//------------------------------// // Chapter I // Story: Why Do I Feel This Way // by TheKing2001 //------------------------------// Moondancer “Where are we going exactly?” “An orphanage, Moondancer!” Minuette exclaimed as she pranced down the road and I rolled my eyes. Only she could be happy about going to an orphanage. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine followed behind us. “Okay let me correct myself,” I grumbled and straightened my glasses with my magic. “Why?” “Because it’s almost Nightmare Night and Hearths Warming and it’s the right thing to do,” Twinkleshine chided as I glanced back at the white mare. I always jealous of her pink mane and tail. Don’t even get me started on her electric blue eyes. “Okay?” “Besides!” Minuette continued as she continued her prancing and I winced as she narrowly avoided a mare. “Who could resist their adorable little faces?” I didn’t have a response to that. Could be worse. I could be alone with no friends again if it wasn’t for these three and Twilight trying so hard to get me to open back up. And Spike of course. Spike was there too. The least I could do was go with Minuette and the other girls on this trip. Besides, I still didn’t know much about friendship. If I said I was busy or didn’t wanna go, I’d probably lose them as my friends. We trotted inside the lobby as Lemon Hearts levitated the cardboard boxes in her magic a bit lower to make it through the doorway. A pink earth pony sat at the desk with a bored expression as she spun a pen around the top of the wooden desk. “Hello!” Minuette said happily and placed her hooves on the desk. “Hi,” the mare grumbled as she looked up. “Dropping off, visiting or adopting?” “Just visiting!” Minuette giggled as she smiled. “Spreading holiday cheer, you know?” “Uh huh,” the mare said as she slid a clipboard over. “All of you sign here, then you go straight through the doors and you’ll be at the rec area for the colts and fillies.” We all signed our names as the mare pointed to a beat up box with a sign that had the words gifts written on it. Lemon Hearts shrugged and gently levitated them in before we followed Twinkleshine. “She seemed a bit rude,” I commented casually as we entered a large room full of fillies and colts sitting lazily in circles, playing or talking. “A bit,” Lemon Hearts admitted as she frowned slightly. “But the important thing is we’re here, we’re going to help out around here and make some fillies and colts day a bit better!” I stood and looked around as my friends walked away in different directions. Lemon Hearts sat with a blue colt in front a chess board, Minuette sat with a filly next to a puzzle and Twinkleshine was talking to a bunch of colts about astronomy. A white pegasus filly with a light blue coat and a cloud for a cutie mark caught my eye. She sat away from the other ponies with a pile of books surrounding her. I raised an eyebrow and before I knew it, my legs were directing me over to her. I sat next to her and she didn’t spare me a look, her lavender eyes scanning the book. “Hello,” I said and she glanced at me before going back to her book. “Hi,” the filly said finally as I started reading over her shoulder. “What do you want?” “Nothing really. Why aren’t you with the others?” I asked as I examined the books she had stacked up. Some pretty advanced books for what I guessed was a seven year old or so. “Because I don’t fit in with them.” I frowned slightly and glanced back at the others. Minuette locked eyes with me and gave me an encouraging nod and I sighed internally. “How so?” “Well, aren’t you an inquisitive one?” The filly spat as she turned a page and I glared a bit. “I don’t really do what other kids my age do. You see me reading books over here instead of playing. Doesn’t that strike you as different from other fillies or colts?” I grimaced and looked down. I’m not exactly the greatest at reading ponies or talking to them. I can read a book no problem but a living thing? That’s a whole different buck ball court. “I like to read,” I said finally. “I didn’t have many friends growing up either when I was your age. I only have about four friends, maybe five.” “Aww, now here’s the part where you try to connect with me,” the filly mocked as she rolled her eyes. “Cute.” I bit my lip to avoid making some snarky comment. That got under my coat way more than I was willing to admit. “Not really trying to connect. Just making conversation,” I said and opened a book. “Enders Game, huh? Good to know fillies read the classics still.” “Uh huh.” “So uh you don’t have many friends?” I asked and started reading. “Friend is another for word for fool,” the filly grumbled. “I have no need for friends, even less for enemies.” “That was edgy,” I gave a faint smile as I tugged at the corner of my sweater. “Truth hurts.” It was scarily how alike she was to old me. I used to hate the idea of friends and believed it wasn’t for me after the Twilight incident. “I’m Moondancer,” I said and pressed a hoof against my chest. “What’s your name?” The filly looked up and examined me from head to hooves. I honestly started to think I wasn’t going to get a response till she sighed. “I’m Cotton Cloudy.” “Nice to finally know your name instead of referring to you as filly,” I gave another rare smile as she turned away but I caught a faint smile on her face as she did. “Yeah well I guess now I can’t refer to you as the mare with the glasses,” Cotton Cloudy grunted as she glanced back at me. “Guess we both lost then, now didn’t we?” I commented casually. We each turned back to our respective books in silence. Doing so, I completely missed my three friends giving each other smiles.