> Nocturnal
>  by Flame-LoneWolf
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The News
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter One: The News

        
You rub the crust from your eyes that formed from your dreamless slumber. 

Pushing the blinds aside with a hoof, you peer out the window and take in the hustle and bustle of the Manehattan streets, your vision beginning to adjust to the rays of light bouncing off Luna’s moon. You watch ponies of all kinds trotting- or galloping in some cases -past your second story apartment: 

The neighborhood punks who -more than likely- snuck out while their parents slept to cause some mayhem and “fun” that only they benefited from (until they get caught in a few days, that is....); nicely dressed stallions- and a few mares -franticly galloping to their night shifts, a suitcase clenched between their teeth; ponies who looked forward to a midnight stroll to help ease the stress of their everyday lives. So on and so forth.

It was true; even through the night, the city never sleeps. And you were the prime example.

Your horn lit up with a magic aura; a pair of slender, rectangular glasses coated in your aura gently levitate off your nightstand, delicately landing on the bridge of your broad snout. You didn’t see why you needed these dorky things at first, but after a while, you couldn’t help but become grateful throughout the years for your now enhanced vision.

And besides, you’ve seen pairs a lot dorkier.

Your room only consisted of a double mattress absent of a bed frame, a bookshelf, a closet full of clothes you’ve probably never worn, and a small weight set that you haven’t touched in months. There were other various possessions, but you simply packed them away in cardboard boxes so you didn’t have to look at them. 

Your room was an absolute mess; sheets and pillows sprawled on the floor for anypony to step on if they didn’t watch their hooves at all times. You honestly didn’t care. You had nopony you felt the need to impress. 

With a beastly yawn, you maneuver drowsily through your room and drag yourself to the kitchen. Wasn’t much of a selection in the fridge, but you were used to it by now. Your family wasn’t at all rich. 

Settling on cooking up some strips of hay bacon and two slices of toast, your eyes glance at the wall clock, reading 1:26 A.M. For you, this was about normal breakfast time. Maybe an hour or two off, but breakfast is breakfast. Though your real pick-me-up would kick in once the coffee maker had finally heated the beans and water into a nice, caffeinated brew.

You sit at the unimpressive plastic table with your plate of food, half awake as you mindlessly chew. You absentmindedly levitate a book off the neatly organized living room shelf. Once you pay it mind, you see it’s a book mom was reading only a week or so ago; ‘Fifty Spades of Hay’.... 

She never mentioned to you if she liked it or not, so you assumed it was bad. But whatever, might as well give it a shot. You have nothing else better to do while you eat, and you need to wake up somehow. 

And besides, how bad could a best selling book possibly be....

….

It was bad.

Barely even managing to get past the first two chapters, you hear a rummaging at the door before it flies open. Mom, a cream coated mare with a short-cut, light blonde mane made her way in with a bundle of groceries looped over her wings. 

While you were born a unicorn, mom was a pegasus. This limited many activities between the two of you as a foal. You honestly wondered if the two of you were even related sometimes; the two of you looked nothing alike, aside for your mint-green eyes. The two of you had nothing in common in terms of personality as well. 

Mom had always told you that you got all of these traits from your father, which would always lead to you viciously denying any accusations of the case, to the point where the subject was now rarely brought up. You couldn’t even remember what the bastard looked like, he left you when you were only a foal. Mom had pictures, sure. Didn’t mean you were ever going to look at them.

Noticing that you had spaced out, mom stood at the door with a single brow raised. “So, you’re just going to let your old mom carry these heavy groceries in herself? I thought I raised you better than that....”

Quickly stuffing your mouth with the remaining food on your plate, you hurry over and take the not-heavy-at-all bags in your magic, ignoring a snippy comment from mom about always relying on your unicorn perks all the time and not enough on your muscles. But then again, this was nothing new.

“You’re home late.”

Mom gives an audible huff before turning her gaze back to her newspaper. You guessed she didn’t have time this morning to read it. “Is that any way to greet your mother?” You simply roll your eyes. It’s not like her greeting was any better. “And please tell me you didn’t just get up since I left again....”

You’re reluctant to answer, getting annoyed that she’s always on your case about this.... “At least I even went to sleep this time. Sleep is sleep, isn’t it?”

Mom simply shook her head, her eyes still locked on today’s news. She can barely keep them open, that much was obvious. “Not when you’re living under your mother’s roof at twenty-five years old.”

“I’ve been trying to find a steady job since I turned sixteen, give me a break....”

“And you lost your last one for pelting a bunch of teenagers with the apples you were supposed to be selling.”

“Those little brats were trying to make off with an entire bushel.” you state in a low groan. Though now that the event was passing through your memories as if were only yesterday, you couldn’t help but wish you had handled that a little.... better. “And besides, I can’t help getting turned down before I’m even hired.”

Mom shakes her head once more and turns her attention back to the newspaper, leaving you to contemplate what you should do next. You had just gotten up and really didn’t want to hear it from mom again, so going back to sleep was out of the question. You don’t exactly feel like reading another book at the moment after that last one. Maybe a walk through the midnight streets would help clear your mind, as dangerous as that sounded....

You rest your head over a forehoof with a sigh, your eyes threatening to give way to the drowsiness. You found yourself doing this a lot nowadays as you didn’t have much of a selection of entertainment as you once had, leaving your life to grow into a dull, empty shell. 

But at this point, you couldn’t care less....

“Hmm.... maybe one of the ponies there will be nice enough to give you a job.”

Your ears perk, your mom’s words cutting through your thoughts like butter. Now you were interested.... “Wait, what are you-”

“I found a place for the two of us in the country. It’s a small town that I grew up in as a filly.”

“WHAT?” you exclaim as you shoot up from your seat, sleepiness completely forgotten as your attention focused only on the woman suggesting nonsense. “Mom, as stingy with money as you are, how can you even think of moving out of Manehattan?”

        “The ponies there are friendly, the prices are affordable, and it’d be a fresh new start....” mom begins to explain, all the while the negative thoughts swirl around your brain, effectively drowning her out. There’s no way in hell you’re going to accept this as being a good idea....

        “Please,” you let slip through your mom’s rambling, slowly bringing her words to a stop. “There is no way that this could be a good idea. Just.... at least consider staying? Who knows; maybe you’ll get a raise at work and really turn things around for us.”

        Seconds pass, mom’s always judging glance staring daggers into you, more than likely going over your pleas for an appropriate response. You were screwed; you knew your mom better than anypony, and there was no way in the deepest, darkest pits of Tartarus she was going to take your word for-

        “I’ll think it over.”

        …..What? 

        As much of a complete and utter shock this comes as to you, you can feel a weight releasing itself from your haunches, making you feel as if you were forty-five pounds lighter. Needless to say, you still feel that remaining five pounds playing as the possibility that this might very well not go the way you hope....

        Before you can even get a word in, mom had already folded her newspaper in the recycling bin and was trotting off to her room to call it a night. Or would it be day in this case....

        You sit at the empty table alone, still contemplating your next move as if it were going your last. You have the night all to yourself, and it’d be a shame to waste it-

        “And take out the trash, would ya?! I’m already sleeping!”

        Your eyes roll almost as if on cue. You ponder to yourself on how mom could scream from the other side of the apartment like that if she were asleep, but decide to let it slide. It’s not like you were just going to skip chores until mom noticed or anything.... right?

        You shake away the thought, grabbing the bag of filth in your magic as you trot out the door, making sure you ease it closed so as to not wake up mom again....

        The plastic bag that held all the disposed junk was cluttered to the brim; bits were scarce these days and your mother, being cheap as she is, made up an imaginary rule to not throw away the bags of garbage until there was no longer room to stuff it with.

        This was definitely the case as of now, seeing that even your aura-lit grip couldn’t keep the rips and tears from already forming over the damn thing, and Celestia knows this wouldn’t be the first time you’d need a seven hour scrub-down after taking out the trash....

        For what felt like an eternity, you finally make it down the flight of stairs outside the apartment building second floor, thanking your lucky stars as you dispose of the stuffed-to-death garbage without a single trace of it on your coat this time. Wiping the sweat from your brow, you contemplate whether you should go back inside and do nothing, or go for a nightly stroll in the not-so-safe streets of Manehattan.

        Surprisingly, your choices aren’t all that hard to weight out. Without looking back, you trot off into the dark streets of Manehattan, expectant, yet curious as to what you may find this time around....

….

        The humid city streets are enough by themselves to make you regret your decision. You weren’t exactly much of a Spring pony. That’s not to say you didn’t see some rather interesting sights:  

Those little urchins you saw earlier from your window were busy spray painting homes, establishments, street fences, etc., creating either lewd images with the best of their “artistic” abilities or just plain writing verbal abuse using the most profane words they could think of. Good thing you’d be already asleep in the morning so not to hear the victims’ reactions.

You also passed a local pub just in the nick of time to catch a bar fight courtesy of two drunken meatheads you may or may not have known once. You didn’t exactly have the best memory, and for good reason too. You didn’t want to remember.

And of course, you couldn’t have a city filled with “warm and cozy” homes without the homeless. You couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt as you watched them dig for scraps in any garbage they managed to get their hooves on, but you knew all too well that even the slightest amount of generosity around these parts could result in you and mom ending up in the very same fate....

But all in all, nothing was out of the usual. Just your everyday scenarios in your nice and friendly neighborhood streets. From what mom had told you, where you live now is basically the slums of Manehattan. Wasn’t exactly the most ideal of settlements, and you were a tad ashamed to say that you grew up here, but you couldn’t exactly imagine having to readjust to a secluded hicktown.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a commotion breaking out in an alleyway nearby. As the law-abiding citizen you are, you dutifully wince as you trot past, hoping whoever’s back there won’t notice you as you pass under one of the unnaturally bright magical lanterns that wasn’t burnt out or busted.

Unfortunately, your hopes were ignored as the sound of hooves rapidly catch up to you, and a knife is brought in front of your face. “Eeeeyyyyyy, buddy,” the earth pony holding the knife between his teeth hisses as he breathes down your neck. “Thash a purty good lookin tail yuh got. Min’f I... heh heh... movit ‘round a bit?” The stallion chuckles again, the sound raspy like a dog’s squeak toy after too much abuse. His stench is overpowering your nose, making you feel like you need to hurl. Not that his offer is helping matters any.

