> The Colors Of A New World
>  by LordOfTape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Shades of Blue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: Shades of Blue
“Rawrgh” I yawned openly.
Last night’s sleep wasn’t my best. I had the weirdest dream too. I was standing in front of a big orange and yellow light, other colors flashing vibrantly around it. I had laughed a bit; the scene must have been amusing. Funny, how things seem hilarious one moment and horribly dry the next. From memory there wasn’t much else to say. The lights drew me in, and in no time I was caught in the churning of the orange and yellow portal. My body turned and twisted; pushes and pulls ached throughout my chest and limbs. It wasn’t necessarily painful, but the sensation was…odd, to say the least.
However interesting my dream had been, it kept me from getting some great shuteye. Just like every morning, I went to stretch my arms and fingers first, considering they were generally useful appendages.  My right arm felt heavy, and lifting it after just waking up was becoming a problem. It wasn’t until I turned my head that I realized what the real problem was.
Lying atop my arm was a round blue head. Now the first thing I noticed was the abnormal shape of the head. The figure was entirely different than that of a person, and what was more, the face was bright blue! I debated in my head for a moment what shade of blue it was, but soon decided that was not entirely important. The more imperative point was that I actually recognized this unusual face. 
Burdening my tired arm was none other than my favorite speedster pegasus, Rainbow Dash. Her image, as bright as she was, struck my eyes hard. Her multicolored mane dazzled my vision, nearly blinding me in my newly awaken state. Blinking furiously, ideas began to pop up in my mind. The first and foremost was that I must have been dreaming. Still trying to lift my arm carefully from underneath her sleeping head, and failing miserably I might add, I concluded that this was most certainly real.
Having deduced my situation to be true, I found the next big question to be ‘Where am I?’ I tried to scan the room around me, albeit a little offset by being unable to remove my hand, I found that I was no longer in my room. Instead of my own blue, poster strewn walls, I was surrounded by white fluffy clouds. It didn’t take much brain power to figure out where I was. That tidbit of information was beneficial to me, considering my brain didn’t quite have that much power at the time. 
The scene encapsulated me. As surprised as I was, I could still take a moment to let everything sink in. I laid my head back onto the bed; a bed which I now realized was also made of clouds, and looked up at the ceiling. Interestingly, there wasn’t a real ceiling. Topping off the pearly room was instead a thin layer of stratus clouds. They were light enough to see the rising sun from behind them, but dark enough not to let too much of it in. 
Being the kind of person who enjoyed these kinds of views, I could’ve easily laid there for years watching the sun rise. Sadly, my situation made that impossible. I felt a shifting of the cloud bed on my right. Rainbow Dash was stirring in her sleep, kicking slightly and rubbing her head against my arm. I wondered if the aspiring Wonderbolt was having a nightmare. Almost instinctively, I used my free hand to pet her head, trying to calm her down without waking her. The tactic would’ve worked easily, had I not caught a glimpse of my arm as I stroked her mane. 
It was far more streamline and smooth than my usual muscularly built arms. This fact was disturbing in itself, but it quickly got worse. It was orange. Again, placing frivolous wonderments before business, my mind decided to debate the shade of orange that it was. After a few strenuous moments of trying to focus, I decided it was a burnt sienna. With the color settled, my brain refocused on my strange new arm. Not only was it orange and slender, but I didn’t even have a hand! The ever present body part simply disappeared without a trace.  In its place was a blue stump like structure. 
My god, I had hooves. 
Just like everything else this freaky morning threw at me, hooves could only make me laugh.  The bewildering fact that this was not a dream made me instantly crack up. Insanity reigned as the uproarious laughter rang out around the entire skyward house.  I had hooves! Hooves! What could’ve been funnier? 
This delirious state didn’t last long. As my body woke up, dragging my mind along with it, rational thoughts began to flood my thoughts. I was a pony. I was no longer a human, or anything else for that matter; I was a pony.  How could this have happened? Why was I here, in an imaginary world full of cartoon characters?  Why was I in Rainbow Dash’s bed to be more specific? How do I get out, how do I turn back? I couldn’t answer any of these questions myself. Panic struck hard and fast. Uncontrollably I screamed.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The once peaceful pegasus that had since been occupying my arm roused her head in response to my noise. 
“Huh?” she groaned, obviously tired as well.
My eyes widened, pupils dilating. Rainbow Dash was waking up. What was I going to do? Just another question that rattled my clustered mind. Thankfully, she raised her head to search for the source of the noise, alleviating my arm. Well, I suppose it was more of my foreleg now.
She turned her head towards me, eyes half closed. Her head tilted, letting her colorful mane fall in front of her face. A quick burst of wind from her mouth blew it from her eyes, revealing two dark purple diamonds. I had always admired Rainbow’s eyes, not in the creepy way, but in the way that they amazed me. Purple eyes, cyan coat and rainbow mane. She was, for a pony, the embodiment of spectacularity.  
She blinked, regaining her vision and looked me square in the face. With a lower than normal morning voice she asked me “Who are you and why are you in my bed?”
Unable to answer her question, my panic mode set in once more. I scrambled for words, but nothing came out. Rainbow was getting antsy.
“Tell me your name before I buck you in the face so hard, you’ll be the next 1000 year prisoner on the moon.”
At this outrageous threat, I scattered everything. Flailing my limbs wildly around in fear, I fell from the soft, white bed and onto the equally soft and white floor. Although, onto might not be the best preposition, through would be a better one. Unable to stand atop the clouds, I fell straight down. Rainbow Dash tried to follow me, but in her own tired state she merely entangled herself in her sheets. 
I continued to fall though. Nothing was stopping me from plummeting to the harsh ground below. This was probably the only chance I’d ever get to be in Ponyville, the land of dreams and hope. Unfortunately, my trip would be cut short by a long fall. I wasn’t scared, oddly enough. It was sorrow instead that filled my mind. In such a rushed state, I never even got to tell my favorite pony how great she was. I never even got to say ‘Hi’. 
The cold wind rushed through my hair. No, not my hair, my mane. It was blue and red. Just with all of the other colors, my only train of thought was ‘Which shade of red is it?’ Funny to think that I could be so close to an untimely death, and my only thoughts were about colors. Death was so dry, but colors, colors were everything. 
I took in a deep breath, not a difficult task with so much vibrant air whizzing past me every second.  As the breath entered my lungs, I felt an odd sensation on my back. Unlike the one from earlier where Rainbow had been on my arm, this one felt far more controllable. I stretched these interesting new muscles as best as I could.  Across my sides I felt a light brushing, as if was being hugged by an eagle. Still trying my best at moving the flimsy new appendages, I looked to see just what they were. 
Tilting my head against the rushing air current was difficult, but not impossible. Completing half of a turn, I could plainly see that the odd sensations came from two gigantic wings. They were greater in size than my body itself when spread open; and still quite large even as they flapped downwards. It took a mere second to understand what I had to do. If I could learn to fly with these overbearing feather dusters, then I could most likely survive this predicament of dying. 
I worked frantically to turn onto my front, having been falling with my back to the wind the entire time. To my chagrin, the pressure was too great for me, especially in this new body. Even with wings, there was nothing I could do to stop the fall. My struggle was all for naught, except maybe a good waste of energy.
Resigning myself to the inevitable fate, I looked once more into the morning sky. Celestia must’ve been keen on my future, for I could almost see the dawn star wink at me as it rose into the clear sky.  With a heavy sigh of content, I thanked whatever powers were at work for my wondrous, albeit short, trip to Ponyville. 
Pwuuumff!
My body hit the ground with a jolt, cratering my new form into the meadow below. The pain was unbearable, searing into each vein and capillary. My bones ached, and may as well have been broken. My wings were the source of the majority of my pain. The strain placed on them as the main interceptors of the fall sent vicious messages to my nerves. I blinked once, taking in the glowing scene once more. My eyes shut involuntarily due to the amount of pain.
I heard two voices call out to my broken form from either side. 
To my left was “You will be alright.”
And to my right “It has just begun.”
	
> Blending Tones
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: Blending Tones
My eyes slowly began to open. The light coming down from above seared right through them into my brain. It was the middle of the day now, or at least I could’ve guessed that by the fact that the sun was right above my head. The direct path of light didn’t help in allowing me to see. I tried opening my eyes once more, but it was still far too shiny for me, and the flashing sent me into a daze. I blinked repeatedly, trying hard to make out the scene around me, but all I could see were blotches of color. To my side were blobs of brown atop a large stretch of sketchy green. Above me was a mix of white and blue swirls, circling each other in endless harmony. I was alive. Thank Celestia, I was alive.  
With my eyes closed to prevent them from further damage, I pushed my left arm off of the ground in an effort to turn over. A jolt of pain shot from the tips of my hooves to my back. Fortunately, it was enough to flip myself over. Ignoring the pain, I used all four of my limbs to thrust myself off of the ground. The more effort I put in, the more it hurt, but I was eventually able to stand all the way up. I shook my beaten hooves out, reinforcing the pain, but alleviating some of the stress.
What was I going to do? I was in no shape to continue running away, let alone fly. I glanced at my new feathery sides. From what I could tell they looked alright. Nothing out of place or sticking out at least. Trying to move them was a different story. I had to get fixed up soon if ever wanted to do anything here. I wracked my brain to figure out a solution. 
After a few minutes of intense inner debating, my eyes shot wide open, visibly exclaiming my brilliant idea.
“I’ll go to the hospital!” I shouted. 
The light immediately flew right back into my open eyes, stunning them once again. The effects were a bit numbed down now that I had some time to adjust. When the throbbing finally settled down, I took a sweeping glance to see exactly where I was. Trees, rocks, grass, sky. Great, I could’ve been anywhere. How could I get to the hospital if I didn’t even know where I was?
I turned around to see if there were any indicating clues behind me. As it was, I could see Ponyville a short distance off. The tall town hall building stood strong among the smaller cottage villas. The pastel pasted town was glamorous. Perhaps to someone, eh, somepony like Rarity or the high class ponies of Canterlot it might not have been so glamorous, but to me it was one of the most magnificent sights I had ever seen.  Houses with beautifully trimmed lawns lined the dirt roads, all meeting in the center to enjoin in the town square market. I could get lost in enjoying this new world, but I had several tasks at hand. 
I began to make my way towards the small village as hastily as I could. It was rough going, limping and stumbling along the way, but eventually I made it to the home of dreams. Doing my best not to be overwhelmed with excitement, I scanned the area for the hospital. Looking into my memory for details on locations, I realized that I had no way of knowing which way the hospital was. It wouldn’t have been too much of a problem, had there been a pony around I could’ve asked for directions. 
The scenery had taken me by such surprise that I had hardly noticed the looming fact that there was no one, eh hem, nopony around. Perhaps my earlier calculation about the position of the sun was wrong? Or maybe ponies just woke up later than usual? Any of these things could have been very well true, but that did not take away from the fact that I needed help. Limping could only get me so far. 
There had to be someone, urgh, I can’t believe I keep doing that, somepony, who was awake at this hour. Rarity? No, she would want her beauty sleep. Applejack? Probably, but I had no clue as to how to get to the farm from here. Fluttershy? Equally too far away. Pinkie Pie? Oh god no, I wasn’t going to be going to her for help. Then again, if anypony was to understand different universes it would probably be her…
Wait, that’s it! Twilight could help me. With all her books and studying I’m sure she has something that can inform me of what’s going on. 
This thought became even more pleasing as I realized that I knew exactly how to get to the library from here. Pushing my already strained muscles past their limits, I ran towards the library. Reaching the gigantic, bookkeeping palace, I knocked viciously on the door. 
“Alright, alright I’ll be with you in a second,” called out a familiar voice. “Just let me finish this book first.”
I waited patiently at her door for what seemed like hours to my aching body. As the small burst of adrenaline from earlier faded, I began to feel my knees turn to jelly. Even as I heard footsteps, or hoof steps maybe, walk towards the door, I felt as though I was going to fall over. My body swayed in a dizzy attempt to stay up.
Glowing purple lights formed around the parameters of the door. The glow was filled with smaller purple and white stars that flicked about wildly. It was such a nice shade of purple, light and bouncy like the sky’s blue. The magical door made me smile inside.
“Hello there, how can I help –” the studious unicorn’s voice cut off as my tired body fell limp to the ground. “you?” she picked up her finished sentence. 
The tone displayed a mix of both curiosity and imperative surprise. 
The mare called out to her young assistant “Spike, get the bed ready!”
A faint moan came from upstairs, presumably where the grumpy dragon had been previously occupied before I came in. A faint glow, exactly the same as the one that washed over the door, now surrounded me. I felt my contact with the floor cease and my legs dangle from beneath me. If one was to add rushing wind into the scenario, I would’ve felt like I was falling from the sky all over again. 
“I’ll fix you right up.” the helpful young mare smiled.
She trotted quickly up the wooden stairs, into what I thought was her bedroom. Multitasking with her magic, she lifted the sheets from the bed and placed me gently on top of it. Then she moved the covers back over my fragile form. 
“Spike, get me my first aid kit and the book on caring for injured pegasi.” She demanded.
“Sure thing Twilight.” Spike agreed, running downstairs to obtain both of the required items. 
“You’re going to be just fine.” She smiled again, trying to comfort me.
Spike was quick, as he was trained to be, and brought both of the items to Twilight almost instantly. She opened up the first aid box and began flipping through the pages of the book. I couldn’t tell exactly, but the book didn’t seem like it was used that much. Had I not known Twilight, I probably would have been scared by this. 
Closing the book almost instantaneously, as if she had captured all she need to know in just a split second, Twilight assured me “I’m going to put you under for a little while, but then you’ll be just fine.”
Never being a fan of operations, or doctors doing just about anything to me that I was unaware of, I twinged a bit at the idea. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do but accept the unicorn’s help. Before closing my eyes to the inevitable I saw her pull out a small needle from the first aid kit. I sighed. Let’s hope she knows what she’s doing, I told myself.
The next thing I knew I was staring at an intricately designed wooden ceiling.  Nature could truly work its wonders anywhere, with such little effort. I smiled, taking in the lovely natural artwork. It, like everything else here, was fascinating to me. The varying shades of brown blended, intertwining with each other in captivating decoration. It was simply amazing. After thoroughly appreciating each twist and turn in the wood’s grain, I refocused to the important thoughts at hand. Was I alright?
I got up, taking myself out of the comfortable library bed. My hooves landed with an echoing thud, loud enough that the entire house could hear me. Spike opened the door to see what was going on.
“Hey now, you gotta stay in bed. Twilight’s orders.”
With a groan, I replied “Ugh, but I really do need to talk to her.”
I tried walking towards the door, but there was still a lot of strain on my muscles. Whether the strain was from my fall or whatever Twilight used I was unsure of, but it did hurt. Spike caught me before I could fall again.
“Come on now, let’s get you back in bed. I can have Twilight come up and talk in a minute.” He scolded lightly. 
“Alright.” I begrudgingly agreed. 
Spike helped me get back into the bed, which was great because I couldn’t have done it myself. Getting me a glass of water, he reminded me not to get up, and went out to fetch Twilight. He didn’t shut the door to the room though, and I could hear a conversation going on downstairs.
“Hold on, hold on. So you’re telling me you just woke up and there was a random stallion in your bed?” I heard a faint Twilight ask incredulously.
“YEAH! He didn’t even say anything, just flew right out after I woke up. Creep.” Replied an all too familiar angry female pegasus.
Oh wonderful, Rainbow Dash was talking about me.
“Well what did he look like?” 
“I didn’t get a good look at him, but his coat was orange, kinda like a dark orange. And his mane was blue and red. At least, I think it was blue and red. Oh, and he was a pegasus, of course.”
The tone in Twilight’s voice changed after hearing the all too obvious description of me. She seemed skeptical of Rainbow Dash but also appeared to be extremely interested in this new find.
“So Rainbow, where did he fly off too?” she asked inquisitively.
“Well see, that’s why I’m here. Stupid colt. I have no idea where he went, but when I find him, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.” Her tone changing from angry to furious. 
“Maybe you should ask Fluttershy? She lives close to the forest, maybe he went there?” the purple unicorn offered.
“Great idea!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed “But keep your eyes open alright?”
“Oh, I’ll keep my eyes open alright Rainbow.” She said. Her tone indicative of a wink to me, as if she knew I was listening.
The door closed and I could hear the wind blow as Rainbow Dash flew off to Fluttershy’s. I heard the faint talking of Spike to Twilight, and wondered what in the world I was going to do next. One sticky situation after the next had not made me any better at solving them.
“Oh mystery stallion,” Twilight called out, the words melodious forms telling me she was interested “I’m ready to talk to you now.”
Her sly attitude was easily picked up. It didn’t frighten me, but I knew I had to think on my feet. What kinds of questions was she going to ask me? Why did she wait till Rainbow dash left? What in world will she do to me when I don’t have the answers?
I closed my eyes trying to think of a solution. Colors swirled in my head just as they did when I awoke from my fall. Each color was a different thought, different idea. Which to choose? The more I thought, the more it hurt to think. In the end, I chose to dispel the influx of colorful thoughts in favor a pure blankness.  No more time for thinking, just act natural. 
Again two voices on either side conversed by my ears.
To the left “Natural is always best.”
To my right, “Easier said than done.”

> Purple Tints
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Purple Tints
The already ajar door flung open, and in its doorway stood the very same unicorn who I’d grown so accustomed to enjoy. Twilight’s interesting personality as a bookworm was completely opposite of my own outgoing nature. To see someone who could work so hard and study and learn was just, perplexing. But it was fun nonetheless. 
She walked slowly towards my bed, pulling over a small chair and sitting down next to me. Calmly, she used her magic to lift a small notepad and ink pen in front of her from a nearby nightstand. Tapping the pen into an inkwell quickly, she readied herself to take her ever famous notes. 
“Ah hem,” she cleared her throat, “My first question for you before we begin our little chat is what exactly is your name?”
I froze, stunned by such a simply question. Why on earth would it be hard to tell her my name? I had a perfectly normal name, for where I was from at least. But how would my human name sound here? Obviously out of place. It would have nothing to do with my special talent.
My special talent…what was it? Having barely seen any of my body at all in any detail, I had completely disregarded looking for a cutie mark. That was, if I had a cutie mark. I was never one to really find anything all too great in myself, although others didn’t seem to have such a hard time. My talent could be anything, maybe even something I hadn’t discovered yet.
“Hello? Mystery Stallion?” Twilight prodded, looking for an answer to her previous question.
I was taking an awfully long time to answer her with my name. Talents, talents, oh what could my talents be? There are plenty of things I could be good at, but nothing I could truly excel at. I did have plenty of hobbies though; perhaps one of them would suffice for now? Hmm, what did I do for fun? I was a drummer, an artist, a writer, a martial artist, a scout, a gamer, a collector, a partier, there were so many things I reveled in. 
Twilight’s eyes narrowed down on me, staring intently into me so as to increase the pressure. The studious unicorn did not want to wait, her hoof tapping rhythmically on the floor. I figured the easiest way to get around it would to go with my first choice, being a musician and a drummer. I just spat out the first pony sounding name I could think of.
“You can call me Drumroll.”
With the silence broken and the question answered, Twilight’s visage lightened up and a small smile could be seen. Ready to begin her seemingly long list of questions, Twilight moved the mane from in front of her face. Twilight’s mane was enticing. The darker purple hair contrasted well with her lighter coat. If one was not paying attention, they would not notice that her coat was made up of several different purples in itself. They were not patches of blobs, but rather they just existed. The colors identified so well with each other that they appeared as one. Her mane was solid in its purpley tinge, but had the three stripes down the center. There were the two purple of a lighter variety closed around a smaller pink one in the center. The pink strand composed her entire figure, separating each purple as its own entity. 
“Excuse me, Drumroll sir? I do need you to respond to these questions. It is imperative that I understand absolutely everything about you so that I might be able to heal you quicker.” The unicorn interrupted.
My day dreaming about colors had set me mind off track once again, hindering my healing process as it was. As it was, anything that Twilight could tell me would help in the long run.
“I’m sorry; my head is still a bit, fuzzy. Could you repeat the question?” I asked politely.
“Of course. Now, what are you doing here in Ponyville?”
Another staggering question. Lost between the collapsing thoughts of my own mind, I could only imagine an answer. What was I doing in Ponyville? What purpose did I have here? 
“Actually Twilight, I was hoping you might be able to answer that for me.”
She cocked her head to the side and raised one eye slightly, “Me? But I don’t even know you.”
How could I explain it to her easily? I was a human. But ponies had never heard of humans, so what could I say? I was from a different universe. But what good would that do? Twilight would scoff at my absurdity. There weren’t any good answers that wouldn’t lead to her asking more about my world or denouncing me as a lunatic.
“I know you don’t know me, but I know you are the smartest pony in all of Equestria. And if there was anypony at all who could help me, it would be you.” I pleaded.
“I don’t know if I would say I’m the smartest pony in all of Equestria. Maybe Ponyville, but even that might be stretch. Still, what makes you think I can help?”
“I….I just.” I stopped, trying to understand why exactly I thought Twilight could help. What could she do if I didn’t tell her about my home? My efforts all seemed to fall hopelessly short of accomplishing anything.
Thankfully, Spike interrupted “Hey Twi, why don’t you let the pony get his rest, alright? I’m sure he’s still tired from the medication and these questions probably won’t help his head any.”
Twilight frowned, glancing at her notepad, but soon agreed to the dragon’s proposal. She put the pen back down on the nightstand, wiping the ink from it with a cloth. Then she lifted her pad up with magic and walked out of the room, leaving only me and the dragon behind. Spike followed behind her, but instead of leaving, he promptly shut the door and turned to face me. 
“Sorry about Twilight, but as you can see, she wasn’t going to stop with the question’s anytime soon.” he chuckled. “I get that this place is new to you, heck, you’ve probably never even seen Ponyville in your life have you?”
My eyes darted swiftly from side to side for a brief moment. The wondrous town of Ponyville had been the centerpiece of my attention for the past year. Still, I had never lived in it, so I decided it wouldn’t be a total lie to say no.
“Not really. I think I’d be fine if I hadn’t, um, busted myself up this bad.” I joked around.
“Heh, yeah I bet. You know, I’m sorry for bringing this up, I know Twilight wanted to make sure by talking with you but,” he paused mid sentence to open me up for his question “it was you who was in Rainbow Dash’s bed this morning wasn’t it?”
Spike was a smart dragon, although I’m sure it didn’t take much to figure that out. I had to laugh a bit at how blunt he was, but also had to appreciate that he didn’t accuse me of anything. There really was no use hiding anything that was so obviously true at this point, so I found no harm in telling him.
“Yes, that was me. In fact, I received this damage falling from her skyward abode. Although I swear, Pinkie Pie Promise, that I have no idea why I was there.”
“I hope you know that’s some severe stuff you’re getting into with a Pinkie Promise.” He warned me.
“I understand. I just really want to clear the whole thing up, I mean, I don’t even know why I’m here.” I explained, trying my best to include everything.
I had not been able to talk to Twilight about myself, although she had been so kind as to see me. Spike was different though, I felt that I could be open to Spike, as if he would not judge me as much. Perhaps it was that I trusted guys more than girls, or maybe that I knew Spike and Twilight so well that I knew who would understand and who wouldn’t.
Spike’s skeptical look told me I may have been wrong, but even if he did think I was lying, he played along “So why did you come here? And come to think of it, how did you know Twilight’s name?”
At this point, I decided it best to lie. Even under Pinkie Promise standards, Spike still thought I was up to some trickery, so going all different dimension would probably cut off all ties with the truth.
“I’m a traveling pony. I like to explore new places and meet new people. As it stands I’ve heard many stories about the citizens of Ponyville and the antics they get up to.” I smiled.
Still in slight disbelief, Spike pressed on. His earlier concern for Twilight asking me questions was obviously fake in itself. He just wanted to know things himself. Maybe he would even tell them to her later, I didn’t know.
“So how did you know what a Pinkie Promise was?”
Playing along with my earlier story, I answered “I told you. I’ve heard plenty of stories.” Still smiling.
“Uh-huh.” He nodded repeatedly but slowly. “Well, I should leave you to your bed rest then.”
His body language suggested her was mulling over the information given to him mentally. As he exited, I noticed the light from the windows reflecting from his scales. They were a similar purple to Twilight’s coat. Odd that they could be so similar in appearance yet so different in personality. Spike’s scales shined in the flicking lights, inflicting glowing purple tints around the room. Everything surrounding him became a shade of purple as he left.  
The door’s closing resounded with a thud. Almost immediately I jumped from the bed and back onto the floor. I had to find out exactly how much of me had been fixed. I flexed my various muscles, especially the new ones. The tension had died down a bit, but the overall achy throbbing had not stopped. Bed rest was best after all. Before climbing back into the comfy library bunk, I looked to my flank to see if I truly did have a cutie mark.
“Blank.” I sighed heavily.
I was a stallion for god’s sake, a blank flank stallion. What would my class have said about that? Wait, my class? I didn’t go to school here, I’ve never even been here before. Such frivolous thoughts were not only out of place, but completely irrelevant. Then again, so were colors. But as long as I was a blank flank, no one could call me on being named Drumroll. Perhaps my special talent really was music?
As soon as I had finally settled into bed, nestled and warm against the pillows and comforters, the ominous door swung open once again. The slam was no different than those before it, but the message after it would be far more interesting.
“Drumroll, I’m sending you to the hospital.” Twilight announced in what I swore was the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Eyes wide in surprise, I was lifted from my resting place and brought to the side of my caretaker. Spinning around, she led the way out the door and towards the hospital. As she turned, her coat brushed up against mine. It was soft, softer than I thought it would be. 
“I know it might hurt to walk, but I think trying to see how much you can do will help them gauge how much further help you will need.” 
Twilight was always so analytical and by the book. An impromptu trip to the hospital when she clearly had everything under control seemed off to me, but as with all else, I could do nothing about it. Walking wasn’t hard, but after a while it did wear on me. Twilight noticed my slowed pace and lifted me up with magic, carrying me the remainder of the trip. No wonder she was the element of magic.
As we reached the hospital, she began to openly tell me everything that had happened while I was under. She had applied some spells to patch up some of the fractures and internal bruises, but couldn’t do any serious operating. The ponies at the hospital, she assured me, would be able to completely restore my clean bill of health. 
Entering the large white complex, I was sat down and watched, waiting as Twilight filled out some paperwork.  The doctors came in with a wheelchair and brought me to a several rooms. X rays, physical testing, the whole nine yards. Finally, after several hours of tests, I was brought to a nice infirmary room and laid down. 
Twilight, who had been kindly accompanying me the entire time came up to me and said, “I’ll be back every day to check on you.”
With a bright smile, she and Spike left me to my lonesome in the cleanly white hospital room. It made me sad inside a bit, dropped off so soon by one of those I cared for the most. It had now just been over an entire day, or so I thought, and so much had happened. From waking up, to waking up, to waking up, to waking up again I found that every new situation put me in some kind of awkward mental chaos. It was nice to know I had a good while in the hospital to recover, but who knew what the next morning would bring?
Lacking any further purple to enjoy in my new settlement, I closed my eyes and readied myself for sleep. After all, it had been quite a long day. As my body settled down and my senses began to shut down, I again heard the ever present voices on my shoulders.
To the left “Get well soon, dearest Drumroll.” 
To the right “Enjoy your stay, while you can.”

