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===Anon and his Twi Mom===
<source lang="gettext" enclose="div">
  >You are Anon
>Being the only human in Equestria isn't as bad as you'd think.
>Having a princess as your mom? Waaay worse.
>Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she didn't treat you like a kid all the time.
>You're 16 for Celestia's sake. Since when do you need supervision?
>At least she's letting you choose.
>As if that's any comfort.
>"Oh Anon, I'm not babying you! See? I let you get to CHOOSE your prison!"
>What a bunch of garbage.
>You sit up on your bed.
>Your room is decorated with knick knacks and posters
>You grab a pair of wonderbolt goggles you recieved from your mother's friend Rainbow Dash.
>You've always enjoyed their shows. These goggles mean a lot to you.
>You cringe a little bit, thinking of your grade school days.
>As if being human wasn't enough, you always wore these goggles to school each day.
>Didn't exactly help your image.
>Your bag sits open near the door, ready to go whenever you want.
>You toss the goggles in, you never know.
>Alright, now comes the matter of choosing where to stay this week.
>Oh yeah, it's a WEEK. This is not gonna be fun.
>Mom left you a note with all the names and addresses of her friends.
>You recognize most of the names from family and friend gatherings, and even from a couple history lessons.
>Pinkie Pie
>Rainbow Dash
>Hmm, you haven't visited many of these ponies before
>Well, except Rarity
>She is your sister-in-law technically.
>Big bro Spike has some exquisite taste in mares.
>Hey, maybe if you go to her boutique, you can see Bro!
>This might be a harder decision than you thought.
>You hop out of bed and get dressed to leave
>Nothing fancy, just some custom made shorts made by Rarity, a T-shirt, and your black and white sneakers.
- 100% safe for your site
>It may be late September, but the days are still hot as hell.
>You pack your lucky lettercolt jacket. It can get chilly at night.
-  visitors from Search Engine (by keyword)
>You leave your house with your bag hanging off your shoulder.
-  visitors from Social Media Sites (referrals)
>Well, not really a house. More like a buckin' castle.
>You start walking through the middle of town
-  very low bounce rate
>Everypony knows you, you're the 'son' of a princess who happens to also be a human.
-  very long visit duration
>You don't exactly blend in.
-  multiple pages visited
>The sun bakes your brow, and you're starting to get impatient.
-  tractable in google analytics
>You really should figure out where to go.
-  custom URL tracking provided
>You keep walking through town, looking at all the businesses, getting sidetracked left and right.
-  boost ranking in SERP, SEO, profit from CPM
>Where are you even going?
[spoiler]Let me give something a try: dubs chooses where Anon goes from the list. Trips can tell him to go to anypony. Even background pones.[/spoiler]
>You sit down in the shade, and place your bag on the ground.
CLAIM YOUR 24 HOURS FREE TEST HERE=> ventfara@mail.com
>Alright, time to nail down a decision. You can't dick around the subject any longer.
>Pinkie Pie owns a sweets shop doesn't she? That'd be pretty cool.
>And Applejack has a farm... which is kinda interesting.
>Fluttershy works with animals. Animals are cool. Except that buckin' rabbit.
>Rarity has Big Bro, which is always fun
>Don't know if you can handle that much Rarity though.
>A glint from your bag shines on your eye.
>You reach inside and pull out your flying goggles.
>Then there's Rainbow Dash.
>It would be pretty cool to hang out with a wonderbolt, wouldn't it?
>You put the goggles around your neck.
>Alright, Rainbow Dash it is.
>You start walking...
>Wait, doesn't Dash live in Cloudsdale?
>Didn't really think this one through.
>Also, you are a human. You'd just fall through the clouds.
>Not exactly the best course of action.
>Maybe Mom has a book that can help.
>You're not magic by any means, but there certainly must be some kind of zebra or earthpony magic you could perform.
>Stranger things have happened.
>You walk back to the front door of the castle
>Suddenly, a guard shoves a spear in your face
>"Sorry Sir, you are forbidden from entering."
"What? This is where I live!"
>"Princess Twilight specifically stated that you are not allowed back in the house after you have left."
>She really didn't want you staying in the house alone.
>Mom's crazy.
"Oh come on. What if I forgot something important?"
>"Your mother has taken the liberty of placing spare supplies at the residents you are to be staying at."
>The guard grins slightly
>"You can't forget anything important."
>Yep, Mom's definitely crazy.
>You're pretty frustrated by now.
>Why would mom even put Rainbow Dash on the list? It doesn't make any sense.
>You start walking away from the castle.
>Something very hard smack you on the top of the head.
>You fall to the ground in pain.
>You hear giggling from above.
>"Hahaha, sorry Non. Meant to toss that in front of ya."
>You know that voice anywhere.
"Rainbow Dash, you gotta work on your aim!"
>She snorts to herself
>"You gotta look up every once and awhile."
>You stand again, but your head is throbbing now.
>"So word is the squirt is staying at my house this week."
"What? How'd you know I chose you?"
>"Oh come on. I'm Rainbow Dash. As if there was even any competition."
>She's cocky, but she isn't wrong. You did just kinda choose her out of the blue.
"Yeah. Sure. Not that it matters anyway. I can't fly or walk on clouds."
>"You don't have to worry about that junk. I've got you covered."
"Oh yeah? How so?"
>"Did you even look at what hit you in that empty noggin of yours?"
>You look on the ground for what may have given you a minor concussion.
>A medium sized glass vial lays on the ground next to your foot.
>You pick it up
>It reads 'Cloud Walking Elixer"
"This is oddly convenient"
>"Your mother gave it to me just in case you chose me."
"Okay, but that doesn't fix the whole flying problem. Wonderbolt or not, you can't carry me all the way to Cloudsdale."
>"Just take the balloon in the back up."
>That's a good plan.
>You know, minus the part where you have no idea how to fly a hot air balloon.
>Other than that though, solid plan.
"Uh... Alright. I'll give it a shot."
>"That's the spirit!"
>You head to the back garage where the balloon is held.
Thanks, Leonel Stone
>Not a guard for miles.
>Your mom won't let you go inside your house, but she'll leave the hot air balloon unattended.
>You shake your head.
>The old balloon is dusty as all hell.
>You guess when mom got her wings, she didn't really have a need for a hot air balloon.
>Though, you hear that Pinkie Pie takes it out from time to time.
>Regardless, you hop into the old thing and fire it up.
>Surprisingly it still holds air just fine.
>Here goes nothing.
>You can recall Big Bro bringing you up in the balloon when you were really young.
>You two used to fly through the clouds together and it blew your mind every time.
>Especially when Bro used his fire breath on the balloon
>That shit was the best.
>You've always enjoyed flying.
>You've just never done it without Spike.
>The ballon starts to acsend, and you hear Rainbow Dash cheer as it leaves the ground.
>"There you go! Wasn't too difficult was it?"
"Heh. I guess not."
>That wasn't the hard part though.
>Getting it off the ground is one thing, landing it is another.
>You steer to the best of your abilities, and you're doing surprisingly well.
>You've gotten to a nice altitude and you're keeping up with Rainbow Dash pretty easily.
>You get reminded of something
>Better drink that potion BEFORE you hop out onto clouds.
>You pull the vial out of your pack.
>'One swig will last a day, two will last a week.'
>Well that isn't too difficult.
>Bottoms up?
>You start to take a couple gulps of the potion.
>This shit tastes delicious.
>It's like a sweet tea, with some herby after-taste
>You take an extra couple swigs.
>That is refreshing as hell.
>You throw the vial into your bag and continue steering the balloon.
>After about 20 minutes, you finally see it.
>Cloudsdale is now in sight.
>You carefully position the balloon to make it slowly land on the fluffy landing pad below.
>Rainbow lands and waits.
>Alright, the descent is slowed, and you can just hop out and let the balloon land.
>As the balloon approaches the landing zone, you jump out and land next to Rainbow Dash.
"Ha, piece of cake."
>Rainbow Dash has a goofy grin on her face.
>She looks like she is holding back tears.
>What's gotten into her?
>She points behind you
>You turn to see the balloon gliding straight through the cloudy landing zone
>Oh right.
>These are still clouds.
>You watch helplessly as the balloon slowly glides back down to earth.
>At this point, Rainbow Dash is in stitches.
"Rainbow! We gotta grab that runaway balloon!"
>She regains her composure
>"Oh no, Nonny. That thing is looooong gone. Didn't you see how fast that thing was descending? It'll hit the ground before we could even catch up to it."
>You just lost mom's balloon.
>Well, I guess you're in for it when she gets back.
"Man... that's not good."
>Rainbow Dash chuckles again
>"Cmon, I'll show you where you'll be staying tonight."
>You follow Rainbow Dash through Cloudsdale
>The city made of clouds is more beautiful than you imagined.
>The whole society is build around creatures that can fly
>Stores go up vertically, and stack on eachother.
>The fluffiness of the clouds make the whole place feel close and soft
>The sky above you is comepletely clear.
>After all, the weather is below you.
>You follow Dash to her house.
>It's a lot larger than you expected, stacking up to what appears three stories.
>But this is coming from the guy who lives in a castle so... yeah.
>The house looks like a temple inspired by greek mythology, with large pillars and openings to get up to any level.
>Obviously a good nest for a birdhorse
>You walk in and are in awe of the large open foyer.
>Pictures and posters litter the walls
>Rainbow's time in the Wonderbolts certainly got her a lot of merchandise.
>You wonder how they even hang pictures on clouds.
>Pegasus magic, it doesn't make any sense.
>Rainbow Dash leads you to a small room.
>"Just leave your bag there."
>She points to a small area of the room that has darker clouds.
>"Those clouds are dense enough to hold the weight of your bag, they're specially designed by the cloud factory for earth ponies, and I guess humans too."
"That's actually pretty cool."
>You set your bag down on the darker clouds
>"Make sure you don't try to put anything on the white clouds, it'll fall right through to the underclouds, if you're lucky anyway."
>"It's a big ole sheet of those dense clouds that can catch non-pegasai objects. They are under the majority of Cloudsdale."
"So why didn't the balloon get stopped by this 'undercloud?'"
>"Because you were approaching a pegasus landing pad. You were supposed to go lower and land on the airship landing pad. There is no undercloud my the landing zones."
>Well that made you feel stupid.
>You look around the room trying to change the subject
>It's only now that it hits you that you have no bed.
"Hey where am I supposed to sleep? There's no bed in here."
>Rainbow Dash lowers her eyebrows and gives you a questioning look.
>"You're in a room made of cloud. I don't think sleeping will be an issue."
>Again, feeling pretty dumb.
>You toss your things in the corner then head downstairs.
>You don't even know what there is to do around here.
>Rainbow Dash flies down the stairs.
>Her mane is done up and she's wearing a very colorful dress.
>"Alright, listen up kid. I'm gonna be at a Wonderbolt party all night. It's a really fancy party, and it ain't gonna end early. There's some bits in the kitchen for you to order food."
>Wait what?
"You're just gonna leave me alone? My mom didn't even trust me enough to leave the house unguarded, and yet you're going to leave me alone in a place I don't know?"
>"Yeah, and?"
"What if my mother finds out?"
>Rainbow grabs manages to clip on some earrings.
>"She won't if you keep your big mouth shut, kiddo."
>That's true.
>And you'll finally be able to do what you want.
>Rainbow Dash doesn't even care.
>Maybe tonight will be more interesting than you thought.
>Rainbow Dash heads for the door.
>"One last thing, Squirt. You're back here before I get back. So you pretty much have until morning. If you're not home by then, you'll suffer the same fate as your balloon. Got it?"
>[sweat intesifies]
"G-got it."
>Rainbow nods before blasting through the front entrance.
>A whole night for yourself. This is gonna be good.
>Or at least you hope it will be good.
>You don't really know your way around.
>And the place isn't exactly catered to your species, seeing that you don't have wings.
>You walk over to the table where Rainbow Dash has left a small purse of bits.
>You pour them into your hands.
>10 bits
>Really digging deep aren't ya Rainbow?
>Well, you won't get so much as a pizza with this.
>May as well shop around a bit.
>You grab a backpack you brought along and walk out the front entrance.
>This bag is your survival pack, you made it with Spike when the two of you went camping with Big Mac, Snips, and Snails.
>Everypony was so much older than you, it was awesome
>You've got all your essentials in there, water and snacks, a journal, a nice knife, etc.
>Generally you just wear it around town, but today it might actually help.
>You've been lost in your thought for awhile now, and you find yourself standing in the middle of Cloudsdale again.
>There is a balcony to your left, and you can see an amazing sunset
>You can almost see the curvature of the earth from up here.
>You run over to the balcony and admire the orange sun.
>You never see stuff like this at ponyville, it's awesome.
>You watch the sun go down for awhile, until Celestia tucks it beneath the earth, and Luna drags the moon from its slumber.
>Suddenly you snap out of your daydreaming.
>You start walking to the shops.
>Everything is so lit up at night, and you can see the stars perfectly.
>You think about what you want to do.
>You can't think of a single thing to do around here.
>Well, except that party Rainbow Dash is at.
>Actually, that party sounds pretty amazing right about now.
>A Wonderbolts party is no joke though, it is very selective.
>And it would be hard to fake it, considering you aren't a pony.
>But where there's a will, there is a way.
>You reach into your survival bag.
>This was always a joke between Big Bro and you, but now it seems pretty damn helpful.
>You reach into a back compartment of the bag, and pull out a shrink-wrapped package.
>Being careful not to drop it, you unwrap the plastic.
>Inside is a pristine black suit, never used before.
>Rarity custom made it for your 15th birthday. She insisted when he told her you didn't have dress clothes.
>Bro always used to say, "Keep this close. You never know when a mare will need a dashing human companion."
>You put it in your survival bag to keep the joke rolling. You never thought it would actually be helpful one day.
>You run into a nearby alley and quickly change
>The suit fits like a glove; the dress shirt, the pants, the jacket, everything.
>It even came with a red tie.
>At least now you look like you belong in a party.
>You run to the middle of town.
>If this party is as big as Rainbow Dash says, then it shouldn't be that hard to find.
>It won't exactly be a small event.
>Wonderbolts always go big.
>You see spotlights in the downtown area.
>5 bits says that's the place.
>You run through the busy streets.
>There aren't exactly roads, more like airways.
>Leaving gravity-challenged guest such as yourself with a lot of running space.
>You slide down a couple steep blocks and make your way downtown.
>Cloudsdale is a happenin' place!
>It's like Maredi Gras around here.
>Pegasai litter the sky and street, and parties are everywhere.
>But none stick out quite like the Wonderbolts
>A huge building flashes spotlights over the whole sky.
>It's surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of fans standing at the gates.
>You walk up to join the crowd.
>You don't really need to get close to see, you're much taller than the rest of them.
>Holy shit they have a red carpet and everything.
>You spot Rainbow Dash chatting to somepony near the entrance of the building.
>To the right of the carpet you see the Wonderbolt cadets standing at attention in full uniform.
>It must be horrible standing at attention while you watch the current Wonderbolts live it up.
>They're wearing their blue and yellows proudly with flight jackets and goggles.
>You look across the faces.
>Your eyes meet with an orange mare with a pink mane.
>Wait, you know that pony...
>Could that really be
>You and Scoots went to school together years ago.
>Or rather, you and Scoots went to the same school together.
>She was an upperclassmen, years ahead of you.
>But that didn't stop you from getting to know her.
>She and you used to hang out during lunch, because all the grades shared that period.
>She was the only pegasus attending that school, and you were the only human
>You just sort of bonded over misfitness.
>She was teased a lot for hanging out with an underclassmen, but that changed pretty fast when you suddely became taller than everypony.
>But she graduated 5 years ago, and you just did last year.
>Has it really been 5 years since you've seen her?
>She wasn't joking about becoming a Wonderbolt, she must've worked her ass off to go from barely being able to fly to being a Wonderbolt in 5 years time.
>She turns back to attention.
>Maybe she saw you, it'd be nice to catch up.
>But that's for later, right now you need a way in.
>Maybe you could enter through the kitchen posing as a chef, then make your way into the party that way.
>Only issue with that plan is the whole human thing.
>Yeah, this is going to be more difficult than you thought.
>Suddenly you hear a voice from behind you.
>"No wayyy. You're Anon, right?"
>You look down to see Soarin the Wonderbolt.
>How the hell did he sneak up on you?
>Everypony hears his voice and turns around.
>All eyes are on you.
>"Hey, buddy, you hear me?"
>You look at him again.
>"You're Anon! Princess Twilight's son."
>A Wonderbolt knows your name without an introduction
>"Dude you've grown! Hey, you remember me?"
"Of course I do, you're Soarin."
>He chuckles
>"Well yeah, you KNOW me, but do you remember me? I performed at your 5th birthday man!"
>At first you don't understand, but then a faded memory comes back.
>Mom got Rainbow to pull some strings and bring Soarin in for a very small one-pony performance.
>Soarin was your favorite back in the day. As a little kid you really enjoyed the bolts.
"Oh yeahh. I remember that! It was really amazing!"
>He laughs again.
>"Don't flatter me. Dude you've got a sick outfit on."
>A random mare in the crowd yells
>"It looks great!"
>The rest of the crowd cheers along.
>Soarin speaks again.
>"Hey man, you comin' in?"
"O-oh, I don't think I'm on the list..."
>"What? Dude you're royalty! You're on every list. Haha!"
>Soarin addresses the crowd.
>"I've got the only human in Equestria as my special guest tonight everypony! Give it up for Anon!"
>The crowd goes absolutely insane.
>Soarin certainly knows how to work the crowd.
>He punches your leg.
>"Alright, let's get in there big guy."
>You crouch down and tell him something you almost forgot.
"Listen, Rainbow Dash is taking care of me tonight. I don't want her to catch me here."
>Soarin smiles
>"Well Rainbow Dash just so happens to be my wingmare tonight. I'll do my best to keep her away."
>He winks
>Buckin' Soarin man.
>He gets it.
>You walk up to the bouncers and escorts and they immediately open the gates with a small bow.
>"Master Anon."
>Wow, guess your status is pretty well to the ponies that matter.
>You walk down the red carpet, between the fans and the cadets.
>You look to your right and see Scootaloo again
>At first she doesn't seem to look at you, staying at attention.
>Then her eyes flash to you and she grins a little bit.
>Could have sworn she even winked.
>You walk into the large building past the spotlights
>The ceiling seems to be a mile away.
>How many floors is this? 4?
>The building goes up in a spiral, with stair cases leading up to each level.
>You suppose even a pegasus gets tired of flying.
>Soarin prods you again.
>"Alright kid, have some fun. Just not too much fun. Rainbow and I will probably be in the main room chatting with the guests. As long as you don't go there, you should be fine."
>You nod, he nods back.
>He walks away as another pony comes to show him where Dash is.
>You can't believe what just happened.
>You're at a private Wonderbolt party
>And you don't have anypony to tell you what to do
>Your 16 year old self is damn near in tears
>You finally have a bit of freedom.
>You decide to head upstairs first, trying to distance yourself from Rainbow Dash
>This is a really high class party.
>You find yourself walking around with your chest out and perfect form.
>Big Bro taught you how to present yourself for parties like these.
>After all, you've had to attend some pretty intense events before with your mother.
>A few mares are looking at you while they chat.
>It's not that uncommon for ponies to gossip about you.
>You walk into a large theather that is projecting the history of the Wonderbolts on a huge screen
>Oh Celestia that is kick ass.
>You watch for a couple minutes before moving on.
>A mare with a platter of drinks walks by
>You grab a drink as you walk by and nod.
>She looks behind herself as you walk by.
>This is great.
>You take a sip of the drink
>It's very bitter and burns your throat
>That's not cider.
>...but that's not a bad thing.
>You chug the rest of it down.
>On that note, you need to take a leak.
>You head to the stallion's room and duck through the doorway.
>Public bathrooms are the worst, they don't exactly cater to you
>There's a lot of crouching involved.
>You walk into a stall and start to do your business.
>Suddenly you hear some crashing outside of your stall
>You open the door to your stall to see what's going on
>Two suited stallions are wrestling a smaller yellow colt while yelling.
>"Nice try freeloader. Who do you think you are sneaking in through the kitchen?"
>Huh, guess that plan wouldn't work after all.
>You watch as the two suited stallions pick him up and start to drag him out.
>The yellow one starts wriggling and attempting to break free.
>He's really want to stay.
>You notice tears in his eyes while he struggle.
>He REALLY wants to be here.
>And about 30 minutes ago, you would've done the same thing.
>You step out of the stall and stand up straight.
"It's fine, he's with me."
>The two suited stallions turn around in surprise.
>"Master Anon, this colt is not on the list, nor was he invited in. He doesn't belong-"
"Then consider this my invitation to him."
>You realize how much you tower over these ponies.
>Their heads barely make it to your ribs.
>You try to seem less threatening.
"Seriously, it's cool. I'll keep my eye on him."
>The stallions wear a defeated expression.
>"Yes Master Anon. But do not hesitate to call us if this ruffian-"
"THANK YOU, gentleponies. I shall handle it from here."
>The suits leave you and the yellow colt behind.
>You turn to him.
>He's a smaller yellow pegasus. His mane is a dirtier yellow, spiked, but is a bit frizzed.
>He's got a bruise on his cheek, and his nose is bleeding a bit.
>Those suits really laid into him.
"You alright?"
>He wipes his nose and gets up.
>Unlike those guards, he doesn't look defeated, he looks pissed.
>The dude's got pride
>"Yeah. I'm alright. Thanks a lot, I owe you one big time.
"What's your name?"
>He smiles
>You start washing your hands
"Well Spark, you're gonna have to stick with me. I can't save your ass if you aren't with me."
>"Who says I'll need your saving next time?"
>You look at him with a sarcastic leer.
>"Alright, alright. Point taken."
>This guy is something else.
>You and Spark walk out of the bathroom and start sashaying around the party.
"So where are you from?"
>"I'm a pegasus, where do you think?"
"I know plenty of pegasai that live outside of Cloudsdale"
>Well, one: Fluttershy. But you doubt he'll call your bluff.
>"Yeah well, I ain't one of them. I was born and raised in this crummy place."
>Crummy? The whole damn thing is made of cloud.
>He doesn't speak like a gentlecolt, he sounds more like a kid from the streets.
"How old are you?"
>He's roughly the same age as you.
>Ponies don't age the same way as humans do.
>Time moves quickly for them at first, then deccelerates until a point, then accelerates again.
>So a 14 year old pony is more like a 16-17 year old human.
>And a 35 year old pony is more like a 24 year old human.
>But a 50 year old pony is more like a 60 year old human.
>This fluctuation is normal to ponies, you're the freak here.
>Who the hell ages at a set rate their whole life?
>At least it isn't as confusing as dragon age, where a dragon is systematically immortal, and maturity and growth rates are based on their material posessions.
>Bro is older than you, but he hasn't aged a day after 21.
"Cool. My name is Anon."
>"Yeah, I know ya." he raises his hooves and speaks in a sarcastic tone, "Son of the incredible Princess Twilight, what a joke."
>This guy
"You know I could get you thrown out at any time."
>"Yeahh, but you won't do it. You've already wasted enough time on me. You wouldn't just throw me out like that."
"Wanna bet?"
>He sighs
>"I'm sorry I insulted you and your fancy pants mother"
>you chuckle
>Alright, good enough.
"Fine. You can stay in my fancy pants presents for now."
>He smiles
>"Ya know, for a royal you aren't exactly the most snobby guy I've ever met."
"You're not just trying to butter me up, are you?"
>"Hey, if I were tryin' to do that I wouldn't have needed you to bail me out back there. I woulda just buttered up a Wonderbolt, like Rainbow Dash. Nopony can deny the Spark."
>He seems satisfied with that last statement.
>You roll your eyes.
"I dunno, Rainbow Dash doesn't really chase your type."
>"Oh yeah? What type is that?"
>You chuckle
"The asshole?"
>He laughs
>"Yeah, okay. Fair enough. Besides, how would you know what Rainbow likes?"
"I don't really, but I AM spending the week at her house."
>Spark nearly trips over himself
>"No kiddin'?"
"I swear on my 'royalty'"
>"Buck dude, that is amazing!"
"Eh, it's not really much in the way of fabulous."
>"What? Compared to your castle? Get your head out of the clouds ya royal ape."
>This takes you by surprise.
>Maybe you are thinking too pretentiously.
>Rainbow did open her house to you.
>Note to self: Be a bit more grateful.
>You and spark head out to the second floor balcony.
>The crisp night blows through your hair.
>The two of you have been wandering around chatting for an hour or so.
>There isn't really much to do here. It's more of a socializing kind of party than a cut loose kind.
>It's nearly 11
"It's a helluva a night tonight."
>Spark rolls his eyes
>"If you say so big guy."
>You lean on the railing.
>Tonight's been interesting, but you haven't really done much more than crash this party.
>You feel kind of melancholy that, even with your freedom, you can't think to do anything more fun.
>Suddenly you feel a shove from behind.
>The shove makes you start to head over the railing.
>You hear Spark yelling
>Right before your weight shifts in the downward direction, somepony bites your collar and pulls you back.
>You land on your back with a grunt.
>"Still got some pretty crappy balance, don't you Nonny?"
>You look up and see Scootaloo looking down at you.
>"It's been awhile."
>Your heart is still thumping
>You sit back against the railing.
"Holy buck Scoots, You scared the shit out of me."
>Scootaloo giggles as you shake it off
>Now you can really get a good look at Scoots
>She's wearing her blue and yellow Wonderbolt suit with a flight jacket.
>She has the collar down, and her goggles around her neck.
>The suit hugs her body tightly, it really looks nice on her.
>Spark suddenly speaks up
>"Hey wait a tic, you're a Wonderbolt?"
>Scootaloo smirks at him
>"Not quite. Cadet, First Class."
>"But you're still kind of a Wonderbolt, right?"
>"Yeah, sure."
>Spark looks at her, then at you with disbelief.
>"No buckin' way"
>You stand to face Scootaloo
>She's hardly up to your ribs now.
>That's something different.
>"Woah. You've grown up haven't you?"
"Last time you saw me I was 11, did you think I'd stay 5 feet tall forever?"
>She turns her head a little.
>"Honestly? Kind of."
>You shrug.
"You know I never suspected you'd actually make it to the Wonderbolts academy."
>"Wow Nonny, thanks for the encouragement."
"Hey, you couldn't even fly when you left school, how was I supposed to know you're actually a great flyer?"
>Spark seems both delighted and confused.
>You two were spitting a lot of information at once.
>"So what are you two up to tonight?"
"You're looking at it. I didn't even expect to make it this far into the party."
>"You're just here for the party? Why? This thing is such a formal event. I just got dismissed, and I was about to head home. That is until you came wandering in."
"Yeah, it seems kind of stuffy. "
>"What happened to you, goldy?"
>Spark blows air out his nostrils
>"A couple of gentlecolts did not believe I was suitable for this establishment."
>Oh Celestia he's trying to talk fancy
>He's trying way too hard to impress the future Wonderbolt.
>Scoots laughs
>"Wow, you must be hard core."
>Scoots rolls her eyes
>"Why were you trying to get in anyway?"
>Spark shrugs
>"Honestly? I wanted to see if I could steal a pair of goggles."