You try to voice a response in the negative, but the knife’s edge digs into the skin below your neck, killing the words where they stand as a shiver runs down your spine. “Heh heh heh heh... Thash a guud colt, ayn’tet, four eysh? Yeeeaahhhssshhhhheeheeheehee...” As the stallion starts backing up, you follow along, carefully, trying not to make any sudden movements lest the knife draws blood.

“Oi, Nose Tag! Yuh gots sum new meat?”

The stallion holding onto you leans his head-- and the knife-- away from you as he spits out a reply.

“Yeah! An’ he looksh purty well fed, heh heh heh!” As the stallion continues to gab with his friend, you look around quickly, noticing a small pile of bricks laying among the shards of a broken window. Reaching out with your magic, you almost pick up the glass, but you hesitate and grab a brick instead, pulling it towards you as fast as your magic can.

With a solid Thwock! right out of an action comic, it hits the stallion holding you right in the face, and most likely, right in the knife judging by the howls of pain that start as soon as you break free. “Graaaahhhh! Mah mouf! Mah moouuuff!! ‘E cut mah fuggen moouuf!!!”

Snorting as you gallop down the street, you jump across the empty cart and carriage lanes, down a side street, and then through some abandoned lots until you are well and truly alone. You can’t hear the cries any longer. In fact, the only sound is your own ragged breathing. 

With a soft lament of needing to exercise more, you shake your head and sit down. That hadn’t been your first time put through the ringer like that. You couldn’t live in Manehatten for more than twenty years and not get mugged at least once (though this was probably the first you would have been almost raped during). By now, you probably knew where every loose brick, narrow alley, or broken fence in a four mile area was. All the better to escape, of course. So saying, it would be easy to find a way home that didn’t go the same way you came, and after a night like this, you think it’d be wise to call it a day.

Making sure you weren’t being followed, you decide to go down the least taken way to get to the apartment complex. It would probably take a good extra twenty minutes, but it’d probably be worth it in the long run. 

You can’t exactly say you’re keen on the idea of warming up to the thought of being some mugger’s next stress reliever....

….

        By now, Princess Luna’s pitch black skies were beginning to brighten just slightly; not enough to spot the sun, but more than enough to see what was ahead of you. At this point you believe the apartments are only a couple minutes away, as you mentally go over the night’s events. Was it worthwhile....

        “Fuck no.” you mumble to yourself aloud. However, you can at least say that tonight’s events weren’t quite on the scale of dull as usual.

        Your body jerks to a halt, as your nostrils are invaded by the unmistakable scent of smoke.

Wait, what?!

Your stomach feels as though somepony dropped an anvil overtop of it, as you make a break down the city streets, cares of anypony seeing you left behind in the dust.

You are greeted with the sight of a team of pegasai in red fire-patrol barding stomping on their rain clouds as they douse out the last of the flames coming from a too-familiar second story window, one you knew all too well to be the kitchen. Your kitchen.

Once you spot her, you gallop over to mom, who’s standing near who is probably the captain of the group. Once mom finally breaks her gaze from the mare and catches you in her sights, to your surprise, she wraps her hooves around you and pulls you tight. You can’t even remember the last time you’d been given a hug. “Thank goodness you’re okay,” mom whispered as she held tighter. “When I couldn’t find you anywhere I thought...”

“....What happened?” you finally manage to spit out.

“From the looks of it, it appears to be a kitchen fire. Thankfully, only the kitchen took any damage from the flames.” the captain responds in a gruff yet feminine voice. Her gaze lifts up from her notes as she notices a group of pegasai under her command exit the apartment building. “It also appears that we found our culprit.”

The weather ponies near over to their captain, and you notice one of them was carrying something from the building in their hooves. As the pony hoofed it over, you took a good, long look at the magic powered coffee maker....

It was as though you could feel your mom’s eyes locked onto you, debating whether or not they should take you by the neck and shake you until your heart stopped beating.

Yeah, any hopes you had left were scorched to death in that kitchen.

….

        Princess Celestia’s Sun shined brightly through the window of your room, as if to spread light over the now many full boxes that littered the apartment. You can feel the bags under your mint green eyes aching behind your thin, rectangular lenses, desperately begging to be shut. 

As you pack the last of your things, a rectangular brown box littered with the word “FRAGILE” over the top and side with black permanent marker gets caught in your line of sight. You slide a hoof over the cardboard surface and, with a hint of poison in your sigh, you coat the box with your magic and put it near with the rest of your packed-up things.

You snap back to reality when you hear mom calling from the living room to pick up the pace. With yet another sigh, you adjust your glasses wearily with a hoof and get a move on. The Fetlock Express closed wagon was almost completely packed, only your stuff was needed before it could start on its way.

This was going to suck....

> Grand Tour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Big shout out to my editor, Super Big Mac. This really wouldn't have been possible without him! )



Chapter Two: Grand Tour



Dancing around you are a group of creatures that are, as far as you can tell, not of this world. 

They stand like a minotaur, but are as slender as a snake. 

One holds a spear in its mouth, but another has claws like a dragon. 

The three of them dance around you, as you sit calmly in the vat of boiling water, or whatever it is. 

On your scale of horrible ways to die, being cooked alive and eaten by strange creatures was strangely low on the list. Death by bunny stampede was higher, you think. But then again, you really do like Tomato basil soup, and all they need is some cheddar and wheat bread, and you’ll be on cloud nine before anypony can remind you that you can’t fly.

Thunk.




        “....Owww.” you mumble to yourself as you pull your now smarting head away from the window, which you’d smacked into as the train took a rather tight turn.

        “Oh good,” You’re able to keep your eyes open long enough to recognize mom from the opposite seat. “You’re awake; I was hoping you’d wake up on your own. We’re almost in Ponyville.”

        You grunt in return, and lay your head gently against the window, the cool glass helping to counteract the pain the very same pane had given you earlier. “Mmkay,” you manage to mutter after a bit. “How long...?” 

        Seeing that you’re still quite out of sorts, your mom sighs and shakes her blonde head ruefully. “You’ve been asleep for almost seven hours, a new record for you, I think.” Looking outside at the afternoon sun as Canterlot slowly passes by in the distance, mom finally says in a softer voice, “we’re only another hour or so to Ponyville, hon. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to relax here, okay? Settle down.”

        You grunt again, somehow communicating your want of saying “whatever” without the word passing your lips, and try to fall asleep again. 

....And after a few fruitless minutes, you give up and instead stare out the window, the uneasy churning of your stomach feeling as though it was ready to commit suicide...

....

Your head’s still throbbing when the train pulls into the station, and you wince every time it blows its whistle. ‘I hope I don’t have to deal with anything stupid today. I just want to relax...’

You realize how bad an idea it was to even think that when you see a pink pony with the widest smile you’ve ever seen anywhere holding a sign with not only your mom’s name on it, but also yours. “....Really, mom,” you mutter to her. She just shrugs and smiles thinly.

“Good afternoon, Miss—

FWEEEEEEEEET....... “Aaalll abooarrd~!”

“—name is Mayor Mare, and this is Pinkamena-”

“-ahem.”

“-Pinkie Pie.” The mayor smiles warmly, her eyes at half mast in a more matronly way then coquettish.

“It’s good to meet the both of you, Mayor Mare,” mom replies in her usual sweet voice when dealing with ponies she didn’t know that well yet. You stayed silent as your mom introduced you, just giving a slight nod to the two other mares.

The older one, the mayor, spoke up once more. “We are here to welcome you to your new home here in Ponyville, but aha, there’s still a bit of paperwork you and I need to attend to. Your.... son?” 

A little late in realising that the spotlight had been aimed on you, you scratch the back of your head with a slightly uneased nod and the grey-maned earth pony gives a rather unsure smile, as though she still had lingering doubts.

“Right. Your son, however, can go with Pinkie here on a little tour around town. She promised not to go invading your home to throw a surprise party as long as I promised she could be an official member of the welcoming committee.” Mayor Mare leaned in close, as if to give an aside that her friend wasn’t supposed to hear. “Last time she did so was when the Griffon King was passing through. Nopony was harmed, thankfully, but they almost destroyed Town Hall!”

The mayor continued talking even as your mom started away, mayor in tow. You watched them go, before turning your attention to the pink pony in front of you.

You stood there, just looking at her as she stared unblinkingly at you with those cerulean eyes, limbs trembling with either excitement or something you didn’t exactly pass as natural. Finally, you just can’t take the silence anymore, so you open your mouth. “Uhh—”

“Hi!”

You blink, jaw going slack as the mare in front of you seemed to shout while barely even opening her mouth. “Umm—”

“How you doing?” She tilts her head, her deep blue eyes shimmering with laughter, her vibrant pink coat dappled by the light seeping through the trees. Her mane, a slightly darker shade of pink, was a perfect, yet strange mix of curly and poof to the point where it looked as though she was wearing a wig made completely out of cotton candy. And somehow, she manages to pull the look off... ugh. You can’t help but shudder a little.

You shuffle your hooves, feeling a tad tongue tied. “Um, I- Well....”

“You feelin’ okay? Oh, maybe we should go by the medical center! Follow me!” With that, she spins around and starts hopping— complete with a springing noise— down the street towards the edge of town, in the opposite direction that your mom went. As you step into place behind her, you take a glance at a trio of balloons on her flank and sigh. ‘She’s one of those idiot party animals, I bet. No sense whatsoever.’

It was a few minutes before either of you speaks again, your bouncy companion content to hum a tune and wave hello to the ponies passing by. Finally, though, your tour guide spoke up. 

“So!” She chirps happily as she turns around in mid-jump, landing perfectly on her hind legs and balancing as if it were nothing. “This is the Ponyville Hospital. You don’t seem to be sick any more, so I don’t think we need to go inside. Where to next... Oh, I know! Let’s go see— Nasal Flux!”

 Pinkie drops to the ground, and before you knew what was happening, a blue blur had barreled into you and knocked you to the ground. Luckily, you’d been given a bit of street-side training in reaction time, and you were able to make a small shield to soften the blow.

It still hurts like Tartarus, though. “Arrgh, what the hay hit me...?”

Another groan answered you, and you open your eyes to find a prismatic rainbow covering your eyes. It flicks against your nose, and your mind screeches to a halt as you realize that it’s somepony’s tail, and they’re more than likely female.

