After her discussion with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, Pinkie Pie had stopped handing out Missing Pony posters. As well as helped take down many of the ones she already posted. Throughout it all, she kept a firm watch on the town. One eye always checking to see if the new colt in town came walking by. He didn’t, Pinkie knew that because she was watching!
Even now, Pinkie Pie was on the hunt! Half of her body sticking out of a chimney, her hooves held a pair of binoculars to her eyes. Scanning her surroundings for any signs of a goggles wearing stallion. She may not be trying to start a search party for him, but she will find him! Even if it’s the last thing sh-
“Hey Pinkie Pie…”
The binoculars turned to look towards the pegasus talking to her. All Pinkie could see was the yellow of her eyeball. “Who is it? You’re really yellow!”
“Um, Pinkie, it’s me, Ditzy Doo? Can you see me?”
“Yeah! But you’re REALLY big! When did you get so huge?”
“Oooh, yeah, I must look pretty big with binoculars on.” Ditzy giggled, and Pinkie brought down her goggles.
“Oh hey Ditzy! What’s up?” She asked, and her giggling quickly became an uncomfortable stutter.
“W-Well, do you happen to have another stack of those posters you wanted handed out? I may have dropped the ones I had in the river…”
“That’s okay! We’re all done with handing them out anyways, so it’s no biggie.”
Ditzy Doo always appreciated working with Pinkie Pie. She was always so nice, even when Ditzy fumbled a cake onto the ground. Which she did at least three different times. Pinkie always gave her a pat on the head and baked a brand new one. Thankfully, she didn’t have to bake it a fourth time for that trip.
“Did you find that pony you were looking for then?” Ditzy asked.
“Nope! That’s why I'm still looking for him. You didn’t happen to see him, did you Ditzy?”
“I don’t think so, but I did meet somepony.”
“Uh huh, uh huh.”
Pinkie was no longer interested in the conversation, she put back up her binoculars and kept searching. An ear was still swiveled towards Ditzy, however. Pinkie wouldn’t just ignore her as she kept talking!
“He was this pony that’s staying with the doc. I didn’t think much of it at first.”
“Uh huh”
“But then he called me really cool! Nopony’s ever called me cool. What does it mean when a stallion tells you you’re really cool?”
“Obviously he thinks you’re cool, Ditzy!”
“Yeah, but what does it mean when a stallion thinks you’re cool?”
“Well then he likes you, silly!”
For a few moments, both of Ditzy’s eyes pointed towards Pinkie Pie. A tilt of her head, then a blink, then a tint of red. “Really?… You think so?”
“Duh!! Who was it?”
“I never got his name…”
“That’s okey dokey.” Pinkie was surprisingly good at engaging conversation while watching for a stallion from inside a chimney. “Tell me what he looks like and I'll tell you!”
“Okay!” Ditzy smiled. “He is a light brown earth pony, kind of like sand when it’s damp. With medium length curly brown hair, and bright emerald green eyes. Oh, and he had a pair of goggles on his he- Oh hi Pinkie, when did you get so close?”
“Where was this pony again?!?!”
“Staying at Dr. Hooves’ place. I found him in his basement.”
And before Ditzy could react, she was gone. Not before Pinkie hugged the pegasus and left a cupcake in her hooves. A pink blur dashing off into the distance, the bottom half of the blur was shaded black from the chimney.
“How have you been, High Rise?”
“…I wish I could say I was better.”
“Your band? Right? I’m so sorry.”
“It was inevitable, I guess.”
“Yeah…”
High Rise remembered this place. A private study for the personal student of Princess Twilight Sparkle. He came here after his band had broken apart. An argument between their two lead guitarists broke open the dam of hidden resentments and frustrations between them. High Rise tried to calm everything down, to help them reconcile, but it was impossible. The only one who wanted to stay together was him.
“Why doesn’t anypony get along anymore?” He asked his friend. “We shouldn’t be like this. Even if-… Sorry, I shouldn’t bring that up.”
“No, it’s alright.”
A long silence fell between them. He remembered how hard it was to talk to his own friend around this time. His friend was so full of grief, he would do anything to help her move forward.
“Do you think things will go back to the way they once were?” She asked him.
“Maybe not the same… but I think it will get better. Some day.”
“You’ve always been so positive, High Rise.”
It was a bittersweet feeling, being able to see the bright side. Having hope in a hopeless situation.
“If only things could go back to the way they were…” His friend surmised, and High Rise remembered the moment she had decided to try and turn back time.
Then he awoke.
