Never Dream

by Ximer

Initiation

Twilight sat anxiously with Rarity in the main hallway of the school she once attended in Canterlot. She had plenty of memories here, both good and bad, but mostly good. This was the building where she hatched spike, though the alicorn doubted Isabella knew how significant the room she was taking her test in now was to her and the young dragon.

Not much had changed since she had last walked the building’s halls. She hated that the others couldn’t make it in time for the test, but it wasn’t completely different from Daniel’s experience, they had arrived shortly after he walked through the doors. She couldn’t expect them to drop everything in their lives, especially now that spring was in full swing.

“She’s been in there quite a while now.” Rarity said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, it’s not a simple test though.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“I suppose you heard about her little confrontation with Discord?” Rarity asked, staring at the door Isabella had walked through.

“I did.” Twilight replied quickly.

“Soo…” Rarity leaned towards Twilight as she drug out the O.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting Rarity. It’s not like I can just make them like each other, they’ll have to work out their differences.” Twilight sighed.

“I suppose you’re right, but we both know that’s not going to happen; especially after what he did four nights ago.” Rarity said.

“It just needs time Rarity, you can’t expect emotional wounds to heal overnight. I ‘m just as concerned about this as you, Fluttershy has been distancing herself from Isabella, being close with Discord it’s not hard to imagine why.” Twilight said.

“There has to be something we can do, I can’t stand seeing two friends drift apart.” Rarity pouted.

Twilight was about to respond when the doors to the lecture room opened. Two minotaurs and three griffons walked out of the room first, each with folders in their claws and hands, respectively. The last one to exit the room was Isabella, a sad look adorning her face.

"Uh oh," Twilight whispered before approaching the human. "Hey Isabella, how did the test go?"

"This is the worst thing ever Twilight..." Isabella replied.

"Oh dear, there's no need to get upset. You can always try again." Rarity said.

"No, you don't understand, I actually missed ten questions," Isabella said showing Twilight and Rarity the side of the folder that had the word APPROVED stamped on it. "I mean, I didn't expect to get all of them right, but come on!" Isabella whined.

"Really?" Twilight asked, trying to sound annoyed. Her smile betrayed her true feelings, she was proud of Isabella, and was glad that this was finally over...again.

"Hey, I had you guys convinced, right?" Isabella grinned.

"I'll admit to being fooled there for a few seconds." Rarity giggled.

"So, after I get this turned in, I say we celebrate." Isabella said as the three began to make their way out of the building.

"Celebrate...um, Rarity, think you could show Isabella around Canterlot for a bit? I just remembered something I needed to take care of before we can go okaythanksbye!" Twilight exclaimed quickly before vanishing.

"I...suppose?" Rarity replied, dumbfounded by her friend's sudden disappearance.

---

Twilight counted herself lucky to have found Discord’s house as soon as she did. It moved frequently, and gave the mail mare a bit of trouble when she was trying to get the occasional letter to him.

Twilight stopped herself before knocking on the door that gave her a mischievous grin. She was certain that anypony who was brave, or crazy, enough had knocked on the door at least once. The simple, every day action would only result in a painful nip from the door that didn’t appreciate being hit in order to get another’s attention.

“Is Discord in?” Twilight asked.

“Discord isn’t seeing anypony right now.” A surprisingly feminine voice replied.

“Can you tell him Twilight is here to see him?” Twilight asked.

“…no.” the door replied.

“Ugh, you’re being such a foal Discoooah!” Twilight screamed as she suddenly found herself in a giant house, falling towards the ground.

“You called?” Discord asked smugly.

“You’re lucky I have wings Discord. What did the door mean when you said you’re not seeing anypony right now?” Twilight asked.

“Her name is Hilda, not door, and if you must know I simply wish to be left alone for a while. I’m not in the mood to entertain guest; that includes alicorn princesses.” Discord replied, sitting on an over sized chair that could pass for a small mountain.