Getting up so quickly you manage to throw your assailant onto her hooves, you duck your head low to hide your blush. “S-sorry ‘bout that, miss, I wasn’t watchin’ where I was going.” You take a few steps back, preparing for either a physical assault or a verbal one, whether what happened was your fault or not. You knew how mares tended to—

“Psh! Can it, meathead. That was totally my bad. Besides, I was aiming for Pinkie Pie.” The mare then tackled your tour guide and began to give her a noogie. “Ha! This is for that cuckoo prank you pulled last week!”

“Oh nooo~! Dashie!!! Heehehehee~”

You look up at the spectacle and feel the heat flooding your face again. Looking around, many of the town’s ponies are either smiling ruefully at the two’s antics, or just ignoring it as if it weren’t there. If this had happened in Manehatten, there would have been at least one or two perverted stallions trying to jump in.

“Hey, meatheat! Can you c’mere for a sec? I need you to hold Pinkie’s legs down for me. She won’t stop kicking!”

“Oh, noooo~,” Pinkie says, still giggling giddily. “No, don’t do that~! Anything but that, hehehehe~!”

Gulping, you take a hesitant step forward, but lose your nerve and instead stand there awkwardly for a second before putting a hoof to your head to try and quell the rush of confusion your situation was giving you.

That’s when you suddenly remember that you’re a unicorn. Reaching out with your magic, you cast a Chain Link spell on Pinkie’s legs, pinning them to the ground. Pinkie wiggles around a bit, her lips curling into a small, slightly conniving smile before she looks up at her friend expectantly. 

“Oh, my gallant knight, have you come to free your princess from her magical bondage?”

The blue pegasus blinks, her wings twitching a bit in confusion. “Uhhh...” Pinkie bats her eyelashes and gives her friend a cute pout accompanied by a low whinny.

Both you and the pegasus look away, faces flushed. “Geez, Pinkie, you’re evil when you’re cute,” the pegasus mare says as Pinkie throws a foreleg over her withers, laughing victoriously.

Pinkie pulls her friend over towards you, and points at you. “This is my new friend! He just got into town today.” She then points at the pegasus. “This is Rainbow Dash. The bestest pegasus flyer in all of Equestria!”

As if on cue, the mare you know now as Rainbow Dash stood proudly on her hooves, her strong wings giving an exaggerated flap as she did so. “Weeell, I don’t wanna brag, but....”

Your eyes give an instinctive roll. You’ve never exactly blended well with showoffs. “A Wonderbolt wannabe, yeah?”

Her smile grew wide. “Hay yeah!” And then fell away. “I mean, no! I’m no wannabe, I’m definitely gonna become a Wonderbolt!”

This raises a rather valid question. “So then.... why exactly did you just come from the hospital?”

Dash loses a bit of her poise at that. “Alright, look, don’t tell anypony but... Scoots’ gotten a bit banged up, and I’m trying to be a better big-sister figure for her, so I was swingin’ by to check up on her.”

One of your eyebrows rises questioningly, not sure if you should be inclined to believe her. But with a sigh, you let the matter drop as quickly as it came, figuring it would probably be less stressful to just let it go.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, but I’ve not seen anything else in town other than the train station and the hospital.”

“Yeah, alright. I gotta get some practice in, anyways. Maybe we can hang out some time! See ya!” 

With that, Rainbow Dash shoots off like a rocket and into the clouds, leaving a powerful gust of wind in her wake. She definitely lives up to her name.

But it seems as though her speed was lacking something, because while she definitely dashed, a slight lean to her flight pattern hadn’t escaped your notice.

“Don’t worry about her,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, popping up seemingly out of nowhere. “she’s always playing everything off as tough and cool as she can! Now, let’s go! We’ve got more stops to make, and places for me you take! Did that make sense? No? Ah, who cares, heehee! Let’s go get some cupcakes!”

As you sigh and shake your head, following after the crazy pink pony once more, you can’t help but stop dead in your tracks. ‘How did she escape from my spell?’

....

“... And here you’ll see the place to be if you are craving sweets~!
And over there, without a care, is Vinyl laying down her beeeaaats~!”

Pinkie starts to pant as she finished her song, and the pony named Vinyl kicked her turntables, causing them to fold up into a more manageable size before she waves and heads off to who knows where. “Well, since we’re here, want to grab something to eat? It’s my treat! Heehee, no, literally! I’ll make you anything you want!”

“Uhh...” You take a step inside, following the pink pony who was actually quite a bit smarter than you’d thought she was. Naive as all get out, but still plenty smart. “You see, Pinkie... I don’t really like—” just before you could say sweets, somepony bumps right into you, sending you backwards a step. When you look up, a white unicorn mare with a purple mane is looking at you, horror washing over her face. “Hey, I know I’m ugly,” you start to joke, when she lets out a piercing wail.

“Oh good heavens, just look at this... this... mess!” She points a quivering hoof at a forelock hanging from the curl of her purple mane. The style is... attractive, you guess, but you don’t see why it’s such a big deal.

“Uhh... wha..?”

“You!” Taking an involuntary step back, you gulp as she practically spits the word out with enough venom to down a buffalo. “You... you... you cretin! I just got done at the spa! And now, you’ve... you’ve... You ruined my mane!”

She jabs a hoof into your chest, and you suddenly feel something sticky. In a flash of horror, you think you just got shanked, but then you look down and see that it wasn’t blood matting your coat, but... 

Again she gasps, staring in disbelief at her hoof. “My... my hooficure! Now look what you’ve done!” 

The mare was obviously in hysterics, and you have no idea why. Sure, the only thing you’d been able to see on your way through the door was a bright pink tail swishing around— no, you weren’t staring at her in that way, she was simply in front of you the whole time!— and she’d ran into you, and apparently gotten her desert all over you.

And yet this— to put the term lightly— drama queen was still trying to pin the blame on you, as well. Now, you weren’t the kind of guy who would hit a mare, but this filly was being extremely over-dramatic, and it was grating on your ears. Putting a hoof up in front of her lips, you shush her for a second.

“Excuse me, miss, but I’m afraid you are mistaken.” She opens her mouth to protest, and you once again raise your hoof. “I’m sorry about your mane being in disarray, really I am, but it’s not my fault. I was simply following Pinkie Pie inside, and you ran into me.” You look down and wave a hoof at your chest. “I am now completely covered in...” 

You wipe some off yourself with a hooftip and lick it. “Éclair. I thought it seemed familiar.” Shaking your head in a fair imitation of the Upper class of Manehatten, you give the mare a small snort of disgust. “I don’t wanna be rude, but I also don’t like being covered in Éclair.”

Pinkie was suddenly right next to you again. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it~!” She then starts scooping the cream off of your chest with her tongue. Both you and the white-coated unicorn mare give a simultaneous blush.

“Excuse me, Pinkie,” you start saying, your voice an octave higher than it was. “Ahem. E-excuse me, Pinkie, but... You know that that isn’t sanitary... right?”

Pinkie, having licked you clean (and somehow not slathering you with saliva), smiles at you innocently. “Oh, don’t worry, I washed my tongue first, so you’re all good~!” With that, she turns to look at the other mare, eyes widening as if she hadn’t seen her there. “Oh, hi Rarity! Have you met my new friend?! He’s a swell guy, let me tell ya~!” She then leans in conspiratorially and said in a loud whisper, “plus, he tastes like nutmeg! Oh, I’m so gonna have to make some Cinnamon and Nutmeg Éclairs tonight...”

Rarity looks a little green at this, but you’re sure that your face was hotter than an oven at the moment, so you can’t really blame her. “Y-yes, well, I-I’m sorry, darling, b-but I have to go...” Rarity makes to leave, but Pinkie puts up a hoof in front of her.

“No, wait! I’d really like it if my good ol’ buddy here got to know you a bit better! I’ve been showing him all around town today! Weird, though, that we didn’t see AJ in the market. Big Mac was so swamped with hungry-looking mares, though, that we couldn’t even get close enough to say “hi!” to him!” Pinkie puts on a pouty face, and Rarity visibly struggles to continue past the two of you, before finally giving in with a groan.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll make pleasantries with your coltfriend, but only if I get a new Éclair!” You cock an eyebrow at her as Pinkie shoots off towards the kitchen, and she gives you an appraised look. “What? She ate the one I paid for.”

“Yes,” you say while shaking your head slightly. “After you smeared it across my chest.”

Rarity huffs. The both of you trot towards a nearby table, and you slump down gratefully. You give a weary sigh and stretch your legs a bit, glad for the short reprieve. “Pinkie’s giving you the grand tour, is she?”

You nod, still not wanting to speak too much, lest you still seem angry. “She hasn’t been too much trouble, has she? She has always been the craziest pony in the whole town, but she seems to have simmered down and matured quite a lot since the Cakes had their twins.”

You nod again, not knowing who the twins were, but guessing that the Cakes and, by extension, the twins, lived in the bakery and sweetshop. “So, uh...” You show off your wonderful eloquence to the somewhat uptight mare, and she gives off a faint giggle. ‘Me Tree-Tan. You, Jade’, you think to yourself as a blush forms on your cheeks.

“Rarity is my name, darling, and I am terribly sorry for how I acted earlier, but you see, I was...” It seems that it’s her turn to blush, because she does so, the pink hue shining brilliantly against her dove white coat. “I’ve been a bit... antsy, recently. And since I’d just gone to the spa, and had myself pampered, I just... Oh, sweet Celestia, I feel mortified...” She brings her hooves up to cover her face, reaching one up farther to cover her mane as well. “I must look like a wreck!”

“Hey, uh... you don’t look bad at all,” you say uncertainly as you look her over. She gasps, shooting to her hooves before pointing once more to her mane.

“Not bad? Not bad?! Just look at my coiffure! It’s completely messy! I need to get home and run a brush through it, but I can’t go outside with it the way it is!”

You chuckle at her antics, and look around, until spotting a fork on your table. Transformation magic isn’t really your forte, but you’d learned that the easiest way to get rid of somepony’s weapon was usually to just turn it into something else. Why learn a combat spell when it was less expensive to just learn a Transmutation spell? Picking up the piece of cutlery, you examine it for a moment before flashing magic through your horn. The fork melts and boils away, before snapping back into another shape familiar to you and your table-companion. 

A brush.

Rarity squeals in delight. “Oh, that was wonderful! Now I don’t have to go outside while looking this dreadful! Ta-ta~!” She trots off quickly for the back room, and that’s when a certain pink pony decides to pop her head out from under the table, her face covered in white cream.

“Is Rarity gone?” 

You nod. 

“Phew, I thought she’d never leave.” She licks her lips and mmmms contentedly. “I ate her Éclair again.” 

