Prologue

The Grand Galloping Gala.

Without question the most prestigious, awarded social gathering the world had to offer. To be invited was exceedingly rare; on most occasions those who were especially gifted or had some sort of close relationship to any royalty received invitation.

In other words, if you are here, you were special. Almost.

At an empty table in the corner of the room there sat a human. His face was hard to read, but at a glance nopony could have guessed that the young man had even a single thought behind those watchful eyes. Not watchful in the eerie sense, mind you, simply watchful of the interesting scenarios playing out before him.

His hair was nicely combed, which was difficult with how long it had grown. It was a deep brown, or "dark chocolatey" as a certain pink mare had once said. By any human standard he had a handsome face, with a sturdy jawline (but not to a ridiculous extent). He was thin, but not unhealthy, and decently tall as far as twenty-one year olds go. He had a five o' clock shadow running across his cheeks to his chin, looking well maintained.

Well, he was at the Gala. It would have to be.

His name was Joey Belfort. As mentioned previously, twenty one years old. Fascination for cinema, writing, anything to do with entertaining folks. Not that anyone (or pony especially) seemed to care. To others he was simply Joey at best. More often than not he had caught ponies whom he had previously met forget his name.

He sat there sipping a lemon drop martini, which he was impartial to despite it being a very fine quality. His thoughts were nothing pleasant as he watched the party go on. Why was he invited again? Just because he was part of that group? As if being stranded here for good wasn't bad enough.

He eyed a mare nearby that had the most ridiculous hair dress he had ever laid eyes on. Big, tall, and well... goofy. He fought back a chuckle. Thank fuck he wasn't taking a sip of his drink. As much as he didn't care to be there, he wanted to act civil.

His gaze drifted over to a small crowd of ponies surrounding a couple other humans. One was a giddy looking African American kid named Bill. His short stature reminded Joey of that of a hobbit. He was only five foot four, but his jolly nature and love for food really helped drive the thought home. His friends had an affectionate nickname for him, "Boiler," which was a long story in the making.

The other human in the throng was a very pretty girl with a very calm and collected nature. Maybe it was just the party, but Joey didn't really pay attention to her more than that. Funnily enough, her name and hair color went hand in hand - "Ginger".

The excited group of ponies surrounding them were most likely throwing question after question at the two humans. It was hard to hear from where he was sitting, but it seemed like Bill and Ginger were soaking it all up and enjoying themselves. Good on them, honestly.

There were two others - five humans in total who had come on a study from their world including Joey - all of whom were now stuck in this place, with no way back home. Not being able to see your family ever again? Joey could only imagine how the others felt. They had families they planned on returning to. Now, it was just themselves.

An image of his father's grinning face swam to the forefront of his mind. His chest seized with a small pain, he didn't want to think about his late father. Not right now, anyway. It wasn't the time and place for that.

As the minutes dragged on, Joey only grew more antsy. Any time they would have the speech. They would announce the sad circumstance surrounding the human group. Then his suspicions would be somewhat put to rest.

You see, out of the university students that had arrived in Equestria, four of them were already a tight-knit group of friends. Joey was not one of them, but he didn't fault them for it. Building friendships take time, and he had only known Bill and known of Ginger before he signed up for this trip.

They were here to document, study, and experience the various cultures around this weird yet fascinating place. Joey, being a major in... something, tagged along to catch footage for their eventual documentary. In terms of the project he was just as important as the rest of them, but after the incident... he fell out of the loop.

He made sure to be approachable and initiate conversation with anyone and anypony at the beginning. He quickly became paranoid of being invisible to others as the days turned to weeks. He was getting left out of activities, he would always be the last one to leave a social gathering, and on a few occasions (though not often) he was flat out ignored because something more interesting had been said or happening at the time.

Even the Princesses themselves seemed to be dimly aware of his existence at times. It was hard to tell with them, obviously they weren't going to give special treatment to anyone. It might of been his jealous imagination, but he could have sworn that the other humans had received a lot more sympathy than he did when the incident happened.

He looked down and realized he hadn't noticed before, but his hands were trembling. Maybe blood sugar deficiency? He hadn't been eating as well as he should have recently.

An orange mare accidentally bumped into him, knocking him out of his thoughts. He instinctively yelped "Sorry!"

"Awe, don't worry about it partner!" the mare replied in a heavy southern accent. Joey quickly recognized her to be Applejack, the so-dubbed Element of Honesty. "I shoulda been lookin' where I was - oh, howdy there!" She had just gotten to look at him and seemed to recognize him.

This small detail made Joey's mood lift slightly. "Oh! Um - hi."

"Ooooh, darn it!!" the country mare exclaimed, frowning in thought as she looked at him. "There are only five of yas, and I can never remember yer name!" She looked a little apologetic, but that didn't stop Joey's mood from sinking twice as low than it had been before.

"It's Rufus." he said sarcastically, intentionally trying to mask his tone of voice.

"Oh! Rufus! Sorry about that!" she giggled sheepishly.

Joey pursed his lip, wondering whether or not he should correct her. How did he manage to fool her if she was the Element of Honesty? His poker face couldn't have been that good. He simply downed the martini and stood up. "Don't sweat it." he said curtly, before walking away from the confused farm pony.

Just be non-confrontational. Non-confrontational!!! He wanted another drink.

As he had finally managed to chase down a hostess and claim another beverage, the sound of a clinking glass resonated throughout the Royal Hall. The room quickly fell quiet, and Joey found himself awkwardly in the middle of the room. As he began to make his way to the nearest wall, Princess Celestia's warm regal voice filled the room. It carried well from her position at the top of the grand staircase.

"Welcome all to another Gala! My dear friends, I thank you for all making it another enjoyable one!" She smiled warmly as the crowd applauded. Joey joined in by habit.

When the room fell silent, the Princess continued. "Now we must address the elephant in the room. The business of our human friends." Aside from a couple murmurs the room was deathly silent. Many turned there gaze to the aforementioned humans, including a couple towards Joey himself. He was still a human, after all.

"I am aware of the rumors circling their situation, and I regret to inform you that it is true. Due to unfortunate circumstances, there is no possible way for them to return home." Celestia wore a grim expression as she said these things. She paused for a moment. Whispers and quiet gasps had erupted around the room. Clearly this was extremely hard for the princess to say.

Joey caught sight of the other two humans, Andre and Clara. The prior was a large, handsome Hispanic man while the latter was a quieter Caucasian girl with glasses and short straight hair that fell to her neck. Their expressions, understandably, were rigid. None of what Celestia had announced was news to any of them, but that didn't make it any less painful to hear.

Joey hadn't felt this anxious in a long time. He had to shove his hands in his pockets so nopony would see them trembling, which had now grown even more noticeable.

"As we are heartbroken that they will never return to their families, as proud citizens and leaders of Equestria we will help these five live to their fullest!!!" Celestia boomed with a determined look.

Joey's heart lifted as a the room roared in approval of these words. The princess said five. Not four - FIVE. Maybe he was being crazy after all!

Celestia managed to bring the room back under control. "I would like to recognize each of them individually. Please come up the stairs when I call your name! First among them is Andre!"

With a sheepish smile Andre made his way to the staircase as the ponies around him applauded.

As Celestia called the other three to the stage, Joey found himself equally nervous and excited. It may have been childish, but his feelings of going unnoticed weren't unreasonable. He grinned at each of his human compatriots, though they didn't look his way, he was happy for them.

Then, finally, the Princess opened her mouth to speak again. Joey's heart leapt into his throat.

Before she could make a sound, Clara slipped on one of the stairs and nearly fell. Luna caught her with her magic as a huge gasp echoed around the room. The poor girl seemed to have had a few too many drinks as she struggled to stand up straight. Princess Celesta let out a tinkling laugh and the room relaxed, a fair few even joining with some chuckles of their own.

"Thank you for listening to my speech, my little ponies!" the Princess rang. "That is all for now, but first a toast to the humans standing here on the stairs with me!" The throng cheered and those who had drinks raised their glasses. No one even noticed the last human slip out a side door to the balcony.

Joey placed downed his drink in one go and leaned over the banister, trying to calm himself with the peaceful nighttime view of Canterlot. His heart began to race, blood pounding in his ears.

They forgot him. They... forgot him.

He couldn't bring himself to any emotion other than shock. Why did it hit him this hard? There's no way he was going to waltz up to them and announce their mistake. He wasn't going to look even more pitiful than he probably did now.

Time became a blur. He had no idea how long he had been standing there. He didn't look up until he felt a finger tap on his shoulder. He found Bill standing there, beaming, with a glass.

"Whatcha doing out here by yourself, man? Can't celebrate on your own!" He rang out playfully. Good ol' Bill.

"Can't I?" Joey muttered to himself. His vision was a little blurry now.

"What?" Bill asked. His smile faltered a little.

"Oh - nothing." Joey replied quickly. He had to hold it together. "So, um - that was some speech, huh?" NO!!! Why did he have to mention it now?? Stupid! Stupid!

Bill shrugged. "It was kind of nice, you know? Especially when she..." Any trace of a smile left his face as his expression changed to one of grim understanding. "Wait... they forgot-"

"No they didn't." Joey hissed, startling Bill.

He looked super worried now.

Fuck you and your stupid mouth, Joey he thought to himself. "I'm not worried about it Bill. Please don't make a fuss out of it. As a matter of fact, just fucking forget it, okay?"

Bill seemed absolutely lost for words. Joey seized is opportunity and pushed past the closest thing he had to a friend, leaving poor Bill to stand there alone with two drinks in hand.

He'll be surrounded by sympathizers any second now anyway, he thought bitterly as he discreetly made his way through the party. Once he reached a hallway with a smaller number of ponies, he withdrew his hands from his pockets. The pounding in his head was louder than ever, and now there was a new pain in his chest. He had to leave. Where would he go? Back to the borrowed home in Ponyville?

Thinking of no better alternative, he made his way to the castle front doors. He must have looked awful, because one of the maids at the door called to him.

"Sir, are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?" she asked nervously. Joey refused her as politely as he could, wishing for fresh air. Before she could protest he was down the front stairs and quickly walking away from the Gala.

The walk to the train station was a blur. He barely managed to exchange the bits he had left for a ticket with how hard his hands were trembling. Fortunately nopony was going to travel back to Ponyville at this hour during the Gala, so he had a train car to himself. He took his seat and buried his face in his hands, panting and trying to calm down. What was wrong with him? Was he not good enough? Did he do something wrong since coming here? Did they... hate him?

Grabbing handfuls of hair he tried to breathe deeply and think back to where this whole debacle had started. Right from the very beginning. As he felt his conscience begin to fade away, he tried to remember.

1 - An Explosive Welcome

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Three weeks earlier, back in the human world...

On the fiery slopes of Mount Doom, drenched in fiery magma, two hobbits came to a rest on the safety of a tall rock.

"It's gone..." Frodo said, somehow looking shocked through his immense exhaustion. "It's done."

His best friend Samwise looked to him, on the verge of tears. "Yes, Mr. Frodo... it's over now."

Joey watched, rapt with attention despite this being his umpteenth viewing of The Lord of the Rings. Such marvelous films they were, somehow using every single technique in order to portray the raw emotions of the story in such a way it captivates you like nothing else. Or at least it did for him, that's why they were his comfort movies.

Joey Belfort. Age twenty one, he was here on behalf of Penn State. Originally hailing from Colorado, he wanted a change of scenery as many kids often do in college. This adventure would merely be a distraction from the recent knowledge that he had no one left here in terms of family, but that would be a story for later.

He was sitting on a small bench in a waiting room, watching the film on his laptop. It was very small with two doors on either end, roughly twenty feet in length and ten feet wide. Wooden benches with no backrest lined either side of the room, where he sat with the other four people he would be taking this journey with. He only knew Bill and was slightly acquainted with Andre, but the other two he had never spoken to outside of planning meetings for this trip.

They were all currently in an undisclosed military location in the state of Wyoming. There was only one gateway to this new world, the one they called Equestria, only accessible through this base. Only on special occasions had humans traveled there, which in recent months had been different small groups of college students from varying universities around the globe. The relations between the United States and that bizarre place was stable, although very limited. That's all Joey could remember from the few lectures he and his peers had received.

He glanced up at the other four comrades in the room. Bill was having a hushed conversation with Clara about something or other. Ginger was leaning against a wall with her eyes closed, listening to music. Andre sat to his immediate left and tapped on his shoulder.

Removing his earbud, Joey looked to him with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Lord of the Rings?" Andre inquired. It was clear he too was feeling the nerves and was making small talk to stave them off. Undoubtedly everyone here was nervous. Traveling to new world-dimension thingy? For a two week study? Not exactly a small event. For all they knew, this could be a life changing experience.

"Oh - er, yeah." Joey stammered awkwardly. "Just watching to try to relax, you know? Heh."

Andre sighed and rested his head against the wall. "I can't believe we're doing this... I mean, I'm excited! Don't get me wrong. Just... talking ponies. Weird, huh?"

"Don't ask me, I'm just the camera guy." Joey joked, patting the leather bag next to him. A birthday gift he had received this last summer. His twenty first, as a matter of fact - while everyone else was out drinking he was too busy being a cinematography nerd.

"To be fair, if we do well here I'm sure you'll have no issues finding a high-end job." Andre reasoned. "Me, not so much. Still, maybe National Geographic will be hiring, eh?"

"Dunno." was all Joey could think of as a response. "Depends if we're any good."

They would be filming, studying, and learning to ultimately create a documentary to educate people on the world of Equestria. Or at least, that's what the big-wigs at Penn State tasked them with doing. The only reason he managed to somehow be here was all because of Bill.

A low hum accompanied with the muffled sound of crackling electricity filled the room. They all looked up in unison as the door on one end of the room opened, and a balding middle aged man in a lab coat stepped through.

"We're ready for you. Everyone have all that they need?" he asked politely but firmly, gazing around at all of them.

There was a small flurry of movement as they all scrambled to collect their things. Joey quickly shoved his laptop into the leather computer bag at his side before getting to his feet. Two weeks worth of clothes, check. Toiletries, check. Filing necessities, check. Backpack with personal belongings? Check.

When everyone else had grabbed their things, they followed the government official through the door in a single file fashion. As Joey passed into the next room a large machine with a huge, circular metal ring crackled and hummed with energy. It reminded him of a Stargate, but a lot more intimidating. Rather than a watery-looking center it was a violet vortex that seemed to swirl on forever.

There was a smaller, weedier man standing behind a control panel. He had mousy features, and he looked almost nervous as he kept shooting apprehensive glances back and forth from the machine to the group of students. If only to make the matter seem even more sketchy, he asked his colleague "Are you sure we should be proceeding? The schematics are saying -"

"Never mind the schematics, Albert, they'll be fine!!" the balding man barked over the racket. "We've sent people through much worse!"

The gateway gave a loud sudden shudder before the energy flashed blue. The humming swelled in volume for a split second before returning to normal.

It may have been Joey's imagination, but he could have sworn the machine had just said "DON'T!"

The balding man turned to the group again and smiled reassuringly. It had little effect, especially after the bizarre flash. "Alright now, place the luggage in the box in front of the gateway! Carefully please, or your sensitive items will get damaged!!" He gestured to a large metal container that was large enough to fit all of their luggage.

They all nervously complied, taking care to make sure that Joey's camera was in a safe position before the man latched the metal crate closed with a heavy lid of the same make. He looked over to 'Albert', who swallowed before giving an affirming nod. The bald man nodded back and with an almighty push (with a grunt of pain with it) he sent the crate into the energy field.

The machine gave another great shudder as the box dematerialized. The man turned back to the students and hollered, "Alright! One at a time, let's move it!!"

One by one, they all stepped up to the gateway and hopped through. With every entrance Joey couldn't help but notice the machine give off a faint howl, growing louder each time. Louder, louder, louder.

Until he was the last one left.

"Henry, it's unstable!!" Alfred yelped, staring down at his many screens with a horrified expression. "This isn't right!! The schematics-"

"I KNOW, Alfred!!" the bald man (who was apparently Henry) roared back over the calamitous noise. He turned to look at Joey with a deadly urgent expression. "You don't have much time, you need to go!!"

Feeling terrified and confused, Joey stepped up to the machine. He had no idea what was going on, and he didn't know who to believe in terms of the situation. So he did the only thing he could fathom at that moment and jumped through.

Energy and color swirled around him as he felt like he was being sucked down a drain at light speed. His guts launched into his esophagus as he lost all sense of feeling and direction. The next moment he found himself colliding painfully into the ground. A bunch of high-pitched hollers and yelps erupted around him, which didn't help his disorientation.

Slowly getting to his feet while spitting out particles of dirt, he finally looked up. Before him the world was more colorful, and he instantly took notice of the large crowd of ponies standing at a safe distance away. The other four were hunched over as ponies in medical garb tended to them. At last, he made eye contact with a particularly purple unicorn with wings; she was also yelling in his direction.

That's when he also noticed them frantically beckoning for him to move in their direction. They looked... terrified?

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!!!" the lavender unicorn shouted in a near panicked voice.

That's when Joey - who was also now starting to panic - turned around to see a gateway machine of similar make directly behind him. Volts of electricity crackled out of control across its surface and a VERY black column of smoke rose form behind.

"Holy balls..." he said weakly.

The machine violently exploded, and everything went black.

As he finally put the finishing touches on his paper, Joey sat back and cracked his knuckles. All he had to do was turn this in, and he was done with his spring final exams. It had been a really hard month for him as his dad had passed away after heart surgery on the fifteenth of April. Fortunately Joey had managed to see him, and was even there at the time of his passing.

That was hardly a reassurance to him, however. He was now the last Belfort. No extended family, nothing. He was completely alone.

The slamming of the dorm room door jolted him out of his thoughts as Bill, his energetic and bouncy roommate, entered. Joey grinned at him, trying to make it appear as if he hadn't just been thinking of his father's death. He hadn't mentioned it to a soul, and he didn't really intend to.

Bill slapped Joey on the back. "Hey man, you were mentioning that no one was interested in having you on as an intern?"

"I'll figure it out, dude." Joey grunted. It was true, he needed to intern before he could graduate with a degree in cinematography (as well as a few other minor degrees). "I just need to keep looking."

"You know how I'm going on that Equestria trip, right?" Bill pressed.

Rolling his eyes, Joey let out a quick snort. "Yeah, that pony shit right? You only mention it every five god damn minutes."

Bill frowned. "I can be excited, alright? Anyways!" He slapped a folded up paper down in front of Joey. "Read it!"

Joey unfolded the paper and began to look it down. It was a waiver to the same trip that Bill was going on. "Is this...?"

Bill grinned from ear to ear. "The gang and I agreed to offer you the last spot. We still need someone to shoot video..."

"Of a bunch of horses? Do I look like a zoologist?" Joey griped, slapping the form back down on the desk. "I think I'll pass. If I ever run into a camera guy who's also a furry, I'll let you know."

"You gotta finish!" Bill insisted, causing Joey to fall silent again. "Did you even read the whole thing??"

Groaning, Joey picked up the paper once again and gave it a harder look. Indeed, at the very bottom the was a very tidy scrawl from the Dean of Students. It read:

Completion of this task will result as an adequate substitute for internship. It was then unmistakably signed.

Joey stared long and hard at the footnote. "Is this for real?"

"Real as rhythm!!" Bill gaily replied.

"That made no fuckin' sense, dude. Anyways, is the Dean actually serious about this?" Joey asked in disbelief. "It's only a two week trip! An internship lasts a whole semester!"

"He said something about experience..." Bill replied, scratching his head. "Anyways, you in? It would be pretty cool!"

Staring at the form Joey knew he couldn't pass this chance up. He grabbed the nearest pen, hesitated, and then signed his name.

Joey awoke to a splitting headache. When he opened his eyes, he didn't recognize the hospital room surrounding him. Then he remembered the machine, the smoke - then nothing else.

The door opened and a white mare with a nurse's cap stepped in. She noticed Joey sitting up in bed and let out a startled yelp. This caused Joey to jump and smack his arm on the bed frame. He let out a growl as he had hit it right on the funny bone.

The nurse regained herself and immediately began fussing over him. "Is your arm okay??? I didn't mean to startle you, I was just surprised that you finally woke up!! How are you feeling?"

"Slightly overwhelmed, you ask a lot of questions." Joey joked sarcastically, but the nurse didn't seem to take it as well. She looked slightly hurt and annoyed all at once, so he quickly added "Sorry, that was a joke. I have a headache, but I think I'm okay other than that."

The warm smile returned to the nurse's face. "Ah! Let me grab a painkiller for you, try to stay still alright dear?"

"Si senora." Joey murmured to himself, trying to ignore the throbbing pain as he looked around the room. It was your standard hospital room, minus the many bells and whistles they had back on Earth. "How long was I out, nurse...?"

"Redheart!" The mare answered as she returned with some medication and a glass of water. Her expression quickly became nervous as she cleared her throat. "And please don't panic, but... it's been eight days."

"Eight!!??" Joey yelped, before realizing that didn't help his head. He thanked the mare and downed the painkillers with the water before asking, "I've been out for eight days?"

"Yes, but most of that time you were intentionally sedated so your concussion could mend." Redheart replied, taking the glass from him. "It was quite a scene, everypony thought you had suffered worse when the gateway exploded!"

A lump formed in Joey's throat. "It... blew up? The gateway?"

Redheart hummed as she busied herself at a far counter. "Yes, it was really quite the sight! Fortunately nopony got hurt." Her smile faded as she turned to see Joey's fearful expression.

"So... we can't go back?" Joey asked weakly.

Redheart trotted over and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly, handing him more water. "Nopony said that, dear. The princesses will have it all fixed in no time, and you'll have a fun story to bring back to your family! Well, except for the 'getting hurt' part of it."

Joey choked on the sip he was taking as she said those words and managed to cough, "Yeah, cool."

"Careful now!" Redheart scolded softly, mopping his face with a towel. "Now you sit tight, I'll go ready the paperwork for your release!" She trotted out of the room, leaving Joey in silence.

He slowly got out of bed and hobbled over to the window (since he hadn't used his legs in a week). Throwing the curtains open, he looked over the small town outside. The feelings of nervous butterflies returned, as he now realized he was about to walk out into a completely new world.

2 - The Fifth Wheel

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Fortunately Joey didn't have to do much in terms of paperwork, simply signing his name acknowledging something about something medicinally-related. He followed Redheart to the lobby, where he was told that someone named 'Twilight' was waiting for him. There were a few ponies scattered about the place, and to him any one of them could have been a Twilight.

What he wasn't expecting was to see a small lizard/dinosaur thingy approach them. It was roughly two thirds of the height of a pony by the look of it, which meant it was as tall as Joey's hip. It smiled and extended a hand.

"Hi there! The name is Spike!" the thing said in a small masculine voice. Friendly nonetheless. Accepting his handshake, Joey was surprised to feel how warm his hand was.

"Er - is Twilight not coming?" Redheart asked, clearing her throat uncertainly.

"I'm here instead, she was busy." Spike answered while shrugging. "You know how she gets."

Redheart looked a bit shocked for a second before regaining her professional attitude. "That's alright then, All the paperwork has been taken care of by the princesses." Looking at Joey, she smiled faintly. "So sorry your time here had to start out like this."

"It happens, don't sweat it." Joey replied with a weak smile of his own, as if nearly dying from blowing up was a normal occurrence.

Spike tugged slightly on his pant leg. "Come on! I'm gonna show you where you'll be staying!" he said excitedly.

"Alright, alright." Joey chuckled. "Lead the way."

As the two of them made their way out of the hospital, Joey took in the scenery now that he was getting a closer look at the town. Somehow despite the fact that most of the buildings here had straw ceilings, none of it looked primitive.

"So..." he said awkwardly to the little lizard who was currently humming some tune he had never heard before. "What happened while I was out?"

Spike stopped humming. "Well, Pinkie threw her usual welcome parties. Actually, she threw four for each of the other humans. Obviously you couldn't get one since... you know..."

"Kind of hard to celebrate someone who is asleep, yeah." Joey agreed.

Spike seemed a bit relieved at this information. "Let's see, what else happened...? Oh! Princess Celestia and Luna both came to visit after the accident -"

Joey's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch.

"- so they could meet with your friends. They've been working hard on the fix to send you back! They'll definitely figure it out in no time, I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake compared to raising the sun."

"Raise the sun?? What the actual f- er, frick?" Joey stammered, not wanting to swear and make a bad impression. "What do you mean?"

This triggered a long winded explanation from Spike about how there were four diarchs and what they each governed. The chiefest of them, Celestia, governed the day and sun while her sister Luna governed the night. Another by the name of Cadance ruled another realm to the north, and the last one of the bunch...

"Her name is Twilight!" Spike said cheerfully.

Joey stopped. "Wait, so you mean the one that was supposed to pick me up...?"

"Yep!!" Spike said, waving back at a pony who had initiated.

Looking around again, Joey noticed the stares he was getting. Not in the sense that it was unwelcome, if he had seen someone emerge from a hospital after surviving an explosion he would stare too. Some of them even smiled and waved as he made eye contact. Feeling awkward but liking the acknowledgement, he waved back.

"Anyways, Twilight has been super busy with the other princesses about finding a fix to the machine." Spike explained. "She has to put a lot more work in then the other princesses since they all have their own responsibilities on top of this."

"Where are the others?" Joey asked, catching Spike unawares.

"Ummm... not sure. I know that they've been doing a lot of work either in the nearby cafe or Sugarcube Corner." He looked up and smiled. "And we're here!"

Joey noticed that they were on the outskirts of the town, but other than that the home in front of him looked identical to the others. He watched as Spike went ahead of him with the key and opened the door. Stepping inside, it really was a cozy interior. Finished floors, furniture, it had everything. The ceiling was unsurprisingly low, as this house was clearly made for pony use.

Spike watched as Joey explored a bit more. To his left the room opened up into a nice living space, with larger blue armchair sitting in front of the fire accompanied with a small reading table next to it. A larger couch rested up against the wall behind a coffee table. To his right was a dining room that extended into a kitchen if you walked further back into the house. A small staircase leading upstairs sat ten feet from the door; at the top there was a bedroom to the left and an unusually spacious bathroom to the right.

Walking back down the stairs he asked Spike, "Am I the only one living here? Where are the others staying?"

"You have the whole place to yourself!" Spike beamed. "The other humans are staying somewhere closer to the town square in duplex borrowed homes."

"That's... kind of awesome, honestly." Joey sighed, looking at the armchair. That would be a great place to read his comfort books, in front of a roaring fire... just the thought of it made him slightly giddy. "So what happens now?"

"Applejack will be bringing your stuff over here soon, so you should probably wait here." Spike answered, looking awkward himself.

Joey walked over to the armchair and sat down. Nothing particularly special about it, but it was certainly comfortable. He also realized it swiveled, so he turned to face Spike again. The poor guy seemed unsure of what to do with himself.

"You wanna sit down?" Joey offered, gesturing to the couch. "You look the same way I feel right now." Spike shot him a confused look, so he quickly added "Awkward as hell."

The little dinosaur finally understood and let out a hearty laugh (or as hearty as it could be for someone of his size) and he took a seat.

"So sorry if this sounds rude, but what are you exactly?" Joey asked politely. "A dinosaur?"

"Nope! Baby dragon!" Spike answered, causing Joey's eyes to widen. "Also, what's a... dining-soar?"

"Uh - er - it's pronounced 'di-no-saur'..." Joey corrected, trying to process the crazy thing he had just been told. "You're a dragon!?"

"I can breathe fire too!!" the little drake boasted, puffing out his chest. It was kind of adorable.

"Are there other dragons? How the hell did you end with ponies?" Joey pressed. As he was a closet geek about anything fantasy, this was a bit unreal for him. He had to know more.

The two of them had great conversation. It began with Joey's constant questions about dragons and Spike's history with the ponies (which was kind of wholesome) but slowly turned into talk of the world itself. There was so much information to process, but it wasn't overwhelming - if anything Joey felt as if he had been talking with an old friend the whole time.

Suddenly a knock came on the door, and Joey stood up to answer. When he opened it he found an orange mare with a straw-colored mane wearing a stetson standing there with all of his bags. She beamed up at him.

"Well howdy!! Great to finally meet ya!" she said in a heavy southern drawl. "Ah'm Applejack! I can see yer getting settled in, want any help?"

"Oh! - uh..." he stammered. Gesturing around behind him he answered, "I'm just hanging out with Spike."

"Hay, I forgot that Twi was busy!" the farm-pony exclaimed. "Right - well here, lemme bring yer stuff inside! Also, Ah didn't catch yer name?"

"Er - Joey, my name is Joey." he answered, stepping aside to let her in. "Isn't all of that heavy?"

Spike let out a snort. Applejack put his stuff down gently, barking out a laugh herself. "Heavy for lil' old me? No way in hay, Ah didn't feel a single thing! It was nuthin compared to the apple carts on the farm!"

"Farm?" Joey repeated, hardly surprised at all. "You farm apples?"

"Mhm!" she replied, beaming. "You'll never find any better in all of Equestria!!!"

"That's what any farmer would say about their own goods to be fair." Joey replied jokingly, but Applejack didn't seem to think it was a joke.

"Now Ah wanna here none of that, you can't say that without tryin' them first." she said with a frown.

"Ah - sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you!" Joey hastily said. "Just a joke. Sorry."

Applejack shrugged. "None taken. Good to see ya up and about! Ah have some other things to get done today, so Ah'll see y'all around! See ya, Spike!"

The dragon bid a cheery goodbye as she left. It may have just been Joey's imagination, but she seemed colder than she had previously been. Spike seemed to notice the look on Joey's face betraying him and got to his feet.

"Awe, don't worry about her. She's just very protective of her job, the farm has been running in her family for generations." he said in a reassuring tone. "She'll come around."

"Generations, huh?" Joey murmured. "And I just insulted it."

Spike didn't know what to say to this.

The evening air was a perfect temperature as Joey explored the town, looking for the other four humans. His venture had eventually taken him to a building the other folks had said was Sugarcube Corner, and if there was ever to be such a building it would have definitely been the Hansel-and-Gretel-ass looking thing. It seemed to have literally been built from baked goods. Probably not.

He stepped inside and looked around. It seemed to be laid out like a cafe rather than a bakery, with sit in dining spots scattered orderly about the room. Then he saw them, sitting in a booth in a far corner, laughing and... sketching? Writing? It was hard to tell from there.

He slowly made his way over to their spot. As he approached, Andre had looked up and met Joey's gaze. He immediately got to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. "Dude!! You're out of the hospital!"

The rest of the group spun around and upon seeing Joey got to their feet as well. Bill gave him a great big hug, which was a little awkward for him, but all the same a mysterious feeling of relief washed over Joey as well.

"How are you feeling?" Ginger asked him.

"Pretty great considering I almost blew up." Joey joked with a grin. "Maybe a singe mark or two on my ass."

"You were facing towards the explosion, I thought!" Bill cried as the others laughed (except Clara, who was kind of a wet blanket when it came to humor like this).

