Never Dream

Chapters

First Impressions
Dental Dilemma
Horizons
The Mystery Mare
It's A Date
Blurring Lines
Fire and Ice
Then You Will Know The Truth
And The Truth Will Set You Free
When Opportunity Knocks
Welcome To The City
I Miss You, I Love You
Initiation
Mixed Signals
Unburn Our Bridges
Ready. Set. Go!
Back In Business
Happy Birthday
Trouble In Paradise
Race For Redemption
Puzzle Pieces
When Life Gives You Lemons
The Season
For Those We Love
Essence
A Bullet Amidst A Storm

First Impressions

Canterlot, home of the upper class ponies and co-rulers of Equestria. I had only seen it from the air when I had been bold enough to look down, which made me sick, and probably caused one pony to have a very bad day. I made it a point to keep my eyes closed when traveling by air carriage. Fortunately, we would be traveling by train today.

"My ears are still ringing.” Isabella said, rubbing her ears. She had made the mistake of sitting almost directly under a speaker on the train.

“I warned you that conductors have loud voices. Electronics don’t work the same as they do on Earth; in fact, most electronics are simply magically augmented devices.” I said.

Celestia had received word that another human had arrived in her kingdom, my sister to be specific, and seemed eager to meet her. I assumed Twilight had been the one to let the co-rulers of Equestria know that the number of humans had been doubled.

The sun princess was in for quite the surprise if she was under the impression Isabella was anything like me. She could be rash, and was a girl of action rather than words. I could only hope she made a good first impression, and didn't get both of us fried by some sort of magic beam.

"Just try not to let your mouth think for you, you're talking to the being who raises the sun." I said, giving her a gentle reminder of what it was Celestia was responsible for, among other things not known to the public.

"I wasn't born yesterday. I'll be good, I promise, mom." Isabella said rolling her eyes.

I was about to respond to her comment when I saw a familiar cream colored unicorn approaching us. She wore glasses, and had her brown mane pulled up in a bun. During the party I had attended Celestia had referred to her as Raven, though she mostly stuck to the background that night. She was in charge of overseeing any events that were held.

"Sir Daniel," Raven said bowing her head slightly. "I assume this is Isabella?" she asked turning her attention towards my sister.

"Yep, and you don't need to add the sir, since I'm not really somepony official." I replied. The 'Ambassador of Earth' bit was apparently still a thing to some ponies. I mentally sighed in defeat, there was no winning with them on this subject.

"I’m aware, but I have been requested to recognize your title as such while in the city and I don't want to slack on my duties. At any rate, welcome back, now if you would be so kind as to follow me." Raven said trotting off towards the station exit.

“I was under the impression we would be meeting Celestia at the castle, not that it isn't great to see you again or anything, Raven.” I said.

“That was the original plan; however her presence was requested elsewhere in the city, which is where I’ve been instructed to take you.” Raven replied.

“Hard to believe ponies built this.” Isabella said looking around as we left the station, following the cream colored unicorn.

“It's not as hard as you might think. Magic helps when managing the structural integrity of the buildings to ensure that they are in pristine condition. We can’t have the capital of Equestria falling apart.” Raven said.

Snow still covered parts of the street, but for the most part they had been cleared for the various carriages that frequented the streets. Twilight had mentioned something about Winter Wrap Up coming soon. The snow probably wouldn't be around for much longer.

“If you don’t mind me asking Raven, what was Celestia required for?” I asked ignoring the occasional stare from a few ponies, though most of them waved.

Ponyville was a checkpoint into Canterlot, and it wasn’t uncommon to have ponies stop to rest before finishing their trip to the capital. Working at the train station all but forced me to interact with the travelers, or at the very least be seen by them.

Isabella didn’t take the stares as well as I did. She was used to being in the lime light and loved being noticed. I found it amusing how in this world, for the time being at least, she was the exact opposite of how I remembered her. Given time she would start to act like her old self again, which might not be a good thing for Equestria.

“A few of the nobles decided to think outside of the proverbial box and wanted to celebrate the seasonal change before the snow is cleared away. I personally like the snow.” Raven replied waving to a guard that only nodded.

The guards that patrolled the city were as stiff as their castle counter parts. Each one moved more like a robot than a living creature, though if provoked I was fairly certain they could quickly put any doubts of their agility to rest. I preferred the Night Guard, they were far more approachable and actually had a sense of humor.

“Think princess solar panel can ask her subjects to stop staring at me little bro?” Isabella asked. I could only pray she never used that nickname in front of Celestia.

"Wait, you're her little brother?" Raven asked, stopping to point a hoof at me.

"Yes, is that bad?" I replied, unsure why my age suddenly mattered.

"Uh...no, I suppose not, just a little surprising is all. I assumed that you were older since you're...you know..." Raven said holding a hoof over her head.

"Taller?" I offered, to which Raven nodded meekly.

"Okay I get it; I'm short compared to the jolly green giant here." Isabella pouted.

"Don't be so dramatic, especially with Celestia." I scolded.

“I’ll be sure to curtsy, and be on my best behavior.” Isabella said nonchalantly.

I ignored her sarcasm as several tents and booths set up in a large park came into view. Of all the places to picture a princess, I couldn’t imagine meeting Celestia here, but Raven didn’t stop at the edge of where the festivities were, and motioned for us to follow her.

“Not gonna lie Raven, this is really weird meeting her like this.” I said, as we followed the cream colored unicorn closely.

“While I admit it is a bit odd, I can’t control what Celestia decides to do, only manage events in a timely order and offer suggestions. Believe me, I didn’t think this was a good idea either, she said, and I quote, “You need to relax and take a day off, Raven” I just don’t understand.” Raven said, her voice growing louder as the crowd increased in size.

“I don’t see the downside to a day off.” Isabella said with a laugh.

“Things would become out of order, that’s the downside! Don’t even joke about something like that!” Raven squeaked, stopping in the center of festival.

“Celestia’s a grown mare, I’m pretty sure she can handle herself for one day.” I said fighting back my laughter at Raven’s outburst.

“I’m glad somepony has faith in my abilities as a ‘grown mare’.” said an angelic voice from behind me.

Shit! I thought to myself before turning around to see Celestia.

I didn’t need a mirror to confirm whether or not I was blushing. The few times I had met Celestia I had always tried to be tactful, and picked my words carefully. I was grateful that she was lighthearted about the situation.

“Princess, I’m so sorry we didn’t see you there!” Raven exclaimed nervously.

“It’s fine, Raven you worry too much.” Celestia said as two guards appeared from the crowd, breathing heavily, as if they had been trying to keep up with the princess.

Celestia seemed to frown slightly when they appeared, but her smile quickly reappeared as she turned her gaze back to us. Why an alicorn with near limitless power needed guards in the first place baffled me, but some questions were better off without being asked in the first place.

“Isabella, I presume?” Celestia asked approaching my sister.

“Yes ma’am-I mean Princess, sorry.” Isabella replied tripping over her words.

“It’s fine, though repeat offenses are punishable by a minimum of five years in prison,” Celestia giggled. “It’s very nice to meet you. Twilight only mentioned you once in prior letters regarding her progress with your brother. She kept an eye on him while he was studying to be a citizen so I'm surprised he didn't mention you more often.” she said.

“He tries to disown me at every given opportunity.” Isabella said nonchalantly as she elbowed me.

"You're not funny." I said rolling my eyes.

“So do you plan on staying as well, or would you prefer to return to your home world?” Celestia asked walking through the crowd that parted at her presence.

“I don’t think I can go back. You see, we kind of had to break the law to get the others home…that’s kind of my fault, since I gave the stone up in the first place.” Isabella said sheepishly.

“Oh…I see. I suppose that would be an inconvenience to return to. I know that Twilight is grateful that she was reunited with her friend, Spike.” Celestia said, apparently our criminal activity had been left out of the letter Twilight sent given her reaction to the news.

“So Princess, what’s the occasion? Griffons again?” I asked.

“No, nothing complex. Twilight expressed her concerns that you weren’t getting out enough. She was planning on attending today, but other matters prevented her from doing so. Plus I wanted to meet your sibling face to face as I did you when you first arrived. You were going to be invited by her anyways so…” Celestia said smiling back at me.

“Hey, check that out.” Isabella said, pulling on my sleeve to gain my attention.

I looked in the direction she was pointing and noticed a ball toss game, similar to the ones from Earth. Three balls, a pyramid of bottles and an easy way to throw out your arm if you were too dense to realize they weighted down the bottles to make them harder to knock over.

“Care to see if you’re better in this world than ours?” Isabella asked.

“You seem to be implying I wasn’t good at the game. I simply don’t believe in wasting bits on something that’s fixed to make you burn through a pay check for the satisfaction of winning some prize you can probably buy at the store for what you paid to play the game.” I said rolling my eyes.

“Sounds like somepony is…oh how did Luna word it…?” Celestia started, tapping a hoof against her chin in thought.

“Fine, I’ll play your little game. Just don’t cry when you lose.” I said. I could hardly believe Celestia of all ponies was siding with my sister on this, even if she couldn't remember what insult Luna had come up with.

The ponies that were contemplating playing the game put their decision on hold as we approached the counter. A few of them seemed nervous, but with Celestia present their fear didn’t linger for too long.

“Two please.” I said to the unicorn working the booth, putting down the required bits to play.

Six balls levitated from the ground behind him, and divided into three sets between me and my sister. Isabella picked up one of the balls and tossed it lightly in the air, experimenting with its weight.

“Ladies first.” I said.

Isabella didn’t respond, instead she drew her arm back, and threw the ball as hard as she could at the pyramid of bottles. A split second later the bottles toppled to the ground, which made a few of the ponies mouths hang open. Isabella seemed quite pleased with herself, and held her head up triumphantly.

I brought my arm back in a similar manner, closing my left eye out of habit in the process. I took a step forward, right before throwing the ball, and was reward with the satisfying sound of the bottles scattering from the platform they originally rested on. Isabella’s face dropped a bit when she realized what had happened, and raised her eyebrow at me.

“Here you go you tw-“ the stallion running the booth started to say, as two prizes levitated towards us. He stopped when he saw me slide a few more bits towards him, a perplexed look crossed his face.

“Re-stack them, please.” I said.

“You really want to do this?” Isabella asked with a coy grin as the bottles started to stack themselves.

“I know you’d do the same thing if you had the bits, Izzy.” I replied nonchalantly.

Isabella didn’t respond to me. She proceeded to knock down her pyramid of bottles once again with ease, which earned a few light hoof stomps from the crowd of ponies. My pyramid of bottles fell as well, earning another round of cheers.

“Re-stack.” Isabella said before I could speak to the stallion in charge of the game.

He looked at me quizzically, and I handed him the bits required to play again. With a shrug from the pony, the bottles started to glow a soft green color and stacked themselves once more.

“Last round, we still have to get back home.” I said as my sister took aim at the bottles once again.

“Yeah yeah, keep your shirt on.” Isabella replied, throwing her ball at the pyramid of bottles once again. Like before, the bottles fell to the ground and the crowd of ponies stomped and cheered at her accomplishment. I didn’t understand why they viewed such a simple activity as anything worthy of cheering over, but to each their own.

The crowd grew quiet as I drew back and threw the ball in my hand as I had before. When the bottles fell to the ground another series of cheers came from the ponies that had been observing us. I was still confused as to why this game was anything to cheer over; perhaps they simply enjoyed a contest.

Three stuffed toys each were lowered towards me and my sister. I looked over what appeared to be a stuffed dragon at the stallion. “Sorry if we held up your business.” I said, hoping he wasn’t upset at us.

“If anything you helped it, I should be thanking you.” he whispered.

I was about to leave, when I noticed a large white hoof slide another round of bits towards the booth worker. The hoof’s owner was none other than Celestia. She was full of surprises today, that or I simply hadn’t been around her long enough to really know her habits.

“Please re-stack the bottles.” Celestia said, a mischievous smile adorning her face.

Oh...fuck berries... I thought to myself.

I held my sore, right arm against my chest. It felt like it had the consistency of Jell-O. Celestia had walked away proudly with six large stuffed dolls, until she gave a few away, opting to keep the one she liked the most. I was no pro athlete, which meant my arm was pushed to its limits trying to keep up with Celestia, who had requested more than one stack of bottles be set up as opposed to one pyramid each.

I had learned a very valuable lesson, one that my arm wouldn't let me forget any time soon. Muscle can't always out preform magic, especially alicorn magic.

“Don't you have work tomorrow?" Isabella asked with a shit eating grin.

"Yep." I replied coldly.

"And Luna said this wouldn't be fun." Celestia said cheerfully.

"Luna's you're sister right?" Isabella asked.

"Indeed she is. Luna raises and lowers the moon each night. She also sees over Night Court, which I was told somepony dropped in unexpectedly." Celestia said.

"Yeah, the nobles didn't seem to care for my unintentional intrusion. I doubt they care for our being here at all." I said flatly.

"Not all of them feel that way, I can assure you of that. My little ponies can be...hesitant towards change, or new things in general. This festival idea has been in the planning stage for...twenty years, if I recall correctly." Celestia said, tilting head back in thought.

I nearly tripped from surprise when I heard how long the festivities, that now surrounded us, had simply been in the planning process. Compared to buildings and other constructs that were far more complex than a simple festival, the number was staggering.

"Twenty years?" was all I was able to ask.

"Yes, one pony would bring it up for discussion and it would be going swell, until a more, forgive my terminology, stiff necked noble decided that it was a waste of time and resources, or come up with some other excuse and it would be a while before it would be brought up again." Celestia replied.

Hearing the princess call a noble stiff necked made me forget about the pain in my arm for a few minutes. Celestia was more down to earth than I gave her credit for, I felt a little guilty for misjudging her.

"I thought Congress took forever." Isabella said.

I rolled my eyes at her comparison as we continued to follow Celestia. There were still a multitude of booths, though most were out of the price range to purchase or play anything, thanks to the ball toss competition.

"Daniel!" a familiar voice shouted over the crowd.

Due to the volume of the crowd around us, I dismissed it as just a figment of my imagination. I wasn't sure why my imagination would have picked her voice, of all things available, to play tricks on my ears.

"Daaaaniel!" the voice came through the crowd, a bit louder this time, dragging out the a. It's volume was enough to prompt Celestia and Isabella to stop at the sound of the unusual name being called. An unusual name for Equestrian citizens anyways.

"I know that voice," I said scanning the crowd. "It's sounds an awful lot like-"

"Surprise!" Ditzy Doo exclaimed as I turned around.

Celestia and Isabella giggled at the pegasus' sudden appearance. I had come to expect that type of behavior from Pinkie Pie, apparently Ditzy had a mischievous side to her as well. The mail mare and I got along great at work, the first few days had included almost no interaction what so ever, but as days turned into weeks we had grown pretty close.

She was also one of the first ponies outside of Twilight's 'inner circle' that I spoke with. Though a part of me didn't really count the encounter as legitimate, since I wasn't quite myself that day, courtesy of the lord of chaos.

"Hey Ditzy, what brings you all the way out here?" I asked.

"We're just visiting some family." Ditzy Doo replied, landing in front of me now that her unexpected greeting was through. Beside her was a tiny, filly unicorn, pale purple in color, with a blond mane and tail, similar to Ditzy's.

The young unicorn hid behind Ditzy Doo's forelegs once all four of her hooves touched the ground. Only the filly's head could be seen, as she peeked out from behind the mare's legs, cautiously.

"A friend of yours?" I asked, pointing at the unicorn that concealed herself once more upon seeing my hand rise towards her.

"A bit more than that, this is my daughter, Dinky. She can be a bit shy around new ponies." Ditzy Doo said side stepping just enough to expose her daughter's head.

"I assure you little one, there's nothing to be afraid of about these two. They harbor no ill intentions." Celestia said giggling at the little filly's reaction to me.

"Princess! Oh my gosh! I didn't see you, I'm so sorry!" Ditzy exclaimed nervously, giving a quick bow to Celestia. Dinky had fled the safety of her hiding spot, if only by a foot, merely to return once Ditzy had rose from her bowed position.

Ditzy did have an eye problem, one that had gotten her into trouble once or twice in the time that I had known her. Her field of vision was much different from a normal pony's. Her blind zones were different which made things a bit harder on the mare, but she more than made up for it being a hard worker and not letting it get the better of her.

"There's no need to apologize." Celestia said, her warm smile ever present on her face as she spoke.

I turned my attention back to the skittish filly, who had peaked her head out from behind her hiding spot once again. I knelt down to Ditzy's level, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Taking one of the prizes I had won, I held it out to the filly, her pupils growing large at the sight of the stuffed animal.

"I-is that f-for me?" Dinky asked hesitantly.

"Yep, I've got too many, I was hoping you could help me by giving this one a good home." I replied.

A soft purple light surrounded the toy, causing it to levitate towards the unicorn. Dinky's face now sported a grin that was heart attack inducingly cute, if there was such a level of cuteness. If not, a new one had just been discovered.

"What do we say, Dinky?" Ditzy asked smiling down at her daughter.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dinky exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly

"Well, we should probably get going, Rainbow Dash is going to need all hooves on deck soon." Ditzy said.

"Why? What happened?" I asked concerned, Rainbow Dash hadn't mentioned any problems.

"You didn't hear? Thunderlane broke both his wings in a bad accident. A few ponies, namely Flitter and Cloudkicker, are down with the pony pox. Cloudchaser is trying to take care of her sister. It hasn't been the pegasi's lucky season I guess." Ditzy replied with a sigh.

Wow...that really sucks. I thought to myself.

"I wish them a quick recovery, and a safe trip home for you and your daughter, Ditzy." Celestia said her smile faltering at the bad news.

"Thank you Princess," Ditzy said, giving a small bow before turning to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow Daniel."

"Yeah, see ya." I said, as the mare and her daughter disappeared into the crowd.

It felt as if the life of the festival had been drained with the bad news about the weather team. Rainbow Dash was probably a bit upset having to come up with a new plan on such short notice. It made me wonder just how many pegasi were actually out of commission.

A burning sensation in my arm reminded me of my own physical predicament when I turned around too fast. I must have hurt it much worse than I previously thought.

"I think we should call it a day too, I've got work tomorrow, and I'd like to sleep off this arm pain." I said.

"I understand, it was fun getting to know you both a bit better. Perhaps we can do something like this again, when Luna is present." Celestia said.

I looked out the window of the train, watching the snow capped forest rush past us as we approached our destination. There were only three other ponies in the same train car as us, two of them I had seen around Ponyville before so they didn't pay either of us any mind.

The third stared at us constantly, as if waiting for something to happen. It was hard to believe that not so long ago, I would have had the train car to myself, segregation of species at its worst. I had learned what it truly meant to be alone, and it was a feeling I never wanted to experience or endure again.

"You like her, don't you?" Isabella asked.

"Pardon?" I asked in return, caught off guard be the sudden, personal question.

"Don't play dumb, I may not be a girly girl, but I know when a man's looking at a woman...err, whatever, as more than just friends." Isabella said.

"You're out of your damn mind is what you are. That's really creepy Izzy." I said.

"Oh I agree, especially how defensive you're getting about it." Isabella said wiggling her eyebrows.

"She's my co-worker, and I'll humor you for just a few seconds, even if I did like her I doubt she'd want to be associated to me in that way after what you did." I said.

"You're still on about that?" Isabella asked rolling her eyes.

"You called my boss, and I quote, a "fat winged fuck". I'm lucky I still have a job." I snapped.

"It's not my fault he wouldn't move. You were quizzing me on signs and I was just doing what you asked me to." Isabella said.

"He wouldn't let me leave his office the next day until I told him what that meant. Do you have any idea what it's like being forced to explain an insult to your employer?" I asked.

"Not really, though I can imagine it was pretty funny from a third party's point of view." Isabella chuckled.

The idea of a pony, human relationship had crossed my mind when I was bored several times. Especially when Timber, Strong Deck and I were together and talking about random topics that made no sense or were too 'free' for the work environment. I probably would have offed myself out of insanity if not for them.

It was Timber who would casually bring up the subject, asking "if I had found a pretty mare yet?" or bugging me about my type. Out of fear of offending them, I never expressed my lack of interest in a pony as a partner. I would always tell them I hadn't found that special one yet, and it seemed to satisfy them.

Thankfully it was a rare topic and I had come to assume it was simply a method of teasing me. I had been tempted once to say I had found somepony, just to see what their response would be.

"Are you listening?" Isabella asked, derailing my train of thought.

"Sorry I zoned out for a bit." I replied.

"I said, that she seemed nice is all." Isabella said.

"Leave it be Izzy. I'm not interested, understand?" I asked sternly.

"Yeah I hear you. I was just joking anyways, you take everything so seriously, learn to lighten up." Isabella replied, leaning back in her seat.

I closed my eyes and slowly drifted between a state of consciousness and sleep. If Luna had been on dream duty, or whatever she referred to it as, I'm sure she would have been a bit frustrated with the indecisiveness.

I must have eventually settled on dozing off the rest of the trip, since what felt like a few seconds passed before Isabella was standing over me, shaking me. That was the one aspect about sleep that always fascinated me, it was how it seemed to make time pass quicker, at least for the person sleeping.

Dinner had been nice, especially since I didn't make it. Isabella knew how to make spaghetti, which was always an awesome meal no matter what. My arm was still pretty sore, but it wasn't anything a heating pad couldn't handle. I was still amazed they had them at all.

"That little filly, Scootasomething." Isabella said.

"Scootaloo, you know her name." I said rolling my eyes.

"Right, did she like the stuffed animal?" Isabella asked sitting down with a book Twilight had asked her to read.

"She liked it, kind of made the others there a little jealous." I replied, rubbing my arm beneath the heating pad.

"That one has you wrapped around her little hoof huh?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah, she's my little buddy. She deserves better than that place though..." I replied.

I did my best to keep an eye on Scootaloo, especially after learning about her condition. It had to be hard on a kid being an orphan, but being a pegasus that couldn't fly was something that had to bug her daily. It was something I had experienced for a short time, but I couldn't imagine enduring that feeling for my entire life.

A knock at the door broke the period of silence that had fallen over the living room. Despite my arm's protest, I left the comfort of the heating pad just as who ever was at the door knocked again.

Behind the door stood a familiar mare who had her hoof held up, ready to knock once more if needed. Though I questioned my door's ability to survive too many knocks from this particular mare.

"Rainbow Dash, what brings you our way?" I asked, stepping aside to let her in.

"I just needed to ask you something real quick...privately, no offense." Rainbow Dash said looking back over at Isabella.

"Meh." Isabella shrugged, continuing to read.

I closed the door behind me, the cold air greeting my under-dressed skin. I regretted not slipping a jacket on, but it was too late now, and hopefully whatever Dash had to ask wouldn't take too long.

"Sorry, but I wasn't sure about how much she knows about...you know." Rainbow Dash said pointing a hoof towards her wings and then at me.

"I gotcha, she doesn't know yet. So...what's this about?" I asked, I didn't see what Discord's little shenanigans had to do with anything, but I held my peace.

"I need...oh Twilight would kill me for asking this, but I need your help...to get help from...drsmrgfn." Rainbow Dash said, mumbling the last bit.

"Sorry, couldn't quite make that last part out." I said shivering a bit.

"Ineedyour'sandDicord'shelp!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed quickly.

I recalled what Ditzy Doo had said about the pegasi being a bit short hooved with Winter Wrap Up. I didn't anticipate Rainbow Dash coming to me about it though. I started to fold my arms, until a sharp pain advised against doing so. I looked down at her and sighed.

"Why can't Discord just clear everything then, what's so special about me in this equation?" I asked.

"That's the thing, you can't use magic, it's kind of a tradition. You don't have magic though, the way I see it, if he did whatever it is he does to you then you could help my team." Rainbow Dash explained.

"That sound's like you're bending the rules a bit." I said.

"It's not, I promise. Look, I'm hurting for a few dependable ponies. Believe me, I wouldn't have come if it wasn't bad." Rainbow Dash said.

"Dash, I don't know the first thing about cloud busting. I mean I can fly a little, but it's nothing impressive, add something else to that and I'm likely to fall flat on my face." I said.

"I'd help coach you through it, we've got some time before Winter Wrap Up. Please, don't leave me hanging." Rainbow Dash said, her expression slowly shifting to one of genuine concern. This clearly meant something to her.

"Well...okay." I said, grinning as Rainbow Dash hoof pumped once in victory.

"Great, meet me in the park, two days from today!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly.

The cyan pegasus disappeared in a blue blur, leaving a rainbow colored vapor trail in her wake. Her sudden take off from the snow covered ground had sent snow sailing in all directions, most notably onto me.

Shivering, I walked back inside my house. My sister was in the same position I left her in, I hoped she had stayed in it. I assumed Isabella respected my privacy enough to not eavesdrop on my conversations.

My sister's knowledge of my past experiences and plans, or lack there of, were the farthest things from my mind though. Rainbow Dash said she was hurting for a few dependable ponies, it made me wonder what type of work I'd gotten myself wrapped up in.

Author's Note

Time for the second story arc. After a long delay (which I wholeheartedly apologize for) thoughts and comments as always please.

Part of this chapter is actually based on a true story involving a few friends.

Dental Dilemma

Lunch break at your favorite restaurant, easily one of the most enjoyable times of the day. A chance to gather one's thoughts and recuperate from a busy morning. The opportunity to take in a deep breath, and exhale all your built up stress.

The nicely crafted tables, complemented by matching chairs and red walls, made for the perfect environment. The lighting wasn’t too bright, but wasn’t annoyingly dim either. The menu was a bit lacking in things I would consider eating, but I could always manage to find something that caught my eye.

What quickly drains the joy from this sacred period of the day is a creature most foul. She stands roughly two and a half feet tall, and is covered in light blue fur with a white and dark blue mane and tail. An hour glass is magically branded on her flanks, giving only the vaguest insight as to what her actual occupation is.

"Hello Daniel, this seat taken?" Minuette asked rhetorically as she sat down across from me anyways.

"No, it wasn't. Good to see you too by the way." I replied, I couldn't help but wonder how Celestia managed to smile and keep a level voice all the time in front of those that bugged her. It left me wanting such a skill.

For the last couple of days, Minuette had been constantly bugging me about coming to see her for an appointment, her dental office to be more specific. Each and every time I had come up with an excuse to blow off the unicorn dentist.

"It would be even better if my patients actually showed up for their appointments." Minuette said, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Look, I can't go to the dentist, okay? We've had the same conversation for...I've lost count of how many days it's been." I said, taking another bite of an apple sandwich. Truly, an odd combination, but not that bad actually.

The second I started to chew Minuette's expression changed to one of fascination. Her eyes followed my mouth's motions with unnerving intensity. I was almost convinced this pony had some sort of strange oral fetish. It was a creepy thought, a pony having such a thing.

The reality of it was much less exciting. Minuette simply wanted to be the first to examine the mouth of a being from another world. I would normally be happy to contribute, and be a part of history, but I just couldn't bring myself to be completely relaxed around this unicorn with the truth of my diet.

Images of Minuette standing over me, with plyers suspended by magic, would always fill my mind. I could only imagine how she would freak out once she saw my canines and assumed the worst before I could explain.

"I don't understand why. You need to put whatever's troubling you aside. It's not healthy to go this long without having a checkup." Minuette scolded, scrunching her nose up.

"Ya don't want to go to the dentist?" I heard a young voice ask.

Looking past the blue unicorn I saw three little fillies, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. All three had on little capes, a good indication they were about to embark on a new crusade for their cutie marks, or were returning for lunch.

"Yes girls, I'm afraid our friendly neighborhood human is a bit shy when it comes to appointments. Though I can't imagine why anypony would avoid something beneficial to their health." Minuette replied.

"Wait, so you don't have to go? Is that something that happens when you get older?" Scootaloo asked.

Minuette sighed at the filly's silly, but admittedly depressing, question. No doubt the three weren't too fond of doctors or dentist offices, most kids from Earth weren't, it seemed as though the same applied here.

Despite their dislike for checkups in general, at their age it was imperative they continue to go. Though seeing an adult refuse did little to encourage them, and only gave them an excuse not to go, since I was electing not to. I was no parent, so the line “do as I say not as I do” wouldn’t work here.

I was especially concerned about Scootaloo. She only had Rainbow Dash as a role model, and she wasn't present all the time. I didn't want to be a negative influence on her, which meant there was only one way to truly rectify the current situation.

"Minuette, how does tomorrow sound?" I asked.

"I-I'm sorry?" Minuette asked in disbelief, her ears perking up.

"Tomorrow, is there anything open?" I asked once more.

"O-oh, yes, actually! If you're serious about coming this time." Minuette said excitedly, managing to regain her composure.

"I'm serious, name the time and I'll make it happen." I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay then, tomorrow at ten in the morning. Sound good?" Minuette asked.

Tomorrow I was scheduled for work, but given the odd time of the appointment I could afford to take a day off. Besides, depending on what Minuette ended up doing to my mouth, I might need a day to recuperate.

"I thought you weren't going to the dentist." Sweetie Belle said.

"Things were holding me back." I shrugged.

"We'll see if you're serious or not in the morning." Minuette said, obviously doubtful of my word.

Tomorrow is going to be a really awkward day. I thought to myself as the remaining minutes of my lunch break slowly ticked away.

As I left the restaurant I could hear the pitter-patter of little hooves following me outside. Casting a quick glance over my shoulder I took note of my temporary tag along.

“I’m surprised you three didn’t have school today.” I said.

“School starts back next week, duh.” Scootaloo said.

“Sorry, I don’t really keep up with that sort of thing…how’ve things been?” I asked.

“Mostly the same, we still haven’t found our special talent yet. I’m starting to wonder if there are ponies out there that don’t have special talents.” Scootaloo sighed looking down at the ground.

“I wouldn’t know, humans aren’t born to be naturally good at something by default. We have to learn and adapt to fit in, and become well rounded as individuals. I was good at basketball, gaming, and computers, but only one of those proved useful in terms of having an income. Things come naturally to you guys, where you’ll excel at one or more activities…perhaps your talent isn’t limited to just one.” I said thinking out loud.

“Heh, maybe not. That would be pretty cool to have multiple talents.” Scootaloo said.

I saw Sugar Cube Corner come into view, and was impressed that the tangerine filly had stuck with me for as long as she had. Her company wasn’t unwelcome, but if Rainbow Dash was around I was pretty much chopped liver, which had led me to believe I was simply a fill in. Perhaps I had been a bit quick with my assumption.

The door to Sugar Cube Corner opened, revealing Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. They grinned when they noticed Scootaloo. If memory served, it was little miss Tiara that had helped exposed me to Ponyville ahead of schedule.

“Well, well if it isn’t the blank flank Scootaloo, walking the monster today?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed in frustration at the derogatory comment. The filly’s face turned red as she glared at the bratty ponies. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her words held back.

“What’s the matter? You know silence can be mistaken as acknowledgement, right?” Silver Spoon asked, trying to goad Scootaloo into responding.

“You two…” I said gaining their attention. “Tell me, what is it you’re good at?”

“What?” the two bullies asked me in unison.

“Your talents, what are they? The marks don’t make sense.” I said, putting on my best poker face.

“How could you not know what our talents are? It should be obvious at first glance; I guess you’re stupider than they say.” Diamond Tiara snapped.

The way I was raised, if I ever called an adult stupid to their face it usually resulted in a sore bottom, and a week of no videogames. There were some parents who didn’t practice tough love, and those were often the ones I would see on the evening news getting into trouble. It seemed spoiled brats existed in every world, and this one was no exception.

I could feel my own anger rising a little bit, but not to an unmanageable level. I could walk away and not care what became of two spoiled rotten fillies. It was Scootaloo I worried about.

“Since you’re smarter than I am, can you tell me how many pieces of toast you put in a toaster?” I asked, earning confused looks from all parties.

“Only a loser wouldn’t know that. You put two in, duh.” Silver Spoon said as both she and Diamond Tiara broke out into a fit of laughter.

“You don’t put toast in a toaster,” I said, bringing an end to their giggling. “You put bread in it.”

Scootaloo started to snicker at them as their faces reddened. It was her turn to laugh at them as they realized what had just transpired. I couldn’t help but grin a little at their embarrassment at labeling themselves losers.

“Come on Scoots, let’s leave these two to their toast dilemma.” I said continuing on my way, Scootaloo gave a simple nod of agreement and followed after me, leaving the two red faced fillies behind her. It was a small victory, and helped take my mind off tomorrow, for a little while at least.

Scootaloo had returned to the clubhouse after her friend reached the post office. She felt guilty she couldn’t stick up for him, but the human seemed to be able to handle himself pretty well. She made a mental note to ask if there were more trick questions he knew of, not that she would ever need them though, but just out of curiosity.

Normally Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were much crueler than today. Their taunts stung far worse than Scootaloo would let the others know, with her friends beside her it was a bit more bearable, but when she was alone it was much worse on the filly.

Scootaloo looked up at the wall they had hung the pictures they had drawn one afternoon. Not every day had to be about crusading, after all. On that particular day, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had drawn pictures of their families.

The only other pony in the picture the tangerine filly had drawn was Rainbow Dash. The mare had taken her under her wing as her little sister, but that only left Scootaloo wanting something more.

Parent teacher conferences were held with both the parent and the filly or colt, or so Scootaloo had been told. Instead of attending a meeting, Miss Cheerilee sent a progress report to the orphanage that was simply scanned over and signed for her to take back.

There was also family appreciation day, just one more activity that Scootaloo felt left out of. She could continue down the list of things that she had missed out on, but the familiar sound of hooves approaching the clubhouse door interrupted her thought process.

She didn't want to appear upset in front of them and put her emotional mask back on. She had to be tough, like Rainbow Dash.

"Sootaloo, are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked concern evident in the unicorn's voice.

"We heard ya ran inta Diamon Tiara and Silver Spoon. They didn't hurt you did they?" Applebloom asked, following her friend into the clubhouse.

"Me? Nah, they only made themselves look bad," Scootaloo said proudly. "Besides, I wasn't alone so I couldn't really make them eat their words like I wanted to. Luckily Daniel was there to hold me back from letting them have it."

Scootaloo smiled when she saw her friends' relax as she put a bit of a twist on the story. She felt the need to make it sound cooler than it actually was.

Unbeknownst to the three crusaders, Diamond Tiara was eavesdropping on them. The thin walls of the club house did little to muffle the voice of Scootaloo as she excitedly retold her version of the story.

The magenta filly was furious enough from having been humiliated by a stupid, hairless, thinks-he's-so-smart-but-really-isn't, monster. Silver Spoon had ran off, apparently the trick question had messed with her more than Tiara was aware of, no matter.

"So, she thinks she can put me in my place huh? Well, we'll just see about that." Diamond Tiara hissed.

"Izzy...let go of me." I said coldly, trapped in a rather awkward hug.

"Shh, only seventeen more seconds." Isabella said.

While I was never opposed to hugs, receiving a random hug from my sister raised questions as to what she might have done while I was gone. She was smarter than most people I knew back home, and could easily kick anyone's bum that pissed her off, but had the heart and mind of a child sometimes.

"What did you break, and where's the body?" I asked.

"I didn't break anything yet, I'm waiting for Oxytocin to be released, hugs are good for you." Isabella replied.

My sister was the only human alive that could succeed in frustrating me, and impressing me with her book knowledge at the same time. I could hardly wait for Twilight to spend a day with her.

"I'm going to pretend I know what you're talking about...it's been seventeen seconds by the way." I said.

I was released from the hug and left alone as Isabella picked up the book she had been reading before I came home. I was pretty impressed by this sudden shift in attitude towards studying. It wasn't exactly her favorite thing to do, but as long as I didn’t have to nag her everything was okay by me, awkward hugs included.

As I walked into the kitchen I was treated to several pictures of anime characters. Upon closer inspection of the paper the characters were drawn on, it was the study guides Twilight had sent.

"Sesshomaru does not belong on the study guides." I said, holding back my urge to shout.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Isabella corrected, not looking up from her book.

"If you're going to deface studying material, at least have a bit more class...seriously what in the great wide land of Equestria prompted you to do this?" I asked.

"Do you have any idea how boring it is sitting inside all day?" Isabella asked.

"You could have walked out." I replied.

"Yes, and let God knows who just wander in, I don't have a key to the house." Isabella said.

"The crime rate in Ponyville is nonexistent, seriously are you worried about somepony looking at the windows funny?" I asked, mocking her.

"Whatever, I'm just ready to get this test over with. I can feel my IQ leaking out my ear holes from the massive levels of boredom." Isabella replied.

I rolled my eyes at the words "ear holes" her inner child was certainly coming out full force today. I needed sleep, it had been a long day and my arm was still a bit stiff. My sister's antics were the last thing I needed to deal with.

After dinner I decided to go straight to bed, I had an uncertain day ahead of me tomorrow and thinking about circumstances like that always kept me up later than I would care to admit. I had hoped that by turning in early enough, I would simply give into exhaustion and pass out, with no such luck.

I couldn’t sleep, no matter how hard I tried, slumber refused to grace my exhausted body and mind. Thoughts of what Minuette might say or do continued to run through my head, denying my brain the rest it longed for.

I didn’t want to think about what might happen if she found a cavity on top of everything else that might occur tomorrow. I was still having difficulty wrapping my head around the idea that a small, colorful equine was going to be poking around inside my mouth.

The dental offices of Equestria didn't differ much from those of Earth. They had the same bland color scheme, the same weird clash between ocean, and dental centered paintings, and of course the same small waiting space.

A noticeable difference was the size of the building. Like with most of the buildings in Ponyville, and almost all of Equestria for that matter, they were built with ponies in mind. While some building had adapted to meet the needs of other species, none accounted for interdimensional beings.

"Oh...my gosh." the mare at the reception desk said, looking up as the bell on the door alerted her to my presence. I despised this particular device, since they never failed to collide with me in some way, no matter what building I walked into.

The other four occupants in the room turned to look at me and shrugged. Apparently the struggle to get me to set foot into this building was unknown to them.

"You actually showed up...those fifteen bits are mine." the mare said, smiling ecstatically as I approached the desk. It was comforting, knowing they had taken bets on whether or not I would show up.

"You're welcome?" I said signing in as a clip board was passed to me.

"Hey Minuette, you lost!" the mare shouted down the hallway.

"What!?" came a muffled shout, followed by the rapid clopping of hooves against tiled floor.

Minuette appeared behind the desk, wearing a cute little mask most dentist did when they were working with patients. It looked adorable on a pony, in a strange sort of way.

"I'll be honest, I didn't think you had it in you." Minuette said, as her mask slid itself down her neck to hang limply while not in use.

"I said I'd be here, so are we going to do this?" I asked.

"Yes...in about twenty more minutes. Have a seat please." Minuette said trotting back down the hallway as her mask repositioned itself over her muzzle.

I groaned and looked at the small chairs. This had to be some form of punishment, but it was sit or stand for twenty minutes. It might not sound like a long period of time, but when there's nothing to do, twenty minutes can seem to drag on for a while.

I cautiously sat in one of the chairs, feeling a bit ridiculous seated on the small furniture. I hadn't even seen Minuette yet and already I was beginning to contemplate running with each passing second.

"Daniel?" the mare at the desk called my name.

So much for running. I thought to myself as I stood up, bringing the chair with me. A good push on the arm rest freed me from the chair's evil clutches.

The hallway was the same color as the waiting room, why colorful, miniature horses would pick such a bland color scheme for such facilities was beyond me. If I could change anything about Equestria, this would be one of the things on my list.

"On your left." I heard Minuette say from one of the rooms.

The unicorn was laying out a various utensils and an open note book was resting on the counter across from the dental chair. The chair itself seemed a bit small and Minuette seemed to share my concerns as she shifted her gaze from me, to the chair.

"Sorry, we're not really built to handle...taller clients." Minuette said.

"I'll make do...I hope." I said sitting in the chair nervously.

"Relax, you look like you're about to pass out." the mare said with a laugh.

"Hey, Minuette, what you're about to see, isn't exactly what you're probably expecting. So...just don't scream okay?" I asked.

"Ominous...if you're worried about your mouth don't be. I've seen some bad cases in my day, but if it makes you feel better I promise I won't scream." Minuette replied.

My fear was my own doing really. The night Pinkie Pie had thrown me a welcome party, I had been asked what my diet was. Put on the spot, and with ponies just starting to trust me, I did what any sensible human male would do...I lied my ass off.

Officially, as far as Ponyville was concerned, I was a herbivore. Unofficially, kept within a closely woven circle, I was an omnivore, borderline carnivore. It wasn't exactly the reputation one wanted, and the protein I received from eggs and fish helped keep things in check. Thank God for Fluttershy, though she never did tell me where she got the fish from in the first place.

"Open." Minuette said, as she leaned me back in the seat.

I hesitantly opened my mouth, in such a way that my teeth were still covered by my lips. I was still unsure about what her reaction would be, my heart skipped a beat as I watched whatever the mirror stick is called slide into my mouth, accompanied by some other tool. I honestly could not place a name to the tools at the unicorn's disposal, so mirror stick it was.

"I know you can open wider than that, come on now." Minuette giggled, flipping a large light on. At least one of us was having fun with this, for now.

You asked... I thought to myself, opening my mouth wider.

"W-what?" Minuette stammered, her eyes growing large as I opened my mouth wider.

At first, nothing happened. We both sat there in silence. The clock slowly ticking, indicating the seconds that were being wasted in this awkward state of shock induced silence. I had expected her to scream and run out of the building, this was more manageable.

"Minuette?" I tried gaining her attention, pulling the two floating dental tools out of my mouth before speaking.

"Why did you lie?" Minuette asked, taking off her mask as the door to the room closed itself. The look on her face, coupled with her tone of voice, hurt me a little.

"Because you guys were just starting to trust me, and believe I wasn't some monster out for blood. I'm not, and it was stupid, but I didn't want to screw up everything that Twilight and the others had helped me with." I said.

"So how have you been getting...protein?" Minuette asked nervously, processing what I had just said.

"Eggs mostly, fish from Fluttershy occasionally, and other supplements." I replied quietly.

"Fluttershy's in on this?" Minuette asked in disbelief.

"Yes, as well as Princess Twilight, and Scootaloo...and now, you." I answered.

Minuette grew quiet, unnervingly so. She stared down at the tools she had seemed a bit over enthusiastic about only a few minutes ago. I was expecting this to be the part where she pinned me with her magic and pulled my teeth out one by one, fortunately no such event occurred.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to freak you guys out any more than I already had. I just wanted to fit in, as best I could anyways." I said with a shrug.

Minuette looked up at me, her eyes boring into my soul. Unicorns seemed to have that stare as some sort of secret weapon, along with being able to use magic. It made it difficult to tell what they were thinking or planning.

"Treat me to dinner sometime, and I'll consider forgiving you." Minuette said with a smile, holding her nose up in the air in a playfully, snobby manner.

I could hardly believe what her terms were. Joking or not, I still hadn't considered taking things farther than friendship with anypony. Still, turning her down might not be in my best interest.

"So...dinner huh?" I asked.

“Don’t sweat grapes on me, Casanova,” Minuette teased. “It’d be as friends, I wouldn’t blackmail you into being my date.”

Well, technically you are... I thought to myself.

"We can talk more about that later, it's time to get back to business." Minuette said, as her mask slipped over her muzzle once more.

Author's Note

You guys are awesome, I was legitimately terrified about starting this as a sequel. So thank you for the support. I'm still looking for a proof reader, so far none have gotten back with me, which kind of makes me depressed :fluttercry: Thoughts and comments (however crazy they may be) are welcomed.

Horizons

An annoying buzzing shattered the tranquil silence. It was the all too familiar sound of my alarm clock that was going off on a Saturday morning for reasons unfathomable. I couldn’t remember setting the glorified noise maker to go off at five thirty in the morning, which seemed like a ridiculous time to get up in the first place.

“I’m going to kill her if she’s behind this…” I groaned swinging my arm at the alarm in a futile attempt to turn it off.

“No need to kill anyone, or anypony, in your case.” a voice chuckled.

I jumped as the presence of another individual in my room became apparent. It didn’t take long to find the voice’s owner, given the limited hiding places in my room to begin with. Though for the being in question, hiding wasn’t exactly his style.

“Discord, what the hell are you doing in my room?” I hissed, glaring at him through tired eyes.

“I’ve simply come to ensure you got up on time…among other things.” Discord replied, shutting off my alarm clock with a snap of his fingers. The device morphed into a balloon animal that proceeded to pop.

“At five thirty in the morning? Are you out of your min-no, don’t answer that.” I said rubbing my forehead, only to pull my hand-no, hoof-away in shock.

“That would be reason number two.” Discord said grinning.

Discord was my friend, though I wouldn’t call us blood brothers or anything like that, he was okay to hang out with. That being said, he was still the embodiment of chaos, and chaos is unpredictable. Having been warped by his magic twice, going on three times now, our friendship could best be described as a rollercoaster ride; full of loops and turns, but still together and solid.

Though breaking into my house in the odd hours of the morning, and turning me into a pegasus was pushing boundaries. Needless to say the invasion of my privacy, what at the most primitive level was my turf, had been violated in my sleep. This put me in a mood that was less than friendly.

“Reason number two is about to kick your balls into next Thursday!” I exclaimed, jumping out from under the covers, preparing to kick him.

“What’s going on in here?” Isabella asked with a yawn, opening the door to my room.

My sister was now standing in the doorway to my room, her gaze bouncing between the lord of chaos, and a smaller, furrier, version of me. After living in Equestria for a while, this sort of thing would have come across as pretty standard to me by now. My sister on the other hand, or hoof, hadn’t been in Equestria nearly as long as I had.

“What?” was all she could muster from her rather impressive vocabulary.

“We’re roleplaying.” Discord replied with a grin.

“Shut up! No we’re not, Izzy I can explain!” I exclaimed.

Isabella slowly closed the door to my room. My ears flicked forward as I heard her footsteps travel towards the living room.

“Good going, hey next time why don’t you turn the entire house into a giant cake?” I asked jumping off the bed, my hooves clacking noisily against the wood floor as I landed.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Discord said rolling his eyes “I’m sure she would have found out eventually. After all, the residual magic builds up and you’d have to spend a little time as…oh…what did you call yourself…Rock Shooter?”

“Comet Guard.” I sighed.

“That was it!” Discord exclaimed with a snap of his fingers, causing the room around us to warp and shift until it resembled the living room. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Discord had let himself in to wake me up. While I appreciated the consideration, I didn’t enjoy the experience of falling asleep as a human, only to wake up as a pony. I wasn’t convinced he had agreed to help out of the goodness of his heart, I felt it was more along the lines of finding an excuse to use his powers.

I now sat at the dining room table, covered in blue fur. A green mane and tail, with lime green streaks in it. A cutie mark that resembled the chaos god Tzeenth had branded itself on my flanks. The first time I had been warped by chaos the cutie mark made little sense. Reflecting on it now, Tzeench was the changer of ways; perhaps it meant I was really adaptable?

“So, you can turn into a pony?” Isabella asked, having calmed down significantly from earlier this morning.

“Yes, well, with Discord’s help I can. Normally he gives me some sort of warning though.” I replied, taking a bite out of an apple.

“How can you hold that?” Isabell asked.

“You’ve got to throw most of what you know about physics out the window in this world.” I replied, taking another large bite out of the fruit.

“So does it…feel weird?” Isabella asked.

“You’re more than welcome to find out.” Discord said, wiggling the digits of his bird like hand, gum drops and other candies falling from his fingertips as he did so.

“Um maybe later, besides didn’t you say you two had something to do?” Isabella asked.

“Yeah, training with Rainbow Dash. Today is going to either be really awesome, or suck horribly.” I replied, jumping out of my seat, and giving my wings a few experimental flaps.

I would never admit it to Discord, but it was pretty awesome to have a set of wings. I considered it a positive side effect from his antics. I could move faster, and didn’t have to worry about standing out in a crowd. The pros outweighed the cons, but I still preferred walking on two legs as opposed to four. I missed having arms and hands too.

While I had the outward appearance of a pegasus, I still had the mind of a human, which made things a bit awkward. Humans were born to walk on two legs; this caused me to face plant into the ground the first time I tried walking.

As I approached the door, Discord’s face appeared on the door handle, smiling at me mischievously. To any normal person, or pony, there was such a thing as going too far. Discord was proving so far that he didn’t have a limit.

“I will kick that door down.” I warned.

“Still assuming the worst I see, and here I thought we were starting to build bridges.” Discord said, the door opening revealing the lord of chaos standing on the other side, his arms crossed in a pouting gesture.

A cold breeze rushed past me, sending chills down my spine. The wind triggering the ingrained need for speed, and the freezing morning temperatures, it did little to encourage me to proceed further. Rainbow Dash had to be out of her mind to want to train this early in the morning, but a promise is a promise.

“I thought the entire point of being chaos was to be unpredictable.” I said as the door closed behind us.

“I don’t see how I failed that expectation, since you instantly assumed I was going to try and lock you inside your own house. Honestly, how unimaginative do you think I am?” Discord asked with a snap of his fingers.

“I wasn’t questioning your imagination. I was simply trying to predict an outcome based on previous experiences.” I replied as the park materialized around us.

“Prediction is something you can’t really achieve with chaos. If I wanted whatever spell Twilight was casting at this moment to produce some sort of weird fuzzy thing that spoke in tongues, and I make it happen,” Discord said snapping his fingers. “Then that’s an example of pure chaos, we both know how studious Miss Sparkle can be. Imagine the look on her face, anticipating on achieving one result, but getting another.”

“That’s kind of a watered down example isn’t it?” I asked.

“Your mind isn’t ready to understand the true, unadulterated influence that chaos has over the universe. You can’t have progress without chaos.” Discord replied.

“Progress isn’t always a good thing though.” I said, my thoughts drifting to Earth and how “progress” had often done more harm than good.

“I never said progress defined itself as good or evil.” Discord said.

Twilight Sparkle had barely had the time to focus on magic with her new duties that had carried her away from home. While Saddle Arabia had its charms, she missed her friends back in Ponyvile. She counted herself lucky that she only had to stay one more night.

Twilight magically flipped through the pages of an old book she had brought with her from her castle. She found the spell she was looking for, a simple projection spell, and started to focus her energy through her horn.

The alicorn couldn’t help but feel, wrong somehow, as she tried to cast the spell. Pushing the thought from her mind, she focused on channeling her energy again, only for the feeling to return once more.

What’s wrong with me today? This should be simple and easy, albeit exhausting and difficult to maintain for an extended period of time. All I want to do is check on everypony. Twilight thought to herself.

She settled on one more try before she had to return to her duties. This time her focus remained unbroken. The spell was supposed to allow her to create an aetherial projection of herself; it was seldom used in Equestria now, thanks to letters and the postal system nullifying the need for such an exhausting spell.

Twilight screamed when she opened her eyes. Before her was a small, pink, fuzzy creature.

“W-where did you come from?” Twilight asked.

“Siht eno semoc morf neewteb eht senoz fo ecaps! Leenk revo rellewd, ot eht tsom emerpus gnieb ni lla eht dnal!” the small creature replied.

I shivered as I scanned the park for any sign of Rainbow Dash. Much to my dismay, there wasn’t a single prism colored trace of her to be found. In fact, it was starting to look like she had forgotten about meeting here in the first place.

“So, did she ever specify an actual time for you to wake me up?” I asked looking up at Discord.

“Her rather vague instructions were to be here “really early” in the morning.” Discord replied with air quotes.

Before I could ask another question, the loud screech of a whistle made me jump into the air. Normally a human would come back down to the ground after being startled, a pegasus however, does not. I found myself in the branches of a rather tall oak tree, my mind having temporarily shifted into flight mode, quite literally.

The sound of laughter from beneath the tree snapped me out of my panicked mental state. Looking down I saw Rainbow Dash and Discord, laughing hysterically at my reaction to her whistle. I had a feeling that they were both in on the little trick.

“Okay, you got me.” I said, swooping down to them.

“You should have seen your face! I didn’t know you could fly that fast!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in between fits of laughter.

“I take it back Rainbow Dash, this was worth waking up at the crack of dawn for.” Discord said.

I rolled my eyes, while Rainbow Dash’s pranks were mostly harmless, it was the gloating that was the worst part of it. I would have to listen for a week straight how she got the better of me. Even if I did manage to prank her back, she would just get competitive and prank me again.

“Here, put this on.” Rainbow Dash said, tossing me a vest.

Trying to put a vest on as a pony was about as thrilling as a cat or dog being forced to put on a shirt or costume. Getting my wings through the holes was the hardest part, but once it was on I was surprised at how warm it was. It was still freezing outside, but it wasn’t unbearable now.

“Well, you two have fun, I have more interesting things to tinker about with. “ Discord said, collapsing in on himself until he disappeared.

“Ok, let’s see what you can do.” Rainbow Dash said, her wings lifting her off the ground and carrying her up to the clouds faster than my eyes could track.

I flew after her, my human based fear of heights clouded by the thrill of feeling the wind beneath my wings. I had to clamp down on the desire to go faster. The less noticeable disadvantage to being warped by Discord was fighting back all of the alien instincts that kept trying to force their way into my mind. Some were beneficial; others seemed useless and strange at the moment.

I closed my eyes once I reached the same altitude as Rainbow Dash and took in a few deep breaths. Slowly my mind became clearer, the urge to give into my form’s whims fading away. It was as if I was fighting for control against another person, or pony in my case.

“You okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, poking me in the forehead to gain my attention.

“Yeah, just uh…getting all the negative energy out of my system.” I replied with a nervous grin.

“Whatever helps I guess,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I just hope you still have enough energy to keep up, now pay attention.”

Rainbow Dash flew over to a nearby cloud, looking it over before spinning around in one fluid motion and kicking it with her hind legs. The cloud dispersed upon impact with an audible “poof”.

“Okay, now just like that on…this one.” Rainbow Dash said flying over to another cloud.

I followed her and tried to see what she saw in the clouds. I had a very basic grasp of clouds. Given the fact that the clouds in this world didn’t follow the same rules as those of Earth’s, I felt clueless as to what the cyan pegasus had seen in these two clouds apart from all the others.

I pushed the thought from my mind and tried to spin around like Rainbow Dash had, only to lose control from the sudden, unfamiliar motion. With the grace of a bull in a china shop, I managed to land on a rather dark cloud. The second all four hooves touched it, a loud “bang” broke the early morning silence.

“Heh, think that got everypony up?” Rainbow Dash said biting her bottom lip to hold back her laughter.

If I hadn't been standing on a cloud that had access electricity in it, I would have stomped my hoof down in frustration. A bit agitated. I approached the cloud Rainbow Dash had pointed out to me once more and tried to spin around again, going over the steps in my head.

Hind legs up, back straight, and spin! I thought to myself, missing wildly once more, and landing on the cloud instead of kicking it.

"The idea is to hit the cloud, not wrestle it." Rainbow Dash said, appearing upside down while I was on my back.

"I'm trying to copy you, but my body doesn’t want to cooperate." I said, not bothering to roll upright.

"Don't worry about copying me, I do this for a living. I'm not expecting you to clear the skies single hoofed so keep trying." Rainbow Dash said.

I flew off the cloud that had bested me twice now. I was frustrated and embarrassed at this point, most pegasi could do this naturally without any problems. Then again, I wasn't exactly like most pegasi.

On my third attempt, I slowly turned until I was facing Rainbow Dash, who gave me a nod of approval. Turning my head to see behind me I straightened my back, folding my hind legs beneath me, poised to strike at the cloud behind me.

"Hold up, I see what you're doing wrong," Rainbow Dash said, breaking my concentration. "You have to use your forelegs too, that' why you keep missing."

Taking the cyan pegasus' advice, my forelegs were soon tucked beneath me. I felt a bit ridiculous in this position; it was awkward, and annoying to fly like this.

"Okay, so, as you kick with your hind legs sling your forelegs forward. Earth ponies don't have to worry about stuff like this because they have traction. Up here, it's all us. Now let’s see what you've got." Rainbow Dash instructed.

"How come you only use one instead of both sometimes?" I asked.

"Pssh, there's lots of ways you can bust a cloud up. The trick is doing it right, basics come first though. This is the most common method, it's something I know how to do, but I prefer cooler methods." Rainbow Dash replied.

"This is surprisingly well thought out for you." I commented.

"Keep it up wise guy and I'll send you home with more than ruffled feathers." Rainbow Dash warned, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You got it sensei, wax on, wax off..." I said rolling my eyes.

Before she could question the reference, I kicked at the cloud behind me. This time however, my forelegs stretched out in unison with my hind legs. I smiled when I heard a satisfying "poof" sound, proof that I had hit my target without incident.

"See? Makes all the difference in the world." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, it does actually...are there more?" I asked, a smile working its way across my face.

"Plenty, let's hope you keep that attitude for the rest of the day." Rainbow Dash replied.

The day passed relatively quickly, after lunch rolled around as I spent the rest of my time up in the clouds. What started as a simple day of training eventually turned into a contest, which Rainbow Dash won decisively. I was still a newbie, and getting a feel of what my limits were, so I didn’t anticipate a favorable outcome.

“You did pretty good for your first day. If you ever get bored of being a human you might make it in this line of work.” Rainbow Dash said, as we caught our breath on a cloud that was at a slightly higher attitude.

She claimed that flying a bit higher would give us some relief from the cold. I doubted her at first, arguing that the higher we were the colder it would be. Much to my surprise she was right, it was warmer the higher we were. Oh Equestria, you and your backwards ass physics.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m still fond of the original me. That’s not to say I don’t miss these when I’m back to two legs.” I said, unfurling my wings to stretch them out after a long day of flying.

“I get’cha , I had to go without wings once. It was the worst day ever, I mean, they’re what make me me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, throwing her hooves above her head in exaggeration to her statement.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I like the idea of a wingless Rainbow Dash.” I said.

Silence eventually reclaimed the relatively peaceful atmosphere. It wasn’t a bad thing either; the silence was oddly soothing, with only the occasional stray breeze disrupting the tranquility. While I found the setting enjoyable, Rainbow Dash seemed to be constantly shifting, ever the bundle of energy.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of thirsty.” Rainbow Dash said looking down over the edge of the cloud.

“Do we have to leave?” I whined flopping down on the cloud, hugging the fluffy perch possessively with my forelegs.

“Stay if you want, but once Discord’s magic wears off I doubt you’ll be complaining about being on the ground again.” Rainbow Dash replied, jumping off the cloud and into the air.

Begrudgingly, I followed her back down to Ponyville, the cold air growing more prominent as we descended to the ground. My fur served to lock in some of the heat I had been graced with moments ago. As I got closer, I could see ponies trying to finish up their daily routines.

I landed next to Rainbow Dash, who motioned for me to follow her with a brief motion of her head. I matched my pace to hers as she led me through the town. I couldn’t help but notice two mares giggling like school girls from Earth as we walked by, turning away when I focused on them. Cloudchaser and Lily, if I remembered their names correctly.

“Rainbow, not to be that guy, but why do mares keep acting a bit…off around me?” I asked.

“Oh, because you’re not marked yet.” Rainbow replied, causing red flags to go off in my mind.

“Marked…care to explain?” I asked quietly.

“It’s nothing bad, to them you’re just another pony, who happens to be a pretty good looking stallion.” Rainbow replied.

Not you too… I thought to myself.

“Anyways, all being marked means is having a mare’s scent on you. It rubs off from spending time with them and stuff. There’s not a whole lot to it, they just know your single is all.” Rainbow Dash explained.

“I guess that makes sense.” I said, making a mental note to ask Twilight more about this subject, however awkward it might be.

"So, what do you drink most of the time?" Rainbow Dash asked, leading me into what I could only describe as a bar.

"Sweet Tea mostly, I despise coffee with a passion, so I have to get caffeine somehow." I replied, waving at Big Mac once I noticed him. He gave a small nod in return.

"That's kind of lame Da-I mean, Comet." Rainbow Dash said, correcting herself. Thankfully the noise from other conversations and music in the background covered the near blunder with my name.

I wasn't too surprised Ponyville had a bar. Honestly, the similarities between Earth and Equestria were staggering at times, so this shocked me less than it probably should have. Even the interior of the building was familiar to what I had seen when I had been asked to pick up one of my friends. Though the establishment was surprisingly clean all things considered.

"What'll it be?" asked a plum colored earth pony, once Rainbow and I had found a seat at the bar.

"Hard Cider if you've got it." Rainbow Dash replied.

"How about you, cutie?" the mare asked.

"I uh...water, I guess?" I replied, blushing a bit.

"Come oooon! You've got to branch out a bit, explore new horizons, all that stuff Twilight goes on about." Rainbow Dash said.

"Dash, I don't know what to ask for, I've never drank before." I confessed.

"Wait what?" both mares asked in unison, looking at me in disbelief.

"I've never drank before...as in alcohol and-" I started to explain.

"YOU'VE NEVER DRANK BEFORE?!" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice rising above the noise in the building.

The sound of several ponies’ drinks leaving their mouths in a comical spew of surprise filled the air, one of which Big Mac was on the receiving end of. The music came to a sudden stop as did every conversation in the building as all eyes turned towards me.

"The hay did he just say?" Applejack asked, leaning out from behind a booth seat, her presence no longer concealed.

"Applejack, what are you doing here?" I asked, shocked to find her here.

"Don't go changin' the subject none, what's this talk you ain't had a drink before? That just ain’t right sugar cube." the farm pony said, several others nodding in agreement with her.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" I asked, my ears involuntarily folding flat against my skull.

"Of course it's a big deal; it's like a tradition here in Ponyville! Were you sheltered as a foal or something?" the plum earth pony asked in return.

"Funny you should say that." I replied nervously.

"Berry, set this stallion up with the strong stuff! It's time to break him in!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, fire in her eyes.

"You're serious about this?" I asked as a glass of what I assumed was "the strong stuff" was poured for me.

"Serious as a heart attack, now get to it!" Rainbow Dash replied.

“How is this a tradition exactly?” I asked staring at the clear liquid.

“All new ponies come here to be social. This is just a part of it, and if this is your first drink ever then that makes it even more important.” Rainbow Dash replied.

“C’mon already, down the hatch!” Applejack shouted, others joining her to try and encourage me.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this…confound these ponies.” I mumbled before taking the drink, a few cheers coming from the other occupants as I swallowed it.

The clear liquid didn’t burn like my sister had described it once; when I had been dumb enough to ask. She tried to get me to experiment with it multiple times after that, I never saw the point. I suppose my parents learned their lesson with Isabella’s wild tendencies and tried to prevent me from following in her footsteps with scare tactics, which worked a little too well.

There was a tingling sensation, but the feeling wasn’t what held my attention for long. The taste was almost unbearably sweet, with such an overwhelming after taste that could probably induce a seizure if a lesser creature consumed it from the sensory overload.

“Oh God! What was that?!” I asked, setting the glass down as a warm feeling spread through me, causing an involuntary smile to work its way across my face.

“I think somepony likes it.” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.

“Sun Kissed Surprise, good huh?” Berry asked with a laugh.

“It’s definitely a surprise.” I replied as the noise in the bar slowly picked back up.

“More?” Berry offered.

“Um…I don’t know if I should.” I said.

“He means yes.” Rainbow Dash answered for me.

Isabella looked up at the clock in the living room in time to see the hour hand shift to eight. Her brother had been gone all day after that strange creature had appeared, Discord or something like that.

Only seconds later a knock came from the door. Isabella wasted no time in seeing who it was, stunned to find not just her brother, but three other ponies as well. One was a tall red stallion, the other two mares she remembered from her first night in Equestria, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

Draped over the red stallion's back was the pegasus that had left the house this morning, snoring peacefully. Daniel's current state of being raised numerous questions once the scent of alcohol hit Isabella's nose. Even more odd was the strange language that seemed to be written on his foreleg which read Thanks for an amazing time! C with a little heart beside it. What had her little brother been up to?

"Have you guys been out drinking?" Isabella asked, never imagining she would be the one to ask that question.

"A bit, we can't stay long though; the crash comes after the fun." Rainbow Dash said with a dopey expression on her face, while the red stallion slid Daniel off his back and onto the couch.

"You actually got him to drink until he passed out? How?!" Isabella asked.

"He's fine, he'll be up in the mornin', maybe a bit thirsty. A shame those minotaurs can't pull that off, always whinin’ bout headaches." Applejack replied.

"Wait...ponies don't get hangovers?" Isabella asked, reconsidering Discord’s offer if that was the case. Daniel shouldn't get to have all the fun to himself.

"Yeah, that's what they called it. Ah ain't never had a head pain like the one they was describin'. Twi explained it to me one time, didn't make much sense though." Applejack replied.

"How many drinks did he have?" Isabella asked.

"About five...I think, I stopped watching him after five. Don't worry, Berry wouldn't let him kill himself. Sun Kissed Surprise is meant to put you out like a light bulb. Like AJ said, he's just real relaxed right now, I drank like that one time and slept for a whole day." Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"Do you know what alcohol poisoning is?" Isabella asked, poking her brother's sleeping form.

"Sugar cube, trust us, he'll be fine in the mornin'. Just let him sleep it off and he'll be right as rain." Applejack said with a yawn.

"Yeah, we've already over stayed, catch you later Izzy." Rainbow Dash said, doing her best to mask her own yawn.

Isabella was alone once more, her brother still sleeping soundly. She watched the barrel of his chest slowly rise and fall, still finding it hard to believe that this was indeed her little brother, that had been quite human before this morning. Perhaps that chaos thing would be back to change him again, or so she hoped.

"You're pitiful," Isabella said quietly, retrieving a blanket and throwing it over the sleeping pony. "See you in the morning, little bro."

Author's Note

So before any flame comments about alcohol come up let me explain my reasoning. I've seen tons of drunk pony stories, why not try something different? I thought it'd be funny if it just put them to sleep instead of giving them raging headaches.

The Mystery Mare

Author's Note

So this is an Isabella chapter. I find writing stuff for her is a bit easier, she kind of writes herself which is awesome when compared to how many times I have to go back and rewrite/reword things for other characters. Not to say that I've never had to rewrite with her, but she's much easier as far as content goes imo.

The Mystery Mare

I awoke to the sound of someone groaning in pain, but remained still. The sound of something hard hitting the floor from the next room, however, was enough motivation to get out of bed, and grab one of the ridiculously heavy books I had been forced to read as a weapon, maybe it would give who, or whatever it was a concussion.

Another agonizing cry, followed by what sounded like someone vomiting, came from the bathroom. Last night's events slowly came back to me, making me lower the book and approach the closed bathroom door.

Dropping the book to the floor, I flung the door open to find my brother, his head hung over the toilet. Much to my surprise he was back to normal, well, mostly. A pair of small, useless wings were slowly receding into his back as I watched him take in a few deep breaths before flushing the toilet with his reformed hand, fingers steadily growing to their former length. Bones could be heard popping, and shifting as the changes continued.

A cut on his left ear was becoming nonexistent now, as they shifted on his head and returned to their original location, and shape. It made me wonder how he received a cut in such an odd location in the first place, since he came home unharmed and intact. Smeared blood on the side of the sink gave a good indication that he had fallen before proceeding to puke his guts out.

There was one other thing that stood out, he was nude. I quickly threw a towel over him, for which he groaned his thanks, I think. I couldn't hold it against him; he hadn't exactly walked out with clothes on. Though I did notice what looked like a vest of some kind, roughly the size someone would force a large dog to wear.

"You okay?" I asked, kneeling down beside him. My little brother's first hangover, I was so proud.

"I don't want to do stuff now...ugh..." Daniel replied.

"Applejack told me to let you sleep it off, but that was when you were still a pony though. I guess you hit the bottle pretty hard huh?" I asked, rubbing his back a bit.

"I am never drinking again...broaden your horizons...fffuck off Dash..." Daniel moaned, holding out the f longer than necessary.

"I am curious though, who is C?" I asked, holding his limp arm up.

"Thanks for...oh my God, what the hell did I do last night?!" Daniel asked, his eyes widening in fear.

"Looks like you put the sweets to some mare, or maybe a stallion if that’s your thing." I replied teasingly.

"That's not funny...arg..." Daniel said clutching his head.

I left my brother to pull himself together for a quick venture into the kitchen to try and find the biggest cup I could. The farm girl, or mare as Daniel would ordinarily correct me, had been right about him being thirsty, just for a reason she probably hadn't anticipated.

Finding a cup that was suitable for the task at hand, I filled it with water and brought it with me to the bathroom, where I imagined he would be spending most of his morning. I had tried for years to get him to break out of his shell and have a drink or two, and these ponies managed to do it overnight, I was impressed. Still, there was such a thing as over doing it.

“This is what you get for letting your friends talk you into getting shitfaced. I hope you learned moderation from this little outing.” I said, bringing the glass of water to him.

“Said the pot to the kettle.” Daniel said, drinking the water before handing the glass back to me. I had to give him props for still having his wit despite being in pain.

“Touché, but that doesn’t change the fact you’re the one on the floor, who more than likely sexed up some poor mare around town. Oh ho, what would mom and dad think?” I asked.

“Eat a dick Izzy.” Daniel replied.

“Someone, or pony, must have at one point or another last night,” I said, refilling the cup with water and giving it back to him. “Keep drinking, you’re dehydrated.”

“How long does this last?” he asked before taking another drink.

“Kind of depends on the person and alcohol really. You’ll probably be here a while, but that’s the price of having fun I’m afraid.” I said, standing to exit the bathroom.

“Where are you going?” Daniel asked, a hand drawn to his forehead once more.

“I’m going to go see if Twilight Sparkle is back, and to see if I can’t find out who the lucky pony is.” I replied.

Daniel groaned in response, whatever he drank last night must have been extremely strong. I could only assume that when he started to change his body was still trying to process everything, something he as a human couldn’t effectively do. The mixture probably hit him like a sledgehammer.

With no further objections from my sibling, I left him to recuperate. The irony of the situation was not lost on me, given the chance that would have probably been me instead of him. Hopefully he would go to sleep after he was done.

I slipped into his jacket before walking outside into the frigid air; it was warmer than the sweater I owned. Besides, it’s not like he would need it today anyways. The ponies that lived in the neighborhood always stopped what they were doing, and stared when I stepped outside or walked past them. Never out of hate, like the stuck up snobs in Canterlot, but it was still unnerving.

Daniel didn’t receive nearly as many stares as I did, if any. He kept telling me that they just had to get used to me, which is a great plan and all, if you’re a patient person. I don’t like to play the waiting game, for anything.

I left our neighborhood, snow crunching beneath my shoes as I walked down the street. Aside from the stares, the area wasn’t that bad. I had done my best to view this as a vacation, that was permanent. It helped when I had the occasional case of home sickness.

Sugar Cube Corner came into view, the building’s presence instantly pushing everything on my to-do list to the very bottom. In their place was the image of a treat I had considered lost when I came to this world, but had been ecstatic when I was proven wrong.

Pinkie Pie was by far my favorite pony, if I had to pick one. She was spontaneous, and always managed to make me smile. She was also the pony to have produced the most precious object ever conceived by any mind, in any dimension. My favorite muffin.

“A quick detour wouldn’t hurt.” I said to myself.

The bell on the door of Sugar Cube Corner alerted all within of my presence, as it jingled slightly. I wasn’t as tall as my brother, and didn’t have to worry about hitting my head as frequently as he did. I did have to lower my head just a bit to get into the shop, however.

