//------------------------------// // An Orphan's Dream Life // Story: An Orphan's Dream Life. // by CreeperZone //------------------------------// Wheat, clean and freshly cut, as far as the eye can see. The fields were cut even with the horizon, which dawned upon them. Nightshine looked at her work of the day, the tall hay bales scattered around the farm, the searing heat of the summer sun setting in the distance, creating a rich, beautiful, red sky. A smile slowly appeared on Nightshine's face as she began trotting back to her stable. She gave a nod to the other work-horses as she passed by, then to the human farmers riding them. The horses nodded back. The humans waved. Walking across the long path, down to the farmhouses and stables, she kept smiling as she thought about all the wonderful times she's had growing up on this farm, such as the time when she was learning to fly and nearly toppled over the hen-house, or the time she nearly gave Old Granny Bertha a heart attack during her visit when she realized that the family had a talking bat-pony from a different dimension living on the farm. The horizon of crops slowly gave way as her stable slowly came into view. She trotted slightly faster now that the thirst and strain set upon her body from a hard day’s work. The harness she was wearing and the cart she was pulling didn't help with her tired hooves either. She approached the stable, an old beat up wooden building with doors half the height of a regular horse lining the width of this ancient work of craftsmanship. Nightshine was told stories of how, her provider, Allen’s great, great grandfather built this stable and how it’s stayed up ever since. This was odd remembering how back in Equestria, “Barn Falls Down” was the most common occurrence in the news, or at least in the newspapers that Serenity read. She walked up to the side of the stable where work equipment was held, lining up with the other carts as she crawled out of the harness. She stood up, ruffled her wings, and for a second just enjoyed the relief on her shoulders. Her hooves were covered in dirt from trudging through the fields, her mane ruffled and filthy from sweat and dirt. After a long yawn, she walked around the corner back to the doors separating each horse’s stable until she reached the last door on the building, which, unlike the others, was slightly smaller, cut down to fit Nightshine's height so she could still hang her head outside without opening the door. About to enter her room, she was stopped by a familiar voice, “Nightshine!” She turned her head to see Allen waving at her from the farmhouse steps. “Are ya comin' to after-harvest dinner?” he shouted across the grassy field between the farmhouse and the stables and barn. “Of course! Just need to wash up!” Even though Nightshine slept in the stables, she still ate with the family since she was technically a person. She thought that the other horses might be jealous but (even though they can’t talk) they seem to enjoy their hay. Nightshine opened the creaking door to her room. It was decorated with small knick-knacks and things from her childhood. She had a proper bed with cotton wool mattress and blanket. It was soft and kept her warm during the cold winter nights. She always felt like she was treated with special care. She picked up an empty bucket with her mouth and carried it outside, kicking the door shut with her hind-leg. Walking around the corner beside her door to the side of the stable, she noticed the other farmers were arriving and dismounting their steeds to lead them back into their home. At the side of the barn, there was a hose that was used to wash the horses, but it was too strong for her so she had this bucket which she placed in a hook sticking out of the wall. The bucket had a lot of small holes on the bottom of it creating a shower. She grabbed the hose from the ground with her teeth and started flapping her wings, elevating herself from the ground she placed the hose into the bucket. Nightshine landed gently on the ground, leaving the dust undisturbed. She turned to the valve and twisted it ever so slightly for the water to start flowing. The water came down cold, like an icy river pouring onto her, and she felt instantly awake. After a thorough washing her hooves were clean enough to see her own reflection in them, she closed the valve, lifted the bucket and placed back inside of her room. The dinner bell rang and Nightshine lifted her head in excitement. The family always had a huge dinner after the last day of the harvest. Galloping up to the farmhouse, she thought of the many fruits and vegetables that were prepared. Once she got to steps she could smell the cooking and quickly ran up the steps, only turning at the door to see Richard, who was feeding the horses, also start walking up. She entered the house and an aroma of roast carrots and fresh lettuce filled her nostrils. She followed the scent into the dining room where the whole family, save for Richard who was entering right after her, were gathered. “Nightshine! Take a seat! I've made some of them chocolate chip and sugar cookies you love so much!” said Rachel, Allen's wife, while she was setting down a plate of mashed potatoes. Rachel was preparing this entire lovely feast which caused Nightshine's stomach to rumble. Her seat was in the middle of the table and slightly raised so she would be at eye level. Putting both hooves over it and then extending her wings to aid her in her climb, her wings flapped frantically as her legs scratched off of the chair legs until she landed on her belly on the soft cushion on her chair. She sat on this tall chair looking around at the food on the table. It was all steaming with deliciousness. Everyone was around the table chatting. Allen, Grandpa Ricky, and Johnathan (the eldest son) were trying to figure out how much money they would make this year from the bountiful harvest. Jesibel (the eldest daughter, a couple years younger than Johnathan) was