A Mourning Heart

Chapters

Welcome To Ponyville
Six Strikes
The Everfree Forest
The Past Revealed
Epilogue

Welcome To Ponyville

The bright morning sun was shining beautifully over the town of Ponyville. The sound of birds chirping was all that could be heard until something in the distance disturbed the relative silence. A loud rumble and a piercing whistle told of the approach of a train. The sound grew louder as it grew closer before finally coming to a stop as the train pulled into the Ponyville station. The doors of the train opened and dozens of ponies of all shapes and colors came pouring out of the train. Some left right away, while others headed towards the luggage compartment where larger luggage was stored during travel.

Among the ponies headed towards this compartment was a chocolate-brown unicorn stallion with a black mane and a strange looking cutie mark that resembled a stylized eye. He took a moment to straighten the grey wool cap with thin black stripes that sat atop his head and adjust the green and black plaid scarf that was wrapped around his neck before scanning his new surroundings with emerald eyes. After his moment of adjustment, he continued on towards the compartment where his luggage resided.

The stallion got to the compartment and, with some aid from one of the train’s staff, unloaded his wagon from the train and hitched it to his back before leaving the platform.

“Now to find where town hall is and see if I can find a house,” he thought as he continued to walk and look around.

As he walked, the stallion once again found himself thinking about the events of the last few months that had led up to his arrival in this town, and the memories once again caused his face to fall, his ears to flatten, and his eyes to drop to the ground. Because of this, the stallion was not looking in front of him and thus was completely unaware of the mare that was bouncing right towards him, equally unaware of his presence, due to her eyes being closed as she hummed to herself.

The two ponies collided head-on and fell into crumpled heaps on the ground. The stallion was the first to stand up. He looked to see who it was who he had ran in to and saw that it was a pink mare with a curly mane of darker pink and light blue eyes. He also noticed that her cutie mark took the form of three balloons. “I’m so sorry miss. I should have been paying attention. Are you alright?”

The mare just sat there for a moment before leaping into the air and letting out an enormous gasp. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!Idon’tknowyouandthat’sweirdbecauseIknoweveryponyandifIdon’tknowyouthenyoumustbenewandifyou’renewthatmeansIcanmakeanewfriend! Myname’sPinkiePie! What’syours?”

The mare talked so quickly and was bouncing around so much that it took him a minute to figure out what she had just said. “Uuuuh…my name’s Tacitus. Do you know where-“

“Wowthat’sareallyneatname!It’snicetomeetyouTacitus!OH!YouhavetoletmewelcomeyouwithmyWelcomeWagonandWelcomeSong!Pleasepleaseplease?!”

Again, she was going so fast he had to process everything for a moment before answering. “Uh, okay, I guess. Go right ahead.”

The mare known as Pinkie Pie squealed in delight before pulling a brightly painted and decorated wagon out of nowhere, which opened up to reveal brightly colored flags and several different instruments. The instruments began to play by themselves as she sang.
“Welcome welcome welcome
A fine welcome to you
Welcome welcome welcome
I say how do you do?
Welcome welcome welcome
I say hip hip hurray
Welcome welcome welcome
To Ponyville today!”

“Wait for it,” she said as she finished her song by sliding on her knees.

Suddenly, the oven that was attached to the wagon shot out a stream of confetti and what looked to be some sort of cannon shot out …was that cake batter? The confetti flew harmlessly past the two ponies, but the gooey dough completely covered both of them in a sticky mess.

“Yup, definitely cake batter,” Tacitus thought as he licked his lips to taste what had just engulfed him.

“Oops! I always mix up the confetti cannon and the cake oven. Sorry about that,” Pinkie said through the thick batter.

“No big deal. Just give me a second and I’ll clean us up.”

Tacitus’s horn then began to glow with a dark blue aura. The aura soon enveloped both himself and Pinkie before it caused all of the batter to be removed from their bodies. The magic then formed the collected batter into a huge ball, which Pinkie then proceeded to swallow whole.

“Mmmmmm! That was delicious,” Pinkie said as she licked the last traces of batter off of her mouth.

“I bet it was,” Tacitus said, a little disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to eat any of the batter. “Anyway, would you happen to know where I can find town hall?”

“Sure I do! It’s the really big round building in the center of town, you can’t miss-“ She interrupted her own sentence when she let out another huge gasp and leaped into the air.

“OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!IhavesomuchtodonowIhavetogetsuppliesandgeteverythingsetupandinviteeveryponyI’llseeyoulaterTacitusbye!” And with that, she dashed off with impossible speed, leaving a pink streak in her wake.

Tacitus could only watch with wide eyes as she sped off, wondering how anypony could have that much excited energy.

“Well, that was…interesting. At least I know where I’m going now.” He then began to make his way toward the center of town, his face once more taking on the fallen look it had before running into the zany pink mare.

* * *

The pink blur that was Pinkie Pie suddenly came to a screeching halt some distance away from where she had met the new pony as she put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“Hmmm. Something seemed off about that pony, but I can’t quite put my hoof on it. Oh well, no time to worry about that now, I’ve got a party to plan!” She took off once again, leaving a dust outline of her figure where she once stood.

* * *

It took only a few more minutes of walking before Tacitus found the building he was looking for. It was indeed as Pinkie described it, a large round building that stood alone in the middle of the town.

“You really can’t miss it,” Tacitus thought as he approached. He unhitched himself from the wagon and left it in front of the building and, after slapping on a fake smile, proceeded inside.

Inside sat a red mare with a blue mane who Tacitus assumed to be either a receptionist or a secretary. She sat behind a desk and was typing away at a typewriter.

“How can I help you sir?” she asked without looking away from her work.

Tacitus tipped his hat slightly in greeting before speaking. “I was hoping I could purchase a house today. What would I have to do to do that?”

The mare finally stopped typing and looked up at him. “All real estate purchases need to be discussed and approved by the mayor. You can see her now if you’d like.”

“Thank you that would be perfect.”

The receptionist pressed a button on an intercom and spoke into it. “Mayor Mare? There’s a pony here interested in buying a house.”

“Send him right in,” a voice spoke from the intercom.

The mare rose from her desk and beckoned Tacitus to follow her. She led him down a hallway that ended at a large door that had the word “Mayor” printed on it, before turning around and heading back towards her desk.

Tacitus gently knocked on the door, and not a moment afterwards, a voice answered from the other side of the door. “Come in!”

Tacitus opened the door and stepped into the office. Behind a large desk sat a tan earth pony with a silvery gray mane and dark blue eyes. She wore glasses on her muzzle and some kind of ruffle around her neck.

“Good morning sir. I hear you’re looking for a new home.”

Tacitus nodded slightly. “That’s correct Miss Mayor. Do you have any available?”

She put a hoof to her chin and pondered to herself for a moment. “I do believe we have one house up for sale. Let me just check our records…here it is!” She pulled out a document and began gazing over it. “It’s a little big for just one pony to live in, but I’m afraid that it’s the only one for sale at the moment.”

Tacitus waved a hoof dismissively. “It’s fine. I could always use the extra space. Trust me when I say that I fill up any empty shelf space fast. How much does it cost?”

Mayor Mare once again looked at the document before answering. “It’ll be 2500 bits. A little more expensive than some of the other homes, but like I said, it’s a little bigger and it’s fully furnished. It’s also right down the street from a very popular bakery called Sugar Cube Corner.”

“The price is fine. Just let me go get my bits from my wagon and I’ll be right back.”

Tacitus left the office and went back outside the building where his wagon was still waiting for him. He used his magic to unlock and open the lid of the wagon, revealing a pile of books, papers, scrolls, tablets, and several large bags of bits. He took one of the bags in his magic before closing and locking the wagon, and headed back inside to the mayor’s office.

After weighing the bag to ensure it was the correct amount, Mayor Mare smiled and handed Tacitus the deed to the house and a quill. “Just sign this and the house is yours.”

Tacitus took the quill in his magic and signed his name on the dotted line. Mayor Mare took the paper in her hooves and looked it over.

“Welcome to Ponyville Mr.….Tacitus. Here’s the key to the house, and here’s a map of Ponyville. I took the liberty of marking the location of your new home on the map. I’m sure you’ll love living in our town."

Tacitus took the key and tipped his hat to the mayor before exiting, finally allowing himself to drop the false smile he’d had to keep up the entire time. He hitched himself once again to his wagon and headed towards his new home.

* * *

By following the map provided to him by the mayor, Tacitus arrived at his destination in only a few minutes. It was a two story house pressed so closely to the two houses on either side of it that they almost touched, and right down the street was building that he assumed was Sugar Cube Corner, since the roof was made to look like ginger bread and the towers like cupcakes.

Tacitus approached the front door and procured the key with his magic and unlocked the door. The interior of the house looked cozy and comfortable, and it was indeed fully furnished. He left his wagon in the living room and began to explore the house. The first floor had a living room with two sofas, a reclining chair, and a coffee table and also a fully-supplied kitchen with a pantry, refrigerator, stove, and dining table. He went up the stairs and saw that the second floor had a bathroom and two bedrooms.

“I guess I could sell one of the beds and turn that room into a study or something.” He went back downstairs to begin unpacking.

He once again used his magic to unlock the wagon and open it up to reveal its contents. He levitated almost everything in the wagon and began putting things away one at a time.

First, he placed his books on the empty bookshelf in the living room, although there were more books than shelf space so some had to be stacked on top of the shelf. Next, he took all the old scrolls and tomes and gently placed them in drawer in one of the two bedrooms. He’d have to remember to get a proper filing cabinet at some point. He did the same thing with a large stack of papers that seemed to be research essays. After that, he took two stone tablets that were covered in strange writing and leaned them against a wall on top of a low shelf. Finally, he took all the bags of bits and placed them in a closet before locking the door. A safe or a bank would need to be found as well.

All that was left in the wagon was his saddlebag, which he levitated onto the couch, and two framed pictures. He took both in his magic and stared at them, tears forming as he gazed at the ponies shown in the pictures. Both of these photos brought him unbearable grief, but for very different reasons. He hurled one of the photos at the wall, shattering the glass and obscuring the picture. He held the other one close to his chest and began to weep.

* * *

After setting the photo tenderly on the nightstand next to his new bed, his eyes now devoid of tears but still miserable, Tacitus began considering what he should do next. Anything to takes his mind off of them.

“Well, the day’s still young. I might as well see if I can find a job. Can’t live on the bits I have forever.” Just as he was about to leave, a terrible growl came from inside the house. It took him a second to realize that the growl was coming from his stomach. He looked at the clock.

“Wow. It’s already noon. No wonder I’m hungry, I didn't even eat breakfast this morning.”

He made his way over to the fridge and was happily surprised to find it fully stocked. He picked up a potato that was lying near the front and took a big bite out of it. If he had had anything in his stomach, he would have puked. He quickly spat out the rotten spud before going to the sink and frantically washing out his mouth with hot water. Upon inspection of the contents of the fridge, Tacitus found that everything in it was just as rotten. He quickly cleaned out the fridge and threw out the rotten produce.

“Guess I should add grocery shopping to the list of things to do. But first, I really need something to eat. Maybe there are vendors or something.”

Tacitus grabbed his saddlebag, in which he stored his map and a small pouch of bits, and headed out the door.
He didn’t have to look far. He’d hardly taken two steps out the door before he heard somepony calling out.

“Apples! Get yer Sweet Apple Acres Apples! Best crop we’ve had this year!”

Tacitus couldn’t help himself. He, or rather his stomach, drew him closer to the noise until he found its source, an orange mare with a blonde mane who was wearing a brown Stetson hat was sitting at a stand selling apples of all sizes and colors. She saw him approaching and gave a warm smile.

“Howdy there partner! What can I do ya fer?”

“Two apples please,” he said as he levitated four bits and placed them on the stand.

“Sure thing. Say, you all right there? Yer lookin’ mighty upset about somethin’.”

As she said this, Tacitus realized he’d completely forgotten to put on his “mask” as he’d come to refer it as.

“Idiot,” he berated himself as he quickly put on the best smile he could. “Quick! Think of something to say!”

“Oh, I’m fine! I’m just…new to town is all.” It was the best excuse he could think of and he hoped it would be enough to satisfy her.

It seemed so. “I reckoned you were a newcomer, on account of I ain’t seen you before. My name’s Applejack.” She extended her hoof out to him.

He took the hoof in his own and shook before responding. “Tacitus. Pleased to meet you.”

“Well Tacitus, these apples are on the house. Consider it a welcomin’ gift.” She handed him two apples and pushed his bits back towards him.