> Layers of Red Over The Blankness of White
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: Layers of Red Over The Blankness of White
“Aurough!” I yawned aloud, my new pony mouth stretching in an oddly uncomfortable way.
I took a quick glance around the opaque white room. The walls, ceiling and floor were all some form of white. Such an interesting color, white. It could be the beginning of a painting, where all other colors would be plastered over it in a last ditch effort to eradicate its glowing perfection, or it could be dissolver, washing over the spectrum of colors that once inhabited its spirited plain. 
This white was different though, for there was nothing but. No contrast, no separation, just white. I tugged my color hungry eyes from the rooms coat to see exactly where I was. Waking up in a new place every time I went to sleep was definitely not helping me adjust to this new world. I was on a bed, thank god, a large and durable white bed.  There was a vast quantity of medical equipment around, which was only surprising because I did not think I had been broken that badly. 
I tried moving my arms, they were alright. My legs were currently in working condition as well. Everything seemed to be in order.  If I was alright, why was I still in the hospital? Before I could delve further into my thoughts, the door creaked open slowly.
“Excuse me, are you awake Drumroll?” asked a quiet voice.
It was my purple friend from yesterday, here to check up on me. I knew Twilight was a wonderful pony to her friends, but she had just met me. I suppose she did say she’d be back every day, but I didn’t think she meant it literally. I smiled and waved her in, happy to see a familiar face nonetheless. 
“Hey Twilight, what brings you here?” I grinned.
“I told you I’d be back to see you every day. I want to make sure you make a full recovery.” 
She returned a genuine smile. But that smile soon turned into a deceptive smirk as she continued.
“Besides, while you’re here all copped up in the hospital, you’ve got plenty of time to answer my questions.”
I was in for it now. There was no Spike to pick me up from this fall. I had to come up with answers to this pony fast, or be subject to some unfortunately unnecessary hospital trauma. Again, the faint purple glow radiated from her horn, lifting a pen and paper from her bag. Tapping the pen twice, she cleared her throat and started the long montage of questions.
“So first things first, why are you here in Ponyville?”
My mind worked fast, a lot faster than usual at least. If Spike had talked to Twilight, she would know if I was lying. Although unsure of what that would amount to, I figured it would be best to try and explain at least part of it.
“Honestly, I have no idea how I got here. I only remember falling asleep in my home, and waking up on the ground in a crater just outside of Ponyville.”
Alright, I had only somewhat told the truth, I couldn’t help but lie. How could I even begin to talk about waking up in Rainbow Dash’s bed? And even if I had told the truth, it was so illogical that a scholar like Twilight would just say I was lying anyways.
“Oh,” she said, slightly gasping as she did “You mean you don’t remember anything from before your fall?”
I almost responded, but soon realized that the question was a trap. If I agreed, then I would’ve known I had fallen. I took the roundabout way to getting my own answers out of her.
“My fall? Was that what happened? Where did I fall from?” I quizzed her, an innocent, child like smile on my face.
The purple pony was quick on her feet, er, hooves too “Well I only assumed you fell because the crater had to have been created somehow, don’t you agree? No matter though, if that is all you remember then we shall move on to the next question. I noticed while caring for you that you didn’t have your cutie mark. I don’t mean to insult, but why are you still a blank flank at your age?”
She was good, exceptionally so. I suppose that was to be expected from a pony such as Twilight though. I couldn’t resist making this a subliminal battle of wits. Who would trip up first? Only time would tell.
“As you’ve seen, I can get myself into quite the bunch of messes. Ever since I was a colt I’ve been getting into accidents. You could say that they’ve impeded my ability to discover my talent. I’m surprised you hadn’t deduced that by now, Ms. Sparkle.” I smirked, seeing if I could unnerve her.
She pouted, a bit set off by my underhanded comment. “Last question, Mr. Drumroll” her tone had a slight tinge of animosity in it. It was new for me to hear, only having seen her good side in the show. “Do you like books?”
I took a quick double take. Books. Books. Her last important question for me was about books? I thought she was going to grill me about, well anything really. But books, how odd.
Taken aback, I replied “I, uh, yeah, I guess I like books.”
She grinned a devilish grin at me. It was then I realized what she had done. She won our little game of wits, tripping me up with an out of the blue question. The both of us wanted information the other wasn’t ready to divulge, and she knew that as well. Clever , clever pony.
“Good!” she said, bouncing from her seat. “I’ll bring some by tomorrow then. Wouldn’t want you to get bored here.”
Although she had momentarily become flustered with me, Twilight was still the same loving pony at heart, and in only moments, she regained that composure. With a nod and a smile, she magically opened the hospital door and went on her way.
I lay as I was, staring at the blank ceiling. Was I being too over cautious about my situation? I was in Ponyville after all, one of the friendliest, more accommodating places ever thought of. I could be safe here; no worries, no impending doom to stress over. I was alright.
The rest of the day went by quite slowly, nothing much to do but think. Nothing important crossed into my head, but they were thoughts nonetheless. As the day followed upon its closing, I glanced once more at the curtain beside me. I could not see the window on the other side, but felt the fading warmth of the setting sun from behind it. The surreal feelings put my mind at rest, bringing me to a peaceful slumber.
I awoke the next morning, refreshed and ready to take on the world, save my busted wings. Breakfast came; it was some odd slop, just like the food Rainbow Dash had eaten when she stayed here. I wonder if this was her room? I wonder if she’s still after me? As per usual, my train of thought was derailed and destroyed by a young, brilliant unicorn bursting through my door.
“And how is my favorite patient today?” she asked gleefully.
“Doing just fine, thank you.” I smiled back.
She lifted a large stack of books onto the clean stand next to my bed. The paper novels landed with a bang, shaking the small table.
“You said you liked books, so I figured I’d bring you the whole series. One of my friends loves these books, I thought you might as well.” She giggled, “I do have the whole series after all.”
I glanced over at the top of the book stack, it was Daring Do. She was talking about Rainbow Dash. She was a genius, trying to smoke me out by referencing Rainbow Dash to me. So nice, but so cunning at the same time. 
“Oh Daring Do, I love these books.” I laughed, playing along.
“Great! Hopefully you haven’t read all of them yet.”
“No, I’ve got plenty to catch up on.”
She pulled up the same chair from yesterday and sat down. From her pack she pulled out a small ragdoll and string. The doll’s arm had been torn slightly, and was obviously in need of mending. Taking a closer look at it, I noticed the doll to be Smarty Pants. It made plenty of sense for Twilight to be fixing her own doll, but I was almost assured that Big Macintosh had it. Oh well, I was sure there was plenty that I didn’t know about the goings on of Ponyville.
For the next few hours, Twilight and I talked as she sowed. Idle chitchat turned into insightful debates, and those in turn became philosophical discussions. I had always been appreciative of having my friends around to have deep conversations with, but never before had I talked with Twilight like this. The amounts of topics we covered was astounding, reaching from friendship to death. Somber at times, we managed to keep our spirits high with revitalized outlooks on life. 
Over time, I felt my need to engage in a battle of wits decline. Twilight was just as she appeared, not some con-pony trickster trying to get information out of me. She genuinely cared about me and my well being. In those few hours of entrancing word play, I grew to enjoy my new role as Drumroll very much.
Concluding our final topics, Twilight and I said our goodnights. She told me that she would not be in tomorrow as she had to help Rarity with a dress. I was perfectly content with that, having thoroughly enjoyed our conversation today. Bubbly and joyous, the unicorn left my room, shutting the door slowly and silently. I let out a long sigh of content.
“She’s quite th’ pony aint she?” grinned an unnamed voice from within the room.
I jumped up, startled by the unfamiliar presence. Landing flat on my back, I felt my wings fold inward and grimaced in pain. Trying my best to ignore it, I looked to my right, searching for the origin of the sound.
“Who’s there?” I called out, worried.
“Heheh,” laughed the deep, drawn voice “Ya aint noticed your own roommate?”
Finally the voice caught the memories of my ears and I realized who had been speaking. Big Macintosh was here. He must’ve been on the other side of the curtains the entire time.
“Oh, I’m really sorry. It’s just that you haven’t said anything yet, I didn’t know anypony was there.” I apologized.
“Ah shoot, aint no need to apologize, ah was jus’ bustin’ your chops.” 
I chuckled in response, “So you heard all that then?”
“Eeyup. Mighty intrestin’ things y’all were talkin’ about.” 
The tone in his speech was indefinable. I wasn’t able to pin point it because Mac had never really talked…ever. To hear his voice in real conversation was new to me, but having somepony there who could break the boredom of the empty nights was nice.
My pause in talking was enough to get him to follow up his statement, “I almost forgot. Ma name’s Big Macintosh, but most people jus’ call me Big Mac.”
Although he couldn’t see it, I was happy about his polite introduction. Had I had a hoof to shake, I would’ve shaken it. Customarily as with any world, I told him my name.
“I’m Drumroll. Nice to meet you Big Mac.”
“Mighty nice to meet you too Drumroll.” He paused, “Now Ah don’t mean to be a burden, but are y’all able t’ walk?”
I stretched my legs out on the bed and hopped off. Everything was fine except my wings.
“Yeah, sure thing. What do you need?” I asked.
“Ah’m certain Ms. Sparkle left a small doll ‘ere. Do ya happen t’ see it?”
I walked slowly over to the chair as to not aggravate my wings and noticed that Smarty Pants was still there. I picked her up in my teeth and walked to the other side of the curtain. There lay Big Mac, hunched on his side, facing the dark window. He had a cast of some sort wrapped around his side that restricted his movement, and a few bandages over his hind legs.
“My god Mac, what on earth happened?” I gasped, taking a step back in astonishment.
“Oh this? T’aint nothin’. Jus’ bucked a tree too hard an it came a crashin’ down.” he chuckled. 
As he chuckled, he scrunched further into a ball, the laughing obviously upsetting his fragile center. I could see the wince of pain in his eyes, but also the determination to move past it. He turned his head, still gripping his ribs, and looked at me.
“Smarty Pants!” he exclaimed with a cough, hurting his sides once more.
I trotted as quickly as I could to give him the doll, leaving it in his arms so that he didn’t have to stretch too far. His wounds looked pretty bad, which I guessed they were seeing as he was in the hospital and all.
“Thank ya kindly.” He smiled, a manly tear welling up in one eye. 
The doll must’ve been very precious to him. Had Twilight known that Mac was here the entire time? Was she fixing the doll just for him? I would have to ask her later. Right now it was just Mac and I. I looked back at Mac, realizing just how different he was.
He wasn’t only different in character, but all over he contrasted with everything I knew.  Big Mac was the strongest stallion around, able to complete the toughest of tasks and power through any challenges. But here I saw him weak and helpless; beaten by an accident and gripping close to a child’s doll. Mac felt my perplexed staring and responded with an eloquence that baffled the mind.
“Oh Ah know, y’all think it’s a might weird that a big ol’ pony like maself is holdin onta a girl’s doll. Well Ah’ll tell ya a lil’ somethin’. E’er since Ah was a colt, ma pappy told me t’ always be maself an stand up for what Ah believe in. Now ma pappy’s gone now, but he was one great stallion. This ‘ere doll is some’in Ah hold extra close t’ ma heart for reasons Ah don’t need to tell nopony, an Ah’m mighty glad Twilight fixed ‘er up for me.”
“Aw, now Big Mac, I didn’t mean it that way. I myself am, well, I don’t fit into normal standards either. Whatever makes you happy is perfectly alright with me.” I confessed.
With his body covering the majority of his face from where I stood, I could not make out his facial expressions well enough to tell, but his voice inflected a sort of strong resolve.
“ Ya know, Ah haven’t always been too happy ‘ere, but family and the farm keep me goin’. Ah work ma hardest for ‘em an for maself. But ya’ll don’t hafta stay around here if ya don’t feel welcome y’know? If y’all aren’t happy, then ya c’n jus’ leave.”
I took in every word he said with vast intent. Being such a quiet pony, Big Mac obviously had a lot to say about his life and his thoughts. What was more was that he was right. I could be anywhere in the world right now. But I was here in Ponyville. I didn’t have to be, but did I want to? 
“I, I know,” I stammered, a bit offset “I could leave if I wanted.”
“But are ya happy?” he repeated.
I thought back on the past two days. From falling through the clouds, to crashing into the ground, to being taken in by Twilight, to here. Everything really did start to blend together after a while. Happiness was such an odd concept. Every emotion I had been having was filled with some sort of surprise or astounding discovery. 
I looked back at Big Macintosh, covered in his bandages. I thought of how different things were in comparison to how they appeared. Ponyville wasn’t exactly the same bright place as it was in the show, but it was close. I glanced out the hospital window for the first time, seeing the shimmering moon and stars. This universe, just like mine, had a beautiful night sky. What could there be to make me unhappy?
“Yes Mac, I am happy.” I finally responded, glowing resolve in my voice now as well.
“Good. Then why don’t y’all stop worryin’ bout what’s done and happened t’ me, and go back t’ bed?” he said, his words showing more playful sarcasm than imperative design.
“You’re a good pony Big Macintosh. Mind if we chat more tomorrow?” I asked hopefully.
“A course we can.” He smiled.
I took one last look at the large earth pony before walking back to bed. His coat bore a dark red coloring. It gleamed in the moonlight from the window. Just as his speaking and personality contrasted with my thoughts, the richness of his color contrasted intensely with the blankness of the room. His still form was like a photo plastered on a wall. Unmoving and unchanging, yet so revealing and defining. The white that surrounded him seemed to melt behind his omnipresent form.
“Night Mac.” I whispered, thinking he had already fallen asleep.
“G’night Drumroll.”
The vivid colors of his red coat glued to the fronts of my eyes as I closed them. Drifting once more into a comfortable sleep, I could hear the two voices.
To the left, “True friendship is a bond that never breaks.”
To the right, “Interesting how easily your perceptions of them are broken, isn’t it?”

> Strokes of Greenery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: Strokes of Greenery 
My eyes opened slowly as I released an awakening yawn from my mouth. The lights were dimmer than usual, casting odd shadows on the walls of the room. I stretched my forelegs and then my hind legs. What a good night’s sleep I had.
“Hey Mac, you awake yet?” I called out.
The room remained silent. Aside from the small bustle coming from the constant movement outside of the room, there were no noises to be heard. Mac was used to getting up early, but it was possible for him to sleep in. Celestia only knows if he’s ever been able to do that before.	
I decided to wait for a few more minutes, to see if he would wake up. Tapping my hoof in boredom, I glanced over at the clock on the wall. 11:35. What?! Mac would never sleep that late, impossible. I hopped out of bed quickly and look around the corner of the divider. 
Mac was gone. His bed was made and his things were still left by the side, including Smarty Pants, but he was nowhere to be found. Wanting to know more about my missing friend, I trotted over to his bedside. There was a chart on the bed with another piece of paper lying next to it. 
The medical papers seemed more important and open, so I looked at those first. Mac was scheduled for leg surgery today. I sat down, thinking over the new information. His leg hadn’t appeared that hurt, although I guess he didn’t move it much. And there was nothing to really be done about his ribs, so his leg would be the only repairable part of him. Mac getting surgery troubled me. I really hoped he would be ok. I was about to look at the note, but as I opened it up, Nurse Redheart walked in.
“Excuse me, Mr. Drumroll, WHAT exactly are you doing out of bed?” her cold stare frightened me, as if she was going to stomp on wings with her hooves.
“I, uh, just wanted to see where Big Mac went.” I answered honestly.
“Back to bed, Mr. Drumroll. You’re leaving here today anyways, you’ll need as much rest as possible.” She ordered.
Home? Today? That was impossible; my wings were still in awful condition. How could they let me out without even treating me yet? Before I could ask, she had begun walking out the door.
She turned around and pointed to the bed, her steely eyes telling me what her silence did not. Before shutting the door, she told me to prepare for company. Somepony was ready to take me home.
Waiting in that hospital bed was awfully boring. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to finish any of Twilight’s books before I left at the end of the day, so I merely sat there and stared at the wall. I thought about conversing with myself, but quickly decided that would lead to my being taken to a different part of the hospital.
After what seemed like years, the door creaked open again.
“Hello? Oh thank god, somepony has finally came!” I screamed joyously.
“Bored were we?” Twilight giggled.
“You have no idea.” I sighed.
“Well, Nurse Redheart has told me that everything is ready for me to take you out of here.”
I questioned her about my situation, “Hey, why are they letting me out so early? They never even did anything.”
A grim look flashed across Twilight’s face. I wondered what kind of news would make her feel so off centered. It was just like Twilight to worry about everything, but this seemed odd even for her.
“You see,” she began “There has been an usual string of accidents occurring all over Ponyville. They’re only allowing the most severe cases into the hospital, seeing as how it is an abnormally small medical facility. The doctors told me that my magic had been enough to keep you going, so although your wings will still be incapacitated for a bit, you are free to go.”
An unusual string of accidents? That was interesting, at least for a normal coincidence. I wondered if I was one of those so called ‘accidents’? I mulled it over for a bit, but Twilight had come back with a wheelchair, ready to take me out, so I decided to leave it alone for now.
“Ready?” she smiled her usual bubbly smile.
“Yeah, thank you.” My own smile reflective of my thanks for everything she had done for me. Taking me in, fixing me up, brining me here, and just being there for me in general.  She was a truly wonderful pony.	
Once we were out the door, I jumped from the chair and landed on my feet, feeling wonderful to enjoy the fresh air again. I just love nature. Walking over to a small patch of grass, Twilight and I sat down and basked in the glorious afternoon sun. It was then that I realized I was still holding a small piece of paper.
“The note.” I said aloud.
“What note?” my accompaniment asked.
“Oh, I found this on Mac’s bed this morning. Did you know he went in for leg surgery today?”
“Actually yes, I was fixing up Smarty Pants for him the other day when I heard he was in the hospital.” She acknowledged. “But I felt awful when I couldn’t find him this morning to bring to…wait, did you see Big Macintosh?” she asked, startled.
“He was in the bed next to mine.” I laughed. “In fact, you left Smarty Pants with me yesterday, luckily, Mac was right there.”
“Quite the coincidence. I had thought you were alone in that room.”
“So did I.” we both shared a laugh this time.
“Well what does it say?”
I opened the small paper. On it was a message from Big Mac,
“Sorry Drumroll, I know y’all wanted to talk, but I done forgot my surgery was today. Thank ya kindly for Smarty Pants and the conversation last night. I don’t mean to impose, but I was hoping y’all could do me another favor. My sister Applejack is all by herself while I’m in here. She needs some help on the farm. Could you please go and offer a hand. She’ll be stubborn, but tell her I sent ya. Thank you for all of your help Drumroll,
Your Friend Big Macintosh”
Twilight, having noticed my slowed pace, checked back. “What’s up Drumroll? What’s on that paper?”
“It’s a letter,” I replied “from Big Mac.”
Twilight looked surprised, obviously wondering what the letter said. I decided to answer her unasked question.
“He wants me to help out Applejack on the farm. Says that she’s really gonna need the help for cider season.”
The purple unicorn looked bemused. She pulled out a folded up piece of paper from her satchel. Opening it up with magic, she levitated it towards me.
“This is a map of Ponyville. I always keep one on me just in case something happens. I’ve really got to be somewhere right now. I don’t want to get off schedule. Anyways, I’m sure you’ll find Sweet Apple Acres no problem on the map. Just tell Applejack that Macintosh and I sent you.”
Her upbeat smile and helpful attitude immediately brightened my mood. Although I was worried about Mac and his surgery, Twilight made me feel alright about everything.
“Thanks Twilight.” I held out my hoof for her to shake.
She returned the gesture, and then pulled me in for a quick hug. I could feel myself blushing, although I didn’t know what was so embarrassing. She let go and we were left standing right in front of each other. The vibrant glow of her face told me that not only was she happy, but also that she had learned something new. It was the same smile she had on while writing her letters to Celestia. 
“Anything for a friend.” 
“I promise I’ll stop by when I’ve finished helping out Applejack.”
“I’d love that Drumroll. Good luck, and I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
There was an awkward pause for a brief moment, where neither of us would say anything, although I didn’t think words were necessary. After having talked so much with Twilight and having her fix me up, I felt a deep connection to the once fictional pony. It was almost like she was a second sister to me. Obviously not my sister from back home, but a new one who I could count on and care for myself here in Equestria.
With a mere nod of our heads, the two of us set off in our separate directions. Twilight to her unknown destination and myself to Sweet Apple Acres. This new adventure was bound to be as exciting as the last, I hoped. 
Taking a swift glance at the map, I decided to head south. The best route was over the bridge and through the side streets at the outskirts of the town. It was such a beautiful day; then again, it was always wonderful in Equestria. I couldn’t help but chuckle as a trotted down the dirt roads. Such thoughts and sights only made my mood rocket to its positive spectrum.
As I walked to the ever famous farm, I paused frequently to take in the sights. The buildings were tall and stood firm in the swaying rural scenery. They were painted pastel like everything else, but something made them burst from the world. The roads were soft and patchy. I felt the weathered dirt brush up against my hooves with each step. The trees were new and vibrant with life. Green with tanned trunks, the trees were the epitome of natural beauty.
Because of the repeated stops and breaks, I wasn’t able to reach the farm’s premises until the falling of the sun. The contrasting planes of color that the setting sun shaded over the property were dumbfounding. It held a certain comfort to know that even this world, so different from my own, held some of the same pleasures and antiquities. 
I strolled up to the Apple’s house and knocked three times on the old wooden door. I could hear the voices of two ponies conversing lightly inside, but could not tell exactly what they were saying.
The door opened to the inside, “Howdy there stranger, what cn’ Ah do ya for?” Applejack asked politely.
“Well you see, I came here to help you out with the farm, seein’ as its cider season and all.” I replied, my tone light and sincere.
The orange earth pony shot me a derisive glare of anger and gritted through her teeth, “We don’t need nopony aroun’ here t’ help with anything the Apple family cn’ do themselves! Ah don’t know what y’all think yur doin’ comin’ here and tellin’ me that you think ya cn’ run this whole show yourself!” 
This intense shift in tones stunned me. I hadn’t been expecting such a harsh remark from her. I did suspect she would retaliate against my offer, considering her personality, but this anger…
“Now go an git’ off ma property. We don’t need no help from nopony, got that?” she spat.
I tried explaining, “I’m sorry Applejack. I was with Big Macintosh in the hospital the past few days and he had asked me to offer up my assistance. He was a great friend to me, so I wanted to honor his request.”
The apple-bucker shot me a skeptical look. She glazed her eyes over me up and down, trying to see if she could remember me, perhaps from a description or something. Her head shot back and her eyes opened wide as the idea struck her.
“Now that ya say it, Ah do think Ah remember Mac tellin’ me this morning ‘bout ya. But Ah still don’t need noponies help.” She stayed adamant.
“Twilight thought you’d say that, so she told me to say she was behind it to. I mean, you remember last Applebucking season, don’t you?” I retorted kindly.
With a slight sigh, she let down her guard and nodded. “Yeah, Ah suppose y’all are right. A’sides, Twi and Mac would be awful mad at me if Ah didn’t accept your help.”
“So you’ll let me help then?” I asked, still unsure of the situation.
“Alright, ya cn’ help collectin’ the apples for the cider, but that’s all Ah need ya for.” she added.
“Perfect, when do I start?” 
I was happy that Applejack didn’t continue to put up a fight. I was a pretty stubborn guy, or stallion, myself, but she was one tough cookie. Besides, I barely ‘knew’ her so to speak, and arguing with a stranger never ends well.
Applejack looked at the easily setting sun and said, “Well, considerin’ the time, ya cn’ start tomorrow, bright an early.”
“Great, I’ll be there.” I affirmed, nodding my head.
“Now why dontcha go on home an rest up, yur gonna need it, Slick.” She warned.
I looked back at the path a had tread upon to get here and blushed lightly. I didn’t have a home to go back to, at least not yet.
“I um, well, you see…” I trailed off, looking for the way to explain my situation.
The element of honesty knew exactly what I was going to say, and beat me to the punch. “Y’all cn’ set yourself up a hay bale in the barn o’er there. Jus’ be sure to get up, I aint gonna wake ya.”
Her coarse tone throughout the conversation was, as I believed, derived from her unwillingness to admit her need of the help. But even though she wasn’t showing it openly, Applejack was still displaying the enormous amount of friendliness she had. Dependable ol’ Applejack.
“Thank you, Applejack.” I smiled. Quickly realizing that I had forgotten to tell her my name, I caught myself, “Oh, and my name’s Drumroll by the way, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.” 
She spat on her hoof and we shook heartily, “Nice meetin’ ya Drumroll. Ah’ll be seein’ ya in the morning.”
The door closed heavily behind her. The loud thud blowing wind away towards the farm. The leaves on the multitude of apple trees rustled softly. The green pieces of paper blew gently and gracefully against one another. Each leaf was a new color, a new entity in itself, full of life and promise. The genius behind their multiplicity was astounding. Each shade and variant displaying an eager likeness to those around it. The leaves continued to sway and blow even after the wind had stopped. It was a truly magical moment.
I looked over to my right and saw the looming red barn. Almost black with the coming of night, it was nothing like the leaves. Instead of soft and accepting it was cold and rejecting. The ominous walls bouncing the other colors and objects around it away. It was nowhere near as pleasing as the leaves of the trees. I entered the barn, remembering to pluck a single leaf from one of the trees before I went in.
Pulling up several bales of hay into a sizable stack, I jumped on top and rested on the makeshift bed. I held the leaf as best I could above my body, staring at its wonder from below. Each vein was a new green, branching in and out of one another in an effort to reach the end. It was such a pleasing sight, that I hadn’t noticed myself drifting away as I gazed.
Only had I known I was about to fall asleep when I heard the repetitive voices reveling in my day.
To the left, “Each new friend brings a new experience to share.”
And to the right, “So this makes how many ponies you’ve slept with?”

> The Value of Orange
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6: The Value of Orange
I could hear the faint chattering of voices in my head. It sounded like two people arguing about…cereal? That couldn’t be right, who would argue over something as simple as cereal? Get up from your cereal? Why would I be on my cereal? Such preposterous anomalies were absurd.
Ack, big words hurt my head early in the morning. But why was I supposed to get up? It was so early, the sun was just breaching the horizon, way too early to be awake. I turned myself over, only to be stuck in the side by hundreds of tiny hay needles. 
“Geah!” I screamed, jumping from the spiky bedside.
Landing not so neatly on my hooves, I stumbled and fell over. I wasn’t much good at anything in the morning, not even balance. I needed sleep to function properly. Brushing the needles from my side, I realized quickly that that wasn’t going to happen.
The barn door was open, which was why the light was getting in so easily. Wait…the barn door? Oh no! Applejack was expecting me for work today! I couldn’t be late, I promised I wouldn’t. Getting myself together as quickly as possible, I rushed out of the door, jettisoning onto the trail to the house. The wind rushed against my face and I could feel the current whoosh through my mane. It was a glorious feeling of both excitement and anxiety. I was afraid I was already late, but at the same time I enjoyed the prospect of just narrowly beating the clock.
Quickly halting myself at the entrance to the rustic abode of the Apple’s, I took in a deep breath. Letting the wind go, I then wiped the few beads of sweat from my brow. What a rush; I could never run that fast as a human. 
The door clicked open and a tired yellow filly tumbled outside. Applebloom bumped down the stairs onto the dirt ahead of me. I couldn’t help but chuckle and grin at the cuteness of the young Apple.  Behind her was AJ, awake and ready to go. She picked her sister up with her teeth and planted her hooves firmly on the ground. 
“Now wake up Sugercube, we got alotta buckin’ to get done.” She prodded.
“Aw, but Ah don wanna.” She whimpered.
“Now Bloom, show this ‘ere colt what the apple buckin’ spirit really is.”    
At this request, Applebloom lit up and sprinted to the nearest tree, ramming her tiny body into the large trunk. With a resounding thud, the filly bounced off the tree and into the ground.  My breathing stopped momentarily for fear of the girl’s condition. This fear was alleviated quickly though as she proceeded to get up and watch the wooden base with intrigue.
The light rustling of the leaves halted and no sooner had they done so that a rush of apples came flooding from the brown and green monstrosity. The apples all fell into the buckets beneath, piling nicely on top of one another. 
“Well.” I coughed.
Applejack smiled a winner’s smile at me, “An she’s just a filly. Still think your busted body’s gonna be enough t’ knock down these apples?”	
She was challenging me. This earth pony farm girl was challenging me of all people, er, ponies to a contest of strength. I let out a short snicker as our eyes met. Raising one eyebrow to match my satisfied grin, I responded “I can buck more of these trees in one hour than you could the entire day.”	
Feeling offended and put down, the orange pony stomped closer into me until she was breathing down my neck.  She was more annoyed by my acceptance than I thought she would be. She pressed her forehead against mine, her eyes digging through my own trying to make me back down. I stood there calmly as she tried again and again to intimidate me, quickly enough she backed down. 
With a quick spit to the side, she said “Then that there mean’s y’all think you cn’ buck more than Ah could in only an hour. So let’s see, Slick, let’s see how many apples ya cn’ buck.”
Without even so much as a signal, Applebloom screamed out, “Cutie Mark Crusader Judge! Both ponies gotta go t’ oppsit sides a the farm an’ in one hour, come on back. The pony with th’ most bucked trees wins! Ready, git set…GO!”
Applejack tipped her hat to me before bolting off into the forest of trees behind her. It was interesting to see that although I did annoy her and frustrate her with my words and personality, she still valued me as a challenger of sorts. She was honest to a fault I suppose. She was going to do her best to win, and I knew it. My face grew happy with the thought of beating Applejack in a good old fashioned who-can-do-more. Laughing to myself about the prospect, I spat on the ground just as Applejack did.
An interested and excited filly commented as I too ran off to my own set of trees, “Now it’s on.”
Having seen AJ buck hundreds of trees in the show, I knew exactly how to go about it. Reaching the apparent center of the orchard, I picked a large tree and reared my hind legs. Colliding with a painful snap, the red orbs flooded from the canopy.  Wincing at the noise, I looked to see what I had done to my legs. On my backwards glance, I did not see any broken bones, instead, a splintering apple tree.
Making a full turn, I looked up and down in awe at the cracking wood. I just…bucked a tree…in half. This day could only get better. I was one strong stallion, and I couldn’t say I was disappointed with that. Realizing my new strength, I ran from tree to tree smashing my legs into them. It wasn’t a difficult task, each kick having the same effect.
The adrenaline pumped through my pony veins. Each new tree revealed another rush of energy and power. Soon enough I was hyped up on the surges and couldn’t stop. Running wildly throughout the orchard I nearly destroyed half of the trees I bucked. I hadn’t realized it earlier, but being cooped up inside of beds my entire trip, I had no outlets to release this massive energy. In no time at all, I had finished up every apple tree in visible range. Feeling as though there was nothing else I could do, I began trotting at a slow pace back to the house. The pace soon quickened, and became even faster from there until I had reached a full gallop. I just couldn’t get enough of the feeling.
After having breached the edge of the orchard I planted my hooves firmly into the ground to stop myself from overshooting the house. Applebloom was left, jaw dropped on the meadow underneath, as she witnessed my return. 
“Hey.” 
“Buh, buh you, ya jus’, but AJ, howd’ya, wha?” she blabbered incoherently.
Of course she hadn’t expected me to finish first, or buck more trees, but it was still funny to look at her astounded face. Passing the girl, I looked out at Applejack’s side. I could see the line of bucked trees clearly sweep over half of her turf. Unfortunately for her, there wouldn’t be enough time to finish the other half. I tried figuring out where she was, but it was almost impossible with the vast amounts of trees.
After several intensive minutes of staring, I finally found the pony I was looking for. She was a simple orange blur, dashing from green blob to green blob. Although her form was tiny amongst the large figures of the trees, her vibrant coat was stunning and defining. Even at the incredible speed she ran, I could still define the base outline of her body. I followed the darting shape intently, bemused by its stark contrast.
The other colors of the forest were all the same, if not extremely similar. And when the apples had fallen, there was nothing to distinguish these trees from any others. But Applejack was completely different from both the trees and their apples. Her orange tone was a striking center piece to the whole of the uniformity. Bright and constant in its movement, her coat spoke volumes to me. Her entire being was different, it was against the waves of green, and it was unconforming in its value. No matter how much green or brown or red, Applejack would remain orange. Nothing could change the orange on her outside, nothing could mask how truly it shown. No amount of trees would ever change Applejack’s orange.
Entranced once more in the wonderful world of the color spectrum, I had almost missed the pokes and prods of one Applebloom on my battered sides.
“Excuse me mister, but those trees don’t look at all sturdy or nothin’. They look like the ones that hurt ma brother Big Macintosh.”
I shut my eyes and shook my head, putting my mind back into its normal thought patterns. Taking a good look at the trees I too noticed their unstable characteristics. Taking a quick recap of my own area, I saw that some of the trees had indeed fallen down. Noticing Applejack’s position, I could plainly see she was headed back through an area or already bucked trees. If one of those was too collapse on top of her…no, I didn’t want to think about it.
I ran out into the east side of the orchard towards the earth pony, calling out her name. She didn’t respond, and I wasn’t sure if she could hear me. Each step I took I could feel the same energy rush soar through my body. It took all I had to not let it overwhelm me and control me. The two of us rounded the corner and saw each other clearly standing not fifty feet from each other.
“Hey, what’r y’all doin’ on my –” her sentence cut off as she noticed one of the gigantic apple trees begin its descent upon her.
Running as quick as I could, I planted my right hoof into the ground and let my body swing in a circle around it. With my hind legs now facing behind me, I let out a supped-up-apple-bucking kick and wailed on the tree.  It was a strong enough force to push the timber to the side of the unsuspecting pony and keep her safe. I on the other hand was completely exhausted and collapsed quickly to the ground.
“Y’all….y’all saved my life, Slick.” She thanked me, albeit it greatly surprised and terrified.
From the ground below, I joked with her, “That enough ‘real apple buckin’ spirit’ for you?”
The orange pony let out a happy sigh and helped me up. She brushed off the dirt from my coat, and we began our slow walk back to the house.  We were both tried, having spent our energy on the vast majority of trees. Applebloom was waiting as excited as ever at the top of the hill. When we came into her view, she bounced up and down all over the place before rushing to her sister’s side.
“Oh ma Celestia, there were the trees and they all went SNAP n’ then he was all WHOOSH an’ ZOOM and aw, aw, he slid in the circles and POW, showed that dang ol’ tree whose boss ‘round here. An’ then, an’ then, aw Applejack, are you ok?” she blurted out. 
With a caring smile, Applejack patted her sister on the head, “Ah’m alright Sugercube. Now why dontcha calm down and get Slick ‘ere a glass o’ water.”
The three of us took a nice long rest inside of the farm house. Even though I had just been enjoying the vast amounts of exercise, taking a break was quite nice on my muscles. After all, I still wasn’t fully healed. Applebloom handed me the glass of water. It was cold and refreshing as it trickled down my still panting throat.
“Thanks Applebloom.”
The yellow crusader beamed a ‘you’re welcome’ with her bright, childish smile. She then proceeded to hand…hoof, her sister a drink. I can’t say I’ve become greatly familiar with their terminology quite yet.
Applejack took a swift sip and then began questioning me, “Why’d ya go and risk your own life f’r me? Ah woulda been jus’ fine all by maself y’know.”
I shot her a suspecting look, “Oh really, Applejack. So then your body is tougher than your older, bigger brother’s?”
“Not exactly…” she backed off “But it’s not like Ah asked for your help.”
“Maybe not,” I replied “But what kind of pony would I be if I just willingly let a kind mare such as yourself get crushed beneath one of her own apple trees, let alone while letting her sister watch it all happen?”
She decided not to take in my whole message, but instead to debate its finer points, “Kind? As much as Ah hate t’ say it, Ah haven’t been all that great to y’all.”
Confused but aware, I alleviated her guilt “Absurd. You came to the door late at night and had the courtesy not to turn me away. Then you even went on to allow me the use of your barn for sleeping purposes. Not only that, but even as I pushed you off the edge with my attitude, you still didn’t dismiss me. I’d call that kindness if I’ve ever seen it.”
“Well, if y’all are looking for kindness, Fluttershy’s your gal. T’ be honest with ya, Ah thought y’all were more stuck up ‘an a rattlesnake on a cactus. Ah was really try’n to beat ya in that race.” Her eyes shifted towards the ground, and her remaining words were mumbled, but I could still here them “A race you even won anyways.”
“Well, at least you’re honest about it. Better to tell me I’m being a jerk then try and cover it up with lies.” I chuckled.
“Honesty is the best policy for me.” she nodded, affirming the idea. “And apparently it’s yours too.”
“ Thanks Applejack.” I said, “You know, I’m really sorry for being a jerk.”
Applejack took off her hat and threw it at me, “You aint’ the only pony round here who likes to run their mouth off, but at least y’all got the skill t’ back it up. Plus, underneath that big ego a yours is a good heart, real good heart. Nopony without one woulda even bothered savin’ my hindquarters from a mess like that.”
Her pride was a tall order in itself, much like my own, but she was able to take it from its ‘high horse’ so to speak, and accept defeat. Not because she had lost to me, but because she finally found that I was somepony worth losing to. Even past the snarky remarks and shots at her abilities, she still saw something in me that most others wouldn’t. She saw a good heart, somepony who might not always act how they should, but tries to anyways.
I was about to respond, but Applejack began speaking before I did. It wasn’t to me though. Her words were instead directed towards her sister.
“Applebloom, you mind leaving the room fr’ a bit?” she asked politely.
“Awwww, but Ah don wanna!” she complained.
“Bloom, please.” She asked, still nicely but with an authoritative overtone.
“Awright.” She sighed.
I wondered what Applejack could have had to say that little Applebloom couldn’t hear. Something about the challenge? Maybe about Big Mac or the farm? Twilight even? I had no idea.
Applejack cleared my head, “You know why we were buckin’ all those apples t’day?” 
“Yeah, for cider season right?” I answered.
“Eeyup.” She started, her response reminding me of Big Mac. I wondered how he was doing, if the operation was a success. I hope everything is alright. After everything that’s happened, if Big Mac couldn’t move anymore….oh god.
She continued with her answer, dispelling my thoughts of Macintosh “But our real cider sales don’t start till a good ‘nother three weeks. Pinkie Pie was havin’ a big hoedown o’er at Sugarcube corner tonight, and wanted to well, ‘serve the strong stuff’ if ya know what Ah mean.”
Cider really was beer here. “So you’re making it early then?” 
“Mhhm, just early enough t’ keep the brew nice and powerful, give it that Sweet Apple punch. But Ah can’t have Bloom drinkin’ this stuff, so Ah don’t want her hearin’ bout it.”
“Oh.” I chuckled.
“Anyways, with Big Macintosh in the hospital, Ah need ya to deliver all that cider to the party. If ya aint too tired after our little race that is.” She smirked.
“Not at all.” 
“Hoo-ee! Then it’s settled, Ah’kll make the cider with Granny Smith and y’all can bring it t’ Pinkie’s. You’re a real life saver, Slick.”
I was going to remind her that my name was not ‘Slick’, but Drumroll. I decided instead to leave it though, cause I did kind of like the name. Applejack left the room, giddily racing to Granny Smith with the news. It made me feel great to have helped out somepony who I knew was truly a great pony. Applejack was a hard working girl with lots of responsibilities and goals, and I respected that. Anything I could do to help was at least some amount of good.
Although they wouldn’t let me help with making the cider, I did help collect all of the bucked apples from the orchard, and finished the trees that Applejack didn’t get herself. It was good hard work without being able to fly, but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to in my world. As the day neared prime party times, I watched as they filled the last barrel of cider. I kicked the barrel onto the cart and had them hook me up. 
It was slow going at first, but once I got the cart to start moving it was easy. As I trotted down the dirt road back into town, I stopped to wave goodbye to the Apples. They returned my wave with their own, and I headed onward. Right before leaving the gate at the entrance though, I heard Applejack call out to me. Her voice increased as if she was getting closer.
“Hey Slick! Wait up!”
I stopped, heeding the mare’s request. “What is it Applejack?” I asked.
“Since y’all offered to help, I was hopin’ y’all could come back after the party and help do some more buckin’ tomorrow morning.”
I had never expected Applejack to actually ASK for anyponies help. Without even skipping a beat, I answered yes. I was going to leave after that, but Applejack stopped me again.
“Here,” She said, placing her hat back on my head, “Y’all forgot this.”
“But this is your special hat?” I questioned her.	
“Ah know, but y’all are gonna be back. A’sides, y’all earned it.” her bouncy smiling returning quickly to her face as she trotted back to the barn.
As I watched her run back home, I found the orange outline once again fade into the sea of green.  I happily watched, knowing that no matter how far deep she went into the green, she would always be orange, always different, always standing out from the rest. There could be nopony who would mistake her for one of the crowd.
Orange, my favorite color. If it was true, that orange was what defined the absence of conformity, then would it make any more sense that I was here? That in itself is crazy though, because Applejack, the most orange of all orange ponies, was too different from me. What did orange mean? Why was this color so intriguing? What made orange so important?
Shaking my head of the troublesome colors, I resumed my long, cider filled trek to Sugercube Corner. The cider barrels banged as a walked, but did not fall. Beneath the banging I could hear a light murmur. It held the same two tones of the voices that partook in my nightly debates.
To the leftish, “A true pony earns the respect of his friends.”
To the sortof right, “Yes, a TRUE pony.” 