“Heellooooo Izzy!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, waving at me happily.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were the only two ponies to use the nickname that Daniel had given me since we were kids on a regular basis. It was a bit refreshing, and I didn’t mind. Pinkie Pie had tried to come up with a new nickname for me, but so far nothing seemed to fit as well as Izzy. She tried adding things to it, like Izzy Lizzy, which sounded okay, but it kind of made the point of a nickname moot, since it took just as long to say Isabella.

“Hey Pinkie, how’s life rolling?” I asked, approaching the counter.

“Right along,” Pinkie giggled. “So are you here for the usual?”

“Yep, you might be able to help me with something else too.” I replied.

“Oh? What sort of something?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Well I don’t know if ponies go by initials on a regular basis or not, but can you think of any that start with the letter C?” I asked.

“Hmm, hold on just a minute.” Pinkie replied, disappearing behind a door that I assume led to the kitchen, only to return seconds later with a small bag with a sweet aroma coming from it. The girl, err mare rather, was fast.

“Now, you want to know who Daniel saw last night, right?” Pinkie Pie asked, leaving me dumbfounded, and wondering if what he had done was worse than I had originally assumed if she already knew.

“Uh yeah, but how’d you know?” I asked.

“I just guessed,” Pinkie shrugged before holding up a book titled Never Dream with bright stars on the cover. “You and the Isabella from this story have a lot of similarities, so I thought you might ask something she would.”

There were numerous flaws with the pink pony’s logic. For one, most notably, how could she accurately guess what I was going to ask based on a book? Secondly, where did she get a book in a world full of strange, nonsensical names, which just happened to have a character that shared my name? Finally, how did she know my brother had been out last night anyways?

Daniel had mentioned her producing random objects from nothingness before. He attributed it to her secret mastery over cold fusion, or that she was some sort of deity. Twilight had no rebuttal to this and simply shook her head when I asked her if it was true. She only offered the explanation that Pinkie Pie would be Pinkie Pie, and that it was best not to question things.

“Well, you’ve got me there. Anyways, does anyon-pony come to mind?” I asked, paying for the pastry I ordered.

“There’s bunches and bunches of ponies that have names starting with the letter C. There’s Conductor, Cheerilee, Candy Apple, Caramel Apple, Charged Up, Cherry Punch, Cherry Strudel, and-“ Pinkie continued to name ponies from memory. I assumed she would eventually cover every single pony in Equestria if I didn’t stop her.

“Okay I get it, there’s lots of ponies who have names that start with C. Is there any way to narrow that down to those that live in Ponyville and frequent the bar on a Saturday?” I asked.

“Hmm…maybe you should ask Berry Punch, since she works there.” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“Not a bad idea, thanks Pinkie.” I said, now tasked with finding out who Berry Punch was.

"What's not a bad idea?" asked a familiar voice from behind me.

"Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly, rushing over to the alicorn, all but tackling her in a hug.

"It's good to see you too Pinkie." Twilight said, enduring the impact of the pink blur colliding with her before wrapping a foreleg around her friend.

Twilight Sparkle was one of the few ponies I could stand to carry on a conversation with, she didn't stare. Not to mention she didn't drop judgment on me like all the others did. For a princess she was pretty humble, which I could respect.

I didn't hate other ponies, it was a simple matter of distrust on both my part, and theirs. It frustrated me a bit how easily they seemed to welcome my brother, and greet him with a smile. On Earth, it was the other way around, he dwelt in my shadow. Perhaps this was karma delivering a rather ironic punishment.

Daniel had tried to convince me that things hadn't been that easy. That he had nearly been lynched by a town mob, if not for the ponies that he referred to as the Elements of...Harmony, I think? Twilight and Pinkie Pie were among the six he had spoken of when he returned to Earth. Twilight represented magic, while Pinkie Pie represented laughter.

They had apparently been the only ones to stand up for him that day. It spoke volumes about their character and hearts. Even though I gave him a lot of grief at times, I still loved my little brother, and anyone, or pony, that would stand up for him was okay by me.

"How have you been doing Isabella?" Twilight asked, now relinquished from her friend's bear hug.

"Huh? Oh, I've been fine, just breezing through the books you gave me." I lied.

"Hmm, I didn't see Daniel anywhere, is he okay?" Twilight asked.

What is she anyways, psychic? I thought to myself.

"Izzy's out to solve a mystery, since Danny was out with somepony last night." Pinkie replied.

"Out? Out how though? From the time I've known him, he goes to bed at a fairly reasonable hour, did something bad happen?" Twilight asked.

"I'm inclined to think it was something good, though he might disagree right now. His blue butt was carried home after he passed out, and he had some writing on his foreleg that was initialed C." I explained.

"Blue...he didn't...oh wait until I get my hooves on him." Twilight said coldly.

"Easy there killer, I'm pretty sure he's endured enough punishment for last night already. He was puking his guts out this morning when I found him. Apparently you guys are immune to hangovers, humans not so much." I said.

"He went out drinking?!" Twilight asked, stunned by the news.

"I know, I was as shocked as you, but yeah he went and got drunk after helping Rainbow Dash with something I think...if he ever did." I said, briefly considering the possibility that it was just a ruse to leave me all alone at the house.

"How did she get involved in this?" Twilight asked.

"I don’t know, but he came home with writing on him. I was going to see if anyo-pony knew who it might be, though I don't have much to go on." I replied.

"That human is impossible sometimes...I guess I have another stop to make." Twilight sighed.

"Hey Twilight before you go, how much longer do I have before I can take that test?" I asked, trying not to sound to anxious.

"I'd have to get an idea of how far along you are in your studies. I'd prefer not to have another close call like we had with your brother, he nearly failed." Twilight replied.

"Fair enough I guess." I said.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"I'm just tired of all the staring Twilight, I mean, they've seen a human before. My brother has been here for a few months, so what is it about me that's so different?" I asked, venting my frustration.

"You have to understand, Equestria has endured numerous attacks. When something strange or new arrives, it always makes ponies a bit uneasy. In case you haven't noticed, you're much taller and intimidating than we are." Twilight replied.

"Oh oh, not to mention something that looked a little like you drained half of Equestria's magic." Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Pinkie, she looks nothing like Tirek...but," Twilight said rolling her eyes. "Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie's analysis isn't that far from what other ponies might see when they look at you. Believe me, they were calling your brother a blood thirsty monster too, it's not just you."

"Makes sense, I guess." I said, pulling a strawberry muffin with a chocolate chip on top out of the bag.

"Why do you like your muffins with only one chocolate chip on them anyways?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I have my reasons." I replied, they must never know.

"So this is the place huh?" I asked.

"Yes indeedy. Ponyville Pub is the place to go," Pinkie Pie replied, bouncing up to the door, before calmly opening it. "Oh, before I forget, the other ponies don't know Daniel can change, they only know him as Comet Guard."

"Comet Guard? That's kind of a lame name." I said as Pinkie walked through the door.

The party pony had wanted to come along. Her shift was ending, and she claims she would have been bored otherwise. I was inclined to believe her, since I was pretty certain her body ran on sugar.

The bar was mostly empty, save for a few ponies here and there. Understandable, no one back on Earth really hit the bar until later in the evening. The lame background music, that you only started to sing along with after you had a few drinks, was steadily playing.

"Hi Berry!" Pinkie Pie all but shouted, rousing a sleeping mare from a nap. Not the best practice at a bar, but with crime almost nonexistent I guess the trust system was in full effect here.

"Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?" asked the mare, whom I assumed was Berry Punch.

"Solving a mystery." Pinkie replied giddily.

"Right..." Berry said nervously.

The earth pony's eyes eventually fell on me, a hint uncertainty in them as she stared me down. I wanted to make a snarky remark, but held my peace as her stare continued, irritating me slightly.

"So, did a blue pony by the name of...uh." I fumbled with the name Pinkie Pie had given me.

"Comet Guard." Pinkie Pie whispered.

"Right, Comet Guard, did he come through here with somepony last night?" I asked, forcing myself to ponify the word someone.

"Oh, you mean the cutie Rainbow brought with her? I remember him, what kind of stallion hasn't had a drink at his age?" Berry asked.

Creepy, all the mares are hot for my brother. When he's one of them anyways. I thought to myself, shivering as an unsettling image forced its way into my brain.

"So why the interest in my customer? You got the sweets for him or something?" Berry asked, almost causing me to throw up in my mouth.

"GOOD GOD NO!!" I shouted, losing control of the volume of my voice at the nature of the question.

"Okay, no need to shout...geez." Berry Punch said, shying away from me as her ears flattened against her head in fear.

"I mean, no...it's not like that. He crashed at my house last night and I noticed he had some writing on his leg." I said, trying to recover the situation. Why did ponies have to be so weird sometimes?

"Writing...oh you mean the mare that was flirting with him." Berry Punch said.

"Wait, flirting with him? Don't take this the wrong way but...don't guys hit on girls when they're drunk here? Heck not even drunk, just in general, or am I missing something?" I asked.

"If that was the case there would be a lot of lonely mares. Stallions rarely make the first move; any that do are either very confident, or weird. After the mare shows her interest is when things take off." Berry replied.

"Strange social norm, but whatever. Do you know who she was?” I asked.

"Well..." Berry said, trying to recall what happened last night.

"Why do I feel so happy?" Comet asked, his head resting on the bar top.

"It's supposed to make you feel good, what were you expecting?" I replied.

"It's just weird, you know? Being this happy is kind of a big deal for me. I mean I'm happy when I don't drink, but there's always that...thing in life that could make it better." Comet said.

"Sweetie, if you go through life feeling miserable all the time it'll eat you from the inside out. Now, I don't know your life story, but we've all gone through our storms. I opened this place to help ponies leave their troubles at the door for a while. It's just the way the world works sugar." I said.

"I guess, thanks Fruit Soda." Comet said.

"Close enough." I laughed, newbies were always fun to talk to.

I noticed another pony walk through the door. The mare was pretty popular around Ponyville, and had a decent following throughout Equestria. Her trademark sunglasses helped set her apart from every other pony in the room.

"Yo Berry, what's shake'n? A Plum Special please." the mare said, taking the seat Rainbow Dash had recently vacated.

"Hey Vinyl, keeping my eyes on a newcomer, making sure he doesn't over do it," I replied, pointing a hoof at Comet after sliding the mare her drink. "Tonight's his first experience with alcohol, if you can believe that."

"No way! Him?" Vinyl Scratch asked.

"Yes way, me." Comet replied, looking over at the DJ.

"C'mon, you've gotta be kidding me. A sturdy guy like you, never drinking before?" Vinyl asked, taking a sip of her beverage.

"Well, when your parents keep repeating how bad it is, you just start accepting it as truth." Comet replied.

"That's lame, what's your name anyways?" Vinyl asked.

"Comet Guard...I go by another one too, but I'm not supposed to tell anypony." Comet giggled.

"Berry what did you give him?" Vinyl asked with a laugh.

"Sun Kissed Surprise, Rainbow Dash's suggestion." I replied, showing her the impressively half empty bottle.

"Sweet Celestia, he downed that much of it?! Are you sure you've never drank before?" Vinyl asked.

"He's a machine, I'll give him that. His first crash is going to be a hard one though. He’ll probably be out for a day at least." I replied. I counted myself lucky to be a pony sometimes; other species had claimed to experience horrible headaches after drinking so much, sometimes vomiting.

The drinks made other species act weird too. It was like they lost control, the booze was just supposed to make you relax and feel happy, maybe act a bit dopey at times. The only time a pony would start to act weird was if drinks were mixed incorrectly, but any responsible pony knew better.

"So why do you wear sun glasses in dimly lit places?" Comet asked.

"They're a part of who I am. Besides, I can still see you just fine." Vinyl replied.

"Fair enough I guess. This one time I wasn't paying attention and walked into a movie with sunglasses on. Kind of sucked, it's cool you can see with them though." Comet said.

"They're not dark and dreary, here look." Vinyl laughed as her sun glasses levitated from her face and spun around, granting Comet a glimpse through the lenses.

"Oh, cool...you have pretty eyes." Comet said, looking up from the sunglasses.

"Thanks, yours kind of clash with your coat, but they're cool." Vinyl said as her glasses returned to their rightful place.

"They do?" Comet asked, seeming a bit let down by the news.

"Aw, don't be sad," Vinyl said, stifling a giggle. "Brown is a cool eye color, it's just weird to see a pegasus have it, you know? It makes you look cute."

"You really think so? Most of the time in school, I was picked on. Because I was skinny, and didn't have a lot of muscle or anything, I wasn't cute." Comet said, his wings drooping a bit.

Sun Kissed Surprise is hitting this one hard, poor thing. I thought to myself.

"Totally, they were just jealous is all. I bet you were a late bloomer, but the past is the past right?" Vinyl asked rhetorically.

"Yeah...screw the past, here's to the future!" Comet said, grabbing the bottle in a surprising display of speed.

"Now we're talking!" Vinyl exclaimed clinking her glass against the bottle.

The unicorn finished hers off quickly, a shocked expression crossing her face as she watched the last drop from the bottle disappear into Comet's mouth. I couldn't help but share Vinyl’s expression.

"Did he..." I stammered.

"That...was awesome!" Vinyl Scratch exclaimed.

"Comet, are you okay?! You're not supposed to drink the whole thing!" I shouted, turning him around in his seat to face me.

"I'm...fine...just a little...sleepy." Comet replied, his eyes fluttering shut as his head nodded.

"He's done already? Well crap, now who am I going to drink with? I thought I had found a new bar buddy." Vinyl complained.

"He'll probably be back Vinyl, but...I think he's about done with pretty much everything for the evening." I said, watching Comet's eyes close as he gave up fighting against the inevitable.

I gently set his head on the bar, quiet snores soon coming from the stallion. I was confident his first time out with his friends would be a memorable one.

"Funny little pegasus...hey Berry, you got a marker?" the DJ asked.

"Umm...yeah, why?" I asked holding it up.

"Sweet." Vinyl said, her horn lighting up as a magical aura engulfed the marker.

The unicorn proceeded to start writing on the poor stallion's fore leg. I had heard of marking before, but this was just ridiculous if that's what she was planning on doing. I tried my best to read what she was writing, but it wasn't easy to do from my angle.

"Vinyl, what are you doing to him?" I asked.

"What? I just don't want him to forget me is all." Vinyl replied.

"There are other ways of doing that, like saying "hi" in the street, or just talking like a regular pony, or...something." I said.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Vinyl asked, the volume of her voice disturbing Comet enough to make him move while she was still writing.

I could finally see what the mare had been writing on his leg. It was a simple enough message, albeit a suggestive one. When she had tried to initial it with her DJ name instead of a D, Comet's sudden motion had made a C.

Vinyl laughed and drew a heart next to it. She capped the marker and levitated it back to me, satisfied with her hoof work.

"You're not going to fix it?" I asked.

"Nah, his name's Comet, so it works." Vinyl replied. Her logic astounded me sometimes.

"After that his friends took him home." Berry said, finishing her story.

"So...nothing happened?" I asked, almost disappointed he didn't get laid. The story wasn't nearly as funny now, it was still entertaining though.

"Nope, it was just Vinyl being Vinyl. She's a bit on the wild side; a stallion like him probably wouldn't mix well with her anyways." Berry replied.

"Yeah, he tends to be a buzz kill at times." I said, knowing my brother too well.

"That was fun! I like solving mysteries!" Pinkie Pie giggled happily.

"Wait, Twilight said she had another stop to make...uh oh." I said, thinking aloud.

"You come out from under those covers right now mister!" Twilight ordered, glaring at the cover and blanket cocoon Daniel and encased himself in.

The human had apparently balled himself up after being sick most of the morning. The alicorn had found him asleep, but a well-aimed swat from her wing to his backside quickly put an end to his nap.

"No, you're just going to yell at me." Daniel's muffled voice replied.

"You're absolutely right I'm going to yell at you. I thought we agreed that there would be no more chaos magic that involved you shape shifting into a pony?" Twilight scolded.

"I was just helping Rainbow Dash." Daniel replied.

"Who proceeded to talk you into drinking, how she managed that I'll never know. I heard you had writing on your arm, which happened to be a leg when the event took place." Twilight said, poking the cover cocoon with her hoof.

"I don't remember who it was. How is that my fault?" Daniel asked.

"Great, so you could have potentially mated with a mare. Ugh, you give me a headache sometimes." Twilight replied.

"I don't want to sex up a pony though." Daniel said.

"Of course you don't. Drunk Comet Guard just might be tempted to though." Twilight said.

"I'm not some sex hungry deviant, Twilight." Daniel said.

"I never said you were. It's not you I'm worried about, it's other ponies taking advantage of you in that state." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Sorry...I was just trying to help, and it's kind of cool to have wings every once in a while." Daniel said dejectedly.

"What am I going to do with you?" Twilight asked, shaking her head.

"You know you love me." Daniel replied, sticking his head out of his makeshift fort.

"Don't try to act cute, I'm still mad at you buster." Twilight said poking him in the forehead with her hoof.

"So, since you're here I do have a question..." Daniel said, rubbing his forehead as he clambered out of his cover cocoon.

"What would that be?" Twilight asked cautiously.

"What do mares do on dates?" Daniel asked, with complete sincerity.

Twilight slammed her hoof against her face with a sigh. If the pink fuzzy creature that was talking in tongues back at her castle wasn't bad enough, this was the icing on the very bitter cake called life.

"Why of all things would you want to know that?" Twilight asked in return.

"Because I have a date with Minuette." Daniel replied.

It's A Date

Scootaloo rose from her bed at the sound of her name being spoken. It was a voice she hadn't heard before, one that seemed to shift in pitch and volume.

The filly looked around for the source, only to find that there were no other orphans in the room; all of the beds were empty. Finding the scene a bit odd, Scootaloo slowly climbed out of bed, only to hear her name called once more.

"Hello?" Scootaloo called out, her attention zeroing in on a slightly cracked door.

A bright light flowed from the gaps between the floor and door, and around the edges. A gentle push from Scootaloo was enough to open the door, revealing a long hallway. Her current surroundings didn't make sense; this wasn't part of the orphanage.

Nervously, Scootaloo pressed on, her curiosity outweighing her fear. The wood beneath her hooves creaked with each step she took down the long, seemingly endless, hallway. There were no doors on either side, it was just a single, seemingly useless, part of the building she had called home for most of her life.

"What's that?" Scootaloo asked, as she reached the end to where a single nightstand stood, with a small picture frame.

Hesitantly, the tangerine filly picked the frame up in her hooves, and studied the picture it contained only to be perplexed by its contents. The picture was of herself between two featureless blobs. The longer she stared at the picture, however; the featureless objects in the picture started to develop details, albeit small ones.

A loud, ear piercing noise made Scootaloo drop the picture frame. Upon hitting the floor the frame shattered into smaller pieces, the photo within vanishing into thin air. Darkness, closed in around the filly at an alarming speed, not gracing her the chance to so much as scream before being consumed by it.

"Time to get up." the familiar voice of the Caretaker said.

Scootaloo's eyes opened to see several colts and fillies climbing out of their beds. It had been a dream, the voice, the hallway, everything. While she was relieved to still be alive and not consumed by the nothingness of her dreams, she was confused as to what the dream's symbolism was.

"What were those things in the picture?" she asked herself.

When you receive a magical stone in the mail, you make a wish. When you make a wish, you end up in a land full of talking ponies. When you end up in a land full of talking ponies, one blackmails you into dating them. Don’t let ponies blackmail you into dating them, discard suspicious looking stones.

“Minuette eh? I never pegged you as one to take an interest in the intellectual type. I thought for sure you’d go for a pegasus or earth pony over a unicorn.” Timber said, obviously delighting in the news I was going on a date, against my will. He had certainly given me enough grief about the topic.

“So how did it go down anyways? Did she ask you or did you ask her?” Strong Deck asked, taking a seat next to us.

“I don’t see why that matters when we’re just going as friends. It’s not an actual date.” I replied, kicking my legs a bit as they hung over the edge of the elevated platform at the train station. The train had been delayed and there was nothing to do except talk in order to pass the time.

“Traditionally, if a mare is interested in a stallion she’ll be the one to ask. So did she ask, or did you?” Strong Deck asked, pressing the issue.

“Nopony asked, this is just me treating her to dinner, for…I guess you would consider it an apology, I don’t know. She is the one who brought the idea up so-“ I tried to explain.

“It’s an actual date then.” Timber and Strong Deck interrupted in unison.

“How is this a date if, by your standards, the mare does the asking? The whole treat her to dinner thing contradicts what you’re going off of. She even said we were just going as friends.” I said.

“I only said a mare is the first one to express interest. I never said anything about her paying for things like dinner. Mares can be subtle sometimes, and you're not exactly a stallion, she might have just wanted to see how you'd act before really asking you.” Strong Deck said smugly.

Well, he has me there. I thought to myself.

The only reason I had agreed to this in the first place was because Minuette had learned about a well-guarded secret. I figured she would have found out eventually, there would probably come a point in time where the town would need to know, but it had to be a gradual process. To come right out and announce that I ate meat on the side probably wouldn’t end well. There would have to be a bit more thought behind it.

What I had difficulty wrapping my head around was why two of my best friends were making more of an issue out of it. It was just dinner, tonight would be a simple evening without any sort of complications.

Though Timber’s remark did spark an excellent self-examination question in my mind, what was my type? It was something I had given little thought, but my mind lingered on the topic, despite my best effort to forget about it.

Back home, I was a sucker for blonds, pony tails, and glasses. In all of my time spent there, only one woman had met all three of my 'prerequisites', and brought the look together the first time I saw her with a book against her chest. Try as I might, I could never forget that day, a day that once filled me with joy only to be replaced by sorrow and bitter rage at times.

No, don’t think about her, there’s only sadness down that road now. I thought to myself.

My mental barrier, having faltered for only a split second, but was back up in a heartbeat, guarding against the painful memory. I had sworn to myself that I had cried my last tear over her, and what she did. This world would be no different; there was no one for me, it was stupid to pretend there was. I had come to terms with this a long time ago.

The distant whistle of a train brought me back to reality. Off in the distance, smoke could be seen rising into the air, a clear indication that our unscheduled break was coming to an end. I was somewhat grateful that the train had finally arrived; I wasn’t in the mood to be depressed, especially for tonight. I had to at least pretend to enjoy myself.

“I can’t believe our little Daniel is moving on in the world.” Rarity said giddily.

“He’s not little you know; he’s not even a kid.” Rainbow Dash said, holding a Daring Do book in her hooves.

“I didn’t mean it literally Rainbow; it’s just that he’s come a long way from that scared human he once was. To think that he’s finally branching out and getting his hooves wet in the dating world is exciting…I wonder what it’s like dating an alien anyways.” Rarity said, a brush becoming encased in her magical aura.

“It’s hardly as thrilling as it sounds, men are far from complex.” Isabella said, looking up from her own book.

Isabella hadn’t been inside the castle since the night she arrived in Equestria, but had tagged along with Rarity since there was nothing better to do. The fashionista was content, for the moment, to experiment with her human friend’s rather lengthy hair, trying different braids that the unicorn was familiar with.

It was oddly soothing, and Isabella would never have entertained the idea of letting another individual touch her hair in such a way back on Earth. Perhaps it had something to do with the slight tingling sensation that ran along the thin hair fibers, which tickled her scalp.

“Stallions aren’t complicated either dear, but it’s the idea of something different that intrigues me. I could go and ask any stallion out.” Rarity said.

“Can we stop talking about stallions and men?” Twilight asked, throwing her fore legs up in frustration.

"Uoy dluohs truoc eht sedahs, yeht hctam ton eht sgnieb morf siht dlrow." said a strange, muffled voice from the other room.

"Not now." Twilight sighed.

“Ylgu lufetargnu esroh!” the voice snapped, but was for the most part ignored.

“Sheesh, what’s gotten into you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I just don’t see what the big deal is; a pony dating out of species isn’t uncommon.” Twilight replied.

“I suppose not, it’s just idle chitchat anyways.” Rarity said just as she finished the braid she had been working on.

The white unicorn tapped Isabella gently with her hoof to get her attention. A mirror levitated into her hand, allowing her to see the fruits of Rarity’s labor. A long three strand style braid could be seen in the reflective glass.

"I like it. It's a nice change of pace from leaving it down and un-styled all the time." Isabella said.

"You've never styled you hair before? I refuse to accept that as truth, there are some ponies out there that would commit all manner of atrocities to have a mane as long as your hair." Rarity said.

"I styled it for special occasions, but for the most part I was too busy to do anything with it. I was constantly on the move, or in the dirt where fashion wasn't really going to do much for me." Isabella said, setting the mirror down.

"Did you ever style it for dates like our friend is about to embark upon?" Rarity asked.

"Eh, once...I think his particular date isn't even a date to begin with." Isabella replied gaining the attention of Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"Well why else would Minuette have asked him?" Rarity asked.

"It was something about teeth...and canines or something. The dentist mare found out about them...he was pretty upset about it." Isabella replied, completely oblivious to the nervous expressions now adorning Rarity and Rainbow Dash's faces.

Twilight's mouth was agape, in awe of the fact that the human's secret wasn't brought to light by some evil pony with a motive. No, it was brought to the attention of her unaware friends by another human.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag I guess that's one less thing off of my mind." Twilight said rolling her eyes.

"Wait, you knew they eat meat?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, it's necessary for them to. There are things that only meat can provide for them, otherwise they’d get sick. Fluttershy has been helping keep it under wraps...I should have known it would only be a matter of time until somepony else figured it out. I just didn't expect you girls to find out this way." Twilight replied.

The alicorn could remember having a discussion with Daniel about getting the nutrients into his system. He had been a willing guinea pig for a test to see if she could create a supplement that would provide what his body required, bypassing meat completely. The project ended with a very late night, and a pain stricken human who made the outlandish claim that his insides were on fire.

Needless to say, after the failed experiment he had been more than happy to go back to meat, if only to get the required nutrients. Though this meant his promise with Fluttershy was broken, which she didn't seem to mind much since it was for the humans' best interest.

"Y-you don't eat um..." Rarity stammered nervously.

"No Rarity, we don't eat ponies. Besides, why would I eat some of the only friends I've got in this world?" Isabella asked rhetorically, rubbing the base of one of Rarity's ears before she could react.

Instead of screaming, or pulling away, Rarity slowly started to lean into Isabella's hand, even as the rub slowly developed into a scratch. The unicorn seemed lost in a blissful trance until the scratching ceased.

"You okay there Rarity?" Isabella asked, amused by the pony's response.

"Y-yes, sorry; it just, felt nice is all." Rarity replied blushing a bit.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to rub her own ear with her hoof. "It doesn't feel that special."

Isabella reached behind Rainbow Dash's ear and started to scratch and rub in the same spot she had with Rarity. The response was the same, causing a goofy smile to spread across the pegasus' face.

Isabella eventually pulled away, Rainbow Dash's smile turning into a frown. Cute and adorable weren't words that normally described the mare, but just this once, she fit the description perfectly.

"Why'd you stop?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I didn't want you falling asleep on me." Isabella giggled.

"Ears and scratches aside, we have a situation on our hooves. If Minuette knows about this then we run the risk of her exposing both Daniel and Isabella. We don't know what else she's asked him to do, and knowing how dense your brother can be at times, he could screw this up by doing something irredeemably stupid." Twilight said.

“This is true.” Isabella said.

"So what do you propose we do, Twilight?" Rarity asked . "We can't simply waltz in on them and demand her silence."

"Ew dluoc etucexe siht ymene sa a ecifircas!" the voice shouted.

"No, but there is something we can do." Twilight replied confidently.

A red cape with a gold interior adorned Scootaloo's neck, akin to a super hero’s from a comic book. It was a sure sign that there was going to be a crusade today, especially since the roads were being cleared of snow in preparation for Winter Wrap Up.

Today was the perfect day to jump back on her scooter, now that it wasn’t hindered by the snow. Her small wings buzzed furiously to pick up speed as fast as she could.

Today was going to be a good day, even if the weird dream still occupied Scootaloo’s thoughts. She had her friends, her scooter, and due to unexpected weather damage, there were just a few more days off from school while the building was being fixed. Things were looking up for a change. The only sour note was that a pegasus colt had been picked for adoption this morning, but she couldn’t dwell on that right now.

“There ya are Scoots.” Apple Bloom said as she and Sweetie Belle rounded the corner.

“Oh, hey, I was just on my way to the club house. What are you guys doing out here?” Scootaloo asked.

“We thought we’d meet you half way. We’ve got a list of things to try before Winter Wrap Up gets rid of all the snow and ice.” Sweetie Belle replied.

“You really think our cutie marks have to do with winter?” Scootaloo asked skeptically.

“Why not? We ain’t never got our cutie marks durin’ the other seasons, or with regular activities.” Apple Bloom replied.

Scootaloo still had her doubts about the idea. If their cutie marks did in fact have to do with winter, then a move to the Crystal Empire would be in order. Not to say the region wasn’t pretty, but being surrounded by snow wasn’t that appealing to the filly.

“Okay, what’s first?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom produced a list from her saddle bag, which the trio glanced over the list and grinned when they saw the first option. Even if it wasn’t their special talent, it would still be enjoyable, and was something all three of them could agree upon.

“Ice skating!” the three fillies shouted, rushing off to the nearest frozen body of water to being their activity.

Sweetie Belle had enough forethought to bring an extra set of skates for Scootaloo, which she wasted little time slipping into. In their excitement, all three of the crusaders had over looked one very important detail, none of them actually knew how to skate.

Sure, Apple Bloom knew how to roller skate, but the last time she attempted to do so it resulted in a nasty crash. Still, it seemed fun, and now that she had her friends to try it out with she wasn’t as worried.

“So ah think it’s kinda like roller skatin’, but with a bit more glind’n and stuff.” Apple Bloom said.

“You mean like this?” Sweetie Belle asked, sliding backwards unintentionally.

“Yeah, but ya gotta move yer legs more.” Apple Bloom replied, stepping out onto the ice. The filly slid forward a few inches before losing her balance and falling onto the cold surface of the frozen pond.

“This is easy.” Scootaloo said, her wings propelling her across the ice at a comfortable speed.

“Hey, no fair! You can’t use your wings Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle pouted.

“Can to-oomph!” Scootaloo said, ignoring the bank that was covered in snow which now encased her.

Once the filly’s head popped up, a sure sign that she was okay and unharmed from the collision, the three friends burst into a giggling fit. Even if this wasn’t what their talent was, at least it was fun spending time together.

Unbeknownst to Scootaloo, she was being observed. A certain magenta colored earth pony had been trying to think of the perfect way to put her in her place for good. Silver Spoon had since distanced herself from Diamond Tiara; she wanted no part of her friend’s schemes.

Silver Spoon had tried reasoning with her that if they bullied her again it would only upset the human. If Scootaloo was associated with something that tall, and scary, then she wanted nothing to do with picking on her.

“Nopony humiliates me and gets away with it, even if they have some stupid monster on a leash.” Diamond Tiara mumbled.

Hey Daniel, this is your subconscious speaking; I was just curious why you’re so nervous? the little voice in my head asked.

Oh hey subconscious, I’m just nervous because I haven’t taken a female, of any species, out to dinner in a while…this is going to be a rough night. I replied.

Oh, that makes sense…you should probably knock; you’ve been standing at the door now for almost a…minuette. Eh? Eh? Get it? Cause you’re going…never mind, you’re no fun. the voice in my head trailed off.

“Even my subconscious is screwing with me about this…” I mumbled, knocking on the blue unicorn’s door.

“Just a minute!” shouted a female voice from within.

The sound of hooves clacking against a hardwood floor grew louder and louder as somepony approached the door. Timber and Strong Deck’s words of wisdom resurfaced in my mind, about mares being subtle at times. With this thought in mind it made me wonder if Minuette would walk out in some sort of dress.

The door opened and revealed a normal, blue coated unicorn. I sighed in relief, since the only thing that seemed different about her was what looked like a bit of eye shadow, but I couldn’t be certain.

“You’re early, eager are we?” Minuette teased.

“I wouldn’t use the word eager, but I’ve always been kind of early to things.” I replied.

“You’re not fooling anypony, so relax. We’re going to forget the whole teeth thing tonight right?” Minuette reminded me.

“Right.” I said, unwilling to confess what else was on my mind. I would have to pay close attention to her tonight.

The door closed by itself, the unicorn’s magic at work no doubt. Minuette slid up beside me, matching my pace as we walked towards the busier part of town. So far things were going pretty smoothly, then again we had only just left her house, there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong.

The sound of bushes rustling behind us caught my attention. I stared at them a while before continuing on my way, dismissing it as some sort of animal that we had unintentionally disturbed.

"Sooo...was there any place in particular you wanted to go to?" I asked.

"I think...The Rose Garden would be nice. It's a pretty fancy place, but not too outlandish price wise." Minuette replied.

I tried to muffle a laugh at the mention of the name. It sounded a lot like Olive Garden, I had never eaten there before and therefor couldn't compare the two. Minuette had apparently heard my poor attempt at covering my laugh and was looking at me skeptically.

"Do you not like it or something?" the blue unicorn asked.

"No, it just sounds like a restaurant that exist where I come from, that's all." I replied quickly, reminding myself that I didn't want to upset her.

"Oh, that's neat, so was the food there good? Did it serve a certain product you like?" Minuette asked with a coy smile.

"Ha ha, very funny, and no; I didn't get the chance to eat there." I said.

"I was just playing with you, no need to freak out. It'll be like an inside joke between us." Minuette giggled.

I didn't find the circumstances of this outing to be anything to joke about. Even if Minuette was trying to lighten the mood, she was doing a bad job at putting my mind at ease that she wouldn't let something slip, and then all hell would break loose.

The rest of the walk to the restaurant was quiet, save for Minuette humming to herself. One thing I had observed was that ponies, no matter the type, were rather vocal creatures. Most didn't like silence, or lack of contact for that matter. Nopony went without a hug or hoof bump, that much I was sure of.

I on the other hand, could do just fine with a bit of silence and found it relaxing. The hugging was something I could get behind though. A few hugs here and there never hurt anyone, or pony.

The Rose Garden's sign came into view, and from the brightened windows within, I could tell it was a busy night. That meant the date would last even longer than I had anticipated, but there was no turning back now.

Even if this wasn't an actual date, the gentleman in me took over and opened the door for Minuette. I couldn't decide if she was my friend or enemy at the moment, given the information she had on me. I settled for acquaintance, for the time being, not really wanting to make enemies with anypony.

"Oh, such a gentle colt." Minuette said, walking through the open door.

"I just had a good upbringing." I said following her to see another door.

Seriously? In this world too? I thought to myself. Nothing bugged me like two sets of doors could. It was a stupid thing to be bothered by, but it annoyed me all the same.

Holding the next door open for the mare, I was greeted by the smell of pasta and other dishes being served to the already seated customers. A lone earth pony was sitting behind a tall desk, by pony standards, on a stool. She looked up as the back of my shoulder tapped the bell hanging from the door frame; apparently every business in town had one.

“Welcome to The Rose Garden, if it’s just the two of you I’m afraid we only have booths left. Is that okay?” the mare asked.

“Yes, that’s fine.” Minuette replied.

Booth…fancy restaurant…no, I’m just putting more thought into this than I should. I thought to myself as the earth pony led us to a booth.

I waited for Minuette to sit first, then took my seat across from her. For a split second I thought I saw a familiar white unicorn come through the door, but I quickly dismissed it as a figment of my imagination.

“Still nervous? What can we do to change that?” Minuette asked.

“Kind of hard to relax when a pretty important secret rest in the hooves of my dentist.” I replied.

“The whole point of going out tonight was to put everything behind us. So ditch the paranoia and try to enjoy yourself.” Minuette said.

I nodded and flipped open the menu, not bothering to hold it in my hands. I still couldn’t shake the thought from the back of my mind. I didn’t want something else to worry about.

“How about this, as long as you stop by like a normal patient, I’ll keep this between us. That should be easy enough, nothing unreasonable or outlandish.” Minuette said with a hopeful smile.

“I think I can manage that.” I said.

Minuette nodded satisfied with my response. The menu in front of her became surrounded in a baby blue aura, as it folded open and levitated in front of her. Slowly my anxiety was fading, ponies were good on their word, and a promise from them was normally one you could build upon, though I’m sure there were exceptions.

I glanced around the restaurant, having settled on what I wanted off the menu. It was pretty fancy, and lived up to its namesake with the multitude of roses that had been worked into the decorations. The seats had roses carved into them as did the wooden frames of the booths.

The inactive fans had roses painted on their wooden blades. In almost every way imaginable, the famous red flower had been incorporated somehow. Even the coat Rarity was wea-wait, Rarity?

My thought process came to a grinding halt upon seeing the unicorn present at the same restaurant. It hadn’t been my mind playing tricks on me, she really was here. Across from her was an all too familiar cyan pegasus that stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the other customers with her rainbow colored mane and tail.

I brushed it off as coincidence and turned back to Minuette, who was still looking over the menu. My mind drifted back to the day I had asked Twilight about dating mares, she had been a bit flustered from the previous day’s events and never given me a straight answer. Aside from my talks with Timber and Strong Deck, I wasn’t sure what to do differently, if anything.

“You’re kind of quiet; tell me a bit about yourself.” Minuette said, levitating the menu back onto the table.

“There’s not much to tell, I came here completely by accident. There’s nothing that really makes me special.” I said with a shrug.

“Are all humans like you?” Minuette giggled.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, your trust isn’t easy to win; you certainly enjoy your secrets. You can be a bit clumsy at times, and you trip over what you want to say, but you’ve got a good heart.” Minuette replied.

“Thanks…I think.” I said, making her laugh again.

As Minuette and Daniel talked and dined, they were observed from afar by four sets of curious eyes. Two of which were closer than one wishing for privacy would care for, but they were unaware of their owner's true intentions.

Twilight sought to spy on the two's outing. She wasn't convinced that it was just dinner, or that Daniel could keep from saying something to set Minuette off and reveal the secret about the human's teeth.

“Twilight, it’s freezing out here.” Isabella commented, rubbing her arms.

“I know, just a little bit longer then we’ll go back. Their food just got delivered. For the two of them to just be friends, they’ve been talking and laughing a lot.” Twilight said, a pair of binoculars held in her hooves.

They had tried their best to keep their distance from the two, if only to make sure Daniel didn’t say something out of place. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had followed them into the restaurant, as a precaution if things went south, but so far things seemed to be okay between the two.

“They’ve been talking for a while now, I think we can go.” Rainbow Dash said, her boredom beginning to get the better of her.

“Honestly Rainbow Dash, were you ever taught patience as a filly?” Rarity asked.

“I must’ve missed that one.” Rainbow Dash replied with a grin.

Rarity noticed the two of them standing to leave and did her best to act casual. She had tried to blend in, but there was only so much a unicorn with a white coat could do to be inconspicuous. Rainbow Dash stretched and was about to hop out of her seat as well, until a magical aura surrounded her tail, preventing her from following Daniel and Minuette.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Rainbow Dash asked, slightly annoyed.

“We can’t just follow them the second they leave, that would look suspicious.” Rarity scolded.

"Well what are we supposed to do? We'll lose them if we stay here." Rainbow Dash countered.

"Twilight and Isabella are right outside, I'm sure they'll manage to keep up with them." Rarity replied, rolling her eyes.

Outside, Twilight and Isabella quickly ducked behind a bench for cover. Only rising once they could no longer hear Daniel or Minuette. It was odd, on the way to the restaurant, they had been extremely quiet. Now, they couldn't stop talking, Twilight made a mental note of this, regretting not having anything to actually write her thoughts down on.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity saw Isabella’s figure and approached the bench to report their rather uneventful findings. Nothing hostile or out of place had been said between the two.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about Twilight. I mean, whatever was between them is clearly under the bridge." Isabella said.

"I agree Twilight, they we talking with each other as if they were old acquaintances catching up after being apart for several years." Rarity said.

"Yeah, it was kind of boring." Rainbow Dash added.

"I suppose you’re right. If anything horrendous would have happened it would have already happened by now. Let’s head back girls.” Twilight sighed, reluctantly agreeing with them.

Things had gone well, surprisingly well. I had almost forgotten about the original reason why I had agreed to dinner in the first place. With both of us in such good spirits, any doubt or trust issues were chased away by the time we finished our meal.

The walk home was pleasant, the sun was just starting to set, and with this little outing almost over, without so much as a flirtatious pass from the unicorn, I could hardly wait to rub it in Timber and Strong Deck's faces. Though I had to admit, it was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

"Funny how all of this is going to be gone soon." Minuette said, looking at the snow that still covered the area.

"Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. Where I'm from it was a pretty rare occurrence, so when it did snow, you couldn't afford to waste a second of it." I said.

"That sounds like a pretty boring place, and you said the weather changed itself, right?" Minuette asked.

"Yeah, not like the pegasi manage it here. I think it's kind of cool, most of what I've seen in this world I read about in books as a kid. It was all just fantasy to me; I never thought any of it really existed." I replied.

"My good sir, as a fantasy, I am grievously offended by your disbelief." Minuette said, pretending to be hurt emotionally by my words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend your imaginary feelings." I said rolling my eyes as a smile crept across my face.

"I think it stands to reason that since my world is the one you're dwelling in now, you are the one who's supposed to be a myth." Minuette said, playfully bumping her flank into my leg.

“Stop it!” came a shrill cry that stopped both of us in our tracks.

“You heard that too right?” I asked, looking around for the source.

“Yeah, I did. That didn’t sound good at all.” Minuette replied, her ears perking up at full attention, swiveling occasionally.

“L-let go!”

“No!” this time there was another voice, both sounded familiar, but the distance distorted both of them slightly.

“This way, come on.” Minuette said, finally pinpointing the source of whatever struggle was taking place.

My mind instantly assumed the worst, but with crime being close to nonexistent this situation made little sense. Who had it out for somepony else in a town that was relatively peaceful? It was one of the main reasons I enjoyed living here.

The sound of something breaking briefly broke the winter silence, giving incentive for Minuette and I to pick up the pace to the scene. Sobbing soon filled the gap left by the loud crack that had rang out only seconds ago. I was starting to fall behind Minuette, her four legs carrying her much faster than my two could ever hope to.

The blue unicorn came to a sudden stop just before turning right down a street. Her face was one of sorrow as she brought a hoof up to her mouth. I caught up to her now that she was finally stationary, only to be greeted by a heart-wrenching sight.

Scootaloo was crying, her eyes locked on what appeared to be a rather large pile of construction equipment. It wasn’t uncommon for winter to damage buildings, so construction crews would often be called out to repair it while the house owner was asked to spend a few days elsewhere as a safety precaution.

Something stood out from the collapsed pile of tools and heavy equipment, however; in the form of a handle bar and two small stray wheels. Noticing Scootaloo had her helmet on it didn’t take long to put the pieces together. Still, assuming always had the potential to make an ass of one’s self.

“Scoots, are you okay?” I asked, kneeling beside her.

“N-no.” Scootaloo mumbled, trying to wipe the warm tears from her eyes with her hooves.

Minuette approached the distraught filly, not entirely sure what to say or do except wrap her leg around her in an attempt to calm her down. She made soft shushing noises, pulling Scootaloo a bit closer to share warmth between them.

“Can you tell us what happened?” I asked.

“I-she-took it-sniff- and then it broke.” Scootaloo replied in between sobs.

I approached the pile of tools and other various construction items. I was fairly certain I was looking for the pegsus’ scooter. It was one of her most cherished possession, if not the most significant one to her. To have it damaged, or worse broken, would no doubt cause her to become extremely upset, but even then I couldn’t help but feel something else was wrong.

As I dug through the pile I placed the two wheels that had dislodged from the scooter entirely on the snow, their coloration making it easy to find them. As I dug deeper I was able to remove the deck, well, half of it anyways. Attached to it was the handle bar, which had now seen better days.

Scootaloo’s sobs started to increase as she saw the full extent of the damage. Her tears matted her fur, as she tried her best to fight back the floodgate of sorrow that had been opened within her. Each sob was like a nail being driven into my heart, she was just a kid that didn’t have much to begin with. Whoever did this was soulless, but there was only so much I could do.

Finally I had the last piece of her now ruined scooter. The deck’s top had been scratched to near oblivion, not to mention most of it had been chipped away by the sharp tools that had fallen on it. I set all of the pieces I could find to the side, and made my way back over to Scootaloo and Minuette and knelt down to their level.

“I’m sorry Scoots, I can try to fix it. The important thing is that you’re okay.” I said.

“No,” Scootaloo shouted darting away from Minuette, only to slam into my stomach, her forelegs stretched out as far as they would go. “It’s not gonn-a-be-sniff- okay! C-cause I’m go-nna have to m-move away and then-and then I’ll never see anypony again! Because I'm different!” Scootaloo cried, burying her face in my jacket as she sobbed.

“Who told you this? Who said you’d have to move away?” I asked, trying my best to keep my anger under control.

“D-Diamond Tiara, she said that I w-would have to m-move when I got older! B-because nopony here would w-want me!” Scootaloo replied, shaking until I wrapped an arm around her tiny frame.

I nearly lost it after learning who the culprit was. I should have known, but I never thought she would stoop this low. No, this action and treatment of another was borderline unforgivable.

“Scootaloo, that’s not true. You’re a great little filly.” Minuette said, snapping me out of my pissed off mental state.

“That’s not true!” Scootaloo sobbed.

Scootaloo didn’t need an avenger right now. No, that could wait; right now she needed somepony to let her know things were going to be okay. That everything that prissy brat had told her was nothing but a bunch of lies. That’s when I realized who I was describing, though it fell more along the lines of what I was describing the more I thought about it.

“Minuette, I hate to leave you like this but…” I said, fumbling for the right words.

“I know, take care of her okay?” Minuette asked rhetorically.

“I will, come on Scoots. Let’s get out of the cold. I don’t have fur like you guys.” I said looking down at her.

“Okay.” Scootaloo said quietly, her face still scrunched up in sorrow as I picked up the pieces of her scooter.

“Ah can’t believe none of these worked. Ah thought for sure we’d get a cutie mark outta doin’ somethin’ from this list.” Apple Bloom said, tossing their list of activities aside.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been hard pressed to make it through their list before nightfall. After a number of complaints, and accidents from previous attempt to preform crusades at night, the trio had learned that it was best not to tempt fate, or invoke their sister’s wrath.

“Well, we can always try again, it’s not like our cutie marks are going anywhere.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah, besides I had fun. Even if we didn’t get our cutie marks.” Scootaloo said.

“Ah guess, on the way home we all need to try and think up somethin’ new…that don’t involve Rainbow Dash.” Apple Bloom said, noticing Scootaloo’s grin grow, only to falter at sudden the limitation she’d been given.

“No problem, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sweetie Belle said, as she headed home.

“See ya later Scoots.” Apple Bloom said, walking towards the road that would take her back to Sweet Apple Acers.

Scootaloo turned her scooter towards the orphanage and sighed. She was grateful for her friends; they helped her forget about a lot of the things that made her sad, even if it was just for a little while. Today a colt had been adopted, a pegasus. Needless to say this had only demoralized her for a good portion of the day until she met up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo’s speed towards what she called home was slower than normal. She didn’t want to go back, but what choice did she have? Running away wouldn’t solve anything. Besides, the last time she tried she ended up in a completely different world.

Something hard and cold made contact with Scootaloo’s muzzle, causing the filly to bring her scooter to a stop. She had been hit by a snowball, and it didn’t take long to find the culprit. Standing next to a street sign, with a smug grin on her face, was Diamond Tiara.

“What was that for?” Scootaloo asked.

“I had to get your attention somehow.” Diamond Tiara replied.

“What do you want?” Scootaloo asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I didn’t come here for my wellbeing; I came to make sure you were okay.” Tiara replied.

“As if, all you ever do is bully me and my friends…where’s Silver Spoon?” Scootaloo asked scanning the area.

“She’s not important, what is important is finding out how long you have left.” Diamond Tiara said, approaching Scootaloo with fake concern in her voice.

“What do you mean by time?” Scootaloo asked, wary of the earth pony’s behavior.

“I mean, it’s obvious you’re not going to get adopted here. After all, that colt got picked over you.” Diamond Tiara said.

“That’s not true! What does that have to do with anything anyways?” Scootaloo asked through gritted teeth, the earth pony was really trying her patience.

“You mean you don’t know? Oh poor Scootaloo, you don’t stay in Ponyville until you get adopted, it’s called aging out. If you don’t get adopted after a while, they send you to another orphanage, and since there’s only one in Ponyville who knows where they’d send you.” Tiara replied, smiling when she noticed the other filly’s reaction to the news.

“Y-you’re making that up.” Scootaloo stammered, trying to convince herself that it was just another trick.

“My daddy said so. You know, what you can never have.” Diamond Tiara said coldly.

The truth was that while she was plotting to get back at Scootaloo Diamond Tiara had overheard her father talking about the topic with a few friends. Coincidently, those friends were the parents that had been planning to adopt from the orphanage.

“You’re wrong! I will have a dad someday, he’ll be ten times better than yours!” the tangerine filly exclaimed.

“Oh really? Well when is he getting here? Because from the looks of things, I doubt anypony like that exist at all.” Diamond Tiara said.

“I may not have a dad yet, but at least I’m not some spoilt rotten little prissy wuss like you!” Scootaloo snapped.

This struck a nerve with Diamond Tiara. She had hoped to at least make her cry, but so far the filly was keeping it bottled up. What she didn’t expect was for Scootaloo to snap back at her.

“You’re nothing but a flightless filly,” Diamond Tiara said trudging towards Scootaloo, pushing her off her scooter for calling her weak. “And that’s all you’ll ever be!”

“Stop it!” Scootaloo shouted, getting back onto her hooves.

Diamond Tiara grabbed the handle bars of her scooter, and started to pull it away. She didn’t get far before Scootaloo grabbed onto the deck and pulled back with all of her might. She wasn’t about to let this brat take her most valuable possession.

“L-let go!” Scootaloo demanded holding fast for fear of what Diamond Tiara might do to her scooter.

“No!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed yanking it from Scootaloo’s grasp. The force of her pull caused the scooter to be flung from her as well, slamming into a carelessly stacked assortment of tools.

Faster than either could react, the scooter was buried beneath them, a loud cracking noise standing out more so than the tools falling to the ground. Scootaloo’s breath caught as she watched her beloved scooter become crushed and broken before her eyes.

“Humph, such a stupid toy.” Diamond Tiara said, leaving Scootaloo alone, confident she wouldn’t be hearing any come backs from the filly for a long time.

For Scootaloo, this was the tipping point. She could take Diamond Tiara’s insults, but crushing her scooter, the thing that gave her just a small taste of what it meant to use her wings and be a pegasus, that was too much for her to endure. Her vision slowly became misty and distorted as tears started to flow freely from her eyes.

“So that’s how it happened huh?” I asked, holding Scootaloo close as she retold the story.

“Uh huh.” Scootaloo replied, her eyes were red and puffy by now, but at least she had stopped crying.

I had brought Scootaloo home; tonight she didn’t need to be reminded of what she had to go back to. Isabella was nowhere to be found, which was fine. She needed to get out more and interact with the towns ponies.

Scootaloo had taken to pressing herself as close as she could to me. I had seen Dinky and other foals do the same thing when they were afraid or nervous. I could tell that the tangerine filly was starting to get sleepy as she watched the flames dance from the fireplace.

“It’s going to be okay Scoots, don’t listen to that twerp. I’m going to try and fix your scooter, I don’t know how yet, but I’ll think of something.” I said, trying to reassure her.

“There’s one thing you can’t fix.” Scootaloo replied curling up beside me.

Her words hurt, cutting true and deep. There had to be something I could do, and as much as I hated to admit it, Diamond Tiara was right, Scootaloo would eventually age out of that orphanage and be sent off to another one. Though that was still a long ways off, it was no secret that couples looking to adopt often picked a young foal over an older one.

The soft sound of Scootaloo snoring caught my attention. She had been through a rough night and things probably weren’t going to be much better in the morning. My mind continued to drift back to how defensive I was starting to become when I found out that she had been bullied.

I reflected on the time we had spent together as I gently stroke the top of her purple mane with my thumb. One memory in particular stood out more than any, one that took place not in Equestria, but on Earth.

"You don't have Timberwolves or...monsters here, do you?" Scootaloo asked looking up at me.

"That was probably just a coyote, they can't get you from out there. They're afraid of humans because we're scarier than them." I said, holding my hands up like paws while bending my fingers to look like the claws of some sort of vicious creature.

Two more howls came from the woods and I felt something wrap around my arm tightly. Scootaloo had semi permanently attached herself to my arm, and was nervously staring at the window, as if any moment a monster would come crashing through it.

"C-c-can you stay? At least until they go away?" Scootaloo asked nervously.

"No problem, let me get the light okay?" I asked in return, relieved when I felt my arm relinquished from the filly's grasp.

I left the hall light on, and the door open allowing light to stream into the room, just like when I was little. Scootaloo's gaze hadn't left the window, and only faltered once I sat on the edge of the bed and ruffled her mane.

I leaned against the head board and felt something warm press itself against me. I looked down to see Scootaloo, forcing her eyes shut, her ears folding flat against her skull as another cry from a coyote made her cringe.

"What if they don't leave?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, then I guess I'll just stay here." I replied.

I had nothing to lose, if only a few hours of sleep. I had nowhere to be in this world, and as far as Earth was concerned I was a dead man anyways. If being on nightshift for a scared kid was the worst thing to happen to me, than I couldn't really complain.

"All night?" Scootaloo asked groggily.

"All night." I replied, looking at the moon from the window.

The memory played itself over and over in my mind. I felt conflicted over a multitude of things tonight. The date with Minuette and my stance on trying to find somepony in this world, the incident with Scootaloo, and now…I was actually considering something I never thought I would even contemplate before I came to Equestria. Even as my brain struggled with a decision, my heart already knew what needed to be done.

“I think I can fix it…” I said quietly.

Author's Note

So yeah, things happened this time. Hopefully interesting things. Comments are awesome and honestly I can't think of anything else to put here, so...yeah. I guess that covers it. Oh now I remember, I finally got to play Legends of Equestria and it was awesome. It was fun to make Comet Guard and [ :trollestia: Discord has removed this section] so yeah that was fun. Anyways thanks for reading.

Blurring Lines

A gentle shake disturbed the deep sleep that I had fallen into, despite last night’s circumstances. Isabella was standing over me, a concerned look on her face. I noticed the absence of a warm body beside mine and looked down to find Scootaloo missing.

“We started breakfast without you. I guess you had a full night huh?” Isabella asked.

“That’s one way to put it, where’d Scootaloo run off to?” I asked standing up.

“I moved her to your bed when I came home last night. She woke up with me this morning and started to wake you up as well, but I told her to let you sleep.” Isabella replied, pointing towards the table.

I saw Scootaloo idly poking at a half-eaten pancake. Her ears were folded down, matching her crestfallen expression. I hadn’t forgotten about the long inward battle with my thoughts from the previous night. I felt like I knew what I had to do, but I couldn’t let her know, not yet anyways.

“Hey Scoots, how are you doing this morning?” I asked, walking over to the table.

“Okay…” Scootaloo replied quietly.

“Sorry I didn’t wake up when you guys did. I guess I stayed up a little too late.” I said, feeling as if I was trying to break through a wall of concrete to get her talking like her old self again.

“It’s fine, Isabella made breakfast…you’re going to take me back, aren’t you?” Scootaloo asked, not making eye contact.

“Scootaloo, I can’t keep you here. I’d get in trouble, last night was excusable, but I’m sure your caretaker is worried sick about you.” I replied.

“I know…it was nice to get away from that place for a night though.” Scootaloo said.

A part of me wanted to tell her my idea, but I couldn’t. If I did and for some reason it failed, it would probably crush her. I couldn’t live with myself if I knew I was responsible for something like that. A trip to Twilight was in order; I had slept long enough anyways.

“So, what are we going to do about her scooter?” Isabella asked.

“I plan on fixing it. My list of things to do is pretty big today." I said trying to figure out where to start on it. Getting Scootaloo home seemed like the best place to start, but it definitely wouldn't be the easiest, on her at least.

"Do you need me to take her?" Isabella asked, biting her lip as her gaze remained fixed on Scootaloo.

"I'll do it, I've got some things to do around town. Besides, how often do I get to hang out with the coolest filly in Ponyville?" I asked.

That managed to make Scootaloo crack a smile, even if it was a small one. It was a step in the right direction, hopefully it was the first of many, but before I got ahead of myself, I would need to talk to Twilight.

"We do need to have a chat later though." I sighed, looking at Isabella who nodded in response.

"So you're serious about this?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow at me skeptically.

"I'm sure, you should've seen her last night Twilight. The things she said, and the way she was treated...I haven't felt that defense about somepony in a long time. Oh what I wish I could do to that brat Diamond Tiara." I replied, clenching my fist.

I calmed myself down with a deep breath, pushing the horrible night out of my mind. I could only recall one other time I had felt so angry during a situation, but helpless to do anything about it.

"Twilight, I'd take a hit for that kid. I feel this is what I'm supposed to do, or at least try anyways." I said.

Twilight studied me for a while, her eyes boring deep into my soul. It was as if she was trying to find any shred of doubt or hesitancy on the topic of adoption I had brought before her. She eventually sighed, her poker face faltering into a frown.

"I won't lie, it will be extremely difficult for you to do this, since you and Scootaloo are not of the same species." Twilight said.

"So much for equal rights." I said rolling my eyes.

"It's less about rights, and more about a productive growing environment for the filly or colt in question. The inspectors will judge you much more harshly than they would if it was another pony interested in adoption." Twilight said.

"I didn’t expect it to be easy, how long do you think it would take to get past the red tape?" I asked, curious as to how high the odds were stacked against me.

"It’s hard to say, but it will take longer than usual, not to mention all of the hurdles you’ll have to jump, figuratively speaking. This isn’t going to be a quick or easy process by any means. Just something to consider, it’s going to become a pain in the flank, you’re going to have to go the extra mile." Twilight replied, making my heart sink.

"Hey Twilight, if other species date and eventually marry, wouldn't they have to adopt? Since they can't make a kid through...traditional methods?" I asked, surely it couldn’t be as unheard of as she was making it out to be.

"Not exactly, its different here than Earth. You see, all creatures have a bit of magic in them, sentient creatures having more than those of say...horses, for example." Twilight said, going into lecture mode with a smile.

Great...why did I have to ask that now? I asked myself.

As I prepared to endure the reprocutions of my poorly timed question, I noticed a chalk board clearing itself of what appeared to be old notes. Apparently she didn't need them anymore. Several new notes about magic that I didn't understand, as well as a diagram that I could have lived without seeing, ever, were wrote down by a small glowing piece of chalk.

"So, as I was saying," Twilight said as the piece of chalk continued to scribble on the board. "If a Griffon and a Pony were to mate, the magic in both of them would come together. The result would be one or the other, a fledgling or a foal."

"Okay, that kind of makes sense...so magic makes up for the incompatibility." I said.

"Correct, and speaking of magic, I needed to talk to you about tomorrow." Twilight's voice suddenly shifted to a more serious tone.

"If this is about Discord's magic-" I said.

"You'll need to meet Rainbow Dash at five thirty in the morning." Twilight said cutting me off.

It took my mind a few seconds to come to terms with the fact that Twilight was agreeing to the use of Discord's magic in such a way. She had clearly expressed her distaste for the spell, the sudden change of heart left me speechless.

"Um, I thought you hated that spell?" I asked.

"I don't hate trans-configuration spells; I have a problem when magic of that magnitude is cast on others so carelessly." Twilight replied.

"I'll be sure to go to bed early. I guess we'll table the adoption discussion for another time then?" I asked.

"If you're absolutely serious about this, then we'll talk more after the snow is cleared. Focus on getting ready for tomorrow." Twilight replied with a nod.

With that I left the castle, having already dropped Scootaloo off, my list was a little bit smaller. The next thing I had to take care of was going to be much less difficult, to talk about anyways.

From what I could remember about adoptions from home, some agency would send an investigator out and see if you were stable enough to support a child to begin with. There was probably more to it, but if I was being honest with myself, I couldn't support Izzy and Scootaloo on what I was making now.

Izzy would find a job, sure, but I had been incredibly lucky that day at the post office. There was no guarantee that she would find one as quickly as I had. My sister aside, if I was going to take care of Scootaloo, hopefully, I would need to take the next step up in my occupation.

I approached the post office, hoping Crafty Crate was still there. I had been mindful of the time and taken care of the more menial task, such as groceries, before having a sit down with my boss. There was no guarantee this particular conversation would come to a quick conclusion.

“Oh, hey Daniel, what brings you here today?” Swift Stamp asked as I entered the post office.

She was a nice earth pony, a bit on the impatient side at times, but Swift Stamp had a good heart. If ever one wanted speedy service, she was the mare to talk to. Her candy cane colored mane seemed a bit odd against her yellow coat, but who was I to judge?

“I’m just here to talk to Crafty Crate, is he in?” I asked.

“He is.” Swift Stamp replied, still looking a bit confused as to why I would be at work on my off day.

I nodded my thanks and walked around the counter with no objections from the mare. The staff today was small; Timber and Strong Deck were nowhere to be found which was good. I didn’t want to have this conversation with them around to over hear something.

I knocked on the door that read Manager’s Office on the glass. A few second later I was greeted by Crafty Crate, his expression upon seeing me was similar to that of Swift Stamp's.

"Daniel? What are you doing here?" Craft Crate asked, quickly regaining his gruff expression.

"I came to see if that offer was still on the table." I replied, not wanting to give too much away to listening ears.

"Offer...oh that! Right, come in." Crafty Crate said as it occurred to him what I was referring to.

The office was as cramped as ever, papers and shipping boxes that were used as makeshift sorting trays lined the room in what could be considered organized chaos. One would do well not to judge him based on his office alone, however.

"So...what made you interested in being a carrier all the sudden?" Crafty Crate asked, taking a seat behind his desk.

"Honestly, some things have come up, and I could use the bits." I said, knowing the stallion wasn't the kind of manager you could dazzle with fancy words or explanations.

"Things huh? What might those be?" Crafty Crate asked, idly spinning a pen on his desk.

"I'd prefer to keep that to myself if possible, sir." I replied.

Crafty Crate looked up from his desk with a raised eyebrow. I really didn't want to bring any more in on this little plan of mine than necessary, but it seemed my boss wasn't going to give me that luxury.

"I'm trying to get ready for a family." I replied, crossing my arms with a huff.

Crafty Crate nearly fell out of his seat at the word family. He quickly recomposed himself though, and tried to look as professional as possible. I did find his reaction a bit surprising, surely I wasn't the first to have a reasoning similar to this.

"You're starting a family? With whom?" Crafty Crate asked.

"An adoption...right now there's not really a special somepony in- you know I really don't feel comfortable talking about this with my boss." I replied.

"I got ya. Just can't put private down on the form is all." Craft Crate said.

"Wait, what form?" I asked confused.

The forestallion opened one of the top draws on his desk. He pulled out an employee information form, similar to the one that I had filled out after I became official. I noticed that there was a bit more to this one, which made sense since it was a step up from what I was doing now.

"This is the real thing. I don't know why you've been content working part time for as long as you have." Crafty Crate said.

"Can we keep my reasoning between us?" I asked as he slid the paper towards me.

"Just leave it as….personal growth. Have you told Timber and Strong Deck yet?" Crafty Crate asked.

"No, I didn't want them to be here when I was talking with you about it anyways. It might be awkward, since I've worked with them for so long." I replied as I filled in the requested information on the sheet.

"Next week they'll find out one way or another. It's not my business if you tell them before, but you might want to consider speaking up about it before then." Crafty Crate said.

I nodded, it was true that they would find out when I stopped showing up as early as I did. I should be happy taking this job, it meant more bits, a slightly more reasonable time to wake up in the morning, and a new experience.

Despite all of the benefits the job offered, I still felt guilty. It meant I would see less of the two ponies that had been among the first to befriend me. In a way, it felt like I was stabbing them in the back. I shook my head trying to dismiss my paranoia as another one of my unrealistic fears.

"That's everything, I'll pair you with Ditzy for your first day next week. I know she'll be happy to see her daughter at an earlier time." Crafty Crate commented as I slid the papers to him.

"Thanks for keeping my reason under wraps, it's not going to be an easy process." I said.

"I didn't think it would be, but if I was a gambling stallion I'd put bits down that you'll find a way," Crafty Crate said, dropping his normally rough expression. "Now beat it, you're off duty."

With that, I left the post office. Now there was only one more stop I had to make, but I wanted to work on the scooter, or try to at least. I had no idea where to start, I assumed glue was a given, but past that I was drawing a blank on what to address next.

I would have continued to ponder on what to do next, if there was a scooter to work with. A note from Isabella was left on the table.

Daniel I’m taking the scooter to someonepony that might be able to patch it up a bit more efficiently. I have to get this off my mind now though, who the hell builds a scooter out of wood? I mean really why in the world would you pick something so freaking flimsy? Sure skateboards are made out of wood, but that’s beside the poi-

I put my sister’s letter down once it was clear she was just expressing thoughts on the page. I was grateful that she had managed to keep them bottled up while Scootaloo was present. She needed to be home, but as long as I had taken with the ins and outs on my to-do list, she was probably already on her way back by now.

Due to my sister's spur of the moment decision, I was left with only one thing left to take care of, getting ready for tomorrow. This seemingly innocent and simple task required a special touch, however. This was a touch that only one being in Equestria would be more than thrilled to provide.

"Discord." I said aloud.

Isabella knew she should be reading her second to last book, but that could wait. She had come home late to find her brother sleeping on the couch, with a rather exhausted tangerine filly pressed as close to him as possible.

She had seen the obliterated scooter in the corner. For the most part Scootaloo had appeared unharmed, physically at least. That scooter was practically a part of her, for it to be treated so poorly must have devastated the filly.

Isabella was no mechanic, or a craftsman, but she knew of one pony that could help. She had seen him around town before, fixing things occasionally, most recently the gazebo in the park.

She had thrown the parts of Scootaloo's scooter into a saddle bag she had found in Daniel's closet and set out towards Sweet Apple Acers. For most of the walk to the apple orchard Isabella's mind dwelt on what it was her brother wanted to talk about in private.

Isabella had hoped that their conversation would be more light hearted this morning. She had planned on giving him a little grief about his night out, but that was clearly out of the question now. She pushed those thoughts to the side as the Apple Family farm came into view.

“Um, anypony home?” Isabella called out, knocking on the small door.

Applejack answered the door, a shocked expression washing over her face upon seeing who was. The farm pony had yet to see the woman pay her a visit, which made the mare wonder why she had walked all the way out here in the cold.

“Hey there Isabella, ya’ll doin’ alright?” Applejack asked.

“Uh, sort of, I was actually wondering if Big McIntosh was around. I might need his help with something.” Isabella replied, opening the saddle bag to show Applejack the damaged scooter.

“Sweet Celestia! Is Scootaloo okay? Ah’d recognize that there scooter anywhere.” Applejack said, stepping to the side to let Isabella through.

“She’s fine; she bunked at our house last night. I guess whatever happened to cause this,” Isabella said, pointing at the saddle bag. “Must have ruffled her feathers pretty badly, she didn’t talk much this morning.”

“Poor filly, she ain’t got much ta begin with.” Applejack said with a frown.

"Daniel was planning on trying to fix this today, but I doubt he'll find the time to get around to it...is there any way you guys can help me with this?" Isabella asked.

Applejack smiled "Ah think we can manage ta breath a lil life back into it, don'tcha think Big Mac?"

Isabella jumped when she noticed the stallion standing beside her. He had been so quiet she didn’t even hear him approach, she found this slightly unnerving. Big Mac seemed harmless for the most part, but she had seen him carry another stallion on his back, her brother, with little effort.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied walking over to the bag, taking a peek inside.

"Let's head out to the barn, we can work on it there." Applejack said motioning for them to follow her.

"Daniel said you guys stay pretty busy, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Isabella asked.

"Nnope." Big Mac replied, following his sister.

"Ain't much ta do the day before Winter Wrap Up. The day after's when things really start back up." Applejack added.

The trip to the barn was short enough; a heavily trodden path through the snow covered ground marked where the Apple Family had accessed it frequently throughout the winter. Inside it was surprisingly warm, with half empty barrels of various food.

One of the walls was lined with tools, some seemed similar to those of Earth, while others Isabella wasn't quite familiar with. She wasn't a pro around a wood shop or garage, but if the amount of tools was any indication of Big Mac's knowledge then he could probably do a better job than her brother anyways.

Big Mac walked over to a work bench and patted the top with his hoof twice; he truly was a pony of few words. Isabella carefully emptied the saddlebag’s contents onto the work bench, allowing the stallion to study the pieces more closely.

A low “hmm” came from the farm pony, as he examined each piece intently before removing the wheels and other parts until only the deck remained. Sliding the two pieces of the broken scooter into clamps, Big Mac grabbed a bottle of glue that had the strongest hold available.

Isabella watched as the stallion worked, shoving the two pieces together before the glue had a chance to harden without binding the two pieces of wood together. Two more clamps were applied to the right and left of the crack.

“So did she say how it happened?” Applejack asked, as her brother continued to work.

“Not to me, you’d need to talk to Daniel about that.” Isabella replied.

“It’s only temporary.” Big Mac said, looking down at his work on the deck before moving onto the wheels.

“So she’ll need a new one anyways?” Isabella asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac replied quietly before turning his attention to the wheels.

“Do they even sell those in Ponyville? I've never seen one before in the stores in town." Isabella said.

"Ah ain't too sure where that scooter came from. I don't reckon Canterlot would have any, might have ta order one." Applejack said.

"So much for scratching something off his to-do list." Isabella sulked.

"Shoot, why would ya worry about somethin' like that?" Applejack asked.

"Because I haven't been hitting the books like I should, and I know he's been trying to help me when he can....can I be honest with you Applejack?" Isabella asked, sitting on a small stool.

"Of course ya can sugar cube, what are friends for?" Applejack asked rhetorically, taking a seat beside her. "Now what's eat'n at ya?"

"I've been rushing through the material, I've never been the kind of person to stay in one place for too long and I've been trying to hurry through things just so I can leave. In my world, I had it all, I couldn't ask for more." Isabella said, bringing to light what was on her mind.

Applejack didn't cut in, or interrupt. The earth pony simply listened, closing her eyes at times, as if in deep thought. At other times, she simply nodded her head with a soft, knowing smile.

"I don't know what to do here. Daniel found a niche, but what am I supposed to do? I feel like everything I worked to accomplish is lost now, you guys don't care about the Aztecs, or how the Egyptians built the pyramids. All of that is human history, I feel...out of place." Isabella sighed.

"Ah've been there...I know what you're feel'n right now." Applejack said, taking off her stetson, staring at it fondly.

"What do you mean? You guys seem so happy here, how could you be discontent?" Isabella asked.

"When Ah was a filly, 'for mah cutie mark appeared, Ah ran away from home. Ah didn't think that livin' on the Apple Orchard was the life fer me, so Ah tried findin' mah own way. Sometimes the good things in life are right under yer nose, ya just don't know it til they ain't there no more." Applejack replied, putting her hat back on.

"What was it that made you realize you were missing something?" Isabella asked.

"Family." Applejack replied, smiling as she watched Big McIntosh.