You roll your eyes. 

“Whaaaat, I was hungry from all that walking we did! You do realize how hard it is to stay all bouncy and shapely like I do, right?! Too much exercising, and I could loose all my curvy-wurvy gooooodness!” As she says this, she starts shaking her hips, her tail flicking back and forth as her bottom wiggles like a cat about to pounce.

Not that you were looking, anyway.

With your appetite suddenly feeling a tad lost, you get to your hooves as you decide that it’d probably be a good idea to check on how mom’s doing. And to get a goddamn nap. 

“Hey, I’m gonna head out now if that’s fine by you.”

“Wait! Where ya going?” you hear the mare call out. “I’m still not done giving you the grand tour of Pony-”

“Sorry, just kinda tired,” you mumble. “Besides, I gotta find out if Mom’s done with that paperwork.” You push the door to Sugar Cube Corner open, and trot out into the early evening air. Taking a deep breath to clear your mind, you can’t help but notice how... different the air is from your old home. It’s... clean. Unsettlingly so...

….

For a cheap, pre-owned house, the ceiling was kept rather clean. It’s all your eyes focus on as you lay sprawled over your bed in silence. Well, mattress. How the bed frame itself broke was something you weren’t so keen on thinking about at the moment.

Or in this millennium.

        You start humming a tune to yourself, something you remember your mother singing when you were just a colt, but you can’t quite remember the words. There was one line from the song, though, that you’d never forget. “hmm hm hm hmmmm... There’s only one of you sweetie, only one all around; there’s only one of you baby, in this whole dang town, so keep living your life; don’t let it... drag you down...” As you mutter the last few words, your eyelids droop, and your breathing evens out. It’s not long until you’re fully asleep.

….

        As you awake, you try to remember what you were doing before you fell asleep. Feeling nature calling, you stand up, shaking your head, and walk out of your new bedroom, and open the door to the bathroom.

 In the shower is a mare, pink in coat and mane, with brilliant blue eyes that turn to you as the door swings open. The weight of the water gives her mane a straight look down one side of her scalp, a rather large contrast compared to her usual cotton candy style.

“Oh, hey again! Sorry, I was a total mess after I got into your attic; that place is full of dust! So I had to use your shower, hope that’s okay, and oh, what song was that you were singing It sounded really jazzy, maybe you could sing it again sometime?”

        Wordlessly, you close the door and stumble away.

        Without thought, you start towards your room, but the last place you want to be is on your mattress if Pinkie decides to come after you. It would be... All kinds of awkward. Instead, you turn towards the stairs to the first floor, deciding that something to eat would be good to get your mind off things. 

And there’s a bathroom downstairs anyways, rig-

“WEEE!!!”

“Gyeh!”

        You’re no longer standing on the stairs, but flying above them, the wind knocked out of your lungs. When you land, it’s right on your back, halting any chance at recovering your breath before it could begin. Straddling you is a still very wet Pinkie Pie, her mane falling in tangled curls on either side of her face as she looks at you with a wide smile, eyes glinting mischievously. 

The lights flick on. “SUUUUUURRRRRRPRRRIIISE~!!!”

> Party Hard(ly)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Three: Party Hard(ly)


        You still feel the anxiety writhe through your body as you take a clumsy sip of the cup of fruit flavored punch.

        The ponies invading your humble abode— and quite frankly your personal space— dance to the electronic music blaring through the sound speakers inside your new “home”. Of course you and mom didn’t exactly have the money to waste on any fancy speakers. And even if you did, disturbing the peace in a slum Manehattan neighborhood wasn’t usually the smartest idea. Unless, of course, you prefered rocks lying in shards of glass directly under your window.

If only that DJ hadn’t brought her own set of obnoxiously large speakers; those twin noise boxes easily compared to the size of a full grown Manticore; how could those monsters even be legal?!

You walk around the pony packed living room, giving it your best not to stick out as you head towards the kitchen. You and mom were already given a welcoming committee that you, afterwards, were sure you needed some sort of gel to keep your fur from standing at ends. And you’re determined to pass on experiencing whatever side effect that followed.

Upon entering, you find that the room has other guests in it, but only a small group. You’re also rather ashamed to admit a rather curvaceous pink backside with three balloons on the flank sticking out from behind the door of your refrigerator was the first to catch your eye.

"Pinkie," you say, exasperated. "Why are you raiding our fridge? We don't have much... In fact, I can tell you brought more for this party than could fit in five of our fridge. What could you possibly need from in there?"

“Vifsh ISH uh farfy, mishisn it?” the pink party animal peeks her head out in question. Or at least you assume it was a question, what with her mouth being stretched farther than you thought was equinely possible with what you could only guess was a mix between cake bits and doughnuts.

With one mighty— and probably unhealthy gulp, Pinkie wraps her forearm behind your neck, resting a hoof on your opposite shoulder. “You seriously need to relax, Minty! I ain’t Ponyville’s bestest party host for nothing!”

“Yeah, and maybe next time you can work on giving a heads up before you—” The words cut short, yet it seems somepony forgot to inform your idly hanging jaw as your eyebrow cocks up a full inch. “....Minty?”

“Yuppity yup yup!” Pinkie audibly squeals as she pulls you uncomfortably close, her muzzle merely a slight tilt away from touching yours. “Your eyes toootally look like peppermints or something! Oh-Oh-Oh, or the color of mint flavored ice cream, yum!”

And just as you think nothing more can catch you off guard, a girlish giggle escapes the mare’s throat. “Aside from looking tasty, they’re also not bad just to look at.”

Putting consideration on whose gene gifted you of said eyes, you weren’t exactly sure if you could count that as a compliment. Regardless, your face was lit brighter than any of the strobing flashes coming from the living room by unknown means. 

Which probably means that damn DJ.

“I-uh, thanks, I guess....” you mutter shyly, just loud enough over the blaring music for the pink pony to hear. “Um... w-would you mind letting me go now—”

“Pinkie Pie, let the poor guy breathe...” 

Being careful to not brush snouts with the pink mare currently invading your personal space, you turn your head to find that the voice belongs to a unicorn mare. Oh, fantastic. Just what you needed to make your awkward levels shoot past the moon, another mare...

Giving the newcomer a closer inspection, you note the unicorn seems to be lavender in color— which was a lot harder to figure out than it should have been, due to the dangerous amounts of blood currently scalding your face like a pizza oven. Her neatly cut mane had two twin streaks of pink and violet, and under it lays a friendly, yet not too over-excited smile unlike your pink “friend”.

Speaking of, you don’t even notice that Pinkie had already let go of you, but instead cut back to reality once a hoof flashes in front of your vision several times before you hear the unicorn mutter to herself: 

“I think you may have broken him, Pinkie....”

Oh horsefeathers. You had been staring! “Um, I.... sorry. Just.... tired, is all.”

“I imagine you must be after your first day in Ponyville.” For a short moment, her eyes wander. You manage to catch a look of what even you could figure out was nostalgia glazing through them, as her violet orbs sparkle like the moon in the night sky. How poetic. “I sure know my first day here was something else.... Oh— Whoops! Forgot to introduce myself,” the mare brings her attention back to you with a small chuckle. “Pleased to finally meet you; my name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Once you give Twilight your name, a certain detail about her introduction rings in your head. “Finally?”

The mare chuckles and smiles sweetly. “Yes, Pinkie had been telling me about you, she said you were interested in architecture and reading?”

You stare blankly at her for a moment before turning to Pinkie Pie. “... How would you get to that? I don’t think I ever talked about my interests...” You furrow your brow in confusion; was she a mind reader, or something?

“Noper-doper~! It was just obvious! You kept on staring at all the buildings around town, and reading all the signs!”

“Uhh... yeah, who wouldn’t look at the buildings? Some of them are really bizarre. And it’s good to know what’s where, so of course I’m gonna read the signs.”

Pinkie giggles at your reply and gives you a knowing look. “Oh, please! I’ve already known you for a full day! So of course I already know some things about you!”

Twilight steps forward as Pinkie devolves into a fit of giggles. “Pinkie’s right, she’s usually able to guess a lot of things about somepony even after just a first meeting. If she’d talked to me when I first came to Ponyville, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been as angry about the party.” Twilight looks down with a sigh. “I’m honestly kinda regretful that I didn’t get to enjoy my own “Welcome to Ponyville” party. The “Hooray, Princess Luna’s not an evil Deity anymore” party was a pretty good substitute.”

You look at the lavender mare with disbelief even as her smile grows, her eyes closed as if she’s reminiscing. “... Okay...” You shake your head and take another sip from your juice cup, only to find that it’s empty. “I’m going to go get some more juice. I’ll, uh... bye,” you manage to mutter as you shuffle past Pinkie and her friend.

Pinkie giggles as she throws a hoof over Twilight’s withers. “See? Toldja he was adorkable! Just like you~!”

“Oh, be quiet, Pinkie! Let’s go find Rarity.”

“Okay!”

….

When you get to the punch bowl, you see another familiar head near it. “Uhh... Rainbow..?”

Your suspicions are correct, for when she glances over, she smiles and jumps up from her seat. “Hey, what’s up, dude? I was wondering where you were hiding! Pretty great party, huh?”

You glance around at all the ponies mingling,chatting, and having a good time while the music rattles your ribcage. “Uhh... yeah?”

“Ha! ‘Course it is, Pinkie threw it! She doesn’t do anything by halves, lemme tell ya!” Behind Rainbow, you see a hat, and an orange pony beneath it. Following your glance, Rainbow smiles again. “Oh! This is one of my best friends, Applejack! AJ, this is—” 

The crowd all starts cheering, and you glance over to see Pinkie Pie and some purple earth pony mare with a mulberry mane and tail dancing a ways away. 

“—into each other when I tried to tackle Pinkie for that prank she pulled last week!”

The orange mare sporting a stetson shoves your rainbow maned “friend”, her emerald eyes giving Rainbow a stern look of agitation. “Rainbow, ya can’t just go plowin’ inta every new pony you see! Good gracious, yer just...” 

You notice her sunny blonde mane, as well as her tail, are tied up into ponytails, giving a mental chuckle at the irony, She shakes her head, releasing her apparent irritation with a sigh before she gives you a warm smile. "Pleasure ta meet ya! What brings you to a small town like Ponyville?"