> A Little Pink In Your Palette
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7: A Little Pink In Your Palette
When would these voices leave me alone? I mean, were they even there at all? Perhaps I was just listening to the thoughts of my own wandering mind. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.
The cider bounced inside the barrels. I could hear the wishy-washy noises flow from one end to another as the cart tripped and kicked its way over the bumpy dirt roads. I wasn’t swayed much by the movement of the liquid, but it did play a large role in my continuously wincing facial expressions. Each time it moved from right to left, or vice versa, the harness would rap against my wings. Each time a new, painful squint would work its way across my face. 
It wasn’t all bad though. Still carrying the map Twilight had given, and remembering the path I took to get to the farm, I was sure of my abilities to make it to Sugercube Corner. Evening was befalling the quaint town, and I quickened my pace to make sure I wasn’t late. What’s a party without some quality ‘refreshments’? 
On my trip in, I passed many familiar buildings; all included many times within the show. I had already had my time to gawk and awe at the architecture and coloring, and was strictly here for business this time. Well, a kind of business. Wandering the streets proved to be far more effective than looking at the map as I quickly determined my exact location. A few turns around the corner and I was looking right at the famous pastry shop.
“OOOAAAHHH, you’re here!” screamed a high pitched and over the top voice.
Pinkie Pie time.
“Oh thank god you’re here I thought that maybe you were attacked by a manticore on your way and had to use the cider barrels to defend yourself and then you fought valiantly but then before you struck the final blow the manticore tricked you with one of its evil trickerish ways and then took the cider from you and left with it laughing while you were, OH MY CELESTIA I DON’T KNOW YOU!”
Dazed, I blinked at the rambunctious pink pony multiple times. What in the world did she just say? What in the world did I just hear?
“Uh, um my name’s Drumroll, I –” I began, stopping to gather my thoughts.
The brief moment gave Pinkie the opportunity to jump back in “A new pony in Ponyville? Why doesn’t anypony TELL me this kind of stuff? Well except for that one time when they did tell me. Except that time I already knew, so it was like they told me something I already heard so it wasn’t really new so I don’t think that counts. But I don’t know about you, oh where do you come from? What’s your name? Oh wait you just told me your name! Silly me! Oh I have to throw you a party, OH WAIT, I’m already throwing a party! Can you stay?”
Her words molded together into one cohesive but discombobulated thought. I rubbed my temples, trying to reduce my raging headache. Maybe if I could just keep talking it would stop her?
“Well, yes. I’m here to deliver the cider for the party and I figured I might be able to stay for a bit. I do have to get back to the farm, but that doesn’t mean I can’t party it up for the night, right?”
Oh god, I just asked Pinkie a rhetorical question. Please, oh please don’t let her go off.
“RIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!” she yelped.
Thank god. There was only so much Pinkie Pie a guy could handle.
“So, uh, where do you want me to put the cider down?”
“Follow me!” the pink pony screamed as she cart-wheeled towards the door. 
Having stopped, it took me a moment to get the heavy cart rolling again. As the front wheels budged, I could pick up the pace and bring it all the way to the door of the bakery. I peered inside, looking for Pinkie so she could show me where to put the barrels, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Pinkie Pie?” I called out.
“Right here.” She said, popping out from one of the barrels of cider. With a light hiccup, she resumed “How’d you know my name was Pinkie Pie anyways?”
I had a perfectly logical answer that was true enough to be held, but the party pony wouldn’t even let me talk. I opened my mouth, but the words came from hers instead.
“Oh that’s right! You’re one of them.” she simply stated, as if it was common knowledge.
“Them?” I asked, perplexed, “Who are they?”
She stuck her tongue out at me in jest. Tongue still out of her mouth she said, “Lou low sliggy.” 
After that she merely jumped from the cart and went down the stairs into the basement. I never knew the Cake’s had a basement? I unhitched myself from the cart of barrels and moved it away from the entrance. I let the back of the cart down and rolled two barrels off of it. There wasn’t really a point to questioning the things Pinkie said, so I figured I may as well get to work.
Barrel after barrel I went down the stairs into the mysterious new basement. When I had finished bringing all of the barrels into the depths of the pastry shop, I stopped to catch my breath. The room was nothing like a normal basement. It was huge and widespread, tables for eating off to one side with an entire stage set up in the back. The tables were covered in pink and yellow table cloths and were each surrounded by an army of chairs. The entire area had a nice wooden floor. It was so clean, almost as if they had just polished it today. 
However nice the eating area was, the stage still impressed me more. Gigantic speakers on either side, and spotlights up above. A tech board stashed quietly to the side for the techie of the show. There was a rack of guitars set up next to it for whoever the player was to choose from. To the left was a singular large cello, oddly constructed with a chord running from its side. On the right was a synthesizer, shining in the gleam of the room’s light. In the back middle stood a shining red drum set with blue drum covers. It was a musician’s dream to play for a huge crowd on a stage like this. It was my dream to play for a crowd on a set like that. 
“Yeah, I like the stage too. The band is sooo good and we are gonna party SO HARD tonight.” The host remarked, jumping from behind the drum set.
“Where did you come from?” I questioned, just as startled as every other time.
“Well, when a stallion and mare love each other very much…” she began.
“Ah, ah, no.” I stopped her “I meant how did you,” I paused to think about what I was really going to ask her, “You know what, never mind. So where is everypony?”
“Silly, the party doesn’t start for another hour. I’m so excited about it! There’s gonna be games and music and cake! So much cake! Ooh and then the conga lines and fun dances and everypony will be ready to have fun and PARTAY!”
“Haha, yeah it should be a real chill time.”
“Chill? No, we’re not gonna be cold. In fact, this parties gonna be so hot it’ll blow the tops off your thermostats!”
The earth pony was so happy about all of her upcoming plans that she was giddily bouncing around her nicely decorated room. She was like so kind of pink blur. The room was filled with so much pink and she moved so fast, I almost couldn’t tell which was which. It was like the party and her were, well, the same thing. Just the idea of a party would make Pinkie Pie beam, but knowing that there was a party happening must’ve just unscrewed those last few bolts on her sanity cap.
Looking at so much pink I wasn’t exactly sure what I was feeling. It was so bright it nearly disoriented me. The tints and shades all seemed to be one in the same. There was no light pink or dark pink, just pink. Pink everywhere. It engulfed the entire room and took every emotion down with it. It was like being stuck in a black hole, but instead of black, it was pink. It made me feel excited and surprised. I was paralyzed by grace and fear. Pink, overwhelming pink.
“Whatcha looking at Mr. Roll?” she giggled happily then gasped, “You don’t have a cutie mark!”
The sheer volume of her voice snapped me out of my pink entombment. Realizing what she said, I once again turned to view my blank flank. Still no cutie mark, no surprise there.
“No, I really haven’t found my special talent yet.”
Just as odd as ever she laughed at me and hopped away saying, “Well duh. That’s not till the next chapter.”
“Wait what?” I asked her, unaware of what in the world she was talking about.
“Oops, spoilers!” she caught herself.
What in Celestia’s name was she on about? Did she really say chapter? Or was it rather some weird wall-breaking scheme of hers? I figured if I was to pry deeper, I might find something that I didn’t necessarily want to hear. 
Trying to get my mind off of the subject, I decided to pick Pinkie’s brain. Perhaps she could tell me where Rainbow Dash was, or better yet, if she was going to the party.
“So Pinkie, what’s this party for anyways?”
“For CIDER SEASON!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
I raised an eyebrow at this remark, “But isn’t cider season in three weeks?”
“Not for these ponies! I always throw a big Lets-Have-Cider-Before-We-Are-Supposed-To-Have-Cider Bash because it means we always get lots of cider.” She smiled.
“But, what about Rainbow Dash, she never got any cider before last year. Does she come to this party?”
“Dash usually has weather patrol during the time of my late parties. Something even THEY couldn’t tell you.”
“But who are they? And why would they tell me anything?”
“But Dash said that she’d be here near the end if she could switch with another pegasus.”
“Wait, that didn’t –” she cut me off
“Doubt that’s going to happen though. But who knows? We’re all waiting for you two to meet again.” Pinkie winked.
I blushed a bit, still embarrassed by the incident. “Oh, you, eh, heard about that?”
Pinkie’s eyes opened wide in a quizzical stare at me. Her head slowly tilted and one eyebrow slowly raised.
“About what?” she asked with a genuine curiosity.
“About my waking up in…wait, you don’t know what I’m talking about?”
“Nopey-Lopey Drummy-Rolly.” 
“Then why’d you say ‘we’re all waiting for you two to meet again’?”
Her eyes darted around viciously, looking for a way out. The sound of hoof steps could be heard coming down the stairs and Pinkie seized the opportunity. She bolted from her position in front of me and ran up the stairs. Why in the world did Pinkie Pie have to be so confusing?
As they descended down the stairs I could finally put faces to the sounds. And with my luck, names to those faces.  Behind a buoyant Pinkie came Equestria’s greatest DJ, Vinyl Scratch. Behind her was the beautifully graceful cellist, Octavia. And behind her was a familiar, yet unspoken pony of supposed musical greatness, Blues. The group chatted away as they drew closer to me. all of my favorite musician’s in one place. 
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” I cheered under my breath.
“This the cider pony you were just talkin’ about Pinks?” Vinyl asked pointing to me.
“Mhhm.” She nodded heartily.
“Sweet.” Vinyl gave me a friendly jab to the shoulder.
“Thank you for supplying the festivities my good stallion.” Octavia smiled as she shook my hoof lightly.
“Ah Tav lighten up.” laughed Blues, his voice deeper than I imagined. “We’re at a real party here, not some fancy-shmancy shindig up in Canterlot.”
“Well I imagined that we should use the same courtesies wherever we may go.” She huffed.
“No need to keep it formal, Ms. Octavia. We’re all friends here.” I grinned.
She smiled back, everyone in the group feeling right at home, but then her face twisted into a more perplexed look, “How did you know my name?”
“Oh, well you are quite famous and I’ve just heard so much about you guys that well, you have a name to remember.” I shrugged, telling a half truth.
She blushed, “Oh. Why thank you, um, what was your name?”
“I’m sorry.” I said, smacking my forehead in my stupidity, “I forgot to introduce myself…again. You can call me Drumroll.”
“Nice to meet you Drumroll.” Blues said, patting me on the back.
Vinyl tugged on her friends manes to get their attention, “Sorry to interrupt but we do have some practicing to do. It was nice meeting you Drumroll, but we’ve got a show to get ready for.”
“I understand.” I replied, sad that I had less time to talk, but anxious for the concert to start.
I wandered off, headed ultimately for the stairs. All of the cider had been set up and Pinkie obviously already had enough time to finish off the rest of the preparations. Sweets full of sugar lined the various tables, brightening the already vibrant room even more. I wondered where Pinkie had gone, having not seen her since I met with the band. I chocked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. Such an odd girl, covered in such an odd color. 
The band practiced its music on stage. It didn’t quite fit the room. Each note was different, unlike the encompassing trance of pink. The room that made everything the same yet different was being obstructed by the musical anomaly. But that wasn’t it. The music sounded wrong. It was missing something, something important. It was too off centered, unbalanced. I felt as though the music could use a little bit of the pink to fit it together. 
As the music blazed through my eardrums and the room through my eyes, I could hear the same arguing around my skull. They said things that I wasn’t sure were completely true. 
To the left, “What will you do about the unbalance in the music?”
To the right, “Don’t you find something fascinating about the uniformity of the room?”

> The Tone of A Tune
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8: The Tone of A Tune
A bubbling blast of Pink flew in front of my face. “If you don’t agree, do something about it.”
“What in the!?” I screamed in panic, jumping from the scare.
“Whoops, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She apologized, frowning slightly.
I allowed a soft smile to take over from my heavy breathing, “It’s alright Pinkie.” 
“Okie dokie lokie!” she cried out, laughing.
I laughed along with her, enjoying the moment. Our uproar continued on for quite awhile. I wasn’t exactly sure what was so funny, but it felt good to simply laugh and smile with Pinkie. We laughed for hours and hours, laughing even as our guts began to hurt. I was just too happy, too excited, too alive to care about anything but laughter. 
Soon enough though, as with all great things, our laughter began to cease. A slow trickle of ponies came walking down the stairs to the giant room. The trickle quickly morphed into a flow, which in turn became a rush. Ponies crowded the tables and the dance floor. There were so many different kinds, from stallions to mares, pegasi to unicorns, merchants to artists. They were so many colors and personalities that I just couldn’t contain my joy. There were greens and blues and reds mixed with the finest purples and yellows. I could see orange ponies and pink ponies, grey manes and flowing tanned tails. 
New and intriguing sounds radiated from the mouths of these strangers. Noises bounced off of the walls and collided with each other in a crashing and harmonious melody. I looked around with my eyes, yes, taking in the colors; but I also looked around with my ears. Such interesting ponies these were. Some came all the way from Manehatten, others from Fillydelphia. This really was the greatest party in all of Equestria.
The delighted Pinkie Pie bounced her way on stage and grabbed the microphone with her hoof. Clearing her throat, she garnered everyponies attention. 
“Are you ponies ready to party!” she screamed at us.
A bedlam of phrases all amounting to the consensus of ‘yes’ rang out through the room.
Pretending as if she had not heard the ponies calls, she asked again, “I said, are you ponies ready to PARTAY?!” 
Although it had seemed impossible, an even louder response met her calls for absurd partying levels. Dang, these ponies were excited. Guess it made sense though, considering I was excited too. Just the feeling around the room made me energized and ready to go. Not unlike in my race with Applejack, the adrenaline pumped back into my veins and flushed every emotion right out of me. It was time to have some fun, and that’s all I wanted to do.
Vinyl trotted over to Pinkie on the stage and whispered something in her ear. Pinkie let out an overly surprised gasp as usual. It looked as though Vinyl was worried about something. Stage fright perhaps? I doubt it, considering the DJ pony’s prior experience. As I pondered the possible explanations, Pinkie picked up the mic again.
“We’re having some uh…technical difficulties, so grab some cider and cake and we’ll get this music going!” she yelled into the mic, slightly worried herself.
I started a slow trot through the sea of hooves to try and reach her and find out what was wrong. It didn’t take long though as she was headed right at me. Running through the crowd, she pushed her way right into my chest, crashing into me with a force hard enough to knock me over.
“Ah,” I coughed “What was that for Pinkie?”
“Oh Drumroll! Just the pony I needed!” her voice was still loud, even without the microphone.
“Me? What for? And what’s wrong with the band?” I asked her.
“But that’s the same thing!”
“What?”
“Backbeat never showed up! They have no idea where he is, we don’t even know if he’s in Equestria!”
Was there any other place here other than Equestria? That might be something to look into later. But for now, the band was short one member and couldn’t play.
“Well what did he play?” I asked. The more information I had, the better I could help. 
“He was their drummer, duh.” She spat back sarcastically. 
“Drummer? Oh man, you can’t have a band without a drummer. Where are you gonna find –” I stopped myself midsentence when I saw pinkie starring at me with her big eyes and sparkly smile.
“Oh, wait, no. Ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-no, not me.” I said, slowly backing away.
The preposterous pink pony pouted angrily, “But your name is Drumroll. Doesn’t that make you a drummer?”
I was lost for trying to find a way to phrase myself out of the question. Pinkie had me trapped between rock and hard place. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play, I loved the drums; it was just that I had never played in front of a crowd of people I didn’t know. Plus, I always had some practice with the songs before going on when I did perform. And I mean…hooves? How could I hold a drumstick with hooves?
“Pinkie, I’m sorry. I’ve been in the hospital for so long and I’m out of practice and I…” I tried to think of more excuses, but the more I talked, the more deflated her hair became. 
“Oh,” she sniffled several times “I understand. I guess I’ll just cancel the music. We can still have a party without music right?”
The newly transformed Pinkemina Diane Pie turned slowly with a bowed head as she returned to the stage. I felt awful. It took a lot to make Pinkie this sad. I would’ve thought she’d have argued with me more to play, but that wasn’t the case. Why didn’t I just say yes? Why was I letting her down, after all she did to cheer me up? Why was I being so cowardly? 
I figured it would be best if I left. Pinkie would be in no mood to party anymore, and seeing me would probably just make it worse. Resolved to leave, I hung my head in shame. And thank god I did, because on the ground where Pinkie stood was a pair of drumsticks. I bent down and picked up the sticks with my teeth. It was an odd thing to do after realizing it, but somehow it felt natural. I tried gripping the sticks with my hooves. It didn’t work out so well; I dropped both of them.
I figured unicorn’s were probably the only ones who could use them, through magic and the whatnot. It saddened me more to think that even if I did want to help, I wouldn’t be able to. With every second wearing on my motive to stay, I took a last look at the sticks and sighed. Upon closer inspection, I found some writing on the side, just like any real drumstick.
It read, “Property of Equestria’s Greatest Pegasus Drummer.”
That couldn’t be right? Pegasus drummer? But how could he…my mind trailed off. Episodes of the show replayed scenes in my head. I thought of all of the interesting scenes with pegasi. The things they did with their wings. Several episodes dug in, and I remembered that pegasi could use their wings as if they were hands.
I looked back at my own wings. Still as large and orange as ever, they did little more than bewilder me. I had spent the majority of my fall trying to learn how to use them, and after that I hadn’t even tried. The pain was too much. Even now I could still feel the sting. It wasn’t an earth shattering pain anymore though, which was a bonus. Contemplating the risks, I untied the bandages from my feathers and spread them as best I could. 
Tingling sensations reverberated throughout my body. It was such an odd, new feeling. Stretching my wings, I allowed them to travel in any directions they pleased, finding which ones worked and which didn’t. I glanced back at the ground and saw the sticks lying there, just waiting to be used. Reaching over with my left wing, I tried picking one up. Success! Next was the right. Equally a success!
Smile beaming ear to ear, I tried playing the drums in the air, motioning where the actual drums would be. It was different than from back home, but the concept was still the same. It didn’t take long to feel comfortable with the idea of playing as a pegasus, and soon enough I was directing myself at the stage.
Pinkie, hair flattened and spirits damp, grabbed the mic slowly and tapped it. Clearing her throat once again, she announced, “Everypony, I’ve got an announcement.”
No, she was going to cancel the show! I couldn’t let that happen, so I sprinted to the stage, unfortunately knocking a few ponies over in the process. Only a few feet from the stage, I jumped with all of my might. Although they were behind me, I could sense the eyes on the entire crowd land on me. Everypony was watching. I landed with a resound thunk, right behind Pinkie Pie. I waved my drumsticks at Vinyl and Octavia and nodded at Blues.
Octavia walked over to Pinkie, now stunned herself by what had just happened, and whispered in her ear. Instantly the depressed pony shot into the air like a rocket. Actually, she really did launch off of the ground like a rocket. Upon landing in a normal Pinkie way, covered in random confetti from nowhere, she spoke again to the crowd.
“The Equestrian Equinox has got a new drummer tonight! So put your hooves together for Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Minors, Blues Keynote, and Drumroll!”
The gigantic crowd of party ponies cheered in an overwhelming uproar of praise. The band members must’ve been awaiting this moment all night because I could see how happy they were to be able to play. Vinyl picked up an electric guitar with her magic and lifted the strap over her head. Octavia picked up her bow and began strumming the bass line to the first song. Blues sat himself down, much like Lyra did, and began following along on his keyboard.
I found myself behind the drum set that I had seen earlier, the one I so highly praised. It was top quality and in perfect condition. I looked and saw two foot, or, hoof pedals. One for the bass and the other for the hi-hat. I situated myself and looked for some kind of cue. It was only at this moment that it sunk in that I had no idea what I was doing with this band. Vinyl struck a note on her guitar, looked back at me and winked. I looked at Octavia and Blues, both did the same.
Closing my eyes, I listened to the tones that they laid down and tried to find the beat. It wasn’t there. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t hear the beat. I began to panic, sweat dripping from my forehead into my eyes. Shaking in a near paralysis, I stomped my hoof firmly on the ground. In some random twist of fate, my hoof hit the bass pedal, resulting in a loud ‘thud’.
That thud set something off inside of my head, waking a sleeping beast in the back of my mind. As my trembling eyes opened, a new sense of strength composed me and I hit the pedal again. And again, and again, and again. Not even cringing at the slight pain it caused me to move my wings, I began to play on the cymbals and drums in sequence. Each note a new surge of control, each chord a new sense of direction. Taking in the sounds of the band with my ears, I focused my other senses into following along. Beat upon beat I felt myself getting better, adapting to my new situation. 
The song continued, the music floated in the air like a wandering wisp, searching for a home. As I played, I watched that wisp drift with my eyes. So peaceful and full of untapped potential, existing in a world of its own design, guided by forces beyond its control, the wisp continued to float. It was golden of sparkled with the sheen of the sun. Trails of melodious dust faded behind the majestic creature. It was so intoxicating, so ingenious that I just had to have it.
Gripping my drumsticks with a new ferocity, I began hammering out the most complex and rhythmic tunes I could. Each resounded beat of the drum brought the golden spirit closer and closer to my grasp. My purpose of existence was now, and forever, to catch that intangible wind of musical intelligence. 
In the back of my mind I heard the cessation of the other instrument and the call of the microphone say “Hear this stallion play!”
The noise did not concern me though, not nearly as much as the wisp. And with it so close, I pulled out every last ounce of my ability. My wings flared wildly about and the sticks they carried followed. No longer could I even hear the beat of the drums, but only the quickening beat of my heart.  At the peak of my insane battering, the golden specter dashed into my eyes, filling me with its mysterious wonder.
The next thing I knew, the crowd was jumping up and down, cheering for more. Dazed, I looked to Vinyl who was walking over to me. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. 
“ Wow Drumroll, I never expected anypony to be better than Backbeat. Where’d you learn to rock out like that?” she asked, smiling with a genuine interest and praise.
“I, thank you Vinyl.” I replied. “I actually haven’t played for a while, but I kinda taught myself. I’m surprised I still, you know, had it in me.”
“Spectacular show, Drumroll. Simply extravagant!” Octavia chimed in.
“Totally! You really saved our flanks, Roll. And you did it in some serious style.” Blues thank me.
Octavia was staring at me with inquisitive eyes. I wasn’t completely sure why, but soon enough, Vinyl and Blues joined in.
“Uh guys, what’re you staring at?”
“Your cutie mark!” shouted Vinyl.
My eyes opened wide with the prospect of finally seeing my cutie mark. Being a blank flank had its benefits, but it was always a hope in the back of my head that I would get my mark. Craning my neck to see my flank, it revealed a symbol I was very familiar with. Two drumsticks, heads up, crossed over each other in the shape of an X.
My cutie mark, drumsticks. I was truly meant to be a drummer. Not only that, but I had just played an amazing show. The four of us whooped and hollered for me and finding my cutie mark. I was star struck. My first real show, a complete success. It was almost bittersweet in a way, having it be in Equestria and not, well, my earth.  But those negative thoughts were cast aside as the crowd’s echo worked its way back into my ears. It was equally promising that maybe if my talent here was drumming, perhaps the same was meant for me back home?
“I think they want an encore.” Said Blues.
With a smirk and a flick of my drumsticks, I said “Then let’s give ‘em one.”
Although the rush of the previous portion of the night wasn’t present, I was still overjoyed to play. Nothing could have made that night any better. After we finished the encore, we thanked the party crowd like any good band and walked offstage. Ponies lined up to get autographs from the three of them. They did have quite the reputation after all. 
Not wanting to interrupt, I walked away from the scene, or at least I tried to. Mares and stallions alike flocked even to me, either to congratulate me and or ask for an autograph. When I said this night couldn’t have gotten better….I lied.
Tying up all the loose ends with ‘fans’, the three pony musicians found me and we began to talk. Most of it was talking about how great the show went and how glad they were I showed up. I thanked them equally and told them how appreciative I was of them letting me play. In the end, we just sat down at a table and talked the night away with stories and talk of music.
It didn’t take long for Pinkie Pie to find us, given our risen status at the event, and when she did, she changed everything.
“Oh my gosh you guys that was like, the best show ever! Even better than the Cake’s baking which is really saying something. Although maybe not as good as the their last cake, that cake was really really good. But well, hmm, yeah you know it was better than that, except it didn’t taste better, just sounded  better, cause you know, cakes don’t really make noises, except when you eat them and they go ‘om’nom’nom’. Mmm, cakes are so tasty. Oh so why was I here again? Oh yeah! Cause you guys did such an awesome show, you get all the free cider you want!”
A gleeful shriek erupted from Vinyl’s mouth, “All the free cider I can drink! YES!”
Blues and Octavia shared in her mirth, “Get us some too!”
I was expecting…well maybe Vinyl, but not these high class ponies to drink alcohol. Maybe wine or something, but I guess everyone, urgh, everyPONY has their own taste.
“What about you, Drumroll?” Pinkie asked.
“I’ve uh, never really had cider before.” Not wanting to sound like an idiot, I added, “From around here that is.”
“Oh well than you’ve got to try this kind! Sweet Apple Acres makes the best cider this side of Equestria.”
Feeling content and party ready, I agreed. “Sure thing, bring me as much as everypony else!”
As our boisterous host left to fetch a boatload of cider for the band, I let the roar of the crowd once again take over my mind. Vinyl had left her record playing on her turntables when we weren’t playing so that everypony could still enjoy dancing and music, so I could still hear the banging in the background.
Even throughout all of the random noise, I could still, however unfortunate or fortunate it was, hear the voices murmuring on my shoulders like a conscious. 
To the left, “Remember Applejack.”
To the right, “Now it’s time to party.”
	
