Luminescence

The soft strumming of a country guitar was the warmest sound in the bar.  There weren't any thugs, or really any bad ponies at all, in Ponyville.  Still, Potbelly's Parasprite was were they would meet if they existed.  The place was an old, creaky building with dim lighting and few patrons.  The only thing bigger than the rack of booze was the bartender's belly.  Hence, Potbelly.  He sat behind the bar all day, looking sour and talking gruffly.  Even the music matched the place.

Caramel, the town's blacksmith, sat at the bar talking with Thunderlane, one of the weather team's pegasi.  They were part of the usual crowd, though many of the ponies preferred to keep to themselves.  Even after years of sulking in the bar, He couldn't learn their names.  The crowd was small compared to the size of the bar, but large enough to produce a dull hum of quiet conversation.

In the darkest corner of the bar, furthest from the warmth of the fire, sat a grey pegasus.  He wore a grey hoodie and drank from a worn mug.  He sat alone, His front hooves wrapped around the drink.  There were a few other ponies scattered through the bar, mostly acting the same.  If you walked in, you would probably expect someone to get on stage after the musician and read bad poetry.  That only happened on Tuesdays, though, so the patrons were safe for now.

The jingle of bells announced new customers, and everypony looked up to see who had arrived.  As quickly as they looked up, they went back to their drinks.  A certain cyan pegasus was a common sight, and no one was surprised to see her.  Her date, a certain purple alicorn, was only slightly less know at the Parasprite.  She got dragged along when Rainbow wanted to have a drink and Twilight at the same time.  Rainbow ordered a drink for herself and her date, then sat down with Twilight by the fire.  She had someone to be with, which was more than could be said for anyone else in the bar.  Especially the grey pegasus in the corner nearest to the couple.

He had moved when they came in, knowing where they would sit.  The way the firelight was cast on them, blending Dash's rainbow mane with Twilight's purple coat, was beautiful.  It would make a nice painting.  If He had color, any color at all, He would paint it.  Then again, Rainbow flying was beautiful as well...  It was all she talked about, all she did, and all her life was, really.  That being said, at least she had a purpose.

They spoke quietly, and the low murmuring around the bar slowly came back.  They were easy enough to ignore for those who wanted to ignore them.  Anyone who wanted to pay attention, however, had a harder time.  They almost whispered, and it strained the eavesdropping pegasus' sharp ears to make out the words.  Something about Rainbow having weather duty near the Everfree, and weird stuff happening there.  Twilight seemed bothered by the strangeness, but Rainbow took a while to notice.  She was pretty dense at times.  When Rainbow finally noticed and asked what was wrong, Twilight paused.

Twilight's explanations always went over everypony else's heads, but Rainbow tried her best to look interested.  There was something about a gate in the Everfree, other worlds, evil, dark magic, secrecy, and other technicalities.  Nothing that Celestia would want anypony to know, but Twilight trusted Rainbow Dash.  Rainbow was the element of Loyalty, after all.  She would never betray the secrets of her friends or of Equestria.  Other ponies, however, were less trustworthy.  And more inclined to eavesdrop on conversations.  He had sat in his corner, quietly listening and trying to understand.  Despite the intricacy of the explanation, He understood most of it.

There was a power in the Forest, something that made it so unnatural.  A gate, like some sort of door, that could lead to places.  It was impossible to find, impossible to open, and impossible to use.  It had existed for long before Celestia and Luna, or even Discord.  It was a relic of the Elder Gods, a testimony to their mastery of the cosmos.  Even when sealed and magically bound by Celestia herself, it emanated power.  The gate would destroy any who tried to use it, and anyone lucky enough to survive would find themselves in an entirely different reality.

Twilight finally fell silent, her lecture having covered, to her, the most important basics.  Rainbow blinked a few times, then laughed.  Twilight was confused for a moment, but started laughing with her.  She had been talking for more than an hour, and Rainbow had had more than a couple drinks.  They kissed briefly, then went back to irrelevant chatter.  Something about a misplaced thundercloud and missing mail.

He slipped out of the bar without paying his tab, content with the knowledge that the Everfree held an opportunity.  An opportunity for a fresh start, for Him to move on.  To finally gain what had been lost to him.  Twilight had given to Him the very thing that had been taken so long ago; a chance at life.

The hoodie He wore, and had always worn,  was more than unnecessary in the heat.  The weather team had decided to make it overly humid, for some reason incomprehensible to anyone outside of their ranks.  He was sweat as He slowly flew back to his home, but the hoodie was too essential too take off.  Cal it sentiment, call it obsession, call it what you will.  He never removed it, not when there was a single soul around to see.  Despite the fact that no one ever really bothered to look. Not for a singe, nondescript pegasus flying through the night.