Black Magic's Un-Non-Colorful Adventures

I slunk into a nearby alleyway, and scanned for a box.

'Score!' I exclaimed mentally, pumping my hoof. There was a box just about tall enough to fit two adult ponies. A little big for me, but shelter is shelter.

I crept into the box, and got comfortable. I quickly got sleepy, and I lay down on a fuzzy blanket.

. . .'fuzzy blanket?' I thought, slightly confused. I opened my eyes slightly to see an orange filly with a purple mane.

"Let go of me right now." a tomboyish voice said quietly and dangerously. "or I'll buck you into next week."

I let go of the filly, and begin to edge out of the box. I was almost out of the box when I heard her voice again.

"I didn't say to get out, just to let me go." she said feebly. "It gets cold some nights."

I edged back into the box, and the filly proceeded to curl up next to me. I lay my head down on the cold surface of the box below me. After a little bit, the whole box was comfortably warm, and I could hear the filly's light breathing get softer and deeper, signifying that she fell asleep. After that, I fell asleep quickly.

I felt something tickle my nose. I batted a hoof at it, but it didn't budge. I eventually opened my eyes to see that the filly's mane was in my face.

I lift my head stiffly off of the ground. 'Sore neck gonna be a bucker today.' I thought.

"Best sleep in months," I mutter anyway. I yawn and stand up. The filly sleeps on peacefully

I sneak out of the large box, and breathe in through my nose. I must not have noticed yesterday, but the air here is just more . . . energetic than anywhere else I've been. That, or it may be the happiness of the sun compared to the Everfree forest.

I look around, gauging the angle of the sun to the horizon. "Hmm, almost 7:30 in the morning. A nice, early start to my day." I mutter, smiling slightly.

"7:30!? Dangit, I gotta get to school! Thanks Mister" the filly said as she grabbed her saddlebags from a corner of the box and gallops off.. I jump, and shrug, passing this off to be some normal occurence. I put my sunglasses on, and trot out of the alleyway.

I glance around, looking for something or somewhere to go or do today.

'I have two things I need to do today: Go to that location at the time written on the note I received from Pinkie, and go see if I can get a job at that sandwich shop.' I muse. i check the note again, and it says:

Sugarcube corner at dusk.

be there

Pinkie Pie

"How. . . Subtle," I muse. I put the note back in my mane, and look around again. The only place that catches my eye is the sandwich shop nearby. I shrug, and trot over to see if it's open.

"Ah, welcome back sir. Another daisy sandwich?" the waiter from yesterday asked.

I smile and shake my head. "No thanks. I'm here for the table bussing job."

His expression brightens a little, and he nods. He turns around, and trots towards the main building. A few minutes later, the waiter leaves the building, a heavyset stallion behind him. I assume the larger one is the cook

Is the two stallions come nearer, i hear the cook grumbling about something, but he goes quiet when he comes into earshot. "You the one wanting the job?"

I nod, and the cooks expression brightens a bit. "A unicorn? Good. Are you coordinated?"

"Gimme some plates. I'll show you some coordination." the waiter hoofs me a stack of ten small plates, and I take hold of them with my magic. I manipulate the plates as a whole, lifting them apart, and magically juggling them. One plate separates from the rest and spins on all axes an inch above my hoof, which I had lifted up. Their faces are unbelieving yet ecstatic.

The other plates separate into two groups, and both groups do something different. The left group of four align themselves above the plate that had separated earlier and copy the plate above my hoof. The right group rotates around itself as the plates themselves rotate.

All in all, a difficult task, but I keep my focus through the whole thing. Until I am tackled from behind and pulled into the air.

The plates jerk to a stop, and I frantically reach my magic to set them down gently before they fall and break. Thankfully, I succeed just before I cannot reach my magic any farther. My vision swims and blurs, and I groan from my magical headache

"Impressive. Now, if you don't mind, I shall continue my duty of bringing you to our matron, the Night Princess." the voice above me said.

"What does the Night Princess want me for?" I ask my mysterious kidnapper. Her leathery wings beat in perfect rhythm, and I realize she is a Bat-pony.

"I am not at liberty to discuss what she desires you for, Unicorn.." she replies.

". . . Isn't sunlight bad for a bat-pony?" I ask after a minute. Her flight wobbles slightly, hinting at discomfort, and I groan inwardly at the movement.

". . . how could you tell I am a bat-pony? I have a fully immersive Pegasus disguise gifted by our Night Princess herself." She replied after a short time.

"I see no disguise." Just as I start to speak, I see a small, ethereal ripple across her coat and wings. " . . . Nevermind. I understand now."

The rest of the flight is spent in silence until we land on Princess Luna's balcony in Canterlot.

"Act as if you normally would around a Princess, with the exception of when she insists you don't. She noticed something about you and I can now see what it is. . . On a totally unrelated note, I hope it's me. Farewell for now, sir."