> Contrast In The Yellow Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9: Contrast In The Yellow Light
“Whahaha, damn Crach, you, you know you’re, you funny.” I garbled.
“Pfft aheheheh, he’s like, he’s totally like drunk, colt.” Blues chuckled
“And you’re not…waaaait, whereded , where’d you go, Greens?” Scratch mumbled.
“He’s like, right in front of you Vinyl. Like, he’s standing like, right there. No, right there, right there, oh over there?” Octavia bumbled about, waving her arm all over the place. 
“Oct, Octy, October, Octopus., yeah that’s it! Octopus, Blues is totally on the floor.” I tried explaining, failing miserably so.
“Hey, my name’s Octagonacal not Artapurpal.” The grey mare corrected me as she too fell to the floor with a hard bang and loud laughter.
“Whoa, colts, like, colts.” Vinyl tried to speak.
“What, Milo, what is it? You didn’t like, drop the bass or anything did you?” I ask, eyes wide with fear of a dropped base.
“No, I have an idea. Like, it’s a good idea. All we have to do is like, plug the wires into our ears, and then our brains will play on the speakers and stuff.” She replied, motioning with her hooves the process of plugging wires in our heads and having stuff come out.
“You are a genius. We’re totally gonna do that and like…” I trailed off, looking at the two collapsed ponies, sleeping happily on the dance floor.
My vision, blurred and unclear, began to cease functioning altogether. I felt a slight sway in my neck, as if my head was bobbing back and forth. Soon enough, my entire body began following in its path. It was so peaceful, so relaxing, that I let it continue doing so. I could totally fall over doing ------
Oh Celestia, why is it so bright? My eyes are closed and I can still feel the sun trying ever so hard to rip through my eyelids. Turning my head into the surface beneath, I find a dark shelter away from the yellow devil. Wait, there was a pillow covering my head…where did I get a pillow?
Realizing the only possible way to know where my new surroundings were, I groaned. I’d have to open my eyes. Slowly lifting the veil of my eyelids, I let the searing sun shoot right into my oversensitive pupils.
“Argh.” I groan, shutting my eyes and placing my hooves over my face to cover them further.
“Oh my, you’ve finally awoken.” A cheerfully soft voice squeaked.
The tone of the voice sounded almost like a whisper, but the noise that came from it was far louder. Where the heck was I? What happened last night? Who was talking to me? Again, the answer came in the solemn form of waking up.
With just as much effort as my previous attempt, I opened my unwilling eyes. This time, I did not shut them due to the unbearable sunlight. Instead I opened them wide, trying to get them to adjust to the new day. Unfortunately, it would be a while before I could see properly. 
The mysterious voice spoke again, “Did you sleep alright? I know my bed is a bit small for a stallion like you, but I thought it would be better than the couch downstairs.”
It was definitely a girl, or mare, eh same thing here anyways. She sounded almost afraid of my answer, like it would terrible if I hadn’t slept well. It was a meek voice, and I still got the feeling that she was whispering.
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words came out so loud that I stopped quickly, grimacing in agonizing ear pain. To make it worse, I heard the galloping of hooves leaving the room with haste. Each new noise just rang awful bells over and over inside of my eardrums.
“Drink this.” Nudged the voice with her nose.
Still unable to see, I fumbled my hooves around trying to grasp the drink. Seeing my confusion, the kind mare placed the bowl in my hoof and pushed both towards my face. I began to drink the liquid, not even bothering to think what might be in it. Almost instantly I felt the banging inside of my head fade away. 
With a sigh of relief, I tried opening my eyes again. Smiling, I thanked the mare. As my eyes fully adjusted to the light, I could finally make out the face of my unknown helper.
“Fluttershy!?” I gasped.
“Oh, hello. I’ll take it that because you’re so awake that the medicine worked then?”
“I, well, yes I guess, but what’re you doing here?”
“Well, this is my house, um you know, where I live.” She slowly backed away, my increase in volume frightening her.
“Oh,” I blushed, picking up the scenery, “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s ok. I know you had a long night last night.” She smiled.
Catching my drifting thoughts, I asked her “What happened last night anyways?”
“Pinkie threw a huge party, you don’t remember?” 
“Oh that’s right.”  I answered, beginning to remember the events of the previous night. “There was a band, right?”
“Oh Drumroll, of course there was a band. You were in it.” she squeaked, poking a bit of fun at my deliriousness.
Wow, I really couldn’t remember anything. I played in a band? That must’ve been amazing. I wonder if I played well? Maybe that would explain why I recalled talking with Vinyl. Even if that was the case though, how could I have ended up here, in Fluttershy’s cottage? I figured the best way to find answers to my questions was to actually ask them, so I did.
“Why am I here Fluttershy?”
With an entranced look on her face, she let her gaze melt away towards the window. The turn of her head placed her eyes in front of the clouds. It was as if my question flicked a switch in her head that turned her brain off. Or was it on?
“Why is anyone here?” she replied with a whisper.
The spacious stare was broken by the sounds of a teapot going off in what I presumed to be the kitchen. The yellow pegasus’ gaze reformed as she hastened towards the whistle. In a mere passing of moments, she returned with a glass of tea in her mouth. She placed it on a table nearby and proceeded to lift it to her mouth with her wings. How useful.
Putting the cup down she said, “I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t drink anything for a few hours after taking that medicine.” And with a childish grin and light chuckle she added, “Besides, you drank plenty last night.”
It was her turn to absorb me in her speech. The joke had sparked a chain reaction of memories to return. Pinkie had her giant party and there were hundreds of ponies there. There was a band, but they didn’t have their drummer. I went up to play and we rocked out all night long. And then….and then…
“My cutie mark!” I screamed excitedly, whipping my neck around to see my flank.
“That’s right, you got your cutie mark last night didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I barely even remember it now though.” I said, saddened by the blurry memory.
“The party got very rowdy after the concert though. Ponies were so loud and rude, shoving other around and having too much to drink.” 
I looked down, ashamed in the realization of my actions, “I’m sorry Fluttershy.”
“Oh no, not you!” she corrected, a large grin prefacing her face. “You didn’t get all mad like other ponies, you actually seemed like you were laughing and having fun with Octavia all night.”
Upon revealing what she thought of my last night, she promptly finished sipping her tea and returned to the kitchen with the glass. From the other room I heard her call out to me, “I’m going to step outside.”
Not wanting to feel left out, and still feeling a bit awkward about being inside of her house, I decided to join her. Unlike the many times before, I neither had to strain nor rush myself to get up from bed this time. It was a nice feeling, slowly lifting my body out from the covers and placing my hooves nicely on the wooden floor. With a quick stretch, I went off to find the door.
It was downstairs, obviously, although I had forgotten my place inside of the house. Opening both parts, I took my first steps into the sunny day. The warm sunlight shinned on me and worked its way into my muscles, relaxing my whole body. The fresh air was equally delicious to the senses, the quizzical aromas thrilling my nose.
Not too far from the entrance, standing atop a small mound of a hill, was the tall and elegant Fluttershy. Her coat glistened in the light of the day’s shimmering sun. Her yellow form nearly blended into the fiery ball in the sky. I had expected such a bright flash to stun me as it had before, but this was different. The light did not disturb or mistreat my eyes, but instead it drew them in, healing them as Fluttershy healed me. 
Still standing centered between the sun and myself, Fluttershy spread her beautiful wings. The motion allowed for each golden feather to cast its own reflective shadow on the ground below as they erupted from her sides.  When her wings were finally fully raised, I could see the perfection in the picture. For it was when the sun had been blocked from my view that I understood. It wasn’t the sun that gave me the warm feeling; it was Fluttershy. 
As if she knew I would follow, she said to me, not even turning her head “You’re different, Drumroll.”
The voice beckoned me forward, and forward I went until I reached the yellow feathered mare ahead. As I approached, she lowered her wings and turned to meet me.
“What do you mean by that, Fluttershy?” I asked her.
“I mean this.” She said, waving her hoof across the entirety of her house and ‘yard’. 
“I still don’t understand.” I responded, confused.
“I can’t quite place my hoof on it, but there’s something odd about you. I had seen you walking to Pinkie’s with the cider and wondered what had happened to Big Macintosh. I called out to you, but I guess you didn’t hear me, which is ok, it’s not your fault, I probably should’ve been louder.” She apologized unnecessarily.  “I wanted to talk to you, but you went into Pinkie’s. I’m not, um, well, I don’t like crowds.” Her voice trailing off, becoming quieter and quieter.
“That’s alright. I’m sorry that I didn’t hear you.”
“Oh no, it’s not your fault at all. I should’ve been quicker. But I had to find out about Big Macintosh. I don’t know what I’d do if he was hurt.”
I grimaced at the thought. Not wanting to keep her in the dark, I interrupted “Actually, he’s in the hospital. I’m so sorry.” I tried finding the right way to say it, but it didn’t seem right at all.
The reaction I received was far different from what I expected. “Oh I know. I heard about it from Pinkie. I actually went to see him, his operation went well. He’ll be back on his feet in no time. A big, tough stallion like Macky won’t let an injury stop him. Although I wish he’d slow down…”
Did she just call him ‘Macky’? in fact, the interest she had taken in him was oddly out of place, at least for what I knew. But it wasn’t my place to assume anything. More important was what Fluttershy had to say about me.
“You said you talked to Pinkie?”
“Yes, at the party.”
“But I thought you didn’t like crowds?”
“Well, you see, I needed to know about Macky,” there she goes again “so I followed you down. Well, it took me a long time, but I finally mustered up the courage to go down into the dark, um, loud basement. Then I kind of, um, got lost. It was really scary.” Her voice almost went into soft trembles, but she continued anyways “It’s fine though, because even though I was scared, somepony came to help me.”
“Who was that?” I asked, her story as captivating as her wings.
With the same jovial giggle she responded with “You.” 
The blank stare on my face told her I needed some explanation. 
“You tapped my shoulder while I was huddled on the floor and picked me up. You asked me what was wrong and brought me over to your table. You were all getting drunk, which I wasn’t happy about, but you were nice enough ponies. You spent the time making jokes and funny faces trying to cheer me up. And it worked. I couldn’t help but smile. After all, you told me, “ 
I cut her off, remembering the same scene, “Life’s a party. Don’t forget it, just forget about it. And there are two things you must always leave a party with; friends and a smile.”
As I spoke, I too smiled at the passing of time. The night had come full circle now in my mind, each piece and pony taking their spot on the stage of my memory. For after that night, Fluttershy walked me to her house, I myself being completely inebriated. She laid me quietly to bed and promised to be there in the morning. 
“And that’s just what I left with.” She said, smiling also.
Still happy, and questions still unanswered, I badgered further. “But why does that set me apart? Why am I so different?”
Taking a second to think it over she said “I’m usually really, um, shy around other ponies.” I chuckled at this, but let her continue, “But around you, I don’t feel so shy. It almost like I’m with another one of the forests creatures when I’m with you. I just don’t feel scared by you, unlike the other ponies. It’s almost like, you’re not a pony.”
Her way of announcing this was so matter of fact, and almost out of character that I had no idea what to say. Could she really sense that I was a human? Did she even know what a human was? In fact, did she care? Why did she act like none of it even mattered?
Worried she hastened with an annotation to her statement, “But I don’t mean to insult you or call you a non pony, please don’t think that. I just don’t feel the same pressure around you that I do around other ponies.”
My lack of response compelled her to continue. “It might be that I knew we’d be friends. I mean, I don’t feel shy around Twilight anymore, or Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, or Applejack either. In fact, they helped me learn to be more assertive. They’re such good friends.”
The last track had been set mentally, and Fluttershy just set the train off on them. With the mention of Applejack, this morning, last night, and the day before all snapped together. And included in that vivacious montage of hard rocking and hard drinking was the promise I made to Applejack to help her out at the farm.
Noticing my disheartened face, Fluttershy asked “Did I say something? Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to, I swear. Please don’t be sad.”
Not even listening I asked her “Where is Applejack’s farm from here?”
“Oh, Sweet Apple Acres is right over there.” She answered as she pointed her hoof out west.
“Thanks, gotta go, bye!” I shouted as I ran past her towards the farm with a renewed sense of urgency.
“Wait!” she called out to me.
I wouldn’t stop though, Applejack would already kill me as it was. Running as fast as I could, I only focused on the trail ahead of me. My narrowed view only made it worse when the quiet mare flew right in front of me. 
Landing firmly on the ground and announcing in a strong tone, Fluttershy demanded that I “STOP!”
Still in full rush, I couldn’t slow fast enough and crashed into her. She stood tall though, even with my full weight thrown into her.  Rubbing my head as I stood up, my eyes caught hers and froze. Her once small and frail figure now loomed over me like a monstrous mountain of power.
The stare.
My whole body froze up instantly. I couldn’t even move my mouth to respond. Seeing that I was completely caught in her spell, Fluttershy pulled a large brown hat from beneath her wing. With a quick, soft tap, she placed it on my head.
“You wouldn’t want to forget this now would you?” she smiled as if nothing was wrong at all. “I can see you’ve got somepony you need to see, so I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to give you your hat and thank you for the wonderful time last night. I hope we get to see each other again sometime soon.”
I was still frozen in the effect of the stare, even without her penetrating eyes drilling into my soul. She wasn’t expecting a reply though, and simply took a quick hug and flew off back to her cottage in the woods. 
My eyes blinked once and my head shot back, taking my whole body off balance. As I wobbled, a few yellow feathers fell from my coat. One of Fluttershy’s feathers to be more exact. Forgetting my current situation for a moment’s time, I picked up one of the flowers with my teeth. It was the same beautiful yellow as she always was, and always would be. With the same goofy smile I always had, I placed the feather in AJ’s hat and continued my run.
As the wind rushed through my mane and by my ears, I could hear the often nonsensical blathering of my shoulder hoppers.
To the left, “How will you make things right with Applejack?”
And to the right, “Better hope she’s not mad. Don’t want one of those hooves pointed in your direction.” 

> My Primary Playmates
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10: My Primary Playmates
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. AJ’s gonna kill me.” I said to myself as I neared the farm.
Pictures of ponies and scenery soared by my eyes, not even stopping to say hello. The only thing I was focused on at the time was reaching the farm and hoping to Celestia that AJ wouldn’t be too mad. It could’ve been months, years, ages before I got to that farm. The trek from one end of Ponyville to the other wasn’t exactly a two minute jog after all. 
All hope was not lost though, as I began to see more and more trees encapsulate me as I ran. They were apple trees. I finally made it to the farm, still sprinting at full speed. Now if I could only make it to the --- my thoughts were dashed by the sudden appearance of one orange earth pony in my path. 
Unable to slow down, I simply stuck my hooves into the ground hard. In a swift shift of dirt, I found myself toppling over my front end. My prior sped flew me even further as I flipped about, causing me to slide and roll forward until I finally crashed at the hooves of Applejack.
Staring up in embarrassment, I said “Well howdy partner,” I coughed slightly “Did I miss anything?”
AJ’s eyes bore down on me like the world on Atlas’ shoulders. On second thought, maybe it wasn’t that hard, but it was pretty close. Her steely gaze made me feel even more uncomfortable than before, especially since I was lying on the ground.
“Now that ya mention it Slick, ya did miss a few things.” She scoffed sarcastically, evident anger in her tone.
“Well, you see, I can explain” I tried to say, but the furious mare cut me off before I could finish.
“No, no. Ah don’t need none a your fancy-shmancy explanations. Ah know darn well enough what happened last night.”
Surprised, I asked her, “You, you do?”
“Course Ah do!” she spat back. “Pinkie Pie came by here round noon. Poor filly was drunker ‘an Big Mac on The Summer Sun Celebration. Well, she was drunk Ah should say. Had one mighty nasty hangover when she got ‘ere.”
Pinkie Pie had stopped by the farm? Why on earth would she be here? Maybe she wanted to thank Applejack for the cider? Maybe, but if that was true then why would she leave while she was still hung over? Applejack’s remaining words cured my aching brain with ease.
“Pinkie told me that y’all had mentioned having to git back here t’ me in the morning and apologized for ya. She told me everythin’ ya did for the band and saving her party. Seemed real sorry that you had too dang much t’ drink though.”
My fears were only slightly relieved though, as that still left one question open. If Pinkie even came to apologize, then why was Applejack still angry at me? As always, my unfortunate soul found the need to blurt my question out.
“So if Pinkie came by, then why are you still mad?”
That came out wrong.
“Well consarnit! Ah didn’t think y’alld be expectin’ me to just accept your little excursion. A’sides, that aint why Ah’m mad!” she retorted, heated passion in her words.
“Then why?” I asked, calmly and softly, trying to ease the tension.
“Pinkie also told me who y’all left with.”
“Fluttershy?” I said, a slight raise in my voice as I spoke her name, wondering if she was who AJ was talking about. “Well yeah, but she was just ---” cut off once again.
“Y’all pulled your smooth moves and sweet talkin’ on that poor susceptible filly. Ah know ya did!” she accused me, pointing her hoof at my chest. A chest that was currently still facing up as I had not moved from my lowly spot on the ground.
Standing up, I brushed off the dust from my coat. Lowering her hoof with my own I explained, “Actually, she was just helping me recuperate. I guess Pinkie didn’t explain it the best, but I was pretty gone. Fluttershy and I had been enjoying the night together, and she felt responsible for me; she took me to her house and let me sleep there for the night. She only meant well, and I really didn’t know what was going on. I really am sorry Applejack, I didn’t mean to get drunk or be late for work, especially after I promised to help. I guess I just let the party get the best of me.”
My apology was true and heartfelt. I meant every word I said and was sure Applejack knew that as well. My eyes drooped down, looking only at the ground as I awaited AJ’s response. I didn’t know why, but I felt absolutely awful that I had abandoned her. 
“So the two a you didn’t do nothin’?” she asked.
My ears perked and my eyes shot open in surprise, “Do something, as in ‘DO something’? What, no. No, no, no, no. We did not ‘DO’ anything, I swear.”
She raised one eyebrow as she speculated about my response. Seemingly satisfied she nodded and began rummaging through the bag on her back. I hadn’t even noticed that bag before, I must’ve really been scared about this confrontation. Almost funny now that it was nearing a close.
“Ah believe ya, Slick. And ‘ere, Pinkie told me t’ give these to ya.” 
Holding out her hoof, the apple themed earth pony presented me with a slightly banged up pair of drumsticks. Taking them in my own grasp, I found them to be the same one’s I used in the concert last night. Pinkie had saved my drumsticks; what a wonderful mare.
“Thank you Applejack.” I smiled. Trying to further the good mood, I asked her “Is there anything I can do to help now that I’m here?”
My friend let out a long and joyful laughter after hearing my question. It took her quite a bit to settle down, but once she did she nodded her head to the scenery behind her.
“See that Slick? That’s the orchard. We git up early every mornin’ to do all ‘r chores and whatnot. ‘S about 1, maybe 2 o’clock now. We’ve been long done.”
I flashed a sour frown. I really wanted to be able to do something to make up for missing work.
“Are you sure there isn’t anything left for me to do?”
Before she could reply, a speedy yellow and red blur came racing into the two of us. The blur crashed right into Applejack, knocking her on her side with ease. Not too long after, an orange and white blur followed, this time crashing into me, sending me right back down to the wonderfully comfy ground below. Comfy, right.
Heads spinning and bodies wobbling, the once quick blurs slowed themselves to the forms of dizzy fillies. The first of the fillies was the young Apple Bloom, blushing as she climbed off of her disoriented sister. Next was Scootaloo and then Sweetie Belle, respectively standing up and off of me. Despite Sweetie Belle only letting out a small apology before returning to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo looked at me a bit more intently before shakily apologizing for running into me. It almost seemed like she as trying to remember me from somewhere.
“Apple Bloom, what Ah tell y’all about foolin’ around?” Applejack scolded her sister.
“But Applejaaaaaack,” she whined “Ya said ya’d help us with ‘r crusadin’ today!”
Applejack rubbed her head tiredly, “Ah’m sorry Bloom, but Ah’ve had a long work day. Ah don’t think Ah’m up for that kinda adventuring right now.”
A collective groan and subsequent sigh came from the three fillies. They obviously weren’t pleased at their plans being canceled like this. Apple Bloom, realizing her sister’s tiredness, urged the group to leave, noting how futile it would be to bother her stubborn sister. Watching their sad faces walk away made me feel responsible. If I had been there to help Applejack, she wouldn’t have been so tired. 
As I berated myself I began to think up a quick solution. I could help out Applejack and the Crusaders, while also paying off my debt.
“Hey wait!” I yelled out to the Crusaders.
One by the one, the fillies turned their heads to tune into my words from afar. Applejack glanced at me suspiciously, trying to figure out what I was up to. Paying no heed to her odd reaction I began a quick trot over to the Crusaders. More curious than I thought, the earth pony followed close behind me.
“What is it Slick?” Apple Bloom asked me inquisitively, using the nickname I received from her older sister.
Even though it wasn’t very far and I had only been going at a light trot, I was still winded from earlier and had to catch my breath. As I was preparing to speak, Applejack reiterated the question.
“Yeah, Slick, what are y’all on about?”
“Whew. See, I figured if Applejack was too tired to look after you guys, I could take her place.”
Apple Bloom’s face erupted into an intense flurry of overjoyed happiness as she bounced around wildly. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at her, bewildered.
“We get t’ go crusadin’ t’day after all girls! And we get Slick too!” she shouted enthusiastically. 
Applejack seemed to be just as confused with her reaction as the rest of us were, but decided that if it would make her sister happy, she might as well. 
“Well tarnation, I suppose if you’re gonna be all jumpy like that Ah may as well let ya go and crusade with Slick ‘ere then.” 
With another bounding jump, Apple Bloom launched herself into her sister, hugging her tight. Both ponies were smiling and laughing as they hugged. The scene was heartwarming, and it made me smile too. It was nice to see two loving sisters, well, love each other sisterly.
Releasing her sister from her firm hug, the red maned filly called out to her friends “Cutie Mark Crusaders, GO!”
On cue, the three of them darted off down the hill. They were headed right for their clubhouse, I was sure. Before I could chase after them though, a familiar orange hoof found its way in front of my face.
“Now listen ‘ere Slick. Ah know ma sister an’ her friends get into plenty a trouble doin’ their crusadin’ and whatnot. Ah just want ya to make sure they don’t get hurt none, ya got that?” her eyes focused sternly on mine, backed by a fury worse than god’s. 
With a gulp I answered, “Yes Ma’am.”
“Now go an’ catch up to ‘em ya odder-an’-a-racoon-in-a-square-dance stallion.”
Lightly chuckling, I ran off down the hill to find the Crusaders. I would’ve flown, but the bandages on my left wing reminded me otherwise. Sure I had taken off the right side’s bandages, and I even played the drums well, but the doctors and Twilight all said not to fly for a while. Besides, I was one quick stallion on foot as is..
Off the rolling hills a ways was the tree house, standing in all of its glory. A fulfilling construct of wood on wood filled with leaves surrounding it. Painted to perfection and polished off with careful hands, eh, hooves. The inside was clearly visible through the open door and window, revealing a rustic vacation home from reality. Being a tree house, it was the perfect escape from everything real into the unreal. Or was it the other way around? Things always seemed different as a kid after all. 
Waiting inside were the three energy entitled youngsters, anxiously awaiting my entrance. At least, that’s what I thought would happening. Instead, I was met with an empty room and a quiet breeze. Where did they go?
My answer came in the form of laughter as I heard the distinct noise calling from outside. I went over to the window to see if I could find them from there. The happy crusaders were enjoying a game of what appeared to be soccer in the field below. They had managed to attach their capes to their backs in the time it took me to run down here. Being close to the ground, I could make out not only their own distinctive forms, but also the mark on the flowing pieces of cloth. 
A shielded emblem, blue in color, encrusted with the silhouette of a yellow filly, also wearing a cape. The blue was so bright and distinct that it stood out from the rest of the cape. It drew me in like a moth to flame. The color almost spoke to me, telling me that I need to be free. I needed to let go of something holding me back and release all of my worries. The yellow silhouette on the other hand told a different story. Instead of freedom, it told me to smile, to be happy and enjoy where I am now, because there is always something to smile about, wherever you are.
It was then that I began to take in the remainder of the cape. Only after being satisfied with both the blue and yellow emblem did I see that they were sewn ever so neatly onto a flowing red backdrop. The red as it blew in the wind, rushing by the active fillies, stood strong and held onto them as if they were the ledge of a cliff. The red told me something new, different from both blue and yellow. It said protect and persevere. The things that you love, be they freedom, happiness, or anything else, you must hang onto them; never letting go, no matter what forces are against you.
One of the girls must have noticed me in the tree house and roared up to me, “Hey, Slick right? Why don’t you play with us? We need another team.”
Their voice snapped me out of my color trance. I really had to stop doing that. Following the call, I exited the house and ran out to the field. They only had one net set up on one side, practicing their kicking and aim.
“Need a team? I think you meant goalie.” I chuckled.
“Team, goalie, same thing.” Scootaloo scoffed. 
“Besides, you did say you’d play with us.” Sweetie Belle added innocently.
“Sure thing.” I smiled back, taking my place in the net.
The girls and I spent hours batting soccer balls back in forth. Well, in Ponyville they called them hoofballs, with the game also being called such. But still, it was really fun. I couldn’t even remember the last time I went out and played with my friends back home. It almost made me feel nostalgic, but something in the yellow tint of the sun told me to simply enjoy the girl’s company now. 
As the sun began to dip into the west, the boisterous little kids finally started losing steam. It had been all I could to keep up with the barrage of hoofballs attacking me from every angle. As they began to wind down, I saw them all collapse happily onto the soft grassy field. Eyes glued to the sky, the giggled and joked as I approached. 
“Finally getting’ worn down girls?”
“Hehe, yeah.. I’m pretty tired.” laughed Scootaloo.
“Me too.” agreed Sweetie.
“Same here.” Apple Bloom concluded.
Falling jokingly onto the ground besides them, I joined in the relaxation and purity of the moment.  As I looked over at them, it was easy to make out the distinctive grins on each of their faces. I’m glad they all had as much fun as I did.
Apple Bloom, shifting from her position, turned her head to look at her flank. 
“Aw rats.” She hissed. “No hoofball cutie mark Crusaders.”
The same uniform groan from early emitted from the group. They had been trying to get their cutie marks today? I guess I knew they were doing Crusading, but hoofball hardly seemed like anything they usually did.
“Was that was this whole day was about?” I asked. “Your cutie marks?”
Sweetie Belle responded in a matter of fact tone, “Well obviously. We got find Something that we’re good at.”
The other two nodded in agreement. 
“But didn’t you just want to have fun playing soc, er, I mean hoofball?”
“Well sure, but ‘r cutie marks come first.” Apple Bloom replied.
“But you three have your whole lives to find your cutie marks. There’s no need to rush it so much.”
“But we want our cutie marks now!” Sweetie Belle said, the others quickly following.
I sighed a happy sigh. I was the same way as a kid. Always wanted to try new things, find out what I was good at, and find everything else along the way. There had to be something I was good at, that was my mentality; probably theirs too. 
“Mind if I tell you guys a short story?” 
“Oh I love stories!” Sweetie Belle yelped.  
Apple Bloom lightened up to the idea as well, while Scootaloo seemed somewhat disinterested in anything that didn’t involve action.
“You wanna know when I got my cutie mark?”
The mere mention of such a story perked up all of their ears.
Drawing out a silence for suspense, I told them “Yesterday.”
The stunned looks on their faces told it all. They didn’t believe a word of it. Either that, or they didn’t understand. 
“You see, yesterday I was on a little trip to a party. The party had a band playing, but the band was missing a member. Wanting to help out, I volunteered my own services as their drummer. The concert went off without a hitch, and by the end of it I found that my cutie mark had just appeared, out of nowhere.”
It was a simple version of my story, and of course I left out the parts about the cider and all. Scootaloo still didn’t seem to believe me.
“Yeah right, no pony get’s their cutie mark THAT late.”
Not even having to say anything myself, Apple Bloom interjected, “He’s not lyin’. He came o’er t’ help AJ with th’ farm the other day. He din’t have a cutie mark then.”
I stood up, showing them my brown and orange coat. Lifting my rather large wing, I revealed two crossed drumsticks. The fillies all ooed and awed as they came to understand the truth behind my story.
“You, you weren’t kidding.” Sweetie Belle stammered. 
“All true.” I shrugged.
Scootaloo seemed to be unable to comprehend my situation and rattled off a few questions, “Why’d it take you so long to find out your talent? What was it like getting your cutie mark? What does your cutie mark mean? Will we have to wait till we’re your age to get our cutie marks?”
I decided that instead of answering all of her question, I would tell them something I thought they needed to hear instead.
“Listen closely, cause I’m only gonna say this once, alright?” They nodded their heads, stepping closer to me as my voice grew quieter. “You three fillies have the greatest opportunity ahead of you. You can do anything you want, go anywhere you want, be anything you want. And as great as all of your crusading is, sometimes It’s best just to let these things come to you. If today is any indication, I can safely say you all have talents that make you shine brighter than any of the other fillies and colts. What you need to do now, is realize what those talents are. I’m not gonna tell you, nopony is. But I will say that you’ll find them.”
“When? When ‘r we gonna find ‘em?” Apple Bloom prodded.
Motioning to my flank I responded, “When the time is right, your talent will come to you. Take it from an old blank flank.”
The three of them smiled at my response. Although it hadn’t been the one they were hoping for, it sure did excite them. Sure, it had all been told to them before, but sometimes it just took a little memory jog to get them thinking about it the right way. 
“You promise?” Scootaloo asked, her cute little eyes wide with wonder.
“I promise.”  I grinned.
The Crusaders bounced around happily at the renewed faith in their quest. I figured they’d be back to their old crazy escapades in to time, but at least I left them with something to think over. Their jubilant cries rang out through the fields, echoing across the empty space.
Inwardly yelling with them, I looked up at the hills only to see a friendly face heading down from above.
“Applejack, how are ya?” I called out.
Coming to a stop she said, “Ah’m doin’ fine. An’ Ah see the girls had a right good time t’day?”
“Applejack, Drumroll played hoofball with us ALL DAY!” Apple Bloom shouted, running over to greet her sister.
Patting the yellow filly’s head, AJ joked “That so? Well aint’ that a hoot. Can’t say Ah’m surprised that ya held up that long though, considerin’ our little race.” 
“They did tire me out quite a bit, don’t you worry about that.” I said as we all laughed together.
Calming everypony down, Applejack told the girls it was time to go home. Bloom and her friends complained but eventually submitted to her sister’s will. As they reached the consensus to head home, I realized that I still needed to make up for the work I missed.
“Oh, AJ.” I spoke up.
“Yeah Slick? What is it?”
“When should I report for work tomorrow? Bright and early as usual?”
The orange earth pony laughed at me, preceding her response, “Y’all did fine today. No need to help anymore ‘an ya already did. Ah thank ya kindly though, especially with transportin’ that cider and playin’ with Bloom all day.”
“No problem.” I said, feeling accomplished and debt free.
Tossing a few golden circles at me, AJ winked, “An’ here’s a little extra compensation, courtesy a’ Mac. E’s real glad y’all helped out. We all hope y’all are plannin’ on stoppin’ by the farm again sometime soon.”
And with that, she and Apple Bloom left to return home at the farm. Sweetie Belle followed all the way up the hill, but then turned to head to her own home with Rarity. I remained behind, completely forgetting that I had no place to stay. Realizing AJ was too far gone at this point, I thought of where I could go to sleep. Maybe Twilight’s? While I pondered, I noticed a certain saddened pegasus walk away slowly in the other direction.
This time, there were no other noises, just the complete silence of the oncoming night, but the voices still managed to sneak their way into my thoughts.
To the left, “Well, are you going to just stand there?”
And to the right, “Yes, please move. We both know standing still for a long time is awful on your legs.”
> A Brush of Her Mane
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11: A Brush of Her Mane
The voices were right after all. I knew if I did nothing and just stood there, Scootaloo would remain sad and I clueless. I started my way towards the slow stepping filly.
Catching up I said “Scoots, where are you off to?”
Scootaloo’s ears perked up, my voice catching her off guard. She turned around quickly to make sure she hadn’t misheard or imagined me.
“I, uh, no. Nowhere special.” She stuttered.
With a cracked grin I said, “You know Ponyville’s the other way right?”
She scuffed the ground with her little hoof, “Yeah. I know.”
She began walking down the same path again, not offering anymore to be said. I wondered why the young filly could’ve been so sad. Could all of those disheartening and tearful fanfics be true? Was she really alone out here, in this gorgeous place known as Equestria? I refused to believe it. I trotted up to her again, this time not stopping, but just walking with her.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be special,” I said “but you’ve still gotta be going somewhere, right?”
She sighed, “Yeah.”
She didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk, but I prodded anyways “So where then?”
Pouting she said “I’m just going to the clubhouse, ok?”
She started running off in a huff. I didn’t run after her, but continued walking at the same pace. I saw her climb up into the brightly colored tree house and shut the door. Something must have really been eating her. I know I didn’t say anything to bad, and I couldn’t have imagined any of the others being rude; at least not without my knowing.
A long, thought filled minute later, I too reached the entrance of the fort. Knocking on the door three times with my hoof, I called out to Scootaloo in a light and caring tone, “Can I come in?”
I was met with a muffled response of grumbles and mumbles form inside. Although I suspected them to mean ‘no’ I went in anyways. Slowly creaking the door open, I peered inside. On the floor near the window was a small sleeping bag. Curled up inside of it was a cute orange and purple blob, nestled between the sides of the warm, poofy bed. 
She looked so peaceful, just lying there on the floor. It made me smile. Usually I tried not to smile at cute things, but ponies had definitely shifted my opinion. My new smile quickly reversed itself as I heard a light whimpering. The reason she had been curled up so tightly was because she was crying, crying to herself. Oh Scootaloo…
Slowly and quietly I walked over to the no longer peppy filly. I laid down beside her, moving a snail’s pace to not disturb her in any way. Her sleeping bag was opened enough that her head stuck out, revealing her spiky bright purple mane. 
I didn’t say anything while I was next to her, I simply let her cry. I hoped she would be able to let all of her hidden emotions out now, release everything that was making her sad. I did, however, try to calm her, ease her tension and fears. With the lightness of a feather and the speed of sloth, I began slowly stroking her mane with my hoof.
It was disheveled and messy from playing all day, and strands of hair shot out every which way. As I brushed forward, it began to reform its shape, although not nearly as perfectly as usual. All the while she would sob, tears rolling down her eyes; eyes that were shut tightly from the world around them. Her mane was soft and smooth. Petting her was like having my hoof glide across the surface of a flowing river. There were no rapids to push me asunder, nor was it too calm to let me sink. Just smooth enough that my hooves would continue gliding until they reached the endless sea. 
It was a perplexing take on purple, her mane. It was a light purple, more fitting to her orange coat that always seemed vivid and vibrant. Well, it was usually a light purple. With the now almost completely set sun before us, and the gleaming stars to take its place, it appeared dark. Not so dark that it would become black, but a darker shade of purple, like Twilight’s mane. But unlike Twilight’s mane, I found no comfort in this shade. The darkness surrounding this brilliant youth did not sit well with me. I had a feeling it did not sit well with her either.
As my slow but careful brushing of her mane continued, her sobs became fewer and lighter. As I sensed her calming down, I thought to remove my hoof. Almost immediately, the girl’s hoofs shot up and latched onto my arm, eh, foreleg. Hastily she pulled it over her and gripped it tighter to herself.  I was astonished by the unexpected actions she took, but allowed her control of my foreleg.  Holding me as close to her as she could, she began crying once more, her tears now streaming down my entrapped foreleg. I was lost for words, but Scootaloo seemed to have something she wanted to say.
“It wasn’t always like this.” She began, still crying. “Things used to be better. They did, they really did.”
She tried her best to speak, but the loud gasps for breath between sobbing made it hard for her.
“It’s all THEIR fault, they did it!” she screamed angrily.
“Whose fault, Scoots?” I asked her calmingly.
She winced, gripping my arm tighter when I addressed her, “My parent’s.” 
Her parents? Wow. “What did they do?”
“They killed him! It’s all their fault!”
They, they killed someone? Dear Celestia, what was I getting into? Before I could delve any further into this murder idea, the depressed pegasus continued speaking.
“They sent us here. It’s all their stupid fault.” She cried.
“What happened? I whispered.
“I just wasn’t good enough,” she sniffed, hugging my arm tightly again. “I wasn’t good enough for them.”
“Aw Scoots, I’m sure that’s not true.”
“NO!” she screamed back, “It is true! They told me myself. They’re the ones who sent me here!”
My eyes shot open wide with surprised, “They sent you to Ponyville? By yourself?!”
“Mhhm.” She whimpered. “They told me I was useless. I couldn’t fly, so what good of a pegasus was I? May as well be a talentless Earth Pony they said. Then they kicked me out.”
“You couldn’t just be living here all by yourself Scoots.” I said to her, almost questioning the possibility.
At this, she started up with another stream of tears. Why was I doing this to her, making her cry so much? Or was this even my doing? You know what, it didn’t matter, I wasn’t going to let this little filly spend her night’s crying alone in a tree house. 
“I wasn’t.” she cried. “I lived here with my brother.”
“Your brother?” I wondered.
“They killed him!” she screamed again, her wails filled with a blackness that could only be the result of such a devastating loss.
Reaching my other hoof over her, hugging her tight, I asked “What happened?”
Trying to find the words beneath her sobs, she worked up the courage to answer my question. 
“When, when they yelled at me. He, he stood up, he was there for me. He was really big, he stood up for me. I just, just, I just couldn’t do anything. They scared me. He said, he said they weren’t. He said they were the ones who weren’t good enough. And, and, and we left. He got our stuff. And he flew me here.”
Her speech was wrecked with the continuous uproar of howls and cries, but I could still make out the bulk of it. Slowly she started to calm down, regaining her composure. 
“He bought a house.” She sniffled along. “He used up all his money, and bought a house, just for us. He, he was really nice to me. He brought me to school every day, and played with me on weekends. It was so much better with him than with them. They were awful. And they killed him!”
Before she could go hysterical again, I wrapped her close to me. I needed to find out what happened before I could help. And unfortunately, the only way to do that was press further. 
“Scoots, you have to tell me what happened.”
Sucking up the remaining droplets of sadness in her eyes she explained, “During the storm of Discord’s rule, a lot of ponies were sent out to stop the madness. My brother was one of them. His whole team, the whole team…they all died.”
“How?”
“They were sucked up into a giant vortex. It appeared in the middle of town and sucked ponies up.  He tried to save somepony who got caught in the vortex, but it just got him too. It went away almost as soon as it appeared. And now…now…”
“Your brother sounds like a really brave and loving pony.” I told her, breaking her cycle of tears.
“Wh-what’d you say?”
“I said he was brave and loving. After all, not only did he stand up for you against your parents, but also went out of her way to try and save somepony he didn’t even know from a danger far stronger than himself. I think your brother was a great stallion.”
I told her how I felt about her brother and meant every word of it. I had never heard of him before, but if he did everything she said he had, then he was an alright guy in my book. Besides, he was Scoot’s brother after all. But it still bothered me about her parents. How could they treat their daughter so harshly? Their son too. I couldn’t imagine that any of these ponies would be so heartless. But I guess that just goes to show that the show couldn’t teach me everything about this equally imperfect world.
Scootaloo released my arm and crawled out from beneath her sleeping bag. Sitting up, she was still only as tall as I was lying down with my head up. Her wide purpley eyes stared into my own reddish orange one and it almost looked as if she was going to smile finally.
Trying her hardest through her wet eyes, she said “You remind me of my brother.”
Jaw dropped and face askew I sit there stunned. How in the world did I-
“I mean, when I first saw you, I thought you were him. I got really happy, but then…you weren’t him. And then you played with me all day and it felt like…but you still weren’t him. And you kept calling me ‘Scoots’ and he used to…but you’re not him.”
She was scuffing the floor again with her hoof. I felt flattered. I reminded one of my favorite characters, no, one of my Friends, of somepony they really cared about. Especially somepony as grand as Scootaloo’s brother. The smile returned to my face, as I smiled, so did Scootaloo.
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble, Scootaloo. I didn’t mean to stir up so many feelings.”
Scootaloo blushed for a second, and then she stiffened up. She marched up to me and went onto her…tippy-hooves I suppose, to look down on me.
“Don’t tell ANYPONY that I was being sappy and all sad, got that?” she demanded.
I chuckled but inevitably agreed.
Her full, childish smile enveloped her face with my agreement.  That smile however soon evolved into a wide yawn, followed by a multitude of blinks. Poor filly tired herself out with all of her crying.  Celestia why’d she have to be so cute?
I nudged her to sit back down and she gladly accepted, sitting atop her comfy sleeping bag. I too returned back to my original lying down position beside her. This time though, we both looked outwards and out the window at the fully shining stars in the blue night sky; their glistening forms tinting the illustrious blueness of the world above.
While I was staring up at the sky, Scoots nuzzled her face into my side, settling into a comfortable sleeping position. Her tiny wings feathered out as she relaxed, revealing that they weren’t so small after all. Unlike when I first entered the tree house, I now had a happy blob of orange instead of a sad one. That, was an accomplishment.
Slight muffled with her head in my side, the cute little filly said “Thank you. Thank you for listening. I know you probably didn’t want to hear all that, but it helped.”
“On the contrary,” I grinned, nuzzling her head with my own “I’m glad you shared all of that with me. In fact, is there anything else you wanted to say?”
A light seemed to go off inside her mind. She tilted her head so she was looking up at me and pointed her hoof out to the stars.
“He wanted to go out there. It was his dream to be a spacepony. He wanted to fly so high that no other pony could ever match him.”
“What was his name?”
“Rocketeer. My brother’s name was Rocketeer.” She smiled, a tear now forming in her left eye.
More tears? Surely she couldn’t be sad again. Ha, Pinkie would’ve made some comment about her not being ‘Shirley’ or something now. Ah, but I digress I guess. If anything, that tear was a happy one for the memory of her brother.
Returning her head into my chest, messing up her mane again, she asked me a certain question that I was unsure if I should answer.
“Drumroll?” she asked.
“Yeah, Scoots?”
“Will you be my brother?”
After a long and intensive silence, I told the little filly “Scoots, I don’t want to replace your brother. In fact, I don’t think anypony ever could. But if you really wanted to, I’d say you can call me your step brother.”
The tiny orange pegasus yawned aloud and sleepily responded with “You’re the best big step brother ever.”
With that, my little pony drifted away to a sweet sleep, smiling into my coat. I remained awake for a little while longer, watching the stars through the large tree house window. I saw one shooting star fly across the way, dashing over the round form of the moon as well. As it passed by, Scootaloo shivered, her vibrating body causing mine to move as well. 
I then realized she wasn’t in her sleeping bag, but on top. Not wanting to disturb her, I raised my wing and lowered it over her body. She still shivered for a moment, but soon adjusted to her new blanket. She even grabbed some of my feathers and pulled my wing in tight. It hurt when she tugged on it, but the pain eased quick enough.
“Even with my broken wing, I’ll keep you warm Scoots.” I told her, or rather the silence.
Further breaking the silence, although not too much, speaking at a mere whisper so as not to wake her, “I’ll find your brother Scootaloo. I don’t think he’s dead. I’ll do my best, I promise…sis.”
Satisfied with my own resolution, I too put my head down to enjoy a nice night’s sleep. Sadly, those two voices just had to get in their last words.
To the right, “You did the right thing, Drumroll.”
To the left, “Just don’t forget this promise like you did Applejack’s.”

