As Jayden departed from the purple unicorn and baby dragon he broke into a light jog, not wanting to waste too much time. Dark shapes he knew were shops gave way to dark blobs he knew were homes, all passing by as an indistinct dark belt of contours. While, yes, he did have a time-frame of about half an hour to reconnect with Lyra and Bon Bon, he wanted to use as much of that half hour as he could. It already wasn't fair to his girls that he'd been away for so long, especially with how the world was right now. He owed them as much time as he could get.

Echoing back at him, his own boots and a low wind whistling over obstacles were the only sounds in the environment. All these streets were empty.

Where the hell were his neighbors?

A pang of guilt wormed its way into his chest as he realized just how much Lyra and Bon Bon could have used his help over the past month. He knew Equestria outside of Canterlot was having a rough time with Nightmare Moon's return, but he didn't know that Ponyville had gotten this bad. Lyra certainly hadn't mentioned it in her letters.

Canterlot, while tense, still functioned like a city. Candle light coming from some windows, patrols of guards and the occasional passerby on thestreets.... Probably all normal for the capitol. He never visited before all this, so it was up in the air on what was normal for horse aristocracy.

Ponyville, though, felt damn near derelict, with the streets listless and quiet, and the only signs the town was still occupied were the randomly colored very dim lights penetrating some closed curtains. Oh. The unicorn third of the population.

Jayden's brisk pace slowed to a stop, leaving him standing in the middle of the cobblestone street. He looked around, taking in the scene of the once bright and happy town, now reduced to oppressive silence. Jayden could almost picture the ponies he knew, going about their day, remembering what it was like before Nightmare Moon.

He balled his fist.

Hot, righteous anger began to rise within Jayden as he forced back his body's desire to sneer at the wicked mare's name. Seeing the village where he lived in this state made everything hit just a bit closer to home, and soon his mind wandered into the realm of fantasy, one where he was viciously cold-cocking the bitch on the cheek with a hard right-hook. Or bashing her muzzle in with a baseball bat.

Or...or...

Jayden took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He was about to reunite with Lyra and Bon Bon, right? His friends. Likely living in crisis like the rest of Ponyville.

It'd be wrong to greet them still wearing a scowl.

Getting back into a jog, he recalled the moment her first saw Nightmare Moon. It happened exactly when Twilight predicted, the same night as the 'Summer Sun Celebration'. Though, he was pretty sure neither of them expected that her return would involve crashing the very celebration the two were participating in.

He remembered being near the entrance, enjoying the banquet set up by the Apple family. Twilight was walking about, checklist in her magical grip. As the celebration's designated coordinator, it was up to her to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be and ready at the right time, even after the party started. She wore a pensive look on her face, but whether that was from nervousness over her duties or her fears about Nightmare Moon's return, he couldn't say.

Probably both.

Lyra and Bon Bon were beside him, just as eager to enjoy the banquet as they were to see Princess Celestia, likely hoping they could goad him into getting her to prove her powers over the sun and moon were legit. Lyra was, of course, her usual beaming self but even Bon Bon was wearing a smile for once. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were chatting by another banquet table, with the blue pegasus glancing his way every so often.

He had no idea what that was about. It's not like he was pounding down all the food. Which he could. Easily. His biomass needing more calories than knee high horses.

When it came time for the main event, Ponyville's little beige mayor walked onto the stage and, after a very short preamble, motioned to the balcony above her. When the curtains parted, and Fluttershy's songbird choir sang their tune, Princess Celestia was supposed to be standing there.

Instead, the balcony was empty.

After a moment of concerned whispers from the crowd, a kind of dark blue smoke began to form on the balcony, swirling aggressively before dissipating. When it did, the sight before them all was not of Equestria's solar monarch, but of Nightmare Moon's malevolent visage. Sort of a dark inversion of Celestia. Like a photo negative. As she played host to the view of the gatherers, she sneered back down at them from her place of elevation, taunting and monologuing, and Jayden recalled averting his gaze from the dark-coated party-crasher to meet Twilight's own mortified expression.