>Scoots turns her head again in confusion.
>"Why a pair of goggles? Why from here? You can just go buy a pair at a nearby shop."
>Spark smirks
>"Yeah, but I want a pair of Wonderbolt goggles. Not cadet ones, a real pair."
>He looks at the two of you with a toothy grin, he's pleased you're both so intrigued.
>"Wonderbolt ones are specially designed to grip the eyes in a very specific way. They're all unique to the pony wearing them."
"I've got a pair of goggles Rainbow Dash sent me as a kid you know. Is that the kind of thing you're looking for?"
>Spark shakes his head.
>"If you've worn them before, then they've already formed to your face. Once somepony wears them, they'll never fit anypony else but them."
>Scoot squints her eyes
>"Well then, what made you think you could find them here? This is a formal gathering, not a goggle factory."
>Spark chuckles
>"This party is all a publicity stunt used to capture the attention of investors for the Wonderbolts academy. They give out legitimate Wonderbolt goggles to the biggest investors."
"... and you were planning to steal from these investors?"
>"They get a pair every year, and they never wear them. I don't see any problems arising if one goes, uh, missing."
>Scoots shakes her head, but this has got you all worked up.
>Hanging out a party is one thing, but stealing a legitmate pair of Wonderbolt goggles is another.
"Yeah let's do it!"
>Scootaloo looks at you with a shocked expression.
>"You aren't seriously entertaining this idea, are you?"
"Oh come on, what difference does it make if we take one pair of goggles from some snobby investor?"
>"The difference is that my ass could be on the line. Stealing as a cadet is a serious offence in the corps. I could lose rank!"
"Then you won't do any of the actual swiping. Leave that to Spark and I."
>"I really don't want to risk anything..."
"C'mon, don't be such a chicken."
>You grin as she shoots daggers at you
>She's blushing profusely
>You knew that one would strike a chord.
>"F-Fine! Let's do it."
"That's more like it."
>Spark is smiling wide
>"If you guys are serious about this, I've been looking around, and I think I know where to go."
"Sounds good to me, but remember I kind of stick out like a sore thumb."
>Spark squints his eyes
>"A sore what?"
>Force of habit. At home you and Bro both had thumbs and fingers. You constantly forget such phrases are not as common with most ponies.
"Nevermind. The point is, I'm not a pony."
>Spark waves his hoove
>"No worries, we'll be away from the party most of the time. Besides, having somepony as tall as you will come in handy I feel."
"Alright, so are we all agreed? We go for the goggles?"
>Spark nods
>Scoots looks away with a sour expression
>She roles her eyes.
>"Alright fine. But you better get me a royal pardon if they try to demote my ass."
>You laugh.
"Alright, then we're all set."
>You and Scoots follow Spark as he leads you downstairs
>He looks both ways before motioning the two of you into a door away from most of the party
>You read the sign
>'Employees only. DO NOT ENTER'
>You smile as you walk through with Scootaloo.
>Being a royal means you can get away with pretty much anything.
>Hell, you could probably even just ask for a pair of these goggles.
>After all, the royal families fund the Wonderbolts a lot.
>But where's the fun in that?
>Now crashing a party and playing a little espionage in a suit?
>That's fun.
>Spark leads you down a well decorated hall.
>"So they would store the goggles in these little care-package type deals.
>He puts his hooves about a foot apart to show their size.
>"We can only grab the goggles though! I'm pretty sure there is some extrememly important stuff inside."
>"If we grab anything more than the goggles, we would get in WAY more trouble."
>The three of you peer around the corner.
>There is a set of double doors being guarded by two suited ponies.
>The doors read 'Store Room'
>"That room is right next to the kitchen, which is right next to the formal dinner all the big guys are invited to. We gotta-"
>Spark stops with a groan
>"You gotta be buckin' me."
>You look around the corner again to see what he's moaning about.
>At first nothing seems strange, then it hits you
>Those are the same two stallions that tried to throw out Spark.
>Shit, that complicates things.
>"Great, if those two catch me doing anything out of the ordinary, they'll throw me out and pin it on you."
>You shrug
"Not really much they can do to me."
>"Yeah, but if somepony gets a royal in trouble, it can means big consequences."
>That is true, if mom found out what Spark was getting you to do, she'd vaporize him.
>Well, not really. But it wouldn't be pretty
>You snap your fingers
"Maybe this can be used to our advantage."
>You remove a tablecloth from a nearby endtable.
>You read about this in a Daring Do book
>After a bit of scheming, Spark nods and readies himself.
>He stumbles out into the opening
>"Hhhhooo, what a *hic* party. H-hey, you're the asses that gave me this broooos"
>He's a lot better at acting than you suspected. It's actually quite impressive.
>The two stallions seem almost insulted by Spark's presence.
>"We asked you once before to leave, if it wasn't for Master Anon's or invitation-"
>Spark interrupts
>"Yeah yeah yeah, save it for th-the judge. Y-you know, you aren't that tufff. I bet *hic* I bet I could beat you guyss"
>Spark spits onto one of the stallion's jackets
>Their faces are masked with outrage.
>Might've gone a little too far
>Spark starts backing up as they approach.
>They come closer to the wall you and Scoots are hiding behind
>They pass it as they crack their necks, getting ready to give Spark another pounding.
>You nod to Scoots
>She nods back
>The two of you jump out with the table cloth, throwing it over the stallions' heads.
>The start yelling obscenities as Scoots dashes around them at unbelievable speeds, wrapping them.
>Suddenly the tightness of the cloth knocks their heads together and they collapse to the ground.
>That shit really worked
>Spark was readying himself for a beating before he opened his eyes to see the two guards down.
>"Oh Celestia, they're out cold."
>Scoots seems rather nervous.
>"I don't want to be here when they wake up."
"Well, we've come to far to back out now, come on!"
>You motion to the door
>As you open them, you are greeted to a large room that can only be compared to an armory mixed with a library.
>The room goes up two floors.
>The walls are littered with Wonderbolts apparel and equipment, the second floor has bookcases
"Damn, this place is impressive."
>You can see a large shelf filled with small boxes that matches Spark's description
"Are those the boxes you were talking about?"
>Spark trots closer
>"YEAH! These are them!"
>Spark tries to open one, but is having a bit of an issue
>You laugh and walk up
"Here, let me try."
>It has a very small latch on it with a tight fit.
>For your average pony, this thing is a nightmare to open
>For a human, however, this thing is nothing.
>You pop it open
>Spark greedily snags the goggles without hesitation
>Who's box is this anyway?
>The label says, 'Filthy Rich'
>Yeah, he probably doesn't need any Wonderbolt goggles.
>"ALRIGHT! We got them!"
>You smile and look back a Scootaloo
>She seems a hell of a lot less nervous
>Suddenly you hear yelling from the hall
>They must have found the two knocked out guards
>You turn to Spark
"Spark! You gotta get out of here NOW."
>Spark looks around, and spots a window on the second floor
>He takes off and opens the window, then jumps outside with the window closing behind him
>You look at Scootaloo
"Follow my lead, alright?"
>Scootaloo looks lost
>"U-uh, okay?"
>The doors burst open with a resounding thump
>Five suited stallion rush in and look around
>You start talking
"...I don't believe we're in the right place, how foolish of me."
>You turn to the stallions
"Oh, hello there. Perhaps you all can assist me."
>You speak with your 'Royal Voice', something Bro taught you for talking to very important guests.
>You put every ounce of pompous douchebaggery you can manage into every word
>Your tone is calm and polite, and runs smooth as butter.
>The stallions seem conflicted; they're angry that two of the guard had been knocked out, yet confused to find you.
>"M-Master Anon, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area. Guests are not allowed back here."
"Ah yes, I was escorting my lovely friend here to the formal dinner, but unfortunately in my attempts to impress her, I have lead her astray."
>You chuckle to yourself lightly
"Isn't that right darling?"
>You look down at Scoots to see her blushing
>"Yep. I can't believe you got us so lost, uh dear."
>The guards are flabberghasted
>"Well- um. Did you happen to see a small yellow pegasus? That was the last pony a pair of guards saw before they were knocked out and tied up."
>You shake your head
"No, I have not met any pony that matches that description tonight. How about you Scootaloo?"
>"Nope, haven't seen one."
>She smiles a big pretty grin
>She is a terrible actor.
>The guards have gotten a bit more loose
>"B-but, they said you were the one who invited him in!"
"Are you questioning the truth of my statements?"
>You put a slight bit of aggression behind that last one
>You place your hands in your pockets and lean back
>The stallions bow their heads and begin apologizing
>"Of course not Master Anon, we apologize. We meant nothing by it."
>You puff air out of your nostrils
"Then if there are no other interruptions, I think we'd like to get to the dinner now. Come along Scoot."
>You start to walk out before being stopped
>"Please Master Anon, let us bring you there. Wouldn't want you getting lost again."
"Oh no, that is quite alright."
>"I insist sir! Please allow me to escort you there!"
>The stallion bows so far his muzzle is firmly planted into the ground
>You might have overdone the angry-royal act
>The stallion is even shaking a little
"Uh. If you insist..."
>He looks up at you
>"Thank you sir, please come this way"
>You and Scoots follow the group into the main hall, and they lead you towards a huge doorway on the left.
>Scootaloo looks at you nervously
>This isn't good, you don't want to go to this dinner
>Not to mention Rainbow Dash is there too
>That complicates it even further
>But if you suddenly decide to not attend the dinner, these guards might grow suspicious.
>Better to just hope for the best.
>They lead you to the large doorway on the left side of the main room.
>"This will lead you to the lounge and dining room. I hope you enjoy yourself."
>The doorway leads to a long hall scattered with couches and table, which leads to the Dining room at the end
"Y-yes. Of course."
>You walk inside with Scootaloo
>As you walk in, you see Soarin
>He's chatting with a couple ponies and standing next to Rainbow Dash
>He lazily looks in your direction
>He nearly spits up his drink
>He looks to Rainbow Dash
>"Say Dash, why don't you head into the dining room. The meal should be started soon."
>"You're right! I wanna get a good seat!"
>"I thought the seats were assigned..."
>Dash ignores Soarin and trots into the dining room.
>Soarin runs up to Anon
>"Dude! What are you doing here? I thought you were trying to stay away from Rainbow Dash!"
"I know, I know. Things got, uh, complicated. Listen, can you bring Scootaloo outside? And don't make much noise about it! I don't want her to get in trouble for anything."
>"Normally I'd have to punish cadets for going against orders, like going into the party after you've been dismissed."
>Scootaloo braces for what seems like her unavoidable demotion
>"Fortunately I was dismissed an hour ago myself, haha. I won't be your commander until tomorrow. C'mon, let's get you out of here."
>Scootaloo looks like she could faint.
>You watch as Soarin brings her outside past all the guards
>Thank Celestia that went over well
>Soarin is such a bro.
>But here's where the tricky part comes in.
>You walk into the large dining room
>The room is decorated with large Wonderbolt banners and the table is set to seat well over a hundred guests.
>You sigh with relief
>Even if Rainbow is sitting at the same table, as long as you are on the opposite side she probably won't notice you.
>Sitting down you are about the same height as the ponies, so you won't stick out so much.
>The biggest thing is to sprint out hereas fast as you can when the meal is done.
>A small butler pony wanders up to you.
>"Ah, Master Anon. I am relieved to tell you that, even with your short notice arrival, we have a chair for you."
>You walk with the butler to a chair in the middle of the table.
>Again, still not a big deal as long as you are distanced from-
>Rainbow is sitting directly across from you
>You're sitting at a table of over 100 ponies
>And you get placed across from Rainbow Dash
>Of course.
>You sit down
>Before Rainbow can say anything a mare stands up and starts to speak
>"Welcome the Wonderbolts Honor Banquet, where we spend a moment to thank the wonderful investors that keeps our corps up and running."
>Holy shit, that's Spitfire talking up there.
>She contiunes her speech
>You can feel Rainbow Dash staring at you from across the table burning a hole in the side of your head.
>You don't dare to look
>Suddenly you hear Spitfire mention your name
>"And tonight we have the honor to welcome a part of the royal family, Anon the human!"
>Like clockwork you immediately stand and wave to the guests at the table
>You've been trained quite well.
>The guests applaud then you return to your seat.
>You get a glimpse of Rainbow as you sit back down
>She doesn't appear pleased
>Spitfire finishes her speech and the crowd applauses afterwards
>You lock eyes with Dash.
>To your surprise, she doesn't look as angry as you'd think
>More like horribly confused and terribly annoyed
>The food comes out. It's mostly desserts and coffee, after all it is pretty late.
>You begin to banter with some of the guests, using your 'Royal Voice'
>You lock eyes with Rainbow again
>She motions towards the bathroom
>Here we go.
>She gets down and makes her way over there.
>You excuse yourself
"Pardon me gents, I'll return in a moment."
>You prepare yourself for the verbal destruction that is about to take your innocence.
>Mom was never shy to speak her mind, but Rainbow Dash doesn't have a filter
>What is about to occur will be heard through generations.
>You are Rainbow Dash
>You are rather tiffed
>This banquet was going very well up until this point
>The investors seem pleased, and everypony is enjoying themselves
>And now, out of nowhere, the kid you're babysitting is at the party
>This is a rambunctious 16 year old hooman that is your responsibility
>He may be accustomed to this kind of event, but one slip up and it's your ass on the line
>Finally he makes his way to the hall leading to the bathrooms
>"Now before you say anything, you did say I could do whatever I wanted until-"
"Listen up, I don't care how or why you are here, but you better get one thing straight: You better be a damned saint tonight, because you don't want to make an enemy out of me. Got that?"
>Anon gulps
>"Alright, alright! I'll be good! I didn't even mean to come to this meal thing anyway. I was about to leave until the guards found me."
>Something about that statement wasn't right
"What do you mean the guards found you?"
>"O-oh, well, uh, I was lost is all."
>He's hiding something
>But you really don't have the time to deal with it at the moment.
"Alright fine, whatever. Just remember what I said. You stay the whole meal, you say thank you for everything, and you stay polite. If you even think about doing anything other than that, I will follow you out and drag you back"
>Might be laying it on a bit thick
>But you weren't kidding, leaving during something like this highly frowned upon. You'd really drag him.
>"y-yes ma'am"
>You sigh
"You do look quite nice."
>"You look rather... dashing yourself"
>he smirks
>Just gonna ignore that
>You are Anon
>A combination of relief and nervousness made you just spout the most autistic pun that has every been made.
>And has probably been made a million times
>May as well put on a bow tie and call yourself Cheese Sandwich
>But at least things are looking up
>You're slowly coming to terms with the fact you won't be destroyed
>Now all you have to do is get through this dinner, and you're in the clear.
>You return to your seat and continue eating and chatting with guests
>The topics are pretty normal for these kinds of events: Mostly talk about money, politics, and the occasional off-color joke
>Despite the fact that it's a little boring, you're still having a good time.
>Rainbow Dash seems content with you, she even laughs at the occasional joke
>As you take a sip of your drink you look through the window behind Rainbow
>You see a flash of yellow
>You swallow your drink, and look a little more carefully
>You can make out the shape of a pegasus hovering outside of the window
>As your eyes adjust to the lighting, you see the Wonderbolts uniform, and Scootaloo's face
>Your eyes widen
>She should be with Spark shouldn't she?
>She starts motioning for you to get outside
>It looks urgent
>Oh boy. This can't be good
>You need to leave early after all
>That's not good.
>You've gotta find an excuse to leave, and you've gotta find a way to keep Rainbow Dash in her seat.
>You look up and down the table and realize you don't see a Soarin
>He must still be outside
>That's the excuse, but how are you gonna be able keep Dash on lock down?
>You wait a little while, trying to formulate a plan
>At this point, everypony is walking around a little bit and mingling with guests at different parts of the table
>A large group of Wonderbolts come over to Rainbow Dash
>This could work
"Hey Dash, have you seen Soarin?"
>You ask loud enough so that her whole group can hear
"Ya know what, I'll go find him." You begin putting on your jacket, "He can't be too far off."
>Rainbow catches on to what you're doing
>"Oh no, I'm sure he's fine. Probably just getting some fresh air."
"Aww, did you scare him off? You never told me what you said when he asked you out earlier."
>The bomb has been dropped
>Let's see if these Wonderbolts take the bait
>Before Rainbow Dash can even respond Spitfire has already turned Dash around and started interrigating
>"Oh he DID did he?"
>Rainbow Dash blushes
>"No he did not!"
>Spitfire looks at here with a smirk
>"Suuuuuuuure. Why don't you just tell us? You know we're all friends here."
>"No I-"
>"Was it romantic? Did he go for a kiss? Spare no details!"
>Rainbow Dash is bright red now.
>"Nothing happened! Anon just-"
>She looks to your chair to find nothing. At this point you are already retrieving your adventure bag from the closet and on your way out the door.
>You pass Soarin as you run down the now barren red carpet.
>You can't stop to chat, so you ramble an apology off at the speed of light
>Soarin has no idea what the hell you've just said
>You run by and head down the road to where Scoots was.
>Scoots lands in front of you.
>You're pretty out of breath, and hunched over.
"What... is it Scoots?"
>Scootaloo shakes her head
>"Something is wrong with Spark"
"What do you mean?"
>Scootaloo starts flying down the road, you follow her.
>After a couple blocks, you see Spark standing by the railing, looking out over the rolling clouds.
>You walk over and stand next to him
>He looks really depressed
>He turns and looks at you, then reaches into his bag.
>He pulls out the goggles
>They're completely shattered
"Woah! What happened?"
>"I landed on them. I buckin' landed on them."
>He shakes his head
>"When I hopped out that window, it closed on my wing. I fell 20 feet from there flat on my face."
>He lifts the broken shards of the goggles
>Not only are the lenses broken, but the frames have been warped and flattened
>There's no magic on the planet that could fix those.
>"I can't believe it. I had the goddamn thing in my hooves"
>He scrunches his face
>"I was in the home stretch and I BUCKED IT UP."
>He throws the goggles off the ridge as hard as possible, sending them way past the city limits.
>No way the undercloud can catch that
>He sits down and leans against the railing
>"I'm so sorry you guys. I'm sorry I let you do all those crazy things for nothin'"
>He looks down at his hooves
>"I can't believe I bucked this up."
>You put your hand on his back
"Listen, Spark. We had a great time, even if we have nothing to show for it. And you don't need those crummy goggles."
>Spark shakes his head.
>"Those things weren't for me, they were for my little sister."
>Up until this point you hadn't heard anything about Spark's family life.
>Spark sighs
>"My little sis really wants to be a Wonderbolt, but she's got this disorder thing where her wings are too small. The doctor says it's a genetic thing, and she may or may not grow out of it"
>He adjusts himself
>"So she still can't fly, and it's almost time for schooling right? Well a pegasus that can't fly can't go to Cloudsdale Public, and we can't afford to send her to a private place."
>Scootaloo's eyebrows raise. She knows this story.
>"So she's gotta be sent to Ponyville to study there with this weird 'special needs pegasus' thing, and she'll be away from home the majority of the year."
>Scootaloo looks out over the clouds with a sad expression.
>"I mean, yeah. You can still go visit her, but we gotta work to pay the bills. Time off isn't that easy for us."
>You see a tear roll down his face and drip off his chin.
>"I mean, you're tellin' me I can't see my little dew drop unless I take a 30 minute trip to Ponyville? *sniff* What kind of cruel joke is that?"
>Spark wipes his eyes and gets quiet.
>He stands up.
>"But either way, that's my business. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me tonight. I'll find a way to repay you two. But for now, I'm goin' home."
>You get an idea.
"You wanna pay off that debt right now?"
>He turns around, and Scootaloo stands next to you
>She was thinking the same thing.
"Take us with you."
>You and Scootaloo follow Spark as he leads you through town
>You have your guard up. After all, you've only known Spark for a little while.
>If any ponies try to jump you, it won't be much of a fight, you've got a height, strength, and thumbs advantage
>But you don't think that will happen.
>Spark may be a good actor, but he that was no performance
>He's got too much pride to pretend to cry
>You've all been walking through town for about 20 minutes now.
>The scenery changed from vast complex businesses to simple looking houses near the outskirts of town.
>You see the weather factories in the distance, sitting still this late at night.
>Spark speaks up to explain
>"My family has been in the weather business for generations. It's hard work, but the pay is good."
>He sighs
>"But medical bills have been piling up a bit, thanks to my pop's bad joints and all the visits to check on Sis."
>He looks back to look at you and Scoots
>"But that's life. Ma works the night shift and Pop works the day shifts. I mostly look after my sister, but sometimes I need to take my dad's place."
>Spark's life is so distant from yours
>You've hardly worked a day in your life, and you don't really need to worry about your future too much. You'll always be royal.
>The three of you approach a small house in a tiny neighborhood
>"Here it is. Not much to look at, I know."
>The house is a little small, but it looks nice. It's comfy
>You wonder what it's like living in such a building.
>"Well cmon in, my mother shouldn't have left for her shift yet."
>He opens the door and trots inside, you follow after.
>He raises his voice, but doesn't quite yell. He's trying to be at least a bit quiet
>"Hey ma! You still home? I'm back."
>He wanders into the kitchen.
>You stand in the doorway and remove your jacket
>Scootaloo is standing beside you, looking around.
>The doorway leads to a small living room sparcely decorated.
>You hear some talking in the kitchen a room over.
>"Oh honey! What happened? You look like you've been thrown down a flight of stairs!" declares a feminine voice
>"No no. It's nothin'. Just got in a bit of a scrap is all." Spark responds
>"Did you bring guests? I'm not exactly ready to entertain anypony right now. I have work in an hour!"
>"Well these guests insisted, my hooves are tied."
>"W-what do you mean insisted?" the feminine voice asks nervously
>You walk through the doorway to the kitchen
>Inside you see Spark sitting on a chair while a small tan mare has her back to you.
>She's dabbing Spark's wounds with rubbing alcohol
>"Well, uh, why don't you ask them yourselves."
>She turns around to face you. Her mane is dirty blond, and it's tied in a bun.
>Her eyes grow wide and her mouth goes slack at the sight of you.
>"These are my new friends, Anon of the Royal family and Scootaloo of the Wonderbolt cadets."
>Spark's mother doesn't respond, but rather runs into another room.
>"Uh, don't mind her. She's just never met a royal before."
>He looks at Scoot
>"Nor a Wonderbolt now that I think about it."
>You hear rustling and mumbled talking from the other room
>You really hope she'll come back, you didn't mean to scare her off.
>Suddenly there is another commotion, and she returns with a dark yellow stallion
>He has a mustache and greying black hair.
>His face is rinkled a bit, and he looks aged beyond his years
>When he sees you, he looks at you with the same surprise the mare did.
>"Y-you're really the hooman son of Princess Twilight"
>For reasons you don't know, you speak very cleanly and articulate well.
"I am. My name is Anon. It is a pleasure to meet who I can only assume are the parents of Spark?"
>Without a word the father drops his head to the ground
>"The pleasure is all mine, sire. ALL mine! You are welcome here whenever you need!"
>His wife also bows.
>You've been bowed to numerous times before, but this time was different
>You feel disgusted by it
>Not because of them, but because of you.
>These ponies do so much more for the ones they care about, and yet they bow to you.
>What makes you so worth bowing to?
"Please lift your heads. I assure you I will take no offense. You humble me."
>They lift their heads again
>"My name is Overcast, and this is my wife April Showers. You've met my son Spark, and my daughter Misty is upstairs. We are at your service."
"No no. Tonight you are not in my service. I come as a friend. Please."
>They seem confused
>You're kind of confused yourself.
"A-and this is my close friend Scootaloo, the Wonderbolt."
>Overcast smiles wide
>"So you're a Wonderbolt?"
>Scootaloo blushes,
>"I'm just a cadet for now. But hopefully I will be in a year or two."
"May we visit your little sister Spark? I am eager to meet her."
>Spark gets out of his chair.
>"I-I dunno. She should be sleeping now."
>April Showers laughs
>"Oh Sparkly, you know she doesn't sleep while you're gone. She refused to close her eyes until you told her all about your wonderful adventure."
>You chuckle a little bit
>'Sparkly' not that original but still adorable.
>Though you shouldn't be laughing, technically your last name is 'Sparkle' so...
>Spark sighs
>"Of course she's waiting for me. That's Misty for ya."
>Spark leads you and Scoots up the stairs to a little bedroom
>From the slightly open door, you can hear a small voice singing a lullaby.
>"Don't you cry, little fellow"
>"Don't you even weep"
>"For we can find, pretty meadows"
>"In the places, we find in sleep."
>"We always love, one another."
>"Even with our closed eyes"
>And even when, we lose eachother"
>"That love can never die"
>"No matter how far we may be"
>"From hugging eachother"
>"I'll remember my family
>"Mommy, Daddy, and Brother."
>Her beautiful voice nearly paralyzing
>You've attended many operas
>You've had private performances done by some of Equestria's greatest voices
>But they have never sent shivers like these down your spine
>The sound, the song, it was all so genuine
>Spark motions for you to stay outside of the room
>He walks into the room
>The little voice squeaks with delight
>"Sparksy you're home! Didja get into that Wonderbolt party even though you lost your invitation?!"
>Heh, lost an invitation eh Spark? Well I guess he wasn't lying in the end, after all you did invite him.
>"Hehe, yeah I did dew drop. And it was really cool, I got to meet some really cool ponies."
>She sounds excited.
>"Didja see Spitfire? Ooh Ooh, or how about Soarin?"
>Spark chuckles
>"Yeah, yeah. I told them how much you love them. They told me to tell you to keep eating right and exercising those wings."
>"Really? I don't believe you..."
>Scootaloo dashes into the room without warning.
>She saw the opportunity and she took it.
>"So you don't believe a Wonderbolt would say that stuff?"
>You peek in through the door
>Spark doesn't seem thrilled that Scootaloo came in without a proper introduction, but Misty's eyes open with excitement.
>Misty is a little yellow filly with a dusty brown mane
>She has little brown freckles sprinkling her cheeks, and her mane is like her brother's: Spikey, but a little frizzed.
>Her eyes are a glaring blue, and she is absolutely adorable
>She speaks out of excitement
>"Are you a Wonderbolt?!"
>Spark starts to answer
>"Well, she's a cad-"
>Scootaloo interrupts him
>"Yes I am! The newest Wonderbolt, and fastest yet: Scootaloo!"
>She speaks with intense passion, and sounds incredibly strong.
>"And I hear you want to be a Wonderbolt too!"
>Scoots sits down on the bed
>Misty gets excited
>"More than anything in the world!"
>Scoots chuckles
>'You're going to fly as fast as Rainbow Dash one day?"
>Misty's expression changes quickly
>She looks depressed, almost ashamed
>"M-maybe. My wings don't work too good."
>Scootaloo tilts her head and smiles
>"That's okay, mine didn't when I was your age."
>Misty looks shocked
>Scootaloo chuckles and pulls Misty in for a small hug.
>"I couldn't fly until I was much older, but I worked real hard, and ate right, and exercised every day."
>Misty is smiling, her eyes wander and spot you in the door
>"Who is that?"
>Guess it's your time to shine.
>You walk into the room and stand up straight, she is in awe at your height.
"I am Anon, the son of Princess Twilight."