A full night's rest did wonders for High Rise’s tension. His eyes were stirred by the slightest bit of sunlight peeking out of the bedroom blinds. He didn’t remember closing the blinds, but he appreciated the extra time it gave him to sleep in. Slowly, he brought himself onto his hooves, and grabbed the bronze aviator goggles laying next to the bed. Placing them back onto his forehead. His hoof gently brushed the glass, a warm smile on his face. It reminded him of home.
After cleaning himself up and getting a brush stuck in his mane, he headed downstairs where he was greeted by Time Turner. Two cups of coffee out on the table between them. “Good Morning, Mr. Rise.” He said with a welcoming smile. The blinds were closed on the first floor as well.
“Morning, Doctor.” High Rise said with a yawn, the coffee on the table quickly reached his hooves. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome, did you sleep well?”
Clink, Shirk, Shiiift.
“Pretty well, actually. Best I've slept since… well since I got here.”
Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk.
“I’m glad to hear that! Today is a big day, have you prepared yourself for it?”
“I don’t know if i’d say i’m prepared, but the sooner we do it the better.”
Giggle Giggle.
“You know, Doc? The machines downstairs are pretty loud this morning.”
“Hrm, i’ll have to do some calibrations to some of my equipment. I’ve never heard it make such a noise.”
The two looked at each other, deadpan, then simultaneously shrugged. Their slurps of coffee coming out at the exact same time.
“What should I expect? From the Element of Laughter, I mean.”
“Far more energy than you can imagine. It will be overwhelming at first, but everything she does has the singular goal of making the ponies around her happy. It is better to play along and let her do her thing. You’ll even have fun if you do.”
“Ah, I've always been good at matching other ponies’ tempo.”
“A useful trait to have, far better than panic.”
High Rise chuckled. “Yeah, you’re not wrong there.”
Giggle Giggl- Sssh!
“I must say, I have no idea which of my tools is doing that!”
“Do you want to postpone my introductions until you can fix that?”
“No no, it’ll be easier to do this bright and early. So that the rest of the day can be spent researching. I’ll take care of it later.”
“Alright, shall we get going then?”
Murmur Murmur.
“I suppose we shall. Remember, you are my old friend from Trottingham High. The specific details are yours to fill, and remember, I will be there with you if you need assistance.”
“I appreciate it, Doc.” High Rise grinned and got up with him. “I think I'll be okay, no more worrying about what will happen. Just get it done and come back. Maybe I can even convince Pinkie Pie to not throw me a party.”
“Possibly! Though I have never seen somepony succeed. You could be the first.”
“I could!”
The two laughed again, joined by another giggle from some broken machine. Together they approached the door, and with a calming breath High Rise swung it open. Today will be okay, just take it one step at a-
“SURPRISE!!”
Balloons flew into the air, streamers popped and confetti rained from the sky. All at once, High Rise had felt like he had walked into circus grounds. Circus music included. Tables decorated with a pastel rainbow assortment of colors were scattered across the street outside the Doctor’s house. On the tables were anything from punch bowls, to cakes and sweets, to party games. Above all of that, was a banner held aloft by two pegasi. Bearing on it a simple message.
“WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!”
What felt like a hundred eyes were currently gazing towards the open doorway. Right at the goggles-wearing earth pony. What they saw was a pony currently suffering from sensory overload. His ears didn’t know where to point. The pupils of his eyes became tiny dots cast adrift in a white sea. The jawbone ceased to stay upright, falling as far as the joint physically allowed it to. Motor functions failed to process this information, and as such, left him in a state of shock.
High Rise was very surprised. He didn’t even register when a pink marshmallow came up to him.
“Hi there! My name is Pinkie Pie and I welcome everypony in Ponyville, but I somehow missed welcoming you to Ponyville when you came three whole days ago! To make up for being so darned late, I made you an extra special, extra big, extra awesome surprise Welcome to Ponyville party just for you! I only found out where you were staying last night from Ditzy, so I had to work extra super hard to set everything up overnight. Not everypony in Ponyville came because it’s really early in the morning and a lot of ponies have work to do, but a lot of ponies DID come and they’re all here to meet you! I would have told them more about you but I completely missed the chance to meet you for three days, so I don’t actually know your name! So let me reintroduce myself, my name is Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?”
