Dreams
The lively town of Ponyville was a nice one, with its happy atmosphere. There were indeed problems every now and then, but those were normally overlooked by the town "savior", Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They were wonderful ponies indeed, each with their own sets of morals and beliefs, but together, they made a great group of friends...
Which is why DeNile hated them.
The unicorn has his own friends, sure, who joke around all the time, and even go out to have some fun occasionally. Hell, they were all dating each other, so that kinda just proves their strong friendship.
Vinyl and Octavia had met at a music convention, in which they argued about classical music vs modern. But, then again, opposites attract. The two seem very lovey-dovey towards each other, but that's mainly on Vinyl's end.
Lyra and Bon Bon met at Bon Bon's candy shop and Lyra suggested that they hang out because they seemed to get along. One day, Lyra kissed Bon Bon after a trip to a carnival, and their relationship started up.
DeNile and Carrot Top however... They were an interesting couple. The two met through school, in their History class, which they signed up for in the begin of the school year. At first he absolutely hated her, since he hated carrots, but once seeing how timid of a mare she was, he decided to be nice and befriend her. And, well, one faithful day when Carrot Top was studying in her dorm, he arrived. The first thing that happened when she opened the door is... Well, he kissed her. And how they all came together as friends? Well... It all came down to... DeNile.
He was practicing the drums for his music class in his own dorm, and Octavia and Vinyl got annoyed, and so did Lyra and Bon Bon. Went they went to complain, DeNile pulled them into the dorm instead of telling them to fuck off, as he normally would. They started to play some instruments, and found that it was pretty fun. And they had a few classes together, then why not become friends?
So, that is how their friendship came to be. DeNile hated those 6 ponies out of jealousy, which he had a tendency to do. It was his biggest flaw, as Carrot Top had always told him. This had caused him to contradict his special talent, keeping friends together, which was represented by his cutie mark of an icicle, which he never understood, since ice was so fragile.
His day started as usual, with him waking up next to his roommate, which just happened to be Carrot Top after she moved in with him. That made him happy. He would've never expected that Ponyville University would like stallions and mares bunk together, but hey, that just made him even happier.
He got up and immediately went into the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Right before he was about to rinse, he felt somepony jump on his back, causing him to shriek. "EEP!" He fell to the ground, Carrot Top landing on top of him with a devious smile.
"Good morning~" She said, wrapping her legs around him.
"...Thanks for that, Carrot," he giggled, giving her a soft kiss. "Now, I would appreciate if you'd ever so kindly get off of me."
Carrot Top laughed, rolling off of her coltfriend. "Well, excuse me for trying to be romantic!"
DeNile got up, brushing himself off. "It's October. Hearts and Hooves day isn't for some time now, babe." He stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. "Thanks, though. Just don't try doing anything 'romantic' while I'm showering, 'kay?"
Carrot Top's face flushed red as her face went blank, then defensive. "H-hey! I would never do something like that, geez! That's so inappropriate..."
He laughed, peeking out of the shower. "Don't act we haven't done it before, C," and with that, he dipped his head back into the shower, leaving Carrot standing there, blushing like a mad mare.
~
"...Pssstttt... Hey, De. What'cha listenin' to? One of my songs, am I right?" Vinyl asked, leaning over to DeNile during a lecture in Psychology class, who had his eyes closed as he leaned back, his headphones shielding his ears.
"Nope. One of Octy's. Moonlit Sorrow. I really like it."
Vinyl sighed. "Well, play one of mine next. I can kinda hear it!"
"Miss Scratch, Mr Blackthorn, is there something you would like to share with the class?"
DeNile snapped forwards, opening his eyes and levitating his headphones out of view. "Oh... Mr. Minds, I was just listening to last classes lecture, since I missed it. Vinyl was just making sure she'd given me the correct recording, sir."
"Fucking nailed it, De."
Careful Minds, the psychology professor, smiled. "Very well, although then you'd have to listen to this one's recording, and the cycle would continue. Just put it away for now, alright?" He said, then continuing his lecture.
He heard a couple of ponies giggle, particularly Bon Bon, who was sitting in the front of the class.
DeNile giggled, amused at his favorite teacher's attitude. Careful Minds was a simple pony, but a great professor nontheless. He was like a father to the stallion, since he never had one of his own. He was the closest thing DeNile ever had for a dad. And Minds lived in the building, too, so that's a plus.
Once class was over, DeNile exited with all of his friends, standing close to Carrot Top. "So, whatdd'ya mares wanna do? We don't have anymore classes, right?"
