A Second Chance

by datLunarRepublican

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Alternate Universe, Human
Length: 8647

A lonely young man named Mark Peterson just doesn't care about his life, but his opinion changes when he has an odd dream. And what's even more odd, is the fact that the dream continues happening when he sleeps. What's even odder, is t

A sad, lonely, depressed 20 year old young man, Mark Peterson, hates his life. Almost half his family is gone, he has only one friend, and can't find love. But one casual day, he happens to go to bed, and he dreamed something. Something that would change his life forever.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-30 06:50:05 UTC

1: The Dream

I had been walking home from work in the black sheets of the majestic night. The stars’ shine were like sprinkles on an ice cream sundae, livening up whatever it was on. The rain patted and splashed on my head and shoulders, drenching me in its cold grasp. This probably had to be one the worst days of my life! Other than the fact that almost every day of my life had been a catastrophe, this was more than that. This was like all those days had been collided together, as if meant to be. The thought of love stormed over me, like a black cloud, always raining and thundering on my head. Many things made up that cloud: love, hope, happiness. It had all washed away over the years and formed into that haunting thought. Almost all of my family had passed away. Practically, I was the last remains of my family’s legacy, the last breadcrumb of a loaf of bread. I shredded through my own thoughts and stopped walking, staring lifelessly at my door. I looked down and reached for my keys in my pocket, only to find that they weren’t there.

“Are you serious?!” I yelled at myself.

I just couldn’t keep it in, or else it become part of the cloud. Luckily, I had a friend, my only friend, who would probably  let me stay at his place. He was just a few blocks away. As I started walking, I started thinking hard, too hard. I delved deep enough into my mind to find myself almost dreaming. I found myself in a village. But not any village, it was a cartoon-looking village. The roofs of some houses had hay on top to block out the harsh sunlight of the day. All of the houses seemed to have glass-paned windows. I knew what village this was. This was Ponyville, from the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series! I looked around, but there was not a living thing other than the plant life, including some vines and mosses on some houses’ exterior walls. What on earth was I doing HERE?! How was this possible?!

“Hello?” I said, almost shaking of excitement, along with confusion. “Is anybody...anypony there?”

I started walking, but as soon as I took the first step, I tripped and went falling down to the earthy ground. I snapped myself back to reality and realized I was about to fall facedown into  a giant puddle. I fell into it, but luckily, I extended my arms and fell on the palms of my hands. I scraped them awfully on the rough, black pavement.

“Ouch!” I screamed in agony.

I immediately sat down on the ground and checked my palms. The skin had been easily brushed off and warm blood oozed out of the horrid wounds.  I quickly put my hand in my coat’s fuzzy pockets and ran off, looking if anyone had seen my fall. No one was probably around here for miles, this place was deserted! What was that all about? I finally managed to get my friend’s house without any further incidents, and he let me spend this one night, as tomorrow he was heading off  to the store first thing in the morning. He told me not to enter a room, not even a peek, at all times. He was a really honest and great friend, but he seemed to be hiding something. He acted strange. I guess it’s because his parents died. So he let me stay, but he told me that he would leave really early, and that if I wanted I could stay a little longer at his house. But he clearly said:

“Make sure you lock and close every door and window. The windows in the room are already closed, so don’t bother to close them.”

I’m pretty sure I would be able to handle that! As he said his last words before going into his room, I was getting comfortable on the couch, which was definitely better than mine! With that being realized, I quickly drifted off to slumber all night long. I found myself in total darkness. There was nothing to be seen around me. I was standing in a black void, with nothing to see or feel, other than my hands, as my feet had joined the black sea beneath me. But within the blink of my two eyes, I was somewhere else. Somewhere familiar. I was back in Ponyville! How did I end back here again? I had left off where I was, on my way down to hit the earth with my face, and I did. My face burned like it never had before. I was pretty sure I had torn off almost half my face off when I heard a voice. As I turned around to see who or what was behind me, the voices stopped.

“Shut it, he heard you!” I heard a faint whisper.

“Who’s there?” I said. “I’m not here to hurt anybo-...anypony. I just need help knowing where I’m at.”

I knew exactly where I was at. I just wanted to see if anyone would respond and get out of their hiding place. It seemed my plan worked, because seconds later, a pink mare with a hot-pink, curly mane and tail hopped out of the bushes and jumped on me, an ear-to-ear smile on her face. I immediately knew who she was. Pinkie Pie. The most energetic pony in the history of all worlds and dimensions.

“Hey you must be new around here. Do you need help? You look like you need help because you have an ugly-wugly wound on your face. So you’re new here? It’s nice to meet new ponies to play with! Oh, you’re going to have a LOT of fun!” She stopped for one long moment to catch her breath.

But just as she was going to continue talking, or should I say babbling, a purple glow covered her mouth. Just then, a purple mare slowly walked out of some bushes. After that, almost the entire village came out from bushes, trees, houses, and even holes they had made in the ground.

“Why was everyb-...pony hiding from me?” I said, almost feeling bad for myself.

But what was there to feel bad about? I didn’t do anything!

“Eh-em,” the mare, or alicorn, cleared her throat. “Hello, my name is Twilight-” I cut her off.

“Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, I know. I just wanted to see why everypony was hiding from me. Pinkie Pie was the only mare brave enough to help me!”

Twilight looked down in disappointment, then she lifted her head up again with a confused expression on her face.

“Wait...how did you know Pinkie’s name? How did you know MY name?” she asked.

I honestly should’ve thought before opening my mouth! Of course, they wouldn’t believe me they were on a kid’s show!

“I, um…” I paused. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you, I seriously don’t know how I know your names. I don’t even know how I got here!”

I hoped the lie would be enough to convince her to not ask any further questions. She looked at me suspiciously. Then the expression had washed away, replaced by a friendly smile.

“Well, I guess I judged you wrong!” she said.

Whew! That was a total life-saver!

“Maybe we can find out why you can’t remember anything.” she said.

I looked at her.

“Oh...um...yeah. I hope we do!” I said in the best fake voice I could do.

Just then, a pair of slim figures appeared between Twilight Sparkle and me. I would recognize those shadows anywhere. It was Celestia herself, followed by Luna and two guard ponies to keep them safe from harm, though they were the most powerful ponies in Equestria. Everything was happening so fast!

“What produced such hideous sound!” Luna exclaimed.

Her and her "Shakespearean" talk! But wait, hideous sound?

“Wait, what do you mean hideous sound?-If I may ask,” I questioned. “When I arrived, everypony was hiding from me, and everything was silent.”

There was a confused look on the two sisters’ faces, followed by the entire village.

“You mean to tell me, that the sound Luna and I heard didn’t come from Ponyville?” Celestia publicly asked the ponies.

Everypony nodded. Celestia turned to Luna, then back to us.

“Then what made that cursed ringing?” Luna asked.

Nopony answered. There was a long silence, as if we all wanted to find out if we could hear what the sisters had heard. That long silence was broken by an ear-shattering ring. Nothing could be heard over the deafening sound. I closed my eyes, covering my ears with my hands-...wait,no...hooves! I was a pony! But that didn’t matter now. Nothing did. All I wanted was for the sound to go away! But when I opened my eyes, I was on my friend’s memory foam sofa with a loud alarm clock ringing, resting on the ground. I got to my feet and hit the alarm clock on the top to end the hideous sound, like Luna had said in that one-of-a-kind dream. It was also strange, because how in the world, or in Equestria, did they hear a ring from the real world? Anyhow, that was probably the best dream I ever had! After all, I was a brony. So what brony wouldn’t like a day in Ponyville? My palms ached. I noticed the wounds had now become rough scabs. Even looking at them gave me chills. But now, I had a task to do. I went over to check every door and window I could find in the house. Though it may be a small home, it surely has a lot to hide! I was about to walk into a room when I remembered what my friend, Brian, had told me. I decided not to break his privacy and let the room be. After that, I got ready to go and walked outside. Locking the door behind me, I was swimming in an ocean of thoughts, thinking about what I would do to open my door.

2: Solutions

It had been nearly an hour since I left Brian’s home. Oddly, it was a bright, sunny morning, birds chirping in the trees. Fluttershy probably would’ve liked them. Just the thought of that made me smile. I had stopped by a Mcdonald's to pick up a quick muffin, just so I wouldn’t starve myself to death. During the time that passed, I decided I should take a small walk, just to pour some thoughts. Then it struck me. I’m glad I took that walk, because I just remembered I had hidden a spare key under my “welcome” mat. I was so angry, I could’ve just punched myself! Why hadn’t I remembered it yesterday, or at least earlier? With that thought in mind, I headed straight home. I arrived about half an hour later. I was practically thinking my way there. I stood in front of my mat and picked it up, revealing what was treasure to my eyes. I felt that all I needed to survive was that key at that moment. I walked in, sat on the couch, and turned the T.V on with the remote. I didn’t even care what was on. I just wanted something to keep the silence away. Soon enough, without my conscience, I drifted off into a deep sleep. Like before, I found myself in total darkness, then back in Ponyville. It was really ticking me off. I was at the same place, same time, and the same peo-...ponies were their. Geez, I really have to get used to this pony thing! Though this was a very odd situation. How in the world could I continue a previous dream? Was this just a convenience? Or was this going to be like a second life? This was all impossible! I focused on what was currently going on. As I slid into the pony world, I became more aware of what they were doing and saying.

“The sound. It has stopped,” Luna said.

“At least I believe so.” Celestia looked down at me. “So, what brings you to Ponyville, young stallion?”

I looked at her flowing mane, then at her face. Wait, so nopony saw me go into the real world, and back into Equestria?

“I actually don’t know how I got here. I don’t remember anything at all!” I said, acting the best I could.

In my head, I knew Celestia could just cast a spell and read my mind with her horn, but I still wanted to at least TRY to convince them.

“Thou dost remember thine past?” Luna said, raising a hoof in the air with pride.

“Nope. Not a thing.” I replied.

I laughed inside my head, realizing how much I sounded like Big Macintosh. I turned to Celestia. She thought for a moment, accessing the deepest of her thoughts.

Then she snapped back to reality and stated, “There has been previous cases of amnesia around Ponyville. No family ever claims them as members. I can’t say that this has no answer, but I can say this indeed is a mystery.”