He picked up the apples and the bits in his magic, storing the bits back in his saddlebag. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

“Think nothin’ of it. We here in Ponyville love meetin’ new ponies and makin’ new friends.”

“Yeah…friends…” Tacitus failed to notice his ears flatten against his head as he said this. But Applejack noticed. “So, uh, do you know somepony I could talk to about finding I a job?”

Applejack looked at him with some concern over his reaction, but thought about his question seriously.

“I suppose my friend Twilight would be the best pony to ask about that. Bein’ the princess and all, she should be able to help you find what yer lookin’ for.”

Tacitus internally flinched at the thought of going to see the Princess of Friendship herself, but it didn’t look like he had much of a choice. However, he could find ways to put it off for a bit.

“Well…do you also know where I can get some new clothes? I’d like to look nice for a job interview.”

Applejack perked up considerably at this question, because she had the perfect answer.

“I know the perfect place. My friend Rarity runs this place called the Carousel Boutique right here in Ponyville. She’s the greatest fashionista in all of Equestria! Just tell her Applejack sent ya and she’ll take care of ya lickety split. You got a map? I’ll show you where it is.”

Tacitus handed her the map and she pointed to a location just south of town hall. He thanked her before walking away towards the boutique. Applejack watched him, still concerned with what she saw.

“Are you sure you’re alright,” she called as he continued to walk away.

“I’m fine, really. Just hungry is all.” As if to emphasize this, Tacitus took a big bite out of one of the apples. It really was delicious. He knew he was lying, but there was no way he could or would tell her what was really wrong. Why he had to where the “mask.”

Applejack continued to watch him go with concern still evident in her deep green eyes. “Somethin’ ain’t right. He looked more beat down than an old mule.” She silently promised herself she would speak to the girls about this later today

* * *

Tacitus had just finished his second apple as the building that he assumed to be the Carousel Boutique came into view. It was a beautifully decorated blue, pink, and gold building that had the general shape of a carousel.

“Wow, I really was hungry,” he thought as he tossed the two cores into a garbage can. As he approached the boutique, he took great care to make sure he applied a smile to his face prior to entering the establishment.

“Hello,” he called as he entered and saw nopony there.

“Just one moment darling, I’ll be right with you,” a regal and elegant voice answered from an open doorway to the right of where he stood.

Tacitus stood there waiting for a minute or two before a beautiful white unicorn with an equally beautiful indigo mane trotted into the room. A tape measure hung from her neck and a pair of half-moon glasses rested on her muzzle. Three diamonds adorned her flank.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” Her eyes opened to reveal ocean-blue orbs that widened slightly as she took in her new customer, specifically taking in his choice of attire. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t believe that hat goes well with that scarf. If you’ll just let me take that, I’ll find you something more appropriate.”

Her horn radiated with a light blue glow that soon enveloped Tacitus’s hat. His eyes became wild.

“NO,” he screamed as he leaped back, his hoof clutching his hat as if his life depended on it.

The outburst caused Rarity to flinch and recoil, her magic dissipating and releasing its grip on the headgear. Tacitus saw the look of fear on Rarity’s face and instantly regretted his momentary loss of control.

“I-I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled like that.” His hoof still didn't leave his hat. “But, please don’t touch the hat, or the scarf for that matter. They’re very important to me.” His eyes betrayed the heartache he was trying so desperately to hide.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I didn’t know how dear they were to you, but I shouldn’t have just tried to grab it like I did.” Rarity looked apologetically at Tacitus before raising her hoof, as if taking a solemn vow. “I Pinkie Promise that I will not lay a hoof on your accessories. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She did all the movements associated with her words before giving Tacitus a warm smile, the tense moment seemingly forgotten.

“Beg your pardon?” Tacitus looked at her with confusion as he slowly lowered his hoof away from his hat and planted it back on the ground.

"It’s something my friend Pinkie Pie does, and my friends and I have taken to doing it ourselves. Have you met her?”

An image of the hyperactive pink mare flashed through his mind, and he swore he could still smell cake batter.

“We’ve met,” he said flatly, trying to give off an air of composure to make up for the earlier outburst.

“Well, I don’t believe I’ve properly met you yet,” she said as she extended a hoof in greeting. “My name is Rarity.”

He took the hoof in his own and shook it cordially. “I’m Tacitus. A pony named Applejack said you could make me some new clothes. She said you were the, quote: ‘greatest fashionista in Equestria.’”

A wide smile overtook Rarity’s face. “Oh, that Applejack is such an exaggerator. And a charmer. What kind of outfit were you looking for?”

“I’d like something nice for a job interview. I’d like to find a job as a teacher, so something that looks academic.”

She put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Hmmmm. Well, let me take your measurements darling and we’ll go from there. If you’ll just step over here please.”

She led him over to a small raised platform, where he stepped up and tried to remain as still as possible as Rarity used her magic to manipulate the tape measure, careful not touch either the hat or scarf.

As she took measurements, she levitated a pencil and notepad in front of her face and began sketching, crumpling up and throwing away the paper when she wasn’t satisfied.

“So,” she said, her eyes not leaving the notepad. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are those things so important to you?”

Tacitus froze up at the question. He had no idea how to answer that. “She deserves at least some explanation. She really seemed scared when I freaked out.”

He thought for a moment on how best to answer. “They belonged to…some ponies that were very dear to me.”

“What do you mean ‘were’? Who were they?” Rarity looked right at him now, curiosity and worry etched across her graceful face.

Tacitus would not go any further. “Please don’t take offense, but I’m really not interested in talking about it.” He spoke politely, but firmly, leaving no doubt that he wasn’t going to reveal any more. Although somewhat disappointed, Rarity respected his wishes and dropped the subject.

Rarity happened to look down and took a good look at the scarf around Tacitus’s neck. Her eyes widened and an almost insane smile spread across her face.

“IDEEEA!!!” she said in a sing-song voice. She quickly made a sketch and dashed into the other room. “This is going to be brilliant! Simple, but fabulous!” She was positively giddy. “Come back in a few hours and it’ll be ready for you dear.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you have other things to work on?” He wasn’t expecting his visit to end so abruptly. The whole point of this was to postpone his meeting with the princess as long as possible.

“That’s the beauty of this design! It’s so simple that it hardly takes any time at all. Just come back this afternoon and you can pay then.”

Guess he didn’t have a choice. He walked out of the boutique back into Ponyville.

Rarity looked up from the work that she had become engrossed in and watched as Tacitus left her shop. She couldn’t get the look he’d made when he’d shouted out of her mind. His eyes, specifically, stuck in her mind. She saw something in them…pain. Something had hurt him badly. She watched him walk out the door with worried eyes, wondering what it was that was the source of such pain.

* * *

“Guess I can’t put it off anymore.”

He began to walk in the direction of the castle, when his surroundings suddenly became almost pitch black. He looked up into the sky, which was completely clear when he’d walked out of the boutique, but was now covered in dark clouds.

“What the hay? There wasn’t a cloud in the sky a second ago.”

“8 seconds ago actually. A new personal best,” a voice spoke from behind and above him. He turned around and looked up and saw a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane hovering in the sky, looking very proud of herself

. “You might want to get to cover new pony, cause it’s going to pour right about…NOW!” She bolted away faster than anything he’d seen, even Pinkie, and left a rainbow streak in her path.

Just as she left, the sky opened up and small, stinging droplets of rain began to pour from the sky. Tacitus had just enough time to put up a magic barrier over himself before he got soaked. He breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to remain dry.

“Say, you’re pretty good with magic new guy,” the now familiar voice called. Tacitus turned his head and saw the pegasus standing under a nearby awning. “Name’s Rainbow Dash,” she said with pride.

“Very appropriate name,” Tacitus thought. “Tacitus. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He began to walk away, leaving Rainbow with a puzzled look on her face.

“Hold up!” She flew into the rain and landed in front of Tacitus. He extended his barrier to shield her from the rain as well. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Tacitus raised an eyebrow. “Should I?”

Rainbow’s mouth was agape and her rose-colored eyes were wide in surprise. “Duh! I’m only the most awesome pony in Equestria! Hero of Ponyville, flew in the Equestria Games, the only pony to perform the sonic rainboom? Ring any bells?”

“Not…really.” Tacitus was getting uncomfortable. “I really should be going now.” He turned to leave, but Rainbow stuck a hoof out to block his way.

“Well, if you don’t know who I am, then you’re just going to have to get to know me. We should hang out sometime and you’ll see just how awesome I am!”

Tacitus flattened his ears against his head. “Thank you, but I’m not really interested in getting to know anypony. I’m sorry.” He walked away, leaving a shocked Rainbow behind him. No pony turned down an offer to hang out with her. She was too awesome.

As she stared after him, she suddenly wondered why she wasn’t getting wet. She looked up and saw a dark blue barrier hovering over her head similar to the one that hovered over Tacitus. She looked back at the pony, wondering what his deal was.

* * *

As Tacitus walked through the rain, he began to wonder if moving here was a bad idea. He didn’t feel any better here than he did in his old home, the memories still tormented him. And the ponies in this town seemed determined to get close to him. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let himself fall into that trap again.

As these thoughts rushed through his head, he heard a small sound coming through the rain. “Oh…um..p-please, just calm down. I-I don’t think we can all fit. Please don’t shove.”

Tacitus walked towards the noise and saw a pale yellow pegasus with a pink mane standing under an umbrella along with a plethora of different animals. Several squirrels, rabbits, beavers, a dozen different birds, and even a huge bear were all trying to crowd under the umbrella that the pegasus held on her back. They were failing miserable, as the animals shoved each other to get under the way-too-small umbrella.

“Just walk away. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t get involved.” He tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t. They would have been disappointed in him if he’d just ignored her. He sighed before coming closer to the motley group and extending his barrier so that it protected both ponies and all the animals from the rain.

“Do you need some help?” he asked the pegasus, who looked away to avoid eye contact.

“um…yes,please…” She spoke barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry? Could you say that a bit louder?” He held a hoof to his ear to try and hear her better.

“Yes please…” She was even quieter.

“One more time,” he said as he drew a bit closer.

“yes, please” She drew into herself and all Tacitus heard was a squeak.

“Ooookay. Why don’t I walk you home? Lead the way.”

“Ok,” the pegasus said, finally loud enough for him to hear.

She and her animals began walking in the direction that Tacitus had come from, Tacitus following close beside her to make sure the barrier kept them all dry.

Her blue-green eyes kept darting back and forth, looking at Tacitus before quickly looking away again. She kept silent as they walked, until she finally worked up some courage to speak.

“Th-thank you for helping me.” Her voice was small, but sweet, and she had a kind smile on her face. “I’m Fluttershy.”

Part of Tacitus wished she had just stayed quiet. It would have been easier for him if he didn’t have to interact with her. Another part of Tacitus, one he wished would go away, was glad to hear her open up to him. No matter which part of himself he agreed with, he had to respond.

“I’m Tacitus.” He opted to say no more than that. The less said the better.

Fluttershy seemed to close up again. She looked away from Tacitus and remained silent for the rest of the journey. A cottage soon came into view and the animals all rushed the last few feet to get into the house, leaving Tacitus and Fluttershy alone under the barrier.

He walked with her the last few feet until she was in the doorway, safe from the rain.

“Thank you again Tacitus. I-It was nice meeting you.” She gave him another kind smile.

“You’re welcome. Have a nice day.” He tipped his hat to her and turned around to leave.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before calling out to him. “W-Wait. Do you need help?”

Tacitus raised an eyebrow, a confused look on his face. “What do you mean?”

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just that…you seem sad about something.”

How were these ponies so observant? Or was he just that transparent? Either way, Tacitus wondered why these ponies seemed to care so much about how he felt. What did they get out of it? He quickly applied his “mask” before responding.

“No, I don’t need any help. Thank you.” With a little more urgency in his step, he walked away from the cottage, leaving an unconvinced Fluttershy behind him.

“Oh dear, what should I do? Maybe Twilight and the others will know.”

A voice called from inside the cottage. “Oh Fluttershy! I’m so glad you’re back from your picnic. The tea was starting to get cold. I hope you don’t mind, but I let some of the rain in through the roof and made a hot tub.”

Fluttershy sighed slightly. “Coming Discord.”

She closed the door behind as she went to see the damage he’d caused this time.

* * *

After his detour with the shy pegasus, Tacitus finally ran out of excuses about going to see the princess and had made his way over to her castle, the rain still beating against his shield. He didn’t need the map to find it, for it was the largest and strangest structure in the town.