They all shook their heads. "Besides a recital in a few hours, I'm good," Lyra said, swaying her head as she walked. "What about you, Octy?"
Vinyl glared at her. "Hey. Only I can call her that."
Carrot laughed. "Oh please, Vinyl. We've been calling her that for years now. It may be your pet name for her, but it's OUR nickname for her," Vinyl grumbled, slumping a bit.
Octavia laughed. "No, no. I'm all set for today. Although, I was thinking of going to Vinyl's concert tonight, since it's all she's been talking about lately..."
Vinyl grabbed Octavia, looking into her eyes as she pressed their muzzles together. "Thinking? Oh no, you're going. It's my first gig in like, two months! I've just been BURIED in piles of homework and stuff..." Vinyl swayed her head, all grumpy.
"I've been pretty set on homework. I just do them when I get to my dorm with Lyra. It's a lot easier when someone's helping you, Vinyl," Bon Bon said, making Lyra feel special.
Vinyl narrowed her eyes. "Yeah? Well, blame Octy then. She never does her homework with me..."
"I HELP you with your homework. I don't do it with you. You need to learn it on your own. Get a tutor or something," Octavia replied, adjusting her collar.
Carrot Top beamed, a smile spreading across her face. "Hey! Why not DeNile? He tutored me and a few other girls, and that worked! He really knows how to connect with ponies."
DeNile slowly turned his head, facing Carrot. "The reason it worked so well is because you got a reward every time. A reward that only you in particular could have."
Lyra began to giggle. "Oh, and what would that reward be?"
Carrot Top blushed furiously, awkwardly smiling. "Uhh... Um..." DeNile leaned next to Lyra's ear and whispered it to her, causing her to fall to the ground in laughter. "Sh-Shut up! Jeez, it's not like it's anything weird... We're dating after all..."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. "Well that's not excuse for temptation, deary."
Carrot glared at the mint colored unicorn, thinking of a comeback. "Oh please, Lyra. You act like we don't hear you an Bonny every night," this caused Lyra to blush, embarrassed. Bon Bon joined her in this.
"Heeeyy... Don't bring me into this, i'm innocent..."
DeNile laughed. "Sure, innocent. Let's just say you're on my 'naughty list' for this year, you bad bad mare..." Bon Bon was about to retaliate, until Vinyl interrupted.
"Alright, alright. Can we quit talking about how everyone's fuckin' each other and get back to the topic? The tutoring thing?" DeNile gasped in disgust.
"Vinyl, such language! Octavia, shove soap in her mouth when you two get home... Oh, and yeah, I'll tutor you. You need the help," DeNile stated.
"Oh, River?"
"I hate that pet name."
"Whatever. We have to go see Princess Celestia at for your appointment. About your book?"
Octavia interrupted. "I never got that. You're special talent is keeping friends together, which is why your cutie mark represents bonding, yet your a writer. Why is that?"
"Well, you see my dear Octy," DeNile slid towards Octavia, putting his front leg around her. "There isn't exactly a job for keeping friends together, see? And I love writing, so boom: Writer. Simple, right?" To close off his explanation, he gave Octavia a big kiss on her lips, triggering a heavy blush.
"HEY!!!" Carrot Top and Vinyl yelled at the same time.
When DeNile pulled away and slid back to Carrot, smiling. Octavia just stood there, looking as adorable as usual. "D-DeNile..."
Vinyl softly punched him in the side. "You know I hate when you play around like that, dude."
DeNile giggled. "Hey, that's just my sense of fun. If you didn't like it, you wouldn't be friends with me."
Carrot Top jumped in front of him to face him, standing her ground. "Well, to make up for that..." She grabbed his face and pressed it against hers, locking him in a kiss that seemed to last forever.
Lyra nudged Bon Bon. "Hey, Bonny?"
"Hm?"
Lyra sighed. "We have the weirdest friends."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carrot Top and DeNile arrived at one of Ponyville's many parks, and immediately saw the tall white pony standing next to the tallest tree in the park. Standing on both sides of her were members of the Royal Guard, who were standing firmly in place. Most of the ponies in the park were staring, while others were struggling not to.
When Princess Celestia spotted them, a smile spread across her face. "DeNile, Carrot Top! Glad you could make it! You've come to discuss your book, have you not?"
DeNile nodded. "Yes, Princess. So, I was wondering... Do you like it?" He asked with a hopeful smile.
