//------------------------------//
// Secret Lives and Suspicious Minds 
// Story: Destiny Sparkle 
// by Spirit Guide 
//------------------------------//

*Twilight POV*

"Sooo, giggle at the ghostly 
Guffaw at the grossly—"

"Pfft. Pinkie, if you were real, I'd giggles at ghosts too."

"Hi!"

"AAH! AAH!"

Laughing, I clicked the mouse to pause the video. I couldn't help it. It presented Pinkie in the same way I knew she would handle such a situation. And watching that guy fall backwards wasn't too bad either.

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Ever since the excitement from the storm had died down, people were doing their best to get back to their normal lives. Which meant Steven as well. As a member of the construction team, it was his job to help clean up and fix the damage that was caused during the storm. Every morning, we would have breakfast together, spend a few minutes on the couch, then he'd wish me a good day and leave the house to go work. Several hours later he would return with stories from the city, of the things he put up and took down while clearing the streets. After that came dinner, another cuddle and then bed.

At first, I thought that I'd be spending the time that Steven was out reading books and watching Hasbro's videos of Equestria. But right after he taught me how to use the TV, Steven introduced me to the computer. He taught me everything I needed to know: how to use it, how to access different programs and browsers, how to create my own files. It was amazing. Information of every imaginable kind was on the Internet and I loved it. One of the best parts were all the different websites for the bronies, by the bronies and starring the pony-loving bronies. They had stories written, art drawn, songs composed and videos filmed all about me and everypony else in Equestria. Some of it was surprisingly accurate and others, while not as accurate, were hilarious.

Although I could easily keep myself busy every day with the computer, I now had an empty hole inside of me, like something was missing most of the time. Whenever Steven would come home, the hole would instantly disappear like a cloudy sky under Rainbow Dash's supervision. It took me several days of thinking and research until I came to a rather startling conclusion.

I was lonesome.

Me, Twilight Sparkle, the star student of Princess Celestia, friend to five wonderful ponies, and the Element of Magic, lonesome. It was hard to believe. After all, I had tons of friends in Equestria, but ever since I'd arrived in Steven's world, I'd felt as though my connection to my friends was failing. I would reinforce my mind with thoughts of Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike and Rainbow Dash by going through the countless images of them online, cherishing each and every picture I ran into, but although I found forgetting them impossible and unwanted, my heart still felt empty.

I found out that I'd become dependent on Steven's friendship. When I told him about my feelings and findings one evening, he was more than happy to discuss them. With his hand brushing my mane in a relaxing manner, we concluded that even though I relied on his company to find joy in the moment, Steven would always be willing to stay by me. He even offered to not go to work for a few days but I turned it down, knowing that it would damage his lifestyle and mine. I really am fortunate to have come across such a good friend.

As I sat there scrolling through pony YouTube videos, I wondered exactly what made Steven choose to work at something as dirty and dull-sounding as construction.


*


*Steven POV*

"Watch your head, Steven!"

"Thanks, Rick! Hey Daniel, pass me those I-beams. And don't throw them this time!"

"Sure thing, Steve!"

I picked up the sturdy metal beams Daniel had dropped at my feet. Dusting my hands on my trousers, I looked around. The park was probably one of the places with the most weather damage done to it: trees uprooted, rivers mucked up with debris, bridges collapsed, benches bent and the bandstand and gazebo wrecked. Forrest had estimated about a week of effort from all the groups before the park could be open to the public again, but so far things were going smoothly. As we fixed up the gazebo's support beams and repaired the roof, I looked back on the fond memories I had of it with my parents and wondered whether I could make more of those.

"Oy, Steven! Snap out of it and get to work please! Thank you!"

Restless still? When will he learn some patience? That's Rick, sometimes called Ricky. He's a hard worker, good for getting a job done, but can never seem to wait around for more than ten seconds without flipping out. He isn't violent but he sure is loud. "Sorry, Rick. Just zoned out for a moment there."

"INCOMING!"

Rick and I both ducked as a mass of human and roofing tiles swung over our heads before landing smoothly on the gazebo's new floor. Daniel was the packhorse of the team. You could laden his back with anything, from equipment to materials, and he won't slack even if he's weighed down and his load drags behind him. His entries tended to be extraordinary and over the top, but he was in no way a joker. Whenever things got serious, Daniel would toughen up and get to work.

"Geez, Dan!" Rick shouted. "You should be more careful."

