I…kind of went overboard there.”

“Kind of? You were checking him out as if he was a finely made sculpture,” Astro said with a smirk, causing his sister to blush even harder.

“Ok! Ok! I…considerably went overboard. You happy?” Nova asked before she looked at Cherry as she realized something that she said, “Wait. Did you say ‘new recruit?’”

“Yep yep. Every pony, Neon here is gonna be working with us from now on,” the crimson mare said as she gestured to the bat pony.

“I still don’t know what my job, by the way,” Neon said.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I should assign you either. I haven’t really had the need to hire any new employees,” Cherry explained, causing the Neon to deadpan, before she shrugged, “I guess you can be the janitor/buspony/…pony that helps out any of your fellow employees that need it.”

“…Got it,” Neon said with a small smile.

“Anyways, now that that’s established …” Cherry said as she glanced at the clock, “…opening time is in five minutes every pony! Get yourselves cleaned up and ready for work.”

“Yes ma’am!” everypony, sans Raven, said, causing Cherry to groan a bit at being called 'ma'am'...again.




> Announcement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone.

You’re probably wondering what’s going on with this story considering that it has been…what…2 months since this last updated?

Well it’s a little hard to explain.

It’s not the same reason why I cancelled the Blighted Hunter (which was my first ever story in case you didn’t know). It’s not that I don’t know how to continue this story. In fact I know exactly what’s gonna happen on the next chapter.

But whenever I try to write, I just feel…stuck? Discouraged? I don’t know.

It’s definitely not because of burnout because it’s been 2 months. It’s not because I don’t have time because trust me. I have plenty of time during the weekends.

Anyways, for those of you that are enjoying this story so far, I’m sorry but a part of me just doesn’t feel up to continuing this story.

Does this mean that it’s cancelled? Possibly.

For now, I’m just gonna leave it on hiatus until I decide what to do.

Until next time guys. Have a good night everyone. Peace out.