In that instance, three things made themselves crystal clear to the lone human in horse land.

He had been wrong.

She'd been right.

And the world was about to be flipped upside-down.

Rounding a street corner, Jayden's thoughts then focused on the aftermath of that night, how he went with Twilight to Canterlot and acted as some kind of helper or assistant for the better part of a month. With resolve that even surprised him, he threw himself into their goal of stopping Nightmare Moon.

At first, he had trouble finding his place between Twilight and Spike, seeing as the little dragon was already her (self-proclaimed) number one assistant. But he eventually found his groove. Spike's efforts focused more on the domestic side of things; Cooking and tidying up after his unicorn sister.

With Jayden, his help revolved more around debate and hypothesis, helping Twilight to figure out what Nightmare Moon's goals and weaknesses were, as well as enduring hours of tedious research through, seemingly, countless books.

And now he was back home, if for a moment, seeing it like this.

Speaking of home, Jayden was steadily approaching his, the rather large house standing out quite a bit in comparison to the others around it. He bounded up to the front door, smile on his face and key in hand, ready to fling it open and shout to his two favorite mares that he was back.

“~infinitely deep coin purse~ …. ….. …. ~table~ …. …. ~the markets are empty, Bonnie!~”

His hand stilled over the handle.

“~weren't yours! I'm~ ….. ….. ….. ~MY OWN Property! Those are products of MY business~”

“Girls?” He whispered to himself.

He still hadn't pushed open the door. The walls of THIS house in particular were Thick, part of a suite of customizations that allowed him to live indoors.

He gripped the wrought iron, pushed, and stepped from cobble to lacquered planks. With no barriers left in the way, the full force of Lyra and Bon Bon's screaming match was left unmitigated as it reached his ears. He couldn't pick out, specifically, what the two were arguing about, as both seemed intent on talking over the other.

Long legs, swift steps, surging around a wall, into the kitchen, he yelled. “Girls!”

Instantly, the house went quiet. It stayed that way for a couple seconds before being replaced by the tell-tale clip-clopping of pony hooves on hardwood floor.

A moment later and the heads of Bon Bon and Lyra poked around opposite sides of the door frame, both of them looking exhausted, with deep bags under their eyes. “Jayden?” Bon Bon muttered, laying eyes on him.

“You're back!” Shouted Lyra as she bolted from her spot near the door, leaping into Jayden's arms and snuggling her muzzle into his neck and cheek. “I've missed you so much!”

He responded to the affection with some of his own, pulling her into a tight hug. “Missed you too.” His attention then turned to the other pony, who had walked towards him and was now standing by his knees. “Hey, Bon Bon.”

“Welcome back, Jayden.” Bon Bon replied, the barest hint of a smile on her usually frumpy face.

“Want a hug too?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Jayden smirked before reaching down. “Well, too bad, it's happening anyway.” He scooped her up.

“Jayden!” She huffed, her muzzle scrunching as he pulled her in. She eventually relented and just took the hug, even hugged back.

After a moment or two, he put them back down onto the ground. “So...” Jayden said, looking down at the two ponies now staring up at him. “What was all that shouting about?”

Instantly, the jovial mood evaporated. The two frowned and glanced at each other, before Lyra spoke. “We were just having a disagreement.”

“Must have been a pretty serious disagreement. What about?”

Lyra gave another tired glance over to Bon Bon, who looked away, before walking over to the house's pantry. The door to the pantry swung open, revealing the shocking bareness of the shelves. Hard cheese, gone. Sugar, gone. Notably, no eggs, a Jayden staple.

“There's not much food left in the house.” The unicorn groused.

And it would seem the two had been forced down to using the essentials.