"You think too much!" Joey laughed. "So, what are you guys working on?"

"Oh! Right!" Andre exclaimed, motioning for everyone to sit back down. Joey pulled up a chair as his acquaintance explained. "So right now we're covering important points that definitely need to be covered."

Looking down, Joey noticed a large web diagram. "Oh, makes sense. Kind of like creating a baseline to go off of?"

"Exactly. We can't cover all bases here in a one-hour documentary, but maybe seeing these plans will give you some sort of prompt for filming ideas."

"We do have some extra time to work on everything, so there's no rush to get footage right now." Clara intervened. "So take your time and think about these things so you don't mess it up."

No one else seemed to pick up on her passive-aggressive stance. Based on the very little Joey knew about her it would have been unfair to jump to conclusions, but she seemed like the exact kind of person that would get under his skin without even trying.

"I'll do my best." Joey replied without any tone, trying to play it down. It worked, since no one batted an eye.

The group, now fully united at last, continued laying the foundation of their project. Every now and then small talk would sprout up.

"Have you met any of the ponies since you left the hospital?" Bill asked.

"Applejack delivered his stuff and Twilight showed him to his borrowed home." Ginger pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Bill hummed. "How did that go Joey?"

"Applejack was nice, but Twilight was busy so she sent her assistant Spike instead." Joey replied. "Can you guys believe that Spike is an actual dragon? That's wild."

"You didn't know?" Clara huffed as she stared down at the script she had been writing.

"I was in a hospital bed for a week." Joey deadpanned.

Clara hastily looked up apologetically. "Oh... right. Sorry." A heavy awkward silence followed as none of them really knew what to say that could help.

The silence was broken when a super squeaky voice interrupted them from their work. "Anymore milkshakes for my newest friends?"

Joey turned around to see a pink mare with the poofiest mane he had ever seen. "Oh no thanks, nothing for me. I didn't bring any money."

"Don't worry about that, silly!!" she chirped. "Everything here for you guys is already covered!" Then she opened her eyes to see who she was talking to, and eyes doubled in size as she let out a very loud gasp. "OHMYGOSH! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S BEEN GONE! YOU'RE BACK!!"

Joey felt eyes from all across the joint as he cleare3d his throat uncomfortably. "Er, yeah - that's me, heh. Explody McGee." Why the fuck did you have to make that joke? No one's going to laugh!!

He heard a giggle coming from the booth. Okay, so maybe Bill laughed.

"It's so good to see that you're okay!!! I remember when it happened and everypony was soooooooo scared but then when we heard you were fine just asleep we were like 'Okay!' but then everyone's gotten to know the others and have never seen you out and about yet so now it's kind of weird for everypony but to me I'm excited!!!! Oh oh oh that means we can -"

"Sorry to interrupt, Pinkie, but we'll take another round of shakes!" Andre intervened, stopping the pink chatterbox effectively. "Same flavors as last time - Joey, what do you want?"

"Just surprise me, I'm sure all of it's good." Joey replied dismissively. He had always been a good listener, so naturally he had caught every word that Pinkie had said. She definitely meant well, but that weird anxious feeling had returned.

She agreed excitedly and left to get their treats. Bill gave Joey a smirk. "She's kind of like that. You'll get used to it."

"I think it's pretty great, it's rare to see someone like that nowadays." Joey replied, turning back to the footnotes he had been taking. It wasn't anything organized, just an untidy scrawl of different techniques and angles he could use for certain parts of the filming.

For the most part, ponies didn't bother them. A few came up and greeted the others, making him feel a bit left out, but a couple introduced themselves. Overall this place was actually pretty nice... not too different from home.

Home... even if they did return, where would he go? Who would he spend the holidays with...?

He shook his head. No, no thinking like that. Bad time.

"Need help?" Bill asked, who had noticed Joey's movement. "Maybe an idea?"

"Wha-? Oh no, but thank you!" he replied, faking a smile. That was close.

The sun slowly sank beyond the rooftops as they worked, and the sky turned a deep lavender. Ponies began to leave the shop. Soon Pinkie came up to them and informed them that it was closing time. As they all began to clean up, she added "Are you four going to be there for Applebloom's dinner party? She really wanted you four to be there!"

"Absolutely!" Andre confirmed, and Joey watched as the other three also gave the affirmatives. Dinner party? What dinner party?

As they began to vacate the shop, Joey had a dilemma. We wasn't usually a party goer, but this could be a good chance for him to meet new people - er, ponies. He had to work up the courage to finally speak as they walked out onto the cobbled street.

"Hey, um - got room for one more?" he asked as everyone began heading off to the left.

"OH YEAH! We have another!! The more the merrier, teehee!!" Pinkie squealed.

"The Apple family didn't have enough spots, remember?" Clara sighed. "They were very clear they wanted it to be a smaller party, invitation only. Especially to you, Pinkie."

"Oh, right..."

"It wasn't anything personal, Joey." Bill butted in apologetically. "What Clara is trying to say is that this had all been planned out since four days ago, while you were still... you know."

"Yeah! I get it guys, no worries." Joey replied with an awkward laugh. "I didn't want to intrude anyway, but I figured I might as well ask."

"We're really sorry..." Ginger said quietly.

"Guys! It's not a big deal. Go have fun at the party! There's always a next time, right?" Joey quickly said. He did believe his words, but it didn't make the situation sting any less. Even Clara's expression softened at this response. Pinkie looked like she was lost for words, so he gave her what he had hoped was a reassuring smile. It worked, because Pinkie smiled back.

"See you around, Joey. You remember where you're staying?" Bill asked.

"Yep! It's hard to miss. It's this way, so see ya." Joey responded, and began walking before a response could be made. Not that he heard one, anyway. Just chatter and laughter.

He made a couple wrong turns, but it wasn't too long before he got back to the borrowed home. Turning the key Spike had given him into the lock he entered. Closing the door behind him, he listened to the silence that now pressed in on him from all sides.

He simply just sat down on the armchair and stared out blankly into space.

"I guess I could just unpack." He muttered to himself.

3 - It Can't Hurt to Try

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Joey was a chronic night owl. Not that he particularly like the night, he just had a very bad habit of staying up way too late. College will do that to you.

Despite this he found himself awake a lot earlier than he normally was, trudging down the stairs at roughly 7 that morning. It wasn't until he got to the bottom of the stairs when he realized that he was hungry. He headed into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets for any food (or coffee - especially coffee). He did end up finding some old coffee, but it honestly didn't smell bad at all. Unfortunately, no food.

What was the deal on food and other necessities while they were here, anyway? Was he just expected to have brought money with him? They were told that there would be no exchanges in currency, so he didn't bother. So now what?

The coffee machine filled the room with a great smell as it brewed. Once it was done he helped himself to a cup and settled in the armchair with his filming notes. Couldn't hurt to get an early start. He'd worry about food later.

The minutes ticked by, and all he felt like he had done was stare blankly at the notes. Damn it, this was so much easier when there were others around. He stowed away the papers in his schoolbag end opened up his copy of The Hobbit. Nothing like a comfort book at times like these.

After what seemed like hardly any time a knock came at the door. He hadn't been expecting company at all. Well, he hadn't really known what to expect anyway.

He answered the door and found a familiar purple pony standing on his doorstep. Hard to tell what exactly she was beyond that; she had both wings AND a horn. Behind her stood a shy-looking pegasus with a very long pink mane.

"Ah - er, Joey, right?" the purple one said. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, but please just call me Twilight."

"Er... yeah, that's me." Joey replied tiredly. "I don't think we've met though..."

Twilight. Twilight. Wasn't that the name of the one who was supposed to accompany him from the hospital?

"Not yet, we haven't." Twilight replied with a sheepish smile. "Oh, right - this is Fluttershy!" The yellow one gave a weak smile.

"Nice to meet you." Joey said gently, giving her a weak smile in return. "So, uh - did you ladies need anything?" He then realized who he was talking to and gave a quick bow. This caused Twilight to giggle, and Joey instantly realized that this didn't seem to be something she normally had others do.

"Nope, but you do... if you don't mind..." Fluttershy said quietly. It was then Joey noticed the bags of what looked like groceries at their hooves.

"Oh, really? Well - um - thanks!" Joey stammered awkwardly, stepping aside to let them in. The two ponies beamed at him and walked inside.

"Hope we weren't interrupting anything!" Twilight called out to him from the kitchen. "I almost forgot to bring you all of this, I've been so busy working on the Gateway. Speaking of which," she added with a concerned look while walking up to Joey as he shut the door, "how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, thanks." Joey replied. The princess visibly relaxed, and he could see large bags under her eyes. "Have you figured out how to fix the machine yet?"

Twilight exchanged a nervous look with Fluttershy. "Well... maybe. Princess Celestia wants to meet with the five of you later today to explain the situation." She placed the groceries on the table as well as a small burlap bag of what sounded to be coins.

"That doesn't sound like good news..." Joey murmured, loud enough for the other two to hear.

Twilight raised her hooves. "Nothing's been set in stone, but... it's not looking too great right now." Her expression had grown considerably darker as she explained this, causing Joey to feel for her a bit.

"That had to have been really hard to say. Thank you for that, I can't imagine how hard this has been for you all." he said gently as he began to make his way into the kitchen.

Twilight sighed and gave him a smile. "You're the first one who's said that to any of us... thank you Joey. I honestly could say the same for you, especially if you guys get-" Her eyes went wide open as she seemed to have nearly said something she shouldn't.

Joey tried to ignore the anxious feeling swelling up within him like an emotional balloon. "Listen... when you realize that you want to do something but can't do it, you do what you can. As far as I can tell that's what it seems like. I can't personally bring myself to hold that over your heads." (He had learned that first bit from The Boondocks.)

Both Twilight and Fluttershy stared at him with, the prior had he mouth slightly agape. After a long silent pause, she said "That... was really deep. You have no idea how much that helps."

"I understand that there will be some sort of worst-case scenario, and honestly..." Joey paused, trying not to think about what that might be. "...as long as someone cares, it's still worth moving forward right? That's what my dad used to say."

"Used to?" Fluttershy asked, making Joey freeze up. He was not about to tell them about his father's death. Not only would this be a horrible time, but he had vowed to never mention it if he didn't have to. He wasn't going to seem like some attention-seeking sod.

"I... yeah, didn't talk to him as much when I moved out for college." Joey corrected hastily. He wasn't technically lying. "You know... long distance, and all."

The two other ponies nodded in understanding, but Fluttershy had a look about her that seemed to be gently drilling a hole right into his heart, right into a place where light would shine on his deepest secrets. It kind of terrified him.

The gentle pegasus smiled at him. "Well, please feel free to have tea at my house if you want to talk about it. Okay?"

Joey nodded as Twilight beamed at the two of them. What was that all about? Still, some part of that made a part of his chest hurt. Maybe he was feeling lonelier then he cared to admit, lonely enough for even such a simple invitation for tea to strike him deeply.

"When exactly does the Princess want us to meet her?" Joey asked. "Just so I don't accidentally miss it."

Twilight materialized a small pocket watch out of thin air (which was fucking awesome to watch) and glanced at it. "In about a half hour."

"I know you're busy, but... either of you want coffee?" Joey asked mildly, starting to feel embarrassed. He had been so awkwardly preoccupied by the unexpected conversations that he had forgotten to be a decent host. "Of course, if not I totally get it."

Twilight hesitated as she looked longingly at the coffee maker, then back to Joey. She wanted to stay clearly, but instead she sighed in a defeated manner. "Unfortunately, I can't. I need to reconvene with the others before we have the meeting. Sorry..."

Joey felt a large rush of admiration for the tired princess. "Well... it never hurts to try to make a friend." he chuckled awkwardly.

As Twilight walked out the door she turned and smiled at him. "Don't be ridiculous, we're already friends. You don't need to worry."

This hit home as Joey watched her leave. That easy, huh? It's not that he never had friends, but after a certain point... he kind of just shut off. Things got hard for him and his dad, so he just simply didn't have the energy for friendships anymore. He then noticed Fluttershy, who was still standing there.

"I'll have some coffee." she said warmly. "It seems like you needed some company."

"Oh! Um - yeah, lemme get you hooked up!" Joey managed breathlessly as he began to fumble around to get her a cup. She took a seat at the table, humming until he set a steaming mug in front of her.

"Thank you." she said sweetly.

"Cream?"

"Oh yes, please."

Joey began to put the cold foods in the fridge as Fluttershy continued to hum. She then looked at him. "Have you had any pets before, Joey?"

"A couple, although only one of them was actually mine." he replied as he put the last of the vegetables inside and closed the door. "My family had a cat for a while, her name was Indigo. Just a normal grey one, I'm not sure what breed they called it. In college I had a parrot, his name was blue."

"Oh, I love birds!" Fluttershy gushed. "What kind of parrot was it?"

"A green cheek, I think? Gorgeous blue one. Got him when he was six months old..." he trailed off, standing over the coffee machine as he had remembered something quite unpleasant.

"Did... something happen to him?" Fluttershy asked.

Joey sighed, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Yeah... actually, yeah. Heart attack. I had him for a year, and then one day while I was doing homework, he started struggling and... well, died in my hand."

Fluttershy gasped. Joey shook his head as he sat across from her at the table.

"It's not that big of a deal anymore." Joey reassured her. "As it turns out it was gonna happen anyway. Genetics. Apparently some birds die young like that, according to the vet. It was really sad, but dammit the little guy definitely lived a really good year with me."

Fluttershy looked like she wanted to cry, but instead she gave him a watery smile and sipped her coffee. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I've had animals pass away too, so I understand. You seemed to have handled it really well."

"As well as I probably could have, anyway." Joey chuckled nervously. He had intentionally omitted that the day poor Blue had died was his birthday; the story was sad enough as it is.

"My mom always told me that the way somepony treats the creatures who are weaker and need help says a lot about who they are on the inside." Fluttershy said wisely.

"Heh, so true. Same goes for how they treat waiters." Joey joked. Scrunching up his face he did his best impression of an annoying customer. "Excuse me, this soup is three and a half degrees cold! Let me see your manager!"

Fluttershy laughed. The joke felt kind of weak to Joey in all honesty, but a laugh was a laugh.

The two of them continued talking some more, and Joey learned that coincidentally Fluttershy was very good friends with Pinkie and Applejack too (he was reassured by the pegasus that Applejack wouldn't harbor any bitter feelings towards him for what he had said the previous day). He was told about the other two friends in their circle, a daredevil and a fashionista. Weird flex, but okay. Opposites attract sometimes.

Finally Fluttershy looked at the clock and let out a squeak of alarm, causing Joey to smack his knee on the underside of the table. "Oh no!!!! The meeting!! Joey, we need to get to the castle!"

Joey groaned. "Castle?"

Fluttershy gently nudged the young man to his feet and out the door. As he locked it behind him, he took a deep breath. "Alright, where is this castle?" As he asked this, he saw the very large, crystalline structure resembling a tree on the other side of town and felt very stupid in that instant.

"We'll be late if we walk..." Fluttershy hummed nervously. It was so weird to see her with this much energy after the first impression from not even an hour ago. She turned to him and asked, "Can you ride?"

"Ride, as in ride your back?" he asked incredulously. He was a whole head and shoulders taller than the average pony. "You can't be serious."

"Don't worry, I'll be very gentle." she said with a reassuring smile.

"That's not what I'm worried about..." Joey groaned as he conceded. Weirdly enough she seemed to hold his weight exceptionally well as he took his seat. This was fucking weird.

"Hold on!" she advised, flapping her wings. Lift off. This was also when Joey realized that he had never been on the back of any equine creature ever. Not a good time to remember this factoid.

The entirety of the very short flight was a blur, for most of it he simply tried to focus on holding tight. They landed outside the doors, where the other humans stood with amused expressions. Joey dismounted, feeling his face burn with embarrassment.

"What the hell was that?" Bill guffawed. "There's no way you came here like that!"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Joey hissed quietly as he approached them. Fluttershy didn't seem to understand what the fuss was about.

The snickers from the others died down as the large double doors opened to reveal Twilight and two other unicorn-pegasus ponies - no, scratch that. They were each the size of horses. The largest was a white one, while the slightly smaller one to her right was a deep navy blue. The crowns on their heads couldn't have been more obvious giveaways, these were the other princesses.

All of them had humongous bags under their eyes. He felt the same surge of respect he had experienced back at the house rise up again.

"Thank you all for coming." the larger one said in a calming regal voice. "Let's take this conversation indoors."

The group followed the three royal figures down a large hall and into a huge room. An enormous crystal table dominated the room, surrounded by many chairs of the same make. Joey recognized most of the ponies sitting in them - Applejack, Pinkie, and now Fluttershy was taking her place among them - as well as two more. Joey assumed they were Dash and Rarity, the last two of that aforementioned friend group.

There were some other chairs that had been pulled up for the humans. There were only four however.

Twilight noticed Joey awkwardly standing there and gasped. "I'm sorry, Joey!" A chair materialized out of thin air.

As he took his seat, he had caught the gaze of the darker princess. "So this is the last of you! I confess I haven't learned your name before this, Joey." she said apologetically. "I am Princess Luna, and this is my sister."

As she gestured to the white princess, her sister smiled. "I am Princess Celestia. I'm hoping you are feeling alright? That was quite the scare when you arrived."

"I'm feeling fine..." Joey said in a small voice. So many eyes on him at once, this was super awkward. "It could have been way worse."

"We are glad to see you in good health." Celestia said warmly. She then stood up and cleared her throat, and now all eyes were on her.

Joey swallowed, feeling anxious.

"I will begin with the good news." Celestia began. "Unfortunately, there is little in terms of it. Twilight, my sister, and myself have all been working tirelessly for a fix to the gateway. The only good news we can offer is that we haven't concluded that it can't be done. There is some hope."

Joey looked at the others humans, all of whom exchanged nervous glances with one another. That was the good news?

Celestia took a deep, almighty breath, clearly preparing herself. "The bad news is that our window is extremely small. We will have a full moon in a week, and if a connection to your home hasn't been established, then... well..."

"We'll be stuck here... forever?" Ginger asked meekly.

Celestia closed her eyes and nodded, which caused the table to gasp quietly (except for the princesses). "I do not want to give you false hope. It is looking less likely we will be able to succeed with every passing day. There are some parts of the Machine we fear maybe be irreplaceable. The chances are low."

There was a deathly silence.

The white diarch then frowned determinedly. "I will swear to each and every one of you, however, that as long as there is any chance at all I will fight as hard as I can to send you home." Her colleagues also seemed to share this fierce ideal.

"But... what happens if we can't go home?" Andre asks. "What will we do?"

Celestia looked deeply into each of their eyes, including Joey's. "I can promise you we will do everything in our power to provide you with the means to have a good life here. That is at the very least absolutely certain."

The other ponies all joined in with a determined murmur. Joey was having a hard time processing this... he knew they all would be.

"We can throw a 'Cheer up the Humans' party!!!" Pinkie squeaked, beginning to bounce up and down in her seat at the very idea.

"Pinkie!" Twilight scolded. "I don't think that's-"

"I for one think that is a lovely idea, Pinkamena." Celestia intervened. "A party won't indeed fix anything, but at the very least it will be a welcome distraction for our poor friends."

The pink mare saluted the princess. "I will start preparing right after we're done! Heehee!"

Somehow, her giggles didn't feel insulting. It almost seemed to bring life to the seemingly dead room. Joey couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly at her disposition.

Celestia sighed. "With all that in mind, we will call another meeting at the end of the week. I'm dearly hoping it will be a happier one."

Luna wrapped a wing around her sister to comfort her. For some reason Joey felt a twinge of sadness as he watched this happen.

As the humans cleared out, none of them said a word. Twilight's friends had gotten right to comforting them as much as they could. Joey trailed a little ways behind them, staring blankly as he walked down the front steps. He felt a wing catch his shoulder and he looked around to see Celestia.

"I am truly sorry I haven't been able to meet with you sooner. Have you managed to get accumulated at all?" she asked, looking at him intently.

"Too soon to tell, I think. Thank you, though, your highness." he replied, bowing his head slightly.

"Just Celestia, please." she insisted firmly. "Twilight mentioned your kind words to us. That level of understanding is very meaningful to us, thank you."

"I just had someone who taught me well. It really isn't any trouble." Joey said, thinking of his dad smiling at him from his hospital bed. "I know it isn't easy for you all, you all look exhausted. It's the least I can do to show thanks."

She smiled at him, and this time it felt truly genuine - a real moment of exposure. Her eyes seemed to search within his own, though, and then dilated ever so slightly. "Please know you won't walk alone, no matter what happens. I promise."

Joey finally managed a smile himself. "Thank you princ- I mean, Celestia."

Pinkie had reserved the town's pub for the party that night. This struck Joey as a little weird, since he never really imagined the ponies here to be alcohol consumers.

For the most part it was relatively tame. There was a snack table of course, and all the drinks were paid for. Many tables had been moved out of the middle to make room for a small dance floor, but there were still many places to sit around the edges of the room.

Joey had relatively high hopes for this one. Despite the weird invitation business with that dinner party the others had attended without him the day before, this felt like a real chance to make connections. Maybe even friends. Making small talk was easy with some of the ponies that attended, and he made sure to ask them lots of questions about themselves. This was a golden rule for getting to know others, it showed them value.

However as much as this strategy did just that, it seemed to do only just that. It wasn't like whoever he was talking to wanted to avoid him. A bit of the opposite, really - he answered plenty of questions regarding the explosion. After talking about the topic briefly though, they would just seem to grow uninterested. Not in the blatantly rude way, it was usually in a way where they would politely excuse themselves because there was someone (or somepony) they wanted to go talk to instead. No hard feelings.

It started to wear on Joey after this happened the eleventh time. Of course his confidence began to wane after the sixth ended conversation, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.

After the sixteenth snub, he finally accepted the fact that he simply wasn't that terribly interesting to others. Unfortunate. He took a seat at the bar and ordered a pint of whatever they had on tap. He might as well have a drink while they were free, he felt like he at least deserved this after many disappointing attempts to socialize. Not failures per se, just... disappointments.

Still, he found himself sitting next to Bill and Andre of all people.

"Whaddya think? Nice place, right?" he asked Bill.

Bill looked over and offered a weak smile in return. "Yeah, kind of reminds you of a Dungeons and Dragons tavern doesn't it?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Joey said enthusiastically, raising his eyebrows. "So when do we find that brooding elf character in the corner that's gonna send us on a quest to find his missing sock?"

Bill sharply picked up on the joke. "Ah crap... he's not here?? He must have missed his cue. Maybe our Dungeon Master just sucks at his job."

"Yeah, you hear that!?" Joey called out as if speaking to some sort of deity that was listening in. The two of them shared a laugh.

Bill ordered two more drinks after Joey finished his own.

Feeling his spirits rise, he began to reminisce about his own fun (but nerdy) experiences with the game. He began recalling the story out loud to Bill about how his character had once given a child a rusty knife by accident when a couple of ponies butted in.

"You would do that?" one of the asked, looking put off.

"What-? No, it was just in a fantasy game." Joey explained. "Who would actually -?"

"Bill, is it true you got a job as an actual actor in a play back in your world?" the other pony asked, completely ignoring Joey. The one who had butted in also turned his attention towards Bill.

"Well it wasn't exactly a job, I was just lucky." Bill answered sheepishly.

"Really? You never told me." Joey said raising his eyebrows. "What play wa-"

"What was the play about?" the second pony asked again. She may have well just told Joey unintentionally to fuck off.

Bill then answered her question without missing a beat, as if Joey hadn't even made a sound. That one hurt a little bit. Trying not to be bitter, Joey decided to call it quits socially and resigned himself to a table on the far wall. It was hard not to brood as he worked on his drink, which had started to taste a lot more bitter than it had earlier.

As he sat, he slowly wondered if things would have been different if he had never gone to the hospital. Yeah, that had to be it. Right? Then maybe he could be sitting somewhere talking happily with someone, or somepony, like Bill was talking with those other two (one had even taken the vacant seat where Joey had been moments before).

Looking around, Joey realized that all of his peers were in similar company. Company that seemed to actively want to be around them. He stared at his feet, trying to ignore the feeling of loneliness that had begun to seep into his own thoughts.

He heard a chair move next to him, and he looked to see the posh looking mare - Rarity - take a seat.

She smiled at him. "Can you remind me of your name, darling? I'm terribly sorry, I haven't had the chance to talk with you yet."

"Joey. Also don't worry about it, I understand." he responded with his own smile. It was a bit awkward that he was now being approached.

"Right then!" she chirped. "So Joey, darling, how have you been holding up with the news?"

"About as well as the rest of them." he replied evasively. The last thing he wanted to do was to garner any sympathy he didn't need. It was equally painful for all of them in different ways, he wasn't going to try to one-up their anxiety. That would have been extraordinarily cringe worthy.

She did give him a sad look before looking out worriedly at the others. "I can't imagine... the thoughts of being... well. Saying it probably doesn't help, I'm awfully sorry."

"Don't be." Joey stated matter-of-factly. "It sucks, but that's just the reality of it. I don't like it any more than they do, but it would feel dumb to sneak around it."

Rarity stared at him, then back out at the others again. She hummed in thought for a couple moments, then suddenly stood up again. "It was splendid meeting you, darling. I do hope you'll be able to relax throughout this coming week. Stress can make somepony forget to take care of themselves."

Aaaaaaaand she was gone, leaving Joey blinking at what just happened. He downed his pint and got up. This party wasn't getting any better. He ordered another from the counter, downed it, and left. He had been so inside his own head that he didn't even realize he had pounded down three pints of alcohol.

Pinkie stopped him on the way out of the door as he stepped into the street. He managed to shake her off, insisting that he was tired, and that seemed to be good enough for her. As he trudged back to the borrowed home, he wondered that if he had been one of the others, maybe she would have showed more concern.

The walk went from bleary, to fuzzy, to dizzy. Fortunately by then he had made it back and wasted no time getting to the toilet. He would spend the next two hours knelt there, heaving up anything he had eaten in the last four hours. Feeling more miserable than he had in a good long while, he managed to climb into bed where he finally blacked out.

Hopefully things would change. After tonight, however, he was not so certain anymore.

4 - Bad Tidings

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Joey and his father rushed down the hospital corridor. When they had heard the news about the car wreck involving his mother, brother, and sister, his world seemed to have come to an absolute stop. Some stupid idiot decided to start driving while intoxicated, and now...

His older sister was pronounced dead on the scene. His mother had died earlier that day in the ambulance. His kid brother was the only survivor left, and in critical condition.

The two entered a room, and once his brother came into view Joey almost cried. His poor brother lay there hooked up to all sorts of various machines. He looked past the breathing tubes at them.

"Mr. Belfort, I'm sorry." the doctor said solemnly. "We did everything we could, but... now is the time to say anything you wanted to say before he passes."

Joey couldn't believe his ears. No. No. This couldn't be happening. Not little Caleb. How could this even happen?? In the blink of an eye he had lost nearly half of his family. Seeing Caleb like this was beyond him entirely, Joey just couldn't believe any of it. As he knelt down next to the bed, Caleb stretched out a hand.

"Oh, Caleb..." his father choked up as he too joined Joey at the bedside. "Look at me. Look at me - everything is going to be okay. Okay?"

Caleb looked blearily from his father back to his brother. Behind the pain in his eyes, there was a look of fear. Joey grabbed his hand and held it tightly.

"I'm so sorry, buddy..." their father continued to say, as a single tear escaped down his cheek. "Tell mom and your sister Katy that we love you guys, okay? Okay, Caleb?"

"Don't go..." was all Joey could manage to weakly say. He felt Caleb's hand go limp in his own as those pained eyes glossed over. That was it. He began to bawl, placing his forehead to Caleb's lifeless palm.

His father slung an arm over Joey's back to comfort him, but he could feel the poor man's chest heave as he cried with him. It was so unfair. They hardly even got the chance to say goodbye. This was cruel. So cruel.

Life... was cruel.

Joey sat up in his bed gasping for air. The memory rang in his head, sharp and clear. It had happened when he was a junior in high school - almost four years ago - but the memories still plagued his nightmares on a nearly nightly basis.

Something felt off about it, however. This time it felt a bit different than usual, almost as if someone else was with him in the room with his father when Caleb died. Other than the doctor, that is. Maybe it was just him, or the effects of the alcohol.

Caleb... Joey missed him. A lot. The kid had the most optimistic attitude out of anyone he had ever known. Often times he found himself admiring that about him and striven to be more like that himself.

Joey had always tended to be more of a cynical person. One of the reasons he decided to come to Equestria was to learn from them, to practice mindsets that weren't as negative.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. His head began to pound, definitely because of a hangover. Maybe he could sleep it off.

The headache did not get any better, nor did the social situation in Joey's eyes. For the first few days he joined the other four in attempts to get some project planning in, but they were all too anxious about whether or not it would matter. Because of this they hardly got any work done.

From Joey's point of view the others seemed to confide in one another quite often. They had known one another for much longer then he had, so it was understandable that in such a stressful situation he would be the odd one out. This didn't make it any less demeaning, though. Sometimes he could have sworn he may not have been noticed if he hadn't said anything.

The days dragged on. It also seemed that the issues he had been having socializing at Pinkie's party carried through to every day life. Other ponies seemed to overlook him while he was in the presence of the others. He could tell it wasn't intentional, but that almost made it worse. Even Fluttershy, whom he had grown a bit fond of after that talk over coffee, seemed to overlook him just like the others.

The ponies had taken notice of the humans' change in demeanor. They had been extra friendly in public, waving hello and taking care to chat with them when possible. Joey definitely had his fair share of waves, but none of them seemed to bother talking to him. He had never felt more insignificant.

The afternoon before they would have the final meeting to discuss their fates with the princesses, Joey sat in a field with the others as they tried their best to concentrate on the project. Things were moving along, they had a very good layout of all the topics they wanted to cover. Then they were interrupted as a couple mares approached them with a picnic basket.

"Hey guys!" one of them said cheerily as she plopped the basket down next to them. She had a pale coat and a mane that was a deep claret. "Thought you might be hungry, so Lyra and I thought we'd bring you some lunch!"

The mint green unicorn next to her gave an enthusiastic nod. "What Roseluck said!"

The other four voiced their tired appreciation of this random act of kindness, all diving into the goodies they had been brought. Joey saw them pulling sandwiches from the basket and made his way over to grab one himself. Taking a discreet look inside, he noticed that there was nothing left. Looking at the others, they all had a sandwich of their own.

The mares had only brought four. He sat down awkwardly, feeling miserable. It happened again. Why hadn't he started to expect this by now? For some reason, this one moment particularly stung.

Andre noticed. "Oh - did you not get one?"

"Nah, there weren't enough." Joey replied, masking his mood. "It isn't a big deal."

"Oh - I forgot there were five!" Roseluck moaned. She really looked sorry about it, but Joey waved at her dismissively.

"Don't sweat it." he said simply.

Andre held out a piece of his own to Joey. "Here, I can share!"

"It's only a sandwich, chill out." Clara said coldly. "Quit making it a big deal."

