//------------------------------// // Tell Your Tale: Nightmare Roommate / Welcome To Mane Melody / The Unboxing of Izzy // Story: The Second Dream // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// “Ghooost!” I’d had a sense that something was going on, but had been blissfully ignoring it until I couldn’t anymore.  Pipp screaming in the middle of the night could do that to you. I sat up in bed.  There were at least three simultaneous freakouts occurring around me. This was hardly the first time I had ever slept through roommate shenanigans only to be woken up when they reached a certain level.  I took a fraction of a second to observe, relying on what I could see, and long experience to determine if I was going to be forced to get involved or if I could go back to sleep. On the one hand, I had no idea if ghosts were real in Equestria, they very well could be.  On the other, I could see that the so-called ghost flitting around the room was just a purple bedsheet.  And, let’s be honest, sheet-type ghosts are way less scary than those that have forms of their own.  I mean, and purple. Though, as I watched Sunny, Pipp, and Zipp run around like chickens with their heads cut off, I began to wonder.  Either they knew something about ghosts that I didn’t, hadn’t followed the same train of reasoning, or maybe they just couldn’t see the purple fabric with golden horseshoes printed on it in the darkness like I could. Sunny finally stumbled into the light switch and in the sudden glare all was revealed.  We even learned the source: Izzy, still in bed, was magicking in her sleep. Zipp heaved a sudden breath of relief.  “Easy ponies, it’s a bedsheet.” “Yeah, my bedsheet!” Pipp scoffed.  She grabbed it out of the air and got back in bed in a huff.  “I am like, so super traumatized right now. I’ll be lucky to get any sleep.” Sunny appeared to have taken it slightly better.  She yawned and also got back into bed.  “Just shut your eyes, count pegasheep, and-” “Wait, what are those?” I asked.  “Is that like how even dogs in Equestria have wings?” “Sentra, this is not the time,” Zipp groaned.  Just because it was her, I shut up. In the morning, I was awake with the sun.  I was mildly surprised that Izzy was up even earlier.  I hadn’t figured her for an early riser. She’d pretty well destroyed the house, too.  I mean, who just leaves peanut-buttered bread with one bite out of it on the kitchen floor?  Who just uses someone else’s cell phone with peanut butter-covered hooves?  At least she hadn’t touched any of my stuff, probably because I didn’t really have any stuff. I met her coming out of the bathroom.  She was using someone’s electric toothbrush to scratch her ears.  Yikes. I was quick with my time in the bathroom.  For some reason, there was only one in a house this big for four people. Coming out, I found everyone else in the sitting area under the stairs.  I had apparently managed to sleep through Izzy’s other issues last night, but the rest of them didn’t look so good. As Izzy went cavorting away again, Pipp spoke up.  “She’s becoming a total nightmare roommate!” “I mean, you were the ones who decided to move in together after just meeting,” I observed. “We did kind of save the world along the way, with friendship-based magic,” Sunny retorted. “Yeah, but we’ve still only known each other for a week or two.  And even with experience, I have a lot of friends I definitely wouldn’t live with.” Pipp changed the subject back.  “Sunny, you have to do something.” “Why does Sunny have to?” I asked. “Well, it is her house,” Zipp replied reasonably. “And the whole leadership through the magic of the crystals,” Pipp added. “Not that it wasn’t good leadership, but are you, as a princess-possibly-future-queen really so keen to defer leadership?” I asked her. “We’ll work on this together,” Sunny broke in.  She glanced at me.  “Unless you want to handle it.” I did not. Still, the solution didn’t come easily.  We eventually agreed to make it yet someone else’s problem and headed into town to talk to Hitch, who didn’t live there and was impartial.   “If you’re just inviting everyone to live with you, Sunny, why not also Hitch?” I asked as we walked. “He’s a boy.” That gave me pause.  “Uh, I was also meaning to ask, how old are all of you?” They gave various answers that didn’t really explain it to me.  What did “moons” mean?  Maybe I should find out what the local age of consent was, just in case.  If I could figure out whatever the method of keeping time was. Down at the police station, I saw a wanted poster for former-deputy Sprout.  Huh, had we lost custody of him?  I wasn’t the one that ran the jail.  I also saw that Hitch had put up the ligma poster.  I thought, not for the first time, that maybe I should come clean about this. Though, to who?  Especially when Hitch was right in the middle of explaining to the others- “It sounds to me like you just have to be honest with Izzy,” he advised.  “I can tell you honesty is always the best policy.” He also advised them that maybe a small gift would help the news go down. Well, I figured Sunny, Pipp, and Zipp were a lot better qualified than me to find something like that.  I told them that I was going to hang out at the station and get some work done and they left me behind. I sat down at my desk and put my hooves up.  There was a dogeared copy of the Maretime Bay book of laws on the top.  Hitch had left it there to help me get familiar.  I opened it to the section about sex crimes. It took some mental math, but I determined that everyone was legal.  Okay, good.  I wasn’t planning anything untoward, but it was good to know I wasn’t shacking up with a bunch of minors. I put the book down again and sat back.  I thought about what else I had on my mind.  I paused, wrestling again with my thoughts, and began, “So Hitch, about the ligma-” “Oh yeah, it’s getting really bad,” he said.  “I heard the government was going to issue a statement.  In fact, they were trying to track down the source of the disease.  Didn’t you say someone close to you had it?” “That’s the thing…”  With anyone else, I probably would have already completed the punchline.  Zipp would have laughed.  Izzy, if she got it, would have laughed.  Pipp would have thrown a hissy fit.  Sunny probably would have been annoyed.   But Hitch had repeatedly demonstrated that he was a nice, innocent, upstanding guy and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it to him.  Plus, it might make our work arrangement awkward.  Plus, the more I thought about it, maybe I should ask if it would be okay to move out of Sunny’s place and move in with him instead. But before I could speak, I was interrupted by a phone call.  Hitch picked up.  Though I reflexively answered the phone on my desk, too, I let him speak. The caller seemed frantic about a cat in a tree.  This didn’t seem unusual for Maretime Bay.  Hitch stayed professional and promised help. “You want me to handle it on my way back?” I asked, standing up from my desk as he put the phone down. “Well…”  Hitch looked like he really wanted to do it because it was his town, but nodded.  “I guess you’d have an easier time reaching.  Thanks for the help, Sentra.” I put on my sunglasses and headed out.  The caller was just a few blocks away and as I arrived at the scene, it became pretty apparent which tree it was.   “My poor baby!” an elderly mare wailed, pleading with the cat but getting nowhere.  He didn’t seem to even notice her, sitting on a branch just out of reach. “Ma’am, I’m here about the cat,” I said.  I didn’t have a badge but turned slightly, showing my cutie mark, which was close enough. “Who’re you?  I called Sheriff Hitch.” “Er, Marshal Law.  I’m the federal agent assigned to the area.”  Maybe I did have a problem with lying a little too smoothly.  Well, no, this was a way different situation than the joke-out-of-hand ligma situation.  I felt bad about that one.  This one I could write off as the cost of having a secret identity.  Well, not very secret because I didn’t even have a disguise or anything. I added some actual truth to balance it.  “Sheriff Hitch authorized me to act in his stead with his permission in his jurisdiction.” “Well, okay.”  She still seemed a little put-off, but eyed my wings.  “I suppose you can help.” It was a relatively simple matter to fly up to the cat’s level.  The hard part was actually getting the cat down.  He seemed perfectly placid with his crying owner down below.  In fact, when I reached for him, he merely started to move away down the branch. “Hey, that’s not how this is going to work.”  I grabbed him up. He didn’t scratch me, mostly because I had anticipated it and got him restrained, but he did hiss. “What’s going on?” the old lady asked. “Nothing, almost done!”  I turned back to the cat and a toss of my head lowered my sunglasses so I could lock eyes with him.  I pulled back my lips to show off my own teeth, which were bigger than his.  “Okay you little furball, just for that, I’m going to tell her you’ll calm down and stop wandering away from home after a neutering.” I think he got the message.  At any rate, I didn’t actually tell her. After handing the cat over, I headed out.  Back at the lighthouse house, the girls seemed to have figured things out with Izzy and made up, but I was still on the fence about staying in the house.  I mean, aside from the limited bathroom facilities, no private rooms, and the fact that my bed was located furthest from the stairs in case of a fire, I didn’t want to have to keep dealing with drama.  You know who didn’t have drama?  Hitch. After apparently getting their friendship deal sorted out, the girls wanted to go down to the salon.  I went along mostly out of curiosity.  I didn’t think anything was wrong with my style, but acknowledged that I was still learning to maintain it myself.  Oh right, I also needed to get some more eyeliner.  Never too much eyeliner. To my surprise, the place, Mane Melody, was owned by Pipp.  Her having a small business, much less employment of any kind, was unexpected.  