“I don't know what Canterlot was like,” Lyra normalized her voice, “but here things have gotten bad. Really bad. Ponies don't want to work and the market isn't being stocked. Farmers aren't selling, and those that do give only a little at a time, making sure they've got enough for their families. And this mare,” Lyra pointed her hoof at Bon Bon, who glared back at her, “Has been getting on my case for eating.”

“I told you to only eat when you have to!” Bon Bon shot back, stomping her hoof.

“I did have to! It's called being hungry, Bon Bon! Something you clearly understand when you sneak off to munch on that box of candies you have hidden in your room!”

Bon Bon blanched at Lyra's words. “Th-that's different!”

“How so?”

“Because I made those.”

“So? I made that oat pancake your chubby plot's all upset about.”

“I mean I made them before all this.” She deadpanned.

“And the oats I used were bought months ago! So why do you get a pass?!”

Sensing this would only continue, if not get worse, Jayden stepped in. “Alright girls, come on. Let's calm down.”

Lyra turned her head away from her candy-maker friend and grumbled, while Bon Bon looked up to Jayden and spoke. “Sorry. It's just been...a rough month.”

“But, you're home.” Lyra interrupted, an exhausted smile replacing her frown. “That means this is about to all be over, right? Was Nightmare Moon stopped?”

“Not yet.” Jayden replied, watching that smile fade. “I'm actually just here to catch up with you girls and grab some things, before heading out.”

“You're going back to Canterlot? How long will you be gone this time?!” Lyra looked heartbroken.

“Not Canterlot, the Everfree Forest. And hopefully for only about a week. Give or take a few days.”

“The Everfree?” Bon Bon said, raising an eyebrow. “What in Equestria do you need from that place?”

“There's something out there, at least we think it's out there, that can stop Nightmare Moon. But we gotta find it. So, Twilight and I are gathering a group to go out and look for this thing. Like a little expedition.”

“So...” Lyra whispered, her shoulders sagging and head hanging low. “You're leaving us again?”

“It's only for a little bit longer.”

“You've already been gone a month! Why is helping Twilight so important to you? You don't even know her. I knew her before you did!”

Jayden was briefly taken aback by Lyra's intensity, her question having no immediate answer. Why did he care about helping Twilight that much? It's not like he was the only one who saw Nightmare Moon return. The entire village was there to witness it, all in the same room, and nobody else decided to take it upon themselves to do what he was doing. Despite Nightmare Moon being everybody's problem, apparently she wasn't everybody's responsibility.

And yet she was his?

“It just is, ok? I don't know why this is such an issue for me, but it is. And I'll be damned if I don't do something about it.” He crossed his arms, his tone rising slightly.

Lyra looked away, her gaze connecting with the kitchen window, the world outside ominously dark. Then, her expression softened and she sighed, turning back to Jayden. “We missed you, you know? A lot.” Tears began to slowly form in the corners of her eyes. “Things have been crazy here...and we didn't have our big, strong human to act as our rock.”

Jayden knelt down to her level and embraced her in yet another hug. “I'm sorry. That I wasn't here. That I was gone.”

“It's alright...I get it. You were doing something important.” Lyra wiped away the growing tear with the back of her hoof. For a moment, the two stare at each other. But then Lyra's expression suddenly changed, morphing into a bit of a thinking pose; eyes gazing off up into the corner, before it changed again to one of mischief. “You know, it really doesn't matter anyway.”

“It doesn't?”

“Nope! Because we're not going to let you out of our sight again.” She backed up and placed her leg around Bon Bon's shoulder. “If you're going into the Everfree, then we're heading with you!”

“You are?”

“We are?”

Bon Bon and Jayden spoke in unison, looking at Lyra with a combination of wide eyes and arched eyebrows.

“Jayden's right. He's out there doing something about this while we've been huddled up in our homes, waiting for somepony else to solve our problems.” Lyra replied.

“Uh, that's not really what I meant by that.” Jayden muttered.

“And I'm not going anywhere!” Bon Bon huffed.

“But Bon Bon-” Lyra whined before being cut off.

