Lonely
Desperation Chapter
By: Solitary Brony
~~My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all characters within belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro~~
Writer's Note: The following story is very difficult for me to write emotionally, so don't expect quick updates.
Night Skies is a small pegasus colt with a midnight blue coat and a long cloudy white tail and mane. Up in Cloudsdale he struggles in flight camp desperately so the other foals won't make fun of him again. "Hey look, it's Filly Skies again!" one of them chants from out of Night's view, rousing a chorus of laughs from his classmates before the coach shushes them. Night isn't like most colts because for some reason his physique is very filly-ish and refuses to change it's ways, earning him many embarrassing situations and loads of name calling. Biting back the rush of embarrassment, something he has become quite skilled at, Night ever-so-slowly rises up through the target ring and lands again. Oh thank Celestia that's over! Just let me go home, just let me go home...
With a sigh the coach puts down 'Barely passing' on his clipboard before looking at Night Skies, "You'll never get anywhere with that speed!" Feeling a burning blush of shame rise to his face Night looks around and spies a young butterscotch colored filly with a pink mane just as long as his. Is she...hiding behind her mane? he wonders as he adopts the same tilted position of his head to let his long mane flow in front of his face. Sure enough his classmates and coach fade away behind a comforting shield of white mane, Wow...that's...actually better! flattening his ears back the giggles directed at him become muffled as well, I should thank that filly if I meet her...
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A few years later and things haven't gotten any better for Night. Except for the just noticeable difference in his muzzle he remains filly-bodied. Having long ago resigning himself to this strange torture as just a part of his life, Night Skies searched desperately for a way to escape from the world. He found it in the Cloudsdale Library. It certainly wasn't the best library ponies have seen, in fact it was laughably small. Night thought it was paradise however once he found their meager collection of fiction.
After devouring all five of their fictional books he was hooked and wanted more, but there weren't any. So, Night Skies instead turned to his imagination and solitude to be his sanctuary from the Equestria that so made fun of him. After his first few imaginary adventures he started to keep a journal about them.
One day after a particularly jarring bullying from his old classmates who spied him in a store, I can't help it if filly clothing is the only thing that fits me! He tearfully galloped home and dove into his adventure journal for solstice. Night quickly found that same feeling freedom and joy gently brushing away the tearful sadness that gripped him as he read over old adventures that he had forgotten about. Picking up a stack of papers and grabbing a nearby quill and ink bottle, Night Skies began copying and editing his old adventures into a blank story book. There was a flash behind him while he worked, but he payed it no mind.
After finishing his work, Night Skies flew the fresh book of adventure over to the library and to the librarian. "So your a writer huh?" She said as she spied Night trotting up to her desk, "Lets take a look then." He looked at her quizzically, but Night passed it off to her guessing what the write-your-own book he was holding was. After several hours of work she set him up with Cloudsdale Publishers who snatched up his story before anypony else could take it. It wasn't until he was leaving the library late at night did he notice his new cutie mark of an open book being written in by a quill. Night's face lit up in joy but quickly darkened as he realized how his parents would probably react, they always wanted him to be part of the illustrious Cloudsdale Weather Team.
He was right, though he often wishes he wasn't.
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Night sighs as he trots up the stairs of his home up to his room in Ponyville. After his angered parents yelled at him for 'wronging' them with the 'wrong cutie mark' Night Skies used the first bag of bits from the Publishing Company to run away. The librarian, his only friend, suggested Ponyville. When she visited, everypony as was kind as could be. Night Skies took this to heart as he rented a good sized home there, his first adventure novel surprisingly became a best seller, which he eventually ended up buying outright. After a strange "I've never seen you here before" party thrown by some energetic pink party pony named Pinkie Pie, which turned out to be the loneliest night of his life as ponies insisted on pointing out his looks again and again, Night Skies began to use his home as his own little fortress. He took to only coming out to go shopping and made a point of talking to Pinkie Pie in some manner each time he did, Night quickly discovered that if he didn't she'd come looking for him.
So, Night looks around at he bookshelves filled with tomes of stories that he has written down as they come to him. He has no idea where he gets them, they just come and he puts them down before they leave back to whence they came. “Another 'fun' Saturday night...” Night Skies mutters to nopony in particular, “...with my endless list of non-existent friends...” Biting back the tears that threaten to once again overtake him and the nausea that presses against his stomach.