Isabella felt a tinge of guilt rise within her. She never would have imagined that Applejack could relate to her, but the mare had proven her wrong. She had come to get help with a scooter; the woman never thought she would take something more from her visit.

“Thanks Applejack.” Isabella said.

“Any time sugar cube. So, are ya gonna be takin’ part in Winter Wrap Up?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know what I could do that you guys can’t do already.” Isabella replied.

“Ah bet you could put those ta good use,” Applejack said, pointing at Isabella’s hands. “Since unicorns can’t use their magic, ya could probably find somethin’ ta do in a jiffy.”

“If you really think I’ll make a difference, I guess it’s worth a shot.” Isabella said.

Discord’s house was located on the outskirts of Ponyville today. It changed positions periodically; it was one of the avenues in which he could exercise his chaotic magic without disrupting the lives of others. As comical as it was, it made finding him a bit of a problem sometimes.

The door had teeth today, red and white peppermint colored teeth. It grinned at me as I walked up to it, I had learned my lesson about knocking on it the first time I tried to pay Discord a visit. Discord’s doors took offense to being hit in the head just to gain the attention of another.

“Hello…uh…” I stumbled with the name. Discord changed their names frequently, why an individual would name their doors and almost every other object in their house only to rename them all days later made little sense.

“Stubs.” the door said in a deep voice.

“Right…is Discord here?” I asked nervously.

“….yes.” Stubs replied.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

“….password?” Stubs asked in return.

“Ugh, do I really have to do this every single time?” I sighed.

“Password.” the door repeated.

“Fine, I’ll play his little game,” I said, taking a deep breath before shouting. “Shave and a mane cut!”

“Two bits.” Stubs added before swinging open.

The walls of the house shifted color like a poorly made anime music video on YouTube that only displayed one picture at a time that changed from shades of pink too dark blue, and everything else in between, sporadically. The walls were more than enough to give someone a seizure.

The insanity of Discord’s house didn’t stop there, however. The ceiling fan that had foam blades was located on the floor, making it a floor fan? The pictures in the room were of the frames that normally contained them. This was only the living room; I couldn’t begin to imagine what the rest of the house was like.

“Ah so it was you. Here I thought I was losing my mind.” Discord said appearing in front of me.

“Jury’s still out on that one I think.” I commented, my gaze shifting to the easy chair that seemed to spin and follow my every movement.

“Ignore her, she’s new.” Discord said waving a paw dismissively at the chair in question.

“Um…have you ever considered a hobby?” I asked.

“I enjoy world watching, it’s like bird watching, but much more rewarding when something unexpected happens.” Discord replied as a large map of the world I now dwelt in lowered from the ceiling.

“Right, well I was-“ I started to say, glancing over the map at the various kingdoms.

“Your day to help Rainbow Dash is tomorrow, I’m aware. First I want to know how it went, all the dirty little details, you dog you.” Discord said elbowing me.

“What are you-oh that, it wasn’t a real date Discord.” I said rolling my eyes.

“Please, that’s the biggest wad of nonsense I’ve ever heard, and I’m the king of nonsense. You can have a participation medal though.” Discord said snapping his fingers, a crown appeared on his head, while a medal suddenly adorned my neck.

“How did you even know about that anyways?” I asked with a deadpan tone.

“I just told you, I like world watching.” Discord replied with a grin.

“You like spying.” I retorted.

“Watching, and if you really must know I was passing through the area and was curious. I thought you didn’t like ponies in that way.” Discord said.

“I don’t.” I said, feeling a bit of pain in my heart for some reason. Apparently it was reflected on my face, judging from Discord’s growing grin.

“Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?” Discord asked, draping his lion like arm over my shoulder as I reflected on the strange feeling.

I had enjoyed my night with Minuette, up until the incident with Scootaloo. Had the lines between my humanity and new life here blurred to the point that such things as species no longer mattered?

“She’s a pony though.” I said.

“Mmmhmm, that she is. What’s your point?” Discord asked.

“She’s an animal Discord, it’s not right. I’m a human, it’s considered taboo.” I replied.

“So what does that make all of Fluttershy’s little friends? For that matter, what does that make any of the pets these ponies have to them based on your logic?” Discord asked.

I opened my mouth to respond, only for my words to fail me. In a weird way, Discord was actually making sense. I had stayed up most of the night thinking about how I could manage adopting Scootaloo, so why did I draw the line at falling in love?

“Suit yourself,” Discord sighed pressing his lion paw firmly against my chest. “Just giving you something to think about.”

I felt a tingling sensation sweep over me, it was just part of the process. It was also the scariest part, to me anyways, I was completely helpless. The next part was what I assumed was the equivalent of an acid trip; the second Discord poked me with a finger from his eagle claw my vision started to swirl with a mixture of colors, mostly purples, blues, and yellows.

After what felt like an eternity the colors started to fade as the rest of my senses dulled. The already fading colors were consumed by darkness, leaving my consciousness in a state of limbo, not completely asleep, but not awake either, that is until something sharp poked me in the side.

“Hey, you awake yet?” a familiar voice asked.

“Nnmm….go away.” I groaned.

“You’re impossible.” the voice sighed.

"Mrph...Izzy?" I asked groggily.

"Who else would it be? Does it really make you that tired?" my sister replied, her face slowly coming into focus as my vision cleared.

I stretched out my stiff limbs, a yawn escaping me. As my senses became sharper, and my mind more alert, I noticed I was in my own house. This struck me as odd, since the last thing I remembered before Discord's spell was being inside his rather unique dwelling.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"How should I know? Your fuzzy blue butt was on the couch when I walked in." Isabella replied.

"So his house must have moved." I said thinking aloud as I brought a han-hoof to my mouth in thought.

The odd limb took me by surprise for a second before I remembered why I had asked Discord to work his magic. It was to help Rainbow Dash, and I couldn't leave one of my best friends hanging tomorrow.

"So, where'd you take the scooter?" I asked.

"The Apple's farm. I didn't know who else would be good with tools, granted you're okay with them, but the scooter's going to have to be replaced anyways." Isabella replied.

"Crap, so is it trashed or something?" I inquired.

"No, Big Mac tried to fix it. Some paste he set it with is drying right now. It'll last for maybe two weeks before it just snaps in half again. All he can do is patch it up, I'm sorry." Isabella said taking a seat next to me.

"Well....I guess getting a new one is a bit easier." I said, putting on my best fake smile.

"We'll cross that fun bridge when we get to it. By the way, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Isabella asked.

I tensed a bit, Twilight had taken my idea in stride and not dismissed it as another one of my human shenanigans. Izzy on the other hand, normally didn't like having bombs of this magnitude dropped on her so suddenly.

"So...hypothetical question....do you think I would make a good dad?" I asked, deciding to try and ease into the topic.

"Yeah, it's something you've always wanted. Why? Did you knock a mare up?" Isabella asked.

"Hardly, though I have been struggling with some other things on my mind as well." I replied.

"You know you want that horse p-" Isabella started to say as a grin worked its way across her face.

"Please stop! I'm trying to be serious with you about this whole adoption thing....oops." I said, breaking subtly in an attempt to cut my sister off. So much for easing into the topic.

"Adoption...." Isabella repeated quietly, her eyes lighting up as she put two and two together. "You want to adopt her, don't you? I can't say I'm surprised."

My sister's response threw me for a loop. This was a pretty big commitment I wanted to make. I had expected her to be shocked and try to discourage me from trying to go through with my plan of action. Instead, she seemed unfazed by the news, almost as if she had been expecting it.

“You’re not upset?” I asked cautiously.

“No, I mean the way you get protective of her it doesn’t really surprise me-wait we are talking about Scootaloo right?” Isabella looked to me for confirmation, which I gave with a nod. “Okay, just making sure.”

“It’s going to be hard though, apparently they’re only supportive of ponies adopting foals. That can’t be all there is to that little guideline, there has to be a waaa-mmm.” I tried to finish before feeling a tingling sensation on the back of my head.

“You’re stressing, stop worrying about the future when it’s not here yet.” Isabella said, slowly scratching behind my ears. I wasn’t sure if I should consider this a disadvantage, or advantage of being a pegasus.

“No….I need to stress and stuff….because bad things….” I mumbled as I slowly started to nod off.

“You worry too much, get some rest for tomorrow.” Isabella said, both hands now following my sinking head, abusing my weakness.

My mind became progressively fuzzy, a part of me was pouting from the treatment, finding it a bit degrading. This was how one would treat a dog, or cat, not a brother. That part of me was the one currently being ignored, too caught up in the pleasant feeling.

Maybe she’s right; maybe I am worrying too much. What was I worrying about anyways? Oh Scootaloo….I need to work on that….but, I’ll work tomorrow….feels too good…. my thoughts slowly turned to mush before I finally dozed off, a goofy smile on my face.

Author's Note

So the weather kept this one delayed longer than intended. On a positive note it has given me plenty of time to start the next one, so it should be out close on the heels of this one.

Fire and Ice

"Five thirty...I hate five thirty..." I mumbled as I approached a small gathering of pegasi.

Today was the day, Winter Wrap Up. It was pretty cool to think about, being able to help change the season, to usher in spring and bring an end to winter. While I was somewhat partial to snow, since it was a rare occurrence when I was in my old world, the cold winds and nights had become old, and all the dreary landscape was a bit depressing to look at.

"Oh, there you are." Rainbow Dash said, breaking my train of thought.

"Yep, here I am. Did I miss anything important?" I asked.

"Not really, just waiting on the others to show up." Rainbow Dash replied.

I looked over the other pegasi currently present. I recognized a few of them, though some of the others were unfamiliar faces. I couldn't help but notice I was starting to shake, and not from the cold either. Screwing up in front of Rainbow Dash was manageable, in front of other ponies, not so much.

"Hey Comet Guard." a bubbly voice took me by surprise.

"Oh, hey Ditzy. Long time no see huh?" I relaxed upon seeing the friendly mail mare.

"Yep! So what brings you back to Ponyville?" Ditzy asked as more ponies started to show up.

"Well, Rainbow Dash said that you guys needed help, and asked if I would swing by. I tried to get that bum Daniel to help, but he’s down with a cold right now, should pass by tomorrow." I lied, giving myself an alibi.

"Oh no, I hope it isn't something more serious...do you think humans can catch ponypox?" Ditzy asked.

"Um, hard to say really. I-he's a completely different species, an illness like that shouldn't affect him, or his sister." I replied, recovering nicely from a slip up.

"Well that's good. He's a really good friend, when I was in Canterlot he gave one of his prizes to Dinky, I'd hate for something bad to happen to him." Ditzy said.

"Yeah, he's a pretty awesome guy." I said, nervously rubbing the back of my head.

"Even though he got beat by me." said Rainbow Dash, a wide grin on her face.

I had tried to forget that incident, but Rainbow Dash still brought it up occasionally. While the little competition between us had put a lot of the ponies' minds at ease, it didn't make it any less embarrassing. I had only managed to best Rainbow Dash in one category.

"Yeah, I heard about that." I said, forcing a smile to remain on my face.

"That was pretty funny, everypony thought he was super scary, but he's really just a big teddy bear. I don't think he could hurt a flee." Ditzy said.

Ouch...my pride... I thought to myself.

"You okay Comet?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yep, just thinking about some stuff...thanks a million, Dash." I whispered the last part into her ear.

"Just doing my part." Rainbow Dash said proudly.

I rolled my eyes. Rainbow Dash had really cranked up on the ball busting as of late. It had been light hearted at first, but now I was starting to become a bit agitated, I'd have to have a talk with her about this later.

I noticed Isabella approach the growing group, accompanied by Rarity. It didn’t take long to notice the odd glances. She did her best to hide her discomfort, but I could tell when she was hiding her feelings. I felt bad for her, I kept repeating over and over that things would get better, but from the way things appeared they weren’t.

An idea crossed my mind, one that made me slam a hoof against my face for not thinking of it before now. While my opinion of my sister might be a bit biased, Comet Guard’s wouldn’t be. With a smug smile I decided to meet them halfway.

“Hey Rarity, Isabella.” I said, catching both of them off guard.

“Da-dear Comet, what brings you all the way out to Ponyville?” Rarity asked, recovering nicely from her slip up, even if the question was worded a bit awkwardly.

“Just helping out, who’s this?” I asked, pointing to Isabella.

“I’m….Isabella?” Isabella replied.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Comet Guard, but Comet works too.” I said with a shrug.

My sister’s eyes widened briefly as she caught on to what I was trying to do. She knelt down to my level, which I couldn’t help but recall myself doing more than once to look less intimidating.

“It’s very nice to meet you.” said Isabella.

“Can I have everypony’s attention please?!” Mayor Mare shouted over the rising noise of the assembled ponies.

The voices steadily died down to occasional murmurs as Twilight joined the mayor in front of town hall. A clipboard levitated in front of her face, obscuring her view of the crowd while a quill pen scribbled something down.

“I’d like to thank all of you for waking up this early in the morning to help usher in spring. You’ll all be dividing up into your respective teams in a few moments, if the leaders would be so kind as to present themselves.” Mayor Mare said.

On cue, Applejack, Amethyst Star, and Rainbow Dash made their way to the front of the crowd. I already knew which team I would be on, a part of me could hardly wait to be in the air again. I had to remind myself that today wasn’t about having fun, it was about helping the others out.

Looking at the other two team leaders made me wonder who Isabella would be working with. I assumed Applejack's team would be handling something along the lines of agricultural work, I had no idea what Amethyst Star was supposed to be in charge of.

"-and so with that in mind, find your team leader and let's bring about another successful, and safe, Winter Wrap Up." Mayor Mare finished her speech.

I had been too caught up in my own thoughts to pay attention to what she was saying. I liked Mayor Mare, but she had a tendency to ramble sometimes and my attention span wasn't the most reliable one in existence when it came to enduring speeches.

"Good luck Izzy." I whispered, before joining Rainbow Dash.

“Okay Rarity, not sure what you had in mind, but let’s give this a whirl.” Isabella said following the unicorn to a group of ponies set about making what appeared to be glorified baskets.

“I think this will be something you should be particularly good at, given those dexterous…what were they called again?” Rarity asked.

“Fingers.” Isabella replied.

“Right, fingers. I’m sure they’d do a fabulous job at crafting the nest.” Rarity motioned towards the example resting on a nearby table that others were trying to mimic.

“Crafts?” Isabella had expected something a bit more enriching than something so mind numbingly simple.

“Yes dear, you see it takes a while to make the perfect nest with hooves.” Rarity said holding up her own hoof, shaking it slightly.

It was a humbling activity to say the least. Almost insulting of her abilities as an accomplished individual. She held her peace even as Rarity explained why the unicorn felt this was the perfect task for her, since she lacked wings to help her brother and Rainbow Dash, and while Isabella was strong for her size there was no way she could budge the heavy equipment used by Applejack's team.

That left helping out Amethyst Star with the ins and outs of the wildlife. Isabella had to remind herself that this was to help improve her image with the other ponies. No matter how dumb it might seem to her, it was important to them.

"Okay so it’s just making nest, right?" Isabell asked, doing her best to hide her disappointment. She was almost envious of her brother as she sat down beside a yellow unicorn with a bright blue mane.

Watching the pony beside her closely, Isabella attempted to recreate the finished product. The ribbons and other decorations didn't appeal to her as much as the others presently working on them.

"This isn't so hard." Isabella said once she had completed a nest.

"It's a nice nest," Rarity said, assessing the human's work. "But I think it could use a little flare, don't you?"

"It's just a nest, the birds aren't going to know the difference." Isabella replied. Her nonexistent filter lived up to its bad reputation, as several other ponies stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

Rarity wasn't oblivious to Isabella's lack of enthusiasm. Her brother had been similar in some ways, but he seemed far more passive when it came to trying to blend in. This was a golden opportunity to prove she was just as nice as her brother, one that was being tarnished by her rather tommareish personality.

"Perhaps to us they're just nest woven out of straw, but this is what will provide shelter for a family. Besides, you wouldn't want Da-a-all the pegasi to have brought the southern birds back for nothing now, would you?" Rarity asked.

"Nice save," Isabella grinned, making Rarity blush. "So what do you think it needs?"

Rarity smiled, and was about to give Isabella the run down on what she considered 'proper' nest weaving. Her lecture was put on hold when a yelp of pain came from one of the stallions pulling a cart filled with straw.

"My goodness, are you okay?" Rarity asked as the stallion unhitched himself from the cart, wincing when he put weight on his left foreleg.

"I think I'll live, it's weird though. It's like the cart's load suddenly jumped up by about nine hundred pounds or something." he replied, over exaggerating the weight increase.

A nearby earth pony approached the cart and moved it with ease, snickering at the unicorn's stereotypical frailty. This laughter was cut short as a snow ball hit the coal coated earth pony.

"You okay?" Isabella asked, approaching the hurt unicorn as he sat down.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Probably just pulled something is all-hey!" he yelped, as Isabella started to rub what she believe was the affected area.

The unicorn quickly calmed down, sighing as the human's hands seemed to erase the soreness from his muscle entirely. He regretfully scooted away from Isabella, remembering he still had a job to finish.

"How'd you do that?" the stallion asked.

"Do what? Rub your shoulder?" Isabella asked in return.

"It's like the pain just started to disappear." the unicorn replied.

"It's just something I've always done whenever I pull a muscle, I didn't know it'd work so fast on you guys." Isabella confessed.

Rarity smiled, while she wasn't glad the stallion had the misfortune of getting hurt, it had proved to be a blessing in disguise. She could attest first hoof how hands felt simply divine compared to hooves. What she didn't expect was that such hands brought with them a healing touch, despite the claim that humans possessed no magical abilities.

Twilight might be interested in this 'healing touch' our human friend supposedly has. Rarity thought to herself.

"Winter Wrap Up, let's finish our holiday cheer....damn it now it's stuck in my head." I mumbled as I finished off another cloud.

As entertaining as kicking clouds was, and stress reliving, it had started to become repetitive. Since I had opted to stay isolated today, thanks to Dash's shenanigans, I didn't really have anypony to talk to while I worked. It was probably for the best, it gave me time to think about some things that were still bugging me.

Did ponies even like me that way? Sure, things got off to a bad start, but now I was pretty welcome in Ponyville. If I did somehow get over this taboo that was instilled in me since childhood, there was no guarantee these ponies weren't afraid to get THAT close to an alien like me.

As I entertained these thoughts, I worked my way to a lower altitude, taking care of some of the clouds that had drifted from the rest. It was then that I heard a familiar voice, Minuette's. She seemed to be talking to somepony else.

Minuette was a nice unicorn, funny to be around, and cared about her patients, even the stubborn ones like me. I found myself flying a bit closer, absentmindedly kicking a cloud into nothingness.

"So, I heard you asked the human out. How'd that go?" Seaswirl asked as the two mares tended to what looked like gift baskets.

"It went okay." Minuette replied, as she filled the basket in front of her full of fruit.

"Just okay? Nothing 'out of the ordinary'?" Seaswirl asked with a coy smile.

Well now, this just caught my attention. I thought to myself, coming to rest on a low cloud with my ears turned towards the two mares.

"As a great YouTuber once said...chair mode activate..." I whispered.

The two mares continued on with their conversation, blissfully unaware of my presence, or so I hoped. Even if they did know I was taking a ‘break’ on a cloud that just happened to be near them, they didn't know who I truly was beneath this blue coat of fur.

"Nothing like that happened Seaswirl, but he's really sweet. I thought he was kind of boring after Rainbow Dash beat him." Minuette said, starting on a new basket.

Is this really still a thing? That or it's National Ball Stomping Day, and I missed the memo. I thought to myself, rolling my eyes.

"I was wrong though, he had some interesting stories about his world. He's pretty funny too." Minuette smiled.

"So, do you-" Seaswirl started to prod.

"I don't know yet, I get the feeling Celestia worked a miracle to convince him to get his teeth checked." Minuette replied quickly.

"Ew, you've seen the inside of his mouth?" Seaswirl asked, scrunching up her nose.

"I've seen the inside of yours too; it's nothing to brag about. I can tell he brushes at least, his flossing habits need improvement though." Minuette sighed.

"My teeth aren't that bad!" Seaswirl huffed.

"Comet Guard?" I jumped as an unfamiliar voice came from behind me.

I spun around quickly, seeing Cerulean Skies standing behind me. I let out a sigh of relief, he seemed like a cool pegasus, and fortunately for me was unaware I had been eavesdropping on the two mares below.

"Hey Cerulean, what's up?" I asked.

"Cloudchaser and I were about to start clearing some of the tree branches now that the sun's coming through. Was wondering if you wanted to help?" Cerulean offered.

It was certainly tempting, after being away from the others all morning perhaps a little social interaction would be good for me. I hadn't really mingled with Cerulean or Cloudchaser that much anyways.

"Sure, why not? I was just taking a little break anyways." I said, lifting off from the cloud I had been 'resting' on.

Cerulean led the way to a group of trees that were covered in snow. It seemed to be melting at this point, thanks to the efforts of the other members of the weather team. Cloudchaser was jumping on a branch to dislodge the snow trapped on it. It was a comical solution, but it worked.

"Oh, so you did bring help." Cloudchaser said once she noticed us approaching.

"Told you I would, oh ye of little faith." Ceruluan said, sticking his tongue out at the mare.

"Whatever, let's just get this section done so we can move onto the next one." Cloudchaser was clearly unamused by Cerulean's response.

Jumping on a branch seemed simple enough. I hovered a few feet above my intended target before letting myself fall; landing directly on the branch. The force of the impact shook chunks of snow, mixed with a bit of ice, loose and sent them falling to the ground below.

"So where are you from anyways?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Oh, I'm from out of town." I replied.

"I mean where from out of town." Cloudchaser giggled.

"Right, my bad, I'm from Fillydelphia...I'm not here for long though, just helping Rainbow Dash out." I said with a nervous laugh.

"Well it sure was nice of you to stop by and lend a hoof. I guess she told you that most of our team was out of action huh?" Cerulean asked.

"Yeah, something like that. She didn't go all the way down the list of who had what, but I would have helped out anyways, she's a pretty good friend of mine." I replied, landing on another branch.

"Your weather team's probably missing you though. I just find it hard to believe you'd take off like that just to help us." Cloudchaser commented, landing on a neighboring branch.

"Hey, they've got more than enough pegasi to deal with things there. They're not feeling the loss of one little blue pegasus. If I remember correctly, Flitter, Cloudkicker, and there were a few more that were down with the pony pox." I said, trying to remember who Ditzy had mentioned when I met her in Canterlot.

"Thunderlane?" Cloudchaser added.

"Yeah, Thunde-ohmp!" the sky and ground quickly switched places in my field of vision as I landed on my back in a pile of snow on the ground.

A throbbing pain right above my eye made its presence known almost immediately, as I got back on all fours. My vision was still spinning as I tried to shake off whatever it was that had just knocked me from the tree branch.

"Thunderlane! What was that for?!" Cloudchaser demanded, staring at the stallion that was clutching his left wing.

"I was coming to apologize, until I saw you getting too friendly with this wimp." Thunderlane replied.

Wimp? Dude, I'll wreck your shit all the way into next week. I thought to myself.

I noticed something fall onto the snow beneath me, staining it red. That asshole had drawn blood! I could feel the urge to charge him growing inside me at an alarming rate. It wouldn't take much to return the favor tenfold, just a few good kicks to those wings that were already in bad shape.

No, you're better than that, he's already injured...stay calm...stay calm... I thought to myself, even as my nostrils flared in frustration.

"I wasn't getting too friendly with him Thunderlane, and even if I was you don't own me. Go back to that little nurse you like so much, you're not supposed to be out of bed anyways." Cloudchaser snapped.

"You're bleeding pretty badly, are you going to be okay?" Cerulean Skies asked, landing beside me.

"I'll live; it'll take more than this to put me down." I replied, smiling when I noticed Thunderlane’s expression shift to a snarl.

"You need to go back to where you came from." Thunderlane said glaring at me.

"I thought both of your wings were broken, how did you get out of the hospital anyways?" I asked.

"I'm tough as nails, kid. You can't pin me down with some stupid x-ray. I'll fly when I want to fly." Thunderlane replied, puffing out his chest, only to wince in pain as his wings involuntarily spread with the motion.

"Fly off Thunderlane, we don't need you." Cloudchaser said, waving her hoof dismissively. I assumed "fly off'" was an insult similar to "screw off", given Thunderlane's reaction.

"You stay out of this!" Thunderlane exclaimed, pointing a hoof at the mare.

Cloudchaser's eyes widened in disbelief, but quickly narrowed in anger. The mare leapt from the branch and joined me and Cerulean Skies on the ground, stomping towards me with fire in her eyes. Her hoof somehow managed to bunch up enough of the vest I was wearing to form a grip firm enough to pull me towards her.

I steeled myself, anticipating another punch to the face, for what I didn't know, but today was shaping up to be pretty shitty anyways. I was prepared to count another bruise on my muzzle, only to be disappointed as something warm and soft pressed against my mouth in one quick motion.

What the....holy cow.... I thought, as my brain registered that Cloudchaser was kissing me.

The mare's eyes were closed as she drew the kiss out. Needless to say this did little to help my conflicted feelings about having a relationship with a pony. I felt my eyes start to flutter shut against my will as Cloudchsaer moaned softly, pressing harder against my lips.

Wait...this isn't right...no, I shouldn't be doing this....I shouldn't....I'm human, and she's.... my voice of reason was starting to lose its grip.

Before I lost control altogether, Cloudchaser broke the kiss. The fog that had clouded my thoughts slowly started to clear, leaving behind a pleasant dizzy feeling. The mare blushed a bit, licking her lips once, before turning towards Thunderlane with her tongue stuck out.

"Hot..." I heard Cerulean whisper.

Thunderlane's mouth was hanging open in shock. I couldn't blame him, after seeing, what I assumed was his ex-marefriend, kiss another stallion in front of him I'd probably look like a slack jawed idiot too.

"Go home, Thunderlane. I'm not your mare anymore." Cloudchaser said, flicking her tail angrily for emphases.

Thunderlane's moment of shock came to an abrupt end at the mare's declaration. With a roar of anger the stallion charged towards me as a black and white blur. The unsettling image of the enraged pegasus rushing towards me was the last thing I remember before the world around me went dark.

Celestia and Luna watched as the clouds over Canterlot yielded to the sun's warm rays, thanks to the weather team's efforts. All of the ponies were busy clearing the snow and ice away from their home, each one tasked with a different job, all equally important.

It warmed Celestia's heart to watch the three tribes working together. Even though she had seen the snow cleared thousands of times, it never lost it's meaning to her.

"Cause tomorrow spring is heeere!" the sound of a dying cat, mixed with the sound of something sharp being drug across a chalk board, broke the serenity of the moment.

"Discord," Celestia sighed. "What brings you to Canterlot?"

"An interesting question, but I'm afraid I don't know the answer. I was summoned by you, after all." Discord replied, twilling a small weight around one of his eagle claw fingers. Oddly enough it read nine hundred pounds on the side.

"What purpose does that weight serve?" Luna asked.

"Ladies, ladies, so many questions. I've only just arrived, had I known this would be an interrogation I would have brought my overnight bag." Discord mused, snapping his finger. The weight vanished almost instantly.

"Wait...I do remember requesting your presence, but that's been over a month ago." Celestia said.

"I believe the letter said at my earliest convenience." Discord grinned.

"Yes, it was to discuss your interactions with the human, though I suppose humans is the proper term now." Celestia said, unfazed by Discord's antics.

"Just adorable aren't they? It's been ages since I found anything I can truly relate to in this world." Discord said.

"How couldest thou possibly find kinship in creatures that are from a completely different world?" Luna asked.

"Well for starters they aren't locked down by destiny like ponies are. They can do whatever they want, be whatever they want, sound familiar?" Discord asked as a neon green arrow appeared next to him.

"Fate influences them just as much as it does us, Discord." Celestia deadpanned.

"Oh really? So you wouldn't mind not raising the sun tomorrow then? Actually, I doubt you'd know what a day off was if it came up and bit you on the backside." Discord laughed.

"It's called responsibility, I can't simply stop raising the sun. That's an absurd request." Celestia was starting to lose her patience with the draconequus.

"You see? I doubt you could even put down the letters for a hot bath." Discord crossed his arms, certain he had made his point.

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the spirit of chaos before an unnervingly calm expression replaced her scowl. The sun princess looked to her sister who gave a simple nod of agreement.

"Alright Discord." Celestia said sweetly.

"Beg your pardon?" Discord's smug smile faded as he opened his mismatched eyes once more.

"We'll play your little game." Celestia said.

"Oh, I get it. Fair enough, care to make any wagers on this little 'game'?" Discord asked.

"No wagers, just one condition," Celestia smiled sweetly. "You have to give up your chaotic powers for twenty four hours. I'll be a normal shut in, if you'll be normal as well."

Discord's eyes widened upon hearing the terms. He had already lost his powers once; things had been quite awkward without them. The thought of having to go without them again was horrifying, but the prospect of proving a point to the sun princess was too good to pass up.

"You drive a hard bargain, Celestia. So be it, for twenty four hours I won't have access to my power." Discord said with a snap of his fingers.

A large hour glass appeared in the room, filled with purple sand that was slowly draining from the top, forming a neat pile on the bottom of the hour glass. Its frame lacked any consistency in terms of design, typical for the lord of chaos.

"When the last spec of sand reaches the bottom, you can go back to your humdrum routine, and my powers will be restored." Discord explained.

"Fair enough, enjoy your walk home, Discord." Celestia giggled.

Discord had already snapped his fingers in an attempt to leave the two princess' presence, yielding no results. It was only a test, of course. He wouldn't dream of cheating this early in their little game.

"I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something..." Discord said as he left the two alicorns. "Oh that's right, him....bah, I'm sure he'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

I slowly opened my eyes, staring straight up at the ceiling. This was a bit odd, since I remembered seeing a blue sky, obscured by a few tree branches. I was quite certain there wasn't a comfy, blue couch, or walls covered in assorted pictures.

A glance outside the window revealed a slowly setting sun. Apparently quite some time had passed since I had been brought to my new surroundings. I sighed, assuming Winter Wrap Up was probably wrapped up by now.

A pinch near my rump brought me out of my daze. I looked down at both of my sides, greeted only by a glowing cutie mark that started to return to its normal coloration. I wondered if Discord's magic was about to wear off, but the feeling of vertigo was absent, ruling out that possibility.

"Huh...where am I anyways?" I asked aloud, noticing the unfamiliar decor. "The last thing I remember is...Cloudchaser."

I was starting to remember what happened. Thunderlane had accused me of stealing his mare, that apparently wasn't his mare. Then...she kissed me...Cloudchaser, an arguably attractive mare, kissed me.

No, what was I thinking? Mares were cute, sure, but definitely not attractive, right? This moral dilemma was put on hold as a sharp pain began to build in my forehead.

"Gah...Thunderlane hits like a freight train..." I moaned, clutching my sore head.

"Oh, you're awake." I heard Cloudchaser say, followed by the sound of hooves falling against hardwood floor.

The mare approached me with a bottle of green liquid in her mouth. A cup was delicately balanced on her wing, which she lowered onto the short table in front of the couch. Unscrewing the lid, she carefully poured some of the liquid into the cup and offered it to me.

"What's this?" I asked, taking cup.

"It's supposed to help with headaches, Zecora said to give this to you when you woke up." Cloudchaser replied.

"Zecora...why does that name sound familiar?” I mumbled, trying to think until the head splitting pain returned.

"She's a shaman that lives in the Everfree Forest, kind of creepy if you ask me. I was surprised to see her today, but when she heard about what happened she brought this over." Cloudchaser explained as I sampled the liquid.

I cringed at the initial taste. It was incredibly bitter, and had an almost earthy after taste, like somepony had sprinkled dirt in it. I struggled to swallow it, taking the drink in small sips, which oddly enough started to relieve the pain.

"Wow...this stuff is fast." I commented.

"She knows her stuff. Flitter has been getting better faster than the other ponies, thanks to her. Of course, I've had to force her to drink the potion she made." Cloudchaser giggled.

"And Flitter is your friend?" I asked. I knew they were sisters, but I had to play ignorant right now.

"No, she's my sister," Cloudchaser said, jumping up onto the couch. "By the way, I'm sorry about what happened with Thunderlane, and you know..."

"It's not the first time I've taken a hit to the head. I didn't know he was such a prick." I said sitting up to stretch my wings a bit.

"He wasn't, at least I didn't think he was. He used to be real nice and sweet. You did miss Rainbow Dash giving him a black eye though." Cloudchaser said.

"I feel bad about that, I was supposed to help, not get knocked out by another pegasus." I sulked.

"You can't help the actions of another pony. Besides, you did more than your fair share of cloud busting today. I'm glad you came." Cloudchaser smiled warmly at me, trying to lift my spirits.

"I know she'd do the same for me if I needed her help." I said with a shrug.

"I do have a question though, most stallions I know would have jumped Thunderlane in a heartbeat after what he did, but not you. How'd you manage to stay cool like that?" Cloudchaser asked.

"He was already hurt, besides it wouldn't do any good to hit him back since it would only look bad on me." I replied.

"I wish there were more stallion's like you." Cloudchaser said quietly as she lowered her head.

I was starting to feel bad for her. She had put up with what I could only assume was an abusive relationship. There was a dark side to Equestria, no world or kingdom was without its problems. I was just lucky, or unlucky, enough to catch a rare glimpse of this dirty truth in this society.

Before I realized what I was doing, my right wing unfurled to wrap around the mare next to me of its own accord. Cloudchaser seemed just as surprised as me when she realized what had just happened, but smiled at the gesture, scooting closer to me.

I felt her lean against my chest, resting her head in the crook of my neck. It was a strange feeling, I didn't want to push her away, but at the same time I didn't know what to do next. Something else tore my attention away from the small conflict, the feeling of something wet matting my fur.

She's crying? I thought to myself.

"You've got a strong heartbeat." Cloudchaser said, sighing contently.

"My mom made sure I ate all my vitamins when I was little." I said, starting to enjoy having her snuggled up against me like this.

I wrapped my other wing around her, now that she was closer. She pressed against me, giving a hum of satisfaction. Ponies were very touchy feely with one another, but this was on a different level.

She moved her head out from under my neck and looked me in the eyes, much like she had earlier today. The fire in her eyes was softer this time, the underlying malicious intent was gone, leaving behind something else entirely.

This time I was prepared for the kiss, almost expecting it. That annoying voice of reason tried to interrupt again with thoughts like, I wasn't really a pony, and this was all just a lie. The annoying voice was drowned out as I returned the kiss while she wrapped her forelegs around my neck.

I was a pony right now, that's all that mattered to me at the moment. That, and I had one of the prettiest mares in Ponyville in my arms-er, wings.

I felt her tongue push against my lips timidly, wanting access to my mouth. I opened my mouth, granting her unspoken request, earning a moan of approval from Cloudchaser as our tongues wrestled a bit. It was strange, doing this as a pony, but not much different than making out with a human woman.

Eventually the need for air forced us apart; the pleasant dizzy feeling from earlier returned tenfold this time. I watched Cloudchaser lick her lips with half lidded eyes.

"So...that happened." I said with a goofy grin.

"Mmhmm...bedroom?" Cloudchaser asked, stealing another kiss.

No! a rather urgent voice in the back of my mind cried out.

“Moving a bit fast, don’t you think?” I asked, heeding to the voice for once.

Cloudchaser giggled, pressing her muzzle against mine. It was getting extraordinarily hard to maintain control. Almost every part of my being wanted this, but it was escalating rather quickly. Things got even harder when the mare staring up at me stole another kiss before speaking.

“Is this the first time you’ve been ‘alone’ with a mare?” Cloudchaser asked, moving one of her hooves down to my chest, tracing small circles where my heart was.

“Sort of, if we’re both on the same page of what you mean by ‘alone’ that is.” I replied.

“You worry too much, just relax.” Cloudchaser said, her wings had slowly started to spread beneath mine which were wrapped around her, parting them slightly.

“Okay…” I mumbled, the last of my resolve melting away as she kissed me once more.

“So then she swooped in, and popped him in the eye!” Cerulean Skies exclaimed, retelling the story of what had transpired earlier.

“So this Thunderlane dick is on the Wondercolts?” Isabella asked, taking a sip of her drink.

“Wonderbolts,” Rainbow Dash corrected. “He’s just a cadet, but after today I hope they kick him off.”

“So where did our blue pegasus friend end up anyways?” Amethyst Star asked.

“Cloudchaser offered to let him sleep it off at her house. He got hit in the head pretty hard, but he was snoring when I got to him so I think he’ll be okay.” Rainbow Dash replied.

Isabella grinned at the thought of her brother sleeping over at a mare’s house, but shook the thought away. His moral compass was super glued north, meaning nothing interesting would happen. Besides, she had more important things to think about.

Applejack had been right about this Winter Wrap Up thing helping her image. Even if only a few ponies had opened up to her, it was better than being ignored completely. She had been able to interact with a few of the animals, with Fluttershy present of course, since some of them were dangerous carnivores, even a bear is scary to a human.

“So, was it as bad as you thought it would be?” Amethyst Star asked, turning to the woman.

“You guys are really dedicated to the seasons here. Where I’m from, we’d just let it melt on its own.” Isabella replied.

“That’s weird, is your world just one giant Everfree Forest or something?” the unicorn asked.

“Something like that; we don’t have pegasi to control the clouds. The wind does everything; we’re kind of screwed if a tornado forms.” Isabella smirked.

One of the perks of living in Equestria was knowing exactly what the weather was going to do. There was never a surprise, unless you counted sudden schedule changes, but those were rare. A lot of things were controlled in her world, but not to the degree that they were in this one.

“So what are you going to do when you become a citizen…I mean, if you want to become one.” Cerulean Skies asked.

“I don’t know really, Equestria doesn’t have much use for someon-pony with my skill set.” Isabella replied, taking another drink.

“Just a suggestion, talk to Lotus Blossom and Aloe.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Lotus Blossom and Aloe…the spa ponies?” Isabella asked.

“Yep, the way Comet Tail was talking about what you did it was like magic or something. Who knows, maybe humans have special talents in Equestria.” The cyan mare shrugged, downing her fourth mug of cider.

“I doubt that’s how it works, and I didn’t do much. It’s not that hard-“ Isabella started to retort until Rainbow Dash held up her hoof with a raised eyebrow. “Right…hands.”

“I don’t think you should sweep it off the table Isabella. You never know what life has in store for you.” Cerulean Skies said.

“I’d prefer something with a bit more flare…but I’ll talk to them.” Isabella said, earning an approving nod from Rainbow Dash.

“It’s getting pretty late, hard to believe your brother’s been in all day.” Amethyst Star said, glancing out the window of the bar.

“Hey, those twenty four hour bugs can hit you pretty hard. It’s for his own good though, he worries about everything. I’m sure a little time in bed will do wonders for him.” Isabella smiled, finishing off her drink.

“Wow…” Cloudchaser said, trying to recuperate from the exhilarating activities we had been engaged in.

“Yeah…that was an experience.” I added, resting on my back.

“I’ll say,” Cloudchaser said as she slid up beside me, pulling the covers over us. “I don’t think I’ve heard of a stallion lasting that long before.”

“What can I say? I’m not your average stallion.” I said, smiling as she wrapped a foreleg around my neck.

The mare giggled, planting a kiss on my cheek. To say I was on cloud nine would be an understatement, if getting knocked out resulted in evenings like this in Equestria I wouldn’t mind losing a few fights here and there.

Three loud bangs came from the right wall. The sudden interruption ruined the mood and atmosphere, I could only assume our ‘activities’ had woken up Flitter.

“Cloudchaser, keep it down! The whole town can hear you two rutting!” a feminine voice shouted.

Cloudchaser and I looked at each other, only a few seconds passed before we both erupted into a fit of laughter, much to her sister’s displeasure. The mare put an end to the giggling fit with a kiss, content to snuggle until we both fell asleep.

“Promise you’ll be here when I wake up?” Cloudchaser asked, staring into my eyes. The shining orbs reflecting beautifully in the night as the moon’s gentle light danced into the room through the windows.

“I promise,” I replied, holding her close. “So…does this mean we’re together?”

“Mmhmm…my stallion.” Cloudchaser hugged me possessively.

Now that I had a bit of my senses back, the full weight of what had just transpired was finally starting to set in. Cloudchaser thought I was actually Comet Guard.

Hey Daniel? It’s Brain…

Hey Brain…

Daniel…you done goofed…

I know Brain…I know…

Author's Note

Well, this chapter is a thing now. There was clop included in it, but it was left out to keep a teen rating. Your thoughts and comments are going to be taken into deep consideration, more so than usual this time.

Then You Will Know The Truth

The sun's unhindered rays streamed through my window. Now that the clouds were gone, and the surrounding snow was but a memory, waking up to a warm house was a nice change for once.

I had been brought to Equestria at a pretty gloomy time, winter. I was no Elsa, and every time someone started singing Let It Go, I always made a point to ruin it by shouting "the cold always bothers me every day!" with my oh so pretty singing voice. Coming to this world robbed me of that joy, but also granted me the peace from having to hear it sang during the freaking summer!

Back home, the occasional snow flurry was okay, here it's like these pegasi were a couple of jackasses with snow globes, shaking them every few minutes. Said jackasses also made the snow melt, so I couldn't stay mad at them.

There was a troubling lack of scent in the air. Breakfast was usually already started by now, since Daniel made it a habit to wake up before me. I hadn't heard him sneak in during the night either, which prompted me to check on him before I continued with my morning routine.

His door was still open, and everything in his room was the same as it was yesterday. I shook the first assumption from my mind. He had been taken to Cloudchaser's house to sleep off what that dick Thunderlane did to him, maybe he woke up later than expected and just decided to stay.

With a shrug I left my brother's empty room and set about making my own breakfast, regrettably we were out of meat. Last night had been amazing, ponies really made the best drinking buddies, so long as you didn't try to keep up with them. It was still pretty impressive that consuming that much booze did next to nothing to them.

Amethyst Star and Rarity had been super nice as the day went on during Winter Wrap Up. I had even earned a few fans, one unicorn in particular who had spread the news of what human hands could do like wildfire. I liked unicorns, they were more inquisitive than the other two types of ponies, once they weren't afraid of something anymore, that is.

"Faking falls, stop and stall, take it al-hmm?" my singing was interrupted by a few knocks on the door.

"You sure took your time didn't you?" I asked opening the door, surprised to see Twilight Sparkle instead of my brother.

"I didn't know you were expecting me, sorry to keep you waiting." Twilight smiled, playing the question off humorously.

"Sorry Twilight, I thought you were somepony else." I confessed, stepping aside to let her in.

"No worries Isabella, I'm sorry if I interrupted something. Has Daniel made it back yet?" Twilight asked.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. I'm starting to get a little worried about him. This Cloudchaser girl, she's not the type to hide a body if something went wrong, is she?" I asked, making Twilight laugh.

"Don't be silly, Cloudchaser is a kind hearted pegasus. Daniel couldn’t' be in safer hooves." Twilight replied.

"Okay, if you say so," I shrugged, convinced Twilight wouldn't just give a complement like that to another pony if she wasn't certain of their character. "So what brings you all the way out here?"

"You actually. You see, Rarity told me about what happened yesterday and I'd like to run a few test, if you're okay with them that is." Twilight poked her two forehooves together as she gave me a hopeful smile.

"You're not going to probe me or anything, are you?" I asked.

"No no no, I would be noninvasive, I promise!" Twilight defended.

"I've got nothing better t-" before I could even finish my sentence I was inside the same room that held the mirror that had brought me here.

It no longer held the stone that granted access to my world. Twilight had been rather swift about ensuring its presence was erased from the books, the other princesses were supposedly in agreement as well and aided in the endeavor.

"Now then, time to see if there's some credibility to this "healing touch" of yours." Twilight said walking over to a small table that had a few devices that I was unfamiliar with.

"Oh, hey Izzy." I heard Spike's voice from behind me.

"Hey Spike, how's my favorite reptile?" I asked, giving the baby dragon a quick hug.

"H-hey cut that out," Spike squirmed in my embrace. "I'm good, just the same old same. I'm glad the sun's finally out and the air's starting to warm up again."

"No kidding, I don't like cold weather either." I said.

Twilight audibly cleared her throat, clearly trying to gain our attention; well, mine at least. Spike left the room and carried on about his business, leaving me alone with the purple book worm.

“Now then, let’s get started shall we?" Twilight asked.

What felt like an eternity passed within the room. Several devices were pressed against my hands or other areas on my body. True to her word, Twilight's investigation remained external, not even asking me to so much as open my-.

"Could you open your mouth for a second?" Twilight sheepishly asked.

Well so much for that. I thought as I complied with her request.

The alicorn clapped her hooves together excitedly as something that looked like a thermometer was placed in my mouth before closing down around it. She was clearly enjoying this a bit too much, in the name of science of course.

“This should give us our answer; so far the other methods haven’t been able to pick up anything.” Twilight explained.

I tried to focus on the device, crossing my eyes in order to see the readings, which were nothing more than a few notches against a glass surface, just like a thermometer from Earth. The key difference was the liquid inside this one was a shade of teal that started to remind me more of a glow stick than a medical device the more I thought about it.

“Interesting…” Twilight murmured before taking a few notes.

“What?” I asked nervously.

“According to this, you do have a bit of magic in you!” Twilight replied excitedly.

“Wait, really?” I asked after pulling the device from my mouth, trying to comprehend what the markings meant, but science symbols hadn’t been covered in the books I had under my belt so far.

“Yes, it’s extremely passive mind you, much more passive than an earth pony’s is, but it’s there! Oh my gosh this is incredible! This brings up an entirely different series of questions!” Twilight started bouncing excitedly.

“Heh, you’re not going to lock me up like some lab rat now, are you?” I asked jokingly.

“I guess I got a little carried away there. I don’t plan on locking you up, but now I’m curious if your brother has a similar trait, if so that means that…oh my gosh…this changes so much…” Twilight said, pacing now in an attempt to contain her excitement.

My brother with magic, that was a scary thought. His stupid table top game was pretty deep into that sort of thing, along with big guns and swords that looked like chainsaws. He hated it when I called him captain cardboard, after he built those two hunks of junk that were supposedly really hard to blow up in the game. I threated to burn them both with a lighter once.

“You seem to be thinking about some pretty big changes.” I commented as a book levitated in front of her.

“I was reminded of something your brother and I discussed, if you both share this-well, if all humans share this trait then it’s a pretty impactful discovery for quite a few reasons.” Twilight said.

“Good reasons I hope. I guess there’s no way of telling how to improve this magic your little doodad says I have?” I asked, looking down at my hands.

“I’m afraid only trial and error will help with that, the same as all magic. Even then there’s a chance you can’t improve it, as exciting as that is to think about.” Twilight replied.

The clock sounded, alerting both of us to the time. Surely my brother was home by now, or at least on his way. It’d be good to have him back as a human, then Twilight could poke on him like she had me.

“If we’re done here Twilight, I think I’m going to see if Daniel’s made it back yet. I haven’t seen him all morning.” I said, standing up.

“Fair enough, thanks for your help yesterday by the way.” Twilight beamed.

Daniel was still missing in action, but Twilight had assured me that Cloudchaser was a trustworthy pony. For the pegasus’ sake, she had better be. Even though my brother and I didn’t always see eye to eye, if there was a single hair out of place on his head, there would be hell to pay.

The trip home had reminded me that there was a distinct lack of a certain food group we really couldn't do without. Fluttershy was the pony to see when a meat predicament arose. Despite her timid and sweet demeanor, she somehow managed to produce red meat which raised several questions that I didn’t have the courage to ask.

The mental picture of a butchery hidden within some sort of shed found its way into my mind. I envisioned Fluttershy cackling like a mad mare before delivering the killing blow to some poor bunny or goat, or maybe even…no, even she couldn’t be a cannibal, that was taking things too far.

I knocked once on the pegasus’ cabin door to be greeted quickly by the serpentine creature Daniel had referred to as Discord. I braced myself for some sort of crazy magic trick, but was mildly disappointed when nothing unusual happened.

“Well hello Miss Isabella,” Discord grinned widely at me. “What brings a human to this neck of the woods?”

“Discord, I wasn’t expecting you to answer for Fluttershy.” I laughed nervously.

“Hah! I’ve still got it even without my power.” Discord gloated.

“Wait, you’re powerless right now?” I asked.

“It’s all part of a little game I’m playing with Celestia. She thinks fate actually has some sort of grip on you humans, but I know better. Humans have that nifty little gift of freewill, unbound by something so trivial as fate.” Discord replied.

“I still don’t see how not having your powers has anything to do with this.” I folded my arms in mock disappointment.

“All part of the game, Celestia is sitting in her room right now, unable to perform any of her duties for a full twenty four hours. The catch is that I have to be…bleck, normal, as well. I won’t crack first though, she’s probably pacing right now.” Discord laughed.

“So has the lord of normalcy seen Fluttershy?” I asked.

“Very funny, and of course I’ve seen her. I’m unable to get back into my own house with my powers gone which is why I came here.” Discord replied.

A little red flag was slowly starting to rise in my mind, something about Discord’s power being gone, and my brother’s sudden prolonged absence couldn’t be coincidence. Perhaps Cloudchaser hadn’t done anything to him.

Before I could ask him about his power’s side effects should something like this happen, Fluttershy appeared in the doorway. Seeing her reminded me of why I had walked all the way out here in the first place.

“Hello Isabella, how are you today?" Fluttershy asked sweetly.

"I'm good Fluttershy, I'm here for," I looked around to make sure no other ponies were stopping by to pay the kindhearted pegasus a visit before continuing. "The goods."

"The goods...oh, I understand, one moment." Fluttershy said disappearing into her house, leaving me alone with the powerless lord of chaos.

"So, has she ever told you where she gets that stuff?" I asked.

"My dear, there are questions even I prefer not to know the answers to." Discord replied.

Fluttershy returned with a saddle bag that contained the goods, said goods being meat. The curiosity of where she acquired it finally got the better of me and I couldn't resist asking, I had to know. I didn't want to keep eating dead ponies, if she was in fact a cannibal.

"Fluttershy, I've been meaning to ask, where does this come from anyways?" I asked cautiously, slightly dreading the answer.

"Griffons." Fluttershy replied with a shrug.

"You kill griffons?!" I felt my blood run cold.

"Oh goodness no, there's a nice delivery service that drops off the meat. It varies from hydra to basilisk, but nothing that wouldn't be safe." Fluttershy said nonchalantly, almost as if she were talking about the weather.

"Hydra...I've been eating a hydra..." I mumbled quietly.

"Well, fish have been part of the selection too. You haven't just been eating hydra, Twilight made the suggestion actually." Fluttershy explained.

"Good to know I guess, before I find out about some secret pill you guys have been giving us I think I'm going to go see if Daniel's back yet." I said with a nervous laugh.

"You mean he never made it home?" Fluttershy asked.

"When you say it like that it makes it sound like he was murdered. No he wasn't home the last time I was there, I'm starting to get a little concerned about him." I replied.

"I hope he's okay, I can't imagine anypony that would want to hurt him." Fluttershy said, her ears drooping.

"I hope so too Fluttershy, I'm sure he is." I said not wanting to leave the pegasus' company on a sour note.

I was grateful that Fluttersyhy wrapped the meat in some sort of scent proof material, since walking through town with the scent of dead...something in on me would have probably raised a few concerns. That was the last thing I needed after having improved my standing with these ponies.

The door to my brother's house slowly started to open as I approached it. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, only for it to be drawn away as I saw Twilight and Applejack in the doorway. Twilight seemed to have red, puffy eyes, which did little to ease my mounting fears over my brother.

"Uh, not to be that girl, but what were you guys doing in my brother's house? Is he back?" I asked hopefully.

Twilight opened her mouth to answer but sighed instead, turning to Applejack. The farm pony nodded before stepping forward, looking up at me with forced determination.

"No, he ain't, truth is we can't find him. Twilight and him had a fallin' out of sorts and-" Applejack started to explain.

"I told him to leave; I didn't think he would actually do it though!" Twilight exclaimed quickly.

"Whoa whoa, calm down. What did you two get in a fight over that was that intense?" I asked, motioning for them to follow me inside before other ponies decided to start listening in.

"He came to me this morning about an hour after you left, still under Discord's spell. That wasn't the only thing off about him though, I could smell her on him. He...slept with her, I was just so mad that he would abuse a spell like that..." Twilight said.

"Huh, I'll be damned, he actually did-never mind. Twilight, I don't think he was deliberately abusing the spell, I doubt he could since Discord is powerless right now anyways, but I am curious how he's still a pony if that's the case though." I said.

"Discord's powerless?" Twilight and Applejack asked in unison.

"Yeah, I just saw him at Fluttershy's about a few minutes ago. He said something about a bet with Celestia." I replied.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth in thought. I could only imagine what sort of magical equations she was running through her head. It made me wonder just what Discord's actions might have caused.

"I think he's magic locked...that would explain his appearance. I can't be certain of its side effects though, since this isn't normal magic we're dealing with, and that still doesn't-" Twilight said.

"Twilight, not saying what my brother did was right. I mean, if ponies are his thing he should get them to love him for who he is, but what's wrong with him falling in love with one? I mean, it sounds as if you're against the idea of it entirely." I interrupted.

"I'm not against him falling in love!" Twilight snapped.

"Twi, you had Rainbow Dash and Rarity spy on him, and not ta be agreein' with a sour deed, but fate don't bring two ponies together fer no reason. Right now he's a pony like you and me, so why is this eatin' at ya sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

Twilight bit her bottom lip, taking a few steps away from us. For a few seconds it seemed as if she was contemplating teleporting away, like we had caught her with her hoof in a cookie jar.

"I...I liked him, as a human." Twilight said quietly.

Things were finally starting to make sense, now, and shed a fair amount of light on the alicorn's behavior. At first I was a bit shocked that a pony would confess to liking a human, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

There weren't many alicorn's, four in total, and there were only two humans. Perhaps Twilight wanted to be with a being like herself, one that she could relate to, or maybe there was a deeper reason that I was unaware of. Whatever the case, I was still impressed to hear the words come from her mouth.

"Twilight, why do you like my brother?" I asked.

"I...had a crush on a human once. When I went back for a visit once, he had found somepony new, one who didn't have royal burdens, or have to worry about making time for him. Somepony that would always be there." Twilight sat down as she revealed the truth.

"When I saw your brother, he was scared and alone, but I could tell he had a good heart. As time went on I started to-" Twilight shook her head before she finished her thought. "None of that matters now, he likes Cloudchaser. I told him I never wanted to see him again...I've lost him as a friend now too...and I don't know where to find him. You probably think I'm selfish now." Twilight said quietly.

I felt pity for her; she was surrounded by friends, but was still alone. It was a feeling I had come to accept and grown used to traveling to so many places. I had been in her shoes before, figuratively speaking, and knew how hard it was to watch someone you had feelings for fall for someone other than you.

"Twilight, you didn't lose him as a friend," I knelt down to hug her making her flinch in surprise. "And I don't think loving someone makes you selfish. They have to love you back though." I was joined by Applejack who wrapped her forelegs around the princess.

We stayed like that for a while, friends had disputes, and one night stands hardly qualified as love at first sight. I kept these thoughts to myself; right now silence was the wisest approach until the alicorn was ready to talk.

"We need to find Discord, he can sense magical disturbances." Twilight said, pushing out of our embrace, wiping a stay tear from her eye.

"He's powerless for twenty four hours Twilight, how is that going to help?" I asked, derailing plan A.

"Hey, any of ya'll know what this here means?" Applejacks asked, bringing with her a note with rather sloppy writing on it.

"Fil...something, wow that is crappiest writing I have ever seen." I said looking the note over.

"The only other pony that would have come in here would have been your brother. He probably wrote this with his mouth, since he doesn't have hands at the moment." Twilight reasoned.

"Fair enough, but what does Fil mean?" I asked.

"If he did run the only thing Ah can think of would be Fillydelphia. Reckon he's headed there?" Applejack asked looking to Twilight.

"It makes sense. We have to bring him back, there's no telling what might happen if the spell remains in place for too long, especially one from Discord." Twilight replied.

"I think you need to handle Discord, I can't guarantee his safety if I see him right now. We'll meet you at the station." I said.

"You're coming with us?" Twilight asked.

"Daniel is my brother, he's just acting a little crazy right now." I shrugged.

Twilight nodded wordlessly before disappearing. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was also coming along to make sure she and my brother didn't get into another fight.

“Ouch! Easy on the ear!” Discord yelped, as a purple light engulfed his ear, giving him little option in following Twilight up the stairs of the station. Spike had decided to tag along as well, giggling at the creature’s misfortune.

“Now, tell them what you told me!” Twilight barked, releasing Discord’s ear from her magical grasp.

“Fine, no need to get bent out of shape about it. Your princess is right, if he’s still walking around as a pony then he’s magic locked.” Discord said.

“What else did you tell me on the way here?” Twilight asked through gritted teeth.

I crossed my arms, staring the serpentine creature down. I secretly relished the sight of him recoiling from my gaze, now powerless to do anything about it, daring him to make some sort of smart remark about the situation.

“H-he should be fine, really! I mean there’s the one in a million odd chances that he might stay like he is, bu-agkh.” I didn’t give him the chance to finish, slamming him against the side of the ticket building.

“Find him, and change him back, or I’m going to rearrange your already misconfigured body!” I growled.

“I don’t have my pow-auh!” Discord began to gasp for air as I slip my elbow against his throat.

Twilight held Applejack back, a small smile on her face as she allowed me to vent my frustration out on the lord of chaos for a while. Twilight had a brother as well, I knew she could relate to my anger that had fear intermingled for his safety.

“I don’t care about some stupid bet; I don’t care if you’re doing it for a charity for pony cancer or some other grand cause! You do whatever it takes to get your power back, or I’m going to gouge out your eyes, go buy a strap on and skull fuck you!” I roared.

“Whoa…hostile.” Spike said quietly.

I removed my elbow, allowing him to breathe once more. I kept my soul piercing gaze on him, letting him know I meant business.

“You’re asking the impossible; my powers are sealed in an hourglass right now. Until the last spec of…what are you doing?” Discord asked looking over at Twilight who had pulled Spike to the side.

“Oh, writing a letter for your surrender.” Twilight replied.

“Are you mad? I’m not going to surrender to Celestia!” Discord huffed.

“Hey Applejack how much does a ‘toy’ cost anyways?” I asked, winking at her.

“Not too much I reckon.” The farm pony replied, winking back.

“Okay, okay. Just tell her to break the hourglass and everything should go back to normal…mostly.” Discord mumbled.

Spike finished writing the letter, happily showing Twilight for her approval. With a nod from the princess, the little dragon rolled the scroll up and breathed out a small green flame onto the parchment, causing it to disappear.

A few minutes passed in relative silence, all eyes locked on the lord of chaos. I was about to speak up when a light surrounded Discord, presumably the end result of the hourglass he spoke of being broken. He turned to grin at me mischievously, only to shy away once it occurred to him I wasn’t fazed by him, powers or not. Being in protective big sister mode makes you pretty intimidating.

“Right then, shall we go to Fillydelphia?” Discord asked.

“That’s the idea…what’s the hold up?” I asked.

“I’m waiting for the train, my powers just returned to me after all. You didn’t really think I’d be able to just teleport where ever I wanted to the second they returned did you?” Discord grinned.

“Looks like we’re waiting on the train then.” Twilight sighed.

“What exactly do you plan to do with the human Twilight? You know it’ll be hard to concentrate with all the stares and occasional scream of panic.” Discord mused.

“That’s not going to work Discord.” Twilight said, stomping a hoof against the wooden deck.

The train ride was oddly pleasant all things considered. While I couldn’t fathom why Daniel called Discord a friend, I didn’t mind being in the company of Twilight, Applejack or Spike. Things were a bit awkward though, now that my…perspective was a bit off.

“I can’t believe you talked me into doing this.” Twilight groaned, slamming a hoof against her face.

“I’m good at what I do.” Discord laughed, reclining in his seat.

“Don’t sweat it Twilight, it’s not…so bad, just a little weird getting adjusted to.” I said blowing on my mane a bit as it drifted over my left eye.

Through some sort of witch craft, Discord had managed to get all of us to agree that it was a good idea for me to be as inconspicuous as possible. By that, he meant blending in as a pony myself, which to any sane being would have raised red flags since such a occurrence had gotten us into our current situation.

A coral pink coat now covered my smaller body, while a similarly colored horn broke the ordinarily flat surface of my skull. A long red mane and tail, with pink streaks running through the fine hairs complemented each other nicely. To top the look off, what looked like a sextant was branded on my flanks.

“So does this mean I can do magic now?” I asked, growing frustrated with my mane, continually covering my left eye. I had no idea how Fluttershy tolerated the hai-mane style.

“Casting a spell isn’t just something you will to happen. It’s a process that takes a lot of work to master.” Twilight said.

“Just a thought. Honestly though, I never expected to be a unicorn.” I shrugged, turning to look out the window as the train neared our destination. I could only hope my brother was okay.

Author's Note

So this is Isabella's perspective of the story, trying to intertwine two chapters between characters. It seemed like a good idea in my head.

And The Truth Will Set You Free

The sun's morning rays cruelly streamed through the window of the bedroom, slowly rousing me from my slumber. I took in my surroundings in small doses, my eyes occasionally drooping shut from exhaustion. This was definitely not my room, or my bed.

As the cobwebs of sleep were cleared from my mind, I recalled what had transpired last night. A quick glance to my right assured me that it hadn't just been a very vivid dream.

Cloudchaser's sleeping form was snuggled close to me, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest beneath the covers was a sure sign she was still asleep. Her right foreleg was draped across me, it was kind of adorable, except for the fact that her head was on my leg, putting it to sleep.

What now though? This morning had only brought new problems and questions. Cloudchaser had feelings for a pony without a past. For some reason I was still trapped in the body of the aforementioned pony. Then there was Twilight, what would she think?

The most pressing question at the moment though, was how to get Cloudchaser off of me without waking her up. Nature was calling, and I was now faced with the age old dilemma of not waking a sleeping lover in order to take care of business.

Okay, just move slowly...slo-oh come on! I bit back a growl as Cloudchaser snuggled closer to me, making my task much harder.

A strange feeling swept over me as she subconsciously pressed herself against me. I was unable to remain frustrated, even in my current situation as I studied her. Her smell, her aura, everything was amplified when I was a pegasus. These ponies felt, and experienced things on a completely different field, one that could only be comprehended if it was experienced firsthand, or hoof.

Cloudchaser's eyes slowly opened, her eyelids stopping halfway as a smile stretched across her face. Her mane was a bit messy and its styled form had fallen flat during the night.

"Hey..." she whispered groggily.

"Hey..." I whispered back.

"You stayed...I must have done something right." Cloudchaser nuzzled her head into my neck, sighing.

"Quite a few things," I said, making her giggle. "I did say I'd be here when you woke up though."

Cloudchaser lifted her head, planting a kiss on my lips. I wanted this to last forever; there was a reason for me to stay here in this moment, but it would be a lie.

"What's on your mind?" the mare asked, picking up on my distress.

"This and that, nothing really pressing." I lied.

"You can tell me, what's going on in that head of yours?" Cloudchaser pressed playfully.

"I have to pee..." I replied, spouting out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Don't fall in." Cloudchaser bit her bottom lip, trying to stifle her laughter at the randomness of my answer. She shifted slightly to allow me to get up.

I rolled out of bed, landing on all four hooves with shaky legs. Last night had been something I wasn't quite used to, for obvious reasons. A quick stretch, which was similar to a cat's more so than an equine's, severed to relieve some of the tension before I headed towards the bathroom.

If there was one thing I didn't envy ponies for, it was how they...took care of business. Mares got off easy; stallions had to put forth the extra effort when using the toilet that made me thankful I was actually a human. Which brought up the question, why was I still a pegasus.

I had expected the spell to wear off some time during the night, and have a great deal of explaining to do, but so far I was still walking around on four legs. A shiver crept up my spine as the possibility of some sort of draw back to the spell might have taken affect prodded its way into my thoughts.

"No, he wouldn't cast something like that....right?" I asked aloud, looking into a mirror through which a blue pegasus stared back at me.

As I left the bathroom, I saw Flitter ascending the stairs. Her eyes had bags under them and were a bit red. I could barely make out what looked like small boils beneath her coat, which I assumed was the illness Ditzy had mentioned.

The mare narrowed her tired eyes at me as she walked towards me. I wanted to flee, but my legs refused to move, even when she was only inches from me.

"Hey Flitter...uh....sleep well?" I asked nervously. Mentally kicking myself when I realized what I had just said.

"Funny....look, I can't tell my sister who she can and can't bring home," Flitter said, her voice was unsettlingly sharp. "But if you hurt her like that prick Thunderlane, I'll cut you."

"Thanks for the warning..." I mumbled as the mare walked past me towards her bedroom.

I shook off my encounter with Flitter before returning to Cloudchaser's bedroom. I had to think of some way to tell her goodbye. It was a shame this couldn't last forever, or be permanent. Oddly enough, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it to be, even though I knew it wouldn't work.

Oh my... I thought as I walked in to see Cloudchaser preening herself.

Birds did this sort of thing every day, almost every time they landed. When I was a human not once had I ever found this mildly interesting, or attractive, but now what actions were defined as attractive had been thrown out the window.

No! Get a grip man! Ignore the hot mar-no! Damn it! my brain was officially a mess.

"So are you going to stare at me all day, or come lend a hoof with the hard to reach places?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know I was uh...never mind." I said approaching her, despite an internal protest to do so.

Cloudchaser turned her back to me, spreading her wings out for me. At a glance, mine were longer in comparison to hers. It was a bit odd doing this for another pegasus, but not unpleasant. The occasional sigh as I worked was assurance from her that I wasn't messing up. It was almost like giving a human a massage.

"You're good at this...how many maresfriends have you had?" Cloudchaser asked.

"None, believe it or not." I replied, pausing to answer her question.

As I moved to her other wing I noticed a picture of Cloudchaser and her sister in what looked like Wonderbolt suits. They seemed odd in design at first glance, but the similarities were more than enough to stir up my curiosity.

“So, what’s a member of the Wonderbolts doing in Ponyville?” I asked before starting on her other wing.

“I wish, I’m just a cadet. I go back for another round of training soon, and I hate leaving Ponyville again. Still, not everypony gets an invitation to even be a cadet.” Cloudchaser replied.

“Interesting.” I said before pulling out a broken feather.

Cloudchaser flinched in response, but didn’t protest when she saw the feather in my mouth. Content with my progress she allowed me to continue gently sliding the ruffled feathers back into place.

“You know, if you wanted something to remember me by, all you had to do was ask.” the mare teased.

I started to ask what she meant, until I remembered where I had mentioned Comet Guard was from. I had gotten tangled up in a lie now, and there were only two ways-no, one way out. I couldn’t tell her the truth, but the thought of breaking her heart drove a nail through my own. It had never been in me to do that to someone back on Earth, even if it had been done to me countless times, I didn’t want to start here in Equestria.

“You okay?” Cloudchaser asked, looking back at me.

“Yeah…peachy.” I replied.

“Look if this is about us, don’t worry. I’ve done long distance before, just don’t keep me waiting for months,” Cloudchaser said, examining her wings. “You did a good job.”

“Thanks…” I said, still sulking as reality crashed down around me, ruthlessly.

“Turn around.” Cloudchaser sat up, spinning her hoof in a circle.

I did as she asked, facing away from her. My guilt burdened mind was still trying to sort out what to do next, when I felt her slide up against me as I had her only moments ago.

“Wings out buster.” she said, poking my right wing with her hoof.

“Buster? Where did that come from?” I asked, spreading my wings as she requested.

“Before I was a cadet, and when I was still dating Thunderlane, I used to foal sit his little brother, Rumble. It’s just something I called him….he’s a good colt, I hope he doesn’t end up like his brother.” Cloudchaser replied before starting to move and shift feathers.

It had been oddly fulfilling preening another pegasus, especially one you l-no, a friend. It was just as enjoyable, if not more, to be the one receiving such treatment. The soothing action slowly drove away my worries and fears, for the moment.

“Has nopony ever done this for you before?” Cloudchaser asked.

“No, not really.” I replied, slipping deeper into the blissful trance.

"When me or my sister had a crappy day, our mom or dad would always do this for us. It made everything better." Cloudchaser explained, before taking another feather in her mouth and maneuvering it back into place.

What does this make us...here we are preening each other of all things...and I want to be happy, but if she knew the truth she'd hate me. She's bonding with Comet Guard right now, not me. This thought sent a multitude of different emotions racing through me at once; it wasn't fair.

I felt her start on my other wing; so far she hadn't come across any broken feathers. Not surprising, I assumed I grew a new set every time Discord worked his magic on me.

Time passed on slowly with silence between us. Words weren't needed right now though, which made the conflicting feelings that much stronger. I was fighting against something that would make me happy, staying. It was a fight I wasn't completely willing to win, but one I knew I had to none the less, like one of those stupid choices a Telltale Game would force you to make, where one character would always end up hating you, but you couldn't neglect the decision.

"Perfect." Cloudchaser said, running her hooves across my now smoothed out wings.

"Thanks, that felt...nice." I said.

"So were you serious when you said that I'm your first? That you've never had a marefriend before?" Cloudchaser asked, leaning into my chest.

The contact wasn't unwelcome or forward since her ears were still erect. Rarity and Applejack had done the same before when I was human, just against my leg instead of against my entire being. It was a sign of trust, being able to lean on one another; Twilight had been quick to correct my first assumption when I asked her about it before I made an ass of myself.

“Yeah I’ve never had one before, why?” I asked in return.

“Just curious, it makes this special, since I’m-“ Cloudchaser paused, for a moment before continuing. “Do you want to be together? I know last night was kind of sudden, but I kind of like you.”

“Yeah, last night was kind of crazy, in a good way,” I said, picking my words carefully. “The way I was raised we were usually supposed to go out for a while before becoming more intimate.”

“I guess you’re right. You’re a nice stallion; I’d hate to lose you to some other mare’s sweet words.” Cloudchaser said breaking the contact between us.

Okay, now’s your chance, just drop a smooth line and act cool about leaving. the voice in the back of my mind advised.

“The way to my heart isn’t through words, so don’t worry about that.” No sooner had I spoken, my stomach started to growl. Couldn't have been better timing.

"Guess I'm lucky I know more than one way to a stallion's heart." Cloudchaser said poking my stomach.

Okay, it's getting really hard not to marry th-damn it!

Ponies were already enjoying the morning sunshine and fresh air. Unfortunately I was still among their number, wings and all. There was no explanation for this, Discord's magic should have lasted for forty eight hours at most, except the first time he used it on me, but that was part of a deal.

There had been no agreement this time, so why was I stuck looking like a pony. This was a question only the lord of chaos could answer...if he was home. Talking to his door provided little insight to his whereabouts, leaving only one pony that could help me, one I really, really didn't want to talk to right now.

"This is going to suck...please kill me now." I said, looking skyward to no avail.

“What’s going to suck?” a young voice asked.

“Oh, hey Spike.” I said solemnly as the dragon matched my pace.

"We missed you yesterday after all the snow was cleared. Is every thing okay?" Spike asked innocently.

“Well, I’m kind of stuck like this right now. Discord’s not home and I’ve only got Twilight to turn to at the moment for some sort of solution.” I said.