“No, Lyra! You always do this. You always jump into things without thinking them through. And then you rope me into them too!”

“Think about it, Bon Bon. We could save the world!” Lyra extended her hoof and slowly swiped it across Bon Bon's line of sight, as if revealing something hidden behind a curtain.

“Good for you. YOU go do that.” The usually grumpy-faced mare removed her friend's hoof from her shoulder. “Look, I know you really missed Jayden, and you don't want to lose him again, but I'm not going to go waltzing into the Everfree with you. You're welcome to go do that, but I'm staying home.”

“Yeah, I missed him. And so did you.” Lyra gave a pause. “Bonny, what did staying home even do for us? What would doing it again accomplish? He left and we got stuck here in a dark house for a month. And that whole time we were miserable. You want to go through that again, but this time be all alone?” Lyra watched as Bon Bon grit her teeth and looked away, the signs of her resistance waning. She pressed her advantage. “Don't you want to get out of this house? Isn't being here driving you crazy?”

Bon Bon grumbled, her muzzle scrunching as Lyra stood beside her once more. “If you do go with-” Lyra brought her lips to Bon Bon's ear and began to whisper. Jayden couldn't make out what was being said, but Bon Bon glanced over to him, blushing, before turning back to Lyra.

“You...you promise?” Bon Bon muttered.

“Of course!” Lyra replied, grinning from ear to ear. “I would never lie about humans.”

Bon Bon closed her eyes and sighed. “You know, I don't know what I hate more. The fact that Lyra knows every button to push, or that I keep letting her do it.”

Jayden's eyes shifted from Bon Bon to Lyra, suspicious of the whispering, before speaking. “Everything good?”

She looked back to Jayden. “Yeah, everything's fine.”

“What was the whispering about?”

Bon Bon shook her head. “Nothing.” She quickly changed subject. “So...the Everfree? What are we getting? And why?”

Jayden was curious, but not curious enough to pry further. Whatever secrets the two mares had were theirs to keep. Instead, he went about explaining what he knew of the situation. He got them up to speed on his time at Canterlot with Twilight, the Elements of Harmony, and the overall plan going forward.

Oh, and to sweeten the deal, Lyra's old classmate knew the 'no more nightmares' spell.

While Bon Bon had several critiques about the entire plan, and she wasn't afraid to make them known in her usual sardonic manner, she was glad to finally be getting a good few hours of sleep. The knowledge that Twilight had found a spell that could get rid of the constant nightmares, where no other spell or potion seemed to work, had won her over rather quickly. She was eager for an undisturbed nap.

Lyra, for her part, suggested that they should all go to the library once everyone was gathered and use it like a temporary base. There, everybody could eat, sleep, learn the plan and get to know each other a bit more, before heading out into the forest.

Which all sounded fine to Jayden.

What didn't sound fine was something mentioned by Bon Bon, something he had subconsciously recognized right when he stepped off the train. How were they going to get supplies for a whole quest into the forest when there were no stores open? “Do you girls wanna see if we can borrow expedition supplies from our neighbors?”

“Uh-uh,” Tired earth pony eyes met Jayden's, “Door to door bartering has gotten bad by now. Ask me how I know.”

“I just jogged through town. It's not like we can walk on down to the market and purchase tents and torches. I think it'd be the middle of the day if we still had those.”

So, they'd either have to get very lucky or scrounge what they could from what they had. It looked like Twilight's plan of buying what they need when they reached Ponyville hit a bump in the road. Might even have to go all the way back to Canterlot for it.

Not ideal.

On the heels of that, there was something else nagging at Jayden. He didn't voice it on the train, but he thought about asking Twilight what she had in mind if the ponies they wanted to recruit for their excursion decided to say 'no'. They had no reason to agree, to go with them. What was the plan if they refused?

