//------------------------------//
// VI- A Welcome to Remember 
// Story: To Find Purpose 
// by The REAL Mister Pkmn 
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Taking a look around, both myself and Ophelia were a bit perplexed at the way the party was organized. There were balloons and streamers of various colors strewn about, and a giant banner that read “A Belated Welcome To Equestria!” That much was expected. The rest… not so much. The tables were stocked with quite a smorgasbord of food of all sorts, even some meat (which seemed a tad odd, but it was probably imported from some distant land). There was a stage in the back of the room, with a microphone and a turntable set up on it. In front of it was a checkered tile dance floor. There seemed to be a few games akin to what one would find at a child’s birthday party, but they were tucked away in the back. As for the ponies, it seemed that most all of them were here- and quite a few looked slightly apprehensive, which was expected. Pinkie entered our view as the door closed behind us, a positively giddy expression on her face. “Well? What do you think of the party? Do you like it? Do you?”

She was bouncing slightly out of excitement, and I looked to Ophelia before looking back to respond. “It is certainly… different from what I expected, to say the least. We will see how that changes during the course of this party.”

Ophelia seemed more positive, however. “Well, I think this might be quite a bit of fun. We have had a rough patch lately, so it will be nice to just put it aside for a while.”

I sighed deeply. She had such a positive air about her. I smiled lightly. I suppose if she tried to enjoy herself, then I should let her. A white unicorn wearing shades stepped up to the stage and started playing some music. It wasn’t a bad tune, to be honest. I felt my foot tap along subconsciously. Maybe this would not be so… I shook my head as I reigned myself in. I had to keep my distance from these ponies. That was paramount, come the time we left this place. I decided to just get something to eat. I perused the tables for a good while, carefully stocking my plate. I grabbed a cup and went to the drinks.

There was a bowl full of what I recognized as fruit punch, and a tank of water. Not wanting to risk it, I took the safer option. After all, who ever heard of somebody spiking water? With plate and drink in tow, I found my way to a table and sat down. I had only barely started to eat when I noticed that mint unicorn sit down. It was her again, my stalker. I was not about to get up, seeing as I had already found a place near the door. So, against better judgement, I sighed. “What is it that you want, hm? I’m busy.”

The unicorn mare blinked, and tilted her head. She then shook it and grinned. “My name is Lyra! I have read all sorts of myths about humans! Is it true that you do not have magic?”

I huffed lightly with constrained exasperation. She was an exhausting one, that much was certain. I rubbed my temples, trying to abate a coming headache. “Yes. Magic is a myth back home, so it is not like we could have it. Though it is technically a scientific term for something we can not as of yet explain through our current understanding of science. Not many of those are left, though.”

As Lyra was about to question me again, Ophelia came to the table. I sighed in relief. Ophelia tilted her head. “Nate, why are you just eating? I know that you think the party games are a bit childish, but you could at least try the dance floor.”

At that remark, I shook my head. “No way, no how. I have not danced since Elementary School. I am terribly rusty, you know. Besides, I am not really much for parties. I only came because you wanted to come.” I cleared my throat “You know. To be supportive.”

Ophelia sighed. “Come on, Nate. Just try it? It cannot hurt… You might even like it!”

I grimaced slightly as a thought went through my head That is exactly what I am afraid of... But then I noticed that she was staring at me with a pleading look on her face. I tried to resist, but I eventually caved. I could not say no to that face. I sighed in defeat. “Make sure that nobody touches my food.” At her nod, I stood and made my way to the dance floor. The ponies murmured as a new number started up. I closed my eyes and listened to the beat as my foot tapped it out a bit. Once I had it in my head, I began with fervor as my eyes snapped open. It was just me and the music, in my head. My feet practically flew across the floor, as my body supplemented the motions. Nothing else mattered, except the music and my moves. I sprinkled in moves I recalled from various dances, most that fit the techno beat. I even spiced up a few of them with a new twist, and it just felt like an old part of me was coming back to the surface. This feeling in my bones. This flow inside my soul! I felt like nothing could come between me and the music, but it eventually had to end. On the final note, I struck a triumphant pose, then bowed as my hearing started to tune back into reality. Clapping hands, and stomping of hooves mixed with cheers. I smiled briefly, and made my way back to the table and slumped down with a sigh.