“I’m sure she won’t be that upset, it’s not like you had anything to do with it.” Spike said cheerfully.

“I hope not.” I mumbled.

The guards at Twilight’s door started to stop me in my tracks until Spike informed them I was with him. Nodding they stepped aside, allowing us to enter the castle. The guards’ eyes remained locked on me until I was out of sight, they were familiar with the human Daniel, not the run of the mill pegasus I was currently.

You know what this might cause right? How it will affect everypony? asked the voice of reason in my mind.

It was a question asked too late. Before I could even contemplate escape, I was at Twilight’s door. I had been here before, in a similar predicament. The last time things had ended on a pleasant note, but I could only see one end to the path set before me now, one I had to confront.

“Daniel? Why do you still look like… .” Twilight fumbled for the name.

“Comet Guard,” I said, finishing her thought. “And I honestly don’t know, Discord wasn’t at his house for me to ask him.”

Twilight’s puzzled face matched my thoughts on the matter. So far things were going smoothly; I seriously doubted that things would remain that way.

“That’s strange; then again this is the lord of chaos we’re talking about. I can’t say I’m…thrilled with the…circumstances. Your sister didn’t mention anything about you being stuck like this.” Twilight began eyeing me suspiciously the closer she got, putting me on edge.

I wanted to back away, but that would only make me seem more suspicious. I once thought alicorns could read minds, but Twilight told me that was just a myth, they could only pick up on emotions, which I was having a hard time keeping under control with my brain as scrambled as it was.

“You’ve met my sister today?” I asked as casually as I could.

“Yes, I think I might have been wrong about humans lacking magic before. I have a theory behind it being passive, like an earth pony’s magic is transferred into the ground without them even realizing it most of the time.” Twilight explained.

I felt bad about missing out on the rest of the day. Isabella had probably impressed them somehow, and I wasn’t there. Instead, I was on a couch healing no thanks to Thunderlane…and then there was Cloudchaser.

“Hey Daniel…you didn’t mess with the spell did you?” Twilight asked, derailing my train of thought. “I doubt Discord added any outs and ins to it, but you didn’t do anything…rash did you?”

My heart slid into my throat, Twilight was my friend. She trusted me not to do this kind of thing, she said so herself. I had taken that trust and tarnished it. Something Rainbow Dash said echoed through my mind, marking, that’s why Cloudchaser had been so…snuggly. Twilight already knew, there was no escape now.

“I slept with Cloudchaser…” I said quietly.

Twilight stepped backwards as if she had just been pushed. Her eyes were wide and attentive, while her mouth moved up and down slowly trying to find the right words to say, but failing miserably.

“I’m sorry…I could have sworn you just said you-“

“Slept with Cloudchaser.” I repeated staring down at the floor.

It felt as if somepony had found the nob for the gravity in the room and cranked it up to one hundred. I couldn’t lift my head up to look at her, even as she stood there, staring at me, waiting for me to say something else. To tell her that this was all a bad joke, and then receive the usual playful swat from her wing in scolding.

“How...why even?” Twilight asked, her voice growing shaky.

“She took me home to patch me up and…it just sort of happened…I’ve felt weird ever since.” I replied.

“Did you even once think about how this would affect her, you, or others even?” Twilight asked as her eyes started to develop tears in their corners.

“I wasn’t thinking at the time, she thinks I’m somep-“

“No, you’re someONE, not somepony,” Twilight snapped, her voice growing firm even as the tears started to fall. “Why would you play with a mare’s heart like that? Could you not wait for one to love you for who you are?”

“Twilight, not a single pony loves me that way. They all love a mask, but when it’s off, I’m just a friend.” I said.

“G-get out…now...don't let me see you again.” Twilight said through gritted teeth before turning away from me.

I was about to say more until Spike stepped in front of me, shaking his head. At least he wasn’t being mean about it, but I could tell I had upset him as well. I had really screwed up this time.

I drug my hooves slowly towards the door of my house, sighing before opening it. I was in a bind now with so many things happening at once. I had to try to get ready for a new job, Twilight hated me, and I was trapped in the body of a small horse with no sign of Discord.

The one pony that could have helped me was too mad to reason with, lord knows I screwed that up. I was never a fan of lemonade, but I wasn't exactly in a position to ask life for some apples.

"This is all your fault boner!" I shouted, once I was sure the door was closed.

What was I supposed to do now? I couldn't go back; I couldn't stay in Ponyville, for today at least. I had told Cerulean Skies and Cloudchaser where Comet Guard was from, Fillydelphia. If I lingered for too long the others might grow suspicious of Comet Guard, leading to more trouble.

Discord's spell was showing no signs of wearing off any time soon, even as I paced and contemplated what to do next. Oddly enough Isabella wasn't home, I wanted her to be here right now, just to have someone on my side. I was probably going to be enemy number one soon for having upset Twilight.

Scootaloo, I had screwed that up too. I needed Twilight's help, and now I didn't have that. I now understood why the alicorn disliked this spell, the chaos it caused from a single night had devastating results.

Come on Daniel, you're smart, what's the next step? the little voice within me asked.

"If I don't go, Rainbow Dash will be the next victim of this train wreck. I don't need more bad blood in Ponyville...and I can't really do anything as long as I'm locked in this spell. I have to leave, for a little while anyways." I reasonsed with myself.

As I started plotting out what to do next I retrieved a note pad and pencil, before realizing that I couldn't write with my mouth. I tried to write down the name of the city I was about to travel to, only to fail miserably and make a few jumbled lines and curves.

Finally, after three failed attempts to leave a note, I settled on writing a a very sloppy Fillydelphia. This was the best I could do with such a small amount of space to write and not being truly skilled in the art of mouth writing.

"This will have to do. Time to get ready I suppose." I sighed.

Fillydelphia was exactly as I remembered it, busy with carts moving up and down the streets at a faster pace than Canterlot’s usual traffic. I dreaded the thought of these ponies having access to cars and trucks; that was a tragedy waiting to happen.

My mind was still at war with the thought of having feelings for Cloudchaser. One night stands couldn’t produce such feelings, it took more than that. Still, she had said that she wanted to keep in touch, under the impression I really was a pony from Fillydelphia.

I nearly bumped into another pony, walking towards the hotel I had stayed at with Discord once before. I had to get off the street, I was still a pony for the time being, and I didn’t want to test my luck being in a public place when the spell wore off…hopefully wore off anyways.

I shook my head as thought after thought of what I should do next, or what I couldn’t do entered my mind only to be replaced by a thought that was completely the opposite. This was starting to drive me crazy, and it had only gotten worse ever since I left Ponyville.

I noticed a bench nearby and decided to take a quick break. My thoughts only seized the opportunity to increase the frequency of their relentless assault.

“Stop thinking about her…everything is going to be fine, just breathe.” I mumbled to myself.

Deep breathing worked for a while, but the second anything related to Clo-that mare came into my mind the noisy, warring thoughts returned. It was beginning to become unbearable, but there was no where I could go, nothing I could do to silence the noise.

I opened my eyes to try and focus on something else again before jumping off the bench. I tried observing my surroundings as I walked. I mulled over small details about other ponies, which seemed to help more than my previous methods.

One mare had on a dress that didn’t really fit well in this setting, perhaps she was from Canterlot or some other big city. A stallion was taking a few pictures with a cap, something I didn’t expect to see in this world when I first arrived. Then there was a colt chasing a ball that rolled into the street right into traf-wait what?!

“Nimble!” I heard a mare cry out over the noisy street.

I didn’t really think about what I was doing at the time. Something else entirely kicked in, something I had no control over. My wings unfurled, in unison with a shake from my rear to dislodge the saddle bags at my side. I was next to the colt in the blink of an eye, my wings powering me towards him.

I felt something rough bump against the bottom of my hoof, I assumed it was the cart that I was trying to outpace. When I finally regained a bit of control I noticed I was keeping level above the carts speeding below me. A shocked looking colt was cradled in my forelegs.

“You’re fast…” he said.

“Sort of, sorry about your ball kid.” I said as I dropped altitude over the walkway.

“Nimble,” the mare wrapped her colt in a hug once I had landed and set him down. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Despite my circumstances it felt good being able to help somepony out. I smiled at the thought of how what I considered a problem had turned out to be rather advantageous to a potentially deadly situation. I backed away into the crowd, not wanting to draw attention to myself, besides I needed to find my saddle bags that I had ditched flying towards the kid.

A wave of panic washed over me as I looked in the general direction I thought I had discarded the bags, unable to find them. Today couldn't seem to make up its mind if it wanted to suck or be bright and sunny.

"Great...on top of everything else I get robbed..." I moaned.

"Looking for these?" a firm voice asked.

I turned towards the voice to see a unicorn stallion wearing a pretty snazzy sweater. Draped over his left foreleg were my saddle bags. Outwardly he seemed to be okay, not the type to try and mug you, but looks could be deceiving, and I wasn't too familiar with Fillydelphia's inhabitants.

"Thanks..." I said, cautiously taking the bags.

"You flew pretty fast back there, pretty good reactions." the stallion complemented.

"I guess so; I just didn't want the little guy to get ran over...thanks for making sure nothing happened to my stuff though mister..." I said, hoping to at least get his name.

"Track Pace, my young friend, or just Mr. Pace." Track Pace puffed out his chest proudly.

Wow, I thought I had a terrible name...wait, that's just my pseudo name, what am I thinking? I thought to myself, shaking my head again.

"You okay son? I'm afraid I didn't get your name." Track had a look of concern on his face.

"Uh, Daniel, I've got to go. Sorry, thanks again though!" I exclaimed taking off. I cursed under my breath after realizing I had told him my actual name, not that it would matter, how would he find me anyways?

I heard him shout something at me that I couldn't quite make out, but that wasn't important right now. The only thing that mattered was getting some place I could rest; my mind appeared to be coming undone at the seams. I just needed to sleep whatever this was off, and then everything would be okay.

I kept repeating that over and over to myself until I arrived at the hotel and paid for my room. I quickly turned off the lights and flew the short distance towards the bed.

It was becoming increasingly hard to focus and concentrate as the hours passed. Eventually the sun started to set and the sickly sensation that had been building within me had only grown worse, accompanied now by an occasional pinging noise in my ears.

Soon it would be the third day I since I had last been a human, walked upright, eaten meat, or did anything a normal human would do. I was scared, this shouldn't be happening, not to me anyways. This sort of thing happened in bad fairytales, this spell was slowly starting to seem more and more like a curse.

I could feel my sanity slowly dissolving, the last time I had spent a similar amount of time as a pony a residual affect had lingered in my body. I could only imagine what Discord's chaos magic might do if I was left this way.

I had told myself I needed to do this for Rainbow Dash, to make it seem like my story-no, Comet's story, was true. What I tried to forget was how I was eventually going to cause a pegasus' heart to shatter when she realized Comet wasn't coming back.

How I screwed up my relationship with one of the first, and best, friends I had in this world over something stupid. I could have said no that night, but I didn't, I was too dumb.

Worst of all, I blew everything I had planned out for Scootaloo. I wasn't father material, I was a joke. I was just some failure human parading around as a good, upstanding guy. Today didn't change anything for the better, it only made it worse.

I felt a few bitter tears escape my eyes. I never wanted to have anything to do with chaos again, I had been all for it and joked about it back home, but here it was real and had torn a pretty big hole in my life.

"I just want to go home." I felt dizzy as I mumbled those words.

I started to drift off to sleep, the spell showing no signs of dissipating. There was the small glimmer of hope that it would wear off in the morning, but lingering doubt over shadowed the thought. Just as I thought I had been given a reprieve from the chaos of the day, the door to my room flew open.

I was too exhausted, more so mentally than physically, to put up a struggle if I was being robbed. Fortunately for me, my intruders included a familiar baby dragon, an alicorn, two unicorns and an earth pony with a familiar stetson.

“Mphr…what are you guys doing here?” I asked groggily, my vision unstable.

“Daniel! I’m so glad you’re okay!” the coral colored unicorn exclaimed, tackling me in a hug. This only made my condition worse.

“Who are you supposed to be?” I asked as the loud pinging noise slowly built in my ears.

I could see her mouth moving, but all I could hear was the steadily growing, drawn out pinging noise. I felt my stomach clench as my vision faded. I briefly considered the possibility that this is what dying felt like, fortunately for me, I wasn't met with a long tunnel with a light at the end.

Something warm was resting against my forehead. It was oddly comforting, and brought a smile to my face. I slowly opened my eyes, slowly observing my surroundings, which were much more familiar to me now.

“You’re awake, thank God.” Isabella said, moving her hand from my forehead, hugging my neck.

“You say that like I was out for a day or something.” I said with a weak laugh.

“Three days actually,” I heard another voice say. “We had to put you to sleep so you could recover. Perhaps begin to recover is a more accurate statement.”

I knew that voice anywhere, but never expected to hear it in my own house again. As my sister relinquished my neck, Twilight came into view. I turned away, unable to look her in the eyes, I still remembered what had started this entire ordeal.

“What do you mean by recover?” I asked, keeping my gaze averted.

“When you…spent time with Cloudchaser as a pony, it released chemicals in your brain that would ordinarily aid in the marking process, deepening the bond. Discord’s spell never filled in all of the gaps, so you could still keep your personality which only caused conflict...your mind was literally tearing itself apart as the spell tried to overwrite who you were.” Twilight explained.

It wasn’t hard to accept the fact that chaos magic had taken a heavy toll on my body, and mind. Chaos is unpredictable, it comes with the territory. It would be a cold day in hell before I would trust it again though.

“So why am I still like this?” I asked holding up a hoof.

“When Discord’s magic was cut off from him, it reversed the spell…instead of being a human turned into a pony, you’re…a pony that could turn into a human.” Twilight replied.

“So just have him change me back, it can’t be that hard right? I mean, there has to be a way to undo this…Twilight?” I asked, failing to mask the panic in my voice.

“Daniel, that chaos magic nearly killed you. I was able to correct the immediate problem, but if Discord uses that spell on you again, it’ll be much worse. Maybe in a few months or a year once the residual effects are gone we can try, but not right now…I’m sorry.” Twilight approached my bedside.

It felt like a part of me had just been torn away. Not being able to do the things I could as a human was a depressing thought made reality.

“Daniel, I’m sorry if I made you run away, I was just mad.” Twilight said, pulling me back to reality.

“Twilight, I left because I told the others Comet was from Fillydelphia. I didn’t want to make Rainbow Dash look like a liar, so I left for a bit, I never planned on staying. I did screw up though, now there’s going to be a lot of ponies that hate me. I’m sorry.” I sighed, facing her.

“No pony hates you. Friends fight, but we get over it.” Twilight smiled.

“Not sure how work is going to take this though…and I just applied for that new job.” I mused, picking up on the other two occupants’ suddenly nervous glances at each other.

“Yeah, about that…legally, Crafty Crate had to fire you…since you’re not you anymore.” Isabella said.

I groaned, covering my eyes. This was a complete disaster; my life was practically being turned upside down, all because of one stupid spell. I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide for the rest of my life at that moment.

“Anything else I need to know about? Maybe the world is scheduled to be blown to bits?” I asked cynically.

“You’ve had a visitor for the past two days. I think you know who I’m talking about too.” Twilight said.

My blood ran cold, apparently things were about to get much worse. How could I possibly face her again?

“Does she know?” I asked.

“She does, she’s been stopping by at three while I kept you asleep. I suspect she’ll be back again today,” Twilight said, it seemed like she wanted to say more before turning to my sister who nodded to her. “Just don’t do anything dumb…I’ve got to go now.”

Twilight left the room rather quickly with my sister. Leaving me alone to my thoughts, thankfully I wasn’t being driven mad by them like before. I was without a job, which didn’t sit so well when taxes were due. I would have to come up with a plan, now that the powers that be had decided to press the reset button on my life.

I continued to drift in my thoughts for quite some time, occasionally getting up to walk around a bit. I could only hope that in a year I would be able to return to normal, that I wouldn’t be stuck looking at a pony in the mirror until my dying day.

The sound of the door slowly opening broke my train of thought. There in the doorway was Cloudchaser. That odd feeling from before started to return, but it wasn’t as strong this time.

“So, you’re awake now.” Cloudchaser said, closing the door behind her as she walked in.

“Yeah.” I said sitting down on the hardwood floor.

“I need to know why,” Cloudchaser said firmly. “Why did you think it was okay to lie to everypony?”

“I was only trying to help. The story starts way before the two of us; I had to keep things consistent. I didn’t think I would get involved with a pony, or have feelings for one, but then I did…and now everything’s crashed down around me.” I replied.

“I want to hear it, from the beginning.” Cloudchaser said, sitting down in front of me.

I began the process of recounting my first encounter with Discord, all the way to last night’s events. It was hard to tell how she felt about all of this, how she had really wanted to be with a human, correction, former human.

“I had a feeling you were different, but not like this…I don’t know what to think about all of this…about you.” Cloudchaser sighed.

“I’m not perfect; I’m a flawed, frail creature with more mistakes than successes tied to my name.” I said quietly.

Cloudchaser sat in silence, looking me over. She was trying to come to a decision about something; I could only hope it wasn’t whether or not to kick me in the face.

“I don’t want a perfect coltfriend, but I do want an honest one.” Cloudchaser said, standing up.

“I have to go back to the academy for training. It’ll give me time to think about some things, and maybe we can start over, maybe.” with that the mare saw herself out of my room.

I didn’t try to stop her as she closed the door. That sort of thing only worked in movies and crummy love novels. I wasn’t about to try and act desperate or make her mad; I had done enough damage already. Everything around me was in pieces, now that the fall was over though it was time to start rebuilding, with or without help.

Author's Note

So as always leave your thoughts if you want to. And if this chapter seemed a bit crazy, that was kind of the idea, the dude's mind was coming undone :derpytongue2: Funs times ahead.

When Opportunity Knocks

Sky Mark sat at home, reading over the newspaper that had been brought to him by one of his employees. His gaze lingered on the photo that had captured a stallion grabbing a young colt that was in harm’s way. While this was a noble feat, it wasn’t the act that interested him.

Pulling out a magnifying glass, Sky Mark looked closely at the stallion’s wings, studying them as best he could through the black and white picture. Track Pace sat anxiously as his boss studied his discovery, Sky Mark had already come to his conclusions about the stallion, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy making his employees sweat a bit.

“Well, he’s got good build, I’ll give you that,” Sky Mark said leaning away from the paper. “I want to know what makes you think he’s got the ability to be molded into something more than some Sunday news story? If you brought this to me just because he saved a colt then that’s pretty pitiful.”

“You should have seen his wings in motion; he was nowhere near the kid, the next second he’s scooping him up, quick as a bullet. He took off before I could talk to him about anything, but I did get his name, Daniel, pretty weird if you ask me.” Track Pace said, pulling on the collar of his sweater.

“You’re basing this assumption off a rare dangerous situation. Ponies can do incredible things when they’re pushed, or if the occasion calls for them to go above and beyond. How do I know this wasn’t just some fluke?” Sky Mark asked.

“It can’t hurt to ask, or try. You said so yourself, he’s got good build,” Track Pace said doing his best to keep his heart in his chest instead of his throat. “Look, you’re going to have to stay out of the season if you don’t give one of these stallions a chance, then you’ll start to lose money. Now you’ve been indifferent at best about everypony I’ve brought before you, but I’m telling you this kid’s got potential.”

Sky Mark closed his eyes in thought. Track Pace was lucky that he was one of the best spotters he had, otherwise he would have fired him for calling him out on his indecisiveness. There was a reason for such indecisiveness; he had a reputation to uphold, and he couldn’t afford for it to be tarnished with some rookie.

Still, Pace had a point; he would lose more bits the longer he waited. Despite all this stallion might have to offer, he wasn’t completely convinced this was winner material. He had said the same thing before and been proven wrong though, so long as the stallion was willing to go the distance.

“Okay Pace, we’ll see what he can do. I’m not guaranteeing anything though.” Sky Mark shrugged.

“I know you won’t be disappointed Sky Mark.” Track Pace said excitedly.

“Oh I know I won’t, because he’s your project,” Sky Mark said making Track Pace’s expression fall. “I’m just giving you the green light to bring him out here. If he can win a race, then we’ll start talking about moving forward. I can afford to lose a few bits if I have to sit out.”

Track Pace was about to inquire about himself until he realized that his job was being subtly threatened. If Sky Mark did stay out of the season, then the employees with high paying positions would have to be let go, him included.

“Understood, sir.” Track Pace said quietly before leaving Sky Mark’s study.

I sighed as I closed the door to my house after another fruitless job hunt. With Isabella's test coming up soon things might not be so bad, but I wasn't a freeloader. I had been bored to tears when I was being kept at Fluttershy's.

“That bad huh?” Isabella asked as I climbed onto the couch and let myself fall on the cushions like a limp stuffed animal.

“It’s almost been two weeks.” I groaned.

“You have to keep trying, trust me things will work out.” Isabella said nonchalantly.

I rolled my eyes, I was slowly starting to get used to doing things without hands that I had once been able to manage with ease. Applejack had been nice enough to let me help out on the orchard, but I couldn’t abuse her kindness.

“I’m going over to Rarity’s, don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.” Isabella ruffled my mane as she passed by before leaving.

I was tempted to bite her fingers, but was too demoralized to follow through with my plan of attack. I looked at the Nintendo 64, one of the few good things chaos had done was now worthless. I lacked fingers which meant my only form of amusement was being outside. This was out of the question as well, since I didn’t really want any attention.

A knock on my door ruined my pity party. I scowled before getting up, could the pony on the other end not understand that I was trying to wallow in self-pity? One does not need to be disturbed during such a delicate process.

I opened the door and was surprised to see Scootaloo. Her trademark scooter was nowhere to be seen, I could only assume that by Scootaloo standards the repaired scooter just wasn’t the same, after the damage had already been done to it. Isabella did mention something about the fix being temporary.

“Hey Scoots, how are things?” I asked, my urge to yell at the pony on the other side of the door vanishing instantly.

“Okay I guess, just got bored and you’ve been staying inside more than usual.” Scootaloo replied.

“Well, at least you’re honest.” I said as she walked past me.

“You should be flying around, still out there looking for something. Apple Bloom told me how you’ve been having trouble.” Scootaloo followed me as I walked over to the couch again.

“Apple Bloom seems to be the town’s CIA agent.” I mumbled under my breath.

“What?” Scootaloo cocked her head in confusion.

“Nothing, look things will be fine Scootaloo. I’m just tired from having doors slammed in my face…metaphorically speaking.” I added just as the filly opened her mouth to presumably ask for names. She was a good kid.

"What's that?" Scootaloo asked pointing at the game console that was partially boxed up.

Without fingers I had no use for it, if it wasn't for the small glimmer of hope that I might be able to be human again it would be sitting in the trash bin. Scootaloo had seen them when she got dragged to Earth with me once, she had even played on the original NES, since it didn't take much effort to work the few buttons on the controller.

"That's just a console, kind of like the one you played on." I said dismissively.

Before I could tell her no, Scootaloo had managed to pull it out of the box. The contents being spilt out onto the hardwood floor was enough motivation to get off of the couch. I wasn't about to let her struggle with strange wires that shouldn't exist in this world to begin with, Discord had definitely out done himself when he brought this little set up into existence.

Excitement filled Scootaloo's eyes as the title screen for the Legend of Zelda appeared. Almost immediately that excitement turned into mild frustration as she tried to find a way to comfortably control Link, or as she had called him, RainbowDa, due to a slip up with the start button. I had to tell her where the letters were since she couldn't read my language.

I was content to watch Scootaloo try to maneuver RainbowDa around the world while I translated what the characters were saying, and pointing out where she needed to go. It brought back a few memories of playing with my cousin and sister. We would each take turns reading out of the strategy guide while the other worked their way through a dungeon.

When that satisfying hour came to finally fight Ganon, it was an epic moment in my childhood. It was probably one of the fondest since we had reached that spot together; helping each other out in the tough spots of the game.

By some miracle Scootaloo managed to recover the sword and get a deku shield from the shop before going into the first dungeon. I had trouble keeping s straight face during the cut scenes that mentioned her character’s name. What added to the hilarity was how difficult hooves made fighting even the simplest of enemies.

The tangerine filly whined in frustration as she died to a deku baba, ignoring the shouting of a frustrated Navi. Scootaloo proceeded to tell the fairy to shut up after losing count of how many times she had tried to get her to press the up triangle button.

“Keep at it Scoots, you’re not going to let some weed get the better of you, are you?” I asked teasingly.

Scootaloo managed to roll away from the plant just as it lashed out at her before hitting it twice with the sword, vanquishing it. She proudly turned around and stuck her tongue out at me before turning her attention back to the game.

“You’re serious?” Isabella asked looking down at the dress design Rarity’s brain had produced.

“I would never joke about something like this. A fine lady such as yourself should attend such an event in something with a bit more class than your regular attire.” Rarity replied.

“I don’t really think a gala is the place for someone like me, especially after my last reception at Canterlot.” Isabella sighed, starting to lean back until she remembered her seat had no back to it.

“Pish posh, you can’t let the upper classes keep you from attending such a prestigious event. I promise with my help you’ll turn heads, in a positive way of course.” Rarity was already picturing the guest reactions.

Isabella had to admit, the dress was beautiful. Even though she wasn’t a fan of getting dolled up, she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of showing the snobby ponies of Canterlot that she wasn’t as uncivilized as they might think she is.

“Sure, why not. I’ll have taken the test by then.” Isabella shrugged, after reconsidering.

Rarity let out a soft squeak, by far the most adorable trait ponies possessed in their arsenal of disarming tactics. Isabella couldn’t stop herself from giggling at the noise in time; the thought that these ponies were making her a softie was unnerving. The one thing keeping her from being completely relaxed was Discord, who had seldom appeared around her since his magic fiasco.

Isabella was anything but hurt by his lacking presence, but the feud did put a bit of tension on her relationship with Fluttershy. Sooner or later she would have to suck it up and apologize, but keeping the self-proclaimed lord of chaos on his toes was too much fun at the moment. She’d apologize when she got bored.

“Now all we need to do is convince your brother to go.” Rarity said happily.

“Good luck with that one, he’s been really depressed since Discord’s little slip up.” Isabella clenched her fist in frustration.

“I’d imagine so, but this might be good for him. He just needs a moral boost. Why, I wager he’ll bounce back and find something. When one door closes another one opens after all.” Rarity said.

“There were other things that got complicated; it’s not just his life he’s upset over Rarity.” Isabella briefly turned her attention away from the white unicorn when she thought she heard her brother’s name mentioned. Upon dismissing it as her mind playing games with her, she was met with a starry eyed Rarity.

“It seems a few details were left out then. I thought Minuette was only a friend to your brother.” Rarity said, propping her head up on her hooves.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and no I won’t tell.” Isabella said.

“I’ve kept up with your brother since the beginning, if he’s been hurt by some mare I feel it is my duty to set things straight.” Rarity raised a hoof into the air proudly with her declaration of loyalty.

Isabella sighed, Rarity would continue to ask until she found out who or what had got under her brother’s skin, or was it coat now? Either way, she wouldn’t stop until she found out what happened. Fortunately, Isabella knew a way to keep her from telling others more than they needed to know.

“Fine, but you have to Pinkie Promise you won’t tell.” Isabella smirked; Pinkie Promises were not something you broke in this world.

“Oh you’re not really going to make me go through those absurd motions, are you?” Rarity whined.

Isabella only gave her an emotionless stare that sent a wave of unease through the fashionista. The unicorn was beginning to ask herself if she really wanted to know what had been so disheartening. With a sigh Rarity relented, giving into the human’s request.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye.” Rarity chanted halfheartedly.

“It’s Scootaloo.” Isabella said quietly.

“Darling, you know there are rules about that sort of thing, right?” Rarity asked with a nervous laugh.

“No think, aside from the obvious what is Scootaloo?” Isabella asked in return.

“Aside from the obvious? Well, she’s an orph-oh my…you’re serious!?” Rarity asked excitedly.

Isabella nodded in confirmation with a smile. Rarity let out an unexpectedly high squeal of excitement. While it was news worth getting hyped about, it was starting to look like a dream out of reach.

“So that’s why he’s been so upset? Well this sheds a bit of light on things for sure.” Rarity said.

“Yep, he’s always wanted to be a parent, and he likes the kid. He’s taken all of this pretty hard since it’s a setback.” Isabella’s smile faded from her face.

“I know he’ll bounce back, but I do have a question. You said he was married once, why didn’t he ever try to have a child of his own?” Rarity asked.

“He can’t have kids Rarity, it’s not something he can help. Not from a lack of trying mind you, but some guys just can’t...I know he would have been a good dad.” Isabella leaned on the small wooden table with her hands folded together.

She rested her head against her hands and sighed. There had been one time when they were convinced an attempt had been successful and she was finally going to be an aunt, only for her brother to contact her later saying that things didn’t work out. She could still remember the devastation in his voice.

“He still can be, you need to have a little faith in him dear.” Rarity said placing a hoof against Isabella’s arm.

“I know Rarity; he just needs a push in the right direction.” Isabella said.

“Come on, you’re almost out!” Scootaloo screamed excitedly even as the building caved in around my character.

"This thing is a bi-ad itch without thumbs." I said, censoring my language as I exited the castle.

We sat in silence as Ganandorf's castle caved in on itself. The entire scene, while epic, felt a bit drawn out now that I was older.

"Whoa....so that's how far you are?" Scootaloo asked looking up at me.

"Yeah, it was annoying to get the hang of when I was little." I replied, just as a series of knocks came from my door.

Pausing the game, I opened the door to see the stallion from the week before last. While my memory was a bit fuzzy on some of the events that took place that day, I vaguely remembered the tan unicorn, with a green mane calling himself Track Pace.

"Daniel? You certainly have quite the house." Track Pace said.

"Thanks...Track Pace, right?" I asked, an ear swiveling towards my side as I heard Scootaloo cautiously approach the door.

"Who is this guy?" the tangerine filly asked.

"Well young filly, I'm what they call a spotter, and I've come to talk to this fine stallion about a proposition, if you've got the time that is." Track Pace replied.

"What kind of proposition?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well it was for his ears only, it's a pretty big decision, one that doesn't need to be made willy nilly." the unicorn replied.

"As his manager I don't think private deals are in his best interest." Scootaloo turned her nose up to him, making me laugh.

Track Pace rubbed the back of his head at a loss for words. His eyes shifted from me to Scootaloo as he tried to figure out how to deal with the situation. I understood now why Scootaloo had come over, it was to try and cheer me up. While seeing a 'spotter' on the other side of my door was unplanned, I appreciated the humor Scootaloo had provided.

"Well, you heard my manager." I chuckled.

"It's about a job offer sir; there are some details that your...manager might not comprehend." Track Pace said.

"Oh...um, Scoots, maybe you should take the day off." I said looking down at the filly who was already maneuvering past Track Pace with a grin.

Track Pace waited until Scootaloo was out of earshot before offering to treat me to lunch. I cautiously accepted, still not quite sure what to make of him. I didn't really focus on the food at the restaurant and kept my eyes on him.

"I'll get to the point since I'm sure your time is as valuable as mine," Track Pace said after finishing a bite of his food. "Have you ever heard of Pegasi Racers?"

I nearly laughed at the name, it sounded like something out of a video game. I had to shake my head no, for fear of slipping up and snickering at the name of the collective group that went under that title.

"Well, before the Wonderbolts came onto the scene, the races were all the rage, still are. The Wonderbolt shows are nice, but that's all they are, shows." Track Pace explained.

"Mind your words; I've got a friend who's pretty close to Spitfire." I warned, unwilling to let some random unicorn bad mouth Rainbow Dash's possible future.

"Just trying to draw a fine line between the two," Track Pace said holding up his hooves. "I'm here to offer you the chance to come to Las Pegasus and see what you can do."

"You said a job earlier, now you're saying a chance. From the sound of things, I get the feeling I'd be trying to impress somepony. I'm not knocking your selection, but I'm not the most impressive stallion there is...what made you pick me?" I asked.

Wordlessly, Track Pace pulled out a newspaper that had a picture of me on it. I was midflight when the photo was taken, and I was impressed how only a few parts of the picture were blurry.

"I still remember how fast you got to that colt. Call it an adrenalin rush or whatever you want, but you've got some speed, you just need to tap into it." Track Pace said.

"One instance hardly accounts for me being what you're looking for. I mean you're a spotter, surely there were other picks?" I said looking the paper over.

"You're the only one my boss gave me permission to give the offer to. He turned down all the others, without you we don't have a racer entered in for the season." Track Pace lowered his head a bit, seemingly embarrassed.

"How long would I be in Las Pegasus?" I asked.

"Two months tops, things there don't run like they do in this little backwater town. No offense to the princess of course." Track Pace said noticing the glare I was giving him.

Even if Track Pace was somewhat socially awkward, what he was offering was something that sounded too good to pass up. The downside was, it would take me pretty far away from home, and even then there was no guarantee I would make it.

"How did you find me anyways?" I asked, mildly curious.

"Well, there was only one Daniel in the citizen's registry. It wasn't that hard, I still couldn't believe it when they told me what happened to you,” Track Pace replied, smirking at my shocked facial expression. “Yeah, I know who you are."

"You still tracked me down with that knowledge?" I pressed.

"The way I see it, and the rules view it, you're a pegasus now," Track Pace replied, placing a few bits on the table before producing a folder. "I can’t drag you back with me, so here’s the deal; at twelve tomorrow I'm going to be headed back to Las Pegasus. Come find me if you're interested."

With that Track Pace left me to my thoughts. The cover had a rather fancy design, the central focus being a wing that resembled a pegasus'. I had dismissed this as a joke before, but now that I was actually holding an application in my ha-hooves, I didn't know what to make of the situation.

The stars were out, the consolations placed with precision and care by Luna. The moon gave off its soft glow as always, providing light for any ponies that might be traveling at night. Ever since the change, I had noticed I became much more exhausted without some form of caffeine as night approached. Ponies weren't night owls by any means.

The endless void of night did little to help my restless mind as I looked skyward. A gentle wind moved the clouds past the moon and stars, causing the light to shift and the shadows to dance around me. The night always seemed to offer a beauty the day could not.

Ordinarily such a thought would make me smile, I considered Luna a good friend. Tonight sleep escaped me however; as my mind ran wild with possibilities while trying to come to a decision. The roof served as the perfect thinking spot, now that it was much easier to access.

"I don't think I've ever seen a pony on a roof before." Isabella said, staring up at me.

"I'm not your average pony." I shrugged, tearing my gaze away from the sky as Isabella climbed up to join me.

Isabella sat on the shingled roof beside me, tilting her head to try and see what I saw in the night sky. The crickets’ gentle, steady tune was the only sound for what felt like an eternity. This peaceful atmosphere had done little to calm my nerves, my sister’s presence served to bring a comfort that only family could.

"Care to explain where that fancy folder came from?" Isabella asked with a grin.

"A unicorn from Las Pegasus. He wants me to go back with him if I'm interested in trying out to be some kind of racer." I replied.

"You? A racer? Does he know who you are, and that you're not really what you seem to be?" Isabella asked.

"Technically speaking since that spell's effect was reversed this is the real me, for now. He knew, Daniel isn't exactly a common name in this world." I replied.

"So...what do you want to do?" Isabella rested against the roof top, staring up at the starry sky.

"I'd have to leave Ponyville, he said for two months but probably longer. I don't know when I'd be back, and I can't just leave you here. This is a pretty big leap of faith." I sighed.

Silence followed my reply. Isabella seemed to only stare up at the night sky, deep in thought about how to respond. The silence was starting to make me uneasy, and I wondered if she was upset or offended at something I had said.

"Do you remember the last thing I wrote to you, before all of this? Before Equestria , and this new life, the spell mix up and everything in between, what was the one thing I told you to do?" Isabella asked, breaking the silence.

"Go have an adventure." I replied, having saved the letter she wrote.

"It took a supernatural event to pull you out of your comfort zone, only to settle into a new one. Now an opportunity has literally knocked at your door and you're having second thoughts...I mean I still have a little trouble swallowing the idea of you doing anything athletic, but if this is your second chance, run with it." Isabella said.

"I'd be leaving you, the others, Scootaloo, everything behind." I said.

"I promise you Scootaloo has dreamed of having a family one day. You were willing to go through all the legal nonsense when you were a human, what's different now? This is a job, you need one. If you're really serious about her, how far are you willing to go? Do you stop at words?" Isabella asked, her tone becoming a bit agitated.

I hated to admit when my sister was right, and this was one of those times. I always started to smile for some reason when she gave me her little pep talks, they would piss any normal being off most of the time, since she didn't pull any punches.

"I'll go to the end of the line." I replied, only to have my sister ruffle my mane once more.

"You know, this is so much easier to do now that you're shorter." Isabella laughed.

Cloudchaser leveled out after a sharp turn; she was preforming the practice run on auto piolet as her thoughts drifted back to that stupid stallion. She remembered seeing him with Rainbow Dash once, but he didn't have her scent. Any stallion would kill to have a chance with her. That should have been a hint that something was off.

The mare's muzzle scrunched up in frustration as she thought back to when she had kissed him. Those stupid, big brown eyes that a mare could get lost in for days, they reminded her of chocol-

"Cloudchaser!" Spitfire shouted, pulling the mare out of her trance.

Ugh, why why why why! Cloudchaser thought to herself, shaking her head before landing in front of the captain of the Wonderbolts.

"Your speed's been dropping, and you nearly missed a turn. Do I need to cut two cadets this month?" Spitfire asked.

"N-no ma'am!" Cloudchaser exclaimed.

"Keep flying like that and I will. Now go again, and pull your head out of your ass!" Spitfire barked.

Cloudchaser took off to prove she wouldn't let some stupid, gent-no! The mare battled with her thoughts; she was mad at him, so why did she...miss him.

"I honestly thought you'd wait until the last second to decide." Track Pace said as we traveled towards the train station from the hotel he had stayed in.

"I stayed up pretty late thinking about it...said my goodbyes this morning." I mumbled the last part quietly.

"Hey, it's not like you're leaving forever. I can't say I relate since I live where I work, but if you do this it's just one of the occupational draw backs. All jobs have them." Track Pace said.

The train station dock was unusually quiet for this time of day. The noise from the train was all that kept the scene from being completely tranquil, and was a reminder of what I was about to do. A part of me felt ill, leaving behind the town and community I had come to call home.

I walked away from Track Pace, observing what I could see of Ponyville, trying to burn the image into my memory. Something told me that things wouldn’t be done in two months; that would be too easy. I didn’t want to forget a single thing about this town that I had grown close to.

I waited patiently for the unicorn to settle things at the ticket booth. My farewell to my sister had been the hardest of all. We hadn't been reunited for very long, and already life was pulling us apart again.

"Daniel!" my ears perked up as a young voice called out my name.

I looked up to see Scootaloo, using her wings to power her scooter towards the loading dock for all the hunk of wood was worth. It was a miracle it didn't break from the abuse the little filly put it through, it would soon enough.

Before I could ask what she was doing here, she had already galloped up the dock steps and slammed into my left foreleg, hugging it tightly. Distracted by the tangerine filly that had semi permanently attached herself to my leg, I didn't hear the others approach until Applejack cleared her throat.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"Goodbyes are cool and all, but it's not the same as seeing somepony off." Rainbow Dash replied, to which I cocked my head a bit in confusion.

"I think what Rainbow Dash is trying to say is that we wanted to see you off safely, and get one last goodbye in of course." Rarity said.

"Please don't go! I didn't get the chance to throw you a Lift Your Spirits party." Pinkie Pie whimpered, her mane unusually flat and deflated.

"Pinkie, when I get back we can throw the biggest party ever. Since I'll be back here in about two months my Birthday will have already passed so-" a rather loud gasp interrupted me midsentence.

"That's a Welcome Home, Birthday, and Lift Your Spirits party all in one!" Pinkie Pie's mane inflated comically back to its normal proportions.

"Just don't go forget'n about us while you're in the big city. Ah know you'll do alright." Applejack said, punching me in the shoulder.

"After all we've been through? How could I forget about you guys?" I asked rhetorically, not noticing until after I had responded to Applejack that one was missing from the gang. "Where's Fluttershy?"

"She's probably busy. I know she'd want to be here though." Twilight replied.

"You don't have to go, you can stay!" Scootaloo squeaked, fighting back tears.

"Kid, hopefully this will all make sense someday, sooner would be better than later," I said looking down at her. "Trust me; this is something I have to do."

Scootaloo sniffled with a small nod before hugging my leg again. I sat down on the dock, pulling the little filly into a hug. I couldn't tell her just yet, not until everything was lined up again.

"You look after my sister, okay? Can I count on the coolest filly in Ponyville to help me with that?" I asked, making her laugh.

"Yes sir." Scootaloo replied with a small salute, wiping away a stray tear.

The filly padded over to Isabella, sitting beside her. My sister wasn't one to show her vulnerable side in public, she kept quiet while the others said their farewells. I had already spent roughly an hour in a hug from her before getting ready to leave Ponyville.

"Alright, time to head out." Track Pace said, bringing about a conclusion to the farewells.

I slowly followed the unicorn onto the train. The whistle blew, alerting all those who hadn't boarded yet that the train would soon depart. I decided to get one more look at Ponyville before moving to our designated train car.

I was treated to the sight of Fluttershy waving from the dock. Discord was with her and only managed to give a halfhearted wave, refusing to make eye contact. I was impressed that the timid pegasus could marehandle him into showing himself again.

"You coming?" Track Pace asked.

"Yeah, sorry, just getting one last look at Ponyville." I replied.

"You'll be homesick for a day or two tops. I promise you, when you see Las Pegasus after being in this corner of Equestria, you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Oh and the food, don't even get me star-" Track Pace continued as the final whistle sounded.

The train lurched forward, slowly creeping away from the station, and from my home. I only nodded to what Track Pace was saying, tuning his ramblings out. Soon Ponyville was out of sight, but my goal wasn't.

Just a little longer Scoots, wait for me.

Author's Note

A bit of a disclaimer, I suck with OC names. This is mostly due to me being picky and not wanting to have a duplicate of someone else's in my story. Though I may break that rule in the up coming chapter, since I'm sure the name(s) have been used for the duo in the next chapter, which is about 3460 words(as of right now) complete.

Welcome To The City

"So, this is Las Pegasus." I said aloud as my eyes danced from building to building.

The differences between my new temporary residence, and Ponyville, were staggering. It was much busier here and the streets were far less social than Ponyville's. Here it was mostly business, nopony stopped to talk to you, or say hi. Isabella was right about leaving my comfort zone.

The city had several sky scrapers, a feat I found impressive for these ponies to accomplish. The small businesses that filled the street’s shops were interesting to look at through the large windows that displayed various odds and ends. The occasional pet shop had a few puppies on display, their adorable little faces tempting me to walk away with one.

Everything was mostly grey in color, making the multicolored ponies stand out a bit brighter against the cold colored buildings. In Ponyville, everything was bright and sunny; their personality set its inhabitants apart more so than their colorful coats. Despite the diversity of ponies and the occasional griffon, Las Pegasus just couldn’t compete due to its cold nature.

One thing Las Pegasus did have that Ponyville lacked, was a beach. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of spending a little time near the ocean. Florida had been a favorite vacation spot when I called Earth home, getting to see a beach after so long was exciting.

"What'd I tell you? This is the real world kid, prove you got some muscle behind those good looks and you'll go farther than you ever could in Ponyville." Track Pace said.

My wings fidgeted involuntarily, it only happened when I was nervous and I couldn't really control it. It was a trait I had developed the longer I remained a pegasus. It made me wonder what else I'd have to adjust to.

"I can't say I'm impressed with the locals, current company excluded." I mumbled.

"Yeah, things are a little business oriented here, but you'll get used to it. Just don't let ponies take advantage of that southern hospitality." Track Pace chuckled.

"Southern hospitality?" I cocked an eyebrow at his remark.

"Yeah, come on, who are you trying to fool? You've got a little hint of the south in your voice, maybe not to the degree of some, where you use words like "ain't" or "reckon", but it's there." Track Pace said. He didn’t have room to talk; his voice reminded me of Vinny.

"I'd like to think I'm the best of both worlds really. My dad was from the country, while my mom was from the city. Can't go wrong if you've got a little of both in your blood, if you ask me." I mused.

"You see? Nopony around here talks like that. Stick with me, and I'll make sure this steel jungle doesn't overwhelm you." Track Pace said, draping a foreleg over me.

"I've been to steel jungles before; I worked in one once upon a time. I made a pretty decent living, but that's all I was doing, living. My life here has been a rollercoaster ride, an interesting one mind you." I said.

"You mentioned a sister yesterday; you got any other family in this crazy, mixed up world?" Track Pace asked, removing his leg as we continued towards our destination.

"No, all of that was left behind in my world. It's kind of weird thinking about it now, I miss them, but I've had some pretty good friends to help me get over being home sick. My old home was polluted with war, strife, and hate. Humans aren't fond of forgiving each other." I replied.

"Sheesh, that's kind of depressing..." Track Pace mumbled.

"Yeah, what about you? Do you have any family?" I asked.

"I've got a wife and colt. A bit of warning, he might get under hoof at times. He likes to be there when we start training new racers." Track Pace warned.

"I guess you guys try to find a new racer every season then?" I wanted to know as much about this organization as I could, if I was supposed to impress others.

"Not at all, our previous racer just aged out. There are some occupational hazards that can lead to an early retirement though, if you catch my drift. Those will be covered later, that same racer is going to be the one to train you." Track Pace replied.

"What's he like then?" I asked.

"He's...real traditional, kind of stuck in his ways about things. You know the type." Track Pace shrugged.

"Great, that's going to give me peace of mind tonight." I groaned.

"About that, I recommend going to bed a little early, no mares over or anything." Track Pace said.

"I've only got eyes for one, but she's pretty mad at me right now." I sighed.

"I've been married for ten years; I can tell you that mares are the most complex, frustratingly beautiful thing in this world. That whole happily ever after thing from stories never happens, my wife gets mad at me once a week." Track Pace said, opening the door to a rather prestigious looking building.

The interior reminded me of a bank, minus the teller booths with panic switches on the floor. Several maps and other posters lined the hallways that I could see from the lobby, which was host to four large, stone columns.

"Careful when you're speaking to Sky Mark, the stallion likes to think he owns you sometimes." Track Pace whispered.

"Thanks for that comforting thought." I said flatly.

Already I had grown pretty close to Track Pace, but I wasn't given much choice. In terms of ponies I knew from Las Pegasus, he was the only one, and I had subconsciously latched onto him for guidance in unfamiliar territory. It was an unsettling thought, I was vulnerable here, for all I knew this could be some sort of pony mafia cover up.

“ Hello Mr.Pace...and who’s this?” the receptionist asked as we walked by.

Ugh, not this again! I thought to myself, I couldn’t help but pick up the underlying interest to her question.

A few showers and two weeks apart had practically removed Cloudchaser’s scent from my body, giving others the impression I wasn’t spoken for, technically I wasn’t. Ponies were clingy and cuddly by nature, ensuring that wasn’t a problem for couples, unless they were fighting or had…otherworldly disagreements.

“He’s the new guy, see you around.” Track Pace said, picking up the pace to a trot.

“What’s that about?” I asked, matching his speed.

“Keeping you out of trouble with this lady friend you talked about. You’ll thank me later.” Track Pace replied quietly.

We stopped in front of a large set of double doors after ascending a flight of stairs. The door knobs appeared to be crafted in the shape of a family crest, a sure sign of a pony with upper class status that could rival that of Canterlot nobles, assuming this individual wasn’t one himself.

Track Pace knocked on the door twice, waiting patiently for a response. He looked over to me, giving me a small nudge to presumably try and relax, act casual. Such a task was better left to my sister, so far Celestia had been the only celebrity to make her nervous, and she was practically a goddess.

“Enter.” came an authoritative voice from the other side of the door.

Track Pace pushed on the door in front of him, revealing an impressively decorated office. I nervously followed behind the tan unicorn, an overwhelming sense of fear rising up within me. This feeling was only magnified when I laid eyes on the baby blue pegasus sitting in the office chair at the back of the room, who I assumed was Sky Mark.

Shelves lined with trophies and awards seemed to occupy most of the space on the walls. A large window allowed sunlight from the outside world to stream in.

“Well, let’s see what you brought.” Sky Mark said, slowly climbing out of his chair. He was an older pony, possibly in his early sixties by human standards.

I felt my legs lock involuntarily as he circled me, almost shark like. I tried not to shake, and did my best to remind myself why I had ventured all the way out to this busy city. The stallion’s cold eyes seemed to push away what little bravery I had mustered up, as quickly as it had been summoned.

“Hmm…wings out.” Sky Mark ordered.

As if under some sort of spell, my wings unfurled faster than I thought they could. Over the past two weeks I had grown quite attached to them, and was very proud of the two extra limbs I now possessed. Being indoors and opening them however, felt a bit silly. The need to fly kicked in, but I mentally snuffed it out. Sky Mark grinned when he saw my expression shift, a pleased chuckle escaping the pegasus.

“You just might keep your job Pace. Damn…I haven’t seen wings like these walk into my office in a long time,” Sky Mark said poking the lower joint of my left wing, causing my body to tense up. “What was your name son? Danvy?”

“Daniel, sir.” I replied quickly.

“Same thing, Pace you’ll have to work on the name. It’s kind of boring, won’t sell to the crowds…well, put your wings down, I don’t want to see them all day, and stop shaking like a damn leaf in the wind.” Sky Mark said walking back to his desk.

“I’m not going to give some boring spill about how long I’ve been in this business, like a few other bastards I know would. That’s my concern, not yours; your single concern right now is to be the fastest.” Sky Mark said while lighting a cigar.

My first thought was to tell him that Rainbow Dash was the fastest, but I held my peace. I settled on giving him a silent nod. Sky Mark raised an eyebrow at me, as if expecting me to ask or say something, but shrugged when I didn’t take the opportunity.

“It’ll be Lean Streak’s job to train you,” Sky Mark said taking a draw of his cigar, before blowing a perfect smoke ring. “You’re Track Pace’s project until you win. I’m a rather blunt stallion in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t like wasting my time or the time of others so if you want to back out, now’s the time.” Sky Mark offered.

I didn’t budge, so far this pegasus had been invasive and rude. I couldn’t help but feel a little misled by Track Pace though. He had made it sound like this stallion wanted me, now I was being told I wasn’t worth his time unless I earned it. It made me more than a little hot under the hood.

“You’re angry, good, you might get somewhere. Save it for the other racers though, any other businesspony might take it the wrong way. Now beat it, and be at the track by five, Pace will show you where it’s at.” Sky Mark said, spinning his chair around, waving a hoof dismissively at us.

It had only been a day and already Isabella was isolating herself from the others. Her brother she had thought to be dead was alive, and they had only spent a few months together before the winds of fate had pulled them apart again. The next two months couldn’t pass fast enough.

Books lay scattered across the floor, some propped up like miniature houses by their pages. Isabella had tried her hardest to work up the dedication to study, but a large part of what had been keeping her together had been taken away. She had told him to go of course, but only because it would have been selfish for her to ask him to stay.

Isabella pulled her legs against her chest, wrapping her arms around them. The room was slowly growing darker as Celestia lowered the sun. It was unsettlingly placid, until a knock at the door ruined the silence.

"Isabella, are you okay in there?" it was Rarity's voice calling out for her.

Isabella slowly stood up to answer the door, putting on the best fake smile she could muster. She couldn't let Rarity see her like this, the floor could be dismissed as cramming for the upcoming test, she'd buy it...hopefully.

"Hey Rarity...and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." Isabella addressed the last two with a bit of confusion.

"Just fulfilling my promise." Scootaloo said as she and Sweetie Belle marched past her.

"She seems to be under the impression that you're some fair maiden in distress. I tried to convince her that Daniel didn't mean for her to actually come over and stay under hoof, but there was no talking the filly out of it." Rarity sighed.

"It's fine, I don't mind the company, but what brings you here?" Isabella asked.

"Well to fetch you of course. You don't expect me to undertake such a design without knowing how long to make it now do you?" Rarity asked rhetorically in return.

"It's kind of late, isn't it?" Isabella asked looking up at the sky.

"That's the idea dear, I want this to be my secret project for the time being. I haven't had a good challenge in a long time, not since your brother first arrived anyways." Rarity replied.

"Fair enough I guess...out of curiosity, what DID he ask for?" Isabella asked as she made sure everything in the house was turned off before accompanying Rarity to her house.

"He called them...jeans, if I remember correctly." Rarity said, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

"Hah!" Isabella laughed in response.

"What's so funny?" Rarity came to a sudden halt, confused by the woman's outburst.

"Nothing, he's just predictable, that's all." Isabella replied.

"So why did Daniel have to leave? Did he not like it in Ponyville?" Sweetie Belle asked as the two fillies tailed the adults.

"Sweetie Belle! I told you not to talk about that!" Rarity scolded.

“It’s fine Rarity, I don’t mind. He didn’t leave because he didn’t like it here, he was offered a job and I talked him into pursuing it. He wanted to stay, but there were some…conflicting interest that brought about indecisiveness.” Isabella said glancing down at Rarity, who nodded knowingly.

“What kind of conflicting interest?” the unicorn filly’s question spurred on by childhood curiosity.

“Um, the kind that only adults would understand.” Isabella laughed nervously.

“Pfft, that’s lame.” Scootaloo said.

“But I wanna knooow! Why do grownups get to keep all the stupid secrets?” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked slightly as she whined.

“If it makes you feel any better, it’s a good secret.” Isabella offered.

“So why would a good secret do something bad, like send somepony away?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Isabella felt trapped now, not only that, but a bit dense for letting a child back her into a corner. She could hardly believe a little talking horse had just out witted her due to some simple, childish questions. This little filly would make a good lawyer someday, if that’s what her butt picture told her she was supposed to be.

“Sweetie Belle, I think that’s enough pestering Isabella.” Rarity chided.

The rest of the trip to the Carousel Boutique was quiet. With only the occasional small talk breaking the silence between the small party. Scootaloo eventually broke off from the group to head home, or what she called home anyways.

Rarity ushered Sweetie Belle up to the room she stayed in when she spent the night with Rarity. The filly was anything but tired however; and wanted answers to her question. Dismissing it as a secret for adults wasn’t good enough for her, and how could a secret be good if it made somepony go away? Things just didn’t add up.

As quietly as she could, Sweetie Belle got out of bed and slowly opened her door. She could hear the adults downstairs talking about something, but the wall obscuring the view muffled and distorted the words into undistinguishable murmurs.

Sweetie Belle crept closer to the stairs, past the wall where the wooden beams that supported the guard rail were. Taking a quick peek, she could see Rarity measuring Isabella’s fore legs and hind legs, though the filly was certain Rarity had called them something else, arms, if her memory was right. With nothing between them, their conversation became much clearer as her sister circled the human with a pencil and note pad.

“The first day is always the hardest, but it gets easier. I’m speaking from the opposite end of the spectrum of course, I left home to found my own business. So I suppose I relate more with what your brother is feeling.” Rarity said.

“I get what you’re saying, it goes both ways. To be honest I did this to him once before. I left home to chase a dream, and it was worth it, but it came at a heavy price like dreams often do.” Isabella sighed.

Sweetie Belle was now very confused, dreams were supposed to be sweet. How could they come at a price? What did they mean by a price? Did they mean bits? Adults made no sense sometimes.

“I know your brother made the right choice. Especially if what you say is true, heaven knows she’s been alone a great deal of her life now. I didn’t notice it until yesterday, but the two do seem to fit together. I know he’d take care of her.” Rarity said.

“Yeah, the only thing I’m worried about is if he puts himself through all this punishment, just for her to get snatched up by another family. I don’t want to imagine how he’d react to that.” Isabella held her arms out as Rarity took unusually brief measurements.

“I don’t think he has to worry about that, the poor dear has been there longer than any of the other current orphans, most don’t stay there too long. Just to be on the safe side though…I might have mentioned something to the caretaker there.” Rarity giggled.

“Rarity! You Pinkie Promised!” Isabella exclaimed.

“You simply said not to tell, you never added anypony to the end of it.” the unicorn winked.

“You know what I meant, noPONY else, got it?” Isabella asked.

“Yes dear, nopony else, I swear. As I said before, I’ve been there for your brother since the beginning, if I can help even the teeniest bit, I will.” Rarity replied.

Sweetie Belle retreated back behind the wall that obscured her view of downstairs. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. The same conclusion kept coming into her mind the more she thought about what they had been discussing, one word always stood out, adoption. Though a name was never mentioned, only one pony came to mind that brought everything together.

“Scootaloo…” Sweetie Belle whispered with a smile.

“I have to run this?!” I asked in disbelief as I observed the track, which was an intimidating sight even from the seats.

“Fly actually, it has to be big, otherwise it’d be over too quickly. You should see the one being built in the Crystal Empire.” Track Pace chuckled.

When I had first heard the word “track” I had assumed that it was something similar to those of a college or high school. This, much to my dismay, was not the case. The “track” was roughly the size of a small oval lake that put actual tracks from Earth to shame.

There was a decent amount of space between the track itself and the stadium seats, I assumed this was in the event of a crash. There was also a line along the wall that stopped just short of the guard rail built to keep on lookers from falling over on accident. The lanes were separated from the center with a fence, and what looked like a tower in the center of the field. The field itself was covered in grass, and sported a sign that read “GOLDLUCK CIRCUIT” in bold blue letters.

“Not what you were expecting huh?” Track Pace asked, nudging me as he led me down a corridor that was built at an incline down towards the track itself. It reminded me of what a football stadium or basketball arena might have, minus the golf carts carrying security officers and beer kegs back and forth of course.

“It’s kind of familiar, I say that lightly though. Back home we had close to the same thing, we kept our feet to the ground.” I replied as light, and the smell of fresh grass greeted us at the end of the long tunnel.

“Feet?” Track Pace looked back at me confused.

“Human for hooves.” I replied.

“Ah, more weird jargon. Heh, you’re an odd character.” Track Pace mused.

On the track were three other stallions. Two earth ponies, one red, the other green, and an orange pegasus who’s brown mane was starting to fade slightly in color.

The two earth ponies seemed to be arguing about something, a clipboard was held in the green pony’s hooves. The red one was busy moving a large contraption that served an unknown purpose, though given the location I could only imagine it involved some sort of work out.

“Daniel, meet the twins Mike, and his brother, Ike. They’ll be assisting with the basics today.” Track Pace explained as he introduced the two siblings. Mike being the green earth Pony, Ike being the red.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Mike and Ike asked, dropping whatever discrepancy they had between them for the moment.

“Wait, time out, your names are really Mike and Ike?” I asked, astounded by the coincidence.

The brothers looked at each other quizzically before turning back to me with a nod of confirmation. I found it a bit of a stretch that these two would be named after a candy, especially since the ponies found my name odd.

“And you gave me hell over my name?” I grumbled looking at Track Pace.

“What’s hell?” all three asked in unison.

“Never mind…I give up.” I sighed.

"So this is the new guy?" came a voice that made me shiver, it reminded me of my father, which was never a good thing given his strict personality.

"Yeah, this is Daniel. Odd stallion, but you tw-" Track Pace started to say.

"I think he can talk for himself, Pace...where'd you find this runt of the litter any ways?" the pegasus asked, who I could only guess was Lean Streak.

"I'm from Ponyville." I replied quickly.

"Ponyville? You brought a pegasus from Ponyville? Shit, you could have brought me worm stool and wrote it off as your entry if this is all you could find." Lean Streak laughed.

"Do I need to tell Sky Mark to cut your pay?" Track Pace threatened, clearly not in the mood for this pegasus' lip.

"He'll deck yours as well, so don't go throwing threats that can't hold water....Mike, Ike, did you finish setting up? So we can at least gauge how far behind first this stallion will be?" Lean Streak asked.

"Aye, we did." Mike replied.

"You sat looking at stupid figures while I did all the hard stuff! Don't attach your name to the labor if you didn't do it!" Ike snapped.

"Can it, both of you...so Daniel, how fast can you fly?" Lean Streak asked.

"Well, I've never really measured it. Truth is I ha-" I tried explaining.

"See that line? Let’s start off with something a pegasus from Ponyville can manage, try not to fly below it. Go!" Lean Streak ordered.

I stood there like an idiot for about three seconds until it clicked in my brain that I needed to go, now. There was something about rude, intimidating people, ponies as the case was now, that made me act a bit...stupid. I never understood why that combination made me clam up.

I was off to a good start, but as I started to round the first corner, which was much farther away than I previously thought, I started to feel tired. I did my best to keep going, determined not to seem weak in front of Streak.

"I said above the line!" Lean Streak shouted. The volume of his voice was impressively loud.

I looked at the wall and noticed I was almost eye level with it. I flapped my wings harder, gaining altitude at the cost of speed. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do both. By the time I reach the final turn I was exhausted and was struggling to stay above that stupid line.

"Land!" Lean Streak shouted in a rather board tone of voice.

I didn't question it and landed on the soft ground, my wings trembling from what had to be the worst form of torture imaginable. Folding them against my sides stung, as I slowly approached the group that was watching my every move.

"Wings out." Lean Streak ordered.

"Lean Streak, I doubt his wings can take much more without goi-" Ike started, until a sharp glare from the orange pegasus silenced his protest. "Got it, shutting up now."

I spread my wings as fast as I could, which was a mistake. Pain raced through the sensitive nerve endings, nearly making me cry out from the shock. I was fortunate that I was able to bite back my cry of pain as I held the trembling wings out for Lean Streak.

"One lap...you couldn't even give me that without nearly killing yourself. Are you a griffon or a pegasus?" Lean Streak asked coldly.

"I'm a hu-"

"A human, I know. Track Pace told me about your former life. What I can't understand is why you came all the way out here to fail?" Lean Streak asked.

"I don't have a choice..." I said in between breaths.

"Everypony has a choice, you had the option to leave," Lean Streak said looking at my wings. "I asked for a decent stallion to work with, and all I got was you. You are not racer material...you're lucky the bits are the reason I'm agreeing to waste my time with you tomorrow."

I could feel my anger starting to build in me. So far, most of the ponies in Las Pegasus were rude and obnoxious. I gritted my teeth, biting back what I really wanted to say to him. I settled on filtering my words.

"I'll prove you wrong." I said.

"You might have impressive wings, but without endurance the only thing you're proving is how right I am about you. You don't even know what being a stallion, for that matter a pegasus, is all about. Maybe you should have started with step one, before jumping to step forty two." Lean Streak snorted.

There was no winning this argument, as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I knew nothing about the inner workings of society through their eyes. Sure I had studied the basics and passed a test that said I knew enough about their culture to be a citizen, but I had no idea how to literally be one of them.

"You've got fifteen minutes to get some energy back into those paper kites you call wings. You want to prove me wrong? Then we're starting from the ground up." Lean Streak said, motioning with his head for Track Pace to follow him.

“Care to explain why you brought some muddy pegasus from Ponyville to the big city? You had better have more than just than just his wings as a selling point. Sure they’re nice, but he’s got almost no endurance, that was a simple task.” Lean Streak said once the two were out of ear shot from the others.

“I know he can go fast, I brought him here to work on his endurance. He just needs a little help is all. Please, just give him a chance, I know he won’t let you down.” Track Pace said.

“You and I both know Ponyville has never produced a winning racer, ever. Now you’re asking me to train this stallion that just barely qualifies under a technicality, who calls Ponyville home. He’s better of being left for the Wonderbolts to pick up and train.” Lean Streak snorted.

“Could you look me in the eyes and tell me that you could do everything you can now on day one? You deal with making sure he doesn’t kill himself, I’ll see to the other half.” Track Pace said defensively.

“I can’t guarantee I can make him into something presentable…but you’ve got my attention and focus for two months. Let’s hope whatever you see in him comes forward before then.” Lean Streak said, leaving Track Pace to his thoughts.

After the first day was over, I was seriously beginning to consider trying to find some other line of work. My pride wouldn’t let me though, and I wasn’t about to just give up on Scootaloo.

“I feel like shit…” I moaned, slowly lying down on the bed of my new apartment.

“Eh you look like shit, Lean Streak will do that to you though. You’re going to want to put something warm on those wings of yours before you go to sleep.” Track Pace advised.

“Thanks…for not leaving me back there.” I said, slowly stretching my sore wings out.

“I couldn’t let you get mugged. As tired as you are, you’ll be lucky if your wings want to work at all in the morning.” Track Pace laughed.

If I wasn’t so sore, I might have shared in the humor. Wingups, sit ups, pushups, and any kind of exercise that included the word “up” in it was now on my shit list. Lean Streak was a monster with his training methods. I was absolutely exhausted after the warm up, how in the world was I going to keep up with other pegasi?

“Do you really think I can do this Pace?” I asked.

“I think you can. Here, I brought you these to skim over during your downtime. After you gave Lean Streak that stupid look, I couldn’t help but feel bad for you.” Track Pace replied, as three books levitated onto the bed beside me.

Two of the books pertained to racing, its origins and rules. The other book had a simple picture of a pegasus on it. I flipped the book with a pegasus cover over and read the back’s description to get an idea what it was about. I gave Track Pace a deadpan glare.

“What?” Track Pace asked, his voice breaking with laughter.

“Really? You brought a book about pegasi...basic flight, behavior, and...I can't even pronounce that last word.” I read the description aloud for him.

“Hey come on, it’s not all bad. I heard they threw in a few pointers on how to make your evenings special with your marefriend. They even have a few pictur-pfft hahaha!” Track Pace couldn’t contain his laughter.

“Man fuck you!” I laughed throwing a pillow at him, too tired to do anything that might be permanent.

So long as I had one friend that I could be myself around, things might not be so bad.

Author's Note

I think I have a new favorite OC, Track Pace, I just wish I could have given him a better name. As always thoughts and comments are ~~required!~~ appreciated :twilightsmile:

I Miss You, I Love You

Cloudchaser lay awake in her bunk. Even after a grueling day of practice, she still couldn't sleep. Physically she was exhausted and her body was in need of rest, but her mind was wide awake, and full of thoughts that had only been strengthening their hold on her consciousness as the days passed her by.

Her dreams were no longer safe from these intrusive thoughts either; their reach extending into her subconscious mind during the night. They varied in intensity, from lighthearted playful dreams, to rather vivid and...romantic visions.

He's a human...sure he looks like a stallion...a really hot stallion. Cloudchaser thought, recalling their night together with a giggle before shaking her head.

No, I can't form a bond with him! He's not like me, he wouldn't even know that pegasi form bonds like that...we're different...I can't be hurt again, I thought Thunderlane was the one I would bond with, but...I was wrong. Cloudchaser sighed, rolling over on her side.

Then he came along...and I felt something with him...I...but pegasi are supposed to feel like this about the one they're meant to bond with...no, there's one sure fire way to test this. I have to put this feeling to rest once and for all! Cloudchaser's expression changed to a determined one as she put her plan together, until a thought occurred to her.

But...what if he actually responds to me? What if he goes through with the courtship? Cloudchaser's fierce look of determination faltered as such a possibility dawned on her.

"Daniel..." Cloudchaser whispered, her eyelids growing heavy as sleep finally graced her weary form.

Hello? Cloudchaser called out, her voice echoing over the seemingly endless field of small blue flowers.

Hey there. a voice echoed back.

Cloudchaser turned to see the stallion responsible for all of her problematic thoughts. She wasn't in last on the cadet data sheet, but she wasn't first either, she could be better if her mind was clear. This stallion had been frustrating her without even being present.

What are you doing here? the mare asked, turning her back to him.

I came to see you, I missed you. Daniel replied, nipping her ear playfully.

Cloudchaser blushed from the unexpected contact, her anger slowly melting away as the stallion now stood beside her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. The mare was at a loss for words, conflicted over how to respond.

I know I was wrong Cloudchaser, but you mean too much to me...please don't hate me. Daniel looked down at her, his expression dissolving any remaining resentment she might have had towards him.

I...umm, d-don't be sad. I really like you! I do! Cloudchaser stammered, her heart racing now as her muzzle was only an inch away from his. She could smell his familiar scent, the one that had been imbedded into her mind.

That's not good enough...because I love you. Daniel said pressing his lips against hers.

"Cloudchaser?" asked a voice that sounded much too feminine to belong to the stallion in front of her. "Are you okay?"

The world around Cloudchaser began to dissolve as she was cruelly pulled back to the waking world. Sunlight greeted her as she opened her eyes, the scent and warm presence of Daniel was gone, having been nothing more than a fantasy.

Another dream... Cloudchaser thought to herself.

"You're lucky today is a free day, Spitfire would have killed you for sleeping in." Sunrise said.

"Yeah...I've had a lot on my mind lately." Cloudchaser yawned, climbing out of her bunk.

"It wouldn't happen to do with a stallion now, would it?" Sunrise teased as the two cadets left the barracks.

"Pfft, no, what am I a school filly?" Cloudchaser asked, rolling her eyes.

"Mmm, I dunno...the way you were whispering his name last night..." Sunrise replied.

"How did I whisper his na-ah pony feathers. I can't believe I fell for that." Cloudchaser sighed, realizing she had set herself up.

"Soooo, who is he?" Sunrise asked, basking in her small victory over her friend.

"I'm not telling. I'm not even sure if he feels the same way yet. I'm kind of nervous about it. I don't want another Thunderlane, but I feel something for him I haven't felt with others...I'm just confused." Cloudchaser replied.

"Hmm...is he good in bed?" Sunrise asked abruptly.

"Sunrise! What kind of question is that?!" Cloudchaser laughed.

"Calm down, I'm just having a little fun. Seriously though, if he can keep up with you, I think it's time to throw confusion out the window." Sunrise giggled.

"Oh trust me, he did more than keep up. He's kind of cute too. He's a bit dense and shy, but I'm still not sure if he likes me back." Cloudchaser said.

"If you say so, just promise me you won't fall too hard for this one. I'd hate to see you hurt again, and from the outside looking in, it's pretty obvious you're falling for him." Sunrise said, giving Cloudchaser a quick hug.

"I won't, if it's meant to be, then it'll happen." Cloudchaser said, returning the hug.

She had to figure out the best way to make sure he felt the same way about her. Cloudchaser vaguely remembered him mentioning dating, perhaps she could test the waters that way. They had spent a decent amount of time away from each other, and with this round of training drawing to a close next week, it would be the perfect chance to see him.

There was one tiny problem, she didn’t know what humans did on dates. She only knew how to approach pony stallions, which he was, but underneath that blue coat was the heart of a human. How was she supposed to court a human stallion? Did they like flowers or sweets?

“Aha!” Cloudchaser exclaimed audibly as a solution to her problem dawned on her.

“You okay?” Sunrise asked, jumping away from her friend at the sudden noise.

“I think I just figured out a solution to my problem.” Cloudchaser proudly replied.

“Can your solution wait until after breakfast?” Sunrise asked.

“That depends on what breakfast is, yesterday I felt weird during practice.” Cloudchaser mumbled.

“You’ve had a stallion on your mind; of course you’re going to feel weird. I just don’t understand why his name is such a big secret.” Sunrise shrugged.

Breakfast was surprisingly different today, eggs with hay bacon, instead of the oats and weird…mush they claimed was mashed potatoes. Why they even served mashed potatoes for breakfast was a mystery to her, but when you weren’t really given an option you had to go with the flow of things.