But Twilight just seemed so confident, so sure, like she knew something that he didn't. Either that or she was so caught up in what she so desperately wanted to be a breakthrough that Twilight was ignoring any sense of pragmatism. Regardless, he kept his concern to himself. He'd already been proven wrong about Celestia's powers and Nightmare Moon's return.

He was down 2-0, and he wasn't going to rock the boat a third time only to be wrong again.

After a few more minutes of light chit-chat, the trio was out the door and heading towards town hall to meet up with Twilight. As they walked, Jayden turned his head down to Bon Bon and spoke.

“You know, Bon Bon, it is alright if you wanted to stay home. I don't want you feeling pressured or feeling like you have to come with us.”

“Thanks, Jayden, but it's fine. I'm good to go.” Bon Bon replied.

“You seemed pretty adamant in the house.”

“I was just upset that Lyra tried roping me into yet another scheme. Besides, we can't leave that”-She points to Lyra, who somehow has already conjured a stereotypical explorer's outfit, complete with pith hat and binoculars. ”By herself without supervision. At least, not with things that are actually important. And saving the world is about as important as it gets.”

“Fair enough.”

The group walked a bit further before Lyra stopped, suddenly. “Hey, what's that?” She pointed a hoof to something about a block away, swaying back and forth over the rooftops. It was a bit hard to see, the darkness of the night shrouding much of its detail, but it was certainly tall.

“Yeah, good question.” Jayden muttered, narrowing his eyes, hoping that would help clear up the image.

“Probably another monster.” Bon Bon whispered. Despite the acknowledgment of a monster rummaging around Ponyville, Bon Bon's tone was one more of annoyance than fear.

“Another monster? There have been others?” Jayden responded, looking over to Lyra. “You never mentioned monsters in your letters, Lyra.”

Lyra looked away, sheepishly. “Sorry. It's just that I didn't want to bother you. You were already working so hard, trying to deal with this whole situation in Canterlot that I figured you didn't need anymore stress being heaped on you. Besides, the militia got pretty good at scaring the monsters off.”

“There's a militia? Since when?”

“Since you left, actually. When the monsters started wandering into town, we asked for help from Canterlot, but all we got were apologies that royal guards couldn't be spared. So, a small militia formed.”

“Would this militia be up to helping us in the Everfree?”

Lyra winced. “Not likely. The militia fizzled out the longer this night went on. There's really only one member left.”

Jayden was about to ask who that final member was when Bon Bon interrupted. “Hey, isn't that thing near town hall? Where you said Twilight would meet us?”

Jayden's eyes widened and a pulse of worry formed in his stomach as the realization struck. He broke off into a sprint, running towards town hall, with Lyra and Bon Bon calling out for him to wait. He ran down the cobblestone path as fast as he could, only to come to a skidding halt as he took in the sight of town hall ahead of him.

Lyra and Bon Bon caught up with him soon after, panting as their much shorter legs couldn't match Jayden's longer strides. “What is it? What kind of monster?”

“It's...pink.” The human muttered.

“Pink?” Bon Bon replied, looking up at him, before her eyes followed his line of sight. “Oh...no.”

There, standing beside Twilight and Spike as they nonchalantly loitered around town hall, was a mare who's mane and tail was such an obnoxiously loud shade of pink that it likely would physically strain the eyes to look at, were it not for the darkness of night dulling its intensity. Strapped to the mare's back, in a massive tower with taut ropes keeping it all together, was what appeared to be...camping supplies?

Alas, Jayden had little time to come to terms with that last detail, as the mare's bright blue eyes spotted him out of the corner of her vision. She turned, quickly, to face him and took off running. The tied down tower of tents lurched back from the force and Jayden only had the briefest of moments to shout before the pink mare was launching herself at his torso.

The mare's legs clamped onto his chest, giving him the most intense hug one could endure. Her blue eyes peered up at him as an audible crack came from somewhere in Jayden's body. “Jayden!” She shouted. “You're back!”