"Clara's right." Joey pretended to agree. He was fighting with every fiber of his being to not shoot her a nasty look.

The mares gave him hurried apologies and left, clearly to embarrassed to stick around. Five was not a hard number to remember. Did missing out on eight days here really have this big of an impact?

"Aahh, screw this." Andre growled, stuffing his papers angrily into his backpack. "I can't focus. Anyone want to go bowling with me?"

"I will!" Bill gasped, hopping to his feet.

"Sure, why not?" Ginger sighed. "Clara, want to join us? We'd have a full lane!"

"Yeah, okay."

"You guys mind if I tag along?" Joey asked. Maybe some physical activity would be good for him right now.

"I'm pretty sure there are only four to a group." Clara answered quickly.

Joey raised an eyebrow. He could tell that she did not like him, but he had no clue why. "What? Since when? You can have as many as you want in a lane last I checked."

"She's actually right, Joey." Bill said, stepping in. "It's really stupid. Just a random dumb rule they have at the alleyway."

"Hold up, since when have you gone bowling here?" Joey asked suspiciously. The others (minus Clara) exchanged looks of guilt.

"We went while you were... you know. In the hospital." Andre said quietly.

Ouch. He watched in silence as the group began to leave. Surprisingly, Ginger lingered behind with an apologetic look. "You can come hang out with us. You don't have to be by yourself."

"I don't think Clara would like it very much if I did." Joey spat, catching the poor girl off guard. "Forget it. You guys have fun. I'll study camera angles or something stupid like that."

"Joey..."

He ignored her and picked up his satchel. This had gotten old. Same story every time, each one having the same ending. It couldn't have been more obvious. He was a nobody to everyone else. He kept walking until he found a good tree, then sat down against the trunk. He pulled out his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring and began reading, trying to put all of these stupid people and ponies out of mind.

The time had come. The princesses had called the meeting at last. The past week had been a blur for the humans with all of their anxiety. Once more they were seated in that crystal tree-castle (which apparently belonged to Twilight) and sat around the large table. Tension was at an all time high. It was deadly quiet, as none of the princesses seemed to have anything to say.

That wasn't a good sign. Joey gulped.

Celestia looked at each one of them in turn, her gaze never lingering on just one person for too long. The silence was deafening; even Pinkie sat completely still. "I'm going to get right to the point with you all... it is impossible to send you home. Even if we had more time, the Machine is magically beyond repair. The materials within are one of a kind and irreparable. We will never be able to send you back."

Andre groaned, placing his hand to his mouth. Bill and Clara sat there expressionlessly. Ginger began to cry. Joey... felt empty. Deep down he knew this was coming. He feared it, but some part of him had a strong feeling they would be stuck. He looked up at Celestia, who seemed ready to cry herself. For somepony who seemed to wear one hell of a mask, it was clear she was barely holding it together.

"We are here for all of you." Twilight said shakily as she began to cry as well. "Please know we didn't want any of this to happen. We can't imagine how hard this will be for you all, so please come to us if you need anything. Anything!!"

These words made Joey's spirit sink even lower for some reason. He hardly believed them. He hardly even registered the encouraging words from the others. He wondered if they even considered him as they offered them.

"My sister and I plan on announcing the news to the public at a formal event happening a couple days from now." Celestia continued, causing the other voices to cease. "We would love to have you there as personal guests."

"Formal event?" Bill asked weakly.

"The Grand Galloping Gala." Luna replied. "An annual ball reserved for special guests. We understand if you do not wish to attend, and if not we can announce the news another time. My sister and I thought it may be a welcome distraction, however. Whether or not you attend is up to you."

"So wait... you pretty much confirm that we're never going to see any of our friends and family back home again, and you invite us to a party right after??" Andre said shakily. He looked furious. "Does any of this even matter to you!?"

"Didn't you hear what she just said??" Joey snapped back, catching many of them by surprise. "She literally just told us that we are welcome to if wanted and that it MIGHT be a distraction!"

"Thanks for the input, but Andre has a point!" Clara said scathingly, standing to her feet.

"Alright then, what would you do in her shoes then???" Joey retorted, standing up himself. "Go on and let us know, since you wanna act like a genius!!"

Clara scowled at him, but before she could open up her mouth Celestia screamed "ENOUGH!!" Joey sat back down, fuming. Clara did the same. Celestia regarded them both strictly and with pity. "Now, more than ever, is not the time to be divided. I can only imagine how this will affect your relationships with one another, but I implore you all to stick together."

Andre looked down at the table. Bill seemed like his head was about to explode with how much he seemed to be holding in. Ginger had put her head down on the table, sobbing. Joey's mind just went blank. Another thing to add to his list of misery, apparently.

His hands began to tremble. He wouldn't be going back - he would never be around the landmarks he had known since a young age. No way to visit the graves of his family. No chance of him making a new family...

The others continued their conversation, but Joey could hardly acknowledge it. Intelligible warbles filled his ears as well as the sound of pounding blood growing steadily louder. He chanced a glance up, and no one in the room seemed to be acknowledging him. He couldn't stay here, just the sight of ponies made it hard to even breathe right now.

"Bathroom." he quietly murmured and quickly got out of his chair, hurrying from the room. Either no one paid him any mind or he didn't hear anything that was said

As he walked down the hall he ran into Spike, who was carrying a very tall stack of books. "Oh - hey Joey! Aren't you supposed to be at the meeting?" His voice was far and distant, barely understandable.

Joey walked past the young dragon, simply managing a nod at him. The door... where was the door? With every step it seemed like he was losing control of himself. Fortunately, this wasn't his first panic attack. He had been having them for a while now, ever since the passing of his siblings and mother (it only worsened after his father's death).

Eventually he did find the door, squinting for a brief moment because of the sunlight. He just needed to find a tree. Or something he could sit under by himself to calm down. That's how he always handled this. With a bit more looking, he found a nice small collection of trees on the outskirts of the town.

Leaning against it he closed his eyes, waiting for this nightmare to pass.

Hoping it would pass.

5 - So what now?

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"OW! Rarity! I think you poked me on accident!" Joey yelped, recoiling from the accidental prick from a needle. He was currently standing in her home that doubled as a boutique. It had been a couple days since the awful news had been dealt at that meeting, but all of the humans agreed to attend the Gala. At this point Joey was almost surprised that they remembered to ask him.

"I'm terribly sorry, darling, I'm still getting used to the dimensions you humans have." she replied gently as she added some stitches to a pant leg. "It's very hard to do without a mannequin."

"Oh... I didn't think about that."

"Don't worry about it, dear. Now hold still while I finish these last couple stitches and you'll be free to go." the fashionista replied while focused very carefully on the task at hand.

Sure enough, five minutes later Joey found himself at the door. "Thanks so much, Rarity. Are you sure about the payment?? I can pay you back once I find a job -"

"No no no, I simply cannot accept that." Rarity giggled. "It is my honor to be able to try my hoof at designing for you and your friends!"

Hmm. Friends, huh? Not exactly what he'd call them. Ever since he argued with Clara and Andre at the meeting they seemed distant. He didn't hate any of them (though he would have some choice words for Clara if he had the chance) and the thought of being separate from them made him feel...

...really, really lonely.

As Joey walked through town, he came to a stop outside the local movie theater. The bright and colorful posters hanging outside had caught his undivided attention. He really never really thought about it, but what were these pony-made films like? Would they compare to the ones back home?

His mind wandered even further. They definitely had books here, but what about music? How far had their entertainment industry come? Those were the areas he had hoped to work in back on Earth, maybe he could find a career like that here.

He peeled himself away from the posters and kept walking. As he moved through the market he caught Bill standing outside an apple stand - undoubtedly Applejack's. "Oi Bill! Are the apples any good?"

Bill gave a start and whipped around. "Oh! Yeah, they're pretty good. Best I've had at any rate. What brings you here?"

Joey waved his hand behind him. "Rarity was working on my tux for the Gala."

"Oh right, the Gala!" Bill's face fell a little bit. They both knew Celestia would be making the announcement about there extended stay at the supposedly prestigious dance. Party. Thingy. "Are you gonna bring anyone?"

"You can't be serious." Joey snorted. "Like who? The only two human girls here I barely even know."

"I guess that's a solid point." he agreed with a grim expression. "I guess you wouldn't have to bring a date. It is still a dance, after all."

"You read way too many romance mangas, Bill."

"Hey! It's a guilty pleasure!"

Joey let out a 'pff' and shook his head. "Isn't this stand Applejack's? Where is she?"

"She'll be right back, she's doing something." Bill responded. "I'm just waiting for them to return."

"Them?" Joey asked, blinking. "Is she with someone?"

"She was with me. Was there an issue?" said a familiar, very annoying voice. Joey turned to see Applejack and Clara walking their direction.

"Not particularly." Joey replied curtly. "Why did you have to say it like that?"

"Bill and I were doing something, you're just interrupting." she said with an annoyed look.

Joey felt his blood begin to boil again. "Alright, pause. Did I do something to you? You've been nothing but rude to me. For no reason."

"I don't have to tell you my reasons." Clara shot back. "The only reason you even came was to be our camera man. We don't need you butting into our group of friends."

"Well aren't you a piece of work!" Joey spat. "Aren't we all supposed to be in this together?"

"Guys, please..." Bill pleaded. Applejack seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"Find your own group of friends!" Clara snapped. "The others might not know who you are, but I do."

"I'm sorry, what??" Joey asked.

"What are you talking about, Clara?" Bill asked softly. At least Joey wasn't the only one who thought that had made no sense.

"His sister bullied me for years!!" she hissed, glaring daggers at him. "Your little brother was no better when they were in on it together!! Tossing rocks at me, stealing my bike, telling lies to people at school!!!"

Joey raked his mind. He vaguely remembered his siblings getting in trouble because of something that happened with the neighbor kid, but he was sure little Caleb was blameless. "Look, I don't know if that's true or not but if it is then I'm so-"

"IT WAS TRUE, OKAY!? QUIT THE ACT!!" Clara shouted, and now lots of ponies were looking their way. "YOU KNEW YOUR SISTER WAS A BULLY AND DID NOTHING!!"

"How is that my fault??" Joey argued. There was hardly any reasoning behind her tirade, only stupid fucking assumptions. "I literally have no idea when or where any of it happened!!"

"She has a point, Joey." Bill said softly, standing at her side. "You seriously had no idea? I can understand not knowing Clara's past, but you should have at least known how bad your sister was to her."

"Wha - how - wha??" Joey sputtered. "How does that even make sense? Are you actually agreeing with her on this??"

"She was bullied, Joey!! By your sister!! Of course she doesn't trust you!!" he argued.

"I'm not my sister!!" Joey angrily refuted. "She's just using my blood relation and her sob story as an excuse to be an absolute BITCH!!!"

Gasps erupted around the crowd that had been gathering. "HEY NOW!!" cried Applejack angrily.

Bill got up in Joey's face. "Don't. Call. Her. A. Bitch."

"What are you, her-" Joey began, but a sharp pain he felt in the back of his head as something hard collided with him made him stop. He looked around to see Applejack standing there with her hoof raised.

"You really need ter watch yer language." she said, looking pissed.

"Are you really siding with this bilge?" Joey snarled. "Whatever my sister may have done was not my fault!!!"

"Birds of a feather." Clara growled.

The injustice of this was making Joey's mind do somersaults. None of this made sense. Just a nonsensical outburst - and then when he made one slip-up, everyone was mad at him.

"I'm not even going to argue with you. You're just delusional with grief." Joey spat at Clara.

As he turned to leave Clara shouted, "WE'LL NEVER BE SEEING OUR FAMILIES AGAIN. REALLY??? YOU'RE JUST GOING TO USE A LOW-BLOW??"

No. This wasn't going to slide. He spun around to face her again. "IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, NEITHER WILL I!! DON'T MAKE THIS ABOUT YOU!!"

He stomped off, too angry to listen to anyone else. He was pretty sure he heard his name being called but he kept walking. If this was going to be his new life, he was going to be in for one hell of a ride. He was going home.

It had been two more days since the huge blowout in the marketplace, and Joey had stayed inside as soon as he got home for almost all of that time. He had picked up some copies of books about the entertainment industry while he was at it. If he was going to shut himself away for a bit, he might as well study up.

No one had bothered knocking. He wasn't surprised by this. At this point he was nearly certain that everyone either spited him or that he was just invisible. A bit of both. Regardless he had seriously considered moving away. Las Pegasus looked like the place to be if he wanted to make any sort of start with the career he wanted to have. He'd be happy with any job as long as it contributed something to the entertainment industry.

As he was reading up on the history of Equestrian movies (which was shockingly brief), he heard a knock at his door. Taking care to make no sound he crept over to the window to get a discreet look. It was Fluttershy. Normally he would have let her in, but she was frowning. Probably not a good sign. He would just pretend that he wasn't home.

Surprisingly, she persisted for a little while. "I know you're in there! Please talk to us. Please?"

"Maybe he did go out for a bit..." Bill's voice said. Joey clenched his jaw.

"Are you sure you haven't seen him since the fight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah... he stomped off and then we never..."

Their voices trailed off as they walked away. Joey lay down on the floor spread-eagled, feeling incredibly depressed. Good 'ol Bill.

"You sure it fits alright, dear?" Rarity asked as she finished tying the bow tie onto Joey's tuxedo. Two more days of sitting alone at home had passed (no one else came knocking, surprise surprise). It was the day of the Gala, and they would be taking the train up to 'Canterlot' (which was their capital, Joey had read up on it) where they would pretty much hop off and head straight to the party.

"Yeah, you've done an impressive job!" Joey praised, and he wasn't kidding. He had worn a tux on one other occasion - his dad's funeral - and it had been rather uncomfortable. This one, however, was extremely well-fitted. He could move his joints and would feel no tightness anywhere.

Rarity beamed, sensing the human's genuine appreciation. "I'm glad you think so, darling. You look very dashing in a suit, I must say!"

"You think so?" he asked, feeling very flattered. He wasn't often complimented on his looks. "That means a lot, Rarity. Thanks."

"I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" she asked in a tinkling voice. "Now, chop chop!! Everypony's waiting for us at the train station."

A lump formed in Joey's throat. He really didn't want to see the others. Especially Clara. After thinking about it for a bit, there was definitely more than just pettiness that would have driven her to have taken such a bias against him. It definitely had to have been some sort of trauma. In a way, he started to pity her. If he was right, how far did it go? What had his sister actually done?

Rarity must have seen the look on hi face betraying him. "Everything is going to be fine, darling. Applejack told me about what happened back there with Clara and Bill. I must say that while I can see where she was coming from, you did absolutely nothing wrong. Besides swearing, of course. You seem sorry enough about that anyway," she said with a half smile at Joey, who did not return it.

For such a small and simple fight, it felt stupid to think about how badly it affected him. He could see the others take Clara's side, and he wanted nothing to do with it anymore. If they wanted to push him out, it would only hurt more if he fought it.

The two of them walked to the station together, making small talk along the way. When they arrived they found Twilight and the others standing around in a huge group. Spike was there, too. If there was one here who Joey truly seemed to be seen by, it was Spike.

"Ah, Rarity! You two are here! Shall we get on?" Twilight asked brightly. Joey avoided the eyes of the other four humans at all cost.

Before he could get on the train, Applejack stopped him. "Ah'm sorry for what Ah did. Ah shouldn't have hit ya."

He really didn't feel like talking to her, even though she was being genuine. "Sure, no worries. Don't sweat it." Without another word he pushed past her onto the train.

There were many seats, many of which were mostly taken. As he walked by Bill's spot Bill tried to smile at him. Joey simply gave him a curt nod before sitting down. Even though Bill was the only one here who seemed to take him seriously, Joey was still upset about that reaction he had in the market. It made him wonder if he had a thing for Clara.

He took his seat as the train's whistle hollered in the distance. Fortunately it was empty, so he had plenty of space. He wasn't looking forward to the train ride since it probably involved thinking about things. Thinking about things would inevitably lead to thinking about being stuck here. He didn't want to do that.

Luckily he came prepared with headphones and his phone. One nice thing about this place was that Twilight had evidently given them all permanent battery life on their phones with magic. Even though it happened while he was in urgent care it didn't really phase him. Even though he couldn't call, text, or use the internet he could at least still listen to his music to his heart's content.

He would need it for the trip.

Canterlot was fucking cool. At least it was in Joey's nerdy mind. A city built on the tall slopes of a mountain with cool architecture? Yes please.

The princesses were there at the station to greet their special guests. As they all left the trains behind, Celestia, Luna, and a pink princess Joey had never seen smiled down at them. The pink one made eye contact with him, and instantly he felt her warm, piercing gaze, as if she was reading his mind.

Yikes. He hoped not.

"Welcome, all!" Celestia warmly announced. "I'm so glad you decided to join us tonight, human friends. Times are tough, and they will be tough. Starting tonight, let's make the most of what we have!"

She had a good point, thought Joey. Very wise. He still wasn't looking forward to this, but it was at least worth acknowledging.

They began making their way through the city. The locals seemed less friendly than those in Ponyville, but many still waved to the humans anyway. Humans were well known in Equestria, from what Joey knew. They had made a fair amount of visits through the gateway, but he may or may not have zoned out for many of the lectures before they made the trip.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and he looked over to see Bill "What?"

"Just - I don't know, man. I shouldn't of gotten angry at you like that." he murmured.

"Took you a while to admit it too." Joey said wryly. "It's fine. Don't sweat it." Before Bill could reply he quickened his pace so that it sent the message that the conversation was over. Just in time, too, because the gates to the castle were in sight.

If he struggled to socialize in normal day to day life, how on earth was he going to survive a party like this?

6 - The Gala's Consequence

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The train came to a squealing halt back at Ponyville Station, causing Joey to awaken with a start. He looked around wildly for a moment before a very heavy feeling settled onto his chest. The Gala. The speech.

Being forgotten once again. The panic attack he nearly had in front of dozens of ponies...

He strode back to the borrowed home. Checking the clock on his phone, it was 3AM local time. Despite only having slept three hours, he didn't feel tired at all. It was a bit nice walking this late, since the streets were completely empty and a peaceful, sleepy silence hung over the town. It was so serene he almost forgot about his situation for a moment.

Once he got home he paused, grasping the doorknob. He didn't really plan on coming back outside after this. Not until he had a plan going forward. He had done his research on the pony's entertainment industry and in his opinion, it was lacking. There was only one plan he had in mind, but it wasn't exactly the most creative. Potentially dishonorable, if he didn't do it a certain way.

Looking back out at the peaceful surroundings, he sighed and headed inside. No point. If he fell asleep under a tree he would inevitably be found. Right now he just wanted to be left alone. No doubt the princesses might try to get in touch with him about legal citizenship or something. Honestly, that was the only thing keeping him from disappearing to Las Pegasus.

Las Pegasus. The biggest and most renowned entertainment hub of all of Equestria. Home of one of the largest growing industries to date: film. Movies were seemingly on the rise here, which fortunately played right into Joey's strengths. If he could somehow bring some of his own favorite stories to life from back home... he would be able to have a career that would make all the pain worth it. Probably.

He walked upstairs to where he kept his personal bag. He withdrew a large paperback from it, laying it on the bed. He stared at it a moment, and took a deep breath. There were no stories in this world that even paralleled with this series. Or The Hobbit. As he gazed down at his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, he felt a strange excitement bubble up in him. If he could somehow recreate these for the ponies...

They would have a story that would shape the world of cinematography. At least he hoped so.

Canterlot.

Celestia felt exhausted as the last guests departed from the castle as the Gala had come to an end. Something about that speech had definitely gone wrong, she knew it. She couldn't exactly think of what that problem would even be, she was so emotional at that moment it was hard to do any thinking at all.

She readied herself with official documents that she would be presenting the five humans with as a formal means of granting them citizenship. Those poor humans... she wanted nothing more than to bawl and wrap them up in the tightest hug and assure them everything was going to be alright.

Especially that one she had hardly gotten the chance to speak with. Joey. He was putting on one hell of a strong face, she could tell. After all, she had been doing it for thousands of years. There was just something about him that made her heart bleed.

She entered the royal sitting room where everypony else was sitting. They were all quietly seated around the main table; Twilight and her friends were around the other humans consoling them and showing their support. This made her smile, she had taught her student well.

Luna and Cadance were there too, Cadance in particular seemed to be having a hard time holding it together. It was understandable, she had only just been filled in as of today about the catastrophe.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." she said softly as they all turned to look at her. "Even if it is only a formality, I have official documents for each of you that will offer personal proof of your citizenship. What you do with them is up to you."

She handed the stack of papers to Twilight, who began passing them around.

"You are all most welcome to stay here at the castle tonight, or as long as you need. You each have been given permanent ownership of the homes you have stayed in up until now." Celestia continued. "We will have advisors and therapists here tomorrow to help assist you in your future careers here in Equestria, or wherever you choose to end up. I would do this myself, as would Luna, but we both unfortunately have to run a kingdom.

"You are always welcome to the castle as dear friends. I can't imagine how hard this is for any of you, so please let myself and any of my fellow princesses know if we can -"

"Um, hold on...?" Twilight hummed nervously, looking down at the last few papers. "Only four of you are here? Where's the last one of you? Joey? Has anyone seen him?"

The other humans looked around in bewilderment. The other ponies were startled, they hadn't even realized they were one human short. Celestia's pupils shrank to the size of blueberries. Indeed, the very human she had thought of earlier wasn't even here. Then she remembered why her speech felt wrong.

She had forgotten to mention him. How did she manage to do that? Joey wasn't too much taller than the average pony, but he still shouldn't have been hard to miss. He must have taken that very hard... it was as if someone had shoved an ice cold dagger into her chest.

"Maybe he's still here in the castle." she said, keeping calm, and turned to the nearest guard. "Can you please bring the staff that attended the Gala? If anyone saw a human that wasn't in this room please bring them here."

The guard saluted and galloped off. She let out a long, shaky breath. The others in the room began to discuss among themselves looking nervous. Luna still looked surprised, continuing to look at the other humans as if she could have sworn they were all there.

"Celestia - have I met Joey yet?" Cadance asked in a worried voice.

"No... I forgot to introduce you to him." she replied wearily. "I haven't spoken with the young one as much as I had hoped either."

"He was the one caught in the explosion?" Cadance asked softly, and Celestia nodded. The pink princess sighed. "How has he been holding up so far?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that." Celestia answered. "That's what scares me the most, I think. I've heard plenty about the others - both from their own selves as well as what I've been told by Twilight and her friends. The only time I spoke with him was after the first meeting. He disappeared before the second meeting even ended."

"Your majesty, I have found a maid who saw the fifth human!" the guard said, returning to the room.

"Wonderful! Bring her in. Did you find Joey? The last human." she had to clarify the last bit after the guard looked a bit confused. He dropped to a knee.

"I'm sorry, your highness. I didn't know you wanted me to search for him as well." he apologized.

"Not yet - let's hear what the maid has to say first." she ordered, and the guard gave another salute. He left the room only to return moments later with a very nervous looking maid behind him.

Celestia knelt down to her eye level and smiled softly. "Thank you for answering my call. Did you see the human?"

"Yes, he left the castle shortly after the speech ended." she replied nervously. "He looked awful. Almost sick. I offered to call an ambulance, but he left before I could do anything else. I-I'm sorry..." she added meekly, bowing her head.

Celestia's suspicions had been confirmed. Her heart sank swiftly. "Rise, my little pony. You have done what you could. Thank you, you are free to go." The maid bowed and left the room. She turned once more to the same guard and ordered, "Do a very gentle sweep of the town. If you find him, please do not detain him. I'm sure he's under a lot of stress like his fellows. Please let us know of his whereabouts."

The guard nodded respectfully and once again galloped away. Celestia turned back to the group, feeling absolutely awful. She would sacrifice day court tomorrow in order to visit Joey if he was found. It was not only her duty, but she was extremely worried about him now.

"I think he left after I talked to him..." Bill announced quietly, looking absolutely morose. Everypony in the room turned attentively to him. "He didn't seem to want to be around me at all. I'm pretty sure he's still mad at me..."

"Why would he be upset with you?" Cadance asked, concerned.

Clara looked very uncomfortable, although a bit stoic all the same. Bill seemed to have a hard time talking about it. Celestia frowned slightly; what in the name of her mother had happened?

"If you don't mind me sayin', Princess, Bill and Clara got into a bit of an argument with him." Applejack explained.

"What was this squabble about, pray tell?" Luna chimed in, looking sternly interested herself.

Applejack looked to Bill, who nodded. She then looked at Clara who seemed to want to say something, then thought the better of it and stayed quiet. She sighed. "Ah was there, yer highnesses. Clara and Joey seem to have been fightin' over the fact that she was once bullied by his, um - older sis, right?"

"Yeah." Clara said with a frown.

"Right, his older sis. Now she's holdin' it over his head even though it sounds like the feller has done nuthin wrong himself. I will admit, he seemed to get mighty bitter when Clara here mentioned his sister."

"Is this true?" Celestia asked.

"Well yes, but -!" Clara began, but she went quiet under Bill's stern glare. "Yeah. It's true."

"I'm sorry that his kin would do such a thing." Luna acknowledged. "Has Joey ever done anything to wrong you himself?"

"Well... no." she admitted in a strained voice.

"Was Joey trying to defend his sister's actions?" Celestia pressed.

"Probably..." Clara grunted. "He's -"

"No, he wasn't!" Bill said angrily. "Look Clara, you have every right to be upset about his sister. I don't know Joey that well, but I was his roommate. If he was here he would have been the LAST person to bully anyone!"

"So why did he get his apples in a knot when she mentioned his sis?" Applejack asked suspiciously. "That doesn't make a lick of sense to me."

Bill seemed lost for an answer. Surprisingly, Clara spoke up.

"I dunno. Maybe because she died."

There was a heavy, heavy silence in the room. Most there couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Are - are you serious about that, darling?" Rarity asked quietly.

Clara looked super uncomfortable now. "Well... yeah. It happened years ago. Car crash, I think. That's all I know."

"This changes everything about your fight, I hope you understand." Celestia said sternly, trying to fight back the emotion pouring over her in that instant. "If this is true, than Joey is not in the wrong. Not in the slightest. I'm not asking you to like him if you don't want to, but all of you are in this together. I'm very disappointed."

Clara looked completely humiliated under the shocked stares she had been receiving. She still had a slightly stubborn look on her face, but she didn't argue.

Celestia walked over to her and knelt down. "Clara... I am very sorry that you had to endure everything Joey's sister has put you through. Blaming him for what she did won't solve anything. You will find that siblings are often unalike... I should know." she added smiling up at Luna, who smiled back.

"My sister and I have had our grand differences, but we still love each other and do our best to get along." Luna said. "Don't be too discouraged, young one. Trauma is not an easy thing to deal with. Just remember you are never alone here."

Clara smiled weakly, and Applejack gave her a big hug.

As Celestia stood to her hooves, the guard she had sent bolted back into the room. "Your highness! The staff at Canterlot Station confirm that they had seen the human leave on the last train to Ponyville!" He panted, leaning on his spear a bit.

"Well done. You are dismissed for the night, we are wrapping up here." Celestia said with a forced smile. So he had gone back to Ponyville...

"Are you going to see him, Auntie?" Cadance asked.

"I will visit him tomorrow." Celestia answered tiredly. "I fear tonight has taken a harder toll on him than the rest."

"May I come as well?" Cadance said pushily with an optimistic look. "I still have some time before I go back to the Crystal Empire."

"You are most welcome." Celestia replied with a small smile. As the room began to clear out, she dearly hoped that the visit would go well.

7 - Lonely is As Lonely Does

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Joey had barely gotten any sleep. He had completely given up at about eight in the morning, managing only two hours of sleep. This only meant one thing - coffee consumption would be out of this world today. He pulled himself out of bed and trudged towards the stairs.

He was going to avoid ponies and humans alike if he could help it, starting today - or at least until he could get the ball rolling in terms of a career. He wasn't even sure if he could manage that.

He set some milk to boil and grabbed some oats from the counter. As the coffee machine bubbled and sighed, he stared blankly into the pan. He had no idea what he was doing. Usually he would just cook oats with water, but he kind of didn't give a shit today. Who was going to stop him from cooking raw oats in milk today? If he did this right, or at least the way he thought of it in his sleep deprived brain, he would have some good ass oatmeal to munch on.

A knock came at the door. Damn. Must be the Milk Police. Didn't think they'd be making welfare checks this early in the morning.

Smirking at his own stupid joke, he peeked out the front window to see a long, flowing mane of many colors. Wow, she actually showed up in person.

He opened the door to find a smiling Princess Celestia standing there accompanied by that other pink princess he had seen at the Gala. He stood there, unsure of how he should address them at the current moment. He had vaguely assumed that the others stayed the night up in Canterlot, but of course just disappearing like he did would have made things... difficult.

"Hello, Joey." Celestia said warmly. "Did you sleep well -?" Looking him up and down, her smile faded. "No, I suppose not."

"Erm - either of you want coffee?" Joey asked, feeling awkward as hell. "Just brewed a new pot..."

"That sounds lovely." Celestia beamed. "Oh! I would also like you to meet Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. I meant to introduce you last night."

Joey began to bow his head, but Cadance quickly interrupted "Please don't!! Just Cadance is fine. Nice to meet you!"

Joey raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Turning back to go inside, he said "Make yourselves at home." The least he could do was be a good host for the princesses.

Once the two were seated at the table with their drinks Celestia took a deep breath. "I'm going to address the elephant in the room. Joey, I did not say your name last night. I fully intended to, but... I got distracted."

She waited for a response, but Joey said nothing. His polite facade was already beginning to crack.

"I've been worried about you. Ever since the first meeting." Celestia continued. "You are no less important than the others. You know that, don't you?"

Joey turned to face them, expressionless. It was hard for Celestia to get a read on him. He seemed to ponder his words for a moment before letting out a small raspberry. "Sure, I know that. But do you?"

Celestia closed her eyes. That stung. "I don't blame you for feeling that way. I'm sorry I slipped up in your moment of fragility. Whether you want to admit it or not, all of you are cracking at the seams. I can see it."

Joey clenched his jaw before dumping the oats into the now boiling milk. As he fiddled with the dial he said, "Listen pri- Celestia. My opinion of you hasn't changed. You worked so hard just for everything to fail in the end. Then you hosted a whole Gala. To me, that's insane. Bonkers. I don't blame you, but... thanks. That was nice to hear. Sorry for being rude."

Cadance was impressed by his response. Celestia smiled slightly before putting on a concerned look again. "I heard about your arguments with Clara. While I don't condone swearing, I don't think I blame you in that situation. Especially with all the confusion where your older sister is concerned."

Joey froze. "Yeah."

Cadance exchanged a nervous glance with Celestia. "We had a talk last night and she - she mentioned that your sister... is dead. We're sorry for your loss...."

Joey frowned. "What?? She told you that? Of course she would. She didn't tell you anything else, did she?"