With a grin upon her face, Ophi broke out in congratulatory words. “Wow, Nate! For somebody that claimed to be ‘rusty’ your dancing was pretty smooth looking to me! You could be a pro, if you wanted!”

I chuckled, still a bit high from the adrenaline. “Are you serious? Just how many hidden talents do you think I have, Ophi? I think we will have to get back home before I even consider pursuing that, or any others that I might have”

Pinkie found her way to our table, positively beaming. “I knew that you would enjoy something at this party! My Pinkie Sense is never wrong!”

As my adrenaline rush finally cooled off, I was about to ask about it, but thought better of it. It was not like it was of any consequence to us or our situation. At least, that was what I thought before Ophelia brought something up that I had not considered. “Wait, did this sense of yours tell you we were coming to Equestria?”

Pinkie scrunched up her face a bit, then shrugged. “Sort of yes, but sort of no. My Pinkie Sense is not too good with specifics events or situations, but it gets the job done with general predictions! What I felt before you arrived was just a combo of something falling and somebody new coming to town, so I got the gist of it. Though, I did not expect humans… nor the hole in the sky… though if my Pinkie Sense gave an exact prediction, it would not be half as fun!”

This kept getting stranger and stranger. What were the limitations on the rules of this world? It was rather concerning, how loose things seemed here. I shook my head, focusing on finishing my meal. It was the first time in days that I had meat, but despite my cravings I managed to refrain from devouring it like a vacuum. I slowed down enough to enjoy it, but that was the best I could do. Though, Lyra was still looking at me in… fascination? I raised an eyebrow as I swallowed. “What? Did your myths not tell you that humans are omnivorous?”

Lyra shook her head. “No, it is just… I had never seen anyone eat meat quite like that. Most just wolf it down without a second thought. The way you ate it was not quite what I expected…”

I blinked in disbelief. The things those myths left out… I guess I could say as much about our myths about unicorns and pegasai, leaving out their ability to speak. I shook my head and tossed the stray thought aside. “Well, it is not good for your body if you just inhale it. It can cause stomach pains, and you might choke if you go too fast. It is best to not risk that sort of issue. Plus, it is not good manners to rush.”

Ophi stood from the table after finishing her meal, and stretched a bit. “It has been fun, but I think that we best get going. We have quite the long day ahead for both of us, so we need a good night’s rest.” She turned to Pinkie as I finished off my meal. “It was very nice of you to throw this party for us, though it is a darn shame that we have to leave so early…”

I brushed myself off as I stood. I sighed in resignation. I had to do this. “I guess I was a bit hasty in presuming that I would not enjoy myself here. Though, do not go thinking that this means that I am your friend, Pinkamena.”

At my (admittedly slightly harsh) response, she deflated slightly, but she shook it off somewhat quickly, getting back to her usual cheery mood. “That is quite alright, Nathan! It just makes my day that you enjoyed the party! Would you like me to throw one for your birthday when it comes? You know, if you end up being stuck in Equestria for that long…”

We were close to the front door as that question was poised to me, and I stood firm with my back to her. I did not want to risk looking back and seeing something that might change my mind. “No. I do not really like big celebrations for my birthday. Besides. It is not quite the same if…” I shook my head. “Regardless of that, I do not want a party for my birthday. Please understand.” Without risking looking back at what was likely to be her devastated face, I exited the shop. As the door closed behind us, I sighed with relief.

Ophi had a sad look on her face as she looked towards me. “I understand why you said that to her, given what you told me about how your last birthday party went. But I am just glad you were not harsher. But, do you think it would be alright if I got you something for your birthday? I hope you will not mind…”

I looked to her. She was the one person I had with me from back home, she was the one person that understood. I was lucky to have her with me. I smiled. “Go ahead. If you want to get me something for my birthday, that is fine. I just do not think I could deal with a party. We might wind up still being here by then, seeing as it is about a month from now. I just hope we get home by then. That would be the best present I could ask for.”

We walked together for a small while, and Ophi spoke once more. “Would you be mad if the ponies got you something for your birthday? Even if it was just gifts?”

I sighed at the crossroads of where we would part ways until tomorrow. I spoke frankly. “It is not that I would be mad, but… I just do not want to have painful memories when we leave. I don’t want there to be any reason for us to stay. Okay? That’s all.” And with those words, I left for Sweet Apple Acres.