The human grunted as the embrace, somehow, became even tighter. “Y-yup. Hi Pinkie.” He replied, his voice some mixture of whisper and a cough, his lungs crying out for mercy. “Please let go. I kinda need lungs to live.”

Slowly, the pony known as Pinkie slid down his body, landing on her hind legs. The column of equipment she'd been hauling now lying along the ground, acting as an anchor. Suddenly, she lurched forward, planting all four hooves while bucking her hips. The tower swung skyward, arching back and forth, cartoonishly, before settling again.

Jayden took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“Pinkie, what are you doing out here?” Asked Bon Bon.

“And why are you with Twilight?” Added Lyra.

Pinkie, smiling warmly, turned to the two mares and replied. “Obviously, I'm waiting for you three.”

From over Pinkie's shoulder, Twilight could be seen snapping her book closed and walking towards the group. “We found her at a nearby bakery, singing to a bunch of kids.” Twilight explained.

“She was also giving out cupcakes!” Added Spike, peering around Twilight's head from his perch upon her back, shoving a cupcake into his maw.

“She had quite the stage.”

“Since when does Sugar Cube Corner have a stage?” Asked Jayden.

“Since I built one, silly!” Pinkie replied, her tone implying her answer should have been obvious.

“Ah, I see. Why?”

Pinkie's eyes widened and she took a step back, placing a hoof on her chest in incredulity. “Jayden, I am insulted, nay, offended!” She shouted. “I am Pinkie Pie. Everypony's friend. And you know who needs a good friend in these dark, scary nights?”

“No, I don-”

“The kids! What kind of friend would I be if I did nothing, NOTHING to help the scared, crying colts and fillies of Ponyville? So, I asked Mr. and Mrs. Cake if I could set up a show in Sugar Cube Corner. Something to distract them from all the stuff happening right now. A little party, every night, to lift their spirits!”

That actually did make sense, considering what Jayden knew of her. Pinkie was Ponyville's premier party animal. Not only enjoying them, but setting them up, too. Holidays, birthdays, completely made up lunacy, it didn't matter. Pinkie would throw a celebration for any occasion. She was a pony committed to making others smile, and that's just how she worked.

Didn't explain why she was with Twilight.

As if reading his mind, Bon Bon ground her hoof into the cobble underfoot, “Is this a 'welcome to Ponyville' party because Twilight's new?” Bon Bon's condemning eyes searched up and down Pinkie's 2 story pillar of trussed up... yard sale refuse. “And no, I'm not ignoring the tents. It's just that a party is usually what she's about.” Her gaze swept back down to re-initiate eye contact. “What's your angle?”

Lyra walked between the beige mare and the pink one, “Alright, that was a bit hostile.” Lyra turned a more sympathetic face to Pinkie, “You said you were waiting for us three...”

Bon bon frowned at being body blocked. “I didn't say anything rude! I was cutting out the small talk and getting right to the part that mattered. I was promised a good nights rest.”

Jayden looked down and over to Twilight. “Twilight, do you mind?”

It took a moment for the mare to register the request before acting. Purple light. Out like a sack of potatoes. Everyone stared at the collapsed Bon Bon, passed out in the center of the road, before Jayden picked her up and flung her onto his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“She seems grumpy.” Spike concluded.

“No, she's not. Bonnie's been on a hair trigger since we started rationing. And not sleeping.” Lyra's voice was quiet, her mind elsewhere. All at once, she seemed to realize something. “Pinkie, I'm guessing Twilight recruited you too?”

Twilight's dark-purple bangs swished as she shook her head 'no'. “Actually, she somehow recruited herself. As in, I didn't get an word in edgewise before she zipped off to grab...” Twilight's head craned skyward, “All that.”

“Enough bedrolls and bandages and lanterns and matches and pillows and tents for 8 ponies plus a really small not-pony.” Pinkie beamed. “All the things a group needs to enter a forest and save the world! Minus food, for some reason.” Pinkie Pie brought her hoof up to her chin. “I wonder what that's about?”