"No, but I must confess that when she told us, all of us were there." Celestia continued solemnly. "She didn't say anything beyond that, I thought it would be inappropriate to discuss is in front of so many."

Joey felt livid. He wanted to strangle that dumb bitch so hard right now. "I'll bet she didn't really seem to care, either. Am I right?"

Celestia bit her lip, which pretty much confirmed it for Joey. He leaned over the counter with outstretched arms and sighed. "I don't even remember any of that happening. My big sis was no angel, but... I dunno, I never thought she would have bullied someone. My parents probably took care of the issue, knowing them. There's no way they would have let a bully live under our roof."

"Often times bullies are simply bullies to cope with a struggle of their own." Cadance assured him, sipping her coffee. "Obviously that doesn't make it okay, but no one would know your own sister better than you."

"I guess..." Joey replied skeptically. "Not like it matters anymore."

"It does matter." Celestia said sternly. "It is a great weight to carry. You don't have to hide it from us, we want to help you. Twilight and her friends are also worried about you."

"Only because they were forced to remember I exist." Joey said bitterly. "I bet that's why anyone even noticed that I left."

"I'm sure that's not true." Celestia disagreed in a soft tone. "It has been a stressful season for everypony -"

"You can't tell me that it's not true!" Joey barked, shocking the other two. "I hate exaggerating real problems, yet I'm pretty much positive that I'm a nobody to everyone else. I could lock myself in this house and I guarantee that I would hardly come up in conversation as long as the other four are around!"

"You aren't a nobody..." Cadance said with a hurt expression. "Please don't say that."

"I'm not a nobody to myself." Joey grunted, calming down. "I think I'm just fine on my own. If you aren't going to understand then I don't see a point in explaining myself."

"You are very reserved." Celestia observed. "You seem to be bottling up a lot of things inside. I've known very few throughout my lifetime who have done it as well as you have."

"What do you suggest then, your highness?" Joey asked warily. "Just - spill the beans to you? Every last secret I have?"

"I will not force you to open up to me, nor anypony else." Celestia said sadly. "I've seen it on one other occasion, and it ended up costing the both of us so, so much. You don't need to tell the world your secrets and struggles. Actually, it's best if you don't. All I'm saying is that I am willing to listen to what your heart is screaming to say."

"I know you just met me today, so I can leave if it makes you more comfortable." Cadance added kindly.

Joey looked up at the two of them. They were both smiling at him, but it wasn't a strange, forced smile - he could tell that Celestia was being genuine. Somehow he could tell Cadance really cared about him as well, despite only knowing her for the past fifteen minutes. It was a really weird feeling, but now he felt torn.

Should he just tell them as if they hadn't pretty much just forgotten his existence at a life-changing speech? No, that wasn't fair to Celestia. She was clearly burdened with an incredible amount at the moment, and the fact that she was here, urging him with sincere care...

Joey sighed. "Fine. Just... don't start flinging around this story to everyone in your circles. Alright? Don't expect me to tell you everything, either."

"Your timeline is your own." Celestia answered with a small smile that had hints of - what was it, relief? "Please don't feel pressured to tell us more than you're comfortable with. Just know that holding too much in can destroy you."

Damn, she wasn't wrong. Respect.

"Well... okay. Katy - my sister - wasn't the only one in the wreck." Joey began, closing his eyes.

Celestia's eyes widened, as did Cadance's, but neither of them said a word.

"My mother was in there, so was my younger brother." Joey continued with a stony expression. "My mom died right away with my sister, but my younger brother - Caleb - was taken to the hospital. He died shortly after that."

Without a word, Celestia rose to her hooves and wrapped Joey up in a tight but gentle hug. It honestly felt really nice.

Cadance sat there in shock. That was far more brutal than what she had been expecting to hear. How did he keep such a strong face? She would have been in a mess if Twilight or Shining died in some freak accident...

Celestia felt overwhelmed. Like Cadance, she couldn't believe Joey had kept that all in while staying functional. Of course she herself did it all the time. As princess, she had to. He had to have been very strong to keep it in... which probably meant (she thought with a sinking feeling) that this wasn't the extent of his troubles.

"I am so, so sorry." she said shakily. To have that to deal with, on top of everything else that has happened..."

Joey felt awkward. This had been the first real time he had been comforted since his father's funeral, so he wasn't sure about how he should respond.

Celestia released him and knelt slightly to be at his eye level. "I'm sure you're worried about your father, then?" she asked gently. "I can only imagine."

"He's in a better place, don't worry." Joey replied stiffly, avoiding her eye contact.

Celestia paused, studying his suddenly rigid look. She looked to Cadance, who seemed to be momentarily confused by this reply as well. Then, simultaneously, it dawned on them.

This time Cadance was the one to rush over and give him a hug. "How in Equestria are you keeping this to yourself?? This isn't healthy, Joey!" Her voice was a lot more shaky then Celestia's had been, and her eyes were slightly welling up as well.

"Don't make a big deal about it." Joey said roughly. "I'm serious. I'm fine, I promise."

He said it with such a strong tone that anyone or pony would have believed it. The princesses weren't fools, however, and were having none of it.

"We promise to keep this among us." Celestia assured him. "Do you mind if I tell Luna about what you have said? Nopony else will hear unless you say so." she added as Joey looked at her with slight alarm.

He thought about it for a moment, pulling away from Cadance politely. "What is your sister like?"

"She's more similar to you than anypony I could think of." Celestia replied confidently. It was true, Luna had a history of bottling things up to a massive degree. She had indeed grown wiser since her return, and she could be a great help to the young man.

Joey took a deep breath. "I'm trusting you with this."

Celestia smiled. "That means a great deal. Thank you, Joey."

"I will also stay quiet about this unless you asked for me not to." Cadance said, regaining her composure.

Joey couldn't help but smile. "I really appreciate that, guys. Can we talk about something less... sad?"

"Of course! Why don't we discuss your future here?" Celestia suggested, taking a seat at the table once again. "Now from what I understand regarding the roles you and your fellow humans had for your project, you were their videographer."

"Yeah, I was thinking about stuff like that." Joey said evasively. "Not quite sure yet. I've been reading up on options for a little while now."

"You're on top of this already? I must say, that attitude will get you far." Celestia responded, looking impressed. "Not knowing exactly what you want to do is completely okay. There is no rush, but don't be afraid to reach out if you need help."

Joey shrugged. "I should be okay, but thanks anyway."

The conversation continued onto less complicated matters. Celestia and Cadance were both quite pleased with how easy it was to talk with Joey. He didn't seem to hold them in any sort of contempt for what happened, nor did he complicate the way he addressed them. It was like talking with a real friend. He also asked them questions themselves which impressed them more; they could tell it was out of genuine curiosity rather than forced politeness.

"Oh my word! I'm going to miss the train!!" Cadance yelped suddenly, hopping up from her seat. She gave Joey a quick departing hug and smiled. "Thanks for being open with us today. I know it isn't much, but I do hope you'll write to us."

"What a wonderful idea!" Celestia agreed, beaming. "It is important to stay in touch."

"No promises." Joey sighed.

"Ahem. Of course." Celestia giggled. "The offer still stands. I have duties of my own that I need to return to, so unfortunately I will be leaving as well. I do hope we can speak like this again."

"Yeah, that would be cool. Thanks for taking the time to see me." Joey said with a small grin. He really meant it.

After Celestia initiated a goodbye hug in herself, the two alicorns teleported away. Joey stood there in silence, trying to process the wacky morning he had just experienced. Finally he sighed and grabbed the citizenship papers that had lay on the table nearly forgotten. He walked over to his armchair and plopped down.

For seemingly the first time since arriving here, he was in genuinely decent spirits. To know that there were at least a few in this world who wouldn't forget about his existence was a huge consolation. He didn't know how much he should trust them, but they gave him a really good gut feeling.

Too bad they had to be some of the most busy ponies on the planet. Still, no complaints.

8 - The Final Straw

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A couple days had passed, and the slight euphoria that had been caused from the princess' visit had worn off. Now Joey felt extremely uncertain about what to believe. Celestia had indeed fulfilled her promise to write, as he had received a letter every morning since. He hadn't taken the time to reply, which made him feel slightly guilty, but his mind was more focused on avoiding everyone if possible.

They hadn't come knocking, ironically enough. If Clara really had went and told the whole group about Katy's death, the fact that the princesses had been the only ones to intentionally seek him out was a bit depressing. More than anything, good his attitude had finally been exhausted by the way things had been.

Unfortunately, the chances of an encounter with any of them was high today as Joey paid another visit to the town to shop. He was quite frugal, since he needed to save as much money as he could before moving away. Yes, he had made the decision to eventually leave - to Las Pegasus, of course. He hadn't decided on when, however. Despite having enough money to make the move, he wouldn't last long unless he had enough savings.

Currently he had just finished perusing the shelves of a small crafts store. Grabbing a large sketchbook with plenty of paper, he made the purchase and left. He was no artist by any means, but he had big dreams - and sometimes concept sketching was a brilliant idea to put them on paper to stay.

"Thank you for your business!" said the store owner cheerily as he left. He returned her smile before stepping out onto the street. He had collected for himself some very basic creative supplies, but now he kind of felt like having a coffee. After all, why not treat himself?

He rounded a corner on his way to Sugarcube Corner and ran into a large group. As his poor luck would have it, this group consisted of (nearly) every single person and pony he was trying to avoid. Ginger and Fluttershy were absent, but the rest of Twilight and company were there with the other three humans.

"Joey!" Bill cried out with a cheer before Joey could react. The others turned their heads towards him.

"Er... sorry, I'm busy." Joey said hurriedly and tried to move past the group without incident. Unfortunately, Bill caught him at the arm.

"Hey man... don't be like that." Bill pleaded. "You just disappeared after the Gala."

"Don't be like that?" Joey repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"It's so good to see you out and about!" Twilight intervened, clearly trying to cut through the awkward tensions. "Are you doing alright?"

"Does it make any difference?" Joey asked curtly.

Twilight recoiled a bit, looking slightly confused and hurt. "I - you - yes? It does?"

Joey regarded her expressionlessly. "Huh. Okay."

"Why are you being a jerk? What did we do?" Bill asked heatedly.

"I've got things to do." Joey replied tiredly. His tone didn't go unnoticed.

"Darling, you look positively exhausted!" Rarity piped up, trotting over to him. "We were worried about you, you left without telling anyone!"

"I needed time to myself." he replied, shoving off Bill's grasp on him. "It wasn't anything personal."

"It was reeeaaaallly sad when we found out you left!" Pinkie squeaked. "Clara told us about your sister, which made it even worse..."

"Just forget it, okay??" Joey replied sharply, shooting a nasty glare in Clara's direction. Her expression was also unreadable. "I already know she disregards privacy for people she doesn't like."

"Excuse me?" Clara snapped, scowling. "The princesses practically forced me."

"I honestly don't care." Joey said with a very stony look. "You don't treat the fact she died with any respect anymore. You've been using the fact that Katy used to bully you as a reason to make sure I'm miserable. At this point, I don't even care if you were bullied. I don't feel bad for you in the slightest after everything."

"Joey!" Twilight said in a scolding tone, astonished. Rarity and Pinkie stood there with their mouths open while Applejack looked super uncomfortable.

"No." Joey growled, taking a step back. He was feeling furious after her reaction. "I've done my best to ignore you and to put up with your immature, shitty attitude, Clara. My sister's death is clearly a joke to you. Clearly no one is going to hold your bitch-ass responsible for your awful behavior, but I'm not stupid. This is no longer MY problem. This is a YOU problem. So just try fucking off and leave me alone so we don't have to keep yelling at each other like this!"

"Joey! Language!!" Twilight said sternly. Clara looked at the ground, seeming unable to argue with Joey.

He paused, staring at her blankly. Was she actually being serious? After a long tense moment, he just sighed. "The fact that I just said all these things and you're upset about the fact that I swore? You made your priorities clear."

Twilight's angry look melted into shock and concern. "I - Joey, I didn't mean it like that -"

"You all keep defending her, too." Joey spat. "I'm done being the villain. Just leave me the fuck alone."

"You have no idea how bad she was bullied!" Bill argued, looking very angry himself.

"Maybe I don't, but if you want to try and use that logic to deny everything else that's happened to me then go right ahead." Joey growled in reply. "They told us to all stick together. Quit it with the friendly shit. You guys are so fake I wanna barf."

He turned around and marched away, ignoring their calls for him to come back. There might as well have been steam coming out of his ears. Being ignored and forgotten was at least better than this. What the fuck was Twilight thinking? All of them were so stupid, it pissed him off SO much. He tried so hard to be strong and patient with it, but this was too much.

After all, if he didn't say anything it wouldn't have stopped.

Stepping into his home, he growled as he slammed the door shut behind him. Now that he was starting to calm down, a feeling of hollowness began to seep in. They pretended to care a lot, didn't they? That was the only logical conclusion he could come to. He got admonished for simply swearing, while all she got for using his sister's death as emotional leverage was a slap on the wrists.

His eyes fell on the book lying on the bedside table. The Equestrian Encyclopedia of Entertainment. Before he could formulate another thought, green flames erupted out of the fireplace. A scroll flew out of the flames untouched and settled into his hand. It was from Celestia - but at this time of day?

He opened it up and began to read.

Dear Joey,

I hope you are well. Twilight has sent me a letter detailing an argument that
has just taken place. I understand you are hurt, but I implore you to try to get
along with your fellow human friends. Especially Clara.

~ Best wishes, Celestia.

He stared at the letter, processing the words on the parchment. Suddenly he tore it to pieces and threw them in the empty fireplace. Any feeling of being understood had vanished. Celestia was wise, but he was sick of this situation. How could Celestia be okay with this? All logic seemed to suggest that everyone was siding with Clara. It was an irrational thought, but at this point he was too upset to care.

That was the final straw. He was going to leave as soon as he could.

"The midnight train? Are you sure?" the stallion in the ticket booth asked, looking mildly surprised.

"Positive." Joey confirmed. He had hardly spent any time at home, as soon as he looked at the book he had made up his mind to just buy a ticket. Never mind funds, he would figure that out in Las Pegasus. There surely had to be some sort of job he could work in. Even if it isn't something related to what he wanted to do, he had to at least try.

"Well... it's a five hour trip. If you're sure, then let me get it for you." the stallion replied. "Can I get a name?"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "For a train ticket?"

"Well... yes."

"Am I required to?" Joey pressed.

"Er - no, but -"

"Then just give me the damn ticket." Joey huffed, slamming the appropriate amount of bits on the counter. The stallion hurriedly got him his ticket and bid him farewell. Slipping it into his pocket, Joey began walking home.

"Train leaves at midnight... it's currently four in the afternoon..." Joey muttered to himself as he walked. He would hardly have any time to pack, but then again he didn't have much with him. Leaving at midnight would allow him to be discreet. If possible he wanted to leave this town completely unnoticed, that way no one could follow him and bother him in another location.

"Joey...?"

He had been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed the orange farm pony trying to get his attention.

"Joey!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin to find Applejack standing there. She wasn't smiling, nor did she look concerned. Just... sad. For some reason the simplicity of it made it more believable. She just stared at him for a couple moments before saying something.

"Ah've been thinking about things for a while now. Namely how Ah've sided with Clara." she began nervously.

"So you did side with her." Joey deadpanned.

Applejack sighed. "It wasn't the right thing to do. Ah knew her better than I knew you, sugarcube. Ah didn't even realize I was doin' it at first, either. Then Ah hit ya... that was wrong too."

"Sounds like you kept that part out when you guys told Celestia the story." Joey said shrewdly.

"Ah did tell her, after our meeting was over." Applejack answered strongly. Joey could tell she was serious. "Listen... Ah'm just trying to say that Ah'm sorry. For hitting ya, for disregarding the whole story, all of it. I don't blame ya if yer mad, sugarcube. Ah just wanted to let ya know that Ah believe you aren't wrong. Ah'd get my mane all in a knot if all that stuff happened too."

"Um... thanks." Joey said slowly. "Also, what do you mean by... 'that stuff'?"

"When ya went and lost yer cool earlier." she replied. "Ah don't blame ya, and I think when ya called Twi out for getting all tuckered over the foul language, it hit me. All my priorities were wrong."

"That's... unexpected." Joey said, blinking. "You were so ready to defend Clara before even hearing me out."

"Ah still believe that there are two wrongs here, sugarcube." Applejack sighed. "Ah definitely think Clara needs to cut it out. Especially about yer sister. If anypony understands losing family like that it ain't her."

Joey turned to her. The orange country mare seemed to be struggling to say something, as if she were trying to convince herself to say whatever it was. He remained silent, feeling half curious and half skeptical of what she might say.

"Ah... Ah know what it's like to lose family." she finally managed.

"You - what?" Joey stammered. That was not what he was expecting to hear.

"Yup. My ma and pa died when I was a lil' filly." she opened up. "It was real hard on my family. Granny Smith cried for weeks. That was when my brother Big Mac stopped talking as much. Applebloom was a little baby."

"I don't know any of those ponies, if I'm being honest..." Joey said apologetically. "I'm really sorry to hear that, though... I know that wasn't easy for you guys."

"That's besides the point, it's done and over. Ma and pa wouldn't want the rest of us to spend every day moping about them. My point was that Ah understand how ya feel. Or close to how ya feel, anyhow. Ah really am sorry for being a rotten bag of apples to ya. Can ya forgive me?"

Joey took a deep breath. "I appreciate you trusting me enough to be that open. I forgive you, but I don't rally trust you. Or your friends. Or anyone, really. I don't know about being friends with any of you right now."

Applejack smiled, rather than protesting. "Ah understand, sugarcube. Take all the time ya need. Lemme know if they start causing trouble for ya again, Ah'll have yer back."

"I - wow. Thanks." Joey stuttered. For some reason that hit home. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for talking to me, Applejack."

They exchanged goodbyes, and Joey left back home. He didn't feel as angry anymore, but that didn't deter him. It was too late anyway, he had bought a ticket. The unfortunate truth here was that he had tried building a relationship on multiple different occasions with multiple different ponies, and all of them ended up siding with Clara at one point or another. Even after that talk with Applejack (as much as he appreciated it) he didn't know who to trust.

Even Celestia sided with Clara. She was caring, yes, but that didn't change the fact that once again it felt like he had been pushed aside. It always had to be his fault.

"I hope the ponies in Las Pegasus aren't this bad..."

Joey was very pleased once he realized that for the second time in a row he had an entire train car to himself once again. This time there were no normal seats, but booths and tables. Once he sat down he noticed a food menu. He wouldn't be buying anything, he ate before coming to the station.

The engine whistled in the distance, and the train lurched into motion. As it picked up speed, he watched Ponyville slowly pass out of sight. Once it faded into the night, he pulled a notebook out of his bag and began to jot down ideas. Dreams. Potential goals. Anything he might be interested in, any new concepts and stories he could bring from the human world that they didn't already have in this world. Anything that may help him.

Despite leaving trouble behind, he was still a little scared about the future.

9 - Viva Las Pegasus

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At five in the morning, the train rolled into the Star-Trot station in Las Pegasus. Joey had drifted off to sleep at some point, but had reawakened with a half hour left in the journey. The skyline of the city from a distance didn't surprise him, but what did catch him off guard were the numerous parts surrounding them that made it look almost like a giant theme park. A bunch less interesting-looking office buildings sat to the south of the city.

Getting off the train, he immediately noticed that there was a larger, more diverse population of creatures here. Not just ponies, but to his surprise he saw what he could have sworn to be a small group of griffins. As he got off the train, no one seemed to think it was weird that a large bipedal ape creature was walking among them.

Dope.

Now there was another issue. Where was he going to stay, or for that matter live? There was no way he was going to be a bum if he could help it. He slowly made his way over to the information desk. A mare with a bright blue coat and dark grey mane stood behind it with a polite smile.

"Excuse me," Joey said tiredly. "Where would one go if he was looking for a fresh start at life?"

The mare seemed slightly startled (though not in a scared way) at the sight of him. "Wait - aren't you one of the 'hoomans' that Princess Celestia talked about?"

"Er - yeah, that would be me." Joey replied slowly. "How did you know?"

The pony gestured over to a newspaper display. The headlines read in bold, black letters Tragic Accident Traps Foreign Guests in Equestria! Princess Celestia Speaks at the Great Galloping Gala!

"So what brings you to Las Pegasus?" she asked politely.

"Looking to start a career here. Before that, I need to get started. Anyone in this city that can help me? Consultants or anything like that?" Joey responded.

"There are some government social workers that would be more than willing to help." the mare explained, rooting through a drawer of brochures. After handing him one she continued, "If you really wanted to, you could find some freelancers as well. You'll find them all on Trotter's Lane, close to the courthouse. Why don't you take this map to help?"

"Thank you so much." Joey smiled, pocketing the brochure. "Will they be open this early?"

"Not sure, you would have to check with them. The government offices don't open until eight." the mare said helpfully.

Joey thanked her and made his way out of the station. The city was a lot more flashy than Ponyville could have ever dreamed to be. Large signs trying to point him to different rides and attractions. Interestingly, rather than having all rides in one theme park they seemed to be scattered all over the place, each owned individually. Most of the ponies here looked like tourists.

Joey opened the map and then shivered, the December air had a lot more bite down here due to the humidity from the ocean. He quickly tossed on his dark blue Northern Face jacket and continued his perusal. It looked like Trotter's Lane was several miles away in the commerce district. He was currently in the amusement district, which he could have already guessed on his own by simply looking at his surroundings.

He sighed and stowed the map in one of his jacket pockets. He lifted the rest of his luggage (except the rolling suitcase, God bless those amazing little wheels) and began walking. Without the map he would have been hopelessly lost in the entertainment district; the streets would meet at bizarre angles and there seemed to be very little sense of order aside from the many hotels at random intervals, scattered among the countless attractions.

The farther he walked, the streets seemed to tidy up more and more. Building placement had a lot more sense. Offices and small shops began to pop into view and road intersections were a lot easier on the eyes. Finally he had reached Trotter's Lane and took a left, following the map's directions. Eventually he saw what looked like a courthouse in the distance, and immediately began paying more attention to the building signs around him.

Turns out, this part was harder than he thought. Apparently city workers don't work in offices with giant neon signs. Who knew?

He wandered for some time, and must have definitely looked lost because he felt a tap on his shoulder. An older looking stallion stood there with a small smile. "Looking for somepony there, my friend?"

"Er, no - someplace." Joey answered with a respectful grin. "Would you have any idea where the social worker's office is?"

"Oh my! Looking for some help in the city, eh? There are a few offices around here." the eldery gentle(pony?) said with a smile. "Any one you're looking for in particular?"

"Um... I'd prefer a freelance one." Joey replied. He had half a suspicion that if he went to the government office, he'd make his whereabouts known to the princesses. It wasn't because he disliked them obviously (he still wasn't too fond of Twilight at the current moment). Right now he just wanted to be away from that whole mess. The less government stuff he did right now the better.

"Hmm... why don't you try Blessings for Beginnings?" the stallion continued. "Don't mind the name too much, but I know the lady who runs it. Nice mare. I don't think you could go wrong there. It'll be down the street, lad, and the fourth building on your right."

"You are a gem, thank you." Joey complimented brightly, causing the old one to beam. He quickly made his way down the street, scrutinizing every shop or office he passed by. Finally, a small brick office with a small sign hanging in the front window reading Blessed Beginnings.

Joey couldn't help but snicker. It was such a cheesy name.

He slowly pushed his way inside. The first thing he heard was the scribble of quill on parchment. Looking up he saw what he assumed to be a secretary scrawling something down on parchment. He walked up slowly and she looked up.

"Oh! I'm not sure I've seen your kind here before." she said in mild surprise.

"Oh, uh - I'm a human. We're from another world, kinda got stuck here... permanently..." he explained in a half-assed way.

The secretary blinked. "Human? Never heard of it."

"You don't seem weirded out about it." Joey observed.

"It's hard to be surprised, we get lots of different creatures here. I must say, I wasn't expecting a 'human' here today." the secretary replied politely. "Have you made an appointment, Mr...?"

"Belfort. Joey Belfort." he introduced. "And no, I haven't... sorry. I just arrived here today."

"Well, Mr. Belfort, you just might be in luck today." the secretary mare sighed. "Normally we don't do appointments, but I do believe Mrs. Berrytwist has some time this morning. Go ahead and take a seat while I call her."

Joey did as he was told. Once he sat down, a wave of fatigue washed over him. It had been a long night. A long month. So much had happened, and none of it was very good.

"Mr. Belfort, right?" said a newer, older feminine voice. Joey looked up to see a well dressed older mare with a light violet coat and a mane that was deep purple.

"Oh! Yeah, that's me." Joey answered, getting to his feet.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Lemon Berrytwist." Mrs. Berrytwist said with a pleasant smile. "I wasn't expecting to see one of the humans from Canterlot today. Why don't we go back to my office?"

He nervously followed her through a back door, down a small hallway, and into a very comfortable office.

"Please, take a seat." she offered, sitting behind her desk.

As Joey sat down in the comfortable looking armchair opposite from her, he noticed a picture frame on her desk. It was her next to a stallion with a mustache that made him look like he would start barking for pictures of Spiderman. Between them was a deep purple filly that had a broken horn and a nasty looking scar running across her eye.

"So! What brings you to Las Pegasus?" asked Mrs. Berrytwist. "Some sort of work, I presume?"

"You're a better guesser than your helper up front." Joey joked.

"Oh, please - Shortbread would rather eat a moldy cake than ever have to read the news." Berrytwist scoffed. "I wouldn't say that you and your companions are 'famous' per se, but word has spread of your predicament."

Joey shrugged. "Not much I can do about that. I'm here to start a career, but unfortunately I've got pretty much nothing to go off of here."

"I don't think finding you work should be too difficult, dear - considering we typically get homeless ponies in here who are trying to turn over a new leaf." she hummed. She reached down and pulled open a filing cabinet drawer. "What sort of look were you looking for?"

"Well - short term I'll be fine with whatever to build some savings." Joey replied, looking down at his arms. "Long term I was hoping to find work in the entertainment industry - specifically movies?"

Berrytwist raised her eyebrows. "Movies, hmm? Fascinating. Unfortunately those studios are extremely competitive, as movies have been a relatively new thing for the past several years. However, short term I can do."

"When were they invented? Do you know?" Joey asked curiously.

Berrytwist tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I recall the first movie I have ever seen being six years ago. I do believe that was one of the first created. I must say, there is plenty of potential there. If you can tap into it, there's no saying how far you would go."

Joey nodded. He had no idea what specific job he wanted, but he might have to prove his knowledge and talent in some way if he wanted to score a job with one of those studios by the sounds of it. "So what about short term?"

"Well, you have quite the selection if you're willing to do anything." she said, beginning to sift through papers. "Anything you would rather avoid in terms of work?"

"Honestly, I don't want to deal with customers a whole lot." Joey replied, thinking back to his work as a Walmart cashier back on Earth. Some of those people were stupid beyond belief. "If I worked as a stocker or something that would be fine. Just no jobs that mainly deal with customers."

"What is your current experience?" Berrytwist asked, glancing over a few documents before clicking her tongue and putting them back in the cabinet.

"I was a cashier at a large retailer back where I'm from." Joey answered. "I can deal with people, but I'm better at managing product and stuff."

"Well, it does look like there are some back-of-the-house positions at some of the souvenir shops if that piques your interest." she offered. "For decent pay, too. Nothing notable, but it will pay for what you need should you get the job."

"Sounds perfect." Joey confirmed.

"Wonderful!" Berrytwist exclaimed. "I will give them a call and see if I can set up an interview for you after we finish here. Now, living arrangements - from what I currently understand you don't have anywhere to live, correct?"

"I have a home back in Ponyville, but nothing here in this city." Joey answered truthfully.

"I have some contacts to get you set up with decent apartments." Berrytwist continued, humming once more. "None of them are vastly different from one another. All of them are studio, one bedroom, and close enough to one another that location wouldn't be any better or worse for any of them."

"Anything you can get me with works." Joey agreed.

"Well, Mr. Belfort - you have made this relatively easy. No unhealthy drug habits?"

"None." Joey confirmed. "Never has been an issue with me."

"Splendid. No criminal records either, obviously. Everything looks in order!" Berrytwist chirped, filling out some sort of form. "Just a wee bit of paperwork to finish, and we can get your new life here started!"

"Sick." Joey sighed. He looked at her plaques on the wall. "How busy are you usually?"

"Typically we're very busy." she answered, still focused on the task in front of her. "It always slows down this time of year, I must admit. Nopony really tries to start a new life right before Hearth's Warming."

"Hearth's Warming?"

"Dear me, nopony has told you about Hearth's Warming Eve?" Berrytwist asked incredulously, looking up from her work. "It's the most anticipated holiday of the year!!"

"No, I haven't really talked to that many ponies about that stuff." Joey admitted. "What's it about?"

"Well - explaining its history will be a task for somepony else." she sighed, continuing her work. "Essentially it's a time where everypony gives one another presents and spends time with heir families. Can't forget the caroling, either. I love caroling."

"Sounds like a holiday we had back home." Joey said quietly. "Do you guys decorate trees, by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact, we do!!" Berrytwist exclaimed.

"That's hilarious. It sounds like your world's version of Christmas." Joey said with a slight laugh. Then a cold feeling sank to his stomach. He hadn't realized, but the holiday must have been close. It was December, after all. Spending it alone was going to suck donkey nuts. "What day is Hearth's Warming on?"

"December twenty fifth." Berrytwist replied. "Only a couple weeks from now! They'll finish putting up lights around the city very soon." She jotted a couple more things down before clearing her throat. "Alright, Mr. Belfort - go ahead and sign your name down here at the bottom. Feel free to look at any of the info I've written down and let me know if I should change something."

Joey did make sure to glance over it, and everything looked fine. He signed his name on the empty line.

"Perfect!! If all goes well, you'll have a job and housing secured by the end of the day!" she said happily, organizing a stack of papers with a sharp thud on her desk.

"Sounds like you're good at your job." Joey smirked.

"The reviews speak for themselves." she said proudly. "Do help yourself to some coffee while I make some calls. You look exhausted."

Turns out, Mrs. Berrytwist was not messing around. Six hours and one interview later, Joey found himself standing in front of the door to his new apartment. Getting a job couldn't have been easier, the store owner of a small merchandise shop on the outskirts of the entertainment district seemed very enthusiastic about Joey's physical abilities. Now he was a back end clerk at said store.

He looked at the crooked numbers on the door reading 624. Sighing, he unlocked the door and entered his new apartment for the first time. It was obviously completely empty, but it did come complete with a kitchen and what looked to be a bathroom (upon further inspection, it indeed was). Furnishing the place would come with time. It was by no means the nicest of places, but with some improvements and additions it would be quite cozy.

He walked to the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. He was on the sixth floor, the top floor. The view was pretty great, but the cold winter air had a lot more sting to it from this height. Despite this place being a pony version of Los Angeles (or Las Vegas, he couldn't decide), it was pretty frigid for a seaside city.