>Misty's eyes widen again
>"You're Princess Twilight's baby? But you're not a pony!"
>You laugh.
>She's as blunt as she is honest.
"You're right, I'm not a pony. But Twilight is my mom, and she did raise my brother Spike and I."
>Her jaw goes slack
>"Woooooooow!" she says with genuine amazment. "Do you live in a castle?"
"haha, yes I do. I live in the one in Ponyville"
>Misty looks to her brother in disbelief, then back to you.
>"Can I visit it when I go to..."
>She trails off
>You know what she was going to say.
"Tell you what, once you're a Wonderbolt do you promise to visit me?"
>She snaps out of her trance and seems happy again
>"Yeah! I'll come visit you! I'll visit everyday, and fly around your castle, and say hi to Princess Twilight, and play in the gardens, and, and, and fly around the castle!"
"Okay, you have to promise me!"
>"I promise! When I become a Wonderbolt I'll visit!"
>Scootaloo removes her jacket and puts it around Misty
>"Then you're gonna need a jacket for cold nights."
>Scoots takes off her goggles as well
>"And a pair of goggles so you can see while going at amazing speeds!"
>Misty start freaking out
>"Really? I can keep them?"
>Scootaloo nods
>"OH WOW! Look Sparksy! A Wonderbolt gave me a pair of real Wonderbolt goggles! Isn't that amazing?!"
>Spark is stuttering a bit
>"Y-yeah! That's great Sis! Y-you'll wear them right?"
>"Everyday! And I'm gonna exercise, and eat right, and try to fly everyday until I'm a Wonderbolt, just like Scootaloo!"
>Scoots picks her up and starts gliding her around the room making plane noises
>"And you're never gonna give up, are you?"
>Misty shakes her head violently
>Scootaloo brings her in for a tight hug and Misty returns it
>"Thanks for all this great stuff Scootaloo! I'll never forget you."
>You see a tear fall from Scoots eye
>You feel your eyes tearing up a bit too.
>When Scoots releases the hug, she runs up to you
>You crouch down to the bed, and she hops onto your chest
>You cradle her in your arms
>"When I come to your castle, can I meet your mommy?"
>You chuckle
"Of course, and we can play hide and seek in the halls."
>She hugs you around the neck
>"I can't wait! I'll get real good at flying, you'll see!"
>You hold her tight
>This little filly made you realize some things.
>Her life hasn't been easy, but she maintains this incredible outlook on life.
>You could have anything in the world, and it wouldn't matter to you because you'd just recieve it
>But that coat and those goggles mean more to her than any other material in the world
>It's not the value of the equipment that matters, it's the significance to the pony who owns it.
>You close your eyes and silently thank this little filly
>Maybe you've been seeing everything in the wrong light.
>As you put her down Spark starts to speak
>"Alright my little dew drop, you're up way too late as it is. Say goodbye to Anon and Scootaloo"
>You and Scootaloo stand by the door waiting for your goodbye
>Misty prepares herself
>One more tug at the heartstrings for good measure eh?
>You and Scootaloo go out to wait in the hall
>Neither of you exchange a word, you listen carefully to the inside of the room
>You hear that cute little voice again as she's tucked in
>"I'm really gonna become a Wonderbolt one day Sparksy! I just have to work extra hard! If Scootaloo did it, I can too!"
>Spark laughs
>"That's right, but you need to go to sleep now. Okay?"
>"Okayy" she says with a yawn
>Spark walks to the door
>"Goodnight ya little dew drop" he says softly
>"Goodnight you fluffy cloud. I love you." She responds
>"I love you too."
>He turns off the lights and closes the door behind him
'Well I think that went over well."
>He hasn't moved since he closed the door. His hoof still rests on the handle.
>"H-hey, Spark, is everything alright?"
>He starts to shudder a bit, and you see tears dripping on the floor
>He turns to face you two
>"I-I haven't s-seen her f-f-face light up like that in a l-long time."
>He falls to the ground bawling
>He puts his hooves over his eyes
>"Y-you two, you di-didn't owe me anyth-thing. Wh-Why would you, how could you... b-b- why?"
>You crouch down and put your hand out to help him up.
"Because you're our friend Spark."
>He opens his eyes, now red with tears
>He looks up at you
"Besides, you took me on a great adventure tonight. I had fun, and your family is wonderful."
>He takes your hand and you help him to his hooves
>He sniffs, then regains some of his composure
>"I'll never be able to repay you two. But I would appreciate if we could have some fun this week, while you're here Anon."
>He gives a very grateful smile
>Scootaloo speaks up
>"I have to be at the academy most of the day, but during the nights I can sneak off."
>You're all heading down the stairs now.
>"I have to work all week anyway, so nights are my only option as well." Spark says with a weak voice
"And I should be available anytime really."
>Of course
>You're basically on vacation.
>You and Scootaloo approach the door, and you put on your jacket.
"We'll leave it like this for tonight. We'll see you tomorrow?"
>Spark nods
>"Definitely. Thank you two for everything."
>Scootaloo leaves first, and before the door closes behind you, you pop your head in.
"One last thing."
>Spark turns his head a little
"Her medical bills, her schooling, all of those expenses; Consider them paid in full, courtesy of the royal family. Consider it an investment for a future Wonderbolt."
>You pull your head outside and let the door slam behind you.
>You didn't even see Spark's face
>You've always wanted to do that; Give somepony something truly special, then leave without another word.
>Of course, now you need to explain this to your mother, but who cares?
>You've always wanted to do that. And you did it.
>You smirk as you walk away from your new friend's house.
>The air feels cool, the stars are bright, and life feels great.
>You and Scootaloo walk through the empty street together.
>You two don't have much to say just yet.
>What just happened was absolutely crazy, and both of you gave something of yourselves tonight.
>You look over at her
>All she has on now is her Wonderbolts uniform
>In clings to her body, and you see her curves very well.
>You can tell if a mare is attractive or not, after all youwere born and raised by ponies, not humans.
>Come to think of it, you don't even know what a girl human LOOKs like.
>But mares you know well, and Scoots has really grown.
>As you observe her, you notice she is shivering a bit
>You remove your jacket and drape it over her.
"Must be cold without one of those on."
>She chuckles
>"Yeah, a little. This suit may protect me from high force winds, but it doesn't do much on the ground."
>Without a jacket on, it does feel pretty chilly.
>But you're a stallion! Erm, human? Man? Yeah, that's it. You're a man! You can take it.
>After about five more minutes of walking you're already feeling numb
>You're a bitch of a man.
>The two of you walk to a lookout railing and lean against it, looking out into the night.
>"We did some pretty cool stuff today."
>You nod
"Yeah, we did."
>Suddenly you realize something.
"Hey, weren't those things, the goggles and coat, Wonderbolt issued? Won't you get in trouble?"
>"Haha, yeah. They were. It's alright, though I might have to pay a couple of bits for the goggles. Jackets get lost all the time, but goggles are a bit more expensive."
"Haha, yeah I suppose so."
>You remember something
>You reach into your bag and pull out your old goggles.
>The golden rims say 'Wonderbolts', and 'Rainbow Dash' pressed into the leather strap.
"Here, you can have my goggles."
>Scootaloo looks at the goggles before her eyes nearly jump out of her head.
>"These are Rainbow Dash's goggles!"
"Well, yeah. She gifted them to me."
>"No no, you don't understand. These are her cadet goggles! She wore these while training to become a Wonderbolt! They're one of a kind."
>This is all news to you.
>You just figured they were regular old goggles
>But the more you look at them, the more you realize just how beat up they are
>These things are quite well used, they have way more use than you've given them over the years.
"Well, then you have them."
>Scoot's feathers puff out with shock
>"N-no way! There's no way I'm taking something that valuble off your hooves. Erm hands."
>You look at the goggles again. They've been through a lot with you. But you probably don't value them as much as Scoots would.
"No, I insist. Take them,"
>"Nonny please, I don't want-"
"I insist." you say assertively
>She backs down and finally accepts them
>"Fine. But if you ever want them back, y-you just tell me, alright?"
"I don't need them back. I wasn't using them anymore. But if you use them while you're flying, it's almost like I can see what you see."
>Okay, where is this coming from? You were never really philisophical
"So in a way, your eyes can be my eyes too. It's so much better this way."
>She looks at you with an odd expression, one you've never really seen before.
>You smile back
"Go ahead, try them on!"
>She slowly turns forward, then pulls the leather back over her head and ears.
>A perfect fit
>It hugs her face like they were made for her.
"You look absolutely stunning, if I do say so my self."
>She smiles and puts her wing around you. She drags you close to her.
>She kisses you on the cheek
>"Thanks Nonny, you goofball."
"N-no problem"
>She chuckles
>You must be blushing.
>She pulls you in with her wings again
>She pulls your head against hers
>You smile back and look out to watch the sunrise.
>Ah shit
>You stand up suddenly
"Ah buck, buck buck. I gotta go."
>Scootaloo starts to hover
>"Yeah I gotta go soon myself. What's the rush?"
"Rainbow Dash said I had to be back before morning, and as you can see..."
>You point to the rising sun [spoiler] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk [/spoiler]
"It is getting pretty close to morning."
>You're freaking out a little bit
>You've gotta get back to Rainbow's house ASAP
>She's probably already mad at you for ditching the party, you can't get home late too!
"Ehhh, which way does Rainbow live?"
>Scoots points up the hill, where the nicer building are
>Right, you remember now
>"She lives right up there, Cloudsdale Heights"
"Thank you, I gotta jet."
>You turn around to get sprinting
>"One more thing Nonny"
>You turn around
>As you turn around she kisses you again on the forehead.
>You stand there blushing for a second.
>She giggles
>"Alright, you're free to go."
>You run at the speed of light
>You sprint hard up the hill and find yourself running out of breath pretty damn fast.
>Why in the name of Celestia did you never get more fit?
>You don't stop running, and continue to head up the hill and through town.
>You spot Rainbow Dash's house at the end of the road.
>Alright, you're in the home stretch.
>Suddenly, you see Rainbow Dash coming down the road towards the front of the house
>Gotta avoid that
>You run to the left of the house in Rainbow's blind spot
>You find your window and hop in.
>Thank Celestia you've got long legs, otherwise you wouldn't have reached.
>You fall on your face in your room then get up and throw your stuff onto the dark clouds.
>Your shirt, shoes and pants are off in an instance, and you quickly throw on your PJs
>Rainbow finally opens the door downstairs
>Better to meet her head on than have her come looking for you.
>You open your door and go into the hall.
>Rainbow Dash is waiting
>Rainbow raises an eyebrow and points her hoof
>She starts walking towards you
>What do you do? Should you run? No, that's just foolish. However at this point, you might even fake a heart attack if it means getting out of being destroyed
>She's closing in
>It's too late
>"YOU... are one lucky human."
>She hugs you
>Your bafflement goes beyond this mortal plain
>It goes on for generations to come
>Your grandchildren's children will be baffled by the actions that just took place
"Y-you're not mad at me?"
>"Oh no, I was livid when you left me to explain how Soarin did not actually ask me out to all of my squad mates, and they didn't believe a word I said."
>You gulp
>She must not be hugging you
>She must be preparing for a suplex
>A glimmer of hope
>"When Soarin found out about it, he confessed that he was planning on doing it later that night."
>"And the reason he was outside for so long was because he was trying to muster his courage. It just so happens your little fib is what pushed him over the edge."
>"I've been waiting weeks for him to finally ask me out, and thanks to you he did it. So, I'll forgive you for ditching the dinner."
>Soarin just saved your ass again.
>When you get back to the castle, you're knighting him or something.
>She releases the hug and gets a good look at you.
>"So you must have been out fooling around with my cadet Scootaloo huh?"
>You can feel the blush burn your face
>Did Soarin rat you out?
>There goes his knighting
"Wh-who told you that?"
>Rainbow Dash motions to your head
>You run your hand through your hair
>You pluck an orange feather out from the back of your head.
>Of course.
>"Looks like you two got rather well aquainted."
"We're just friends, that's a-"
>"Anon, you've got kiss marks on your cheek and forehead"
>Oh for the love of Celestia
>0 for 2 today Anon
"Okay fine, she may have kissed me once or twice, but it was nothing big!"
>Rainbow Dash chuckles
>"Hey, you don't have to explain anything to me kiddo. Go out and have your fun. It doesn't matter to me. Just make sure my cadet gets back to camp on time."
>Rainbow walks away chuckling to herself
>"Oh Nonny, you silly monkey."
>You're left standing there
>You still haven't come to terms with the fact that you got off scott free.
>You walk into your room then collapse onto the soft ground
>You're exhausted
>As you drift to sleep, you think about Spark and Scootaloo
>This week won't be so bad after all.
>You are Scootaloo
>Tonight has been wonderful
>As you fly back to the Wonderbolt training camp, you hear your new goggles flapping in the wind around your neck
>The goggles Nonny gave you
>You knew Nonny from grade school, but it's been so long.
>He hasn't changed much, but what has changed simply makes him more, dare you say it, attractive?
>It's kind of odd to think about these feelings of yours
>After all, Anon is hooman, the very fact you find him attractive is weird enough
>But there is something deeper than that, something more to him.
>Of course, any mare will swoon to him. He's royalty after all, and he acts like it too.
>But in a good way. Over the course of the night he proved to be consitently nice, smart, flattering, and-
>You're starting to blush.
>You shake your head
>It's a little overwhelming right now, after all you've only gotten to catch up with him for a night. You might be jumping to conclusions.
>You land at the academy
>You trot your way over to the barracks
>You open the door and quietly sneak in
>Looks like everypony is asleep.
>You make your way to your bed and remove your goggles
>You put them in your chest
>Don't want anypony stealing those
>It is only now that you realize you are still wearing Anon's jacket
>You throw it on the bed and remove your Wonderbolts uniform
>Thank Celestia, that thing was comfortable, but it was getting kind of stuffy.
>You open your trunk and pull out your pajamas Wonderbolts t-shirt
>You pop it on and hop in bed
>Tomorrow is a free day, so you can sleep in a bit.
>You hop in your bunk under the covers.
>Something hits your hooves
>You bring it up to your face so you can see it in the dark
>Anon's jacket
>Without thinking, you take a big sniff
>It smells just like him.
>As you exhale you hear your bunkmate from the top bunk.
>"Hey, did you have a good night?"
>You smell the jacket again and pull it close under the covers
"Better than you know."
>Maybe you do have more feelings than you're ready to admit.
>You drift to sleep, surrounded by warm blankets, and Anon's scent.
>You are Anon
>You wake up slowly
>If you can even call it waking up
>These clouds are ridiculous
>But you'd like to get started on the day
>You sit up and stretch a bit
>Memories from last night spin through your tired brain
>You smile as you remember how it all ended
>What time is it?
>You look at a nearby clock
>Scoots won't be dismissed for another 6 hours, and Spark said he was working today.
>You sigh
>Gotta kill some time you suppose
>Back at the castle, you got rather good at burning time.
>After all, you didn't exactly have that many close friends.
>Things are more complicated as a royal.
>You used to play with Bro mostly, especially when he started training.
>Then you two would have sword fights all the time. He even let you wear his armor a bit.
>But even to this day he is way taller than you, so you could never win.
>First things first though, you need a shower.
>You walk into the bathroom and open the warm water
>The water here comes straight from a cloud, so it feels fresher in a way
>You close your eyes in the stream
>Your mind wanders
>As you scrub your face you think about the pony who pressed her lips against it
>You wonder what it means
>The first kiss may have just been an exaggerated thank you, but then she kissed you again.
>But let's not get carried away, after all it was only on the cheek and forehead
>Relationships have never really come your way, after all most ponies are intimidated by the royalty
>And the rest are kind of scared away by the whole hooman thing
>You sigh
>Well, whatever this Scootaloo thing is, you hope it continues.
>You step out of the shower and dry off.
>You put on a t-shirt, jacket and cargo shorts.
>You walk into the kitchen yawning
>Rainbow Dash is sitting at the table with a mug of coffee, reading the newspaper
>Well, the comics section
>She looks up at you
>"Well well well, you're still alive. I thought I was going to need to get an ambulance"
"Oh yeah, you're one to talk. You look just as bad as me."
>"Yeah well you don't have a hangover."
>She looks you up and down
>You nod
>"Alright good. Now listen, I gotta be at the academy in 30 minutes. We got to wake up late today, but we still need to take care of business."
>She heads upstairs to get ready for the day while you prepare breakfast for yourself
>The only breakfast food she has is the Wonderbolts cereal 'Wonderbombs'
>You know, the one with her on the box
>You chuckle as you pour them into a bowl, imagining her smug grin while she does it.
>You sit down and start eating
>Mmm, fake fruit flavoring. The best kind.
>Rainbow Dash flies down the stairs
>"Alright, I'll be back later tonight. You gonna be here all day?"
>You shrug
"I dunno. I might go out tonight"
>Rainbow Dash lifts her eyebrows
>"Am I gonna have a cadet missing too?"
>You blush a little
>She laughs and closes the door behind her.
>Rainbow Dash sure likes smashing this Scoots thing over your head.
>After breakfast you put your bowl in the sink and stand
>And just like that you have no idea what to do
>You start walking around
>If you don't have anything to do, you may as well explore a little bit.
>You look around the first floor
>Other than the kitchen, there is a lounge area with a fire place, and an open foyer with loft ceilings, naturally.
>You explore a bit more of the first floor, and find that it is mostly just normal things: living room, dining room, a kitchen, lounge, etc.
>Guess it's time to travel to the upper floors
>You walk up the stairs
>You know your room is right down the hall, so you start off going opposite of it.
>On the second floor you find a lot more interesting stuff.
>She was holding back information, because she failed to mention the game room and bar
>Normally this is kind of a basement thing, but it might be tricky to have a basement in the clouds.
>Not only that, but she has a full size gym taking up most of the second floor's space
>Weights, treadmill, resistance gear, being a Wonderbolt must require crazy strength
>You think about exercising a little bit
>You think about it, you don't do it, but you think about it.
>As you look at one amazing room after another, you sigh a little
>You find yourself not feeling as impressed as you feel you should
>Your home is equipped with all these things and more, you were raised with the stuff.
>Spark would lose his mind if he got to spend a week in what may as well be paradise.
>Losing this spoiled attitude on life may be harder than you thought.
>The second floor was packed with some pretty awesome stuff, but the third floor is actually quite basic
>This floor is much smaller than the rest as it is half outside with a huge balcony.
>There appears to be a couple of rooms, so you decide to do a little more snooping
>The first room you enter is obviously Rainbow Dash's bedroom
>Yeah, you really shouldn't be here.
>You're about to leave when a picture frame on her dresser catches your eye.
>You pick it up and get a better look at it
>It's a picture of your mom, Rainbow Dash and the rest of their friend group.
>You look at Big Bro
>He was such a tiny dragon! It's impossible to believe that your 7 foot tall brother could have ever been as short as that.
>You look at your mom
>She was really, really young in this picture, like, younger than Scootaloo.
>Wait, does she not have wings?
>What the hell?
>You look around at all the familiar faces
>There's Pinkie Pie, she doesn't look any different
>Hey, Rarity has her mane down. You've hardly seen that before.
>Fluttershy looks similar, though her mane is a bit longer than you're used to seeing.
>Applejack looks mostly the same, though her hat certainly looks a lot more in one piece.
>It's kind of surreal to see all these ponies you know so well in their youth
>Of course you've seen pictures of them together before, but mom always had wings, and Spike was a bit older.
>You put the picture down and look around the room more.
>Rainbow Dash's bed is just a big cloud in the middle of the room.
>Can't blame her, clouds are comfortable.
>You look over a few more pictures
>There's a picture of her getting her spot in the Wonderbolts
>She's standing proud as always, with her new Wonderbolts goggles glistening
>Around her neck you spot another, more used pair
>Wonder if those are the same ones she gave you.
>You place the frame down again and spot a smaller wooden one.
>It's a picture of Rainbow and Soarin' at a pub together, slamming back cider by the look of it.
>You chuckle
>Those two were meant to be together.
>As you put the frame back down, you brush another making it fall.
>It lands on the cloudy ground, to your surprise.
>Guess the cloudy ground of houses can catch things
>So then Rainbow Dash must have been bullshitting you as a joke
>That'd explain all the smirks she gave you whenever you scrambled to throw things on that specific cloud.
>Dammit, she got you.
>At least you didn't embarass yourself in front of Scoots
>Then again, she'd probably just laugh it off
>Your train of thought comes to an end when you look at the frame
>The picture is of your mom and Rainbow Dash sitting together
>And there's you sitting between them
>You're so young, you're holding onto your mother's foreleg as she brushes the hair out of your eyes.
>It brings a smile to your face, it was simpler times then.
>Before you went to school, before you realized how different you were.
>You used to think you were a pony who hadn't grown its fur yet, and you just had to wait.
>It was crushing to know you were nothing like your mother.
>But neither was Spike, and he helped you through it all.
>You were both freaks.
>A melancholy feeling comes over you.
>Memories from grade school flash back again.
>Ponies never really accepted you in your class until much later.
>But as fillies and colts, they never held back.
>It alway hurt you to know how much more your family was.
>Saviors of the world, princesses and warriors, even just ponies who worked for a dream, or live it.
>You were Nonny, the little human of no significance.
>The only thing that defines you is your species.
>You look over the picture again.
>You realize the edge is folded back in the glass.
>You pop open the back to fix it, and see something written on the back of the picture.
>It's Rainbow's mouth-writing
>'Finally got to meet the little guy! He's small right now, but Twilight says he'll grow to be taller than Celestia! He can't say much right now, but he said 'Blanebrow', so I'll take it for now...'
>Your eyes wander down to the bottom of the written note
>'I can't wait to get to know the kid. He's like my nephew.'
>You turn the picture back around.
>The only one looking at the camera is you.
>Both Dash and mom are looking at you
>They're smiling big proud grins.
>You smile and put the picture back.
>That's enough of this room.
>You check the next room over.
>You open the door and find a room that completely surprises you.
>The walls are littered with bookshelves, and a fine desk with chair sits by the window.
>Is this a study?
>This is definitely a study.
>Funny, you never had Rainbow pegged as the literary type.
>You walk in and begin looking at the shelves
>There are books of every type; Wonderbolts autobiographies, Histories of different places and things, Daring Doo novels, even dictionaries of foriegn languages.
>You run your fingers across the spines of all the books
>You make your way to her desk.
>Papers are spread hap hazardly across the table
>You look at some of them curiously
>'...but being a Wonderbolt isn't all fun and games, you need to be in peak physical condition. You need to know exactly what you are doing...'
>It looks like a rough draft of an autobiography.
>Rainbow Dash would be excited to have a whole book filled with her life.
>Well may as well take a read.
>You sit down on the leather chair
>It's incredibly soft, and it feels great to sit on.
>You look through the papers
>'What it takes to be a Wonderbolt' 'How I acchieved my dream to be a Wonderbolt' 'The intense training you must go through'
>All these papers are really rough, seems like she is having a hard time with the Wonderbolt bit
>You grab another paper
>To your surprise, this one isn't wrinkled at all. In fact, it seems almost preserved.
>You read the title
>'Friends and Family'
>The paper is printed on, and it is clean as hell.
>It starts off strong
>'Friends aren't like family, they just are. Of course I have my friends in the Wonderbolts, but they were my heroes before they became my friends.'
>You continue reading
>'True friends start off as just that, friends. But as time goes on, they become your heroes. They become the ponies you look up to, and rely on, and trust will always throw you a birthday party.'
>'We're all big parts of eachother's lives, and even with Rarity and Spike being together, and Twilight's Princessness, we still find time for eachother.'
>You skim through a bit before suddenly spotting your name.
>You start at the beginning of the paragraph
>'So friends are our heroes, and our family. Which means any family they may have is part of your family.'
>'Twilight is the first one to have a child, kind of. Like Spike she adopted another helpless baby. Now I am not allowed to disclose from where or how, but Twilight's child is a human. It's kind of like a monkey, but it has no fur and is way bigger.'
>You've just been demoted to monkey. That hurts.
>'But it's totally different! When I first met him, he was babbling like any newborn filly would. Flash forward to when he's 6 years old, and he's telling me all about how he loves the Wonderbolts.'
>'He was totally into it, he reminded me of Scootaloo who I mentioned before.'
>'But this time around, he wasn't just some fan wanting to be my sister, he was part of my family before all that. He knew me as a baby, and he saw me like some kind of aunt.'
>you smirk a bit
>'I can't get enough of the kid. He's always asking me questions about the Wonderbolts and me, I sent him my pair of cadet goggles for his birthday. Word is he hasn't taken them off since.'
>'Even though he's a human, he ain't much different from anypony else.'
>You stop reading there.
>Best not to spoil it much more.
>You close the book.
>Were you really that close with Rainbow Dash before? What happened?
>You make a mental note to rekindle that flame.
>She has some fresh notes
>'To Write: Anon coming to visit. Anon crashing party.'
>Then circled with wet red ink
>'Scootaloo + Anon? Always thought they would have chemistry'
>You blush and quickly out of the room.
>You've seen a little more than you were supposed to.
>At least now you know why Rainbow Dash keeps bringing it up.
>You sit down on the stairs, thinking about what Rainbow Dash kept so close.
>But one line bothers you amongst all this good.
>' Now I am not allowed to disclose from where or how, but Twilight's child is a human.'
>Obviously you never thought you came from your mother's womb, but you always tried to avoid thinking about it too much.
>You think of some human mother, what ever she may look like, crying for her baby. Looking for her son. For her little Nonny.
>And the father, who lost his boy many a year ago. Is he still searching? Does he ever think of you? Does he ever wonder how things could be?
>You stop yourself there.
>You wipe a tear away from your eye
>You shouldn't think about such things right now.
>This isn't the time, nor the place.
>You stand up and look at the clock
>Really? That late already?
>May as well get walking. Cloudsdale is a pretty big place.
>You grab your bag and walk out the front entrance.
>The sun has only started its descent, and the air feels warm against your skin.
>You start walking through town. It's quiet today, with the shops all closing for the night soon, and no Wonderbolts parties scheduled.
>You pass the nice houses and head towards the industrial district.
>You see the weather factory puffing white clouds out.
>That won't stop for a couple more hours.
>You see Spark's house at the end of the street and start walking towards it.
>Suddenly, Spark pops out of a nearby bush.
>"There you are!"
>You jump at the ninja assault
"Oh Celestia, you startled me!
>"Yeah, sorry about that. I just didn't want you gettin' too close to the house is all."
>You're confused.
"Wh-what do you mean? Did I offend your family or-"
>He laughs hysterically, interrupting you.
>"OFFENDED MY FAMILY? Are you nuts? If you step foot in that house, you'll never get out. My parents will devote their damn lives to you and Scootaloo. Hell, I was considering it myself."
>You chuckle with relief.
"Yeah, let's not have that."
>You look at his front yard.
>You see Misty jumping around in the cloudy field. She's wearing Scootaloo's jacket and goggles, making zapping noises with her mouth.
>You think back to Rainbow's book.
>Yeah, you've been there before.
>Cloud 9
>You and Spark start walking back to Cloudsdale Heights
>"So where is Scootaloo?"
>You scratch your head.
>"I don't think she gets out for a little while longer."