You shift uncomfortably, but feel like you have to say something. "Well, my mom apparently used to live here, when she was a filly..." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth, either. "She had decided she didn't much like living in a Manehattan apartment, so we moved here." You nod your head, as if to confirm what you just said, before shaking it and shifting awkwardly on your hooves.

Applejack nods slowly, squinting as she looks upon you with those emerald eyes— a noticeable (and undoubtedly cute) sprinkle of freckles just below them. "Yeah... Ah was thinkin' ya looked kinda familiar... Ah wonder if yer mother's parents still live in town, maybe Ah know 'em."

You chuckle nervously at that. "Yeah..." Suddenly, you remember your cup and why you had come over I'm the first place. "Uhh, well, guess I'll see you around..." After filling your cup with punch, you trundle off, nodding to Rainbow and Applejack in turn.

"See, Applejack? He's so... chill. He's totally cool!"

"Ah dunno, Rainbow, looked more like he was nervous 'bout somethin'. Ah wonder what... Gotta admit, he’s got a solid figure. Bet he could buck almost as good as Big Mac."

“Pffffft, really, AJ?”

“Not like that, ya featherhead!”

….

You groan with relief as you find a corner to sit down in, unnoticed. Your ear twitches as you hear a faint sound over the throbbing of the music, coming from somewhere close by.

“...Are there seriously mice around here already? I thought this was supposed to be a newly refurbished house..." Using your magic, you lift up the tablecloth on the table closest to you, and catch the slightest hint of pink before whatever's under the table pulls itself further away.

Now curious, you poke your head beneath the table. "Hello? Little mousie, are you there?" Illuminating your horn with a light spell, you come face to face with something that's definitely not a mouse...

“Huh?” Another pony! 

BAM

“Ow! Shhh..." 

You curse under your breath as your head smacks into the underside of the table, hissing as you try to blink the tears forming in your eyes away. The other pony swiftly crawls out from beneath the table and, before you get the chance to recoil, shuffles in closer to inspect your head. After a few seconds pass, you feel her relax against you, and she leans down to your ear so you can hear her over the loud music. 

"Don't worry, it's just a small bump, you're not bleeding at all." She sighs in your ear, making your blush deepen, and your ear flicks, brushing faintly against her nose. "Oh!" She shrinks away from you, her wings twitching self-consciously. “Sorry, sorry... I’m sorry...”

As hurt and embarrassed as you are, you feel bad when she apologizes to you. “No,” you mumble back to her. “I’m sorry, I thought you were a mouse.”

The mare giggles daintily, her eyes shining. “Mice are such cute little critters, aren’t they?”

You give off a good-natured chuckle and rub your forelegs together. “Yeah... I’d always feed them some breadcrumbs whenever I found them pitter-pattering around my old apartment in Manehatten.” You chuckle again. “Heh, yeah... mice are pretty cute, must’ve been why I thought you were one.”

Before your brain can catch up with your mouth and realize what you just said, another familiar face comes into view. “Oh, Fluttershy! I see you’re making an acquaintance?” Rarity, that prim and proper (and quite definitely crazy) mare you’d met at Sugarcube Corner was trotting over, two cups of punch floating in her magical grip.

The pale yellow pony, her face flushed, dips her head demurely. “I—yes, um...” she glances at you out of the corner of her cyan eye, her blush deepening. “Maybe..?” She squeaks, dipping her head until her face is blocked by her long, flowing pink mane.

Rarity titters as she sits beside you, putting you in between the two. Suddenly, you’re getting that uncomfortable feeling again. “Umm, w-well, I’ll be going, then...”

Rarity’s eyes widen. “Oh, but you must stay! I don’t think we quite finished our chat from earlier!”

You look at her blankly. “Our... chat?”

“Yes, yes, remember? Pinkie had wanted us to talk, and you’d turned that fork into a brush for me! We never managed to actually talk though!” Suddenly, her face gains a thoughtful expression. “I never got my replacement Éclair either, now that I think about it...” The mare shrugs. “Ahh well, I just had two while talking with Twilight. I don’t want to fill up, now do I?” She looks at you, her eyes fluttering as a bemused smile crosses her lips.

You look at her for a moment before sighing and slumping against the wall. “Fine, then. What do you want to talk about?” You ask, after a few moments of silence.

“Hmm... Well, why don’t you tell me about where you came from? I was born right here in Ponyville, but I’ve always longed to get my designs into places like Canterlot.”

You look at her levelly, deciding that she’ probably being sincere. “Well, I came from Manehatten...” At her widening smile, you quickly shake your head. “It was a crummy place to live, ‘specially in the slums where we were. Mom’s never been wealthy, and I’ve never been able to find a job that wants me.” You look down at your flank and sigh. “I’m just not fit for a working life...”

Rarity glances down at your flank and quirks an eyebrow, a faint smile tinging her lips. “Yes, I guess we all can’t all be of high standing if there’s to be an upper class, now is there?”

“Nope,” you say with a small snort. “There’s gotta be a pony at the bottom for another to be at the top.”

Fluttershy’s wing brushes against your foreleg, and when you turn towards her, she’s biting her lip. “Umm,” she says softly, barely audible over the throbbing music. “I don’t think ponies are any better than others just because they have money... I live on a small cottage with a lot of animals, and even though I don’t have much money, I’m happy with where I am.”

She smiles shyly up at you, her mane framing her face. You feel your cheeks burning as you look away, and when you bring your cup of punch up to your mouth, you close your eyes tightly as you try not to look as angry as you feel towards yourself.

Putting down your cup with a sigh, you try to return a smile (but you’re sure it comes out as an awkward grimace), and turn to look at Rarity again. “W-well, uh, good to see you again, I think I need to step outside for a moment. Please excuse me.” With that you lurch to your hooves and start weaving your way through the crowd and out the door.

“My, my,” Rarity murmurs as she sips daintily from her punch. “He’s such a nervous colt, isn’t he...”

Fluttershy giggles and smiles, her cheeks rosen. “He said I was like a mouse.”

Rarity’s smile disappears, replaced with a scandalized frown. “Why, the nerve! You’re nothing like-”

“He said that I was... c-cute.” Fluttershy squeaks and blushes harder as she covers her face with her forehooves.

“Really, now..?” Rarity takes another sip to hide a smile.

....

The stars seem brighter than back home. The feeling of grass beneath your hooves is also a new sensation. You feel... calmer. But then again, the whole place seems to exude a sense of calm and peacefulness. Shaking your head at the weirdness of the quiet town, you decide to lay down and just stare up at the sky above. Your eyelids slowly close, and your breath begins to even out. Your senses tell of a faint cry for help, and you hear a crackling sound that becomes a roar... and then, nothing.





You’re walking through an endless field of blackness... no, it’s blue, on the very edge of blackness. Tiny pinpoints of light begin to form all around you, and you realize that you’re in space. You feel... calm. You furrow your brow, trying to figure out why that was. “What is it about this place,” you ask aloud, “that makes me feel so... comfortable?”

A large, luminous object passes by in front of you. The moon. The shadow on its surface disappears before you. No... it doesn’t disappear, it shrinks and pulls away from the moon, gliding towards you as it becomes a tangible shape and not just mere shadow. 

“Mayhaps it be for those six mares you’ve met this day?”

The figure standing before you is tall, regal, and as beautiful as the starry skies of night. “Princess Luna...” you whisper to yourself. “Why am I dreaming about Princess Luna?”

The princess smiles. “You are not dreaming about me, my little pony, you are experiencing the Dreamscape. Since my return, I’ve been doing my best to put at ease the minds of those I can. You were having a nightmare, and so I drowned it out with peace.”

You shift uncomfortably. “So... you’re in my head?”

Princess Luna smiles, her eyelids falling to half-mast. “Yes... and no. We are merely both occupying the same dreamscape. You may wake up at any time, and return to your body. As for me, from here I can move about the dreams of every living pony in Equestria. That is what you see.” You look around at all the stars, and realize that you can see flickers of color, flashes of imagery that escapes you as soon as you see it. A colt with a bandanna brandishing a sword while a midnight blue alicorn filly cheers him on. An old mare sitting in a rocking chair spinning a sweater for a young foal. A business stallion pushing a filly with a small crown on a swing. A colt a dragon a fight a pirate tea party circus troupe rollercoaster Ferris wheel first kiss last song the moon the sun images of everything and nothing and dark and light and love and joy and how and Dreams...

As your senses become overwhelmed with all the flashes of others’ dreams that have entered your mind, you snap your eyes to your hooves, and feel your jaw drop. The star below you is tinged red, like the flames of Tartarus. In it, you can see your apartment, and... “Mom,” you whisper to yourself. You shudder, even as you feel a wing draped over your withers. It’s not comforting, but you feel as if it weren’t meant for that anyways.

“Yes, that is the nightmare you were experiencing; a “what-might-have-been” of the night you last went out for a walk. You weren’t fighting the nightmare, nor were you running. You were... accepting it.” Luna shudders as she says this. “Never accept a Nightmare; I did, once. A thousand and ten years ago...” Her eyes become distant, but then they harden with renewed resolve. “And that is why I pulled you into the Dreamscape, the world-between-worlds, where all and none can, will, and have happened.”

You feel a shiver run up your spine as Luna’s wing pulls away from you. “What do you mean,” you ask, mostly to change the subject, “when you say those six mares? It’s now obvious that you are the one that made me calm.”

Luna’s eyes flash with anger. “No, I did not make you calm, I simply pulled your mind into a place of calm. Your own peace of mind comes from you and you alone. It has nothing to do with my dream-spells.” She shakes her head and releases a breath. “No, you’re calm because it’s what you are, even in the nightmare. Calm, so calm... Troubled, yes, but calm like an untouched pool.”

You shake your head. “What do you mean, I’m calm because I’m calm? You’re not making any sense...” You wonder if you should be speaking so disrespectfully to your ruler, but dismiss it because she did pull you into this place.

“Pinkie Pie,” Luna says as she takes a step forward. “Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Twilight Sparkle. Applejack. Fluttershy.” As she says each name, an image of the mare she’s talking about appears before you. “The six of them are the best of friends, and also the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, one of the greatest, least understood magical artifacts in ponykind’s entire history. When around them, even I feel a greater sense of calm, as if my mind is slowing down, finding peace. The town they reside in, Ponyville, has had its share of hectic, even disastrous moments, but those six have remained a focal point for the town to form around, and because of them, the town has weathered all that’s been thrown at it. Because of this, I suspect that they're somehow emanating their auras, their Elements, and it’s creating a most perfect sense of harmony amongst the ponies of Ponyville. You, as a pony unused to this feeling, have noticed it, even as it affects you. I do not believe it to be harmful to any with a pure soul, but those who are wicked will most certainly feel different after being exposed to the Elements. I know I am.” The princess smiles, as if she’d just told a joke, before turning away from the apparitions.

