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// 14 - Welcome Back 
// Story: Perchance to Dream 
// by David Silver 
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I woke up with the cool feel of stone against my fur from all sides. I heard something quiet, scratching of sorts, I thought. I flexed and burst free of my stony shell, sending bits of debris tumbling down. It always amazed me that it didn't make more of a mess in my pelt when I did that.

Revealed, Twilight was seated at a low desk, a quill in her magic. She had to have heard me, but she was still writing.

"She's busy," came Spike's voice as he walked in with a tray of teas. He set one beside the consumed pony before facing me. "Want one?"

That sounded nice, so I nodded and took one with a thought. "Thanks, Spike. How are things?"

He set the tray aside after claiming the third. "I had a feeling you'd wake up about now. Things are alright, but you're hanging around all the big important ponies too much." He tilted the cup at me. "You need to get a more grounded view of things."

Was that little dragon really trying to sound all mature and helpful? That was adorable. Why was everything in Equestria so cute? I smiled down at him and willed him up. Spike let out a surprised squeak before he landed on my back. "Alright, point the way."

He seemed all the more surprised. "Really?"

I could only assume he didn't always get his way. "Really. Let's be fast before one of the princesses notices I'm awake." I turned and trotted out into the hallway, glancing left and right. No sun or moon pony gods in sight, so on I went, making good my escape from the castle.

Spike grabbed hold of my mane, which didn't hurt as much as I would have thought it would. With one claw he pointed. "Wanna check out The Belfry? All the bats hang out there, they're cool, if a little creepy."

Creepy? Equestria could do creepy? I doubted it, so I had to see it. I accelerated into a lively canter and the Belfry came into view. How did I know? Well, there was a line of bat ponies waiting to get in. They had little fangs that protruded from their cute little snouts. They had the most adorable little tufts on their ears. Sure, they had slit eyes, but so did cats and that didn't stop me from thinking cats were cute too.

I moved to join the line, and the pony in front of me, a bat pony mare, turned to look at me over her shoulder. "Aren't you a classical slice. Did Celestia lose a statue in her garden?"

Was it that obvious? "Funny thing..."

"It was a joke." She smirked a bit. "You must be new around here." She turned to face me, and spotted Spike. "You, uh, have a dragon, uh, right there?" She pointed at her own back with a wing as if she were pointing out a bit of food in my teeth.

I had to laugh, so I did. "This is Spike. He's the one that suggested I come here."

"Yeah!" cried Spike. "We're gonna see the sights!"

The mare raised a brow. "You do know he probably dragged you here because they wouldn't let him in."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Spike looking sheepish. Busted. "Spike, how old are you, exactly?" I turned to look at the mare. "How old do you have to be to come here?"

She shrugged. "You look fine." The way she said that seemed to have implications that went past age. "He, on the other hoof, looks like a kid."

Spike tapped two claws together, his pointer... claws? from either clawhand. "I'll be good, promise."

Aw. I wasn't about to shoot Spike down. "Don't worry about it. I'm your big brother for tonight."

He suddenly hugged me around the neck. "Thanks! Twilight'd never just 'hang out' at a place like this. I mean, there was this one time Discord tried, but that was game night!" He raised a claw. "There's a time and a place for all things, right?"

I had no idea what half the things he had just said were, but I'd heard of Discord. Voiced by John De Lancie! And... that's all I remembered. A fan favorite, for what that was worth, which I imagined to be very little while standing in the world itself. "Well, tonight is the right time and place to have some fun." I nodded at the mare. "Do you come here often?"

"I would if you were around." She was giving all the signs that she was interested. Considering we hadn't even got into the bar, I was a little wary.

Was I that handsome of a horse, or was something a bit amiss? Besides, I obviously had a passenger with me. It wasn't like I was going to ditch a kid like that to take her up on the offer.

I tried to just let it slide. "Spike says this place is very popular with..." I rolled a hoof. "Sorry, I'm a little new. I don't want to shove a foot in my mouth. What's the proper term?"

She flashed a grin, fangs exposed. "How polite! You wouldn't believe how many ponies just assume we're bats and don't even give it a second thought." She threw her head towards the castle we had come from. "We're lunar pegasi, named after Luna. Have you met her?"