Ophelia stared after him for a small moment before letting out a sigh. He was a stubborn one, that much was sure. She supposed that Nate did have a point, however. They would leave this place at some point, and his distancing tactic would likely keep them from feeling too guilty for leaving the ponies behind. But Ophelia knew that somewhere in there, Nate felt as she did. That it needn’t be goodbye forever- even if he insisted otherwise. She shook away those thoughts and went back to where she was staying. She went up into the guest room and pulled out her backpack from under the guest room bed. She opened it gingerly, and produced a set of sheet music.

She hummed the tune pretty accurately, seeing as she had not heard it in a while. She had always had a knack for memorizing tunes, and had even considered enrolling into a choir program in the past. Yet she never really felt comfortable singing in front of others. She supposed this was like how Nate had doubts about showing off his art. She ran through the melody a few times before putting the piece away. She chuckled lightly to herself as she placed her backpack back under the bed.. Something told her that Nate had just finished up using his sketchpad for the day. Ever since that first night where they somehow spoke to each other and heard one another, she had this almost innate awareness of when he had been doing that. He had been using it about twice a day, according to that sense. Was this place affecting them somehow? When that thought entered her mind, she looked visibly troubled.

What if going home meant losing those small changes? What if they… she shook her head. She could not be thinking like that, it was not healthy. Nate was firm in his decision to distance himself as much as feasibly possible from the ponies, and only engaging them when absolutely necessary. She admired him for that. She wished that she could be as sure. She supposed that she still had hopes that her old friendships could be rekindled, where as Nate had likely given up on such things years ago. This was likely one of the many key differences between how they approached the ponies. Ophelia also could not help but wonder what would have happened had Nate and her become friends earlier. Certainly something would have changed for at least one of them- but as for what that would be, it was hard to tell.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Rarity came home from the party. Rarity called up. “Ophelia, are you up for some dessert? I brought some from the party!”

Ophelia opened her door and called back. “Just save it for later. I have a long day tomorrow.” She closed her door, and sighed as she got ready for bed. “I wonder, who will be the first we meet? Somebody we know? Or will it be a stranger? Whomever they are, I hope they end up being personable… that would be best.” She got into the guest bed, and nodded off to sleep.





I stared at the ceiling of the barn as I tried to get some rest. I tossed and turned, but nothing helped. It just was not working. I tried reaching out with my connection to Ophelia, but I sensed that she had already fallen asleep. A deep sigh of disappointment escaped my lips. “Well, it was worth a shot.” I then considered something. Why was it that we were tossed into this world anyway? Was it truly just some massive cosmic accident? Or was there something more to all this mess that we had found ourselves in? I massaged my temples as I tried to resist the headache keeping me awake. It would not do me much good to continue worrying about it. I had bigger fish to fry, namely our search mission to find all of the other stranded humans.

One was near their city known as Manehattan, if not more. Their Appaloosa sounded like a small outpost town, so it might be harder to judge if there truly was just one human there. Celestia had also mentioned their west coast, but no specific city or town seems to be closest to the area she circled on the map, so there was no telling how many humans might be hidden there. Then there was the frozen wastes to the north, the location that needed to be investigated first. After all, humans may be resourceful, but a wasteland isn’t exactly the best spot for survival. I still held firm that I felt that one of the humans was my old best friend Harold- but something told me that he was not the one stuck up north. Half of me was relieved, but the other half was disheartened. He was the one friend I could never really bring myself to blame for my predicament. After all, it was likely powers beyond his control that caused us to have not seen each other for almost eight years now. Most likely, his family moved away without his consent. He was the only one that I felt I might possibly be able to reconnect with out of all my old friends.

I pushed away the troublesome thoughts as I once more tried to get some sleep. Yet, it seemed that the forces that be conspired against me. Realizing that I might not get to sleep that night, I stood, and went into the house. I found my way to the kitchen when I heard the sharp sniffling of a scared child. I turned to see who was there, and saw that it was Apple Bloom, and she looked terrified. I sighed as I stooped down to look her in the eyes. “Did you have a nightmare?” at her nod, I sighed. I could never bring myself to hate children. So innocent and unmarred by the world around them… unlike I was. I dismissed those unpleasant thoughts as I guided her to the couch of the family room. “Would you like to talk to me about it?”

