//------------------------------// // Going Home // Story: An Orphan's Dream Life. // by CreeperZone //------------------------------// “Huh.” Nightshine stared at the light posts they passed, pondering everything that had happened recently. The car drove out of the city that Nightshine never wanted to see again. She considered why she left in the first place. Was it because she wanted an adventure? That was what she told herself. On the other hoof, it might have been to escape for a while, but why would she want that? She was loved back in her town. She had a family like she always wanted. Something felt wrong, like it was not meant to be this way, like this wasn't real. Nightshine looked into the sky. It was becoming brighter as the sun rose, but still not enough for the lights to go out. Nightshine spotted something, even though the moon had gone, she thought she could see it behind one of the clouds, it had two bright circles that looked like eyes. The car stopped. Nightshine was mesmerized by the lights, causing her to, yet again, be launched to the front of the car. Harry reached out his hand out, stopping her from falling over this time. “You really should use the seat belt next time,” Harry chuckled, opening the door on his side before stepping out and holding it open for Nightshine. Nightshine perked up and hopped between the seats and onto the ground. She raised her head to see the shiny silver gates looming over her. Harry shut the door and went to a keypad on the right pillar. He pressed a series of buttons until it lit up green and sounds of moving gears filled the night. The gates separated in the middle, leaving the lion in two halves. They turned on their hinges to their respective sides to allow entry into the massive house. Nightshine regained the feeling of amazement that she had when she first came to this place. The path swerved to the left, scattered with small pebbles hidden between the openings of the cobblestone pavement. There were stubby lamps lining the path, leading all the way up to the doorway, gently illuminating the garden. There were rose bushes of every colour she could think of, and a magnificent oak tree standing proud between the house and the gate. Its leaves had fallen off of it and down onto the grassy plane below. There was a small notch in the grass that began to spray water, back and forth throughout the lush plant life. Nightshine stepped her right hoof forward, walking up to the house. Harry was right behind her at first, but once he saw Lynda waving him over through a window, he began to sprint. Nightshine followed suit. The door opened with Lynda smiling gleefully. “Harry, he's taken his first steps!” She reached her hand out to bring Harry in before noticing Nightshine. “Quick! Come inside!” Harry burst into the house into the living room. Lynda knelt down to Nightshine and ruffled her mane. “I'd say I'm surprised to see you here, but, to be honest, Harry is a big softy and wouldn't leave you at any vet. Don't tell him I said that though. He likes to keep up a 'tough guy' act,” Lynda whispered playfully into Nightshine's ear and then winked at her. Lynda guided Nightshine into the living room, where Harry was sitting on the coach holding the hands of a young infant who was standing up and giggling. Harry moved his hands up and down, playing with the child, a wide grin on his face. Lynda and Nightshine walked into the centre of the room with Harry and the child. The baby was wearing a blue jumpsuit and had a few hairs poking out of his head with a bright smile and huge eyes. The baby noticed Nightshine and wiggled his way out of Harry's grip. He wobbled over to Nightshine and spread his arms around her neck. Nightshine smiled nearly as wide as the child. “Well umm, little horse, this is our son, Sea Stride.” Lynda patted the child’s head. Nightshine's eyes widened. Did she just say Sea Stride? “Her name is Nightshine,” Harry told Lynda. Nightshine started to tense up, not because of what Harry was saying, but the fact that Lynda called her son Sea Stride. “Oh, did you think of that?” Lynda still didn't know about Nightshine's ability to speak, but Nightshine only cared right now about the boy's name. Harry noticed Nightshine stressing. “Yes, I did, you know, because we found her at night and all...” Harry winked at Nightshine. He was keeping her a secret for now. “I like that name.” Lynda turned to Nightshine and her son. “Well, Nightshine, this is our son, Samuel.” Nightshine eased herself, thinking she must have just misheard her. “So how long is Nightshine staying with us?” Lynda picked up Samuel and sat down beside Harry. “Well, first I'm going to look for her owner, but if they don't show up, we might keep her.” Harry began to wiggle his finger in front of Samuel and the baby wrapped his tiny hands around it, giving it a tug. “Samuel seems to like her, so lets hope, huh?” Lynda handed over the baby to Harry who proceeded to make silly faces. Samuel laughed a lot at them. She stood up in front of Nightshine. “Come on, you must be exhausted after a long night like that, let’s get you someplace to rest.” Lynda led Nightshine towards a small closet in this massive building. She opened up the door and it squeaked in a way that reminded her of her stable. Inside there was a stack of clean white blankets, Lynda picked several up from the top and shaped the remaining two into a little hole that would serve as a bed. Nightshine put her hoof into it and pressed down. It was as soft as a kitten. She put the rest of her hooves into this make-shift bed and curled up, a snug fit for a pony her size. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that night, or the pure comfort of the bed, but Nightshine closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. Nightshine found herself in a vast nothingness, pure darkness in every direction. She wandered around, searching for something, something she knew she wouldn't find. A speck of light appeared in the distance, and she cautiously trotted towards it. As the light formed a shape, she found she was now standing in front of Serenity. “You just won't stop trying, will you?” Serenity's voice was lacking of any anger this time, instead in its place was a low, quiet voice of disappointment. “I told you that you couldn't leave this place.” Serenity had her head facing down at the ground, eyes closed. “You always try to escape, always to here, deep inside your own head.” Serenity opened her eyes and gently raised her head to come into eye contact with Nightshine. “But no matter where you go, no matter how far, and no matter how different and bright that place is...” Serenity stepped towards Nightshine. “No matter what, you are always stuck right here with me.” Serenity crossed her eyebrows as her voice gained a sinister tone. “These little fantasies of yours, these dreams, they are not real, Nightshine!” Nightshine dropped her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I-I, I'm going home now. Harry will take me back to Richard.” Nightshine muttered under her breath as her first tear dropped off her face. “Oh, really? You still believe somepony is coming to get you? Bring you home? I told you, that isn't going to happen.” Serenity walked around Nightshine, staring at her the entire time. “S-Someone is coming for me! I-I know, he w-wouldn't leave me!” Nightshine watched her tears fall down and hit the pitch black ground creating a tiny puddle. “Again with your fantasies, Nightshine. I told you, you're too old to be adopted.” Nightshine lifted her head. Serenity had disappeared. She found herself surrounded by four walls and a roof, Nightshine saw her bed from her old orphanage, its covers were thrown to the side like she just got up. “You wish to be loved?” The voice came from the window behind her. It was open and the curtains were flailing in the wind that now thrust itself into Nightshine, pushing her back until she began to hold her ground with her hind legs. Nightshine raised her hoof to block the heavy winds. She noticed her hoof was smaller than normal. Nightshine looked down at herself and noticed she was the size of a young filly, about the age of twelve and a half. A ball of light entered through the open window, bringing the winds with it. It floated down toward Nightshine and spoke again. “You wish to be loved, yes?” This time it spoke in a softer voice, that of a little girl. Nightshine lowered her hoof and watched this ball of light dim, revealing a filly standing in its place. Nightshine rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again. she saw herself standing there. “I’m here to send you to a place where you will be loved.” The Nightshine she was looking at reached out her hoof towards the real Nightshine. She closed her eyes, slowly and reluctantly put her hoof out to grab the other Nightshine. She lunged herself forward, and, to her surprise, her hoof was grabbed by a hand. “Nightshine? Nightshine!” Someone was shaking her hoof. Nightshine tried to open her eyes but the ceiling light was very bright. Eventually, her vision adjusted and Nightshine hopped out of the bed to hug Richard. “Nightshine! I thought I would never find you!” Richard smiled as he felt Nightshine’s tears trickling down onto his shoulder. “I'm so sorry! You were right! Cars only tear people apart! I’ll never run away again, I promise!” From all the times Nightshine had cried last night, she nearly forgot what tears of joy felt like. “Don't worry. I believe you.” They savoured the moment and hugged for a little while in silence. “I guess I’ll be waiting in the car. Take all the time you need.” Harry was standing behind Richard as he began to walk towards the door. “Richard?” Nightshine whispered into his ear. “Yeah?” “Tell me that you love me and everything will be ok, please?” “Nightshine, I will always love you. Don't ever forget that and don't worry. I'm here now. Everything will be ok.” Nightshine's tears were drying up. She loosened her grip and slipped down to a sitting position. “Can we go now?” Nightshine's eyes were yet again bloodshot from crying, but this time she was happy; She was loved and that was all that mattered now. “Yeah, let’s go.” Richard stood up and reached his hand out to pick up Nightshine. They walked out of the house together, down the stone path, and through the silver gates with the lion on them. They moved up to Harry, sitting in his car, parked right outside the gates. Nightshine and Richard hopped into the back of the car where they hugged once more. Nightshine nuzzled into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, not planning to let go any time soon. “You guys ready?” Harry asked from the front of the car. Both Nightshine and Richard nodded. Harry started the car and began driving back in the direction of Nightshine's home. “How did you find me?” Nightshine asked Richard. “When you didn't come back home that night, I went looking around town. The grocer lady said she saw you walking out of