The Princess clapped her hooves. "Of course! The plot was invigorating, and the way you wrote about the scenery and characters was outstanding! I'll definitely have it published as soon as I can!"
Carrot Top beamed, her green eyes shimmering with happiness. "Really? Oh thank you thank you THANK YOU! You have no idea how much we needed this money! I'll never forget your wonderful gift to us!"
DeNile sighed. "We didn't really NEED this money, C... Okay, we did," DeNile bowed, showing his gratitude. "Thank you, Princess.
Celestia shook her head. "Oh, no. Do not thank me. I'd hate to turn down such talent... This is the first in a series, correct?" DeNile nodded and Celestia obviously grew happier. "Perfect. Now, I'd HATE to leave so soon, but I have some errands I must run, adieu!" The Princess walked back to her chariot and her guards followed, only to be stopped. "Oh yes. Wikstrom, Silver, if you wouldn't mind, would you visit Princess Twilight Sparkle in her library? Tell her that I've accepted her request. Thank you."
One of the guards, Silver, gave a salute. "Yes, Princess," she said. And with that, the Princess was carried off. "...Phew. Great, now we can get back to our conversation. So, apparently she was blown back to the Crystal Mountains. Like, woah."
"Dude, that's insane! And it was all from the POWER OF LOVE!" The other guard, Wikstrom stated mockingly.
Carrot nudged DeNile, whispering. "Hey, do you know what they're talking about, De? Did you read anything about something like that?"
DeNile answered with a headshake, focused on the two. "You know that they had kids!? Two of 'em. A unicorn and a pegasus."
Wikstrom stared at Silver in awe. "Awww, what? No way! Why hasn't he mentioned anything?"
"If I were him, I wouldn't. It would probably just get me banished or something. Anyway, they both live here in Ponyville. Well, the unicorn lives in his University dorm, and his sister lives with that one baker. I should know her name..."
"No way!!! Dude, how do you all this stuff?" Wikstrom said in obvious wonder.
Silver smiled. "That zebra that lives in the forest. I went to visit her to get some medicine for my dog, and and I saw her little fortune orb thing and boom. Quick info."
Carrot Top decided to speak up. "You know, you two are being very unprofessional right now."
The two shrieked, not used to critisism, and spread their wings, flying off. "Thank goodness for that..." Carrot Top turned to DeNile, who had a blank expression on his face. "...DeNile? Are you alright? You seem a bit... Off. What's the matter?"
"...They were talking about me."
Daylight
"YOU'RE GONNA WHAT!?" Vinyl exclaimed, leaning over the cafeteria table the next day, staring DeNile down.
DeNile sighed, resting on his hooves with his eyes closed. "I'm going to go to the Crystal Mountains. Fall Break is next week, and I think it'd be good to go on a little vacation. Is that so much to ask, Vinyl?"
Octavia raised an eyebrow. "DeNile, I'd hate to disagree, but Vinyl's right. A vacation is more like visiting the Crystal Empire, not going on a dangerous trek to mountains that nopony's been to in centuries. Do you honestly think that this is a good idea?"
"Yeah. You mares know I like trying new things, and I'd like to be the first to go there in a thousand years. And I think It'd be romantic for Carrot and I to go there. It's alone, secluded, and crystals are everywhere! It'll be beautiful in the night time..." DeNile smiled dreamily, thinking of how much fun they'd have. Lyra, on the other hands, wasn't so amused.
"WHAT!? CARROT TOP'S GOING, TOO!?" She quickly turned to Carrot, who was slowly becoming uncomfortable.
"...Yeah... River told me about it, and I think it'll be fun. Also, I was thinking that maybe... You mares could come along?" Carrot Top asked nervously.
Vinyl shook her head. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Sorry, C. I've got to schedule some stuff with some dudes. I've been thinking about doing a collab with Octy soon, so sorry."
Bon Bon shrugged. "If I leave for a whole two weeks, who'll run my shop?...Well, I suppose Candy Crush can..." She said, referring to one of the ponies who worked at her shop.
Lyra also shook her head. "Nah, I've got lyre lessons to teach. One of the colts broke his, and I had to get a new one... And waste all of my bits..."
DeNile sighed. ""Kay. It'll still be great with just C-Top and I. Plus, you'd have to bring your own sleeping bags and other shit, and I wouldn't want you to waste your money. It's fine."
...
"Oh, by the way, De. What'd the Princess say about your book? She loved it, right?" Vinyl asked, nudging the white unicorn beside her.
