Pinkie bounced up and down with clear excitement. "Hey, anypony ever tell ya you have a, whattaya call it, statue-eesk--" She did pronounce it that way, I swear. "--kind of look?"
Spike hopped down lightly to the ground. "That's because he is one of those half the time."
Gee, thanks Spike. Still, it was true. I nodded at Pinkie. "I heard you like meeting new people?"
She bounced towards me. "You too? You sound happy to meet me and that makes me happy! So, about those questions? I have to plan a proper pony party!"
Mr. Cake, who had introduced himself in a lull of Pinkie's excitement, gave a little chuckle. "Pinkie, let the new pony have some space."
Compared to everything else going on, I found Pinkie's antics endearing. "Don't worry about it. How do ponies party around here?" Did they play pin the tail on the donkey? That would have been too much.
She gave the biggest grin. "Well, before, I would just go all out! But I've learned my lesson." She gave a suddenly somber nod. "Which is why I'm asking all kindsa questions. I want your welcome party to be something special to remember."
Aw. "That's very kind of you." What sort of party did I want? "You know, honestly, I want to be surprised. Throw me the party you think I want to have, and I promise I'll enjoy it."
Pinkie squealed and was gone in a streak of pink. I never saw a pony move so quickly.
Spike shook his head a little. "I think you're gonna regret that." He suddenly smiled too. "Or have the best day of your life, one or the other. Pinkie isn't one for going in halfway on these things." He elbowed me lightly on a foreleg. "Well, that's Pinkie down. You gave her permission to surprise you, so you won't see her coming until streamers are raining down on your head."
I gave a bit of a smile, imagining my future, startled, self. "Did you have other places to check out?"
"Oh yeah! You have great timing." He scaled up onto me swiftly. Now, I remind, I was born a human. Feeling something scramble up your body is a little disquieting, even if I knew I gave him permission to do just that. He arrived on my shoulders and got comfortable. "Octavia and Vinyl are giving a duet! They almost never do that. It should be starting soon."
I followed the direction of his pointing claw and we stepped free of the store with a final, "Bye!" offered to Mr. Cake. I trotted carefully along the dim street towards a much brighter plaza up ahead. There were ponies gathered around in front of a stage. I spotted Lyra and decided to wander towards her, at least until Spike gave my mane a bit of a tug.
"Over there." He pointed to a different part of the crowd. I didn't see what he was pointing at, but I veered as commanded and weaved through the crowd of equines until a voice came at us clearly.
"Hey Spike, who's your new partner there?" The pony that had spoken had a stetson on. She was orange with the brilliant eyes that many ponies seemed to share. "Reckon ah never saw 'em." Beside her was a white pony with purple mane and tail done up in soft curls.
That other pony nudged the first. "Don't you recognize him?"
"No?"
She rolled her eyes. "That's True Shot! Princess Celestia just announced him to all of Equestria! Applejack, you simply must get off that farm of yours more often."
Spike was snickering on top of me. "That one's Applejack, and the other's..." He cut off with a love-weary sigh. "Rarity..." He leaned in. "If you, you know, happened to shoot her with one of those arrows, I wouldn't be upset or nothing if you hit me next."
So that was Spike's crush. "Have you tried telling her how you feel?" I whispered back to him.
"Once..." Spike rubbed behind his head. "Uh, anyway! Hello, ladies!" He hopped down between them. "I'm showing True Shot around."
Rarity ruffled Spike's headfins lightly. "And you thought to expose him to modern culture with Octavia's divine melodies? Excellent idea, Spike."
While Spike was floating off with delight, Applejack was looking at me. "Yer an awfully strong-lookin' pony, fer a unicorn. What's yer talent?" Her eyes darted towards my flank. "Archery? Match makin'?"
I had to smile. "Both, actually." I settled down beside them. "Nice to meet you both. You're Twilight's friends, right?" I had heard the names from Kevin earlier. Rarity was his favorite, I didn't forget. I felt the littlest twinge of guilt. If I could show him Rarity, I would.
Applejack nodded in reply. "Some of her best." She tipped her hat forward a little. "So how'd ya get inta town? Ya stayin' close by?"
Rarity nudged Applejack lightly. "He's staying at the castle." She pointed up the hill into the darkness. "With Twilight and Starlight and Spike."
Applejack raised one brow with a skill that showed she'd performed the gesture many times. "They ain't gettin' into nothin' improper, I hope?"