The crystalline tree house castle had been there since Tirek was defeated almost six months ago. Tacitus still remembered having his magic stolen by that monster. At the time, Tacitus thought the feeling of having his magic ripped from his body was the worst feeling in the world. He knew better now. He’d gladly go through that again instead of what he’s been through these last few months. He shook his head, futilely trying to force the memories from his head.

He ascended the stairs and approached the immense doorway, unsure of what to do next. Weren’t there supposed to be guards? Should he knock? He opted to just walk in.

He pushed open the doors, which were surprisingly lightweight despite their size. Inside, the castle was beautifully decorated, but surprisingly empty. Where were the servants, the maids, the scholars, and the guards? Strange how a princess seemed to have none of these.

He called out. “Hello? Is anypony here?” His voice echoed throughout the room, but he caught the sound of something shouting in surprise, followed by the sound of something landing with a thud.

He ran in the direction of the sound and found himself in a large library bursting with books. His eyes widened and he practically drooled at the sight of all the literature. He snapped himself out of the trance and he looked down to see…a baby dragon?! He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right, and indeed there, rubbing his bruised backside, was a purple and green baby dragon.

The dragon stopped massaging his sore posterior and saw the pony that was staring at him with a gaping mouth. “Uhhhhhh, can I help you?”

Tacitus shook his head violently and put on his artificial smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just that I’ve never seen a real dragon before. Is Princess Twilight available?”

“Sure she is. Just go up the stairs and you’ll find her in the throne room, probably still reading that history book. I’m Spike by the way.”

“Tacitus. Honored to meet you Spike. Are you all right? Sounded like a nasty fall.”

Spike absentmindedly rubbed the spot where he had fallen. “Don’t worry about it. I’m tougher than I look.” As if to emphasis this, he flexed his arms and produced a tiny muscle on each arm.

“Now, I should get back to sorting these books for Twilight. Don’t say anything to her; I want her to be surprised when she sees it.”

Tacitus nodded in ascent, although he wondered why a sorted library would be a pleasant surprise for somepony, and exited out the doorway.

He went to the main staircase and went all the way up before finding himself just outside the throne room. Seated on one of the seven thrones was a light purple alicorn. Her mane was dark blue, with one pink and one violet streak going through it. Her violet eyes were embedded in a very familiar-looking book. She didn’t seem to notice the pony that stood in the doorway.

Tacitus cleared his throat loudly enough to be heard. “Excuse me.”

The unexpected sound caused the alicorn princess to jump out of her seat, her book flying out of her hooves and landing comically on her head. She scrambled to her hooves and blushed slightly in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t even hear you come in.” Tacitus reluctantly bowed once he had gotten her attention. “Oh there’s no need for that. I’ve never liked the whole bowing thing. Do you need help with something?”

Tacitus didn’t know how to feel about the smile she gave him. He just wanted to get this over with.

“I just moved here today, and I was told that you were the one to talk to when it comes to finding a job Your Highness.”

“You don’t need to call me ‘Your Highness’ either. Just call me Twilight. And yes, I can certainly help you with that. Did you have something specific you were looking for?”

“I was hoping for some sort of teaching position.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Well, the only school we have in Ponyville is the Schoolhouse for foals. A pony named Cheerilee teaches and runs the school. I’m sure if you talked with her tomorrow she could give you a position. Do you have any experience teaching?”

“Three years experience actually.” He tried to keep his answers simple and to-the-point. However, if she was like the others she’d probably ask more-

“Where’d you teach,” she asked with genuine interest.

-questions. Great. He couldn’t just not answer her, he’d look like a liar. Besides, his records would be revealed at a job interview anyway.

“I taught at Equestria University.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she processed this information.

“Equestria University is the most esteemed college in the world! You have to practically be a genius to be accepted as a student, let alone as a teacher! But, you don’t look any older than me. How’re you a professor at such a young age?”

Tacitus was beginning to feel uncomfortable with her questioning. He didn’t want other ponies to know too much about him for a number of reasons.

“I…attended the university at a young age, so when I graduated I was still fairly young. I began teaching history immediately afterwards.”

Twilight looked at him suspiciously. “Hmmmmm. What did you say your name was?”

He gulped loudly before he answered. “My name’s Tacitus.”

Twilight gasped loudly and stared wide-eyed at him.

“OH. MY. GOSH! You’re Professor Tacitus, the famous historian! You discovered the lost tomb of Trotankhamun, the palace of Hoofshepsut, the Roamen ruins of Nova Domus! I have your book on the history of the Roamen Empire right here.”

She picked up the book she had been reading when he walked in and showed it to him. He’d thought it looked familiar. It was the book he’d published for his dissertation, The Imperium: Rise and Fall of the Roamen Empire.

Twilight was giddy as she squealed and hopped around the room like a school filly.

“I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you! I’ve read all your books and studied all your research. You’re amazing! I can’t believe you live here in Ponyville now! Finally, a pony who loves history as much as me! We can have study sessions and discuss our favorite eras and civilizations, work on our theories on lost civilizations, maybe even study artifacts together! We are gonna be best friends.”

This is what Tacitus was worried about. Now that she knew who he was and all he’d done, she’d want to be his “friend”, just like she did. No. He refused to be used again.

“No Princess, we’re not.” Twilight stopped bouncing and the smile fell from her face. “I didn’t come to Ponyville for ‘friends’. I came here to find a job and live the rest of my life in peace. The last thing I need in my life now is what ‘friendship’ brings. I’m sorry. Good day.” He turned to leave, but stopped at the sound of Twilight’s voice.

“But friendship only brings happiness.” She couldn’t understand why somepony wouldn’t want friendship and the joy it brings.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve found that it only brings hurt.” And with that he walked away, not giving a second glance to the stunned alicorn he left in the throne room.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped when Tacitus began his march home after what was, to him, an exhausting day. It was about 3:00 by the time he had finished his awkward meeting with Twilight, and so he had headed back to the Carousel Boutique to pick up the outfit that Rarity had made.

The outfit had consisted of a collared jacket that was a slightly lighter green than his scarf and a collared white undershirt. Rarity had even instructed him on how to wear his scarf so that it was tucked into the jacket and slightly puffed out, giving him a more professional and elegant appearance. The outfit was indeed very handsome and Rarity had seemed pleased with her work. He probably should have complimented her on a job well done, but he was so desperate to get home and be alone that he only gave her a curt thank you, paid, and practically ran out the door with his purchase.

He had already gotten back home and hung up his new jacket to keep it nice for his interview tomorrow when he realized he forgot to get groceries, leaving his kitchen still devoid of food. He groaned and collapsed in the reclining chair in the living room.

“Too tired. I’ll go shopping tomorrow after I talk to Ms. Cheerilee.”

As far as dinner went, Tacitus found that he had no appetite, the knot in his stomach that he thought he had grown used to had doubled in intensity after the day’s events.

Maybe he should have stayed in Canterlot. At least there, the ponies were too busy or too snobby to care to notice him.

No…he couldn’t stay there. The memories hurt too much as it was. He didn’t need to be constantly reminded of them by seeing Canterlot every day.

Tacitus had the rest of the day to himself, so he engaged in one of his favorite pastimes: research.

His horn radiated with his dark blue aura as he collected the necessary material. He took several old tomes, some more contemporary books, some blank paper, a quill and ink, and one of the two stone tablets that leaned against the wall and levitated them all over to him. His eyes scanned each piece of historical data gathered in front of him and began writing.

Tacitus became engulfed in his research, his mind focused solely on deciphering the texts and discovering the secrets they contained, the history they told. It was only at times like these, when his mind was absorbed in his passion, that he could forget the pain. At least for a little while.

Hours passed by without Tacitus even noticing. He had just discovered that the tablet was a record of the conquests of Suleimane the Magnificent, before he was brought back to reality by a knock at the door. He looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:00.

“Who the hay wants to see me at this time of night?”

Tacitus opened the door to see the pink mare he had met earlier that day, a pointed party hat on her head and a goofy smile on her face.

“Come on Tacitus, it’s party time!” Confetti exploded out of nowhere and she blew a party horn loudly right into his ear.

“What party?” he asked as he put a hoof in his ear.

“Your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party silly! It’s at Sugar Cube Corner, and everypony’s gonna be there!”

Tacitus gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry Pinkie, but I’m not interested in parties.” He started to close the door, but Pinkie put her hoof on it to prevent this.

“But everypony likes parties. You get to play games, meet new friends, and have lots of fun! Why aren’t you interested in that?”

He sighed. “You will be the third pony I’ve told this to today. I. Don’t. Want. Friends. I never want to have friends. I appreciate your invitation and I wish you and your friends a happy life, but please, it would be best for me if you and the others just left me alone.”

He closed his door, Pinkie too shocked at what she’d heard to stop it from closing again. Her ears flattened against her head and her mane lost some of its bounce before she turned around and headed to Sugar Cube Corner to deliver the bad news.

Tacitus sat down on the floor, his back resting against the door. He kept seeing the look Pinkie gave him as he turned down her invitation. It was the same way the other five ponies he’d met today looked at him. “Why do they keep looking at me like I’m an injured puppy? Why throw me a party? What do they get out of it?”

He hoped that Twilight hadn't gone and told the entire town who he was. Then they’d all just try to use him. He smacked a hoof on the floor in frustration. He sat there for maybe an hour before he got up and decided he couldn’t take today anymore. He was going to bed.

Once he had walked up the stairs and gotten into his new bedroom, he tenderly removed his hat and scarf before placing them almost reverently on his nightstand next to the photo he’d placed there earlier. He laid in bed and stared at the photo and the two articles of clothing for almost an hour before mouthing the words “I love you” and drifting off to restless sleep, tears stinging his eyes.

Six Strikes

Pinkie walked through Luna’s beautiful night back towards Sugar Cube Corner. She had gone to the home of Ponyville’s newest citizen Tacitus to invite him to the “Welcome” party she had planned for him. Unfortunately, Tacitus had refused her invitation.

Pinkie’s face was crestfallen as she walked into her home, which was filled with ponies all chatting and sipping punch from paper cups. They were all waiting for Pinkie to return with the guest of honor, but some of them looked concerned. Five of them to be precise. Pinkie’s closest friends Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all shifted uncomfortably when they saw Pinkie walk in by herself.

Pinkie addressed the room. “I’m sorry everpony, but he’s not coming.”

The ponies began to mumble among themselves, confused as to why someone wouldn’t show up to one of Pinkie’s parties. “We’re just going to have to party another time. Feel free to grab some cake on your way out though.”

Pinkie motioned to the door, and the ponies all began to exit, moans of disappointment and complaints of time wasted following them out the door. Soon, the only ones left in the bakery were Pinkie, the girls, and Spike, who had fallen asleep after only a few minutes of partying.

Her friends approached her with sympathetic glances. Twilight was the first to speak.

“What happened Pinkie?” Twilight thought she knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from Pinkie’s mouth.

“When I invited him to the party, he said no and then he said it was because he’s not interested in friends. Then he said he wanted to be left alone.”

Rainbow chimed in. “Sounds like another Cranky Doodle Donkey incident. Maybe we should just leave him alone.”

“No, this is different,” Pinkie responded. “He wasn’t angry or yelling, he was actually very polite.”

Now Fluttershy joined the conversation. “He walked me and my animal friends home earlier today. He even kept us dry when it was raining. I-I just thought that that was really nice.”

Rainbow recalled the act of unrequested kindness he’d shown her as she bragged to him. “Yeah, he did the same thing for me.”

Pinkie continued. “He just seemed so sad about something.”

The other five ponies all nodded as they recalled the pained look in his eyes.

“There was an…incident…when he was in my shop.” It was Rarity who spoke and the other mares listened intently. “I tried to take his hat, and the poor dear went positively crazy. He said they belonged to someponies that were very special to him. That might have something to do with it.”

Twilight spoke next. “When he came to talk to me, he also said that he didn’t want friends. It was after I found out who he was. He’s the famous historian, Professor Tacitus.”

The girls just gave her a blank stare, having no idea what he was famous for.

“Nevermind. Anyway, when I asked him why, he said that friendship only brings hurt. Girls, this pony clearly needs our help. We can’t just stand by and let him suffer like he obviously is.” The five ponies all nodded, determination to help in their eyes.

“Alright then, we’ll each talk with him individually tomorrow to see if we can cheer him up and find out what’s wrong. If we try hard enough, I know we can help him.”

All six mares put their hooves together in a pile as they made this commitment. Pinkie then raised he hoof excitedly.