An hour after she had eaten, Cloudchaser picked a cloud a fair distance away from the academy and soon turned it into a makeshift perch. She wanted privacy, and didn’t want her thoughts disturbed by the constant traffic flowing in and out of the barracks.

A blank piece of paper sat in front of her, with only the words “Dear Isabella” at the very top. She was no literary professional, and didn’t write letters that often. Cloudchaser wasn’t sure how to word her question in a way that wouldn’t offend the human. She was her only chance at getting an idea of what human stallions were like on dates.

“Okay…you can do this.” Cloudchaser said, pulling the pencil she had tucked behind her ear free.

Taking the utensil in her mouth, she began to write out her request to the human’s sister. She had to know all she could about these dates, and their courting methods.

Dear Isabella

My name’s Cloudchaser, you probably remember me from the circumstances involving your brother. With all that’s happened I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I need your help. I-

Cloudchaser hesitated, debating on what to write next. She rolled the pencil across her teeth, pushing it with her tongue as she thought before settling on what to write.

I like your brother. I know this probably sounds strange, but if you understood pegasi then you’d know we form a strong bond with who we’re meant to be with. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I know beneath the blue fur he’s a human like you, but I can’t get him off my mind. I need to know, how do humans court other humans?

Do human stallions like flowers? It was easy when I didn’t know he was a human, but now that I know he’s not really a pegasus, I need to know. If you don’t respond, I understand and don’t hold it against you.

Thanks
Cloudchaser

Cloudchaser looked over what she had written, rereading it in her mind to make sure it was clear and made sense, as best as it could anyways. Unicorns and earth ponies formed bonds in their own unique way, but pegasi were special. They were fiercely loyal, and protective of those they loved. There were always exceptions of course, but they were a minority.

“Here goes nothing.” Cloudchaser said as she folded the piece of paper before sliding it into an envelope.

“Come on, move those wings. I knew you couldn’t race, but you can’t swim either? This takes the cake.” Lean Streak said as he paced along the side of the pool in the gym.

“This…is stupid…what is this supposed…to prove?” I asked, swimming to the side of the pool to rest.

“It’s supposed to build up your muscles, and help your endurance. You’re hurting in those two areas the most. You should feel a little heavier with all of your feathers waterlogged.” Mike replied.

“It feels like I’ve got bricks tied to my wings.” I said.

“That’s the idea; you’ve still got four more lengths to go.” Lean Streak said, blowing a whistle.

“Work Nazi.” I mumbled under my breath before kicking away from the side.

"Use those wings rookie. If this was for your forelegs I would have told you so from the beginning." Lean Streak said, his voice was slightly distorted as water rushed past my ears while I swam.

I held my peace, this stallion would keep brow beating me no matter how hard I worked. I had come to accept that, but it was getting extremely hard to keep from snapping at him. I wanted to cram that whistle down his throat, it would be a fitting improvement.

With this work out finished I climbed out of the water, it had been surprisingly warm which actually made me a bit conflicted on getting out. The gym itself was cool, cold air gracing all of those in the building who were tired and overheated. It would be torture to a soaked pegasi.

I felt cold air surround my wet coat as I climbed out, sending chills throughout my body. I once thought receiving a cold shower was bad, this was easily much worse. It was like being wrapped in a cold, wet blanket that you couldn't get rid of. It was even worse when I tried to bring my wings to my side, both feeling like slimy wet socks inside drenched shoes.

I shook in response, which got rid of most of the water. It did take a little bit of my pride away though, I didn’t enjoy drying off in such a manner, and it didn’t feel right. It was just another reminder that I wasn’t human.

“So are you getting better?” a young voice asked, making me jump.

The voice belonged to a unicorn colt without a cutie mark. He had an oddly familiar tan coat, with a blue and purple mane. His excited smile was a bit unsettling as he looked up expectantly, until I remembered something Track Pace had mentioned to me.

“I’m going to take a wild guess here…your dad’s name is Track Pace right?” I asked.

“Yup! My name’s Star Sprint!” the colt replied excitedly.

“Your dad mentioned you might be around some time. I guess you like watching races?” I asked walking away from the pool.

“Yeah, I can’t fly, but it’s still fun to watch you guys. You look like blurs sometimes.” Star Sprint followed me to where Mike and Ike were sitting.

I stretched my wings out to let them dry. I cocked an eyebrow when I noticed Star Sprint’s expression. I had yet to figure out what everypony thought was so special about my wings; I didn’t think they were any different from any other pegasus’ wings. Sure they were cool, but the hype of what others saw was lost on me.

I made a note to go over that questionable book Track Pace had brought me. Even if he had done it as a joke, it might explain some things.

“So did you really come from Ponyville?” Star Sprint asked.

“Yeah, to be honest though it’s a complicated story.” I replied.

“Kid, this isn’t twenty questions, this is business. So unless you’ve got business with this trainee, I recommend you scram.” Lean Streak said.

“Oh…okay.” Star Sprint sulked, walking over to a bench to retrieve what appeared to be a scooter.

“Hey wait!” I shouted, getting his attention. “You can stay, I mean, it’s not like he’s in the way right?”

“A new face isn’t so bad, it’s better than just seeing you ugly lot every day for the last three days.” Ike laughed, until he received a painful hoof to the back of the head from Mike.

Lean Streak glanced over at Star Sprint with a troubling expression. It looked as if he wanted to kick the kid out himself. With a snort he waved his hoof dismissively before focusing on me again.

“It’s your problem if something happens to him, I told him to go home.” Lean Streak said.

“Thanks.” Star Sprint said trotting back towards our small group.

“Don’t mention it, but I do have a question, where did you get that scooter?” I asked.

"Four more days." Isabella sighed.

She had been counting down the days until it was time for her to take the test. Her heart hadn't been in it at first, but after her talk with Applejack, and spending a bit more time with the others, she started putting more effort into trying to pass it.

She wanted to be a part of Equestria's society, now that she didn't feel as alienated as before. Isabella still didn't care for the idea of staying still, but it was slowly starting to grow on her.

She couldn't help but wonder who or what else would be there to take the test, now that she was slowly becoming common knowledge. Her brother had taken it alone for the sake of keeping the peace, which sounded kind of depressing, but he told her that the others were waiting on the other side of the door for him when he left.

Her thoughts were derailed by the barely audible creaking wood, coming from her brother's room. The sound put Isabella on high alert as she slowly got up from the table.

Her brother had gone on and on about how safe Ponyville was compared to other places on Earth. She wished he was here now so she could rub it in his face that somepony had broken in. That would have to wait, right now she had to deal with said intruder.

What sounded like the faintest of whispering was coming from within the dark room. The door was slightly ajar, allowing Isabella to peek in to see what looked like a fluffy tail. The rest of the...whatever it might be, was out of view.

Isabella was a big girl, she could take care of herself. Besides, what's the worst some wimpy pony could do? The only real threat might be an earth pony, maybe a unicorn. Rainbow Dash had told her about ways to deal with unicorns though. As long as you could break their concentration on the spell, it wouldn't work, or it would misfire with horrible results. Isabella could only assume the pegasus was speaking from experience.

With the grace of a rhino, Isabella burst into the room, turning the lights on as quickly as she could. The instant light flooded the room she was both shocked, and more than a little irritated by what she saw.

"Discord, you've got a lot of nerve!" Isabella fumed.

"Oh, you. Leave it to a hot head to sour a moment." Discord said.

Isabella lost it and threw a punch at the lord of chaos, her fist making contact with his muzzle. She had gotten in fights before, and was easily capable of removing teeth, but much to her surprise, and disappointment, she was only rewarded with a soft squeak. It was a sound similar to that of a dog toy being squished.

"What the?" Isabella asked aloud, taking another swing at the odd creature.

"You -squeak- certainly are more -squeak- violent than your brother ever -squeak- was." Discord sighed as Isabella continued to hit him.

She finally stopped, realizing that despite her frustration, she couldn't harm the chaotic being. It was as if his body just absorbed the blows, comically.

"If you're quite finished, would you mind shutting the door on your way out?" Discord asked.

"You...you have some nerve to even show your ugly, mixed up face anywhere near this house!" Isabella screamed, making Discord wince slightly.

"Not so loud, I'm not deaf. Can a draconequus not express genuine remorse every once in a while?" Discord asked.

"Remorse? Do you really expect me to believe you broke in because you're sorry?!" Isabella's voice caused the windows to rattle slightly.

"Contrary to what you might think, I'm not some heartless monst-" Discord started.

"No! You shut up and listen! Your stupid, selfish actions have resulted in ruining another person's life. I say person because he's not a damn quadruped, he's a human! All he wanted to do was help his friend, but you just couldn't butt out, could you?!" Isabella asked.

Discord was silent, recoiling away from the woman as the volume of her voice continued to rise. He had seen others angry before, but he was in an awkward position now. Sure, he could remove her mouth, or make her vocal cords produce annoying kazoo noises, but she was right. His magic had nearly killed one of his friends.

"Now he's being put through God knows what, and it's your fucking fault!" Isabella was beginning to become hysterical, but with good reason.

The truth was Isabella wasn't used to having to stick around after a metaphorical bomb went off in her life. She was almost always on the move, here however; she didn't have that luxury. When her brother had been declared dead back on Earth, she was absolutely devastated, she had been on the verge of giving up, until she received a phone call from him that fateful day.

Isabella did her best to hold back her tears; she would have given anything to have Rarity or Pinkie present, if only for moral support. Her tears were slowly starting to escape the corners of her eyes as she glared hatefully at Discord.

Discord sat on the edge of the former human's bed, staring at the VIP pass that was hanging by its lanyard from the closet door handle. He had the matching one at his house, though he would never tell anypony else about it.

"I'm sorry." Discord said, hanging his head before disappearing just as a loud bang came from the front door, followed by the sound of hooves hitting the wood floor.

"Isabella, are ya okay?!" Applejack called out.

Isabella didn't reply, proceeding only to lean against the wall, and let herself slowly slide down to the floor, as she started to sob. She had been trying to keep things under control, but she didn't want something else to happen to the only family she had in this world now.

"Isabella...you okay sugar cube?" Applejack asked softly, placing a hoof against her shoulder. She smelled faintly of cider, which gave one a clue as to what she was doing out this late.

"No, everything's not okay." Isabella replied, tears still coming from her eyes.

"Ah'm sorry Isabella, Ah figured somethin' was troublin' ya when Ah heard the shoutin'. Don't you fret none though, everything's gonna be alright." Applejack said as she gently pulled the human's sobbing form into a hug, which was quickly returned.

"I'm sorry." Isabella whimpered, not to Applejack, but to the one person who couldn't hear her apology for not being there to help him now.

"Ya ain't got nuthin' to be sorry for. Ah know you miss him, but you'll be able to go see him soon right?" Applejack asked, trying to calm her down.

"It's not that. I couldn't do anything to help him, that stupid jerk decided to play a game, and someone else paid the price for it...he nearly died." Isabella replied, holding the earth pony close.

"Sugar cube, Ah don't think ya'll should be alone tonight." Applejack said, fearing for her friend's sanity and safety.

"I-I'm fine, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself!" Isabella exclaimed.

"Now listen here, if Ah have ta drag ya back to Sweet Apple Acers Ah will, but ya ain't stayin' here tonight by yer lonesome." Applejack snorted, freeing herself from Isabella's embrace.

"Okay..." Isabella submitted with one finally sniffle.

I stared up at the ceiling, my wings stretched out on either side of me as I rested on my back in deep thought. My mind kept playing over the events that had brought me this far away from home. It had taken a while to get used to calling Ponyville home as opposed to Earth, but it came with time.

I didn’t hate Discord; the more I thought about it the more I realized how little I really knew about the inhabitants of this world. For example, body language was far more important to them than it was to humans. Their ears, muzzle, eyes, wings, legs, tail, almost everything played a part in communication. If anything, Discord had given me a chance to see things from their point of view.

He had done this before, but there had always been a time limit. Now that the magic had been reversed, I was starting to get a better understanding of how their society really worked. When I was human, I was still an outsider, I didn’t twitch my ears or paw at the ground to get my message across, I just talked.

Then there was…her. Try as I might, I couldn’t forget about that mare. The near constant state of exhaustion Lean Streak kept me in during the day distracted me, but when I was alone with only my thoughts to keep me company, I thought of her.

“I screwed up big time…” I mumbled.

With a sigh I picked up the book Track Pace had gotten me as a joke. I couldn’t believe I was about to actually read this.

I spent the next two hours reading through the book. I glanced over some information on wings, and was surprised to learn that not all pegasi wings were the same. I hadn’t expected them to be due to body sizes, but there was actually four different categories.
There was passive soaring, active soaring, elliptical, and high-speed wings. The last one made me roll my eyes at the lack of creativity, but who was I to judge? As I looked at the chart in comparison to my own, I identified mine as passive soaring wings, given their size and shape. They were more uncommon than the others.

It made sense now that I thought about it, the first time I had actually flown; I hadn’t tried to flap my wings as fast as I could. I had simply soared until I decided to land. What didn’t make sense however; was what made them so interesting to the others. I would just have to ask Track Pace in the morning.

“I bet Rainbow’s wings are high-speed.” I said, turning the page.

I soon came across a topic that managed to hold my interest. Bonding, or what pegasi once upon a time called marriage. It was a state one entered into when they had found their other half. Pegasi held firm to the belief that there was a single pe-pony somewhere in the world that they were meant to be together with.

Their thoughts, their lives, everything shifted to involve and include said individual. I remembered reading that most birds paired for life. Given the similarities in behavior and build, it wasn’t too farfetched to assume pegasi had the same mentality.

I closed the book with a sigh. I wanted to see her so badly, if only to tell her I was sorry. It only added to my mental misery knowing what I knew now. Maybe then I would have stopped her, shown more restraint. Twilight had claimed to have solved the problem with the spell, so why did I still feel this way sometimes?

“…..ugh, fuck me.” I groaned, jumping off the bed and gliding over to a small desk.

I couldn’t write to Flitter, she probably wanted to kill me…actually there was no probably to it, she had threatened to cut me. Twilight had enough problems to deal with so she wasn’t an option either. There was always Fluttershy…but she seemed more like the type to give good advice about pets than a relationship.

“Hmm...not many options left.” I mumble, proceeding to pull out a piece of paper and begin to write.

Rainbro

Hey I need some solid advice…

Author's Note

So I changed the tags, now that it's pretty clear who the love interest is. It was surprisingly the hardest part thus far. Isabella hates Discord with a passion, fun stuff. And again, if I have stepped over another person's OC I apologize, it was never my intent.

A bit more interesting news, I had my question answered in a radio type story by Discord. It's by Iron Skull and it's pretty neat. He portrays Discord really well (which is one of my favorite characters) it's here if anyone wants to check it out.

Initiation

Twilight sat anxiously with Rarity in the main hallway of the school she once attended in Canterlot. She had plenty of memories here, both good and bad, but mostly good. This was the building where she hatched spike, though the alicorn doubted Isabella knew how significant the room she was taking her test in now was to her and the young dragon.

Not much had changed since she had last walked the building’s halls. She hated that the others couldn’t make it in time for the test, but it wasn’t completely different from Daniel’s experience, they had arrived shortly after he walked through the doors. She couldn’t expect them to drop everything in their lives, especially now that spring was in full swing.

“She’s been in there quite a while now.” Rarity said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, it’s not a simple test though.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“I suppose you heard about her little confrontation with Discord?” Rarity asked, staring at the door Isabella had walked through.

“I did.” Twilight replied quickly.

“Soo…” Rarity leaned towards Twilight as she drug out the O.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting Rarity. It’s not like I can just make them like each other, they’ll have to work out their differences.” Twilight sighed.

“I suppose you’re right, but we both know that’s not going to happen; especially after what he did four nights ago.” Rarity said.

“It just needs time Rarity, you can’t expect emotional wounds to heal overnight. I ‘m just as concerned about this as you, Fluttershy has been distancing herself from Isabella, being close with Discord it’s not hard to imagine why.” Twilight said.

“There has to be something we can do, I can’t stand seeing two friends drift apart.” Rarity pouted.

Twilight was about to respond when the doors to the lecture room opened. Two minotaurs and three griffons walked out of the room first, each with folders in their claws and hands, respectively. The last one to exit the room was Isabella, a sad look adorning her face.

"Uh oh," Twilight whispered before approaching the human. "Hey Isabella, how did the test go?"

"This is the worst thing ever Twilight..." Isabella replied.

"Oh dear, there's no need to get upset. You can always try again." Rarity said.

"No, you don't understand, I actually missed ten questions," Isabella said showing Twilight and Rarity the side of the folder that had the word APPROVED stamped on it. "I mean, I didn't expect to get all of them right, but come on!" Isabella whined.

"Really?" Twilight asked, trying to sound annoyed. Her smile betrayed her true feelings, she was proud of Isabella, and was glad that this was finally over...again.

"Hey, I had you guys convinced, right?" Isabella grinned.

"I'll admit to being fooled there for a few seconds." Rarity giggled.

"So, after I get this turned in, I say we celebrate." Isabella said as the three began to make their way out of the building.

"Celebrate...um, Rarity, think you could show Isabella around Canterlot for a bit? I just remembered something I needed to take care of before we can go okaythanksbye!" Twilight exclaimed quickly before vanishing.

"I...suppose?" Rarity replied, dumbfounded by her friend's sudden disappearance.

Twilight counted herself lucky to have found Discord’s house as soon as she did. It moved frequently, and gave the mail mare a bit of trouble when she was trying to get the occasional letter to him.

Twilight stopped herself before knocking on the door that gave her a mischievous grin. She was certain that anypony who was brave, or crazy, enough had knocked on the door at least once. The simple, every day action would only result in a painful nip from the door that didn’t appreciate being hit in order to get another’s attention.

“Is Discord in?” Twilight asked.

“Discord isn’t seeing anypony right now.” A surprisingly feminine voice replied.

“Can you tell him Twilight is here to see him?” Twilight asked.

“…no.” the door replied.

“Ugh, you’re being such a foal Discoooah!” Twilight screamed as she suddenly found herself in a giant house, falling towards the ground.

“You called?” Discord asked smugly.

“You’re lucky I have wings Discord. What did the door mean when you said you’re not seeing anypony right now?” Twilight asked.

“Her name is Hilda, not door, and if you must know I simply wish to be left alone for a while. I’m not in the mood to entertain guest; that includes alicorn princesses.” Discord replied, sitting on an over sized chair that could pass for a small mountain.

“Discord is this about Isabella?” Twilight sighed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Discord replied, turning his head away from Twilight.

“Yes you do, now there’s a way to solve this but I need your help!” Twilight landed on the chair, slamming her hoof down on its soft surface in frustration.

“My help, my help, well little miss princess the last time I tried to help somepony I nearly killed them. The last time I tried to help somepony I was insulted, abused, and cast out. Why in the world would my help make any difference? A better question, when’s the last time somepony asked to help me, hmm?” Discord asked, spinning his head around to face Twilight, slowly forcing her towards the edge of the giant chair.

“Discord, I know what Isabella did was wrong. She was just mad; you would be too if something happened to Fluttershy.” Twilight said, trying to reason with the disgruntled lord of chaos.

Discord stopped his approach, clenching his fist. Raising his lion paw up he snapped his fingers, expelling Twilight from his house, sending her back to the front porch.

“Discord, this won’t solve anything!” Twilight shouted.

“Go away Twilight.” Discord’s muffled voice said.

Twilight snorted, flustered by Discord’s unwillingness to cooperate. She had dealt with some stubborn ponies before, but Discord was truly a special case. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down before addressing him again, not caring whether he replied or not now.

“I’m going to go talk with Pinkie Pie. Isabella passed her test this morning, I was going to see if you wanted to help…goodbye Discord.” Twilight said, vanishing from the premises as Discord had requested.

Discord sat in silence, the inside of the house no longer over sized. He had hoped that playing with the reality within his home would have lifted his spirits, but it had only left him as empty as before.

Discord started to pace, frustrated that he couldn’t shake this feeling of guilt. Sure, he had tempted Celestia, urged her to play along, but he didn’t think it would do any lasting damage to Daniel, and it hadn’t damaged him per say. The chances of his mind being torn apart were slim, how was he supposed to know what would happen?

If Twilight hadn’t been there to finalize the spell, to completely alter it into a full trans-configuration spell, then the outcome would have been much darker. It was all an accident, but he was criticized for it.

Discord turned to walk back to his bedroom, which was seldom used. He rarely slept, but did acknowledge the need for rest and recuperation, even he wasn't without limits. Of course, Discord would like for the ponies to keep believing that he had none; it was much more entertaining that way.

On a shelf in a glass box was the matching VIP pass that Daniel had given him. They weren't the best of friends at the time, or friends at all really. It was by odd chance that all of the others said no, leaving him alone with an extra pass.

It wasn't as interesting as Discord had hoped it would be, but he had to admit that getting to spend time with somepony other than Twilight's group was oddly enjoyable. Nothing against them of course, the chaos lord simply needed to meet new creatures is all.

Discord furrowed his fuzzy eyebrows at the VIP pass. He had to know why he couldn’t get rid of this feeling, there had to be some explanation. He would have to go directly to the source though, perhaps humans did have magic. Some misunderstood power had been cast upon him without his knowledge, yes that seemed to make sense in his distorted mind.

Discord smiled, it wasn’t his fault after all. By twisted logic it was the human’s fault that he felt miserable for what happened. Why should he have to say he’s sorry, it should be the human that should be apologizing.

Without another second of hesitation, Discord snapped his fingers, disappearing from his chaotic home that shifted of its own accord far too often.

“The white line is the qualifying mark that a racer must stay ab-“ I read aloud.

“Boo!” shouted a face that suddenly materialized on the pages of the book.

The book didn’t remain on the bed for long. In the blink of an eye I spun around, supporting myself on my forelegs. With relative ease I sent the book flying towards the wall, kicking it with my hind legs despite its protest for me to cease from doing so.

A lion paw extended from the book, picking it up by the spine. As it did so, a tall figure seemed to pour out from between the pages. Discord always knew how to make an entrance, though I had to admit, appearing out of a book was a new one.

“Oh…sorry about that Discord.” I said.

“I suppose you should be, especially after all that’s transpired.” Discord said, bringing the book into view, a pair of reading glasses magically appearing over his eyes.

“Uh, what?” I asked, bewildered by this sudden mood change.

“During your absence things have been going south, mostly for me. Everypony thinks it’s my fault that you’re the way you are now. We both know this is what you asked for.” Discord replied.

Discord could be a bit difficult to understand, annoying and downright rude sometimes, but right now he was coming off as an arrogant asshole. It wasn’t my fault, well, maybe some of it was, but I wasn’t make bets with the princesses and trapping people in spells.

“I was just trying to help a friend Discord, not get semi-permanently turned into a flying miniature horse.” I deadpanned.

“It’s still you who asked for this, I’ve had a bad feeling here,” Discord said pointing to where I assumed his heart would be. “No matter what I do it won’t go away. Saying sorry didn’t help, now undo whatever spell it is you cast.”

“Discord, I don’t know any spells, they don’t exist in my world. They were all make believe, tricks, illusions. I don’t know what you were expecting to gain by coming here.” I shrugged.

“Then why won't it go away? I'm tired of feeling bad.” Discord huffed.

“I don’t know Discord, look if you want to talk about this in a few weeks I’ll be back by then, but I’ve got stuff I have to do now.” I said grabbing another book, which still amazed me with hooves.

Discord was still there; shoulders slummed in defeat, had this incident really messed with him that much? Even though it had brought about more changes than I could have ever wanted, it had also opened doors I never would have even considered trying to open myself.

“Who’s been bugging you bro?” I asked, not looking up from my book.

“That violent sister of yours mostly, now that she’s upset, I’m getting odd visits from Twilight.” Discord replied.

“Hmm.” was my only response as I turned the page.

“What does “hmm” mean? You don’t care things are starting to unravel?” Discord asked.

“I do care; I’m just not overly worried about it.” I shrugged.

“Not wo- how can you not be worried about something? It’s not in your nature not to worry about things, who are you and what have you done with the real Daniel?” Discord asked.

I couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping in time. Discord had dwelt on this issue enough, and it was time to restore order to this chaotic relationship.

“I’m not worried because I know everything will work out. Sure it’s something to think about, but you’re getting worked up over something that turned out to be…good I guess. I mean, I miss walking on two legs, and having hands, but that doesn’t make me who I am. Besides there’s uh…there might be a lady in my life now…maybe.” I confessed.

“Oh…somepony thinks he’s found his soulmate hmm?” Discord appeared beside me, his mood and attitude shifting.

“Well, I hope she feels the same way, we…things didn’t end so well before I came here.” I replied.

“So who is this lovely mare of interest?” Discord propped his head up on his mismatched paws, tail swishing behind him anxiously.

“Cloudchaser, she’s been on my mind for a while now. I’d love to see her again, but what if she hates me after she learned what I am underneath the fur and wings?” I sighed.

“I can’t say I relate, love is a hindering emotion. I simply choose to tolerate those around me.” Discord smiled smugly.

“You like Fluttershy.” I grinned.

“I wonder if putting a zipper over your mouth would be applying too much chaos magic?” Discord asked coldly, getting his point across for me to keep quiet about the subject of him and Fluttershy.

I rolled my eyes; it was a lost cause trying to have a genuine moment with Discord, but something one had to accept. Fluttershy made it look easy when dealing with his backwards shenanigans, but she was also the embodiment of kindness, it was quite hard to upset her, short of doing physical, or psychological harm to her friends.

“Look you came here because of problems with Izzy, right? Just get her a red velvet cupcake with three sprinkles on top, use green icing.” I said, turning my attention back to my book.

“…say what?” Discord asked.

“They’re special to her. No special powers, no gags, no secret ingredients, just a simple cupcake with an odd exterior.” I replied.

"And you're certain this will work?" Discord was obviously skeptical of how simple this was.

"It won't solve things over night, but it will be a step in the right direction." I said.

With one last questioning look Discord snapped his fingers, leaving me alone in the room. I smiled as I picked up where I left off in the book. The way to Isabella's good side was pastries, but she had particular interest.

A part of me felt guilty now that Discord was gone. If he hadn't fucked up, I may never have bothered perusing...whatever this was with Cloudchaser. Upon further reflection, it was because of him I actually got any 'action' as Isabella would put it. That night still put a smile on my face, but now wasn’t the time to get side tracked, I had already been distracted enough.

"Rankings..." I said aloud, directing my attention to the book in front of me.

“Is this absolutely necessary Pinkie?” Isabella sighed as she followed the pink party pony to…who knows where.

“Yeppers, I ran out of a secret ingredient for my cupcakes. Your arms will make it easier.” Pinkie Pie replied.

“That doesn’t explain why I had to be blind folded at eight p.m. led around by your tail like a blind seeing eye dog.” Isabella said.

“Nopony can know of this ingredient’s location…nopony.” Pinkie Pie hissed defensively before giggling at her own falsified serious tone.

Isabella liked Pinkie, even though the mare seldom made any sense. She was fun to be around and made her smile with that infectious warm, bubbly personality. It took a heart of solid ice to remain cold and calloused around Pinkie Pie.

“So how is this ingredient going to remain a secret if I see it?” Isabella asked, pointing out a flaw in the pony’s plan.

“It just will.” Pinkie Pie replied.

“Uh huh, so you’re not afraid of somepony else threatening me to give up your secret if they ever found out I knew about it?” Isabella inquired, if only to keep her mind off how ridiculous she must look to any passing pony.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard the sound of any other hooves around them. It was late, but not that late. The pub was surely occupied by a few regulars, and there were some ponies that stayed up a bit later than most. Tonight was different for some reason, and an uneasy feeling was starting to form in the pit of Isabella’s stomach.

“We’re almost there~” Pinkie Pie sang, as what sounded like hooves against straw replaced the noise clip clop pattern against a dirt road.

“Pinkie…are we on somepony’s farm?” Isabella asked.

“No silly, why would you think that? Oh, duck down by the way.” Pinkie Pie replied.

The sound of a door closing behind her made Isabella jump, causing her hand to release the pink pony’s tail. This made her panic slightly as she reached out, grasping at empty air. She could hear her own footsteps against a hard wood floor, only adding to her confusion.

“Okay Pinkie, this isn’t funny anymore.” Isabella warned, removing her blind fold, only to be greeted by darkness.

“Pinkie?” she called out cautiously.

Light suddenly filled what Isabella now recognized as the inside of Sugar Cube Corner. A banner that read CONGRATULATIONS in multiple colors was hung from the ceiling, as well as balloons and streamers.

“SURPRISE!” came a loud shout, as a multitude of ponies came out of their respective hiding places.

Isabella stumbled backwards, falling onto the surprisingly soft floor. Her hands making contact with straw that was carefully distributed across the floor, at least that answered one question. That only left the elephant in the room...why was there a banner, streamer and half the town in Sugar Cube Corner?

“Were you surprised? Huh? Huh? Where ya? I bet you were!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

“Pinkie what the hell?” Isabella asked, her heart slowly returning to its normal pace.

“We just wanted this day to be special for you dear,” Rarity said. “We planned something similar for your brother when he passed his test, by some miracle, so it stands to reason we would do the same for you.”

“You are okay with surprises, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes Fluttershy, I’m fine with surprises.” Isabella replied.

"See? What did I tell you guys? Now let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie shouted, earning cheers from the ponies now crowding the establishment.

"You know you guys didn't have to do this right?" Isabella asked getting back on her feet.

"Things haven't exactly been easy on you. Besides, you earned this, enjoy it. Now you don't have to stay in Ponyville all the time." Twilight replied.

Isabella felt guilty, she wondered how much was shared between her friends, and if Applejack had kept their heart to heart private. She had wanted to leave Ponyville behind to try and pretend like her life was the same, only everyone had been turned into small ponies, but even that thought left a bitter taste in her mouth now that it had actually happened to her brother.

She originally had no real interest in getting to know ponies that didn’t talk to her much. Isabella never went out of her way to be social unless it was required of her, since she was often alienated by the inhabitants of this world.

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” Isabella said.

“What?!” Twilight and her friends asked in unison, all except for Applejack who nodded to her knowingly.

“I thought I could treat this like my old world and just take off, but then I realized how stupid it’d be if I left some of the best friends I’ve ever had behind. Even when I was still being kind of stubborn, you treated me like I was part of your group. ” Isabella replied, looking at Applejack as she spoke.

“Ugh, are we done with all the sappy stuff?” Rainbow Dash asked, earning a round of light laughter from the assembled crowd.

“Yeah, enough of the heart gibberish, let’s do this.” Isabella said.

Sweetie Belle watched as her sister’s friends led Isabella around, introducing her to a few of the more important ponies in town. Filthy Rich seemed to take an interest in some of the stories she had to share; they were a bit more believable than her brothers, but not as entertaining. A lot of the ponies that had been on the fence about the human were relaxed with such a highly held member of the community present and talking with her, even if his daughter was a living terror.

“Hey Sweetie Belle.” Apple Bloom said, as she and Scootaloo sat down on either side of her.

“Hey, I guess everypony is here tonight.” Sweetie Belle smiled happily.

“Yeah even some from out of town. I don't think this many came to Daniel's party." Scootaloo added.

"Probably cause there were a few ponies that were still afraid of him causin' trouble." Apple Bloom shrugged.

"Speaking of trouble, guess who's headed our way..." Scootaloo said, watching anxiously as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached them.

"Well, well, if it isn't the blank flank crusaders, still no luck with all the extra effort I see. I guess some ponies are never meant to bloom at all." Tiara giggled.

"Say, Scootaloo, where's your scooter? I didn't see you with it today...or yesterday...or...wow, it's almost been a week since I've seen it." Silver Spoon failed miserably to keep a straight face as she taunted the tangerine filly.

"Ya know darn well what happened to it, Diamond Tiara broke it!" Apple Bloom fumed. Even though Big Mac had patched it up, it had only been temporary, and the scooter had finally given up the ghost.

"Do I look like I could break a scooter? You fillies and your crazy stories," Tiara scoffed. "Why don't you go hang out with the monster...oh wait, I forgot, he's not here. He's just a freak in Las Pegasus now."

Scootaloo's wings buzzed furiously at the comment. She had put up with that label on more than one occasion, and she wasn't about to let one of her best friends get picked on while he wasn't even here. She looked up to him and Rainbow Dash.

As quickly as her wings had started to buzz, they stopped as a much better plan than just yelling at the two bullies formed in her mind. Silver Spoon was by no means innocent, but she was just a tag along, a wing pony. No, this was between her and Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo remembered how Daniel had dealt with this bully without lifting a...a....whatever he called his hooves. Though she was going to put a little spin on it while keeping things nonviolent. Looking down at the drink in between her hooves, she knew exactly how to manage that.

Without saying a word to either her friends, or enemies, Scootaloo approached Diamond Tiara calmly, as if nothing was wrong. A small smile was on her face, making Diamond Tiara back away slightly as she drew closer.

"What are you doing yo-aaah!" Diamond Tiara shrieked, as punch and ice cascaded down her head and mane.

"You talk a lot, Miss Cheerilee said that talking can dry you out." Scootaloo knew that their teacher meant the mouth. It seemed the one day she hadn't been writing Rainbow Dash next to every word in the dictionary had been useful after all.

"Y-y-you...my mane...my....I...daaddy!" Diamond Tiara cried, leaving Silver Spoon behind with the CMC.

"O-oh, umm, I think I hear my mom calling...gotta go bye!" Silver Spoon whimpered, her bravado leaving with the crying magenta earth pony.

Scootaloo felt...strange, after lashing out at Diamond Tiara. She thought it would make her feel better, but it only made her feel worse. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that she was no better than Diamond Tiara for what she did, even if she was a bully.

"Hey, I think I'm going to go home now...I'm not in the partying mood anymore." Scootaloo said in a voice so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear over the noise from the other guest.

"But," Apple Bloom started, until Sweetie Belle got her attention with a soft hoof to her shoulder, shaking her head no. "Okay, see ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see ya." Scootaloo replied.

"What'd ya go and do that fer?" Apple Bloom asked once Scootaloo was gone.

"Because, there's something I think you should know, but you have to keep it a secret from everypony else. Especially Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said, keeping her eyes glued to the door just in case she came back.

"She ain't in trouble is she?" Apple Bloom’s ears drooped out of concern.

"Nope, it's a good secret." Sweetie Belle smiled.

"Daaaddy!" Diamond Tiara whined as she worked her way through the crowd to find her dad next to the other human.

"Daddy! That mean pegasus poured punch on me!" Diamond cried.

"That's nice sweetheart, but the adults are talking right now," Filthy Rich said dismissively. "So, you're telling that paper was used to represent currency instead of actual gold?"

"Pretty much the gist of it." Isabella replied with a shrug.

"How in the world did you ever get anything done?" another pony asked.

"Honestly, we fought and bickered over stupid stuff on a daily basis. Old men sent young boys to settle their arguments for them...the dirty way." Isabella sighed.

Once it became apparent that her father had no immediate interest in addressing the result of what was more than likely her own actions coming full circle, Diamond Tiara stormed off, leaving the party embarrassed as punch continued to drip from her mane.

Isabella was beginning to grow tired of answering all the questions she thought her brother had already taken care of. Apparently she was wrong, and was now scanning her surroundings for some kind of excuse to ditch the questioners without being too obvious.

Isabella noticed Fluttershy off by herself, it wasn’t uncommon, but she was normally accompanied by either Daniel or Discord to events like this. She saw a golden opportunity to try and smooth things over with the shy pegasus while she was alone.

“Excuse me guys, but I see somepony I’ve been meaning to talk to.” Isabella said, walking past this group that had gathered around her.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice her approaching; she was more concerned about staying out of the way instead of mingling. Even with Rainbow Dash present she was still acting skittish.

“Hey Fluttershy.” Isabella said casually, making the mare jump slightly.

“O-oh, hi Isabella, I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said.

“I teleport sometimes, can’t really control when it happens.” Isabella shrugged.

“Maybe Twilight could help, I didn’t know humans could do that.” Fluttershy smiled nervously.

“Um, we can’t really, it was a joke. Anyways, what are you doing here all by yourself?” Isabella asked.

“Well, this party was for you, and I didn’t want to get in the way of things.” Flutttershy replied, pawing at the floor timidly.

“Fluttershy, I might be the focus, but this is for everypony to have a good time. You can't tell me you're having fun just standing here all alone and expect me to believe you." Isabella crossed her arms.

"No, I guess not." Fluttershy said.

The pegasus was keeping her answers pretty short, a sure sign she didn't really want to talk, but was doing so to be polite. Isabella wasn't the most proper girl there was, but she could pick up on her reluctance to carry on a conversation, and she didn't have to go down a very long list of assumptions as to why.

"Fluttershy, is this about Discord?" Isabella asked.

"O-oh goodness no! I haven't even seen him!" Fluttershy's nervous smile returned.

"You're a pretty bad liar." said Isabella.

"You're right, it is because Discord has been down in the dumps. I have seen him, and he hasn't been himself, nothing seems to cheer him up, and you've been upset too."Fluttershy pointed a hoof at Isabella.

Isabella was a bit surprised to be called out by the timid yellow one, but held her peace. Some part of her conscience knew she probably deserved this.

"I can't stand seeing my friends argue or be bitter with each other. I don't want to pick a side, you two need to sit down and talk." Fluttershy scolded in a surprisingly motherly tone.

"But..." Isabella tried to counter.

"No buts, one of you is going to have to be the bigger pony. Yes he made a mistake, well a few actually, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be hurt or screamed at. It took him a long time to make the friends he has now; do you really think he would purposefully hurt any of them?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, but how do I know he's really sorry?" Isabella asked in return.

"That's why you need to sit down and talk with each other. I can be there if you want, I don't want my friends to stay mad at each other." Fluttershy replied, placing a hoof comfortingly against Isabella's leg.

Isabella mulled over the prospect of sitting down at some small table across from the walking enigma that had become her sworn enemy, she was not as quick to forgive as her brother might be. Fluttershy was volunteering to play peace keeper until some level ground was reach, if it could be reached at all.

"I won't promise anything will come from this, but if it'll make things better between us..." Isabella said.

"I guess that's a start." Fluttershy smiled.

"Isabella!" shouted a familiar voice.

Fluttershy didn't stick around to see who it was, opting to vanish. The poor mare wasn't at all into the big, loud crowd setting.

"Isabella, I'm glad I found you." Ditzy Doo said.

"Hey Ditzy, what's up?" Isabella asked with a small grin.

She couldn't help but smile at the mare's statement. Isabella was the only human in Equestria, for now anyways, yet Ditzy had trouble finding her while being in a confined area. The smile faded when she remembered Daniel mentioning she had a sight problem, that her eyes didn't just do...whatever it was they did, without cause or reason.

"Well, there was a small um, mix up, with the mail and a letter with your name on it got left behind, on accident I promise. I'd never-" Ditzy Doo started to explain.

"It's cool Ditzy Doo. So did you just stick it in the mailbox before coming?" Isabella asked, snickering at her poor phrasing of her question, even if she was the only one that caught it.

"I've got it right here actually," The mail mare said holding an empty hoof up proudly before noticing something wasn't quite right. "Well...I said I did...where did it go?"

Ditzy spun around, ensuring she hadn't dropped the letter by accident. She couldn't live with herself knowing she had lost somepony's mail. She was sure she had brought it!

"Is this it?" Isabella asked, plucking a letter from behind the mare's left ear.

Ditzy spun around blushing after spotting the letter. "Heh, I guess I still managed to misplace it."

Misplaced letters, local heroes, and a princess to boot. Isabella smiled as she went down her mental checklist. There was plenty of excitement in Ponyville, she'd be crazy to think she could find more anywhere else in this world. Besides, she still had one more obstacle to overcome, and who was she to run away from a challenge?

Scootaloo sighed as she saw the orphanage come into view. She felt bad about what she did to Diamond Tiara, but she deserved it, right? How could another pony be so mean and not feel this way as well? Was she somehow immune to guilt?

The filly gave up trying to understand her bully and slowly opened the door. She didn't want to dwell on it any longer, and Diamond Tiara was more than likely plotting her revenge.

"Home sweet home..." Scootaloo said quietly as she walked down the empty hallway.

Her thoughts shifted to her friend that had moved away, she had considered the possibility that he might forget about them. As unlikely as that might be, she had harbored a similar fear when Rainbow Dash was invited to the Wonderbolt Academy.

As Scootaloo pushed open the door that led to her section of the building, she noticed something out of place on her bed. It was a box that was a bit awkwardly shaped, and at first glance looked like it held something expensive, most large boxes did, but what was it doing on her bed?

Scootaloo rushed over to her bed and jumped onto the mattress, causing the bed frame to squeak. She looked for some sort of external marking on the box to determine its contents, but only found a card that had been firmly taped to the top that had her name written on it.

Ripping it off with her teeth, Scootaloo tore the envelope and started to read the card. As she did, a smile started to work its way across her face.

Dear Scootaloo

I've missed you guys so much, and not a day goes by that I don't think about Ponyville. I've been counting the days as they pass, slowly, maybe you could see if Twilight could convince Celestia to lower the sun a few hours sooner?

Scootaloo giggled and kept reading.

I've made some new friends that I'll have to tell you about. One even helped me out with what's inside the box. Try not to let this one "get away" from you. Anyways, I hope you and the others are doing well, I'll see you soon.

Daniel

Scootaloo dropped the letter, her curiosity having developed from a small flame into an raging inferno; she had to know what was inside! The problem she was faced with was opening it.

After looking the box over again, she found a weakness in the postal tape, which was incredibly durable, and managed to rip it off. With almost unnatural speed, Scootaloo lifted all four panels to reveal the treasure hidden within, which made her gasp in surprise.

There in the box was a new scooter. Some assembly would be required, but Scootaloo instantly recognized the frame work. The deck was a vibrant blue, with three silver stripes, and at first glance it seemed to be a bit tougher than her old scooter.

Scootaloo's vision started to grow cloudy as tears formed in her eyes. She looked at the card again, and hopped off the bed, pulling out a box from underneath the frame. Inside were some of her most cherished possessions, most of which had been given to her by Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo placed the card inside the box and smiled before closing it once more.

It was late when Isabella finally departed from the slowly dying celebration. After a long eventful day, she was exhausted and was ready to fall into her bed, bidding the world farewell until sunrise when the day would start anew.

A slight poking sensation in her side reminded her of the letter she had received at the party, which had now somehow started to work its way out of her pocket. Isabella had never been able to figure out why such a phenomenon occurred.

Isabella tore the envelope open as she walked to her room and discarded the now ruined paper at her bedroom door as she opened it. Unfolding the piece of paper, she silently read the letter that was addressed to her for a change.

"No way," Isabella grinned as she continued to read. "...I think I can help a mare out."

Author's Note

OMG this chapter! This freaking chapter! I developed the weirdest/worst case of writers block I have ever had before. I mean really bad -.- There were like five different versions of this chapter before I settled on this one! Anyways, after much sleep depravation and a few hundred mugs of sweet tea (I hate coffee) this is the result. I hope I never have to suffer through something like that again, EVER! NOPE! NO MORE! :facehoof: No, I'm not done yet! I mean I freaking started getting ideas for stories AFTER this one! I mean really brain? REALLY? The f- happened here? ....okay, I'm done now. :ajsleepy:

Mixed Signals

The air still had a cold breeze in the city. It would fade once the Las Pegasus weather team had finished their first shift. The weather schedule here was much more carefree and flexible since it wasn't a city that depended on the weather to assist in growing food. This gave the pegasi some creative judgement.

It still made the mornings to midday miserable though, and the constant exercises didn't help things. Lean Streak was beginning to test my patience. Sure he was the teacher, but that didn't give him the right to degrade me at every opportunity. If it wasn't for Star Sprint being present I probably would have done something I would regret later.

"Why are you still here?" Lean Streak asked shaking his head as I flexed my wings a bit to work some of the soreness out of them.

"Because I have to be." I replied quickly, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I've asked you this every day before you start laps, and every day you give me the same answer." said Lean Streak.

"What's the right answer then? That I don't need to be here?" I asked rolling my eyes.

Mike and Ike looked at each other nervously. Lean Streak's expression was shifting into one of irritation, and he wasn't the stallion you wanted to irritate too often.

"You may have the wing build of two former champions, but you sure don't act like one. The only thing holding you back right now is you. Is it what's beneath the coat that's stopping you?" Lean Streak asked.

"What I once was has nothing to do with the present. I'm not holding back." I replied, unable to stop my nostrils from flaring slightly.

Lean Streak tilted his head to the side curiously; I had expected him to respond with some kind of extra work out routine. Instead he smiled, narrowing his eyes at me mischievously.

"I think that's the reason, I mean you’ve improved, but it's hardly noticeable. Maybe I should talk to Sky Mark about cutting his losses before he waste any more time with some pegasus from Ponyville who thinks he's here because of some moral code or something." Lean Streak chuckled.

"Shut up." I warned, my wings flaring out as my ears flattened against my head.

"You keep saying you have to be here, why though? What's forcing you to stay? Some stupid excuse back home, that muddy little hole in Equestria?" Lean Streak grinned.

I had to bite my lip to hold back the string of insults I wanted to throw at him. The only response that escaped me was a loud, threatening snort.

"Lean Streak I think you should stop no-" Ike started only to be dismissed by an upheld hoof from Lean Streak.

"I bet you'd like to teach me a lesson huh? Make me shut up about mudpony town?" Lean Streak mocked.

"No sir..." I lied. My core was starting to heat up as my anger grew. I wasn't sure how much more I could take from him before I snapped.

"Come on...you and me, a little race. You don't even have to beat me, just keep up and I'll lay off mud town Equestria. What have you got to lose, aside from you nonexistent pride. Any real pegasus would have already taken a swing at me...you? You're just some wishy wa-" Lean Streak continued, stopping when I was only inches from him.

"I think you pushed the wrong button." Mike commented, making the coach smirk.

"Line up then hot shot, make me eat my words." Lean Streak smiled, walking towards the area marked off for the starting line in a real race.

I followed him, my blood boiling by now. I wanted to tackle him and not stop hitting him until I was pulled away, or worse.

"Mike, say when." Lean Streak said, flapping his wings experimentally.

"Three...two...one...go!" Mike shouted.

We both took off into the air, leveling out above the white marker. I could feel a difference this time, as angry as I was the thrill of racing somepony was oddly satisfying. When I noticed Lean Streak starting to pull away, I began to work harder to keep up.

"So is it some mare? Maybe you got dumped by an earth pony and left with some land bound foal. That must suck, is that why you keep saying you don't have a choice? It’s better to be here than there? How did you pull that off anyways?" Lean Streak mocked.

"Shut up!" I shouted, picking up the pace as adrenalin surged through my body.

We were past the second turn and Lean Streak was pulling away again, leaving a barely visible flight trail behind him. I knew he could go faster, he was just taunting me, this theory was confirmed as a smile stretched across his muzzle upon glancing back at me. I was slowly gaining on him once more.

"So was I right? About the mare? Did she ditch you when she learned you're nothing but a big, lous-" Lean Streak didn't finish whatever he was about to say as I leveled out beside him, forcing him to go faster.

Track Pace sighed as he walked down the path to the track. His son had skipped school, again. His wife was going to kill him if she got the chance. She blamed his job for being a distraction to Star Sprint's studies.

Something was off about the track today. There was a lack of yelling, from Lean Streak anyways. Instead it was replaced by encouraging cheers from Mike, Ike, and Star Sprint.

Curious, Track Pace focused his magic and appeared outside, next to the others. Lean Streak and Daniel were nowhere to be found at first glance. A quick survey of the track put the two stallions at the second turn, gaining speed.

"Dad! He's keeping up with Lean Streak!" Star Sprint jumped up and down excitedly.

"I think Lean Streak got his goat good this time." Ike said, censoring his language in front of the colt.

Track Pace watched as Lean Streak started to pick up speed, only to be matched by Daniel. Even as the former racer pushed himself to his limit, his successor was right beside him, a second flight trail beginning to form as the two stallions entered the third turn.

"There's...no way, you've got to be kidding me." Mike said, picking up his chart in disbelief.

"Come on, don't make me a liar." Track Pace mumbled, watching anxiously as the two racers entered the final turn.

Something inside of me had finally snapped, while this had been about making Lean Streak eat his own words in the beginning, I no longer cared solely about that. Right now, I was focused on the finish line, and what it would take to get there. Everything else around me seemed to be more detailed, sights, sounds, perception, everything.

As the finish line grew closer and closer, I noticed Lean Streak was no longer dead even with me. A series of loud cheers signaled the end of our mock race as we crossed the finish line. I landed to catch my breath, while Lean Streak started to chuckle.

"What's...so funny...I beat...you." I managed to say in between pants.

"You big idiot...do...you even realize….what you did?" Lean Streak asked with a smile. "That's the first time...you've ever….made a flight trail...look."

I turned my head towards the direction of Lean Streak's hoof. There, slowly fading into the air, were two flight trails. One was a bright orange; the other was a light blue with varying streaks of green mixed in.

"I've never..." I mumbled, falling down on my haunches to rest as I watched the trails fade.

I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I had seen Rainbow Dash leave a flight trail plenty of times, but I had never expected to leave one myself. An overwhelming feeling of pride was beginning to swell within me as the realization sank in that I was getting faster, that all of the heartache wasn’t in vain like Lean Streak had been taunting me over.

"Now, we can start getting serious," Lean Streak said, sitting down beside me. "Tell me how it felt."

"I don’t know how to describe it, everything just started becoming clearer. I forgot about everything else that was bothering me...it felt good." I replied.

"Good, then there's some hope for you after all." said Lean Streak.

"Will you stop with the insults like you promised?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Rookie, you were holding back. I had to find a way to push you, to get your blood burning like a real pegasus. Focus all that anger and energy into winning, and you’ll do what you did today every time. Pegasi were warriors once, that drive to win is in you now whether you like it or not." Lean Streak punched me in the shoulder.

"So what's next?" I asked.

"I'm not the stallion I used to be Rookie, we'll call it early. I will admit that I haven't had that much fun in a long time." Lean Streak grinned.

Cloudchaser had waited patiently for some sort of reply from the human...that lived maybe a minute away if she flew to her house. She was considering dropping the subtly and asking for answers personally.

"It's been too long; maybe she doesn't want me anywhere near him...horseapples." Cloudchaser grumbled as she paced.

"You're getting worked up again. If he means that much to you, why not just ask him yourself?" Flitter asked, sitting in a comfy blue chair in the living room.

"Because that would make me look stupid...maybe, I don't know how human stallions think. I know a normal stallion would think I'm weird." Cloudchaser replied.

"Sis...you're weird to begin with, in a good way. Still, I think it would be a lot easier if you flew over and asked him about this yourself. I know you want to surprise him and make him feel special, every mare wants to do that for a stallion." Flitter said.

"I guess you're right...I just hope he doesn't hate me." Cloudchaser sighed; she felt her heart ache a bit at the thought of such a possibility.

"The only pony that probably hates you right now is Thunderlame, and I haven't seen any sign of him since Spitfire sent him packing." Flitter giggled, amused with her nickname for her sister's ex-coltfriend.

Cloudchaser stopped pacing and made her way towards the door. Her sister was right, she could save herself a lot of trouble and stress by just asking Daniel a few subtle questions, maybe then she could gauge if he liked her or not.

The mare opened the door, only to receive a bop on the muzzle. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it did pull her mind away from her thoughts on the stallion that occupied her heart.

"Oh, sorry Cloudchaser." Ditzy Doo apologized, having just started to knock on the door to deliver the mail when Cloudchaser had opened it.

"It's okay Ditzy...I didn't think we missed any bills this time." Cloudchaser joked, rubbing her muzzle a bit.

"I don't think this is a bill. It's just a letter today. Good thing we've got your schedule down huh? This was going back to the Wonderbolt's Academy." Ditzy Doo smiled.

Cloudchaser couldn't stop a hopeful smile from spreading across her face. The feeling of dread was being replaced by joy as her heart started to flutter.

“Thank you Ditzy!” Cloudchaser exclaimed, hugging the mail mare tightly.

“Can’t breathe…” Ditzy Doo wheezed.

The excited pegasus released Ditzy, rushing back inside, leaving a baffled mail carrier behind. She had seen ponies that were happy about mail, but she had never received a hug for doing her job. It gave Ditzy Doo a little boost to her confidence to help her through the rest of her day.

“Flitter! It came it came it came it came it came!” Cloudchaser shouted excitedly, flying in circles in the living room.

“Calm down Cloudchaser, you’re going to break something!” Flitter scolded. “Besides, you haven’t even opened it.”

“Right, I guess I should do that before I celebrate huh?” Cloudchsaer blushed, landing on the couch as she was joined by her sister.

After tearing open the envelope Cloudchaser maneuvered the letter slightly so that they both could read the message that Isabella had penned. Flitter was a faster reader than she was, but she had never openly admitted this to her.

“Cloudchaser, I’m actually glad that you’re interested in my brother, and I don’t hold you responsible for what happened so no worries.” Cloudchaser read aloud.

“See? You were worrying over nothing.” Flitter smiled.

“As for what human men, or stallions, are like, they are stupid by nature. They have a hard time picking up on a woman, or mare’s, emotions and can be frustrating since they think they have to fix everything if they feel something is wrong.” Cloudchaser continued.

Flitter giggled at Isabella’s description of the human’s male gender. There were a few similarities to stallions; perhaps her sister wasn’t as crazy for wanting to be with him as she thought.

“So a quick rundown on dates with a human, he’ll probably be very nervous your first time out, even though you guys have already bumped flanks.” Cloudchaser blushed as her sister snickered.

“Any man with a shred of decency will always hold a door open for their lady, letting them enter a building first. He’ll expect you to sit down first, and if you don’t get a booth, he’ll pull out a chair for you, or should anyways, if he doesn’t let me know and I’ll have a chat with him.” Cloudchaser continued, scrunching her muzzle up in confusion. Humans did things very differently than ponies.

“Daniel personally doesn’t mind flowers, but he won’t be expecting them if that’s what you’re asking, I didn’t really understand the question. If you’re worried about him getting you something don’t be, he's very old fashioned when it comes to stuff like this." Cloudchaser was now extremely confused by Isabella’s response. The stallion wasn’t supposed to do anything Isabella was mentioning.

“Maybe human mares think it’s sweet when their stallion does stuff like this." Flitter summarized.

"I guess, but why would he want to get me something?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I don't know, keep reading." Flitter urged, finding this bit of insight on humans interesting at the moment.

"The best advice I can really offer you is to be yourself. It sounds cliché, but most guys know when a girl is being fake, or mare in this case. Between the two of us, I think you two would look good together." Cloudchaser smiled.

"Hey there's some more on this folded part." Flitter said, reaching over her sister's forelegs.

"Flitter, cut it out-oh hey there is." said Cloudchaser surprised she had missed it.

"If you two end up doing the ugly, here are some things you could try. You could start by...no no no no no!" Cloudchaser shouted pulling the letter away from her sister who was quick to retrieve it from the distraught mare.

"Let's see...you could start by taking his...oh my, Cloudchaser, are you going to try this?" Flitter giggled.

"Give it back!" Cloudchaser snapped, flying after her sister.

"This sounds pretty saucy if you ask me, who knew?" Flitter asked dashing into her room, locking the door.

"Open up!" Cloudchaser demanded, giving the door a good solid kick.

"Hey Cloudchaser, there's something I think you need to know." Flitter said from the safety of her room.

"Does it involve any of...that stuff?" Cloudchaser asked coldly.

"No, it's about your court interest, he's in Las Pegasus right now....Cloudchaser?" Flitter called to her sister from the lack of response.

She cautiously opened the door to her room, finding Cloudchaser leaning against a wall, sulking. Flitter dropped the letter and sat beside her sister, wrapping a wing around her. Cloudchaser scooted closer to her, appreciating the kind gesture.

"He's gone...just what I was afraid of." Cloudchaser sighed.

"The letter said he'd be back." Flitter said as she stroked her sister's mane soothingly.

"He's not marked anymore though, what if it's the same story with Thunderlane? What if some mare already swept him off his hooves? What if-" Cloudchaser's string of what ifs was silenced by Flitter's hoof in her mouth.

"You're going to Las Pegasus." Flitter deadpanned.

"You read the letter though. Planning and stuff, I can't just go to Las Pegasus and say "Hey here I am! Miss me?" Cloudchaser mocked, throwing her fore legs up comically as she spoke.

"That sounds exactly like you," Flitter giggled. "And Isabella told you to be yourself. So either you go down there to him...or I could go instead~" Flitter taunted.

"You wouldn't..." Cloudchaser snarled.

"Show up or give up, take your pick sis." Flitter said.

Cloudchaser bit her lip. She had enough time to make the trip, but what would she do if he didn't share those feelings? How would things work while she was down there if he did? She only had a letter to go by, and that had only confused her more.

"Okay, I'll go. No more waiting." Cloudchaser said earning a smile from her sister.

"We are the champions, my friend~" I sang as I opened the door to my apartment.

Beating Lean Streak made me feel like I was on top of the world. I still found it hard to believe that I had actually pulled it off. My wings hurt afterwards, but it was worth it. The feeling of getting caught up in the race, all that speed, it was almost as good as sex....almost.

The comparison of experiences reminded me of the letter that Rainbow Dash had sent. Opening sealed letters with hooves was too complicated, so I opted to simply bite the top part of the envelope off, grateful that nopony else was around to witness it.

Daniel

Finally found you a special somepony huh? I don't blame you, Cloudchaser has a nice flank if you want my honest opinion. Not as good as mine, but she's okay. Anyways, if you two were to go out, she'd be trying to impress you and gain your approval, same as any mare.

She might try to find you a gift, something that she thinks suits you. One thing she will most definitely have is a flower that matches her coat color. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KEEP THIS SOMEWHERE ON YOU. Pegasi stallions will keep them tucked behind their feathers or ears most of the time.

"Wait, I have to do what?" I asked aloud. "Sorry I'm late Lean Streak, I was busy scrubbing the anime out from behind my ears..."

The thought of sporting a flower behind my ear was a bit ridiculous. Keeping it tucked in my wing didn't seem like a better option either; the flower would more than likely be crushed by the end of the date.

You liked wearing clothes as a human, just put on a light suit or something, nothing too fancy and keep it in a pocket. That flower is to show you're with her for the day, and give Cloudchaser an excuse to knock another pony's lights out if they try something.

Now for a bit of advice on pegasi and their-

I pulled away from the letter, though I wasn't totally surprised by what I had received from the cyan pegasus. I should have expected her to throw in a few bedroom tips, but I couldn't determine if they were serious or if they were jokes.

"Touch the wing joint closest to....okay, whatever." I mumbled deciding to experiment.

Reaching as far back as I could with my left foreleg, I touched the main wing joint and instantly recoiled with a yelp. The muscles on my back tensed in response, causing both wings to unfurl to their full length.

"...huh...so that's a thing." I mused.

The guard sighed as he traveled down the guest wing of Canterlot Castle. He was dreading the simple task he'd been given, but he had drawn the shortest straw, even if Celestia had already tasked a completely different guard with this assignment.

Two patrolling soldiers shook their heads in sympathy as he walked towards his destination. Many had been forced down the dark and dreary path before him, and now it was his turn. It had to happen eventually; he just wished he had been spared such a fate a bit longer.

His thoughts of self-pity came to an end when he reached his destination, a rather sophisticated looking red door. Its design was custom and made by a true artist. It was a poor representation of what lay within.

With two hesitant knocks on the door the guard steeled himself for whatever fate might have in store for him. His thoughts were of his family and friends before he called out to the room's occupant.

"Prince Blueblood, the list of guest attending the Grand Galloping Gala has arrived." the guard said.

"Ugh," came an agitated voice from within, followed by the steady fall of angry hooves. "Could this not wait until tomorrow?"

The guard held back a sigh before replying. "You requested this as soon as it was finished, sir."

"That doesn't mean disturb me two hours before I go to sleep. A prince cannot be disturbed while trying to prepare for such an important period of their daily routine. Do you know what the repercussions are of the lack of a goodnights sleep?" Blueblood asked.

"No sir, I work the night shift." the guard replied, extending one of his bat-like wings.

"Well, it's as important to sleep is for you in the day and-" Blueblood continued.

Luna kill me now. the guard thought to himself.

"Oh no...not him..." Blueblood's eyes were cartoonisly wide now, his iris' nothing more than tiny dots as he focused on one name in particular on the list.

"Who sir?" the guard asked curiously.

"That...ape!" Blueblood exclaimed.

The guard grinned, remembering what the human had done to Blueblood's room last time. He had tilted every single painting in his room and drove him mad for a solid week trying to correct everything until it was 'perfect' again.

"Yes, I think his sister is coming too, if I remember correctly." the guard teased, watching Blueblood begin to sweat nervously.

"I...I...." the prince collapsed onto the castle floor, the list gently falling over his face.

"Heh, goodnight Prince Blueblood." the guard snickered, closing the door to his room.

Author's Note

Oh conflicting letters, what fun you are to my twisted little mind.

Unburn Our Bridges

Isabella stared at Discord, both seated at a hilariously small table by comparison to their body types and sizes. Fluttershy’s eyes shifted between the two, waiting for one of them to speak, so far neither one had said anything since they sat down.

Fluttershy cleared her throat with a cough, giving Discord a light kick to the shin. To the lord of chaos it felt more like a poke, Fluttershy wasn’t the strongest pony there was, but he understood what she was wanting from him.

“So…” Discord said, unsettlingly serious in tone.

“So…” Isabella returned, her arms crossed beneath her

“Well this has been just an eye opening experience with you Isabella, we really should do this more often. Sometime around never againuary?” Discord asked.

“Cute, but you’re the reason we’re here to begin with.” Isabella growled.

“Both of you, stop! I-I mean…it’d be nice if you could stop fighting.” Fluttershy’s confidence died down almost instantly.

“Fluttershy this was a bad idea, we’re not even two minutes into this little intervention and he’s already wanting to walk away. You tried, I’m sorry.” Isabella said, trying to stand up from the small chair.

“I agree with her for once.” Discord nodded.

“But…but….you can’t stay mad at each other. You said he was one of your best friends Discord, she’s his sister. Doesn’t that count for something?” Fluttershy asked, holding his lion arm.

“I doubt they’re friends anymore Fluttershy. Why were you in his room anyways?” Isabella asked.

Discord looked down at Fluttershy’s pleading eyes. No matter how disconnected he pretended to be, this mare knew how to pull at his heart. The puppy dog eyes worked every time, it was his greatest weakness.

“Because of something we both share, before you ever arrived in Equestria.” Discord said. With a snap of his fingers a VIP pass appeared on the table.

“Why did you take this?” Isabella asked angrily.

“He didn’t, Discord offered to go with Daniel when nopony else was free to go with him to that concert.” Fluttershy spoke up, defending him.

Isabella was surprised by this little tidbit of information. It still didn't make up for nearly killing her brother, how was she supposed to just forget about that because he felt guilty? Still, a promise was a promise, and if Discord was going to play ball now, she was obligated to as well.

"Okay, so you and my brother are friends, or were anyways. What difference does that make on the situation?" Isabella asked.

An idea formed in Discord's twisted mind. He recalled what Daniel had told him to give her, a red newt with green fungus covering three toe-no that wasn't right. It was the other thing he was supposed to remember, something about green icing.

"We still are, I talked to him just the other day." Discord said as a matter of factly.

“How’d that turn out?” Isabella chuckled, expecting some sort of negative response.

“He said you would know what this means. I assume it’s some sibling code?” Discord replied with a snap of his fingers.

A small box appeared in the center of the table. It seemed inconspicuous enough, no tricks or gags, just like Daniel had said. Discord found such an opportunity a waste, but if he really thought this would help then it was worth a shot. He despised being this serious about any situation, but he was capable of focusing long enough to see something through.

“I’m not falling for some spring loaded pie trap.” Isabella huffed.

“Spring loaded pie trap? Do you really think I’m that unimaginative?” Discord snapped.

“Why don’t you open it then?” Isabella asked with a smirk.

“Both of you stop!” Fluttershy exclaimed, blushing afterwards. “I-I mean, I’ll open it, if that would make things better.”

The timid pegasus opened the box and smiled. She turned it around for Isabella to look inside, no traps or gags, only an oddly decorated cupcake. One would assume it was Pinkie Pie’s creation, were it not for both Isabella and Fluttershy witnessing Discord summon the pastry from some chaotic void.

Isabella was silent as she stared at the cupcake. Exactly three sprinkles, on top of a rather off putting layer of green icing. Hesitantly, she wiped a small portion of the icing away, revealing the delicious red velvet beneath. Three was such an odd number, and Discord had said he talked to her brother, but did he really know why this particular combination was special?

“Isabella?” Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on the humans’s shoulder. “A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine…did he tell you why this was special?” Isabella asked, staring at Discord expectantly.

“No, I was hoping you could explain. I’m not one to complain about odd taste in pastries, the odder the better, but even I’m a bit confused on this one.” Discord confessed.

“One time when I was snowed in with my brother, I had the brilliant idea to try and bake something. I had seen my mom do it, so I figured I should be able to as well. I ended up making a mess and pretty much destroyed the kitchen. Needless to say, that didn't sit well with my parents." Isabella explained.

Discord remained silent, he had a few hundred witty comments he could make, but he was under the impression there was some sort of point to all this rambling. He manipulated his tail tuff into a miniature hand to serve as a catalyst for his power, changing one of Fluttershy's humming birds that was about to be devoured by a feral hawk into an eagle.

"I was grounded and had nothing to do but cry myself to sleep. All I wanted to do was be like my mom and do what she could. I woke up to my brother setting this hideous looking cupcake in front of me. We both ended up being grounded since he made a mess too, but I'll never forget what he said..."At least we've always got each other." Isabella finished.

Discord heard a quiet sniffle and looked over at Fluttershy. She had wiped a tear away, being easily moved by the story. He had a better understanding now, that Isabella wasn't just some hothead; the bond she and her brother shared was a powerful one.

"I'm sorry, he's my little brother. He's put up with bullies, heartache, and his fair share of difficulties I'm sure he hasn't even told me about. What kind of sister would I be if I just ignored him now? I did enough of that in our adult years." Isabella confessed.

"I can't say I relate, I've no close relatives to speak of," another gentle kick from Fluttershy urged Discord to mind his words. "But I dislike the idea of being at odds with a close friend's family member...I'd like to start over."

It took every ounce of willpower Discord had to force the words from his mouth. He had unfathomable power at his disposal, immortality, and cottony candy clouds that pegasi couldn't control without getting an upset stomach. Still, having one more friend was better than having one more enemy, and until Twilight found a way to fix Daniel, Isabella was his only source of human related entertainment.

"This doesn't make us friends Discord...but I'll stop with the cuts and insults." Isabella sighed, even though deep down she still wanted to take a swing at him, she remembered what Fluttershy had said to her at the party. It was time to start letting things go.

“Okay Cloudchaser, you’ve made it this far,” Cloudchaser said to herself as she exited the train. “Now all you have to do is find him.”

She retrieved the letter Isabella had sent her from her saddle bag, scanning over the part which detailed his current address. She wasn’t the best at finding ponies by address alone, but Isabella had wrote down the name of the building. She at least had something to go on now.

Cloudchaser ascended into the air above the station, flying towards the busier part of the bustling city. It was culture shock for the mare. She was used to the background chatter of the market place in Ponyville, not the deafening sounds of alarms, doors slamming, ponies shouting at one another, and the high pitched whistles of factories.

“How can anypony think straight with all of this nonsense?” Cloudchaser mumbled, scanning the area for one building in particular.

The building she was looking for was called Golden Bay Apartments. She had heard the name tossed around before, but had no idea why Daniel would have chosen such a location to call home, or how he could afford such a place. Note Worthy had taken a trip with a band to Las Pegasus once and complained about prices when he returned to Ponyville.

“There you are!” Cloudchaser cheered, finally spotting the building’s large sign.

Her joy was doused when she reminded herself what she had come for. It was easy to talk about winning over somepony’s affection, but the thought of actually trying to court him made her nervous now. Cloudchaser couldn’t understand why, things had been so easy when she was treating him like a normal stallion. As she considered this, her flight speed dropped uncharacteristically low for the mare.

Don't panic Cloudchaser, don't panic...oh no! The flower! Cloudchaser quickly forgot her own advice and frantically checked both saddle bags for the flower she had received from Roseluck yesterday. She let out a sigh of relief when she pulled out its container, which was soothingly cool to the touch.

Within was a carefully cut flower that had a preservation spell cast on it. If treated delicately, the flower could last at least a year. Cloudchaser was holding onto the hope that she wouldn't need it for long, but the prevalent fear of it being rejected was still a possibility.

A stallion could always turn a mare down, Daniel was a special case. Isabella had said he didn't mind flowers, but he wasn't expecting any kind of gift. How was she supposed to let him know she was interested in him? Would he find it offensive in his culture?

Cloudchaser looked at the flower's container once more, ultimately deciding to try the courtship ritual. She was getting ahead of herself anyways; she had to make sure he was actually staying at the complex.

The Golden Bay could pass for a hotel, it even sounded like one. It made Cloudchaser wonder if signals had gotten crossed somewhere between the paper work when the building was being built as to what it was supposed to be. Its occupants probably didn't mind of course, but it did make it one of the stranger apartments in Equestria, and more luxurious.

The flow of ponies coming in and out of the building was low, not surprising on a Saturday. In Ponyville not much of anything occurred on Saturday, unless Twilight and her friends stirred something up, then things got interesting.

"Well, this is the place. Which floor is he on though..." Cloudchsaer's eyes bounced from window to window, tracking the floors in the process. She stopped at the fifth floor when she felt a light nudge against her left foreleg.

"Are you lost ma'am?" asked a young colt, smiling brightly.

"Sort of...I'm trying to find somepony very special. He's got a weird name though, so I'm not sure if you would know him." Cloudchaser replied.

"Oh...well I know a pegasus with a weird name, if that helps?" the colt offered.

"Oh really? So what's this pegasus' weird name then? Pretty sure the pony I'm looking for has him beat." Cloudchaser chuckled.

"Daniel, he works for my Dad. He's been getting faster and-" the colt continued to ramble on, about what Cloudchaser wasn't sure, only one word registered with her, Daniel.

"You said Daniel? Does he really live here? What floor?" Cloudchaser asked, barely able to contain her excitement, and growing anxiety.

"Um, up on the tenth floor...are you his marefriend that Lean Streak talked about?" the colt asked.

"I don't know about a Lean Streak, but...can you keep a secret?" Cloudchaser asked, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously at the colt, who nodded eagerly.

The mare looked around to make sure nopony was paying too much attention to her as she reached into her saddle bag, retrieving a small box. Cloudchaser opened it just enough for the colt to see inside, a beautiful, pale persian blue flower.

"Whoa..." the colt said, as the
trapped cold air mixed with the warm temperature of city, creating an alluring, sweet smelling mist.

"You're a funny little colt, what's your name?" Cloudchaser giggled.

"S-Star Sprint." the colt blushed, pawing his hoof at the ground.

"Well it was nice talking to you Star Sprint. Tenth floor, right?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Yuh huh, his door says one zero four nine." Star Sprint replied.