“Discord is this about Isabella?” Twilight sighed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Discord replied, turning his head away from Twilight.

“Yes you do, now there’s a way to solve this but I need your help!” Twilight landed on the chair, slamming her hoof down on its soft surface in frustration.

“My help, my help, well little miss princess the last time I tried to help somepony I nearly killed them. The last time I tried to help somepony I was insulted, abused, and cast out. Why in the world would my help make any difference? A better question, when’s the last time somepony asked to help me, hmm?” Discord asked, spinning his head around to face Twilight, slowly forcing her towards the edge of the giant chair.

“Discord, I know what Isabella did was wrong. She was just mad; you would be too if something happened to Fluttershy.” Twilight said, trying to reason with the disgruntled lord of chaos.

Discord stopped his approach, clenching his fist. Raising his lion paw up he snapped his fingers, expelling Twilight from his house, sending her back to the front porch.

“Discord, this won’t solve anything!” Twilight shouted.

“Go away Twilight.” Discord’s muffled voice said.

Twilight snorted, flustered by Discord’s unwillingness to cooperate. She had dealt with some stubborn ponies before, but Discord was truly a special case. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down before addressing him again, not caring whether he replied or not now.

“I’m going to go talk with Pinkie Pie. Isabella passed her test this morning, I was going to see if you wanted to help…goodbye Discord.” Twilight said, vanishing from the premises as Discord had requested.

Discord sat in silence, the inside of the house no longer over sized. He had hoped that playing with the reality within his home would have lifted his spirits, but it had only left him as empty as before.

Discord started to pace, frustrated that he couldn’t shake this feeling of guilt. Sure, he had tempted Celestia, urged her to play along, but he didn’t think it would do any lasting damage to Daniel, and it hadn’t damaged him per say. The chances of his mind being torn apart were slim, how was he supposed to know what would happen?

If Twilight hadn’t been there to finalize the spell, to completely alter it into a full trans-configuration spell, then the outcome would have been much darker. It was all an accident, but he was criticized for it.

Discord turned to walk back to his bedroom, which was seldom used. He rarely slept, but did acknowledge the need for rest and recuperation, even he wasn't without limits. Of course, Discord would like for the ponies to keep believing that he had none; it was much more entertaining that way.

On a shelf in a glass box was the matching VIP pass that Daniel had given him. They weren't the best of friends at the time, or friends at all really. It was by odd chance that all of the others said no, leaving him alone with an extra pass.

It wasn't as interesting as Discord had hoped it would be, but he had to admit that getting to spend time with somepony other than Twilight's group was oddly enjoyable. Nothing against them of course, the chaos lord simply needed to meet new creatures is all.

Discord furrowed his fuzzy eyebrows at the VIP pass. He had to know why he couldn’t get rid of this feeling, there had to be some explanation. He would have to go directly to the source though, perhaps humans did have magic. Some misunderstood power had been cast upon him without his knowledge, yes that seemed to make sense in his distorted mind.

Discord smiled, it wasn’t his fault after all. By twisted logic it was the human’s fault that he felt miserable for what happened. Why should he have to say he’s sorry, it should be the human that should be apologizing.

Without another second of hesitation, Discord snapped his fingers, disappearing from his chaotic home that shifted of its own accord far too often.

---

“The white line is the qualifying mark that a racer must stay ab-“ I read aloud.

“Boo!” shouted a face that suddenly materialized on the pages of the book.

The book didn’t remain on the bed for long. In the blink of an eye I spun around, supporting myself on my forelegs. With relative ease I sent the book flying towards the wall, kicking it with my hind legs despite its protest for me to cease from doing so.

A lion paw extended from the book, picking it up by the spine. As it did so, a tall figure seemed to pour out from between the pages. Discord always knew how to make an entrance, though I had to admit, appearing out of a book was a new one.

“Oh…sorry about that Discord.” I said.

“I suppose you should be, especially after all that’s transpired.” Discord said, bringing the book into view, a pair of reading glasses magically appearing over his eyes.