“Can I go first, pleeeeease?” she begged.

“Uh, sure Pinkie,” Twilight answered. “Just try not to overdo it.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie then grabbed an armful of large and heavy instruments out of nowhere and began preparing for the next day.

* * *

Tacitus’s eyes shot open, his emerald orbs staring at the ceiling after another restless night. The sound of birds chirping and the small rays of light entering through the blinds of his window told him it was morning.

“Another nightmare,” he thought as he forced himself out of bed. They came every night now, and they were always the same. He just kept reliving the moment he found them, unable to move and unable to scream. Just silently staring at them.

He had no time to dwell on that now. He had to get ready for his interview with Cheerilee. He put on the outfit Rarity had made for him, along with his hat and scarf, and grabbed his saddlebag before heading out the door.

He quickly bought some breakfast from one of the many food stands and walked towards the direction of the school house.

He was only about half way there before a pink blur rushed past him, causing him to spin uncontrollably. He was on the brink of seeing his breakfast again before a pair of hooves stopped his tornado-like movement. His eyes rolled in his skull for a moment before steadying, finally allowing him to see a very familiar –looking pink mare staring at him with a goofy smile.

“Hey Tacitus!”

*Sigh* “Good morning Pinkie.”

Did he not make himself clear last night? “Just relax, she’s only saying hello…I hope.”

“It is a good morning, because this morning, I’m gonna take away that sad face and make you smile.” Her grin grew wider.

Tacitus put on the “mask” and looked at her with the artificial smile. “W-What are you talking about? I am smiling.”

“You can’t fool me Tacitus. I know smiles, and that is a phony pony smile. But don’t worry; I know just how to fix that.”

All of a sudden, music began to play out of nowhere. As Tacitus looked around for the source of the music, Pinkie began singing.

“My name is Pinkie Pie
And I am here to say
I’m gonna make you smile and I will
brighten up your day”

Pinkie began dragging Tacitus along as she marched through Ponyville.
“It doesn’t matter now
If you are sad or blue
‘Cause cheering up my friends is just
What Pinkie’s here to do”

Pinkie threw herself, and Tacitus with her, into a cart that began to roll quickly downhill. Tacitus was terrified, but she just kept singing.

“‘Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile
Yes I do
It fills my heart with sunshine all the while
Yes it does
‘Cause all I really need’s a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine”

The cart finished its descent by slamming into a stone that was sticking out of the ground, causing the two ponies to be launched forward and landing in the middle of a group of foals who were playing jump rope. Pinkie picked up Tacitus and practically threw him into the oscillating rope, forcing him to either jump or fall on his face.

“I like to see you grin
I love to see you beam
The corners of your mouth turned up
Is always Pinkie’s dream
But if you’re kind of worried
And your face has made a frown
I’ll work real hard and do my best
To turn that sad frown upside down”

At this, she stuck her hooves in the corners of his mouth and forced a ridiculous “smile” to appear on his face.

“’Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin
Yes I do
Bust it out from ear to ear let it begin
Just give me a joyful grin, grin, grin
And you fill me with good cheer”

Tacitus tried to sneak away, but Pinkie prevented this by leaping to his side and placing her arm around his shoulder.

“It’s true some days are dark and lonely
And maybe you feel sad
But Pinkie will be there to show you
That it isn’t that bad”

With that, Tacitus had reached his limit.

“ENOUGH!!!”

The music came to a screeching halt and Pinkie withdrew her hold on Tacitus, who looked at her with something he didn’t think he was capable of feeling: contempt.

“’It isn’t that bad’? How would you know?! How could you possibly understand what sadness is?! You don’t know sadness like I do! Nopony does! I’m sick and tired of ponies saying ‘I understand’ or ‘it’s going to be ok.’ Why can’t you get it through that thick head of yours that I don’t want your ‘help’ or your bogus sympathy?!”

Tacitus was breathing heavily through his nose. He’d never in his life exploded like that. He instantly regretted it the moment he saw Pinkie’s face.

Her eyes welled up with tears and her lip quivered, and her curly mane had lost some of its bounce. Words couldn’t describe how horrible Tacitus felt in that moment. Most of the things he’d said were directed at others, not Pinkie, but she had the misfortune of being the one to set him off on the tirade of anger that had been bottled up inside him for months.

“Oh my gosh, Pinkie, I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me, I didn’t mean any of that. I just…I appreciate what you’re trying to do but, it’s a lost cause. Please, for my sake and for your own, just give up on me. Everypony else has.” He said the last part quietly to himself, but Pinkie caught it.

“Again, I’m really sorry. You seem like a nice pony and for what it’s worth, you have a beautiful singing voice. But I ask again: please just let me be alone.”

Pinkie perked up slightly at the compliment. The tears were gone, but her mane was still hanging weakely and her smile was gone.

“I was just trying to make you happy.”

He sighed. “Pinkie, I can’t be happy. Not anymore. I can only strive to be content.” He turned and walked away, leaving Pinkie even more concerned about how badly he’d been hurt.

Although her feelings were hurt, she was more determined than ever to help him, and if she couldn’t do this herself, she’d help him through others. With this in mind, she sped off to report to Twilight and the others.

As he walked away,Tacitus slapped his face and mentally berated himself for being so mean to somepony who might have really been trying to help. But maybe now she would finally leave him alone. Maybe he should do that more often…No. It wasn’t worth hurting somepony’s feelings like that. He was ashamed of himself, and he knew they would be disappointed in him too. That only served to make him feel even worse.

With a heart full of guilt and a mind trying to figure out a way to make it up to her, Tacitus continued his journey to the schoolhouse.

* * *

Tacitus sat in the Ponyville Schoolhouse, his chair situated directly in front of the desk where Cheerilee, an earth pony with a pinkish-purple coat and a pink striped mane, scanned his resume.

He waited patiently as she read, taking glances around the small schoolhouse. He was so used to the enormous campus of Equestria University and its arena-like lecture halls that the schoolhouse seemed positively microscopic to him.

Cheerliee set down the papers and looked at Tacitus with a friendly smile. “Well Mr. Tacitus, I have to say that your records are very impressive. But I have to ask, why would a professor at such an esteemed college want to teach here?”

He was ready for this question. “I’ve always loved teaching and sharing the knowledge that I’ve discovered with others. It doesn’t matter to me who they are or what age they are. Besides, I felt I really needed a change of scenery.” No lies there, although not exactly the whole truth.

“Well said,” responded Cheerilee. “But I think it’s only fair to warn you: foals can be even more difficult to handle than college students.”

“I understand, but I believe myself to be fully capable of handling such a challenge.”

Cheerliee’s smile widened. “Well, we’d be honored to have you teach here, the students and I. With your expertise in the study of history, I’ll place you in charge of that particular subject.” Cheerilee handed him a thick folder. “This is the curriculum, showing what the students have already learned and what will be taught for the rest of the year. You’ll start next Monday. I’m sure the students will love you.”

Tacitus and Cheerlilee shook hooves before he took the folder she gave him and left. Tacitus was making his way towards his home when a rainbow streak suddenly appeared at his side.

“Wassup Tacitus?” Rainbow Dash asked as she began to hover next to him.

“Hello,” he responded flatly as he resumed his trek.

Rainbow flew slowly next to him. “So, watcha up to? I saw you walk out of the schoolhouse in that fancy get-up and wondered what was going on.”

Although he wished she’d go away, he thought it rude to leave an innocent question unanswered. “It was a job interview. Ms. Cheerilee hired me as an assistant teacher.”

“Oh, so you’re an egghead huh? That’s cool I guess. You read a lot of books?”

“Quite a few actually.” That was an understatement if there ever was one.

“You ever read a series called Daring Do?” Rainbow seemed to get excited at the mere mention of the title.

“No, I don’t believe I’ve heard of that series.” He kept hoping something would come up that would cause her to leave, but no such miracle came.

“You have to read it! It’s the most awesome book series ever! Daring Do is almost as awesome as I am. I meet her, you know, and she put me in one of her books.” She beamed with even more pride than usual as she recalled the events of meeting her hero and going on an adventure with her.

“That’s nice.” He was actually very impressed and intrigued by her statement, but he hoped that if he feigned disinterest she would get bored and leave.

“Soooo, that offer I made yesterday about us hanging out is still on the table if you want it. You don’t have to just watch me. We can race and I won’t even use my wings. Wouldn't want to beat you too bad!” She gave him a wink and a gentle nudge in the side.

“Thank you Rainbow Dash, but I’m still not interested.” He picked up his pace in an attempt to escape the pegasus.

“Well, if you don’t want to race, do you just want to talk?”

“No thank you.” He quickened his pace further.

“Time for Plan B.” Rainbow Dash rocketed off past Tacitus, who sighed in relief after seeing her leave. He didn’t suspect that she had an accomplice.

Rainbow raced ahead and met up with Applejack, who was waiting around the corner just a few blocks ahead of Tacitus. She brought Applejack up to speed on their conversation.

“Alright Applejack, see if you can get through to him. I’m going to go update Twilight on our progress.” She sped off once again, leaving Applejack alone and waiting.

When Tacitus was close enough, Applejack stepped out and waved to him. “Good mornin’ Tacitus!”

“Are you kidding me? Are these ponies working together?” Tacitus waved back, but kept right on walking.

Applejack fell in step with him. “I heard you got a job at the schoolhouse.”

“They are working together,” he thought as he recalled Rainbow’s hasty advance to a spot suspiciously close to where Applejack appeared. “That’s correct. I start Monday.”

“Well congratulations. My little sister goes there. Speakin’ of which, she’s spendin’ the day with her friends, so we’re a little short-staffed back at the farm. Would you mind lending a hoof? I’ll pay you for yer troubles.”

“Can’t one of your friends help you?”

“They’re all busy today. Please Tacitus? Yer the only pony I can turn to.” She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

He couldn’t say no. He sighed loudly. “Alright. I’ll help. Lead the way.” He hated himself for being so nice.

“Right this way.” Applejack walked with some pep in her step towards Sweet Apple Acres, Tacitus following closely behind.

They arrived at the farm after a few minutes of walking. Tacitus couldn’t help but marvel at the massive apple orchard that took up the majority of the farm. He stared at the seemingly endless number of trees, all of which bore delicious-looking apples.

The two ponies walked toward the farmhouse, where a very large red stallion with an orange mane stood waiting for them.

“This here’s by brother Big Macintosh. Big Mac, this is Tacitus. He’s gonna be helpin’ us harvest the apples.”

Tacitus tipped his hat at the pony known as Big Mac. “Good to meet you.”

“Eeeyup,” he responded simply.

“Hey Big Mac, where’s Granny?” Big Mac answered her question by pointing to an open window, where a heavenly aroma emanated.

An elderly voice spoke through the window. “I’m in here youngin’. Y’all go on and get ta harvestin’ while I finish up. Now where’d I put my gosh darn teeth.”

Applejack rolled her eyes lovingly. “That’s Granny Smith. She’s a little on out there, but she’s smarter than she lets on. Now, all you gotta do is get the apples off the trees, put ‘em in the buckets, and store ‘em in the barn over yonder.” She pointed to each of the objectives in turn before demonstrating the process of bucking apples.

Tacitus set down his saddlebag, where he carefully stored the clothes he’d worn earlier, and approached one of the trees. His horn glowed and every apple on the tree, and every apple on several of the surrounding trees, floated down from the trees and landed in several of the buckets. Tacitus then levitated the buckets and walked them over to the barn. He did all this with little effort.

Applejack whistled loudly. “That’s mighty impressive.”

“Eeeyup.” Big Mac agreed.

“Only other pony I’ve seen do magic like that is Twilight. We only need to get through the east orchard today, and at this rate we’ll be done in no time.”

Some time passed as the three ponies continued to harvest apples. Applejack tried on several occasions to strike up a conversation with Tacitus, but he kept avoiding her, attributing his refusal to talk with having to concentrate on his magic. But she still had an ace up her sleeve.

Tacitus wiped the sweat from his brow after putting away the last of the apples. Big Mac and Applejack did similar motions before Applejack put her arm around Tacitus.

“Wooo! That’s gotta be a new record time. Before I pay you, how about you join us for some lunch?”

Tacitus was about to say he wasn’t hungry, but his growling stomach gave him away. Applejack practically dragged him to the kitchen before he could refuse the offer.

At the table, an elderly lime-green mare with an apple pie for a cutie mark was placing a large pot in the center of the table. Steam escaped from the gaps between the lid, and the intoxicating smell that Tacitus had smelled earlier once more graced his nostrils.