Not only that, but it turned out to be not just a salon but a karaoke stage. Well, I was supposed to be a metal singer or something.  I had to keep my voice husky somehow, and headed for the sound system.  I’d even turn down the volume and just scream with my own lungpower, if they were concerned about the effect through the amps, but Pipp steered me away before I could touch the microphone. “Sentra, how about you try a new look?” she said, sitting me down in front of a mirror and hairdressing setup. “Such as?” She touched my mane and made a face.  “How much gel is in this?” “Are you asking in terms of bottles, or…?” The opened and Hitch came in.  “Hey Sentra, I’m glad I found you.  Could you help me with something?” I wavered, but got up.  “Sure.” As we left the building, Hitch said, “Okay, full disclosure, you looked out of place there and it was about to get awkward because-” Phyllis Cloverleaf walked by us on the sidewalk.  Hitch gave her a friendly smile, but she shot me a side eye before going into the salon. “I see,” I said.  “Thanks.” Though maybe I should have stayed, just to see what Pipp would do with Phyllis.  Maybe I could get a good video clip to post online, too.  But I didn’t say that to Hitch.  Not to mention, I had appreciated that Pipp actually let people look in the mirror.  What’s up with barbershops and salons always keeping customers turned away so they can’t watch the progress? “But I did actually need your help,” Hitch said.  “I just got an extradition request from Zephyr Heights and I’ve never had to deal with something like this before.” We headed over to the office.  Hitch showed me the letter and I sat down at my desk to read over it.  “So who is this guy?  Bonesaw?” “They say he’s wanted for serious crimes, but they weren’t specified,” Hitch said.  “If we see him in town, Zephyr Heights wants him, and wants us to arrest him and take him back.” I leaned back.  “If he’s a fugitive, we should probably arrest him, but I’m kind of the opinion that if they want him, they can come get him.” “See?  That’s why I wanted to ask you.” I hoped that was the right answer.  I was kind of making things up over here.  Then again, as far as I knew, I was the first and only pony to hold such a position, so maybe I was supposed to be making it up.  At the least, it was reassuring that Hitch agreed with me. “Hey, later,” Hitch said, “do you want to hang out?  I’ve been putting together some ideas.  You’re new in town, so I wanted to do a tour.” It was the first time he had reached out with something like this.  “I’d l-love to.” He pulled out a notebook and went through it chatting happily.  “I’ve got the local museum, the ropes course, the beach, and all the little shops.” Not all of that sounded like it was quite my speed, but I was happy he was happy.  “When are we going?” “Just as soon as the others get done.” “...others?” “Yeah, I’ve got to hang out with all my friends, right?”  He looked up. “I…I guess.” Hitch headed for the door.  “Come on, Sentra.  Everypony else is almost done at Mane Melody.  Let’s go hang out.  As a group.” The group of us met up in the town square.  Hitch was about as excited as I’d ever seen him, and believe me, the guy had tons of hobbies. “Get ready for the ultimate Maretime Bay tour!” he announced.  I felt like clapping for some reason. Wait, hooves can’t clap.  Uh… Everyone else seemed enthusiastic, though maybe showing it more than me.  Izzy said, “I’m gonna see this, and I’m gonna see that, and I’m gonna see-” She stepped into a unicorn trap leftover from before the three races were friendly and was promptly boxed up like a present. Pipp, Zipp, and Sunny gasped.  Hitch said, “I thought all the unicorn traps were disabled!” “Were they?” I said.  “Did someone reactivate them without you knowing?  Maybe Sprout, considering he’s a fugitive?” “Well, maybe-” “A little help?” Sunny interrupted. Hitch went over and pressed the release button on the trap but nothing happened.  “It’s not working!” “This is sounding more and more like sabotage,” I observed. “You think so?” he asked. “How are we going to get her out?” Sunny said, still focused on the here-and-now. “I’m fine,” Izzy said, voice distorted from inside the box.  “This’ll be fun!  I’ve never been a box before.” Her magic started shimmering and the box lifted into the air.  “Is it levitating? Did I do it? Am I a levitating box?” “This is ridiculous. You can't even see!” Hitch protested. “But I can use my imagination!” Fair enough.  The others tied a rope onto the floating box and the tour continued. Hitch took us around the town square, by the movie theater, and past a curious building with green crosses on it. “Do you guys smoke weed?” I asked, surprised. “Do what?” Hitch said.  I didn’t push it. We went by an art museum called the Houvre.  Nothing against Maretime Bay, but with all the parallels I had seen from this world to my own, I was a little surprised that a hoity-toity place like that was located in a relative backwater like this.  