>"Oh, well where are we meeting her?"
>Hadn't thought of that.
"Well uh, let's just go to Rainbow Dash's house. That's probably where she'll expect to find us."
>Spark's voice nearly cracks with excitement.
>"Wait, I get to go into Rainbow Dash's house?"
"Well yeah. You'll see her there too."
>Spark shakes his head and chuckles
>"Two days ago all i was focused on was getting into that party. Now I'm getting invited to go into Rainbow Dash's buckin' house to meet her."
>he shakes his head again
>"What the buck?! I mean seriously, how did this come to be?"
>You laugh and smile
>Spark's pretty humorous when he rants like this.
>The two of you finally get to Rainbow's house.
>Spark is admiring the large building, his jaw hanging in awe.
>The two of you enter the house, you hear Rainbow's voice from the kitchen
>You walk over
"He, who're you talking-"
>You look inside to see Scootaloo chatting with Rainbow Dash
>This is the first time you've seen her without her Wonderbolts uniform on since grade school.
>Her mane remains short, with a little curling at the front. It really suits her.
>She has a little earing stud in her right ear, but other than those things she's just an older and more elegant looking Scootaloo.
>She turns to you.
>"Oh hello Anon! So I was right when I thought you were staying with Rainbow Dash"
>She winks
>Oh Celestia
>Rainbow is pulling a fast one Scoots
>She doesn't know.
>"It's been awhile! I thought I saw you at the party, but I never got to catch up with you."
>Rainbow smirks as she lifts a mug of coco to her face
>"Oh, I'm sure you and Anon will catch up quickly"
>Scootaloo nods
>You slap yourself in the face.
>"Oh I agree" responds Scootaloo "In fact I'm sure we'll get along just like we did back-"
"Scoots she knows about the kiss."
>Scootaloo's face goes from orange to red in a heartbeat.
>Rainbow Dash can barely contain herself.
>She really had Scoots fooled.
>The silence is interrupted by Spark
>That was only the most awkward exchange you have ever had.
>So now you're all sitting at the table, Scootaloo next to you and Spark next to Rainbow Dash
>All the introductions have been made, and Spark hasn't stopped grinning since you all sat down.
>You assume it's because he is sitting next to Rainbow Dash, but you feel like the Scootaloo thing has something to do with it too.
>The table remains silent
>Finally Scoots speaks up
>"I-I'm sorry for being out so late that night Rainbow Dash. I should have been back at the-"
>Rainbow lifts a hoof to stop her while taking a sip of coffee
>"Save it, I broke plenty of rules at the academy. Just be happy you're mine and Soarin's cadet."
>Scoots nods gratefully and lets out a sigh
>"So..." Rainbow Dash begins with a smirk, "How'd all this come about?"
>You and Scoots blush
>Spark is overjoyed and chuckling
>He must enjoy the gossip
>Rainbow continues
>"You two certainly have gotten more intimate in one day than you ever were as kids, are you two getting a little closer than friends?"
>She makes a huge grin
>Scootaloo has one hoof up to cover her eyes and she is stirring her coffee with the other one
>You think on your toes
"I dunno, how intimate have you and Soarin been since he asked you out?"
>Now it's Rainbow's time to blush
>Spark turns to look at her with his mouth wide open
>Scootaloo seems less embarassed now
>"Did he really ask you out?"
>Rainbow tries to play it off
>"Well we came to an understanding at the party-"
>Scoots intrerrupts her
>"I knew you were flicking your tail in his face on purpose in training today!"
>Spark blasts coffee out his nose before laughing outloud
>You let out a chuckle too
>Rainbow's face is definitely red now.
>"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
>She tries to change the subject
>"Hey aren't you all supposed to be doing something tonight?"
>You shrug
>You guys never really decided what to do
>Spark pipes up
>"Oh yeah, we've got a big night ahead of us."
>You and Scoots look at him with a confused glance
>"Yeah, a big night. In fact we best get moving."
>Spark gets out of his chair
>"Thanks for hosting me Ms. Dash. It was a real honor meeting you. You have a wonderful cadet too."
>Rainbow Dash, you, and Scoots all look at him with disbelief
>Didn't expect that phrase to come out of that mouth.
>Rainbow Dash smiles
>"No problem, feel free to stop by anytime."
>Spark smiles too.
>You and Scoots get out of your chairs to follow him.
>As you are about to exit the kitchen you think about what Spark said.
>You turn around and see Rainbow start to bring the dishes to the sink.
>You walk over and stack the dishes to be put in the sink and bring them over.
>Rainbow Dash seems surprised to see you doing this.
>"H-Hey thanks kiddo."
>You smile
"Thanks for the coffee."
>She smiles back
>"No problem."
>Scootaloo pop her head back into the kitchen as you're about to walk out.
>"NONNY- oh. Sorry. Are you coming or what?"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
>"Alright, let's go then! Spark is waiting outside!"
>She turns around quickly
>You get a faceful of her tail
>She looks back at your with a grin
>Was that on purpose?
>You look at Rainbow Dash
>Her smirk creeps up the sides of her face and she lifts her eyebrows at you.
>You blush and follow Scoots out the front
>Outside Spark is waiting
>"Alright you two. I owe you guys big time, and tonight I'ma start payin' ya back."
>You look at Scoots then back to Spark
"We told you Spark, you don't owe us anything."
>"Then it's not for you, it'll be for me."
>You roll your eyes
>Whatever it is, he won't take no for an answer.
>Spark leads you and Scoots down towards his part of town
>You pass the many quaint houses and head towards the cloud factory
>"Now you can't tell anypony about this okay? This is our little secret, got it?" says Spark
>That makes you a little nervous
"Uh, sure. No problem Spark. Where exactly are we-"
>"It'll be revealed soon enough, Anon. Just keep following."
>You approach a chainlink fence with a gate out front of the factory.
>Spark opens it with a key, then leads you towards the factory's back area
>You and Scootaloo follow him closely
>Something tells you that you're not supposed to be there.
>After all, the factory is closed
>But Spark works here, so may it's alright.
>He heads towards a large hanger in the back behind the factory.
>He goes up to the lock and pops it open.
>"Alright, I know it's not much, but for everything you've done for my family, we made you a couple things."
>Made you something? Good, at least he didn't try to buy you anything. You really don't want his money.
>He reaches into his bag and brings out a piece of paper
>"For you, Scootaloo, Misty drew you a picture. She'd kill me if it didn't get to you."
>You look over Scoot's shoulder to see the picture
>There's a little blue and yellow circle with lines as legs flying with another, but bigger one.
>In chicken scratch, you read "SCoOtallu" over one and "M3" over the other.
>You smile just like Scootaloo is doing.
>Your eyes reach the bottom left corner
>There's a little castle with a stick figure standing next to it and a little yellow circle creature
>The titles above your heads read "aMNon" and then "Bro!"
>You read every word in her little voice.
>Goddamn that is touching
>"I love it. I love it so much!"
>She smiles
>How could you not love it?
>Spark goes back into his back and pulls out a bit of red string
>He drops it in your hands
>"Misty and I used to make these necklace things all the time to make a little money on the side."
>You look at it a little closer
>It's a simple necklace with a simple knot pattern going all the way around it.
>This must have taken ages to make without fingers
>"What do you think? I know it isn't exactly fine jewelry but..."
>It may be simple
>And it may not be very elegant
>But for some reason, you really love this thing
>This new appreciation for such a simple thing is new
>You decide to embrace the feeling
"It's awesome! I really love it. Thanks Spark."
>You put the necklace on over your head
>It's tight to put on, but extremely comfortable around the neck
>You hardly notice it's there.
>"Alright, it's time for the icing on the cake."
>He opens the doors to the hangar and motions for us to go inside
>You walk in and are greeted by a large pit
>You look inside and find it is filled with puffy white clouds, almost like a pool.
>"Here it is, the reject cloud storage. I usually use this place to help Misty learn to fly, but you guys can enjoy it all you want."
>The clouds look puffy and welcoming, and you can feel yourself leaning in.
>You feel some rustling in your bag, like somepony is going through it.
>Scootaloo soars in at lightnight speed.
>She bounces off one clouds and rebounds off another before landing in a softer one.
>"Yeah, these clouds were rejected for either being too soft, and thus not able to hold rain, or too rigid, which made them resist wind."
>You put your bag on the ground and jump after Scootaloo
>The first cloud you hit is like elastic
>It bends down before blasting you back into the air
>You fly straight up before flying down and landing on a soft cloud
>It's beyond comfortable
>You hear Spark yelling from above the pit
>"You can come here as much as you guys want, just tell me first. This is the best I can offer."
>You laugh
"Spark, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't owe us anything, you're our friend, dude!"
>Spark flies into an extra puffy cloud.
>He knows his way around the joint.
>"Yeah, I know I don't. But it's not about what you want, it's about what I feel. My parents taught me that one good deed deserves another, yeah? So that's just the way it should be."
>You admire Spark's view on life, so selfless about it all.
>Even though doesn't even have a fraction of what you have, he still feels an obligation to return acts of kindness.
>That's the kind of pony- erm, person, you want to be.
>It'll take a while, but with a little hard work you might get it done.
"This is pretty awesome Spark. I'm really flattered you-"
>Suddenly a laughing Scootaloo knocks you right through the cloud you're sitting on.
>The two of you tumble down the pit of clouds
>You bounce off soft ones, bouncy ones, and ones as hard as a cloud can get
>Finally you tumble into a super soft cloud ass first
>You're followed by Scootaloo who slams directly into your chest.
>The air gets knocked out of your lungs and you let out a weird heave.
>"Oops! Sorry!"
>You shake your head and realize she is wearing your goggles
"Oh hey! You have the goggles on! I didn't see them on you before."
>She blushes a bit
>"Oh yeah, I hid them in your bag while Rainbow Dash was around. I didn't want her recognizing her goggles and assuming anything. Not that any of that mattered, since she knew about the..."
>She trails off with a bit more of a blush
>You smirk
>She smiles
>"Haha, yeah those."
>You hear Spark from near the top of the pit
>"Hey, don't get too intimate down there!"
>It's at this point your realize that Scootaloo is literally sitting in your lap facing you while you sit in the cloud.
>Scootaloo realizes as well and blushes profoundly
"Maybe, we should move?" You whisper sarcastically
>She nods and stands and turns
>Her tail trails under your nose
>She takes off towards Spark
>That's the second time. She's definitely doing this on purpose.
>You jump from cloud to cloud, gaining more height with each elastic one you hit
>You slowly make your way back to where the other two are gliding around
>The clouds shift under your feet, and you jump higher and higher
>You're jumping damn near 20 feet in the air
>If you close your eyes for that second of weightlessness, you feel like you're flying
>Time slows down
>Everything is moving at half its speed
>Everything is serene
>For a second, you see a freeze frame of the scene
>Spark relaxing in his cloud chair, Scoots flying against clouds to bounce off
>Your necklace floats up to your eyes as you descend
>What a wonderful place.
>Hours skip by as the three of you hop around like kids in a toy store
>Finally you're all on the side line of the cloud pit, panting and sweaty.
>You're all smiling and chuckling at the memory you've just made.
>After a few minutes of sitting her, you look at your watch
>Time flies at a much faster rate than you expected it to.
>You stand up.
"Alright. Tonight was pretty fun. We have you to thank for that Spark."
>Spark is laying down on the ground.
>"Yeah yeah, no problem."
>Scootaloo stands
>"If we're all gonna disband, I'm gonna fly back to the academy to get some shut eye. I've got tomorrow off, and I want to get up early for some extra training."
>You nod
"Sounds good. We can hang out tomorrow too!"
>She smiles
>"That's the plan"
>Spark rolls around on the cloudy ground
>"I dunno. Maybe I can work something out with my boss to get out early."
>He sits up
>"Otherwise I'll be late tomorrow just like today"
"Alright, glad we got this all sorted out."
>Scootaloo puts on her goggles and opens her wings
>"See you guys tomorrow!"
>"Cya Scootaloo"
"Bye Scoots!"
>She takes off through the door and glides away.
>You and Spark start walking to the gate
>He seems rather quiet
>He pulls out the key and longs the gate behind you as you exit.
>He turns around and faces you
>When he turns, he reveals the biggest shit-eating grin you've ever seen.
>He raises one eyebrow
>The kind you make when you know something you can hang over their somepony's head.
>Please don't be what you think it is.
>He opens his mouth slowly
>Celestia please
>"So you and Scootaloo huh?"
>You don't respond, but you can't help the blushing
>Spark likes this new power he has over you
>"So when you said you two kissed, what did you mean? Was it good?"
>His evil little grin has crawled up to his damn ears at this point
>You sigh
"It was just on the cheek and forehead, it wasn't anything big."
>"But was it good though?"
>You look at him with a funny look
>Surprisingly he doesn't look like he's trying to tease you anymore.
>He genuinely wants to know.
"Well, yeah. It was great. She pulled me in twice with her wings."
>"She used her wings on you? That's a big deal in the pegasus race, my dude."
>Didn't know that, gonna store that for the future.
>"So what are you guys now? Are you like, going out or something."
>You nervously laugh
"I don't think so. It was just a couple simple kisses, nothing big."
>"Yeah, well she drew you in for each one yeah?"
"Well yeah, but we haven't seen eachother in years. I think we all just got a bit passionate last night. I know you did."
>Spark laughs out loud
>"Of course I did! My family means everything to me. I care about them, so when good things happen to them I get passionate."
>You and Spark start walking towards his house
>"The same goes for anypony you care about. You don't get passionate unless that pony, uh or human, means something to you."
"Yeah but, maybe it was just a friendly kiss, you know?"
>Spark sends a deadpan look your way
>"A friendly kiss huh?"
>You blush again.
>Spark begins again
>"Look, I guess what I'm askin' ya is if you feel something for Scootaloo. That's all I'm asking."
>You've thought about this for awhile now.
>Back in grade school you developed a crush on her for obvious reasons
>She was a misfit like you, but she was so much cooler than everypony else.
>It wasn't hard to fall for her.
>And now that you're both adults, kinda, those old feelings come back again
>But are they real? Or are they still just a school days crush?
>Your train of thought is interrupted by Spark again
>"What's your answer?"
>You decide to just speak your mind, something you've never really done before with anyone but Bro.
"Well, yeah I guess. I have feelings for her. But I think they may be misguided. They're probably from back in grad-"
>"Bah bah bah bah bah" Spark says quickly to stop you
>"I didn't ask about whether your feelings may be misguided or not, I asked if you have them."
"Y-yeah. I have feelings for Scoots."
>He smiles
>"Then that's all you need to know, yeah?"
"But I feel like they are influenced by our past."
>"So what? My feelings for my family are built off our past together, what makes what you've got any different?"
>You're unsure about what he's saying, but he seems impossible to reason with right now.
"Maybe you're right..."
>"Of course I'm right."
>The two of you show up to the front door of Spark's house.
>"Listen bud, if you have feelings don't you hesitate."
"But, what if she doesn't want a relationship or anything? What if I'm misreading it all?"
>Spark is on his way to the door
>"Who cares? Better to give it a shot. At least then you'll know."
>He opens the door to his house and turns to face you.
>"Don't think so much Anon. Just do it. I'll see you tomorrow."
>He enters the house and the door closes behind him.
>You start walking back to Rainbow's house
>He does have a point: You'll never know unless you ask right?
>Tomorrow you'll have to chat with Scootaloo.
>Maybe you can bring her somewhere, like a diner or something.
>You don't know. You haven't exactly had much contact with girls before.
>You shake your head.
>It's a pain in the ass, but you're definitely going to do it.
>You must do it.
>After a long walk, you make your way back to the house.
>Your mind is buzzing with thoughts.
>You're not really too tired, after all you slept in pretty late.
>You step into the front entrance
>You're actually pretty hungry
>Probably shouldn't have skipped dinner.
>You head to the kitchen for something to eat
>You look around a bit for something simple
>Buck it: Cereal for dinner
>Your laziness far outweighs your desire to eat something else.
>As you munch on your bowl of Wonderbombs you think more about what Spark said
>You want to find out what it all means
>You want to know how she feels
>But you don't really know how to go about it.
>As you shake your head you hear hoofsteps coming down the stairs
>A Rainbow Dash trots into the kitchen.
>She is slightly startled by your presence
>"OH- geez. Ha, I thought you weren't gonna be back until late."
>Rainbow has her mane up, and is wearing a bathrobe
"Yeah well, we had a lot of fun with Spark, but we didn't want to stay up quite so late."
>You continue munching
"What are you still doing up?"
>Rainbow fills a mug with coffee
>"I'm just writing some things for the Wonderbolts."
>Yeah right
>She's writing that book of hers.
>Silence fills the room as the coffee maker bubbles away and fills Rainbow's cup
>You think about Rainbow Dash's book and her pictures upstairs.
>You think about that relationship the two of you once had.
"H-hey Rainbow Dash"
>She turns and looks at you
"What do I do, if I want to ask a mare how she feels about me?"
>Rainbow's eyebrows go up and she smiles
>It's not her regular teasing smirk though, it's different
>It's genuine.
>Rainbow grabs her now full mug of coffee and trots to the table
>"I'm guessing this is about you and Scoots."
>You nod with a blush
>Rainbow sits down at the table with that same smile
>"I don't really understand your problem."
>You lean your head on you hand
"I dunno. I just want to ask her how she feels about me. I know these feelings came on fast in a matter of days, but I really feel something."
>"So what's the issue?"
>This confuses you.
"Well, uh, I don't really know... erm, how to ask?"
>Rainbow Dash's smile curls a bit
>"You don't want to buck it up essentially."
>That's a blunt but apt way to put it.
>You run your hand through your hair
"Yeah. Basically."
>She chuckles
>"Do you remember why I didn't kill you last night? Even though you disobeyed the one order I gave you?"
>You nod
"Because I got Soarin to ask you out."
>She nods
>"Soarin and I have been pretty close for years, but over the past couple weeks we got a lot closer."
>You lean over the table
>"He knew how I felt about him, and I knew how he felt about me. We never had to ask each other anything."
>This doesn't sound encouraging for your situation.
>"But he still didn't ask me for a relationship."
>At this point you're leaning directly over the table.
"Why?" you ask a bit too excitedly
>She shrugs
>"He wouldn't be able to tell you, but it certainly had nothing to do about how I felt about him."
>She leans over the table too.
>"He was hesitating because he didn't trust himself."
>You're at complete attention.
>"He didn't want to buck it up, he didn't want to ask me out and have it all fall apart."
>You unconsciously nod with this claim
>"So he hesitated for a long time, he liked who we were before taking it to the next level, and he didn't want to risk losing it."
>She smiles
>"But you need to take that risk to get more out of life. You need to put it all on the line sometimes to experience something truly great."
>She sips her coffee and looks into the mug
>"You can't fly unless you jump from up high."
>You nod again
>Holy shit this advice was everything you needed
>It made sense to you that you don't trust yourself, you've never had the best self-esteem
>There were a lot of reasons for this, but none quite like the royalty
>But now isn't the time to think of such things.
>Now is the time to show your gratitude.
>Rainbow looks at you over her coffee
>"Does that make any sense to you?"
>You stand up and hug her out of her chair
>She seems surprised, but she wraps her hooves around you.
"Thank's Rainbow Dash. You've really helped me a lot tonight. I owe you one."
>You hear her sigh
>"You don't owe me anything at all. We're family."
>She hugs you a bit tighter
>After a long warm hug, you put her back on her chair.
>She looks happy
>"So are you going to bed soon?"
>You nod
>"Good. Don't stay up too, too late."
>You smile
>The grin she is wearing reminds you of the picture upstairs.
>An unconditional feeling of happiness, the only difference is she's looking up at you as opposed to down.
>You bring your bowl to the sink and run it under some water.
>As you clean it your mind throbs with activity
>Your emotions are mixed, but things are becoming more clear.
>Spark said that feelings can come from the past, and that passion is for ponies that matter to you.
>The more you think about it from this newfound perspective, the more you realize just how good that advice is.
>You never give passion to those who don't mean anything to you, and for awhile that was everypony.
>But with this new light, your passion has finally leaked onto somepony other than your immediate family.
>Even though your passion seemed to have dried up for ponies like Rainbow Dash, you can still get it back.
>You just need to trust yourself more, and not close yourself off.
>You need to let it out.
>You finish cleaning your dishes and wipe your hands on a towel
>Before leaving you look again to Rainbow Dash
"Goodnight Rainbow"
>She looks up at you with a small grin
>"Goodnight Nonny."
>You smile
>She hasn't called you by that nickname in awhile.
>You leave the kitchen and head for your room.
>When you get there you throw your clothes on the ground
>Rainbow really was pulling your leg when she said everything would just fall right through the ground.
>She's really convincing.
>Or maybe you're just really gullible
>You put on some pajama pants and a loose shirt.
>You head to the bathroom to brush your teeth.
>You take a knee to look in the mirror
>You look into your human eyes and your human face
>A feeling of sadness creeps up
>Your eyebrows arch and scrunch near the middle
>You run your hand over your nose and mouth
>No snout, just a nose.
>No mane, just some hair
>No fur, just skin.
>You're reminded of those days in school after Scootaloo left
>You were pretty alone, a weird looking kid with a weird family.
>Few ponies even tried to converse with you, be it out of spite or simple Anthrophobia
>Whatever be the case, you were alone after Scoots left
>But not while she was there
>She didn't care you were a human, she still stayed with you
>Even if you were a lot younger than her.
>Passions go beneath the skin, you suppose.
>You stand and finish up.
>You walk back to your room and flop on the soft clouds in the middle.
>You pull a blanket over and stare at the white ceiling.
>Today gave you a lot to think about.
>You drift to sleep slowly and let the cloudiness of your brain die down.
>You don't dream, only sleep
>Suddenly the light returns to your eyes
>You're woken up by a light tapping sound
>You sit up a little grumpy
>The clock reads 2:14am
>What the hell?
>The tapping continues
>You're still a little groggy from sleep, so you can't immediately pinpoint where it's coming from
>It continues, a little more excitedly
>You look around the room
>When your eyes make it to the window, you see a black figure
>Your heart skips a beat and you jump out of your bed-cloud
>After a couple sconds you catch your breath and approach the window.
>As soon as you make out the orange fur you know exactly who it is.
>You prop open the window
>Scootaloo scratches the back of her head
>"Hey. Can I come in?"
>You nod. Even though it's late, you don't really mind.
>She swoops into your room and lands on your bed.
>You close the window behind her
>You turn to face her.
>There is an odd silence for half a minute
>Scootaloo stares at you the whole time
>You look at her.
>She blushes and opens her bag
>She pulls out your dress jacket
>"I-I had, erm. Y-you left this with m-me."
>Oh yeah, you forgot about that thing completely
>You walk over and take it from her.
"Thanks Scoots! I completely forgot about it."
>You put the jacket on over your t-shirt
>It smells like Scootaloo, and it has orange fur and purple hair here and there.
>Something tells you it's been worn more than just that night.
>You sit down on your bed with your back against the wall.
>Scootaloo sits opposite of you.
>"I-is something on your mind?"
>She seems rather nervous for some reason
>You think back to your conversations with Rainbow Dash and Spark.
>You swallow hard
"Scoots I want to ask you something."
>She blinks
>"Y-yeah Anon?"
>You scrunch your face a bit
"I want to ask you something, but I don't know if I can."
>Your lips move on their own.
"I'm scared. Not because of you but because of me. I'm scared I can't live up to the question I want to ask."
>Scootaloo walks accross the bed towards you.
>"Why would you think that?"
>You look up at her
>Her beautiful purple eyes look at you with concern
>You feel your heart ache
>Something makes its way to your voice
"I'm not like you, or anypony. I'm so different, but not in a good sense."
>Your lips continue to move without thinking. Your voice forms words you don't expect.
"Everypony I know is so incredible. They're princesses and Wonderbolts, heroes and beautiful beings, and I'm none of that."
>You shake your head in your hands
"I'm just a spoiled rotten human that lives in a castle that doesn't know how to help others, let alone himself."
>You bring your legs up and press your head against your knees
"What good could I possibly bring to the world? My family does it exceptionally well, but I just can't get a knack for it."
>You feel tears rolling down your face. You didn't expect any of this to come out now.
"My mother has saved the world multiple times before, and when she wasn't saving that she was learning about what it means to be a good friend."
"I'm surrounded by so much good, but I don't have anything to offer."
>You look up at Scootaloo, tears rolling down and dripping off your chin.
"I'm just a misfit that wastes space."
>Scootaloo seems taken aback by your sudden tone change
>She crawls up next to you and sits down.
>"Do you really feel that way?"
>You nod
>"Well, for what it's worth, that's not how I see you."
>You snort air out your nose
"Yeah, sure."
>She gets a little aggrivated
>"Don't say that! I mean it. When you're walking around you have an air of, of, I dunno, something around you. It's infectious."
>You look at her again.
>"I don't know why, but when you walk around and speak and listen, you feel so real. You're genuine, even when you are pretending."
>You tilt your head.
>"It's like, ponies feel happy when you're around, and they love to hear what you have to say. You have a wonderful way with words, and..."
>She stops for a moment, blushing
>"... and you're kind of attractive, okay? So you spread happiness with who you are and what you do. You don't need to defeat some giant villian to be a hero to some ponies."
>She closes her eyes and scrunches her snout, blushing.
>She seems rather flustered
>"Ponies like me. So stop this 'waste of space' business. That's not you."
>You're stunned by this explosion of information
>You feel yourself blushing while she does too
>The two of you
>She looks at you
"The question I wanted to ask, was, do you want to be... more than friends?"
>She blushes
"I-I know it came on fast, but I really feel something is there. A-and I want to explore it."
>Her eyes grow large
"So, do you want to go-"
>"Of course I do you buckin' jerk!"
>A single tear rolls down her cheek
>Looks like she had some passion as well.
>You suppose this is your opportunity
>You put your hand around the back of her neck.
>She puts her wings around your back and her hooves around your neck
>You press your lips against hers
>She pushes herself into you hard
>You feel her lips
>You feel her tongue
>You've never done anything like this before
>But it's something truly unique
>After a few passionate minutes the two of you break away, still surrounded by eachother's arms and wings
>You both smile at eachother's post-kiss faces
"I'm relieved you didn't think we were rushing into things. I mean it's only been a few days but-"
>"It feels like so much more than that"
>You nod
>"I was nervous about that too."
>You smile
>She smiles back
>You two aren't too different, are you?
>You are Scootaloo
>Everything has changed tonight
>Your head rests delicately on Anon's chest as your hooves wrap around him.
>He snoozes quitely while you're soon to drift off yourself.
>You feel his breathing as his chest bobs up and down slowly.
>You hear his heart beating
>You feel his skin
>And you've tasted his lips
>You were worried that you might be taking things to fast
>That maybe the two of you were acting foolish
>But now that you're here in his arms
>Now that you're guard is down
>You realize how right you were.
>His scent surrounds you once more.
>And you feel safe.
>You feel happy.
>Your eyes close.
>You don't have any dreams
>You don't need them.
>You are Anon
>You comb the skies, searching for demons to slay
>Your trusty marefriend Scooticus has gone ahead to scout.
>Your chestplate feels tight today, and your helmet rattles
>Something about this day is wrong.