Silence fell between them, not a single pony in the crowd spoke a single word. High Rise finally regained control of eyeballs, scanning the world around him. First, he suspected that Time Turner had something to do with this party, but one cursory glance at the shocked doctor disproved that notion. Then he scanned the crowd behind the pink mare in front of him. There, he saw a handful of familiar faces. Ditzy Doo, the snitch he met yesterday, was in the front of the crowd with a pointy party hat on. Nearby that pegasus were the faces of the mares he had met during his panic episode. The Element of Kindness, Fluttershy. The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. The Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle.
They all had happy looks on their faces. Ready to enjoy a party and meet a possible new friend. That lump in his throat began to crawl its way back, to block any form of forward progress. His body told him to run the moment he saw Twilight Sparkle. Not because he was afraid of her, but because he was afraid of being around her.
But the time to prepare himself came and reminded High Rise that there was nothing he could do to stop it. The ponies in Ponyville knew who he was and the only way to get them to move on was to do this. When he could feel his body relax again, High Rise let out a drawn out breath. Then, High Rise smiled at Pinkie Pie.
“It’s nice to meet you, Pinkie. I’m High Rise.”
Pinkie Pie smiled a smile that was larger than any smile he had ever seen someone smile. A pink hoof wrapped around him, Pinkie got up on her hind legs, and called out to the crowd.
“Everypony! Meet High Rise!”
All at once, the crowd responded.
“Welcome to Ponyville, High Rise!”
In Canterlot, the Princesses Celestia and Luna are seen as the epitome of grace and high society. Perfection is in their every action, every moment. Celestia is the all-loving being of the sun, with room in her hearts for all of her little ponies. A motherly figure to some, a great and wise teacher to others, the great ruler of Equestria to all. Luna is the cool and mysterious mare of the night. The protector of dreams, the ponies of Equestria find her within their own nightmares, calming their fears and bringing with it a peaceful rest. They are beautiful, with manes that seem to blow in an unseen breeze wherever they go.
Everywhere except breakfast.
Crunch, Munch, Munch.
“We are appalled by what some of these stallions begin to dream about after we visit them, sister. It is beyond vulgar!”
“Munch… That is not too different from how they were one thousand years ago, Lulu.”
A daily ritual had been started ever since the return of Princess Luna in Canterlot Castle. Every morning, the private wing of Celestia and Luna are vacated, and the two sisters have breakfast together in peace and quiet. This time without servants, or dignitaries, or guards, or visitors gave the two time to put down the royal decorum and talk to each other like sisters. With their hair no longer flowing in an intangible breeze, and their crowns placed to the side, they chatted like any other ponies, and Celestia loved the chance to be with her sister in this way. All while she stuffed her mouth with buttered toast.
“It is very different! Stallions of millennia past used to fantasize about the great ruler of the night. In awe and in fear of our great majesty. Now, they fantasize us as a demure princess in need of a strong and valiant knight. The colts of modern day have grown confident in themselves.”
“Maybe, but they are merely fantasies. Crunch…”
“Yes, we understand, but we wish that they fantasize something less… demeaning! Thou still get depicted as the great princess of the sun in their dreams…”
Celestia giggled, using a napkin to clean the crumbs off her cheek. “I am sure that there will be a colt who will create a fantasy in his dreams with the beautiful, alluring goddess of the night.”
“Sister!”
The giggling became a full laugh, Luna’s anger quickly subsiding before joining in the laughter herself. This is what Celestia missed the most from these past one thousand years, the times together with the most important pony in her life. When their laughter finally came to an end, Celestia was back to her toast.
“Speaking of interesting dreams, we did find ourselves visiting one that was quite peculiar.”
“Munch… How so?”
“It was a dream that reflected a memory more than fantasy, but could not have been a memory. The details within it were clearly incorrect. He dreamed of Canterlot Castle, where he was talking with the personal student to the Princess.”
“You mean Twilight Sparkle? I do not see how that would be odd, was it one of her friends?”
“No, in fact, we do not believe they know each other at all. As well, it was not your student, it was the personal student of Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Celestia stopped just before her last bite of toast, a clear look of surprise pointed towards her sister. “A fantasy of my student being a Princess?”
“Not fantasy, memory.” Luna corrected. “It was a peculiar dream that ended far too soon for us to make sense of it.”
No response came from Celestia this time, the fun of the morning breakfast seems to have drained from her. Luna didn’t notice this change, a yawn escaping her before she could.
“I believe it is time for me to retire, we shall see you at dinner, sister?”
“Yes of course, Lulu… before you go, what was the name of the pony who had that peculiar dream?”
“He was a stallion by the name of High Rise. Currently residing in the town of Ponyville.”
