It had been a restful night though Fresh Coat had very explicitly taken advantage of the fact that she was the only one in the house. I was just thankful that she waited until the sun nearly rose up to do her plan. Needless to say she made certain to enjoy it for everything she could get. Around ten she left for the station and went back up to Canterlot. Once again I needed to clean up my house from another mess made because I couldn’t exactly say no to a request. That… left me home alone.
Octavia and Vinyl were also in Canterlot and probably were going to meet up with Fresh Coat later if her cryptic comments while we showered off were anything to go by. All I knew was that Octavia had to handle some business with a special performance coming sometime by spring even though apparently it was fall. I never really understood how the seasons worked around here.I tried not to question it either because that was a headache waiting to happen.
Spitfire was in Cloudsdale ready to lead the Wonderbolts once again. Before she left I did note she seemed… reluctant to want to handle leading them. The life of a keyblader while exciting was also wrought full of danger. Though from everything she told me it was obvious that she was just disappointed by the state of the Wonderbolts being barely better than stunt flyers at this point.
Sunshower, unfortunately, had to deal with more weather problems in Baltimare once again. I didn’t know why either. Sunshower merely told me that she was a damn good weather manager before she left. I wished her luck before she did so. Redheart was the only one remaining in Ponyville and she was going to be busy dealing with patients.
I looked outside to a busy town waltzing about as naturally as possible. The puddles weren't exactly helping matters since goals were splashing up a storm throughout the town. It was at this point I had to weigh my options.
While on Nibel I found two pages of the book that Merlin had brought with him during his visit. I could explore that option but alone and with only two out of however many pages there were seemed… wrong to me for some reason. I took the pages downstairs and placed them in the book. Even though it glowed brightly I trotted out of the basement leaving it for a later date. I didn't exactly want to do anything for the rest of the day and I wasn't in desperate need for bits either. If worse came to worse I could make more jewelry for Shiny Baubles to sell. It certainly would be useful since I now have a collection of Power synthesis items from all the monkey like heartless we fought.
Alternatively I could actually do the job God wanted me to do. There were still keyholes all around Equestria that were unlocked. The only reason the heartless haven't found them is because the barrier surrounding this world is stronger than all the other worlds. There also was most likely a Cornerstone of Light somewhere in this world. I didn't have forever to deal with the problem. I needed to explore other cities and figure out where those keyholes were and seal them.
Today though would be my relaxation day. I took out the gift Merlin had brought me and took it to the living room. I wanted a quiet day to listen to the book that was being read to me. I sat down on my couch and started the tape placing the earbuds in and lounging on the couch.
For the rest of the day I listened to the book while I cleaned up whatever I could around the house. I actually wasn't disturbed throughout the day. Pinkie hadn't come to bother me into trying to throw a party which was weird in of itself.
“Pinkie! We need twelve more trays of cupcake ready!” Mrs. Cake cried out as she rushed around with Mr. Cake trying to serve everypony as quickly as possible.
Sugarcube Corner was packed due to Filthy Rich sparing no expense for his little princess, Diamond Tiara.
“Party Senses tingling.” Pinkie muttered as her eyes grew unfocused and everything seemed to get quiet.
“Pinkie! Cupcakes quickly! Please!” Mr. Cake called out breaking her out of her trance. She quickly went back to getting the twelve trays out of the oven for everypony to enjoy.
“You won’t get away with this Nebula Gray! I will throw you a party!” Pinkie swore to the heavens as she was stuck baking cupcakes at the moment. Secretly, she was cursing the author for drawing out the confrontation for even longer.
I had finished listening to a horror novel just as the moon started to rise into the sky. It seemed as though I had wasted the entire day but honestly, it was the first time in a long time where I could sit down and just think about things. I noted that there had been one sad filly walking around outside during my relaxation. She was wearing a very large red bow which seemed to be just as expressive as she was.
I didn’t do anything though. It wasn’t my business regardless of what was going on. I ignored it for the most part since I didn’t know the pony in question along with the fact I was an adult. That would just be weird as all hell.
I tried to sleep that night if only because I had time to myself… it was actually hard to sleep with how quiet the house was. I was so used to being worn out by others already that it started to break me into flashbacks before I was turned into a pony. Those five days after that massacre… I didn’t sleep afterwards and remained downstairs on the couch watching the skies once again. There wasn’t much else to do at this point and I couldn’t sleep once again. It was until five in the morning when I finally passed out from exhaustion.
I was back in my dream realm once again. Sitting down at my desk looking over all the things I’ve acquired. The pedestals with all the weapons were still immaculately taken care of. I examined the cards since I barely managed to unlock them recently. I still hadn’t been able to test them out extensively but I would have the chance eventually. I would just need to find heartless to fight.
