I jolt awake, adrenaline pulsing through my veins and sweating profusely. I’ve had nightmares ever since I could remember. It doesn’t seem to faze me much, but I still wish I could remember what the nightmares were when I would wake up.
Glancing to the window it’s obvious that Celstia still has quite some time before her daily duty. The only bright side to my nightmares is that I never oversleep. Groan and my joints crack mildly as I walk over to the window looking out into the dark sky littered with stars supposedly painstakingly placed by Luna and other ancient leaders that have long passed.
I open the window with my magic and sit down on the floor propping myself on the windowsill and just continue to look outside. Letting out a sigh I relax as the cool night breeze gently caresses my body. I truly did love the night compared to the day. It’s too bad that Princess went crazy; I don’t see how she couldn’t find anypony back then that appreciated the night. Quiet, cool, relaxing it’s serenity at its finest in my opinion. Although I’m not really sure if I buy the whole story about her going crazy and being imprisoned by her sister. It very well could have been some sort of coup for complete control of the kingdom.
I trot over to my desk and accidently drop a box that my parents had given me. They had been cleaning up or reorganizing their house and found some old papers, trinkets and family photos. I guess they were tired of holding onto them or perhaps wanted me to enjoy them. Whatever the case was, I had yet to inventory them and it was spilled in front of my desk. I made quick work to get it back into the container. I picked up one of the earlier looking papers and held it under a light.
‘My name is Shimmering Truth. I am 6 years old. I like trains, boats and balloons. I want my cutie mark to be a train. When I grow up, I want to be a train conductor.’
I chuckle to myself reading over the paper. It’s so innocent, simple and yet had a future unfulfilled dream, along with messy writing and crude drawings. I look at the drawing that’s some sort of train with smoke coming out the top and flames following it. The drawing was messy but pretty awesome for 6 year old me. Although a little too flashy to be a good cutie mark. I’d hate to go back and disappoint this kid, by showing him my cutie mark, a white spark with a irredensce “T” in front. Also that I work at a newspaper office getting low level assignments and modestly getting by. I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, I think I get anywhere of five to twenty percent more than my living expenses. A lot of it depends upon how much of my material gets put in the paper.
I may as well get ready for another day. I throw all the papers into a box and push it off to the side. Walking into the bathroom, in the mirror I can see my matted mane and the little bit of sweat that had yet to evaporate, eyes a little bit red on the outside and slight bags underneath, which should disappear before getting to the office. I step into the tub and turn the shower on proceeding to cleanse myself. I let the warmth envelop me and the stress be relived. I’m not too fond of taking two showers a day but I don’t care for the idea of the grim of the day, ending up on my sheets or showing up at work looking disheveled.
Going through the rest of my morning routine of making breakfast, slightly organizing my room, brushing my mane and teeth, I thank my lucky stars I came out a unicorn. Most of my daily activities have just become so ingrained into me that’ I’d hate to think of a life without my magic. I reach cupboards that I would otherwise need a stool for; I can grab extremely hot or cold things without its temperature hurting my hoof. Although I tend to forget the temperature until I go to take a bite of a very hot English muffin. Those poor Pegasus and earth ponies, don’t know what they’re missing out on. Sure the Pegasus have flight, weather powers and cheap housing, by building homes out of clouds. Earth ponies have… strength or earth powers… maybe. Well it’s no comparison to magic. It did take allot of schooling and training just to learn the basics, but it’s completely worth it to do everyday tasks. Especially working for the newspaper I get to write faster and cleaner than nonunicorn coworkers.
Don’t think I hate one the other races, just because of all that. The few times that I’ve been sick to where my magic is unusable, I was almost as helpless as a newborn foal. So I do have allot of respect for the earth ponies, I doubt I could take on a mare earth pony without my magic. I never have been one to fight anyways. Magic is just so much a part of life for me.
“Jeez,” I sigh. I let myself get caught up in my wandering thoughts.
Knowing I have ample time to get to work and then some. I pack my bags with, note pads, bits, my personal notebook and some work I took home. I levitate it on my back and head out of my abode onto the streets of Canterlot. After a brief walk I walk into Doughnut Joe’s place. I know that I ate breakfast, but it was a very light healthy one with enough room left for this special daily treat of mine. I’m the first one here like most days. Joe already has my order up and ready.
“Mornin’ ST” he yells.
“Yeah, good morning”
“It looks like the princess and pegasus have a nice day planned for us.”
“nice” I say flatly.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Nah”
“You’ve been coming here for months, same time day in day out. Hay, I could probably set my clock to ya coming here. I notice you always seem a bit of in thought or down in the dumps.”
We never really talked that much here, but that was sort of how I had preferred it. Now it seemed like he was some sort of bartender therapist pony. It threw me off a little.
“ok…” I thought about the best way to say this without coming off weird, “do you ever think about how everything is or how it came to be?”
“What? Like life?”
“I mean for instance how is it that everypony gets a name and somehow their cutie mark is somehow related to their name or job?”
“…” He seems to think it over, “There are a few I met that their mark had not much to do with nothing, such as Dining Fork, Turkish delight, Hotdog Steve… There’s more I’d just have to think about it”
“Okay, but for the majority of the ponies. Is it some sort of magic, which makes the parents choose the name? Could it just be that most ponies embrace their name and it becomes their talent, then their mark? If so, whoever or whatever names them are they deciding that pony’s future? In effect, manipulating that pony’s destiny.”