“I see.” Celestia tapped her chin, then threw a smile onto her face to watch Luna depart. “Sleep well, dear sister!”
It took only a few moments for the princess of the sun to regain her majestic form. Her pink mane blew out into a rainbow, her posture straightened, and regalia fitted. The image of the great ruler she is, now perfectly formed upon her. Though as she walked out from the dining hall to start her day properly, a gnawing thought had been left on her mind. About a colt in Ponyville, who possibly knew about her plans for her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle…
One has to truly experience a Pinkie Pie party to understand just what it is that makes them the best parties you can ever attend. The contents of the party are only a single piece of it. In fact, this welcoming party could be compared to a regular foal’s birthday party in its style. With colorful balloons and streamers to catch the eye, sweets and baked goodies all around to snack on, and simple party games for ponies of all ages to participate in.
What made her parties the best was Pinkie Pie herself. Her excitability, her manic attentiveness, and ability to burst out a new entertaining thing whenever the atmosphere began to die down. Within minutes of attending his welcoming party, Pinkie Pie had broken down what was left of High Rise’s barriers, and made him truly want to just have fun.
Even when the Elements of Harmony began to approach him.
“Hello High Rise! Are you enjoying your party?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she approached, followed by her two pegasus friends.
“I am!” He replied. “I really wasn’t expecting anything like this, but it’s been a blast!”
Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each smiled towards him. Each trying to ignore the fact that High Rise had a cupcake frosting beard on his face. Pinkie had given him cupcakes almost immediately after his introduction, and he wasted no time chowing down.
“Yeah-! Pinkie’s parties are always awesome.” Rainbow said.
“I am glad to hear that.” Twilight chimed in. “Allow me to introduce myself and my friends. My name is Twilight Sparkle, the pegasus next to me is Fluttershy.” She gestured towards the yellow and pink pegasus, who hid herself behind her own mane. “And this is-“
“Rainbow Dash, future Wonderbolt, fastest flier in Equestria~” Rainbow Dash interjected, crossing her hooves and flashing a smug grin.
“-yes, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, High Rise, but I am correct in saying that we have already met, right?”
And there it is. High Rise was expecting this would happen. In fact, half of his thoughts this past night was on how he was going to explain this. There really wasn’t a plausible answer, and he certainly couldn’t say ‘I know who you are in the future and I panicked’. So he decided on a different way to do it.
“Yup.” He replied nonchalantly.
“We just wanted to, um.” Fluttershy finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly louder than the last time he heard her. Does it go up every time you speak to her? Or the presence of her friends helped to open up her shell. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Yeah, dude, I dunno what was happening but you were panicking like crazy when I saw you.”
“Ah, yeah, about that…” It was time for the master plan, the method he would use to end any conversation about this topic. It was going to really ruin his dignity, but it would do the job.
“I’m sorry about everything you saw back there… I had a few hard ciders during the Night-Mares show that night, and, well…”
The three mares had their eyes go wide, unsure of how to respond.
“Oh my.”
“Dude.”
“…eep!”
“Yeeeaah.” High Rise bowed his head low. “I am very sorry about that, I'd appreciate it if we could… forget about that?”
“O-Oh of course!” Twilight stammered, flustered at the mere thought of what hard cider had (falsely) made High Rise do. “I would never judge anypony for that, one’s tolerance can be very different. N-Not that I would know that, i’ve never had it myself, but I understand now that you were under the influence of something that affected your mind in-“
“Twi, he gets it.” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s cool, man. All forgotten.”
If there was one thing High Rise had learned today, it was that the Elements of Harmony were surprisingly innocent. The thought crossed his mind about what it would look like to see Twilight Sparkle try hard cider… and the better part of his mind squashed that thought right away. Don’t ruin a pony’s innocence, especially a future princess’.
“Thanks.” High Rise said with a smile.
“I believe I overheard something rather scandalous.” A new voice entered into the conversation. A white mare with a perfect purple mane cascading down her head and neck. “Don’t fret over it, darling. We all have an experience like that at least once in our lives.”
“You have, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash leaned in towards the new mare, raising a brow.
“Yes, and just like Sir High Rise’s moment, it is gone and forgotten.”
“High Rise, this is another one of my friends, Rarity.” Twilight introduced him to the white mare, who fluttered her eyes in response.
“Rarity?” High Rise inquired.
“Like a one of a kind gem.” Rarity replied.
“For a one of a kind mare.”