I looked around. In the crowd I could see the mane six, all but one. Rainbow Dash. I thought for a moment. Where could she be? Why wasn’t she here like always? I decided to conclude those questions with simple, obvious answers. She was probably doing stunts off in the fields or off at Cloudsdale. Or perhaps she modifying the weather for today. I don’t know. I just couldn’t think straight with all these things going on at once.

“So...what’s your name?” Twilight asked.

“Huh?” I turned to her.

“Your name. What’s your name?”

I was about to make up a random name and blurt it out when I was interrupted by the pink party mare.

“DUUHHH!!! He can’t remember anything because he has anmes...something so he can’t tell you his name! Wait, you didn’t remember he had ame-something, so that means you have amne-something, which means you can’t tell him your name, which means- mmmppphhhh!!!”

Her words were muffled by the glowing, purple magic over mouth. But that didn’t stop her. She kept on talking and talking and talking though she knew she couldn’t be understood.

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.” Twilight said, flushing.

I find it awkward when ponies flush, even if it’s a stallion. It just makes me feel weird for some reason.

“We will discuss this case later. But for now, you may socialize with the citizens of Ponyville. I especially want you to be with the elements of harmony, as they could possibly restore your mind.”

With that being said, Celestia flew off into the white of the sunlight, which would soon darken into the finest shades of pink and red. But Luna didn’t leave. She didn’t even nudge. She just stood there, like she was just some random pony, which she wasn’t, of course.

“Princess Luna,” Twilight asked in a shy voice, some embarrassment blended in. “What are you still doing here?”

Luna faced Twilight. “Well, It’s just that I haven’t no royal duties for the day, that is until the night falls upon. And, well,” She looked down, as though she were embarrassed to say what she was going to sentence. “I thought maybe I could try to socialize with thy subjects. Some citizens,unfortunately, still remember the horrid incident of Nightmare Moon, and I’ve tried thy best to convince them the “Old Luna” has returned. But it seems they won't accept it.”

I stared at her, trying my best to not make the moment awkward… again. I thought maybe I could help her cheer up a bit.

“Why don’t you-...sorry,” I was about to ask her if she would like to come with us, but then I remembered: SHE’S ROYALTY! “Your highness, would you care to join us in the socializing of Ponyville?”

That should do the trick!

“Why yes! Yes I woul-” She stopped. “Pardon me. Indeed, I would.”

Wow! How better can this dream get! First I’m in Ponyville. Then I meet the two royal sisters. And to top it off with cherry on top, I get to hang out with my favorite pony! Luna wasn’t just my favorite because she was royal. The fact that we both shared some similarities in personality made her my absolute favorite pony in all of Equestria! We headed deeper into Ponyville. There was stands, houses, shops, as far as the eye could see! I noticed the mane six were following, but they kept their distance from me. They all kept on eyeing me suspiciously, that is with the exception of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who occasionally looked down at the ground with a small “eep!” It had been quiet the past few minutes we walked, other than the sound of the busy village. So I decided to start a conversation.

“So…” I said, expecting Luna to turn to me, which she did. “How does it feel to be a royal sister?” I asked, realizing the mistake I had just done. “No-...I don’t mean it in disrespect-...I mean-...”

Luna just laughed. “I comprehend what thou meant.”

She looked back to the dull, brown road as she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

I wasn’t going to be that guy opening his eyes and ears to get a girl, for the ones who think that way. Oh, no. I was trying to make some friends here! The mane six, or mane five for now, obviously had a bad vibe towards me, with the exception of Flutter  shy and Pinkie Pie. and who would befriend some random pony that just came out of thin air! Luna was practically the only one closest to becoming my first friend! I wasn’t losing any chances, so it was time to set some good impressions here!

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Luna replied after a long pause.

“Well...It sure doesn’t sound like nothing.” I answered.

Luna stood quiet for yet another long pause. “It’s something personal.” She simply said.

Just like that. As if she were throwing something away. While that was happening, I came up with another plan.

“So, Luna…” I faked a cough. “Since I’m new around here, do you think you can show me around?”

Luna turned to me with a smile. “That I can do.”

She spread her wings and flew off into the cyan daylight sky. She turned around and floated in place.

“What are thou waiting for?” She said.

What was she talking about? I couldn’t fly! Or could I? I turned to see my back, only to view on a pair of light brown, feathery wings.

“I  have wings?!” I yelled out in surprise.

I thought I was just an earth pony! Or perhaps a unicorn! From what I knew, pegasi needed ALOT of practice to achieve the mastery of flight. But in my horseshoes, I had just fallen out of the sky into Ponyville with no experience in flight! I was about to tell Luna I didn’t know how to fly, but the vision of a let-down Luna swirled in my head. Immediately, this became something I had to do. I started flapping my wings lightly.

“Is that how thou fly?” Luna asked sarcastically with a soft giggle.