>Scooticus returns
>She lands beside you
>"I don't see anything for miles Anon. Are you sure that villager gave us the right information?"
>You nod, tapping your finger on your sheathed sword.
"I trust that village, I saved them from a platoon of Orcs a few years back."
>Scooticus nods
>"Very well."
>You kneel down to her level
"We'll find this beast, and return it Lady Rarity back to my brother. This I swore."
>Suddenly a rumbling from below
>A large cave dwelling troll stomped out in front of you.
>In his hand is Lady Rarity
>You grab your sword.
>You turn to Scooticus and you kiss for good luck
>You stand.
>The beast charges
>Scooticus flies high above, and you skillfully roll out of the way.
"You dare challenge the might of Anon? Prepare to be disemboweld!"
>Scooticus uses her mouth to pull back the string on her crossbow
>The troll turns to face her.
>As the string releases a sharp flash of blue lightning springs from her crossbow
>In a blink an arc connects with the troll's face
>The troll screams in agony as the he feels the burns
>You charge the troll from behind, making a large bounds
>You spring 12 feet off the ground landing on the troll's back.
>You remove your sword from your back
>The steel is engulfed by green flames, enchanted by big brother Spike
>You lift it above your head
>You plunge the sword deep into the troll's back
>He drops Lady Rarity as the green flames engulf him.
>Scooticus catches her before she hits the ground.
>The troll collapses to the ground
>You pull your trusty sword from his back and walk to Scooticus.
>"Well done Nonny."
"Same to you Scoots."
>As you walk away you hear a voice
>You turn to see a blue hooded figure
>She seems familiar
"That is I..."
>"All will be revealed in time. Keep patient."
>Suddenly the troll erupts into a green fireball.
>As your eyes open you see the green flame lick your face.
>You jump back as a scroll lands in your lap, waking Scootaloo
>"Wha... what is it Nonny?"
>You look down at here as she cutely rubs her eye
>On your chest you feel the scroll that exploded out of green flames in front of you.
"It's a note from Bro!"
>She closes her eyes and rests her head on your chest again.
>"From Spike? He can send you notes like that?"
"Yeah, he did it all the time for mom when we were kids"
>She rubs her hoof on your neck
>"Well read it already"
>You slowly undo the golden seal with silver ribbon.
>Rarity obviously got her hooves on this before he sent it
>You're rather excited, you haven't spoken to Bro in a little while.
>Despite him being in town, he is often out of town for missions.
>You unravel the scroll
>'Dear Anon,
>'Any particular reason that mom's balloon is in the middle of the Everfree Forest?'
>You raise your eyebrows
>"What does it say?"
"Uh, well. They found my mom's balloon."
>"Did it go missing?"
>You chuckle
"I kinda missed the landing pad on my way here."
>She snorts
>"Did you really?"
>You nod
>The door gets thrown open
>Rainbow walks in
>"Hey Anon, I got a message from Spike asking me about-"
>She stops and looks at you and Scootaloo
>She blushes with a smirk
>"I didn't see anything!"
>You hop out of bed and head for the shower.
>Scoots just flops her head back into your warm spot.
>You walk into the bathroom and look in the mirror
>You've got Scoot's feathers all over yourself
>I guess that's what happens when you sleep with a pony
>Well, sleep in the same bed.
>You pull the feathers out of your hair and hop in the shower
>You sit quietly and wait for your usual thoughts
>But they never come
>For the first time in a very long time, your mind is quiet
>At first you feel startled by this development
>But you start to smile
>The silence is bliss.
>You hop out of the shower and brush your teeth
>There's Scootaloo feathers coating the floor
>You pick them up and throw them away.
>With a towel wrapped around your waist you re-enter your room
>Scootaloo is up now and fixing her earing in the reflection in the window
>You quickly put on a pair of boxers and pants while her back is turned
>She's still messing with that earing
>You chuckle and walk over to her
"Stop fidgeting. I used to have to do this for Rarity all the time when she and Spike were dating."
>You quickly fasten the earing and turn it so it's right
"See? Not too shabby eh?"
>She smiles
>"Those things sure are helpful."
"What hands? Oh yeah, it's pretty great."
>You put a shirt on and start packing up your bag.
"So do you know any way to get back down to Ponyville? I should really discuss this with Bro."
>Scootaloo thinks for a moment
>"You can always use the chariot service, they generally go to Canterlot only, but with you I'm sure they'll make an exception
>Chariot service?
>That would have been nice to know about before.
>You head to the kitchen first where Rainbow is sitting with a newspaper.
>She's definitely been waiting for you.
>No way she is reading that newspaper for pleasure.
>"So we ended up having a little company over, eh Nonny?"
>You shake your head as you grab some muffins from the pantry
"Nothing happened last night."
>She nods
>"But you jumped right?"
>You turn and look at her
>She's smiling with a motherly grin
>The kind where it isn't about hand holding, and it isn't congradulating you.
>She's just proud
>You smile back
"Yeah. I did."
>You walk out of the kitchen and back up to your room.
>Scootaloo is stretching her wings
"I grabbed you a muffin."
>As you get closer she flings the muffin out of your hand with her wings
>She jumps up and eats it out of the air.
>"Thjangks" she says with a mouthful
>You chuckle
"No problem."
>You sit on the end of your bed
"So listen, we're gonna have to take a road trip. That balloon was my responsibility"
>Scoots nods
>"Alright! We'll just catch the chariots then. Are you sure Rainbow is okay with this?"
>Good question, you should probably run this by her first.
>You stand up start heading downstairs with Scootaloo
>You approach the kitchen again
"Rainbow Dash, I've gotta-"
>"Money is on the counter, you tell Spike to send me a message when you get there."
>Right, she got a letter too.
>She turns from doing the dishes to face you
>"If he doesn't send me one within the next couple hours, I'm coming looking for you."
>She points at you
>"Do not make me come after you, squirt. It won't be pretty."
>Grab the bits off the counter and nod
"Thanks Rainbow!"
>You and Scoots head for the door
>When you open it you are greated by Spark
>By the looks of his position, he was just about to knock.
>"Uh. Hey guys."
"Spark! What are you doing here? I thought you had work."
>"Yeah I did, but the factory had a bit of a buck up, and everypony was �sent home early."
"A buck up?"
>"Yeah, some cloud came out wrong and wasn't picked up by quality control. The thing exploded inside one of our machines and really gummed it up. Since it's one big production line, that shut down the whole shabang."
>You nod
"Well, on the bright side, at least now maybe you can join us on our journey."
>Scootaloo peeks out from behind you
>"Yeah, we're retrieving Nonny's balloon, which he royally bucked, from his brother."
>Scootaloo seems rather satisfied with that pun.
>Spark tilts his head to the side
>"Wait, Anon had a balloon? How'd you buck that up?"
>You scratch the back of your head
"I didn't land it on an actual landing zone."
>Spark starts giggling then evolves to full on laughter
>"So what? Did it, did it just float down to the surface?! Oh Celestia that is rich!"
>You pout a little
>Everypony is raggin' on you today.
"Are you gonna come with us or not?"
>Spark finishes laughing at your expense and calms down
>"Yeah, yeah. I'll go with ya. It'll be interesting."
>The three of you head out the door and follow Scoots to the chariots
>You go through the middle of town, and end up heading down the hill again
>You find the chariots zone in downtown Cloudsdale
>Now here comes the tricky part
"So who do I have to convince to bring us to Ponyville?"
>Scoots points to an old stallion in a small booth
>"That's the conductor of everything. You convince him and we're set."
>You nod then walk up to the booth
>The booth is short, and you need to crouch to look inside
>The old stallion inside lowers his newspaper
"Uh, hi! I require a chariot-"
>The stallion suddenly recognizes you
>"YOUR HIGNESS, it is an honor to serve you."
"Thank you, I need to travel-"
>"To Canterlot? I can get you on a chariot right now."
>You shake your head
"No, no, I need a chariot to Ponyville. It's very imp-"
>The old stallion slams a button on his desk, and a chariot connected to two pegasai flies in
>"One chariot heading to ponyville."
>You look the stallion up and down
>You reach into your pocket and pull out the bits you were given by Rainbow Dash
"Now before you say ANYTHING, I insist that you accept these."
>You place the bits down like you're lowering a weapon
>You hop on the chariot and signal to your friends
"Thank you for the help, have a great day."
>The old stallion bows his head
>"Yes m'leige"
>The chariot takes off
>Sometimes being a royal is a pain.
>You lean on the edge of the chariot
>Clouds soar past you at great speeds
>It reminds you of those balloon rides with Bro
>Everything looks so small below you.
>So insignificant.
>Yet so beautiful.
>You reach your arms out of the chariot to drag it through a cloud.
>The cool mist of the cloud waves over your arm.
>It's been a few months since you last saw Bro.
>He may be in the same town, but you hardly ever see him.
>You sigh
>This isn't the way it used to be.
>You rest your arms on the railing of the chariot
>Your mind drifts back many years
>As the clouds pass over your hand, the clouds in your mind part.
>You see the shining halls as they were years ago
>Everything was so much bigger back then.
>You're sitting in a large hallway
>The walls are a deep shade of purple crystal, and the floors are black, reflective tiles
>You're wearing a little t-shirt and shorts
>Bro pulls you along in a wagon
>He's only a few feet tall, and he's only wearing a soldier helmet.
>He usually helps mom with things, but he's off today.
>He laughs as you and him recklessly crash through the halls
>You're laughing along with him through the facemask of a hoofball helmet
>As you take a turn, the wagon tips to the right
>You're thrown out of the cart and slide accross the floor.
>You gently slide to a stop.
>Bro runs to you
>"Nonny! Are you alright?"
>You get up, your head is spinning.
>You shake your head and look into Spike's worrisome eyes
>You laugh
"That was awwesome!"
>He smiles too
>"Haha! You're pretty tough Nonny!"
>He lifts you up and puts you back in the wagon.
>Suddenly he burps up a scroll
>He picks it up off the ground
>"Oh hey, a scroll! C'mon, let's bring it to Twi- I mean, mom."
>You giggle
>He starts pulling you again
>The two of you race to the library
>You wave at the two guards standing outside of it
>They chuckle as you pass
>Inside you see mom, hanging over a book.
>"Hey mom!"
>Mom turns her head and looks at you two with a smile.
>"Oh ho ho. Two brave explorers traveled to my library I see."
>Bro nods, making his helmet rock back and fourth on his head.
>Mom laughs as she picks you up with magic, lightly placing you into her foreleg.
>"And for what reason do I owe the pleasure?"
"Yoo got a squoll!"
>You can't really speak well yet, but you're getting better.
>Mom pushes her nose into your belly, tickling you
>"Oh I did, did I?"
>Spike smiles and hands her the scroll
>She reads it to herself
>"Oh okay, this will only take a moment."
>She places you on the table next to her.
>She catches your helmet before it slips over your eyes
>Her quill levitates over to the ink bottle and dips in
>She quickly scribbles onto the paper
>She looks up at you
>At this point, you've already started playing with the ink bottle, getting it all over yourself.
>She giggles as she takes the ink bottle away
>"Do you want to sign this to Auntie Cadence?"
>You nod
>She let's you smack your hand onto the paper
>As you lift your hand away, you see the mark clear as day.
>Mom kisses your cheek
>"That's my little monkeyboy."
>You impersonate a monkey scratching your head and pits
"Ooo Ooo Ooo!"
>The ink gets all over your face and helmet
>Spike laughs out loud at the mess you made
>Mom laughs too
>"C'mere you!"
>She pulls off your helmet and grabs a towel
>"You always know how to make a mess of yourself!"
>The towel presses against your face and covers your eyes
>Suddenly the chariot bumps a bit, breaking your day dream.
>You're really close now, you can see the towers of your castle from here.
>You stand up straight
>You wonder why that memory came up.
>It is one of your favorites
>The clouds whizz by as you descend.
>Spark and Scoots are close behind.
>You scratch the top of your head.
>Mom hasn't called you her little monkey boy in a long time.
>You came to resent the name in school.
>It was embarrassing.
>Yet, you find that you miss it.
>In the past years you haven't exactly seen eye to eye with her.
>Then again, you haven't really been making it easy.
>Everything she wants ends up being a fight.
>Even the little things
>Why does everything become a fight?
>It isn't her, though she is rather overprotective.
>It's you.
>You know that.
>You've always known that.
>So why do you start fights all the time?
>Your train of thought is derailed as the chariot makes contact with the ground.
>It slows to a halt, and Spark and Scoots land next to you.
>You hop out and thank the two chariot pullers before they fly off.
>Spark looks around with an odd expression.
>"So this is ponyville? Seems like a mighty small town to have a castle in."
>You look around
"Yeah, but it's a special place."
>You nod a bit
"It's got some real charm to it."
>You start walking to the boutique with Scoots and Spark following not too far behind.
>You pass many familiar houses and business.
>You walk over the stone bridge towards the other side of town.
>Spark seems entertained by it
>He was born and raised up in Cloudsdale
>This must be pretty different for him.
>Scootaloo speaks up
>"I haven't been back in Ponyville in awhile. I've been pretty preoccupied at the academy."
>You chuckle
"I hadn't seen you in years."
>Scoots blushes a bit
>"When I learned to fly, I swore I wouldn't stay down on earth anymore."
>She looks up at the sky
>"Yes, the clouds were the place for me."
>She locks eyes with you
>"But I kind of realized how much I left behind here. So I came and visited Applebloom and Sweetiebell a bit, but they're always busy, like me."
>You nod
>That must be rough.
>You didn't know Applebloom or Sweetie Bell very well, but you knew Scootaloo was very attached to them.
>They were together before they got their cutie marks
>They made some kind of group to find them, the Cutie Mark Crusaders or something.
>You wonder what it must be like being away from close friends for so long.
>The boutique is in sight
>You see the balloon wrapped up inside its basket next to the boutique.
>It doesn't look like it's in too rough of shape.
>You sigh with relief.
>At least its in one piece.
>Maybe you won't get in as much trouble now.
>You walk up to the door
>You take a deep breath
>Your hand clunks against the door a few times.
>You hear a bit of a rustle behind the door
>A familiar voice is muffled behind
>"Just a moment!"
>After a few more seconds of cluttered sounds and a cat meow the door finally clicks
>"Yes hello?"
>Rarity pokes her head out the door
>She looks up and looks you in the eyes
>"Oh Anon! You came so soon!"
>She smiles at you before looking down at your friends
>"Scootaloo! You're traveling with Anon? What marvelous timing! Sweetie Bell is back from Canterlot this weekend!"
>Scootaloo pushes her head under your hand to get closer
>"R-really? That's great!"
>Rarity nods, then looks around the two of you at Spark
>"And who might you be?"
>Spark walks to the door and bows his head very slightly
>"My name is Spark. I'm a friend of Anon's from Cloudsdale"
>Rarity smiles
>"Well met! You have wonderful manners, darling."
>Rarity walks backwards and opens the door.
>"Don't just stand out there! Please! Come in, come in, come in!"
>She shoos the three of you in as she closes the door behind you.
>As you walk in, you remove your shoes without thinking
>It's an old habit you formed when you used to visit here all the time as a kid
>The shoes come off so you don't end up ruining anything.
>Of course, this was back when you were a kid and you were jumping around on the furniture.
>But that doesn't really matter
>You remove them anyway.
>The boutique is bigger than you remember
>It has its full fashion stage along with multiple changing rooms and mannequines.
>You follow Rarity into the back.
>She leads you to the living room
>In the middle of the living room is a large glass table, surrounded by two loveseats, a couch, and a recliner
>Judging by the weird dents in the recliner, you assume Bro sits there a lot.
>His spikes did make sitting in chairs difficult.
>"Please have a seat everypony! I'll be back with refreshments!"
>She trots into the kitchen
>You take a seat on one of the loveseats
>Scootaloo joins you, and Spark sits in the recliner
>You hear the clinks of glasses in the kitchen
>It must be difficult to work with glasses and such when you have hooves
>You sit still for a moment
>You stand, scratching Scoots behind the ear while you get up
"I'm gonna go help Rarity in the kitchen"
>Scootaloo turns her head
>"Uh, okay. Sounds good to me!"
>You walk into the kitchen
>Rarity has placed cups in a row, and is struggling with the heavy pitcher of lemonade
>She stumbles to the right
>You rush over and stop her from dropping the pitcher
>"Tchalck wash a clerch on" she says with the pitcher still in her mouth
>You take the pitcher from her
>"Thank you Anon!"
"It's the least I could do. Thank you for serving us on such short notice.
>You turn and start pouring the lemonade.
>Rarity stays silent for a moment
>"Why, it's no problem, really. Thank you ever so much for the help."
>She goes over to pick up a tray of sweets
>"When did you become such a gentleman? I swear, you've grown up far too fast."
>You grin
>You put the lemonades onto a tray and bring it into the living room.
>You follow Rarity as she places the tray of cookies she was carrying on the table
>You place your tray next to it
>"Sweetiiiieeee, we have guests!" Rarity yells
>You hear some thumping from upstairs
>The voice sounds familiar, but only a little.
>It has an odd air of beauty to it, it flows very well.
>Rarity sits down on the open loveseat
>She is still wearing her working glasses, and she has her mane up in a bun.
>She carefully sturs sugar into her lemonade with a spoon being lifted by magic
>As she uses her horn, she seems to be uncomfortable
"Rarity? Is everything okay?"
>She looks up with a slight blush
>"Oh yes I am fine. I overworked myself yesterday assisting Spike bring the balloon in. Do not worry, it's only temporary."
>You feel a twang of guilt run up your spine.
>That explains why she wasn't doing any heavy lifting with her horn.
>Sometimes unicorns can overexert their magic, and it gives them a hornache
>At least, that's what mom used to tell you.
>But what really sucks is that you're to blame.
"I-I'm sorry about the balloon. It was an accident."
>Rarity seems surprised by the apology
>"Oh I don't blame you for any of this, Nonny. It was my fault for trying to carry too much at once."
>Her reply helped allieviate the guilt a little.
>"However I believe it is your mother that needs your apologies the most."
>And there's the guilt again.
>The thumping from the second floor finally makes its way to the stairs.
>The railing on the stairs rattles as a pony trots down them
>"Who is visiting Rarity?"
>It is now that you see Sweetie Bell completely
>Her beauty is something you can hardly describe with words
>So here you go trying to describe it with words
>She has an elegance about her, much like Rarity, but it embodies itself in her slender figure and long curled mane
>She is certainly gorgeous, but she feels so clean and pure
>Scootaloo is quite beautiful herself, but she's a lot more rugged.
>You prefer the rugged type anyway
>Sweetie Bell's eyes open wide when she sees Scootaloo sitting next to you.
>Scoots smiles at seeing her friend, and the two of them rush towards eachother
>They embrace in a most peculiar way
>It's hard to understand, but they gave off vibes of sisterlike closeness
>It may have been a regular hug, but it felt like more.
>The two of them start speaking at a mile a minute, obviously catching up.
>"Where have you been Scooty? You haven't visited in awhile!"
>"Same place as always, Cloudsdale, working towards the Wonderbolts. Where have you been? Whenever I visit ponyville you aren't around!"
>"I've been studying music theory in Canterlot! Princess Twilight got me a full ride!"
>"No kidding?! That's awesome Sweetie!"
>"I know! It's been great!"
>Sweetie's attention suddenly turns to you.
>"Oh! You're Twilight's son, Anon. Right?"
>You nod
>"I thought so! We never really talked in school, but I saw you with Scoots all the time."
"Yeah, it has been awhile"
>"You're a lot taller too! You've really become quite the human."
>You blush. Coming from someone as attractive as Sweetie Bell, this means a lot.
"Thank you."
>She smiles
>"You and Scoots used to be close back in grade school! I guess you two are just as close these days too."
>Scootaloo chuckles under her breath
>"You have no idea." she says, looking back at you.
>Sweetie Bell raises and eyebrow with aconfused expression.
>She looks at you, then Scoots, then you again, then back to Scoots.
>Suddenly her eyebrows shoot up with realization, and a large smile crawls across her face.
>You could swear you heard an odd 'squee' noise.
>"Oh you two are so cute together!"
>You and Scoots both blush
>That's one thing you remember about Sweetie Bell: She's not very discrete.
>Rarity looks at the two of you and blushes with a smirk.
>If she didn't see it before, she does now.
>Spark chuckles a little bit into his lemonade
>Sweetie Bell turns to him
>Spark suddenly stops laughing
>"Oh hello! Who are you?"
>Spark's head sinks into his shoulders.
>"I'm, uh, Spark. I'm friends with Scootaloo and Anon."
>Sweetie Bell looks him up and down with her eye not covered by hair.
>She's very obviously checking him out.
>Again: Being discrete is not Sweetie's strong suit.
>"Well it's nice to meet you Spark~"
>Spark blushes
>"A-and same to you Ms. Bell."
>You snicker a bit
>He's always so polite to strangers, yet so unfiltered with those he knows.
>Sweetie Bell jumps next to Spark in the recliner
>It's a large chair, after all Spike is a large guy, but it's still tight for two ponies.
>Spark's face is glowing red at this point
>He doesn't seem to know what to do in this situation.
>Sweetie smiles
>She knows what she is doing.
>You shake your head with a smile.
>Scootaloo sits down next to you again, and leans her head on your shoulder a bit.
>You all chat for a little while about life.
>Spark talks about his family back home
>You talk about your adventure with the balloon
>Scootaloo talks about the academy
>Rarity talks about the shop
>Sweetie Bell talks about Canterlot
>Everyone tells a story, and everyone listens.
>You catch yourself smiling
>All this feels familiar
>You remember a time when this happened a lot more often.
>Years ago, before you spent holidays in your room reading and goofing off.
>Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Bro, and pretty much anypony else you could think of would come over for every event.
>You remember going out and playing in the leaves during the fall before you grew out of it.
>You remember wearing a brown acorn vest during Winter Wrap Up before it became too childish for you.
>And most of all you remember large meals and huge happy discussions with lots of ponies before they...
>Before they... something.
>Before they became something you didn't want anymore.
>You guess.
>You haven't sat down and had a happy chat with ponies you cared about in a long time.
>It feels good to be back at it.
>You're all interrupted by the sound of the bell attached to the door.
>You smile as you hear a familiar voice
>"I'm home Rare!"
>You recognize the deep masculine voice anywhere
>Bro is home.
>You hear footsteps towards the living room as he speaks
>"Did we ever get anything back from Anon? He still needs to get back to-"
>As he walks through the doorway he stops speaking
>"Oh hey, you're here already!"
>You smile wide as you see your brother again for the first time in awhile.
>He's one of very few things around here that is taller than you.
>He stands at 7 feet tall, and he is beyond strong.
>His muscle structure may be similar to yours, but his muscles are much larger.
>He has the body of a soldier, the kind where he has trouble fitting into chariots due to his shoulders.
>He scratches his strong jaw as he smiles at you.
>He's wearing a his shoulder pads from his armor, but everything else seems to have been removed, other than his under armor clothing.
>You stand up and walk up to him.
>The two of you embrace with a huge bear hug.
>You both squeeze eachother as hard as possible.
>This was the way the two of you always hugged, it was not just a display of affection but of strength.
>As you release, he puts his hands on his hips.
"Hey Bro. Long time no see."
>He nods
>"Yeah it's been awhile. I would ask if you've been staying out of trouble, but the balloon out front kind of speaks for itself."
>You chuckle nervously.
>He laughs and smacks his hand on your back.
>"I wish I could have seen the look on your face when that balloon fell through the clouds."
>He starts to guide you back to the living room
>"From what Rainbow told me, it was priceless."
>That reminds you.
"Yeah. It was rather shocking. Rainbow wants you to send her a message and tell her I got here."
>Bro nods
>"In due time Nonny."
>You both walk back to the chairs.
>Everyone says hello and smiles.
>"Hey Scoots! You're here too? Keeping Nonny company?"
>Scootaloo blushes a little and nods.
>"Y-Yep, caught up with him at a Wonderbolt party."
>Bro laughs out loud again
>"A Wonderbolt party? My, my, sounds like Nonny really has been having a lot of fun."
>He turns to you again with a toothy grin, revealing his large fangs.
>"Well I'm glad that you're being Nonny's companion."
>You're not sure, but you could've sworn Bro winked at Scootaloo.
>Did Rainbow Dash gossip?
>That's a very strong possibility.
>Everypony seems happy to see bro
>Everypony but Spark, who seems completely awe struck.
>He's looking up at the giant standing infront of him, completely dumbfounded that such a creature could exist.
>Bro looks over to Spark
>"Haven't seen your face before, you a friend of Nonny's?"
>Spark nods dramatically
>Bro smiles
>"I'm guessing you don't have many dragons in Cloudsdale"
>Spark shakes his head violently again.
>You look over at Bro
>He's gonna do it.
>Bro's nostrils start to flare a bit, and you can see sparks jump from his mouth.
>He's definitely gonna do it.
>He inhales deeply, then suddenly blows two short green spurts of fire out of his nose in rings
>Spark's eyes grow wide in wonder, and he clutches his glass of lemonade close.
>The rings turn to white smoke before floating to the ceiling
>Spark looks like he just saw Luna in a tutu.
>A combination of conflicting feelings of fear, wonder, and pure curiosity
>Bro seems pretty happy with himself as he chuckles.
>Rarity speaks up
>"Oh Spikey, I really wish you wouldn't breathe fire inside, dear. You know how it makes my fabric smell."
>Spike walks up to Rarity and crouches down
>The two of them kiss a little bit
>When they part, Bro puts his hand under Rarity's chin.
>"And how's my little gem's horn today?"
>Rarity blushes as she stirs and sips her tea
>"It is fine. I told you it was nothing."
>She must not like being belittled in front of us.
>Bro kisses her on the cheek before standing up, making her blush and smile.
>Yeah, if anypony was madly in love it was those two.
>Spike stands up straight
>He stretches and yawns, showcasing his set of teeth.
>"I'm gonna go take a shower real fast. Then I gotta talk to Nonny."
>Bro heads up the stairs
>Spark finally comes to his senses
>"S-So that's your bro?"
>You nod
"That's Spike. He's really something else, isn't he?"
>"Something else? He's awesome! He's even bigger than you!"
>You chuckle a bit
"He's small for a dragon you know. He could be 100 feet tall if he started hoarding gold."
>Spark's jaw flaps down
>"No kiddn'? That's nuts!"
>Rarity chuckles
>"Try being married to him."
>Spark shakes his head again.
>"I just still can't believe that he's your brother Anon! That's so cool!"
>It is pretty cool having him as a brother
>Of course the dragon bit is pretty cool as it is, but Spike as a person is amazing too.
>Up until a couple years ago, the two of you were inseperable.
>Of course school got in the way a bit, and by the time mom let him go off on his own, he and Rarity were already dating.
>By the time he moved out, you were already distant from everyone.
>You break your trance and notice Sweetie Bell chatting with Spark.
>They're so close together on the chair, their noses nearly touch whenever they face eachother.
>Spark doesn't seem very comfortable.
>Sweetie, on the other hoof, seems extremely intrigued.
>Her eyes are half glazed, and she raises her eyebrows in a superior fasion.
>You lean to Scootaloo, who is under your arm.
"Hey, what's up with Sweetie Bell? Does she have a thing for Spark?" you whisper.