“Uh, what?” I asked, bewildered by this sudden mood change.

“During your absence things have been going south, mostly for me. Everypony thinks it’s my fault that you’re the way you are now. We both know this is what you asked for.” Discord replied.

Discord could be a bit difficult to understand, annoying and downright rude sometimes, but right now he was coming off as an arrogant asshole. It wasn’t my fault, well, maybe some of it was, but I wasn’t make bets with the princesses and trapping people in spells.

“I was just trying to help a friend Discord, not get semi-permanently turned into a flying miniature horse.” I deadpanned.

“It’s still you who asked for this, I’ve had a bad feeling here,” Discord said pointing to where I assumed his heart would be. “No matter what I do it won’t go away. Saying sorry didn’t help, now undo whatever spell it is you cast.”

“Discord, I don’t know any spells, they don’t exist in my world. They were all make believe, tricks, illusions. I don’t know what you were expecting to gain by coming here.” I shrugged.

“Then why won't it go away? I'm tired of feeling bad.” Discord huffed.

“I don’t know Discord, look if you want to talk about this in a few weeks I’ll be back by then, but I’ve got stuff I have to do now.” I said grabbing another book, which still amazed me with hooves.

Discord was still there; shoulders slummed in defeat, had this incident really messed with him that much? Even though it had brought about more changes than I could have ever wanted, it had also opened doors I never would have even considered trying to open myself.

“Who’s been bugging you bro?” I asked, not looking up from my book.

“That violent sister of yours mostly, now that she’s upset, I’m getting odd visits from Twilight.” Discord replied.

“Hmm.” was my only response as I turned the page.

“What does “hmm” mean? You don’t care things are starting to unravel?” Discord asked.

“I do care; I’m just not overly worried about it.” I shrugged.

“Not wo- how can you not be worried about something? It’s not in your nature not to worry about things, who are you and what have you done with the real Daniel?” Discord asked.

I couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping in time. Discord had dwelt on this issue enough, and it was time to restore order to this chaotic relationship.

“I’m not worried because I know everything will work out. Sure it’s something to think about, but you’re getting worked up over something that turned out to be…good I guess. I mean, I miss walking on two legs, and having hands, but that doesn’t make me who I am. Besides there’s uh…there might be a lady in my life now…maybe.” I confessed.

“Oh…somepony thinks he’s found his soulmate hmm?” Discord appeared beside me, his mood and attitude shifting.

“Well, I hope she feels the same way, we…things didn’t end so well before I came here.” I replied.

“So who is this lovely mare of interest?” Discord propped his head up on his mismatched paws, tail swishing behind him anxiously.

“Cloudchaser, she’s been on my mind for a while now. I’d love to see her again, but what if she hates me after she learned what I am underneath the fur and wings?” I sighed.

“I can’t say I relate, love is a hindering emotion. I simply choose to tolerate those around me.” Discord smiled smugly.

“You like Fluttershy.” I grinned.

“I wonder if putting a zipper over your mouth would be applying too much chaos magic?” Discord asked coldly, getting his point across for me to keep quiet about the subject of him and Fluttershy.

I rolled my eyes; it was a lost cause trying to have a genuine moment with Discord, but something one had to accept. Fluttershy made it look easy when dealing with his backwards shenanigans, but she was also the embodiment of kindness, it was quite hard to upset her, short of doing physical, or psychological harm to her friends.

“Look you came here because of problems with Izzy, right? Just get her a red velvet cupcake with three sprinkles on top, use green icing.” I said, turning my attention back to my book.

“…say what?” Discord asked.

“They’re special to her. No special powers, no gags, no secret ingredients, just a simple cupcake with an odd exterior.” I replied.

"And you're certain this will work?" Discord was obviously skeptical of how simple this was.

"It won't solve things over night, but it will be a step in the right direction." I said.