I had, and admitted as much.

She seemed surprised. "You really are..." She raised a hoof at my bow that hung off of me. "You know how to use that? What's with the heart arrows?"

Spike suddenly grabbed the bow. It was easy to forget he had fingers, and he was pulling on the string. "This thing's amazing!"

"Amazing, huh? Why's that?"

Spike grabbed an arrow out of my quiver and I grunted. There was no happy ending in sight and I grabbed for him with my magic, but he jumped down from my back and fired it at the mare. Spike was not me. The arrow curved smoothly through the air and plunked him right in the heart. He squeaked and dropped the bow, but the arrow faded quickly and he didn't seem hurt.

I reclaimed the bow and set it back on my side. "Spike, that bow is for my use only. Besides, that's not responsible."

He rubbed his chest a little. "It wasn't responsible when you shot me and Twilight, but you did that anyway."

It was true, I had. "Sorry." I dipped my head. "It all ended alright, didn't it?"

Spike waved it off. "I'm just saying, why can't I have a turn?"

The mare cleared her throat. "It's about our turn. So does that do anything besides poke ponies?"

The temptation was there. I could feel the arrows were primed. I was pretty sure it'd be harmless. Once I had set my mind to accepting the idea, the bow was out and firing almost instantly.

The mare jumped in surprise, but it caught her in one of her extended wings. Her eyes widened before they sank halfway, looking at Spike, who was looking back at her with equal intensity.

Spike nodded at her. "You are a pretty pony, but my heart is already sworn to the most captivating unicorn in all the lands," he said dreamily. "Oh sweet Rarity, her charms only remind me all the more of your perfection."

I blinked at that. He must really be fallen hard to be thinking of her even when prompted to speak his mind on the other mare.

The lunar pegasus shook her head a little. "You're in my way." She pointed a hoof at me. "I'm supposed to get him to come with me and you're ruining the whole thing!"

The effect faded with the sharpness in both their eyes returning. She went a dark red, trembling with fury. Without a word, she flapped her wings and flew off in a dart.

Spike scratched behind his head. "What was all that about?"

My arrows had more uses than I had originally thought... "Trouble... Spike, would you be too mad if I called this little adventure off?"

"Aw..."

"Sorry, but I could turn into a statue at any time, and I suddenly don't feel so safe." I turned away from the club and started walking back to the castle. Spike hurried to catch up and climbed easily onto my back. It was kind of weird having someone ride me like that, but he wasn't very heavy and it didn't slow me down at all, so I let it slide as I had before. I was a horse. Horses give rides. It's only natural.

As I trotted into the front gate of the castle, a guard approached me. "Sir True Shot, the princesses left orders to ask you to report to court when you returned."

Court? "I don't know where that is." I gently plucked Spike up with my magic and set him aside. We met, claw to hoof in a friendly gesture before he wandered off. "Show me where that is?"

He led the way with a formal walk, guiding me down new hallways until we arrived at a large set of double doors that were already open. Beyond them I could see a sort of indoor amphitheater with rows on rows of well-dressed ponies seated facing the front where Celestia sat on an elevated chair and other ponies were speaking just before her.

The guard pointed to an empty seat, then departed. The meaning seemed clear, so I quietly walked over to it, squirming past the other courtiers to settle on the spot that was available. I wondered what Celestia wanted to talk about. Maybe they were going to chastise me for wandering off without their permission, but we had never established I needed any. Hmm.

Below, the pony was discussing the need for education reform in Canterlot. Something about districts being too large and the unreasonable distance students had to travel to arrive in crowded classrooms. It was a classic debate. It was a little saddening to know ponies had the same problems.

Celestia seemed like a much nicer face to deal with than most politicians in the human world. She promised to review the proposal and consult with experts about its feasibility, and the petitioner was dismissed.

Celestia coughed into a hoof. "I must breach decorum. We have a matter of history with us tonight." She gestured right at me. "Joining us, I present True Shot, the legendary archer, whose tales of romanticism and heroism still are whispered with awe."

Have you ever had every single eye in a stadium turn towards you at the same moment? That was me. I tried to smile a little, forcing it. "Hello..."