Daniel looked down at the roofing tiles he was lugging when he swung in on the support rope. They were all neatly stacked, not one out of place. "I am careful, Ricky," he said. "You're just edgy."

"You probably meant cautious," Rick corrected him.

"Did I say that?" Daniel asked naively. "Hey Steve, did I say that?"

I shook my head. Watching these two go at each other always put a smile on my face, no matter how in inappropriate that was. "He didn't say cautious, Rick. So he obviously didn't mean cautious."

"Bah. You're always siding with Dan."

"Only when I'm right," Daniel put in snidely. He started stuffing a trash bag with stone chips and broken planks. "Looking forward to getting back to watching TV?"

"As long as it's not that My Little Pony crap," Rick said in a surly manner. "It's taken a percentage of man down to a crummy level."

Oh darn. Rick doesn't like the show. In fact, judging by his tone, I'd say he greatly dislikes it. I'd have to watch my step now. He obviously doesn't think highly of bronies. Just thinking of how he'd react if he found out I was one gave me the willpower to shut up, as I have since the first day of work.

"Hey hey hey, take it slow with the show," Daniel criticized, pointing a blaming finger at Rick. "I'm guessing you don't watch it and probably never have. How do you know if it's garbage or disrespectful? Men watch things like the Powerpuff Girls and Kim Possible and whatnot, why do you only flip out about ponies?"

Rick squinted at him suspiciously. "Why are you defending a show for little girls?"

Daniel sighed and shook his head sympathetically. "There's always a reason to protect if there's no reason to hate." He put his hands on the ground and, with an astounding shift of weight, raised his legs above his head and kicked out at a bag of garbage, knocking it out of the gazebo and directly into the dumpster beside it.

I stared in amazement as Daniel righted himself, stood up and adjusted his hat. People don't just kick like that. In fact, no human kicks like that. I added up everything I knew about Daniel, which was hard because I never tried to talk to him about his personal life even though we spent so much time together at work. I had to end it with a hunch, but I was still quite sure of it

"Enough with the circus crap, Daniel," Rick scolded, shaking his head. He picked up a second garbage bag and threw it away normally. "You're not an animal."

Daniel walked past me and Rick with a smug smile on his face. "Shows how much he knows," he whispered so that only I could hear.

We picked up the shingles and climbed back onto the roof to put them into place. The sun was out, shining brightly through whatever trees were still standing. It was great to see it after so much time in the overcast darkness. Halfway through his pile however, Daniel spread himself out on the roof and looked up at the sky. "Ah, the sun," he muttered. "What are we without it?"

"Blind?" Rick offered.

"Yeah, that, but also hopeless and misguided. Without the sun, we wouldn't be here. She inspires us to do better and seek out the good in the world. Without her, life would be different from the way we know it." And with a flourish, Daniel rocked onto his knees, raised his arms to the heavens and declared, "We love you, Tia!"

I stopped. Stopped working, stopped moving, stopped brea.... No, I didn't stop breathing, but man did I stop. If I wasn't leaning against my shingles I would've fallen from the roof. My brain quickly replayed what Daniel had just said and confirmed it. He had used Princess Celestia's fan-nickname. Coincidence? Yeah right.

Rick's eyebrows got lost in his bangs. "Now I know you've lost it," he said, clapping a hand over Dan's shoulder. "Don't worry. I know you'll come back eventually."

"Of course, the moon's helpful too," Daniel continued, ignoring Rick's implied insult. "Reflecting Tia's light by night, she watches over us in our sleep too."

"Sounds creepy," Rick said dryly. Then he turned to me "What say you, Steven?"

I looked at Rick. He stared back at me, waiting for my reply, his arms crossed in front of his chest. When I turned towards Daniel, I found his face tinged with red. He looked embarrassed, as though he'd let loose a secret that should have remained hidden. I understood why: if Rick didn't like My Little Pony and found out that Daniel watches the show, things could get unpleasant. I had an idea of what to say, something that could end this mess before it got started, but it would be risky on my part and may not even work. But thinking about Twilight sitting at home and the reality of it all gave me the courage I needed to say it.

"I find it simply not safe for Woona."

Their reactions were surprisingly controlled. Rick gave me a 'what the hell' look and Daniel's eyes opened wide. He squinted at me, pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes and slowly turned around to get back to work, acting like nothing happened. I knew then that he'd gotten the message.

"You know what?" Rick announced suddenly. "I think you both got fried during the hurricane."

"If we're already talking about the hurricane," Daniel interrupted, "how about that weird light on the last day?"