>Scootaloo looks over at them.
>"Oh most definitely." she responds without a second glance
"No offense to Spark, but why? They just met eachother."
>Scootaloo finishes up a sip of lemonade
>"Spark is a handsome stallion, Nonny. Not really my taste, but Sweetie Bell goes nuts for that hard-worker look."
>You shake your head.
>You can't really gauge the attractiveness of a stallion
>You have a hard enough time with mares.
>Scootaloo rubs her face against your shoulder, getting a little more comfortable.
>Rarity carries away the plates
>She gives you a look telling you she's got it.
>You would have helped anyway, but Scoots just got comfortable.
>You watch with amusement as Spark leans backwards and Sweetie leans forward while they chat away.
>Spark usually seems overwhelmed by all the things happening today.
>Not only did is he outside of Cloudsdale, but a pretty mare is flirting with him, and he met a dragon.
>Busy day for him.
>You pet Scootaloo's mane and scratch her behind the ears
>She really enjoys that.
>She releases a deep breath, as if decompressing.
>You lean back in the loveseat.
>You feel drowsy
>The warm pony under your arm, the quiet clinking from the kitchen, the idle chatter of Sweetie and Spark
>It all comes together to make your eyelids feel heavy.
>After a couple minutes of resting your eyes the thumping upstairs returns
>It meanders around a bit before heading towards the stairs
>Bro comes thumping down the stairs
>He's wearing a black v-neck, and a belt and jeans.
>He got into the habit of wearing clothing when you were young.
>At first he did it so you wouldn't feel left out, but Rarity loved designing clothing for him.
>You always wore clothing because you don't have fur.
>"Oh Celestia that feels better."
>Bro turns and looks at the pair in his recliner
>"Don't get TOO comfortable on my chair. I'm gonna want it back."
>Sweetie smirks while Spark's face becomes even more red.
>Bro chuckles.
>He turns to you.
>"Alright, you're gonna help me."
>You nod and stand, carfeul not to let Scoots fall.
>"Hey Rare? We're gonna go bring the balloon back to the castle!"
>Rarity yells from the kitchen
>"Very good! See you in a bit."
>Bro addresses the room
>"We shall be back in a little while."
>He looks at you and nods
>That's your cue
>You head out the door with Bro and head for the side of the boutique.
>Bro leads you to the balloon.
>It's rolled up and tossed inside the large basket
>You see him put his hands on his hips.
"Listen Bro, I didn't mean to-"
>Bro puts one hand up in front of your face, cutting you off
>He points to one side of the basket
>"Lift that side, I'll get this side."
>You nod and walk over to the basket.
>He lifts his side as you lift yours
>It's a large basket, but it isn't too terribly heavy.
>The two of you get walking
>With each step you take, your nervousness grows.
>You just want to get it off your chest.
"Spike, I'm really sorry about all this. I didn't mean to let the balloon go, I just-"
>You're interrupted by Spike laughing.
>You get a little flustered
>He slows to a stop.
>"Nonny, put the basket down."
>You do as he says.
>He leans over his side of the basket facing you.
>You lean aswell.
>Spike smiles, gathering his thoughts
>"Now, I appreciate your apology. It's nice to hear that coming from you, but you don't have to worry about anything."
>You tilt your head in confusion
>Spike laughs again
>"Do you really think you're the first one to use the balloon without permission? And buck it up in the process?"
>You finally begin to register it all
>"Remember? It was my last year of schooling..."
>The memory comes flooding back to you.
>You are Anon
>And you are in trouble
>Deep deep trouble.
>But nowhere near as deep as your big Bro
>You stand next to him, standing tall.
>He's wearing a nice vest and collared shirt combo and has his headphones around his neck
>Rarity sure loved to dress him
>Of course, she's in trouble too.
>Mom stares down the two of you
>Kind of
>You're at about eye level, and Spike is two feet taller
>Mom paces in front of you, like a drill sergeant looking at his cadets
>She finally turns and faces you
>"What in the world were you two thinking?" she asks with a raised voice.
>It isn't quite yelling, but she sounds very stern.
>You look nervously up at bro who doesn't say anything.
>Mom shakes her head and looks up at Bro.
>"Do you know how stupid that was; Taking the Balloon like that, Spike?"
>Bro sighs
>"I know how to fly it." He responds in a grumbled voice, his voice not quite as deep as it is now.
>"Just because you know how to fly it does not mean you're allowed to take it without asking! You could have gotten hurt!"
>Mom points her hoof at you
>"And you got your brother involved too! What made you think this was a good idea?"
>Spike's demeanor changes.
>Originally he stood strong, but now he has some visible shame
>Spike pauses
>"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see Rarity is all. I haven't been able to see her much.
>Mom barely lets him finish his sentence
>"But you didn't have to be unsafe about it! You didn't have to sneak out! You didn't have to hijack the balloon and get Nonny to release it for you! Rarity is coming back from Canterlot in two weeks, you could have waited."
>Mom shakes her head.
>"Instead you took my balloon and crashed it into the everfree forest, and we had to fish it out."
>Mom hugs you and Bro, flying up to your levels
>"I thought I had lost my number 1 assistant, and I couldn't find my monkeyboy."
>You feel tears hit the back of your neck.
>Bro didn't want you to tell mom that he had taken the balloon that night, so you decided to hide from her all day.
>It wasn't until later that you found out the reason she was looking for you so frantically was because she got the news her balloon had crashed.
>Even though Spike had escaped unharmed, all mom knew was her balloon had crashed, and she didn't know where her children were.
>The tears you feel on the back of your neck bring with them feelings of shame.
>You wrap your arms around mom.
>You feel Bro do the same
>She doesn't want to punish or yell at you
>She just doesn't want to lose you.
>You come back to reality
>Bro notices your melancholy expression
>He chuckles lightly
>"Yeah, I bucked up a lot when I was your age."
>You look up at him again
>He laughs
>"I was grounded before I did any of that, because I wasn't paying attention in class. My grades were dipping."
>He smiles
>"I mean, after that I was grounded for another month, on top of the sentence I was already serving."
>You smile
"Ma used to tell you she was gonna throw you in the dungeon."
>Bro laughs,
>He starts scratching his nose
>"Haha, yeah. She never did it though. I feel like she came close, but she never did."
>Bro shakes his head
>"I kind of wondered what went wrong back then, ya know?"
>His face becomes serious for a moment
>"I mean, I didn't want to be a part of mom's life anymore, you know? I couldn't wait to move out and chase after Rarity, and leave that castle."
>Bro turns and looks at the castle in the distance.
>"But now a days, I wonder why."
>He leans his back on the basket
>Your mind thirsts for answers to these questions
>You wait eagerly for your brother to continue
>"But I always made the right choice in the end. I always said sorry and please and thank you."
>He nods
>"I never just shut everypony out."
>You look down at the dirt.
>You notice the red rope dangling around your neck.
>Prior to this week, you probably would have rolled your eyes.
>You probably would have shrugged Bro's story off, and kept living your dillusional life.
>But that version of yourself isn't dating Scootaloo
>And that version of yourself didn't witness Spark's beautiful family.
>And that version of yourself did not have this necklace.
>And you are not that version of yourself.
>You are different.
>And maybe you are more.
>Bro turns around and faces you.
>"Rainbow Dash told me all about you and Scootaloo."
>You knew it
>"And she also told me all about what a great guy you were."
>He smiles
>"Doing the dishes, please and thank yous, apologies on the spot..."
>He runs his hand over his head-ridges
>"It was unexpected, I'll be honest, but it was good to hear."
>He signals to pick up the basket with him
>As the basket leaves the ground, he speaks once more.
>"I was scared about what was going on with you Nonny."
>You nearly miss a step.
>"I mean, you haven't had the best track record. And then I heard you crashed the balloon? I was so confused."
>You readjust the weight on your shoulder as you walk.
>"But then I read the letters, and I heard what Rainbow Dash had to say, and I was just as surprised, but in a good way."
>You hear him chuckle a bit.
>"I was scared I had lost the little Bro I knew before for a little while there. I thought you were going in another direction."
>This statement burns your arteries
>It tightens your throat, it sears your eyes, and it reddens your face
>"I'm glad I was wrong."
>Silence between you two is not very common
>When it does happen, however, it's never on a bad note
>You don't know how or why, but Bro always manages to phrase things in the best way for you.
>You think about what he said
>Bro has been your closest family member above all others, and he and you have a wonderful relationship.
>Yet even he started to worry about you over the past few years.
>You weren't aware how apparent it all was.
>You guess the absence of polite conversation played a major roll, but it wasn't the only thing.
>Just how stand offish and cold were you?
>You hear Bro laugh on the other side of the basket
>"Do you remember the time Pinkie Pie broke into the castle to give you a cupcake when you were really sick?"
>You smile to yourself
>How could you forget
"And her excuse was that the front doors were closed, but a window was open."
>Spike chuckles again
>"The look on mom's face was hilarious! Especially when she found her hoofprints all over the ceiling."
>You laugh out loud.
>Pinkie Pie used to sneak sweets in to you and Bro when either of you were feeling under the weather.
>One time in particular, while you had a cold, she dressed in all black and climbed through the 4th floor window.
>She then proceeded to sneak around in a black jump suit and descend from the cieling with a wire.
>She put cupcakes in every bedroom, and nopony spotted her until mom walked in on her in your room.
>You were sleeping at the time, but mom's shocked screams woke you up, and you watched as mom dragged Pinkie Pie out by her tail.
>Pinkie Pie was always pretty funny.
>The two of you laugh a little bit more, enjoying the nostalgia.
>Finally you reach the castle and head towards the back.
>You place the basket down where you found it a couple days ago.
>Bro claps his hands together in a 'job-well-done' sort of way.
>"Alright, that oughta do it."
>You nod
"I'm glad it's back. Mom will hopefully cool off over the next couple days."
>Bro cringes a bit
>"About that, mom's coming home tomorrow."
>Your heart sinks
"I thought she had important business in Canterlot!"
>"Well she did, but after hearing what happened she insisted on returning."
"So what does that mean for me?"
>"It means you're staying with us tonight. Rainbow will bring your stuff down later."
>You shake your head
>This changes a lot
>Your head feels light
>Mom wasn't supposed to come home for another 3 days.
>But now she'll be here by tomorrow.
>And now your week of freedom is cut short.
>Bro looks you up and down.
>"You alright Nonny?"
>You blink a couple times
"Yeah, I'm alright. I guess I was just hoping for a little more time on my own."
>You look down
>Bro looks around a bit, leaning on the basket.
>You look at him.
>"Now you gotta stay with me for the next day. But, maybe Rarity and I get distracted. Maybe you and your friends sneak out while we go to bed. Maybe you get back before we wake up. Who knows?"
>He smiles at you
>He's right
>You've still got today, and you've still got tonight
>You can still make the most of what you have, right?
>Bro smirks a bit
>Now you're a little skeptical
"What's the catch?"
>He laughs
>"You gotta bring Sweetie"
>You tilt your head
>Bro stops leaning on the basket and walks up to you.
>"I'd just like to have some alone time with my wife, alright?"
>The gears start turning and it finally clicks
>You blush
"Oh. Yeah, okay. No problem."
>Bro winks then laughs out loud
>He grabs you around the shoulder and drags you into a hug
>"Haha! I knew you'd come around."
>Didn't really have much of a choice
>But you don't mind taking Sweetie along.
>As long as she doesn't fillynap Spark
>It'd be hard to explain to his folks
>"Well come on, let's head back now."
>You nod and start walking next to your brother
>Your mind is buzzing with ideas for today.
>The two of you walk back to the boutique, idly chatting
>You're not really paying attention to the conversation
>You want the next 24 hours to be the best they can be.
>You need to fit all the adventures you can in this ridiculous time span.
>The first thing that crosses your mind is a party
>But that doesn't seem like the best idea
>You need to be out of the house, not throwing a party inside of it.
>Next you think about what there is to do in Ponyville
>Unfortunately it's a small quiet town, and the exciting scenes are scarce.
>You scratch the back of your head as you keep drawing blanks.
>You want to have some kind of extravagent night like you did in Cloudsdale.
>A crazy party, with a little adrenaline rush
>Chances of you finding that here is pretty slim unfortunately
>You have faith though
>Your group will find something to do
>Though you fear Sweetie Bell might be a pain about it
>She might not see eye to eye with your group's plans
>You'll just have to hope for the best
>You apporach the boutique
>Bro puts his hand on your shoulder
>"Remember, have a good time, but don't get me in trouble with the Mrs, and don't get me in trouble with mom."
>You chuckle
"You got it Bro."
>He pats you on the back
>The bell rings above your head as the door opens
>You hear voices from the other room.
>"Spike dear, is that you?"
>Bro comes in behind you
>"Yep! The balloon has been returned!"
>Rarity trots into the room with some fabric.
>"Oh wonderful! I'm sure it wasn't too much for a couple of macho gentlemen like you two."
>She winks at the two of you, but you're pretty sure it was mostly directed to Bro.
>The two of you chuckle
>You exchange a glance with Bro
>Without saying anything, the two of you know what the other wants, and what you should do.
>That's just how brothers are.
>You walk into the living room
>The scene looks the same, with a few minor alterations
>Scootaloo is laying down across the whole loveseat.
>You don't blame her. You probably left a nice warm spot in the soft pillows.
>What is most interesting is the development on Spike's chair.
>Spark is leaned over to his side as much as possible, and Sweetie Bell is leaning her head on his shoulder.
>His face is bright red, and he doesn't move an inch.
>You have a weird feeling he has been paralyzed for awhile now.
>You chuckle at the thought of Rarity just letting this happen.
>Scoots looks up at you
>"How was your little trip?"
>She looks at you with playful eyes
>You smirk
"It was real fun. Had a grand ole time."
>Scoots flashes you a toothy grin
>"Oh yeah? Well what's the deal today? What is our plan of action?"
>You scratch your neck
"Well, uh. Turns out my mom is coming back tomorrow."
>Scoots lifts up her head
>"R-Really? Already?"
>You nod
"So I'm staying here. But we can still do something."
>"Like what?"
>You stand there awkwardly
>You were hoping an idea would come on the spot, but it didn't
>The group looks at you in silence for a couple seconds
>Suddenly Sweetie Bell speaks up
>"Well if nopony has any ideas, we could go to Sweet Apple Acres! I'm sure Apple Bloom would love to see Scootaloo again!"
>You think for a moment
>You didn't have any ideas anyway
>And Apple Bloom hasn't seen Scoots in awhile
>And Spark would really prefer to get out of that chair.
>You look at Scoots
>She seems okay with anything, really.
>You look to Spark
>Not really gonna get much out of him.
>You nod
"That sounds good! Let's do it."
>Sweetie Bell smiles wide and jumps out of the chair.
>Spark flops to the ground and snaps out of his trance.
>He looks at you with a look of fear and confusion.
>Scoots walks by and you follow after.
>As you leave the room, Bro walks in
>"My chair finally open again? Awesome."
>He sits down and puts his clawed feet up, grunting the whole time.
>You smile as you leave.
>You walk next to Scootaloo behind Spark and Sweetie
>Your friend group has certainly expanded over the last few days
>Before you walked around town alone, absorbed by your own worries
>But now you have 3 ponies surrounding you, lightly chatting
>"So Nonny, why is your mom coming home so soon?"
>Scootaloo's voice breaks your train of thought
>You look down at her next to you
"Why do you think? It's about the balloon."
>"Spike told her? Why doesn't Rainbow Dash bail you out?"
>You shake your head a little
"She couldn't if she tried. I'm the problem, not her."
>You frown a bit after listening to your own phrasing.
>Scootaloo pushes her head under your arm and rubs her face against your body.
>You feel her mane and ears brush just under your ribs
>"It'll be alright. I'm sure she'll understand."
>You smile
>She certainly knows what to say.
>You're still nervous about what mom is going to do when she gets back.
>But you're certainly not as nervous as you would be alone.
"Yeah, hopefully."
>Sweetie Bell turns around
>"Okay, so I've gotta know, when did you two start seeing eachother!? I mean I never suspected that you two would end up together, what with Anon being a human and-"
>Scootaloo stamps a hoof
>Sweetie Bell jumps from surprise.
>Scoots blushes
>Admittedly, the human comment stung a bit, but you're rather used to it at this point.
>"Oh, uh, sorry Anon. But, I'm really curious to know."
>You blush and scratch the back of your head
"It's quite the story actually."
>Spark speaks up for the first time
>"They saw eachother at a Wonderbolt party, had a lovely walk home and I'm just gonna assume they had a heart to heart at some point."
>You and Scoots both feel the blood rush to your faces
>Dammit Spark
>"Am I wrong?"
>Scoots pouts while you look at the ground
>"I'm not wrong."
>Spark smiles and starts giggling
>"You two are too easy."
>Sweetie Bell snorts a bit
>"I had no idea they were so sensitive about it!"
>You look down at her in an attempt to look intimidating
>But your flushed cheeks betray you, and you just come off as embarassed
>Sweetie's snout wrinkles as she holds back giggles
"Don't we have a place to be?" you say grumpily
>Sweetie giggles a bit more
>"Haha, Yep. Let's move!"
>She starts trotting ahead
>She chuckles one more time
>" 'Am I wrong?' that's funny. Who knew you were so funny Spark?"
>Spark's head droops a bit and his ears lose their perk
>So much for his new found confidence
>The four of you continue to walk until the buildings become scarce and the farmland plentiful
>You're surrounded by apple trees of all different varieties
>None quite as common as red Macintoshes though
>Spark seems very amused by it all.
>You doubt he's been in a place with so many trees, after all he lives in the clouds.
>As you approach the white picket fence just outside the farm itself you spot a large red stallion with a crate of apples on his back
>Speaking of Macintoshes
>"Hey big Mac!" Sweetie shouts
>Big Mac turns to look at your group as you walk towards him
>He's got a small orange beard and seems very strong, almost lumberjack-esqe
>His lazy eyes look up at you
>"Is Apple Bloom home?"
>He nods
>He hasn't changed much at all
>He eyes the rest of the group
>Sweetie jumps a bit
>"Oh, I almost forgot! You remember Scootaloo, and this is Anon, Twilight's son and Spark, a good friend of mine."
>Friend of hers?
>Big Mac nods to us all
>He speaks calmly and collected, like hes trying to use words as efficiently as possible.
>Even with this rather reserved response, it doesn't feel offputting.
>It actually feels rather nice.
>Your friends all say their greetings then let Sweetie take it from there
>"So where's Apple Bloom? Can we see her?"
>Mac turns his head
>"She's in the barn."
>He bobbs his head towards the barn.
>"Is she working?" Sweetie asks
>Big Mac shrugs
>You've been to the farm before and spoken with Mac before
>Honestly this is probably the most words you've ever heard him say in your presence.
>Then again, you haven't conversed with Mac too many times
>Maybe you ought to get to know him better too.
>"Thanks Big Mac!"
>He nods, and your group heads for the barn.
>You approach the large red barn's front doorway
>The paint is chipping, and the wood is splintering, but without a doubt it is a beautifully crafted barn.
>The large doors are wide open, and the dust and dirt clouds from the barn billow out like brown fog clinging to the ground.
>Your friends trot inside
>You follow slightly after, a little lost in thought
>You all look around for a bit, trying to find Apple Bloom
>Finally, Sweetie simply yells
>"Hey Apple Bloom!! Are you here?!"
>A clanking noise echos through the barn, followed by a loud bang
>A voice can be heard grumbling
>"Ah apples..."
>You hear trotting from the right side of the second story, which is a ring around the perimeter of the barn, but not the center.
>A yellow mare with a red mane appears above your group.
>She's wearing a welding mask, and is covered in a black grease.
>"Sweetie what did ah tell you about coming in here and yelling yer' head off?" she says with a heavy accent, muffled by the mask.
>As she says this she notices Sweetie's company
>Sweetie grabs Scootaloo under her foreleg
>"Look who came to visit!"
>Applebloom lifts the mask up, revealing her orange eyes
>"Scootaloo?" she asks
>There is a moment of realization
>Apple Bloom runs to the edge of the balcony and jumps off
>Before she falls very much, she catches a rope in her mouth
>The rope is attached to a counter weight and a pulley, lowering her carefully to the floor.
>She releases the rope as she hits the ground
>"Ah thought you'd be gone for awhile longer. It's been months!"
>Apple Bloom's red mane is tied in the back with a bit of flowing ribbon.
>You recall her wearing a similar bow when she was younger, you wonder if the ribbon is from it.
>She's covered in sludge and grease
>She's been tinkering again.
>Scootaloo shrugs
>"There was a little change in plans. I'm here a bit longer."
>Apple Bloom drags Scoots into a hug
>A little bit of the grease gets on her fur, but she doesn't seem to mind
>"It's really good to see you Scoots!"
>Apple Bloom is pretty, just like her two friends, but in a more rustic way. It's very comforting, but intimidating at the same time.
>She seems strong and confident, like she'll snap you in half if you rub her the wrong way.
>Not the athletic kind of strong that Scootaloo is, just good old fashioned strong. Stocky, almost.
>She releases and looks to you
>"You're Anon! Twi's son, yeah?"
>You nod
>"Are you still in school or are you out?"
>This question takes you off guard.
>The only ponies that ask things like that are relatives like Auntie Cadence or Uncle Shining.
>It's weird to hear it again
"Uh, out. I graduated last year."
>Apple Bloom smirks as she removes her mask
>The fur covered by the mask is a vibrant yellow, while the rest is slightly more dirty
>"Wale you and your ma don't come to visit enough. Ah thought you was at school the whole time."
>You clear your throat a bit
>It's rather upsetting knowing how missed you and mom are, even in your home town.
>There aren't exactly a lot of family outings anymore.
>You usually scoffed at the thought of it whenever mom brought them up.
>You shake your head as you think about it.
>"Anon?" Apple Bloom asks in a concerned tone
>You still haven't answered
"Oh, sorry about that; Not visiting, that is. We've just bin a bit busy is all."
>You force a royal smile
>Apple Bloom grins
>"Ahlright then! No harm done! Just remember to come by when you're not so busy!"
>She turns to Spark
>"And who're you?"
>Spark has moved a bit to the right of Sweetie, trying to distance himself from her.
>"I'm Spark, a friend of Anon's..."
>Sweetie seems a little saddened by his remark
>Her ears lose a bit of their perk
>Spark rolls his eyes
>"... and Sweetie's."
>Her ears perk up again
>You swear she has sparkles in her eyes.
>Apple Bloom extends her hoof
>When Spark takes hold of it, she shakes him violently
>"Nice to meetcha! The name's Apple Bloom, and this is mah family's farm!"
>As she releases him he stumbles a bit, regaining his balance.
>You guess the strength is an apple family thing.
>That's what happens when you work on a farm your whole life.
>Spark shakes his head
>"Quite the hoof shake you've got there!"
>Apple Bloom chuckles
>"Yeah, wail, Applejack always tells me ta' keep it firm, and let 'em know you mean it." she says, slightly imitating her sister's voice.
>Spark laughs
>"Sounds like my pop. He tells me first impressions are the best right before I go to meet anypony. He says it every single time."
>"Right before ya leave right? Stops ya halfway through the door?" Apple Bloom responds
>Spark nods
>"Sounds like my Granny Smith. she couldn't let me doing anything without some piece of wisdom."
>They both laugh
>You smile
>Spark seems right at home on the farm.
>He can certainly speak to Apple Bloom better than with Sweetie Bell.
>Apple Bloom sighs after laughing.
>"So what brings y'all to my place?"
>Sweetie Bell inhales, as if to start explaining, then stops
>She seems confused
>Scootaloo rolls her eyes and speaks
>"We're bored, so we thought we'd come by and visit you. We're trying to find something to do."
>Apple Bloom picks up a rag with her mouth and tosses it on her dirty hooves
>She starts to clean them with it
>"Ah'm off work tiday. We could have a little fun I suppose."
>She looks down at how filthy she is
>The rag is now completely black
>Poor little bastard didn't stand a chance
>"First I gotta get cleaned up."
>Scootaloo's face lights up
>"Why don't we go to your pond for a swim? It's pretty hot today anyway!"
>That does sound pretty refreshing actually.
>Apple Bloom thinks about it
>"Might hafta ask Applejack if it's okay first. Y'all aren't strangers, but I still gotta make sure."
>You nod
>Seems reasonable enough.
>Your posse follows Applebloom to the house near the barns
>It actually looks a bit like the barns in design.
>You walk through a few small fences and stamp your feet on the welcome carpet on the deck
>Apple Bloom opens the door and leads you inside.
>It's a very quaint house, with pictures on the wooden walls covering every inch
>There's more photos than wall paint
>You smile as you peruse a few of these captured memories
>Apple Bloom trots up the stairs
>"Hey Sis? We've got some company!"
>There's a shuffle or two upstairs, followed by a couple muffled voices
>You look back at the pictures
>There's more than a few Apple family reunions here
>It's like a timeline
>The pictures range from newly taken to decades old
>One catches your eye
>It's a lot more recent than most of them
>There are a few extra members tacked onto the end of the large group
>You recognize them instantly
>It's your mom and company again
>With that same little Bro you saw in Rainbow's picture.
>They're standing with Applejack, covered in dirt
>They hold hammers and nails in their mouths
>The barn behind them is the same one you were just in, but it looks brand new.
>You wonder what the story behind it all is
>You guess they helped raise the barn, but you can't be sure.
>You wonder what other adventures your mother has been on.
>She used to tell you about them all the time, but that was awhile ago.
>Maybe you could ask her friends too.
>The thumping from upstairs goes towards the stairs
>Apple Bloom trots down, followed by a familiar orange mare
>Applejack looked almost exactly as she did in the picuture, though a little more mature looking
>Guess apples do a good job at preventing aging.
>"Howdy y'all. I see a few familiar faces amongst ya."
>She nods at you and Scoots
>"If y'all wanna use my pond, yuh just gotta be respectful of it, yahear?"
>Your group nods
>"Alright then."
>She looks at you
>"Wouldja lookit you. You're a regular giant nowadays aren'tcha Anon?"
>You smile as she travels down the stairs
>"Ah swear, you're taller everytime I see ya."
>As you mentioned before, ponies don't grow like humans do.
>By the time they're 14, they've grown to be roughly the height they're going to be their whole life.
>But from what you've seen, humans only just begin to grow at 14.
>You get taller every month, so even the local ponies are shocked by your growth.
"It's been a little while since I've seen you. How have things been?" you say with your well trained royal tone
>It feels a bit different this time, however.
>Usually when you use this royal voice, and engage in small talk like this, it's purely cosmetic.
>You never actually care about what's being discussed.
>This time around, however, you ask with genuine intent.
>"Ah've been well. Y'all know how it is, workin' hard to earn my keep 'n all."
>Your voice starts on its own
"Unfortunately I don't really know how that is. But maybe I can learn soon enough."
>Applejack seems taken aback from your response
>It was quite unexpected, even to you.
>Where the hell did that all come from?
>"Yeah, well, you're free to come work on the farm anytime you'd like, Anon. Havin' a tall feller like yourself would be helpful 'round here."
>You chuckle
>A real, true, laugh.
"I may have to take you up on that."
>She smiles at you
>"How's your mother?"