Still, it was far from trouble as far as he could tell. Far from trouble was where he needed to be. For now, he could have peace and quiet. For now, his days would be Clara-free. Bullshit free, even. For now, he wouldn't be bothered by shallow attempts to acknowledge him. The future was his own.

This was his home now.

10 - The Mare on the Mat

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Things seemed to be going to well to be true for Joey. Or that might just be his pessimistic attitude after everything else that had happened to him up until that point.

As much as he didn't want to spend money, he purchased a mattress as well as some pillows and blankets. Sleep could be easily overlooked, but if he wanted to succeed he at to at least make it some sort of a priority. Food would also be a problem. There wasn't much he could afford right now, especially after how expensive the bedding was. Rent wasn't terribly expensive either, but it still left his pockets relatively empty.

Today would be his first shift, and he was rather excited to get started. Not excited for the job itself, but what it stood for. A new beginning. There would be difficulties, more than he had currently for sure, but he was ready for them. There was something about no one knowing you in a new place that can really make a difference.

He walked down the sidewalk towards the entertainment district, still soaking in the new atmosphere. No one was really staring anymore, everyone seemed to be more concerned about what they were doing rather than what anyone else might be up to. That had to just be part of the charm of the big city.

Right on the border between districts he passed by a decrepit building that looked like it had once been a studio or rehearsal ground of some sort. It was mostly made of brick, but arched in a half-circle shape. Though it was quite overgrown, Joey could tell that it might have been a special place once upon a time. The streets in this area were a lot less crowded. In fact, there was barely anyone here.

He continued walking. He glanced at his phone, it was eleven forty six. At this rate he was going to be early.

"You call yourself a grown mare? You play with bucking dolls!" a voice jeered near him. He looked up to see a couple of young looking, well dressed stallions gathered around a unicorn mare who was sitting on the ground. As he drew closer he could see that she was sitting on a mat, and there were indeed various dolls scattered about in front of her.

"Please don't squish them..." she pleaded weakly as one of the stallions stepped onto one of her dolls. They seemed to be made of some sort of clay.

"Oh, please." the other stallion snorted. He had a tan coat and blonde mane, with a pair of circular rimmed glasses resting on his nose. "You can hardly call this a show. Go get a real job, sweetie." The pair cackled while the mare didn't seem to know how to respond.

"Careful gents, don't want to be late for your nine to five!" Joey sighed, not really intending to get involved. It did piss him off slightly that even ponies could pick on the weak.

The duo turned around and nearly yelped at the sight of him. "What the buck are you?"

"Does it matter? Go bother someone else." Joey groaned. "I'll bet you fuckers don't even read the news."

One of them looked confused and muttered, "'Fuckers'? Huh?"

The other didn't miss a beat. "No time for newspapers when you work at the most reputable and up-and-coming movie studio in the nation!!"

"That makes no sense, but you do you." Joey sighed, coming to a stop as the two stepped out in front of him.

"What would an ape know about that, though?" one of them sneered. He was a pegasus and also had a relatively boring color scheme; his mane and fur were both grey.

"Wow, creative. I bet they'll give you a raise if you pitch that idea to your boss." Joey quipped back. "For all that bragging your doing, why would you feel the need to pick on someone else? Perhaps you're trying to compensate for something?"

"What are you trying to say?" the blonde one said, dropping his voice suddenly to an icy tone.

Joey shrugged. "Hey, if I struck a cord than it was truth. Though I wouldn't try to pick a fight right now."

"Oh? You scared?" the grey one chuckled nastily.

"Me? Nah. Never been a fighter." Joey admitted. "Although that cop on the street corner over there was looking real bored up until a few seconds ago."

Both of them wheeled around to see that Joey wasn't lying. A police officer that had been lazily leaning on a streetlight moments before was now staring directly at them with a raised eyebrow.

"...Whatever, monkey." the blonde one scoffed. "C'mon, Greyfeather. Let's get out of here."

"Greyfeather, nice. Your parents really went to the drawing board for that one." Joey snarked with a slight grin. He really shouldn't have poked the bear then, but it felt nice to have the upper hand for once.

'Greyfeather' (ha) looked livid but his friend tugged him away. Casting anxious looks at the policemare, they trotted off.

"Thank you... I thought my stuff would be ruined." the mare on the mat said sadly, lifting the squished clay doll up carefully. With a heavy sigh she stowed it away in a satchel that leaned against her. Her light blue mane had streaks of white, but it looked a bit unkempt. Her coat was periwinkle, which oddly complemented her mane.

"What are you doing with clay dolls?" Joey asked curiously. He too thought it looked pretty stupid at first glance, but he was going to keep that to himself. "You just playing with them, or...?"

"Oh, these? Just a little bit of a magic show I guess..." she replied half heartedly.

Looking at her expression, Joey felt a lump in his throat. It was all too familiar, it was the look of someone who was downtrodden and neglected. Feeling a surge of compassion, he sat down across from her much to her surprise. "Can you show me?"

"You - you want to see?" she asked hesitantly, staring at him with big eyes.

"Show me what you got." he pressed on encouragingly.

She perked up a bit and sat up a little taller. "O-Okay, here I go!" she exclaimed nervously as she lit up her horn. Looking down at the clay pony dolls, Joey saw something that absolutely rocked his world.

They began to move. Not in the puppet-like way he had expected to see, but these dolls came alive - they seemed to breathe, move, and obey the laws of physics as if they were real live miniature ponies. His jaw dropped as she made them dance across the mat in front of them. It was elegant, smooth, effortless -real.

"Holy shit... this is unreal." Joey muttered. He was lost for words. There was no way to put it lightly - this went far beyond puppeteer work. This had to have been a bonafide talent. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"My grandmother taught me how before she died." the mare reminisced, bringing her little show to an end. She looked a lot more "It's my special calling, see?" She moved her flank into a position to show off a what looked like a tattoo of some sort. It was a puppet surrounded by musical notes.

"I've seen those. Do all ponies have those tattoo thingies?" Joey asked.

She giggled. "They aren't tattoos, silly. They're cutie marks!"

"Cutie... marks?" Joey repeated. Tattoo sounded so much better.

"They magically appear when somepony finds their special talent." she said proudly, looking back her own fondly. She turned to look up at Joey as he stood up again. "Oh, um - I didn't catch your name?"

"Me? I'm Joey." he responded, extending his hand.

"Minty." she replied, now beaming.

"So sorry, but I really need to get going." Joey insisted. "Actually, here -" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of bits, "- take these. It's not much, but I don't really have much."

"Oh no, I couldn't - " Minty began, but Joey was already walking away with a wave. She smiled, watching him grow smaller with distance.

"Thank you, Joey."

Working once again felt nice. It was even better to work in the back of the shop. Currently Joey was looking at the new incoming product. The store owner, Marble Moon, had given him a checklist. Seems that rather than a clerk he was more of a shop assistant. The tasks he had found himself doing so far after four hours were far more diverse than what he had been expecting.

"Hey, Joe! Can you restock the snowglobe shelf?" Marble's voice called from the front.

"Yeah, gimme a minute. How low are we looking?" Joey called back, scratching off the new shipment of bucket hats off the list. The merchandise sold here was amusing; it was the exact kind of stuff you'd expect to find at any random souvenir shop for any attraction... ever.

"We only have two left!" Marble replied. "Sooner rather than later would be appreciated!"

"No worries, I'm on it." Joey submitted, putting down the list. It was honestly busier here than he had expected, which explained the twenty bits an hour pay rate.

The only gripe Joey had was that he was still expected to work the register when needed. Thankfully it felt different this time since it was a small shop, so he wouldn't be stuck there like he was back at Walmart. The ponies were nice enough - some of them were frightened when they first saw him, others were extremely curious (those were the ones that had actually kept up on the news).

Finally it was lunch break, which unfortunately for Joey didn't necessarily mean food. He had given his lunch money to Minty. He didn't regret it in the slightest, but if his stomach had a mouth it definitely would have had some choice words. He opted to sit in the small break room in the back and have a cup of coffee instead.

It was a nice little area, with a round table in the center taking up most of the small area. A small counter wrapped around the corner on the opposite wall, complete with a small refrigerator. The seat was a little small, but Joey made do.

Lunch break passed. Marble went to take his own lunch break, so Joey was on his own for the next who knows how long. He could probably manage, but being left alone on the first day? Yikes.

Fortunately not a single soul came to visit while Marble was gone, which turned out to be a whole hour. Joey didn't do much except camp behind the register, he had no idea what to do. Things picked up again once the owner returned, and Joey was once again given a simple but busy to-do list for back end work.

There honestly wasn't much to say for the rest of the work day. Joey finished his list, Marble gleefully praised it (even though it was basic as hell, the poor guy probably just needed some help), and sent Joey on his way back home.

As he walked home, he reflected on how silly his initial anxiety about working here seemed now that he had finished his first full day. Maybe it was just an outlier having a day this good, or maybe he had bad luck in Ponyville. Either way, he wondered if ponies could really be that bad. He wouldn't be slinging his trust around like an idiot, of course, but liking them was a different thing entirely.

Now that he thought about it, who did he trust? Celestia? Maybe, though that final letter she sent to him really pissed him off. Cadance? Hard to say, she seemed nice enough but he barely knew the pink princess. He hadn't talked to Luna at all. Twilight, no. The way she defended Clara ruined any chance of trust forming.

What about her friends? Pinkie Pie was definitely a loose cannon, so hell no. Rarity and Applejack were pretty cool, but they seemed to be a wild card on the whole Clara situation. It was still unbelievable that she hadn't been reprimanded more at the very least. Maybe that was just his bitter side speaking.

He hadn't ever talked with Rainbow Dash, so it would be unfair to lump her in with the others. Even if it bit him in the ass, he always made sure to at least give the unknown a chance - or at least, that's what his dad had taught him. Of course there were things he disagreed with his dad on, but after his leukemia diagnosis he began to be a lot more... intent. Inspired? What was the word for it?

At any rate, life has a funny way of making things seem so invaluable right before you know you're about to lose them. Especially those most precious to you.

Princess Luna gazed down at the town of Ponyville from her stargazing balcony in Canterlot. Thoughts swirled in her mind as she tried to calm herself before entering the dream world. It was harder than usual, since much had happened.

Celestia had been a mess. It seemed like the situation for one of the humans had grown too dire, and now he was suddenly nowhere to be found. She seemed to somehow blame herself for it, and despite putting on a strong face as always, Luna was quite shocked when the solar princess had bawled into her arms over dinner.

Just what had happened to poor Mr. Belfort? Luna had never talked with him personally, but she remembered that look he seemed to always have that she knew all too well. After all, she used to look in the mirror one thousand years ago and see it every single night.

He was in pain, and he did an amazing job of hiding it. All Celestia had told her after her personal meeting with the young human was that he had experienced a lot of loss. She was very careful to let Luna know that his past was his own to open up about, since trust here was crucial.

Still, for Celestia to cry about his disappearance... Luna would be on the lookout tonight in the dream realm. If Joey was alright, then she should be able to speak with him as long as he was... well, dreaming.

Usually matters with her subjects did not affect her too greatly, but for some reason this in particular was tugging on her heartstrings.

Joey had never driven so recklessly in his life. He had managed to nearly wreck his car seven times as he rushed to the local hospital. Two stopsigns, three red lights (how he hadn't been pulled over yet, he had no fucking clue), and two near misses with the same pickup truck. He somehow pulled into the parking lot unscathed.

The trip from the car to his dad's room in the ICU was a blur. They called him telling his old man was in his final moments as he was finishing up his midterms; the rest is history.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening.

Joey rushed into the room where his dad had been staying. The once bright, hearty-looking Jeffery Belfort was now a very frail shell of his former self. He was practically a skeleton.

"Dad - dad, I got a call..." Joey panted, feeling his innards boil in a panicked frenzy. His father looked up at him with an apologetic smile. "No... no..."

"Son, you're just the man I wanted to see. Come, come." his father beckoned. Behind the sickly, weak voice was that warm tone the man was known so well for. Joey knelt by the bedside, hardly knowing what to say.

"Dad..." was all he could manage.

"Joey, don't give me that. I've had a wonderful life. I will never forget the blessings I've been given." Jeff reached out a hand and placed it to Joey's cheek. "The things I've been able to experience. I remember when you were just a tiny little boy. Remember the way you used to poke holes in the neighbor's fence so you could talk to their dog?"

"Yeah... y-yeah, I remember..." Joey replied, gulping. He couldn't cry right now. He had to be strong.

"Now look at you..." his dad continued, his eyes glittering with pride. "You are turning into a wonderful young man. I don't think I did too shabby, eh?" He laughed, which quickly turned into a nasty cough.

"Careful, dad!" Joey scolded.

His dad sighed, which came out as more of a pitiful wheeze. "Death is just part of life, Joe. If I had a choice, I would remain with you until the end of time - but that's not how it works. Life hasn't been kind to us, and it certainly hasn't been kind to you. But listen to me, Joey - if anyone could come out on top after this, it's you."

"I'll be alone..." Joey sighed, looking down at the floor. "I've always had you... I'm scared, dad... I don't want to be alone..."

Jeff gave his son's shoulder a squeeze. "Joey... I know this is going to be hard on you. I'm not going to tell you that it'll be easy. You are going to go far, son, dammit! I've watched the way you've worked and studied after your mother and siblings passed. It was inspirational. Please... promise me that you'll be the best god damn cameraman the world has ever seen."

"What... Dad, no, I can't -"

"Stop." Despite his frail stature, it carried enough power to silence Joey immediately. "Promise me... you're gonna kick some ass out there."

The waterworks began leaking. A tear streaked down Joey's cheek, his face wrought with disbelief. "...I promise."

"Just know that I'll love you, and I'll keep loving you beyond the grave, son." His dad said, and his grip weakened noticeably. "Just know I'll be with your mom, Katy, and Caleb again." He settled back into his pillow and closed his eyes.

Joey straightened up, catching the signs. He knew there was nothing he could to stop this, and that alone was making him feel more terrified than ever.

"We'll never... stop loving you, son. I am so... so proud of you..." his father managed, than breathed his last. The lasting high pitched whine of the heart monitor hit Joey like a sucker punch to the stomach.

He buried himself into his father's motionless torso, finally giving in to the emotions. The tears came quick and fast in endless supply.

He was alone.

There was a bright flash of light, and the memory disintegrated. Joey found himself standing on some sort of astral plane. It was as if he were standing on a platform in space, as a starry scene played out in front of his eyes.

"I am... so, so sorry, young one." said an ethereal voice, startling Joey. Princess Luna materialized in front of him, looking utterly shocked and upset. "That had to have been extremely hard for you."

"What is this?" Joey asked warily. "What's going on??"

"You have recalled what I assume to be a memory in your sleep." Luna explained. "It is my duty to subdue the nightmares of others, but rarely do ponies relive memories in the dream world."

"You saw it, then?" Joey said in disbelief. "All of it?"

Luna nodded. "I see no reason to ask questions about it, it was very self explanatory. I apologize if it was unwelcome."

Joey paused. It deeply unsettled him that she could just see his dreams if she wanted to - but if she was here to protect, was there any harm in giving it a chance? After all, her sister was pretty cool as far as these ponies went.

"Why are you here?" Joey asked, calming himself down.

"My sister has been very upset about your disappearance. She does not often cry; she truly cares about your well being." Luna explained. "She wished not to go into detail about what you have told her at the one meeting. She wanted it to be your own tale to reveal, if you wish, whenever you wish."

Joey relaxed. His respect for Celestia rose once again, especially if she went that far to respect his boundaries like that. "I like your funny words, magic man - er, mare."

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh - just a funny quote from the human world." Joey replied quietly.

Luna looked at him and smiled softly. "I must say I am pleased to find you here in the dream world. How are you faring in the physical realm?"

"Getting my life together. I've been doing well enough." Joey replied with a shrug. "I got a job to save some money. No offense, but I'm not going to tell you guys where I've gone."

"Don't fret, young one." Luna said consolingly. "I'm not going to pry. If you wish to tell us on your own accord then that is your choice."

"That's - cool. I guess. Thanks." Joey stammered, not expecting them to be this this okay with it.

"Do know that if you begin to struggle we will intervene." Luna added. "There comes a moment when your well being matters more than your personal objective. My sister seems to trust you, therefore I shall do the same."

There was an awkward pause between the two. Finally Joey broke it, looking around. "So... the dream realm. Pretty great. What happens now?"

"Now, we shall converse and become friends!" Luna answered enthusiastically, raising a hoof in the air.

"Er - okay." Joey muttered. "A little on the nose, but... sure. I guess."

"Would you feel comfortable telling us why you left Ponyville?" Luna began.

"Starting with the heavy stuff, huh?" Joey sighed. "Fine. No one understands me, or at least no one is even trying, and I'm always the bad guy whenever Cl - erm, a certain other person is involved. I'm also pretty much a nobody to everyone else and everyone forgets I exist. That work for you?"

Instead of denying any of his claims, Luna listened intently. "Hmm, I see. You desired a change of scene, then?"

"Exactly." Joey answered grimly. "If they want to keep pushing me off, accidentally or not, I'm just going to go somewhere else where I'm gonna succeed."

Luna sighed. "It is a most unfortunate situation, to live in the shadow of others. To be overlooked, underestimated. Even forgotten. I understand it, Mr. Belfort."

"You - wait - you do?" Joey asked incredulously. "Pardon my French, but you're a god damn princess - princesses don't get forgotten."

"Allow me to blow your mind then, young one." Luna said with what looked like a slightly sad smile. "Allow me to tell you the story of Nightmare Moon."

11 - Lunar Revelations

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"So wait, let me get this straight - you were overshadowed by your sister, got jealous, then turned into some sort of evil version of yourself?" Joey asked, trying to recap the tale in his head. It was easy enough to understand, but the concept of physically and mentally transforming into someone completely different through raw emotion was... unsettling.

Luna nodded. "My sister mentioned that we might be alike in many ways."

"I don't really have a redemption story." Joey pointed out. "You do. Even if it seemed like a coincidence or an accident it still helped you."

"Perhaps your redemption story hasn't happened yet." Luna said calmly. "Your friends back in Ponyville - minus the one girl - would probably be a humongous help to you -"

"They aren't my friends!" Joey snapped, causing Luna to jump. "I could have died when I got here. Remember the explosion? Not a single one paid me a visit to make sure I was okay. When I'd shut myself in to avoid people? Not one of them came knocking. Even if I didn't want them to, it proved that I'm just some sort of side character to anything and everything that's ever happened!"

Luna sighed. "I confess I do not know as much about your predicament as my sister does. Would you mind telling me more about what has happened between you and your fellow humans?"

"What, so you can tell me to go be best friends with them?" Joey scoffed. He almost didn't care about how he addressed her at this point, he was furiously expecting her to try and tell him off like Celestia had done by letter.

Luna shook her head. "Friendships can't be forced, so I wouldn't dare to suggest that. I apologize if my comments have seemed ignorant; that was not my intent. I simply do not know where you're coming from."

Joey forced himself to take a deep breath. "So... what do you know?"

Luna recounted the short list of things she had been aware of, right up to Clara's admittance to knowing about Katy's death.

"That is about what I am completely sure of." Luna finished, looking down at him intently.

"I'm guessing she didn't tell you the whole truth about my sister's death, then?" Joey asked with a defeated sigh.

"Er - no, I was unaware that there was more to this part of the story." Luna admitted, now looking concerned.

Joey sighed. "Katy - my sister - was only one of the people in that accident. The other two who were there were my mother," he held up his pointer finger, "and my younger brother Caleb. My mother died almost instantly along with my sister, and I watched little Caleb die in front of me hours later in the emergency room."

Luna opened her mouth, then closed it. She stood there stiff as a board, absolutely lost for words. Finally after what felt like an age she stammered, "S-So your father is also dead too, w-which means...?"

"Bingo. No family." Joey responded with a strangled tone. "You see - at the end of the day, you had Celestia there for you when Nightmare Moon was defeated. The other humans have countless friends back in Ponyville. If we were able to go back to our world, they would have their families there. And what do I -? Never mind." He stopped himself before going even further on his emotional tangent.

Luna walked a bit closer and spread her wings slowly as if to offer him a hug. Joey hesitated heavily, so she took the initiative and very gently wrapped him up in a tight embrace. As awkward as it was, it felt... nice.

"I'm not going to try to understand your pain, Joey." she said softly. "You and I seem to be more alike than I would have imagined. My sister was right." She pulled away from the hug and chuckled. "It's a little funny - I confess I don't know you much at all, but after hearing you say that I can't help but feel that we have an understanding."

Joey gave her a scrutinizing look. The lunar princess looked... relieved, almost. Happy wasn't quite the word for it. Did they really have an understanding?

"I can't imagine how it feels to spend a thousand years on the moon by yourself, to be fair." Joey finally replied with a slight smirk. "So now I guess we really are even, aren't we?"

Luna laughed at this. It wasn't the tinkling, polite laugh he would have expected from a princess. It was from the gut, a genuine laugh. For some reason this small detail made Joey relax.

"We shall become great friends!!" Luna declared with a huge grin, once again raising her hoof.

"Friends? With me?" Joey asked in mild surprise. "I appreciate that a lot, but... you have princess stuff. I'm not going to let myself get in the way, sorry."

"You are being ridiculous." Luna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I do have princess duties, but that is the silliest reason to avoid having friends that I have ever heard. We have a bond here that most ponies do not. Or humans, for that matter."

That last comment made Joey pause. "You... don't think they feel the same as I do?"

Luna shook her head. "While I'm sure that they are all going to be upset about not having the chance to see their friends and family back in the human realm, they are surrounded by ponies who see them and love them. A good thing too." She added quickly. "However, I think I am able to string together the pieces and guess that you are where you are simply because nopony sees you, or perhaps even cares."

Joey couldn't deny that. Actually, she was pretty much right on the money with that. He elected not to say anything, but Luna was still able to confirm her guess off of that.

"Do not worry, Joey." Luna continued with a gentle smile. "I see you where others do not. Trust that my sister does as well. If she did anything to offend you, please understand that she was doing it with your best interests at heart."

"I - thanks." Joey replied quietly.

"Please, make one promise for me." Luna said, walking up to him once again. She wrapped him up in another hug, and this time Joey didn't feel the need to resist. "Do not keep this to yourself. I cannot be here with you every single night, but I will when I can! If you go through this alone, you will only destroy yourself."

Joey looked up at her anxious stare and sighed. "I promise."

When Joey had awaken the next morning, he felt surprisingly lighthearted for once. Of course he wasn't going to give up. He would have to figure something out if he wanted to secure a job in the film industry, and with the camera skills he had developed in school he was more than confident about his ability. Especially if the whole concept of movies were relatively new, perhaps he might be able to do something big if he played his cards right.

How would he even start, though? He needed connections, or a job opening... something. For now he would just build some savings. If he tried doing something risky too soon... he didn't want to think about it.

A week passed, and nothing new happened. The only thing Joey did to break the monotony was attend a few different movies at a theater just down the street from his apartment building. They were interesting enough, but none of them were very memorable.

Another week passed. He had now seen every movie currently in theaters (which added up to a total of seven, so not very many) and still none of them stuck out to him. Five of them were sappy romances. They weren't made poorly per se, but the way they portrayed emotions left way too much to the imagination. They didn't make him feel anything. There was a desire to make them good, he could tell, but there were too many artistic aspects missing from them to really have a story that sold him.

It had now been two weeks since his dream-talk with Luna. Life had now slowed to a crawl for him as all he pretty much did was work and sleep. To be honest, it felt like he gave out his trust a little too freely nowadays. Still, he trusted Celestia. He unsurprisingly related to Luna WAY more than he did Celestia. Now that he thought about it as he walked to work, Luna didn't really bullshit anything to him, nor did she seem overly sympathetic.

The more he thought about their talk, the more it made sense to trust her. She didn't even seem upset about not knowing his physical whereabouts, just as long as he proved that he was okay.

"Joey! Hiya!" called out a familiar female voice. Joey snapped out of his trip to lala-land and noticed Minty standing there with a huge grin. Her mat was rolled up tightly and slung over her back with her satchel.

"Mornin' Minty." he replied in a friendly tone. He had only seen the mare one other time since their first encounter, which had also been a casually pleasant experience. "How goes the show biz? Any more luck?"

"No..." Minty sighed, looking down at the ground. "Everypony here either doesn't care or just teases me."

"Who are you trying to captivate in terms of audience?" Joey asked curiously.

Minty looked up at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Who would be your usual audience?" Joey elaborated. "That might have something to do with it."

"Umm... I dunno. Anypony who passes by, I guess." Minty replied. "I never gave it much thought."

"If others think this is childish, maybe it's because it is." Joey suggested.

He then realized he should have worded that differently, because Minty immediately looked a bit offended. "What did you say??"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Joey hastily amended. "What I was trying to say was that maybe you'd have more success performing where more children are! You know, like for fillies and stuff?" He winced at the last part, it sounded dumb coming out of his mouth.

Minty instantly seemed to calm down as she stared into empty space, thinking. "Well... you might actually have a point."

"I was not insulting you at all, I'm just saying that children appreciate some of the seemingly simpler things." Joey assured her. "That skill you have is one of the coolest things I've seen done so far with pony magic. When I say you make those dolls come to life, I mean it! They literally look like they've become living things when you do it!!"

"Oh stop..." Minty said, looking embarrassed but pleased. "It isn't that special."

"How would you know? You've been selling to the wrong audience this whole time." Joey jokingly scolded.

Minty rolled her eyes but gave him a quick side hug, which caught him off guard. "Whatever. I think you're on to something though, so I'm going to try it!"

"I'll see you around Minty. Lemme know how it goes!" Joey chuckled, waving to her as he continued on his way. Nice pony. Personally, he wasn't sure how successful she would be anywhere with that street show. As amazing as it was (in his eyes) there was just this aspect of street performers that seemed... insubstantial? Risky for income?

Still, he hoped she would at least find some measure of success.

"Oi! Joey!" Marble called from the register. "Do we have any more of those name key chains in the back?"

Joey, who had taken a small pause to drink his third cup of coffee for the day, placed it back down on the break room table with a sigh. "Which ones? The heart shaped ones or the rhombus looking ones?"

"They're diamond shaped!" Marble called back. "And yeah, those!"

"Pretty sure these are rhombuses."

"Whatever! The rack is empty and I need it refilled."

Joey sighed and walked over to the store inventory. This job wasn't hard by any means, but life was really starting to get monotonous. Wake up, go to work, go home, read (maybe eat), sleep, repeat. Finding the box he was looking for, he lifted it with a grunt and began making his way back up to the front.

Marble was currently tending to a decently long line, which was to be expected. Christmas - or Hearth's Warming as he would be calling it from now on - was approaching fast. Joey remained vaguely aware of the holiday looming over them, but he tried his best to ignore it. He was no Ebeneezer Scrooge, but he didn't have any reason to be happy about the day either.

He silently worked on his task as Marble slowly began to dwindle down the ranks of tourists and shoppers. Joey had just finished setting up all the named key chains in alphabetical order (some of which looked really silly to his human mind) and began to make his way into the back.

"Hey Joey, can I see you in my office?" Marble called to him just as Joey began to break down the box in the back.

Joey froze. Huh? What for?

He entered Marble's office warily. His boss stared intently at the computer in front of him wearing reading glasses. After couple moments the stallion looked up and grinned. "There he is! Don't look so tense, this is good news."

"Good... news?" Joey blinked.

"Sure!" Marble hummed, ruffling through a drawer. He then pulled out a flyer and laid it out for Joey to see.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT NEEDED
APPLY AT PALOMINO STUDIOS @ 1212 CANTER STREET

Want to start a career in Equestria's newest, most exciting new industry? Want a chance to write yourself a place in history? Come apply to be the newest member of our production assistant team!

Proof of citizenship required.

"Is this...?" Joey asked, hesitating.

"Listen - I've heard enough of your mumbling and muttering during work to know about your fascination with movies." he said with a shrewd grin. "I figured this might interest you. Well, I also know about your interest because Mrs. Berrytwist told me. Point is, this could be your big shot."

"Doesn't it seem a bit... I dunno, sketchy?" Joey asked, ignoring the boss's comments about his muttering (which were in fact true). "Look at it, it doesn't have any information about the job besides 'Production Assistant'. That could mean a number of things."

"You're a sharp one." Marble laughed. "While I do agree with you - are you sure you want to pass this up? Who knows... this could be your chance!"

"I guess... even if I'm running coffee errands, I gotta start somewhere." Joey hummed in agreement. "I... I don't know. It seems like a big risk to take... what if it doesn't work? I wouldn't have any means to earn money."

Marble rolled his eyes. "Kid, I never said I was gonna fire you. Relax. Don't overthink it! You've managed to help me reorganize the back-of-house inventory in a better way than I could have imagined!" He let out a hearty laugh. "If things go bad, you have a place here. I'd actually love it if you stayed here, but if I'm being honest..."

Marble got to his hooves and looked Joey dead in the eye. "This store is no place for as bright a pon- er, human as you. It might just be a hunch, but if you could get into the movie scene with that head of yours... the sky is the limit. Think it over. Store's closing early today, so that's all I'm gonna say for now."

He patted Joey on the shoulder and walked out of the office. Joey looked down, realizing that the flyer had somehow been placed in his hand without him noticing. He just stared at the paper as he slowly grabbed his coat and walked towards the door. His boss's words echoed in his head on repeat.

As he left the store, he stowed the flyer into his pocket with a renewed sense of determination.

"Y'know, fuck it. Let's do this."

12 - First Hearth's Warming, Worst Hearth's Warming

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The atmosphere within Las Pegasus was extremely lively, borderline feverish. Hearth's Warming was only mere days away, after all. Ponies and the occasional non-pony scurried about in a frantic search of the perfect gift, regretting their decisions to procrastinate on holiday shopping. The only human had it easy, which was bittersweet in a way. More bitter than sweet in all honesty.

There was no time to think about that now, though. There were more important tasks at hand.

Joey stood outside a large pair of large mahogany doors outside a horizontal half-cylinder of a building made of concrete, the home of Palomino Studios, trying to calm himself. This was it. This was his big chance to truly start the life he wanted. He had taken every bit of his extra free time over the past week to prepare himself for this moment.

It hadn't been super easy, either. Of course he had kept his citizenship papers safe - those were the whole reason he could have done anything in this city to begin with. His resume had been a different story. He had to make it from scratch with limited resources, and he knew that alone wouldn't seem professional enough. Because of this he had taken it to a freelance publisher who way overcharged him for it - 100 bits!! No one else seemed willing to help him, so that was his only choice.

Regardless, he was here. Dressed well, too - he of course still had the tuxedo Rarity had generously made for him, and this was the perfect occasion for it. He needed to bring his best self as anyone would for an interview they felt rather passionate about - but it felt almost as if his dreams were on the line during those next two or so hours.

