Jessie Morrison was on the couch, curled into a ball under several blankets with his eyes softly closed. His thick dreadlocks were missing their signature scrunchie that tied them back into a ponytail and simply hung around his head. The long black hair of his could almost have been mistaken for snakes at first glance.
Though the heater was on in the living room, the long haired boy could still feel the cold. He wondered if it were some sort of weird placebo effect or something. But when it was given some more thought, he realized it didn’t make much sense and dropped it. Overthinking about small things is lame anyway.
“Hey,” A voice called from the kitchen, causing the boy to pop an eye open. Wait. His nose twitched and both eyes opened quickly. Did his dad actually make it for him?
The older Morrison walked into the living room with two steaming mugs of the stuff in his hands and smiled brightly at his son. “Made your favorite. Figured I’d try a different brand this time around though.”
Eric Morrison was a tall man. Around 6’4 with a bald head and yet a scruffy beard (in Jessie’s honest opinion it looked totally ridiculous). He was also fairly muscular, the curved shapes on his arms evident on his darker skin. A tribal themed tattoo was neatly tucked under the right sleeve of his t-shirt.
Jessie reached up and gently took the cup in his hands, offering his father a grateful smile.
“Thanks, dad,” He muttered softly in between sips. The hot chocolate was great. Maybe his dad had been onto something. “It’s not that terrible.”
“Not that terrible, huh?” Eric chuckled, taking a seat on the couch next to his son. He took a few sips of his own hot chocolate and hummed in satisfaction. The man glanced at the television, listening to a reporter ramble about excessive snow in the immediate area and schools being closed all around Maine. “Only a week of living up north and you’re already experiencing your first snow day. How about that.”
Jessie snorted, but didn’t comment. The cold made him tired. Less talkative. It was a big change from the usual Oklahoma City weather. Which was usually dry and cold instead of... well, colder and snowy-er. Or maybe it was the fact that he only got two hours of sleep and stayed up all night playing video games. But his dad didn’t need to know.
“Hey,” Eric turned back to him and gave his son a grin. The kind of grin he usually gave when he knew the answer to the question he was going to ask. “Don’t suppose you wanna learn a bit more Creole while snowed in with your dad, eh?”
“Too cold,” Was the immediate response. But both father and son knew that Jessie just didn’t want to bother today.
As nice as learning a language that was part of his heritage is, it was rather difficult. Haitian Creole was a bitch. Especially without his grandpa not living close enough to teach him anymore. At least he knew most of the important bits, the swears.
“Alright then,” Eric chuckled, not surprised in the slightest. He then stood, did a quick stretch and gave his son a thumbs up. “Lazy day for you then. Let me know if you want to go get some food or something, Iridescent.”
There was a flicker of... something and the whole room seemed to be bathed in red and orange light. Jessie blinked then quickly glanced at his dad. Maybe his eyes and ears were playing tricks on him after not getting much sleep last night. Wouldn’t be the first time. But his name and whatever his dad had just said didn’t sound remotely similar.
“What did you say, dad?” Another flicker. For a moment it looked as if everything was... on fire. Jessie drew in a sharp breath.
“Iridescent, you okay?” Another flicker and Jessie swore he saw his dad’s expression change to one of pure fear and panic.
“D-dad? Wha-“
“Iridescent?” More flickering. The fire seemed to be appearing more frequently. “Iridescent? Wake up!”
Jessie’s breathing quickened and the sound of his heartbeat in his own ears was almost deafening. Calm down. Calm down. What was happening?
“Iridescent! IRIDESCENT! IRI-“
***
Iridescent woke up from the nightmare. He could feel his erratic breathing carry over into his waking moments like a wild animal chasing him desperately. What had happened? Where was his dad?
His breathing became quicker. Why was he here? Where even was he? Why couldn’t he feel his hands?! WHERE WAS HIS DAD?!
“Iridescent!” Sunset’s head popped into view, staring at him wide eyed as if he were volatile. Which honestly scared the shit out of him and didn’t exactly help take his heart rate out of overdrive.
The orange unicorn took a few careful steps toward him, her horn glowing in preparation for a spell. He wondered if she was going to attack. “You need to calm down.”
“I-I... What? But- I- I don’t-“ The feeling of fresh tears started to well up in his eyes and his vision became blurry. Why couldn’t he calm down? Was she going to hurt him? What was he even freaking out about? Breathe, breathe. Please.
“Relax, relax,” Sunset spoke carefully, though rather stiffly. Almost as if she didn’t know exactly what to do in this situation. Her horn glowed a little brighter and a tingling yet calming feeling spread over his mind. That’s better.
“Are you okay?” She asked, sounding annoyed. As if putting up with this was the last thing she had on her mind today. “Speak to me.”
“I... I think I’m fine.” Iridescent muttered. There was a throb in his head and he raised a hoof to comfort it. Owie. The colt could feel his breathing gradually became slower and slower until it reached an even pace. Calm, calm.
“You had a panic attack,” She explained. Oh. That was it. He hadn’t had one of those, well, ever. Not exactly something he wanted to experience again if he could help it. “You dozed off after our magic lessons and then started breathing erratically. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” He repeated, though he didn’t really believe it himself. She sounded really irritated. He hoped she would just drop it so they could move on.
Amber eyes flicked around their surroundings. Right, royal gardens, magic lessons with Sunset Glimmer... Shimmer. He was also a... pony. Yeah.
That was a weird dream. So much fire and his dad’s expression would be burnt into his memory for ages. But he couldn’t quite remember all the details. Or what sort of event would even lead to it. What was that about?
Sunset stared at him intently and his amber eyes met her turquoise ones. Why was she looking at him like that?
... Maybe he should stop asking himself so many questions. Especially when the answers weren’t so obvious and he couldn’t even hope to find them.
Iridescent looked away first, feeling his face become warm with the blood rushing to his cheeks. Thankfully, his stomach growled before the moment could get more awkward.
“You’re hungry.” Sunset said matter of factly. Very observant.
“Yeah,” Iridescent muttered. It’s not like he did much. Just a couple of levitation spells and a minor light spell. He clearly had a lot to learn about magic. “Guess I am.”
“Do you want to get something to eat in the castle?”
Iridescent paused, his gaze meeting hers again. Did he hear her correctly? Dammit. Another question.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“You hungry. Us get food in castle,” She said, slowly. Iridescent glared at her, which only earned himself a smug smirk in response.
“You made that clear, Shimmy. But why would you invite me into the castle. It’s... well, the castle,” He said in a way of explanation. “I’m just some pony. Am I even allowed in?”
“You’re hungry. I’m the personal student of the princess who is also kind of hungry. We can raid the kitchens or make the chefs cook us something and then be on our way. No one is going to care if I take you with me.”
Iridescent opened his mouth to speak. Then closed it. Then opened it again.
“Yeah but-“
“Just follow me, moron.”
He blinked but followed after her as she walked out of the gardens and towards the castle. How rude.
...Maybe he deserved it after calling her Shimmy, though. It was a really bad nickname.