I coughed softly. "N-no! I'm a gentleman."
Rarity blinked softly. "Is that an old saying? Darling, these days we say 'gentlecolt'. You are simply adorable!"
Oh, now I was the cute one? I nodded at Rarity lightly. "Thank you, sorry. Seriously, I don't plan on making any moves on either of them. One is my host, the other my teacher."
Applejack suddenly laughed. "Since when was Starlight a teacher? Ah mean, besides doin' exactly what she wants."
Rarity snorted softly. "That's not very nice, Applejack. She's been trying really hard to be a good pony, and if she wishes to take on an apprentice, I hardly see the harm of that." She looked to me. "What is it she's teaching you, anyway? Advanced magic?"
A blush swept up into my cheeks. "How to glow, to start."
Applejack didn't get it. Rarity did and looked scandalized. "Oh dear! Goodness. Such a... stallion as yourself, unable to glow? Well, I'll trust in Starlight to see that rectified in short order."
Spike looked between Rarity and me. "I'm helping him get comfortable."
Rarity gave Spike a little hug, returning him to a state of paralysis. "Such a good Spikey-Wikey you are. I know I can trust you to see our new friend around safely."
Applejack smirked at the sight, then pointed a hoof up onto the stage. "They're about ta start."
I looked up to see a refined mare on her hind legs, holding a cello and the bow in a way that would have made physicists scream. Across from her was a unicorn mare with a full DJ system set up around her, throwing off my guess of what level of technology ponies had.
Those were not two playstyles I expected to see together, but there they were. The DJ pony was bobbing her head to some unheard beat, and the other stood as still as I was when I was--
I woke up. I was never so angry to wake up. "God damn it," I cursed as I smashed the alarm. I really wanted to see that show! It wasn't fair... I had a second life filled with magic and wonder and I couldn't really start to enjoy it.
I took a slow breath, then started my day. There was nothing for it but to handle what was in front of me.
It was when I got home that I went to take care of it, or try. I sat down at my computer and did what many people in that day and age did when they had a question, I asked Google.
I started researching lucid dreaming, how to control dreams, and things relating to that. I found techniques and ideas. Some of them contradicted each other, annoyingly, but research was not a new skill for me and I started compiling them and rating them based on how often they came up, the credentials of who did the talking, and other such things.
Sure, I had worked the entire day, but I launched myself at the project with equal burning fervor. It was several hours later that I had a printout of my findings in my hands and I was flipping through them, trying to put them to work. I closed the blinds, which I usually never bothered to do completely. I did everything, but that was less than half. A lot of it, apparently, had to do with how I thought when I was asleep, and some things would just have to be practiced.
I wanted control over my pony life, and to stop living it for just a few hours at a time. Was that an unreasonable request? I didn't think so.
The phone suddenly began to ring and I hurried over to snatch it up. "Linnie?" It was my mother on the line.
"Hey, mom. I wasn't expecting you."
"There are bad times to call your daughter?"
"You know I didn't mean it that way, how's it going?"
"I just wanted to invite you over. Your cousin's having a big bash for his anniversary and we're all invited."
"Oh? Lovely, when?" I knew which cousin it would have to be. Not my favorite, but family's family.
"A month from now. I know you like warning for these things."
A month? Oh. "That reminds me... Mom, I'm going to be moving soon."
"Moving? Where?"
"California."
"California?! Why so far away?"
"Work. My boss needs me out there. Hard enough to buy me a two million dollar house."
"Sweet Jesus..." The line went quieter a moment before I heard mom shouting the news to father. She returned to the line. "What're you doing with the house you already have?"
"I was going to sell it."
"Sell it?! Your niece is just getting out of college soon. She could really use a place..."
Oi vey. I put a hand over my face. "I have to pay taxes on the new house, not to mention this one."
"You can rent it to her," insisted mother on the phone. "You know she's a good girl."
Renting, to family. That never bit anyone in the butt before... I wanted to growl, but that would hardly help. "I'll consider it, no promises."
"You do that. I know you're a great Auntie."
I rolled my eyes even as the conversation began to slide to other topics. Mother had gone full mental blackmail on me. If I sold the house, I would feel like a heel, and if I didn't, there was a good chance it'd all explode on me later.
Great.
I tried to shove it all out of my mind for the moment. I had horses to dream about. They didn't worry about real estate.