Applejack addressed the pony that Tacitus guessed was Granny Smith. “Granny, I’d like you ta meet Tacitus. He’s the one that helped us with the harvest today.”

“Well it’s nice to meet ya youngin’. That was mighty kind of you to help out on such short notice.”

Tacitus tipped his hat. “Nice to meet you ma’am. And it was really no trouble.” He sniffed the air once again. “Do you mind if I ask what smells so delicious?”

Granny Smith gave a proud smile. “That there is my homemade Apple Family apple stew. Now y’all sit yer tired selves down and have a bowl.”

The four ponies took a seat at the table, Applejack opting to sit just opposite of Tacitus. Granny Smith ladled some stew into a bowl and gave it to Tacitus, who accepted it gratefully. After tasting the first bite, it took all of his self-control not to just dive in like a pig. This was one of the most delicious things he’d ever tasted.

Applejack looked up from her bowl. “So Tacitus, why don’t ya tell us a little about yerself. Where are you from?”

Tacitus clenched his hoof tightly. He was hoping they could just eat in silence and then leave. He berated himself on such foolish thinking.

“I’m originally from Canterlot, but I’ve traveled a lot for my studies and my career.”

Applejack seemed intriqued. “What kind of work causes you to travel so much?”

Lured in with food and trapped into polite conversation. Clever ponies. “I’m a historian, and as such, I travel to many locations to excavate and study historical artifacts and ruins.”

Granny Smith and Big Mac were also listening intently. Applejack continued. “And how’d you learn to get so good at magic, bein’ a historian and all?”

“Well, I love studying all types of history, which includes the history of magic. I studied a lot of the great sorcerers like Star Swirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever, and Manedalf the Gray. By studying their lives and their achievements in magic, I was able to imitate them to a degree and develop a talent for magic beyond simple levitation spells like most unicorns.”

Applejack kept pushing. “What about family? You’ve met some of mine already. What’s your family like?”

She’d pushed too far. Tacitus dropped his spoon in his bowl and took a deep breath. Applejack saw his hoof clench tighter, and saw a pained look on his face. He wasn’t going to allow himself to snap like he’d done earlier. He pushed the bowl away and rose from his seat.

“Thank you for lunch. I’d better be going now.” He turned and began to walk away.

Applejack thought quickly on how she could salvage the situation. “Wait, I haven’t paid you for yer help yet.”

“The food was payment enough, thank you.” Tacitus exited as quickly as he could without seeming rude, leaving the bewildered Apple family staring after him.

As he left, Tacitus failed to notice the blue pegasus that sat outside the window, listening to everything that had happened. She took to the sky to report her observations.

* * *

Tacitus was almost home and his mind was racing trying to contemplate the events of the last few hours.

“What is the deal with these ponies? They’re taking advantage of my nature and forcing me to get close to them. Can’t they take a hint?”

As if to prove that they couldn’t, Tacitus saw Rarity standing right outside his door, looking right at him as he approached.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He reluctantly approached his home and tried to open the door, but Rarity blocked his path.

“Good morning darling,” she said cheerfully. “I was wondering if we could talk for a little bit. Get to know each other better.”

He’d heard this before. And his answer was still the same. “No, thank you. I really don’t feel like talking or getting to know anypony better.” He’d had enough “getting to know you” questions for today, and for the rest of his life.

Rarity put on a much more sweet and luxurious voice. “Oh please? I’d ever so much like to know more about somepony as amazing as you.” She gave him a flutter of her eyelashes and a coy look.

With how she talked and the smooth motions and use of her beauty to try and coax him into talking, she reminded him of her. While his anger was in check, sadness once again took over his features. She was just like her. They all were. All they wanted to do was use him and discard him when they were done.

His ears turned down and he shut his eyes.

“Please leave. I don’t want to talk to you or anypony else.” He gently picked Rarity up with his magic and set her to the side, allowing him to enter his house and shut the door behind him before she could react.

She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Disappointed, she headed back towards Twilight’s.

* * *

Tacitus closed the curriculum folder that Cheerilee had given him, finished reading and fully caught up with what was being taught in the school and what he would be teaching when he started on Monday. He looked to the clock that hung on the wall and saw that it was barely past noon.

“Might as well finally get the grocery shopping done.” He gathered his saddlebag and bits and headed into town.

He was only half-way to the shopping center of the town when he let out a huge sigh. Fluttershy, looking just as nervous as she did yesterday, was walking towards him.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake. I've had enough of this.”

The two ponies stopped and faced each other. “Oh…um…H-Hello Tacitus. I-I was just wondering…if maybe you’d like to…”

Tacitus put up a hoof to silence her. “Look, I know what you and the others are doing. I know you’re going to try and convince me or trick me into talking so you can get close to me. I’m asking you politely to stop it.”

He said no more as he walked past her and continued on his way. She couldn't bring herself to try again, so she just walked away with her head hung low.

* * *

Tacitus had finished his shopping and was making his way home.

“Hopefully those ponies will finally stop bugging me now.”

Suddenly, something crashed into Tacitus’s side at unnatural speed. He was thrown several feet before landing hard on the ground.

“What in Equestria just happened?” He looked around and saw that about half his groceries were now strewn across the ground.

“Sorry mister,” somepony said in an accent very similar to Applejack’s. “We weren't payin’ attention. We’ll help you clean up.”

Tacitus looked to the source of the voice and saw three little fillies looking at him with apologetic eyes. The one that spoke was a pale yellow earth pony with a red mane that had a big pink bow in it. Her two companions were a white unicorn with a curly purple and pink mane and an orange pegasus with a dark purple mane. They all wore deep crimson capes with a blue and yellow emblem.

“No harm done,” he told them as he picked up all the fallen groceries in his magic and placed them in his bag. He couldn’t help himself from asking. “Who might you three be?”

All three of the fillies shouted in unison. “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusader!”

Tacitus had to cover his ears with his hooves and clenched his eyes shut. He felt like his eardrums just about burst.

“The what?” he asked as he began digging in his ear with his hoof.

The earth pony spoke up. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders. It’s a club we formed to help discover our hidden talents and earn out cutie marks. I’m Apple Bloom, and these are my friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” She pointed to the pegasus and unicorn respectively.

“What about you? What’s your name?” It was Sweetie Belle who asked.

The cuteness of the three fillies was almost too much for him, and he couldn’t help but answer them. “I’m Tacitus.”

Scootaloo stared at his flank. “Hey Mr. Tacitus, why’s your cutie mark a weird-looking eye? Is your special talent seeing or something.”

The other two girls gave her a reproachful look, silently reprimanding her on such a comment.

Tacitus chuckled slightly. “It’s a symbol called the Eye of Horsus. It was used by the ancient Equyptions as a symbol of magic and protection against evil. For me, it represents my love of the study of history and ancient civilizations, and my aptitude with magic.”

The girls stared at him with interest as he explained this. He was being surprisingly open with these girls. But, he’d always had a weakness for foals, and the wonder and innocence these three radiated caused him to drop his defenses.

“Where were you girls off to in such a hurry anyway?”

“We’re goin’ to the Everfree Forest to catalog all the strange creatures that live in there,” Apple Bloom answered.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Creature Catalogers, YAY!” all three shouted once again.

Tacitus re-covered his ears and one of his eyes was shut while the other one was twitching. He was almost positive one of his eardrums was ruptured.

He took a moment to recover his hearing before he spoke. “Well, I wish you the best of luck. Just keep working hard, and I know you’ll have your cutie marks in no time.”

“Thanks mister! It was nice meetin’ ya,” Apple Bloom shouted over her shoulder as she ran in the direction of the forest.

“Yeah, you seem pretty cool. Hope to see you again,” Scootaloo added.

“Bye Mr. Tacitus!” Sweetie Belle finished.

Tacitus waved goodbye and watched them go. Those girls left more of an impact on him than they, or even he, knew. For as he walked back towards his home, a smile was on his face. It was small, but it was there.

* * *

The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran as one towards the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle was the only one among them that looked worried.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked. “Last time we went into the forest, we almost got turned into stone by a cockatrice.”

“Quit yer worryin’ Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom responded. “I’ve been in the forest dozens of times to see Zecora. We’ll be fine.”

Scootaloo began to pull ahead of her two friends. “Come on slow pokes! Those creatures aren't going to catalog themselves!”

The three then continued their journey into the forest.

* * *

In the throne room of Twilight’s castle, Twilight and her six friends, Spike also being in attendance after being brought up to speed, each sat on their respective thrones. After Fluttershy’s attempt had failed, the six of them decided to convene and discuss their next step.

Pinkie Pie told of how he had snapped and expressed anger for the first time since they’d known him. The fact that he had almost made her cry shocked the group. But Pinkie explained that he had immediately regretted it and apologized. His outburst served to show that he had felt abandoned by others.

Rainbow Dash told of her failed attempts to get him to hang out or talk to her, and Applejack told how he left in a hurry after she mentioned family. Rarity chimed in about how he seemed to react strangely when she attempted to use her charms, and Fluttershy finished with her short tale of him simply telling her to stop before she even began.

Twilight listened to all their stories and contemplated what she should do for her attempt.

“Obviously it was a mistake to try to put him in situations where it’s hard to not answer questions. It seems like he feels we’re trying to deceive him or trap him. A direct approach might be the answer.”

“What are you going to do?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“What I do best: lecture him!” She disappeared in a flash of light and began planning her lecture.

* * *

The clock struck 6:00, the sun was beginning its descent to make room for Luna’s night, and Tacitus sat in his living room with his muzzle buried in a book. It was a history of the Ottomane Empire, and he was almost finished before he heard a knock at the door. He closed his book with a sigh and rose from his comfortable chair to answer the door.

He wasn't entirely surprised to see that it was Twilight who stood there as he opened the door. The other five had bothered him today; he was only surprised she hadn't come sooner. That didn't mean it was a pleasant surprise.

“Good evening Tacitus” she said. “I’m here to talk to you.”

Tacitus had given up on wearing the "mask" at this point, and just looked at her with the mournful look that his face had become so used to.

“I really don’t feel like talking, so if you don’t mind I’d like to get back to my book.”

Twilight was not deterred. “Don’t make me make this a royal order.” She was only half joking.

Tacitus sighed. What could he do? He couldn't just slam the door in her face, even if she wasn't a princess. He could hear their voices in the back of his head. “Always be polite and kind to others. Always behave like a gentlecolt.” That seemed like it was becoming harder and harder to do.

He sighed again. “Go ahead. Say what you need to say.”

Twilight took a deep breath in preparation for her lecture, but before she could begin, a voice shouted out to her.

The two ponies turned in the direction of the shout to see Applejack running towards them, a terrified and worried look on her face.

Once she got to Twilight, she took a few breathes before speaking. “Have you seen Apple Bloom and her friends? They were supposed to meet me at Sweet Apple Acres an hour ago, but they haven’t showed up. I've looked everywhere for ‘em.”

“No, I haven’t seen them all day.” Twilight began to share the same worried look as Applejack.

Apple Bloom. Tacitus recognized the name. “Wait. Are you talking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders? I ran into them, or rather they ran into me, earlier today. They said they were going to someplace called the Everfree Forest.”

Both mares gasped at the news. “What!” Applejack shouted. “What the hay made them go in there alone? I told Apple Bloom not to do that anymore.”

Tacitus was confused. He’d gone through forests hundreds of times as a colt. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with the forest?”

Twilight explained. “The Everfree Forest is unlike any other place in Equestria. Everything that happens in there is done without pony intervention, and it’s home to some of the most dangerous predators in Equestria! I know Apple Bloom has been in there a few times, but she's never been late coming home.”

Now Tacitus was worried. The thought of those fillies in danger caused his heart to drop.

Twilight looked at Appljack. “Don’t worry Applejack, we’ll get the girls together and find them.” The two mares rushed away from Tacitus to gather their friends for the search.

“I’m coming to help too.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Tacitus chased after the two ponies, determined to help find the missing fillies.

The Everfree Forest

The sky was filled with a bright orange glow as the sun continued its slow descent, foretelling of the darkness of night that would soon engulf Ponyville.

After Applejack’s frantic appearance in front of Tacitus’s home, the three of them had rushed to gather a search party. Applejack had gone to fetch Rarity and Rainbow Dash, while Twilight and Tacitus went to collect Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Tacitus waited with them at the edge of the Everfree Forest, Applejack still yet to arrive with the rest of their group.

