//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 - Magic Training, Sleepover, and New Crusader (Rewritten) // Story: New Life in Equestria // by jkreader //------------------------------// Chapter 30 – Magic Training, Sleepover, and New Crusader *Joshua’s P.O.V.* Dinky and I stayed next to each other, with our arms around each other all the way back to Ponyville. We were happy looking out the window watching the grass and sky go by. I was glad the spell worked and that I was a human again, but now I could do magic. I was surprised that I kept my unicorn magic too. I knew with Mommy’s help, I would do good with it. “Hey, Joshua. Dinky.” I heard Scootaloo behind me. Dinky and I turned around and saw her standing there. “Hey Scootaloo,” Dinky said. “Hey. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Nyx, and I were talking and we were thinking about having a sleepover at Sweetie Belle’s place tonight. Do you two want to join us?” “Sure,” I said, “That sounds like fun. I’ll have to ask Mommy first.” “I’ll have to ask my mom too,” Dinky said. “No need, muffin,” we heard Derpy say, “You go ahead and have fun with your friends tonight.” “Nyx already asked me Joshua,” Mommy said to me, “You two can go. Actually, you two don't mind staying with her for a couple days, do you?” "Why?" I asked. "Well, my friends and I are going to be heading up towards Rainbow Falls for a couple days," Mommy replied, "So I already made arrangements for you two to stay with her and her parents." “Okay,” I said, "Thanks Mommy." Suddenly, there was a loud screeching noise. We were back in Ponyville. We all got off the train and went back to our homes. When Mommy, Nyx, Spike, and I got back to the library, we had our lunch. After lunch, Mommy gave me my first magic lesson with Nyx. We started with what Mommy called levitation: lifting something using magic. Nyx could already lift small objects with her magic and was working on bigger objects. I had to start small. Nyx was trying to lift a book. She got it to stay up for a little bit, but there was a popping sound and the book fell. Nyx got angry because she couldn’t keep the book in the air. It was kinda scary seeing her angry. When she saw that I got scared at her being angry, she apologized and said that it was part of her old Nightmare Moon personality. I forgave her for it, because I knew she didn’t mean to scare me. I had trouble lifting something when I tried levitation, but Mom told me I would get it with practice. We practiced for an hour and later Nyx and I got some sleeping bags out and I got my pajamas and a few clean sets of clothes for staying at Sweetie Belle’s. At 3 o’clock, Mommy took me and Nyx to Sweetie Belle’s place. It was a nice looking house that was close to a lake. “Now you two behave yourselves and listen to Sweetie Belle’s parents okay?” Mommy said to us. “Yes,” Nyx and I said at the same time. “Good. I’ll see you in a couple days. Have a good night sleep you two,” she said kissing us on our foreheads. "Bye, Mommy," I said. She then started walking to the train station. We then looked at the door and Nyx knocked it. When it opened, we saw a pink unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail and blue eyes. She had yellow earrings on her ears and was wearing a red and white suit. Her suit was blocking her cutie mark, so I couldn’t see it. “Hello there Nyx,” she said as Nyx hugged her, “Wonderful to see you again.” She then looked at me. “Ah, Joshua is it?” I nodded after Nyx finished hugging her. “Well it’s nice to meet you. Sweetie Belle and Rarity have told me a lot about you. I’m their mother, Pearl.” She then pulled me in for a hug. I returned it, and after that we walked in. I saw a stallion sitting at a table with cards in his hooves. He was white with a brown mane and tail, blue eyes like Pearl, a mustache under his nose, and was wearing a blue shirt with yellow, white, and light blue flowers and a straw hat. His cutie mark had three footballs. He looked up as Pearl walked me and Nyx inside. “Ah, hey there you two,” he said. He looked at me. “You must be Joshua, the human kid, right?” “Yes sir,” I said. “I’m Magnum, Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s father.” He got up, walked over, and messed with my hair a bit. “Sweetie Belle should be upstairs in her room,” he said pointing a hoof upstairs. “Thank you,” Nyx said. She and I then walked up the stairs to a door that had a heart shape on it. I knocked and we heard Sweetie Belle’s voice on the other side. “It’s open.” We opened the door and saw Sweetie Belle walking up to us. She first gave Nyx a hug, and then gave me one. “Hey Sweetie Belle,” I said, “Is anypony else here yet?” “Nope,” she answered after we finished our hug, “You two are the first ones here. The others should be here soon. Come on in you two.” We entered in and saw that Sweetie Belle