The group all looked in surprise at High Rise. Except for Twilight, who didn’t register that he had just flirted with one of her friends. While even Rarity was taken aback by the sudden flirtation. “My oh my, what a charmer.” She giggled and batted her eyelashes. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
“Hey! You’re already met all my friends!” Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into the conversation. Feigning an annoyed look that she didn’t get to introduce him. “The only one missing is Applejack, but she was busy at Sweet Apple Acres to attend.”
“That’s alright.” High Rise said with a wave of his hoof. “I’m sure a lot of ponies were busy. I’m honestly amazed there are this many here so early.”
“That’s because they’re all here to meet you, silly! C’mon I know just who to introduce you to next!”
The next 20-30 minutes of the party consisted of Pinkie Pie grabbing High Rise by the hoof and bringing him along to meet each and every pony at the party. Dr. Hooves stayed silent for the most part, quietly watching High Rise as he waited to see if he would ever need his help. To the doctor’s surprise, he never once needed it. Once High Rise had broken out of his shell, he genuinely lived up to his promise yesterday. No matter what pony he met, he was able to match their energy and connect with them in a way he never would have expected.
Their cover story went off without a hitch as well. Anytime a pony asked about his history with Time Turner, High Rise was able to pull out a brand new story to tell about their made up relationship. Even if some of them painted Time Turner as an introverted nerd being dragged around by his extroverted best buddy. Nopony questioned their authenticity, only enjoying the stories and the way he painted them.
When Pinkie Pie had finished approaching every pony in the party with High Rise in tow, Time Turner approached him with renewed interest.
“Is this how you are really like, High Rise?” The Doctor pondered in a hushed voice. “You are more of a socialite than I expected.”
“I told you, doc.” High Rise grinned. “I’m pretty good at matching the tempo.”
The rest of the morning was spent without any stress or worry. Enjoying the party games Pinkie Pie had prepared. From board games to group activities, like Tangler. Where ponies placed their hooves on colored circles on the ground until they became twisted up. High Rise’s longer than average legs came in useful for this game, but Pinkie’s ability to contort her body in every which way proved too much for the stallion. In his match against the pink menace, he found his back legs buckling underneath him. Falling flat on his face.
“That was a good showing.” Rarity commented as High Rise limped off the gamepad. “Most ponies aren’t able to last that long against Pinkie Pie.”
“Yeah, I think I stretched a muscle doing that.” High Rise watched as Pinkie began to play against her next opponent. A filly by the name of Sweetie Belle. He couldn’t help but feel this game was unfair, given how stubby the foal’s legs were compared to Pinkie.
“Do your best, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called out, the foal did happen to be her little sister. “Are you hoping for some form of comfort by mentioning that?”
“I’m sure you’d make me feel much better, Rarity, but I'll have to refuse.”
“Oh my!” Rarity giggled. “You haven’t exactly shied away from flirting with me this entire party. Getting cold hooves now of all times?”
High Rise looked up at Rarity, his eyebrows raised. “Wait, we were flirting?”
“Do you often call mares you first meet a ‘one of a kind’ mare?”
“Well, yeah, if it makes them happy to hear that.”
The innocent smile on High Rise left Rarity dumbfounded. He actually wasn’t flirting with her? “Is that so?”
“Yep, it’s something I do with anypony I meet really. A compliment goes a long way to starting a good connection, and I have to give a compliment if I get one of course. Plus…” He leaned closer to Rarity. “I actually don’t favor mares.”
“Oh….Oh!… Oooh…” Rarity turned her head, and realized a unique thing about the newest pony in Ponyville. All around them, there were mares eyeing High Rise. Since Pinkie Pie had introduced him to everypony here personally, he had to have given a personal compliment to every single mare here…
And all of them had no idea he was into stallions.
“Darling.” Rarity grabbed his attention. “I wish you the best of luck.”
Rarity walked off after that, leaving a confused High Rise sitting at the side of the Tangler game. He didn’t even notice that he was being watched.
Celestia’s sun had reached its height in the sky. Marking the end of the welcome party. Those who stayed behind were the ponies who helped clean up the mess from the party. Including Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Time Turner, and surprisingly, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow wasn’t actually helping, but she was there.
“Hey, High Rise.” She asked from the low flying cloud she lazed on. “Could I see those goggles you’re always wearing?”
He looked up at the cloud from the garbage he was picking up. “Sure, but be careful with them please.”
Delicately, High Rise took off his pair of goggles and held them up to the cloud. Rainbow reached down to take it from him. “I won’t break them, man, I just wanna see.”
“I know, they’re just important to me.”