With that being said, I started flapping harder, and harder until I felt my lower hooves elevate from the dusty ground. This was turning out much more easy than I expected! I leaned forward to try and go straight, but I realized I needed to take off before I could fly. I landed with a soft thud and walked back. Then, with all my energy, I ran, ran as fast as I could. As soon as I was about to hit a tree up ahead, I flapped my wings with all my might and lifted myself off the ground. I felt the wind brush against my face and wings. The breeze soothed the wound on my face, which I had already forgotten. Maybe that’s why everypony looks at me weird, I thought. At that moment, I decided to do something I would’ve never thought of doing.

“Luna.” I said, a fake surprised expression on my face.

“Yes?” She responded.

“I think a just remembered my name. I think I just remembered my name!” I exclaimed

Luna looked at me with a grin, but was replaced by a thoughtful look. “Do thou remember anything else?”

Was I really THIS stupid? Okay, this was my chance to create my fake profile, and I wasn’t going to waste it this time. I thought for a moment. Most ponies have names involving food and “pretty” stuff. The first random word that came into mind was the word gleam. So I just had to combine that with another word. I decided to add in my favorite food, waffles. Gleam Waffle. No, that didn’t make sense! Gleaming Waffle, which made much more sense, was my final result. And now for my origin...

“Um, are thou still in Equestria?” asked Luna sarcastically, waving a navy blue hoof in front of my face.

“Huh, oh...yeah,” I said in embarrassment. “I don’t seem to remember my past, but I do remember my name.”

Luna just flapped her wings and floated in place.

“Well?” she said, nudging me with her muzzle.

“What?” I said confused.

She just rolled her eyes, along with a smile and a sigh. “What is thou name?”

Wow! So much time I spent making my name and I hadn’t even said it! I am such a retard! I was about to open my mouth when the bright, cheerful world around me went into complete, total darkness. And within a blink, I was slouched on my rough, leathery living room couch, the window revealing the pink sky of the mid-afternoon. You have got to be kidding me. I’m about to befriend my favorite pony, met the mane six and royal sisters, about to socialize with the subjects of Ponyville, and I end up waking up in the middle of it! What if I don’t continue the dream? What if I never see Ponyville again? Questions compressed on to my brain as I stared at the colorful T.V screen. Nonsense! I’m sure the dream will continue! But one question remained unanswered, untouched even, on my head. How long am I going to keep dreaming this?

3: New Acquaintances

It was midnight, and I hadn’t eaten anything other than the muffin from McDonald’s during the morning walk. I just wasn’t hungry. I kept on thinking what I would do about the “Dream Situation.” Should I tell someone? No. They would probably say it’s just a dream or laugh at me. I snapped myself out my pool of thoughts. I was NOT going to go Q & A on myself again! The last time I went to the bathroom, about 15 minutes ago, I almost scared myself when I looked at the mirror. My eyes were as red as beets! But why? I rested nearly half a day! The dream popped back into my thoughts. In a flash, I decided to get some rest, not only for my sake, but to test out my theory about whether or not I would keep having these “Second Life” dreams. I went to bed and got as comfortable as possible, so I would quickly dose off to sleep. I fluffed my pillows, got a heating blanket, and tucked myself into the cloud I called bed. I hadn’t felt this sensation in a long time. At Brian’s house, I slept on a comfortable sofa, yet it couldn’t beat the texture of this mattress! I had some trouble falling to sleep, with the hopes of dreaming what I expected. About a minute or two had passed without my consciousness, at least I think so, when I finally found myself in the familiar black void. Let’s get this over with! I was slipping in and out of the Equestrian realm. This hadn’t happened before. What was going on? As the blurry world around me cleared and faded, the only thing I could see was Luna. Oddly enough, she was still flapping her graceful wings in midair. She seemed to be frustrated, as if waiting for something. She was the only thing moving out of the whole scene before my very eyes. I could make out a light tan pony with an aqua blue mane and tail with a red cape resting on her back. She didn’t move. Everything but the princess of the night was paused. The only two clearly visible things were Luna and the caped pony. Suddenly, everything went from a dull, blurry state to a bright, clear panorama. I felt really dizzy after a moment of viewing the cheery world. I tumbled side to side as I tried to walk. That’s funny. I thought I was flying when I last left Equestria. But that wasn’t important right now, I was just trying to keep my balance at the moment. Oof! It took me a while to realize I had just crashed into somepony and was now laying on the dull, dirt road. I raised my head, shaking it to focus my eyes. I group of brightly colored ponies stared at me, confusion and disgust blended into their expressions.

“What happened?” said a clear, feminine voice.

I turned to see the tan pony I had seen earlier. But this time, I noticed that she had wings. She was rubbing her head with her hoof, eyes jiggling around, far from focusing. Like me, she shook her head wildly to regain focus.

“Oh my god are you alright?” I said in worry, putting out a hoof to help her get up.

I realized I had said "Oh my GOD." I don't think the pony noticed, though.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I-” She paused.

“What?” I said, lost in confusion. I felt perfectly fine by then.

“Did I do that to you?!” the mare said in panic and shock.

What in Equestria was she talking about?

“What are you-” I paused as well. “Oh, are you talking about the wound on my face?”

She nodded.

“No no no. You didn’t cause this. This was my fault as I was walking through Ponyville. I tripped and well...my face speaks for itself.” I said, my voice fading at the last sentence.