C'mon, Joey. Nerves are normal. Get your ass in there and show everyone what you're capable of.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed his way inside. He stepped into what would have seemed like a waiting room in a dentist's office, although it came with plenty of magazines that sat in piles next to the chairs lined up against the walls to either side. Directly in front of him was a very large semicircular reception desk. Behind it sat a very tidy looking mare with a bronze coat with her mane tied up in a bun.

She looked over her spectacles to peer at Joey as he approached. Her expression betrayed a look of shock for a fleeting moment, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "I take it you are... Mr. Belfort?"

"That's me." Joey said calmly, even though he felt so anxious he might just burst into flames at any moment.

"Mister Brightshade will see you in a moment." she said in a professional voice, and left the room.

Joey assumed that was his cue to take a seat. He kept subconsciously picking at the corner of the file folder he had brought containing the necessary paperwork. He mentally scolded himself for doing it; for all he knew any creased corners could give off a bad impression.

The door behind the receptionist's desk opened with a click, startling Joey a little. The same mare from earlier walked through and looked at him expressionlessly. "He will see you now. Follow me, please."

Joey stood up nervously and followed her through the back door. He had kind of hoped to see some large rooms where they would shoot scenes, but unfortunately all that he could see were many offices. Despite only being around for several years, they seemed to have a very good operation going here. The went past a couple turns, making Joey thankful he had a guide here.

The secretary came to a door that looked noticeably nicer than all the others, with nice carved designs around a oval shaped stained window in the middle of it. "Here we are. Best of luck." With that, she walked off.

Joey stood there awkwardly for a moment because of her abrupt departure. Finally he worked up the courage to knock on the door.

"Come on in!"

Joey slowly opened the door and poked his head in. A stallion with a chiseled jaw sat behind the desk before him, sitting over it with his hooves together like a human would of had their hands folded.

"Mister, um... Belfort, right?" Brightshade asked.

"Yes sir." Joey replied with a smile. "So nice to meet you."

"So! Why don't we cut to the chase - you're looking to join our studios. Are you familiar with any of our works?" Brightshade began, smiling over at Joey. It was hard to read, but for now it seemed more than friendly enough.

"I actually have, as a matter of fact!" Joey replied. "I've seen a few from this studio as well as a few others. I think the most recent was Raining Love." he inwardly cringed at the title, but managed to keep his face straight. This was the worst time to offer any sort of criticism.

Brightshade raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "Oh really? I take it you must have a passion for movies?"

"I was really curious to see what the movies here were like." Joey explained. "So to answer your question, I'd have to say yes."

"Do you have any experience with movie making?" Brightshade continued, looking down at the paper in front of him.

"Not very much, I was on track to graduate with a degree in cinematography after the Equestria trip. Obviously I haven't been able to get a diploma since I'm... y'know... stuck." Joey awkwardly finished.

"Yes, yes. I'm familiar with the whole 'human' story. Awful news. You have my condolences." the handsome pony said dismissively. "Now, you said you don't have a degree?"

"Er, no - but I already have the skill set and knowledge to operate a camera properly." Joey answered confidently.

"We aren't in need of any camera-ponies at the moment." Brightshade hummed, still staring down at the paper.

"Oh - I mean, I'd be totally fine with any job." Joey quickly stammered. "You always have to start from somewhere."

The pony in front of him shifted uncomfortably. "Er - yes, that's very true. As a matter of fact, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

Joey was starting to get a bad gut feeling about this. "Well... if I'm being honest, I'm a big dreamer. I was thinking that if I could manage it I could definitely be directing movies of my own."

"Directing your own movies?" Brightshade asked, with a slight hint of incredulity. Sighing, he got off of his chair and walked up to a shelf that appeared to have many awards. "Do you know what our core values are here, Mr. Belfort?"

"Er - I can't say that I do." Joey admitted.

"I'll tell you. 'Under structure and direction we will flourish'." Brightshade rehearsed. "It's very important to everyone here, it's how we all function. After all, these awards you see in front of me wouldn't be ours without it!"

"It sounds more like a motto to me, sir." Joey pointed out, but instantly regretted it as he received a stern look from Brightshade.

"I started this studio when I had nothing to my name, Mr. Belfort. I take applicants seriously here. Every employee at Palomino Studios is required to work flawlessly and cohesively, like a well-oiled clock. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

"Of course." Joey said with a nod. "What you have going on here seems extremely strong. I'm not surprised you won those awards."

His attempt at flattery seemed to get him nowhere as Brightshade frowned even more deeply. "These aren't just any awards, Mr. Belfort. These here are the Jubilee awards!! Only the best could ever hope to win something like this. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them!"

"I've only been here a couple months..." Joey said quietly as Brightshade sat back down and looked at the human very intently.

"You seem like a very sharp young man, Belfort. Very sharp. However, there are some things I can't bring myself to overlook." the pony said firmly.

"Er - I'm sorry if I'm unfamiliar with the specifics of the film world here in Equestria, Mr. Brightshade." Joey said quickly. "I know I'll learn in no time. I'm not looking to instantly rise to the top or anything, I'm just -"

"Settle down, kid." Brightshade groaned. "Look, all of that's fine and good. I'm sure your personality would fit right in. I'm talking about the, uh - more physical aspect of things here."

Joey paused with a sinking feeling. "I'm not sure if I follow you, sir..."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but this -" Brightshade slapped the citizenship papers back into Joey's hand, "- isn't what we're looking for. You wouldn't fit in here. We'd have issues eventually, Belfort, and because of that we want ponies here. Ponies! It makes everything much less complicated."

"So the reason you wouldn't hire me..." Joey said slowly, hardly believing what he was hearing, "...is because I'm not a pony?"

Brightshade leaned in closer over his desk with a sickly sympathetic smile. "It isn't anything personal, Belfort. Please understand. I just can't take any risks."

There were so many things wrong with that. How did that make any sense!? Joey had so many things he wanted to say to that idiot right now. He managed to refrain from it and instead managed to ask weakly, "So is that it? Is there any way I might change your mind?"

Brightshade shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Belfort. Just make a movie yourself if you feel that badly about this. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for my other applicants. Full schedule."

Next thing Joey knew, he was standing back out on the sidewalk. He had hardly registered walking back out of the building. He looked down at one of his hands for a moment, and it was trembling. For a split second he despised it, he despised his humanity. Then sense came back to him just as quickly as it had left him, and a hot feeling welled up behind his eyes.

No. No crying.

He began walking back to his apartment slowly, silently.

Hearth's Warming Eve was upon Equestria, and a heavy snow began to fall. Joey had hardly spoken a word to anyone since leaving Palomino Studios. As he reorganized new incoming shipments at Marble Moon's store once again, he couldn't help but stew in his negative thoughts. He hadn't felt this miserable since Ponyville.

In other words, he managed to make it a full month without something bad happening. Yippee.

It didn't help his mood when Marble seemed a little too enthusiastic about having Joey back. On the bright side, he had job security. In light of recent events, it just seemed... mean, almost. His boss was a nice pony, but sometimes Joey wondered if the pony had struggles with reading the room.

Joey also couldn't help but realize that he hadn't heard from Luna since she approached him in his dream. Sure she was probably busy, but what he couldn't understand was how she could so intently get him to realize that they were similar only to seemingly forget him again.

Everybody forgot him. This holiday was going to suck cold, steel donkey balls.

As the work day began to wrap up around noon (earlier than usual for the holiday) Marble approached Joey.

"Heya, Joey! Good work as always!" he said cheerfully, giving him a bag of bits that was slightly larger than usual.

"Um, boss?" Joey asked, weighing the bag in his hand. "I don't think you -"

"It was intentional! Think of it as your holiday bonus!" Marble laughed as he put on his scarf. "Merry Hearth's Warming! Remember, no work tomorrow! Enjoy it with your family!!" Then he ran off into the blizzard.

"I don't have a family." Joey said blankly to an empty shop. Sighing, he grabbed his work bag and thin coat before following his boss's hoof-steps out into the cold.

He shuddered as the icy wind seemed to tear through his meager layers. Instead he began the walk home, deciding or not whether he should hit up the bar that was a block away from his apartment complex. As another gust of frozen wind blasted him he made up his mind that he would go to the bar since it would be closed tomorrow.

He was never much of a drinker, but damn he needed a way to get through the holiday.

"Er - a whole jug of bourbon??" the bartender asked Joey after hearing his initial order. "I'm hoping you have some pals to help ya finish it. Are you sure?"

"I'm no alcoholic, Dusty." Joey chuckled.

Dusty Mug was the owner of the bar close to Joey's apartment, lovingly dubbed Mug's Mugs (the stallion had a good sense of humor). Joey was quite fond of him; the two had struck up a bond after a couple visits. Usually Dusty would be kind and accommodating for a nice hefty tip as any good bartender would, but her completely dropped that facade around Joey. He had been a great venting buddy for the past few weeks.

Dusty sighed and continued cleaning the glass he was currently holding. "Fine. Only when you leave or we close, whichever comes first."

Joey grinned. "Knew I could count on you, man."

"You always say that. 'Man'. Is that a human way of saying 'dude'?"

Joey let out a small laugh. "I never thought about it before. Yeah, I guess it is. You're quick to this stuff."

"Ya gotta be, otherwise some of these folks will nail you to the wall with the - OI! SUNSAVER! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THE DARTS!?" Dusty bellowed over at a pair of stallions who seemed to be misusing the dartboard. "STEP OFF, YA CRETIN! Aye aye aye." He sighed and returned to his work, sparing a glance up at Joey whose eyebrows were raised.

"Cretin?"

"I call 'em what they are." Dusty said with a gruff snicker. "Buncha hooligans, I swear on Sunbutt I never get a break when those two are around."

"When does the bar close again?" Joey asked, taking a sip of his mixed drink. He forgot the name of it, something citrus-y.

"Two o' clock for the holiday." Dusty answered as he carefully placed the freshly cleaned cup on a shelf behind him. "Got any holiday plans there, bud?"

"Nope. Not really." Joey sighed. "I was thinking I'd mix the bourbon with some hot chocolate tomorrow. Maybe just read. I dunno."

"You're spending it by yourself?" Dusty asked sadly. "Now I want to give you that jug even less."

"I promise I won't die from it, I'm not an idiot." Joey scoffed.

"Holiday depression can do horrible things to ponies. Or any creature in general." Dusty argued, leaning on the counter. "Look Joey, I know you're a smart fella. Don't get many souls with your wit in here. Just don't let the blues go to your head, ya hear?"

"I hear ya, I hear ya." Joey groaned. "I'm just gonna survive it and carry on."

"Hear from the princess yet in your dreams? Princess Luna?" the barkeep asked curiously.

"Nothing. She definitely forgot about me." Joey laughed darkly. "I dunno why I trust anyone anymore."

Dusty nodded thoughtfully. "I know she's probably got her hooves full every single night, but it seems a bit back-hoofed to not even check in on ya."

"I just try not to think about it." Joey muttered before taking a generous gulp of his drink. "It just hurts."

"Your luck has been down, kiddo. That's for sure. Just do me a favor and don't drop dead from sadness one of these days." Dusty quipped.

"Har-dee-har har." Joey grunted in response. "Just gimme that jug and I'll pay my tab."

Twilight felt frazzled. Another holiday get-together with her friends was almost upon them, and she still had two more gifts to get. Ginger was easy, she got her a writing set. Andre she got tickets to the season opener for the Ponyville Buckball team. Clara was getting a book series she had seemed interested on starting ever since Twilight told her about it.

Wasn't there someone else? She still hadn't gotten gifts for Fluttershy and Spike, but she felt like someone else was missing. She went through the mental list of names and confirmed that she indeed hadn't forgotten anypony.

Weird...

She finally settled on a new bird feeder for Flutters and a very nice pair of claw-warmers for Spike. Somehow she managed to get everything wrapped and presentable before the ponies and humans showed up to her her castle. Thank Celestia she had put up the decorations earlier this year, or else she would have lost her bucking mind.

She managed to come out of her annual holiday manic episode right as her guests began to trickle in. Finally, they were all there and were gathered around the tree.

"This feels so weird..." Andre said slowly. "Pony Christmas."

"Nuh-uh! It's Hearth's Warming, silly!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Potato potahto." Andre said with a smirk. "It's pretty much the same thing."

"They have different historical backgrounds." Clara pointed out.

"You're such a nerd, girl." Ginger teased. "Lucky you have me here, or else no one might think you're any fun."

"I think it's cute." Bill said affectionately, sidling up to Clara. She blushed and rested her head on his shoulder. Andre faked a retching noise, earning a hearty laugh from Rainbow.

"Okay everyone! Are we ready to open gifts?" Rarity called out in a singsong voice, placing a parcel under the tree with her own magic. "Or shall we get warm and play a game?"

"We'll play a game after we open gifts. I have hot chocolate for anyone who wants it!" Twilight announced, receiving a small cheer in return.

They all partook in the chocolate-riddles festivities, and it was almost as if there was so much light and cheer in that room that even the shadows would feel uncomfortable. Stories were exchanged, traditions swapped, jokes told - truly the sort of holiday gathering you would read about in a story book.

Finally as the room began to settle down a bit, Twilight got that nagging feeling in her gut again. She always had the worst time ignoring this feeling - what if she had forgotten something important??

"I feel like I'm forgetting something... but I have no idea what it might be." Twilight finally half-announced to the room.

"Classic Twilight." Rainbow teased, making Applejack snort into her hot chocolate. This got a disapproving look from Rarity. "Listen Twi, you do this every year. Relax. Everypony's here!!"

Ginger coughed awkwardly. "Erm - you mean everyone - I mean, everypony - in Ponyville, or...?"

"Well - yeah." Rainbow answered with a confused look. "Everypony is here. From Ponyville."

"Did I forget someone?" Twilight asked Ginger, soliciting a knowing groan from some of the others.

"I - no, not really. Forget it." Ginger replied quickly. "I already sent a few letters out, I hope he gets one."

"Ya hope who gets your letter?" Applejack asked, puzzled.

Andre looked like he wanted to say something, before making a small oh with his mouth in realization. "I forgot you sent letters to him. Or, hopefully to him."

"Who is 'him'??" Rainbow groaned loudly in frustration. "Who did you write to??"

"I wrote a bunch of letters to Joey and sent them all out to different cities." Ginger sighed. "Maybe one of them will find him."

The cheerful mood in the room completely evaporated. Twilight felt like she had swallowed an icicle. The same old questions that had been swirling in her mind since his disappearance surfaced again. Was he okay? What was he doing? Where was he? Was he alive?

What was he going to do for Hearth's Warming...?

"You wrote Joey letters?" Clara asked in mild surprise. "You never told me."

"Only because you probably would've thrown a fit!" Ginger snapped. "You're probably the biggest reason why he's gone!!"

"Hey now, that was uncalled for!" Applejack scolded. "Ah get that Clara here has been unfair to him, but there's no need to get all tangled about that right now."

"She's got a point, Applejack." Andre sighed. "I'm not going to put all the blame on you, Clara, but you were merciless. I should have vouched for him more."

Clara looked uncomfortable and a bit guilty. Her expression was hard to read.

"I think we all could have done more to prevent him leaving." Twilight sighed.

"If only you all would stop forgetting he existed." Ginger snarked. She seemed extremely annoyed, which was a bit odd since Twilight had never heard her speak about Joey like this before.

Her words seemed to make most of the room wince. The fact that they all knew about this issue too made it all that much worse. Joey probably hated them now.

"I never even got to talk to him!" Rainbow complained. She sighed and stood up. "I get that you hate his sister, Clara, but he's a different dude!! I don't get how you could get everypony to side with you like that."

"We didn't side with Clara!!" Twilight interrupted. "Blaming Joey for something like that when it wasn't his fault is so unfair!!"

"We did defend her when Joey needed mediation, Twilight." Rarity disagreed. "Remember what he told us the last time we saw him?"

"He said something? What did he say? Why did you guys -" Spike began heatedly, but Applejack put a hoof to his mouth and shook her head. This calmed him down.

Twilight noticed none of this because Joey's sharp, biting words rang in her skull. The fact that I just said all these things and you're upset about the fact that I swore? You made your priorities clear. The thing about these words that hurt the most was that they were all right.

A morose silence fell on the room like a heavy, uncomfortable blanket. Hardly anyone looked one another in the eye. Clara seemed to be thinking to herself while biting her lip with a sad look. The other ponies also looked super bummed with the exception of Rainbow, who looked super frustrated.

Finally Ginger broke the silence. "I'm sorry guys, I wasn't trying to start a fight. I'm just so irritated people let things get this bad for him. None of us humans deserve that, we're all in the same boat." Her words became thicker as she began to fight back tears.

Fluttershy reacted quickly and hugged her. The yellow pegasus looked like she wanted to cry about the whole thing herself. "There, there."

"Ginger's right. We shouldn't fight." Twilight said, realizing her own voice was thick with sadness. "Let's have a great Hearth's Warming. I know Princess Celestia said she didn't want us to go looking for Joey, but we're gonna remember him as we celebrate tonight!!"

This little speech seemed to revitalize the atmosphere. As Twilight began a holiday toast she couldn't help but notice that when she started a toast for Joey's well being, Clara raised her glass with a small smile. As activity began to pick up once again in the room Twilight found herself staring blankly out of the nearest window.

Joey... I hope you're okay. I'm so, so sorry. I hope you're having a good Hearth's Warming.

Five hundred and thirty-one miles to the south, Joey sat on the balcony deck of his apartment. It was freezing, but the walls on either side of the deck provided him refuge from the unforgiving winds. He sat in a cheap plastic chair nursing a cup of spiked cocoa that had gone stone cold a long time ago.

As he sat there, he began to sing.

"Oh, holy night,
The stars are brightly shining..."

He began to think of the many Christmas Eves he had spent singing this very song gathered around the tree with his family. It was a song that had a deep meaning to him through those moments... and to think, he would never be able to sing with family like that around the tree ever again...

"A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices.
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn...

As he reached the chorus, the instrumental melody rang true in his imagination. He thought about how miserable and pathetic he must have looked sitting there in the hopeless cold, holding a drink that was his only current comfort. A tear rolled down his cheek and froze, his chest began heaving slightly.

"Fall on your knees,
O hear the angel's voices
O night... divine..."

His thoughts drifted to those who had put on a facade of friendliness. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but they didn't seem to care at all. They probably wouldn't bat an eye if he died. He ran away from them like a coward.

He could finally bear the cold no more, so he slowly removed himself from the chair. Brushing the snow that had settled on him as he moped he went back inside and straight to bed. As he drifted off to sleep, for some reason an tune from an old, sad christmas cartoon began playing in his mind as he drifted off to sleep. That was all he could handle before the tears started to flow.

It didn't matter, let them flow. Let them fall. No one could see him in this moment, nor would anyone ever know. After all, this holiday had hammered in the one truth Joey was too afraid to face.

He was utterly, brutally alone.

13 - Sticks and Stones...

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A warm summer breeze swept through a large open field of maintained grass. Many were out walking their dogs, throwing a frisbee, or simply just basking in the July sun. Joey's family was doing the same, although the activities weren't what you would usually see in a public park on a Saturday morning.

"Katy! Joey! Caleb! Don't go where we can't see you!" Joey's mother called out to her children as she usually would. She was a beautiful woman in her forties, though with her rich brown locks you could hardly tell she was a day over thirty. Her gentle yet slightly anxious gaze never wandered from her kids. Despite this she was relaxing in the shade of a tree with her husband.

"Relax." Joey's father chuckled. "They're not that far quite yet. "Hey, Jo-Bo!! Whatcha guys doin with that camera?"

Joey (who was occasionally dubbed 'Jo-Bo' by his father) turned to his parents excitedly. He hustled over with that winning, toothless nine year old grin. "Katy and I are makin' movies!" he panted excitedly, as his older sister also joined him.

"Oh yeah?" their mother laughed. "How exciting! What is it about?"

"I'm a princess that's running away from home!" Katy said proudly. "Caleb is the knight that is trying to get me!"

Their said younger brother finally caught up and whined, "I'm not a knight! I wanna be a flobbit!" Their parents simultaneously broke out into laughter over their five year old's antics.

"I think you mean 'hobbit', kiddo." their dad wheezed.

"Nuh-uh! A flobbit!" Caleb insisted.

"So who's idea was it?" their mom asked as Caleb flung himself into her lap.

"It was Joey's, but I'm the star!!" Katy said with a flourish.

"Well how about that, Mr. Director!" their father exclaimed, looking at Joey. "You having fun?"

"Yep! I'm gonna make a awesome movie to show you an' mom someday!" Joey replied before making 'woosh' noises with his mouth and waving the camera all around as if he were taking awesome action shots.

"Whoa there, bud!" his dad laughed, snagging the camera. "You can use mom's camera if you're not going to do that. Also, you don't say 'a awesome'. You say, 'an awesome'. Sound good?"

"I won't break it, I promise..." Joey whined with a longing look at the camera, completely ignoring his father's grammar lesson.

"Alright buddy, there you go. Be careful! Now go finish that movie so you can show your mom and dad." his dad said warmly, handing the camera back to the giddy child. In the blink of an eye, the kids were back out in the field to continue making their masterpiece.

New years day had come and gone. For now the snowfall around Equestria had become stagnant, mostly due to the scheduled maintenance checks at the factory in Cloudsdale. In Las Pegasus there was now hardly any wind, but the air still had a sort of bite to it that attacked one's ears and nose. Particularly for those who didn't have any fur to keep themselves warm.

January passed, with nothing of note happening. No sign of Lune in Joey's dreams. His spirit was at an all time low as he simply went through the motions every day. Despite having the money, he hardly ate. He left his apartment mostly unfurnished, despite a couple of random kitchen appliances he hardly ever used (besides the coffee maker, obviously). He found himself thinking more pessimistically than he ever had before, but this wasn't an unwelcome change.

He saw it as self defense. Keep your hopes down, and nobody will dash them.

Joey found himself wishing for a warmer set of ears as he trudged to work on an early Monday morning. Every day since Christmas had been a blur. The sharp emotional pains had slowly been replaced with dull, numb feeling. He hadn't found the will to talk unless if he needed to after the holiday, which didn't need to be too often thankfully with the job he had. Anypony in his life at the moment that may have given the slightest of damns about this alarming change in behavior was far too distracted with the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day (the ponified, dumber sounding version of Valentines Day) to pay any attention to it.

The snow crunched under his feet as he walked. The cold was starting to make his nose run a little, which forced him to sniff hard dozens of seconds apart.

"Hey! Look who it is!" a familiar snotty voice called out. Joey looked up, surprised at the addressal, and recognized the two stallions that been bullying Minty the day he met her. He didn't respond nor make eye contact, he merely kept his gaze fixed ahead of him in an indifferent fashion.

"Oi! Monkey! Where are your manners?" the other jeered.

"Don't worry mate, that's probably why boss didn't hire him." the other cackled.

Joey gave in and turned to them with a raised eyebrow. "You two work for Palomino Studios?"

"The one and only, we'll pass into legend some day." the grey one gloated. These two clearly didn't seem the brightest of the bunch.

"No wonder you guys are pricks, then." Joey spat, starting to walk away. "Go find a hobby."

"Like reading perhaps?" the tan one snickered. "I know an article you'd like. Newly published, too!!" The two ponies broke out into laughter.

Joey stopped and turned to face them once again. "What... article?"

"Wait... he doesn't know?" the tan one said gleefully, looking at his comrade with wide eyes.

"Should we tell him?" the grey one snorted.

"No no, let him see it for himself!" the tan one cackled in replied. The two of them turned tail and trotted off with raucous laughter.

"If the monkey wants to make a movie, he should do it himself! As if! Ha!"

Joey watched them go with an uneasy feeling. Their taunts didn't bother him; they reminded him of Twitter users back home. Still, they mentioned an article... was that something he should be worried about? What would it even be about?

He saw a streetside vendor that was selling magazines and newspapers. As he approached, he began to slow as he tried to get a better look at the merchandise.

"Cold, eh?" the elderly stallion behind the counter said, shivering. "Any of these fine prints interest you?"

Joey didn't reply as he scanned the racks. Then he saw it, with a plummeting sensation in his belly.

Brightshade's Monkey Business!! Famed director's foresight a saving grace for Palomino Studios?

"Can I... see that one?" Joey sighed, pointing at the magazine in question.

"Oh sure! Let me just-" the stallion agreed before actually realizing which one the human wanted. "Oh - er, that one. Are you... sure?"

"I just want to see what it says, then I'll be out of your hair - er, mane."

The pony nervously handed the magazine to Joey, who quickly took it and began to read.

Sassy Scribbles ~ Las Pegasus has always been known to attract a crowd of creatures of all types, which has long been one of our city's sources of pride. Sometimes critters aren't simply fit for certain roles, as Palomino Studios quickly realized shortly before Hearth's Warming. The creature in question was none other than one of the infamous standed Humans.

"My first thoughts were, 'Are you serious? This colt has no chance!'" remarks Cobalt Brightshade, famed owner and movie director at Palomino Studios. "He had manners, but just because you have a sad backstory doesn't mean you'll just get hired anywhere. We ponies pioneered the movie industry, and I can't take the chances of letting an ape messing up anything we've worked so hard to build here at (Palomino Studios)."

Further remarks were made at a news conference held at the...

Joey forced himself to stop reading. Ouch. What a fucking asshole.

"Erm... not to be rude, but are you going to pay for that?" the stallion asked nervously. It was then that Joey realized he had been gripping the magazine so hard it was beginning to tear.

"Oh shit, um - here." Joey responded quickly, feeling bad as he fished in a pocket for some bits. "How many?"

"Five bits."

Joey handed over the coin to the shivering stallion and paused as the poor thing seemed to be really struggling with the weather. Sighing, he smiled weakly and offered his scarf to the old pony.

"Oh no, I couldn't -" he began to protest, but Joey simply placed it down on the counter and began walking.

"Take it." Joey ordered. "I can't feel the cold anyway."

"Joey... can I have a word?" Marble asked as the human was going about his daily break room coffee routine.

Joey nodded in response and followed his boss to the office. Was this going to be about the article? Had he seen it yet? Joey didn't need any reminders.

Marble plopped down into his swivel chair with a groan. "Alright - I'll cut to the chase. I really need the Hearts and Hooves merch stocked on the shelves as soon as you can. I've had countless ponies come through asking if we had any, and it feels like the bits are slipping from my hooves."

"So... you just want me to get on that sooner?" Joey asked.

"If you don't mind. I'll give you a paid lunch break for it today."

"Yep, on it. I'll get it done as fast as I can."

So his boss apparently hadn't read the magazine article. Then again, it was a magazine article rather than one from a newspaper, so less ponies were bound to see it. Still, talk about adding insult to injury.

Now that Joey was working on the floor, he couldn't help but notice that Marble was right. Even though Hearts and Hooves was only two days away, he saw countless blushing couples come into the store to purchase what he could only assume to be cheesy mementos for cheesy reasons. Many of them were slightly startled to see the human working there, but quickly seemed to accept this fact and turn their attention back to more, ah... romantic things.

Again, he really didn't care all that much. His thoughts were always drifting back to that stupid article.

He ended up going without breaks over the next two days, which was honestly fine by him. Marble wasn't aware of this and would have scolded him if he found out, but the Valentine's - sorry Hearts and Hooves (bleh) merchandise was selling at a crazy rates. How many damn couples were going to go tourist mode in early February?? The fuck? Go eat Italian food or something like a normal stereotypical couple.

Actually, no. He was glad they were enjoying themselves. He needed to keep all this negativity into his own little world. Besides, every single time he had trusted another pony to open up he ended up just being forgotten again.

Finally, the rush was over and Joey could be on his way. After the recent workload, he really needed a drink. Something to help temporarily burn away the stress so he could relax the following day.

Something to bury the pain, even just for a night.

Dusty Mug stood in his usual spot, chatting with some regulars from across the counter. Joey took a seat at the bar next to the far wall, wanting to be far removed from the energetic atmosphere. While some might assume him to be lonely and jealous at a glance, he simply just wanted some quiet and hard liquor.

He never really drank before coming to Equestria. Now... it was almost every other day.

"The usual, Joey?" Dusty called out.

"Nope, something harder if you don't mind. Surprise me, I don't really care." Joey replied with a strong voice. As he was looking towards Dusty as he said this, a pony out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze. She wasn't peculiar looking or anything, she was simply just... staring. Joey nodded at her politely and broke eye contact, hopefully signaling the end of the interaction.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. Just as he found his thoughts drifting off somewhere else he heard the scrape of the barstool next to him as the mare took a seat next to him. She had a yellow coat accompanied by a mane with black and white streaks. It was like she wasn't a bumblebee, but almost there with the color scheme.

Joey tried to ignore her, but the mare cleared her throat. "Ahem... ah, hi!"

He looked at her as Dusty set down some sort of crimson mixed drink in front of him. "Hi...?"

"Don't think I've seen ya here before." Dusty commented, squinting at her slightly in that manner he always did when thinking hard. "Do ya know my human friend here?"

"You only call me that because I'm a regular here." Joey deadpanned, taking a sip as Dusty barked out a laugh.

Ooh. Burnt citrus bitters. Or something. He was only just learning his drinking vocab.

"Oh - uhh..." the unicorn mare said shiftily. Her mane almost hid her horn, but the way she moved as she spoke made it poke out a pit. "N-No, I'm just visiting."

"Thanks for the drink, Dusty." Joey acknowledged, hardly even regarding the mare next to him. She seemed very uncomfortable in a... what was it? Nervousness? Anxiety? Hard to get a read, but it was suspicious.

Dusty nodded and shuffled off to the others again.

"So um... how are you?" the yellow unicorn asked awkwardly.

"Not to be rude, but I don't know you." Joey sighed flatly, making a face as the alcohol burned his throat. "Do I?"

"Ye- no, we haven't met." she stammered, earning a raised eyebrow. "I just saw you in that magazine."

"That - magazine?" Joey responded, knowing damn well which one. "Oh. That one. That's nice."

There was an awkward silence between them, but Joey was almost too tired to give a single fuck. Every bit of emotional investment he had taken a chance making in this world had left him empty as hell. Purposeless. Why should he care if some random ass pony was trying to chat him up?

It was her reason for doing so that concerned him.

"So... your name is Joey, right?" she asked.

Joey froze. The article made no mention of his name as far as he knew. "Yeah... that's me. You are?"

The mare seemed to be stumped by this question, which alarmed Joey. "I'm... um... I-I'm - um - Lemon... Pepper!" she stammered.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Joey groaned. "Do you have a reason for talking to me?"

"What do you mean?" the pony apparently named 'Lemon' asked. She seemed to be sweating now. Yeah, nope.

"You know what? I'm gonna go drink somewhere else, so go bother someone else." Joey said darkly as he stood up and moved to another corner of the bar. Fortunately Lemon didn't follow him, so that was that.

He did keep a wary eye out, however. For some reason that exchange made him deeply uncomfortable. Obviously he had managed to avoid any seedy business in the city but that didn't change the fact that he was one of a kind. You never know who might try and leverage that.