“I’ll be careful.” She says while swinging them around her hoof. The pegasus then shifted the goggles back and forth in front of her. Inspecting every side of it. All of a sudden, she let out a gasp in surprise.
“This is a pair of goggles that the Stormclouds wear!!” Rainbow squealed in glee. “Oh man, these are way cooler than I thought!”
“The Stormclouds?” Fluttershy asked from the table she was clearing.
“Yeah! They’re only the premiere Cloudsdale music group. They do performances alongside the Wonderbolts! The Stormclouds tie in music to play along with the Wonderbolts’ aerobatic routines! There’s this one where the bass player starts doing this really fast ‘dunuhnuhnuhnuh’ part as the Wonderbolts go into a full dive-.”
High Rise knew exactly which song she was referencing. He couldn’t help but tag along on her fangirling moment. “-and as the Wonderbolts pull up one by one, each instrument joins in until the chorus explodes with the thunder clouds!”
“Oooh, yeah!” A hoof reached out towards the stallion, and he wasted no time in bumping it with his own. “I didn’t expect an earth pony to be such a big Stormclouds fan!”
“My dad’s a pegasus, and he was a-“ The words caught in his throat, what he was about to say would have had far too many implications for Rainbow Dash to consider. “-Uuh, he was a big fan of theirs!”
“That does sound nice… but maybe a bit too loud for me.”
“Everything’s too loud for you, Fluttershy… Hey, wait a minute.”
The blue pegasus turned over the goggles in her hooves again. Where she noticed an engraving on the side of them. Etched into the bronze plate of the goggles was the number 8. With the words ‘generation’ etched above the number. Rainbow Dash scrutinized this little detail, before sending a confused look down towards High Rise.
“Why does this say the eighth generation Stormclouds?” She asked him. “We’re on the fourth generation of Stormclouds.”
That lump in his throat had formed again. The Stormclouds group was known to rotate members over the years, much like the Wonderbolts. Each new group that comes in to be the Stormclouds is considered a new generation. In High Rise’s time, that was the eighth generation. So of course he’d have an eighth generation pair of goggles…
How exactly was he supposed to explain this?
“Ah, I remember this.” Time Turner jutted himself into the conversation. “Your father gave that to you for your birthday, correct? I believe he thought it was a genuine pair of goggles, but didn’t realize it was a replica.”
Saved by the Doctor! “Y-Yeah, that’s right. They’re not a real pair…” It hurt to say that last sentence. “…But I still love them anyway.”
“A replica? Well, that’s less cool.” Rainbow Dash held out the goggles back towards him, which he accepted eagerly. Placing them back on his head. “Still a little cool, I guess.”
The group continued the rest of the cleanup in relative silence. Before long, the entire street around Time Turner’s home was wiped clean of the party. The last few ponies that helped out waved their goodbyes to the brown stallions. Until they were the only ponies left. When they stepped into the house once again, the two stallions breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t believe that could have gone better. Well done, dear boy.”
“She really can throw a party.”
“Indeed she can.”
The two chuckled, before High Rise let out a sigh. His high from the party was beginning to settle, and the thoughts began to creep into him.
“What do you think changed because of me today, Doc?” High Rise asked, his tone betraying his inner turmoil. “Was this all really okay?”
There was no hesitation from the Doctor, a warm smile graced his lips. “I believe that the only thing that has changed, is that the town of Ponyville had a great time today, and got to meet a wonderful new friend.”
“Besides, the town now knows you. You are no longer the new thing, and it will be far easier to lay low. Which means we will be able to begin the research properly! No more putting out fires, it is time to find a way to get you home.”
Dr. Hooves was off towards the basement. Where he would no doubt scour the books he had borrowed. Out of anypony he could have possibly found to help him, Time Turner ended up being the best pony for it. High Rise had no idea how long it would take, but he felt safe knowing that the Doctor was here for him.
“Thank you, Doc.” He said to the empty space where Time Turner once stood. “For everything.”
There was still plenty of time in the day, but High Rise couldn’t help himself. He sat down on Time Turner’s couch, listening to the idle sounds that bled through the walls and windows. It was the first time that he really felt comfortable here in Ponyville. All the stress of his circumstances, all the worries and panic that he put himself under. All seemed to pass him by. There was still that dark spot in his chest, a feeling of guilt about what he has done, and is continuing to do. That doubt that told him he was doing something very, very wrong.