Before Cloudchaser could say thank you, Star Sprint was already darting towards a scooter. She never did see the appeal of them, but that's what wings were for. She knew one filly had one in Ponyville, but never thought much of it.

Cloudchaser found the elevator in the lobby; she should have known he would be towards the top of the building. Pegasi had an affinity for high places, it was a universal trait that often gave the impression of arrogance, but in reality it had to do with security. Even she had to admit that she slept better at the Wonderbolt’s Academy than her own home in Ponyville, simply because it was high above the ground.

“He’ll be just as nervous as me…probably more nervous than me…you can do this…you can do this.” Cloudchaser quietly chanted as the slow ride up to the tenth floor began.

She secretly hoped that more passengers would board the traveling elevator, but there was no such luck as a soft ding indicated that the elevator was passing the fifth floor. Her heart was starting to beat faster as she passed the seventh floor, her only company being her doubts and fears.

“…moment of truth.” Cloudchaser said to her reflection in the polished metal. Her double disappeared as the double doors slid open, revealing a hallway with red carpet and assorted potted plants and paintings. For all its glamor, to the mare, it may as well have been on fire and crumbling as she hesitantly stepped past the cold doors.

Cloudchaser looked for the correct door number, knowing that with each door she passed over, she was drawing closer to Daniel’s room. She had come this far, there was no point in turning back now, and it would be a waste of bits if she did.

At long last, she stood in front of room one zero four nine. Cloudchaser pressed her ear to the door and listened, picking up movement from beyond the door, he was home. Steeling herself, she tapped the door once before pulling away in the hopes that he didn’t hear her.

“I can’t do this...this is stupid.” Cloudchaser mumbled.

“What’s stupid?” the voice sent a chill down the mare’s spine.

The stallion Cloudchaser saw was much different from when she last saw him. His muscles were more defined now, but his aura was still soft and gentle like she remembered. It was him, Daniel.

It had been a long day of training, and true to his word Lean Streak kept the insults limited to me. They weren’t as hurtful now that I knew why he pushed me so hard, but even he was starting to admit I was getting faster.

Start Sprint had stopped by after he got out of detention. He was a good kid, and was curious about my old world. He still found it hard to believe that I was actually an alien, but found most of the stories about my world interesting.

Talking about my old world wasn’t enough to take my mind off the looming race, my first. Time was flying by quickly, and I was feeling pretty confident about my chances of doing well. Of course Lean Streak had said feeling confident meant squat if you couldn’t win, and then proceeded to increase the number of wingups that day by twenty.

What sounded like a tap at the door caught my attention. Star Sprint hadn’t forgotten anything, and Track Pace was busy with Sky Mark ruling him out as a possibility.

“This is stupid.” A muffled voice said as I pressed down on the door knob.

“What’s stupid?” I asked, the mischievous side of me hoping to catch…oh.

Cloudchaser was now staring back at me. I felt my heart skip a beat as I stood there, stupefied by the mare who had caused a great deal of emotional conflict. My brain was ordering me to say something, but my mouth wouldn’t respond, sealed shut out of fear of saying something I’d regret.

“Um…hi.” Cloudchaser managed to choke out.

“H-hi…” I replied.

“Can I-“
“Would you-“ we said in unison, cutting each other off.

“You go-“
“You first-“ again we both decided to try and talk at the same time, adding to the awkward moment.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked quickly.

“Yes! I mean, yes, thank you.” Cloudchaser blushed.

I couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance at her flank as she walked past me. I gave myself a mental slap, reeling my self-control back in as quickly as I could. Still, she was perfect, and it was hard not to rush in and hug her right then and there to let her know how much I missed her.

"So, how's Ponyville?" I asked casually.

"Same ol' same, unless you feel like talking Twilight into finding some ancient curse to cast on everypony," Cloudchaser pawed at the soft carpet nervously. "What have you been doing lately?"

"Well, after things went south, I got a visit from a unicorn named Track Pace," her ears perked up at the mention of my friend's name. "He wanted me to come here and be some racer. I thought it was a joke at first, but here I am."

"Racer huh?" Cloudchaser asked, tracing a hoof along my foreleg, up to my chest. "That explains all this then. I guess they've been working you pretty hard?"

"Sort of," I said, my muscles occasionally twitching when she passed over a sensitive or sore area with her hoof. "Cloudchaser, what are you doing out here?"

Cloudchaser looked up at me now that the elephant in the room had been addressed. Her visit wasn't unwelcome, but it was unexpected, and Lean Streak would probably throw a shit fit if he knew she was here.

"I wanted to see you, that's all." Cloudchaser stammered.

"Oh, well, I'll be back in Ponyville soon. Did Isabella or the others tell you?" I asked.

"Yes, but I um...I also wanted to know if you'd like...um-" Cloudchaser was starting to fidget anxiously. Whatever was on her mind had clearly been bugging her for a while. My heart started to sink; maybe this was how she planned to tell me there was nothing between us. That she didn't feel the same way.

"Wouldyouliketogoout?" the mare spoke so quickly I barely managed to catch what was said.

She placed a hoof over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at me, waiting for my response. I had been bracing myself for rejection, and expected some kind of heated exchange to follow. I hadn't planned a response if she actually did care or want to come back, leaving me at a loss for words.

"I...I'll go." Cloudchaser squeaked out, bringing me back to the real world.

Not this time. I thought to myself.

Before she could walk away I grabbed her right foreleg, stopping her. She looked up at me, those big, beautiful eyes starting to develop tears. I wasn't about to let her walk away again, not after she had come all this way to actually try to make this work.

"When did you want to meet up?" I asked.

Cloudchaser turned around, studying me for even the smallest hint of doubt or insecurity. I took her moment of silence to close the gap between us, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Um...to be honest I didn't think that far ahead." Clouodchaser confessed with an adorable squee.

"That's fine," I shrugged looking over at the clock, noticing it was still pretty early in the day. "Hey, do you want to hang out a little later?"

"I think I'd like that...you're okay with me um...here though?" Cloudchaser blushed.

"Absolutely." I replied a bit over enthusiastically, making Cloudchaser laugh.

"I guess I should listen to Flitter's advice more often," Cloudchaser smiled, leaning against me, her head coming to rest beneath mine in the crook of my neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I said

Okay, so things didn't go quite as planned, but you're here now, in his room. And when did he get...so buff? I know he's been working out for this racing bit, but I had to stop myself from tackling him to the floor, Celecstia I hope this stuff Isabella wrote down is true. Cloudchaser thought to herself as she critiqued her reflection in the bathroom.

She hadn't been on an actual date since she broke up with Thunderlane. Even when she went out, it often felt like it was just to show her off like some trophy he had won. She shook her head, chasing away the past from her mind. Tonight was about moving forward.

"Cloudchaser, are you about ready to go?" Daniel called.

"Mmhm, just about." Cloudchaser replied, smiling at her double. Yes, tonight was about moving on with who she believed was meant to be her bond mate.

Daniel was resting on the bed, wearing a simple white button up piece with a green neck tie. It wasn't too fancy, but not so casual that it down played the outing tonight. She didn't know what to expect, but he looked handsome, and judging from his flushed cheeks he thought the same of her.

Flitter was the sister that put a bit of forethought into things. She had suggested taking some sort of clothing if things went well. It was a light rose dress to match her eyes that had a skirt and open front as opposed to the closed styles that Rarity was a fan of. Such a sight in Ponyville would appear unusual, but in Las Pegasus, it would be considered a regular evening.

"You look...beautiful." Daniel said breathlessly.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Cloudchaser smiled, her confidence slowly starting to return to her.

There was one thing missing though before this night could begin, it was something that had been troubling her immensely. The custom of giving a flower to the stallion a mare was interested in. She did her best to grasp what confidence she had regained for this moment that could still end in heart ache.

"Um, Daniel, I know human stallions don't like flowers as gifts. But, I was wondering if you would want one from me?" Cloudchaser asked, opening the box that contained the item she had been so carefully guarding.

Cloudchaser looked stunning, mesmerizingly beautiful. Her gift was a flower that, true to Rainbow Dash's letter, matched her coat color perfectly. Judging from the box it had been held in, and how fresh it looked and smelt, it wasn't cheap.

I carefully took the flower from her and placed it in the right front pocket of my shirt piece. Pony clothes were bizarre creations, shirts being little more than glorified vest for dogs from my world, though I would never say this out loud. They were also called pieces, the pockets of which only held small objects that were more cosmetic than useful.

Tonight that's exactly what I intended to use them for. If Cloudchaser pressed me to keep it tucked behind my ear I would, after swallowing a great deal of my pride. Her eyes lit up with joy when I opted to tuck it in a pocket, exposing the colorful petals to the rest of the world.

"So, what did you have in mind tonight?" Cloudchaser asked as she followed me out of the apartment.

"Well, how familiar are you with Las Pegasus?" I asked in return.

"I have some family here, believe it or not. I'm not too comfortable with the layout though, and I don't like all the noise during the day." Cloudchaser replied.

"Well I know of one place that's pretty spiffy. I think you'll like it." I said, mentally praying that she actually would.

"Spiffy huh? Okay, I'll take your word for it." Cloudchaser giggled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I turned to the mare, feigning hurt.

"Oh lighten up, you big doofus." Cloudchaser bumped her flank into mine playfully; she was starting to act more like herself now. I wasn't used to the shy side of the mare, even before there was...whatever this was between us, she was always spunky, and full of energy.

The trip to the restaurant was filled with small talk involving simple observations. It seemed that tonight had been an excellent night to go out on the town, there were other stallions who were sporting flowers, which still seemed a bit off, and felt like it would be a compromise to my masculinity.

I did enjoy witnessing Cloudchaser snarl at one mare who didn't take the hint, even after seeing the flower. Tonight I was hers, and she was hell bent on making that clear to any mare stubborn enough to think otherwise.

When we finally arrived at the restaurant something odd happened, I say odd because neither one of us made a move for the door. Rainbow Dash had said that she was the one who would let the stallion through first, after she had filled most of the letter with tips for what happened after the date. Seriously Dash, get the order of things straight.

It was seen as weird for a stallion to hold the door open for a mare, but my humanity was in protest over being the one let through the door first. Cloudchaser still wasn't making a move; glancing over at me...did she want me to open it? Even though that would go against everything she was raised to accept as normal?

Screw it, I'm going in. I thought to myself reaching for the door handle. Apparently Cloudchaser had the same thoughts as her hoof pushed open the other door.

This was now an awkward situation, one that there really was no way to play off. There was clearly something off with Cloudchaser, who was starting to look worried and possibly second guessing her choice.

"Oh, thank you youngins'." said a kind, elderly voice.

We both turned to see an older earth pony slowly creeping past us. That was one crisis averted, we both waited for the old mare to walk in before we followed suit in unison. I was kicking myself for misreading her; had Dash been wrong? Or was she just getting in one big prank at my expense knowing I'd be gullible enough to believe her?

"Good evening," a unicorn addressed us. More specifically, Cloudchaser. "Will it be just the two of you?"

"Yes, and we'd prefer a booth if you have any." Cloudchaser replied, taking charge quickly.

"Hmm...follow me please." the stallion said, two menus levitating roughly a foot away from his horn in a green aura.

The building was almost packed, employees working quickly to make room for new customers. The soft music playing in the background was soothing, and was a nice break from the loud, often obnoxious ambiance of the city.

"Here we are." Cloudchaser was the first to jump in the booth; a small, nervous smile on her face as she focused on me. The waiter was unicorn cocked his eyebrow at us before shrugging once I took my seat across from her.

"Your waiter will be with you momentarily," he said as the menus gentle came to rest in front of us. "If I may be so bold, the wines are on the back, enjoy."

"Um...what?" I asked, but he was already out of ear shot.

"Heh, don't worry about it." Cloudchaser said, turning her attention immediately to her menu. Was she avoiding me now?

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Cloudchaser thought to herself.

She was trying to take charge over him, something she couldn't allow herself to do. Daniel didn't understand that the stallion thought they were having an argument, which is why he suggested the wine. As much as she wanted him to feel special, he was acting weird compared to how Isabella described him.

Is he messing with me? No, he's too softhearted for that, anypony in Ponyville would testify to that. So why the weird behavior all of the sudden? Cloudchaser's muzzle scrunched up in thought as she looked over the menu.

"Is everything okay?" she heard her date ask.

"Yeah, just uh, trying to get back into the swing of things." Cloudchaser chuckled, her laughter masking her true emotions.

Everything on the menu was expensive, how in the world was she-no she had to let Daniel pay. He had chosen this spot for a reason, he must have. Still, she had to wonder how he had enough to spot the bill.

"So, how was the accadamy?" Daniel asked, tearing her attention away from the menu.

"It was okay, I need to make some improvements, but over all I did pretty well." Cloudchaser didn't have the heart to tell him how bad it really was.

"Oh, well I'm sure you can do it. I think you’re a great flyer." Daniel smiled.

"Thinking and proving are two different things...so how have you been...adapting?" Cloudchaser asked hesitantly.

"Honestly, it's been weird. When I was able to revert to a human again, I would have phantom limb syndrome, like I still had wings. For some reason, I don't feel that now like I thought I might with fingers or toes." Daniel replied.

Okay, just keep him talking. This isn't so bad now. Cloudchaser thought to herself. "Do you like it here? In Equestria I mean."

"When I first arrived I wanted to go back home, before everyone there assumed I was dead. But it started to grow on me, even with you guys wanting to chase me out of town." Daniel smirked.

"Yeah, you were pretty freaky. I guess this wasn't what you had in mind when you wanted to get to know us better huh?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I didn't think I'd get stuck, no, but I did meet a pretty cool mare. So it didn't turn out too bad." Daniel winked, making her blush.

Okay so you skipped the gift, the table, and almost everything else on the list. At least he seems to be enjoying himself, maybe this won't end in catastrophe...I hope Cloudchaser thought to herself.

"Hello there, my name's Firestone, and I'll be your waiter this evening." a bright red mare unicorn said, bringing an end to their small talk.

At least she's talking, I just need to keep the conversation going and everything should be good...maybe. I thought to myself.

A mare unicorn introduced herself as Firestone, derailing my train of thought. If it wasn't for the fact that this was a restaurant I would have assumed her special talent was changing wheels on carts.

"I'll have the chef's soup with lemon water." Cloudchaser said in response to her question.

"Very good, and for you?" the mare asked.

"The stuffed tomato sounds nice. I've been meaning to try it at least once. Sweet tea if you have it." I replied. I was curious to see what exactly one stuffed in a tomato to add to such a simple fruit, because tomatoes aren't vegetables you know.

"Okay, I'll be right back with your drinks." the waiter said as the menus levitated towards her.

"Being adventurous tonight huh?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I'm just trying to experience new things." I shrugged.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Cloudchaser tilted her head slightly.

"Uh, sure go ahead." I said as our drinks were brought to us.

"How many mares have you really dated? I mean, that day I know you said you'd never had one before, but you're not really what you look like. So...I was just curious." Cloudchaser took a sip of her water.

This wasn't a question that would, under normal circumstances, be deemed appropriate on a first date. Our relationship was anything but normal, however. Cloudchaser was dating an alien that just happened to look like something she was much more familiar with than the tall, lanky ape I had been.

"If you're talking about from my world, I've had a few, I was married once. I had it all at one point in my life, but life has a funny way of pulling the rug out from under your hooves sometimes." I said.

"Do you ever miss your real home? I know I miss Cloudsdale sometimes, we moved when I was really little, so I don't remember much about it around that time." Cloudchaser played with the straw in her drink as she spoke, spinning it slowly.

"I miss Earth sometimes, but if I had never come to Equestria I'd probably still be the same wishy washy coward I once was. Spending time here has definitely had an impact on me. I'm friends with a princess and a couple of heroes, and I met a pretty attractive mare. So, Equestria is my real home now." I replied.

"My parents left Cloudsdale because there was a pretty big uproar with a group that was causing trouble over land bound ponies. They called them inferior and it almost turned violent. My dad didn't want us around that, so we left." Cloudchaser said, revealing a bit of her past.

"So why didn't you go back after things settled down? I'm sure Celestia didn't let that carry on for long." I chuckled as I pictured a group of tribist...speciesist...ponyist? Getting blasted by the solar princess herself.

"Well, it was nice and mellow in Ponyville, my parents saw it as the perfect place to raise Flitter and me so that we wouldn't end up like the arrogant jerks that drove us away in the first place. Plus, I met a really cool stallion." Cloudchaser smirked.

"Stuffed tomato," the waiter said as a plate with an oversized, familiar looking red orb was placed in front of me. "And chef's soup. Let me know if you two need anything else."

Though the food was impressive, it was far from my mind right now, even as I carefully sliced into it, revealing sliced bits of peppers, onions, egg and other ingredients. No, I was busy silently pondering over how Cloudchaser might feel about me wanting to return to being a human.

I watched her sample the soup with delight before digging in, she stole my heart even when eating, when did I become so sappy? I loved her for her, but did she love me for who I was, or what I had become? Or maybe it was something else entirely?

"So," I said after taking a bite of the tomato and all its internal goodness. "Did they ever fill that postal position back in Ponyville?" I asked.

"Nope, I don't think so, why? You're not thinking of backing out of this setup, are you?" Cloudchaser teased.

"Well, I just need a plan when Twilight eventually finds a way to fix me. She said a year, but I know she's been working on a way to bypass such a lengthy time." I said, sliding my response in nonchalantly to gauge her reaction.

Cloudchaser grew quiet, unsure how to respond to the news that I was willing to become a human again. Still, I needed to know how she felt about this, about what this might do to us.

"Would you really want to go back though?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I mean, maybe? Don't get me wrong, I love being able to fly, but this isn't the real me...even though it is right now, which is muddying the subject." I replied.

Cloudchaser stared down into her half empty bowl of soup. Of all the things he could think about, he picked that one. She wasn't sure how to come back or say what was on her mind without offending him.

She liked him just the way he was, right? So should it really matter? She knew the answer was no, but something inside of her was bugging her. Could she really stay bonded to a human?

Her plan, everything thing that Isabella had told her, it was all coming undone at the seams. The only thing keeping it together had been the hope that they could be together. All the doubts she had done her best to suppress were suddenly resurfacing, drowning out logic with fear of the unknown.

"Cloudchaser?" Daniel's voice broke through the mess of thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

She suddenly didn't see the stallion anymore, but the human. She blinked twice, willing the illusion away. It was replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread, one she could not ignore.

"I...I..." Cloudchaser stammered.

"Cloudc-" Daniel's expression of genuine concern for her only added to her guilt and doubts.

"I'm sorry!" Cloudchaser exclaimed before jumping out of her seat and taking off through the building on swift wings.

She heard him call to her, but ignored it. She needed to leave, find someplace to gather herself before leaving the city. In her panic, she had forgotten that her knowledge of Las Pegasus was limited.

No matter, just as long as she could get away from him, so she wouldn't hurt him again. She had left him alone in Ponyville when he had been reduced to nothing, and still he had taken her back, why? The thought drove nails into her heart the more distance she put between herself and Daniel.

Everything had gone wrong, nothing happened like it was supposed to tonight. She had tried and failed, and what's more, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what was really wrong. How she had tried to do things the way humans did, only for it to backfire.

Cloudchaser kept flying blindly, tears ruining what little make up she put on. She didn't even realize she was over the park until she looked up to make sure she wouldn't run into a building.

She landed next to a small pond, the full moon reflecting off the water. The stars joined it in an almost perfect replica of Luna's sky, the only disturbance being the occasional frog or fish disrupting the surface.

"Why did I think this would work? Why?" Cloudchaser sobbed.

The mare cried into her foreleg, doing her best to wipe away the tears mingling in with ruined eyeliner. So what if fate wanted her to bond with him, what did that mean to a human? Did he even know how important this was to her?

"Luna...why...why him?" Cloudchaser whimpered, staring at the moon's reflection.

Cloudchaser had left at top speed, nearly knocking one couple over. Her outburst left me baffled as I threw a sack of bits that would have been more than enough to cover the bill. The rest of my plans were quickly going down the drain as I tried to determine which way she went.

I noticed a few ponies shaking their heads or staring eastward while complaining about running into somepony. That had to be her, that or I was about to go after a robber on a completely unrelated event.

My wings were just starting to get a bit of their energy back, but I ignored the returning pain. I had to find her, she was being silly right now. Why was my desire to be a human such a big deal to her anyways?

I was beginning to lose track of time as I searched for her. I didn't want to give up though, even when my muscles started to protest. I knew she wouldn't go to the apartment; I still had the key, so that only left a few hundred possibilities in Las Pegasus.

"This is impossible...I'll never find her in a city this big..." I mumbled.

Northeast. What was almost a whisper danced across my ear.

I spun around expecting to see somepony. I was certain I had heard a voice; it was soothing and put my mind at ease. I was out of options, and with nothing to lose I followed the voice's advice once I had my bearings.

I continued along the suggested flight path until a light shimmer caught my eye. It was the moon's reflection against a small pond. It was the park Star Sprint played in, though at night it became deserted and somewhat creepy.

Tonight, it was occupied by a familiar pegasus. Her soft sobs reaching up to my ears, over the quieter part of town. The sense of relief I felt after seeing her was quickly washed away by the realization that now I was going to have to win her back. She was scared of something between us; I had to show her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

I tried to land as quietly as I could, cursing my misfortune when one of my hooves broke a twig. I thought for sure Cloudchaser would bolt, and I would have to search for her all over again.

Instead, she looked over her shoulder before staring down into the still waters of the pond. She didn't respond as I cautiously approached her, no longer needing to mask my presence.

"Why are you here?" Cloudchaser sniffled.

"Because my date ran away, and I wanted to know why." I replied.

"So stupid....why would you fly all over Las Pegaus looking for me? I left you there alone." Cloudchaser didn't make eye contact as she spoke.

"It's getting kind of late out now, and I don't think it'd be right of me to just storm off and go home without knowing you were safe....what's wrong Cloudchaser, be honest with me." I said.

"I...I thought you were the one...it's something between pegasi, but you want to go back to being a human...why would destiny lead me to you?" Cloudchaser whimpered.

"Cloudchaser, you're being silly." I said emotionlessly.

"Silly?" Cloudchaser looked up at me confused. As If I had really just been that forward with her.

"Do you know what Twilight told me when I woke up after the spell accident? That you visited me while I was asleep," Cloudchaser's expression softened as I spoke. "You came all the way here to try and make this work, you knew what I truly was then, why does it matter now?"

"Because...I don't know...I just don't want to be hurt again...and you're been all I've been able to think of..." Cloudchaser's eyes were squinted shut now, he muzzle scrunched up as she tried to hold back the flood of emotions.

"You're the only one I've been able to think of too," I said hugging her. "I'm not going to let you go."

"...you won't fall out of love with me? Even if you go back to being a human someday?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Sometimes my mouth and brain get signals crossed, and I end up wording my sentences poorly, or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time," Cloudchaser looked up at me, the corners of her eyes misty. "It's a good thing my heart doesn't, Cloudchaser, will you be my special somepony?"

Cloudchaser nodded wordlessly before returning my embrace, causing my heart to soar. "I'll be yours, if you'll be mine."

After what felt like an eternity without it, that pleasant dizzy feeling I had around her returned as our lips pressed together beneath the moonlight. Though it was short, the emotions behind it were no less true.

"Let's go home." I said smiling down at the mare of my dreams.

"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about when we get back." Cloudchaser giggled, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"Good stuff I hope." I laughed nervously.

"Very good stuff." Cloudchaser said, capturing my lips in another kiss.

Unbeknownst to the new official couple, they were being watched as the bond between them was deepened beneath the moon light. Luna was smiling down on the two pegasi from afar.

"Thou art in our debt young Daniel, mayhaps we shant hold thee accountable...just this once." Luna said as she watched them leave the park. She still had work to do, but it was always special to see young love blossom beneath her beautiful night sky.

"Bed him well, dearest Cloudchaser." Luna giggled.

WARNING the following link is NSFW, if you don't know what that means, or value your job, don't click here.

The sun’s morning rays trickled in through the windows, gently rousing me from my slumber. Last night had really taken it out of me, and I didn't want to move...not that I could anyways.

I smiled as I gazed upon the sleeping form of Cloudchaser, my marefriend. It felt...awesome to be able to think that way about her. She was snuggled up beside me, her shallow breaths against my coat indicating she was still asleep.

I kissed her nose, smiling as her muzzle scrunched in response. Tired eyes slowly opened, a smile replacing the frustrated expression she had subconsciously made.

"Good morning beautiful." I whispered, catching her lips in a proper kiss.

"Mmm, I could get used to waking up to this." Cloudchaser whispered back, wrapping a foreleg around my neck.

I pulled her close to me, her head coming to rest beneath mine. A soft purr escaped her as I draped a wing over her. If we didn't leave bed today that would be fine for once, I was more than content to spend the day next to Cloudchaser, tangled in our loving embrace.

"I love you."

Author's Note

The calm before the storm, btw I hope you all enjoyed the little something extra I threw in, which is why this took longer than I thought it would. Changing the tags again to fit the story, since for some freaking reason I threw random in the mix upon its creation :facehoof: I'm a ditz sometimes.

Also...I wrote clop....I feel....dirty now....brb showering :pinkiecrazy:

Ready. Set. Go!

“Sure you can’t stay?” I asked, following Cloudchaser to the train door.

“Are you going to miss me that much?” Cloudchaser teased looking back at me.

“Maybe.” I shifted my eyes skyward, innocently.

“Uh huh, well maybe when you get back we can spend a little time together.” Cloudchaser closed what little distance there was between us quickly, smiling at me mischievously.

“Just a little?” I asked stealing a quick kiss.

“You’re pitiful,” Cloudchaser laughed, wrapping a foreleg around my neck as she pulled me into a much lengthier kiss. “There, something to hold you over until you get back.”

“Bleek!” Star Sprint exclaimed, expressing his distaste for public displays of affection.

Track Pace hadn’t lied when he warned me about him being under hoof. He had been asking Cloudchaser a lot of questions today though, mostly about the Wonderbot Academy. It was nice to have a break, and it gave me a good idea as to how good she really was with foals; she was pretty patient so far.

“You’ll keep an eye on him for me right?” Cloudchaser smiled at the colt.

“Yup, anypony wants to get to him, they have to get through me!” Star Sprint took a fighting stance beside me.

“Good to know you’ve got the best security in Equestria.” Cloudchaser giggled before looking back up at me. She wanted to say something more, but the warning of the train whistle signaled the end of our goodbye.

“Be safe babe.” I said hugging her.

“I will, win this one for me.” Cloudchaser returned the gesture, giving me a quick nuzzle before boarding the train.

Two months had flown by, especially with a marefriend waiting for me at Ponyville. I couldn’t let myself get distracted however, today was the big day; the day that would determine my future with Sky Mark.

I felt stronger than I ever had before, even as a human. Lean Streak was a pretty good trainer, and had started to grow on me as a friend. His strict attitude had softened a bit, and he had thankfully gained a sense of humor, especially after I pulled him into the pool once during training, much to his dismay.

Today was no joking matter however; the barely audible commotion of the steadily crowding track seats was a clear indication of that. It did little to settle my nerves; I had to prove that I could do this. Fond memories of Cloudchaser wishing me luck before returning to Ponyville were my only comfort, knowing I had one pony rooting for me.

“You ready hot shot?” Lean Streak asked, tossing a roster towards me.

“Not really…hey, where am I on here?” I asked confused.

“Sky Mark didn’t like Daniel, didn’t sound…normal. So I had to come up with something that the league would approve and Sky Mark would sign off on,” Track Pace explained. “You’re official track name is Blue Bullet.”

“Blue Bullet?” I almost laughed, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“What? I threw over fifty names at him! Don’t give me that!” Track pace huffed.

“Sky Mark must think I’m going to flop.” I sighed.

“You’ve got the chance of a life time in front of you. Whitefire is racing today, you beat him and you’ll catch more than just Sky Mark’s attention.” Lean Streak smirked.

“You really expect me to beat him? He’s ranked in the top fifteen; I’m just some smuck from Ponyville.” I scoffed.

“I didn’t train you to be some run of the mill smuck. You’ve got the stuff to prove everypony here wrong, you proved me wrong, so don’t tell me you can’t do it. You go out there and you show those featherheads what you’re made of, got it?” Lean Streak asked rhetorically.

“Yes sir.” I replied.

“No, say it like you mean it!” Lean Streak slammed his hoof against the cold concrete.

“Yes sir!” I said with more confidence behind my voice.

“Good, now suit up. We’ve got a race to win.” he said with a knowing grin.

The suit consisted of an almost silk like mask, with a matching vest, both forest green in color. I could tell Track Pace had done his best without Sky Mark’s support. He had done his part, now it was my turn to come through for him, and I wasn’t in the habit of letting ponies down.

After slipping both articles of clothing on, I followed Lean Streak down the long, dimly lit tunnel. The stomping and cheering was steadily growing louder, causing my blood to stir. There was another racer in the tunnel that glared at me hatefully, I brushed him off, this was a competition after all.

Finally, we reached the track, my heart pounding in my chest as I observed the crowd that had come out to watch us. A sharp slap to my side snapped me out of my state of disbelief. Ike was grinning like an idiot, joined by his brother Mike.

“I guess you already know about who you’re up against huh?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, what about the others?” I didn’t want to underestimate any of them, being the new colt on the block.

“They’re all small time, just focus on getting past W-“ Ike was interrupted by a swift punch from Mike, silencing him as a stallion and mare pegasus approached us.

The mare was much shorter than the stallion, her coat was yellow with a purple and red mane and tail. She smirked at Track Pace and Lean Streak, ignoring me completely. The stallion was almost as tall as Big Mac. His coat was solid white his mane and tail were silver with black streaks running through them. His blue eyes locked onto me, sizing me up.

“I didn’t expect you to even show up; I guess Sky Mark paid you overtime to come out her just to watch the races huh? Must be nice.” the mare said.

“We’re here for him. You’d be wise to go back to your booth, April Rain.” Track Pace warned.

“Him? Really? Where did you find this one? In a ditch somewhere?” April Rain laughed.

Lean Streak was silent; he looked over at me with and shook his head no briefly. I wanted to respond, but he wanted me to hold back. I nodded and reluctantly swallowed my pride, for the moment.

“Well, at least you have him trained. Your work Lean Streak?” April asked, frowning when my trainer remained unresponsive. “Whitefire hasn’t had a good race in a long time, at least try to give him that, newbie.”

Whitefire continued to stare down at me, his presence was by no means malicious, but his silence made me wonder what was going on in his mind. His black outfit was a bit more detailed than mine; he was the spitting image of everything I felt like I was supposed to be.

“Uh, good luck today.” I said.

Whitefire remained silent, walking towards the starting line. The other racers were gathering there now, all of them eyeing the silent stallion nervously, was he really that good? He had to be if he was in the top fifteen, but to the point that the others were that skittish of him made me wonder if I had any real chance today.

“Don’t get psyched out!” Lean Streak stormed in front of me, pulling on my mask until I was eye to eye with him. “Don’t be afraid, get angry!”

“Hey, you’ve got this. Send that prissy mare home crying for us, got it? Ike, go put a thousand on him.” Track Pace said, Ike giving a salute before galloping away.

“A thousand bits? Are you nuts!?” I asked.

“No, just confident,” Track Pace said as he turned his head towards a screen that was beginning to count down. “They’re about to start.”

I left my team, the only real support I had today. Nopony knew my name, knew why I was here, or cared whether I won or lost except them. Still, having a few friends was better than having none at all. Besides, I wasn’t here for glory, or to beat my chest; I was here for her.

“Position six.” an earth pony said as I approached. Being on the outside meant I would have to work to get into the inner position. Lucky me, Whitefire was in position one.

“Remember why you’re here.” I whispered to myself as the noise from the crowd started to pick up.

3…2…1…BANG

“And they’re off, Whitefire immediately breaking away, followed by-“ an announcers voice boomed above the noise from the spectators.

I ignored his fast paced gibberish, leveling out above the marker like I had been taught to do. Everything was going good so far, I was already in fourth. Today fourth wasn’t going to cut it; I had to bring Whitefire and his sponsor down a notch.

I watched as the second place racer tried to pass Whitefire, only to be left behind as he put more distance between the would be challenger. It was the same story for another racer trying to catch up to him; it was as if he wasn’t even beginning to tap into how fast he could really fly.

“They’re leaving the second turn, why is he not trying to take it from him? He should be pressing him!” Mike exclaimed nervously.

“He knows what he’s doing, have a little faith.” Lean Streak snorted, hiding his own concerns.

The two pegasi that had tried to pass Whitefire were now falling behind, one even fell below the line, disqualifying him. Moving Daniel up to third, it wasn’t good enough though; Sky Mark wanted a win.

“Why isn’t he trying to catch up to him?” Track Pace asked, leaning over to Lean Streak.

“He’s waiting for the right opportunity. He doesn’t want to get outpaced by Whitefire so he’s letting the other dimwits try and tucker him out. I just hope it doesn’t-oh no…what’s he doing?” Lean Streak’s theory was tarnished as Daniel began to speed up towards Whitefire as they entered the third turn.

“Is it too late to change the bet to Whitefire?” Ike sighed.

Whitefire’s neon green flight trail was an impressive sight, especially up close. It seemed to explode with energy as I started to approach him, steadily gaining on the track favorite. I had been pacing myself after watching the others recklessly charge forward, now it was time to try and give Whitefire a dose of his own medicine.

He wordlessly glanced back at me, increasing his speed to what he felt was appropriate. Sweat was visible on his brow, but he didn’t give the impression that he was fazed by the stress he was putting his body through.

His endurance is incredible, I’m going to have to dig deep to beat him…here we go! I snarled as I picked up speed alongside him.

Whitefire glanced back at me once more, surprised that I wasn’t falling back like the others. For a split second I thought I saw a smile as we exited the third turn. I was now flying beside him, flight muscles burning, heart pounding, but having the time of my life.

Where did you find this one? In a ditch somewhere? April’s words echoed through my head.

‘Time to show her what a ‘ditch’ pony can do!’ I glanced over at Whitefire whose smile was starting to grow. He couldn’t help it if his sponsor was a jerk, he seemed like an okay stallion who just wanted to enjoy the race instead of be concerned about the bits involved.

My lungs were burning now as sweat started to mat my coat. Whitefire was starting to lose his composure as well, he had been masking his exhaustion well, but it was finally catching up to him. Still, he didn’t seem angry or upset that I was still beside him, he seemed happy.

I couldn’t help but smile as well, as we exited the final turn, finish line in sight. It was now or never, I forced my tired body forward, surging ahead of Whitefire, only for him to catch back up, refusing to yield first place to me.

A bright flash caught my attention as we flew past the finish line. I started to slow down on unsteady wings; keeping up with Whitefire had been the perfect stress test for me. Now, the question was who had won after being neck and neck right until the camera flash.

I looked up at the board that was meant to display the position of the racers. There, in first place, was my name, well, the name Track Pace had come up with. I pulled the sweaty mask off of my face in disbelief, I had actually beaten Whitefire?

“No way…” I mumbled, the cheers from the crowd were continuing to rise in volume again as the announcer finished his spill about who the victor was.

The ground rushed up to meet as I was tackled in a group hug from Ike and Mike. Lean Streak sighed as he approached me with a smile breaking through his tough exterior. The two brothers helped me back up after the initial excitement was over; I was exhausted and couldn’t fully share their enthusiasm.

“I’m proud of you, Daniel.” Lean Streak said.

“No…more Rookie?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath.

“Don’t get too used to it, winning this doesn’t mean I’m going to start going easy on you. It only gets harder from here on out.” Lean Streak replied, his gruff voice returning full force.

Whitefire walked past my mentor, ignoring the others as he zeroed in on me. A small smile was still on his face, even though he had come in second, he didn’t seem bothered by not winning overall today. He extended his hoof to me, which I bumped with my own.

“You’re one tough flyer. I don’t think I want to go up against you again anytime soon…no offense.” I said.

“Likewise....what’s your real name?” Whitefire asked.

“Daniel.” I replied.

“An odd name for an odd pegasus…I won’t forget it.” Whitefire commented.

“There you are!” exclaimed a harsh voice that made me flinch. “You! You little upstart! Do you have any idea how much I just lost because of you!?” April Rain glared at me furiously.

“April!” Whitefire snapped, his deep voice causing the mare to cower. “Leave him be, he won fair and square.”

April Rain’s response made me question who was really in control in their relationship. I had assumed Whitefire was the strong silent type that simply went where he was told, but he had character lying beneath those cold blue eyes.

“Until we meet again.” Whitefire turned around, his smile fading as he did so. I could have sworn I heard April Rain mumble something under her breath as she walked beside him.

“I don’t like that mare.” I sighed.

“That makes two of us,” Track Pace said casting a quick glance towards the defeated duo. “I knew you had it in you. It’s time to see if we can’t make this official, you held up your end of the bargain after all.”

"What now?" my muzzle scrunched up in confusion.

"Sky Mark wants to speak with you." Track Pace explained.

It had been a while since I had been in Sky Mark's office. The baby blue stallion sat at his desk, a business pony smile stretched wide across his muzzle. It put me on edge, even though the old stallion probably couldn't hurt a flee if he tried now.

"Well, I'll be honest, I put money down on Whitefire," Sky Mark confessed, my expression falling into one that clearly displayed my desire to kick him in the balls. "That being said, Track Pace put a thousand down on you and turned a huge profit."

I remained silent, unwilling to play whatever game it was Sky Mark was trying to draw me into. I didn't trust business men back on Earth, I wasn't about to trust business ponies either.

"You gonna say something?" Sky Mark asked, raising an eye brow at me questioningly.

"I'm very tired, you just confessed to betting against me, what would you like me to say?" I asked calmly.

Sky Mark's only response was to take a long drag from his cigar. Track Pace's eyes bounced nervously between the two of us, as if he was expecting a fight to break out at any given second.

The old pegasus suddenly lost his composure, bursting into a fit of laughter. He leaned back in his seat, dropping his cigar on accident. He looked back at me only to laugh again, irritating me slightly.

"Oh, Track Pace, why'd you have to find a racer who's easy to bust in the balls!" Sky Mark managed to get out before dissolving into another laughing fit.

I rolled my eyes, I thought earning Lean Streak's respect was hard. Getting Sky Mark to take me seriously would be a miracle.

"Oh mercy....you're gonna have to loosen up before we start talking contracts." Sky Mark straightened himself out in his seat, focusing on me once more.

"Sorry, the whole betting against me thing doesn't really jive well with me." I said.

"I see, well if you want to get technical about it, you weren't my racer. You were, and still are, Track Pace's responsibility at the moment," Sky Mark dropped his cheerful attitude in favor of a far more serious one. "I'm offering you the chance to be a real racer."

Sky Mark motioned for me to come closer with his hoof. I did so reluctantly, spotting a folder on his desk that had my "track name" on it. I had wanted a job, but being employed under Sky Mark left an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, unless.

“Who would I answer to now?” I asked.

“Well, we’d get you a proper trainer, I’m sure Lean Streak has put you through Tatarus and back. Not to men-“ Sky Mark replied.

“No deal.” I said, enjoying the surprised look on the stallions face.

“…are you serious?” Sky Mark’s tone was cold now, as if I had just slapped him across his smug muzzle.

“Sorry, but I won because of the team that trained me. I don’t want a new one.” I had to stand my ground now. How could I just abandon the ones that actually had faith in me?

“I’m not going to offer you this chance again. Lean Streak had a good run, but his time is over now. You have to think about the future, about what you want. Forget those other guys; this is your opportunity to be somepony.” Sky Mark leaned forward on his desk, pressing his hooves together to support his head.

“So you can do the same thing to me in the long run? Good luck with your life, Sky Mark.” I turned to leave the office and was about to push open the door when I heard him call out to me.

“Suit yourself, there was another candidate anyways, from Ponyville, like you. He’s going to be the one to put that little mud hole you crawled out of on the map. This was your one chance…remember that on your trip home.” Sky Mark mocked.

“I may have crawled out of a mud hole, but at least I’m not some heartless monster, that thinks others are just disposable tools.” with that, I left Sky Mark’s office, hearing a loud, furious shout come from within once the door had closed again.

It was hard to keep a strong mask on as I left the building; after I had worked so hard I had been given a deal I couldn’t accept. I had come to Las Pegasus with only one friend by my side, Track Pace. Lean Streak, Mike, Ike and Star Sprint had all been there for me in one way or another, I wasn’t going to just dismiss all of the work they had put in to making me what I was.

“Daniel, wait!” I heard Track Pace shout as I unfurled my wings.

“Make it quick please.” I said, delaying my take off.

“Do they really mean that much to you?” Track Pace asked.

“Yes, you do too. I was just some accident from Ponyville, you guys helped make me something. I don’t know how else to say it.” I replied.

“Well…then I guess I’m out of a job too.” Track Pace sighed.

“Don’t quit because of me-“ I said.

“You don’t understand, you were part of a deal. I had to get Sky Mark a racer, if you don’t sign, I’m out of a job.” Track Pace interrupted me.

“So what am I supposed to do now? I got five ponies fired in one day….shit!” I exclaimed kicking a nearby empty bottle away.

“Go home to your sister, spend some time with your marefriend. Everything will work out fine…you trust me?” Track Pace asked placing a hoof on my shoulder. I started to look down, until a firm shake from the unicorn got my attention again. “Hey, none of that now, let Sky Mark be a prick. Just trust me when I tell you everything’s going to work out, okay?”

“Yeah….what about you?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow curiously as he fished something out of his pocket.

“It’ll take more than one bad day at the office to keep me down. If you want to live in Las Pegasus you’ve got to have an ace in the hole. Speaking of which, I believe this is yours.” Track Pace said passing me a check.

“That’s a lot of zeros…” I said looking at the check wide eyed.

“Don’t blow it all at once alright? Go home, and do what I told ya. Like Sky Mark said, you’re my responsibility.” Track Pace said, patting me on the back before walking away.

The overnight train ride was mostly a sleepless one. One of which I spent most of my time staring down at the mask that I had worn yesterday. Vacant eye holes stared back at me, their emptiness a grim reminder of what I had walked away from. I was thankful that I had the train car to myself to reflect on my decision.

“I let everypony down….” I sighed, letting the mask fall to the floor.

Should I have just signed myself over to Sky Mark? It was too late to go back now, but he clearly had no intention of changing his mind about getting rid of Lean Streak and the others. In an effort to try and stand up for them, I had only gotten another pony fired. How could Track Pace still want to be friends after that?

I could finally feel exhaustion start to win over my will to stay awake. The stress from worrying about what I was going to do next didn’t help either. My head slowly started to bob as I fought in vain to stay awake.

“Just for a second…” I mumbled, giving in to my tired bodies’ desire for rest.

Filthy Rich was reading the paper per his morning ritual, word was spreading quickly about the upset at the Las Pegasus races. He was a bit miffed that his bet on White Wash had been, well, a wash. Still, Whitefire didn't fare much better coming in second too...no, it couldn't be.

The stallion in the picture had a very familiar cutie mark. He had heard about what happened, and seen him after the change, but he never expected him to make something out of a bad situation. He looked to the side roster to see who the luck businesspony was that had signed him, only to let out a huff of confusion when he didn't see anypony's name beside "Blue Bullet".

"Whoever agreed to that name deserves to be beaten until they find a creative bone in their body to break." Filthy Rich said shaking his head.

The name wasn't that important, what was important was the floating racer from Ponyville. Somepony had seen a diamond in the rough, and they weren't wrong. Filthy Rich had seen a few of his friends putting up little post to welcome him back to Ponyville, he was coming home soon.

The businesspony nodded as he quickly came to a decision about how best to “welcome” this stallion back.

Author's Note

Whitefire is inspired by one of my favorite characters, White Glint from AC4A.

Back In Business

“Attention passengers!” the sudden booming voice of the conductor over the speaker system disturbed my sleep, violently. “We’ll be arriving in Ponyville shortly."

I sighed as I looked out the window, it would be a while before Sweet Apple Acers came into view, but it would be the first thing I would see. Its expansive property covered with countless apple trees, unless you asked Granny Smith, she knew how many trees there were, somehow.

"Two months is too long...never again." I sighed, looking down at the mask I had dropped the night before.

I scooped it up, sliding it into my saddle bag as the first whistle of the train sounded. It was still pretty early, but that was to be expected, catching the last train to Ponyville. I would have to give them the bad news that I had turned down the "offer".

As I looked out the window, I spotted something waving in the distance. Curious, I leaned in closer, even with my vision being much sharper as a pegasus the object, or objects rather, were still far away. That changed rapidly, however, as the speed of the train brought them into view.

"Welcome."

"Home."

"Daniel." I smiled as I read the post they had set up aloud.

A blue blur, accompanied by a spectrum of colors, zipped past the window I was looking out of. In the blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash was flying alongside the train, tapping on the window.

I smiled, quickly opening the window. I soon found myself on the train car floor, with a cyan colored pegasus standing on me. Rainbow Dash had a shit eating grin on her muzzle, which almost always proved to be a bad omen of pranks, gags, or other laughs to come at my expense.

“So, did you get the letter?” Rainbow Dash asked, jumping off of me.

“Yes, I did. It’s good to see you too.” I rolled my eyes.

“Hah! I knew it!” Rainbow Dash beamed.

“Really now? Was it that you never got the letter back from being sent in error that tipped you off?” I asked sarcastically.

“They do that?” Rainbow Dash cocked her eyebrow at me.

“Uh, yeah, they’re supposed to anyways,” I replied, quickly shaking my head to keep my thoughts from lingering on the postal system in Equestria. "So was that what you couldn't wait to ask me once I got back? In like...three minutes?"

"Nope, what I really wanted to know is if your race was rigged or not." Rainbow Dash laughed, showing me the sports section of the newspaper.

"What...wait, what?!" I stammered as I skimmed over the title, and saw my picture. It was pretty impressive to have a page in the paper, something I had never dreamed of accomplishing on Earth.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing. Soo, who are you going to pick?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting up close, and past my personal space.

"Pick for what?" I asked in return.

"Jeez how dense are you? You weren't signed by anypony, duh, and with a win like this," Rainbow Dash gestured to the paper. "They'll come crawling to you!"

"Dash, who is they? I was gone for two months, I'm tired, my head hurts, and, heaven forbid, I'd really like to just have some time to rest before I go on anymore wild goose chases." I whined as the train whistle blew once more.

"Right, right, I get'cha." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Do you? I wonder sometimes." I chuckled, receiving a punch to leg.

The buildings of Ponyville were starting to pass by the window slower than they had been, as the train started to slow down. With one final lurch forward, the train came to a stop. The doors slip open as I sluggishly slung my saddle bags onto my back.

"Home sweet home..." I sighed.

Rainbow Dash followed me out, doing her best to stifle her laughter, at what I was afraid to ask, but for my own wellbeing had to know. I disliked Dash when she was like this, but it was better than being at odds with her.

"Okay, what gives?" I asked as we both exited the train.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked in return, trying to hold back her grin.

"You're a Pinkie Pie appearance away from busting a gut." I squinted my eyes at her accusingly.

"Nope, not today." Rainbow Dash replied, managing to get a bit of self-control this time.

"Uh huh, so why all the giggling?" I rolled my eyes as we both left the station.

Almost immediately I could tell the difference being back in Ponyville. The air was cleaner, the sun was brighter, and I was already receiving the neighborly wave or nod of the head. The city could keep its "luxury", I had all I needed right here.

"Somepony has been a bit antsy while you were away." Rainbow Dash teased, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Cloudchaser?" I asked dumbly.

"Duh, who else? Anyways, she's been waiting for you; I know she'll want to see you when she gets off weather duty today." Rainbow Dash grinned.

"Speaking of, were you the only one off? Don't get me wrong, it's great to see you, I guess I thought more would be waiting for me." I said, trying to steer the conversation away from my love life.

"Well, that was the plan, but you came here early. Everypony is still at work." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck, looking away as she spoke. It was then something occurred to me.

"Rainbow Dash....did you fly by every train to check if I was on it or not?" I asked.

"Heh....maybe?" Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly.

"Well A for effort, but what in Equestria for?" I asked with a laugh.

"Now that you’re a better flyer, I wanted to see how fast you really are," Rainbow Dash darted into the air doing a mini loop before landing in front of me. "Come on, you and me!"

"Dash, I just got through telling you that I'm tired. I didn't get much sleep on the train ride home. After I talk to my sister I'm going to bed for a bit." I sighed.

"Uh yeah about that....remember when I said everypony was at work?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, what's that got to do...no way, show me." I said as it dawned on me what she was getting at.

Rainbow Dash pushed through the doors to the spa first, a broad smile on her face; she was enjoying this a little too much. I couldn’t hold it against her though, as tired as I was, if what Rainbow Dash had told me was true, this would be worth the detour home.

“I don’t believe it.” I said, my muzzle scrunching as I tried to hold back my laughter.

“Laugh and I’ll turn you into an earth pony before you make it out of the building.” Isabella threatened, making cutting motions with two of her fingers like scissors.

“Uh oh, we’ve got a bad ass on our hooves.” I rolled my eyes as we approached the counter.

“More than you at least,” Isabella shot back before looking over at Rainbow Dash, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. “So, how’d things go with your marefriend?”

“How does everypony in town know about my love life? I just got back!” I exclaimed.

“Hellooo, this is Ponyville, remember? Gossip spreads around here like wild fire. Besides, half of the weather team watched Cloudchaser take you into her home that day.” Rainbow Dash said as a matter of factly.

“You’re telling me this now!?” I could think of several places where they would never find the cyan pegasus’ body.

“I think it’s cute. You finally found someone er-somepony, rather. Besides Cloudchaser is pretty…I think. I’m not sure what defines beauty by pony standards. She’s upbeat, you’re kind of mellow; you two balance each other out.” Isabella said.

“Yeah, I don’t see why you’d be embarrassed. I mean, it was kind of expected when Flitter said she was going to see you.” Rainbow Dash added.

“I’m not embarrassed; I just don’t want half the town in on my personal life.” I replied.

“Well get used to it, because your five minutes of fame is far from over now that your face is all over Equestria.” Isabella shrugged.

“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.

“Didn’t you read the title of the paper? Equestria Daily, this is shipped out all over the kingdom.” Rainbow Dash waved her hoof in an arch motion.

I moaned as I sank to the floor, covering my head with my hooves. I was tired and didn’t feel like processing the thought of having to deal with more ponies trying to talk me into running off somewhere for who knows how long next time.

“Come on.” Isabella sighed picking me up with ease.

“I don’t wanna…” I mumbled.

“Stop being a baby.” she chuckled, carrying me into a room that smelt like name brand soap.

“It stinks in here.” I hissed.

“Keep it up and I’ll drop you in the mud bath with Rarity. Have fun explaining that one.” Isabella said, her threat silencing me.

I was placed on a padded table that I had seen masseuses use to perform their profession. I elected to be a bit stubborn, snorting in discontent as Isabella guided my head into the hole where ones face, or in this case muzzle, would go.

“Why are you doing this again?” I asked, my own voice sounding muffled even to me, due to my ears being located at the top of my head.

“Because, you said you were tired. Being the loving sister that I am, I thought I’d help.” Isabella replied sarcastically.

“Pfft, yeah, you’re help is about as good as a hole in the heaahah-ooh…” I trailed off as I felt two soft hands begin to rub my back.

“I’m sorry, what was that about a hole in the head?” Isabella asked.

I didn’t respond, my tired form content to remain motionless despite the smell of feminine bath products, and the knowledge that I was actually in a spa to begin with. Not surprisingly, I started to drift off as Isabella worked. A part of me found this slightly weird, but I wasn’t about to complain after going to bed sore for a majority of the two months I was away.

I slowly opened my eyes, my surroundings no longer consisting of the bright spa interior or the accursed perfumes that saturated that environment, but instead my own bedroom. I must have passed out from the massage, which made sense. What really got my attention however; was the sensation of someone stroking my mane, sending mixed emotions through me.

Assuming it was my sister, I rolled over ready to ask her how I ended up in my room. I was pleasantly surprised to see Cloudchaser, contently petting me. The human side of me could appreciate the light humor found in a pony petting another pony. How long had she been there?

“You’re funny when you sleep.” Cloudchaser said, looking down at me.

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Since I got off, I thought I’d let you rest.” Cloudchaser replied, giving me a quick nuzzle.

“You have no idea how much I missed you.” I smirked as I gently pulled her closer to me.

“I don’t huh? I’m pretty sure I missed you more~” Cloudchaser sang.

I rolled my eyes, a smile forming as I quickly recognized this game. It had been a while since I played it, but it wouldn’t end until one person, or pony in this case, yielded that in fact their significant other had missed them more. It was sappy, kind of stupid, and it was a trap I was hell bent on avoiding.

“I don’t plan on leaving for two months again any time soon. So, what did I miss while I was gone?” I asked, enjoying the time alone I had with her.

“Hmm, while you while you were gone nothing spectacular happened. While you were asleep? Ditzy brought a bunch of mail for you, express mail, magic and everything.” Cloudchaser replied, one had to give the mare credit for covering all her bases.

“Express mail? How much is a bunch?” I cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly.

“I dunno, maybe ten, fifteen letters? I didn’t count all of them,” Cloudchaser shrugged. “They’re lying on the table if you want to look at them…they seemed pretty important, especially if somepony took the time to use express.”

I groaned childishly, I didn’t want to leave the comfort of the bed I had been set in. My room and I still needed our quality time, but Cloudchaser was right and logic won out by a small margin.

“Come on, I’ll help you look through them. I have a pretty good idea what might be in them.” Cloudchaser said, breaking away from our embrace to jump off the bed.

My eyes were immediately drawn to her rump, unable to help myself. She looked over her shoulder, noticing where my eyes had fallen. With a coy smile, she gave her hips a little wiggle, flicking her tail towards me.

“You can wait, come on.” Cloudchaser scolded, disappearing into the hallway.

I followed after her, finding her seated at the table. I had missed my home, admittedly sleeping on the tenth floor of a building was pretty cool, but nothing could replace my house that was a bit too big now, if not for its other occupant.

I took a seat beside her as she spread the letters out. Express mail worked a little differently in Equestria, and worked a lot faster. It was often used by the upper crust for special occasions, and was topped only by the princesses’ method of written communication; magical fire letters that I’m sure possessed a more proper name.

“One from Baltimare, Manehattan, they’re from all over Equestria…” Cloudchaser said, scanning over a few of the addresses.

I picked up the one from Baltimare and opened it. Inside was a letter requesting my presence before some big wig. They had apparently seen and heard the news too. Some nopony had beaten out a top contender. Lean Streak was right; I had gained more than Sky Mark’s attention that day. The letter laid out the bare bones of what I would be getting myself into if I said yes, perhaps luck decided to cut me one more break.

“So…what are you thinking?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Let’s look at the others first, Baltimare sounds nice, and it is a little closer to home, but I’m going to hold off until I’ve seen read them all.” I replied, reaching for another one.

Cloudchaser went through them as well, giving her input on various ones that she liked or disliked. She did have something at stake in all this, me. The thought of being away from her for a lengthy period of time again was now a horrifying idea that I tried to block out as much as possible. It seemed like a silly, irrational fear, but it was one I had little control over now that I was starting to grow closer to her.

There was little doubt from the way she commented so negatively about some that were located a great distance away that she felt the same way. It made me chuckle how determined she was to keep me close to home, I wasn’t opposed though.

Eventually the last letter was opened and read, leaving a mess on the table. I sighed, none in particular had jumped out at me, and more than a few had been eliminated due to distance alone.

"Any jump out at you?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Not really...but I have to pick one of them." I replied.

A knock interrupted whatever it was Cloudchaser was about to say. I jumped out of my seat and headed towards the door, anticipating Rarity or Pinkie Pie. It was midday, and lunch time for most ponies. The weather team was an odd exception which explained Cloudchaser's prolonged visit. I never did grasp the concept of their shifts, even though Rainbow Dash had tried to explain it to me once.

I was more than a little surprised to see...Filthy Rich? My train of thought derailed almost immediately. It wasn't because I didn't like Filthy Rich, heck, the guy was pretty cool, despite having a daughter in dire need of an ass beating. Seriously, I wouldn't be able to sit down if I did half of the things she did as a kid. It was the fact that he was at my door at all that made me metaphorically scratch my head.

"Uh...hi?" I said, a perplexed expression over taking me.

"Daniel, isn't it? My name is Filthy Rich, I'm pretty sure we've seen each other, but never had the chance to get properly acquainted," Filthy Rich said, giving my place a quick assessment glance. "So, this is where you hang your hat at night?"

"It keeps the wind and rain at bay." I replied with a nervous laugh.

"Hey Daniel I think you should-oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Cloudchaser now stood beside me, holding one of the letters. I assumed she'd finally settled on one and was going to try and persuade me to agree with her.

"Am I interrupting anything? I can come back another time." Filthy Rich said, why couldn't his daughter have inherited some of his mannerisms?

"Not really I guess." I shrugged looking over at Cloudchaser who shrugged as well.

Filthy Rich's expression changed when he noticed the letter Cloudchaser had in her hoof. As if a switch had been flipped, he cleared his throat and gained a firm, serious aura about him. Whatever this was about, he meant business.

"I was hoping that we could talk about an idea I had." the stallion's chest puffed out a bit, his posture shifting as he spoke.

"Well I-"
"He'd love to, wouldn't you?" Cloudchaser spoke over me.

There's the mare I love. I thought to myself.

"Splendid! Do you mind if we walk and talk? My daughter forgot her lunch today, and I thought I'd stop by to check on her." Filthy Rich smiled hopefully.

I was pretty sure they had some kind of servants for taking a forgotten lunch to Diamond Tiara. It sounded more like an excuse to pass through my neighborhood and talk, but maybe he genuinely wanted to check on her. Besides, I hadn't seen Scootaloo in a while; she'd probably be surprised if I stopped by since it was around time for recess.

"Sure, why not?" I replied.

“So, I read about what you did. I have to admit, that was pretty impressive.” Filthy Rich said as we walked towards the school.

“I can’t take all the credit; I had a great team to help me.” I said.

“Humility is all well and good, but I don’t think it’s wise to downplay such an accomplishment.” Filthy Rich laughed.

“I guess not…was that what was on your mind?” I asked.

“A stallion after my own heart, straight to the point,” Filthy Rich commented. “Not entirely, I guess I wanted to know why you didn’t sign on with anypony? No doubt you’ll be receiving offers, but why not venture off and see the rest of the kingdom?”

“It’s a complicated situation, kind of boring actually.” I replied dismissively.

“Humor me; my daughter always says my interests are boring.” Filthy Rich said.

“Well, I didn’t take the deal because it meant that other ponies would lose their jobs. They did anyways, even though I tried to do the right thing, I just caused more harm. Now I’ve got a bunch of letters sitting on my table that only remind me of how I screwed up…and I let somepony else down by not accepting the job.” Filthy Rich was silent as I told my story until I had finished.

“I don’t suppose this somepony would be Miss Cloudchaser?” Filthy Rich asked.

“She’s special to me, but that’s not who I was talking about.” I frowned, keeping my gaze to the ground.

I glanced over at Filthy Rich who seemed a bit perplexed by my response. He was clearly trying to determine who it was I was talking about, but unless Isabella had spilled the beans about my ambitions, he probably had no idea, and it was probably for the best.

“You said you received letters, I assume they’re related to your little venture into racing.” Filthy Rich said, giving up on trying to guess who it was I was talking about.

“Yeah, none really appealed to me though, and now that I have another party interested in my wellbeing, I have to take that into consideration too.” I chuckled.

The sound of childish laughter, and screeching of old metal bolts against the dull wood of seesaws caused my train of thought to shift. I hadn't realized how long we had been talking, it didn't seem like it had been long enou-

"Daniel!" I heard Apple Bloom shout, starting the chain reaction I was expecting.

The other two members of the CMC were quick to join her as she rushed up to meet me. Filthy Rich broke away to find Diamond Tiara.

“Hey girls, how’s school been so far?” I asked, unprepared for the two hug tackles I received. Scootaloo, was content to play things off, she did have an image to keep.

“Borin’ Ah don’t care much fer fractions.” Apple Bloom replied.

“They make my head spin.” Scootaloo added in agreement, swirling her hooves close to her head for emphasis.

“I’m pretty sure we won’t have a cutie mark that involves math.” Sweetie Belle sighed.

“Hey, that’s the process of elimination.” I shrugged.

“Hey uh, Daniel can I talk to you in private?” Scootaloo asked, rubbing the back of her head.

“Uh, sure.” I replied following the filly over to what could be described as the corner of the playground, despite the lack of a fence or any landmarks to indicate otherwise.

“So what was on your mind Scoots?” I asked.

“I wanted to uh…” Scootaloo fumbled with her words before hugging my foreleg. “Thanks for the scooter.”

“I had a little help from a friend picking it out; he reminds me a lot of you. By the way, thanks for keeping my sister safe, I knew I could count on you.” I gave her a light noogie.

“H-hey, quit it!” Scootaloo laughed, punching my foreleg, which felt more like a hard poke.

The bell sounded, signaling the end of the student’s recess period. A few moans of disappointment could be heard from some of the fillies and colts as Cheerilee began to usher her students back inside. Scootaloo sighed, her ears drooping a bit.

“Better not keep Cheerilee waiting. I’ll see you later okay?” I smiled down at her.

Scootaloo nodded before running off to join her friends. I watched as Cheerilee stopped to talk with Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara at his side. She didn’t seem like her usual cocky self, keeping her head lowered slightly. I let out a mental sigh of relief, perhaps now I would be able to go back home and rest for a bit. Surely he wouldn’t want to talk with his dau-nope, apparently he was hell bent on talking to me about something else as he waved me over once Cheerilee had gone back inside.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Fine for the most part, would you care to finish this conversation at my house?” Filthy Rich asked.

Creepy.

“Uh, sure.”

“Anyways, that’s how my grandfather learned about one of the draw backs of Zap Apple Jam.” Filthy Rich laughed.

“Heh, pretty interesting story.” I said as a butler placed three drinks on the table.

“I have a million of them, but I’m getting distracted. What I really wanted to ask you this morning is if you would be willing to race again?” Filthy Rich’s question completely blindsided me, nearly causing me to choke, much to his daughter’s amusement.

“I guess that’s a no then…” he summarized based on my reaction to his question.

“Sorry, you just kind of surprised me is all. I’d be willing to, but none of the offers have appealed to me. Like I said, I want to be a bit closer to home than Las Pegasus, or some other distant city.” I replied.

Filthy Rich nodded, taking a drink. “This pony of interest you mentioned earlier, it wouldn’t happen to be a certain tangerine pegasus filly, would it?”

Perhaps it was how casually he asked his question, or maybe the fact that he knew at all, either way he had my attention now. Not just mine, but his daughter’s as well, probably for completely different reasons than mine. Diamond Tiara’s gaze bounced between us as if some sort of code had just been spoken and she was trying her best to interoperate it.

“Uh, yeah.” I replied, as much as I wanted to keep things a secret from Scootaloo, I didn’t want to look like some creepy stalker either.

“So, what is your relationship with Miss Scootaloo?” Filthy Rich asked. His smile was that of somepony that had just guessed the million dollar question correctly.

I tossed the possible negative outcomes of this in my mind. If I asked Diamond Tiara to leave, she would probably run wild with stupid rumors and cause all sorts of hell. I didn’t put anything past her at this point, besides, I still remembered what Scootaloo had told me she said to her that night. With that memory resurfacing, I didn’t second guess myself for very long.

“There isn’t one yet, but I was planning on trying to adopt her soon. I’ve been keeping it a secret from her since I didn’t want to get her hopes up if things didn’t work in my favor.” I replied.

“What!?” Diamond Tiara squeaked. I felt it was safe to assume her jimmies had just been rustled.

“What’s wrong sweetie, stomach acting up again?” Filthy Rich asked.

“Uh nothing daddy, e-everything’s fine, honest!” Diamond Tiara flashed the most innocent smile she could muster.

“Alright then, why don’t you head to your room, I have some private matters to discus with our guest.” Filthy Rich said, dismissing his daughter.

Diamond Tiara was slowly starting to turn pale, even though her brightly colored coat. Maybe this would cause her to lay off of Scootaloo for a while, but that was probably wishful thinking.

“So, that’s why you want to keep things as close to Ponyville as possible. You want to start a family.” Filthy Rich seemed quite proud of himself.

“One piece at a time anyways, but yeah that’s why.” I sighed.

“How would you like to race for me then?” Filthy Rich asked.

“You serious?” I asked in return.

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this. Neither were all those offers sitting on your table at home you told me about. If you agreed there would be some legalities to work out, but-“ Filthy Rich started to ramble.

“I only request that I get to pick who trains me. Everything else can be what you think is fair.” I said.

Filthy Rich seemed perplexed by my answer. “I wasn’t going to pick who trains you, you do that yourself anyways…didn’t you know that?”

I had to fight the urge to let my anger show. Sky Mark had lied to me and my friends, he claimed to have another pony in my place, but for all I knew that could be a lie too. I was mad at myself for letting my own ignorance cause so much trouble, if I had known that then, perhaps things would be different.

“No, I didn’t.” I sighed, releasing my anger with my held breath.

“I get the feeling your first brush with ponies in my field wasn’t the best experience. I can’t guarantee hooves won’t be stepped on, but I can promise you that I’ll be straightforward with you.” Filthy Rich said extending his hoof.

“I can live with that.” I said, bumping my hoof against his.

“I have to admit, it broke my heart when I learned a stallion with such potential was brought to a grinding halt. Then you went and blew everypony away at a race.” Sky Mark said looking out his window.

“It still irks me that I was your second pick, but whatever.” another stallion replied.

“All of that’s in the past, and he’ll never see a track again unless it’s from the stadium seats. It’s your time to shine now.” Sky Mark walked over to his desk, sliding a form atop a large folder towards the charcoal coated stallion.

With a smile, the stallion quickly wrote his signature. Sky Mark smirked at his eagerness, there was a night and day difference between this stallion and that misfit that had walked out on him. Even his name had a sense of power in it, Thunderlane.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, right now my area is pretty storm heavy. This chapter was completely ruined because of one and I had to recreate most of it from memory -.- Anyways, got these two out before the storm beats me to the- *Signal loss*

Happy Birthday

I smiled as I felt the warm rays of the sun beaming down on me through my window. As the birds started their morning ritual of chirping outside my abode, I realized how much I had truly missed this place. My friends, family, and of course, her.

Cloudchaser lay fast asleep beside me. I knew in the deepest recesses of my heart that this was not how relationships normally worked, my human side drawing comparisons again. I felt like it should be, and could be. You were supposed to draw closer to one another as the days passed by, perhaps not at this speed, however.

Someone's sappy this morning. a voice in my head yawned.

Shut up brain. I replied.

Cloudchaser's eyes slowly opened with a cute yawn, she stole my heart without even knowing it sometimes. Her mane was a mess from sleeping on it, and one eye was open slightly more than the other, giving her the cartoonish appearance of a drunk. She was the most beautiful creature in the world to me.

"Good morning beautiful." I said, receiving a playful boop to the nose.

"Good morning to you too, Casanova." Cloudchaser scooted closer to me, sighing contently as I held her.

Nothing happened last night, other than some light cuddling, but that was fine. Cloudchaser had been adamant about spending the night with me on my first night back, and for good reason. Her scent had faded once more after she returned to Ponyville. Fortunately her 'method' of getting it back was one I could get behind...literally.

We talked most of the night until we fell asleep, mostly about our families. I highly doubted my parents ever thought I'd end up in an alien world, dominated by colorful ponies, become one, and fall in love with one.

Cloudchaser rarely let her guard down in public, always trying to maintain her image. A lot of pegasi seemed to have that complex, but I enjoyed seeing the softer side of her personality. She was the complete opposite of her sister, but she was still a mare at heart.

"I like this." she said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah..." I smiled, draping a wing over her.

"Are you ready for today?" Cloudchaser asked

"What happens today...I've forgot since yesterday." I confessed.

"You'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached to you huh? It's your birthday party, dummy. At least, that's what Pinkie Pie said." Cloudchaser replied.

"Oh yeah, I did tell her to wait until I got back." I chuckled.

"So now that you remember," Cloudchaser grinned, rolling me onto my back with an impressive display of strength. "Do you want to get one of your presents early?"

I start to nod yes, only to get a face full of Cloudchaser's bangs as she kissed me. They tickled slightly, making the kiss a bit awkward as I tried not to laugh. She pulled away, looking down at me expectantly with a toss of her head, throwing her pesky, untamed morning mane out of the way.

"It's bad luck to open gifts early where I come from," I fibbed, which caused the mare to pout. "But I guess that rule doesn't apply anymore."

"You're mean." Cloudchaser whispered as she came to rest atop me, drawing me into another kiss.

I love Equestria. I thought to myself as I wrapped my forelegs around her.

"You guys have got to let me get the camera before you start the good stuff. I want to catch it all, from start to climax." I heard Isabella say.

Both our eyes shot open in unison, our pupils little more than pin pricks upon hearing her voice. We both slowly glanced over to my sister who was standing in the open doorway. I mentally slapped myself, having forgotten to close the door last night before bed.

"H-he-hey...Izzy..." Cloudchaser said hesitantly.

"Hey to you too Cloudchaser. Well, I'll be in the living room." Isabella chirped before leaving both of us, her work complete.

"Fucking cock block..." I mumbled.

"Hey, none of that," Cloudchaser scolded, after the initial shock of being walked in on was over. "This gives you something to look forward to after the party, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." I replied, earning a quick peck on the cheek.

"That's the last letter." I smiled, walking out of the post office.

"Do you really think they'll come?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I don't see why they wouldn't. Lean Streak's letter is a bit more...formal than the others." I replied.

"Well, it's almost my shift. Thanks for breakfast this morning," Cloudchaser said, stretching her wings a bit. "Try not to have too much fun without me."

i felt my smile grow as I watched her take off into the air. It was as if life had finally come to a conclusion as to what to do with me.

"So, has the lucky stallion told her about you know what?" asked Rarity.

"Told her about what?" I asked in return.

"Oh, you know, a little something involving a certain filly." the fashionista winked.

"Okay, who told you? And how many other ponies have you told?" I narrowed my eyes accusingly at the mare.

"Isabella is the one that told me, nopony else knows about it, I give you my word darling. I would never want to do anything to compromise something like this." Rarity seemed genuinely hurt by my accusation, understandably so.

"I'm sorry Rarity. I know I can't keep it a secret forever, but I'm scared about...the thing." I sighed.

"Well, the 'thing' is a big responsibility. I'd be worried if you weren't a tad bit nervous," Rarity motioned with her head for me to follow her. "Look on the bright side of things, you've got a job, a well-paying one I might add, and you've picked a very lovely mare to be your special somepony."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said, matching Rarity's pace.

"So, to my original question, how do you intend to tell her?" the marshmallow unicorn asked, batting her eyelashes.

"You ask that like I'm going to ask her to marry me within the week." I scoffed.

"Why wouldn't you?" Rarity's voice rose a bit in bewilderment.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't, but-wait...what do you mean by why wouldn't I marry her within the week?" I felt pretty confident I knew the answer already.

"I'm sorry dear, you've just been around us for so long, and now that you're an actual stallion...well, I assumed you knew. A bond is similar to marriage, asking a mare to marry you would be making things official on paper." Rarity explained.