The mare still seemed really, and I mean really worried. But oddly, I couldn’t see any disgust on her face. She had a hoof over her mouth, being another clue that she was worried, other than her eyes.

“Umm...why are you looking at me like that?” I said, breaking the silence.

“It’s just that-...are you…” She finally managed to blurt out what she was about to say. “Aren’t you planning to see a doctor, or a nurse?” she asked.

I raised my hoof confidently, as if to rebuttal what she just said, when I stopped and frowned. Why hadn’t I gone to seek medical attention at the moment? In fact, why didn’t Celestia at least suggest me going to a doctor? What a ruler, I thought.

“I actually don’t know.” I stated.

The mare giggled a little.

“Hey, where’s your cape?” I asked, noticing she was missing her dark red cape.

“What do you mean, It’s right-” She stopped. “My cape, where is my cape!!!” she exclaimed, almost as loud as Luna’s Royal Canterlot voice.

Talking about her, where is Luna? I looked around, searching like a hawk for the dark blue alicorn. I finally saw her gracefully flapping her way down to the ground.

“What happened?” Luna asked.

I noticed the tan pegasus had finally found her cape, a relieved expression on her face. She quickly bowed down at the sight of Luna.

“Nothing,” I said. “I just felt a little dizzy and accidently crashed into…” I said, waiting for the mare to state her name.

Luna and I looked at her.

“Sunshine Beam” the tan pony finally said in a quiet voice.

I guess that the fact of having a princess in front of her made her nervous. Luna turned to me.

“A little dizzy?” she said smiling.

“Well…” I said in embarrassment. The three of us shared a good laugh for a while.

“We should get going now, Gleaming Waffle” Luna said.

I turned to Sunshine Beam. “See ya sometime!" I said as I started preparing for takeoff.

She waved at me until I was out of view, high above the clouds. But wait, where did I just say I was? I looked down, immediately turning into panic mode. I waved my hooves wildly in the air, flapping my wings at the speed of a hummingbird.

“Calm down!” Luna said in a loud, yet soothing, voice.

I stopped at the sound of the gentle sound of her speech. Unfortunately, without me knowing, I stopped flapping my wings, too! It took me what seemed like forever to catch up with time. And when I did, I realized I was on my way down, once again, to the ground. I felt the cool wind brush against my face and in between every single feather on my maple brown wings. I didn’t have time to think during the few seconds that had just passed when OOF! I hit the ground hard enough to knock myself out.

4:Answers

Black. Black everywhere. That’s all I saw. Once again, I was in the dark void, but this time, I couldn’t even see myself. Nothing could be seen. I probably stared at the darkness for what seemed like centuries, when an image blended in colorful swirls with the blankets of black, as if they were a giant screen. The image was so blurry. All that could be made out were the colors. I could see the colors tan, blue, and white. Lots of white. The colors looked like smudged paint on a canvass, dull and bright colors shading and overlapping each other. Colors faded in and out. As time passed, the picture faded less and less, and it got clearer and clearer, revealing a new color each time. This time, the colors sky blue, purple, and red joined the “painting.” A couple of seconds passed, and soon, I could hear something. A voice. No, voices. Several feminine voices, all talking at once. I couldn’t make out the emotion in their speech, as the sound was also faded. More time went on, but as much time as I did staring at the shadows of an empty space. With time and patience, the image became clear. The sound was like a choir of women, and all of them showed one clear emotion. Worry. I saw four figures shaped like, of course, ponies. This time, I could name almost everypony in the room. I could see Luna, Sunshine Beam, and... Who is that? There was a light blue mare with a purple mane streaked with pink stripes. A big, red bow rested on the top of her head. Bit there was soomething odd about her. She was...an alicorn. I had never seen an alicorn, other than the four princesses, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and of course, Twilight Sparkle, which I had only seen Celestia, Luna, and Twilight. It took me minutes to realize where I was. I was inside a hospital room, laying on a patient bed. Wow. I had gotten myself bruised enough to get me a one-way ticket to the hospital. Finally, in a snap, I was conscious, back in Equestria, aware of my surroundings.

I finally managed to say, “What happened?”

I rubbed my head with my hoof. As I did, I felt a big, and I mean big, bump on my forehead. For a second I thought I was a unicorn, but realized it was just an awful reminder of the “flight lessons.” Everypony in the room turned and gasped.

“Oh thank Celestia he’s okay!” said Sunshine Beam, sliding her forehoof across her head in relief.

You can also thank Luna, I thought. I turned to see the now clear image of the mysterious alicorn. She wasn’t tall, so she hadn’t been an alicorn for long. But she also wasn’t new. I think I had heard something about alicorns aging slowly sometime in the past. Everypony in Equestria probably would’ve known about a new princess, including newcomers like me.

“Who are you?” I said as polite as I could, trying not to sound rude.

She was about to tell me when Sunshine Beam broke in. “She’s Princess SugarBloom Lullaby.” She put a hoof in midair, as if holding up a sword to respect royalty. Kind of a long name, I thought. Though I couldn't admit the fact that Pinkie's full, Pinkamena Diane Pie, name was long as well, so I let it slide by.

I turned to see Luna, only to see a nurse I recognized as Nurse RedHeart right next to her.