> Movement of A Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12: Movement of A Day
I felt my leg twitch. A slight kick back and then reset. Dear Celestia it was bright out. I wonder how long I’ve been asleep? I let my eyes flutter open, adjusting to the new setting. I was inside of the tree house, lying down upon the wooden floor to rest for the night. Why was I here again?
Scootaloo. I lifted up my wing, and sure enough, the tiny orange pegasus was there beneath it. Curled up into a ball, she rested her head against my side. She looked so cute, so peaceful. Ideas of what the curious filly was dreaming of bumped across my brain. Ah well, whatever they were, the sleepy smile on her face told me they were happy ones. And in the end, that’s all that matters.
I returned my wing to her as she slept. Although light, when it brushed across her body, she shivered. I must’ve tickled her by accident. I even thought I heard her giggle. She had to have done something, because everything else around us was shrouded in the silence of dawn.
Moving my wing back she objected jokingly, “Stop it, you’re tickling me!”
Laughing with her, I continued to softly brush my wing across her, continuously tickling her as she rolled about the ground with uproarious laughter. Not wanting to tire the filly out so early, I slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. She too settled down, letting out her last bit of giggles and chuckles.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” I apologized.
“Haha,” she laughed “Don’t worry, I was already awake. I was waiting for you.”
The childish gleam to her face divided me. On one side, I was content with her happiness, glad to see her enjoying herself. On the other side, I felt bad that one day her childish innocence would be lost to the rolling clouds of this bothersome travel called life. In the end, I decided to be happy. Happiness is in such short supply, why waste it?
“Why’d you wait, Scoots?”
“Cause I didn’t want to wake YOU up.” she jibbed. “And you’re really comfy.”
I chuckled at this comment. I began to stand up, taking my sweet time to let my muscles readjust. My back was stiff, and my legs weren’t much better, so I stretched awkwardly with my new body. Scootaloo burst out into an uproarious fit of laughter as she watched me try to realign myself.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You.” she snickered.
With a roll of my eyes, I finished my odd stretching. My new body was still a bit unknown to me. as a pegasus, flying somehow just felt natural. But everything else was, odd to say the least. Scootaloo had no problem hopping up and running about the room. She packed everything up into a neat little bag within seconds. Obviously she had had some practice with this.
“Headed out Scoots?” I questioned her as she whizzed about.
Stopping momentarily to answer she said, “Mhhm. I think I’m gonna go home today. We didn’t plan any crusading today, so I’ll probably just stay at home.”
“Stay at home? On such a beautiful day? Why don’t you go and practice on your scooter?”
The energetic filly smiled up at me. “You know, there’s this awesome hill I like just outside of Ponyville. Maybe I’ll ride down there to relax?”
“I’m always down for a little R and R,” I agreed “and I think you should do that.”
“So what’re you gonna do today?” she asked me, a quizzical look pulsing through her eyes.
My mouth opened a bit, as if I was going to speak, but then I froze. My shoulders dropped a bit, and my entire body went into an almost stunned state. I had no idea what today had in store for me.
“Drumroll?” Scoots asked, waving her hoof in front of my face.
I shook myself back to reality, “Oh yeah, yeah. No I’m uh, I think…I dunno Scoots, I just don’t know.” I replied, just as confused as her.
I looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything that could spark my brain. There wasn’t anything special inside, other than the Crusader’s usual gear. The walls held nothing important, nor the ceiling. But when I looked down at the floor, I noticed the Stetson AJ had given me. Pinned through it was Fluttershy’s feather, and resting atop were a few gold bits.
An idea struck me as I stared down at my broad brown hat. “I think I’m going into the town today.”
Scootaloo rushed up to me, gave me a big hug around my legs and said “Hope you find what you’re looking for.” With that, she grabbed her bag, threw it over her back and bolted out the door.
Walking slowly to the open door I watched as she ran home, her real home. She hadn’t said much this morning, but her eyes told me everything. A new spark had been lit inside of her, ready to fuel her on to dreams unknown. Who knows what this day will breed for her, and for me.
I turned around and snagged my hat, placing it squarely on my head, covering my spiky mane. The bandages on my arm were still there, held tight to my wings, gripping them firmly but not painfully. Must be Twilight’s magic. The last thing I had picked up on inside the room was something else that belonged to me. A pair of battered sticks lay at my feet. I wondered what I would do with them. Certainly I wasn’t going to carry them everywhere, which would be too difficult. But I didn’t have any pockets to hold them in.
“I need pockets.” I told myself aloud.
I couldn’t find anything in the room, not even a bag. I always remembered characters from the show placing things behind themselves and taking them out later, but I had no idea how to go about that. I tried picking up the sticks and nonchalantly dropping them behind myself. They simply fell to the floor. Eventually I gave up the fruitless effort and drooped to the floor.
“I guess I could leave them here, but what if I don’t come back? It’s not like these stick to me like my bandages….” My voice trailed off as a light bulb went off in my mind.
Quickly I picked up the sticks in one hoof, and with my mouth, stretched the bandage on my wing out. Placing the sticks through the bandage, I released it, letting the medical wrap snap back to its original form. It stung for a second, but the process was complete. My drum sticks held firm to my side. Success! 
Happy to have everything of mine safely secured to my body, I too left towards Ponyville. I had 16 bits of old fashioned money to spend on myself. I figured, if I had money, and nothing else planned, why not see how the town was? Sure, I’d seen Ponyville hundreds of times, and even seen the market quite a few, but I’d never Been there.
I looked back at the club house as I left. Applebloom had done quite the job of fixing it up, I was surprised she hadn’t earned her cutie mark yet. Then again, neither had the other two.  A shame really, they have such wonderful talents. The sun was rather luminous in the skies of mid day Equestria. Celestia really outdid herself this time around. It’s all encompassing shine displayed the various hues of every living and non living thing for miles.
The sky was flushed with the richest of blues, letting the bold white clouds fluctuate around it. The grass was ever changing and uncertain. Different types of plant life sprouted all over the small field and beyond, changing tone and form with species and light. The rocks lilted in the darkness, only the enormous shapes of boulders providing heavy distractions of shade could be seen busting from the bright pastel-lit world.
“Truly the world we have, is it not?” lilted an anonymous voice to my right.
I turned, but there was no one there. Not even a bug and bird. Was my mind playing tricks on me?
I decided it had to have been the wind and continued my delightful stroll to Ponyville. The town came upon me slowly. Being a rural town, Ponyville had houses spread far apart, covering a wide area. Although there was an obvious center, the town itself could be said to go on for quite some time. Still, I enjoyed the walk; it gave my legs some good exercise, my eyes some engaging visuals, and my mind some idle time to relax from the ever burdening questions.
“Oh, those questions must be SO very burdening, mustn’t they?” jibbed a voice sarcastically.
This voice was different from the one I heard earlier, and seemed to have come from my left side. It was them. Jeez, they just wouldn’t leave me alone would they?
“Nope, we don’t leave so easily.” Continued the voice to the left.
“So do you plan on staying around?” I grumbled.
No answer came. How could they continuously interrupt me and not even bother to answer me when I really needed them? Stupid voices.
“You really shouldn’t insult your elders.” The voice from the right scolded.
“Oh shut up you two!” I yelled back.
It was then I realized I had walked my way into the near center of town, where a good dozen ponies stood starring awkwardly at me. I had been talking to myself the whole time, in the middle of town. I must seem insane.
“It’s not totally out of the question.” Laughed the left voice.
Ignoring it, I ducked my head and trotted quickly from the town’s center. Leaving my shameful experience behind. Guess I won’t be buying anything from there today. Hiding my head just in case, I continued further down an unknown road.
The small gravel like road cracked beneath my hooves. It was an odd crack, crushing smoothly beneath me as I trotted. It felt soft afterwards, not bothering me at all as I left the scene. When I had decided I was far enough away, I found a bench to stop and rest on. Of course, I was exactly used to sitting as a pony, and sat down like a normal human.
It took me a few moments and few more odd stares before I realized what I was doing. Originally I thought they had just seen me earlier, but I quickly understood that was not true. I just looked funny. Dear Celestia, what else could go wrong?
Trying to hide from further embarrassment, I hopped off the bench and tried running away again. Unfortunately, I didn’t look where I was going and crashed into another pony. I tumbled backwards, falling down to my side. I began standing up, shakily regaining my balance, apologizing repeatedly for the offense. I was too flustered about the whole day to think straight.
A light blue unicorn held a hoof out to pull me up. I grabbed it without a second thought.
“Funny way of sitting, don’t you think?” the obviously female voice joked.
“Yeah, I know. I’m kinda new around here and –” I stopped as my eyes raised up to see who the unicorn was.
“Lyra?” I asked the air in surprise.
“Who’s askin’?” she smiled.
I shook my head, as always, the try and fix my rattled brain. “I’m sorry Miss, I wasn’t watching where I was going. I should be on my way.”
I tried walking but she held her hoof out to stop me. “Hey now, you said my name. How do you know who I am?” she demanded.
Unfortunately for me, she wasn’t exactly famous for anything in particular. At least that I knew of. She’d never buy it. I had to think of something quick to cover for myself.
“Oh no, I said ‘lyre’, as in your cutie mark. It IS a lyre, right?”
“Heh heh, yeah it is. I could’ve sworn you said Lyra, but I guess anypony could make that mistake.” She agreed.
“Anyways, I should be probably be going.” 
I tried again to move but she stopped me once more, “Oh no, you sat like that as if it was normal. Why’d you do it?”
The stern tone in her voice told me she wasn’t messing around. Had she been a guy, I might’ve just brushed him off, but I wasn’t going to get in a fight with a girl, or mare as it may be.
“It’s normal for me. But I’m an odd gu- stallion.”
She raised an unbelieving eye brow at me. She half heartedly accepted my answer and dropped her hooves. I began to walk away, again, but as I did I was stopped. No big surprise there, except this halt was brought by her speech, not her hooves.
“I’ve just been trying to explain to my special somepony that it’s not all that bad. You know, to be different.”
I turned around, only to see a sad mare, head dropped low, walk away in dismay. 
“Hold up,” I called out, stopping her this time around “What’s this about your special somepony?”
The mare brought her head back up, looking me in the eyes to talk. Her voice was slightly more in depth than monotone, but it lacked any real emotion, almost as if she wasn’t sure how she felt about what she was saying.
She paused, making sure what she was about to say was right, then continued “Bon Bon and I, we, well, we’ve gotten in quite a few scuffles the past few weeks.”
“Scuffles?”
“Yes. She’s been on my case about the entire ‘other world’ I obsess over.”
My ears perked up at the mention of a second world. She noticed my piqued interest and explained.
“It’s not much, really, just a theory. I think that there are other worlds out there, parallel with ours. I doubt they’re accessible, at least without a lot of magic, but that they exist. Maybe there are other beings out there, other than ponies, but who’ll really know?”
“That’s quite the interesting theory you have Miss Lyra.” I replied enthusiastically. “Especially for what would appear to be a rather musical pony?” I gestured towards her cutie mark.
She turned to her flank and blushed, “Well I guess you could call me a musical pony. I have found that I am rather nice on the lyre.” She chuckled a light laugh then took a deep breath. “But really, I just enjoy the message. You know, putting an emotion, or a belief into the music. That’s why I love it.”
“Wow. That’s pretty deep. So do you talk about this other world in your music? Is that what you mean?”
“Not that many ponies will notice it, but yes, I try.” She admitted, then blinked, opening her eyes wide as if she just remembered something she forgot. “I’m really sorry! I just realized that I have to meet Bons for a coffee like right now! Thanks for listening mister, it really helped.”
And with that, she ran towards the place where I had just run away from.  Ironic in a way.
“Oh Lyra!” I yelled out, “Being different is OK. Don’t give up on that dream, you just might be right.”
I too went my own way, but as I walked I could’ve sworn I felt two hopefully confused eyes glance back at me as I walked. Who knows, maybe she’ll find her ‘other world’, MY world, eventually. There really were so many unanswered questions that raised though. How did I get here, really, why was I here? I wondered if I would ever know the true answer to that question, and doubted it. 
Of course, life never treated my thoughts well. For as soon as I started thinking it over, I saw an all too familiar flash of colors fly above my head. Headed straight for the town center was none other than Rainbow Dash. 
Oddly enough, she hadn’t noticed me. Well, it wasn’t too odd considering how fast she was going. Perhaps she had something more pressing at hand, eh, hoof? It had been a few days since all this happened after all, maybe she’d forgotten about me? I trotted stealthily back to the town square to check just in case.
Hiding behind a stack of hay, I watched as Rainbow Dash landed pompously by one of the shacks. She really knew how to make an entrance. A really big, showy, boastful entrance. Ah well, its one of the things I had grown to love about the cyan mare. She was so egotistical, but she had the guts and skills to back it up. More than that, she had good character. Sure, not too difficult in Equestria, but in the real world, the ‘other world’, my world, it was rare.
She began to speak to the vendor in the shack. Apparently she sold cherries, if her giant sign was so telling. The vendor nodded and pointed her in the direction I had run off in earlier. She was still looking for me. And apparently, she had leads. Fantastic.
At least I wasn’t there anymore. Although, if anypony else had seen me, she’d be back in no time. I had to leave. But where in world could I go? Everywhere was filled with ponies who could identify me. I needed a place, not too obscure I’d be the only one there, but not too crowded I’d be found no problem.
AS I tried desperately to think of such a place, surrounded by unfamiliar territory, I felt myself crunch into the haystack. My wings felts the prickles and I recoiled sharply.
“Ow.” I yelped.
The hay had pushed the drumsticks further into my wings, causing them to continuously beat around my feathers. It was a constant and annoying pain I did not want to deal with.
“Pockets, drummer boy.” The left ear rang.
“Oh shut u-” I stopped myself as I thought about what the voice told me.
Drumsticks. Pockets. Clothes. Stores. Rarity. Carousel Boutique. 
My mind ticked like clockwork, each thought a new peg on the gear, clicking into place, then being replaced by a m ore current and helpful one. Rarity’s shop wasn’t too far away. It also was out of the way enough that no pony would be too suspicious. It was the perfect idea!
“Oh you’re just SO smart.” Snarked the left voice.
“A new adventure awaits you, Drumroll.” Replied the right, calmly.

> Complimentary Royalties
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13: Complimentary Royalties 
Ignoring the voices once more, I set off towards the famous Carousel Boutique. Well, I suppose it wasn’t quite famous yet, although Rarity had managed to gain plenty of customers from the upper crust.  It did really surprise me that she wasn’t living up in Canterlot with her high maintenance accompaniment. Then again, she was still friends with Twi and the gang, so why would she want to leave them behind?
As I paced quickly towards the fashion diva’s shop, I continually reminded myself to glance at the sky. The slightest hint of a rainbow would be enough to send me crashing through the streets to find somewhere to hide. I wasn’t even entirely sure why I was so scared. It wasn’t like me to run, in fact, it was the complete opposite of what I would do. But something kept nagging me, like it wasn’t right. I wasn’t supposed to see her. 
Luckily, nothing of interest appeared in the sky during my walk. All I noticed were a few clouds rolling in from the north. Looked like rain clouds, but they weren’t too dark, so I was unsure. As they neared Ponyville, I had already made it to the door.  It was a rather large door, rounded at the top and made of a nice solid wood. Painted with a light purple, it resembled the gorgeous mane of the fine mare inside.  On either side of the door were large windows, gold curtains could be seen inside. The building itself rounded at the top, looking almost medieval in structure. I thought it was a lovely choice of design.
I snapped myself out of my architectural trance and shot my eyes back to the skies. Who knows how long I’d been standing there? Rainbow Dash could’ve seen me at any time. Fearing further discovery, I knocked viciously on the door. I waited there, unmoving for a few seconds. For whatever reason, my mind thought I would be harder to spot if I stood still. It’s not RD was a T-Rex or anything, but my mind works in strange ways.
Finally, the white unicorn opened the door saying, “Well hello there, dear sir. And what might I ask brings you to my fine shop this day? Ah, please do come in.”
Her elegance exuded from every word. I guess she wanted to treat all of her customers as if they were of the utmost esteem. Even if they were an average guy like me.
“You know,” she continued “I wasn’t expecting any customers today. not with the storm scheduled and all.”
“Storm?” I asked, confused.
“You didn’t see it coming in from outside?”
I thought about it for a moment and realized I had noticed it, “Oh right, right. Guess I just wasn’t thinking much of it.” I chuckled, half laughing at myself.
“Oh I see. Well sir, I don’t believe I’ve seen you here in Ponyville before. I think I’d remember somepony with as stunning of an orange coat as you do.” She batted her eyelashes at me. Obviously a selling technique.
“Yes, you see I am kind of new around here.” I explained.
“Only a few days I presume?” her tone was inquisitive, but had another emotion in it that I couldn’t quite place.
“You must be quite keen Miss Rarity. I have only been here a short amount of time.”
“Oh and your wing!” she gasped, genuine astonishment was present, but again there was something else I couldn’t place. “You must have taken a Devastating fall to sustain such Horrid injuries.”
“I wouldn’t say it was that bad. It’s been healing nicely actually.” I replied, beginning to sense her undertone. “Tell me, since you seem to be so vastly knowledgeable of my situation, is there anything else I should know about myself?”
Rarity, as sly as she is fashionable, quickly switched subjects on me “Oh no, just some observations I made. I am by no means all knowing, although I do try.” She snickered. “Now, you must have wanted to purchase something of mine to come in here on such a day.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked her, seeing how much I could pry from her, as she did with me.	
“Well the storm is going to keep everypony inside. No pony is allowed outside until it’s cleared. We’ve been going through a rather large dry spell as of late and the pegasi are doing their best to bring everything back to life by resetting the balance. If you plan on staying here, you’ll be here for a good few hours.”
“Oh, is that so? Well that should be fine. Besides, I’d want to wait until you finished with my, um, purchase before I left.”
Rarity gasped, throwing herself backwards onto a nearby sofa. “I should feel so ever insulted! You do not think I could manage one simple piece of work in a few hours time!”
“No, that’s uh, not what I meant.” I rubbed the back of my head with my hoof, trying to apologize.
The dramatic white coated mare gracefully got up from her lounge chair and trotted over to her work desk on the other side of the room. The room was rather wide, being the entire bottom floor. It had many doorways but no doors. They all looked like smaller rooms containing supplies and fabrics. 
“Please darling, don’t fret your feathers over it. I know you mean well.” She said with a smile in her voice.
I was a bit confused in the sudden shift in emotions, but Rarity wasn’t exactly best known for being stable.
“So what would you like dearie?” she asked, giving me a once over. “Aha, I know just what you need!”
“Wait, but I didn’t even -” the excited fashionista cut me off.
“I’ve designed for hundreds of ponies here at the Carousel Boutique. I know what my customers want, and also what they need.”
I looked at myself, seeing if there were any indicators that would lead her to believe I would need something in particular. I could find nothing.
“But, wait, so what are you making me?” I wondered aloud, extremely baffled.
“A vest. A very nice, leather vest. Not real leather of course, but a fine substitute. Although I do love the way my dresses and suits appear, I know a function over fashion pony when I see one. I’m guessing you’ll want pockets as well. Oh and the color, hmm,” she pondered, trying to come to the perfect conclusion; it came quickly for her “Ah yes, black, black is always in style, always chic. Just because you don’t plan on looking your best doesn’t mean you don’t have to.”
My mouth was hung open and my eyes seemed glazed over as she spoke. Her words were going by so fast and she was moving around the room with such nimble speed that I felt like I had slowed down. Everywhere around me was going at a normal pace, but I was lost in the voids of time. I started to drift upon this cloud of thought, but Rarity quickly pulled me back to earth.
“Dear, do try not to stare, and please keep your mouth closed. Rather boorish of you if you ask me. Much like your partying friends, really.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, taken aback by the offhand…offhoof, comment.
“Oh nothing, just a little quip. No offense made.” She smirked.
“No, no, not that part. You said ‘my partying friends’, but I never told you I went to a party.”
“Well I, I mean is it too much to assume that a young stallion doesn’t like to out every once and a while?” she tripped herself up.
A devious grin hid itself behind my lips. “Well I’d suppose so, I mean Pinkie hasta party all the time, and I’m sure you join her all the time right?”
“Oh dear me, no. I couldn’t possibly spend that much time away from the shop. Even for one of Pinkie’s rather ‘interesting’ soirées.”
“Really? Because she told me that EVERYpony showed up to her, eh, you know, giant cider party or whatever she called it.”	
“Oh dearie, please. If anyone is ever to exaggerate it would be Pinkie Pie.”
“That so?” I said, inflection placed hard at the end.
“I swear it!” she replied over dramatically “She even said your wing was snapped in two, I mean it’s hardly…” her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying.
“Oh she did, did she?” I smiled openly. 
“I, you see, are you accusing me of something?!” she quickly became defensive and aggressive.
I motioned my hoof for her to relax. “Rarity, you don’t need to lie. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about me then haven’t you. Let’s see, there was Twilight. She stopped by to tell you about me in case Rainbow Dash stopped by before I did. Then there was Pinkie Pie, who obviously was just being Pinkie Pie. And of course there was Applejack. She walked Sweetie Belle home, right? I’m sure the two of you talked for a bit. Or maybe you got everything on me from Fluttershy during a spa trip?”
“Oh please stop, it’s too much.” she covered her face with one hoof while pushing the other out at me, signaling me to cease.
“Am I right?”
“Surely you’ve covered everything. But why would you push this on me?”
“Why were you hiding it from me?”
She bit her lip. Her eyes faded in and out as she thought of an explanation. Obviously it conflicted with her, telling me versus whatever her reason for hiding it from me was.
“Rainbow Dash.” She answered. “She came to me before Twilight did, told me what happened and everything. She wanted me to make sure if I did that I would tell her where you would be.”
“So why didn’t you?” I wondered, honestly surprised.
“Because of the others. All of them told me about you. Your injury, recovery, partying, apologizing, playing; I’ve heard it all.”
“But what about Rainbow Dash?”
The white unicorn sighed. She picked up a needle with her magic and finished sowing a pocket onto what I knew to be a vest. She looked upon her work and smiled. The smile was contradictory to her emotions though. Inside she was twisting and turning. Something inside of her was telling her to do something she wasn’t sure was right. She placed the vest down on the table and turned to me, eyes misunderstood.
She chuckled lightly, but it had no mirth behind it, “You know, it’s been nice news to hear Rainbow waking up with a stallion in her bed. All those accusations about her being a fillyfooler, I’m glad you disproved those.”
“I didn’t, I mean, look –” she stopped me.
“I’m sorry. Small jokes aren’t getting me point a across. I really ought to be thanking you instead of kidding things from you.” she began to look back at her work, so she didn’t have to look me in the face. “The six of us, yes I’m sure you know who I’m talking about. We haven’t been on the best of terms lately. So many things have set us all on edge.”
“What in the world do you mean? What could possibly make you six argue?”
“Oh dearie, you’re a bit behind I’m sure. Nopony else wanted to explain, or maybe they didn’t noticed, or care. I’m not sure.  Where do I even begin?” she paced back and forth, holding different fabrics in midair with her horn, frantically switching between them.
“How’s about from the beginning?”
“It started after Discord came. He revealed, all too sadly, our flaws. After we saw what we could be like, what things we hadn’t seen before, we began to dwell. Soon enough, somepony said something that shouldn’t have been said, and we all went off on each other. Like any good friends, we apologized and settled our problems, but it didn’t change the facts. We have flaws that are hard to swallow.”
“Well sure, nopony’s perfect. But hey, that’s what makes you guys friends, being able to ignore those flaws and see each other for who you really are.”
“I wish it was that simple. Not too long ago, as you know, Big Mac got injured at the farm. Well, the farm hasn’t been doing so well with him gone. Applejack’s been sleeping less and stressing about making enough money. Fluttershy has been simply frantic over Macintosh as well. Twilight’s been buried under her work and Pinkie is, well she’s Pinkie Pie. And Rainbow Dash, oh dear me, the girl’s been worried about the Wonderbolt’s auditions for weeks.”
“But what of you Rarity? What is on your nerves?”
Once more, she turned to face me. Her lip was quivering, and she was visibly trying to hold her tears back. I thought she was about to start bawling her eyes out right there.
“All of them!” she yelped. “They are driving me insane!” tears started dripping from her eyes, ruining her make up as she let go of her held in emotions. “They are all relying on me to hear their problems and I can’t take it anymore. I’ve heard too many pony’s sad stories to stay happy. Not to mention business has been dropping lately. Dear Celestia, save me!”
Her head drooped and little droplets of water fell to the floor. I walked towards her cautiously, knowing how dramatic Rarity could be. Feeling it safe, I placed a hoof on her shoulder. She raised her head back up to look at me.
“Thank you, Drumroll.” She said.
“What?” I asked loudly. 
It didn’t make any sense, that after all of that, she would be thanking me. Heck, I hadn’t done anything for her. In fact, it sounded like I made things worse.
“You’ve been the only good news to talk of these past few days.”
I gave her a mystified stare, completely unaware of what she was referencing.
“When you showed up, for whatever reason you did show up, you saved our friendship.”
“I couldn’t have possibly done anything Rarity, I think you’ve got me confused with somepony else.
“Not at all. No, it had been you. Twilight has something new to study, and a new outlook on ponykind thank to you. Fluttershy was overjoyed to hear good news about Big Mac, all because of you. Applejack got her apple bucking done faster than she could’ve imagined. Pinkie Pie’s biggest party was saved because of your music. And Rainbow Dash has something else to occupy her mind.”
“I never knew….”
Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes and used a magically coated tissue to dry her makeup. She walked away from me and went to her desk. I was lost for words. What could I tell her? I’m sorry, you’re welcome, I don’t even know. Rarity was a mess, inside only though. As quickly as she lost it, she took her composure back and regained her regal appearance, save the dried makeup. Still, she carried herself like a member of the royalty. 
She lifted the finished vest with her horn and floated it over my wings. She motioned with her hoof for me to lift my hooves up. I did as she requested and she placed the vest over them. The holes for my wings were large, considering their size, but also because of the injury. Inspecting her work with the eyes of an all-knowing god, she nodded her head and smiled. Unlike her other smiles, this one had some actual positive feeling behind it.
“You look rather dashing Mr. Roll.” She complimented me.
I looked at my new clothing piece and smiled along. “You truly are an artist, Miss Rarity.”
She blushed, at least I thought she did, “A simple vest really. Still stylish, as always though. I’m glad you like it.”
I sighed, “Rarity, are you going to be alright?”
“Oh my, I must apologize. There was no need to explode at you like that. I really should keep my personal life and business life separate.”
“Is there anything I can do, you know, to help?” I asked her, concerned that she might still not be completely stable.
“Heaven’s no. I do believe all that I needed was to let all of that out. I’ve been holding it in for such a long time, it was good to ‘express’ myself, if you will.”
“As long as you promise you’re going to be ok.”
“Well now that I’ve seen firsthoof what kind of stallion you are, I’m sure I could die happy.” She giggled playfully.
I laughed with her, happy to see her happy again. I would’ve hated to leave her in her previous state.
“So how much?”
“Excuse me?” she inquired.
“For the vest, how much do I owe?”
“Oh no, perfectly free for you.”
“But didn’t you say business was bad?”
The perplexing unicorn mare trotted over to the door and opened it. I followed, trying to understand, as always, what she was doing. She walked outside with me and looked up at the sky. The storm from earlier had almost completely come over the town now, yet it hadn’t begun raining.
“If you’d like to pay me for the vest, I’ve only one thing to ask of you.”
Since she was looking towards the sky, I decided to look as well. When I saw what she was looking at, I realized what she was going to ask. And man did I hate it.
“Go find her. Talk to her.”
“She’ll kill me!” I yelled back.
“Oh Drumroll, don’t be so foalish. She won’t kill you.”
“You’re sure?” I asked, still extremely skeptical.
“Certainly. She might horribly maim you, but Kill, ha not at all.”
I gave her a straight you-can’t-be-serious look. She simply shrugged and said “Only if you really want to pay me for that vest. I’m sure you will, you seem like that kind of stallion.”
Something clicked in my brain and I looked at Rarity with the utmost disgusted and impressed eyes. This mare was a genius. Conniving and absolutely devious, but a genius nonetheless.
“You set me up.” 
The unicorn showed a sly grin and flipped her mane back, “Oh what ever do you mean?”
“Everything you told me, the whole sob story, everything. You set me up from the beginning so that I’d end up going to see Rainbow Dash. Just like you promised her you would. And now I’ve got to, don’t I?”
“Well, I can’t FORCE you to do anything, but I’m sure you will. You’re smarter than you let off mystery stallion, I’ll give you that. I did play your heartstrings and for that I apologize, but I couldn’t simply allow you to drive one of my best friends insane. Celestia only knows how many of them are already crazy.”
There was nothing I could do. If I didn’t go up to sky, I’d be stuck at Rarity’s for the duration of the storm. And if I stayed, she’d surely be guilting me the entire time. I gave myself an ample facehoof for not seeing it coming. With an obvious display of remorse, I took the drumsticks from my wings and placed them into the deep pocket of my new vest. At least something went right today.
“So where is she?”
“I’m sure it won’t take too long to find her up there.”
“Not gonna be very helpful are you?”
“Oh I’m sure I’ve ‘helped’ you quite enough today.”
“Alright, alright I get it. I’m off.”
I opened my wings and once again, felt the twinge of a seemingly long lost pain. Oh well, it wasn’t a far flight to the clouds, it wouldn’t hurt too much. But before I could beat my giant feather dusters, I felt Rarity put her hoof on my shoulder.
My head turned back, “What is it?”
Rarity was tearing up again, and not trying so hard to hide it this time. “I must apologize for being so unladylike today, but please understand, I just want everypony to be happy.”
I had to let my tiny grudge against her go and shake it away. She wasn’t trying to be mean to me, or hurt me or anything. She was just keeping a promise to a friend. 
“Alright, alright. I’m not mad or anything.”
“I’m glad, because everything I said today…it’s all true.”
With that, she walked away. I thought to call out to her, but knew I had nothing more to say. I had been played, but it wasn’t fake. How am I supposed to feel about it? 
“Angry maybe?” said the right voice. “Or maybe betrayed?”
“Shove it voice.” I shot back. 
“Ooh, he’s got an attitude today.”
I opened my large, encompassing wings and gazed into my destination. Off to the clouds today for my funeral. In the end, I guess it doesn’t matter much what happens. I’ll see Rainbow Dash, and maybe she’ll beat me to death, maybe she won’t. But hey, I can’t say I’m not happy with everything that’s happened.
“That’s all we can ever ask for, isn’t it?” said the left voice.
“Yeah. Just a speck of happiness makes everything all that much better, right?”
“Absolutely.”
The right voice retorted, annoyed “Ugh, such sappy aphorisms. Blech, you make me sick. Just get on with it boy, the girl is waiting for you.”  