Rick groaned. "And another guy who's geeking out about stupid fireworks."

"They weren't fireworks, Ricky," I said truthfully, knowing neither of them would have guessed anything close to it. "They were huge arcs of multicolored light."

"You saw them too?" Daniel asked, sounding just a bit surprised. I nodded in confirmation and he smiled gratefully.

"What's gotten into you guys?" Rick demanded, glancing back and forth between us. "Just two weeks ago, you were all sober and you.... Well, you've just gotten bouncier. Seriously, what were you guys doing during the storm?"

"Watching movies, writing stories, drawing pictures, composing music and sleeping," Daniel announced, throwing cracked shingles over his shoulder and into the dumpster below in time with his listing.

"More of the same," I said. But in my head, all I can think was, Not that you'd believe me, Rick, but my life has changed infinitely because of a certain somepony who you would probably pass over as a figment of your imagination. "Although I do feel different. I guess some things do change in our lives."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Soooo," Daniel said after an awkward and decently-lengthened silence. "What do you guys have planned for tonight?"

"I'm gonna hang out with some friends and watch a match or two," Rick replied. "Pizza, chips, soda and games all night."

I shuddered. For some reason, the thought of a bunch of people in one house with food, drink and TV gave me the chills. I don't think I could've pulled off something like that and attending such an event was out of the question. But then Dan spoke up, "You really should find more constructive things to do, Ricky. Too much mucking around isn't so good for you."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna be doing tonight?" Rick shot back.

Daniel shrugged. "Get together with some friends and talk," he said quietly.

"There, you see? The exact same f**king thing."

I don't like cursing. It's excessive, pointless and, like drugs, only makes you want to do it more. Yet people use it almost every day, in any sentence. When I became a brony, one of the first things which I found appealed to me most were 'ponified' swears and slang, words like plot, clop and Mother of Celestia. They made for a much better alternative than the original words and although I've only used them recently in conversation with Twilight, I've always dreamed of saying it to someone else.

"Most would prefer you said 'buck' instead," I informed, my head turned away but my eyes focused.

Outside of Rick's field of vision, Daniel's smile shone like the sun as he beamed with enough strength to challenge Pinkie Pie. His fingers were curled into an obvious hoof just waiting to be bumped, but he held himself back, knowing that he couldn't just reveal himself. Once more, he nodded in understanding. Rick gave me another confused look, this one mixed with some rage. "Quit it," he mumbled. "I don't know what you're playing at, but stop it right now. Don't go making up words."

Who's making up words? I argued inwardly. Half the words used as insults and cussing were pure and simple until they were developed into what they are today by people like you. My thoughts were vicious, but they felt justified. Who was Rick to tell me how to speak when his own tongue was soiled by verbal filth? I was about to say this to him out loud when I caught sight of Daniel. He was shaking his head, his smile diminished slightly. He was hiding his joy.

Afterwards, he mouthed at me. I blinked my eyes at him, the most discreet sign I could come up with. "Aaaaaaand cut!" Daniel shouted. "Okay people, that's a wrap." Rick jumped at the sudden explosion of sound, but Daniel just kept going. "These tiles ain't gonna lay themselves. Let's get this show on the road!"

He leapt up and started setting the shingles into the roof. Smiling on the inside, I imitated him. Together we worked, two hidden fans with a secret to share. Rick stared at us for a minute before shrugging awkwardly and getting back to work himself. Nothing else weird happened after that and the day's work went smoothly. A short while later, we'd finished repairing the roof. Forrest gave us our pay and told us to be ready for tomorrow, when we would finish fixing the gazebo.

"Well, see ya round folks!" Rick called as he started off home. "I've got stuff to catch up on."

"See you tomorrow!" Daniel and I replied, waving farewell.

We exited the park and stood side by side on the sidewalk. Daniel glanced around warily, pulled out a pocket notebook and scribbled something on it. He then tore out the paper, folded it in half and handed it to me. I was confused "What's this?"

Daniel smiled genuinely. "Open it up when you're ready," he said mysteriously. "See ya 'round, sugarcube." Then he tipped his hat, spun around and headed down the street with a hop, skip and jump.

I looked at the folded note in my hand. Should I read it now or wait till I get home? It was tempting to open the note, but I decided it would be nicer if Twilight was there with me when I read it. So, with cheer in my heart and curiosity on the brain, I hurried home as fast as I could, taking satisfaction in seeing people going about their daily business as they should be allowed to.