>You shrug
"Right now? Probably absolutely livid."
>She raises an eyebrow with a questioning look
"Crashed her balloon."
>Her nose wrinkles as she smirks
>You scratch the back of your head
>She smiles wide before talking again
>"Okay! Have your fun, I'll catch up with ya later."
>You smile back and follow your friends as they trot out the door.
>As you walk off the deck you sigh
>For some reason, that conversation was truly refreshing.
>You come back to reality at the sound of rapid hooves
>Your little group has started sprinting after Apple Bloom down a trail
>"C'mon Anon! Try to keep up!" Scoots shouts before gliding away.
>You nearly trip as start to attempt to catch up to them
>They blast down the trail with intense momentum.
>They got a good head start on you
>Your feet slam against the ground as you push yourself to get to them
>You're not exactly a runner, but your long legs give you the advantage you need.
>The thump of your heart throbs in your ears, and you're only a few steps behind Sweetie at this point.
>Dirt is kicked up from the dry ground all around you and your group travels in a huge cloud of tan and brown
>You follow them down a large trail heading deeper into the orchard
>Trees blur by as you focus on keeping up
>You're breathing heavy, it's hard to keep up with them.
>Suddenly the trees stop, and the sun glares at you from above
>There's a large clearing, then a small pond with a massive white oak hanging over it
>Scootaloo and Spark both fly in first, making small splashes as they land in the water
>You start to remove your shirt as you run
>It staggers you a bit as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell jump in with reckless abandon
>Stupid ponies
>They don't need to worry about clothing
>You stop just before the pond and throw your shirt on the ground.
>You kick off your shoes and pants, but leave your boxers on.
>Don't want to be TOO revealing.
>The others are already having a good time in the water
>They're so unsuspecting
>You take a couple steps back as quietly as possible
>Suddenly you blast over the lake as hard as possible, positioning yourself directly in front of your friend's in the pond.
>Spark is the only one to have noticed you prior to impact
>But it is already too late
>You hit the water with the force of a thousand party cannons
>You smirk underwater as you feel the hooves around you kicking from shock
>If they weren't totally soaked yet, then they certainly are now.
>You swim a bit under the water
>The water is brisk and refreshing
>It surrounds your body like a matrix of anti-gravity
>If you stop moving for a bit, you can almost forget you're in water
>Like you're floating in space
>You decide it is time to come up for air
>Your head breaks the water in a more shallow area
>Not a second after you've caught your breathe, a pair of hooves forces you back under.
>Somepony stands on your back, forcing you to the bottom of the shallow shore
>You have a feeling you know who it is.
>You hook your arms beneath their hind legs and stand out of the water
>The water only comes up to your crotch here
>As the water floods out of your ears, you hear Scootaloo laughing from behind.
>She wraps her hooves around your neck while you carry her around the shallows of the pond.
>You feel her put her chin on your shoulder
>"What's the deal with drenchin' us ya dork?"
>You shrug your shoulders
"I don't know what you're talking about, I was just going for a swim."
>Scoots blows air out her nose on the back of your neck.
>"Oh 'ha ha', that's real funny. Don't play dumb with m-gwaiurhajg"
>Before she can finish her statement you flop back into the water, bringing her with you.
>Her grip tightens as you glide through the slightly murky waters
>You stand back out of the water to the laughter of the rest of the gang.
"Boy this water is refreshing. I'm so glad I decided to go under!" You say in a dumb tone
>Scoots spits water at the back of your head
>"You think it's funny huh?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
>You look over your shoulder at her
>Her wet mane drapes over one of her eyes and she wears a smirk
>Her violet eye glimmers with the pond's water
>Your cheeks flare a bit, and time slowed for awhile
>In almost slow-motion you watch her grin grow across her face
>She puts her hooves over your eyes and everything comes back to reality
>You feel two hooves on the bottom of your back
>The hooves push hard, while the ones on your face pull back
>The awkward bend of your back makes you flop forward into the water.
>She releases you as you hit the water
>You turn around in the water like a shark and spot your orange prey
>You squint your eyes as you prepare to make a move
>You lower yourself close to the sandy bottom
>The sand floods between your toes as you dig them in
>Scootaloo's hooves seem calm
>She doesn't know yet
>You put your hands on the ground in front of you
>Your feet stop sliding through the sand, and you finally have a launching pad
>Scootaloo's hooves suddenly start kicking hard
>A shark loves a a struggle
>You kick off with all your might
>Your arms pull the ground behind you
>Your eyes squint as the water is pushed around your speeding body
>As you fly towards the panicked orange pony, your reach out your arms
>You lock them around her as you launch out of the water like a dolphin snagging a tuna
>The two of you fly through the air for a moment before crashing into the shallow shore.
>You plant your hand down as support and prop yourself up.
>You're breathing heavily, you stayed under the water more than you should have.
>You rake your free hand through your hair
>Scoots looks up at you over her lying on her back
>You look into her eyes
>She smiles at you
>You wipe your eyes as some water drips down your face
>As your vision clears, you feel warm lips press into yours
>A hoof graps around the back of your neck and pulls you in a bit deeper.
>You close your eyes and push in a bit.
>After a few seconds, she releases
>The two of you look into eachother's eyes in a glazed, almost drunken state.
>The kind of feeling you only get after a rush of emotion, followed by true unbroken euphoria
>The two of you aren't even blushing anymore, only smiling with half open eyes
>As the two of you become more sober again, you hear Sweetie and Apple Bloom making noise
>"Awwww that was adorable!"
>"Mah sister said to behave yerselves!" Apple Bloom says with a giggle.
>And the blood rushes to your faces again
>But it doesn't feel as bad as it used to
>Maybe it's still just the post-kiss intoxication, but you don't feel as embarassed
>The two of you smile at one another once more, and Scoots rolls her eyes are her friend's gawking
>"Give it a rest over there will ya?"
>You sit up off of Scoots and sit in the sand next to her.
>Sweetie grabs Spark under a foreleg and drags him close
>"Wasn't that precious Sparky?"
>Sparky? Is that a pet name you hear?
>Spark looks at his reflection in the pond, cheeks burning with rose
>"Y-yeah, get a room next time you two..." he says in an unstable voice
>Even in that state he'll still take a jab.
>You all chuckle at Spark's blushing and sudden shyness
>Sweetie just has the effect on him.
>Who knew?
>After the laughter subsides, you clear your throat
"We still need to find something to do tonight. It may be my last night of freedom for a very long time."
>Sweetie Bell twists her neck to crack it
>"I dunno, I'll have to ask Rarity first..."
>You wave your hand in front of you
"You're off the hook. Spike asked me to keep you out of the house anyway."
>She seems confused
>"Why would spike want me out of the house?"
>The entire group stared at her in complete silence
>The only noise that filled the air was drops of water falling into the pond
>After what seemed like an eternity, Sweetie's eyebrows raise in realization
>Apple Bloom snorts before breaking out into almost hiyena-like laughter
>You smile and chuckle through a grin
>Even Spark has a good laugh at her expense.
>Apple Bloom wipes a tear from her eye.
>"Ah don't have much to offer. Ah've been busy working." Apple Bloom states calming down
>"I can't even go home, so I don't have anything." Sweetie Bell retorts
>"Scootaloo and I are from Cloudsdale, so we can't offer anything either." Spark adds
>"How about a party?" Says Pinkie Pie
>Wait, Pinkie Pie?
>Your friends jump all at once when they notice their extra member
>Pinkie Pie sits next to Sweetie Bell on the end
>She hasn't changed much from the photo you saw earlier, except that her mane is cut to be shorter
>Still curly and poofy as all hell though, even though it's a bit wet.
>She sips a juice box and seems confused
>"What? Don't you all like parties?"
>Everyone regains their composure
"P-pinkie, how long have you been here?"
>"Oh, I've been here awhile! I was gonna check if Apple Bloom was done tuning up my party cannon, but Applejack said you all head down here! So I jumped in while you and Scootaloo were wrestling!"
>She smiles a huge grin
>Yep, that's Pinkie
"Okay then. A party would be cool, but where would we throw it?"
>Pinkie turns her head
>"What do you mean silly? We'll throw it right here!"
>Apple Bloom is the first to react
>"Now wait a minute! Applejack wouldn't be too happy about a party here!"
>"Of course! But she's invited!"
>Apple Bloom thinks about arguing, but gives up to the Pinkie logic
>It's a lost cause.
>You shake your head trying to understand what Pinkie is talking about
>She pulls the straw out of her juice box and places one end into the water
>She blows bubbles in the lake that somehow break the surface and pop in the air
>Everyone in the pond is mesmerized by this.
>After a few seconds of staring you finally manage to release some words.
"So wait, we're having a party?"
>Pinkie Pie lifts her straw out of the water and nods
"We're having here, at the pond?"
>Pinkie chews on the straw and nods again
"And Applejack is okay with this?"
>You don't see the straw anymore
>Five bits says she ate it
>"Well DUH! Of course she's okay with it! She's only my super duper favorite cousin!"
>You look to Apple Bloom
>She raises her eyebrows and nods in confirmation
>Who knew they were related?
"Okay then. Don't we need to prepare then?"
>Pinkie Pie nods
>"Yep yep yep!"
>She starts to move towards the shore backwards, as if someone is pulling her by her tail
>You have no idea how she does any of this.
>You recall mom spending a lot of time trying to research it years ago
>It was one of very few times you saw her give up on something
>You get shudders as you remember
>That's weird.
>Pinkie shakes herself on the shore, poofing her already bouncing hair
>"We gotta get ready for the best party ever!"
>Any party would have sufficed, now she's calling it the best party ever.
>Come to think of it, nobody ever gave her the greenlight to throw this party
>You're all just going along with it.
>Oh well
"Alright Pinkie, what do you need?"
>She points at you
>"WE need to get into the castle and get a few things of mine."
>Your eyes widen
"Oh no! We're not breaking into my mom's castle."
>Pinkie giggles
>"Not YOUR castle, silly. Celestia's old one!"
>For a moment, your group remains silent
>They hope that they misunderstood Pinkie's bold statement
>Sweetie is the first to speak
>"Are you talking about the castle of two sisters in the everfree forest?"
>Pinkie snorts
>"DUH! I don't know any other castles around here that belonged to Celestia. I think. Maybe there IS another castle we don't know about. I mean, Celestia must have had more than two homes, she is the princess goddess pony or whatever. Maybe sh-"
"Uh, Pinkie. I don't know if it's a good idea to go there." you interrupt
>Pinkie smiles and tilts her head
>"Oh don't worry Nonny! I know that place inside backwards and sideways! Even diagonal!"
>It's not getting lost that worries you, it's staying safe.
>Mom thought about renovating the castle, but decided to leave it as it was.
>She didn't want to bring unneeded attention to it.
>That being said, the thing is crawling with traps and danger.
>You'e unsure you want to risk it for the sake of the party.
>"But you need to take risks to have the most fun Nonny! Just trust me!"
>You nervously chuckle
"Maybe you're right. I guess I-"
>Wait a minute
>Did she just-
>"Excellent! Then all you ponies and hummans get out and follow me!"
>She starts to bounce down the trail
>You're still confused about it all.
>Now you understand why mom wanted to do so many tests on Pinkie
>You hop out of the lake and start putting your clothes back on.
>Seems like you just got in, but you'll be back for the party
>Water drips from your bodies as your group follows Pinkie back down the path
>Your boxers are damp and uncomfortable as they rub against your thighs
>Pinkie's signature skipping actually goes at a pretty quick pace
>You wonder how a pony can have that much energy
>She's jumping with enormous bounds, almost as if she were defying gravity
>As her mane bounces and bobs with each jump, she hums a tune to herself happily
>You speed up a bit to walk next to her
>She bounces up to your eyes before falling back to the ground
"So, what exactly are we getting from the castle?"
>She turns to look at you
>"OH! I have a bunch of super duper awesome party stuff I keep there! There's a lot of room, after all, and what's safer than a castle?"
>You wonder if mom has any idea that she's doing this
>Probably not
>The Everfree forest feels cooler than the rest of the world
>Trees provide a lot of shade, and it coats the forest floor with dots of light peeking through
>The sun is beginning to decend, and a light orange haze lights the fog on the floor
>Nobody says a word, but you're all feeling a bit nervous
>No matter how much you age, the stories about this place still haunt your worried mind.
>You feel Scootaloo push her head under your arm
>You look down at her smiling face
>She doesn't seem very bothered by it.
>She smirks
>"Feeling a little antsy Nonny?"
>You chew the inside of your cheek
"Admittedly, yeah. What makes you so confident?"
>She chuckles
>"The three of us got lost out here once when we were young. If it wasn't for Fluttershy, we might have been done for."
>Apple Bloom laughs
>"That stare of hers is strong!"
>The trio snickers with nostalgia
>You've heard of the Fluttershy stare before, mom mentioned it once or twice
>You wonder what it's like to get stared down by her.
>She always seemed so fragile, you can hardly imagine her getting intense.
>You can imagine how rattling it would be.
"I wouldn't imagine that getting lost in the woods would improve your confidence."
>Scoots is about to respond when you are interrupted by a Pinkie yelling
>"We're heeeeerree~"
>The trees and vines no longer surround you as you approach a large hanging bridge.
>Behind the fog covered bridge you see the outline of an intimidating castle.
>You sigh a bit
>Even from here the castle seems to be in shambles
>The silhouette has chunks missing, and the setting summer sun burns its orange rays through
>For some reason the condition of the old castle makes you feel melancholy.
>Pinkie begins skipping over the old hanging planks
>"C'mon everypony! Let's get in there!"
>Scoots and Spark look at the bridge, before sharing a mutual glance of agreement
>They hover above the bridge and start to soar across.
>Spark notices your concerned expression.
>"Well, it SEEMS safe enough. I'm sure it'll hold your weight!"
>He smiles nervously before being consumed by the fog.
>Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell both trot across while you hesitate.
>You don't want to be on this old thing until everyone is off.
>Don't want to risk having too much weight on there.
>The fog makes it near impossible to see the opposite bank.
>You catch a glimpse of everypony waiting for you on the other side.
>Your eyes shift to the bridge itself.
>The planks are covered in moss, and appeared to have started to rot
>You can't remember whether mom replaced the bridge or not.
>This just makes you more nervous.
>A part of you shouts to run back
>To walk through the forest and head home
>Just give up on this ludicrous goal of breaking into the old castle and throwing a party.
>To leave this whole week behind you and prepare for what your mother has to say to you.
>To drop everything and run.
>It's a loud voice in your head, and it makes you sweat.
>Suddenly, you find yourself gritting your teeth.
>Your face flushes and your fists clench
>A surge of anger rises over you.
>No, not anger.
>You're ashamed of these feelings.
>Feelings of abandonment
>Feelings of isolation.
>You're done standing on this side of the bridge.
>The first board creaks as you step on it.
>You're done feeling this shame.
>The rope vibrates viciously to your weight
>You're done alienating yourself from a healthier life.
>The dirt crunches beneath your feet.
>You're done.
>You look up at the group of ponies who were waiting for you on the other side.
>They smile at you, relieved you made it across.
>You smile back.
>You crossed it without looking back.
>Now that you've passed through the fog, you can observe the castle better.
>It does nothing to improve your mood, however.
>Its bricks seep with moss and mildew.
>The great front doors are rusted and rotting slightly.
>Even the strong oak used to make these doors could not hold up to time itself unscathed.
>Statues of gargoyles and griffins decorate the rooftop
>Scraps of old armor and weaponry can be found half-buried around the base of the fortress.
>Holes in the structure reveal the dark castle within, and some even show light through the back.
>The highest points of the castle are completely crumbled, except for the identical towers that once housed the sisters.
>Pinkie Pie skips up to the doors without hesitation.
>Her hooves click and clack against the stone stairs as she pulls the doors open.
>You'd think the doors would be locked.
>Actually, they probably were locked, but Pinkie doesn't follow the same rules as the rest of you.
>"Oakschay. Egvryprony gescht ischlide." Pinkie says with the door handle still in her mouth.
>Your group wanders in cautiously.
>Scootaloo hides behind you a bit.
>So does Apple Bloom, and Sweetie behind Spark.
>Neither you nor Spark feel qualified to be in front, but you lift your chins and trudge inside.
>The castle is actually well lit with the sunlight.
>The great throne room reveals itself to you.
>It is simple: Two thrones with two tapestries above them.
>Each throne made for each sister.
>The hall is a lot cleaner than you imagined.
>You know your mother did clean it up with her friends at one point, but that was long ago.
>The red carpets and wood walls give a rustic feel to it all.
>It feels quite humble compared to the castle you've visited in Canterlot.
>More down to earth.
>Pinkie hops into the room and put her hoof on her chin.
>She seems to be contemplating something.
"Is everything alright Pinkie?" You ask hesitantly
>She smiles
>"Oh yeah! It's just I don't know where my things are!"
>Your whole group joins in a collective groan.
>"What do you mean you don't know where they are?" Scootaloo blurts.
>Pinkie giggles
>"Stuff tends to move around on its own here! We'll have to find it."
>You feel a chill go down your spine.
>Searching around this old castle doesn't sound like fun.
>The corridors of the old castle are tight and dark, like a wild cave.
>Suits of aged aromor stand guard on both sides of the long hall.
>Their eyeless visors silently seep out mist, and their joints remain locked to their bodies.
>They give the whole hall a haunted feeling.
>You and Scoots wander aimlessly.
>She stays close for security.
>You feel paranoid as you search for Pinkie's party kit.
> 'It's in a small pink and yellow box with my name on it! You'll know it when you see it!' is what Pinkie said
>You don't doubt here
>Anything remotely related to Pinkie Pie ought to stick out in this dreary setting.
>You search the west wing, searching each room with Scoots.
>Most rooms are store rooms, holding old and expired cooking supplies, weapons, or just knick knacks.
>One of the handles of an upcoming door intrigues you.
>It's made from glass, and still shines, even under layers of dust.
>As you push down the handle the door creaks in protest, as if you woke it from a very deep hibernation.
>You peer inside, and find yourself surrounded by beautiful tiles and esquisite furnishings.
>It appears to be a luxurious bathroom, complete with a large tub and a huge sink.
>You and your companion walk in.
>The mirror is dirtied by dust, completely coated with grey particles.
>It offers you no reflection.
>Scootaloo takes a closer look at the tub.
>"This is quite the place. I wonder why it was abandoned."
>You nod as you test the valves in the sink.
>You wonder that often yourself.
"Must have been something catastrophic, or something changed. Either way, somepony wanted to get out of here."
>A sudden yelp and clank takes you by surprise.
>You turn to find Scootaloo lying on the ground with a metal pipe next to her.
>Her eyes roll around in their sockets.
>You rush over to her.
"Woah! What happened? Are you alright?"
>She blinks a few times and rattles her head
>"The shower curtain thing fell on me I guess. That's gonna leave a bump." She says with a smirk.
>You chuckle as you help her up.
>Scoots leads you out and heads for the stairs at the end of the hall.
>The two of you work your way up a spiral to the higher floor.
>You assume that you've entered one of the towers.
>For a castle, it's actually a small space.
>Above ground, at least.
>At the top of the stairs you're met with a door.
>Its wooden bars are accented by a large moon crest.
>This must have been Luna's room.
>You run your fingers over the raised symbol and feel the raw carvings scraped into it.
>Scoots bumps your leg.
>"We going in or what?"
>You shake your head a bit.
"I'm a little uncomfortable going in here. This was Luna's room at one point."
>Scootaloo blows air out her nose
>"It was her room centuries ago, and the whole place has already been searched by Twilight and her friends. We won't be disturbing anything."
>She's right. Any personal property or sense of ownership this room once possessed is long gone.
>You push down the door handle and push the door open.
>Surprisingly the door opens pretty easily without even a squeak.
>The door swings in, and the room presents itself to you.
>It's a cluttered mess, with books thrown into ad-hoc piles, and papers littering the floor.
>It appears to be a large floor, divided into three different rooms.
>The first room, the one you're standing in, is a decent sized library. There's also a dangerous looking balcony and a barren bedroom.
>The shelves of books line the walls, and make multiple rows.
>It's funny, but you didn't take Luna as the reading type.
>The shelves seem newer than the castle, and the papers on the floor appear to be recent as well.
>The entire place is devoid of dust.
>Somepony was up here utilizing the space.
>As you survey your surroundings, you become aware of an object sitting in the middle of the room.
"Hey, here's Pinkie's box!"
>You shift a blanket off a large pink and yellow chest.
>It has Pinkie's signature balloons on it.
>"I'll be damned, there it is. Wonder how it got up here..."
"It's like Pinkie said, things must just move around in this castle.
>Scoots looks around the room.
>"Guess so!"
>It's not too large, you should be able to bring it down.
>You stretch your arms before crouching down to grab it.
>You grasp the brass handles and use your legs to lift.
>The weight of the box is incredible, and you stumble backwards as your grip loosens.
>Your head smacks into the book shelf, and you are buried in an avalanche of literature.
>Scootaloo laughs at your misfortune.
>You don't hold it against her, you'd laugh too.
>As your dizziness subsides, you begin to pick yourself up.
>The books flop to the ground as you step out of their pile.
>You dust yourself off and remove the book on your head.
>Scootaloo whistles to you.
>"Check this book out! 'Mystical Creatures of Equestria: Volume 3'. How much you wanna bet we find a picture of Spike in this badboy?"
>You laugh as you look over her shoulder to inspect the book.
>The book itself is in simple binding, but it has scrapes and claw marks up and down it.
>It has diagrams of exotic creatures and monsters of Equestria, you wouldn't be surprised if Spike was actually in the book.
>Scoots brushes your hand.
>"What book do you have?"
>You realize you're still holding the book that was on your head.
>You chuckle as you lift it up to read it.
"Looks like I've got-"
>Your hands tighten around the book as you read the title.
>From your mind comes an odd sensation of familiarity
>You have no idea what Anthropology is, but you feel like you've heard it before.
>You feel acquainted with it.
>"Antrowpology? What is that?"
>You sit down so Scoots can look at it with you.
>The book itself is very simple looking, bound with leather and labled with an imprint.
>The cover has a large emblem on it.
>You brush the dust off to get a better look.
>As your hand glides across the cover, it falls into a groove perfectly
>The book surrounds your hand as if it were molded for you.
>You pull your hand away out of instinct.
>Dented into the leather is hand print.
>As you look it up and down, you find your heart racing
>At first you thought the print was your own, and that the old leather gave way to your brushing
>But upon closer inspection, you can see that the hand is actually a bit larger than yours.
>Your fingers travel over the grooves and valleys of the cover.
>"That looks just like your hand. Just like it! It's not scaled like a dragon's hand, and it's too big to be a monkey hand."
>Scootaloo stops speaking when she notices your confusion
>Your heart is beating quickly, and you feel a bead of sweat roll down the side of your face.
>Why is this book making you so nervous?
>A million questions flash through your mind all at once.
>What is Anthropology?
>Why is there a hand print on the cover?
>Why is it here in the tower?
>Who used this tower recently?
>Without thinking, your fingers grip under the front cover.
>In a moment of clarity, the questions stop and you come back to reality.
>What's in this book could change a lot.
>You could learn things you don't need to learn.
>You blink and swallow hard.
>Your hand opens the old book with ease and the title page reveals itself to you.
>"Anthropology: Everything Human."
>You grit your teeth
>Scootaloo finishes reading the title then looks back to you.
>"Is this a book... about humans?"
>You turn to the first page and a word in the title catches your eye.
"Humanity. It's a book about, 'Humanity'."
>You bite your lip as you taste that new word fall from your tongue.
>The first chapter's title has already given you new motivation to continue.
>'Chapter 1: Humanity at its Core'
>As you skim the first chapter, your eyes race with anticipation.
>New information is thrown at you left and right, references you don't understand are mentioned and brushed away.
>'Humanity has created incredible acchievements, like the Pyramids of Egypt, Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty. Such objects stimulate our busy human minds, bringing us great wonder. Hence the name, the Wonders of the World...'
>You lower your brow as you read more and try to absorb it all.
>What are the Pyramids of Egypt? What is this Eiffel Tower? Who built the Statue of Liberty? What world are these Wonders in?
>You wish there were illustrations, then maybe you'd have a better idea.
>You flip ahead a few dozen pages or so to catch a new area of the book.
>Scoots nudges your arm
>"Uh, Nonny?"
>You decide not to respond
>You're too enticed by this book.
>This page is about the Psychology of humans. Who is this Freud? It's all so facinating.
>You jump to another part of the book.
>It appears this part of the book is about a culture of humans in a place called the 'Middle East'
>What kind of name is the 'Middle East'?
>Then again, you live in a town called 'Ponyville'
>They play a game called Buzkashi.
>It's a different language than your own! So different humans speak different languages, just like ponies!
>The plethora of knowledge continues to flood into you.
>You turn to another page near the middle of the book.
>This page is about-
>Something falls from the page and lands in your lap.
>As you watch it fall, you realize that Scootaloo has her forelegs on your lap.
>She looks quite flustered and confused.
>You blink twice before addressing her.
"W-What's wrong Scoots?"
>"You've been reading that book and ignoring me for ten minutes!"
>You place the book down on the chest in front of you, open to the page for quick access.
"I'm sorry, it's just- wow. This book is incredible."
>You stand up and look around you.
>The titles of the books you ignored before become clear to you now.
>Anthropology, Histories of humanity, Psychology of humans, even comic books with human heroes surround you.
>You walk around picking up book after book.
"This is incredible! Why wasn't this room ever documented or discovered? Where did all these books come from?"
>You skip about like a child.
>"Listen, Anon. Calm down. We don't know where these books are from."
>You walk over to her
"I wish I knew where they were from! Imagine the place that these books detail! Whoever brought these books here must have taken quite the interest in my species!"
>You step on something
>You look down to see a little bit of string hanging off a slip of paper.
>You bend over to pick it up.
"I would have killed to read this when I was younger. It would have explained so much to me!"
>It appears to be a bookmark that fell out of the Anthropology book
"At least I have it now, no need regretting what is out of my control, right?"
>You dangle the book mark by the string attached to it.
"What a nice little bookm-"
>You notice a familiar symbol on the slip of paper.
>You grab it to take a better look.
>The symbol is a star surrounded by five other stars
>You know this mark.
>This is your mother's mark.
>At first you feel nothing but a bit of confusion.
>Your mother must have been here before, reading these books and learning their secrets.
>Your hands begin to clench as a sudden wave of anxiety and rage floods over you.
>You feel your upper lip twitch as you try to understand these feelings.
>She had these books and she never showed you.
>She never let you read them.
>She never let you discover them.
>She never gave you their secrets.
>It feels like a part of you was hidden this whole time.
>As if your mother took a piece of who you are, WHAT you are, and stole it away for you to never find.
>You feel sweat roll down your brow as you grab a nearby book and head for the door.
>Scootaloo follows behind you, confused.
>You start to head for the library.
>Every castle has one, it's just about finding it.
>What other secrets has your mother been keeping from you?
>Scootaloo yells from behind as you trudge through the cooridors.
>"Nonny! Stop! Where are you going?"
>You let out some hot air through your nostrils.
"I'm gonna find the library and learn more about this stuff."
>Scootaloo sounds stressed
>"I don't know if we should, we left the box back there."