But when he saw the smiling faces of the ponies today. How they enjoyed his company just as much as he enjoyed their company. The only other time he felt like this, like himself, was when he was on stage with the Night-Mares. His trusty goggles over his eyes, drumsticks in his hooves, playing his heart out to a joyous crowd. He hadn’t felt that in a long time, and he hadn’t felt the comfort of a real party full of happy ponies either.
It wasn’t like that in the future anymore.
High Rise hadn’t realized it, but he had begun to play the couch underneath him like an instrument. Matching his mood and growing slower as his thoughts lingered towards his home. He was confident that Time Turner would help him find a way. The stallion wanted nothing more than to go home, but what would be awaiting him when he got there? Would the world be different, the butterfly effect taking its toll and changing everything?
Or would it be just as bad as the moment he left it?
“Welcome back, Twi.” Spike said, stifling a yawn as he sat at the counter for the Golden Oak Library. The unicorn entered the room smiling towards the baby dragon. With a flick of her magic, she placed the saddlebags she had onto a nearby shelf.
“Thank you, Spike. Did anypony come by this morning?”
“Not a single pony.” The dragon huffed. “Was everypony in the entire town at that party or what? It took everything in my power not to grab the ice cream tub..”
“More ponies attended than I thought, actually. I thought you were still abstaining from ice cream?”
“Exactly!”
“Oh Spike.” Twilight giggled, a hoof reaching to rub the baby dragon’s head, to his great annoyance.
“Hey! I just styled that.”
His protest was met with more rubs. Grumbling to himself while Twilight goes on to her agenda.
“How was the party anyway? Did you meet that guy who weirded you out?” Spike asked
“He didn’t weird me out!” She shook her head while crossing ‘attend welcome party’ off the to do list. “His visit and what I heard just made me concerned, that's all, and I found out it was nothing to worry about after all.”
“Really? Then why did he do all that stuff?”
“…I have sworn to never repeat it.” She said, the fluster on her face giving at least part of it away. Even Spike could see that.
“Uh huuh.” It was now Spike’s turn to giggle. “So it was fun?”
“Yes. Pinkie did a fantastic job, and High Rise loved it. So we can tuck that mystery away and begin preparing for the dragon migration!”
Spike was ready to leave that topic alone, but the way Twilight lingered on a page in her planner made him pause. He walked over to the Unicorn and leaned in to give a look towards her, then to the new paper she had been writing on.
“Uh, Twi? If you’re tucking that away, why are you writing out everything you know about him on a parchment?”
“Huh?” Twilight blinked and looked down at the paper. She had indeed been writing out a diagram of all the information she knew about the stallion High Rise. “Well…”
“Is there something about this guy that’s bugging you, Twilight?”
“…Yes.” She sighed, putting the parchment aside. “I know I shouldn’t be poking into somepony else like this, but there’s just something…off about him. I just don’t know what it is!”
“What do you mean?”
“Throughout the entire party, he was very friendly and outgoing with everypony. But whenever I was talking with High Rise, he had this look in his eyes that… argh! I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt weird!”
“…Are you sure that he wasn’t, you know, interested in you?”
“What? No!” She shook her head far more aggressively at that. “I wasn’t the only one he gave that look to, he gave it to all my friends too. It wasn’t some…flirty look.”
“And you’d know what a flirty look is?”
“Yes! Okay, no, but it wasn’t flirty!”
“Alright, then what was the look then? Because all I am hearing is that guy is a playcolt.”
“Where did you learn that word, Spike?” Twilight asked, but ultimately moved on. Letting out another growl of frustration. “It was like… He was looking at me as if he knew of me. Not in the friend sense either… I know I've seen that look somewhere before.”
Spike had sat across from Twilight at this point. His brow raised as high as it possibly could be. “I get weirded out by how people look at me sometimes too, but is that really worth obsessing over?”
“No, but you don’t understand! There were other details too that made me confused. High Rise was clearly a young colt, closer to my age, but he is apparently school friends with Time Turner. That clock maker and scientist? Time Turner is in his thirties! The math doesn’t add up!”
“Or his goggles! Rainbow Dash recognized them as a Cloudsdale band’s signature goggles, with each generation marked on the side of the lens. But his goggles were marked for the 8th generation of the band. The current generation performing today is the 4th. He and Time Turner claimed they were fakes his dad bought him, but what pony would make a fake version that’s four generations off?”
“And then there was another thing with Time Turner! Do you remember when he came to get books on time travel? I asked him if he had seen a pony matching High Rise’s description. He said that he didn’t, but he and High Rise live in the same house! Why did he hide the truth from me?”
“Twilight, do you remember the last time you worked yourself up like this?”