The drinks came quick and fast, and soon Joey barely even registered how many he had taken. Dusty wasn't hovering around like he usually did to stop ponies from overdrinking, he was too distracted. Maybe it had something to do with the holiday. Who knew? As long as Joey could do his own thing for as long as he wanted that was perfectly fine with him.

Still... looking at all the happy faces around the pub, his peace was short-lived. He thought it was great that others had friends and partners to support them, but him? Still absolutely nothing. The closest living creature he had to a friend was Minty, and he hadn't seen her since suggesting she try performing for the fillies. Nothing from the Princesses, which honestly hurt more than anything.

They were definitely the busiest ponies on the planet, so of course he wouldn't ever hope to hinder them. That wasn't what hurt him. What hurt him were the promises (that he interpreted) that had been hung out to dry. To promise someone in his state, someone who was heading for rock fucking bottom, friendship and support? Then to throw it to the wind? That there hurt. If anything, it proved that he shouldn't trust anyone ever again. He had blindly trusted more times than he could count since coming to Equestria, and every single time he had been forgotten or thrown aside.

Hopefully Ginger and Andre were still doing okay. As for Bill, screw that guy. He clearly had a thing for Clara. It may have been subtle, but Joey could spot a simp like that from a mile away.

The alcohol was getting to him. He could still think, but his thoughts were traveling down a deeper and darker path. He felt a bit paranoid since he learned of that damn article's existence, but now he was under the influence it hit him stronger then ever. He could have sworn that a few ponies at nearby tables were whispering about him. What could they be saying? Was he overthinking?

Did any of it matter anyway? What was he even doing here? What was his purpose? Right now he amounted to nothing more than a stupid gift shop assistant. It paid the bills, sure, but he wanted to be more - he wanted to make and direct films! Hell, even just manning the cameras would be a dream come true!! He had wanted this since he was four!! Or was it five? Six? Ah hell, he forgot.

A large group of ponies entered Mug's Mugs, appearing to be a large friend group. Joey watched them merrily order a round, sinking deeper into his chair. Flashes of random faces went through his mind - Fluttershy, Celestia, Andre, Twilight, Spike - and a tight knot formed in his chest. Someone might as well have run him through with a blade made of dry ice.

None of them - and he purely believed it now, and had for a month - gave a single fuck about him. He could be dead, and they probably wouldn't even bat an eye. Then, it finally hit him. He... could theoretically get out of this nightmare in a sense. He just needed proper execution, so small amount of subtlety, and then Joey Belfort would no longer have to plague the conscience of the princesses.

Cursing to himself, Joey downed the last of his drink and hobbled over to the counter to pay his tab. Somehow he managed to avoid any awkward questions from Dusty. Then again, he had that unnatural talent for going unnoticed. Maybe he should join the X-Men. Snorting inwardly at that nasty bit of humor, he stumbled into the street outside. Even though it was early February, the ponies still seemed to think it would be a great idea to have another snowfall. This one was gentle but heavy, muffling any distant sounds.

Quiet. Peaceful. In the current mood, a bit depressing. It was perfect.

Instead of taking a right once he got to his apartment, he instead took a left and headed down an alleyway. He had a pretty good sense of direction now that had been in the city for a few months. The Featherbone Canal should have been somewhere in that direction...

He walked in silence. The once crunchy sound of his footsteps in the snow were now soft and muffled. He took in the sights. Honestly, the view of the snowfall on the surrounding buildings paired with the ambience... it almost seemed surreal.

Finally, there it was. Before him was a small bridge that sprawled over the canal. It wasn't a commonly traveled road, as one would of had to go out of there way to be here with the exception of those who lived in the surrounding neighborhood. (Hah. Get it, neigh? Ahaha. Ha.)

He slowly stepped up onto the bridge. He could really do it, honestly. Right now. No one or pony would notice. The distance should be enough for him to break the ice... but should he really do it? The thought of dying was terrifying. The alternative, though... was it really worse?

He leaned hard on the rail, looking down at the frozen surface of the water. A solid fifty feet. Cut right into the hill, they made this spot unexpectedly gorgeous. Why they didn't dig the canal around the hill, who knows. Still, it was oddly convenient...

But should he do it?

He half leaned over the rail, bringing his feet slightly off the bridge, but the settled back down again. For a few minutes he hesitated, on and off, pondering, wondering, weighing the consequences.

Then, finally, he made up his mind. Better to be dead than nobody. He took a deep breath and steadied his hands on the railing -

"What... what are you doing?" a familiar voice asked.

Joey quickly looked over and saw that yellow mare, 'Lemon', standing at the edge of the bridge. "I - uh..."

"What are you doing? Tell me. Please." She looked a bit scared.

"Mind your own damn business."

"No... Joey, c'mon -"

"I don't even know you!!" Joey snapped. "So please, just fuck off and let me do my thing! You ponies have been nothing but fucking trouble!" There was a really tense moment of silence. Joey glared at the infuriating mare as she stared back looking borderline desperate.

"We met once... I've been worried sick ever since you went missing."

Joey cocked his head and frowned before shaking his head and gazing back down at the canal far below. "Turn around... walk away... and forget we ever talked. I've never met you in my life. So just... go away. Please."

The mare looked like she was about to cry. She shook her head, frowning, then trudged off. Joey watched her go with a small pang of guilt. The last interactions he would ever have were putting someone down. Maybe it was better this way. He would be harder to miss.

Making sure the coast was clear, he swung his legs over the railing. He choked back the tears as happy memories floated up in his vision. His tenth birthday party. Getting the salutatorian award at his high school graduation. The many, many times he had watched movies with his father in the hospital, especially Lord of the Rings - he could have flown so high. If only he didn't go on this stupid, stupid school trip. If only he went with a simple internship instead.

Now he was a failure. That's how it would end. Sorry, dad.

He loosed his grip and let himself slip forward. Before his rear end completely left the rail however something yanked him back onto the bridge. Something much heavier collided with him from the side and the next thing he knew, he was being hugged tighter than ever by a pair of unmistakable yellow hooves.

Wait... not quite yellow. Yellowish pink? No... fully pink?

He watched the yellow fur inches from his eyes turn a soft pink. He could feel the mare tightly embracing him begin to grow a bit bigger. Finally, she whispered something to him, probably one of the last voices he was expecting to hear.

"I found you." Princess Cadance whispered.

14 - Intervention

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"I found you." Cadance whispered.

"P-Princess C-C-Cadance?? How did-? Why-? No!"

Joey instantly tried to struggle in her grip, but the alicorn was immensely stronger than she looked. Finally he gave up and submitted.

"Promise you're not going to run." she said softly.

"Wh-What?"

"Promise?"

"I - yeah. I promise." Joey said defeatedly. Cadance slowly released him and he got to his feet. When he turned to look at her, his lungs froze solid. Her eyes and bottom lip were trembling, not as if she were about to cry, but out of pure anxious fear. She seemed almost ready to pounce if he made another attempt to fall.

"I'm sorry..." she said meekly, staring right into his eyes. Those words took him by surprise. "So much has happened to you... you never deserved this..."

"Were you... were you that 'Lemon' pony from earlier?" Joey asked with a strained voice.

Cadance sighed shakily and nodded. "Once I saw that article I knew you were here... I caught you just in time..." She seemed like she was about to cry.

Joey deflated. As much as he resented all the princesses (least of all her, admittedly) he couldn't stand seeing her like this. It was so raw, so real... he had been so convinced that none of the princesses would reach out ever again...

He looked away finally, rubbing his arm. "I don't know what you want me to say." he responded quietly. His voice didn't even sound like his own. Cadance seemed to take this detail harder than he did.

She sighed. "I... I don't know. The Crystal Empire runs separately from Equestria. I've been out of loop, mostly. All I knew was that you disappeared overnight from Ponyville, and nopony knew where you were -" she paused to take a deep breath, swallowing miserably as she did, "- and Aunt Celestia and Luna weren't telling me anything. They said they were keeping an eye on you as best they could, but then I saw the article and knew I had to come here and at least look -"

"Cadance." Joey said shakily. "It's fine. Coming here was a bad idea. You have your own throne to run -"

"NO! IT WASN'T!!" Cadance exploded, stomping her hoof down. "You were going to throw yourself into the c-canal!! Do you really wish I hadn't come here!? Joey, you can't give up!! What would your father think!?"

"I don't know what he would think, he's fucking dead!!" Joey spat.

"Your father was a great bucking man." Cadance growled, making Joey hesitate. "You want to know how I can tell? You. The values you carry. Hay, you've even mentioned things your dad taught you when we met in Ponyville. Your character shows. Twilight has written about the way you handled yourself in Ponyville when nearly everypony was against you!

"You battled through it all, and the only pon- person you managed to hurt was yourself. You care about others first. You fought for so long and hard. So, please... don't give up... your dad would be destroyed to see you."

"You wouldn't know-" Joey began, but Cadance gave him a look that caused his sentence to die before it was finished.

"I would, Joey. I have a daughter. If I were put into your dad's shoes, and I saw you as you are now..."

"You'd be disappointed." Joey deadpanned at a near whisper.

"No." Cadance calmly replied. "I would be so heartbroken. To see your own child give up... no parent would ever, ever want that."

"Are you trying to guilt me?" Joey asked weakly. He was running out of excuses.

"I'm telling you this because your family mattered to you most..." Cadance said in a soft voice, pointing a hoof at his chest. "They're in here. They will never stop loving you. You're smart, so I'm sure you've heard it before - but that's the truth, Joey! It's a love that goes beyond the grave."

Joey bit his lip. She had a point. Imagining the look that would have been on his dad's face right now was extremely painful. He ran his hands through his disheveled hair as he desperately tried to hold it together.

"Joey...?" Cadance asked shakily.

"Y-Yeah... you're right, princess. My dad would hate this." Joey conceded, feeling a burning feeling behind his eyes. He forced himself to look up at Cadance once again. "I should respect their memory, yeah... but I don't have a family, Princess Cadance. I don't have anyone there for me. I'm alone. Everyone leaves me. They always do. They always lie. Why? Why do you ponies lie so much, princess...?"

The look on poor Joey's face combined with his words shattered Cadence's heart into a million pieces. Every fiber of muscle on the suffering human's face strained to hold back his pain, and even that wasn't enough to stop tears from leaking down his cheeks. He seemed so hellbent on keeping everything held back, and for whose sake?

It was the face of someone bracing themselves to be hurt again despite already being at the point of death.

"Oh Joey..." Cadance sighed as her own tears began to flow freely. "You don't deserve this..."

"B-But then what happens next?" Joey strained, sniffing. "We g-go our separate ways, and I go f-forgotten again. You might have stopped me from this, princess, but I c-can't trust you. I've trusted way too many times. No one was there for me when it c-counted. I'm alone. Solo. By myself. So please... sp-spare me the sweet talk. P-Please."

He let out a quiet sob. Just the smallest jerk of his head sent a mountain of sympathy and sadness falling down on Cadance's head. She approached him and once again wrapped him up in the warmest hug she could provide. "Shh. D-Don't worry, Joey. Just don't give up on us. Okay?"

"What do you want me to say?" Joey retorted sharply, struggling against her gentle hold. "Wh-What do I even do? I have nothing, no purpose. S-Stop it with y-your empty words!!"

"Come back with me to the Crystal Empire. Just for now. My husband and I will help you get on your feet. So please, come with me. You deserve to be loved, so come live with ponies who will make sure you know that." Cadance said, tightening her embrace.

"I c-couldn't -"

"Please. Do it for me." Cadance softly pleaded. "Or I'll drag you there myself."

She felt his body begin to heave. He made no sound, but she didn't relent. She didn't believe Celestia or Luna would have abandoned him, especially not when they were so gung-ho on helping him. Hay, Luna was probably the only princess who understood his pain. But if his need was greater right now than any court duty she could think of back home.

After his silent, deep heaving breaths slowed, he relaxed a lot more. "I-I'll go. I w-won't give up. Not yet, I guess."

Cadance released him from her grasp and gave a little squeal. "Oh thank Celestia!!! I'll send for living arrangements to be made in the castle!"

"The castle!?" Joey yelped. "No no, you don't have to go that far!"

"Joey, there are 26 total guest rooms in the palace. All they do is collect dust. I promise you are most welcome." she sighed with a smile, rolling her eyes. "Plus - I'll be able to keep a close eye on you. Since you are now in my hooves, I will not let you hurt yourself. Cool?"

The corner of Joey's mouth twitched upward. "I do. Thank you, princess."

Cadance beamed, and then turned. "Shall we?"

"I still have some stuff at my apartment... are we leaving now?" Joey asked hesitantly.

"I'll be more than happy to help you pack your things!" she responded happily.

As Joey stepped off the bridge. "No thanks, but I'd rather I did it by myself. It's... embarrassing in there."

"Are you hiding something~?" she teased, smirking.

"Like what? Pony porn?" he deadpanned. "Yeah, right."

Cadance was slightly shocked at how he managed to handle that so well before recomposing herself. "Then why is embarrassing?"

"That's... hard to answer, princess." he coughed.

Cadance scoffed. "I guess I'll see for myself when we get there! It can't be that bad."

"Hey, now wait a minu-"

"Oh! And there's only rule I ask of you if you're going to come stay with us." she interrupted as they continued their walk back to the apartment complex. "No more of this 'princess' title stuff. Call me 'Cadance'. Alright?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Hey! That's not any better!"

"Wow... this is... it?" Cadance asked, gazing across the mostly bare living space that belonged to Joey. "That -" she motioned to the mattress on the floor, "- is all you sleep on? Joey..."

"I kinda... I dunno." was all Joey could manage to say. "I kinda just..."

"Gave up." the pink princess deadpanned. "I know, but... this is really depressing, Joey." She looked back to see him sheepishly frowning at the floor. Smiling, she lifted his chin with her hoof. "I'm not making fun of you. I promise. Starting now, your life is going to get better. For starters, we need to get you some food. Don't even try lying, you are skin and bone."

Joey shrugged. He didn't really know how to respond to that, mostly because she was dead right.

"On the bright side, we can probably pack quick enough to catch the early morning train!!" Cadance said cheerfully. "Got a bag?"

"Oh yeah sure - it's over here on theeeWOAH!" He suddenly yelped, slipping on a piece of paper lying on the floor. He landed hard on his rear end with a grunt.

"Goodness! Are you okay?" Cadance asked, startled by the sudden action.

"Yeah, yeah. Ouch." Joey groaned. His eyes fell on the culprit, which was a single envelope. He didn't recall ever getting one, but for all he knew that might have been there for a while. He picked it up and stowed it away inside his bag.

Packing went insanely quickly, mostly because all Joey really had aside from a couple kitchen appliances and toiletries were clothes. Just like that, Joey found himself handing over the keys to his apartment (they gave him some extra bits for leaving the mattress) and now on what felt like a whim he was leaving with Cadance.

It was about three in the morning, and Joey had sobered up completely. Apparently he didn't have as much to drink as he thought. Hardly anyone was up and about, which was very understandable.

On the way to the station, Joey remembered something. "Hold on - what about my job?? Shouldn't I wait to tell him?"

"Mister Marble Moon is already vaguely aware of your situation." Cadance explained. "You see, I was half wondering how bad things were going to be when I found you, so I already had plans to offer you a home in the Crystal Empire. I managed to catch him before he closed shop. You might be a silent operator Joey, but that doesn't change the fact that you're the only human in Las Pegasus. Finding you once I got here wasn't that hard."

Joey had never once considered that fatal flaw in his plan. Then again, it was probably for the best. He would miss the old boss, but the job itself not as much. He still didn't want to burn any bridges, though.

It was no surprise to see the train station nearly completely empty aside from the odd office worker here and there. He assumed they were office workers, anyway. Joey watched them go by as he followed Cadance past the very surprised ticket master as he craned his neck to peer at them.

It was surely an odd sight, seeing the unlikely pair, so Joey mostly ignored it. He was still trying to wrap his head over everything that had been happening. Twelve hours ago he had just gotten off of lunch at his shift. He wondered how Marble was going to take the sudden loss of his valued employee. He felt guilty, and made a mental note to write a thank you letter as soon as he could.

A sign outside the platform read, Crystal Empire - Departing at 4:00 AM. Aside from a couple of staff assigned to the train itself, there wasn't a single soul around. Not even those traveling for business purposes, it seemed. He followed Cadance on board and observed that they would most likely be the only ones on the entire train.

"The train cars look bigger when nopony is here." Cadance yawned, taking a seat. Joey sat down across from her, thinking it would be rude and awkward to sit anywhere else.

He leaned against a wall, closing his eyes. Now that most of the excitement was over, a strong tiredness was sweeping through his body. Countless sleepless nights on top of the one he just had will do that to a person.

Cadance noticed this and smiled. She found it hard to believe that the Joey in front of her was the same strong-faced one that she had met in Ponyville. She couldn't help but wonder how he tried to keep this up for so long. To be able to go months on end of failure, especially right after being stranded AND outcasted here? The trauma this whole debacle would give him... well, that would be a problem for later.

For now, she just silently watched as the human repeatedly attempted to fall asleep. His chin kept sinking down to his chest, only for him to seem to jolt out of it. Normally this would seem like he was trying to stay awake, but he looked incredibly frustrated. Once again, Cadance's heart splintered at the sight.

As the train jolted to a start, she inwardly vowed to do what she could for him. She would have to do her princess duties, of course, but Joey needed somepony to stay by his side. Shining would undoubtedly help. He had shown curiosity about the human situation, and he also shared in Cadance's worries when Joey disappeared. The fact that Shiny would cover for her in her absence... her husband was one absolute force of nature.

Joey snorted, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the human regarding her with raised eyebrows.

"What's up?" she asked.

"It looked like you were blushing for a second." Joey remarked. "Just staring off into space."

"Oh - was I?" Cadance giggled nervously. "I was just thinking of my husband, Shining Armor."

Joey made a Khaby Lame face and slowly nodded, staring back out the window. He didn't make a sound, just simply watched as the city skyline of Las Pegasus faded into the distance.

Cadance could no longer keep her eyes open, and drifted off to sleep.

A large bump in the train startled her out of her sleep several hours later. She blinked blearily, and one of her ears twitched in Joey's direction as he swore quietly. The morning sun was shining through the window as they chugged along, but it was still low to the horizon.

She looked up to see the human apparently sketching something in a small notebook. He had what looked to be some sort of portable computer on the chair beside him, and he was studying the screen. Mumbling to himself, he continued to scribble and swipe his pencil across the page.

"Good morning!" she yawned, stretching out her wings. "Have you slept at all?"

Joey looked up at her over his sketch and paused for a moment. He sighed and shook his head with a slightly disappointed look before returning to his task.

Cadance pursed her lips, feeling slightly guilty for dozing off while the human couldn't. She would have to make sure he rested before they got to the Empire. Then again, there would be plenty of time once he got there. Still, it wasn't healthy.

"What are you drawing?" she asked curiously, trying to steal a peek. It appeared to be a human with curly hair and a worried expression.

"It's a character from a human story I want to make a movie about." Joey responded simply. "Or at least, I hoped I could."

"What's his name?" Cadance asked, taking a seat next to him. She wanted to drive attention away from his pessimism. Now that she had a good look at the computer screen, she could see that he was simply recreating an image of the human based off of the image he had displaying there.

"Frodo Baggins." Joey replied.

"That's an interesting name. Is he the main character?"

"One of them. I'd say he's up there, but this particular story gives all the characters a whole lot of depth so it's hard to say."

Cadance hummed. "I see, I take it that the story is an interesting one?"

"You don't know the half of it." Joey continued tonelessly, as he began to copy the details of Frodo's shirt. "The author wrote it as a trilogy, and the world he created inspired pretty much the grand majority of the fantasy genre in modern times. The series was called The Lord of the Rings. I was hoping I could maybe show this world Tolkien's masterpieces."

"Tolkien? Is that the author's name?"

"Oh - yeah, sorry. Forgot to mention it." He yawned. "If I did recreate any of the movies though, I would absolutely try and cement the fact that it's still his legacy, not mine." He looked up at her quizzically. "If I did recreate the story, I wouldn't get in trouble would I?"

"Considering it's never been done in Equestria, definitely not." Cadance confirmed. "It sounds like you wouldn't take the credit for creating the story itself, which adds merit."

Joey shrugged. "I dunno... even if I did, I don't think ponies would be interested enough."

"Sounds like you've given this lots of thought!" she giggled. "Why not go for it?"

Joey shook his head. "It feels wrong. I dunno."

"How would you give this 'Tolkien' guy credit?" Cadance asked.

"Oh boy, I'd post his name all over the credits, movie posters, everything." Joey sighed. "Still, I'm not making the movies. It would be a completely foreign concept, and on top of that it would require a large amount of human actors. Doing it with ponies just wouldn't be the same, no offense." His eyes widened ever so slightly. "Shit. I've been rambling."

"No, no! It made me glad that you felt comfortable enough to share that with me!" Cadance insisted. "Really! It sounds like you haven't been able to do this for a long time."

Joey rubbed his eyes with a sigh and crammed his things back into the bag. He didn't say anything, but did try and stifle a big yawn.

"Some rest would do you some good." Cadance recommended. Joey slouched down and irritably rested his chin on a fist. Sighing, Cadance stretched a wing towards him. "Can I?"

Joey gave her a slightly bemused look, looking from her to her wing as if to say, can you what? She responded by letting the tip of her wing rest on his back, at which point he seemed to understand and relax a bit. She took this as a sign and draped the rest of her wing around his shoulders.

"Are you feeling overwhelmed by... all of this?" Cadance asked.

There was a pause, but then Joey nodded in response.

"I'm probably not helping you immediately by doing this." Cadance admitted. "I know you told me that you can't trust in anypony. This is to help you long term, though. The past several months have been calamitous, it's no secret, I can tell by just looking at you. I fully intend on earning your trust."

Joey huffed.

"Look, I could force you to follow my instructions. Throw you in therapy. Have you do all sorts of things in disregard to you. Listen, Joey, I want to do this the long way if that's what it takes. By the sounds of it, you've had your share of fake promises made to you. I'm not going to do that. I'm also not going to let you continue to ruin yourself, either. You're stuck with me, heh."

She looked down at him and he gave her a sideways look. A smile seemed to be fighting to escape his lips, but unfortunately lost that battle. Hopefully that would change. She pulled him a bit closer and looked over him and out the window.

Part of her was excited, but most of her was sad. More than anything, she was determined to help get him on his hooves. It may have been short-lived, but when he had explained all that stuff to her about the books he had a the briefest glint appear in his eye. She wanted to reach into the depths of his soul and fish it out for the light to see.

She felt a weight on her withers and looked down to see that Joey had slumped over into her side. Slow, rhythmic breaths. A blank, empty look on his worn out face.

He was finally sleeping, and she couldn't help but fight back some tears. She nuzzled her new dear friend and continued watching the Equestrian landscape roll past their window.

15 - Third Chance is the Charm? Maybe?

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Whenever anybody mentioned the Crystal Empire to Joey, he was sort of expecting to see... you know, an empire. Instead he found himself staring confusedly at a city that was hardly even a mile wide. Maybe three quarters at best. The center of the place was dominated by a gigantic tower made from seemingly pure crystal, sitting awkwardly on four sprawling legs in a way that reminded him of the Eiffel Tower from his own world. All the buildings seemed to be made of the same, which was really bizarre and awesome at the same time.

As he and Cadance left the train a small squad of guards wearing some sleek looking silver armor seemed to pop out of nowhere. Joey remained behind Cadance, still feeling a bit stupid for passing out onto Cadance's shoulder. She seemed quite happy about it, and admittedly the sleep was good too. Still, it felt weird. She was a princess after all, was it really cool for him to be this formal?

"Your highness! Shall we get your luggage?" one of them asked, standing at attention.

Since when did guards become valets? Joey inwardly snickered at the idea.

Cadance turned to him with a questioning look. "Would you like them to take your bags?"

"Take them... where?" Joey asked shrewdly.

"To the room I have ready for you." Cadance replied blankly, blinking at him.

"I - sure? Just be really careful, please. There is some super valuable stuff in there." Joey sighed, surrendering his stuff. The guard bowed his head before signaling to some of his comrades and trotted off towards the palace. Joey assumed that was the palace, anyway. It was hard to see why it wouldn't be.

"Ready for a tour?" Cadance asked lightly.

"You're not gonna make a speech about me or anything, will you?" Joey suddenly asked, completely disregarding the princess's question.

Cadance raised her eyebrows, looking slightly shocked. "No - why would I do that? Announcing your troubles to everypony seems like one of the least helpful things I could do right now."

He slowly nodded and relaxed a smidgen. At least she could read the room. Still, how was she planning on helping him? He kind of just took her advice without thinking much. Then again, it was probably for the better that he was here rather than back in Las Pegasus.

For now, anyway.

"So - tour?" Cadance asked again, smiling at him.

"I can see most of it from here." Joey pointed out.

"I guess you actually have a point." Cadance hummed, staring out at the city. "Huh. Oh well. Maybe some rest would do you good?"

Joey shrugged, which the princess seemed to take as a yes. He followed her down a large street that led directly to the square that sat right under the huge palace. It only seemed to grow even more impressive the closer he got. As they walked closer, Cadance gave him a brief rundown on the Empire's history. Something something 'Crystal Heart', something something about a dude named 'Sombra'. Honestly, Joey didn't pay that much attention. He was too preoccupied with the stares they were getting.

It must be uncommon for their princess to be seen out on the street with a human at eight in the morning.

"Cadance!!" A masculine voice called out excitedly. A white stallion was bolting in their direction.

Joey stopped in his tracks out of instinct, but Cadance flung herself in the stallion's direction. They met in the center in a tight hug while Joey awkwardly observed.

"Did everything go alright? Is the human okay?" the dude asked. This must be her husband.

"Yes! It did!" Cadance replied with a happy nuzzle. "Joey agreed to stay here, actually! I told you it would be a good idea!"

Her husband looked over at Joey with a big grin. "That's awesome!"

"Wait - so they do this in public?" Joey whispered to the nearest pony. "Like - right there? Just like that?"

"Uh... sometimes?" the pony replied, seemingly halfway between bemusement at her leader and laughter at Joey's question.

"Dope. I guess."

"Joey, right?" the stallion said in a friendly tone as he approached and extended a hoof out. "I'm Shining Armor, Princess Cadance's husband."

"I noticed." Joey replied shrewdly. He then shook Shining Armor's hoof. "Charmed."

"Let's show you to your room." Shining said brightly as he led the way towards the main doors. "I don't know much, but it sounds like you need some rest!"

Joey sighed and followed the two of them inside, trying to ignore the guards standing attentively at equal intervals. What the hell was he getting himself into?

"...And here we are!" Cadance exclaimed, ushering Joey into a bedroom that was so much larger than anything he imagined. It even appeared to have its own bathroom.

"I... seriously?" Joey asked in slight disbelief. He turned to face the princess of love. "What's the catch? Seriously?"

Cadance sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "I know you're not used to help, but you need this whether or not you want to admit it or not."

"The last thing I'm gonna do is mooch off of royalty." Joey deadpanned.

"You aren't mooching, you're accepting help." she answered firmly.

Joey stepped into the room, noticing that his bags had been set against the canopy bed neatly. He didn't know what to make of this. How had he gone from rock bottom to being here? Was this really okay? Deep down he thought he probably did need to be away from Las Pegasus even though he longed to help make movies.

He slowly rotated, taking in every corner of this room he would be staying in. He slowly settled his gaze back on Cadance, who was looking at him with a somewhat motherly gaze. He felt so uncertain.

"Are you... sure?"

Cadance nodded, walking up to him and putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Take your time. This change is a very big one for you I'm sure, so there's no rush to make yourself comfortable. Unfortunately, I can't forgo some of my duties as princess - while my husband can manage in my absence, he really isn't suited for court." She giggled a little to herself before clearing her throat. "For now, please get some rest. I can't bare seeing those enormous bags under your eyes. Don't be afraid to call on myself or my husband if you have any questions or issues, okay?"

Joey nodded slowly, trying to process her monologue in his very tired brain.

Cadance turned to leave, but before she was out of the room she perked up again. "Oh! That's right! Miss Aquamarine, would you come here please?"

A maid immediately appeared at the princess's side with a bow. "Yes, your highness."

"Joey, this is Aquamarine Greentail. She will be your attendant while you're here." Cadance informed him, gesturing to the maid. Aquamarine bowed her head with a smile.

"You're giving me a maid??" Joey said incredulously. "Princess - er, sorry, Cadance - you don't have to go this far. The room and board you're giving me is way more than I ever could have asked for."

"Don't be so modest." Cadance giggled. "Besides, this is more for my piece of mind than it is for yours. I won't be able to keep my eye on you, and well... I have every reason to be worried about your well being right now." Her expression darkened slightly at that last comment, with a worried look in her eyes.

"You know what... fair enough, I guess." Joey sighed. "I'm not gonna argue with that. Sorry."

"Good!" she chirped. Turning to Aquamarine she said, "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I wouldn't try to baby him, however... try to take care of him. Send him to dine with my family at six this evening."

"Of course, your highness." the maid acknowledged, bowing once again.

Cadance gave them both a very warm and tired smile before heading off to her duties. There was an awkward pause between the human and his new maid. She stood there pleasantly while Joey shifted uncomfortably.

"Nice to meet you, Mr... Joey?" Aquamarine finally asked with a slight bow.

Joey snorted, causing her to look up slightly bemusedly. "I - sorry, that was awkward. Don't treat me like royalty, okay? I know I'm the princess's friend or something, but that doesn't make me one of them. Also yeah, my name's Joey."

"Gotcha, Joey." she confirmed, relaxing a bit as she righted herself. "I'm looking forward to working with you!"

"You don't seem very disturbed to be assigned to me." Joey observed with a nervous laugh. "It probably isn't every day that you get assigned to a human."

"Nope, first time!" the maid replied with a hint of enthusiasm. Weird. "I've been assigned to all sorts of species that come to the Crystal Empire as ambassadors. Besides, I read about what happened to you and your friends - awful. Then there was that magazine with you and..." she trailed off suddenly, looking very nervous.

A know formed in his stomach at the mention of the article, but Joey swallowed the feeling. "It's fine. Nothing we can do about it. But yeah, the other humans aren't really my friends... I was just their camera guy before we got stuck here."

"You... aren't friends with them?" Aqua asked.

"Nope. They're all friends with each other while I'm just kinda by myself." Joey replied with a slightly forced smile. "You know. Just me, myself and I. Heh."

"That's... so sad." Aqua said, flattening her ears.

"Improvise, adapt, and overcome." Joey sighed. "Whining about it never got me anywhere."

"Well then, I'll be your friend!" the maid said determinedly.

"I - okay? I guess?" Joey stammered, slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm. "You're rather energetic about this."

"I was unsure about you at first, I was only told that you weren't doing so well." Aqua explained. "As soon as I saw the way you looked... I dunno, I just wanted to help you. Have you seen yourself?? You look more tired than I've seen anypony in my entire life! You're also skin and bone - you definitely haven't been eating! Don't worry, Aquamarine is here to help!!"