DeNile suddenly remembered the events of yesterday instead of the guards. "Oh, Celestia? She said she loved it, and yeah, she's gonna allow it to be published," he held back a sheepish smile, attempting not to be too full of himself.
"Oh DeNile, that's wonderful! When's it being published?" Octavia asked, eager to learn more as usual.
"Hm?" The stallion realized that he had never discussed that topic with Equestria's ruler. "Oh... Well, we never really got on that subject. I'm sure she'll contact me about it soon, though."
What am I saying? She's the friggin' princess. She doesn't have time for dumb stuff like talking about some random dude's book... Even though she did it yesterday... Hm.
"Nice. You know, if you want, I can-" Bonny was interrupted by the ringing of the bell, which annoyed the crap out of her. "...Damn it all." The six friends got up and headed there separate ways to their next class... Well, most of them.
Carrot Top and DeNile had a history test next, but they had to stand outside of the classroom for half an hour, since there was some sort of school tour for pony's who had gotten into the school and were starting next year, so the room was occupied. The pair decided to not waste time and began to quiz each other for last minute studying.
"Alright, my turn. Who was the founder of The Crystal Empire?" DeNile could not answer, for he had been panicking for the entire time.
"Umm... I-I dunno!" He pounded his head with his hooves, frustrated with his stupidity. He had never been the smartest pony, but he knew enough. History, however, was his worst subject. It was what almost prevented him from getting into the school! His old history teacher hated him because he did terrible in every test. Every project he did was mostly done by his best friend at the time, White Nova. His BEST subject was history, which DeNile pondered at how such a complex subject could be understood by such a simple pony...
Carrot Top looked him in the eyes. "Listen, DeNile. It's the last test of the semester, after this we're done! What's got you so worried?"
DeNile steadied his breathing and counted to ten like he usually did to calm himself down when he was ohaving panic attacks, which happened frequently. "...It's just SO stressful. You know I just shut down during tests... It's like everyone else breezes through it while I'm just stuck there, wondering about the simplest questions... It's just so frustrating..."
Carrot Top wondered for a moment, then came up with an idea. She batted her eyes and put on a seductive smile. "Oh, well then. How about I get rid of some of that 'built up stress'?"
DeNile choked on air, taken by surprised at his marefriend's sudden sexual attitude. "Ummm... What?"
Carrot Top turned beet red, knowing that she made a mistake. She took her head into her hooves and began to squirm around. "Oooh! I'm sorry! Did I do that wrong? You know I'm not good at talking like that! It was just an idea an I-" DeNile pulled her into a kiss, shutting her up. When he pulled away, she had calmed down a bit. "You're so cute when you're frustrated."
"Sh-shut up..."
"Now, about getting rid of my stress..." The two ponies then exited the room, leaving the rest completely confused... Well, most of the stallions were winking and nudging eachother, giggling. While most of the mares were talking about how DeNile was a perv and that Carrot Top shouldn't throw herself at him and such...
The two didn't care what they thought.
~
"OHHHHH!!! I SO FAILED THE TEST. YUP. ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT FAILED. I FAILED THE SEMESTER. SORRY, C, BUT I HAVE TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL," DeNile wailed, flailing around in his bed while Carrot Top brushed her mane, which lost it's natural volume.
"No you didn't. You were one of the first to turn it in. Even if you did fail, all the extra credit you do would pretty much make up for it. Don't fret over nothing," she smirked, admiring her boyfriend's craziness . That was another one of his flaws: He always doubted himself. He never thought that anything he did was good enough, and his OCD just made it worst. Their dorm was undoubtedly the neatest in the whole building, and there were some pretty damn fancy ponies living here. For Carrot, however, that flaw was more of a perk. She loved consoling her other half, for she felt that it strengthened their bond, and their relationship.
She crawled into bed and closed her eyes as DeNile used his magic to turn off the lamp, leaving the two in complete darkness.
"Goodnight, babe."
"Goodnight, sweetie."
"...I love you."
Those three words caused Carrot Top's eyes to snap open, leaving her flustered with butterflies in her stomach. In their entire year of being together, he had never said those words. Neither had she. It was completely unheard of in their own little world...
She pulled him into a passionate kiss, hugging him tightly. In that split second, she loved him more than she ever had before. "...I love you, too."
~
"The simple fact that's we don't have any classes today is awesome. Tomorrow's the last day of the semester, so that's justs a good thing," Vinyl Scratch said, walking side by side her friends through the streets of Ponyville.