With one last questioning look Discord snapped his fingers, leaving me alone in the room. I smiled as I picked up where I left off in the book. The way to Isabella's good side was pastries, but she had particular interest.

A part of me felt guilty now that Discord was gone. If he hadn't fucked up, I may never have bothered perusing...whatever this was with Cloudchaser. Upon further reflection, it was because of him I actually got any 'action' as Isabella would put it. That night still put a smile on my face, but now wasn’t the time to get side tracked, I had already been distracted enough.

"Rankings..." I said aloud, directing my attention to the book in front of me.

---

“Is this absolutely necessary Pinkie?” Isabella sighed as she followed the pink party pony to…who knows where.

“Yeppers, I ran out of a secret ingredient for my cupcakes. Your arms will make it easier.” Pinkie Pie replied.

“That doesn’t explain why I had to be blind folded at eight p.m. led around by your tail like a blind seeing eye dog.” Isabella said.

“Nopony can know of this ingredient’s location…nopony.” Pinkie Pie hissed defensively before giggling at her own falsified serious tone.

Isabella liked Pinkie, even though the mare seldom made any sense. She was fun to be around and made her smile with that infectious warm, bubbly personality. It took a heart of solid ice to remain cold and calloused around Pinkie Pie.

“So how is this ingredient going to remain a secret if I see it?” Isabella asked, pointing out a flaw in the pony’s plan.

“It just will.” Pinkie Pie replied.

“Uh huh, so you’re not afraid of somepony else threatening me to give up your secret if they ever found out I knew about it?” Isabella inquired, if only to keep her mind off how ridiculous she must look to any passing pony.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard the sound of any other hooves around them. It was late, but not that late. The pub was surely occupied by a few regulars, and there were some ponies that stayed up a bit later than most. Tonight was different for some reason, and an uneasy feeling was starting to form in the pit of Isabella’s stomach.

“We’re almost there~” Pinkie Pie sang, as what sounded like hooves against straw replaced the noise clip clop pattern against a dirt road.

“Pinkie…are we on somepony’s farm?” Isabella asked.

“No silly, why would you think that? Oh, duck down by the way.” Pinkie Pie replied.

The sound of a door closing behind her made Isabella jump, causing her hand to release the pink pony’s tail. This made her panic slightly as she reached out, grasping at empty air. She could hear her own footsteps against a hard wood floor, only adding to her confusion.

“Okay Pinkie, this isn’t funny anymore.” Isabella warned, removing her blind fold, only to be greeted by darkness.

“Pinkie?” she called out cautiously.

Light suddenly filled what Isabella now recognized as the inside of Sugar Cube Corner. A banner that read CONGRATULATIONS in multiple colors was hung from the ceiling, as well as balloons and streamers.

“SURPRISE!” came a loud shout, as a multitude of ponies came out of their respective hiding places.

Isabella stumbled backwards, falling onto the surprisingly soft floor. Her hands making contact with straw that was carefully distributed across the floor, at least that answered one question. That only left the elephant in the room...why was there a banner, streamer and half the town in Sugar Cube Corner?

“Were you surprised? Huh? Huh? Where ya? I bet you were!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

“Pinkie what the hell?” Isabella asked, her heart slowly returning to its normal pace.

“We just wanted this day to be special for you dear,” Rarity said. “We planned something similar for your brother when he passed his test, by some miracle, so it stands to reason we would do the same for you.”

“You are okay with surprises, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes Fluttershy, I’m fine with surprises.” Isabella replied.

"See? What did I tell you guys? Now let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie shouted, earning cheers from the ponies now crowding the establishment.

"You know you guys didn't have to do this right?" Isabella asked getting back on her feet.

"Things haven't exactly been easy on you. Besides, you earned this, enjoy it. Now you don't have to stay in Ponyville all the time." Twilight replied.

Isabella felt guilty, she wondered how much was shared between her friends, and if Applejack had kept their heart to heart private. She had wanted to leave Ponyville behind to try and pretend like her life was the same, only everyone had been turned into small ponies, but even that thought left a bitter taste in her mouth now that it had actually happened to her brother.