"Um... yay?" Joey murmured, very unsure of how he should be reacting. Suddenly he found himself being headbutted gently towards the bed.

"Why don't you clean up and get some rest." Aqua said firmly. "Don't even try to argue, mister. You need sleep!"

Joey couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She seemed to have no trouble dropping the honorifics, which was nice. It felt less pamper-like now, but he supposed he would have to get used to the new large changes with time. As instructed, he took a quick shower and got dressed into some more comfortable clothes (Aqua insisted on helping, but Joey managed to lock her out of the bathroom before explaining to a befuddled maid why that wouldn't be okay).

As he climbed into the large, extremely comfy bed he glanced at the slightly sheepish Aqua. "You aren't going to watch me sleep, are you?"

"I wasn't planning on it. I could if you'd like me to." the maid replied unabashedly.

"Oh hell no - please, don't." Joey groaned, getting a series of giggles from her.

"Alright. I'll be very close, so if you need me just give me a holler. Okay?" she instructed, trotting over to the door. "If you're still asleep later, I'll wake you up for dinner with the princess and her family. Sleep well!"

As she quietly shut the door to his room behind her, Joey flopped back and let out a relieved sigh as he sank comfortably into the mattress. It was perfect. No back pain with this bad boy, that was for sure.

He laid there, wide awake and tired, as his brain went into turbo-thinking mode. He couldn't help it, he was trying to kill himself less than twelve hours earlier and now suddenly he was here. He closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the change. More than anything he wanted sleep. Needed sleep.

It may have seemed like a lifetime, but he finally succumbed to his own needs and drifted off.

Several hours later, Joey found himself unable to fall back asleep. It sucked since he still felt exhausted, but for the first time in a very long time he had a dreamless sleep. Perhaps it was the bed.

He took the liberty to explore the palace a bit, not seeing anyone really besides the occasional guard. After climbing an endless staircase (why he committed to this, who knows) he found himself in the open air. It was some sort of viewing balcony, except that he was very high up. Aside from a few pillars supporting the roof above, he could see in all directions. Looking down at the city, he whistled softly.

"Snowflake shaped? That's kind of bad ass." he murmured, examining the street patterns from his bird's eye view.

He watched the little specks below wander about, going about their daily life. What was it like, living a pony's life? It seemed so genuinely peaceful, carefree. Harmony is just a natural everyday aspect of life, something that contrasted so heavily with human nature.

So how could he manage to have such a shitty start in such a peaceful land? He was literally about to kill himself. He shuddered even thinking about it. He was genuinely thankful Cadance showed up to make him see sense... he owed her big time.

He stretched. Even though he was here and saved, what now? He still wanted to have the same career. Palomino Studios would have to suck his balls, he would find a way. Still, what about the meantime? How would he get to his end goal? He needed to think, the last thing he would let himself do is become a pampered, lazy good-for-nothing.

Well, he did want to recreate The Lord of the Rings for this world to enjoy. Maybe it was his nerdy side hoping for that, but he didn't care. Nerds are cool. Besides, he had already done his research - the only thing that this world had was something called Ogres and Oubliettes, a pony version of dungeons and dragons.

Even though it would be a new story for the world to enjoy, he couldn't just hypothetically make a movie and expect to have it take off. He needed a good rep, and currently his only rep was a derogatory article. Was it possible to even bounce back from that?

He sat up there for a while, mulling over these thoughts and ideas. At a certain point he started to think in circles, which was unsurprising for now. Can't have every single great idea in one day.

The sound of hooves clattering up the stairs behind him reached his ears. He turned just in time to see Aqua dash to the top of the stairs, panting hard. As soon as she saw him she seemed to visibly relax.

"You disappeared!" she said with a frown. "Don't scare me like that! You should have told me where you were going!"

"Who are you, my babysitter?" Joey scoffed. "Calm down, I'm not doing anything stupid. Just enjoying the view."

"The view?" she asked before quickly making an 'oh' face. "Oh right - the view. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Sure is something." Joey agreed.

"I bet it beats the Las Pegasus view." the maid continued, sitting next to him. "My sister Minty said it's great down there, but I still don't think it beats this view."

Joey froze. "Hold on - are we thinking of the same Minty?"

Aqua laughed. "I think so! My sister was very detailed in her letters about the human."

"Letters? Wait - like, clay-doll-show-performing Minty?"

"The very same!"

"That's crazy." Joey sighed, laying down on his back. "It's a small world. How's she doing?"

"By the sounds of it, a lot better after you told her to relocate her show." Aqua answered with a smile.

"I'm so glad to hear that! But wait, you knew about me before I came here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow with a sideways glance.

"Yeah, Minty was so happy that you helped her." Aqua sighed. "I figured that anypony who can help somepony else like that deserves good things."

"If only." Joey grunted. "That isn't reality, alas."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh - um, just - I dunno. Things have been rough. Hence why I'm here." Joey huffed. "I'm grateful and all, it just feels really weird. Almost wrong. Thanks for not being all formal and stuff, by the way."

"My job is to keep an eye on you when the princess can't, so making sure you're comfortable around me is a good start!" Aqua giggled.

"You giggle a lot. It's weird." Joey pointed out.

"Wh-What?? It's not weird! I can't help it!!" Aqua stammered. She calmed down a little once she noticed Joey let out a snort of laughter. "Oh, I get it. We have a funny guy."

"Call me the COHO - Chief of Heckling Operations." Joey followed up, smirking a little. "I think I get it from my dad. He was so ornery. I think I was the only one in the family who appreciated his humor. Well, to a bigger degree, anyway."

"He sounds like a funny guy!" Aqua agreed, seeming to do so for the sake of the conversation.

"Yeah, he was."

"Oh - I'm so sorry!" Aqua squeaked as her ears flattened. "I didn't know. Sorry for your loss, Joey..."

"Don't sweat it. It happened a while ago." he replied wearily. He sat up and started watching the city as the orange glow of the sunset began to wash over the buildings far below.

"Oh sweet Celestia! I need to get you to dinner!!" Aqua yelped, and grabbed the collar of Joey's shirt with her teeth. She yanked him to his feet before trotting off towards the stairs.

He begrudgingly followed, massaging the back of his neck while muttering swear words under his breath.

16 - Take a Deep Breath and Listen

View Online

Joey stepped into the dining room nervously, looking around. The room itself wasn't extremely wide, but it had some decent length to it - enough to comfortable fit a long crystal table in the center that had no doubt seen its fair share of dinner parties. Cadance, Shining Armor, and what Joey assumed to be their kid were all seated on the far end of the table.

Cadance perked up and waved. "Joey! You made it! How was your sleep?"

"Good, I guess." he replied nervously, not really knowing whether or not he should sit. This was made clear by Cadance as she pulled out the chair next to her with her magic and beckoned to it.

As the human took his seat, Shining tried to feed his daughter with the airplane method, but she was too busy squinting at Joey to accept her father's efforts.

"Oh! You haven't met our daughter, Flurry Heart!" Cadance noted, reading Joey's gaze.

"She's just like you princesses." Joey replied, regarding the horn and wings.

"The first Alicorn birth since Cadance!" Shining added.

Joey raised his eyebrows. "Damn. Seriously? What about Twilight?"

"She got her wings from the princesses after she proved herself worthy." Cadance replied, sipping on some tea. "Would you like some soup?"

Joey hadn't even noticed the food on the table. "Soup? Uh - sure. Thank you." He didn't feel particularly hungry, but he knew better than to refuse Cadance at this point. In a good way.

As the pink alicorn began ladling a portion into a bowl Joey couldn't help but notice how there weren't any staff waiting on them in the room, despite it technically being a royal meal. The way the other three were sitting, the lack of attendants, the down to earth food...

...It sort of felt like a normal family. His hands began to shake ever so slightly, but he didn't notice.

"So Cadance tells me that you want to make movies!" Shining began conversationally. "I knew that you applied to work at a studio, but I had no idea you wanted to make them yourself!"

"Oh - I have some ideas, yeah." Joey replied, attempting to have his first spoonful of the admittedly delicious looking soup. He let out a gasp as it burned his lips, causing him to fumble the spoon into his lap.

"You might want to let it sit for a moment." Cadance giggled. "Are you okay?"

"Well yeah, it's just hot soup." Joey replied, feeling embarrassed. He didn't want to be doted on.

"Do you still plan on getting into the movie business?" Shining asked. "I've seen the article, it seemed like a really dumb idea. I've heard the media handles up in Canterlot are furious about it. Maybe that's only because the princesses were first, though..."

"Princess Celestia and Luna saw the article??" Joey asked incredulously.

"Well, sure. I know it's our first day meeting face to face, but I've heard a lot about you." Shining explained. "When you disappeared from Ponyville, you made some waves! Everypony was so confused, and of course my sister was losing her mind. Even Cadance here wanted to go find you herself... which she ended up doing anyway."

Cadance beamed.

"So wait - I mean first off, sorry." Joey admitted sheepishly. "Well, not for the leaving part - just causing a ruckus. You have a sister in Ponyville, Mr. Armor?"

"Just call me Shining." the stallion said with a smile. "And of course I do, you met her. Twilight is my sister."

"WHAT! There's no way!" Joey laughed, not seeing the resemblance. "Are you serious?"

"Yep, which makes Cadance her sister in law and Flurry here her niece." Shining laughed.

"I don't know how I feel about this." Joey laughed, although it was a bit forced. He took a careful spoonful of soup and to his relief it was delicious.

Wait, why did he feel relieved?

"Anyways - we were talking about movie making, I think." Cadance remarked, steering the conversation back. "Do you still want to make movies, Joey?"

"I told you on the train that I do, but..." he sighed. "I dunno. I think it's gonna be impossible with Palomino Studios controlling the market."

"All the big ones nowadays do seem to come from Palomino..." Shining said thoughtfully. "I don't know much about them, but I do know that they hold most of the contracts with the theater here in the Crystal Empire."

"The same ponies who didn't want me there because I'm, well - me." Joey grunted.

"So what?" Cadance said in a slightly admonishing voice. "Do you really need a job at Palomino to make a movie?"

"Well - not really, I guess." Joey agreed. "But I wouldn't be able to make a career out of that. No one would go see a movie on a human story unless there was some familiarity with any small part of it."

"Huh?" Shining asked, seemingly lost at Joey's words.

"If I just throw something out there with a bunch of human terms or whatever no one is gonna watch it since no one understands it." the human pressed.

"I think your logic might be a little flawed." Cadance said softly, smirking slightly. "Still, that's alright. What would you do to solve it?"

"I - I did have one idea..." Joey admitted, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. "The story I would make the movies about are not my own, it's just a story from home I want to share with this world. It was based on a trilogy of books."

"I think that's great!" Shining said encouragingly, as he spoon fed a slightly fussy Flurry Heart. "Let's hear your idea."

"Well - I could theoretically reproduce the books." Joey said quietly. A cold sweat started to break out as he watched SHining feed his daughter. "I just - I dunno. It wouldn't be my own work, all credit would be the original author's."

"So what exactly is the problem there?" Cadance asked with a shrewd smile. "You're being too sheepish. I noticed you used the word 'reproduce' instead of something like 'rewrite'. You aren't taking credit for the story. So what's holding you back?"

"A lack of a publisher, for one." Joey said curtly, feeling oddly frustrated at the solid point she made. "I can write the book, but -"

"Tell Celestia or Luna about it!" Cadance interrupted, smiling.

"What!?" Joey yelped, startling Flurry after which she shot a nasty glare at him. His heart rate began to accelerate... no, not now...

"Just listen. Princess Celestia and Luna are helping the other humans start up their own careers." she replied softly. "You ran off before she could sincerely figure out what you wanted to do, and how to help you specifically."

Anger suddenly boiled up in Joey's chest. He slowly got up from the table. "I'm not feeling that hungry anymore. Thanks for the meal anyways."

"Joey, wait -" Cadance called out, but Joey had already walked out the door. She looked at her husband, wondering if she had gone too far.

Aqua was waiting for Joey down the hallway and perked up as he approached.

"That was fast!" she observed politely, but Joey simply waled past her, earning him a surprised look.

"I just need to be alone right now, Aqua." Joey said in a gravelly voice. The maid seemed to read the mood and let him be, which he appreciated.

Was he overreacting? He knew walking out on them like that in the middle of a meal was awfully rude, but something about the way things there were handled pissed him off. Also, ask Celestia for help! As if! The way Cadance spoke about them made it seem like the princesses cared way more about him than they actually did.

It didn't make any sense. If they really did care, would Luna have suddenly stopped showing up in his dreams? It couldn't have been a matter of business - he thought he had finally met someone who understood his situation, only to get utterly ghosted by them.

Celestia technically didn't do anything wrong, but Joey would never forget about what happened at the Grand Galloping Gala. That was a vile memory, one that hammered home the fact that no one in this world really gave a damn about him.

Then there was Twilight. She had a good heart, but she sided with Clara in a heartbeat whenever there was a problem. It seemed that way, at least. Still, when Joey was being beat down the so called 'Princess of Friendship' didn't ever seem to consider his point of view.

So Cadance just telling him to turn around and trust the princesses? After having all of his hesitations about remaking The Lord of the Rings tossed aside as if they were nothing? There was a whole emotional side of this, there was a very special reason he was so intent on this particular trilogy.

Tolkien's works had kept him out of some very dark places back on Earth.

He found himself walking aimlessly, turning down random hallways. His hands were nearly uncontrollable. He needed air. He needed air. A loud ringing began piercing his ears as his vision began to swim. Had it ever gotten this bad?

There was a door - a large door, that's all he could tell now, his vision was starting to swim. Rubbing his eyes furiously to rid himself of the symptom, he shoved his way through them and finally felt the cool crisp air wash over his face. It was too late, his body was on the rampage, his hands uncontrollable, his head pounding, ears ringing!

He found a small corner where the balcony met the outer wall and sat against it, bringing his knees to his chest. He grabbed his head, and as his fingers found purchase in his hair it seemed like he had been suddenly thrust into a nightmare. He had never experienced a panic attack this bad, ever. Angry faces wavered at the front of his vision - was it his imagination?

Everything was falling apart. The ringing in his ears drowned out all other sound. He was alone, he knew it, how could anyone understand him, what was he going to do!?

A slight tug on his legs was hardly enough to cause him to take notice... a drowned out voice could be heard...

"Joey?"

What was it saying? He didn't want to look up, he couldn't think, he just wanted to stay there.

"Joey, breathe! JOEY!!"

He finally found his head lifting. Cadance was there, shouting. She looked horrified, and her voice was becoming a bit clearer.

"Joey!! Come on!!"

The ringing in his ears had nearly deafened. He looked at her, feeling extremely disoriented, and managed to shoo her away with one hand.

"I'm fine." he grunted, shuddering.

"Joey, look at me! Please?" Cadance begged, and for some reason he found himself complying. There was an empty moment of silence as he held eye contact with the princess. Suddenly, she let out a shaking breath and hugged him tightly.

He didn't fight it. He could hardly sit still, but... something about the embrace helped him.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't trying to make you upset." Cadance sighed. "I don't know what specifically caused this, but please understand that I wanted to help!"

Joey let his head drop and stared at the floor. He had nothing to say. If that was the case, why should he stay? He made an effort to get up, but Cadance held him down.

"No, Joey. Stop trying to run away." she grabbed him by the cheeks and gently forced him to look her in the eye again.

Anger flared up inside him once again and he managed to free himself from her grasp. "Why??"

"Because you're going to get yourself hurt." Cadance pleaded quietly. It then dawned on him that she let him struggle free, and for some odd reason that seemed to calm him down even more.

He groaned loudly, placing his hands behind his neck, pressing his folded arms against his ears. This helped with the shaking a little bit as he tried to steady his breathing. "I-I just - I don't... guh."

"Can you tell me what I said that made you upset?" Cadance asked kindly.

"Look, I - fine." Joey conceded. He knew deep down that he was fighting a losing battle. "You're telling me to blindly throw trust at the princesses? I know you all are busy, but I thought I finally had a connection. An understanding. Then all of a sudden there was nothing, and I was forgotten. Again."

Cadance studied his face with worried eyes for a long moment. Finally she sighed. "Why don't we go back inside and find a comfortable place to sit. Then if you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me everything that's happened to you since coming to Equestria."

Joey paused. "You... want to know?"

"Of course I do! I'm just having a hard time understanding without knowing what exactly happened." Cadance insisted, and put a wing around Joey's shoulders. "Come on. I'll have somepony bring us tea... and some food. I don't care if you aren't hungry, you're going to eat something."

Nestled in a snug little nook of the palace library, Joey divulged the tale to Cadance. Maybe it was the comfy armchairs, but he felt oddly relaxed. The princess didn't interrupt him, she merely listened intently. The mention of the events at the gala caused her ears to fall flat, and at certain points in his recap she would let out a huge sigh or start twitching her bottom lip.

"That's... when you found me." Joey said tensely, wrapping it up. "And I'm grateful."

Cadance then walked over and nuzzled him, a show of affection that startled him. "I... I don't know what to say, Joey. I couldn't have imagined that so much has happened to you... I mean, I had a feeling. But hearing it in detail...?" Her eyes began to look watery.

From her perspective, she was nearly at a loss for words as she looked down at the tired, ghostlike human before her. She pitied him, but felt a bizarre swell of affection for him. Maybe it was maternal instinct.

"Joey... I'm sorry for what happened to you in Ponyville. My sister-in-law gets that way sometimes, but I know she would never have done that to hurt you intentionally. For her to side with Clara like that... it's unusual for somepony she isn't extremely close to."

"It was her instant reaction to criticize me when there was something even worse happening to me." Joey grunted. "Say what you will, but I don't agree. I hardly have spent any time with her, but those few times were nothing great. Maybe I'm being harsh. But I needed friends on my side and clearly I'm not worthy of that. Or something."

"You are worthy." Cadance sighed. "I've seen glimpses of a healthy Joey, deep beneath those layers of pain. I don't know exactly what he's like yet, but I wanna get to know that Joey better. You are super sharp, which makes encouraging you so hard.

"When you despair, it's hard to tell you when you might be wrong because of the logic you use. I don't know anypony else who could have stayed calm through all of that, especially with a mind like yours. You are very worthy of friendship, Joey. To say that you aren't breaks my heart..."

Joey's mouth was slightly agape after this. "That was... perceptive of you. I guess. I don't even know who I am anymore. I haven't for years."

"It'll take time." Cadance encouraged, giving him another hug. "It won't help to push away the ponies who want to help you."

"Ponies? With an 'S'?" Joey said sharply. "I think you meant 'pony', singular."

"I don't think you understand the whole picture." Cadance sighed. "You keep saying that Aunt Luna and Celestia just forgot about you... I don't think that's true. They aren't like that, and I think something was interfering with Luna."

Joey froze, looking at the princess. "What... what do you mean? Do you know something I don't?"

Cadance inhaled deeply. "I wrote to them earlier today to let you know that I've found you, and that you're safe. The reply wasn't clear so I can't tell you for sure what was happening. It mentioned that something was making it difficult for Luna to reach you. That's all I know."

"So... some sort of excuse?"

"They don't make excuses, Joey." Cadance said admonishingly. "They take responsibility."

Joey thought about the look on Celestia's face after telling the humans that they were never going home. "Yeah... you're right. I guess."

"They did want to see you if possible." Cadance added. "After all... you did disappear on everypony. Can I tell them to come?"

Joey pursed his lip. He wanted to believe Cadance, but a spiteful part of him didn't want anything to do with the two diarchs. Still... he wanted answers now more than anything. Plus, if they really did want to help him...

He had taken that chance before, however. Every time he had it turned out badly. So... what should he do?

Finally, he got to his feet. "You're not going to toss me out if it goes badly, right?"

"What!? Why would I do that?" Cadance yelped, looking as if she had been stung by his words.

"Sorry, sorry. Go ahead and invite them." Joey agreed curtly.

The royal chariot sped through the snowy gale in the north as it made its way towards the Crystal Empire. Inside it were the two sisters, of course. The atmosphere was tense as the two of them waited to arrive at their destination.

"Lulu... do you think he'll be upset?" Celestia asked calmly, masking her anxiety.

"Without a doubt." Luna replied sadly. "After all, I couldn't blame him. I made a promise and couldn't follow through. He has every right to be angry."

"It wasn't your fault, remember?" the sun pony sighed. "The dreamwall was keeping you out. We both know that kind of magic is nearly impenetrable. I haven't seen this sort of thing since we fought all those years ago."

"You're right sister, I shouldn't despair." Luna responded, giving her sister a small smile. "I am relieved to know that Joey is well. After that nasty article about him... I want to know who's responsible." She growled.

"Luna... we can't act irrationally. Free press needs to stay free, it's one of the liberties our ponies should have." Celestia reminded her.

"Right, right... but you cannot deny the cruelty of the press towards him, Celly."

"Luna, rest easy. I've taken care of the issue." Celestia smirked.

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I follow."

"While we won't hunt down and stop the media ponies responsible, I simply let some connections somewhere else handle the issue. Trust me, Joey's reputation will not be stained unfairly if I can help it."

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh! You're right! Very clever, sister!"

"Your highnesses! We're approaching!!" called one of the chariot guards from outside.

The local populace looked up in awe as the chariot soared over head, screeching to a halt before the palace doors. Princess Cadance and her husband stood there, waiting.

"Welcome, your highnesses!" Shining said with a small bow.

"No need for that Shining Armor, this is an informal visit." Celestia reassured him.

The four of them entered the palace, making their way towards the throne room. Celestia couldn't help but admire the handiwork every time she visited. The way the crystalline walls arched far over their heads in unison, the intricate doorways...

"Hang tight, I'll go get Joey. I think he's in his room." Cadance announced, trotting right back out of the room.

"How is he, Shining Armor?" Luna asked worriedly. "How does he feel about seeing us?"

"To be honest, princesses - I don't think he's too excited for this meeting. It's hard for me to get a read on him, so I have no idea what he's thinking. Cadance says that he agreed to meeting you guys, and she says that's a good sign."

Celestia smiled glumly. "I had predicted that to be the case. I fear there are great misunderstandings between us with everything that has occurred since his... disappearance."

"What did I misunderstand?" asked a weary, familiar voice.

Celestia and Luna wheeled around to see Joey standing next to Cadance in the doorway. Just the sight of him stung Celestia's heart - he was much thinner than the last time they met. There was even a very small degree of gauntness to his expression. Huge, tired bags hung under his eyes. He eyed them calmly, but she could tell that his guard was definitely up.

"Goodness - has it really been that bad?" Luna asked, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Joey shrugged, then looked at Celestia again. "You said that 'there are great misunderstandings between us'."

"You must understand, there were things out of our control." Luna began, but Joey scowled.

"I get it, you guys had to have been super busy. Still, making empty promises to someone like me, in the situation I was in... pardon my French, but that's fucked up." he said firmly. There was a hint of venom in his voice.

"When you left, I took it that you wanted space. Correct?" Celestia asked calmly.

Joey thought for a moment, and nodded.

"I think we both know that Luna and I could have found you if we made a serious effort." Celestia explained. "However, I don't think you would have appreciated that too much. It was a delicate road to navigate... but Luna at least had an avenue of communication with you."

"Yeah, the one time it happened." Joey spat.

"Joey..." Cadance began scoldingly, but Luna raised a hoof.

"He has every right to be upset. It isn't what you think it is, Joey. I have attempted to breach the dreamwall to speak with you countless times, but... it is simply too strong."

"Dreamwall?" Joey asked, looking skeptical.

"Right, you wouldn't know much about magical terms yet." Luna acknowledged. "The dreamscape is a magical - er, limbo of sorts. As you know, I can access and influence other ponies' dreams in order to give them peaceful rest."

"I remember you mentioning it." Joey replied, nodding.

Luna took a deep breath and continued. "Sometimes a phenomena called a dreamwall occurs. It's a magical barrier that presents itself when the dream's host is under a lot of mental stress. It attempts to repel any effort to enter the dream. The worse the host's mental state is, the stronger the wall gets.

Joey was now staring into space, processing everything he was hearing with a slight frown.

"I've never had too much trouble getting through dreamwalls before, but yours... yours was nothing like I had ever seen." Luna continued shakily. Her sister placed her wing on Luna's withers to comfort her, and she continued her explanation. "I couldn't even get near it. I had never experienced a wall as strong as yours, and I was - frightened - at how quickly it had formed. My assumption is that you had one developing during your time in Ponyville, and it grew strong when something dreadful happened to you in Las Pegasus.

"Think of it as a black cloud, Joey, that encompasses the entire point of entry into your dream. It seems to suck the very happiness and light out of the air around it. My sister an I had lost contact with you in an instant, and we had no idea what might have become of you."

Joey stared at her, dumbfounded. "So... you couldn't get to my dreams because me?"

"No - no, that's not what I meant!" Luna quickly corrected. "Dreamwalls form from what the host feels. You are suffering more deeply than anypony else I had ever seen."

"Suffering...?" Joey asked quietly, before straightening up. "I dunno, I'm doing pretty well right now, aren't I? Thanks to Cadance."

Cadance raised an eyebrow. "I disagree."

"Joey - your dreamwall is still there." Luna said with a dark expression.

He couldn't argue with the princess of night. Especially if he knew next to nothing about the magical ins and outs of this land. Furthermore there was this urgent look buried in her expression, underneath the anxiety. It seemed incredibly serious... which aligned with the things he had just been told.

So this whole time... he was the reason she couldn't access his dreams? Or to put it a better way, his mental state?

"How do I get rid of it...?" Joey asked.

Celestia finally spoke up, with a very warm and sympathetic smile. "You need to heal, Joey."

"I feel fine. I'm doing better than I was when Cadance found me." he argued, taking a sip of coffee and wincing. "Ouch, hot."

"That isn't true and you know it." Cadance refuted firmly. "You had the worst panic attack I've ever seen a couple nights ago!!"

"What?" Celestia and Luna both asked in alarm.

Joey groaned, massaging a temple with his free hand. "That wasn't my fault!"

"Of course it wasn't." Shining Armor agreed, walking up to him. "I think it was bound to happen, with the way you seem to handle things. I've known you for two and a half days now, and you have one of the strongest wills I have ever seen."

"Shining's right." Cadance sighed with a smile. "You try and handle everything yourself before even thinking of letting somepony else help. All of us here really care about you, but I need you to understand that you can't heal if you push us away."

"We will always be here to help." Luna added. "I know you see us as superiors, but I would ask that in situations like these you see us as dear friends. We aren't going anywhere - just don't disappear on us again, okay?"

Joey simply just stared at them all blankly. Celestia felt slightly nervous at how he was going to take this request.

Then he let out a snort of laughter. It didn't seem to be at them however. His facial expression relaxed. Looking up at them, he did something that made all of them feel shocked and a bit giddy.

He smiled. Not just a smile - a genuine, relieved looking smile. None of them had ever seen that look on him before, and it seemed to light up to whole room.

"It's embarrassing to be put on the spot like this, but... you all have a point. I'm sorry I ran off like that. I'll be sure to let you guys know next time."

"Next time?" Cadance asked, raising an eyebrow. Everyone in the room laughed, including Joey.

"It was a cool magic trick the first time, but it needs work." he said sarcastically.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT NEEDS WORK?" Cadance shouted as she placed her forehooves on his shoulders and shook gently.

"Oi, careful! I have coffee!"

"If you make my wife worry like that ever again, I will give you the BIGGEST noogie." Shining threatened joking.

"Oh yikes, hoof-noogies? I'll pass." Joey replied with a grin as Cadance removed herself.

Celestia approached him and opened up her wings invitingly.

"Whoa, hold on a moment." Joey said firmly, halting her advance. "I gotta put my coffee down."

As the group came in for a very awkward group hug (for Joey, at least) he couldn't help but think about how things were finally starting to look up.

"A book trilogy? Really?" Luna asked excitedly. Joey, Luna, and Celestia were all sitting in the palace library, discussing his career plans.

"I have some connections with publishers in Canterlot who would be more than happy to help." Celestia offered. "It would still have to go through the editing process, of course."

"I wouldn't want to do it any other way." Joey agreed. "I want it to be an accomplishment more than a favor. It shouldn't be hard, I'd be reproducing another human's work. I'm thinking I'll dedicate a couple pages to a small biography for Tolkien in each book."

"What's the premise?" Luna asked. Joey could tell she was a closet book lover. "I'm very interested to know what the story is."

"Guess you'd have to wait - part of the magic in this series is the discovery of the plot." Joey chuckled, sipping more coffee.

Luna groaned, while Celestia laughed a little. The sun princess smiled. "So - have you decided whether or not you'll write them? I can send a notice to the publishers in advance. You humans have a very sweet reputation up there, and no doubt they'll be excited to get their hooves on human literature."

"Eventually I want to figure out how to make the books into movies." Joey explained. "If I just went and made the movies without any prior interest, they wouldn't do as well. So however well these books perform will determine whether or not I risk making them into movies."

"So I take it that as a confirmation that you're going to write them?" Luna asked hopefully.

Joey thought about it for a moment and snickered. "Yeah, I guess it does. I really gotta stop confusing myself like this."

Their visit was short, but fruitful. Luna and Celestia had to go back to Canterlot now to attend to their royal responsibilities. Cadance and Shining saw them to their carriage, but this time Joey accompanied them.

"Promise you'll write, okay?" Luna said to Joey, eliciting a smile from him in return.

"Yeah, definitely. You guys have a safe trip."

"Keep us updated on the progress of those books as well, alright?" Celestia added. "Luna especially is excited to read them. You've given them quite a lot of praise."

"You guys won't be disappointed, I promise." Joey reassured them, ignoring Luna's embarrassed blush.

"Sister! What's so wrong about enjoying a good book??" Luna asked.

"Nothing. You and Twilight have a lot in common." She then gave Joey a small hug and nodded to the others. "Farewell, for now! I wish you luck with your writing. Cadance, Shining Armor - you both have my dearest heartfelt thanks for taking him in."

"Of course!" Shining replied, beaming. "It's our pleasure."

They bade their final goodbyes, and watched as the chariot flew off into the afternoon sky until it passed the magical barrier.

Cadance turned to Joey, looking a little excited. "So you're writing the book?"

"Yeah, I am. You helped me to decide, too. Sorry again for overreacting that night." Joey apologized.

"You keep apologizing about that, stop it." Shining laughed.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Lunchtime?"

"Lunchtime." the other two agreed in unison, and began making their way back into the palace.

Me, Myself and I

by Cynical Page

Prologue

1 - An Explosive Welcome

2 - The Fifth Wheel

3 - It Can't Hurt to Try

4 - Bad Tidings

5 - So what now?

6 - The Gala's Consequence

7 - Lonely is As Lonely Does

8 - The Final Straw

9 - Viva Las Pegasus

10 - The Mare on the Mat

11 - Lunar Revelations

12 - First Hearth's Warming, Worst Hearth's Warming

13 - Sticks and Stones...

14 - Intervention

15 - Third Chance is the Charm? Maybe?

16 - Take a Deep Breath and Listen