Pyrefly returned home shortly after moonrise. As he opened his front door, he braced himself for another explosion of balloons and confetti. But luckily the bombardment did not come, pulling a sigh of relief from the Pegasus.
"Thank Celestia." He said aloud into the darkness of his home. Casually, he flew up the stairs and into his room. "Two! I had two blackouts! What the hell is going on with me?"
Upon entering his room, he plopped down onto his bed and opened a box that sat unpacked on a side table. From inside, he produced a small bottle. Uncorking it, he took a long drink of the draught. Finishing the sip, he replaced the cork and tossed it back into the box and laid down on his back. Then, within moments of closing his eyes, he was asleep, and dead to the rest of the world.
Bang bang bang
'What the hell?'
Bang Bang Bang
'What's that noise?'
BANG BANG BANG
"PYREFLY, WAKE UP!"
"I'm up! I'm up!" Pyrefly shouted at the top of his lungs. "Now stop banging on my damn door!"
"Good cause we need to talk," a mare's voice said, followed by a flash of orange, and Sunset Shimmer was now standing at the foot of Pyrefly's bed.
"Morning Bacon Head, and to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence this fine morn'?"
"Don't you 'Morning Bacon Head' me! You're here one whole day and you're already causing me grief."
"Wow," Pyrefly chuckled, sitting up in his bed."That rainbow chick got to you already? Damn, she moved fast."
"Haha, hilarious. Let me tell you something. All Night Long RD asked me so many damn questions. Many I couldn't answer! I had to teleport her away the moment she started asking about Bright."
At the mention of their friend, the both grew quiet.
"What did happen?" Sunset asked, breaking the mounting silence. " I heard the news, but I never got the exact details…"
"And I'm not gonna talk about it. A lot changed after you left. You just fucked off and left us to suffer. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting out of here. Close the door on your way out."
Then, with a flash of speed, Pyrefly was out of bed and already down stairs and at the door. However, before he could leave, Sunset popped in between him and the outside.
"Jay, stop. I'm sorry. I didn't know leaving would cause you two so much pain."
"Yeah, well, hindsight is always 20/20. You did and it did. And from there everything that could go wrong did go wrong. You left and it fucked everything up!" Pyrefly shouted, now visibly shaking with a sudden flare of rage. "We had a plan. We were all gonna get away! But you just couldn't wait. You dropped us like unwanted baggage the first moment you could. Now get out of the way!"
In the quiet, a tear hits the floor a flash of orange fills the room, and Sunset was gone.
Still consumed by his rage, Pyrefly left his house, slamming his door before zooming off into the morning air. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was he needed to get away. He needed to fly. Suddenly, with a burst of heat and a boom of sound, the world turned black, followed by silence.
"What do you mean you're leaving?"
"Jay, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"Can't it wait? School's almost over. Then all three of us can move to Canterlot."
"I'm sorry, but this is time sensitive. They want an answer by the end of the week."
"What about Buckball? We're a team!"
"It's an academic scholarship. You know if it was an athletic one, I would have been sure to request one for each of you."
"But since it's not, you're still gonna leave?"
"This isn't goodbye. I'll write, I'll visit. This isn't the end. Even Bright told me to go."
"You went to Dawn first? What the hell?!"
"Because I knew you'd pull something like this! I knew you'd blow up for no reason!"
" No reason?! My best friend is ditching me for the glitz and glam of Canterlot!"
"So that's it? You're upset because YOU'RE losing me? This has nothing to do with Bright Dawn, it's all about you. How could you be so selfish?"
"That's not what I meant. You know that. I love you two like sisters! You guys mean the world to me."
"Then you should have chosen your words better. Goodbye Jay. I wish you the best, and hope I get to see you again soon."
"Sunset, wait! Sunset! SUNSET!"
"I'm sorry!" Pyrefly screamed, face soaked in tears and sweat, as he snapped out of another nightmare. After taking a few moments to gather himself, he served his surroundings. He was reclining on the limb of an apple tree. Off in the distance, he heard the thumping of hooves moving fast in his direction.
"What in tarnation was that hollerin'? Who's up in ma trees?" Shouted the pony, now standing at the base of the tree Pyrefly found himself in. Down below was an orange Earth Pony, blond tail and mane, and three apples adorned on her flank. And most noticeable of all, a tan cowgirl hat sat upon her head. "You ok up there partner? Need any help?"
"I'm fine." Pyrefly shouted, as he floated gently down from his perch.
"What in Equestria were ya doin' up there sugarcube?"
"Looked like a nice place to take a nap." Pyrefly lied.
"If ya say so. Just be careful. This may be my orchard, but that there's my friend's favourite tree. Wouldn't want her catching you napping in her spot."
"Is that so?" The Pegasus asked, his eyebrow arching with curiosity.
"Names Rainbow Dash, and she sure is a feisty one. Don't want to cross her. That's for sure."
"You know RD too? Damn, does everypony in this town know each other?"
"Well I'll be damned. How do you know our resident Wonderbolt?"
"Met her last night. Embarrassing to say, but it was in the same manner as you today. And before I forget, names Pyrefly."
"Names Applejack. AJ to my friends. Pleasure to meet’cha. Now tell me, what you were really doing in my tree?"
"Like I said, I was just - "
"Taking a nap. I got that part, sugarcube. But most ponies don't go screamin' at the top of their lungs while they're napping."
Knowing she had him pinned, Pyrefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes once me, he locked eyes with Applejack.
"Look -"
Once more he was cut off with another wave of the boot.
"It's ok. I get it. It's none of my business. And clearly, whatever this is, it's a weight on yer shoulders. Just know that you're welcome here anytime, whether it be a nap or an ear ta chew. Just promise me to tell the truth. I kinda have a knack for pickin out lies. Deal?"
"Deal." Pyrefly answered, face flushed red as he nodded in agreement.
"Good ta hear. Now I've got to scadaddle. Lots of chores ta do. It is almost Zap Apple season. Come by after harvest, first jar of jam is on me." She turned around, tipped her setson, and took off back into the orchard. "Take care of ya self sugarcube, and don't be a stranger!" The pony shouted back, before disappearing into the trees.
"Thanks AJ," Pyrefly said, mostly to himself. "Don't work too hard."
The Pegasus remained there under the apple tree, collecting his thoughts. Once he was ready, he let out a drawn out sigh and turned his head towards the sky. High above, the sun was reaching its zenith.
"Almost noon. I should go find Sunset. She didn't deserve what happened. Besides, maybe it's time she knew the whole story…"
With one last sigh and nod of his head, Pyrefly flapped his wings and was off in a gust of wind to find his childhood friend.