Octavia, being her normal self, decided to correct Vinyl on her words. "Actually, Vinyl, that just takes away time that we could be using to study, something that you don't do."
"Hey, I study!...Well, for music class, but I still study!" This semi-contradictory statement made Lyra giggle, in which she had a bad habit of doing. "What's so funny?"
Lyra shook her head, not answering. Bon Bon rolled her eyes, leaning towards Octavia. "I think that we're the only sane ponies here..."
"Touche..."
DeNile rolled his eyes and began to walk slower. "Ugggghhhh... Where are we going anyways? You ponies never told me anything at all. You just woke me up and dragged me out of bed. Assholes."
Bonny sighed, looking to one of the two white unicorns next to her. "We did explain it. While you were staring at the girls track team when we were leaving," Octavia punched Vinyl in her shoulder, producing an "ow". "We're heading over to Pinkie Pie's house to pick up DeNile's sister. She's coming with us to the Crystal Mountains."
Vinyl made a big smile. "She lives in Sugarcube Corner... Well, I'm getting some-" Vinyl stopped herself. "...I just remembered... None of the dudes I want to work with want to work with me, so... I guess Octy and I are going."
DeNile smirked as Bon Bon then spoke. "Yeah... You know that employee I was talking about? She said she could handle the shop and that I should go on my vacation... And about Lyra-"
"The little brats fucking canceled on me."
"Language! Geez, we're going to see my little sister. You 5 better cut down on the swearing.. Well, Vinyl and Lyra. Octy, Bonny, C, you three are good. Anyways, so we're all going! That's great! We leave tomorrow, so pack today. Water, some food, and entertainment are good to bring."
Carrot Top walked closer to DeNile, snuggling up against him. "Who needs entertainment when I have you?"
Vinyl hunched over, immitating puking."...Geez, cut down on the all the happy lovey-dovey stuff, will ya?"
DeNile was about to retaliate, until he was pounced on by a certain pink pony... "DeDe! You're here! I haven't seen you in like, a month! Were you studying? You were studying, weren't you? Oh my Celestia, DeDe! Loosen up, have some fun! You're always so uptight! Ooh! I know what you need! Cake, and lots of it!"
The stallion struggled up, giving the pink pony a hug. "Hey there, Pinkie Pie. Nice to see ya. How ya been?"
"Oh! I've been super! Just great! I had six parties last week, and Rarity drank ALL the cider. She's such a drinker, you know? I'm surprised she's sober enough to run a successful business!"
DeNile snickered, remembering how he used to be friends with the fashionista. Actually, he used to friends with all of the elements. He only managed to uphold one with Pinkie Pie, however. That fact was surprising, since the two used to date. When they broke up, Pinkie was devastated, but sister cheered her up. The town hated him for a while, since he destroyed the town joy-bringer, but they just forgot when she returned.
"That's nice. So, where's Screwball? You got the message I sent, right?" DeNile asked, looking through the door.
Pinkie nodded rapidly, assured. "Yup! She's been sooo fun! I even taught her how to make cupcakes! She's a REALLY good cook. And she's so fun to play with! I'll go get her," Pinkie Pie turned around and took a deep breath, before yelling: "SCREWBAAAALL!!!"
Not ten seconds later, a violet pegasus with a propeller hat on bounced down the staircase. Her mane and tail were a mixture of white and violet, and her eyes consisted of swirls, like she had been hypnotized. "Hi, Big Brother! We're leaving now, right?" She asked. She was certainly prepared, a donning a saddlebag that looked quite heavy.
"Yup. Oh, by the way, Screw. Meet my best friends. These are Octavia, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, and Vinyl Scratch. And you already know Carrot Top.
"Hey, Screwball. Did ya miss me?" Carrot Top asked, grinning.
The violet filly bounced up, a large smile on her face. "Yeah! Last time I saw you, you were sick. Did you get better?" Carrot Top giggled at the fillies obliviousness, which added to her adorableness factor.
DeNile thanked Pinkie for looking after Screwball while walking away with his friends. Screwball told the six stories from when she was staying with Pinkie, most of which were entertaining. "Yay! I can't wait to get there! I wonder what kind of animals will live there... Aaah, I can't wait!"
Octavia giggled, amused at DeNile's little sister. "Well, nopony's sure what kind of creatures live in the mountains yet, buf I guess find out soon, won't we?"
Screwball smiled, laughing. "Yup!"
DeNile let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't Hearth's Warming's Eve, but he still felt that warm feeling of togetherness.