“Know this, young stallion, that the Elements of Harmony are under mine and my sister’s care. Going out of your way to ignore them is as much folly as it would be to hurt them on purpose. And, if I may steal one line from my dear sister, it is this: Make friends.”





You blearily blink your eyes and sit up with a groan. You’re still outside somewhere, in the park, maybe? Shaking your head to clear away the fog, you look up at the sky once more. It’s only been a few hours at most, but you decide to head back, anyways. You don’t want your mother to worry, after all.

….

“Wee! Hahaha!” 

You smile and roll your eyes when you get back home to find your mother dancing with one of the stallions that lives in town. She seems to be having a good time... And she doesn’t look that drunk... 

Shrugging your shoulders, you head towards the table that has the food on it. Most of it is sweet stuff, but you see a few different selections with apples and decide to eat one of those. The party seems to have died down a bit, as the DJ’s currently got her turntables set on autopilot, and she’s in the corner, making out with somepony. Applejack and Rarity are chatting, but it sounds like business talk, and Fluttershy is being dragged across the somewhat empty dance floor by an over-enthusiastic Pinkie Pie. Twilight and Rainbow Dash are roaming around and talking, the pegasus wincing as her friend prods her wing.

Unable to resist, you walk up to the pegasus. “Wing still hurt from your crash?”

Rainbow’s wings flare in surprise, and she winces as the one Twilight prodded only makes it to half-mast. “Alright, alright, fine. I hurt myself doing a few stunts, and Scoots got hurt when she was trying to help me. Call me an idiot for flying on it all day, but don’t call me a liar. I really was trying to cheer up Scoots.”

You shake your head and chuckle. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I still don’t know who ‘Scoots’ is. Is she like... your sister, or something? I heard you say something about that, I think.”

Rainbow seems to swell with pride, a warm smile growing on her face. “Yeah, I adopted her officially only a few months ago. She’s now under my wing, in more ways than one.” Rainbow continues to wear that happy look, without a single trace of self-pride crossing it. “It’s... fun, having a kid-sister. Ever since Fluttershy started taking care of herself, I’d forgotten what it was like, and how much responsibility it is.”

Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy. That rang a few bells. "Yeah, I spoke with Fluttershy for a bit. Well, I spoke with Rarity, and Fluttershy commented."

Rainbow Dash and Twilight share a look and a smile. "Yeah, that's 'Shy for ya. Never one to lead a conversation."

"Yeah, I could have guessed that on my own," you say with an awkward chuckle. "She was hiding under a table. I’ll admit, it was kind of cu—..." And that’s when your muzzle alit with red. Finally backtracking into your memories, you recall using the same word to compliment the yellow mare herself—

“Oh! Hello girls... And... um... hello to you, too...”

And speaking of...

“Uh...” You feel your jaw go slack as your face turns an even brighter shade of red. “... Hey,” you manage weakly.

“Weeeee~!” Pinkie, the bundle of enough energy to sustain Manehatten’s magic-powered lights for a century, bounces over Fluttershy and lands right in front of you, her nose almost touching yours. “So how was it?! The party was great, I bet!” Whirling around towards her friends, her tail swishes around and starts brushing against your nose. “I’m sooo glad you girls finally got the chance to meet Ponyville’s newest resident, and my newest friend!!”

Turning away from her pink posterior nervously, you notice the lavender mare is now looking at you, a single eyebrow raised. “So, were you going to finish that sentence or...”

Rainbow Dash gives a coy smirk. “Yeah, you weren’t gonna leave us hangin’, were you?”

You clear your throat. “I was just... saying hooowww... c-cute mice are! We’ve never had the money to afford one back in Manehattan. There were plenty of wild ones around where we lived, sure, but mom and I didn’t want to take the risk of it having rabies and the sorts...”

Well, at least you aren’t completely fibbing.

You can’t help noticing a new life spark through Fluttershy’s demeanor. The muscles visibly softening in contrast with the obvious tension she bared, she has a notable bounce in her step as she trots up to you. “Well... if you’re still curious,” she gives a meek smile, “my cottage isn’t too far. I could show you just how nice mice can be, a-along with the other animals I’ve raised...”

Her jolt of confidence slowly wearing away, Fluttershy takes a single step back, simultaneously hiding her flushed face behind her lengthy mane like you had seen her do once before. “I-If that’s alright... with...”

Needless to say, you fight back the urge to do the same. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind...”

At least the unicorn of your (quite literal) party seems satisfied with that answer, though you can only guess what you had done to make the colorfully maned mare shake her head with a whispered sigh.

A dainty giggle from behind you causes you to turn, finding Rarity and Applejack standing there. “Ah, there you are! I’m so glad that we were able to get acquainted! And I’m so sorry for how I acted earlier, I’ve just been so distracted lately...”

Slipping easily into an accent you’ve developed for when talking to the richer ponies of Manehatten, you reply with a small smile. “No problem, madame; my attention had been on other matters at the time, as I'm sure yours were." Adding a small bow to your speech, you give her a cheeky smile. "Besides, it's not often that a mare of fine taste creams a pony of my social stature."

Rarity sputters, eyes widening in shock as her cheeks go red. Rainbow falls over laughing, Applejack chuckling as well. Twilight's trying not to smile and Pinkie lets out a chortle, but Fluttershy gives a small ‘ahem’ and all the others’ attention is drawn to her.

“I know that it was only meant as a joke, but Rarity is a good friend of mine, and I’ll have you know that she’s walked into quite a few stallions of your social stature while trying to eat something creamy. When she ran into Sleigh Belle’s brother, Jingle, with a Bison Cream Pie was her messiest, I think.” Fluttershy closes her eyes and lets out a small giggle.

Pinkie snorts, her body shaking with laughter. “Hehehe, yeah! She creamed Jingle, got custard all over Sleigh, and their mother, Rosebud, hehehehehe.... She got the whole pie in her face!”

Rarity huffs and rolls her eyes as the other mares all laugh at her expense, before smiling. “Yes, but at least I wasn’t the one licking their faces clean, Pinkie Pie. Rosebud had had a cold that morning, and Pinkie caught it after doing so. The poor dear’s Pinkie Sense developed a new sense to tell her she was about to sneeze!”

And now all of them were laughing. Even though you don’t really understand everything they’re saying, you can’t help it when a grin starts to form on your face. You can’t remember the last time you’d felt... well, as you’d told Luna, calm around so many other ponies. In Manehatten, ponies left each other alone for the most part, only getting close to each other to mug or arrest one another. Your brain clicks and whirls, but no matter how hard you think back on your sad, sad life in Manehatten, you can’t remember a single conversation that was ever this... normal.

Maybe... your mom was right. Maybe, this was a good idea.

Just maybe.

And with no warning, the blaring electronic noises coming from the DJ’s speakers suddenly cease. As disappointed whines and groans fill the living room, you see your mom grasp the DJ’s mic with a hoof, clearing her throat before bringing it to her mouth. 

“Sorry, folks, but the party stops here. My son and I appreciate that you’d go this far to welcome us, but even us Manehattan ponies need our sleep. Thank you all for coming!”

The rest of the party-goers trudge towards the front door, only some of them unsteady on their hooves. Your mom curls up on the couch, giggling as she winks at a mare with a few pieces of fruit on her flank who’s stumbling by. 

“Ah think Ah speak fer all’ve us sayn’ we enjoyed this lil’ shindig, ma’am.” Applejack tips her hat to mom before turning to you. “Hope we’ll be seein’ more of y’all ‘round these parts sometime soon.” the orange pony says with a wink.

“Right, what she said. You’re a pretty cool dude, so I’ll do you the honor of letting you grace my presence! I know you wouldn’t want to miss me pull of some sick stunts later, would ya?”

“Don’t forget, I’ve got plenty of cute little mice at my cottage, and I’m sure they’ll love to meet you...”

“Yes, and do stop by my boutique! I’ll make you a snazzy vest to make up for the creaming I gave you earlier.”

“Byyyyeee!! Seee you laaaterrr!”

“Don’t mind Pinkie, she’s still a bit excited... Swing by the library sometime; Rarity was telling me about a spell you used, and while rudimentary, she said you did it differently than how it’s normally done. I’d like to see it!”

One goodbye after the other, the six mares  exit your new home and make their way together into the dark Ponyville streets. Unlike what you would say about Manehattan, you knew they’d each make it to their respective homes safely. As you shut the door, a strange rush of adrenaline passes from your hooves, to your stomach, and finally, to your cheeks...

Had you actually made a normal conversation with, not one, not two, not even three, but six mares? You weren’t sure whether to feel big-headed, or petrified. At least you had plenty of time to think over now that everypony had finally gone—

“Wicked party, dude!”

Aaaand you knew you spoke too soon once you felt a hoof pat you on the shoulder, though luckily you at least manage to keep your hooves from leaving the floor. Turning around, your eyes meet the white colored DJ. This time, however, her violet-tinted glasses lay above her horn, revealing a set of magenta eyes under her striped sapphire mane. “O-Oh. Well, I-I can’t...” You begin to feel tongue tied, instinctively rubbing the back of your neck. “I can’t take credit for the music... or the food... or a-any of it, really. I barely participated in all honesty....”

It looks as though the act of tripping over your own words amuses her as the DJ grins. “Easy, bro,” she laughs, “Just chill. If there’s anything I’ve learned about this town, it’s that taking it easy will probably be a lot easier and less draining on your psyche.” 

Rather deep for a Disk Jockey...

With a final pat on the shoulder, the mellow mare trots to the front door with her final words. “Just remember that everypony living here more than likely knows what you’re going through. By the way, welcome to Ponyville.”

You aren’t so sure about that first part, but the door shuts before you have the chance to share said opinion.

Finally, the house is empty, save for yourself, your mom, and the rest of the food that’s still sitting out. Quietly approaching your mother, you note that she’s almost asleep. She must not have slept at all between boarding the train and now. Pulling her onto your back, you slowly mount the stairs and take her into her room. 

“Hey,” she whispers drowsily, “clean up this mess will ya...”

A sigh is all you can manage. You know you can’t get out of this one. 