Night Skies turns and gallops downstairs and to his front door. Swinging the door open as quickly as he could, and startling a mint green unicorn passing by, he finally exits his home for what seems like the first time in years. Looking from left to right, Night hopes desperately something will jump out at him as something to keep Loneliness from eating away at him. It slowly comes back to him, however, that he doesn't really know anypony in Ponyville. Ragged tail dragging at the ground and wings slumped against his sides, Night Skies walks to Sugar-cube Corner for a dinner that will inevitably be warped by the demons of Loneliness that constantly haunt him.
After ordering an apple fritter from Mr Cake, Night Skies takes a seat in a far corner and nibbles at his food while refusing to look up. After eating a fourth of what was a flawless fritter, Night shouts in fright and falls from his chair as a blur of pink lands next to him with an energetic “Hi!”
Picking himself up, Night looks up at Pinkie Pie, flashbacks of her welcoming party darting before his eyes. Surrounded by ponies I was still all alone at that party! “H-hey Pinkie Pie...” he manages to get out, “What's up?” Sweet Celestia, this mare is going to scare me to death one of these days!
Pinkie giggles and rolls her eyes, “Well that's easy silly! There's the roof, a floor above that, the Twin's room, then another roof...”
Oh my, wrong thing to say! “I-I get it Pinkie!” Night says as he pats his hooves in the air, “So...is there something you need?” Please don't invite me to a party, I'm so alone at parties...
Pinkie stares at him for a little while, Oh dear Celestia, can she sense my dislike of parties?! “Oh!” she says with a sudden bounce, “You looked down in the dumps, so I thought you might have dropped your cupcake or something Nighty!”
Nighty? Oh well, I've been called worse... “No, nothing like that! I'm fine Pinkie, really...” Night Skies slaps on a fake smile, the same one he used to use on Hearth's Warming Day to assure his parents they did well.
Pinkie seemed to see straight through it as she narrowed her eyes slightly before returning to her usual energetic self, “Okie Dokie! Say, can you do me a favor?”
What?! What could she possibly want me to do at this time of night? Maybe...oh sweet Celestia just ask her yourself! “At this time of night? What favor?” Night asks as a bead of sweat trickles down his forehead.
Pinkie turns her head to reveal Gummy stuck to the side of it as her face shifts to one of worry, “Gummy broke a claw when while stomping around Ponyville as a giant! Can you take him to Fluttershy's cottage for me to make sure he's ok? I have to stay and keep the Twins busy while the Cakes close up.” Sure enough on Gummy's front left foot one claw is half the size of the others and jagged at the end.
Stomping...ponyville...giant...what? “Wha...but... You know what? Sure Pinkie, I'll take Gummy for you.” Night says as he resigns it all to Pinkie being Pinkie, his mood and Pinkie's randomness crushing his desire to sulk, If I could just capture her energy for one afternoon I could surely write a new adventure novel to put the past ones to shame.
Pinkie smiles and pulls off Gummy with a hoof only to stick him in a similar fashion to the side of Night's head, “Thanks Nighty! Your a good friend!” With that Pinkie turns with a satisfied smile that comes from a job well done and trots up the stairs to contend with the Cake's twins.
Night Skies, however, doesn't notice any of it while Pinkie's last words to him reverberates endlessly in his head. “Your a good friend!” I...have a friend? A single tear slips past his hold and rolls down his face and onto Gummy's nose. Who promptly snorts it back into Night's eye. “GAH!”
Picking himself up again Night apologizes to the other patrons, one nice cream-colored mare with candies for a cutie mark notices Gummy latched onto his face “Don't worry about it, Pinkie has that effect on ponies.” Night smiles appreciatively, takes one last big bite of his fritter, and promptly steps outside Sugar Cube Corner.
“Wait...where does Fluttershy live?" Night slumps, his mane covering his face and Gummy's head as he berates himself, Great, I agreed to take this random alligator to somepony I've never met! Thinking over his list of ponies he knows in Ponyville, which took all of one second, Night Skies starts walking to the Library. Hopefully Twilight won't be too mad at me for disturbing her this late. Maybe if I promise a copy of an unpublished novel of mine...I think she's a fan... Scenarios of both great and horrible consequences ranging from angered acquaintance to another new friend flash through his mind as Night Skies raises his hoof and knocks on the door.
A small purple dragon opens the door, "We're closing for the night, can I hel-" His words are cut off by a sudden belching sound, Night's world turning green and way too hot, and somepony yelping like a little filly.