> In Light of The Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14: In Light of The Rain
I flapped my wings hard, trying to get enough strength to lift myself off of the ground. My first few flaps fell with no avail. Their beaten structure made it difficult to gain the necessary might. At first I thought this might be a good sign; I wouldn’t have to see Rainbow Dash after all. I could be saved for yet another day.
It soon dawned on me though of what kind of pony that would make me. First of all, Rarity could still see me through the Boutique’s windows. Second, I’d be giving up. I’d be giving up everything I knew really. Quit just because it was hard? Quit just because I was afraid? What kind of loser would I be if I just gave up?
Closing my eyes, I let my breath flow patiently in and out of my nostrils. With one more release of breath, my eyes shot open and I took a deeply rooted stance. My hooves dug into the soft, loamy ground as I looked up towards the sky. Spreading my gigantic wings, I let the bandages loosen and feathers spread. The magical medical tape wasn’t going to fall off anytime soon, but it was relieved of some tension. I could feel each of the feathers flick themselves into place as I stretched. 
Although it was obvious that my wings were cohesive compliments of many feathers, I doubted anypony, other than another pegasus, would ever understand what those feathers felt like. They were their own separate entities, acting as if they had their own will, own drive. It was exciting.
I glared at the darkening clouds above. A vast boom echoed through the streets of Ponyville. The thunderstorm was about to begin, and I was headed right into the thick of it. No light could be seen behind the comforter of skyward protectors, and it was nearly impossible to tell the time of day. I flapped my wings down and up, down and up repeatedly until I felt my legs lift from their sunken positions. Every beat got me further along and I could slowly begin to see the clouds getting closer. 
Not even a singular moment after lifting myself off of the earth, I felt a soothing droplet of water splash against my muzzle. It ran quickly down and onto the intangible earth as I flew to its creator. My wings beat faster and faster, their velocity increasing at a rapid pace. It was almost as if I had lost control. The collective minds of my feathers had seized their own wills and pushed themselves onward. 
CRA-CRHEA-CRSHA! A giant lightning bolt blew past me. I could feel the heat of the lightning’s blade warm my face and forehooves.  It was so intimidating and shocking, but I continued on. Although I was frightened out of my wits, I still pushed past the clouds.
And pushed past them I did. As the bolt has ceased, I felt the rush of a thousand watery hands run over me as I burst through the layer of clouds. The shift between beneath and above startled me. Here, at the top of the clouds, I could see a clear sun, shining.  Dimming as it was, it could still be seen. I began to feel as if the two parts of Ponyville were completely different worlds. 
One always at the mercy of the other.  The bottom world had no control; it existed only so the higher world could influence it. The clouds made the ponies do whatever they wanted, namely head inside for the day. The lower world was at the mercy of the clouds, and would never be able to fight back. I mean, what could you possibly do to rebel against the intangible?
“You should know, shouldn’t you otherworlder?” cackled the right voice.
“What do you mean?”I asked it, speaking aloud as always.
“You’re the one who knows everything. You know everyone, everypony, but you won’t admit it. Secretly, we’re all at your will aren’t we?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I protested.
“Oh please. Don’t even bother. You’ve known from the start you had control, you just didn’t want to admit it. You don’t want to change anything. You don’t want that responsibility; you don’t want OUR world hanging on YOUR shoulders.”
“Shut up! That’s not true! I don’t have control!”
“Aheheheheahahaha. Don’t make me laugh boy. You know you have control. You know you want control. As if you were in a fantasy come true, no?”
“This has been like a fantasy, yes, but that doesn’t mean I have the power to change anything.”
“What if I made it that way?”
The voice was enticing in the oddest of ways. Somewhere, deep inside, I felt that he was right. He was just telling me something I didn’t want to acknowledge beforehand. That I didn’t belong here, that I’m not a pony. That maybe this world is mine, maybe I am in control. 
But he was right about one other thing too. I don’t want to be in control. I don’t want to ruin this world. This isn’t my choice, this isn’t a dream or hallucination. This is someplace real, with real living beings with real thoughts. No matter what the voice said, I will not change this world. Equestria was just fine without me; why screw that up? 
But complete control; over something as fantastical as this world? That’s an offer I’m not sure I can pass up. But maybe he wanted me to let it go? Maybe he didn’t? Maybe he’s playing tricks on –
I hit the surface of the cloud hard and skidded uncontrollably forward while tumbling about. 
My head. 	Is in. 	So much. 	Pain.
My eyelids fluttered about unevenly and uncontrollably. What is Celestia’s name just happened? I couldn’t even make out a clear picture. All I saw were blurs of varying colors. They all seemed to mess together. The whites and yellows of the lights fused with the grays and black of the clouds. And in the middle of it all was one shape shifting blob of color.  It seemed to be coming closer, but what did I know?
Apparently enough to still understand depth perception, because the blob surely did come closer. Although the only reason I could confirm this was because it hit me again. In my stomach this time. It looked like it went through the clouds into my stomach, but I honestly couldn’t tell.
It started yelling, but I couldn’t even pick out the voice. My head hurt too much. I simply laid there as it spoke to me.
“I Finally found you! After all these days of searching, I found you. Stupid colt!” She yelled, kicking me again.
Eeyup, definitely a girl. A violent one at that. I’d always been a strong guy, sure, but that really doesn’t matter when you’re on the ground and your head’s kicked in. I didn’t chance moving, thinking she might take that as another opportunity to hit me.
“Why were you in my bed!? Why was your arm around me!? And why are you back!?”
I blinked again, trying to regain focus. My stomach felt queasy, and it was hard to concentrate, but I managed to think cohesively for a short while. My words on the other hoof were not so cohesive.
“Not know. Was when woke up. Been town week.”
I could only imagine this pony was giving me the weirdest look right then. How was I even supposed to go about explaining my ununderstandable encounters with somepony I didn’t even…
“Bowdash Rain?” I wondered aloud.
“That’s Rainbow Dash to you! Rainbow Danger Dash, future leader of the Wonderbolts!” she exclaimed enthusiastically.
“No, not fault. Didn’t know was where I. Swear, honest.”
“Uh, what was that?” she asked me, just as baffled by my babbling as I was.
Composing myself, I tried saying that again. “It wasn’t my fault, really. I have no idea how I got to be in your house, let alone in your bed. I swear, I’m clueless.”
“Duh you’re clueless, jerk. Don’t even think you’ll be able to pull one over on me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You ran outta my room like a timberwolf from a dragon’s flame. Don’t think I can’t see you were hiding something. What did you do to me?!” she demanded.
“I didn’t I swear! And I didn’t even run out of your house. I fell!”
The debate grew even more heated. Rainbow Dash was assured that I had wronged her on purpose, while I was still trying to prove my innocence.
“Likely story!” she spat “You’re a pegasus, we don’t fall, we fly.”
“I forgot how!”
“You don’t just forget how to fly!”
“You do when you wake up in some strange new place next to some mare!”
“So I’m just some mare huh?”
“No, that’s not it, you’re –”
“Oh wait, so now I’m special to you? What are you, some kind of stalker?!”
I couldn’t even find the right words to get across. She was throwing everything I say to the ground and then stomping on it.
“No, look I don’t know how I wound up in your bed. When I woke up, I was really confused, and then you woke up and I got startled, fell, and forgot how to fly. Look, I even broke my wing!”
I showed her the bandages still wrapped around my wing to prove I was innocent. Unfortunately, it had a different effect. 
“Oh yeah? If you were so hurt, how’d you get healed up so quick?”
“Well, Twilight’s a pretty strong unicorn –”
“Twilight!” she screamed aloud “Twilight helped you? And she knew I was looking for you! That backstabber!”
“Hey! Don’t say that about your friend!”
“Why not? I told her I was looking for you, but she said she had no idea of you ever even existing.”
“Well she didn’t want you coming and beating the crap out of me while I was still broken from my fall. Is that really a crime?”
Rainbow Dash was stumped for words to say. Obviously through her earlier actions she couldn’t refute the point.
“So, so what were you doing this whole time then? If it was such a ‘misunderstanding’ why not come find me?”
“Twilight left me in the infirmary to finish healing up. I ended up staying there with Big Macintosh and he had requested I go and help with the farm. I was happy to oblige.”
“Applejack too! Element of Honesty my flank! That liar said the same thing as Twilight! Are all of my friends heartless backstabbers?”
“Hey, to be fair, I didn’t get out of the hospital for a while. I probably didn’t even show up until after you left. She didn’t lie to you.”
“Then why didn’t she come and tell me?”
“Because she had a lot of apple bucking to do and needed help. She had to make cider for Pinkie’s party and I was there to help. She was just too busy to go and find you.”
“Wait, was Pinkie in on this too? And is that Rarity’s cutie mark on your vest? Did she turn against me too?”
At this point, Dash was nearly in tears trying to cope with the idea that all of her friends had in some way lied to her. Of course, she would never really show tears. The expression on her face just gave me the impression of absolute disgust and sadness. In reality, only Twilight had really lied, and it was for my safety. I was thankful for that. But the others really didn’t know me when Rainbow found them.
“You know, Rarity was the one who convinced me to find you.”
“Wh-wh-what?” she stammered, her lips trembling ever so slightly to hold back the real emotion.
“Yeah, devious mare that one. Tricked me into a vest and tricked me into coming up here. But I guess it was all for the best.” I said, trying to alleviate the situation.
“What do you mean by that?”
I took a deep sigh, “Well, there’s not much a can do to convince you I’m telling the truth, but at least I know I’m telling the truth. So even if you choose not to believe me and buck me in the face again, this has really been a load off of my shoulders.”
Saying that actually did make me feel lighter. As if hiding from Rainbow Dash had slowly been wearing on my psyche to the point where I was legitimately afraid of seeing her again. Ironic really, because she was and is my favorite pony. 
The cyan pegasus stomped and angry hoof into the cloud puncturing it with ease. Her eyes looked downwards, shifting back and forth as if she was looking for something. Finally she looked up at me, her eyes determined and her mind made up.
“You’re not lying are you?”
“Nope.”
“They weren’t lying, were they?”
“Absolutely not.”
“So neither of us knows why you were in my bed?”
“I’d hafta say no to that one.”
“Great.” She breathed off to the side. She sounded extremely disappointed for some reason.
“Are you alright?” I asked. Immediately after I decided this was hilarious because I was the one who had just been recently beat up by an angry mare.
“I just, I wanted answers.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.” I joked.
“I thought maybe, I don’t know… I had too much cider or something and things got out of hoof. Or maybe I had just met you at that Wonderbolt’s race and somehow forgotten in the heat of things.”
The tone in her voice has so quickly changed from angry and investigative to pensive and held back. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say, but I threw a guess out.
“Are you saying you Wanted me there?” I asked.
“What I! No…” she shook the words away timidly. It was very unlike her. “I just thought there was a reasonable explanation. You know, like Twilight always looks for.”
“I’m sure there is one, somewhere.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head and opened her wings. They weren’t quite as big as mine, but they still spanned quite the distance. They were beautiful. And I don’t find that word in overuse at all. every single thing is this universe so far had proved to me beautiful in every way. The famous rainbow themed mare was no different. Brining and entirely new joy to the principal colors I had seen around me since my arrival. Every single color could be found flowing through her extensive mane. And her feathers were spread so wide and so bold that if they were not the perfect background for such a painting, I would not believe one could exist. 
But as I stared with my deep, intrinsic value placed into her being, she flew downwards. Through the storm clouds, into the bath of water and lightning, sound and silence.
“Follow.” said the voices in unison. “Follow her into the storm.”
	
> Rainbow Hues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 15: Rainbow Hues
And so I jumped. I dove down into the murky gray clouds beneath me. The same feeling of being immersed in water passed over me, letting my body glide through the roof of the maelstrom. With the clouds in my way, I could no longer see if I was still following Rainbow Dash, but my gut told me I was right. Of course, that could’ve just been my gut telling me I was about to throw up from the pain I was in. No matter what I did, flapping my wing was still going to hurt.
I breached the cloud base and could see the heavy rainfall torment the town. Droplets of water pelted the ground and houses with such ferocity I thought they might pierce through and flood the town. I too felt the rain beat heavily on my back and head. Despite the rushing winds blowing past me, my eyes held open fine. I could see the adamant pegasus flying in front of me, escaping from who knows what.
I tried calling out to her, but the wind blew my words behind us. It was no use trying to talk. So instead, I tried flapping harder, flying faster. I couldn’t. My body was already under so much duress that anything more would cause it to collapse. Rainbow Dash was losing me, and fast. She was far too quick for me to be able to fly at her level. Especially considering she spent her entire life flying and trying to be a professional stunt flyer. I didn’t stand a chance.
I began to feel tired. It was too much for me to fly at any speed, now. My wings slowed themselves, just as they had started themselves, and I came to halt. The cyan speedster was now out of my field of vision. All that remained was the rain. The rain and cackling thunder with their harshly intense bolts of lightning. I hovered there in midair while waiting to catch my breath. 
KABOOM!
A loud boom blasted throughout the sky, deafening the ears of anypony still dumb enough to be outside. Shortly after, there was a flash of bright light off in the distance. It wasn’t lightning though, it was something else. Something else entirely. A line of colors painted the blackened sky as it soared through the clouds. With it came an opening, a large enough one to show the setting sun behind it.
Whilst everything here, under the cover of the storm, was dark and hopeless, the real sky behind it was shimmering and bright. The sun could be seen falling softly behind the valleys as the moon and stars took its place. And covering it all was a stream of vivid life. The red that broke the clouds to pieces stood strong as the forefront of its team. Orange followed close behind, mimicking the sunset behind as it calmed the feuding the lands. Yellow appeared after, blessing the sun with a farewell and shaking the hand of the moon as it arrived. The green that came next graced the grass with a friend it could call its own. And the blue, indigo and violet shades that followed blended themselves into one blanket for the new sky of the night. Together they formed the most wondrous of bonds that wisped and intertwined over the entire planet.
Such stupefaction. It was brilliant.
So brilliant in fact, that I halted my efforts simply to watch in singular awe. My wings responded by snapping into an immobile state. I watched as the bastion of lights faded away in front of me. 
Wait, they aren’t fading… I’m falling. I snapped back into reality with a painful jolt of my neck. I was careening downwards at an incredible rate. My wings wouldn’t open, I wouldn’t move. I was going to die.
Then again, that’s what I thought last time. Why would this time be any different? Why wouldn’t I simply suffer a terrible maiming again? I could always go visit Twi, she’d fix me up. Right?
The wind blowing through my mane begged to differ. I wanted to close my eyes, but I wouldn’t. No, not again. I can fly. I can fly this time. With all of the energy I had left, I forced my wings to rip themselves from my sides and flap.  I swore I heard a few cracks with each upswing they took, but I didn’t care. I had to keep moving.
Well, I tried to at the very least. My vigorous wing beats merely managed to soften the inevitable crash landing to the harsh ground below. Again I wanted to close my eyes and pray for the best, but something kept them open. I just had to witness my own disaster. 
And I did just that. My hooves touched ground, but I hopped and skidded as they did, still trying to keep aloft. They got pretty scuffed up, and on one of the mock landing I tripped over and rock and my entire body went tumbling forwards. I felt the ground and its residents bounce off of me one by one as I rolled on. After quite a bit of tossing and turning, I found myself in the air once more. It didn’t last long though, as I had just fallen into a nearby ditch. I hit terra firma for round two, crushing my hip against the dirt.
I coughed a few times, the wind having been taken out of me. Every bone, vein, nerve or anything else inside of me cried out in terrible agony as it accepted the crash. 
“It hurrrrrts.” I moaned to the cruel earth.
It did not respond.  I didn’t expect it to. The earth and I weren’t on apparently great terms today as it was. Still, being the fool that I am, I tried standing up. Needless to say, it did not start nor end well, and I finished off by finding myself on my back.
There was one benefit, however, to such a position. I was able to gaze up into the bedlam of a sky that I soared about only moments before. The swirling winds of the storm never ceased to go about their duty of bringing the flood into Ponyville. No they did indeed manage to keep that much to their name, save for one small spot. This spot has just been carved out by the blue speedster, whose colorful trail’s remnants still remained.
I looked up through the hole in the sky. I looked. And I kept looking. For nothing really, just to see. That’s all I ever did. I watched and adored. I listened and smelled and felt and tasted. I sensed this world. I understood the intricacies behind it and the simplicities in front of it. I believed in its structure and trusted its design. But that’s all I ever did. I had yet to live in this world. I still had much to do before I could ever be a part of it.
“Oh sky, don’t you see what I see? Because I see….” I began ranting, only to be stopped by something floating in front of my eye space.
A large mansion. Floating in the sky. It was made of clouds too, even a few rainbows.  There were columns and domes and Celestia, it was an architectural masterpiece. What’s more, it was familiar. All too familiar in fact. 
“Rainbow Dash!” I called out to the home in the sky, through the hole in the clouds.
“Rainbow Dash! Are you up there?”
Silence. Pure verbal silence, as the popping of the rain droplets could be heard all around.
“Rainbow Dash please help me! Somepony, please help me.” I tried yelling, but my lungs couldn’t withstand the strain.
“Given up hope yet, colt?” laughed a voice.
I knew the voice. It was such a distinct and planned tone. The sarcastic air to its devilish tricks. The slight hint of supremacy and mockery. The brief note that was befitting of an aged mind with the wisdom of eons. It was a voice I had been hearing all too often lately, and only now could I understand who the voice belonged to.
“I’ll take the silence as a yes.” He continued “Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I WANT you to give up; I just knew you would.”
“Who, cough, said I gave up?” I spat back, with whatever tone of anger I could muster.
“No one had to Say it, boy. Your broken body and shattered heart say it all. Still, even with you out of the picture, you’re not yet out of the frame. Just hidden behind it for now.”
I tried asking a question, but my voice was low and he didn’t plan on waiting up to hear me “What do you –” 
“Of course, it won’t be long till you take center stage. Oh who am I kidding, I’ll be center stage, I always am. It’ll all just be a matter of putting down the puppets and commencing the Real comedy act.”
“What are you going to do?” I breathed.
“Oh wouldn’t you like to know. Wouldn’t you like to tell them?” he cackled “But you’re not that important, Drumroll. You’re the simple pawn to this game. I’ve already got the rooks incapacitated. The knight is under my control. The bishop will forever be stuck in my trap. And the sist- I mean the king and queen and nice and safe beneath my wing.”
“I hate you.” I cursed at him.
“I’m sure you do. But that’s of no concern to me. I don’t need the love or toleration from others. This is my world and I shall do as I please. And plenty pleases me. I’ve got quite the sense of humor you see.” He sighed, and I heard two varying footsteps pace back and forth over the dirt. “But here we are, back where we began. Well, you are at least. I must be on my way. I’ve got some royal duties to attend to, you know, seeing as how I AM the ruler of this pathetic country.”
And he was gone. Just like that. The right voice in my head had disappeared. Never to return again, or so I hoped. No sooner had he left though, that I saw the silhouette of a pony flying down from the hole.
“Mystery Stallion! Mystery Stallion is that you?!” called the silhouette. It was Rainbow Dash.
“Yes!” I called back, as loud as I could muster.
“Oh thank Celestia you’re ok.” she started to say as she landed, but as she assessed my situation she shot back “Oh no, that doesn’t look good.”
“Thanks,” I coughed “Just what I wanted to hear.”
“No here, look, I’ve got just the thing!” she said, her voice brimming with excitement instead of worry.  She reached into her bag and pulled out a small vile. She popped the cork form the top and a purplish gas smoked out.
“Drink this.” She instructed, holding it to my lips.
Figuring there was nothing left to lose, I drank it. it sent shivers down my spine, the taste was so bitter.
“Blecugh!” I spat, standing up and shaking from the awful taste. “What is that stuff?”
“Twi’s special ‘Fix-em-up brew. She made it special for me after my wing accident awhile back, in case I ever got into another serious crash.”
I looked at my surroundings. I had just stood up, my legs were working fine. I shook all four of them out. Everything was in working condition. A bit tight, but nowhere near as painful.
“Wow Dash, thanks! But why’d you give it to me? What if you need it?”
“I’m sure you needed it more than I ever would.” She laughed.
I smiled in return, thankful for her help. She smiled too, but then backed away sheepishly. She rubbed her hoof through her mane as she searched for the next thing to say.
“What is it?” I asked, preemptively. 
“I uh, I think I kinda forgot to ask what your name was. That’s why I came back, actually.”
“Oh.” I said, slightly shocked. “It’s uh, well it’s Drumroll.”
“Drumroll huh? That’s a nice name. I’m uh, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong hoof. I just haven’t been feeling all too great about things and…” she trailed her voice off as her mind caught up with what she was saying. Almost immediately she snapped back to her senses. “No, you know what, I’m sick of being so thrown off my game because of this. I don’t know if you know, but my friends and I haven’t been on the best terms lately. I’ve been on edge, ok? I’ve been trying to drain it out with Wonderbolt’s practice, but it’s not the same. Something going to happen soon, and I know it. I don’t want it to, but I know it will. And then you showed up.”
“Do you think I was what was going to happen, is that was this is about?” I asked her.
“No, not at all. You’ve just, well, you did take my mind off of it, but look here. I just want to forget about all of those things and just start fresh. Especially with my friends. So right now, I’ll start with you. I’m Rainbow Danger Dash and it’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Drumroll, it’s my pleasure.” I played along.
Rainbow Dash sighed, releasing all of her apparent pent up anger about her situation. She smiled a cheerful grin at me and the two of us laughed at how foolish we seemed to be acting.
“Hmm,” I thought aloud, still playing along “Well if we’re going to be friends, I’ll need a nickname for you. Dashie? No taken. RD? Nope, too common. Oh! I’ve got it. I’ll call you Dange.”
“Dang? Why in the hay would you call me Dang?”
I laughed at her comment. “Not Dang, Dange. Like, Danger, but without the ‘er’ sound.”
“Ohhhh, Dange.” She laughed as well. “Alright, I guess that’s not too bad.”
“So Dange, what can I do for you today? Especially seeing as how you did just save my life.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her deep purple eyes in playful gesture. She finally seemed to be opening up. Of course, she was Rainbow Dash, and opening up might not mean the same as if it was Rarity or some other pony, but still. I was elated to have finally met all six of my favorite characters, and even more so, to know that Rainbow Dash was mad at me. A certain sense of closure washed over me, and it made me feel, complete.
“Well, how’s about a race?” she offered, her tone lined with a competitive spirit.
I flexed my wings. They were still a bit tight, and I knew they weren’t in the best condition, but I couldn’t refuse. A chance to really fly, to truly soar through the open skies of an equally open world. It would be like a dream come true, well, a second dream to be fair.
“You’re on.” I accepted.
We line up next to each other, just outside of the crater. She looked over at me, and I at her. The spirit of the competition could be felt in between us, the challenger’s tension so indescribably thick.
“Three.”
“Two.”
“O- Ow!” I yelled.
“Ah, what!” Dash jumped as a bust of light blew up in my face.
A green ball of fire erupted in front of me, singing my mane slightly. I stepped back in shock, only to have an old scroll of parchment appear before me. Both Dash and I went to investigate it.
“Spike.” We said simultaneously.
Dash picked up the letter and read it inside of her head. Her eyes widened as she neared the end, and she released the paper from her hoof.
“We have to go. Now.” she ordered me.
“Where? What’s going on?” I asked, trying to figure out what the letter had said.
Before the mare could even answer, I knew the answer. My conversation from earlier rang throughout the cavities of my mind, striking every nerve I had.
“We’re going to Canterlot aren’t we?”
My friend nodded and opened her wings. With a quick beat, she launched herself into the sky. I followed behind her quickly, actually able to catch up this time.
“Please hurry.” The left voice, now taking center stage inside of my head begged. Her voice was fading.
“Dange, we’ve got to hurry.”