“So, the expedition's supply issue suddenly got fixed, but we still need to visit Applejack for food.” He suddenly stood straight, a thought coming to him. “Wait, you said you got stuff specifically for a small not-pony? What about a big not-pony?”

“Nope. Sorry.”

“So everybody else gets a tent and I'm just supposed to sleep lying up against a tree?”

Pinkie blinked in a brief second of confusion before gasping. “You're coming too!?” She cheered.

“Of course. Why else would I be here?”

Pinkie's ears folded down, her remorse genuine. “I'm sorry, Jay, I didn't know.”

Jayden was about to ask why when Bon Bon stirred, letting out a whimper. She didn't wake, fortunately, but Jayden realized the group might be talking a little too loud. “How about we continue this somewhere else.” He whispered, looking over at Twilight. “Before we showed up, Lyra was thinking we could use the library as a temporary base. A place to gather and prepare everyone for the trip.”

Twilight thought it over for a moment before grinning. “That's a good idea. I wanted to head there, anyway, as there are few things I left behind when we hurried over to Canterlot. So, that works out.”

Jayden nodded and turned in the library's direction, motioning with his hand for the rest to follow. The trip there was quick, quiet and uneventful, with only light whispers between them. After only a couple minutes and soon Twilight was unlocking the door and welcoming them in. Jayden, after letting Twilight use her magic to pull Bon Bon inside, placing the sleeping pony on a nearby couch, crawled on his hands and knees to get through the door. Most doors in Equestria weren't a problem, as they were usually taller than the ponies that used them. This one was just particularly small. He wondered why, but then tossed the thought aside. It wasn't important.

Once everybody was inside, Twilight spoke. “So, uh...” She motioned to Pinkie with her hoof.

“Pinkie Pie.” The mare in question replied.

“Pinkie Pie, right. Not to sound accusatory, but it's awfully convenient that one of the first ponies I meet coming back to this village just so happens to have everything we need for a journey she couldn't have possibly known about. And is quite eager to attach herself to that journey.” She eyed Pinkie suspiciously. “Care to explain?”

Jayden chose to step in. “Actually, I can maybe help with that. You see, Pinkie is...special.” He looked over to see Pinkie nodding aggressively. “She has something she calls Pinkie sense. It's a weird, nebulous, incredibly unreliable form of precognition.”

“So, she saw the future?”

“Not exactly. It doesn't work like that.”

Pinkie stepped forward. “My Pinkie sense is when I get these wiggly, twitchy feelings that tell me when something is going to happen.”

Twilight tilted her head. “So, what, you get a crick in your neck and suddenly you need to go buy tents and rope?”

“Yup!”

“That's ridiculous. How would you even know what these feelings mean?”

Pinkie shrugs. “Repetition. Get a twitchy tail every time something falls from the sky, you take notice.”

“Wait...” Lyra muttered. “Doesn't that mean you've done something like this before?” Referring to the collection of camping supplies that now lied leaning against the treehouse.

“Yup!”

Twilight's left eye twitched. “...that is absurd.”

“Oh, trust me, I know!” Pinkie replied. “If I had a bit for every time I had to get bedrolls and bandages and lanterns and matches and pillows and tents for 8 ponies plus a really small not-pony, I'd have two bits. Which isn't a lot, but crazy that it happened twice.”

Lyra grinned. “Well, now I'm curious. What was the last time like?”

Jayden stepped in between them. “Regardless...” He looked over at Twilight. “This is just how Pinkie is. When you get to know her, you get used to her taking everything you thought you knew about reality and throwing it out the window. Trust me, I know her. She's no spy, if that's what you're worried about.”

Twilight's gaze shifted between Jayden and Pinkie. She shrugged. “Alright, if you vouch for her.”

“I do.”

With that settled, Twilight peered past Jayden's knees to look at Lyra. “Hi Lyra, it's been a while.”