being silly to amuse the two children, Michael (the slightly younger twin) and Laurna (the slightly older twin), and finally Richard, (the middle brother) who was just taking his place sitting right beside Nightshine. “Had a good day’s work?” he said as he rubbed his hands together gazing upon the food on the table. “As fun as long, hard work is, I think this is the best part,” said Nightshine while her smile grew wider. “Don't worry, I agree.” Suddenly coming out of the kitchen door, was Rachel holding a giant plate with a metal top. She placed it down into the center of the table where there previously was an empty space in the plates scattered about the table. She lifted the lid to reveal a glossy, meaty leg of lamb. “And not to forget about Nightshine...” She leaned over into the kitchen and came out holding a platter of cookies “Here's for our favorite little herbivore.” She walked over to Nightshine's side of the table where she slid the cookies onto her plate. The pleasant, chocolatey heat that arose from them made it nearly unbearable to not dig in. Everyone settled down. Talks of money ended and children sat in their seats. Nightshine sat with her hooves in between her legs, resisting eating the cookies. Her attention was then turned to see Rachel sit down beside her husband. Everyone joined hands, and Nightshine reached out her hooves to those beside her as she closed her eyes. Allen spoke out, “We thank you Lord for the meal we are about to enjoy. We are grateful for this year’s harvest and the produce that has came from it. We thank you Lord for all that you have blessed us with. We thank you for our family and we thank you for our own little miracle that is Nightshine (Even though no one saw, she smiled at that). Amen.” “Amen,” said everyone in the room in unison, including Nightshine, who immediately started stuffing herself with cookies. Hands filled the table as everyone started picking up pieces of food and passing dishes. Allen started cutting the lamb and passing it around to each plate. Richard eventually looked at Nightshine. “You want anything or are ya fine with your cookies?” Nightshine's attention left the beautiful, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolatey goodness of the cookies and realized that there were so many delicacies she was missing out on. “Oh, right. I’d like some of that spinach and the roast carrots please.” Richard reached over to each of the items and scooped them onto her plate. Nightshine then started to eat again but every now and then pointed with her hoof at what else she wanted. It was a great dinner. The evening sun set in the distance as the family finished up their meal. Everyone was tired and well fed, but before everyone was to be off to bed, they sat to talk and joke after dinner. “...and that's why your grandmother will never leave the house without her knitting gear.” Everyone gave a laugh as Allen finished a story from his childhood. As the laughter died down, attention was turned to Nightshine “Nightshine, why don't ya tell us a story about Equastria, huh?” said Richard with an insistent look “Oh, come on, you've already heard all the stories I have from that dusty old orphanage.” “And you know we'd love to hear them all again,” said Allen, lifting his glass and taking a sip. “Don't worry, Nightshine. No matter what you say, it'll still be more sense then one of Grandpa's stories,” said Johnathan, giving their grandfather a joking smile. “Alright, I’ll tell you all a story,” said Nightshine, who then saw the two twins, whom she noticed were keenly listening, jump up from playing with their toy trains and dolls and scuttered over and sat beside her chair. “Oh! Oh! Please tell the one about the princesses!” said Laura excitedly. “No, I want her to tell the one with the changelings!” said Michael, trying to be even more excited than Laura. “Please, please. Calm down. How ‘bout I tell you the story of how I first came to Earth, huh?” It didn't seem that they cared as much about what her stories were about, as much as the children just loved to hear about Equestria. “Well, I was about twelve years old and I was just told by Serenity that I was too old to ever be adopted. I went to my room and I started to cry into my pillow. That night I wrapped myself in my wings and I tried to make myself believe that it was somepony hugging me, telling me that it will be ok. I nuzzled into my pillow, pretending it was somepony that loved me. I couldn't sleep that night for some reason and I sat there wondering why I was I destined to be alone...” The curtains waved by the window. Glimpses of lightning peered through the openings. Nightshine wrapped her wings around herself even tighter. She was frightened by the thunderous crackle in the wind. As she whimpered in her bed she whispered under her breath, “Why... w-why...” She sniffed and wiped her eyes from the tears flowing down her face. “I-I...” Nightshine let out a squee as thunder rumbled in the air and light flashed through the small gaps in the curtains, causing her to jump back. “I-I didn't do anything wr-wrong-ng-g...” her quiet voice deteriorated into sobbing. Another flash of lightning came from the window. Nightshine's eyes were closed and pouring with tears, slowly making their way down to the pillow she oh-so wished was somepony to comfort her. She wiped her eyes and slowly stopped crying and with a few sniffs she lifted her head to wipe her eyes once more. she noticed that the light from the lighting was still there. It was still shining. The window shined with a pulsating white light brighter than the sun. It beamed down into Nightshine's room. The window slipped open as the locks gave way. The sound of wind bashing against bushes and branches of trees grew in size until it encompassed the room. The window slammed open, pushing the curtains to the sides and revealing the source of light. Nightshine sat up in her bed, no longer crying, and wiped her eyes one last time to make sure this