She originally had no real interest in getting to know ponies that didn’t talk to her much. Isabella never went out of her way to be social unless it was required of her, since she was often alienated by the inhabitants of this world.

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” Isabella said.

“What?!” Twilight and her friends asked in unison, all except for Applejack who nodded to her knowingly.

“I thought I could treat this like my old world and just take off, but then I realized how stupid it’d be if I left some of the best friends I’ve ever had behind. Even when I was still being kind of stubborn, you treated me like I was part of your group. ” Isabella replied, looking at Applejack as she spoke.

“Ugh, are we done with all the sappy stuff?” Rainbow Dash asked, earning a round of light laughter from the assembled crowd.

“Yeah, enough of the heart gibberish, let’s do this.” Isabella said.

---

Sweetie Belle watched as her sister’s friends led Isabella around, introducing her to a few of the more important ponies in town. Filthy Rich seemed to take an interest in some of the stories she had to share; they were a bit more believable than her brothers, but not as entertaining. A lot of the ponies that had been on the fence about the human were relaxed with such a highly held member of the community present and talking with her, even if his daughter was a living terror.

“Hey Sweetie Belle.” Apple Bloom said, as she and Scootaloo sat down on either side of her.

“Hey, I guess everypony is here tonight.” Sweetie Belle smiled happily.

“Yeah even some from out of town. I don't think this many came to Daniel's party." Scootaloo added.

"Probably cause there were a few ponies that were still afraid of him causin' trouble." Apple Bloom shrugged.

"Speaking of trouble, guess who's headed our way..." Scootaloo said, watching anxiously as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached them.

"Well, well, if it isn't the blank flank crusaders, still no luck with all the extra effort I see. I guess some ponies are never meant to bloom at all." Tiara giggled.

"Say, Scootaloo, where's your scooter? I didn't see you with it today...or yesterday...or...wow, it's almost been a week since I've seen it." Silver Spoon failed miserably to keep a straight face as she taunted the tangerine filly.

"Ya know darn well what happened to it, Diamond Tiara broke it!" Apple Bloom fumed. Even though Big Mac had patched it up, it had only been temporary, and the scooter had finally given up the ghost.

"Do I look like I could break a scooter? You fillies and your crazy stories," Tiara scoffed. "Why don't you go hang out with the monster...oh wait, I forgot, he's not here. He's just a freak in Las Pegasus now."

Scootaloo's wings buzzed furiously at the comment. She had put up with that label on more than one occasion, and she wasn't about to let one of her best friends get picked on while he wasn't even here. She looked up to him and Rainbow Dash.

As quickly as her wings had started to buzz, they stopped as a much better plan than just yelling at the two bullies formed in her mind. Silver Spoon was by no means innocent, but she was just a tag along, a wing pony. No, this was between her and Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo remembered how Daniel had dealt with this bully without lifting a...a....whatever he called his hooves. Though she was going to put a little spin on it while keeping things nonviolent. Looking down at the drink in between her hooves, she knew exactly how to manage that.

Without saying a word to either her friends, or enemies, Scootaloo approached Diamond Tiara calmly, as if nothing was wrong. A small smile was on her face, making Diamond Tiara back away slightly as she drew closer.

"What are you doing yo-aaah!" Diamond Tiara shrieked, as punch and ice cascaded down her head and mane.

"You talk a lot, Miss Cheerilee said that talking can dry you out." Scootaloo knew that their teacher meant the mouth. It seemed the one day she hadn't been writing Rainbow Dash next to every word in the dictionary had been useful after all.

"Y-y-you...my mane...my....I...daaddy!" Diamond Tiara cried, leaving Silver Spoon behind with the CMC.

"O-oh, umm, I think I hear my mom calling...gotta go bye!" Silver Spoon whimpered, her bravado leaving with the crying magenta earth pony.