> The Texture of Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 16: The Texture of Trouble
The wind rushed by us as we soared above the thundering clouds. I followed closely behind Dange to make sure I didn’t get lost. Surprisingly enough I was able to keep up. That was one crazy potion. I felt good as new and the unfamiliarity with my body had all but vanished. 
One question did bump across my brain though. Why hadn’t Twilight given me some of this stuff? Still, I didn’t have the luxury of time to ponder it. I was flying at a breakneck pace to a place I’d never been before. Had to focus on the road, or sky as it may be. It was unsettling traveling with only the sound of the air around us, so I spoke up. 
“So Dange,” I yelled to overtake the wind “What exactly did the letter say?”
She didn’t respond, her eyes and mind set on the destination. I didn’t bother repeating the question, and simply continued to follow quietly. 
Luckily for me, Canterlot wasn’t too far away by flight, especially at our speed. I began to see the crystalline towers from a distance. The storm shrouded the bottom of city from our view, but the tops of the spires and towers could still be seen. I would’ve imagined guards to be standing atop them, but there wasn’t a single pony to be found.
“Dange, Dash, RD!” I called out, trying to get her attention.
Again she didn’t respond, but instead flew faster from me. I tried keeping up, but she easily managed to whir past and land on what appeared to be a castle’s keep. She opened a door on the floor with her teeth and jumped down.
Why the heck was she ignoring me? Could she really have not heard me, or was the situation just that bad? I landed on the same tower and trailed along to find out.
When I landed inside, I found myself in a somewhat familiar place. It looked like the inside of the palace, but not any part I had seen before. There were tapestries everywhere, garnishing the wondrous royal hall. Forgetting my true goal, I wandered about, witnessing the hanging rugs.
I started on one end of the hall, slowly moving towards the other. The weaved work unfolded and regaled me a story of Equestrian history. Without words, it took more concentration to figure out what exactly trying to say.
The first picture was of a population of creatures. It was a large town, featuring all four forms of ponies, mules, bovines, sea serpents, sheep, minotaurs, dragons, griffons, goats, dragonaquis, diamond dogs, and zebras. It must’ve been the story of creation I guessed, considering all of the sentient animals in the picture.
I moved onto the next piece, which was of the earth. Rather, their earth. It shared some similarities with my earth, but the land arrangements weren’t the same. Still, the only thing on the piece was the earth, so I went to the next. The third tapestry showed a bird of immense proportions with its wings spread. It was some cross between a phoenix, and eagle, and a thunderbird. It was a dark grayish color and its beak was a striking yellow color. The bird didn’t look all too happy either, staring over the world with greedy eyes.
As I pondered the new creature, I trotted to the following picture. It depicted the bird as it set the world ablaze, sending all of the animals into a panic, running about. This piqued my interests and I anxiously but quickly moved to the fifth panel. The griffons, dragons, and pegasi flew towards the beast, but it blasted them away with lightening. Wanting to know more I went on to the next piece and the so on.
The sixth tapestry showed the bovines, sheep, mules, earth ponies, and zebras rush at its feet. Just as with the others, it blew them away with the wind from its wings. The next picture showed the sea serpents and diamond dogs try to go under it, but the bird covered the land in fire, trapping them in the water and ground respectively. 
I was at the edge of my proverbial seat as I went on to see the remaining three pieces. The unicorns, dragonaquis and alicorns all used their magic and fired colorful beams into the eyes of the monstrous bird. The bird was shaken and they used this time to open a portal into the earth. They trapped the bird inside the portal and celebrated. The last panel showed the portal closed and the races all united it the creature’s defeat. 
All I could think was, ‘what in the world happened here’? What was that creature? What was that thing? I mean really, this seemed like a crucial part of history. All of the creatures fighting together against this, eh, bird thing. 
The remaining voice popped back into my mind, “It was called the Roc. A bird of lightening and fire with wings that could cause hurricanes.”
“What in the hell happened?!” I shouted back, harshly in need of an explanation to this story.
“Many many years ago, the races all lived together in one collective space that was called Animalia. That was the original country so to speak. Unfortunately, we did not all get along and there was much in fighting amongst us. This infighting summoned the mighty Roc, Spirit of Destruction. The many races fought valiantly against the Roc, but in the end, only those with magical power could defeat it. Even still, we barely caught it off guard long enough to stop it. It took every single alicorn and dragonaquis to seal it away inside the unbreakable prison of Tartars.”
“Spirit of Destruction? So it was the incarnation of an invisible force? How did that happen?”
“You sure are an inquisitive one, aren’t you Drumroll?”
It wasn’t that the voice hadn’t called me by my name before, but this time it unsettled me. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but it was almost as if I could feel the voice’s presence.
“Please Drumroll, you know who I am, there is no need to refer to me as ‘the voice’.”
“I forgot, you can hear my thoughts.” I sighed.
“And so can he.” She replied.
I winced at the thought. Ironic enough, he probably knew that too. Had she heard our conversation earlier when I was broken on the ground? Well, I guess she did now. But how, how did they get in my head?
“When you’re magic, a little telepathy is no problem.” She informed me as if I had been talking to her.
I felt heated inside, as if my organs would explode from within me. With each word I grew angrier and angrier knowing that I knew nothing at all. “But why me? Why have you two been following me? Why am I here?!”
“I’m truly sorry for all of this Drumroll. It’s all my fault.”
She sounded like she was crying, but trying hard not to. Then, almost immediately the noise stopped. A new, sinister being entered the room, taunting me “And then there were two.”
With a snap of his finger the tapestries all burned. The beautiful works of both art and history reduced into mere ashes. The black dust encircled my foe and formed itself into a cane beneath his hand, or claw is it was.
“Now let me fill you in, my boy.” He chuckled. “That war is a story for another time. You can read all about it in the library when we’re done. You know, if you’re still alive. But the important part was where a young dragonaquis boy and two beautiful alicorn girls ran away together.”
As he talked he walked pompously over to the walls, tapping them with his new cane. Each tap twisted the walls until they formed a picture of what he was talking about.
“Oh wait, you wanted to hear about why you’re here? Oh well don’t worry, we’re getting there. You see, after the Roc was imprisoned, the nations just up and separated. We weren’t good for each other, you should know that by now.” He laughed as the walls illustrated the nations breaking apart and forming their own countries.
“Now listen up, this is important. The alicorns, pretentious folks as they were formed Equestria. Ugh, such a boring country, everyone knows it. But the dragonaquis’ founded Dragonia. We lived with the dragons and sea serpents.”
“What does this have to do with me? Or you and the princesses?” I yelled up at him.
He simply laughed and continued. “Maybe if you let me finish you’d understand. Now where was I? Oh yes, that’s right, our nations didn’t like each other. So what do we do when we don’t like each other?”
He snapped his fingers again and we were placed in a game show room. I was sitting at a participants stand and he was holding a mic.
“Well what do you say? What do countries do when they don’t like each other?” he asked me, pointing the microphone at me.
“Um, I suppose they go to war?” I said, unsure and confused.
A bell appeared from nowhere and began ringing. “We have winner folks!”
Clapping could be heard all around, but there was no one to be seen. 
“What does he win? Oh, I’m sorry, just a finished story. How boring. Oh wait! What’s this? The story of how Celestia became princess? This is gonna be a good one.”
The game show room disappeared and we were back in the tapestry room, or at least what used to be. Everything was changing so fast I couldn’t keep my head straight, and he took this opportunity to continue with his tale.
“Those three foolish children, ah my, what a shame. They went and decided that war was a terrible thing, useless even! Being such idealistic idiots as they were, they went to find a way to stop it. And my did they find out how to do that! They traveled quite the distance to find that old pit into Tartars you know. My feet still hurt from that.” He cried mockingly, removing one of his feet and rubbing it.
“But it was all for the best in the end. You see they found plenty of ancient artifacts filled with mystical powers.”
I was both disgusted and intrigued by his words. I was never really sure if he was trying to swindle me, help me, or just annoy me “You mean the Elements of Harmony?”
He stroked his oddly shaped beard, “Well in a way. In truth we found the Spirit of Order, the Spirit of Pandemonium, and the Spirit of Knowledge. There were three other Spirits there you know. Creation, Infinity, and Destruction.”
I remembered her telling me that the Roc was the Spirit of Destruction and wondered what they others were. Even more than that, I wondered what Creation and Infinity were.
“Boy, I can still hear you. And if you really want to know, those three were trapped inside the pit. The other two were far less harmful than the Roc, but they still managed to ensnare to other fools. Not like the last three didn’t. We used them after all. Hahahaha!”
Once more I was stuck between wanting to beat the living tar out of this guy and wanting to hear more. I decided that the more I knew, the better off I’d fare. “So what did you do with the Spirits you found? Did you end the war?”
At this remark he simply laughed at me, and a crowd of other voices laughed with him. I looked around to find the other voices, yet again, there was no one but us.
“Foolish boy no! We were all corrupted. I mean really, did that mare tell you nothing? Let me spell it all out for you.” his eyes narrowed in slighted anger and he twisted his cane into a pointing stick. He pointed at the air, and a chalkboard appeared from nowhere. Pulling off one of his horns, he began to write on the board.
It read “WE KILLED THEM ALL.”
I took a step back, but the ground behind me crumbled, as did the ground all around me, leaving me stranded on a small ledge. I felt the ground I stood on slowly turn to dust. I had nowhere to run, and there was nothing I could do to leave.
“Long story short, power corrupts, lots of alicorns and dragonaquis die. Luna was the first to lose her mind to the Spirit of Knowledge. Poor girl. Celestia and I had to trap her in the moon to save her from the horrid fate of Tartars. Of course, Pandemonium got to me next. I began realizing what kind of chaos is created from war.” A sly grin sneaked its way across his face as he spoke. I could tell he was enjoying his little rant.
“So you made it worse didn’t you?” I spat at him.
“Worse? Ha, not at all. I made it Better. The boring Princess didn’t think so though. Tried to seal me away in Tartars, even after I helped ‘save’ her sister. The nerve! Luckily our Spiritual powers were equally strong and she couldn’t do anything to stop me, just harass me.”
“Oh really?” I asked, sneering myself.
“Yes that’s what I said. Why?” he asked, unsure of what I was saying for once.
“If you two were even, then why’d you get turned to stone and she didn’t?”
“Oh you think you’re all high and mighty because some ancient, all powerful Spirit lost to another all powerful Spirit?! Well boy I’ve got some news for you! I’m the reason there are so few alicorns left!” 
As he ranted his voice got louder and each word chipped away at my ledge. When he finished yelling it completely fell apart and I found myself falling. For once I realized that I had wings and hovered above what was once ground. My eyes widened and my breath was short. I could feel my body going into shock. The evil that lurked in the haunted air with me was nothing compared to what I saw on the new floor.
A gigantic black circle, covering the floor. Ornately covered with various symbols and shapes. The circled glowed and eerie black light and wisps of ebony dust could be seen flowing along the ground. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Lined along the wall were five far more colorful beings. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie.
“They add a nice touch don’t they?” he jibbed. 
“What have you done to them!?” I demanded.
“What have I done? Don’t you mean, what has Rainbow Dash done?”
His voice crackled as he laughed with a maniacal deepness that solidified my body. I could feel myself fall again. That’s all I ever did, fall. I couldn’t move, I didn’t even feel alive anymore. I simply fell. And I hit the floor with a bang.
Everything went black. There was a single sweet moment of absolute nothingness. I could not hear, see, feel, smell, or taste anything. It was as if I never even existed. But it all vanished like that, as if it has never happened. I was back in the room with the black circle, standing up, in the center, with my hooves chained to the ground. I tried moving them, but the chains were too tight.
All around me I could hear screaming. “Help! Help us!” but there was nothing I could do. There was nothing left to do. I didn’t even know what was going on. I didn’t even know if something WAS going on. Someone, please help ME.
“No one’s going to help you boy. Give up, just do it for the both of us.”
“But why? Why me! What in the world is ---” he cut me off.
“Good, you’re lost. Now listen to me.” he grabbed my chin and made me look right into his eyes. “After I slaughtered the ‘mighty’ alicorn race, Celestia felt the urge to do the same to mine. Sure I’m not the last dragonaquis, but I’m close to it. That rotten princess fought me in a magical battle. WE would’ve both died, but somehow, that power mad mare separated the Spirit of Order from within her and used its six pieces to seal me in stone. Then look who went on become the ruler of the land? Oh yeah, an idiot who did the same thing that I and the Roc did!”
My bones were shaking and they reverberated through the chains that kept me earth bound. He smiled at this, knowing that I was scared out of my mind.
“Wh-what is going on here?”
His face lit up with a devilish smile, his snaggle tooth making it more creepy than it should’ve been, “I’m here to finish the war from ages ago. I’m done playing around, I’m done with the childish games. It’s time for me to summon the Roc to ravage the land once more.”
“What is all this for then?” I asked him, refraining from shaking.
He gave himself a giant hand and used it to slap himself in the face. “It’s not enough anymore to tell your victims the history and the plan anymore? You’ve got to go all out with the explanations? Alright, let me get comfortable.”
A large recliner fashioned itself behind him and he sat down and laid back. A small script shaped into his right hand, while a cup of coffee went to his left. Casually, he flipped through the script until he found his spot.
“Ah, here we are.” He said pointing to the page. “Let’s see: Step 1. Explain history in shortened fashion so as to give basic understanding but still leave plenty unanswered for later. Got that. Step 2, Explain the premise of the plan but not too much so that they could potentially stop you. Check, did that too. Step 3, Tell victim his/her role in the plan. Ok, I can do that. Step 4. Let Rainbow Dash try to weasel her way out of doing what inevitably was the wrong thing. Oh wait, haven’t got there yet.”
“Are you, reading a book?” I asked him angrily.
“The Villains Guide to Evil Plot Explanations, yes. Very helpful when dealing with your kind. So you want your role? Well here it is. Chaos.”
“Wait what? I…I don’t understand.” I said, misled.
“No surprise there. You don’t understand much do you? Such a misguided and confused little boy. I bet you haven’t even considered what I said, have you?”
I wasn’t one to take someone belittling me so lightly, and every phrase he spat enraged me even more. I might not have known everything like a god or spirit being, but that wasn’t reason to insult me.
“What could you have possibly said that I would want to listen to?!”
At this, my delighted nemesis created a tape recorder from thin air and pressed play. The rewinding sounds played over my ears. When they finished scratching, I heard his voice play from the tape.
“You’re not that important, Drumroll.”
And the tape stopped, disappearing into the void from whence it came.
“But that doesn’t ---” he cut me off
“It does. It really does. I’ve got five pieces set in place. And what do you know, they just so happen to be five of the six pieces to the broken Spirit of Order. Who knows what I could possibly do with them and oh, what’s this?” he exclaimed, faking surprise. “The portal to Tartars! Why I never even knew. I suppose I’ll just have to put pieces six and…oh my, look at this!” 
His mocking tone exuded from every pore, and he let it sink in as he talked. Oddly enough, it didn’t seem to be directed at me. He sounded as if he was trying to talk to someone else; trying to crush someone else’s spirit.
“I’ve got the sixth piece right here in the center. And my goodness, the seventh is coming in right now. I must be one lucky fellow to have this work out so well. Of course, when you use a Generous amount of Magic to make a few people Laugh with an Honest joke, no one’s going to discredit your Kind actions now are they? Sadly, there’s something missing from there isn’t it?”
“Loyalty.” I sighed quietly.
The realization had slowly hit me. How he could’ve managed to capture the other ponies. How he escaped, accomplished all of these goals. He planned everything from when he first broke out. 
“Yes. Loyalty to the one and only King of Equestria!” he cackled. “Now dear, why don’t you come on out and say your goodbyes? I’ve got business to finish and I’d rather not take all day.”
A darkened figure stepped inside the room. Her mane glowed with a variety of colors, and her coat was of a bright cyan color. She was of a lean and agile build, but stood low and disappointed. I would’ve said I knew the mare, but where once were gorgeous magenta eyes were now grey circles, filled with despair. 
“You’ve got ten minutes. Don’t waste it Rainbow Dash.”
	
> The Composition of Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 17: The Composition of Chaos
The mare simply stood there, waiting by the doorway. She didn’t move, neither forward nor backward, even her head remained still. My own eyes drilled daggers into her as I stared unending at her. I was filled with disgrace and hatred and could feel my anger growing inside of me like a monstrous vine. Intertwining with each vein and muscle, this vine forced my body to pulse in a steady beat. Each beat resounded in my mind like the beat of a drum, banging against my skull.
“Rainbow Dash, what is he talking about!” called out the purple unicorn, chained to the wall behind me.
“Yeah Dash, what in tarnation is going on here?” the southern pony wanted to know.
The blue pegasus remained still, eyes still to the ground, mane covering the rest of her face. Was she even alive? She couldn’t possibly be herself, but I was too angry to talk with her.
“Daaaaaaaash!” screamed Pinkie “What kind of crazy prank is this?”
“If this is some kind of foolish prank, please drop the act dear. These chains are starting to chafe.” Complained Rarity.
“Rainbow Dash. I’m really scared.” Cried Fluttershy.
The quiet traitor unlocked her voice and released its demons, “I guess this is goodbye everypony. I’m sorry it had to end this way.”
The five ponies on the walls were shocked into silence. None of them had any idea of how to respond to such a revelation. I on the other hand had quite a few things to say.
I yelled at her, my voice loud and full of rage but not yet screaming “End how exactly? You’re going to let him kill us all? Is that it, is that what this has all led up to?” 
A small droplet of salt and water fell to the floor, splashing at pony’s hooves. A faint sob could be heard in the background of her voice, “I’m sorry! There’s nothing I can do about it now, ok!”
Before she could say anymore, I cut in “But you could’ve stopped him before, couldn’t you?!”
She turned her head so as to not have to look at us. “No. I need him…”
The next pulse split my thoughts into pieces. I snapped, breaking away from anything that wasn’t rage, “Need him!? You need him!? What is the world could you possibly NEED him for!?”
The mare I thought was once my friend hurried up to me and got right in my face. Her eyes, grey as they were, looked right into mine, while my eyes bore into hers. Something inside those eyes told me I wasn’t talking to the Rainbow Dash I knew. Perhaps it was the grey, or perhaps it was the feeling behind it, I couldn’t be sure. Whatever it was, the thought did not soothe my raging voice.
“He said he’d bring them back! He said I could have my parents back!” she screamed in my face, tears flying from her eyes onto me.
My resentment did not lessen visually, and barely stunted at all mentally. She would sacrifice her friends for her parents? Whether or not this was my Dange, it didn’t make any sense at all.
“You would sacrifice your friends for your parents!? I can understand me, no one here needs to give one single damn about me, but what about these five!?” I yelled back, now screaming. I did my best to motion to the five hanging, chained to the wall. “Do they mean nothing to you!?”
“Rainbow Dash, why? How could you trust Discord after all of this? I know why you would want to get your parents back, but how could you trust that monster?” Twilight asked, trying to break through to Rainbow.
“Because he showed me! He showed me his portals. He said he could bring them back, he showed me, he showed me my parents!” she tried to explain.
I was going to yell at her again for doing something so stupid, but our ‘old’ foe walked in on the argument.
“Ten minutes is up Rainbow Dash. Now if you wouldn’t mind, I need the last piece of Order in order.” 
His paw lit up with a yellow light, which then transferred over to Rainbow Dash, covering her in a glimmer of magic.
“Wait, what?” she cried out, tears still falling from her face.
“Oh shut up.” he directed as he used his magic to fling her into the last pair of chains on the wall. “And don’t you dare say ‘But you promised’, or so help me. You really don’t think things through well, do you?”
“But –” she was cut off.
“Ah, ah ah. No speaking. Let me tell you exactly how stupid you are, pegasus.” A scholars cap manifested on his head, slanted to avoid his horns. He donned a pair of reading glasses and regained his chalkboard and some chalk. He outlined the events leading up to the current situation on the board.
“I come into your world and take over. I give you an offer for you to get your parents back, while simultaneously tricking all of your friends into becoming my puppets. You give me access to the remaining pieces in setting up the destruction of everything, and you still expected me to go through with bringing your parents back? Hahaha, you’re an idiot! Now you can perish with the rest of them.”
“No, I won’t let you!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice screeching at its highest pitch.
She struggled valiantly against the chains, but in the end, they didn’t even budge. No matter how useless her efforts, she continued to try. She pulled with both her hooves and her wings, but to no avail.
He grinned, looking at the mare with a wry smile. “Pray tell, Rainbow Danger Dash, why won’t you let me? Is it to save your friends? The one’s you were going to let me use at my will? Or maybe it’s to save the colt in the center, you know, the one you just met. Hmm, well it sure can’t possibly be to save any of the ponies throughout Ponyville that I sent to the griffon wasteland, what is it, Griffhala? No not at all, it’s not like any of them mattered to you, right? Not even, who was it now, yes, oh yes, Rocketeer. Couldn’t possibly be any of those ponies, no. They all hate you.”
Rainbow Dash stopped her struggles and fell limp by the chains. In all the times I had ever seen her, she had never been so far down the drain. Emotionally depleted and physically exhausted, the acclaimed speedster no longer had a reason to push through. Her mane began to fade away into shades of grey, while her coat soon followed.
Something else happened when she lost her color. A certain spark lit on her face. Although I was straining my neck to turn around enough to see her, I caught a small glimpse of that spark. Her eyes held a faint magenta shine. Her whole form surfaced from beneath the wash of grey and I knew that somehow, this colorless Rainbow was my Rainbow.
“That’s what I thought.” he spat, obviously not noticing the change as I did. “Now let’s get this show on the road! Princesses, would you care to watch?” 
The mention of the princesses made me return to normal, almost. At least I wasn’t mad at Rainbow Dash while he brought out Celestia and Luna. Now wearing a bellboys uniform, he carted them out on a fake trolley, although they couldn’t have been the princesses. They were far too…oh no.
“Did I forget to mention that the royalty and I got a bit stoned earlier today? I’m sorry, they might not be in the right state of matter, but don’t take their presence for granite now.” he laughed pretentiously at himself.
Setting the two statues down out of the circle, he glared at Twilight. “This one’s just for you little Twilie. I figured you’d get a kick out of it, I know I did.”
Twilight bit her lip and tried to turn her head away, but he used his magic to force her to look right at them. The other ponies were yelling at him to stop, save Fluttershy who was scared stiff. Of course, nothing they did made any difference to the ruthless lord of chaos.
“And if you happen to make it out of this, please stop by the royal garden. I’ve got a great new piece in there of the royal couple. They look quite frightened, but I think it really captured their likeness.”
I couldn’t take anymore of his mockery. I could see the ponies around me on the walls. Fluttershy was frozen stiff. Applejack was wrestling with the chains, but as with Rainbow it was useless. Pinkie’s hair had straightened and she looked rather miffed about the whole thing to put it lightly. Rarity was trying to free herself through her magic, but it had just about as much effect as Applejack. Twilight was a mess. Frantically trying not to burst like a firework, she was forced to stare constantly into the immobile glare of her caring mentor. And Dash was, well if she had any energy left, she was spending it feeling sorry for herself.
I on the other hand, felt the throbing of emotions bursting through me. The vines leeched to my insides, making my body shake with fury. My left learned to twitch, and the chains rattled with each new pulse.
“I’m going to break you.” I hissed at him.
“Not yet you’re not.” He waved his finger at me. “Now heel.” He said, forcing me down with his magic. It was too strong to fight.
With his other hand, he began casting a spell around the circle, causing it to glow yellow and orange. The black wisps intertwined with his magic, darkening the entire circle. The air even felt evil, as if the area was tainted with the horrid and grotesque.
His voice deepened and almost echoed as he spoke, “I, Discord, the Lord of Chaos and Vessel of the Spirit of Pandemonium, summon the Spirit of Destruction to the world of the living!”
The glow intensified and the markings inside and around the circle lit up. The light blasted through what remained of a ceiling, shining into the sky. A tornado of dark magic swirled around me, growing to envelope the whole room. I could hear the screams of my friends as the tornado caught up to them. It drained the color from their bodies, adding it to the unimaginable blackness. Discord threw in Rainbow Dash’s color in the form of his magic, and the portal began to open beneath my hooves.
My mind flashed, as if I was suffering some weird form of déjà vu. I flashed back to the odd dream I had not too long ago. I was standing, alone in a room made of nothingness. A circle appeared beneath me and a glowing orange and yellow light began to glow. After that, I woke up in Rainbow Dash’s bed.
I thought I would easily switch back to what was really going on, but my mind continued on with my dream. Except this time, there were ponies surrounding me. Everything was the same, this wasn’t the dream. This was happening right now.
The magic enclosed on me. I felt a rush of cold heat sear into my eyes and breath on my wings. My pupils dilated and participated in a fast game of darts as they shot across the room, taking in every single molecule. The bodies of my friends lay limp in their chains, colorless and lifeless. A piercing pain shot through my heart. I went to grab it, to try and stop the hurt, but I was still chained to the ground. With all of my might I pulled against the chain, muscles still shaking I shattered it. I grabbed my heart the best I could with hooves. My consciousness faded in an out with the shivers of pain. Was I dying?
I heard the clinks and snaps of the other chain on my hoof breaking, followed by a heavy panting. I smelled smoke, and ashes. The fiery aromas were wafting around the air with no rhyme or reason. I tasted metal, and it was hot. That didn’t bother me though. Nothing seemed to upset me, in fact, nothing even seemed to faze me.
Discord spoke to me, “Hello old friend, remember me?”
I spoke, but I wasn’t speaking “You and those wretched alicorns did this to me.”
“Yes, and I could do it again if I wanted.”
“You can’t. I know your powers. I wouldn’t joke, mortal, I am not in the giving mood.”
“I’m not joking this time, Roc. I gave you a new body didn’t I?”
“A pathetic pony body. This is not suitable for me.” I articulated with obvious annoyance.
“At least the boy has wings. Cut me a break here, I did what I could.”
“Now I will do what I can, and finish destroying this world.”
“Good.” Discord replied, slyly grinning to himself.
“Starting with you.” I said flatly, jumping at the unsuspecting dragonaquis.
He reacted quickly and held me back with his magic. “Now now, don’t be too hasty. If you truly want revenge, why not these two first?” he saved himself, motioning to the frozen princesses.
“It does not matter, for all shall perish to my flames.”
I didn’t know what I was saying. The words were coming out and my mouth was moving, but I wasn’t saying any of it. I tried to fight it, but something kept me from being able to do anything at all. I flew over to the prisoners, something telling me instinctively not to walk. My mouth opened, and I yelled at the statues. Nothing happened.
“What have you done with my powers!?” I demanded of Discord.
“Oh, I’m sorry Roc, did I not bring all of those back for you?” he mocked me; ME the embodiment of Destruction and Desiccation.
“I will destroy you!” I yelled, flying at him once more.
He effortlessly stopped me with his magic, yawning. “No, no you won’t. You will destroy Equestria, and you will do it for me. You’ve got your flaming wings, that’s all you’re going to need. I’m your master now, remember that.” His voice becoming more serious as he spoke.
“We will, ugh, stop you Discord.” Twilight Sparkle coughed as she dragged her body towards us.
“Oh my, still got some fight left do we? I told you I was done with games Sparkle. Roc, kill her.”
“I take orders from no one!”
Discord’s grip tightened and his magic crushed me. Even the pulsing of my body squeezed in reaction to his power. I wanted to rebel, I needed to rebel, but I couldn’t. Not only was I being held back, but Discord was too powerful, even for me.
I looked at the defeated purple unicorn. The chains had been broken on all of them. I must have done it when I exploded. Twilight was forcing her tired body to keep moving forward. I wanted to help her up, I wanted to heal her, care for her as she did me, but instead I attacked. Flying to her at breakneck speeds, I picked her up in my hooves. I carried her through the hole that was once a ceiling until we had gone so high up we could’ve touched the moon.
Twilight spoke to me. Her voice seemed directed beyond me though, as if she was talking to me while I was inside of myself. Almost as if she knew I wasn’t in control.
Her voice was slow, filled with pauses, and very quiet, but I could still hear her. “Drumroll. If you can hear me, I wanted to apologize. I know Rainbow Dash hurt you, but I don’t think it was her fault. Maybe one day she’ll tell you about her parents, if we ever make it out of this that is. I wanted to thank you for sticking up for us, for helping us, for being here. I think we can still do it, I think we can still use the Elements. I think we can free you and Rainbow Dash from this spell. Celestia warned me of this, we have a plan.”
“You and Celestia will burn with the rest of this planet. I will not be sealed in that infernal pit again.”
I tried to hold on, I concentrated every possible muscle in my pony body to hold her up, but somehow she fell from my grasp with ease, plummeting towards the ground with nothing to stop her. Soon enough she would hit the ground, cratering her body below. She would feel the cracks and snaps of her bones and the immense and overwhelming pain of movement. But she would be alright in the end. It happened to me before, I was still alright, wasn’t I?
But I’m made of tougher stuff than Twilight.
‘Save her’ I told myself, ‘GO’ ‘NOW’! I didn’t move, I couldn’t move, no… I wouldn’t move. I could not force my body to save her. I didn’t want to. But I did, I had to! The mental battle between myself and…myself was tolling on me and I couldn’t keep up.
“Save her!” I said, actually hearing myself speak.
“You are quite the annoying voice. I put up with you before, but now you must shut up, my mission is not yet complete.” Said the other me.
We began switching off control of the voice, “Yeah well I’ve got a pretty good history with annoying voices, now we’re going to save her!”
“Why bother? I shall kill her eventually, why wait?”
“Because I won’t let you kill her, or any of them!”
“You cannot stop me, and neither shall Pandemonium or Order.”
“Yes they will!” I retaliated, gaining control while the other me was distracted.
I rushed down as fast as I could, but with the time it had taken to gain control, she would’ve already hit the ground. It was no use, but I flew anyways. As I neared the ground I noticed two very important things. One was that there were six ponies standing together. The other was that these six ponies were all bright pastel colors.
I lost control as swiftly as I had gained it, and hadn’t even felt my hooves hit the ground. Still around me, I saw the six ponies promptly ready to face me. Even Fluttershy seemed ready to fight. Upon a closer glance though, they weren’t even bothering with me. They all were poised and ready to battle with Discord.
“What is this? How are you not dead?” Both I and the other me questioned the group, albeit with varying tones.
“They seem to have outwitted you, Roc.” Laughed Discord from behind.
“And you think this to be funny? They shall destroy you too Pandemonium if I do not do it first!”
“With what? I already used the Spirit of Order to summon you back. I’m not scared.”
Rainbow Dash readies herself for a race, setting her hind legs up and lowering her back so she could get a faster burst of speed. Without even a single word, she slammed into Discord with an instant Sonic Rainboom. His snake like body collapsed in on itself as he crashed into the wall.
“I’ve got more for you, you dirty liar!” she shrieked as she ran in for more.
She tried punching and bucking, but Discord continued to teleport out of the way. As he appeared everywhere he mocked her saying, “Oh I’M the liar now, eh? Not you, the one who betrayed all of her friends for some false hopes?”
He stopped teleporting long enough to get in a fully fledged fit of laughter out at Rainbow Dash’s expense. Luckily, he hadn’t been paying attention to what was behind him. A pair of orange colored legs raised up and knocked straight into the back of Discord’s head, flattening his face into the crumbling floor.
“Don’t go thinking we ponies don’t know how to fight good and proper.” Applejack jibbed.
Discord stood up rubbing his head. He turned around confused, “What are you doing? She betrayed you all! Why would you help her!?” he yelped, more annoyed than anything.
I wasn’t sure if Discord had seen them regain both color and vitality, but he didn’t seem all too worried about it. Even Rainbow Dash switching on him didn’t appear to faze him. Could he have prepared some secret back up plan? Whatever had happened down here, the other me was just as in the dark as I was.
“Maybe you just don’t know us six like you think you do.” Rarity announced ever so properly before magically thrashing a rock into his side.
“Have we forgotten someone ladies?” I, well the other me, teased them as I drifted over to the statues. I reached out with my left hoof, giving it my all not to move. I merely touched Princess Celestia’s statue with the tip of my hoof and it crumbled to dust. The ashes of the once all powerful ruler of Equestria flushed over the floor. The six former Elements of Harmony dropped their jaws, Pinkie’s a bit more literally than the others. I watched with creeping horror, feeling the soft grating of the dust on my hoof. I just killed the Princess. I killed Princess Celestia.
“Perhaps that will catch your attention.”