"Pinkie will find it soon enough. This is more important."
>Scootaloo hops in front of you as you cross the throne room.
"What?!" you bark
>She seems intimidated.
>"I-I don't think you should do that."
>You squint your eyes as you realize what she said.
"What did you say?"
>She swallows and stands straight, conquering her nervousness.
>"These books, they do something to you. You're not acting right, Maybe you should just leave them be."
>You tilt your head in confusion.
>Your face flushes with rage.
"How can you say that to me?! I barely know anything about what I am, and now I get the chance to find out and you want me to stop?!"
>Scootaloo looks angry.
>"Well there's nothing in that book that will help you! All it will do is cause problems! What use is there learning about a world you've never been to?!"
>The rest of the group trot into the throne room which echos to the external halls.
"How do you know any of this? What do you know about me? You don't know what it's like to be a, a-"
>You pause as with your eyes wide as you try to hold back your emotions
>But the dam has broken
>Scootaloo looks at you with teared eyes
>"I guess I didn't know you, as well as I thought."
>You stamp a foot.
"That's right! You don't know what it's like being an outcast. Like a human amongst ponies!"
>"Or a pegasus that can't fly?" Sweetie Bell shouts at you.
>You turn your head to see the crowd you gathered.
>Scootaloo flies down to the group as Spark glides to you.
>"Alright pal, take it easy. You don't want to make this worse. I don't know what's got you all fired up, but you need to slow do-"
>You yell when Pinkie Pie catches your eye.
>You walk down the stairs and loom over Pinkie
"Your box was in a room my mother used as a study. In that room there were books on humans, why didn't you ever tell me?!"
>Pinkie is surprised by your strong tone
>"U-uh, well we weren't supposed to tell you-"
>Pinkie starts to shrink down as her mane deflates.
>"T-Twilight told us we couldn't tell y-"
>The sound of your mother's name flares you even more.
>Pinkie doesn't respond, she simply sinks further to the floor and covers her eyes and ears with her hooves.
>You pant heavily as Spark grabs onto your shoulder.
>Without thinking you smack Spark to the floor with your arm.
>You turn and start to head up the stairs.
>You head for the tower again and walk towards the archway to the hall.
>Just before you enter the hall, you stop.
>Your group is heading out the door.
>Scoots' head hangs low, and the rest seem rattled.
>But one sends chills down your spine.
>Spark looks at you with a bloodied nose, like the one those two stallions gave him in the party so long ago.
>But his face did not wear an expression of defiance, nor a strong stonewalled face of power.
>His expression rang with defeat.
>Not because of his injury.
>Because of something much worse.
>You puff hot air out your nose as you head for the tower.
>You slam the door against the wall, rattling books off their shelves.
>You make a beeline for the book on the chest, still open where you left off.
>You take a seat next to the chest and shake your head.
>You're overcome with anger, and your hands shake.
>Such passion has never come to you before.
>It scares you.
>On the ground you spot the book mark again.
>You pick it up by its tassle and throw it against the wall.
>The very thought of your mother reading these books sends you into a fury.
>The only thing that could make you feel right again is this book you fought so hard to read.
>You sit down over the book and crack your neck.
>You're still burning, but at least this will calm you.
>The book is still open to the page your mother had marked.
>You nearly close the book wtihout reading her page, as if it were tainted with her very presence.
>The book remains open however, as you read the title of the page.
>"Childhood and Adolescence"
>Beads of sweat drip off your forehead and onto your tingling hands.
>You begin to read the first paragraph hunched over the table.
>"When one becomes a parent, they feel an immediate bond with their offspring. The way the human mind is programmed, we have no choice but to find babies adorable and worth protecting. It is in our instincts."
>Your eyebrows begin to raise as you pull the book closer
>"However, other animals have such an instinct as well. Even more curiously, they have it with human babies as well as their own."
>You read rapidly, absorbing the information like before.
>But as you read your hands start to shake again.
>"... humans babies have been proven to be likely candidates in cross species adoption. Animals ranging from Wolves to cats, Horses to Elephants, have taken a liking to taking human babies under their wing."
>The flash of a purple feather splashes out from you memories.
>"A human child is impulsive and emotional. It will stamp its feet and scream its head off to get what it wants."
>Your heart beats faster as you read more
>You sit against the wall with the book pressed nearly against your nose.
>"...however, even with all these shortcomings, children are still the most genuine and honest of all humans, and they deserve the love and affection needed to grow."
>Your reading stops as you come upon a tampering with the text.
>The paragraph is highlighted with a purple highlighter.
>You read it slowly:
>'Perhaps the most important thing for a child is love and patience. A parent must be willing to sacrifice themself to the child. They open their home, their hearts, and their very being to the child. Like a bear protecting its cubs, a parent will never stop
when it comes to protecting its offspring from the harsh and bitter world around them.'
>You're halted again by a sentence that has been underlined, highlighted, and circled.
>You read it outloud to yourself.
"No matter what a child may act like, no matter what it may look like, and no matter what it may grow up, to a parent, it is always their child. To a true parent, there is noone more important than their kid. No matter their age or behavior, the love of a
parent is unconditional. It is important to remember this sometimes."
>You close the book with shaking hands and throw it accross the room.
>You stand up and run for the bathroom.
>You feel sick.
>You burst into the room and lean on the counter, gasping for air.
>Your emotions mix into an untranslatable mess.
>You feel fear and anger creep up from inside you
>But most of all you feel confused.
>You look up at the dusty mirror
>With one hand you clear a portion off to see yourself.
>You gasp as the image becomes clear.
>Your hair is a mess, and your face is flushed.
>Your eyes are wide and crazed.
>Your mouth frowns back at you.
>Is this really who you are?
>You scowl at yourself and recognize the familiar expression.
>In recent years, you've seen this face looking back at you in the mirror
>A look of discontent, of bigotry, of arrogance.
>Of hate.
>As you lean closer to the mirror, something catches your eye in the background.
>You turn and walk to the tub in the back.
>Lying on the ground is a metal pipe
>But resting delicately on the tub is an orange feather, left behind by somepony you know.
>Somepony you felt happy with.
>You lift the feather to your face.
>Somepony you felt normal with.
>The cold tile rubs against your knees as you fall to the tub.
>You lie your head on the side of the tub.
>Somepony you fell in love with.
>The water hasn't run in this castle for years.
>But the tub slowly fills none the less
>The next twenty minutes fly by in a blur.
>Your emotions empty into the tub and swirl down the drain.
>You feel like a husk; devoid of life, devoid of passion.
>As if out of obligation you walk up the stairs to the tower.
>You wander in and sit next to the pile of books.
>You gave up your friends for these books.
>And you have no idea why.
>You stare down at them with dry eyes
>Your tears are gone. The demand is still there, but the supply is not.
>Your face feels raw and tight, as if it were made of leather.
>Originally you were going to blame the books.
>The books corrupted you right? You weren't thinking straight, right?
>No. No, you don't even believe that.
>You know that it was you shouting in that throne room.
>You lost your control.
>And you pushed everypony away.
>Just like that man in the mirror always did.
>You sit against the trunk again.
>You stare out to balcony window as the sun finally sets
>Its orange and red rays fill the room with color.
>Its beauty does nothing to lighten your mood.
>You close your eyes and place your face into your hands.
>You ruined everything.
>And there is no one left to blame but you.
>Suddenly a chill runs down your spine
>As you remove your hands, a figure stands on the balcony.
>You can see your breath as a cool feeling washes over you.
>"Come closer~" says the figure in a whispered tone.
>You stand and approach it.
>As you walk into what is now the night, the figure becomes clears.
>You see her mane float in the summer breeze, and watch as the shines reflect back at you.
>"You have had an eventful night tonight, Nonny."
>Luna speaks softly and properly
>"You should take a rest."
>Your arms fall to your sides and your body's tenseness releases a bit.
>It's surprising to see Luna here, of course, but you can't feel much of anything right now.
>The only things you feel are the bags under your eyes and the rawness of your cheeks.
>Luna walks around you a bit.
>She inspects you up and down.
>Without thinking you sit on the ground.
>You're not really in the mood to stand.
>It's not like you need to kneel to Luna, she's basically your aunt.
>Or something.
>The way royalty works is not based on bloodline, but rather on select ponies. After all, granny and pappy aren't alicorns, and are by no means royal.
>Even so, Luna has been around for a very long time, and by all means she is basically a deity of Equestria.
>But regardless, you couldn't care less right now.
>You lean your head into your hand.
>Luna stops again in front of you.
>"You have been busy this past week."
>You groan in confirmation.
>She tilts her head.
>"You made a lot of friends."
>You don't respond.
>"I find it fascinating that you made friends in such a-"
"How do you know about any of this?" You interrupt with a grunt.
>Luna raises an eyebrow
>"I know about all my subjects during the night. It's my job."
>You roll your eyes
"I'm not one of your subjects."
>"This is true, however, are your friends not my subjects?"
>Your head sinks a bit as your eyes glaze.
>Now that you think about it, the most important moments happened in the middle of the night.
>But you don't dwell on it.
>Luna trots closer to you
>"You are not the same Nonny I knew once."
>You look at her through tired eyes.
>Even in your empty state, those words still flare something.
>"You have grown very well. You are strong."
>You sigh
"I don't think so, Luna. I'm the same weak being I've always been."
>"Nonny, this attitude you have now is not a healthy choice for you."
>You pull your knees to your chest.
"I know." You whisper.
>"I am confused Nonny. Do you choose to be in this state?"
>You shake your head, finding some strength to care enough to respond.
"I didn't choose, but it's still my fault."
>Your eyes lock to the floor.
>You look at her decorative shoes and how the glisten in the night.
>Luna thinks for a moment before speaking.
>"Then you should choose to be happy again."
>Even with so much time in modern Equestria, she still hasn't gotten the hang of the current langauge.
>Regardless, she certainly sounds calming.
"That's not how that works."
>A glow above you catches your view.
>Luna's horn is alight with a blue aura.
>"You shall show yourself the way, Nonny. I know a pony who can help."
>She presses her horn against your forehead, before a flash of light bursts from your vision and all goes white.
>As your eyes adjust, you realize you are no longer at the castle, but instead standing at the door of a small familiar cottage.
>The sound of water can be heard behind you, but anything beyond a point turns to white.
>Your new surroundings startle you, but your empty heart again fails to give a reaction.
>It appears all your feelings ended up in that tub.
>You decide to play along and knock on the door of the cottage.
>Your eyes widen as the sound of the knock gives you an odd sense of deja vu.
>The door opens entirely, revealing a scene inside.
>There sits a yellow pegasus in the middle of the room.
>As you walk inside, the door shuts behind you.
>You begin to approach Fluttershy.
>Suddenly she speaks out.
>"So, what do you think Nonny? Isn't it wonderful?"
>You look at her confused as she stares to the left.
"Wonderful? What do you-"
>"It's really neat! I just can't get the hang of it though." spouts a small voice
>The left side of the room clears from whiteness
>Sitting on the carpet next to Fluttershy is-
>In a pair of overalls and some puffy sneakers, a 5 year old Anon sits in front of you.
>In his hands is an instrument, about his size.
>But even more perplexingly, made for him.
>In his tiny hands is what a appears to be a tiny instrument with four strings.
>You walk closer to your past self and catch the word on the side
>"Well you'll just have to practice until you're better at it, won't you?" Fluttershy states
>Little Nonny nods his head rapidly
>"I guess so! Thanks for the present Auntie Fluttershy!"
>Fluttershy smiles at your miniature self.
>You come to realize this is a memory of yours.
>You recall being babysitted by Fluttershy often when you were very young.
>And you can vaguely remember the Ukulele.
>You remember playing it to yourself at night
>Its light hearted strumming being a lullaby of sorts when your mother was not around.
>Your glazed eyes still show no expression to this nostalgia.
>You don't feel a thing.
>Little Nonny plucks the strings a bit more, releasing a typhoon of sour notes
>But everyone once and awhile, you hear a strong, delicious note.
>You put your hands in your pocket as you look at your memory.
>Your hands brush against something and an odd wave of coolness rushes over you.
>As you pull what was in your pocket out, you hear your old self speak once more.
>"This is really hard, I wish somepony could show me."
>The object in your pocket was the orange feather from before.
>As you swivel it in your hand, you notice your past self turn in the background.
>"Hey? Can you show me?" he says to you.
>You blink as you put the feather away.
"Are you... talking to me?"
>Fluttershy giggles.
>"Oh Anon, I did not see you come in. Why don't you take a seat?"
>You stand still for a moment, trying to understand.
>You thought this was a memory, a vision.
>So why is this memory talking to you?
>You walk over and take a seat next to Nonny.
>He looks at you with shining eyes.
>You look to Fluttershy for answers, but she just smiles back.
>"So can you play this thing?" Nonny asks innocently.
>You look into your own eyes as Nonny hands you the Ukulele
"Yeah, I can play a bit I suppose."
>You haven't touched one of these in a long time.
>But as you adjust your fingers, they seem to find their way.
>You strum a C, then a D, then a G, then an A, then an F
>You smirk a bit at your old skills returning to you.
>Nonny crawls onto your leg a bit to get a closer look.
>"Wooooow! You can play it really well Anon!"
>You chuckle a bit at his cuteness
"Well, it takes hard work and determination! You need to practice every day, you hear?"
>Nonny nods as you continue to strum.
>You begin to play a short tune, plucking at fingerings and hearing the Uke's sweet sound echo.
>Your fingers move freely, and you're a lot less rusty than you thought.
>After a short while, you hand it back to Nonny.
"So, here's the C chord, and here's the G. If you put your fingers like this..."
>As you grab his fingers you realize how much bigger your hands are.
>His little fist can fit in the palm of your hand.
>After a bit of fenangaling, Nonny is ready to play.
>After a few missed strums, he finally plays a C.
>His face lights up as he hears the proper sound.
>You smile at him.
"Very good."
>He smiles back then returns to playing.
>"You were always like that as a child. Such a smiley boy." Fluttershy says from behind.
>You turn to look at her again.
"I don't understand how any of this is possible. Where am I? Am I dreaming?"
>Fluttershy looks at Nonny then back at you.
>"In a way. This is a dream of mine."
>Your theory was correct, but only to a point.
>You had suspected Luna sent you into a memory of your own through you own dreams, but it appears she sent you into one of Fluttershy's.
"You dream about me from time to time?"
>Fluttershy laughs
>"Oh Nonny, we all think about you from time to time."
>You bite the inside of your cheek
>It's all so weird, this dream world.
>But at least you have company with Fluttershy.
"Why do you all think about me? This week is the first time I've visted any of you in a long time. Why would I cross your mind?"
>Fluttershy tilts her head to your question.
>"Oh, well, I don't know." Fluttershy responds in a calm tone.
>Not exaclty helpful.
>You look forward again and lean against the wall.
"Nevermind, it doesn't matter."
>Fluttershy looks at you then at your younger self, still strumming away on loop.
>"We sometimes wonder about you, I guess."
>You roll your head against the wall to face her again.
>"You don't visit us very much, but we miss seeing you these days."
>You lean forward again, listening to her speak.
>"When you were a little human, you were really part of the family."
>She looks at Nonny.
>"I would babysit you, and you would play with Rainbow Dash outside when she came down."
>She smiles
>"And you and I would visit Sweet Apple Acres when you were very young. You were always getting in trouble, going on little adventures through the orchards."
>She giggles at the thought of it.
>You feel warmth in your cheeks as the corners of your mouth start to journey north.
>"But Applejack would never mind because you always loved eating their apples and playing in the hay bails."
>You smell the hay and feel the cool fall afternoons as your nostalgia begins.
>Fluttershy sighs with a smirk.
>"Ah, but your favorite time of day was when you left, and you followed your mother home with Spike. It was so cute watching you hold hands with Spike for the walks home."
>You smile at while looking at the floor, focusing on hearing the stories as she tells them.
>You remember most of these things, but the memories are faded.
>Fluttershy exhales softly
>"But that was a long time ago. An we don't see you like we used to. So we think about you, which is the next best thing."
>An odd warmth fills you.
>You're glad she reminded you of those days.
>They were better days than your school days that followed after.
"I'm sorry I haven't come by in so long, I've been a little lost." You confess
>She smiles
>"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm glad we get to spend some time together now."
>You nod
"I'm glad too."
>You relax and stare out the window.
>There is nothing very defined, just foggy whiteness.
>You suppose that is where the dreamscape ends.
>You know a bit about Luna's powers, after all you used to visit the sisters a lot as a kid.
>Whenever mom decided to head to Canterlot, you were always going to tag along.
>You still enjoy going to Canterlot to visit Auntie Cadence and Uncle Shining.
>However, boredom seemed to be your only motivation to go on such a trip.
>You think about how you never visit anyone just for the sake of visiting.
>It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
>"Luna tells me you've had a bad night." Fluttershy quietly states
>As you remember the night, it leaves more than a bad taste.
>You feel a disgusting aura surround you.
>You grit your teeth a bit.
"I made a lot of mistakes tonight with a lot of ponies I liked."
>You look down at your hands.
"I lost control and bu- screwed everything up." You censor yourself
>"Can you fix it?"
>You shake your head
"I said some pretty foolish things, Fluttershy. I don't know how I can fix it."
>You feel yourself tightening up again as your legs start to pull to your chest.
>Fluttershy puts her wing around you.
>"You need to set things right Nonny."
>You look at her before being met by a determined and serious gaze.
>You feel like a child being scolded.
>You look back at your past self.
>He's stuck in a freeze frame, as if someone paused him.
>The dream only seems to function when Fluttershy is focused on it.
>But right now, she's only focused on you.
>You look back to her.
"How do I fix a screw up this big?"
>"With an even bigger apology." she says in a very matter-of-fact way.
>You can tell she deals with immature creatures a lot.
>When she says something that's right, you can't argue it.
>You scratch the top of your head as you comb your mind for a solution.
>It just seems impossible to take back everything you did in that castle.
>Especially with Scootaloo.
>Fluttershy sees your distraught expression.
>"Having trouble coming up with something?"
>You nod
"I don't see anyway to fix this Fluttershy. I don't think I do it."
>"Oh, um. Why don't you just be honest with them?"
> You shake your head
"Will that really be good enough?"
>"It's like Rainbow Dash says, oh how did it go..."
>She thinks for a moment.
>You look up at her
>" 'You have to jump from high places in order to fly', or something like that I'm sure."
>The words remind you of earlier in the week, when you were asking Rainbow for advice.
>She told you to take a risk, to expose your inner self.
>To believe in what you're capable of.
>And when you took that risk, you won over...
>Who's to say that you can win her back?
>Your emotions reform, and you heart starts pumping passion again.
>The warmth in your chest spreads through your body.
>You've stablized once more.
>You stand and face Fluttershy.
"I think I need to go now."
>She stands and smiles at you.
>"I enjoyed spending some time with you again Nonny."
>You smile and nod.
"I'll come by and visit real soon."
>You tighten your hands into fists as you speak.
"I promise."
>Fluttershy trots past you.
>"Okay Nonny! Anon is leaving, and it's time for a nap! Say goodbye!"
>Little Nonny glitches back into step, acting as if nothing happened.
>"OKay! Goodbye Mr.Anon! Thanks for teaching me how to play!"
>You take a step to walk out, but kneel in front of your doppelganger.
"Listen kid. You love your mom right?"
>Nonny smiles
>"Of course I love my mommy!"
>You grab his shoulders
"Never change kid. For the love of Celestia never change."
>Nonny tilts his head
>"Okidoki! I won't change!"
>Fluttershy pipes up.
>"Um, you know that won't change anything, right? Once you leave this will all go poof. That's the arrangement Luna made for us."
>You nod
"I know. I just wish that somepony did that to me when I was younger. Maybe things would have been different."
>You open the door to the white abyss.
>As you close the door behind you, you see Fluttershy bringing Nonny to take a nap.
>She takes his Ukulele and puts it on a high shelf, then leads him upstairs.
>As the crack tightens into nothing, you smile to yourself.
>The white light blinds you once more
>Your eyes open to Luna, standing on the balcony.
>You're back in reality.
>The first thing you notice is a string of drool leaking down from your mouth.
>You wipe it away with your arm and a groan of disgust as you stand.
>You look out to the starry night sky as the cool evening breeze blows through your hair.
>Luna looks at you patiently, awaiting a response to all of this.
>You inhale deeply and let it out slowly
"How long have I been asleep for?"
>She speaks calmly
>"An hour or so."
>You notice lights shining through the night sky over the trees.
>Ponyville is in that direction, they must have thrown the party without you.
>You stratch the back of your head and keep your hand there.
>It hurts to know they'd leave you like this.
>But you were the reason they had this change of heart.
>And it's your job to change their minds.
"I have a lot of work to do tonight Luna."
>"Yes, you do."
>You turn around and face her before looking into the room again.
>You walk into the room and start to place the books back where they were.
>Anthropology books, history books, biology books.
>They all were put back
>As you placed the books away you spoke to Luna again
"Did you come here only to tend to me, or was there another motive?"
>Luna smiles
>"Nonny, you are not just another of my subjects. You are different."
>You smirk a bit
>"As I watched your group head towards this castle during the setting of the sun, I knew there would be trouble."
>You continue to listen as you slide books into the shelves
>"And I was correct. It broke my heart to see you arguing with Scootaloo."
>You freeze for a moment with the last book.
>You look at the book of humanity you hold, and for a moment consider placing it in your adventure bag in the corner.
>But your arm moves on its own as it pushes the spine of the book until it clunks against the back.
"After I apologize to her, the most I can hope is that she doesn't hate me."
>You lift your bag and put it on your back.
"I'm almost certain that our little relationship is over."
>Luna looks at the moon
>"I am not certain of such a thing."
>You lift an eyebrow as you look at her through the large arched doorway
>She turns to face you.
>"In dreams I see the truth behind feelings. I learn who they truly care about, I learn who they idolize..."
>She smirks
>"I learn much from dreams, Anon THE STRONG!"
>She flexes her foreleg in an attempt to mock your arms.
>You fold your eyes and lift your eyebrows as you feel the blood rush to your face.
"Really?" you say sarcastically.
>She chuckles to herself.
>"The point that I am making an effort to make, is that I have seen Scootaloo's desires and dreams, and you are in them more often than anypony else."
>She blows out a bit of air with a chuckle as she blushes.
>"Occasionally without clothing."
>You suddenly become very aware of your body
>You cough in an attempt to allieve the awkwardness.
>"But in every dream you are in, she spends time simply existing with you. The two of you needn't say a word in her dreams, she just enjoys your very presence."
>Your heart bashes against your ribs as she describes it all to you.
>She smiles and starts speaking less formally.
>"I really enjoyed the one the night after the party. You two where both on a train, and you got out of your seat to sit next to her. You were wearing a winter jacket and a wool hat, and she was wearing a scarf around her neck. You complimented her
wings and she complimented your eyes. And by the end of the dream..."
>She stops herself, realizing how much she has been talking.
>She clears her throat before falling back into formal speech.
>"I apologize, I have said too much. It's just, everything she did with you was so ordinary. It was not overly romantic, it was not absolutely stunning. You two were always doing ordinary activities. It was always set up so the two of you came together, and
in the end you were always in embracing eachother. She cares about you, not the circumstances."
>She stares at the moon again.
>"That is not something that can be destroyed in a night of shouting."
>You smile at that final remark.
>Your cheeks feel warm, and your body light.
"Thank you Luna."
>Luna trots into the room.
>"You are welcome Nonny."
>She makes a gesture suggesting you crouch.
>As soon as you reach her height, she wraps her forelegs around you in a hug.
>You return the hug as she whispers in your ear.
>"We all have our dark moments, Nonny. Do not let them drag you down."
>This small comment really hits you.
>You know about what she's been through.
>Perhaps she knows this situation better than anypony.
>You try to convey these strong feelings to her.
"Okay" is all that escapes your lips
>Somehow, that word was enough.
>Luna leaves the hug and stares at you with concerned cyan eyes, forelegs still supported on your shoulders.
>"I expect to see you in Canterlot soon."
>You nod
"I'll be there."
>Her concern melts away, and she lets you stand.
>You head for the door
>As you are about to leave the room, you remember the box Pinkie was trying to get to
>You approach the box and start undoing its latches.
>The least you could do is bring her what you came here for.
>The first step of what you assume to be many to win back her trust.
>You undo the latches and lift the lid
>As the lid falls back a horn blares as confetti explodes in your face.
>If you weren't certain this was Pinkie's chest before, you are now.
>The trunk itself is a jumbled mess, covered in streamers and confetti
>You shuffle through the party supplies and make your way to the things inside.
>The first thing you notice is a large rock at the bottom of the chest.
>Just, a rock.
>You now know what made the trunk so heavy, but it simply raises questions.
>You lift a few papers out of the confetti
>Printed blurry pictures of Pinkie and her friends at parties.
>They really took a lot of pictures.
>There's a few from Uncle Shining and Auntie Cadence's wedding.
>You've seen the pretty formal pictures on the walls of the castle before, but Pinkie's pictures are much more interesting.
>They're all amateur shots of the after party.
>There's a picture from behind the DJ table looking out to the crowd
>Another shows Rainbow and Applejack drinking cider together.
>One picture catches your eye.
>It's your mother with a mug of cider herself, lifting it with her friends.
>You smile as you see your mother in another light.
>You set the pictures back as you search for what Pinkie wanted from the chest.
>She never told you, but you assume it will be apparent.
>You shuffle through more pictures and momentos
>Near the bottom you spot something that might be relevant.
>You reach into the box further.
>The box really doesn't seem this deep from the outside.
>As you reach the bottom, you grasp a tube and drag it out
>Your hand returns covered in streamers and confetti, hugging a tube with the word, "FireRocket" stenciled on the side.
>It looks like a firework of some kind.
>You're not sure, but you have a feeling this is what Pinkie was looking for.
>You open your bag and toss the firework inside.
>You begin to gather all the streamers and papers that fell out of the trun and put them back in.
>The pictures you saw are placed at the top, and you reach for another batch on the floor.
>You notice a small picture binder in the chest.
>You gather some of the picture and open the binder to store them.
>As the cover opens, you are greeted by pictures you hadn't suspected to see.
>A Nonny similar to the one you saw in your dream stands next to Pinkie wearing a yellow party hat.
>He's missing a tooth, and appears to be very excited.
>In the background, you see a banner saying, 'Happy 7th birthday!'
>You flip through some of the pages and look back.
>During your 10th birthday, you see Scootaloo in the background, watching from back a bit.
>This was when she was still bigger than you
>You wonder how she viewed you then.
>You go back in pictures until one page stops you cold.
>Written in pen, the page is labled 'Anon's first birthday!'
>One picture shows you as a baby looking quite confused about cake.
>Another is of Pinkie with you on her back.
>She smiles wide, satisfied she got you to sit still long enough for a picture.
>But the picture that gets you the centerpiece of the page.
>Your mother cradles you in her forelegs, sitting on a couch.
>On either side is Rarity and Fluttershy
>Spike sits between Rarity and Twilight, looking at you curiously.
>You see Applejack's hat and ears near the bottom left corner, and Rainbow Dash's head peers in from above.
>Pinkie Pie pops up in the middle, looking up at you.