“Yes, but-!” Twilight recognized what Spike was getting at, and she had to admit defeat. “Alright, I understand Spike. I’ll actually put this to the side.”
He smiled and hopped off his seat. “Good! Now we don’t have to call Princess Celestia this time.”
“Hehe…yeah.”
When Spike said Celestia, something clicked inside her head. A thought that immediately answered the reason why High Rise bothered her so much. The look he gave her was the same that ponies gave Princess Celestia! It wasn't rude or malicious. It was the feeling of somepony who thought they were below the person they’re talking to. Where they have to be careful with their words.
But why would a pony like High Rise look at her like that? The answer to that was one she’d have to ponder quietly. She did say she would stop worrying about it, and she didn’t want to break a promise.
“Good Evening, Luna.” Celestia said with a warm smile. Evening dinner had come, and today was a day without any dignitaries, diplomats, or visiting rulers to dine with. It would just be her and her sister. However, evening dinners still carried with it some decorum to be kept. Since this was the case, Celestia was in perfect form. Her rainbow mane was driven to flow behind her by magic. Princess Luna had similarly done so with her mane, but the magic that flowed through hers created the form of a flowing sea of stars.
“Good Evening, Sister.” Luna replied while she sat down. A good night’s rest doing wonders for the princess’ fatigue. “I hope that the day proved to be a good one?”
“It was, discussions with Yakyakistan have gone better than we could have hoped for.”
“That is good to hear.”
Conversations at evening dinner were never as interesting as breakfast. Usually the quality of dinner was dependent on which visiting diplomats they had that night. Some would prove more entertaining than others. When it was just the two Princesses however? It was surprisingly boring. They could not act like they did in the morning. Most of the meal was spent catching up on the latest diplomatic and domestic news, and the rest was spent in silence. It was not uncomfortable silence, just one spent enjoying one another’s company. Tonight’s dinner had proven to be much the same. It was only when the main course had almost finished that Celestia decided to speak of a different matter.
“Luna, do you remember the colt that we had discussed this morning?”
“Yes, we do. The stallion High Rise.”
“High Rise, yes. I would like to ask a favor from you, sister. Could you, over the upcoming nights, watch over the dreams of the colt named High Rise?”
Luna’s eyes raised from the meal she was finishing. A furrowed brow pointed towards the white furred princess. “Celestia, are you requesting that we spy upon the dreams of one of our subjects?”
“I know it is unbecoming to ask of that-“
“It is very unbecoming. Idle gossip about the contents of a pony’s dream is one thing. To seek out and watch upon them is far different.”
The princess of the sun knew why Luna had suddenly changed her tune. She was the protector of the dream world, and her role in quelling the nightmares of their subjects was an important one. This role she has taken means that she is privy to the minds of any creatures that dream. A position she could take advantage of, and had done so in her time as Nightmare Moon.
She only entered the dreams of a pony suffering from nightmares, or otherwise needed peaceful rest. To seek and enter a pony’s dreams who did not need either? Celestia was asking her to betray the trust their subjects had in her.
“I understand entirely, and I do not wish to leave open the possibility of spying on our little ponies. However, the circumstances of this leave me too many questions to ignore.”
“…We did say we found his dream to be rather odd. We only entered it to begin with because we had believed the colt was suffering from a nightmare. That is not cause to seek further answers, is it not?”
“Not normally, no. But you said that this colt has a memory of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Not a fantasy or nightmare, a memory.”
“Yes, we did. Is that no-“
The pieces of the puzzle came into place, and Luna’s eyes widened. She looked at her sister with far more shock than was normal for a princess to share. “Twilight Sparkle is-“
“Yes.”
“And you seek to…”
“Yes.”
“…We see… We do not disapprove of this, given that she is capable of proving herself. As Cadance has.”
“Indeed, but I believe in all my heart that she will succeed. And after this morning, it seems another pony believes so as well.”
“A pony that should not know of this possibility?”
“Correct.”
Princess Luna thought long and hard about this. Not daring to utter a word until she had fully come to a decision. Doubt lingered on her mind, as did the idea of committing similar actions as she had as Nightmare Moon. But if what Celestia believes is true, then this High Rise knows about secrets that only she and her sister know. Even worse, he is in a position to influence how those possibilities play out.
“…Very well, we shall do so. But only for a time. If nothing comes from our observations after two weeks, there will be no further trespassing in his private dreams.”
“That is more than enough, thank you Luna.”
With the matter settled, the two finished their main course, and Luna prepared herself for a night in the dream world.