Despite the monstrous amounts of food, filth, and eventually bugs all surrounding a good chunk of the house, you know you have plenty of time to clean up the entire mess, even if it meant by yourself. It’s not as though you were going to be sleeping anytime soon...
> Sleeping Around Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Four: Sleeping Around Town


        As the Sun slowly rises over the distant hills and not-so-distant buildings of your new home, you know this means only one important thing for you....

        Sleep...

        With the house now sparkling clean (mostly) from the endeavors that took place only hours ago, you can feel the bags under your eyes beginning to form. You had gotten, what, four... five hours of sleep before hoof? A little below average for you, but it was something. 

Good thing Mom would be going out into town sometime this morning for job related purposes, which was not too far off from how it went back in Manehattan. This meant the whole house would be yours to enjoy a quiet, nag-free slumber in before she got back.

And speaking of...

You turn towards the stairs leading down from the second floor (which is a rather nice luxury, you must admit) once you hear your name called to find the cream-colored pegasus trotting down. To put things in minor perspective.... she looked as though she was hit by a train.

A train loaded with dubstep, party balloons, and spiked punch. 

“You look well.” You can’t help but crack a coy grin.

“I’ve been better, thanks,” she mumbles, her minty eyes barely visible as she heads for the kitchen, snatching what was left of the OJ carton from the now spacious fridge— and bringing your not-so-old life in Manehattan into consideration, it almost felt as though nothing had changed. You weren’t exactly sure if that was meant to be a pleasant note or...

Anyway; you levitate the groggy mare a glass cup from the newly furbished cabinets as she “gracefully” plops herself into a seat and pours the freshly-squeezed beverage. “So, can we both agree to nothing like last night as long as we stay in this house?”

“Hmm... I’ll get back to you on that once this hangover wears off,” mom replies in an expectedly grumpy tone before taking a lengthy sip of the juice, her lips leaving the see through cup with a cool breath once the entire glass had been downed in a single gulp. “But you can’t say a little loosening up wouldn’t do you any good every once in awhile.”

“That’s what you think....” you let out under your breath. Besides, who was she to talk? She could probably get on your case for nearly hours over when the last time you even talked to another mare could have been. At least she had nothing to stand her ground with this time, to which you can’t help but mentally smile.

A few minutes pass as mom munches on her toast in silence before asking you to hoof her the newspaper, despite it being noticeably out of date. “Speaking of,” she starts, thankfully forgetting today’s snippy comment about relying too much on your magic. “I’ll be trying for a job in the journalism industry. It might be a slow few weeks at first, but you can bet it’ll bring more bits on the table sooner or later.”

Honestly, you can’t seem to find any doubt in her on that department. She definitely reads the paper enough to at least have knowledge of how it works. “What gave you that idea? Please tell me you didn’t see the idea in a dream—”

“That was one time! How was I supposed to know the restaurant idea would- nevermind,” she huffs. “A cute mailmare suggested the idea to me the day we arrived. The poor dear wasn’t the greatest flier due to her condition, but I’ll be Celestia’s uncle if those bubbles on her flank didn’t have at least something to do with her plo-... ahem, personality.”

It was a good thing you hadn’t just eaten, or...

“Plus,” mom starts with a confident emphasis, “I’ll have you know that I worked in the Journalism business back in the day. Not too shabby I’d say, before—...” And there went the confidence as fast as it came, and before you knew it, mom was deathly careful not to continue on with that sentence; but you didn’t need to know thaumaturgy to figure out how that sentence would have ended:

Before she met your father. Before you were born.

The silence shatters with a small- and fake- cough from mom into her hoof. “Well, you know what they say, the early bird gets the worm!” she exclaims half heartedly as she gets to her hooves and makes her way towards the front door. “Buh-bye, hon. Or should I be saying goodnight? Oh, and don’t forget today’s mail!”

Kachak.

Seconds tick away once the door shut, leaving you alone in your new home to only guess what had just happened. At least you finally have the house to yourself, to which the only logical answer to how you should take advantage of this precious moment can be summed up with one word:

Sleep.

With each step up the staircase, you wander deeper and deeper into your subconscious. Was all of this worth it? Is a new town really going to be the product of a new life? Or would you be a catalyst to what will further reveal itself as a mistake...?

As you trot into your new room, you envelop your glasses with your magical aura, levitating them over to the windowsill. At the same time, you throw yourself onto the stacked mattresses with sheets that you call your bed—

Wait a minute.... windowsill means window. The simple word brings upon the paranoia of somepony being able to watch you shamefully slumber. But this is an easy fix. You close the blinds, cutting off any source of light from the outside world. You prefer it that way.

As you lay there in the semi-dark staring at the ceiling, your thoughts swirl about your head. "This house is... nice, I guess." you muse. "But different." Is different good? Is your 'good' different from another pony's 'good?' Of course it is, you definitely aren't like other ponies. That's why you don't fit in. It doesn't bother you nearly as much as it should've, considering you never belonged in the first place. you are content. Or at least you think you are.

You’re beginning to confuse yourself. You shouldn’t be the one complaining in the first place; you could have prevented all of this if your pathetic habits hadn’t fed into these events. If you slept like everypony else, you would have been awake enough to notice the fire that could have gone worse than just burning your kitchen...

You clench your eyes as hard as you can and roll onto your side, digging your snout into your pillow. You didn’t want to think about anything anymore...

Only sleep....

….

Tink.

Your ear twitches, and you groan as you hear a muffled shout from somewhere outside. You’re exhausted. You’d practically spent the whole night cleaning for Celestia’s sake. ‘All I want is a few hours... please, just go away...’

“...pplejack, you know that I always take a nap after my morning routine! I thought you’d be, I dunno, happy it’s not on your property for once!”

“Mah problem is that yer not fully healed yet, Rainbow Dash! Y’all need ta stop showboatin’ fer just a single minute, and see that if you don’t get better, Scoots will think she’s hurt ya a lot worse than she did!”

You groan as you roll onto your side and clutch your pillow over your head, but the two keep at it. After counting to fifty three times and only hearing their argument become more asinine, you finally can’t take it any more. Throwing open your window, you stick your head outside, squinting against the brightness of the sun. And others (mom) wonder why you’re not a morning pony... “Can you two please have your shouting match somewhere else? Some ponies like to sleep for more than two hours at a time!”

Applejack, who is standing on the street below, looks up at you, her mouth agape. Rainbow, who is leaning off the edge of a cloud, has a similar expression.

The country pony regains control first. “Wait... Rainbow Dash! Don’t tell me y'all are just sleepin’ here because the new stallion lives here-”

“WHAT?! No, it- it’s not like that at all, I’m telling you! Geez, do you think I choose where a cloud drifts? Well, yeah, normally I would, but come on, I can’t control a cloud’s movements with a damaged wing-”

“Then why were you flyin’ on that same wing earlier today, hmm? Don’t that seem a mite strange, Rainbow?” You can hear the growl underlying Applejack’s words.

“Ugh, just kiss and get over it, why don’t ya,” you grumble to yourself as you slam the window closed. With those two going at it, there’s no way you’re getting any more sleep.

Stepping out the back door, you can still hear the two shouting at each other from the other side of the house, so you continue ambling along until both distance and the idle background noises of a small town cover their argument.

Not long after, you find yourself in a meadow somewhat removed from the town, with its edge bordering a dark forest. Groaning, you lay down and place a hoof over your head, reveling in the tranquility and the shade of a small weeping willow. It's almost no time at all before your soft snores are mingling with the mild springtime air.

---

“Hmm... Maybe it was jus’ me n’ all, but shoot did he look plum tuckered. Think th’ guy got any sleep las’ night?”

“Now that you mention it, new guy looked like he’d tip overrr aanny....”

“...RD, why’re y’all smilin’ like that?”

“Oh, no reason. Though I’d imagine it would be kinda difficult to sleep with a certain orange mare ”keeping him company”-”

“Now that



"Opal? Opal! Come now, this is not the way to treat a lady, running off like this! Fluttershy, dear, have you seen her?!"

You wake up to somepony yelling, and you sigh into your foreleg. Another one yelling. Greeeaaat. Shifting from your side onto your hooves, you look out from the comforting shade of the willow and into the bright meadow where a white unicorn and a yellow pegasus are searching around every which way. Behind you, you hear some rustling and a low yowl. 

Turning, you see a cat that is completely drenched in water, giving the white mare in the distance a glare. "Easy there, puss. C'mere, ya cat. I'm trying to sleep." You try to stifle a yawn as you pick the cat up in your magic and push the branches out of the way as you stumble into the noontime sunlight. "Missin' a cat, you two?" You call out, a yawn puncturing your question.

Opal glowers at you as Rarity and Fluttershy trot closer, both visibly relaxing. "Oh, thank you, darling! This naughty little thing has been running around and getting absolutely filthy all morning! Fluttershy and I were trying to clean her, but she's been absolutely dreadful!" Rarity sighs, wiping at her brow. "Thanks to you, we've found her much quicker than usual... By the way, why were you under that tree?"

Sitting down with a yawn, you start running a hoof over Opal's damp fur, getting a happy purr for your efforts. "Well, I didn't sleep much last night, and some of my neighbors were yelling right around when I was trying to get to sleep, so... I kinda looked for a quiet, out of the way place to take a nap." 

As if to clarify your point, a yawn makes its way out of your mouth, where you cover it with a hoof. "'Scuse me," you mumble self-consciously.

The idea of bringing your glasses along had slipped your mind, so you’re sure the bags forming below your squinting mint eyes are exposed. "Oh, never mind that; you look absolutely awful! Here, let's get you to a shower. Fluttershy, your courage is much closer, would you mind..?"

Fluttershy, who had been cooing at a chipmunk that has a rather large collection of walnuts, looks up in surprise, her wings unfurling slightly. "Oh! U-um, well, I-I guess I don't mind," she squeaks out, her cheeks coloring.

Feeling the heat in your own cheeks rising, you turn away slightly. "No... th-that's okay, I, uh, I can just get one at home..." You levitate the cat into Fluttershy's hooves before turning away. "W-well, I'll talk to you two later, bye!" You hurriedly trout away, your face colored quite a bright pink.

"Well, shoot. I was really hoping to get to know him a bit better..."

"Um, Rarity, is it a good idea to be inviting him to our homes so soon? I-I mean, we only just met him..."