was in fact really happening. The giant ball of light outside was shimmering with a dark blue magical aura with a center of pure white light fluctuating in both size and brightness. Nightshine sat there, jaw open in awe at this miraculous sight. “You wish to be loved?” It spoke, but voice didn't come from its direction. Instead it felt like it surrounded her. She jumped back, quivering once more in her bed, scared and confused. She wrapped herself in her thin blanket for what protection it gave, and crumpled herself into a ball experiencing a magnitude of fear that she hadn't ever felt in her life. “H-Hello...?” The words were difficult to muster with the fear that enveloped her body. “Do not fear me young one. I am not here to inflict you any harm. Instead I wish to help you, Nightshine. You wish to be loved, yes?” The voice was gentle and serene. “Y-You you're here to help m-me?” Her tight grip on the blanket loosened a small bit as she poked her eyes passed the rim of her thin shield. “From the information that I have gathered, it is most likely that you will not ever be adopted, correct?” This reminder given in such a blunt way brought another tear to Nightshine's eye. “Y-Yes, that's r-right.” She let go of the blanket and it covered her limply. “Do not feel worried child. I am here to send you to a place where you will be loved, but I cannot force this. You must enter the portal of your own volition.” Nightshine's head perked up slightly, was it... serious? Could it be? She's heard of portals to different dimensions before when that librarian visited the orphanage. What was her name? Moondancer? Yes, that sounded familiar. She slowly raised herself upright and slid the blanket off of herself. She stared at the ball of light once more. Screw it. Even though something absolutely terrible could happen the second she touched that portal-thing, she doubted that it could be worse than spending her life in this orphanage. She scooted to the side and hung her legs over the edge of the mattress. She pushed against the bed with her hind legs and stamped down onto the wooden floor. The portal floated closer to the window and Nightshine backed up until she hit the door behind her. The bright blue and white corona of magic floated through the window, and with it came the winds, causing the curtains to flail and her bed sheets to blow away. Nightshine stared into the ball of light and suddenly colours appeared in its center, starting to form a picture. She saw a grassy field filled with wooden buildings. She saw shops, horse-drawn carts, and a park in the center. Something in particular caught Nightshine's eye. There were these tall, two-legged creatures all wearing clothing. They had long arms with which they held objects with like an ape would. Nightshine raised her hoof toward the portal. The winds pushed her back, but with a step forward she could reach it. She closed her eyes, gave a quick prayer to Celestia and then Luna, and lunged herself forward. “And when my eyes readjusted, I found myself in the middle of the town. The first night, the priest let me sleep in the back of his church, and eventually I was adopted into this family and well, I guess you know the rest.” Nightshine smiled to see the children trying to stay awake. She turned her head to the grandfather clock, it was 11:19. “I think it's about their bedtime,” said Jesibel sitting up from her place at the table, coming over to the twins sitting on the floor and held out her hands to lead them out. They both yawned and stood up to toddle out up to their rooms with Jesibel. “Well, I guess it is becoming a little late. It's probably time to clean up. I loved the story though, Nightshine.” said Allen as he went to stand. One by one, everyone stood up. Rachel and Allen cleaned the table. Johnathan was helping Grandpa get to his room. Richard pushed his chair back, stood and stretched his arms in a yawn. “Yeah, great story, Nightshine.” “Yeah, I guess...” Nightshine yawned and stretched, not realizing how tired she was before now. “I'm off to bed,” Nightshine hopped down to the floor, belly full, head drooped down and eyes semi-closed she walked to the exit. “Hey, Nightshine?” She turned her head to see Richard. “Yeah?” Nightshine turned her head back. “You said how back in the orphanage you wished for somebody to love you unconditionally. Well, I hope that this family has provided that.” “Don't worry.” Nightshine walked back in towards him, jumped up on her hind legs and wrapped her wings and hooves around his chest in a big hug. “You have.” Richard hugged her back after being taken by surprise. Nightshine nuzzled into his shirt and tears formed in her eyes and a wide smile formed on her face. The hug, which seemed to last years, eventually came to an end as Nightshine stepped back down, and started walking back to the door. She bit the door handle and edged the front door open. The air outside had cooled as the moon rose over the fields. The moon moving on its own without any magic was one of the many things Nightshine found very strange and new about this world when she first arrived, but those were the things that made moving to earth such an adventure. She walked down the stairs, looking up at the stars sparkling like glitter on a black fabric that encompassed the sky. It was a beautiful and clear night. Her stable door gave a squeak as it opened and she stepped in. Her bed was waiting and Nightshine, being led by her tired eyes, managed to stumble onto her mattress where she snuggled up under her covers and laid her weary head on her pillow. She thought about her family. She thought about her town and the people in it. She thought about how lucky she was. She thought about Equestria and what happened after she left, but that didn't really matter, because she was no longer an Equestrian. she was Amish, living in America, living on Earth. She thought about her entire life and realized that right now, her life was perfect. She drifted off to sleep.