Scootaloo felt...strange, after lashing out at Diamond Tiara. She thought it would make her feel better, but it only made her feel worse. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that she was no better than Diamond Tiara for what she did, even if she was a bully.

"Hey, I think I'm going to go home now...I'm not in the partying mood anymore." Scootaloo said in a voice so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear over the noise from the other guest.

"But," Apple Bloom started, until Sweetie Belle got her attention with a soft hoof to her shoulder, shaking her head no. "Okay, see ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see ya." Scootaloo replied.

"What'd ya go and do that fer?" Apple Bloom asked once Scootaloo was gone.

"Because, there's something I think you should know, but you have to keep it a secret from everypony else. Especially Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said, keeping her eyes glued to the door just in case she came back.

"She ain't in trouble is she?" Apple Bloom’s ears drooped out of concern.

"Nope, it's a good secret." Sweetie Belle smiled.

---

"Daaaddy!" Diamond Tiara whined as she worked her way through the crowd to find her dad next to the other human.

"Daddy! That mean pegasus poured punch on me!" Diamond cried.

"That's nice sweetheart, but the adults are talking right now," Filthy Rich said dismissively. "So, you're telling that paper was used to represent currency instead of actual gold?"

"Pretty much the gist of it." Isabella replied with a shrug.

"How in the world did you ever get anything done?" another pony asked.

"Honestly, we fought and bickered over stupid stuff on a daily basis. Old men sent young boys to settle their arguments for them...the dirty way." Isabella sighed.

Once it became apparent that her father had no immediate interest in addressing the result of what was more than likely her own actions coming full circle, Diamond Tiara stormed off, leaving the party embarrassed as punch continued to drip from her mane.

Isabella was beginning to grow tired of answering all the questions she thought her brother had already taken care of. Apparently she was wrong, and was now scanning her surroundings for some kind of excuse to ditch the questioners without being too obvious.

Isabella noticed Fluttershy off by herself, it wasn’t uncommon, but she was normally accompanied by either Daniel or Discord to events like this. She saw a golden opportunity to try and smooth things over with the shy pegasus while she was alone.

“Excuse me guys, but I see somepony I’ve been meaning to talk to.” Isabella said, walking past this group that had gathered around her.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice her approaching; she was more concerned about staying out of the way instead of mingling. Even with Rainbow Dash present she was still acting skittish.

“Hey Fluttershy.” Isabella said casually, making the mare jump slightly.

“O-oh, hi Isabella, I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said.

“I teleport sometimes, can’t really control when it happens.” Isabella shrugged.

“Maybe Twilight could help, I didn’t know humans could do that.” Fluttershy smiled nervously.

“Um, we can’t really, it was a joke. Anyways, what are you doing here all by yourself?” Isabella asked.

“Well, this party was for you, and I didn’t want to get in the way of things.” Flutttershy replied, pawing at the floor timidly.

“Fluttershy, I might be the focus, but this is for everypony to have a good time. You can't tell me you're having fun just standing here all alone and expect me to believe you." Isabella crossed her arms.

"No, I guess not." Fluttershy said.

The pegasus was keeping her answers pretty short, a sure sign she didn't really want to talk, but was doing so to be polite. Isabella wasn't the most proper girl there was, but she could pick up on her reluctance to carry on a conversation, and she didn't have to go down a very long list of assumptions as to why.

"Fluttershy, is this about Discord?" Isabella asked.

"O-oh goodness no! I haven't even seen him!" Fluttershy's nervous smile returned.

"You're a pretty bad liar." said Isabella.

"You're right, it is because Discord has been down in the dumps. I have seen him, and he hasn't been himself, nothing seems to cheer him up, and you've been upset too."Fluttershy pointed a hoof at Isabella.

Isabella was a bit surprised to be called out by the timid yellow one, but held her peace. Some part of her conscience knew she probably deserved this.