“About three years, or so.” Lyra replied. “How's Canterlot?”

“Do you mean right now or before all this?”

“Both.”

“Well, it was about the same as it's always been. Of course, right now, it's significantly more dreary.” Twilight looked over to the sleeping form of Bon Bon, then back to Lyra. “Are you two coming with us?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“You know it could be a bit dangerous.”

“That's fine. I couldn't stand being stuck in that house one more minute. And, sun above, Bon Bon could get out and live a little for once.”

“You know, you could have come with Jayden to Canterlot. At the start, I mean. We wouldn't have said no to the extra help.”

Lyra shook her head. “Can't do that. Folks back home wouldn't allow it. Besides, it's good I stayed behind. Bon Bon needed me here at home more than Jayden needed me in Canterlot.” She then looked over to the human and smiled. “But it is great to have him back.”

“And you know the plan?”

“More or less.” Lyra shrugged. “Go into the Everfree, find a castle and some necklaces?”

“They aren't just necklaces. They're powerful magical artifacts called the Elem-”

“I know, Twilight, I know. You don't have to give me the specifics, I already get how important they are.”

Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, just wanted to make absolutely sure you knew about everything.”

“Don't worry, I do.”

“Good!”

As the mares chatted amongst themselves, with brief comments from Spike as he made sure to not be left out, Jayden smiled while leaning up against a nearby bookshelf. It seemed like things were finally coming together. After a month of figuratively spinning their wheels they were gaining traction, momentum.

Yet, that smile slowly began to fade as a small, nagging feeling began to grow. It started as a pinprick of a thought, placed in the dark parts of his mind the moment Pinkie Pie explained her involvement. But now, with time to think, he couldn't stop himself from mulling it over.

And he didn't like the conclusions he was coming to.

Before he kept along that line of thought, he slipped off to the kitchen for a glass of water. The conversation continued in a muffled, indistinct form behind the now closed door. The solitude of the unlit room felt good. Tranquil.

Glass of water now in hand, he allowed himself to sit, leaning against the wall, one leg propped up at the knee and giving his free arm a place to rest. His other brought the glass to his lips and he took a sip just as a bought of laughter erupted in the other room.

Laughter. Theirs, not his.

He always knew he didn't belong here, that he never deserved the effortless connections the ponies offered. It was clear since the very first day of being in Equestria. He was a freak, an outsider, a literal alien. Unlike them, his role in this world wasn't obvious, his purpose in life not stamped to his ass by unseen magical forces.

The ponies, bless them, they tried. They never excluded him, even when they could. When they SHOULD. It's why, prior to Nightmare Moon's return, he was always out and about, doing odd jobs for the ponies around town. He didn't have to, as Lyra's absurd wealth meant he could live like a king for the rest of his days. But it was his way of giving back to Ponyville, to Equestria.

Yet, it would seem that the universe was intent on reminding him of how much he didn't fit in, no matter what he did to keep the feeling at bay. If there was a clearer, more obvious sign out there, he couldn't think of any better than what was lying against the tree house library right now.

He didn't know how Pinkie sense really worked, whether it was an actual glimpse into the future or vague hints from fate itself. But it didn't matter. Whatever it was obviously had no interest in him being there.

If Pinkie predicted him amongst the others, she would have gotten things for him just like everybody else. But she didn't. Everyone else was accounted for, even those they haven't recruited yet.

Everybody except him.

“Why am I even here?” Jayden muttered in agitation, swirling the water in the glass. “Why'd you bring me here if you don't want me?” His face formed a depressed scowl. “You rip me from my dimension, drop me in a place that makes me hate my own guts, and don't even have the common courtesy of acknowledging that I'm here?”

The universe refused to answer.

“Yeah...that's what I thought.”

Author's Note

"Shirotora: I can't wait until chapter 4 drops next year."

And I took that personally.

Also, don't be shy. Reader engagement and comments are what keep me going. Whether it's something about the story you love or something you hate, let me know.