She nodded timedly and began. “W-well, Ah had a nightmare about me not gettin’ a Cutie Mark that entailed apples an’ bein’ disowned bah mah family. It was rather fr-frightnin’.”

I ruffled her mane a bit. “Relax. Something like that would never happen to you in real life. Regardless of what you end up doing with your life, your family seems like the sort to love you no matter what. You have got to trust that they will be there for you, and support what you do with your life. No matter what.” I sighed and looked away.

Apple bloom tilted her head with concern on her face. “Are you ahlright?”

I nodded with a smirk. “I will be fine, don’t you go worrying about me. It is nothing you need to worry yourself about, okay? Just get yourself back to bed. And remember, dreams can not hurt you while awake. They may seem scary at times, and sometimes they can feel quite real. But they are not real. A nightmare is just your subconscious trying to help you face your troubles.” She nodded hesitantly as she pulled away from me, and then scrambled back up the stairs. I stood, and let out a sigh. It was the right choice to withhold my troubles from her. After all, she was just a kid! She had no need to worry about my troubles. I shook the troubling thoughts away, and left the house feeling a lot more sleepy. Maybe I would actually manage to get a good night’s rest now. I found my way back to the barn, and laid down upon the hay mattress. I pulled up the blanket as I yawned, and I dozed off soon afterwards.





Meanwhile, in the Frozen North…

As the blizzard howled fiercely outside of the cave, the two humans stranded inside somehow managed to remain sane and well throughout their troubles thus far. One of them looked to the fire that they kept with his blue eyes, stoking it to keep it alive and strong. The two of them had been taking turns to keep the fire going ever since they found this cave by pure chance. It was lucky that they had managed to bring kindling and some small sticks to make this fire in the first place. Wherever they were, it was a constant blizzard out there. When they had first arrived, they nearly got lost in it.

He shook those unpleasant thoughts aside as he set down the stoker for a brief second to rub his gloved hands against the sides of his heavy coat as he stared at their backpacks. They were running low on food, despite their meticulous rationing. It would not be much longer before they starved and froze over. He let out a sigh as a lock of dirty blonde hair fell in front of his face. How did a hike into the mountains manage to go this awry? Falling through an unmarked crevice into an endless blizzard? How does that even happen? At least he had a companion in all of this. He looked at her, sleeping soundly in her sleeping bag with her long red hair sprawled all about. He barely knew her, and yet he had grown to trust her through this adversitous situation. They were both a long way from home, and who knows where that crevice had spit them out? Regardless, the chance of rescue was rather slim. Yet something stopped him from giving up hope. He had this feeling that somebody was coming for them tomorrow. Maybe even somebody that one of them knew. It was like a whisper in the wind, to his very soul.

His intrepid companion Miara had thought him a bit overoptimistic at that notion when he had told her of it, but she understood that it was better to hope for something that might not come than it was to just wallow in despair. He also suspected that she felt it deep down as well, despite what she said on the surface. He sighed as he picked up the stoker to keep the fire going. He may have been quite tired, but he was not going to let them freeze. It would be slightly warmer when the morning arrived, and he could manage to take a small rest then before their pitiful breakfast. He sighed. Oh how he wished that he had thought to pack more food… Then again, it was not like he could even expect something like this to occur. He tried to take his mind off of that unpleasant thought by stoking the fire some more. As he stared into the fire, his mind wandered to a different topic, however.

He seemed to not be able to get his thoughts off of an old friend of his that he had pushed away about four years ago. He sighed with deep regret. “Nathan… I know that you might not believe me, but… I am sorry. I should’ve been able to take the jeers. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just…” another sigh as he shook his head. “No. It isn’t like you’d forgive your traitor of a ‘friend’ Ferris, right? Not after all that you told me that you’d been through before reaching out to me… You hate me… don’t you, Nathan.” Ferris wiped his face to drive away the tears. Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything. What he’d done to Nathan after he had opened up to him, regardless of the reason… It wasn’t right. He just had to pray that he’d someday get the opportunity to set it all right. So to try and get his mind off of it, he went back to stoking the fire for the rest of the night.