> A Celestial Canvas
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 18: A Celestial Canvas
Twilight’s eye twitched. Strands of her mane shot out from the carefully brushed pattern, curling slightly. Her mouth was open and her body began to pick up speed as it shook back and forth. Short and taken breaths fell from her lips as she witnessed the horror I had fraught. 
I took my time to carefully grind each piece that wasn’t already dust into it. My hoof slammed onto her dismembered stone horn, shattering it with a boisterous crackle. The poor purple unicorn’s form writhed in mental pain. The twitch worsened, her mane continually frizzled into a mess of hair and lost sanity. I licked my blazing teeth with satisfaction. Why did this feel so good?
Twilight was helpless, holding herself back from attacking me. But what good would it do her? At least if she attacked it would signify some form of willful revenge. She needed to embrace her anger, and every moment spent idly was nothing more than a nuisance to me. I should, *Thwack* a lightning bolt struck me in the face. I staggered back, unintentionally crushing a few more of the Princess’s shards.
“What in the world!?” I raged.
Rainbow Dash scorned me, “I think it’s about time for me to break you.”
Rushing in for another attack, the pegasus had little time to stop when I raised my hoof to the next statue. Fearing the worst, she veered off course and slammed her face into the wall. I winced at this, but the other me chuckled.
“Go ahead, attack me again. That is, if you want to see the other princess suffer the same fate.”
The ponies backed down. Rainbow Dash wanted to fight me, but Applejack, sensible as she was, held her back. Pinkie Pie was looking rather confused, her eyes bouncing all over the room as if something here could actually help her.  Fluttershy shrunk to the floor, trying to be as small as possible, while Rarity, disgusted, turned from me to comfort her friend. Twilight took a small step backwards, still trembling.
She began ranting to herself, “This, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Princess Celestia told me the whole plan. She said she knew everything that was going to happen. She said everything would be ok, that everypony would make it out. She showed me dark magic. She taught me everything she knew about Discord. She showed me how to perform the sealing ritual. Everything on my checklist happened in the order she said it would. She told me how to free Rainbow Dash and how to undo the stone spell. She told me how to seal the Roc in the pit.”
Her ramblings eventually boiled down to her repeating “she said” and “she told me” with a lot of “but this” and “but that” mixed in. Watching her squirm thrilled me. I hadn’t seen some foolish being tormented like this in eons! Even the other ponies were dumbfounded by the mare’s incessant babbling. No one knew what to say to her, driving her deeper and deeper into the abyss of madness.
But one being did speak up, one I hadn’t been expecting. What’s more was that what he said threw the entire situation out the window and into a field of spikes.
“I could never have imagined what kind of chaos death brings about. Now of course that’s not true, I knew very well, but still… She’s really dead. After everything I did just to get here, I didn’t think it would feel like this.”
“What are you on about, dragonaquis?” I assert.
“Tell me Roc; when Creation, the Hydra, was imprisoned to Tartars, did you feel any pain?” he asked with an inquisitive flair.
“I create pain. If I felt anything, it would be on my own accord.”
“What did I do wrong then? I got my revenge. Celestia is dead, but it doesn’t feel right. I feel empty. I want to know what this emptiness is; bring her back so that I might find out!” he demanded.
“I told you, abomination, nothing commands me.”
I sneered at him and beat my wings vigorously. They created a whirlwind of flame that engulfed the pitiable creature ahead of me. He screamed in agony, but it only made me want to supply him with more. As expected, he used his magic to dispel my fires.
“This is not what I wanted. Go back foul demon, back into that pit! I do not want you anymore!”
I flew at him, my blazing wings breaking his ribs on impact. Sparks littered the floor and air around me, glittering across the dust from his fall. He fought bravely to stand up, but it only took one hoof to crush his pathetic claw back to the ground. With my other hoof, I branded his wing. Fire danced along the battered beast as I cackled above him.
“Chaos cannot exist without an order to destroy, Pandemonium. You are unnecessary now. Destruction will always continue to destroy what had been created; and when I am finished, I may return to the pit, if only to gloat at my accomplishments.”
“Haven’t you learned? It takes more than one Spirit to defeat another. You can’t kill me.” he confessed.
“Watch me.”
Hoof poised and ready to strike the monster’s face, a beam of light thrust into my side, sending flying across the room into the nearest wall. Elderly bricks toppled from the cracks and turned to rubble as they fell upon me. Picking myself, I looked to where my attacker was standing. It was the purple unicorn again.
“Didn’t I warn you?” I declared “The Princess shall die for this insolence.”
Another beam of deep purple light found its way into my forehead, snapping my neck backwards like a rubber band. The resounding magical energy left a smoking wound right underneath my hat.
My hat, I thought to myself. I was still wearing Applejack’s hat. Even more than that, I could feel the tip of Fluttershy’s father poking through it. Looking down, against the will of my controller, I saw the vest from Rarity with a pair of drumsticks still locked in place. Flexing my wings, I felt the magical medical tape still in place. Even while on fire, the tape was still there.
Another blast of light struck me, this time closer to my ribs.
“Think straight mortal, I am being hit.” Complained the Roc to me as an aside.
Facing the six ponies while pointing at Discord, he called “You would save this one in favor of keeping your princess safe? How unwise.”
Twilight’s eyes began to glow in a radiant purple and white light. Unlike the times before, she did not rise in the air, but rather walked forwards, towards me. Her body no longer twitched, and was now steady as a rock. Her face was determined and purpose solid. She planned on fighting me, one on one. The other me realized this as well and snickered.
“You, a mere unicorn, plan on challenging the mighty Roc? It took your kind and several others all of their living populous to simply seal me away, and you want to try for more by yourself?”
No matter what I said, she would only walk closer. She wasn’t afraid, no, not Twilight. Twilight was infuriated. So far past her breaking point from the very beginning, now she had nothing to hold her back. Her friends awaited the confrontation with anticipation and anxiety. She awaited it with rage and calculated sorrow.
She chanted aloud, “Ma ceferro giasu jukatchuai FA!” summoning a swirling vortex in the sky above the roofless room. “Erasse a cotulu hegisuai DONOTERRU!” she continued, unleashing a barrage of magically coated meteors from her conjuration.
I dodged them with ease, flittering my wings about to one side or another. While she was still for her spell, I rushed her with a speed that would have surpassed even Spitfire. In the blink of an eye I had crashed into her, or what I had thought was her.  My face collided with the back hooves of a certain southern farmer, while my wings were held back by another pony.
“You do NOT hurt my friends!” screeched the yellow pegasus, thrusting my wings backwards. Applejack followed with her hooves and together they were able to repel me.
“Friendship and Dark Magic, who knew?” coughed Discord.
My scowl did not lessen. There was no room for survivors in my future, and these ponies were not going to stop me. I readied myself for another attack.
“You know,” Discord continued, uninvited “I underestimated these ponies once. Terrible mistake. Sure I had backup plans, that means you by the way, but look where it got me?”
I was about to speak, but Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash both attacked me before the words came out. as easily as with Twilight’s spell, I dodged, but their presence was still a nuisance. Left and right, up and down, I moved out of the way every time. Sick of their games, I flared my wings, blowing them both back in a wave of fire.
“Enough. I care not for your dark magic, unicorn. Nor do I care for your so called ‘friends’.”
Rarity used her magic to form a shield around Twilight. Applejack and the others all regrouped in front of her and readied themselves for the fight of their lives. I on the other hand was not in the mood for a fight. I wanted a slaughter.
“Grei grefi terr agustona VA!” the enchantress called out.
Discord stood up, brushing himself off. He cracked his back in a few places, then realigned his claw. All of his bruises and burns disappeared.
“Well I really should thank you Twilight. After all I’d done to you and your poor friends, you still find it in your heart to heal me.” he bowed jovially.
At last Twilight Sparkle spoke, her voice itself coated in an echo that exuded power and wisdom, “Discord, I have broken your spells on Rainbow Dash. She will no longer be your slave. For the damage you have caused to those I care for, I am going to personally destroy you.” Discord’s eyes shot back, never having expected to hear such things from any of Equestria’s kind. “But first, I am going to seal this demon back in the pits of Tartars.”
Her already white eyes glowed even more deeply, her entire body giving off its own flashing purple aura. Her mane raised into the air from the intense magical pressure and her cutie mark shone especially bright for her.
“Rallos o jusadarayn killevo NORGONO!” a deep and frightening voice that was not Twilight’s emitted itself from her lips. The Elements of Harmony appeared around the necks of her friends. They looked down in turn to make sure they all had theirs, but weren’t surprised that they had appeared. In fact, they looked even more ready than before, sly smiles all across.
Finally, with her last chant she screams “FALPORTA TARTARS ENPAREI SALMANOR!” 
“What, wh, what are you doing!” I yell back, trembling.
The deep black circle that had since faded after my summoning returned. This time however, it glowed more of a white glow that intertwined with Twilight’s purple magic as it skipped across the floor. The multitude of details that made the sealing and summoning circle lit up, beginning the spell. I couldn’t go back, not after just being revived. My mind made up, I roared, igniting my wings and letting off sparks of lightening about the room. Concentrating my energy on Twilight, I launched a massive column of flame and lightning at her.
I was going to hit her dead center and incinerate her annoying body forever. I couldn’t contain my joy as I laughed maniacally into the wind. But my joy was short lived, as the five other mortal beings shielded her with their own magic. But how, how can this be? They were not magic! And yet, my column of flame was at an even pace with their barrier.
“The Elements of Harmony are magic, idiot.” I told off the Roc, vying for control.
“They are nothing to me. I will crush them just as I did the alicorn.”
“No you won’t. Don’t you get it yet? Two of the other spirits have already failed due to the Elements, you are no different.”
“I am the strongest, I will never be beaten.”
“Maybe you are the strongest, but I’m not. And guess what, you’re me.” I admitted.
“I will never be you. I will never be some pathetic mortal being who relies on others for survival.”
“Why not? Look what happened to Discord when Celestia died. He didn’t even know what to do with himself.”
“And he is a fool. Had he not bothered, he might’ve survived a moment longer. I will not have others bring me down.”
“Eh, too bad, cause we’re both going down now.” I smiled internally.
Confused, he focused back on the situation at hand. He didn’t even have a single second to comprehend it before his own fiery blaze blasted him out of the sky. My body, our body, fell from the sky in a spiraling daze. Smoke lifted from the spaces between our feathers. 
I smiled as we fell. I was falling again. Out of everything I had done here in Equestria, I had fallen the most. Fell from the sky, fell from a tree, fell from a bed, fell from a stage. I just kept going. But no matter how many times I had fallen, I always got up afterwards. Something kept me going, something always pushed me to keep trying, to keep my head high. Singed and beaten, he struggled to stand up. I fought against it, preferring the ground as a place to lay my head. I was done getting up. I was tired. Let me rest.
“Get up!” he yelled at me.
“Nah, I’m good.” I joked.
“You’ve tricked me!”
“Is that what I did? I don’t recall.” I laughed sarcastically.
I felt that he wanted to strangle me, but it couldn’t exactly work that way. Even more so, the spell was near completion. As we laid upon the floor, I could feel the pull of the circle beneath us.
At first it was a light tug, like a tight shirt gripping onto you. But it quickly escalated, eventually coming to the point where it felt like I was being sucked out of a spaceship. The pain was excruciating and all I could do was scream. I could hear myself as well, wailing louder and longer than I thought I could manage. The fire drained from my wings into the circle as well, painfully extracting each particle of the Roc’s spirit from me.
I kept screaming, it was all I could do. My body felt locked to the ground, pins and needles shooting through every vein in my body. My limbs told me they were slowly being torn from my torso, ripping away at each muscle individually. My bones ached, my organs squirmed, my skin burned, everything was in pain. But in the midst of my agony, I felt a hoof lightly brush the hair in front of my face.
Opening my eyes was painful. The movement required to simply lift my eyelids was enough to break an army’s spirit. The light inside the room was blinding, not helping my current situation. Despite all of that, I could still make out the face of the figure by me. It was Rainbow Dash.
“Hold on DR, you’re gonna be ok.” she whispered lightly, smiling.
As much as I wanted to smile back, I couldn’t. It wasn’t the earth shattering revelation of Rainbow Dash’s betrayal, or rather expected return. It wasn’t that I had been possessed by some ancient demon from another era. It wasn’t that Discord had had his twisted ways with us and the princesses. It wasn’t even the crushing pain of the sealing spell. No, I couldn’t smile back, because I was already smiling.
With one last twist and pull from the pit, I felt my very soul strip itself from my mind and body. Floating next to me was the spirit of the Roc, still screaming in agony and defeat. I waved goodbye to him as the portal drew him in. cursing, his wispy form disappeared forever in Tartars. I happily awaited my fate, satisfied with my purpose. I had come to Equestria uninvited, and was now having the grandest send off. What better way to send a stallion to his doom?
Closing my spiritual eyes, I felt the pull of the spell reverse, sending my spirit back through the circle. Feeling the heavy thud of my two halves fusing together again, my eyes shot open.
“See Drumroll, I told you you’d be ok.” Dash giggled.
She helped lift me up and let me lean against her until I could stand straight. Even when I was still wobbling, I let go and tried holding myself up. Surprisingly enough, I could manage. I took a sweep of the room with my eyes. The ponies were all smiling and laughing. Fluttershy and Rarity were helping Twilight regain her composure. It must have really drained her to perform all of those powerful spells.
“Twilight, are you alright?” I asked.
A tired Twilight laughed, “I’ll be alright. I’m honestly surprised you’re still standing. I’ll have to add that into my report.”
I raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Report?”
“You know, my friendship report on this whole experience.” She smiled.
“But….” I trailed off before finishing, not wanting to mention Celestia’s death.
An old voice popped up behind us to explain the situation, “You still don’t get it boy do you?”
“Discord.” I sneered.
“Exactly, of course it’s me. After all, these girls are in no shape to be ending me anytime soon.” 
Rainbow Dash snarled, “Hey buddy, I’ve got more than enough buck left to beat you to a pulp!”
“That, I sincerely doubt. Besides, I think you might want to hear this.”
“Discord I thought I made myself clear.” Twilight began, albeit she wasn’t in any condition to make threats.
“Now now, hear me out. I figured out why I began feeling weird when Celestia ‘died’.”
“It’s because she’s your special somepony isn’t it!” Pinkie Pie yelped.
Discord blushed, but refuted the response. “No, no, that’s not it. I knew something wasn’t right when the statue crumbled. She wasn’t inside of it when it happened.”
“What!?” we exclaimed collectively.
“Yes, you see. She and Luna must have teleported elsewhere before I cast the spell. I don’t really believe it myself, but hey, I’m sure you’re unicorn friend there knows exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Twilight, is he, um, telling the truth?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“I wasn’t sure when it happened, but now that Discord said he feels the same, it must be that the princesses are elsewhere. I’m not entirely sure where though.” Twilight admitted.
“Well, it was a nice chat, but I must be on my way.” Discord grinned as he tipped an imaginary hat.
“Oh no you don’t, varmint!” Applejack said, racing at him.
“Applejack, wait.” I said, stopping her.
“What in tarnation, why?”
Discord’s face twisted into its usual evil smile, “Yes Drumroll, why?”
“I want you to tell me something, and you better tell me the truth, or Applejack here’ll beat the living tar out of you.”
“Oh I’m shaking in my boots.” He mocked. “But go on.”
“Those portals that you opened when you first returned; are the ponies you sent through them still alive?”
“How should I know? I don’t keep tabs on everyone, I’m far too busy for that.”
“Could they be alive!?” I demanded an answer.
“Well yes, I’m sure somehow they might be. Not like it’s my problem though.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.” I replied, satisfied.
“Wait, you’re just gonna let him go? Just like that?” Rainbow Dash retorted, extremely annoyed with us.
“Yes Rainbow, we are.” Twilight announced, properly but with a hint of sarcasm.
“Glad you agree, Ms. Sparkle.” Discord smirked, snapping his claws.
His expression quickly changed as he began to snap his claws again and again; each time more violent than the last. Eventually he found himself snapping his claws so fast that he ran out of breath.
“What is going on here!?” he shouted aloud.
Twilight giggled, “Oh Discord, did I forget to mention something else about that spell that I used?”
Discord’s eyes grew wide with fear and then narrow with anger as Twilight’s words entered his ears.
“You didn’t dare.” He growled.
“I did.” She winked victoriously at him.
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!” he screamed in rage.
With no more option left, he spread his mismatched wings and took off through the sadly dilapidated hole in the ceiling. Twilight looked up with a smile, satisfied with her spell.
“Uh, Twi, mind tellin’ us what that was all about?” Applejack inquired.
“Well, when I used the spell to seal Destruction back into the pit, it also forced the other Spirits, Order and Pandemonium, to be sucked in as well. That way, nopony, or no one as it may be, can ever use those Spirits ever again.”
“So you mean, that the Elements, um, the Element’s are gone?” Fluttershy wondered.
Twilight nodded. The group of them collectively looked around at each other, each one of them showing some sign of acceptance to the others. It was almost as if they were happy that the Elements were gone. I guess there wasn’t any reason for them not to be though, right?
And so began the long and tipsy walk back to the throne room. Twilight and I were both drained physically, and the group as a whole was emotionally and mentally worn out. Time was of no relevance to us though. In the end, it never mattered when we got back, only that we made it in one piece.
Eventually the fires and ashes ceased and the regal appearance of the palace started up again. The closer we got to the throne room, the less it looked like we had just fought a giant ancient bird spirit bent on destroying the known world. Step by step, we arrived to our destination. 
The black trail of ashes and dust behind us stained the perfection in the room. The shine and shimmer of royalty and godliness was gone to the light cover of desolation. It felt better, in my mind at the very least, to have something so contrasting in a place where such controversy would be frowned upon. The rebellious dust was a revolutionary is the times of cleaning products and maids. In my mind, it was the true brilliance in this room, not the shine of the polish.
“The princess isn’t here.” Twilight sighed.
“No, but they’re about to be!” Pinkie beamed.
“What in Celestia’s name ---” Rarity cut herself off after realizing the saying she had used.
“Just wait.” I smiled, knowing Pinkie.
One flash of blinding white and blue light later, the two ‘dead’ sisters appeared before us. They stood tall and determined as ever, just as Twilight had during the fight. Before they could even get a word off, the battered Twilight jumped on them both.
“You’re still alive!” she screamed ecstatically.
I didn’t think she had the energy left, but I was fine with being proven wrong at this point.
“Princess it worked, your plan, it worked!”
“You planned this, Tia?” Luna investigated.
I had not yet been able to meet Luna, and I frowned at the thought that I missed such an opportunity. Her mane was a sparkling blue and purple. Fitting for the Princess of the Night. Still, her blackened blue coat was gorgeous in its own reflection. And of course her eyes, a dreamily dashing shade of royal blue in the castle light. Although not as bright as many of her subjects, she was a unique masterpiece of pony perfection.
“Yes, I’m sorry I kept you in the dark Lulu.” Celestia apologized. “But I had to cover my bases. I assume that you succeeded in sealing all three Spirits Twilight?”
“Yes, princess.”
“Good. Then all is as it should be.”
“Princess, how can you say that after all that has happened?” I asked her, my tone a mix of mostly confusion and a dusting of annoyance. “Discord has been causing chaos for months and picked up especially in the past few days.”
“Yes, Drumroll, I am well aware. During your fight, I spent that time fixing the problems that Discord created. And Twilight, I also freed your brother and Cadence from their stone prisons as well.”
“Thank you so much Celestia.” Twilight sniffed, happy to know her family was safe.
Before anything else could get in the way, I had one last pressing question on my mind.
“Celestia, before you disappeared, you told me that my being here was all your fault. Why?”
The demigoddess sighed heavily. “You see Drumroll, I knew Discord was back again and causing trouble. Unfortunately, I needed some time to figure out what to do so that I could truly stop him, once and for all. To make that time, I decided it would be best to instigate his more playful nature, not yet knowing that he was wrathful. So in out banter, I told him that his game was too predictable and we needed another piece. Of course he agreed; anything for his fun. And so you were brought here, from wherever you truly belong.”
The six ponies all looked at me with quizzical looks, save Pinkie whose expression was more of an I-was-waiting-for-this face. I nodded at them, telling them that that did indeed make sense. As I looked at them though, scanning the room, I thought of all the fantastic adventures I had been on. From Twilight rescuing me and talking with Spike, to my morning with Big Macintosh. Applejack and the farm, Pinkie’s party and the band I played with. Fluttershy taking care of me, playing with the CMC. I even gained a new step sister in Scootaloo. All the way to my talks with Rarity and finally meeting Rainbow Dash in the sky. It had been the grandest and most wonderful escapade I had ever taken in my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Still…
A tear fell from my right eye to the dirtied floor beneath, “Princess?”
“Yes, Drumroll?”
“…can you send me home?”
The group let out a collective gasp.
Rarity spoke up, “But Drumroll you can’t leave! Not after all this.”
“Drumroll, I thought…I thought maybe…” Dash turned her head.
“Roll, I didn’t think you’d be the type t’ just up ‘n split on us.” Applejack frowned.
“Please Drumroll, don’t leave yet.” Fluttershy begged.
“Who’ll party with me like you do!” Pinkie cried.
Twilight thought about what she was going to say for a moment and then added, “You have to go back, don’t you?”
Nodding sorrowfully I said “Yeah, I really should.”
Pinkie Pie stretched her arms out farther than she should’ve been able to and pulled all of us into a giant group hug, squeezing as tight as she could. 
Releasing us, she said to me with the biggest possible smile on her face, “Be sure to throw a “I Survived Being Taken Over By An Ancient Demon Party’ when you get home, right after your ‘I’m Home’ party, ok?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, Pinkie.” I laughed back.
“Keep up the reading.” Twilight told me, smiling. “I’ll always have more books here if you want some.”
“I will,” I said “and I’ll keep that in mind. And tell Spike I said goodbye. He’s a great dragon, and I’m sure he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him first thing when I get home.”
“I hope you keep yourself well Drumroll. Everypony deserves to be taken care of, but don’t forget to treat yourself every once and a while.” Fluttershy advised me.
“Of course I will Fluttershy. Thank you.”
“Well Slick, this is it Ah reckon.”
“Yeah, I suppose it is, ain’t it partner?”
“Keep up the hard work back home, ya hear me Sugercube?”
“Darn tootin’ AJ.” I smiled back, tipping my hat. “Oh, and AJ?” I asked.
“What is it?”
“Tell Mac I said thank you. and tell him that I’m glad he’s alright. It wouldn’t be the same without him.”
“Ah’m sure he’ll be mighty appreciative of it, Slick.”
“Darling I think I’m going to name my new line after you. Vests are going to be so in next season.” Rarity smiled giddily. 
“And I’ll be sure to tell everyone what a great designer you are Rarity. Everyone will want a piece by you.”
“Oh you flatterer, you.” she blushed.
I turned to Rainbow Dash, the only one who had yet to say anything. I really wasn’t sure what to say, having just become friends with her and even more so just having forgiven her for betrayal. Then again, it hadn’t been her fault.
“Dange.” I addressed her. 
She spoke up before I could get any further. “Roll, I gotta tell you, after everything I’ve been through with you, even in the past few hours alone…I, well I still don’t know. You remind me of a stallion I used to know, you know that?”
“No Dash, I didn’t.”
“His name was Rocketeer. He, well he got sucked into one of Discord’s portals a long time ago.”
“Scootaloo’s brother?” I asked.
“You know him?” she said surprised. “Well, that doesn’t really matter. You see, when Discord told you that he might still be alive, well, I wanted to thank you. I had almost given up hope, but now I know.”
“You know what?”
“I’m gonna go find him. Is he’s really in Griffhala, then I know where to go. I’m going to go find him and bring him back. I’m gonna do it for little Scoots.”
I reached my forelegs around Dash and pulled her in tight. I held her tight, giving her the best possible hug a pony could. If there was one thing that I did more than fall here in Equestria, it was cry. And just as I was done with falling, I was done with crying. 
Eyes dry and spirits ready, I told her, “Dange, I want to thank you. I want to thank all of you. I’ll never forget any of you, not a single one. But I’m not all for the sappy endings. I’m not gone forever, if that Roc is any proof, no one’s gone forever.” I laughed, everyone joining me. “I know you’ll find him Dange, and I know all of you will be just fine. I’m going to miss you guys.”
“Does this mean you are ready Drumroll?”
“Yes Princess Celestia, yes I am.”
I turned to face my six new friends. I would probably never see them again, at least not like this, but I was ok with that. I felt complete, in a way. I had just helped save the world, well, I almost blew it up too, but that was beside the point. I watched as my body starting fading away into little glowing bits of stardust. My friends watched too, some smiling, some tearing up, and Pinkie being Pinkie. 
The colors were beautiful. The bright halls and dirt covered floor. The purples, pinks, reds, oranges, blues, greens, yellows, blacks, whites, browns, golds, silvers, all glowed in my eyes. This world was a fantastic new place, filled with glorious new colors. It was the truest essence of beauty.
As I faded, I began to sing. It was soft, and I knew they probably thought I was crazy, but as I hummed to myself, I spoke the last line aloud, for all to hear.
“Do you know, you’re all my very best friends.”

> Epilogue: A Spray Can Full of Reality
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue: A Spray Can Full of Reality 
“Rarwgh.” I yawned openly. 
The sunlight streamed into my room, washing over my abode with its golden rays of morning. It wasn’t as bright as usual. Normally the light would rush into my eyes as it rose and seeped through my window shades, but today was different. Only a slight glimmer of the full frontal force hit me.
Stretching my arm out from underneath my body, I realized just how sore I was. My ribs ached from lying atop my arm, an arm which had in fact lost all feeling at this point. Even weirder still was the hard surface beneath me. It didn’t feel at all like my bed, nor could I find any traces of blankets nearby. Rather, the floor beneath my body felt soft and wavy. The light breeze of the fan was brushing my now free flowing rug against my sides.
Blinking a few times, I tried to sit up, getting ready to hop out of bed. Sliding my legs over, I found that I was already on the floor. Focusing as hard as I could on the ground, two important things caught my thoughts. First was that it was green. Varying shades of green breezed to and fro about my legs as I steadied myself. Second was that it was not a rug.
God, standing up hurt. Everything felt strained and pulled. Not that waking up wasn’t always difficult, but today seemed especially miserable. My surroundings didn’t feel normal, but it took a while for me to adjust with so many new factors.
Given the time, I finally managed to stand up straight and glance at my new bedroom. Simply put, I was outside of my house, lying in my backyard. The shade from the house kept the sun from shining too brightly, and there was a light breeze that kept the air circulating nicely about me. Thinking myself to be hallucinating, I rubbed my eyes and face vigorously up and down to make sure I was seeing properly. As I rubbed, I felt something hard knock off my head and heard the light tap on the ground behind me.
Turning around, I found a light brown Stetson hat at my feet. It had a small yellow feather stuck inside as well; obviously stuck in there hard so that it wouldn’t fall out. I didn’t wear Stetsons, nor did I ever wear my hats to bed. I bent down to pick it up, and noticed something else completely off about my scene. There were black shackles clasped to my ankles, with the chains broken and tattering away.
“What the hell was I up to last night?” I asked the world.
Looking around, taking it all in, I noticed a few more odd things about my person. I was wearing shorts and a shirt first. I normally wore shorts to bed, but a shirt? Why would I wear a shirt? They are so uncomfortable to sleep in. Moreover, I was wearing a vest. A vest, I mean really, what could’ve possessed me to wear a full outfit to bed. It was a pretty cool vest though; a nice shade of black and sew together extremely carefully. On the left side was a pocket with contents.
Pulling them out, I commented “Drumsticks? When did I get these?”
Running them through my fingers as I did with all of my drumsticks, I focused on the signature on the sides. It read ‘Property of Equestria’s Greatest Pegasus Drummer’ in bold cursive lettering. The words took their sweet time sinking into my mind, but once they had settled, they exploded.
Every single memory of the previous night burst into my mind like a battering ram would a small log cabin. From Rainbow Dash’s home to the pits of Tartars, I remembered everything. More than anything though were the final moments of my stay in Equestria. The quickly sought goodbyes with exceptionally wholehearted intents. It panged me to think of it.
As soon as the opportunity arose, home I went. With no rhyme or reason, I up and left them. They must’ve been so confused, perhaps even angry. After saying so many things about being the best of friends and then ditching them forever… how was I supposed to live with myself? I told them that I’d never truly be gone. But even I know that was a whole bunch of sappy bologna. There was no way I’d ever be able to be with them again. I would…never…see…
Crumph!
My knees collapsed to the hardened earth beneath me. The small amount of chains left on my feet rattled about as I fell. The hat which I had so carefully picked up lilted to the ground at a steady pace from my hand. My shirt and vest rippled in the breeze against my skin, brushing up against it sporadically.
I would never see my pony friends ever again. And the reason I would never see them was because I was afraid of losing them. I created for myself the very event I wished to prevent. Here I knelt, back in my world. A world where I stood upon two legs, a world where I didn’t have a tail, but had hands instead, a world where I was human. My family would be here, and my friends and life from what could have been ages ago. I was home...wasn’t I?
I looked up at the house in front of me. The olive green house was so dark, dreary almost. Where once stood a landscape of brilliance and color was now a plaque of dimmed delights. This wasn’t my home anymore. But it had to be. I hadn’t belonged to their world. I was like the dust on the floor of the royal palace. There was a certain beauty in my existence there, and I would be there for long enough that enough ponies would see me and comment, but I wouldn’t be there forever. Eventually somepony would have to come along and sweep me up and throw me outside, where I came from.
It didn’t feel right though. It didn’t feel complete. I knew I was missing something, something very important. Emotions rattling inside of me, clamoring for freedom and rioting for release broke free. In an effort to contain myself I slammed the ground with my fists in rage. Muscles tensed and breathing heavily once more, I caught the sight of my arm with my peripherals. 
A large white bandage wrapped itself around the entirety of my bicep, keeping it locked firmly, but allowing air through. Twilight’s wrap. I had never gotten to properly thank her for saving my life. When it came down to it, there was a lot I never got to do. I never got to finish helping Applejack with the work on the farm. Nor did I say goodbye to Big Mac or Apple Bloom. They’d never even know I left. I promised Pinkie more parties than I was there to attend, or ever could now. I didn’t even get to help Fluttershy and the animals like I told her I would. And Rarity, the two of us never got a true opportunity to get to know one another. 
Rainbow Dash. The entire time I had spent in Equestria was either running from or running at her. The small heart to heart we had atop the clouds was nothing in comparison to the times I spent with the others, nor did it come close to measuring the amount of time I wanted to spend with her. I wonder what she thought of me, accusing her of such nasty things and then leaving like this?
Did she hate me for what I did? Will Scootaloo hate me for not saying goodbye? I promised I’d be there for her, I promised to find her older brother. Then again, I guess I promised too much of myself to everypony, eh hem, everyone, now didn’t I?
“And if you were still here, I’m sure you’d follow through DR.” said a voice from nowhere.
“What the hell? Who’s there?” I called out, checking the area, but not too worried.
“The same mare who owes you a buck to the head when you get back.” the voice laughed.
“R-r-rainbow Dash? Am I going insane?” I essentially asked myself.
“Maybe, but that’s not why I’m here.” She explained to me in playful sarcasm.
“What do you mean when I get back? How, how is any of this happening!?” I yelled out, becoming more and more worried about my decreasing mental stability.
“Let’s just say Twilight’s freaky dark magic books are helping her on her way to bringing you back. I mean, it was Celestia’s idea after all.”
I tried to reason with myself slowly, figuring that if everything that happened before truly did happen, this could be real as well.
“Why does Celestia want me back?” I asked Dash.
“I dunno exactly. She said something about an unfinished friendship report. I don’t really care.” RD pushed the idea away.
I felt rather shunned, my tone exhibiting the same “Oh, I see. Guess it’s not much of a big deal after all.”
“Are you kidding me!” she said, getting excited “This is gonna be great! Once you get back I’ll finally get that race I’ve been wanting. You don’t have any magic birds to help you this time!”
“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” I called back.
“Yeah right. Anyways, Celestia is also helping Twilight with telephonidas or something. Whatever it is, she said it can be used to talk with you; like this!”
“Telekinesis, Dange.” I laughed.
I could feel her pout at me, although neither of us could see the other. I felt the challenger’s tension rise in our conversation as we talked on, getting ready for our race and the other things we were going to do. When I realized the wonderful opportunity I had at hand, I pulled up a lawn chair and sat down.  Talking with Dash reinvigorated my heart and recolored my eyes. Brilliant tones and shades surrounded me in the skies and grasses. Perhaps home might not have been as bright as Equestria, but it still had its share of textures and patterns.
Rainbow Dash and I continued to talk for quite some time as I watched the day go by. She had big plans for making the trip to Griffhala. I told her about the promise I made to Scootaloo and the connection that we shared. Rainbow Dash explained a similar connection to the young filly and assured me that with me gone, she would double her efforts to find Rocketeer. Those weren’t the only things on the list either. The Apple Family was going to be just fine with a little added help from their friends, and Big Mac was on his way to a full recovery. Everything else was on its way as well, just as it should be. Not only did this make my heart soar with joy, but it also felt like a pressing weight had been lifted from it.
There was a chance, a possibility I could go back. At sometime, somewhere, some way I might be able to return. And that was all I needed. Just that thought, that one chance I might meet them one more time, kept me afloat.
Still, I felt awful for leaving. Of course I had a life back here, at my real home, but I shouldn’t have just left them like that.
“Rainbow Dash.” I started
“Yeah?” she asked with a quizzical joy.
“You and the others…you’re not mad that I left, are you?”
There was a short silence, followed by a breath and most welcomed response, “Of course we aren’t mad, Drumroll. You have a home wherever it is you are. We can’t just ask you to leave that home to join ours, it’s not fair.”
“But I didn’t ---” she cut me off
“You said goodbye. And more importantly, you meant it. It may not look like it, but I know a thing or two about loyalty, and you definitely show it to us.”
The happy lull in her voice was unusual by her own standards, but I had become accustomed to it over the day. She seemed far more at ease and open than usual. I wondered if it was that she had been released from Discord’s spell at first, but came to realize it didn’t matter. I enjoyed her company, and she seemed to enjoy mine; that’s all I wanted.
“Well in that case, I think it’s time for me to say goodbye again. There are some people here that I’ve yet to say hello to today as is.” I joked.
“I understand. Just don’t forget us now, Roll, I’ll be waiting in Griffhala for you!” she eager called to me, her voice fading even in my mind.
“I’ll meet you there, Rainbow Danger Dash. I’m always ready for new world to explore!”