had some games out for us to play when the others got here. I looked at the names of the games Sweetie Belle pulled out. A lot of them looked familiar. One was the popping dice game Trouble. There was another knock at the door. Sweetie Belle went to answer it. “Hey girls!” she said. I turned and saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Twist in the doorway. I was glad to see she was better after the cold she had. “Hey Nyx. Hey Joshua,” Twist said, “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo told me you’re back to normal now Joshua. Can you really do magic too?” “Yeah,” I said nodding, “I was surprised when my hands glowed when I shook them.” I then shook one of my hands to show her and my hand glowed for a little bit. Twist looked surprised. “Wow,” Twist said amazed, “That’s cool.” After my hands stopped glowing, Sweetie Belle pulled out a deck of cards for us to play Go-Fish. We played for a few minutes until there was another knock. “Sweetie Belle,” we heard Pearl behind the door, “Can you come here a minute please?” “Coming Mom,” she said putting her hand of cards down. The door opened behind us, but before I could look back, it shut again with Sweetie Belle outside the room. A few minutes later, the door opened again and Sweetie Belle walked back in. She then picked up her cards again. Before anypony could ask for a card, a pair of hooves covered my eyes. “Hey! Who turned out the lights?” I asked. “Guess who?” said a voice. I giggled a little bit when I recognized the voice. “Hi Dinky,” I said. She moved her hooves out of my eyes and wrapped her forelegs under my arms and around my chest. She then placed her chin on my shoulder and rubbed her nose against my cheek. I reached my hand back behind her head and moved it through her mane. “Hey Joshua,” she said kissing my cheek, “Hey girls. What are you all playing?” “Go fish,” Apple Bloom said, “You want in?” “Sure!” she said sitting next to me. We played Go Fish for a while, then Trouble, Sorry, and then Twister. These games were from my old home too. Soon, Magnum came up and told us it was time for dinner. We went down and saw that Pearl had made some macaroni and cheese, another of my favorites. After dinner, Sweetie Belle took me out of the kitchen and into the living room while everypony else went upstairs. “What is it Sweetie Belle?” I asked her. “There’s another reason we wanted to have this sleepover Joshua,” she said to me. She then pulled out a new Cutie Mark Crusader cape and handed it to me. “We want to make Dinky a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders too, and we decided to have you give her the membership cape. It would mean more to her if you gave it.” “That’s a great idea Sweetie Belle!” I said. “Glad you think so,” she replied, “Let’s head back up and you can surprise her.” I nodded my head and followed her back up to her room. I held the cape behind my back to keep it hidden from Dinky. We entered Sweetie Belle’s room and saw the others talking. “Hey Dinky,” Sweetie Belle said to her. She turned her head over to me and Sweetie Belle. “We all have a surprise for you.” “What is it?” she asked excited. “Y’all have to close your eyes first silly,” Apple Bloom said. Dinky closed her eyes with a big smile on her face. Sweetie Belle nodded at me, and I walked up and put the cape on her back. “Surprise!” I said standing in front of her. She opened her eyes and looked behind her. She gasped happily when she saw the cape on her back. She then looked back at me and quickly wrapped me up in her forelegs. “Welcome aboard Dinks,” Scootaloo said. “Thank you everypony!” she said looking at everypony, then she looked at me, “And thank you too, Joshua.” She then kissed me on the cheek again, and continued her hug, squeezing me tight. I hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek too. “Aww,” everypony except Scootaloo said. “Now they’re getting too sappy,” Scootaloo said. “Oh Scoots,” Sweetie Belle said, “Just let them enjoy their moment.” After we finished our hug, we heard another knock at the door. “Okay kids,” Pearl said behind the door, “Time for bed. You all have school tomorrow, and you need to sleep.” “Yes Mom,” Sweetie Belle said. Everypony then rolled out their sleeping bags, except Sweetie Belle. She hopped onto her bed. I had to go to the bathroom to change into my pajamas. When I came back, I saw my sleeping back had been moved closer to Dinky’s. I walked over to it and slid into it. “Goodnight Crusaders,” Apple Bloom said. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep. “Goodnight,” the rest of us said. Sweetie Belle then turned off the light and fell asleep in her bed. I had almost fallen asleep when I felt a hoof wrap around me. “Goodnight Joshie,” I heard Dinky whisper into my ear using Pinkie’s nickname for me. “Goodnight Dinks,” I whispered back falling asleep.