“How long am I going to be here?” I asked.

“Actually, we’re releasing you today,” the nurse said, looking at my now surprised face. “You’ve been here for two days, which should be enough.”

Two days! You’ve got to be kidding me!

“At what time am I going?” I said, still surprised by how long I had missed out.

“In about a minute or so.” Nurse RedHeart said, thinking.

I lay in the fluffy mattress for two minutes, staring at nothing but the wall in front of me, and occasionally turning to see one of the mares’ worried faces. I was thinking about asking the cyan alicorn more questions, but I thought it might have been kind of awkward. A doctor I hadn’t seen before walked in.

“Mister...Gleaming Waffle. It’s time for you to head off.” he said in a kind, yet manly voice.

“Alright.” I said in a lazy voice.

I sat up in the bed, realizing the horrible mistake I had made. My back cracked as loud as a firework, and pain shot up from my spine to my head.

“OW!” I yelled in pain.

I let myself fall back into the cozy bed. The mares quickly ran towards me to help me, but I denied the act of kindness. I wanted to prove I wasn’t a little colt, that I could do things for myself. Once again, I sat up. But this time, I sat up slowly. It seemed to have worked, as I only felt a small amount of soft pain. I slid of the bed and stood on the tiled floor. I walked around to see if it would hurt. It didn’t. It only hurt when I bent my back, which I wouldn’t need to do in order to walk, or trot.

“Thanks for the help!” I yelled to the nurse and doctor as I walked out the door. “Did you come here every day to check on me?” I asked all the mares.

“We were afraid something happened to you, and we wanted to see if you were okay.” said Sunshine Beam.

There was a moment of silence, which was quickly shredded off by Luna. “We shall celebrate the coming of Gleaming Waffle properly with a tour of Equestria! Obviously, flying wasn’t the best of choices.” she lowered her voice  as she stated the last sentence.

I didn’t want her to feel bad, so I quickly accepted her offer. She seemed to have cheered up a bit, but not completely. We headed towards Ponyville, following a dirt road as a guide to our destination. We didn’t talk much during the travel. Actually, we didn’t talk at all! It was all peace and quiet on our way to Ponyville. In about five minutes or so, we arrived at Ponyville, plus an extra two minutes to get to the center.

“Where shouldst we go first?” Luna asked in a friendly way. I thought for a moment. I really wanted to meet the mane “five” properly. I chose Rarity as my first pick, because if I didn’t befriend now, she would never accept my friendship. I knew it would be hard, but I had to try!

“I remember somepony told me there’s a mare who makes great clothing here in Ponyville. Is it true?” I "asked."

Luna didn’t even have to think once. “Thou must be talking about Rarity, the element of generosity.”

I pretended to think about the subject.

“Can you take me with her?” I asked.

“Haha! I most certainly can! I know Equestria like the bottom of my hoof!” she proudly cried.

Everypony around us turned to look at her. She just sunk with a flushed face looking down with an embarrassed smile. The ponies just ignored the scenario and kept their attention on their tasks.

“Come on,” Sunshine Beam nudged Luna with her muzzle. “Let’s go”

Luna stood up, shook herself from the smudges of dust and dirt off of her, and started walking with a confident face. I followed. As we walked, I saw many wonderful things. I could see market stands selling fruits as bright as the colors of a sonic rainboom. I saw big, buff work stallions pulling carts made of thick oak wood. And then I saw the boutique. The Carousel Boutique to be exact.

“Here it is.” said Luna in an amused voice as I stood there in awe. “Thou haven’t even seen the inside!” said Luna making her way to the door.

She walked inside with her chin up like a fancy mare. Then it was my turn. I was about to walk in when suddenly a blue stallion walked in front of me, ending up in yet, another catastrophic accident. I was on the ground, looking up to see who it was. When I looked up, I saw every detail clearly, because he was still standing right in front of my face! His hair had two shades of green. Light green and normal green. He was wearing a light purple hoodie that seemed very old.

“Hey buddy, you made me fall on my flank!” I said in an angry voice.

He ignored.

“Hey,” I said a bit louder this time. “I said you made me fall!”

Still no reply.

“Hey. I’m talking to you. Hey.” I took in a deep breath and let out the loudest yell I could release. “I SAID I’M TALKING TO YOU!!!”

Yet, he still stood there, eyes closed, moving his head from side to side. I started boil up when I noticed something. He was wearing headphones. I swapped them off his head and started crushing them with all my anger on the dirt ground.

“Hey!” the blue pony said with angry eyes. “Duuude, what was that for?!”

“That was for knocking me off my hooves! What are you doing walking around with your eyes closed and headphones at full volume?!” He stared at me with a emotionless face.

“I was enjoying a song when you came by here and smashed them.” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

I slapped my forehead with my hoof. Remember Gleaming Waffle, you’re trying to make new friends, here. So set your best impression to this pony and get things over with. I sighed.

“Look, I’m sorry I destroyed your headphones. How much do they cost?” I said, widening my eyes with fear. I had just realized I had no money, or bits!

“Don’t worry yourself off, it was also my fault. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings.” he said.