"....I'm not opposed to this." I said.

"I didn’t think you would be; now Ponyville's waiting on you to make your move. So I guess in a way you have two questions that need addressing." Rarity giggled.

"Why does Ponyville care what happens in my personal life?" I grumbled.

"I know things might have started off on the wrong hoof, but everypony here has come to love you, and your sister is reaching that point as well. Do you honestly believe we wouldn't be delighted to know you were settling down with a family all your own?" Rarity wore a sincere smile as she placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“Guess I should stop by and have a chat with Tender Care then.” I said.

“Well, this is my stop. Don’t think too hard on the subject dear, just trust your instincts and you’ll be fine.” Rarity said before entering the store, presumably to purchase more material for her trade.

After watching her disappear into the shop I looked around to determine which part of town I had followed her to. I had been so caught up in the conversation, I had followed her blindly. As I scanned the area, a particular building brought a grin to my muzzle.

“Clever mare.” I mused, walking the brief distance to the orphanage.

The interior of the building wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was rather neat, and well kept, devoid of any stereotypical wear and tear most stories from Earth portrayed them to have. I felt a bit guilty, having expected the worst of them.

“Can I help you?” a soft feminine voice asked, bringing my observations of the building’s interior to an end.

A mare earth pony rounded the corner. Her coat was a soft orange, with a braided brown mane and tail. I had seen her before, Tender Care. She had a heart of gold to do this type of job, and one had to admire her dedication to foals. She was soft spoken, but firm when she needed to be.

“Possibly, I was considering adopting Sc-a filly that resides here.” I caught myself, unsure of Scootaloo’s current whereabouts.

“Oh, I see. Did you have a particular one in mind? Most of them are out for school at the moment, but-“ Tender Care said.

“I was thinking about Scootaloo, actually.” I replied, relieved to know that she wouldn’t be back for a while, and a bit embarrassed that I had forgotten today was a school day.

“Scootaloo you say?" Tender Care seemed more surprised than I thought she would be. A small smile was slowly beginning to form on her muzzle.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Different things have come up, but…I think I’m ready. I don’t know where to start though.” I replied.

“Oh, of course! I know she’ll be thrilled to hear about this!” Tender Care beamed, leading me to a room that t I assumed served as a makeshift office.

“I was actually hoping to keep it under wraps. I don’t want to get her hopes up if I can’t, and if I can it’d probably be the best surprise she’s ever had.” I said taking the seat the mare gestured to in front of her desk.

“I understand, I’m sorry if I seemed a bit over enthusiastic. I’m sure you’re aware Scootaloo has been with us for most of her life, yes?” Tender Care asked.

“Honestly, even though she’s the one I want to adopt, I feel like I know very little about her past.” I shifted in my seat slightly, not quite sure how the mare would take my ignorance.

“I see, well for starters she’s been here since her parent's accident. She was too young to remember what happened, and it’s probably for the best.” Tender Care’s tone shifted as she spoke, her eye fixated on me, gauging my reaction.

“Does Scootaloo know about any of this?” I asked hesitantly.

“Some, she didn’t come out unscathed either….” Tender Care’s voice fell as she looked at my wings.

I found it odd at first, but I made the connection to her words and the sad face she made when she looked at my wings. "Scootaloo's flight problem...."

“Scootaloo wasn't born with it. Most flight development problems can be corrected now days, but if the developing muscles are damaged....it can make things...difficult." Tender Care trailed off.

I remained silent. Did Scootaloo know she wasn’t born with her problem? Surely she did, and her parents fate. I had assumed it was some kind of relocation issue, or negligence, but never death.

“Who were her parents?” I asked.

Tender Care climbed out of her seat and opened a file cabinet. After digging through it for a few minutes, she pulled a folder out and placed it on her desk, sliding it towards me. I cautiously opened it, as if it were some ancient treasure. The folder was pretty old, and clearly hadn’t been touched in years as the scent of well-aged paper hit my nostrils.

Two small photos were paper clipped to the front sheet. Brave Banner, a pegasus guard, and Summer Stars, a beautiful unicorn. Scootaloo got most of her looks from her mother; her mane was inherited from her father though, judging from the picture.

I skimmed over the information on the first page, detailing bits of their life. The next page tore my heart out; it was Scootaloo, her back covered in bandages, wings concealed beneath the white strips of gauze. There was little doubt that she knew now, it would be hard to explain that away.

“She’s come a long way since that night.” Tender Care said.

“Yeah….” I mumbled quietly.

“If I may make a suggestion, spend the day with Scootaloo. It’d mean the world to her, and it’s something I ask all potential parents to do.” Tender Care gave me a forced smile, trying to lift the mood.

Pinkie Pie would want me to be out of her mane for the day, if this was anything like last time. I hadn’t spent much time with her since the Discord accident; perhaps it was time to rectify that.

“I can do that.” I said, closing the folder.

“Good, now there is still the paper work that needs to be filled out before we can begin.” Tender Care placed an intimidating stack of papers on her desk.

“So, which one of these asks for my soul and blood?” I laughed.

“None, I assure you. I know it’s intimidating, but we have to be extremely careful. The only reportedly unpleasant part is the inspectors that pay you a little visit. All they really do is ask you a few questions to make sure she’s going to a good home.” Tender Care smiled.

“Okay, let’s get started then.” I resigned myself to the tedious task ahead of me.

I was horrible with mouth writing; thankfully Tender Care understood my situation. My signature was enough for most pages, but it was a struggle with some of the more detailed information. The mare giggled at me once or twice, especially when I somehow managed to get ink on my forehead.

“I think that’s everything. I wish you luck.” Tender Care said.

“Thanks, I’m going to need it.” I replied, climbing out of my seat. I didn’t have to use my wings for everything.

“It’s almost three, if you left now, you should reach the school house by the time the last period is over.” Tender Care reminded me.

"Thanks Tender Care, and please keep this between us for right now." I smiled when she pursed her lips and brought her hoof across them, as if she were zipping them shut. It was good to see a familiar gesture every now and again.

I waited outside the school, counting down the minutes until the bell would ring. It was an old bell, not the stupid electronically timed ones that had no flare or taste from my world. I had come to adore the old fashioned touch of Ponyville.

The bell finally rang, swinging back and forth as the sound echoed out from its hollow depths. Seconds later, the school door burst open, fillies and colts pouring out of the school house as if it were on fire. Among the herd of foals was a familiar tangerine pegasus filly.

"Hey Scoots." I called, gaining her attention.

Scootaloo's ears perked up, her head turning this way and that before she caught sight of me. I noticed Diamond Tiara walk out after the others, Silver Spoon in tow. Upon seeing the filly approach me, she mumbled something to her henchpony. Oddly enough, her face wasn't one of malice, that I could tell anyways.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm waiting to hear back from my team. I've got nothing to do today sooo, I wanted to see what you were up to." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"You came to see what I was up to?" Scootaloo asked skeptically.

"Sure, thought you'd want to hang out." I replied.

"Okay! Oh, umm, wait here for a sec.” Scootaloo said, running back to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle briefly, returning with her scooter.

“You ready Scoots?” I chuckled.

“Yup, let’s go!” Scootaloo saluted.

“So how was school? Anything interesting happen?” I asked as she moved at a steady pace beside me on the four wheeled contraption.

“Not really, but it was kind of weird today….” Scootaloo replied.

“How so?” I pressed for her to continue.

“Well, Diamond Tiara didn’t say much to me or my friends today. She just kept looking at me, it was really creepy.” Scootaloo shivered slightly.

“Maybe you should try talking to her. Who knows, maybe she’s had a change of heart?” I offered with a smug smile.

“I don’t trust her, she’s been mean to me and the others long before you arrived. You didn’t say anything to her, did you?” Scootaloo asked.

“Not to my knowledge.” It was a struggle to keep my smile from growing. I knew damn well why she wasn’t saying anything nasty to Scootaloo now. If her father’s money was involved she was slightly more cautious. Smart filly.

“You okay Sweetie Belle? Ya’ve been smiling awful big ever since Scootaloo left with Daniel.” Apple Bloom pushed open the door to their club house.

“Isn’t it awesome?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“It ain’t no different than when she hangs out with Rainbow Dash if ya ask me.” Apple Bloom shrugged.

“Oh yes it is.” Sweetie Belle giggled.

“….okay, out with it.” Apple Bloom grinned.

“Out with what?” Sweetie Belle asked innocently.

“You’re bad at keepin’ secrets, and Ah know ya’ve got one.” Apple Bloom deadpanned.

“Do not!” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked.

“Do too!” Apple Bloom fired back, tackling Sweetie Belle.

“I’ll never talk!” the unicorn filly proclaimed.

“Oh yeah?” Apple Bloom smirked before forming an o shape with her lips, letting a long string of drool slowly, torturously, approach Sweetie Belle.

“Eek! Apple Bloom no!” Sweetie Belle shrieked, struggling beneath the earth pony. Her magic seldom worked correctly when she panicked, and Apple Bloom knew this.

“Hmmm?” was the only sound to escape Apple Bloom as the string of drool crept closer to Sweetie Bell.

“Okay, okay I’ll talk!” Sweetie Belle caved in just as the wad of saliva was an inch away from her nose. She hated Apple Bloom’s methods of getting information.

“Alright than, out with it.” Apple Bloom said, after nosily slurping up the drool string. The display made Sweetie Belle’s muzzle scrunch up in disgust.

“You know how Scootaloo is an orphan, right?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Duh, everypony knows that.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

“Well….she might not be soon.” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Ya mean it!?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

“Uh huh, I heard my sister and Isabella talking about it. The reason why Daniel left was so he could try and get the job some unicorn offered him….at least that’s what I understood.” Sweetie Belle confessed.

“Why in tarnation would ya want to keep that a secret?” Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion.

“Because I think they’re wanting to keep it a surprise, so you can’t tell her, okay?” Sweetie Belle pleaded.

“On mah honor. She’ll be so excited though, it’s gonna be hard not ta tell her.” Apple Bloom jumped up excitedly.

“I know, she was down in the dumps for a while….do you think that’s why Daniel stopped by!?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened comically.

“Maybe Sweetie, but let’s not go coutin’ chickens before they hatch.” Apple Bloom replied.

“I guess you’re right, I still think it’s awesome. Scootaloo will finally have a family.” Sweetie Belle eyes traveled over the many pictures they had drawn.

“Ack!” Scootaloo yelped, holding her head between her hooves.

“Brain freeze?” I asked, taking another drink of my milkshake.

“Heh, guess you have those on Earth too huh?” Scootaloo blushed.

“Me and my friends used to have contest to see who could drink theirs the fastest without giving in to the pain.” I laughed.

“So is today really your birthday?” Scootaloo asked.

“It was last month, actually, but I wasn’t here to celebrate it.” I replied.

“Oh, so that’s why Pinkie Pie ducked behind a tree when she saw you.” Scootaloo said as she cautiously took a small sip of the milkshake in front of her.

“That, or it was Pinkie being her usual unusual self.” I smirked, making Scootaloo laugh.

“How old are you anyways?” the inquisitive filly asked.

“I’m twenty five.” I replied.

“Oh, so you and Cloudchaser are close to the same age. That’s good...” Scootaloo’s tone shifted.

“What’s wrong kid?” I gently nudged her with my wing.

“Nothing, I was just thinking….if you could have anything you wanted for your birthday, what would it be?” Scootaloo asked, looking thoughtfully down at her drink.

“Anything? I guess....spending time with you guys." I replied, giving her a partial truth.

I want to tell you Scootaloo, I really do. Right now isn’t the time though, I thought as I watched her give me an odd look of confusion. The thing I want most in this world, or any other, for my birthday is the same thing you’ve wanted almost your entire life.

“Well, happy birthday then.” Scootaloo smiled uncertainly.

“Hey, let’s blow this joint." I motioned with my head for Scootaloo to follow me.

The filly followed me out of the store, the sun slowly beginning to set. I stretched my wings out a bit, feeling fairly confident I had enough time for what I wanted to do before the party.

"You ready Scootaloo?" I asked.

"Ready for whaa!" Scootaloo yelped as I gently scooped her up and onto my back.

"Hold on tight." I warned before taking off into the air. Her previous shriek of panic was now replaced by fits of laughter as I rapidly put distance between us and Ponyville. Well, the ground of Ponyville, anyways.

I could hear Scootaloo's little wings buzzing behind me. It sounded like a blend between a humming bird, and a bee's wing beats. They moved surprisingly fast, but couldn't generate the lift she needed to fly.

"You want to give it a try?" I asked.

"W-what do you mean?" Scootaloo's wings ceased their rapid movement.

"Flying." I said nonchalantly.

"Rainbow Dash holds me up with her hoof sometimes, so it's cool." Scootaloo brushed off my offer.

"I wasn't talking about holding you up with my hoof. I meant using your wings." I said, causing Scootaloo to gulp nervously.

"I-I can't fly, remember? We should just stick to-" Scootaloo started.

"If you keep telling yourself that, then you never will. I'll have to tell you the story of The Little Engine That Could sometime." I chuckled.

"...p-promise you won't l-let me fall?" Scootaloo's voice was shaky with uncertainty.

"I value my life; I don't want to die prematurely to a cyan colored mare with wings." I replied, glancing at the filly on my back.

"O-okay." Scootaloo said as I dropped my speed dramatically until I was simply soaring with only the occasional flap to remain at my desired altitude.

I offered a foreleg to Scootaloo, lifting her off my back once I felt four small legs slide around it. She was scared, but I had a feeling that would soon change...or I would be arrested for accidental ma-pony slaughter.

Slowly, I felt Scootaloo's grip on my leg begin to loosen, until she slid off completely. I quickly flew beneath her, watching as she flapped her small wings furiously, her face twisted with strained effort. She remained airborne for at least ten seconds before tiring herself out. A brief cry was all she managed before she fell into the safety net of my outstretched forelegs.

"Told you I wouldn't let you fall." I grinned.

"That was…pretty cool," Scootaloo smiled looking down at the ground far below us. “Umm, can I try again?”

Hours flew by as I watched Scootaloo try her hardest to remain in the air. Each time she started to fall I was there to catch her. We would occasionally rest on the stray clouds that had drifted over Ponyville. I had missed their soft fluffy surface, and from what Scootaloo told me, she didn’t get to spend time on them that often either.

“So this is where you’ve been?” I heard Cloudchaser call out from behind us.

“Yeah, just enjoying the sunset after flying.” I replied as the mare landed on our cloud.

“Scootaloo flew?” Cloudchaser’s expression displayed her disbelief.

“Sort of, Daniel helped….a little.” Scootaloo grinned at me.

“Good to know he made himself useful today,” Cloudchaser teased, giving me a brief nuzzle. Scootaloo faked a gag at the display. “You wouldn’t mind if I borrowed him for a bit, would you?”

“Nah, it’s getting pretty late anyways. Besides, there’s still his birthday party to get ready for.” Scootaloo shrugged.

Cloudchaser tensed at the word birthday, especially when I threw a mischievous smile her way. Leave it to a kid to expose a secret. Pinkie Pie had set her up to this no doubt, but knowing the party pony she had a backup plan, and a backup for the backup plan.

The flight back to Ponyville had been brief. I had enjoyed spending most of the day with Scootaloo; I could tell she had enjoyed herself too. When Cloudchaser arrived, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was being blessed with a small glimpse of what our relationship could develop into.

Once we touched down outside the café where we had left Scootaloo’s scooter, the little filly sped off after bidding both of us goodbye. Now alone with Cloudchaser, I let my guard down a little more than when Scootaloo had been present, she was still a bit too young to grasp some things.

“So, how was work?” I asked.

“Long and boring, I guess you know why I flew around town looking for you now?” Cloudchaser bumped into me playfully.

“Yeah, Pinkie Pie.” I rolled my eyes.

“Oh come on, she’s your friend.” Cloudchaser said as we began the slow walk to Sugar Cube Corner.

“I wasn’t trying to be mean. I like Pinkie Pie, I just wish she wouldn’t throw surprise parties all the time. I’m a little old for them.” I laughed.

Sugar Cube Corner appeared around the corner. It’s lights were on for a change, which left me a bit stunned. I was expecting the building to have a deserted appearance, but was pleasantly surprised when it looked as though this would be a normal birthday party.

“Uh huh, suuure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Cloudchaser grinned.

“Do I really get to pick?” I asked wiggling my eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

“Later birthday colt, for now let’s get through the party.” Cloudchaser replied as she knocked on the door to Sugar Cube Corner.

The door swung open, and I was yanked inside forcefully by a set of pink forelegs. I stood shell shocked for a few seconds. Sugar Cube Corner was packed! Walking space was limited, and the decorations were more impressive than the last party Pinkie Pie had thrown for me. It was the sound of a familiar song that pulled me out of my stunned mental state.

“Happy birthday to you~ happy birthday to you~ happy birthday dear Daniel~ happy birthday to you~” the song finished with a few cheers.

“And many more~" Pinkie Pie added, placing a paper hat atop my head as she was joined by her friends.

"Thanks guys, really, I probably would have forgotten about my birthday all together." I tried to fight the goofy smile forming on my face.

"I had to remind him about it." Cloudchaser giggled.

"Ya ain't goin' soft in the head with age are ya?" Applejack teased.

"I wouldn't think he was soft headed." Fluttershy said sincerely.

"It's a figure of speech dear. Regardless, we're just glad to have you back." Rarity smiled.

"Yeah, and I still want a rematch, now that you actually stand a fair chance." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"She means she missed you too." Twilight smiled.

Scootaloo anxiously scanned the party for any sign of Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, memories of the last confrontation still fresh in her mind. She wasn’t out looking for a fight though, she was looking to try and make peace with the bully. It would at least put her mind at ease about the earth pony filly’s agenda.

“You okay Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Uh yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Scootaloo replied.

“So did anything interesting happen?” Sweetie Belle smiled awkwardly.

“Not really, you guys are acting weird.” Scootaloo said.

“W-what do ya mean? We ain’t actin’ weird, right Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom looked over at the unicorn filly.

“Of course not,” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked at the accusation. “Why would you think that?”

“If you say so.” Scootaloo shrugged.

With a passing glance across the room, she spotted Diamond Tiara, she was alone for once. Seizing the opportunity, Scootaloo left her seat, trying to think of what to say to her, that didn’t end with her tearing that stupid tiara off her head and cramming it down her throat.

“Hey Diamond…” Scootaloo said, gaining the filly’s attention.

Diamond Tiara hesitated with her answer, Scootaloo was still a blank flank. On the other hoof, she was the potential future daughter of a stallion that had gained a small amount of recognition. Treating her poorly now might come back to bite her later.

“Hey Scootaloo.” Diamond Tiara struggled to say, her very core in protest against her decision.

The two fillies stood in awkward silence, unsure how to continue the conversation. They shared little in common with one another, they came from completely different backgrounds, and they were from two completely different tribes of ponies.

“So….” Scootaloo started.

“Yeah….” Diamond Tiara replied, casting her gaze to the floor.

“Well, um, good talk.” Scootaloo laughed nervously.

“Right.” Diamond Tiara said before both fillies parted ways.

Whew…that was awkward…maybe she’s not as bad as I thought. Scootaloo thought to herself.

Ugh, that was weird. Still, building connections never hurt anypony. Diamond Tiara mentally sighed.

I had drifted away from the others, wanting a bit of privacy for a few seconds after being swamped by party guest. I noticed Scootaloo speaking with Diamond Tiara, it was good to know she was at least giving her a chance. Who knew, maybe they could finally become friends. Some of my worst bullies in school had become some of my friends in life.

“Touching, isn’t it?” that voice sent an unsettling chill down my spine.

I turned my head to look behind me, hoping I had mistaken the voice’s ownership. Much to my displeasure, that wasn’t the case as I caught sight of Thunderlane. His wings were no longer in the pitiful shape they were in when I last saw him.

“From what I understand, those two have never seen eye to eye.” Thunderlane remarked, standing beside me.

“Not to be that guy, but what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was invited.” Thunderlane replied.

“Uh oh, girls.” Applejack could hardly believe what she was seeing.

“Oh no, this is bad. Why did he come?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“I invited him,” Pinkie Pie replied, earning five questionable looks from her friends. “What? It wouldn’t have been nice to just invite his brother.”

“What’s done is done. Just keep an eye on him. Surely he wouldn’t cause a scene in public, especially now.” Twilight said.

“I can handle him. Just give me a few seconds and I’ll send him packing.” Rainbow Dash leapt into the air, ready to dart towards her target.

“Not yet sister,” Isabella said, grasping Dash by the tail gently to get her attention. “This is his fight if it comes to it, let him handle it.”

Rainbow Dash grumbled and slowly touched down on the wood floor, eyes narrowed at Thunderlane. She was slow to forgive, and was completely willing to clobber the stallion if he tried to start anything. Still, Isabella had a good point, this was Daniel’s problem, she had to let him confront it….and maybe get a punch in if she could.

“So, what have you been doing with yourself?” I asked, Thunderlane was sticking to my side like glue as I traversed the crowd.

“I’ve been busy outside of Ponyville. I’ve tried to move on after you tore a gaping hole in my life.” Thunderlane replied.

“So that’s why you came tonight, revenge for some imagined slight?” I scoffed.

“No, not tonight anyways, I’m not that stupid.” Thunderlane said, flashing a grin at Rainbow Dash.

“Whatever you think I did, you should let it go. I didn’t do anything to you.” I nodded my head to a Pony that called out my name in acknowledgement.

“Sure you did, Cloudchaser fell for you, I was cut from the Wonderbolts Cadet program, and you still think you can live in a fantasy world where nopony ever gets hurt.” Thunderlane’s voice started to rise in volume a bit, but he managed to get it back under control.

“Thunderlane, all of those things you did yourself. I can’t control what Cloudchaser does, no more than I can control what life throws at me.” I stood in front of him now, unlike Whitefire, we were the same height and almost the same build.

“Of course not, which is why you turned down Sky Mark’s offer, and caused a few ponies to become unemployed?” Thunderlane raised an eyebrow at me.

“How do you know about that?” I asked dumbfounded.

“You left another gap to fill. Fortunately, it was one that suited me. Your loss, my gain.” Thunderlane boasted.

“You’re a fool Thunderlane, Sky Mark will just abuse you.” I warned.

“Don’t lecture me about foolishness. You could have just remained being a stupid ape, minding your own business.“ Thunderlane snapped, pointing a hoof at me.

“Hey, Thunderlane! Glad you could make it, I haven’t seen you in a while!” Filthy Rich took the stallion’s outstretched hoof and shook it, a bit more roughly than one normally would.

“Uh…hi, Filthy Rich…” Thunderlane finally said, after he registered what was happening.

“I see you’ve already bumped into the stallion of the hour, hard to believe he’s going to be racing for me, isn’t it?” Filthy Rich’s voice was a bit off. While it had the same businesspony charm to it, there was an underlying malice, lurking just beneath every word.

“Um…yeah, that’s great.” Thunderlane stammered, clearly picking up on this as well.

“Yes, I think he’ll do Ponyville proud.” Filthy Rich’s eyes were locked on the would be aggressor, daring him to try something. I made a mental note to never cross Filthy Rich in any way, shape, or form.

Thunderlane didn’t respond; he had gotten the message. He had worn out his welcome, and to press things further wouldn’t end well tonight. He glared at me, clearly wanting to continue our conversation, but he would have to pick his physical battles carefully now, if he was injured it would strain his new relationship with Sky Mark.

“I’ll be seeing you again, real soon.” Thunderlane warned before making his way towards the exit.

“You okay?” Filthy Rich asked once the stallion had left the building.

“Yeah, thanks.” I replied, my eyes fixated on the door.

“Sorry, but I can’t have you getting injured by somepony before you even hit the track again.” Filthy Rich chuckled, his friendly demeanor replacing…whatever it was that had chased off Thunderlane.

“Oh, so that’s how it is?” I asked, with a halfhearted accusing expression.

“I told you I’d be honest with you, didn’t I?” Filthy Rich smiled.

The party slowly started to wind down, during the evening I had lost track of Cloudchaser somehow. I was begining to grow worried as the night progressed. As much as I wanted to stay, I was concerned about her safety with Thunderlane being in town.

"Hey Isabella." I poked my sister gently after finding her admidst the slowly dwindling number of guest.

"What's up?" Isabella asked.

"Was just curious if you've seen Cloudchaser."I replied.

"I think she said something about being tired," Isabella grinned. "Maybe you should go check on her. Don't worry about the party, looks like it's starting to die here."

"Yeah, sort of. I'll see you at home then." I chuckled.

"Actually, I might not be back tonight. Rarity anad I have some things to work out." Both Rarity anad my sister gave each other mischevious smiles, they were up to something.

"Riiight....well I'll leave you girls to it than." I said, leaving the party.

The night air was comfortable and rich with an odd blend of soothing smells. Most of them went unoticed during the day due to all the activity, but at night and early in the morning was the perfect time to experience the up lifting country air. I had never noticed it before when I was a human, probably due to an inferiror sense of smell.

I noticed the lights were on in my house through my window. While not an uncommon sight at night, it was odd since both Isabella and myself had a habit of leaving lights off when we left. The only other pony I could think of that would venture in there would be Cloudchaser, unless Thunderlane was set to make good on his promise.

I slowly opened the door, cringing as it creaked noisily, ruining any hope of stealth in the event there was an unwelcome intruder in my home. With my location expossed, I pressed forward, anticipating the worst.

"Hello?" I called out, the house was unusually quiet.

"In here~" Cloudchaser answered, putting my troubled mind at ease.

I let out a sigh of relief, slowly making my way towards my bedroom. The faint smell of jasmine was in the air. This wasn't a problem, I didn't mind scented candles, the problem was that I didn't have any, which made me curious as to what exactly was going on behind the cracked bedroom door.

I slowly pushed it open, what I saw made my jaw go limp. There on the bed, was Cloudchaser. She had socks on her legs, white with baby blue stripes running across them. To add to her rather attractive display, a large pink bow was wrapped around her lower waist.

I had been right about the candles, there were a few on my dresser, slowly burning and releasing their intoxicating fragrence into the room. Cloudchaser's appearence, and the overall atmosphere of the room caused my heart's pace to quicken.

"Hey there, birthday colt." Cloudchaser purred, smiling at me with bedroom eyes.

WARNING the following link is not safe for work! Do not click here if you value your job, or are too young to view mature content. You have been warned.

I lay awake beside Cloudchaser; the candles had long since burnt out, leaving behind a sweet fragrance. The crickets were a bit noisy tonight, but their natural song wasn’t annoying, it was peaceful. The noise did little to take my mind off my thoughts about Scootaloo though.

I let out a sigh, a bit louder than I had intended. I mentally cursed when I heard Cloudchaser stir beside me, rolling over until I felt her breath against me.

“What are you still doing up?” Cloudchaser asked groggily.

“Just thinking….” I replied.

“What about?” she asked quietly, gently nuzzling her head against my neck.

“Do you think I’d be a good dad?” I asked.

“Yeah…why?” Cloudchaser ceased her affections.

“Just something I’ve been thinking about….” I said, stroking her mane briefly.

“You can think in the morning.” Cloudchaser whispered tiredly, tugging on my right shoulder weakly, wanting me to face her.

I complied, rolling over. She wasted no time in snuggling closer to me as I draped a wing over her protectively. I didn’t dwell long on the topic of how to break the news to her, my exhausted mind giving in to the alluring call of slumber.

Lean Streak re-read the letter once more. He could hardly believe what he was reading. An invite to Ponyville, of all places. Had Daniel lost his mind in thinking he would actually go there? After all the things he had said.

He didn’t have much choice though, it was doubtful that any other team would want an old stallion like him. Lean Streak had to admit that the kid had a good heart, Track Pace had told him how he had stood up to Sky Mark.

“Ugh....rookie, you better not be pulling my leg.” Lean Streak mumbled with a small laugh.

Author's Note

So I did it again :pinkiecrazy:

With that out of the way, Thunderlane has returned, and an uneasy truce has been established with the school bully. What does the stallion have in store? And will the uneasy ceasefire between Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo develop into something more?

Probably, because why else would I write all of that? :trollestia:

Trouble In Paradise

Baltimare:

Filthy Rich watched nervously as Daniel lagged behind in fourth place. Sure, fourth was better than any of the lesser positions, but he was supposed to win, not settle. It made the businesspony nervous as they exited the second turn.

"Why isn't he going for the lead?" Filthy Rich asked, leaning over to the stallion that had been responsible for the young racer.

"Keep watching him, you'll see in a second." Lean Streak replied, pointing a hoof towards the track.

Filthy Rich followed the hoof with his eyes and was shocked to witness Daniel closing the distance between the three leaders. As they entered the fourth turn he was in second place and closing in on first. The stallion in front of him began to speed away, only exhausting himself in the process.

Daniel's pace continued to increase, slowing only to exit the final turn. Once he was clear, the race was considered over as he sped past the stallion that had been in front of him. A flash at the finish line, accompanied by a light blue and vibrant green flight trail were testament to Daniel's victory.

Filthy Rich let out a sigh of relief as the roar of the crowd rose in volume. "He sure does cut things close."

"I'll talk to him about it. For now, enjoy the victory." Lean Streak replied, leaving his seat.

Filthy Rich watched the stallion leave until he disappeared into the seemingly endless crowd. He turned his attention back towards the track where he watched as his racer regrouped with the team he had requested. They had appeared to be little more than a ragtag, thrown together mix, but their efforts were clearly displayed today.

"And another track falls to the Blue Bullet!" Ike cheered, his voice echoing inside the training room of the track.

"At this rate I don't think there's a pony out there that can beat us." I added smugly. I didn't flaunt my ego often, but every once in a while it felt good to let it air out.

"That's the kind of talk that leads to accidents and mistakes." Lean Streak snorted, taking us by surprise.

"He won't get beat." Star Sprint said proudly.

"I mean it, you shouldn't stall like you did today. It was fine during the first turn to gauge how fast they could move, but after the second turn, you should have finished it. You're going to make a mistake trying to look cool." Lean Streak said, ignoring the colt.

"I'm not trying to look cool, honest. No shenanigans out on the track at all." I replied defensively.

"Yeah, nothing but light hearted, fun shenanigans, not the serious, game breaking stuff. Those types of shenanigans don't occur on the track" Ike said.

"Well, they might if Discord was there, but his shenanigans are twisted...so that would make them not shenanigans?" I looked to Ike for confirmation of my theory.

"Evil shenanigans!" Star Sprint exclaimed.

"I swear to Celestia, the next stallion that says shenanigans is gonna get hit in the head with a horse shoe!" Lean Streak growled.

We fell silent, knowing full well Lean Streak had a habit of keeping his promises. Sure, the negative ones mostly involved extra drills or workout routines, but it was better not to tempt fate. Then again, Ike wasn't the brightest crayon in the box sometimes.

"Hey Mike, what's that restaurant we went to down in Fillydelphia? The one that had all the goofy stuff on the walls, and the garlic bread sticks?" Ike called to his brother.

"You mean Shenanigans?" Mike asked, poking his head around the corner.

The expression on Lean Streak's face as we both offered him horse shoes from the training room was priceless. Star Sprint was unable to keep his laughter contained, and broke down into a giggling fit. It was good to have everypony back together again.

It had taken a bit of convincing to get Lean Streak to come to Ponyville, but once he agreed things started to look up again. I felt invincible, like nothing could stand in my way anymore.

"Well, what do you think?" Rarity asked, watching Isabella's expression shift from its usual bored status to one of awestruck wonder.

"Rarity, it's...." Isabella stammered.

"Beautiful." Fluttershy finished for her.

The dress Rarity had been working on was finally finished. It had the appearance of an older style dress while still fitting Isabella’s form perfectly. The dress was her most unique piece to date, simply because of the body type. Her other friend’s dresses were special of course, but they had familiar, common body types.

"I'll admit a few things were touch and go at first, but I really do think red shows up on you nicely." Rarity giggled as Isabella felt of the fabric.

"It's amazing Rarity. You're coming with us, right? I'd hate for the master mind of this dress not get to see it in action." Isabella said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, especially the day after. Supposedly that's when Canterlot's race is to be held. I can hardly wait to see what your brother can do. Putting a few cocky upper crust in their place." Rarity mused.

"We might have to hold Rainbow Dash down. She'll probably want to be a self-insert in the races." Fluttershy said.

"That wouldn't surprise me at all." Isabella chuckled halfheartedly, her smile beginning to falter.

"What's wrong Isabella?" Rarity asked.

"Just nervous about moving. I haven't told Daniel yet, but I think it's past time I got my own place. He' has Cloudchaser to think about now, and I feel like a third wheel there." Isabella sighed.

"You know he would never ask you to just leave." Fluttershy said.

"Which is why I have to do it myself. He's too dense and nice for his own good sometimes," Isabella huffed. "Seriously, if it were the other way around we would have been having a few words."

"Speaking of, do you have somepony to go with you?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, you guys?" Isabella replied.

"No, no darling, I meant of the opposite gender." Rarity said, making Fluttershy blush.

"Yeah....about that, I'm not in to the whole....interspecies thing." Isabella averted her gaze from the two mares.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press you." Rarity flushed with embarrassment.

"It's cool, I guess that's the other reason I want to move out. I don't want to become bitter towards my brother for finally finding happiness in the world. God knows he wasn't the popular kid back home." Isabella crossed her arms in reflection. Truth be told, she had given him more than a little hell for falling in love with Cloudchaser, sibling teasing of course, but she’d never confess to actually being jealous of him.

The more devious part of her mind picked up on her jealousy and ran with those thoughts, producing more than few scenarios that made her blush. She didn’t really want to have that kind of connection with one of these pastel colored ponies….did she?

The sun was starting to set over the horizon as the train moved along towards Canterlot. The return trip to Ponyville wouldn’t be happening until after the Gala. I was grateful for the day of rest though, if the only exhausting activity I did the following night involved mingling with crowds then who was I to complain?

I saw Lean Streak stretched out across one of the seats of our car. His hat was pulled down over his eyes, blocking out the sun. Initially Lean Streak’s gruff personality had reminded me of my father, in a way he kind of filled that roll here in Equestria. He was always pushing me to do better, even if he appeared to be cold on the outside he wouldn’t have wasted his time if he thought I couldn’t do it.

“You gonna stare, or sit and speak your mind?” I heard him say.

“Just thought I’d apologize, since I gave you a hard time today.” I said, jumping in the seat next to him.

“Heh, just don’t let the bug bite you.” Lean Streak chuckled.

“Bug?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, the fame bug. Nopony stays a rookie forever, you’re on the right track to being a crowd favorite before long. That’s when the bug will come, barely noticeable at first, but it slowly eats away who you are.” Lean Streak replied, lifting his hat.

“Did that happen to you?” I asked.

“….yes, yes it did.” Lean Streak confessed.

We both sat in silence for a while, Lean Streak hesitant to continue, while I anxiously waited for him to do so. I had never thought that he would have gone through that sort of trouble; he had rock solid determination and will power. The thought of him giving into fame’s allure was hard to process.

“I was young like you, love of my life, wealth and fame all at my hooves. Before I knew it I had a following and felt like nothing could stop me. Then one night me and my wife got into an argument. I had been spending more and more time on the job, and she was bringing this up before the biggest race of my life.” Lean Streak sat up in his seat as he spoke.

“What happened next?” I asked.

“She left that night, so did I for the race….I lost. When I got home the next day….she….” Lean Streak tried to finish, and for a split second I thought for sure I saw the beginnings of a tear in the corner of his eye, before being blinked away.

“When you see her again, you tell that pretty mare how much you love her….you hear me?” Lean Streak ordered, his voice struggling slightly to hold its authoritative tone.

“Yes sir.” I replied.

“Good, now we’ve just got to worry about getting Star Sprint home. I’m sure his pop’s worried sick about him.” Lean Streak nodded, before pulling his hat back over his eyes, our moment coming to an abrupt end.

The roar of the crowd was deafening as Thunderlane took his position the Tall Tale track. A majority of the population were pegasi, the second largest concentration of the tribe in Equestria. The structures were massive, even in comparison to Las Pegasus’.

He knew that the cheers weren’t truly meant for him, but for Bold Wind. He was ranked number one, and was here in the belief that he could sweep the competition for easy points towards the world championship. This was something the former Wonderbolt Cadet was happy to disprove.

Daniel…you’re old news. Thunderlane thought to himself

He bolted from the finish line with the other racers. Caution was tossed to the wind as he quickly matched his pace with Bold Wind’s. The top ranked racer seemed surprised by such a rash move from a rookie, but paid it no mind and sped up, only to find Thunderlane keeping up with him.

Bold Wind narrowed his eyes and willed his wings to propel him through the air faster. This only made Thunderlane grin as they entered the second turn. The other racers were already lagging behind; unconditioned, or unwilling to try and keep up with the two speed demons.

Thunderlane wasn’t the pushover Bold Wind pegged him for. He had been trained by some of the best fliers in Equestria, and it was showing now as they neared the halfway point. He was no Rainbow Dash, but he didn’t need to be to keep up with this stallion that hailed himself as the best on the track.

“Time for your wake up call, old timer!” Thunderlane shouted over the crowd, pressing Bold Wind into an even faster pace, a pace that was becoming difficult to keep.

Thunderlane could feel the strain on his body, but he didn’t care, all that was on his mind was out doing the stallion next to him. His mind briefly wandered from the track, to Ponyville. Where his friends were, the ones he still considered his friends anyways. He had admittedly distanced himself from them, but they hadn’t shown any malice at the party. No, only the friends of that human were cause for concern.

The thought of him brought back the dreaded moment that sparked this chain of events in his mind’s eye. Thunderlane snarled and flew past Bold Wind as the exited the fourth turn, leaving him behind. Not even the thunderous roar of the crowd was enough to ease his mental torment of reliving his mistake, one he would never confess.

With a flash of light, rank one belonged to him, unofficially of course. Thunderlane still had to make it to the championship to truly be crowned the new king of the track....yes, he liked the sound of that. Cloudchaser would leave that loser for sure once she saw who was superior. Bonds were strong, but nothing was unbreakable.

Canterlot was amazing at night, especially when it was shared with a few of your friends. With Star Sprint home once more, we were free to party it up a bit. I had never been a drinker on Earth, but here in Equestria that all changed once I learned about one of the perks to being stuck walking on all fours.

"Nothing too heavy for this one here." Ike chuckled, gesturing towards me.

"Hey, you swore you'd never bring that up in public!" I snorted.

"Oh lighten up a bit, it's not like anypony in Canterlot knows about your-" I silence Mike with a hoof before he could continue to tell the humiliating drinking experience I had in Ponyville.

We had shared stories on the way to last week's race. While I wasn't in short supply of life experiences in Equestria, the train ride conversation had continued longer than I had predicted it would, and I eventually told them about that night....what I remembered of it anyways.

"Cider, please." I requested.

"Weeeak." Mike taunted.

I rolled my eyes as the bartender took the twin's orders. I had learned my lesson, even if the spell had been reversed I didn't want to take any chances and wake up puking my guts out again, tripping over myself, and nearly splitting my head open on the sink mid change. That was probably the worst part.

"Hey, here's to another win." Ike said, holding up his mug.

"To victory!" we cheered in unison, clanking our mugs together, before gulping down our drinks as fast as we could.

"So, the stories are true." I heard an oddly familiar voice from behind me.

"Can't be." I mumbled turning around on the bar stool.

"Been a while, Daniel. Or do you prefer Blue Bullet now?" Noctra asked, flashing me a toothy grin.

The bat pony had on sleek silver armor, a nice contrast to the gold the soldiers of the day guard wore. Her coat was a bit brighter than when I had previously met her, and her eyes had the spark of renewed vigor and purpose.

"Noctra!" I exclaimed, zooming towards her, catching her off guard in a hug.

"Heh, I take it you're happy to see an old bat like me." the night mare mused, returning the hug.

"You're in armor...how did you-" I started to address the elephant in the room.

"It's a long story, but after the way you guys helped me I realized sitting on my flanks moping about life wasn't cutting it. I knew I needed to help ponies. So I had my case petitioned....and with a little help from a certain princess in Ponyville, here I am." Noctra puffed her chest out proudly.

"So you had everything cleared?" I asked in disbelief.

"That took a bit of work, and I'm kind of on a probationary contract deal right now. I can't go around being my old batty self, if you catch my drift." Noctra replied, scuffing the floor with her hoof.

"Well, it's great to see you again. Do you have time to have a drink or two?" I offered.

"Maybe later, I'm actually here to fetch you." Notcra keed in what had to be the bat pony equivalent of a laugh.

"Him? What'd he do, look at a damn noble wrong?" Mike asked.

"I'm just following orders." Noctra shrugged.

"Fine, just don't break his wings. We need those." Ike laughed.

"I'll try not to, come on, Bullet." Noctra keed at the name I had been signed under. I really wished Filthy Rich could have changed it.

I followed the bat pony out of the bar; Noctra certainly seemed to be in high spirits. The last time we had crossed paths, things had been a bit confrontational, and I was still curious as to the finer details of how she was back in the army.

“So how’s the runt and dragon?” Noctra asked leaping into the air, her wings flapping at a much faster rate than a pegasus’ to stay airborne.

“They’re okay, Scootaloo is getting along well. Spike hasn’t changed much, still the same well-mannered dragon he has been.” I replied joining her in the air.

“Good…so who is she?” Noctra grinned her fanged grin again.

“Who’s who?” I played the question off with a shrug.

“Don’t play dumb, I can smell her. I’m kind of curious how you ended up with a set of wings and cutie mark as well…among other things.” Noctra teased.

“Magic mishap is the simple version,” I said, Noctra nodded in understanding, not pressing the issue further. “Her name’s Cloudchaser by the way.”

“Cloudchaser….Cloudchaser….” Noctra stuck her tongue out in thought. “Aha! I remember seeing that name on the guest list in Luna’s room!”

“Wait, really?” I asked as we flew towards the castle.

“Yep, she’s one of those fancy smancy Wonderbolt Cadets. They’re going to have their cadets preform for the opening act tomorrow. So, you fell for a Wonderbolt hopeful huh?” Noctra flew close enough to nudge me playfully.

“Yeah, she’s really special.” I blushed.

“It’s kind of funny, you being a racer and falling in love with a Wonderbolt. I bet your foals will be speedy little things.” Noctra giggled.

“Yeah…I’m sure they would be…” my response trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” Noctra asked, her bright golden eyes slowly filling with concern.

“Noctra, can I ask your opinion on something, and promise you won’t tell anypony?” I sighed.

“Who am I going to tell, the other guard ponies? Princess Luna?” Noctra chuckled.

“Good point. So, if you had to adopt to have a foal how would you break the news to your special somepony?” I asked.

Noctra’s face conveyed confusion, but only for a few seconds before she caught on to what I was getting at. “Oooh….umm, well, that’s a tough one. I would think the time and place would be important when you do talk to her about it.”

“Yeah, I’m just nervous.” I sighed.

“Don’t be, she’d be crazy to say no. You’ve got the right heart for the job.” Noctra said.

“Noctra, who’d you bring this time?” I heard a masculine voice call out.

I didn’t realize we had reached our destination so soon. I really needed to learn to watch my surroundings when I was talking; it was going to get me in trouble one of these days if I didn’t.

“It’s the pegasus Luna requested.” Noctra replied, as we touched down on the landing balcony.

“Hey….I know you.” I said looking at the guard closely.

“Y-you do?” the bat pony cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Yeah, you’re the one that helped me with the um,” I looked around to make sure a particular white coated prince wasn’t hanging about. “Special mission.”

“Special mission….hey, Noctra why didn’t you tell me you were bringing him?!” the guard asked excitedly.

“I did, you weren’t listening.” Noctra deadpanned.

“He’s clear, go on before I get an ear full about how I held up Luna’s guest.” The guard waved us on dismissively.

This was why I liked the night guard better. If it was Celestia’s guards on duty, they would have gone through every single line in the book about what to do with me for not having some sort of written invitation, or something like that.

One would think the castle would be quiet at night, not so, especially the day before the Gala. The hallways were filled with scrambling ponies trying to ensure last minute adjustments were accounted for, and that previous preparations were still in order. Raven was nowhere to be found for once, which was odd; the unicorn was normally in the center of the organized chaos.

“No, no, no, they requested red, ugh!” the familiar voice of Raven carried above the ruckus in the castle.

“Ah, there she is.” I mused as I followed Noctra beyond the unfolding mayhem.

The throne room was open, surprisingly enough. A few bat pony maids quietly tended to the area, occasionally chatting with one another. It seemed that any court business had been postponed until after the Grand Galloping Gala. No doubt I’d be running into a few of the undesirables in Canterlot’s elite crowd tomorrow.

I liked this side of the castle; it was quiet, and for the most part undisturbed. The hallways were graced with the occasional hoof fall of soldiers, and our own as we neared our destination, Luna’s chambers. I felt nervous about this meeting, why would Luna want to meet like this instead of our normal method?

“Princess Luna? I brought the pony you requested.” Noctra called out a she knocked on one of the ebony double doors.

“You may enter.” the night monarch replied.

Luna’s room was mostly blue, it was kind of bland if not for the bookshelves and telescope, until I noticed the ceiling. I mistook the Lunar princess for lacking a room with a roof at first glance. The stars, and other cosmic bodies looked so vivid and real.

“Whoa….” I said, spinning in place without realizing it as I took in the full beauty of the master piece.

“Does your kind always find ceilings so alluring?” Luna asked.

“Only the painted ones, your majesty." I replied with a bow.

Thank you Noctra, you’re dismissed.” Luna said, granting the bat pony her leave.

With a bow, and small wave goodbye, Noctra left me alone with the princess. I felt my wings begin to fidget as I became more and more unsure of what to do now. The one on one conversations we had shared had mostly been through dreams, and those I only recalled bits and pieces of sometimes.

“Be at peace, for we have summoned thee with no ill will in mind.” Luna smiled.

“What’s this about?” I asked.

“We simply wished to converse with you before the festivities….something troubles you?” Luna tilted her head.

“It’s nothing your majesty.” I replied.

“You are a far worse liar than our sister. What burdens your mind?” Luna pressed, motioning with her head to join her at a small table.

“Just worried how Cloudchaser would take the news of adopting Scootaloo, if she would accept her.” I knew she would find out one way or another, she’d simply wait until I was asleep and take a peak in my mind.

“Is this adoption of young Scootaloo set in stone?” Luna asked.

“Well….not exactly, but-“

“Then perhaps you should take advantage of this, sooner would be better than later,” Luna said taking a seat at the table, I did the same.

“I guess, it still doesn’t change the fact she might say no….and then I’m back to square one. Breaking hearts and ruining lives.” I sighed.

Luna’s horn was suddenly surrounded by a dark blue aura. I looked around, expecting something odd or extraordinary to happen. A simple box floated down from the top of one of the book shelves, the lid sliding off as it neared the table we were seated at.

It was a checkered board, colored white and cobalt blue that unfolded onto the table. Multiple pieces that looked awfully familiar began to take their respective places on the board, each one engulfed in a similar aura as the one surrounding Luna’s horn. When everything was finally situated the aura faded to reveal a chess board, the Equestrian equivalent anyways.

“Perhaps you would enjoy a game?” Luna offered.

“I didn’t know you played.” I replied, examining one of the pieces.

“Our sister plays when she can, but only on the rare occasion.” Luna’s ears fell as she spoke.

“Sure, I could use something to take my mind off things.” I shrugged.

“Then prepare thy self for a most harsh tail lashing!” Luna cheered.

“I believe you mean ass kicking.” I chuckled as the alicorn moved her piece first, a pawn.

I moved my left knight, no real strategy in mind aside from being reactive to the player who had a few centuries worth of experience over me. Her bishop advanced, charging forward along the diagonal path. Had I known she was setting up for a Scholar's Mate, I would have been more cautious. I snorted in frustration upon my unsurprisingly swift defeat.

"Shall we go again?" Luna asked bringing her hooves together hopefully.

I shrugged, much to Luna's delight as the pieces magically reset themselves under the influence of her magic. I watched her movements carefully, she wasn't foolish enough to use the same trick twice in a row, but being beaten again didn't help my self-esteem.

"Another?" Luna looked at me with puppy dog eyes, she must have been serious about not getting to play often.

"Uh, sure....hey Luna, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever played with the guards before? I mean, you really seem to like it." I spoke as the pieces rearranged themselves once more.

"They always grant us victory through some perceived notion that we cannot take the loss of a simple board game. Celestia actually provides a challenge...that's not to say thou have not." Luna added when she noticed my slightly hurt expression.

"Eh, I'm rusty anyways." I replied as the game started anew.

"Daniel, you up yet?" a muffled voice asked.

My ear twitched at the disturbance, as if flicking at it would drive the noise away like some annoying insect. Unfortunately, Mike couldn't see my ear twitching from the other side of the door, or the slowly growing irritable expression on my muzzle.

"Thirty games...." I mumbled. "How the hell did she convince me to play thirty games?"

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the personal time I got to spend with Luna, it was that she didn't require rest the same way I did, so thirty games, that she drug out purposefully a time or two, was nothing to her. Staying up until two in the morning after an already tiring day wasn't the smartest choice I had made.

"Did they beat you or something?" Mike asked.

"Something like that...." I replied, loud enough for the earth pony to hear me.

“You’re going to miss your marefriend’s show if you don’t get your arse up.” Mike said.

My eyes snapped open, exhaustion leaving my body as if it had never been present to begin with. I had almost forgotten about Cloudchaser’s opening act. I flung the bed sheets off of me with a quick flex of my wings before dashing towards the shower.

Mike was laughing loud enough for me to hear him through the door before the sound of running water muffled his laughter. Washing the wings was probably the longest part of pegasus hygiene, it was also the most satisfying, and brought out the inner kid in me.

Step one was getting the soap onto the wings. This was made a little easier with a bit of pressure, in the form of a bite applied to the bottle, causing it to squirt the gel onto the feathered limbs. The shower did most of the work, the water serving to carry the suds in between the feathers, encouraged by a few light flaps.

With nothing better to do while waiting for the water to carry the soap out of my wings, I busied myself with my coat, mane, and tail. With everything checked off the check list, and the showerhead turned off, it was time for the final step. This involved slinging water in every direction imaginable with the combined effort of flapping my wings as fast as I could while shaking the water off.

I looked around the bathroom, quite pleased with my accomplishment as water droplets fell from the ceiling. It had been embarrassing asking Rainbow Dash the first time how to go about grooming, but her method seemed to work. I hated the brushing part though, I had never liked combs much when I was human either; a hand worked just a good.

After brushing it was the activity I hated doing by myself, preening. I looked up at the clock before I started, a smirk crossing my muzzle when it confirmed I had enough time. Preening was time consuming, but worth the effort involved. It was special when Cloudchaser was here and we would preen each other. It was intimate in its own way, and it made the process a lot easier.

“Why can’t I go?” Star Sprint whined.

“Because you have school, I’m still upset that you skipped to go to Baltimare.” Track Pace replied as he escorted his son to school.

Star Sprint had snuck onboard with the others, under the assumption that his first day at his new school wasn’t until next week. Unfortunately that was not the case, and it resulted in a sore flank along with his scooter being taken away as punishment.

“Now behave for your mother while I’m gone.” Track Pace said as they neared the school. “I know it’s not easy being the new colt, but things will work out, trust me.”

Star Sprint didn’t reply, as he drug his hooves up the steps to the school house door. Classes had already started, given the time and lack of other foals outside the school, playing as they had back in Las Pegasus.

Star Sprint sighed before knocking on the door, turning back to see his father walking away. Before he could contemplate on a way to make it past him and to the station without his knowledge the door opened to a cerise mare earth pony with grayish harlequin colored eyes.

"Well hello there, you must be Star Sprint." the mare said with a bright smile.

"Y-yes m'am." the colt replied.

"My name is Cheerilee, class just started so you couldn't have arrived at a better time." Cheerilee said, causing Star Sprint to relax a little as she ushered him in. At least he wasn't as late as he thought.

Star Sprint followed his new teacher into a moderately sized classroom, feeling the eyes of every foal fall on him without having to avert his gaze from the floor. Taking in a deep breath, he confronted his fear lifting his head to face the class as Cheerilee gave a brief introduction.

"Class, this is Star Sprint, he recently moved from Las Pegasus so please try and make him feel welcome." Cheerilee said.

Nervously, the colt walked past his new classmates, keenly aware of the stray glances and whispers as he walked by. The only free desk was behind....her. Star Sprint's eyes widened and time seemed to slow down as his focus suddenly shifted to taking in every detail, from hey slightly messy purple mane, to her stunning tangerine coat. It was all brought together with a focused expression as she wrote something down in her text book occasionally.

Time resumed it's normal speed as the floor rushed up to meet Star Sprint's muzzle. He had been a bit too absorbed in watching her to notice he was tripping over his own legs, earning him a round of laughter from the class, until Cheerilee stepped in.

Scootaloo had been busy tarnishing another book, the third one this week, by leaving small drawings of rainbows or lightning bolts next to all the words that looked cool. Hearing the roar of laughter around her caused her to look up from her busy work, noticing the colt for the first time.

Huh, weird...hope he's okay. Scootaloo shrugged before going back to her task once the colt had taken his seat behind her.

Cloudchaser took in a deep breath, her eyes closed as she tried to focus on anything but the growing crowd. This was one of the Wonderbolt's biggest shows, and this year they had decided to show of their Cadet talent, something they had been pouring most of their time and energy into.

She was mentally kicking herself at the moment, doing her best to try and mask the anxiety of their first major performance. She had done a good job at keeping her cool so far, but as the seconds ticked down it was becoming clear that she was a bit rattled. She wasn't alone, the entire team was a bit nervous, taking on one of the most popular events by themselves, except Rainbow Dash, it took something special to faze that mare.

“You okay Cloudchaser?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah, just nervous.” Cloudchaser replied.

Rainbow Dash thought for a minute before an idea entered her head. “Just look for you know who, I betcha he’s out there.”

This did little to chase away the butterflies that had stirred within her stomach. If her coltfriend was watching that would make screwing up even more embarrassing. She felt her forelegs knock together, snapping her out of the fear induced trance.

“Now, fillies and gentle colts, please make some noise for the rising talent of the Wonderbolt Acadamy!”

“This is it! On my mark!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pulling her goggles over her eyes.

The other members of her team did the same, unfurling their wings in preparation for takeoff. Letting out a held breath, Cloudchaser put on a mask of determination.

“ Three…two…one, show time!” Rainbow Dash shouted, taking off just outside the stadium.

The other pegasi followed the cyan mare’s lead, knowing they were under the watchful eye of Spitfire today. Their appearance was met with roaring cheers and stomps as the group went into their first stunt, nothing overly complex, until one took into account the timing and coordination from everypony involved in making it seamless.

Cloudchaser quickly scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of her blue stallion. Her attention didn’t remain on the crowd for long as their team began to climb into the sky, preparing for the dive that followed.

The team folded their wings in, resulting in a sudden stop as they focused all of their weight behind them, ensuring that they began to descend towards the ground head first. Cloudchaser smiled as she heard the crowd grow quiet, this one always put them on the edge of their seat.

As they neared the ground, the team opened their wings and spread out across the crowd in a spiral formation, flying only a few feet above the seated spectators. A few colts and fillies that were standing on the backs of their parents, eyes wide with wonder and mouths upturned in broad smiles.

Cloudchaser smiled a little as she flew by them, her eyes still scanning the crowd for-HIM! Her heart leapt in her chest when she saw him among the multitude of faces. Those big brown eyes stood out from the more colorful variants of those around him. Spotting him filled her with a strange confidence.

The rest of the show Cloudchaser's smile remained on her muzzle, brighter than it had been previously. She had been worried recently, his new job and friends had been coming between them from time to time as of late, but it meant the world to her that he had shown up.

As their performance came to a close, the mare was the first one to touch down and remove her goggles, much to the surprise of Rainbow Dash. She didn't acknowledge her own accomplishment, more concerned about finding her coltfriend amongst the crowd.

"Nice show, Cadet." her ears twitched at that voice.

"Glad you enjoyed it; autographs are five bits, good sir." Cloudchaser lifted her nose in the air as she had seen a few of Canterlot's elite do to her before.

"Well that sucks, I don't have any spare bits on me," Daniel replied walking towards the mare, stealing a quick kiss before she could say anything. "Will that cover it?"

"Show up at the Gala with me tonight and we'll call it even." Cloudchaser said closing what little distance was left between them.

"Dancing, drinking, and causing as much mayhem for the upper class as I can? Sounds fair." Daniel smirked.

"There's all of that, and sometimes I just like to show you off." Cloudchaser booped him on the nose.

A throat cough from Rainbow Dash interrupted her coltfriend before he could speak what was on his mind. Cloudchaser's cheeks flushed with embarrassment with the realization her teammates had been watching their interaction. An unsettling silence settled over the group as a result.

"Bulk buddy, we've gotta talk about laying of the roids." Daniel said, breaking the silence.

"Remember to behave yourself." Cloudchaser said.

"I will, I promise. Besides, I've got the bros looking out for me, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked rhetorically.

My gaze lingered on Cloudchaser a little longer than I intended. She had on a beautiful dark blue dress tonight. Sunrise had tried to talk her into changing up her mane and tail style for tonight, but that accomplished little.

"Seeing as how chaos has a bad habit of following you? That's up for debate." Cloudchaser replied.

"Eh, well....I'm going to have to give you that one." I mumbled.

"And absolutely no drinking, you know what happens when you try. I don't want you falling asleep before we get the chance to dance....love you." Cloudchaser whispered in my ear as we approached the gate.

"Uh huh, I can feel it." I rolled my eyes teasingly, receiving a playful jab to the side.

"Shut up," Cloudchaser punched me lightly in the shoulder. "You big doofus."

Two guards were at the gate, the day shift this time. The sun was still in the sky, but slowly beginning to set, casting a warm orange glow over the land. The stern expressions of the guard were off putting, and made me a bit uncomfortable.

"Your tickets?" one of the guards asked robotically.

Both Cloudchaser and I pulled out our respective tickets. I found this practice a bit odd on the princesses part. Why go through all the effort of writing out invitations if you were going to make the requirement to gain entrance a silly little ticket?

Upon seeing the two small slips of gold paper, the guards side stepped wordlessly. It was as if their internals were replaced with clunky clockwork, and their AI was a bit primitive based on their attitude and behavior.

I could already hear the band playing as we entered the main entrance hallway that led to the lobby. There were already a number of ponies inside, a few cast a quick glance our way before going back to whatever conversation they were having.

"I feel really out of place here." I whispered to my date.

"Daniel, a rising star racer, is terrified of a few harmless Canterlot snobs." Cloudchaser teased.

"These ponies are the type to plant a political knife in your chest, smiling at you while they do it." I mumbled.

"Harsh." Cloudchaser said.

"This is gonna be good!” A bat pony guard whispered excitedly as they snuck into the room that was reserved for the racers to meet before the festivities tomorrow.

"With this bad boy, things are sure to get a little spiced up." his cohort snickered as they approached the kegs of hard cider that were to be used for refreshments, pulling out a little blue bag.

"You're sure this will just make their stomachs upset Pinkie? As funny as this is, I'd hate to do something really bad to them." the first one said pulling off the lid.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head. Everything will turn out juuuust fine, I promise. We'll all get a laugh out of it later." the other giggled as he sprinkled a bit of the bags content into the first keg.

"What was the name of that stuff anyways?" he asked his friend, putting the lid back on.

"Blue Moon Root." the second replied nonchalantly.

The first guard didn't say anything, but something about that name sounded familiar. Still, if his friend was sure nothing bad would happen, who was he to question him?

"Good evening Daniel, Cloudchaser." Twilight said, accompanied by a bubble gum pink alicorn. Cadance, if I remembered correctly.

"Hey T-Princess Twilight." I said with a bow.

"You don't have to do that you know." Twilight blushed.

"Given the atmosphere, I think it's expected tonight if I don't want to be thrown in the dungeon." I started to chuckle until a jab to the rib silenced me.

"Be nice." Cloudchaser scolded, earning a complacent nod from me.

"So I take it he's your date for the evening?" Cadance asked, smiling at Cloudchaser.

"O-oh, um, yes princess." Cloudchaser replied.

"You two have something truly unique, I wish you could see what I see." Cadance said, her eyes dancing from me to Cloudchaser.

"What do you see?" the question flew from my mouth before I could really consider if it was worth asking or not, too late now.

"Well, my special talent is love. The bond you feel with Cloudchaser is one of faith, you can't see it, but you know it's there," Cadance explained. "But I can see it as easily as you can see me and Twilight."

"So...it's actual magic?" I asked to which Cadance nodded her head happily.

"Hey, Daniel! You gonna spend all night with the la-oh, sorry your majesties!" Ike stammered bowing.

"It's fine Ike, I guess you came to steal Daniel away from us?" Twilight asked.

"Uh, yeah-I mean yes ma'am!" Ike corrected himself.

"I'll be back in a bit babe." I said nuzzling Cloudchaser briefly.

"You better be, I don't want to be alone on the dance floor." Cloudchaser smiled, her cheeks reddening a bit from Cadance's reaction to our display.

Reluctantly, I followed Ike, the bubble gum mare's words circulating through my mind as I did. I had been under the assumption that this "bond" was an instinct thing, but it was an actual magical force that had brought Cloudchaser and I together. A pony probably wouldn't think past this, but I wasn't a pony by birth, so how did that magic work on me?

I briefly wondered what might happen if I had never come to Equestria, would Cloudchaser have just been alone for the rest of her life? Was it really destiny that brought us together?

"-you're doing it again." Ike deadpanned.

"Doing what?" I asked, my train of thought derailed.

"Spacing out, stop that...it's weird." Ike said.

"You're weird." I snorted.

"Says the pony from another world." Ike rolled his eyes with a laugh.

The earth pony pushed on two large double doors, revealing a large room with ponies of all tribes, dressed in expensive looking suits. I didn't mind suits, not that I had much choice with the one I was wearing since Cloudchaser had picked this one out for me. She made the case that I was ignorant to pony fashion, and matching one's coat color to a suit was important.

"I was wondering when our paths would cross again." a strong, deep voice said.

"Hey Whitefire, I guess you're going to be there tomorrow?" I asked, bumping his extended hoof.

"I fear our rematch will have to wait. I'm simply stopping by tonight out of obligation." Whitefire shook his head.

"Oh, I hope it's nothing bad." I said.

"Well, you had a hoof in it," Whitefire smirked. He was a very hard stallion to read, for being almost twice my size and build, he was extremely laid back. "I lost a few points when I came in second to you. I trust you're going for the crown, I'd be disappointed if I didn't see you there."

"The crown?" I tilted my head slightly.

"It's the championship race, no rookie's ever won it, not to trample on your dreams or anything." Ike said.

"If I could have everypony's attention please, I'd like to get this little side social underway!" announced one of the sponsors.

"Come on, let's grab a drink before the windbags start the lecture." Ike chuckled.

"I can't guys, I promised Cloudchaser I wouldn't tonight." I said, making both of them snicker.

I sighed, my eyes sweeping across the room to find that almost every stallion had a cup of what appeared to be cider. Even...him, Thunderlane was here, grinning smuggly at me from across the room. I fought back the urge to do something childish or stupid, until he turned around and scraped his back hooves against the floor towards me before walking away.

"....gonna need two, it's going to be a long night." I mumbled.

"That's more like it!" Ike cheered as we made our way towards the kegs.

I downed my first cup of cider rather quickly, with the false hope that breaking my promise quicker would somehow lessen the guilt. As long as I made it out to the dance she couldn't get too mad at me, right?

As I refilled my cup, I couldn't help but notice a strange heat spreading through me. Alcohol was supposed to do this yes, but not like this. I had the urge to spread my wings and fly through the room, but that didn't make sense. I shook my head, trying to dismiss the strange feeling, but it was pointless.

Eh, it's probably nothing...but maybe I should stop now. I thought to myself.

"Funny seeing you here." Thunderlane said as he approached me from the side.

Caution to the wind then!

Blueblood anxiously scanned the room for any sign of that monster. The guard had mentioned something about his sister being invited. After seeing such a grotesque freak, he questioned his ability to tolerate the sight of his kin.

He spotted a familiar white unicorn, her trademark purple mane giving away her identity. Rarity had taken a liking to him for a short while, but then she turned sour as the evening progressed. His actions were deliberate of course, how could he be seen with a low class mare such as her.

She was accompanied by two more mares, a pink earth pony, and a yellow pegasus that kept her head down slightly. Both were equally as undeserving to be here, if not for being associated to the elements of harmony, or Princess Twilight Sparkle.

A forth figure followed behind them, one that made Blueblood shiver with fear before....pausing with uncertainty. The creature clearly had the same frame as that monster, but this one seemed, softer, somehow.

Perhaps....I was a bit quick to cast judgement on this one. Blueblood thought to himself, mustering up his courage and walking towards whom he assumed was...was....Issabeela? He couldn't recall the exact spelling, but it seemed close enough.

The human was still with the three mares from before, each one casting a rather negative look towards the prince. No matter, what did their opinion amount to anyways?

"Good evening ladies." Blueblood said.

"Blueblood..." the three mares replied in unison, while their human companion remained silent, observing them.

Blueblood felt his temper flare briefly at not being addressed with his title, but thought better than to show his bad side to this human. They had probably already sullied his good name.

"I believe your name is Issabeela?" Blueblood asked, focusing on the human.

"Close, it's Isabella, actually." Isabella replied.

"Well now that introductions are out of the way, we really should be moving along. Multiple ponies to see before the night is over." Rarity said quickly.

"I'm sure the human wouldn't mind chatting with a prince for a little while before exploring the rest of the Gala, would you?" Blueblood raised his eye brow at Isabella, making her laugh.

"Okay, look Blueblood, they told me about you already. You talk a good game, and you might appear sweet, but you're really sour beneath all the flare, and I've dealt with enough of that back in my world." Isabella replied, shutting him down.

Blueblood's mouth fell open at Isabella's declaration. These mares had already spread such horrendously falsified rumors about him. It was inconceivable! The nerve of these poppers!

"Grow up a little, and maybe we can have that chat you wanted. Let's go girls." Isabella said waving goodbye to the prince.

Blueblood finally found the will to shut his own mouth. A part of him wanted to scream in rage, but the more Isabella's words repeated themselves in his mind, the more his urge to shout declined, until he was left with only the calm, placid thoughts and reflections on being snubbed.

Isabella felt a bit sorry for Blueblood, but he brought it upon himself. If he hadn’t been rude to her friend, she might have listened to what he had to say. This was her first Gala in Equestria, and she didn’t want to have the memory tarnished by some smooth talking, girly prince.

She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she was turning heads, like Rarity said she would. Isabella was still unable to determine if they were impressed, or if they were still afraid and secretly disgusted at her for being a human. She hoped it was the former.

Rarity’s ear swiveled towards one of the stallions that seemed to be speaking to his neighbor, a smile on his muzzle. Rarity’s eyes widened with excitement, her face beaming with pride as she apparently caught pieces of their conversation.

“Just as I said, you’re making heads turn.” Rarity’s step developed a bit of bounce to it, quite pleased with herself.

“At least one of us is excited.” Isabella said.

“Is something wrong Isabella?” Fluttershy asked.

“I was trying to find my brother. I don’t see him anywhere.” Isabella replied.

“Oh oh, I bet Cloudchaser knows where he went!” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“Probably, but we don’t know-“ Isabella started to say, until a pink hoof pointed towards a seemingly depressed pegasus, with a unmistakably familiar frosty mane and tail. “Well, okay then.”

The group approached the mare as she let out a sigh, her sights locked on the dance floor. A number of ponies were starting to gather together as the Canterlot band prepared to play for them.

“Why the long face Cloudchaser?” Isabella asked.

“I just wish he’d hurry. He’s been in there with those other stallions for a long time.” Cloudchaser tilted her head towards a set of double doors.

“You can’t expect him to be with you all the time though, right?” Isabella asked.

“We were supposed to dance together, I’ve never done it before,” Cloudchaser rubbed her left foreleg with her right, averting her gaze to the ground. “Pretty stupid, right?”

“Goodness no, I think it’s sweet.” Fluttershy said, her small smile growing a bit.

Cloudchaser’s frown shifted to a smile briefly before faltering once more. “I worry about him getting too involved with work. I don’t want him to become like Thunderlane, cocky and stupid.”

“I hate to break it to you, but he’s already the latter of those two. That comes with his gender though, nothing he can help,” Isabella said kneeling down to Cloudchaser’s level. “I’ve never seen him as happy as he is when he’s with you. if it’s you or them, he’s going to pick you, I promise.”

Wordlessly, Cloudchaser wrapped her forelegs around Isabella’s neck in a hug. The human could be a bit on the wild side sometimes, but she was smart, and knew what to say to put her mind at ease. That, and she liked it when Isabella would stroke her mane, it was almost as good as preening.

“If he doesn’t come out soon, I’ll help you drag him out, okay?” Isabella offered.

“I can live with that.” Cloudchaser laughed.

“Usually there’s a bit more laughter and rowdy disturbances….It’s been unusually quiet so far.” Rarity commented.

“I’ve got him!” Ike shouted, tossing a unicorn into a water fountain before pointing at another well-dressed unicorn, causing him to flee.

All-out war had broken out in the room after the kegs were empty. That wasn’t important though, what was important was giving the earth pony beneath me the boot, or hoof rather. A swift buck to the backside was enough to send him crashing into the table, causing empty cups to bury him.

Whitefire held two pegasi beneath his forelegs, dragging them about the room as he hovered just above the ground. He chuckled at their fruitless attempts to escape, his strength and size making it impossible for them to do so.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye two more pegasi, flying side by side with a banner between them. They swooped in low, catching an earth pony off guard, dragging him along the floor until he hit one of the stone columns in the room.

Mike, being the creative pony he was, tore off a wooden leg from the upturned table and took aim at one of the airborne pegasi. Putting all of his strength behind it, Mike flung the object at the pony, hitting him right between the eyes, knocking the poor stallion out cold. The earth pony chuckled at his accomplishment before being forced to contend with his friend.

I suddenly felt a pair of forelegs wrap around me from behind. They were charcoal in color, and my fuzzy mind still worked well enough to process who they belonged to.

“Now…I’ll be number one…in her life.” Thunderlane sounded out of breath as I struggled against him.

“Not a chance!” I exclaimed flying towards the ceiling, a bit too fast for my own good, as both of our head collided with the ceiling.

My vision swam as we plummeted back towards the floor. I shook Thunderlane off me, just in time to land on my hooves. I observed the chaos around me, unsure how things could possibly get worse, but as things of this nature often do, they did indeed get worse.

The door was kicked open by a large red boot. I stood dumbfounded by what I saw standing in the doorway, easily dwarfing everypony inside the room. Khorne Berserkers, each nine feet tall, and clad in intimidating, blood red armor. Grasped tightly in their hands were revving chain axes, which caused more than a few of the stallions to soil themselves.

“What the fu-“ I mumbled as one approached me.

“Wake up!” a ventilated voice demanded, the super soldier thumping me in the forehead.

I didn’t respond, too terrified to move as the behemoth of a man loomed over me. He shouldn’t exist, these madmen were nothing but a stupid plastic model. There was nothing magical about them, so-

“Wake up!” the Berserker exclaimed once more, reaching down with his giant hand to shake me like a rag doll.