Though with the lack of heartless being capable of entering Equestria made things a lot more difficult in practice. Alternatively, I could head for another world to fight through any heartless that kept appearing. I faltered back over to the stained glass platform and looked that over noting that the Nightmare Moon section was now no longer the only section filled in. The circle had grown larger and there was now a ring surrounding the platform of more stained glass. There was a panel for Rourke in his crystal form and another for Kuro.
I supposed that my dreams were making certain to keep decent records of everything I’ve had to deal with. This would probably continue on and on through my adventures.
“My… this is an interesting dream. I did not expect one of my subjects to sleep at this time.” A voice came out from up high.
I looked around noting that I hadn’t protected my mind as well as I had as a medium sized pony with wings and a horn slowly flapped down landing on the platform. She stood before me though I don’t think that she actually remembered who I was. Then her eyes focused on me and seemed to start straining.
“Why do you look familiar to me?” Luna spoke but caught herself changing the topic. “I mean, Hello loyal subject I am glad I have finally found you. There has been some talk that a thestral was living in Ponyville.”
“It’s been a very weird life. I just decided to build somewhere I could keep my things.”
I tapped my hoof and the platform below me hid everything. I noticed that she was looking around more suspiciously. She started to trot up to me.
“Your dream is much stranger than the regular pony. Most have trouble differentiating between dream and reality. You control your dreams… perhaps you are a lucid dreamer?” Luna grinned as she tapped her hoof against my chest.
“Heh, yeah. I’ve been getting better at getting my dreams to work for me. How may I help you Princess Luna?”
I gave her a small half bow which I think confused her. She didn’t speak right away stepping around me, examining me in more detail. She seemed to take her time looking at my cutie mark rubbing her chin with her hoof.
“I do not recognize your mark. It is not even in our census records. But I digress, there are more important matters to deal with. You are one of the Badlands Thestrals, are you not? We have been searching for them for some time now. We haven’t found any trace of them aside from you. If you would be so kind… please tell me where they are.” Luna demanded though her tone was anything but harsh. Sadness emanated from her… but I didn’t know what happened to any of them.
Even then I wracked my brain for anything I could think of… and the only thing I could think of would be my family. It would answer her question to a degree but…
I didn’t really want to talk about it with someone I considered a complete stranger. As much as it could be said that I knew she was trustworthy I still barely talked about it with the rest of my herd. At least not so detail other then they were gone.
“I don’t actually know. I woke up on the edge of the Badlands and managed to make my way to Baltimare. I can only say that my family is gone, though I wished for more than half of them that it was someone else’s fault. There’s no one to blame and no way to really dress it up in a brighter light.”
“I see… this is unfortunate news indeed. I am sorry for your loss. I can… understand what it means to lose somepony close to you… not quite in the manner you are alluding to. Still… while you hold that shroud of sadness over you it seems that you are trying to move on. I see herds are still a thing. It is actually really rare nowadays based on what my sister says. Only nobility usually takes on the act of herding. Are you nobility?” Luna looked on me seemingly casing my demeanor and poise.
“Sorry to say I'm not noble. All I am is an old detective who's trying to get his life back on track.”
“A detective!? Where is thy trench coat and worn fedora? I have been reading these new trends. It is this noir styling. You narrate everything internally right? Oh my this is exciting!” Luna giddily danced around.
“Uh… I'm sorry to say but I retired after one last case where my mentor was taken out.”
“More! More! 'Tis far more interesting to hear thy tale of real mystery and drama!” Luna cried out blasting me away with what was most likely the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Oh shoot! You are awakening. Next time.”
I rubbed my head as she started to fade from my vision. I was glad that she had been distracted by my past so I supposed that that was mission accomplished. The princesses still wouldn't know too much about me but what I was willing to share.
I woke up on the floor of my living room just at the window wiping the drool that had dripped down my chin. I was alone again…
“Maybe it's time to get out of the house and do my job. Now that Luna knows where I am that means I need to keep my dreams clear or just not sleep at night.”
I muttered to myself… which just reinforced my decision to get off my flank and do something. I needed to go find a keyhole but I didn't want to head into Canterlot or Ponyville. Suffice to say, I didn't want to interact with anyone who could potentially get within messaging distance of Celestia and Luna.
The problem was where to go… I looked over the books I borrowed from Twilight Sparkle hoping to find a good place to both explore and not get found out. Also where a keyhole could be. I found the first one in Balitmare by sheer coincidence.
The sun was finally rising once again. I put away my iPod crystal device back in the basement and sat down on the couch. I looked around the living room one more time taking in the silence for a moment longer. It was peaceful… quiet… and completely insufferable. I had had enough silence throughout my former life and that was barely a week. I wouldn't suffer anymore silence for longer than I would have to.
I looked through the atlas I absorbed into the Lexicon and did the most intricate method of choosing a location known to the history of the world as the only way.
“Eeny, Meeny, Miney, you.”
Perfectly executed.