Tacitus himself stared with wide eyes at the creature that had accompanied Fluttershy when they had told her what had happened. He was a collage of various different animal parts all combined into one strange-looking creature that he believed was called a draconequus. He’d heard that Discord, the spirit of disharmony, had been reformed and was living in Ponyville, but he was still shocked to actually see him.

Discord observed Tacitus with an over-sized magnifying glass, studying the unicorn like a scientist studies a new germ. With a snap of his fingers, the magnifying glass disappeared and he put his bird-like hand to his chin in thought, a smug grin on his face.

“Hmmmm. So this is the pony you were telling me about Fluttershy. You were right. He does look positively miserable.”

Discord snapped his fingers, which caused the make-up of a sad clown to appear on Tacitus’s face, complete with fake tears. Tacitus shook his head to remove the face paint.

“Tacitus, was it?” He stuck out his lion paw. “Discord, spirit of chaos, at your service,” he said with an exaggerated bow.

Tacitus took the paw in his hoof and shook it, but the paw then became detached from the rest of Discord’s body. With a shriek, Tacitus let the paw drop on the ground. The paw proceeded to walk on its fingers back to Discord, where it re-attached itself, Discord laughing the whole time.

“Oh, the look on your face! Priceless.”

Twilight glared at him and spoke angrily. “Discord! Now is not the time for jokes! The girls are missing and all you’re doing is pulling pranks?”

Now Discord glared at her. “Now wait just a minute. I’m just as worried about them as you are. If anything happened to those undefined equines, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Discord snapped his fingers again, this time causing a cape that looked just like the one the Crusaders were wearing to appear on his back. He looked at it affectionately, the memory of when the girls made him an honorary member of their club causing tears to well up in his eyes.

“Don’t worry Discord,” Fluttershy said as she put a gentle hoof on his shoulder. “We’ll find them.”

Discord gave her a smile as he placed his hand on her hoof, grateful for her comforting words and constant friendship. A look of determination spread across his face.

“That’s right!” he declared before his appearance changed to that of an explorer, complete with binoculars and a pith helmet. “I’ll search every crack, crevice, and crater if I have to!”

As Tacitus watched the bizarre scene unfold, he spared a glance at Pinkie, who had been relatively silent since they had gotten her. He quickly looked back at the ground when she noticed him. He still felt awful about the way he had shouted at her, and was still trying to devise a way to make amends.

As he thought of this, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up to see Pinkie giving him a warm smile, her eyes full of forgiveness. He was about to apologize again, when the sound of galloping caused all those present to turn their heads toward the sound.

Applejack was fast-approaching, along with Rainbow, Rarity, and Spike, who had been assisting Rarity with a new line of clothes when Applejack had come to fetch her. The four of them joined up with the others, as Twilight stepped into the center of the group to address them all.

“Alright, we’re all here. Now we need to move quickly, it’ll only be harder to find them when it’s dark. We should divide up so we can cover as much ground as possible. Discord, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash: you three will fly over the forest and see if you can spot them from the air. The rest of us will go into the forest and look for them on hoof. If one of us finds the girls, we’ll send up a flare to tell everypony else where we are. Pinkie has fireworks we can use for flares.”

Twilight nodded to Pinkie, who pulled four rocket-like fireworks from her mane and handed them to Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, leaving the last one for herself.

Twilight continued. “The rest of us can use our magic for the flare. Spike, I want to go with Rarity.” Spike nodded with conviction. “Okay everypony, the girls need us. Let's go bring them home.”

The three designated fliers took off into the sky, while the rest bolted into the forest. They ran together for a few dozen feet. Tacitus could hear Rarity mumbling under her breath.

“Please be okay Sweetie Belle, please be okay.”

Applejack seemed to be making similar requests, but Tacitus couldn’t hear her. He looked at both of them, and at the rainbow streak that flew above him, with concern and sympathy. Twilight had explained to Tacitus the three fillies’ relationship as their younger sisters. He knew what they were going through, and he was determined to prevent them from discovering the pain of lost family. A pain he knew all too well.

After a few more feet traveling as one, they separated, going alone in five different directions, with the exception of Spike and Rarity who continued to stay together. Tacitus himself veered off diagonally to the left. He had no idea where he was going; all he was concerned about was locating the fillies he had met earlier that day.

Everything in the forest looked the same to him. He thought that it was no wonder that somepony could get lost in here. He started to panic as he heard growls that seemed to come from every direction. He kept running, kept searching, his eyes darting every which way looking for some kind of clue or sign.

He didn’t know how long he’d been running, but the sun was now almost completely set, the last rays of golden light being overtaken by a blue blanket of night. The growls only grew louder and he swore he saw crimson eyes peering at him from the bushes. He didn’t care at this point. He’d look for weeks if he had to. He wouldn’t let such sweet foals be lost in this horrible place.

Suddenly, a new sound assaulted his ears.

It was screaming. Terrified and desperate screaming.

He changed his course and headed towards the screams, diving through a thick wall of bushes and vines which obstructed his view as he pushed through them.

When he was finally through the thick bramble he looked in horror at what he saw. In the distance, he could just barely make out the tiny figures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three of them were sitting in one of the upper branches of a very sick and unstable tree. And at the base of the tree, was a pack of Timberwolves.

Two of the Timberwolves were jumping and snapping at the branch the three fillies sat on, while the third was pushing with all its might against the trunk of the tree. Suddenly, the tree gave way and began to fall.

“NO!” Tacitus shouted as the tree toppled over. Luckily, the fillies jumped off at the last second and ran as fast as they could away from the Timberwolves that gave chase.

Tacitus ran after them, his obsidian mane flying behind him. He was running so fast, his hat slipped of off his head and was carried by the wind almost a dozen feet away. He stopped when he felt the treasured possession leave his head, and began to make his way back to retrieve it, when he heard another scream. He hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth between the hat and the direction of the girls. He cursed silently before continuing to chase after the wolves and the fillies, leaving the hat behind.

His legs ached and his lungs burned, but he pushed himself to run faster, desperate to close the gap between him and the girls. His teleportation spell had a limit of between 15 and 20 feet. If he could just close the gap a little more, he could get between the Timberwolves and the Crusaders.

He looked in horror as he saw where the fillies were headed. The Timberwolves were forcing them to run straight into the side of a large rock formation. Even now, the wolves began to form a semicircle, preventing the girls from turning left or right and escaping.

The fillies reached the rock side and tried desperately to climb over it, but to no avail. The girls held each other closely, cowering and shaking like leaves in a thunderstorm. They clenched their eyes shut so that they couldn’t see the approaching Timberwolves, but they could still smell their rancid breathe. The ravenous pack licked their lips as they slowly approached the fillies, ready to pounce.

“Just a few more feet,” Tacitus thought desperately as he neared them. “Now!”

With a loud CRACK and a flash of dark blue light, Tacitus vanished. He appeared not a moment later, standing tall between the wolves and the fillies. As he reappeared, he unleashed a wave of magical energy, knocking back the Timberwolves.

He shot a venomous glare at the Timberwolves. “Don’t you dare touch them!”

The wolves just roared in response and continued their advance toward the ponies, seeing Tacitus as just another part of an easy meal.

Tacitus’s horn lit up with a brilliant aura, and a dark blue beam of magic shot out and struck one of the Timberwolves, causing it to fall to pieces. Tacitus’s victory was short-lived. The shattered remains of the wolf put themselves back together and reformed the Timberwolf, which growled angrily at Tacitus.

Tacitus shot out several more beams and even an energy ball that exploded on contact, but the wolves just kept putting themselves back together. All he had managed to do was knock them back a few more feet, but they just kept coming.

Tacitus’s mind raced, trying to think of something he could do to stop them. Then it hit him. He remembered reading about a spell developed by an ancient wizard when he was researching the Roamen Empire.

His eyes and jaw were clenched shut as he strained in concentration. His horn glowed brighter and brighter, beads of sweat appearing on his brow. He pointed his horn at the wolves and silently prayed that it would work.

Suddenly, one of the Timberwolves exploded into flames, reducing it to ash in a matter of moments. The other two Timberwolves were caught in the blast and were engulfed in flames, parts of their bodies being burned off, unable to be put back together. They yelped and howled as they retreated back into the forest, leaving the stallion and the three fillies alone.

“It’s a good thing…I studied…Incendius the Pyromancer,” he said between breaths, exhausted by the effort the spell took.

He turned around and looked at the fillies that still held tightly to one another. Their capes were torn and filthy, and some bruises were visible on their bodies. But aside from that, they seemed to be unharmed.

He looked at them with worry evident on his face. “Are you girls alright?”

They didn’t respond. They just threw themselves at Tacitus, wrapping their arms tightly around him as they began to sob.

“We were so scared,” Apple Bloom said between sniffles.

“We thought we were going to die,” Scootaloo added.

“Thank you Mr. Tacitus,” Sweetie Belle finished. The girls then resumed crying into his chest.

Tacitus didn’t know how to react for a moment. But then, he wrapped his arms around them and held them close, doing his best to comfort them.

“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re all safe now; it’s going to be okay.” The fillies tightened their grip on him, burying their faces in his coat.

Tacitus once again lit up his horn and sent a ball of light high into the sky. It exploded with a loud bang and a blinding flash of light that illuminated the now pitch-black sky. It wasn’t long before Twilight and the rest of the search party found the source of the flare and were in sight of Tacitus and the girls. They called out to them.

At the sound of their sisters’ voices, the fillies finally let go of Tacitus and ran into the embrace of their respective sisters, tears of joy on their faces as they were reunited.

“Oh sugarcube, I’m so glad yer safe. I was worried sick about you,” Applejack pressed her younger sibling to her face, their tears melding together.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again Sweetie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Rarity’s face was black with the mascara that had been running down her cheeks as she smothered Sweetie with sisterly kisses.

Even Rainbow Dash was in tears. “You had me worried Scoots. Where would I be without my number one fan?” She hugged her adopted sister close.

All of the ponies, and Spike, and Discord were overjoyed to find the fillies safe and sound, and were embracing the girls as well.

The Crusaders began to explain how they had gotten lost after going deeper into the forest, how they had been attacked by Timberwolves, and how Tacitus had saved them.

As he watched the touching reunion from a distance, Tacitus began to turn and walk back home through the forest. However, he wasn’t fast enough. Twilight saw him leaving and ran up to him.

“Tacitus, wait. I think this belongs to you.” She levitated his hat, which she had found on her way towards the signal flare, and presented it to him.

Indescribable relief swept through him as he hastily took the hat and set it reverently back on his head, incredibly grateful that it was undamaged and back in his possession.

“Thank you Twilight. You have no idea how much this means to me.” He absentmindedly put a hoof on the hat, as if worried he might lose it again. “I’m glad they’re safe, but I should be going now.”

“Not so fast.” It was Applejack who spoke. She walked up to Tacitus and embraced him tightly. “They told us that you were the one who saved them. Thank you so much.” She released him from the hug, only for Rarity to take her pace in embracing him.

“If it weren’t for you, we might have lost them.” She gave him a small peck on the cheek after she let him go. Then Rainbow hugged him.

“You’re a hero. Maybe even a bigger hero than me.”

Pinkie popped out of nowhere and began jumping around excitedly.

“We need to throw you a ‘Hero’ party. I can even make hero sandwiches. I promise it’ll be the biggest and bestest party I’ve ever thrown.” She looked at Tacitus’s face, which still bore a depressed look, and settled down. “Or we could do something else, I guess.”

“There’s no need for any kind of thank you or celebration. I’m just glad they’re safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home.”

“But there has ta be some way we can repay ya. Like Rainbow said, yer a hero and you deserve some kinda reward,” Applejack said.

Tacitus looked at the group, but focused mainly on Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow, with a mournful gaze.

“If you really want to repay me, then promise me this: protect your family. Love them, treasure them, keep them safe. ‘Cause in the end, they’re all you really have.”

He turned away from the stunned group and began to make his way home, but stopped when he heard Twilight call his name. He didn’t turn around.

“Tacitus, I didn’t get to speak with you before this whole search started, but I feel that I need to speak now.” Twilight waited for him to respond, but he just remained quiet and still.

She spoke anyway. “I don’t know what it was, but I do know that something is hurting you Tacitus, something that makes you afraid of friendship. You may think that being alone will help, but I promise you that it won’t. I didn’t discover friendship until later in my life, and it has been the biggest blessing in my life. No matter what you say, I know that friendship brings overwhelming happiness, and I also know that it can take away pain. And that’s what all of us want to do Tacitus. We want to be your friends and take the pain away.”