I never would’ve expected him to say something like that! But it was still a good thing, then I wouldn’t have to go out ask for bits!

“So...we’re good then?” I said, holding out a hoof to make “peace.”

He, as well, extended his forehoof and shook mine.

“Then it’s settled.” I said.

I stood there, waiting for him to go inside. “Ehem. After you.” I said, pointing at the door.

“No, you go.” he replied.

“Well, if you insist.” I said.

I took a few steps towards the door, when the blue pony walked in front of me and smiled, “Nevermind.”

5: A New View

I walked inside after Luna, Sugar Bloom, and Sunshine Beam, only to gaze upon the most wonderful place in Ponyville, maybe even in Equestria! I just couldn’t describe the wonders a was feeling at that moment. I had seen it before in the show, but I didn't think it would be this amazing in real life!

“Wooow!” I said with amusement.

“What did I tell you?” Luna said with a smile, as if she expected me to react that way.

“It’s…” I couldn’t think of any words that could describe the decorative room. (other than the word dress!)

Right then, a purple-maned mare with a fine, white tone to her coat entered the room. I, of course, recognized her as Rarity, element of generosity and brilliant fashionista.

“Oh why hello, darling! What may I get for you?” she said.

I just looked at her. Was she talking to me? I pointed a hoof at myself to send the message.

“Why of course I’m talking to you, silly!” she said putting a hoof over her muzzle as she smirked.

She came closer to us as she gave a welcoming look.

“I believe you are the famous Rarity, am I correct?” I asked in a fancy voice.

“Why yes, yes indeed.” she said.

"Where have you heard from me, exactly?" Rarity asked with wonder. She was probably excited that word got spread of her dresses or something.

"I remember someone telling me about a mare who made wonderful clothing. Their description of her fit you, so I suspected you are the well-known mare." I said, trying to act normal.

Rarity squeaked with excitement. It was hard to act normal while telling lies. Why, my time here was all gonna be a lie!

“ Oh, where are my manners?” Rarity said with a “realizing” face.

She bowed down with her horn touching the shiny, polished floor. Obviously, she wasn’t talking to me this time.

“Why, no need for that, Rarity.” Luna said in a gentle voice.

First time I ever heard her use that voice! I looked around to find the blue pony, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just then ,I happened to turn around, only to see a sweating blue pony. As he stood, he rocked forth and backward

“Hey,” I asked. “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” he blurted out in a quick way.

“Are you sure? Because that sure doesn’t look like nothing.” I said.

“Yup. Everything’s goin’ fine. Nothing wrong here. Uh-uh.” the pony said as he shook his head from side to side wildly.

Why is he sweating? More importantly, why is he acting like that?

“Then why are you acting like that?” I questioned.

I stood there as the pony looked to his left, then to his right.

He leaned over and whispered sharply, “Rarity's here, dude!”

Seriously?! That was the case?! I breathed in, and sighed out. Okay Gleaming Waffle, this is your chance to befriend him, so don’t screw it up!

“Calm down. It’s not like it’s going to ruin your reputation or anything.” I said. Which I doubt you even have one, I thought.

“But,” the pony said. “What if I do something wrong? What if I-”

“See, that’s the point. What if.” I said in a calming voice. "Those things may happen, but they also may not happen.”

I put a hoof on his back in a friendly manner. The blue pony had a thoughtful expression for a couple of minutes. As those minutes passed, I could hear the mares chatting about a new batch of dresses Rarity had just made a couple of days ago. The blue pony sighed. He looked down at the floor. While he was doing that, I turned around to see what the mares were up to. Still chatting. I turned back to the stallion.

“You know, maybe you’re right.” he said.

“Of course I am. Now let’s meet up with the mares before they get too distracted, I want to see at least half of Ponyville today!” I said, giving the pony a pat on the back.

He smiled. I started walking towards the group, and the pony followed. As we slowly trotted over to them, I wanted to get something clear.

“So,” I turned to the stallion. “what’s your name?”

There was a sudden change in the blue pony’s mood. His expression turned smooth, yet vigorous.

He turned to me and said in a confident and “cool” voice, “The name’s Solstice. Cyan Solstice!”

Wow. I guess things do change!

“Cyan Solstice, huh?” I repeated his name. “Nice.”

We reached the mares, who by now basically were in their own separate world.  I turned to Cyan Solstice. I wondered if he had ever seen Rarity before, so I went ahead and asked.

“Have you ever seen Rarity before?” I questioned with a curious face.

He immediately started sweating. I could see he blushed a little bit.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Sure!” he said, as he swung a hoof in front of him.

But I knew that something was wrong. By now, he was completely blushed.

“Remember what we said back there?” I said.

He looked at me and sighed. He closed his eyes. At that moment, everyone in the room was staring at him.

“Um...are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked, her expression a bit worried.

I couldn’t tell if she was worried because she wanted to know what was going on or because Cyan looked totally stupid sweating in the middle of the room.

“I need to um…” Cyan said as his eyes wildly danced all over the room. “I need to go get my headphones!” he exclaimed.

“But I destroyed your headphones.” I said with an 'are you serious' face.

“Then I need to um…” He stopped once again. “Go to the Headphone store and buy a new pair!” he said in a nervous voice.