Joe junior just looked at me for a while, with no real facial expression. Humiliation started to seep into me. ‘Shoot, I went too far… Stupid… I didn’t have that idea well prepared, I sounded like a fool’ I thought. I’ve briefly talked about stuff like this with other ponies only to be ostsericshed and laughed at or thought to be some sort of loon. A smile starts to curl on his face.
He just laughs. ‘oh hay, why didn’t I just do small talk like normal’ I thought, ‘don’t think I want to come back here ever’
Joe replies, interrupting my inner dialogue “well I never really thought about it like that. It’s sort of interesting. I guess my whole family is doomed to making doughnuts. Hmmm. Too bad my dad didn’t name me ‘Wealthy Pants’, ‘Rich Dude’ , or something to that extent… Although I doubt just the name would make me have a flank ton of money, right?”
“Yeah. I guess you are.”
“At least Donut Joe isn’t bad. I love what I do and donuts are my talent.”
“I’ll say,” taking a quick bite out of the delicious ring of glazed goodness.
“Yep. Thankfully I wasn’t named something that had nothing to do with donuts, like … Something Truth.”
“Heh. It’s Shimmering. You could just say that the donuts are the only truth you need.”
“Can’t argue with you there” Joe says holding up a donut. “They are the answer to allot of questions”
“Shape of the universe?”
“Donut”
“Shape of the sun and moon”
“Hmmm… Donut …” he says, reaching over then throwing them in the air. “… Holes! ”
“I didn’t know you carried those.”
“I just started making them a while ago. Didn’t feel like changing all my signs just for these. Try these two out.” He throws them at me. I catch them in my aura and make them orbit around my horn.
“Thanks Joe” I say walking to a bench and placing the donut and coffee down.
“Hey I got to go work in the back I’ll talk to you later”
I was glad that he didn’t go too much into my comment about the cutie marks. There has been numerous times that a conversation like that lead to the other pony thinking I was some conspiracy nut or plain crazy. I mean questioning ‘normal’ things that people take for granted or looking into reason why something is the way it is, just goes against most pony’s logic.
I finished the donut and wiped the crumbs from my lips. Donut Joe’s family sure does know how to make great donuts. I turn my attention to the coffee and start slowly nursing it. Something catches my eye. Alerted I look around only to realize I forgot the donuts holes. I watch them pass and I start getting my timing right.
'Nom!'
Goodbye little moon and now the sun…
'Nom!'
Tastes just like the donuts, but satisfyingly bite sized. I can’t believe I just played with my food. Meh…no harm… no one saw.
I think back to when I first moved here and visited this shop daily. It was few days since my first visit to this shop they no longer asked how I wanted my coffee, whoever was working would just state my order like a question and receive a nod. A week or two after, they would have the order ready, a moment before my arrival. I’m not sure if I’d receive the same service if I came during a more busy time of day. Plus it’s always great to have the first batch of donuts of the day.
After a few more minutes of enjoying the coffee, I get up and throw out the trash. I move to the door only to be slightly startled by a yell from the back.
“You still got your cup?”
“Ehhh… no I just threw it out”
“Well here another on the house,” Joe said as he poured a cup and dumped the sugar and milk in.
“Umm… thanks”
“Sure, it’s no problem. If you ever need somepony or friend to talk to you can come to me.”
“Friend?” I ask as an awkward smile grows on my face.
“Ya. You know that looks good on you, you should try that more often” he comments pointing at my smile.”
“Alright. See you later…friend.”
“Take care pal.” He yelled as I strolled out the door.
‘Friend?’ I thought. I’m good on those I have… no he moved away… Burning Torch… nope he joined the guard and got stationed somewhere. As I continued to go through the list of all the friends, I was soon realizing that they left; moved on with their life or I just simply had no tab on them. I then thought about my coworkers, going through them and what we really were to each other. I don’t think I’d consider any of them friends. Sure we may share office space, some stories, jokes, or laughs but I don’t think I’d really consider any of them to be friends. The farthest I might consider them as acquaintances… maybe. I don’t think I would have a conversation like I just had with Donut Joe with anypony at my work, in fear that rumors may pass around or my job being held in question. When or why had I just let my list of friends deteriorate to nothing? Were my old friends even really friends?
Maybe I never really had friends. We were friendly, had good times, played together, hung out together, helped each other, and talked about lots of things, although none of my “crazy notions”. I may have let a couple out but it was either quickly laughed off or not even considered. I started to feel very disconnected. I wasn’t feeling sad, just like I had missed out on something. Maybe Joe in the brief couple minutes, in which Joe become my friend, he was possible better than anypony else that had been my friend. It sort of sounds pathetic when put like that though and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I had been so deep in that train of thought I had forgotten the coffee floating in the air next to me. It’s a good thing that I don’t have to constantly put thought into my levitation spells like someponies need to or that would’ve spilled the second I left the shop.
“Mmmm,” I mumble after taking a sip of the coffee. Their donuts are great but their coffee comes pretty close as far as my taste buds care.
“Hopefully today will be a good day at work” I mutter to myself as I near the office.

Author's Note

This was the first chapter. I don't know what happened.