Tacitus was silent for a moment, and then he sighed loudly. “Twilight, nothing can take away this pain. I’ve learned that no matter what I do, no matter where I go, this hurt will never go away. I’ll always feel it, for the rest of my life. All I can do is try to keep myself from being hurt anymore than I already have. I don’t want friends because, one way or another, they’ve brought me pain. *Sigh* Maybe if you knew you’d understand.”

He thought on this for a moment before turning to look at them. “Follow me back to my home. I’ll explain everything there.”

He once more began to walk away. The group of friends exchanged concerned glances at each other before following him.

A strange and somber parade began marching through the dark forest in silence back to Ponyville, with Tacitus at its head, the most somber of them all.

The Past Revealed

The stars filled the sky, and a crescent moon hung over the town of Ponyville. No clouds were present in the sky, allowing the beacon of light known as the moon to shine unhindered over the land. The light of the moon and stars shone on the home of Tacitus, which was unusually full of guests this night.

In the living room, the fireplace roaring with a warm fire, sat ten ponies, a baby dragon, and a draconequus.

Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash sat with their respective sisters on one sofa, still holding them close after their traumatic experience. Spike, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie sat on the other sofa. Discord had conjured a giant marshmallow for his chair, and was tearing off small pieces and putting them on a stick to roast over the fire. Pinkie had managed to sneak a few bites of the sugary seat without Discord noticing.

Tacitus opted to sit in the reclining chair that he had become quite accustomed to. As they had walked into his home, Tacitus saw the shattered remains of the framed picture that he had tossed violently at the wall the other day. He picked the photograph out of the broken glass with his magic, and it was now resting in his lap. Earlier that day, he considered throwing it away. Burning it even. But ultimately, he decided to ignore it for the moment. In a way, the picture was like his memories: still there even though he did his best to pretend it wasn’t.

Tacitus had also used his magic to bring down the photo that he had placed so lovingly on the nightstand next to his bed, and it now also rested in his lap, though his hoof was grasping it tightly.

Tacitus struggled to get his thoughts straight and pondered how he should begin. The assembled company waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts. He looked at them with the depressed look they had grown so familiar with and spoke.

“Before I start, can I just ask a favor? What I’m about to tell you all is extremely hard for me. I’ve been trying so hard to forget about it, and saying it out loud, reliving what I went through…it’s just not easy and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible. So please, while I’m talking, don’t interrupt and don’t ask questions. Just let me speak and listen quietly.”

All of them nodded soberly, except for Discord, who pulled out a box of popcorn and began shoveling it into his mouth.

“Oh, this is going to be good.” The smirk on his face quickly dissipated after Fluttershy shot him a glare. He remained quiet after that.

Tacitus sighed, discomfort evident in his wistful eyes. “I guess I should start at the beginning. As a colt, I was very bookish and introverted.” He chuckled dryly. “I guess I still kinda am. I had such a single-minded focus on my studies of history, that I never really made time for friends.” Twilight gave him a sympathetic look, knowing exactly where he was coming from. “But I didn’t really care. I enjoyed my own company…and my parents’”

He held up the still-framed photograph for them all to see. It showed three ponies standing close together with big smiles on their faces. One was obviously Tacitus as a young colt, although the girls hardly recognized him with that smile and the fact that his hat and scarf were missing.

The other two ponies were a unicorn stallion and an earth pony mare. The unicorn had the same chocolate-brown coat as Tacitus, but he had a silvery-gray mane and pale blue eyes, which were covered by large, round glasses. His cutie mark was a syringe and a thermometer overlapping to form a cross. He wore a wool cap that looked exactly like Tacitus’s. The mare had a tan coat and a jet black mane tied up in a ponytail. She had the same green eyes as Tacitus and her cutie mark was a teddy bear holding a baby bottle. She wore the same green and black scarf that Tacitus now wore.

“These were my parents. My father, Hippocrates, was a doctor at Canterlot General Hospital. Everypony called him Dr. Hipp. They loved coming to see him because he always treated his patients so kindly and he loved to make them laugh; he would make them laugh so hard, they’d sometimes forget they were sick. He used to put thermometers in his ears, and then he’d cross his eyes and let his tongue hang out; that’d get even the sickest pony giggling. And he’d tell terrible jokes that were so bad, you couldn’t help but laugh. He was a regular goofball.”

Although he spoke with fondness, his face still remained downcast and miserable. He touched a hoof to the brim of his hat.

“This was his hat. The only time he ever took it off was when he put it on me, and then laugh when it covered my whole face. Then I’d pretend I was blind and run around the house knocking into things. It was a good thing he was a doctor, ‘cause I’m sure I gave myself a few concussions because of that.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, but it disappeared quickly as the memories kept flooding in.

“My mother, Minerva, ran a daycare center. She’d take care of foals ranging from infants to about their age.” He pointed to the Cutie Mark Crusaders as he said this. “She loved foals, and when I got older, I loved helping her with them.She ran the center by herself, so she needed all the help she could get. She just had a way with kids. Whenever they were crying or upset, all she had to do was hold them, and they’d calm down. She used to sing to them too. She had a beautiful voice, like an angel’s. But as much as she loved other pony’s foals, she loved me more. I couldn’t have asked for a more caring or loving mother.”

He placed a hoof on the scarf around his neck, and held it lovingly to his cheek.

“This was her scarf. My father gave it to her when they first met, and she hardly took it off since. I remember, on cold nights when I was a foal, I’d lie down next to her and she’d wrap the scarf around my neck and hers so that we were sharing it. She’d wrap her hooves around me, and I’d fall asleep right there in her arms.”

Tears began to well up in his eyes at the memories, but he quickly wiped them away before they could fall.

“I loved my parents with all my heart, and they loved me even more so. So, I didn’t really need friends. I didn’t need anypony else…until I met Cassy.”

He held up the other picture, the one that had had its frame smashed against the wall. This picture showed an older Tacitus, still with a smile on his face and still without his hat and scarf, and an unknown earth pony mare, who the group assumed must be Cassy. She had a dark blue coat with a curly purple mane and bright blue eyes. Her cutie mark was two stars; a small star that seemed to be basking in the glow of a larger star. The Tacitus in the photo had his hoof wrapped around her shoulder.

“I met her over three years ago.”

* * *

In his mind, Tacitus could see it clearly like he was there in Canterlot again. It was a bright and sunny day just outside of the campus of Equestria University. A large group of ponies was headed towards the school. Many other ponies were waiting for them and tacking pictures of the approaching group.

“I had only a few more months of school before I graduated, and I had just come back with the rest of my class from Trottingham. We had gone there to study and excavate some of the ruins and artifacts that were believed to belong to the legendary Knights of the Round Stable.”

A younger Tacitus was seen amongst the group, his saddlebag bursting with notes and new artifacts to study at the school and then donate to the museum. The news ponies that were assembled there quickly focused their cameras and their questions on him.

“By that time, I had become pretty popular in Canterlot. I was the youngest student ever accepted into EU, and I was about to be its youngest graduate and teacher. I’d also managed to make quite a few discoveries during my time at the university. Lost tombs, temples, palaces, and countless artifacts ranging from weapons to journals had made me a bit of a celebrity in the historical community.

I won’t lie, it was pretty nice being called a prodigy in the field I loved so much. It felt good to be recognized for my discoveries, and to be so good at a job I enjoyed doing.”

As the ponies continued to take pictures of Tacitus, his eyes widened when he spotted a mare that was standing among them. She had no camera or notepad with her; she just looked at him with a beautiful smile.

“I’d never seen her at the school before, and I had no idea who she was. When I saw her, I thought she was the most beautiful mare in the world.”

Tacitus walked up to the mare, his mouth agape and the photographers forgotten. He was so nervous he began to sweat. He mumbled a few times before he finally spoke.

‘H-Hello. I-I’m Tacitoo…uh…Tacitus.’

She fluttered her eyelashes and gave him a coy look.

‘Oh, I know who you are. My name’s Cassy. How’d you like to go out for dinner tonight and tell me a little more about yourself? I’d love to get to know somepony as special as you.’

‘D-Dinner sounds great.’ He looked at her like a love-sick puppy. ‘Meet me here around five?’

‘It’s a date,’ she said with a wink. She blew a kiss at him before walking off, leaving him practically floating off the ground.

“I’d never in my life met a mare as beautiful and as amazing as she seemed to be. When I was with her, I felt like I could just let go and be myself. She was the only thing I thought about more than my studies. She was always so kind and friendly, and she was always with me wherever I went. She hardly ever left my side. My parents liked her, and she and I even moved in together. For more than three years, I spent all the time I could with her. I was in love. Then, everything fell apart.”

His memory flashes forward so that he now pictured the interior of Equestria University. A large ballroom was filled with the faculty and staff of the university, and the stage had an orchestra playing.

“It was a few months ago. The university was holding a celebration for the faculty and staff. Princess Celestia and Luna, the whole royal family in fact, was in attendance.”

Tacitus is dancing with Cassy, when something catches her eye. She quickly leaves Tacitus and heads over to a very handsome white unicorn with a long amber mane and a blue bow tie.

“All of a sudden, she just starts ignoring me and hanging out with some pony I’ve never seen before. I tried to talk to her, but she just kept walking away with him and acted like she’d never seen me before. I kept trying all night, but all I could find out was that his name was Blueblood and that he was distantly related to the princesses.”

Cassy spends the entire event in the company of Blueblood, who does not behave at all like a gentlecolt. The entire time she was with him, he made Cassy do things like feed him, refill his drink, open the door for him, and clean his tie when punch got it. She did these things gladly and with the same smile that she had first given Tacitus on her face. Tacitus was watching and trying to get her attention the entire time.

As the event draws to a close, Cassy whispers something into Blueblood’s ear. She then finally rejoins Tacitus as they leave together.

“I asked her what happened, but she didn’t say anything. The only thing she said to me that night was ‘don’t worry about it.’ I should have kept pushing her to tell me what the deal was, but I trusted her. I let it drop and we went back home. The next morning, she was packing her things and leaving.”

Tacitus now saw himself in the home that he and Cassy shared. Cassy is packing away her things into suitcases, while Tacitus stares desperately at her and asks why she’s leaving.

‘Cassy, please, just talk to me,’ he begged. ‘I don’t understand why you’re leaving or where you’re going.’

‘I’m going to live with Blueblood. I don’t need you anymore.’ She didn’t even look at him as she spoke.

‘Don’t need me anym… What are you talking about?’

She sighed before she finally turned around to look at him. ‘Look Tacitus, the only reason I was friends with you was because you were the most famous pony I could get my hooves on. Now that I’ve met Blueblood, you don’t matter anymore.’

‘I-I still don’t understand. I thought…’

She scoffed at him. ‘Come on Tacitus, think. I thought you were smart. When I met you, you were practically a celebrity. Being with you meant I got to enjoy the perks of fame without working for it. But a famous historian is nothing compared to a prince. You were the best I could do at the time, but you finally managed to get me close enough to royalty to where I could move up.’

‘B-But…three years…didn’t that…didn’t I mean anything to you?’

‘You were just a means to an end Tacitus. Just accept that and move on with your life.’

She had finished packing and began to walk out the door. Tacitus called out to her one more time.

‘Cassy, I love you!’

She didn’t respond. She didn’t even look at him. She just kept walking out the door and slammed it behind her.

“I was heartbroken. I felt used and betrayed. The one pony outside my family that I’d called friend had just abandoned me when she didn’t need me anymore. I had no idea that things were about to get much worse.

A few days later, I decided to visit my parents. I hadn’t told them about what Cassy did yet, and I really needed them and their advice on what I should do.”

Tacitus pictures himself walking towards the home of his parents. His face was crestfallen and his strides were slow and somber. He opened the door to the home, but gasped in horror at what he saw.

“When I opened the door, I saw my parents collapsed on the floor. Their breathing was shallow and haggard, and no matter how much I called out to them, they couldn’t answer me.

I was terrified. I quickly rushed them to the hospital, but nopony could figure out what was wrong with them. It was like their life was just slowly draining away.

I never left their side. I hardly ate, hardly slept. The doctors said there was nothing they could do, that they’d never seen an illness like this. They lasted about a month before they…passed on.

I was devastated. It felt like my entire world just fell apart, like I had lost everything. Any happiness that was left in me died with my parents. At their funeral, all I heard was ponies half-heartedly telling me that everything would be okay, but I didn’t believe them. After that, they just seemed to forget about me. None of my colleagues or students ever checked on me or tried to comfort me. They just abandoned me, gave up on me. I was miserable and alone and nopony seemed to care. There was nopony left to care.