He just ran away, leaving us staring at the door, wondering why he acted that way. I tried to get off the subject.

“Well, that was a little strange, huh?” I said, trying to make a conversation and get out of that awkward moment.

“Yeah, he's acted like that before, but we should go and show you more of Ponyville.” Princess Sugarbloom said.

“Alright then.” I said, turning to the door.

With that said, it was enough information to know that that Cyan and Sugarbloom, possibly the other mares, knew each other.

“Aren’t you going to buy something?” Sunshine Beam asked.

“Oh, well…” I answered, “I just wanted to meet Rarity.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity insisted. “Can’t you ask your friend if he wants a new hoodie, because obviously it has gone passe’. He ordered it a couple of days ago.”

That's why Cyan was probably here, I thought. But I then looked at Rarity with a curious face.

“What does 'passe' mean?” I questioned.

“It means old-fashioned, out-of-date.” Princess Sugarbloom responded.

She must be the element of knowledge, I joked.

“Well, if you have the hoodie ready, I’ll sure take it to him.” I said.

“Ooh, I’ll pay for it!” Sunshine Beam stepped in.

Thank goodness, I still don’t have any bits!

“While I’m getting his hoodie, how about I make some clothing for you all?” Rarity offered.

“That would be great!” I said. “What do you think?” I turned and looked at everypony.

“Yeah, I guess I could add some new clothes to my collection.” Sugarbloom answered.

Wow, now she MUST be the element of bragging, I thought. Everypony seemed to be good with that, so I concluded saying “yes” to Rarity. Just then, she picked up her measuring tools.

“So, I’m going to need your sizes” Rarity added. “It will just take a second.”

Sunshine Beam changed her expression. I could see she was either worried or scared. Sugarbloom turned at her for a moment but it seemed to be a casual view. I was being measured by Rarity’s tools while the Princesses were talking about their future outfits. Sunshine  Beam wasn’t talking at all. Sugarbloom looked at her. She said something to Sunshine Beam, but I wasn't able to hear it. Everypony had had their measures taken already, other than me. Everypony except Sunshine Beam.

"Alright, your turn!" Rarity said as she looked at Sunshine Beam.

"Um, I'll pass on this one." Sunshine Beam said with a worried look on her face.

"Are you sure? Everypony's getting something to wear but you." Rarity said, trying to convince Sunshine.

"You see, she really likes her cape. She never takes it off. It was given to her by grandmother." Sugarbloom explained.

"Alright then." Rarity friendly said.

A couple of minutes later, Rarity gave me the hoodie, Luna's dress would take a very long time to make, so she was empty-hoofed for now, Sugarbloom got a new, purple dress, which was obviously previously made, and Sunshine still had her cape on. Rarity sure was fast!

"Well, we best get going. We're giving Gleam here a tour of Ponyville since he's new around." Princess Sugar Bloom said.

We packed up everything in bags Rarity had lent to us and set off. We all waved to Rarity good-bye as we walked out of the boutique. I met up with Cyan Solstice, who was standing outside, probably hearing our conversation.

"Ta-ta!" Rarity said as she waved back.

We walked down a grassy path (probably the grassiest in Ponyville) as the mares STILL continued their chat about the dresses.

"Here. Rarity said you ordered this." I handed Cyan his hoodie.

"Thanks." Cyan simply said. "I-"

Just then, a royal guard ran towards us as beads of sweat soaked his now matted fur.

"Princess Luna- Huff!- We need you- Huff!- at the castle!" He said as he took big breaths of fresh air in.

"What is so important? I was told I had no duties for the day." Luna said.

"The residents of Fillydelphia aren't -Huff!- willing to cooperate in the -Huff!- Intra Dimensional Spells Project and -Huff!- Princess Celestia is trying to calm them -Huff!- down!" He said with trouble from trying to catch his breath. "It's anarchy out there!

The term "Intra Dimensional" sounded familiar to me, though I couldn't put my fin- hoof on it. Luna left, the royal guard leading her way.

"I'll catch up later!" she said as she was going.

That left Sunshine, Cyan, Sugarbloom, and I. Time flew by as the darkness of the night soon came upon Equestria. We had just met the last pony, Bon-Bon, when it seemed to be quite late be this up at night.

"Seems like it's time to head back home." Sunshine said as she yawned.

I felt bad for her, really. I had taken up time from her her personal life and even taking away time from her sleep. But wait, there was something I, no, WE never thought of. Where am I going to spend the night?

"Um, just a little question," I said to the group as politely as I possibly could. "but where am I gonna sleep?"

Everypony looked at each other with wide eyes. I could tell their sleepiness had brushed away with ease when I told them.

"You can go ahead and stay at my place." Cyan offered.

It seemed like it was a bit too strange to sleep at a stranger's house, but what other choice did I have?

"Uh, sure? I guess?" I said.

"Okay, so it's settled then?" Sugarbloom asked.

"Yes, everything's gonna be fine. You can trust me this time." Cyan said

This time? I didn't like the sound of that! We said good night to the mares and headed off for Cyan's place.

As the mares started walking off, we started walking as well.

"Here, my house is this way. Come on." Cyan invited.