"I can't stand seeing my friends argue or be bitter with each other. I don't want to pick a side, you two need to sit down and talk." Fluttershy scolded in a surprisingly motherly tone.

"But..." Isabella tried to counter.

"No buts, one of you is going to have to be the bigger pony. Yes he made a mistake, well a few actually, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be hurt or screamed at. It took him a long time to make the friends he has now; do you really think he would purposefully hurt any of them?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, but how do I know he's really sorry?" Isabella asked in return.

"That's why you need to sit down and talk with each other. I can be there if you want, I don't want my friends to stay mad at each other." Fluttershy replied, placing a hoof comfortingly against Isabella's leg.

Isabella mulled over the prospect of sitting down at some small table across from the walking enigma that had become her sworn enemy, she was not as quick to forgive as her brother might be. Fluttershy was volunteering to play peace keeper until some level ground was reach, if it could be reached at all.

"I won't promise anything will come from this, but if it'll make things better between us..." Isabella said.

"I guess that's a start." Fluttershy smiled.

"Isabella!" shouted a familiar voice.

Fluttershy didn't stick around to see who it was, opting to vanish. The poor mare wasn't at all into the big, loud crowd setting.

"Isabella, I'm glad I found you." Ditzy Doo said.

"Hey Ditzy, what's up?" Isabella asked with a small grin.

She couldn't help but smile at the mare's statement. Isabella was the only human in Equestria, for now anyways, yet Ditzy had trouble finding her while being in a confined area. The smile faded when she remembered Daniel mentioning she had a sight problem, that her eyes didn't just do...whatever it was they did, without cause or reason.

"Well, there was a small um, mix up, with the mail and a letter with your name on it got left behind, on accident I promise. I'd never-" Ditzy Doo started to explain.

"It's cool Ditzy Doo. So did you just stick it in the mailbox before coming?" Isabella asked, snickering at her poor phrasing of her question, even if she was the only one that caught it.

"I've got it right here actually," The mail mare said holding an empty hoof up proudly before noticing something wasn't quite right. "Well...I said I did...where did it go?"

Ditzy spun around, ensuring she hadn't dropped the letter by accident. She couldn't live with herself knowing she had lost somepony's mail. She was sure she had brought it!

"Is this it?" Isabella asked, plucking a letter from behind the mare's left ear.

Ditzy spun around blushing after spotting the letter. "Heh, I guess I still managed to misplace it."

Misplaced letters, local heroes, and a princess to boot. Isabella smiled as she went down her mental checklist. There was plenty of excitement in Ponyville, she'd be crazy to think she could find more anywhere else in this world. Besides, she still had one more obstacle to overcome, and who was she to run away from a challenge?

---

Scootaloo sighed as she saw the orphanage come into view. She felt bad about what she did to Diamond Tiara, but she deserved it, right? How could another pony be so mean and not feel this way as well? Was she somehow immune to guilt?

The filly gave up trying to understand her bully and slowly opened the door. She didn't want to dwell on it any longer, and Diamond Tiara was more than likely plotting her revenge.

"Home sweet home..." Scootaloo said quietly as she walked down the empty hallway.

Her thoughts shifted to her friend that had moved away, she had considered the possibility that he might forget about them. As unlikely as that might be, she had harbored a similar fear when Rainbow Dash was invited to the Wonderbolt Academy.

As Scootaloo pushed open the door that led to her section of the building, she noticed something out of place on her bed. It was a box that was a bit awkwardly shaped, and at first glance looked like it held something expensive, most large boxes did, but what was it doing on her bed?

Scootaloo rushed over to her bed and jumped onto the mattress, causing the bed frame to squeak. She looked for some sort of external marking on the box to determine its contents, but only found a card that had been firmly taped to the top that had her name written on it.

Ripping it off with her teeth, Scootaloo tore the envelope and started to read the card. As she did, a smile started to work its way across her face.