Well, okay, it wasn’t like Maretime Bay was some landlocked hick pony-ville, but it felt like a reasonably small seaside town, not some center of culture.  That made it all the more puzzling that Pipp seemed to be into the museum. Zipp, on the other hand, seemed to be interested in a ropes adventure course in the woods outside town. Finally, though most of the town was already built seaside, Hitch took us to the beach.  “Here it is!” “I love it, Hitch!” Izzy gushed.  “My favorite place in all of Maretime Bay!  ...We’re looking at a parking meter, right?” Hitch let out a noise of frustration and threw up his hooves.  “That is it!  We have to get Izzy out of there now!” He went and wrestled with the box for a moment, but nothing seemed to happen despite the effort.  The opening mechanism was still broken, apparently.  Panting, he paused for breath and we circled up to make a plan. “Surely someone around here has power tools, right?” I said.  “I mean, how else did Sunny’s new house get built so quickly?” Hitch nodded.  “We need-” Just then, we noticed Izzy was levitating herself again, and starting to slip over the sidewalk railing towards the ocean below.  All of us made a simultaneous lunge for the box, but were too late. “Weeeee!” The box crashed down atop a rock jutting out of the water, and then it tipped over and sank with a splash. I don’t actually remember making a conscious decision to move, but about halfway over the railing I realized that I was going to have to tuck my wings to make a dive, and then wondered why I was thinking about that instead of coming up with an actual plan. All I knew was that drowning in a metal box was a terrible way to die and I didn’t want it to happen to someone else I knew. This close to shore, the water wasn’t too deep, but it was still plenty deep enough.  The box had already come to rest on the bottom and big bubbles were streaming out.  I still wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, but in desperation, tried to pick it up.  Its buoyancy from the remaining air inside might help, but it would only get continuously heavier as water got in. Just as I got my hooves around it, Izzy’s magic glowed and either lifted the box herself or gave me a big assist.  I lifted the box above my head, load feeling light, and kicked hard. Yeah, it was probably the magic that shot us entirely out of the water, but I looked like a superhero in the meantime.  In so doing, my hooves hit some kind of secondary button on the underside of the trap and it popped open.  I wasn’t sure why Hitch hadn’t tried this one. As the trap released Izzy, she started to tumble.  I got my wings out, caught her, and dropped back down to the sidewalk in what was probably a pretty cool landing. Izzy laughed.  “Wow, that was amazing.” Everyone else seemed to think so too, though for different reasons.  I got crushed in a group hug. “That was so cool!” Zipp cheered. “Just doing my job,” I managed, though wasn’t sure if that was true. “Well, when something doesn't go to plan, you just have to...wait for it...think outside the box!” Sunny said.  She put her foreleg around Izzy’s shoulders.  “We’re going to take her to the hospital to get checked out now.” “Aside from what just happened, I heard ligma is getting bad,” Pipp said. “Wait, are you for real?” I said.  I glanced around.  “Is this actually a thing?  You aren’t having me on?  Is everyone really…” “What are you talking about?” Zipp asked, straightfaced. “Nothing.”  I shook my head.  The girls started to turn away for the hospital.   “Wait,” I said.  Realization was slowly dawning on me.  I pointed at Pipp.  “Tell me you recorded what just happened.” She rolled her eyes and groaned, but fessed up.  “Of course I did.” I grinned and waved as she turned away in a huff to leave with the others. I heaved a breath and tipped my head back.  Who knew that acting on impulse could occasionally work out really well? “Sentra, that was amazing,” Hitch said, voice quieter now that we were alone.  He raised a hoof to brush back some of the loose, soaking mane in my face.  “You, uh, got something here.” I could only imagine how bedraggled I must look right now.  I mean, my mane looked like a birdsnest, albeit a carefully arranged one, on the best of days, to say nothing of my makeup.  Maybe that was why he looked just a little startled as I turned to him. “Hey, Hitch, I fully realize this is a bad time to be asking,” I said.  Or maybe not, while he was still appreciating me. “Uh, asking what?” he said, as I took a step closer. “It’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you, and I’m kind of riding the adrenaline right now and feeling a little reckless.” “Uh…what’s this about?” he asked, taking a step back.  Now that we were nose to nose, I had maybe an inch of height on him. “Long ago, I decided that if I couldn’t get with senpai, I was going to have to become senpai and take the lead.”   I leaned forward into his personal space as he backed up against the edge of the sidewalk and put one hoof on the railing beside his shoulder.  “Would you go out with me?”