I couldn’t stay in Canterlot anymore. I resigned my position at the university, sold off my house and almost everything else I owned, and left. Then I moved here. The rest, as they say, is history.”

* * *

As his memory ended, Tacitus once more found himself in his living room with his guests. All those present had tears in their eyes. Discord had changed into a black mourning dress with a veil and was blowing his nose with a cloth. Tacitus continued to speak as the salty liquid stung his eyes, which were staring at the floor.

“I moved to Ponyville because it seemed like such an out-of-the-way town. It was likely that no one here would know who I am and so wouldn’t try to use me like Cassy did.”

He looked back up at the assembled crowd.

“You need to understand: everypony that I’ve ever cared about, everypony that I’ve ever called a friend has just caused me pain in the end. I loved Cassy, but she just used me and abandoned me. I loved my parents, but they were taken from me, and left me with a hole in my chest. I learned that caring, that friendship, only leads to suffering. One way or another, it only brings hurt. That’s why I want to be alone; because then there’s nothing left for me to lose. If I’m alone, I don’t have to worry about being hurt again.”

Tacitus looked back down at the ground. Although he couldn’t see them, he could hear the sniffles and sobs emanating from his guests. His own choking sobs joined them. He’d managed to keep relatively calm while telling his tale, but now that it was over and he’d had to relive the experience, he began to break down.

He bawled for a few moments before he regained control of himself.

“There, now you know. *Sniff* Now please, could you just leave-“

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He was suddenly being held in a tight embrace by all those present, excluding Discord who was blowing his nose in the corner. All those that were part of the group hug were crying and looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

“We’re so sorry darling,” said Rarity. “We’re so sorry that you had to go through something as awful as all that.”

Pinkie Pie spoke next. “That Cassy was a big meanie. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. We’d never treat you like that.”

Fluttershy spoke up. “You poor thing. All you needed was somepony to be there for you.”

Now Rainbow spoke. She was doing her best not to show that she was crying. “Look, I’m not good with mushy stuff, but I want to say that I think you’re awesome and that we’re here for you.”

“That’s right sugar cube,” said Applejack. “We’re not gonna abandon you.”

“You can count on us,” Spike added.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t speak. They just held him tighter than anyone else, upset that the pony who had saved their lives and who they’d come to love was hurt so much.

Tacitus was flabbergasted. The ponies that had known of his situation back in Canterlot had only put a hoof on his shoulder and looked at him soberly, no trace of real care or concern in their eyes. These ponies were crying along with him, and held him close in an attempt to console him. Twilight saw his confused face and spoke up.

“Tacitus, I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve gone through. None of us here have gone through loss like that, but we still want to help you. Real friendship brings happiness, and real friends are there for each other. They comfort each other and take away each other’s pain. I know we can do that if you let us”

“But it still doesn’t change the fact that something could happen to you. I can’t risk going through that pain again.”

“The odds of something happening to us are astronomical. Besides, friends are there to support each other in times like that. You can’t let that fear keep you from being happy. And even if you lose the ones you love, you always have the memories.” Twilight paused to let that sink in before continuing. “You’re focusing on what happened at the end, when you need to focus on remembering the good times you had with them. Remember what amazing parents they were, how much they loved you, and all you did together. Don't dwell on their death, remember their life”

Tacitus was silent as he listened to her. No one had ever taken the time to say anything like this to him, and he himself had been so lost and alone in his grief to even consider anything like this.

“Your parents wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life being miserable. They’d want you to be happy. Please, let us help you. Your friends just want to make you happy again. And we promise, we’ll do our best to make sure you never get hurt again.”

Tacitus looked at her, and all of the others who were gathered around and still embracing him. He looked in their eyes and saw genuine concern and care in their eyes. Even after he told them everything, they were still determined to help him, maybe even more determined than they were before. They hadn’t given up on him. They hadn’t abandoned him.

Thoughts were racing through his head. What should he do? Should he accept them? Should he turn them away? Should he scream at them or just return their embrace and cry in their arms? He clenched his eyes shut as he struggled to figure out what to do.

For some reason, he could no longer feel the tight hold of the ones whom he had just told his story to. All he could feel was a familiar hoof on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer in his living room. All he could see was empty whiteness, until he turned around and his eyes widened in disbelief. There, looking at him with caring eyes and loving smiles, were his parents. They were exactly as he remembered them, before they were sick. His father had a hoof wrapped around his mother's shoulder and held her close, and gave Tacitus toothy grin that he used to give when he was comforting him when he was sick or hurt. His mother gave him the look she used to give him when he was upset as a colt, a look that was filled with concern and love. He just stared at them for a moment, his mouth agape, before he ran into their arms.

He found that he couldn’t speak; he couldn’t hear any noise. He didn’t care. He just held them tightly, afraid to let go and lose them again. He was sobbing silently when he finally released his grip just enough to look at them.

They didn’t say a word. They just looked at him and slowly nodded; telling him what was the right thing to do. With tears still streaming down his eyes, he smiled and nodded back at them. The room began to be filled with a bright light. All Tacitus saw was his parents mouthing the words “we love you” before they disappeared.

He was back in his living room, still being hugged by the ponies and the baby dragon. They still looked at him, still longed to help him. He looked back at them, tears once more filling his eyes. But these tears were different.

“Okay,” he said silently. “Okay. Maybe it’s time I gave friendship another chance. Maybe it's time for me to finally let myself care again."

Words couldn’t express the joy that came over them as they embraced Tacitus even harder, even Discord was getting in on the hug. Exclamations of happiness and endless promises of spending time together graced Tacitus’s ears.Pinkie even seemed to explode confetti.

They were overjoyed that he was finally letting them in, finally accepting their friendship. These ponies really cared about him. They really wanted to make him happy through their friendship. Hope, something that he hadn't felt in a long time, filled Tacitus. Hope for another chance at happiness. Hope for finding ponies he could care about again. As Tacitus listened to his new friends, a smile was present on his face. Not the smile of the “mask”, but a real, happy, smile.

Author's Note

SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THIS CHAPTER!
I know some of you might be thinking that killing Tacitus's parents with an unknown illness was lazy, but just trust me on this one. The next story I have for Tacitus will go into how and why his parents died. Just keep in mind that the real reason for their deaths is a central component of the next story.
Expect one more chapter (an epilogue) for this story.

Epilogue

The day couldn’t have been more perfect. Clouds of all different shapes decorated the sky and the sun shone warmly. It was the perfect day for picnic with friends.

On a hill overlooking Sweet Apple Acres, Tacitus sat on a large red blanket with his new friends. Friends. That word meant much more to him now than it did just hours ago.

Rainbow Dash was lying on her back with sunglasses on, Pinkie was scarfing down various different pastries, and Rarity was sipping from a cup of tea while Spike provided her with shade using a large tree leaf. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were running around playing with Discord, who had transformed himself into a ball and was bouncing all over the place. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight were all lying on their stomachs on the blanket along with Tacitus.

“So you went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? Why didn’t I ever see you?” Twilight asked looking at Tacitus.

“If I recall, neither of us were very interested in meeting new ponies at the time,” Tacitus responded. “We might have run into each other and not even noticed.”

Rainbow spoke without looking at them. “You two eggheads probably had your noses buried in a textbook and walked right past each other.”

Twilight shot her a glare, but Tacitus just chuckled. He found himself being able to laugh and smile more than he had in months since coming here. The experience he’d had the previous night with these wonderful ponies had been, to him, a blessing. Now, they were spending the day with him, just so they could all get to know each other better.

Tacitus had spent almost an hour listening to all of them speak. They told of their adventures, their likes and dislikes, their childhoods, and just who they were as ponies, or dragons in Spike’s case. They had insisted that he speak first, but he wanted to hear them. He enjoyed listening to them.

Apple Bloom and her friends ran up to Tacitus, Discord having transformed back to his normal self, although he was green from so much bouncing.

“Hey Mr. Tacitus, can ya tell us how ya got yer cutie mark?”

The rest of the gathered friends all expressed their interest in hearing this story and looked to Tacitus to begin.

Tacitus cleared his throat before speaking. “I was a little colt when my parents and I went on vacation to Las Pegasus. We did this kind of stuff all the time, take family trips to get away from the city and see new things.

Unfortunately, my dad was never very good with directions. We got lost and ended up in the San Palomino Desert. As my parents were arguing over the map, my horn started to glow. I had no idea what was happening, but I felt the need to start walking.

As I walked, my horn glowed brighter and brighter. I turned around to see what would happen, and my horn got dimmer. It seemed my horn was acting like a compass.

I don’t know how long or how far I walked, but eventually I found a small rock sticking out of the ground. My horn was so bright it was almost blinding when I got to it. I had no idea why my horn was leading me to a rock, but I tried to pick it up. It wouldn’t budge; it was like it was buried. So, I began to try to dig the rock out.

As I kept digging, the rock seemed to go on forever. But it soon began to take shape into something much more than just a rock. When I finally finished digging, I saw that I had just dug up a life-sized statue of a pony wearing a strange headdress, which I knew marked it as an artifact from the Equyption civilization.

I was ecstatic. I heard my parents calling my name and I called back to tell them where I was and told them to come see what I had found. They saw the statue and they were dumbfounded. I was bouncing around like an idiot telling them about what it was and my theories on who built it and how it ended up here.

My parents were smiling and laughing at me, and I asked what was so funny. My mom just pointed at me and said ‘Look at your flank.’ I looked and I saw the Eye of Horsus on my flank. I was excited before, now I was practically hysterical. It turns out my magic was able to detect the presence of historical artifacts if they are close enough. My parents were so proud, and we were even able to get some ponies from the Canterlot History Museum to come and look at it.

It was my first discovery that led to me getting my cutie mark, and I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to learning and discovering history.”

Everypony listened intently as he told his story and were genuinely interested as he told it. Tacitus smiled at the fond memory, especially the memory of his parents.

While once Tacitus had tried desperately to not think of his parents, and when he did he was reduced to tears, he now thought of them gladly and with a smile on his face. Before, he had only remembered them as they were at the end, suffering in the hospital where the only sounds they made were groans of pain. His friends made him realize that he should be remembering how they lived, not how they died.

He now embraced the memories of the good lives his parents lived. The joyous times they shared and the caring love they gave him overshadowing the sadness of their passing. He still missed them, and he was still sad that they were gone, but he had friends now. Friends who cared for him and comforted him, who loved him like his parents did. And he knew his parents were still there, watching over him.

A thought struck him, he’d almost forgotten. “Pinkie, I have something for you.”

He reached into the basket he had with him and pulled out a beautifully decorated cupcake with yellow icing and an orange wedge on top.

“I made this to apologize for my behavior the other day. I hope you can forgive me.” He handed her the cupcake.

As she took it, Pinkie looked at him with that goofy smile that he loved to see her with.

“You don’t need apologize. I already forgave you silly.”

Tacitus smiled back at her. “Even still, I feel bad and I want to make amends. I hope you like it.”

Pinkie ate the cupcake in one bite and a blank look took over her face. Her entire body rumbled like there was an earthquake going on, and then she shot into the air and exploded like a firecracker. She then floated back down slowly like a feather.

“Wowee! That was the most delicious, delightful, delectable, delovely cupcake I’ve ever had!”

Tacitus laughed louder than he had on a while. “It’s my mother’s recipe. I made one for everypony.”

Tacitus passed out the cupcakes so that eveypony had one, and gave Pinkie an extra one. As Tacitus watched them enjoying the gift he baked them, he thought about how lucky he was to have found ponies like them. The nagging thought was still in the back of his mind though. What if something happens to them? What if you lose them?

He ignored these thoughts. He wouldn’t let that fear rule over him. Not anymore. He would love his friends and be happy with the time he had with them, however long or short it may be.

After a long day of talking, eating, and playing (another thing Tacitus had not done in a while but loved every moment of), Tacitus and the others packed up to head back home. It was by far one of the best days Tacitus had ever had.

His friends walked with him all the way back to his home before they left to go back to their own homes. They waved and said goodbye to him as they left.

No, they didn’t say goodbye. They said, until tomorrow. He would see them tomorrow; they would be with him again. The thought of seeing them again caused his heart to swell with a happiness he didn’t think he was capable of feeling anymore.

Because of them he could say, for the first time in a long time, that he was happy. No nightmares came that night, or ever again.

Author's Note

Well, that's the end of my first story. I hope you all enjoyed it! I have at least one more story for Tacitus that I am working on, so expect that fairly soon. It's going to be epic!