"Oh, Fluttershy~! You know I have an eye for this sort of thing; have some faith! I promise, this won't be anything like our last appearance on the dating scene, just you wait!”

....

Stepping out of your shower, you shake your head and get most of the water out of your mane. After drying yourself off, you put your glasses back on and head into your room. You're still exhausted, and honestly, you'd rather sleep in your own room than outside.

Groaning as you slump onto your bed, you thank the stars that those two mares are gone (or, at the very least, quiet), as you can’t hear any yelling coming from across the street. You’re alone again, with no distractions. Sleep drifts comfortably over your mind, like an extra blanket in the middle of winter.

....

A fresh aroma burns it’s way into your nostrils. With one strong whiff, you drift back to consciousness. Lifting yourself up and out of bed, you groggily drag yourself to the stairs as the fragrant aroma gets stronger and more overpowering, as well as more familiar. The scent beckons you into the kitchen, your nose leading you to a basket of freshly baked muffins, the whole lot of them still hot from the oven.

You rub the crust from your vision, but the muffins do not vanish. Moving closer to the bundle of pastries, you gently grasp a single muffin in your hoof, the temperate warmth transferring into your hoof, and bring it to your nose. 

“Blueberry....” Wiping your now watering mouth with a foreleg, a monstrous growl escapes from below. It was about lunch time. You slowly, almost reverently bring the muffin to your mouth—

“Goooooooooooooood MORNING, slowpoke~!”

You start hacking up little pieces of muffin as you choke in surprise. At least the pink pony is kind enough to pass you a glass of water to sooth your throat after almost coughing up a lung.

Pinkie’s ears fold back, following the pair with shamefaced smile. “Please don’t hold anything against the poor muffins I baked, they are for you after all....”

A series of heavy gasps for air later, your breathing begins to soften just enough to give you faith to form coherent syllables.”W-Whaau.... w-why are you-”

“P-Pinkie? Is everything okay in there?! I thought I heard choking!”

It takes you a moment, but you quickly recognise the voice just behind your front door. The knob is lit up with your magic and give it a turn, pulling it open to meet eyes with the waiting lavender spectator your suspicions confirmed you about.

You mentally sigh. After running into all six of the Element Bearers again, you can’t help but feel as if you were a pawn in some great chess game that was shoving them into your life. And you were about to be swapped for a rook. “W-Welcome... Twilight, was it?”

“That would be correct,” the adorkable mare responds with a neighborly smile as she trots over to you and the pink pony stuffing her face in one of your muffins. “Pinkie Pie! We came to deliver those, she payed for them and everything!”

“Ah waff onry tasht teshten, hunesht!”

“Excuse me?” You raise a brow, not at Pinkie’s full mouth speech, but towards the face scrunched unicorn staring daggers at her friend. “If you wouldn’t mind, who payed for the sweets basket?”

Twilight turns to you, replacing her irritated frown with another friendly grin. “Oh, why your mother of course. She dropped by Sugarcube Corner to order a batch of muffins so you didn’t “starve yourself”....” 

You feel the heat rise in your cheeks, earning you a giggle from Twilight. “T-Thank you... though I’m pretty sure I could’ve made my own bucking food if it came to that, mom.” you irritably mumble to yourself, finding the floor much easier to make eye contact with. Shifting your vision back to the unicorn’s violet eyes with a roaring yawn, they, along with her expression, are laced in what you best guess is concern. 

“You look.... tired... Very tired.” Twilight frowns, her tone doing well to match the look on her face. “I hate to pry, but... you have gotten some sleep since we’ve last met, right?”

“I-er-um...-y-yes, I’ve... managed,” you groan; considering this mare just flat out asked something like that, you must look worse than you thought. It has grown to be a challenge not to clench your eyes tightly shut due to how heavy they were feeling, along with your haunches literally aching to lay on something soft and mattress-y. You’re not particularly keen with concerning a pony you’ve known less than twenty-four hours with your unhealthily adjusted habits, more-so a pony you could honestly care less about getting to know better. 

It was your mess; you’d live with it alone.

“Oh...’kay,” she replies, obvious to even you she hadn’t bought a word, only dropping the lecture to hold up on her self-made “no prying on the new guy” deal. You respect her for that much at least, though you’re disappointed with your lying skills rusting up as a result of your recluse lifestyle. “In that case, consider it just a question! I’ve seen what depriving yourself of sleep can do to someponies, and it doesn’t exactly make tasks like say- for example, bucking and harvesting an entire apple orchard any easier for yourself or your friends....“

You were clueless as to what she was going on about now, though the mere mention of ”friends” makes you cringe. Despite all that went down the night prior, you presume the dreamload of advice Princess Luna had given you was probably for the wrong sap.

“Sorry to eat up at your time, we should probably get going.” Twilight Sparkle nudges the shoulder of the entranced poofball mare, who- from the looks of it just finished rearranging the kitchenware on the counter into that of what you figured was a smiley face (or maybe a cupcake...). “We’ll leave you to your privacy. I enjoyed this little visit!”

“Enjoy the muffins, I know I would!” Pinkie calls back with waving as though her foreleg would pop off at any moment, both some ways out the door and entering into the Ponyville streets. 

With one last wave, you give a good “Thanks again!” call before eagerly shutting the door on not only the two mares, but the rest of Ponyville...

“I’m not the only one who noticed, am I?”

“He did seem a little wobbly, and not like a rocking chair where it’s supposed to be all wobbly n’ rocky!” Pinkie hums to herself, leaving Twilight to roll her eyes. “He’s still all nervous around us, too! I didn’t think it was possible for anypony who looks like they’re about to pass out to be all fidgety. Oh, and blushy!”

This incites a giggle from Twilight. “Okay, so maybe I wasn’t the only one who noticed…”

....

        The clock on your wall reads “2:31”. Normally mom wouldn’t be home for likely another seven to ten hours, but here already with a new job in Ponyville, you doubt it would be more than a few hours tops.

        Despite being the very same stallion who had been pulling all-nighters- albeit of a lesser caliber- since he was in his teens, you’re not confident you would last much longer. You also don’t want to tempt fate by trying to get to sleep again, else you’d be likely to get another visitor. 

Eyelids growing heavier by the second, it seems your weren’t going to be given any other choice; with the combined comfiness of both the position you’re laying in and the couch itself lulling you further, you decide to just give in and let everything fade to black…





Trotting further away from your new home, you find yourself in a deep valley, almost a canyon. Your hoofsteps echo, clipclop, clipclop, as you continue on, only the stars above keeping you company. You look up, and you’re in a meadow, on a mountain. Ponyville is far below, but Canterlot is still far above, looming and lurking like some indifferent beast of untold age. The stars rain softly out of the sky, draining from the void into the field, surrounding you with their light and warmth, both of which are tempered by the indifference of the vacuum from where they descended. “Luna,” you breathe out, wonderment filling your being. “Again with this... And it’s only been a day, at most...”

The Princess of the Night looks upon you with a reproachful scowl. “And should I be happy to hear of your friendships with the Elements, or at the very least, other members of Ponyville’s citizenry? Or should I bring upon you my wrath for harming or scaring them away?” Luna trots past you languidly, her muscles supple beneath her coat. “Or have you squandered this day as you have every other day of your life?”

You huff in annoyance. “I didn’t get any sleep after the party Pinkie threw, so I tried three different times to take a quick 3 hour nap, or something. Each time, those mares of yours kept me awake. I’m only asleep now because the purple unicorn and puffball pinkette left, and I’m not expecting Mom to be back for a few more hours.” Snorting at how ridiculous your situation is, you turn back to Princess Luna and stiffly bow your head. “Pardon my outburst, Princess. I’ve been under duress.” Just because you weren’t good with mares didn’t mean you weren’t good with superiors.

“Be that as it may...” Luna trailed off as she turned to take in the view of Ponyville. Curious as to what’s got her attention, you look as well. There, where your new home is, all you can see is a burning apartment building, with ponies passing it by, strolling leisurely through the night as a mare’s screams echo through the valley, chilling your blood. “... It seems that you have yet to forgive yourself,” Luna remarks, as if commenting on a misplaced cloud covering half her body from the sun’s warming touch. “You mustn’t take all the blame; surely you didn’t cause the fire through active thought. Nay, I see it clearly, your mind was busy elsewhere; you hardly remember it, don’t you? You’re seeing phantoms, young stallion, and until you can look at a mirror and smile, I doubt you’ll ever find the warmth of friendship.”

With nary another word, Luna’s body dissolves and with a burst, begins falling towards the empty sky, once more populating it with the myriad stars. For a minute, a second, a year, a moment, an eternity... you simply stand there, watching as more and more buildings down in Ponyville become copies of your own. Finally, you open your mouth to speak. “But if I can only expect coldness from myself, what right do I have to steal another’s warmth?”





        “—and so you know what I says? I says to her, “Bran cupcakes? Just what kind of nutritious and high in fiber business do you think I help run here, lady? This ain’t a retirement home, bubsy; you either buy something that’ll be sure to rot your teeth to the core or I’mma haveta—”

        “Errr- despite how enthralling this little chronicle of yours may be, darling, I don’t exactly recall any of this ever…”

        “Pinkie, this here story’s soundin’ cheesier than a plate o’ nachoes that fergot the chips.”

        “That’s definitely an... interesting way to put it, I suppose. I’ve never read that one in any of my books on metaphors before.”

        Come on now, Luna. That nosey princess can’t still find amusement warping just your particular dreams as she so please….

        “Um... I don’t really think it’s so bad—”

        “C’mon, guys, it’s not that bad. It’s not ‘Daring Do’ awesome or anything, but even Twi’s made me read worse.”

        “Fake or not, keep going, Pinkie! Living in Manhattan for thirty years, It’s nice to hear a story that doesn’t end with somepony getting roughed up, shanked, or… other alternatives.”

        ...Or maybe she didn’t.

        Your eyes snap open, a wave of memories prior to your rest crashing into you with enough force to jolt your entire torso awake with you.

        “Welcome to the living world, sleeping beauty,” mom calls out from over the couch... “With all the muttering you did in your sleep, it was almost like you were trying to join in on the conversation for once.”

        Hesitantly turning your head, a group of giggling mares- mom included, all sitting around your coffee table, cards in one hoof and muffins in another, was among the last thing you expected to see. 

This definitely wasn’t a dream anymore, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be able to feel your heart ready to burst from your chest and join their game of Blackjack. This was on an entirely separate caliber to make this sentation come to life:

        A nightmare.