Dear Scootaloo

I've missed you guys so much, and not a day goes by that I don't think about Ponyville. I've been counting the days as they pass, slowly, maybe you could see if Twilight could convince Celestia to lower the sun a few hours sooner?

Scootaloo giggled and kept reading.

I've made some new friends that I'll have to tell you about. One even helped me out with what's inside the box. Try not to let this one "get away" from you. Anyways, I hope you and the others are doing well, I'll see you soon.

Daniel

Scootaloo dropped the letter, her curiosity having developed from a small flame into an raging inferno; she had to know what was inside! The problem she was faced with was opening it.

After looking the box over again, she found a weakness in the postal tape, which was incredibly durable, and managed to rip it off. With almost unnatural speed, Scootaloo lifted all four panels to reveal the treasure hidden within, which made her gasp in surprise.

There in the box was a new scooter. Some assembly would be required, but Scootaloo instantly recognized the frame work. The deck was a vibrant blue, with three silver stripes, and at first glance it seemed to be a bit tougher than her old scooter.

Scootaloo's vision started to grow cloudy as tears formed in her eyes. She looked at the card again, and hopped off the bed, pulling out a box from underneath the frame. Inside were some of her most cherished possessions, most of which had been given to her by Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo placed the card inside the box and smiled before closing it once more.

---

It was late when Isabella finally departed from the slowly dying celebration. After a long eventful day, she was exhausted and was ready to fall into her bed, bidding the world farewell until sunrise when the day would start anew.

A slight poking sensation in her side reminded her of the letter she had received at the party, which had now somehow started to work its way out of her pocket. Isabella had never been able to figure out why such a phenomenon occurred.

Isabella tore the envelope open as she walked to her room and discarded the now ruined paper at her bedroom door as she opened it. Unfolding the piece of paper, she silently read the letter that was addressed to her for a change.

"No way," Isabella grinned as she continued to read. "...I think I can help a mare out."

Author's Note:

OMG this chapter! This freaking chapter! I developed the weirdest/worst case of writers block I have ever had before. I mean really bad -.- There were like five different versions of this chapter before I settled on this one! Anyways, after much sleep depravation and a few hundred mugs of sweet tea (I hate coffee) this is the result. I hope I never have to suffer through something like that again, EVER! NOPE! NO MORE! No, I'm not done yet! I mean I freaking started getting ideas for stories AFTER this one! I mean really brain? REALLY? The f- happened here? ....okay, I'm done now.

Comments

[Misty Horse]

And here I thought we'd totally hang out in a Starbucks some day...

[Ledgion]

First off, how dare you post two chapters this morning right before I was about to head out to work! I had to sit myself back down and read them before leaving. I could have been late because of your amazing story!

Now seriously, great to see an update. Loving it. And I can't wait to see Scoots reaction when she finds out she'll have a family of her own. Still, I wonder how Cloudchaser and Flitter will feel about suddenly having a foal in their lives.

[Stormcaller]

I said just one more chapter three chapters ago...

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[Prismmirror]

"Honestly, we fought and bickered over stupid stuff on a daily basis. Old men sent young boys to settle their arguments for them...the dirty way." Isabella sighed.

More misanthropy... yay...

[Luckyfanisaac]

but I wasn’t making bets with the princesses

“Not wo- how can you not be worried about something? It’s not in your nature not to worry about things, who are you and what have you done with the real Daniel?” Discord asked.

Take a look in a mirror.

few hundred mugs of sweet tea (I hate coffee)

I mostly drink Hawaiian Punch but when I go to Taco Johns I get the Mango Tea. I love Mango products.

I have been working on a chapter for a story for a few weeks and it took me 2 years to convince mysel& to post my first story here on this web site.

Oh, it just occurred to me you could play this song for Daniel and Cloudchsaer’s relationship.

[The Weaver]

“There has to be something we can do, I can’t stand seeing two friends drift apart.” Rarity pouted.

...

Izzy and Discord? Acquaintances at best. Fluttershy is doing the drift. Talk to her instead.