I would be heading out to a coastal city. The island city of Manehattan was next on my list to explore. I quickly created the illusion of a note and placed it on my front door as I jumped into the shadows for Baltimore. I would have to fly the rest of the way but it would be worth it.
Luna had jarringly woken up after the thestral had accidentally woke up. It was frustrating when a pony woke up before she could find out more of them.
“You truly are a strange stallion, Nebula Gray. Who are you really?” Luna muttered as she looked over her notes.
The moment she had learned of a new thestral she had compiled a complete list of cutie marks from all currently known thestrals. That included the census of the Badland thestrals before they went missing. There were no records of a mark of stars laid out in the shape of a key. Nebula Gray didn't exist within this context but… it could have been an oversight. She would have to speak to Celestia later.
For the most part, nothing seemed to egregious. There could be missing paperwork, clerical errors or something else. It had been difficult to figure out if there were more oblique reasons for Nebula Gray’s shady past. For the most part she couldn’t actually see all of his dream realm. There had been mental blocks as if he was repressing things. Secrets or mental trauma, she was uncertain of what dwelled in the mind of Nebula Gray.
Luna sighed as she got back to her duties and watched over the children. It had been only a few hours since she had regained her powers and she needed to work the kinks out of them.
Redheart had just finished checking over a patient after their current mishap. It had become routine for these things to happen given who she looked up to.
“So Scootaloo, this is visit what now?” Redheart deadpanned as she looked over her charts. Scraped knees and slight bump on the head, luckily not to concussion levels.
“Thirty four… but I was in total control this time.” Scootaloo shot back shakily defending her position.
“Yes I suppose no sprained wings this time is a step up.” Redheart chided with a good natured chuckle.
“I totally had it this time. The sun just got in my eyes.” Scootaloo shot back.
“It was the afternoon and the sun had already gone down over the horizon.” Redheart brought up causing Scootaloo to blush in embarrassment.
Redheart quietly brought her hoof up to comfort her and cast her cure spell. Scootaloo for some reason felt better than ever. Her head no longer ached and her cuts had healed over.
“Woah! Where'd my scrapes go?” Scootaloo looked over her legs noting how pristine they looked, as if nothing had hurt her in the first place.
“Hm… it must have been the delayed effects of the bandages we gave you.” Redheart quickly lied. They had had to change her bandages at least once already when Scootaloo had spilled her juice on them. It was believable enough that Scootaloo just kept her awe on her face.
“Neat. Wish I could have more of those for all the tricks I do.” Scootaloo muttered under her breath though not quietly enough.
“Sorry there but the bandages are made as we need them. The enchantment doesn't activate unless one of the doctors cast it.” Redheart stated making certain that Scootaloo wouldn't get any ideas.
“Darn… um Ms. Redheart… we don't have to tell my parents about this, right?” Scootaloo cringed the moment she said parents.
“Sorry, once again. Your mom is already here.” Redheart strained an apologetic smile.
“Oh boy…” Scootaloo gulped as she prepared herself for the talk she was going to get.
In a burst of wind Gusty Gale, her mother, flew straight for Scootaloo. There were several minutes of overprotectiveness smothered into Scootaloo before Redheart could give her the release forms.
“Thanks so much for taking care of my little angel.” Gale nodded as Redheart while she hugged Scootaloo tightly.
“Help…” Scootaloo mumbled through the hug… and was promptly ignored. Redheart knew better than to get between the love of a mother and daughter… it was also her punishment for trying to ramp off of Applejack’s stand onto Carousel Boutique and finally fly through Carrot Top’s stand. Instead she flew into Roseluck’s stand barely missing the roses but hitting the daisies. She was still trying to wake the Flower Trio as they were called.
“No problem Gale. I know what a hoof full she can be. She’ll be fine and she’s all healed up.” Redheart smiled as Gale flew off with a twitching Scootaloo who tried desperately to get the feeling back in her legs.
As they left Redheart tallied another mark on her clipboard. She had once again used her magic to heal another patient and while that was good, the other doctors were getting suspicious. Patients healing within a few hours stupefied them.
“Ah Redheart, I’m glad I found you.” A stallion called out trotting up to her in a quiet matter.
“Hello Doctor Stable. What seems to be the problem?” Redheart asked keeping a hoof on her clipboard at the ready.
“Can you check on the patient in Room 203? It’s time to change his saline bag.” Stable replied in his nonchalant tone he took with most of the nurses.
“Right away Doctor.” Redheart mentioned. Before she could walk away Stable placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Have you given anymore thought to my proposition?” Stable reminded her wriggling his eyebrows up and down in an enticing manner.
“Hm… Oh that. Sorry Doctor but I don’t feel that way about you. I should probably get back to work then. See you later Doctor.” Redheart coughed out before trotting away much faster than before.
Doctor Stable watched her leave before he bucked his hoof through the door of the room frustrated at the rejection. He was pissed and slowly returned to his rounds. He had to find out why and he would get his answer.