town.” Nightshine's smile faltered a little when she remembered how foolish she was when she made that decision. “When I reached the gate I saw your hoof prints leading out alongside the tracks left by that car” The car that started it all. Why was she so fascinated anyway? Now she knows cars just caused trouble. “So I told all the family that you left town, and that I was going to go after you.” Nightshine knew that he would follow her. He always did his best to protect her. “So I went and bought some food and prepared myself for the journey.” Nightshine also did that, but she wasn't thinking properly back then. “I followed your hoof prints for hours until I came across your saddlebags. They were left on the side of the road, where your tracks ended.” That's where Nightshine must have passed out and been picked up by Harry and Lynda. “I went to the gas station just a bit up the road and asked if they had seen you.” A gas station, huh? That must be the building she ran so uncontrollably fast toward. It seemed so mystical at the time. “They told me that they didn't see any ponies, winged or otherwise. They said it was a very quiet, and that they only saw one car pass by through the entire night.” The car that they were in right now. What would have happened if it hadn't come by? Who knows? That didn't matter any more. She was with Richard now and she was safe. “I hitched a ride with someone and they brought me to the nearest town, where I saw Harry putting up posters with you on them. They said 'MISSING THESTRAL FOUND’' and I was so delighted!” That was sweet of Harry, trying to find her family that early in the morning. “Next thing I know, I was hugging you.” Richard tightened his hug and Nightshine snuggled further into him. “But you're going to have to tell me your story too you know, I didn't come out all this way to not hear about your adventure,” Richard chuckled. “I’ll, I’ll tell you, but first can you do something for me?” Nightshine opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Can you tell me everything will be ok, again? I want you say it again, just, just for me to be sure.” Nightshine rested back on him and closed her eyes waiting for him to comfort her. Nothing happened. “R-Richard? You still love me, right? Everything is ok?” Nightshine opened her eyes to look up at Richard, sitting there crying. Nightshine looked around and saw that it was yet again night, pitch dark with nothing but the moon lighting the road. “R-Ri, Rich-, R-R...” Nightshine tried will all of her might to say his name, but no matter how hard she tried, she felt it slip out of her memory. Nightshine began to panic, shaking her head around. Harry was gone, and so was the car. It was just her and this man whose name she couldn’t remember gliding across a dirt road towards infinity. “W-Wait, No! Tell me that you love me! Tell me it will be ok!” Nightshine pleaded with the man. She no longer recognized his face. It was just a blur now, lacking of any detail or emotion. Nightshine tried to remember who he was but her mind was missing any memory of him. The only thing she knew was that he was someone that loves her, or at least he did, but he wasn't there any more. Nightshine turned her head again to see walls form around her. The moon in the distance was visible through an open window, two curtains at the side gently blowing in the wind. Nightshine stared into the glowing white orb in the sky and saw... Luna? Nightshine looked down to see she was now in a bed. She inspected herself to see she was yet again a filly, not much older than twelve. Nightshine was breaking down. She was rapidly swinging her head back and forth, watching every item from her room appear again. She tried to scream but her mouth wouldn't open, leaving the scream inside of her. Then Nightshine heard a voice that came from The Abyss outside of her mind, the only voice that could make this any worse than it already was. “Nightshine, what are you still doing in bed?!” The harsh voice of the headmistress pierced through her dreams, making Nightshine sit up in a flash. Nightshine saw the room she was in, back inside her orphanage. She tried to remember her dream, but the sudden waking from Serenity had made it difficult to cling onto any shreds of memory. She could only remember a few things: she dreamt she that she wasn't in this orphanage any more and that she was adopted; She dreamt about escaping to a fantastic place that was far away from this dirty little orphanage; And most importantly, she remembered is that she was loved, that someone was hugging her and telling her it was going to be ok. Nightshine looked down at her wings, wrapped around her body to make it seem like it was somepony else, and for a moment, she actually believed it. Nightshine realised that she had cried herself to sleep last night, like she did most nights. Nightshine thought that her dream was some kind of lie she’d told herself to give her hope where there was none. But Nightshine had no way to know how much her life was about to change. However fictional the world she dreamed of may be, there was a perfectly real home waiting for her. She was about to begin a real adventure with a real person who would actually love her and who would actually go across all of Equestria just for her. The thing is, she still had to meet him. “I have just received a letter from Princess Twilight herself that someone is coming early today, and they have plans to adopt somepony!” “Huh?” Nightshine groaned.