I opened my eyes to see a rather upset group of mares looking down at me. The light behind them burned my eyes, forcing me to squint and avert my gaze. I could hear a few groans of pain, mixed with tired yawns, coming from the other stallions. Though I registered what the sounds meant, my brain still wasn’t putting everything together.

“What happened?” I asked, unsure if I had been dreaming, or if I had just been killed and respawned in another reality.

“You broke your promise, that’s what!” an angry, and familiar voice snapped.

Uh oh. I thought to myself, easily recognizing its owner.

I tried to stand up, only to fall back down on unstable legs. The others weren’t much better, requiring assistance in order to stand. The broken furniture was no longer broken, leading me to believe that it had all been some sort of dream. That raised the question of when, and how I fell asleep with no recollection of doing so.

“Unbelievable….” Cloudchaser mumbled, walking away.

“Cloudchaser, wait…” I tried to call out, exhaustion keeping me firmly in its clutches.

“Sober up a bit,” Isabella caught me before I face planted onto the cold floor once more. “I thought ponies couldn’t get drunk.”

“Mistakes aside, it is rather odd now that you mention it.” Rarity commented, poking at one of the cups before pulling her hoof away in disgust.

Cloudchaser trotted away from the crowd that no doubt would be sticking their noses into the mysterious turn of events in the meeting room. She could care less how or why he ended up on the floor next to Thunderlane; their comical position doing little to take her mind off of what she had smelt on him, which no doubt had a part in all of this.

She was reminded of the time she asked Thunderlane not to do something similar. She had found him with Nurse Redheart the next morning. Cloudchaser had resented the mare for the longest time, until she came to terms with the fact that it wasn’t her fault alone. She was trying her hardest to reject the idea that things would end the same way with Daniel.

Cadance said what we shared was special….yeah, I bet. Cloudchaser snorted as she wandered into the great hall, lined with beautiful stained glass windows.

A few were devoid of the fancy art work depicting ponies, and their amazing feats. One such window simply gave the mare a view of the moon. She was reminded of the night he had confessed his feelings to her; admitted to wanting her, needing her.

As he spent more time with his team, he was clearly beginning to be influenced by them. Was Isabella right? Before she had believed her, but after seeing how he had failed to hold up such a simple request, so that they could spend a little time together, doubt was beginning to fester.

“Cloudchaser?” Daniel called out, his voice soft and hesitant.

“I wanted this night to be special, one I would cherish for the rest of my life,” Cloudchaser held back the floodgate that was at the corners of her eyes. “It’s special, that much is true.”

“Cloudchaser I-“ Daniel tried to explain.

“I’m sure you have some long winded story, but save it for somepony who cares. I just want to know why my coltfriend went back on his word.” Cloudchaser said, letting her anger drown her sorrow.

“Thunderlane was there, and-“ Daniel started.

“You never once considered leaving? You had me to come to; you didn’t once consider that as an option?” Cloudchaser’s wings had flared out of their own accord, her blood surging quickly through her veins as a result of her anger.

“I know, but I….” Daniel trailed off, his ears drooping in defeat.

“Is there anything else I should know about, since you decided to turn this night into a come to Celestia meeting?” Cloudchaser asked.

She could see Daniel’s hesitation and feared what else he might be hiding. She was certain they were past this stage in their relationship, but braced herself for the worst.

I was faced with a difficult decision, tell her about Scootaloo and risk losing her if she rejects the idea, or keep it to myself and pretty much guarantee her departure tonight, along with the return of the worst heartache imaginable. Neither option seemed very favorable at the moment.

“I….I was going to adopt Scootaloo….” I sighed, noting her confused expression. “Probably not the best time to tell you, but it was something I planned to do before you came into my life.”

“Well, thanks for that bombshell to top off my evening….when were you going to tell me? Or were you just going to bring her over one day?” Cloudchaser shook her head briefly as she spoke.

“No…” I mumbled.

Cloudchaser let out a frustrated sigh and started to pace. I had never seen Cloudchaser this upset before; I had really screwed up this time. The occasional glance she cast me was enough to drive the fear of God into me, she was definitely pissed.

Her pacing continued until she final stopped, taking in a deep breath before letting it out through her mouth. It appeared as though I would be keeping my head another day, but Cloudchaser’s heart was still to be determined.

“Do you really love me?” Cloudchaser asked, turning her back to me.

“Of course I love you. Look, I’m sorry I screwed up.” I replied.

“You can’t just say sorry all of the time and expect things to be better. Your actions speak louder than your words.” Cloudchaser snorted, starting to walk away.

“Cloudchaser wait,” I called out, much to my amazement she stopped. “What do I have to do to show you that I love you?”

Cloudchaser kept her back turned to me for a while before speaking. “Are you asking this because you screwed up and got caught? Or are you genuinely sorry?”

“I really am sorry, please, I’ll do anything.” I replied.

“Anything?” Cloudchaser turned to face me.

“Yes, anything.” a part of me dreaded what she might ask me to do.

“Tomorrow, when you’re called on to race in front of Canterlot, instead of racing to win, you will lose.” Cloudchaser said.

“Lose? But-“ I stammered.

“You said you would do anything to prove you love me.” Cloudchaser interrupted.

“How could losing prove anything?” I asked, recoiling when I noticed her feathers ruffle against her sides in frustration.

“Losing proves that you are capable of a humble spirit,” Cloudchaser stomped towards me, forcing me to back up. “Losing proves that you can put another before yourself. Losing proves that you value love over pride, and the adoration of strangers who don’t even know you.”

Cloudchaser finally stopped her advance, having backed me up against a wall. She took a few steps back; satisfied she had gotten her point across.

“What is your answer?” Cloudchaser asked, eyes narrowed at me.

I found myself unable to speak. I couldn’t lose, or I might be without a job, and then I would be back in the same situation I had been in a few months ago. I didn’t want to lose Cloudchaser either, this is what I feared might happen; my worst nightmare was coming true.

“Your silence is pretty loud right now…” Cloudchaser said, walking away from me.

So….now what? a voice asked as I watched her walk away.

I don’t know brain….I don’t know….

Unknown to the feuding lovers, two shiny, golden eyes were observing them from afar. They departed for destinations unknown as quickly as they had appeared, into the cover of darkness.

Author's Note

Nothing's perfect it seems. Also, Noctra's back :yay: and is going down the right path in life this time. I've always liked bat ponies, and the next story I do will probably have one play a major roll. Still working on smaller (and a few bigger) details with that though.

Race For Redemption

"OF ALL THE INCONSIDERATE, INCOMPATENT THINGS YOU COULD THINK OF, YOU DECIDE TO SABOTAGE THE ENTIER RACING BOARD WITH FOUL DRINK? HAST THOU MISPLACED THY SENSES!?" Luna roared, the strength of her royal Canterlot voice blowing the bat ponies helmets off.

"I believe you mean "lost our min-" the braver of the two guards started.

"WE KNOW THE PHRASE!" Luna snapped, her voice causing a crack in one of the windows.

"Um, Princess Luna?" Noctra called, pushing open the doors to the throne room.

"WHAT?" Luna boomed, her temper clearly affecting her volume control.

Noctra recoiled, ears flattening against her scalp. " Uh-uh-um, I think there's something you should know about, regarding the stallion you asked me to...keep an eye on."

"TELL US- I mean, tell us, is it urgent?" Luna asked, regaining a bit of control.

"W-well..." Noctra quickly flew to the night monarch’s side, whispering something in her ear.

"You're certain?" Luna turned to face the bat pony.

"Pretty sure, your majesty." Noctra replied.

Luna put a hoof to her chin, casting her cold gaze down at her mischievous guards. The two bat ponies in question shivered in fear of what fate the princess might deem fit for them. Much to their surprise, and the rest of the guards present, Luna wordlessly climbed down from her throne, calmly walking towards the large double doors in deep thought.

"What just happened?" one of the accused bat ponies asked.

"Something you fruit brains wouldn't understand." Noctra sighed.

Sunrise cowered in the corner as Cloudchaser continued to vent her frustration on her bags. She had assumed the mare would wear herself out, but that didn’t seem to be a likely outcome anytime soon. Her friend had barged into their room, extremely agitated and unwilling to talk about it coherently.

Cloudchaser delivered an especially hard punch to the saddle bag she had been brutalizing, tearing a hole in its side. The ripping noise seemed to snap her out of her rage induced trance, backing away from the torn bag. Her muzzle slowly began to scrunch up, small sniffles escaping her heaving figure.

Sunrise watched her friend, and felt certain that her temper was starting to fizzle out. She had never seen Cloudchaser this upset before. Well, there was that one time with Thunderlane, but this easily surpassed that.

“Cloudchaser, are you okay?” Sunrise asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“No,” Cloudchaser sniffled. “I’m not okay.”

Sunrise wanted to say more, but didn’t as her friend slowly broken down. She simply put her forelegs around her in a hug as the walls she had built up around her came tumbling down. This wasn’t the tough, fun loving mare that everypony knew, this was the fragile side of her that had been left behind after having her heart torn out.

“S-Sunrise?” Cloudchaser spoke up in a whimper.

“What is it Cloudchaser?” Sunrise replied.

“I-is there a soda machine in the lobby?” Cloudchaser sniffed again, rubbing her eyes with her hoof.

That was the mare Sunrise knew. Wine was Sunrise's preference, but if given the option, Cloudchaser would pick soda. It was her go to comfort drink when she had a bad day at practice, or if something was bugging her.

“I can go check, will you be okay by yourself?” Sunrise wore a look of concern as she looked the mare in the eyes with sincerity.

“I’ll be okay, I promise.” Cloudchaser nodded, her breathing starting to become steady.

Sunrise smiled, releasing her friend from her embrace. She could hardly stand the thought of something hurting her like this, or somepony. Cloudchaser never did say who or what caused her to become upset.

Cloudchaser sighed when she heard the door close. She looked down at the saddle bag she had demolished; her rage had done more than ruin a bag tonight, however. The worst damage was the nonphysical, the emotional hurt she had been dealt, and what she had pushed back onto the one she cared for most.

Cloudchaser’s ear twitched as she heard the door open. That was fast, even for Sunrise to make it to the lobby and back. A quick look over her shoulder revealed not her team mate, but Isabella. The mare was conflicted about the human’s presence in her room; she couldn’t find the will power to remain mad or frustrated, but wasn’t exactly happy to see her either.

“I didn’t ask for company...” Cloudchaser sulked.

“Well, you’ve got it.” Isabella chuckled, approaching the distraught mare.

“Shouldn’t you be on the train back to Ponyville?” Cloudchaser asked, turning away from her coltfriend’s sister.

“We were staying behind to watch my brother tomorrow.” Isabella said sitting down on her knees across from Cloudchaser.

A sharp sting registered with Cloudchaser as her heart ached at the mention of her love interest. If he listened to her, then they’d be leaving disappointed tomorrow.

“My brother can be an idiot sometimes,” Isabella said, making Cloudchaser’s ears perk up in surprise. “He means well, but somehow whenever he messes up, he doesn’t exactly do a good job of minimizing the damage he leaves in his wake.”

“I’ll say...” Cloudchaser said quietly.

“Come on.” Isabella said, sliding her hands around Cloudchaser’s barrel to lift her up, and onto the bed. The mare protested briefly, stunned by her sudden position shift. A tender hand rubbing and playing with her ears chased away any argument she might have raised.

Cloudchaser fought back a content sigh, slowly lowering herself into Isabella’s lap. All her fears and worries were being chased away at the moment. Isabella’s free hand slowly stroked her mane, those heavenly fingers gliding through the silk like fibers that adorned her head and neck.

“Why are you being nice?” Cloudchaser mumbled.

“Do you need a reason to be nice?” Isabella asked in return.

“I wasn’t...” Cloudchaser started to sulk again, until the nails of Isabella’s fingers slowly scratched at the base of her tail, making her coo in delight.

“I came here to check on you because my brother screwed up,” Isabella took in a deep breath before continuing her thought. “I also don’t want to see either of you hurting like this. I’ve seen how you two snuggle up to each other at home; do you really think one bad night will make him hate you?”

“I want to believe you...” Cloudchaser whispered.

“You should.” Isabella said as she continued to pet the mare in her lap. The sound of the door closing caused her to jerk her head up.

She noticed Sunrise with a soda can in one hoof, watching her tend to Cloudchaser. She set the can down, trotting over to the edge of the bed, a pleading look in her eye as she took note of how relaxed Cloudchaser appeared to be now.

“Fine, come on up.” Isabella sighed, receiving a happy squee from the other pegasus.

Sunrise nuzzled her way next to Cloudchaser and sighed as she felt Isabella’s hand begin to stroke her as well. She had heard about this human from her friends, and apparently their stories were true, her hand felt AMAZING against the mare's coat and mane.

The two mares wined briefly when they felt Isabella shift, moving to lean against the head rest with a pillow behind her for support. Cloudchaser and Sunrise wasted little time in reclaiming their spots, both completely forgetting about the soda that had been spoken of earlier in favor of being petted.

He probably still wants to be a human....I-oh sweet Celestia! Right there, Cloudchaser leaned into Isabella's hand as her left hind leg twitched a bit. ...maybe I would be okay with that...but Scootaloo....and....mmm...fingers....

"Heh, out like a lightbulb...two lightbulbs." Isabella sighed as she continued to stroke the sleeping ponies that had taken up residence on her lap for the night.

She frowned as she watched Cloudchaser sleep. She knew something else had to be bugging her, their fight must have been really bad. Isabella liked Cloudchaser, and she started to see her as a sister, somepony she could relate to. They both had similar attitudes...sort of.

Admittedly, this little incident had put a strain on that relationship, which was why she came over, to try and make peace. She knew Cloudchaser wouldn't be up for seeing Daniel, so something better would have to do. Isabella found the combined body heat of the two extremely snuggly ponies having an effect on her, as they subconsciously pressed themselves closer to her.

Isabella's head bobbed as she tried to stave off sleep, she couldn't fall asleep here, but she was getting too comfortable to move. Besides, the two mares looked so peaceful, it'd be rude to wake them up now. Giving in with a yawn, Isabella let her head come to a rest against the pillow she had put behind her, joining her two bedmates in blissful slumber.

“So that’s it? You’re just leaving?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah, it’s a stupid race anyways. I need to focus on the ones that matter...” I replied.

“Yeah, but you can show those prissy ponies what you’re made of! Don’t back down from them!” Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof against the floor.

She at least bought my excuse for forfeiting. It was better than wasting everypony’s time and money to stay. Tomorrow I’d be on the first train ride back to Ponyville, and everypony would be getting what they wanted….right?

“What about Thunderlane?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“What about Thunderlane? He’s going back to Las Pegasus, so there’s really no reason for me to stay.” I rolled my eyes.

“I...but...y-you can’t just give up!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Look, Dash, I know you want me to go tomorrow, but I can’t. It’s just easier this way, please trust me.” I looked down at the racing mask that had been laid out in preparation for tomorrow before storing it away.

“...quitter.” Rainbow Dash mumbled before storming out of my room.

My ears fell flat in sorrow, even though this seemed like the best way to go about things, I felt rotten for hiding the truth. Rainbow Dash’s words didn’t help things either, like pouring salt into an open wound.

“Somepony seems down in the dumps.” came a voice from the window.

“Oh, hey Noctra.” I said, giving her permission to enter with a motion of my head.

“Thought you’d like to know we got the two ponies that pulled one over on you and your racing buddies. They were feeling the wrath of Luna’s voice.” Noctra keed.

“Her voice?” I cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I guess you’ve never heard the royal Canterlot voice before. Imagine somepony shouting through about twenty megaphones at max volume.” Noctra shivered.

“Probably hurts your ears pretty badly, huh?” I jumped up onto the bed, stretching my wings out a bit.

“You have no idea.” Noctra pointed her hoof at me, slipping out of her armor and joining me on the opposite end. Her actions made me more than a little nervous.

“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked.

“Hmm? Kicking back for a minute….is that bad?” Noctra rolled over onto her back, tilting her head.

“Um, I guess not.” I replied, scooting away slightly.

“Oooh, I get it, wittle Daniel is afwaid of da sexy wittle bat pony.” Noctra teased.

“I’m not afraid, it just might look a bit odd with you being on the bed, out of your armor and everything.” I mumbled.

“I’m just teasing you.” Noctra jabbed me lightly in the foreleg.

“I’m sorry, tonight’s not really the night to tease like that. Cloudchaser and I had a huge fight, and I’m pretty sure she’s against the idea of adopting.” I said.

“Wanna talk about it?” Noctra asked raising an upside down eyebrow at me, making me laugh.

“You won’t leave until I do, will you?” I asked rhetorically.

“Nope.” Noctra grinned.

Cloudchaser could hardly believe what she was about to do, she needed to see him though. She knew she was probably the last pony he wanted to see, but she felt the need to talk to him. The door was partially open, a glimmer of light streaming through the small space between the door and it’s framework.

“So she left you all alone?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

Cloudchaser felt her heart stop, she could tell it was a mare’s voice in the room. It didn’t belong to any friend she knew of though. Fearing the worst, she braced herself and peeked in through the small opening, covering her mouth with her hoof at the sight before her.

Her coltfriend was getting awfully close to some…some…bat hussy! No, this had to be a misunderstanding; he would never do this, not Daniel! Cloudchaser clung to this hope as she watched the bat pony’s muzzle grow closer to his.

Push her away...please...push her away... Cloudchaser thought, her heart slowly falling apart.

“She wouldn’t understand my reasoning.” Daniel looked away from the other mare, a hoof slowly caressing his cheek and mane.

“I do...” the bat pony said, pulling Daniel into a passionate kiss.

Cloudchaser whimpered as warm tears matted her fur. She no longer saw her coltfriend, but a cruel, twisted reflection of her past lover. The mare cried out in agony, from a pain that no drug or medicine could cure.

“We believe this nightmare has run its course.” echoed a voice.

Through clouded eyes, she watched the world around her dissolve and rapidly flow into itself, like water running down the drain of a sink or tub, leaving behind a void. She did her best to wipe away her tears, finding herself in complete darkness now. There was no light, only what Cloudchaser cloud assume was some form of solid ground or a floor beneath her.

“H-hello?” Cloudchaser called out with a shaky voice.

“Greetings,” Luna replied, her horn illuminating the darkness. “Do not be afraid.”

“Princess Luna...where are we?” Cloudchaser asked hesitantly.

“Your subconscious, or a part of it, anyways.” Luna looked around the darkness.

“There’s nothing here anymore...am I dead!?” Cloudchaser gasped.

“No, we have simply removed your dream. You're still very much alive." Luna chuckled at the mare's distress.

"Oh...o-okay, but what are you doing here, Princess? Not that I'm ungrateful you got rid of that nightmare or anything." Cloudchaser smiled nervously.

"We believe an explanation is in order," Luna said, continuing her observations of the void, her muzzle turning up in a smile as she looked in one direction and started to walk towards the empty space. "Come, there's something you should see."

Cloudchaser followed Luna towards the empty void, only to reappear in what looked like a space filled with doors, suspended in midair, out of instinct Cloudchaser's wings began to work of their own accord to keep her suspended amidst the confusion.

"You're still dreaming Cloudchaser, there's no need to be afraid of falling." Luna giggled.

Cloudchaser cautiously willed her wings to stop, and found herself floating slowly to a floor that could not be seen, only acknowledged. It was weird seeing so many doors out of place with no discernable frame of reference of what they held behind them.

"You stand in the dream way, few ponies, save for those close to the royal family, have ever laid eyes upon this realm." Luna said walking away.

"So, why are you showing me this then?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Because the stallion you are bonded to is a close friend." Luna said stopping in front of a door that was taller than the others, save for the one next to it.

"Is that-" Cloudchaser pointed at the dark blue door.

"This door leads into Daniel's subconscious. For one night only, we are offering you the chance to see what he sees, feel what he feels. This is not an offer to be taken lightly..." Luna warned.

"....I need to know....this thing with Scootaloo tonight, how much more is he hiding from me?" Cloudchaser looked up at the night princess.

"So be it...remember, these are his thoughts, not yours." Luna said with a nod as the door opened to a blinding light.

Cloudchaser blinked a few times, the light fading to a more tolerable level. The room she found herself in was huge, odd pictures with funny lines and symbols hung from the walls. From the window she could see a series of buildings and fast moving objects on an odd black and white surface below.

"Well, the results for you and your wife came back." a deep voice said, catching Cloudchaser's attention. "To be honest, I'm not sure which news I should give you first."

A creature that looked like Daniel sat behind a desk with a white coat on, she had seen the doctors wear something similar in the hospital. Cloudchaser remembered what Luna had told her, and sat in silence, realizing that she was a spectator in this world.

"Is it that bad?" Daniel asked, not the pegasus she had grown used to, but the human she remembered walking high above the other ponies. He looked younger, but his expression and eyes revealed a sense of fear and dread. HE wasn’t alone either, seated beside him was a human mare, her hand wrapped around his.

"I wouldn't call it bad...but it's not good either. Your wife is fine, it's you that has the, uh, problem, if you will." the older human cleared his throat.

Cloudchaser felt heavy as she watched Daniel lean back in his seat. His eyes left the doctor's, becoming fixed on the desk as more weight continued to press against Cloudchaser. It was starting to hurt, she tried to move but was unable to without causing herself more harm in the process.

"Then how did-" the human seated beside Daniel started to ask.

"I'm not sure how you conceived the first time, but I am sorry that it ended the way it did. I've spoken with multiple couples that have endured a miscarriage and given enough time I would normally advise trying again. In your case though, with what I’ve seen today, I’m afraid it would be impossible to naturally have a child of your own....I’m sorry." the doctor apologized.

Cloudchaser's breath caught at the word miscarriage, not only because of the sudden realization of what was transpiring, but because at that instant the weight around her was squeezing the air from her lungs. She couldn't breathe, her body felt as if it would give out on her at any moment. Then, the weight lifted, the scene before her turning grey.

Cloudchaser sucked in huge lungsful of air. The sound of hooves falling against the floor made her ear twitch, but did little else to stir the mare from the resting position she had taken.

"Why....why did he never mention...anything about this." Cloudchaser panted as she slowly got to her hooves.

"You said it best, he keeps things to himself." Luna replied.

"How can he live with that? I thought I was going to die!" Cloudchaser exclaimed.

"It is as we said, you would feel what he feels. He has told few ponies about this portion of his life," Luna gently rubbed Cloudchaser's back to calm the mare down. "Do you wish to continue?"

Cloudchaser stared at the frozen image of Daniel in silence, debating a tactical retreat from the horror she had just experienced, but she came for answers, and she wasn't ready to back down just yet. She was now curious as to how he held it together after keeping that bottled up inside for so long.

"Yes, I need to." she replied.

"So be it..." Luna said as the same blinding light emanated from her horn, before growing into a large wave that engulfed the room.

Cloudchaser knew what to expect this time, what she didn't expect was where she would end up next in her coltfriend's mind. Her question was soon answered as a cold chill crept up her spine, the temperature around her suddenly dropping. It felt like winter, and unsurprisingly she found herself in a blurry version of Ponyville.

"What's..." Cloudchaser tilted her head in confusion.

"Sometimes memories become focused on other things, other details becoming more relevant than that of the scenery," Luna spoke up, taking her by surprise. "A thousand pardons, but we thought it best to keep a closer eye on you after your last experience."

"No kidding..." Cloudchaser mumbled, walking through the soft snow.

The pegasus looked around, her expression falling as she explored this new memory. She shivered occasionally, the cold nipping at her bare coat.

"You seem disappointed." Luna said.

"I was hoping to find out how he got rid of that pain....I can't accept the fact that he's just been carrying it." Cloudchaser sighed.

"That is something for you to ask him about." for a second, Cloudchaser thought she saw a smile crack across the princess' muzzle.

The sound of a filly crying made Cloudchaser's ears twitch. It was a distinct sound that made her heart twist. Right now though, she wasn't sure who's emotions she was feeling; her own, or Daniel's....where was he anyways?

“Scoots, are you okay?” Daniel asked.

Cloudchaser and Luna followed the voice, the pegasus displaying a bit more enthusiasm than the alicorn. Luna knew what was going to happen next, she had seen what was about to happen already transpire in his memories.

As Cloudchaser rounded the corner she came to a sudden stop. Daniel and Minuette were beside a sobbing Scootaloo. A new feeling was beginning to creep over the mare now, almost like the first time, but softer.

“N-no.” Scootaloo mumbled, trying to wipe the warm tears from her eyes with her hooves.

“Can you tell us what happened?” she heard Daniel ask.

Cloudchaser understood this sensation now, compassion. It felt a bit different than when she would express it towards another pony. They both experienced the same things, but the sensations were different somehow.

“I-she-took it-and then it broke.” Scootaloo replied in between sobs.

Cloudchaser watched as Daniel dug through a pile of tools that appeared to have been knocked over somehow. As he removed the tools from their pile, he pulled something to the side, no two things, that didn't seem to fit with the rubble.

It took Cloudchaser a minute to recognize what it was, but when she did, her ears drooped. It was the little filly's scooter. Scootaloo's sobbing picked up in volume and intensity as she saw what had become of her most prized possession.

“I’m sorry Scoots, I can try to fix it. The important thing is that you’re okay.” Daniel said.

“No,” Scootaloo shouted darting away from Minuette, only to slam into his stomach, her forelegs stretched out as far as they would go. “It’s not gonn-a-be-okay! C-cause I’m go-nna have to m-move away and then-and then I’ll never see anypony again! Because I'm different!” Scootaloo cried, burying her face in his jacket as she sobbed.

Cloudchaser's hind legs lost their will to stand as she watched the human hold the sobbing filly. She felt the beginnings of a tear forming at the corner of her eye, but blinked it away before she lost control.

"Why did you agree to show me this?" Cloudchaser turned her head to Luna.

"It is our duty to help guide our little ponies. You are not the first that we have visited, nor will you be the last." Luna smiled.

"I was just mad, I mean, I want him to be all of those things. I don't want him to end up being like...my nightmare." Cloudchaser shivered, lowering her head.

"We know all too well the consequences that come as a result of acting out of rage," Luna said, placing a hoof on Cloudchaser's shoulder. "What you fear is completely avoidable, but he needs you for that."

"He's been a walking tank most of his life, what difference do I make?" Cloudchaser asked.

Luna chuckled "As stated before, there are some things you will have to ask him about and discover for yourself, and even tanks can develop cracks in their armor."

Cloudchaser knew what she needed to do. She was still going to have a looooong talk with Daniel about a multitude of topics, but she needed to get to him first.

"It's almost morning, in the end the decision is yours....good luck." Luna's words came as a whisper as the world went dark without warning.

"What do you mean don't bother!?" Isabella shouted, dragging Cloudchaser from her dreams.

"I'm saying, he left!" Rainbow Dash huffed.

"Wait...who left?" Cloudchaser asked rubbing her eyes.

"Your lousy coltfriend, who else? He gets worried over some stupid competition and tucks his tail between his legs like a coward!" Rainbow Dash fumed.

"He left!?" Cloudchaser exclaimed, jumping out of the bed.

"Yeah, soon he'll be on his way back to Ponyville." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh no oh no oh no!" Cloudchaser began to pace, trying to formulate some kind of plan.

"Whoa, easy there," Isabella picked the mare up, her legs continuing their walking motion. "I know it sucks, but you're making it sound like this is life or death." Isabella gave Cloudchaser a concerned look.

Cloudchaser bit her lip. "I...I told him to lose today. In our fight, I told him that if he loved me, he'd lose."

All eyes were on Cloudchaser now, awaiting an explanation. The mare caved, having been informed that he coltfriend would no longer be in the city soon.

"I was so mad at him, I was afraid he'd break more promises like Thunderlane did. I wasn't thinking straight, but all the things I wanted from him just came out wrong. I like the gentle spirit he has, and I want him to love me more than some stupid random mares..." Cloudchaser mumbled the last part of her sentence, her nightmare still vividly running through her mind.

"I don't want him to lose his chance with Scootaloo either. The whole adoption thing was just kind of dropped on me so suddenly, on top of the drinking incident." Cloudchaser sighed.

Isabella slammed her palm against her forehead. Rainbow Dash and Sunrise looked more than a little stunned at the news. This made Cloudchaser worry immensely as the human started mumbling something and shaking her head.

"Was I wrong?" Cloudchaser asked.

"I-I didn't know anything about it!" Sunrise stammered.

"That was the idea, he wanted to keep it a surprise." Isabella said exasperatedly.

"You serious?" Rainbow Dash was suddenly in Cloudchaser's personal space, blocking the others from her view. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy at the news.

"That's what he told me," Cloudchaser replied, backing away from the mare, turning to face Isabella. “I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner.”

Isabella took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out through her mouth. “I can’t say I’m pleased with what you did, but we’ve all done and said things we regret, myself included.”

“If I could take back what I said I would. I wish there was some way to talk him out of leaving, but there’s no way to catch him before the train gets here.” Cloudchaser sulked.

“Hellooo, did you forget who you’re friends with?” Rainbow Dash grinned, who was joined by Sunrise and Isabella.

Cloudchaser smiled, Princess Luna had been right. She knew what she had to do now, and she had a few good friends to help make it happen. She only hoped it wasn’t too late to undo the damage that had been done.

“Okay, here’s the plan.”

Rainbow Dash, Sunrise and Cloudchaser spotted their target easily enough. It was a two pony cart, currently both of the stallions that were responsible for the cart seemed occupied with their break, making it ripe for the taking, or “borrowing” as Rainbow Dash had reworded it. After all, it wasn't like they weren't going to pay for it.

Faster than the two earth ponies could react, Sunrise and Rainbow Dash flew around them, and into the straps that connected them to the cart. The two stallions stood dumbfounded as they watched Cloudchaser fly into the moving cart, dropping a bag of bits as they sped away.

“Uh….what do we do?” one stallion finally spoke up.

“I don't know...crazy mares.” The other replied.

Elsewhere, Isabella knocked on the door to Fluttershy’s room, at least she hoped it was Fluttershy’s room anyways. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the best with directions, Isabella feared that also applied to room numbers as well. Why Fluttershy had opted to stay with Rainbow Dash and her team instead of the others was beyond her, but at least she wasn't having to sneak past guards. She wasn’t seeking the shy pegasus for her part, however. She needed somepony else for her part of the plan, one that wasn't too far away from the animal lover.

“Hey, open up ya walking jigsaw puzzle! I know you're in there!” Isabella shouted.

“I’ll have you know that I’m quite smooth, in terms of texture,” Discord said appearing behind her. “It was my understanding you were going to stop with the witty remarks.”

“I had to get your attention. Do you want to be a hero this morning or not?” Isabella asked.

“A hero you say? How so?” Discord raised one of his fuzzy eyebrows.

“We need a little chaos.” Isabella replied, making the draconequus smile.

“How much further? I thought you said this was a short cut.” Sunrise said, looking over at Rainbow Dash.

“It is. The station should be right around….here!” Rainbow Dash shouted excitedly, speeding towards the crowded station.

“ Look out, pardon us, coming through!” Cloudchaser shouted, giving the other ponies fair warning to get out of the way.

“There he is!” Sunrise gestured with her head towards a blue pegasus stallion, with an odd cutie mark.

The two mares picked up speed as they saw him headed towards the train door. Daniel was with his normal group, each wearing an expression of indifference, most likely about the idea of leaving without racing.

Cloudchaser leaned over the edge of the cart, forelegs spread wide as they drew closer. The surprised screams of the other ponies on the train station dock alerted him to their presence. Daniel mouthed something just before being snatched up by the mare, his saddle bags hitting the bottom of the cart and spilling their contents.

“Cloudchaser!?” I looked up at the mare on top of my chest in surprise.

“Sorry about this, but we have to get you to that track.” Cloudchaser smiled.

“I thought you were mad at me? I thought you wanted me to-” I felt a hoof press against my lips.

“I know what I said, and you’re right, I was mad. We’re still going to have a very long talk after this is all over, but right now you need to get out there and do what you do best.” Cloudchaser replied, picking up the racing mask from the pile of belongings that had spilt from the saddle bag.

The mare slipped it over my head, adjusting my mane a bit once it was secure with a smile. “So….you’re not breaking up with me?” I asked.

“Dummy.” Cloudchaser sighed, wrapping her forelegs around my neck before pulling me into a kiss.

“I wish you mares would stop being so confusing.” I said after Cloudchaser pulled away, allowing me to put on the racing vest. “I don’t know how you intend to get me in, I already told them I forfeit. My name will be checked off.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Cloudchaser grinned smugly.

“I thought you said he withdrew!” an elderly pony shouted at two young stallions in charge of the betting charts.

“H-he did, I swear!” the youngest one stammered.

“Then why is his name printed on all of these!?” the older pony asked, pointing a hoof at a pile of brochures to be given out before the race. “Get his name back up on the board, and be quick about it!”

Discord snickered to himself as the ponies scrambled to correct the error he had created, for the greater good of course. It wasn’t as grand as he had hoped it would be, but getting to flex his chaotic muscle every now and then was amusing all the same.

“I like chaos, yes I do. I like chaos, how about you?~” Discord sang before disappearing in a pink cloud of smoke.

“Uh oh.” Rainbow Dash mumbled as both she and Sunrise brought the cart to a sudden stop.

Crowds of ponies were headed towards the track, causing a minor traffic jam. It was the end of the line for the cart, there was no way we would be getting through the massive group.

“Guess I’m going to have to fly the rest of the way.” I said, stretching my wings out.

“But you need to save your energy.” Cloudchaser placed a hoof against my chest to stop me.

“This will just be another warm up, I'll be fine. I'll see you there, okay?” I gently lowered her hoof from my chest.

“If you love me...you won’t lose today,” Cloudchaser said giving me a quick kiss. “Now go kick their flanks.”

“No pressure.” I smirked, leaving the cart behind.

I quickly gained altitude over the ponies below. Cloudchaser and her friends had come pretty close to making it all the way to the track, I could see it easily without climbing too high into the air. I took off towards my destination at half speed, not wanting to wear myself out before the race.

The distance between myself and the track closed rapidly. The noise from the crowd led me to believe it was getting close to starting time, which gave me an idea. I wanted to make a dynamic entrance, something that, until I came to Equestria, was impossible to do.

I went into a dive, after spotting the coordinator, who was speaking with my sister and another pegasus. He resembled Flicker, a rather snobby elitist that thought he was God’s gift to this world. As I got closer I cloud see my sister steadily getting madder as she glared at the stallion; she must have been trying to stall for time.

Okay, let’s give the dynamic entry a try. I smiled as I unfurled my wings.

I landed in between Isabella and Flicker, my sudden appearance causing him to take a few steps back. I heard the crowd cheer a bit, due to my arrival, stylish entry, or simply that the race could finally start I wasn’t sure.

“Oh, don’t mind me, please continue.” I smiled at Flicker, who was much smaller than me.

“Nice entry, very ironman-esque with the whole sudden drop in thing.” Isabella said.

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to do that.” I grinned. “Thanks for keeping them busy.”

“Just don’t come in last.” Isabella waved her hand dismissively as she walked towards the seats.
I took my position on the starting line, which was next to the pony that had appeared to have been harassing my sister before I landed. I didn’t care for Flicker, he was your typical jerk with a larger than life sense of entitlement. As a human I had never been able to say or do anything about it, but now that we were on the same track, that distance I had to cover beforehand was hardly noticeable.

“So, what were you saying to my sister, Flicker?” I asked, as he took his place beside me.

“That incompetent creature is your sister?” Flicker’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

I didn’t get to reply before a loud bang pieced the crowd’s cheers, the noise triggering me to take off from the starting line and into the air. I owed Lean Streak a great deal for teaching me about pacing, among other things he had taken the time to bestow upon me.

I looked behind me and saw Flicker falling back to fourth. For all his big talk he didn’t have much power to back it up. I felt a smile spread across my muzzle as I continued to put distance between us. I was going to enjoy this race, without a doubt.

A gold medal hung around my neck, reflecting in the brilliant moonlight as Cloudchaser and I walked home in relative silence, now that we were alone. Even though we had started to make peace things still felt off, like something needed to be said or done, but I didn’t know what. Evidently, she felt the same way too.

I let out a tired sigh as I pushed open the door to my house. I slung the medal over the back of the couch, tired of having the bulky thing around my neck all day, as well as the entire trip home. Rainbow Dash made me keep it on, since she knew about Scootaloo now, I was inclined to do so for the sake of keeping the news from the filly one more day.

“Um, look…about last night,” I said as Cloudchaser closed the door. “I should have left when I saw him, but I’m stupid when it comes to stuff like that.” I sat on my haunches.

“You don’t have to fight battles like that on your own.” Cloudchaser said.

“I know.” I sighed, starting to lean my head down in shame, only to feel it rise up against my will as Cloudchaser nuzzled her head beneath mine and into my neck. Of all the things she did, that made my heart melt the quickest.

“You know, I never did get that dance.” Cloudchaser whispered as she leaned into my chest.

“There’s no time like the present.” I said, smiling as her eyes met mine when she pulled away to face me. They sparkled as the light from the kitchen reflected off them, creating two beautiful, shining pools of light rose in the dark living room.

“I’ve never done it before.” Cloudchaser blushed.

“Neither have I. So...shall we dance?”

Author's Note

Not sure how the whole feeling pain in dreams will work out in the mlp universe, but I'm inclined to think they experience some form of stimulation from the episode where Applebloom was shocked in her dream....also, magic reasons?

Bat ponies have started to grow on me, like, a lot. :moustache:

Puzzle Pieces

Track Pace stared down at the schedualing, and roster charts on his desk. He didn't know how to tell Daniel the news about who he'd be up against. On paper he was faster, stronger, and had the training to make Daniel look like a foal in comparison.

A knock on the door frame caused the unicorn to jump, scattering the papers he had been looking at. Her turned around to see Filthy Rich, the businesspony was surprisingly nice to be around, unlike his former employer, who he realized had just been cruel and manipulative.

"Sorry," Filthy Rich apologized. "But you've been staring at those same papers for a while now. A bit for your thoughts?"

"It's our stallion's next race....take a wild guess who's going to be there." Track Pace replied.

"Thunderlane." Filthy Rich said.

"Yep," Track Pace sighed. "Things don't look good. He's pulled off miracles, but I don't know about this one."

"He'll be fine. Speaking of, where is he anyways?" Filthy Rich asked.

"Lean Streak wasn't feeling too hot this morning, so he gave him the day. Probably just a twenty four hour bug." Track Pace shrugged.

"Ah," Filthy Rich shrugged. "As far as how to tell him, be tactful about it. I wouldn't mention stats unless he asks for them."

Track Pace nodded in silent agreement. The last thing they needed was the seed of doubt being planted inside Daniel's head before he even went out against the fellow racer from Ponyville.

"Hold on, so you're afraid of snakes, but you kept an eel for a pet?" Cloudchaser leaned against me as we walked along the coble stone path that bordered a small pond near the park.

"It was a brackish water eel, they're pretty docile, and I really liked fish," I rolled my eyes. "My friend killed it on accident sadly, even though I left instructions that a toddle-I mean foal, could understand."

"I bet that sucked." Cloudchaser said.

"I was pretty mad." I sighed.

We stopped at a bench, deciding to take a break from our little stroll. I had been doing my best to make more time for her in my life. While it was crummy Lean Streak was sick, it did give us the opportunity to spend a little time together.

"Can I ask you something?" Cloudchaser looked up at me.

"Sure." I shrugged.

"What made you want to adopt Scootaloo?" Cloudchaser almost whispered.

“Well, I've always wanted to be a dad. When Earth was my home, I never considered adoption, and after my wife and I split, I just lost confidence in myself and gave up...then I bumped into her." I said, as the events that led up to that fateful winter decision replayed in my mind.

Cloudchaser's eyes were focused on me. She was hard to read at the moment, keeping a neutral expression that left me feeling vulnerable. Last time she had taken the news poorly, perhaps this time she was at least keeping an open mind to it?

"Scootaloo's stronger than other ponies give her credit for. She's been my little buddy before I considered adopting her." I smiled.

"Is that why you asked me if I thought you'd be a good dad that night?" Cloudchaser leaned her head against me.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to tell you yet." I replied.

Cloudchaser went quiet, the only sound present was the gentle breeze that rustled the leafs in the trees that towered above us. I looked down at her, wondering what was running through her mind as the silence between us drug on. I didn't know what to say, or if I should say anything at all.

"Do you think I would be a good mom?" Cloudchaser asked as she looked up at me once more with a smile.

"Uh..." I was caught off guard by her question, my brain left in a rather stupefied state.

"Really now?" Cloudchaser tilted her head to the side, cocking an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

"I mean, yes! I think you would make a great mom!" I managed to get out with a nervous laugh.

"Uh huh, sure....seriously though..." Cloudchaser's expression shifted to one that conveyed the sincerity of her previous question.

"Yes, I think you would, really." I wrapped a wing around her, smiling as she scooted closer to me.

"I've taken care of Rumble even before Thunderlane and I were dating. Scootaloo would be a whole new experience. I guess it's a step up, going from a foal sitter to a parent." Cloudchaser said.

"So...."

"Yes, I'm okay with Scootaloo being a part of our lives. Next time you want to do something this big though, let me know before hoof. Not saying that I wouldn't say yes, but I'd like a little more heads up, ya big dummy." Cloudchaser nuzzled me affectionately.

We sat in silence once more, quietly observing the scenery around us. As a human, I would have found this activity boring after a while unless I was doing something constructive with my time.

All of the sudden Cloudchaser's ears perked up, her head jolting away from my body as if it were a hot pan on the stove. "Hey, that night at the party, your first party here you never told me what your other name was!"

"Huh...I guess I never did tell anypony what my last name is. It's lame and boring though." I shrugged.

"Pleeease?" Cloudchaser placed her forehooves against my chest as she pleaded.

"Okay," I relented with a laugh. "My last name is Walker."

"Walker...it suits you...I like it." Cloudchaser pressed her hooves together as her eyes broke contact with mine. She seemed to be in deep thought about something, smiling as she looked back up at me.

"Something on your mind?" I asked.

"It's nothing," Cloudchaser replied with a kiss. "I love you, Daniel Walker."

Start Sprint sighed as he watched Scootaloo from the other side of the playground. He didn't know how to talk to her, or how to explain this weird feeling he got when he saw her. Whenever he would start to say something he would become nervous and trip over his words, and occasionally himself.

"Somepony's down in the dumps." Button Mash poked Star Sprint in the side.

"Oh, hey Button..." the colt did his best to fake a smile.

"Wha'cha doing all the way out here?" his friend sat down beside him, scanning the playground for anything unusual or amiss.

"Nothing...hey, Button, you like Sweetie Belle, right?" Star Sprint asked.

"W-well, kind of...I mean...yeah, why?" Button asked in return.

"I think I have a crush on somepony." Star Sprint confessed.

"Well who is she?" Button Mash seemed a little too excited, making Star Sprint nervous.

"Uh...uh...i-it's S-Scootaloo." the unicorn squeaked out.

"REALLY?" Button's smile had never been bigger than it was right now.

Star Sprint nodded. The colt looked down at the grass in defeat, however. He felt-no, knew, that it would be impossible to get her attention with all the other classmates around her. From what he understood, she was close friends with a princess, what did he possibly have to offer next to that?

Button's smile faded as he picked up on his friend's distress. He hated seeing Star Sprint in such poor spirits. He wasn’t about to let him wallow in misery all day, and quickly made up his mind about what to do.

“C’mon.” Button forced his friend to his hooves with a firm shove to the flank. The earth colt continued to push his reluctant friend towards the CMC, as he tried to dig his hooves into the ground.

“Button, stop!” Star Sprint protested, his plea going unheeded.

A small mound of dirt had gathered around Star Sprint’s forehooves, two lines in the ground indicating the path they had taken. The unicorn colt started to get the funny feeling in his stomach once more when he saw Scootaloo turn her head in their direction.

“Hey Button Mash, hey Star Sprint.” Sweetie Belle chirped happily.

“Hi guys, what’s up?” Button Mash put on a calm, confident front.

“Nuthin’ much, just chill’n.” Apple Bloom replied with a shrug.

“Since when do you say chill’n?” Scootaloo asked.

“It ain’t like Ah can’t say it.” Apple Bloom replied.

“Fair point.” Scootaloo said, practically oblivious now to the nervous colt roughly a foot from her.

Button Mash nudged Start Sprint, trying to encourage him to say something. He hadn’t spoken at all, seemingly petrified by fear of what Scootaloo might say or do about…what exactly Button wasn’t sure, but his friend had to get over his fear.

“Um…h-hi, S-Scootaloo.” Star Sprint stammered.

“Oh, hey Star Sprint, are you feeling okay?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine, he just wanted to ask you a question about a scooter problem, right?” Button Mash recovered for the fumbling colt, thinking up an excuse as quickly as he could.

“Um, okay, what’s up?” Scootaloo now gave Star Sprint her undivided attention, clearly pleased with the topic.

“Well, I was wondering how to...get a little more speed.” The colt smiled nervously.

“I’d have to look at it, most of my speed comes from my wings,” Scootaloo gave her small wings a quick buzz as a demonstration. “I bet your magic could help out, c’mon, let’s go see what we’re working with.”

Star Sprint smiled, receiving a wink from Button Mash, as he followed the tangerine filly to where their scooters were located. The feeling he had experienced moments ago was fading, as the two walked side by side.

I let out a happy sigh as I pushed open the door to my house. Being alone again was pretty neat, though that hopefully wouldn’t last for long. I still had Cloudchaser to think about, and after today I felt like it was getting close to time to put the final piece of the puzzle in place. To think, all of this was brought about by an accident.

I smiled as I thought of Discord, even though he probably had no intention of me actually finding love in this strange world, it was because of him all the same. With that in mind it was kind of hard to stay mad at him now. He would play it off, and probably try to think of some outlandish prank to make me change my opinion of him.

I was just about to head to my room, when a knock came from the door. I assumed it was Mike or Ike coming to tell me Lean Streak wanted to get in a quick practice session, despite being ill and already telling me to go enjoy the day.

“What’s up…guys?” I cocked an eyebrow at the strange unicorn standing at my front door.

She had her blond mane done up in a bun, the very tip of her horn poking through it. Her coat was grey which I found to be an odd color for a unicorn, but pushed past it. The mare wore a rather expensive looking suit with a pair of thin wire glasses that gave her a very official and important appearance.

“Um…hi?” I was unsure what else to say as a pen quickly scribbled down notes.

“Greetings, my name is Pristine Spotter, you must be Daniel?” the mare looked away from her notes, giving me a rather bored look.

“Uh, yes ma’am. Can I help you?” I asked.

“You are the stallion interested in adopting a filly by the name of Scootaloo yes? Surely you were informed I would be stopping by to check on the premises.” Pristine replied.

“Ooh, okay, I remember now…I wasn’t expecting you.” I stepped aside allowing her in.

“That’s the idea, it wouldn’t be a fair assessment if you knew I was coming.” Pristine replied with a huff.

The mare looked around the living room, her poker face was impossible to read now. I was unsure what to do with myself, other than follow the mare and try to guess what she was thinking.

"How long have you been living in Ponyville?" Pristine asked.

"Coming up on a year soon." I replied.

"I see..." the mare said as she proceeded to the kitchen, which thankfully was in decent shape. The lack of dirty dishes in the sink put my mind at ease; at least she couldn't say I was a slob. I owed that to my mother's discipline, and silently thanked her as the inspector continued the unannounced, self-guided tour of my home.

"What is it you do for a living, Daniel." Pristine asked, poking at the Nintendo sixty four like the unknown alien device it was.

"I'm a racer, ma'am." I replied.

"Uh huh, so that means you're required to be away from home frequently, correct?" the inspector looked at me over her glasses.

"Yes, but-"

"Which makes me wonder how you'd be able to keep up with a filly with development problems." Pristine said.

I nearly lost my cool when she labeled Scootaloo. Tender Care had been right, I thought filling out papers was bad, but this mare and her attitude took the cake. It was as if she was just trying to get under my skin, and was doing a damn good job at it.

"You see, it's not all about bits. It's being there for your potential daughter. On that note, how did you become a pegasus to begin with, there's only one Daniel in the citizen's registry, and he's classified as one of two humans." Pristine tilted her head inquisitively.

Talking to this mare felt like taking a test I couldn't study for. It didn't feel fair in the least, some of her questions were getting personal now, and I didn't like where she was treading.

"It was a magic accident," I said, noting her smug smirk as she jotted something down. I couldn't take any more after catching that. "Thing is though, I think it was meant to happen."

The unicorn's pen stopped moving. Pristine cocked an eyebrow at me, her face one of bewilderment. Once I was sure I had her attention, I put on my best fake smile before continuing.

"I thought it would stink at first, getting used to doing everything differently. Then I got a new job, I bonded with the most beautiful mare in Equestria, and made a ton of new friends. Now I've got some prissy unicorn from Celestia knows where, smirking as she writes me up due to my occupation when there's tons of other parents with their own children who pay foal sitters." I did my best to keep a calm, level voice.

Pristine remained silent, staring at me. She eventually straightened her glasses a bit, reforming the sphinx like expression on her muzzle.

"I am far from a prissy unicorn. I take my job seriously because I was once like Scootaloo, orphaned, and alone. As strong as I'm sure you'd like to believe you are, you can't do everything by yourself." Pristine said.

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I couldn't be everywhere or do everything at once. I did my best to mask the feeling of defeat that fell over me that came with this realization.

"I'll be back in a few weeks, I'll reserve my decision until then. Oh, and you might look into getting a character recommendation, from somepony other than a family member." Pristine wrote something else down before leaving me to my thoughts, none of them good.

I didn't care for the mare, even with her sob story of being like Scootaloo that didn't give her the right to label me as an inadequate adult. The way she so casually called her a filly with developmental issues didn't sit well with me. Her wings might not work right, but that didn't matter to me.

Anger slowly won over my self-control, resulting in a rearranged sofa that came within inches of being slammed into the T.V. I didn't know my own strength, and felt a little guilty after unleashing my frustration.

Her words shouldn't have affected me like they had, but I couldn't help it. I felt insulted in my own home, and had lashed out, a thought that made me feel even worse about the entire situation.

I groaned at the sound of another knock at the door, fearing that she had heard my little outburst. If she had, that would be the end of any chance I had at adopting Scootaloo for sure. She’d assume I was a hot head and probably put me on some sort of watch list.

“Look if you-oh, hey Mike, Ike.” I said, pleasantly surprised, and thankful it was only those two at my door.

“We need to talk with you about something, it’s important.” Mike said, fidgeting a bit.

“How long has he been like this?” I asked looking at my mentor through the glass window of his hospital room.

“Two, three hours maybe. He thought it was just your everyday sickness…” Ike said.

“Do they know what it is yet?” I let out a defeated sigh, feeling helpless.

“They’re still waiting for the test to come back. He asked to see you when he got here.” Mike said resting a hoof on my shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks guys. I’ll be back out in a minute.” I slowly opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I could hear Lean’ Streak’s heavy breathing from within, occasionally in sync with the heart monitor. The thought of losing him briefly entered my mind, but I shoved it away. He was too strong a stallion for something like an illness to claim him.

“Hey old timer, what are you doing in bed?” I asked as his eyes opened.

“Heh, old timer...funny how life gives us reality checks.” Lean Streak chuckled softly.

“Have they told you anything?” I hopped into the chair to the right of the bed.

“Something with my respiratory system...don’t know if that means anything to you.” Lean Streak’s eyes followed me.

“If I had more info it would, I used to work in the medical field before I came to Equestria. More on the technical side, but I knew enough.” I shrugged.

“Just my luck.” Lean Streak sighed.

It was hard to see the stallion that I had come to view as my surrogate father in this world in a hospital bed. He still seemed to be in fit condition, for a stallion his age. I noticed him reaching for the plastic water pitcher they had set on the small table beside the bed and rose from my seat.

“I’ve got you.” I said, pouring him a cup of water.

Lean Streak silently nodded his thanks, sipping the water slowly. This was just one more reminder that even in Equestria, things weren’t always sunshine and rainbows.

“They tell you who you’re up against this time?” Lean Streak asked.

“No, I figure it’s a bunch of newbies, maybe one or two decent racers.” I replied.

“Your good pal Sky Mark’s going to be there...you’re headed back to Las Pegasus. You know what that means, don’t you?” Lean Streak raised an eyebrow at me.

“Thunderlane’s going to be there.” I huffed.

“Yep, which is why I’m asking you now to forget about him,” Lean Streak looked as if he wanted to stand, but lacked the energy to do so. “Don’t let him in your head.”

“What about you? Are you going to be okay?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about me, don’t cry, don’t sob, and if you send me flowers so help me-“ Lean Streak tried to finish, but started coughing from getting worked up.

I flew to his side, the coughing fit lasting only a few seconds. Those few seconds were all it took to get the attention of the nearby nurses. They ushered me out before I could say anything else to him. One of the nurses pulled the curtain over the glass window, shrouding the interior of the room from view.

I stood outside, feeling like a lost puppy. Going back to Las Pegasus without Lean Streak didn’t feel right. He had been a pretty big factor in my success so far.

“Don’t get scared, get angry.” I whispered to myself.

I left the IC wing, hoping for the best. Lean Streak seemed like he was going to be fine, but if Earth had taught me anything, it was that tomorrow was never guaranteed. I shook the depressing thought from my mind, not wanting to dwell on death in this world.

I heard the door open to my house, the fall of her hooves distinct to me from everypony else's now. I assumed I would notice other things as time went on that were unique traits only to Cloudchaser.

"Hey big guy, you okay?" the mare asked joining me on the couch.

"Yeah, just upset that Lean Streak's down. I feel like I need him there, you know?" I replied.

"I know the feeling," Cloudchaser said, stroking my mane soothingly. "He'll be with you in spirit though."

"I know...on top of that, I caught crap from the inspector." I grumbled.

"It's not going to stop the adoption is it?" Cloudchaser stopped petting me, a worried look on my face.

"She's making the case that because of my occupation I wouldn't be home enough, and asking for character references. " I rolled my eyes as I mocked her voice.

"Ponyfeathers, Filthy Rich takes off all the time and leaves a foal sitter for Diamond Tiara." Cloudchaser vented.

After all that had happened, it felt good to know I still had one pony on my side through all of this. Rarity's question kept running through my mind, pushing itself to the front of my thoughts more frequently as the days passed. She had told me to trust my instincts; maybe they were telling me it was time.

Even after spending a few months as a pegasus, it was still weird to my human way of thinking to accept the flow of some things. I could only describe what I was feeling as a second person, or pony, guiding me. Humans had a conscience, sure, but that paled in comparison to this.

"Hey," Cloudchase's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Think I could come in Lean Streak's place?"

"You know who will be there." I said, fighting back a smile as I anticipated her answer.

"I know, but I'm with you now. Seeing him again isn't going to change anything." Cloudchaser pushed me down onto the couch with her forelegs, standing over me with a coy grin.

"So you're going to be my good luck charm then?" I wrapped a foreleg gently around her neck, encouraging her down to my level.

"I'm going as your marefriend, your partner." Cloudchaser draped her wings around us as we kissed, forming a small canopy of feathers.

"Promise you won't hate me if I lose?" I asked.

"You've grown on me too much by now," Cloudchaser teased. "Losing won't make me love you less, dummy."

Cloudchaser hummed in delight as I pulled her closer to me. her wings folding in slightly, but remaining draped over me. Her head found her favorite spot beneath mine in my neck, making me smile as she nuzzled, and snuggled on top of me affectionately until she was comfortable.

"I could fall asleep like this..." Cloudchaser sighed.

"So could I..." I said, draping a wing over her.

"Want to?" Cloudchaser giggled.

"I don't really want to move right now...but I should probably get the lights." I chuckled.

Cloudchaser let out a little whine, displeased with my logic. Reluctantly, she removed herself from my stomach, allowing me to quickly deal with the lights in the house. Once I returned to the couch I was almost immediately glomped in a loving embrace, one I happily submitted to.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" my curiosity was getting the better of me again.

"Mmhmm." Cloudchaser hummed happily.

"Why do you like to nuzzle you head into my neck so much? It's not that I don't like it, I like it a lot actually, I was just curious." I smiled nervously.

"You don't know a whole lot about mare anatomy, other than what you think counts huh?" Cloudchaser cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, I don't think about that all the time." I huffed.

"Mmhmm, if you say so. Anyways, remember when I insisted on sleeping with you your first night back, and was really snuggly?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"It has to do with scents. All mares rub their heads against their stallions. It's basically marking you as ours, so other mares will keep their hooves off you. I just like that area in particular because....I feel safe, especially when you wrap your wings around me." Cloudchaser blushed.

"This is going to sound really sappy, but it always makes me feel a little stronger when you do. Kind of hard to explain why, I feel like I could stop the world if I had to." I smiled.

"You're right, that is sappy," Cloudchaser giggled before snuggling against me. "As sweet as syrup though."

"Goodnight, Cloudchaser." I said, wrapping my forelegs and wings around her, smiling as I heard her coo in delight.

"Goodnight, Daniel Walker." the mare seemed to be enjoying using my last name when she could, I was okay with this. It was actually refreshing to be addressed by my full name after going only by my first for so long.

My mind was caught somewhere between wanting to run free with my thoughts, and simply shut down for the night, curled up next to Cloudchaser. If given the chance, I would probably stay up all night dreading the outcome of my race against Thunderlane. Thankfully, the adorable mare beneath my wing saved me from my fearful thoughts.

A small smile was on her muzzle as she slept peacefully beside me. My thoughts shifted to what we had talked about earlier today, her question the most prominent one in my mind. Cloudchaser was a bit of a foal at heart, playful, funny, but serious when she needed to be.

“Yeah...you’d be a great mom.” I whispered, I swore I saw her smile grow a little.

Author's Note

Will Daniel be met with triumph, or failure? And what is to become of Lean Streak and Scootaloo? Only time (and the next chapter) will tell... :trollestia:

When Life Gives You Lemons

Las Pegasus, I was hoping I would never have to see this place again after what I had endured here. It was foolish thinking, life leads us to where we swear we'd never go sometimes. Besides, my occupation dictated what streets I would walk, and when.

I sat alone in the preparation room, staring at the mask Track Pace had given me. They had already come and gone, wishing me luck before what would easily be one of the most important races of my life, simply because of a certain stallion's presence on the track.

I hoped that, win or lose, this would put an end to whatever conflict there was between us. I knew that was a childish thought though, that sort of thing only happened in Disney movies. Thunderlane would probably hate me for the rest of our natural lives, which wasn't fair to Rumble or Scootaloo since the two seemed to have gotten along okay.

The sound of the heavy, metal door swinging open derailed my train of thought. I instinctively turned to see the stallion that had been on my mind the entire trip to this distasteful memory of a city, Thunderlane.

"So, here we are." Thunderlane said as the door slowly closed.

I didn't reply, bracing myself for whatever verbal lashing or stupid stunt he might have up his metaphorical sleeve. Surely he wouldn't try and make things go south before the race even started.

"I'm impressed Lean Streak didn't show up, didn't have the balls to watch his pupil fail?" Thunderlane asked.

"He's bedridden, Cloudchaser's here in his place." I replied.

"Yeah, I'd be sick too if I knew somepony I wasted my life on was about to lose to a real pegasus, and be reminded that he's only playing pretend." Thunderlane gritted his teeth as he mumbled the last part of his sentence.

"You need to let this go, Thunderlane. It's eating you for the inside out, don't you see that?" I asked.

"Nothing's eating me, it's called the pride of being a pegasus! A member of the warrior tribe of Equestria, with a proud heritage a fake like you runs through the mud!" Thunderlane snapped

"This isn't about me being a human before Discord's magic messed up. This is about Cloudchaser leaving you, I'm sorry things worked out the way they did, and you're right, I wasn't born a pegasus, but that doesn't change the fact that Twilight had to reverse the spell to save my life. Like it or not, I am one now." I stood my ground.

"No, you're a fake, and I'm going to show these ponies that. I don't know what she sees in you, but I'm going to break a little piece of it today. No matter what she's told you, no matter how intimate your pillow talk is, a pegasi mare is always looking for the strongest, and the fastest stallion." Thunderlane said.

"You're going to have to beat me then." no sooner had I spoke those words, a charcoal colored hoof slammed into a nearby locker, caving it in with a loud bang.

Thunderland slowly removed his hoof from the small crater he had caused and left the room. I would have been surprised, had I not only a day ago briefly relocated my couch from halfway across the living room. Still, the display was unsettling, and I now had a physical reference of how frustrated Thunderlane was at me.

I get the sinking feeling things are about to get bumpy. I thought to myself.

I waited a while longer before navigating the familiar tunnel towards the track. My mind danced back to my first race against Whitefire. The setting was similar, the atmosphere was just as tense, and were it not for Sky Mark and I being on such poor terms, I might go so far as to call this a trip down memory lane. It was shaping up to be a disaster waiting to happen.

Something was wrong, I could feel it as the bright sun light graced my eyes, while the roar of the crowd filled my ears. Mike and Ike came to greet me, it had become a kind of pre-race tradition. I was perhaps more thankful for their company now than I had ever been at any previous race.

"She's up there." Mike said, pointing towards the seats.

I followed his hoof with my eyes to spot Cloudchcaser sitting beside Track Pace. She waved to me when she noticed I had found her, smiling brightly. Her presence eased my spirit, if only a little.

"This is the one you've been waiting for, go show that prick who's boss," Ike said, doing his best to fill Lean Streak's shoes. "And try not to get yourself hurt doing something stupid."

"No promises." I mumbled as Thunderlane took his place on the inside lane.

I was set to be in the middle lane, the positioning didn't bother me, nearly as bad as the glare I felt coming from my self-appointed rival. As the seconds ticked down, the noise from the crowd continued to grow, the two hopefuls from Ponyville were finally on the same track, it was worth making noise over for the spectators.

A bang signaled the start of the race, each competitor present taking off with wings spread wide. As I had expected, Thunderlane surged ahead with reckless abandon, he was out to make a point today.

Something in me stirred as I thought about what he had said, I knew Cloudchaser loved me, but perhaps beating him was the only way to put an end to this. We were just beginning to enter the first turn, and Thunderlane was steadily putting distance between the two of us.

I let my ego slip into the pilot seat, it was time to catch up. I powered past the others as we exited the first turn, reclaiming the distance that had been lost to Thunderlane.

By the time I had entered the second turn I was fairly close to the stallion, and continuing to gain on him. I did my best to monitor my condition, not wanting to push things too far, but it was hard to focus now, as the natural instinct to win slowly took over my rational thought.

Thunderlane wordlessly glanced at me as I now flew beside him. He grinned, increasing his speed well beyond what I would normally put forth. Despite his bold actions, he seemed unfazed by the strain he was putting his body through.

I was being forced to do the same, unlike Thunderlane however; I felt a burning sensation begin to creep through my lungs and wing muscles as we neared the third turn. It was dull at first, but as we entered the third turn I could feel my body protesting against this duel with the former Wonderbolt Cadet.

"Nothing but a fake." Thunderlane mocked before speeding past me.

It took me a minute to process that Thunderlane wasn't moving faster, I was moving slower! I mentally cursed my own recklessness as the pain in my wings began to reach critical levels. I was forced to slow down, forced to watch as the bitter stallion sped into the fourth turn.

As I struggled to keep up, I was passed by another racer, dropping me into third place. My wings and lungs were begging me to stop and take a break, but doing so would cost me what little credit I might earn for this race.

I forced my wings to continue towards the finish line as I exited the fourth turn. Thunderlane had exhausted himself to the point that his lead had diminished considerably, but not enough to cost him first place.

I crossed the finish line, humiliated as my wings gave out from the stress I had just put them through. I had never pushed myself that hard before, and it was a blessing I hadn't passed out on the track as a dizzy sensation washed over me.

"Daniel!" I heard Cloudchaser's voice amidst the chaos.

I felt a brief tickle across my muzzle as my mask was forcefully ripped off, and tossed to the ground. The sun was suddenly a painful sight, and the noise of the crowd was like a migraine from hell.

"Daniel, you've got to spread your wings out, you're over heated." Mike said, helping me over to a shaded area on the track.

My brain still functioned enough to register the command and I slowly raised my sore wings. The stray breeze that caressed my feathers was soothing, and I could tell an immediate difference in how the heat left my body a bit faster with my wings stretched out. Still, I was tired...I wanted to sleep.

"Shit, hey, you can't take a nap just yet!" Ike exclaimed, a sharp pain coursed through my cheek.

"I think you over did it." Mike commented.

"Who's...the jackass...that just slapped me?" I mumbled.

"He's fine," Ike said. "You just can't fall asleep yet, okay? You big idiot."

Cloudchaser watched helplessly as her coltfriend was tended to by his team. They seemed to know what they were doing, she had never seen a pegasus suffer from something like this. She had heard stories, and seen photos about the condition of course, but to see it actually happen to the one she loved was unsettling.

"Loser shouldn't have tried to keep up with me." she heard Thunderlane snort.

Cloudchaser snarled at the stallion. She was tempted to follow Rainbow Dash's example, but that wouldn't be wise in a public setting like this.

"Now do you see?" Thunderlane asked, stopping in front of the exhausted racer. "You never were, and never will be one of us. In what world could you have ever beaten me?"

The stallion walked away with his head held high in victory, stepping on the mask that had been tossed to the ground. Whether it was intentional or not, it had been ripped down the middle, making it useless in its current condition.

Cloudchaser slowly scooped up the mask in her hooves with tender care. It was now dirty and ragged, unfit to be worn or even considered a part of her coltfriend's racing outfit. Still, she opted to hold on to it.

"Cloudchaser, he's going to be okay." Ike said as Track Pace joined them at Daniel's side.

The mare forced a smile across her muzzle. She knew that he might be physically, but when things had settled down, he would need to be built back up. He had fallen, now she had to show him that somepony was there to catch him.

"Mom...it's in there again." I said, groggily stumbling into my parent's room.

"Mmhp, what is babe?" a tired voice asked from the darkness.

"The shadow man..." I whimpered as the thunder flashed outside the window, making me jump.

"You know that he's not real, Daniel. He's just a shadow that can't get you." my mother tried to rationalize with me.

I remained still, save for the nervous sway of my arms. I looked behind me occasionally, making sure that I wasn't being stalked or followed by my cloaked foe.

"Come on," my mother sighed, climbing out of bed. "Let's get you back to sleep."

She grabbed a book that was a bit thicker than the ones I was used to reading, but I paid it little mind, a book was a book after all. I took her offered hand, following her back to my room boldly, now that I had a hero with me, I had heard my dad call her super woman once.

"The shadow man won't get you now. I promise..." my mom said, stroking my head soothingly.

She sat on the edge of my bed, opening the book that appeared to have only words in it. I found this odd, and looked up at her inquisitively. She smiled back at me with tired eyes.

"To help you sleep," She offered in simple explanation, opening the book at a book mark that had been snugly wedged between two pages. "Do you give the horse its strength, or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting? It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray. It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing. It does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against its side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground, it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds."

My eyes struggled to stay open out of some small fear my attacker would return, but I was unable to win this battle. I slowly drifted off, the sound of my mother's voice steadily growing softer, and distorted.

The steady clacking of train tracks beneath me woke me from my dazed slumber. I had fallen asleep on the bottom bunk of one of the train’s bed cars. The day had passed by as a blur; after I had made it to my room I remembered standing in the shower with the cold water on full blast.

I occasionally woke up to Cloudchaser looking down at me, slowly petting my tired form. A small smile was all I had to offer her then, I had never felt that drained before which made me wonder if Thunderlane was right, if this was my limit. Perhaps I had already touched the ceiling, and there was nowhere else for me to go now.

“You’re awake.” Cloudchaser whispered, she had been resting above me, watching me with those beautiful light rose eyes of hers.

“Yeah, how long have you been watching me sleep?” I asked as she climbed down from the top bunk to join me in mine.

Cloudchaser shrugged before snuggling close to me. “I just needed to know you were okay. I was really worried about you.”

“Some strong protector I am huh? I barely finished a race…” I mumbled.

“Don’t start with that,” Cloudchaser scolded. “Thunderlane was trained by the best fliers in Equestria. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I threw everything I had been taught to the side over something stupid. I sank down to his level, and for that I am ashamed. I lost, and that’s all there is to it.” I sighed.

“You lost a race, it was important to you I get that, but you need to see the bigger picture,” Cloudchaser said, pressing her muzzle against mine affectionately. “You’re still alive, you have friends that love and care about you enough to stand by you even when you do lose, and you have me. So don’t you dare sell yourself short, I won’t let you.”

I didn’t know what to say, a part of me wanted to stay at the pity party I had started for myself, but Cloudchaser wasn’t having any of it. It almost made me laugh at how easily she debunked Thunderlane’s stupid theory.

“Don’t get lost in some stupid conflict or race. I need you.” Cloudchaser brought her head to rest on my chest, her ear shifting to listen to my heartbeat.

Those three little words sparked something in me. It was like a chain reaction that I could neither explain nor ignore. It steadily grew in strength, drowning out all other thoughts and emotions, directing my attention back to the mare beside me. I had to say something, do something. It wasn't a question of if I wanted to now, something was commanding me to.

“Cloudchaser…” I said, earning the mare’s attention. Her eyes reflecting the beautiful moon’s glow from the window beside us. “Will you marry me?”

It was, in my mind, the worst possible way to ask a female of any species to spend the rest of their life with you. We were in a barely comfortable bunk, on a dark train ride home, after I had been beaten and humiliated by the stallion that had a vendetta against me and-

“Yes.”

-she said yes. The smile that crossed her muzzle was joined by a few tears of joy. She hugged my sore body, wrapping her wings around me as we shared our first kiss as an engaged couple.

“I was beginning to think you’d never ask.” Cloudchaser giggled.

“Truth is, I didn’t really know how to ask.” I grinned sheepishly.

“Our lives are already tied together. This is just letting the world know about it,” Cloudchaser said, resting against me. “And I couldn’t be happier. You’re a good stallion, and today doesn’t change that.”

“Would you have said yes if I was human?” I asked, promptly receiving a boop to the nose.

“I love you for your heart, Daniel. It’s what bound us together, you being a human wouldn’t change that,” Cloudchaser replied, resting her head on the pillow next to mine. “Although, if you were a human I would request ear scratches and back rubs twice a day, for two hours.”

“If I ever get my hands back I’ll make it happen.” I chuckled, kissing her on the nose.

Cloudchaser hummed happily to herself, the train ride home had been bitter sweet. The thought of marrying the stallion she had fallen in love with was exciting, but he had a lot on his mind. He was still struggling with the whole concept of sharing his problems so they wouldn’t weigh him down. She had her methods of changing that though, with or without his consent.

Knowing her collf- her fiancé, he wouldn’t ask for help with the Scootaloo predicament. So if he wouldn't, she would. He had wanted to check on Lean Streak, who was still in the hospital, giving her the perfect chance to set her plan into motion.

Cloudchaser could hardly wait to tell Flitter, the excitement rising up within her, but she had something to take care of first. She pushed open the door to the Carousel Boutique, hoping Rarity had the time to help her.

“Hello, and welcome to the Carousel Boutique,” Rarity greeted in her usual manner. “Oh, Cloudchaser, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you in here.”

“I know, I came for some help I think only you can provide.” Cloudchaser said, pulling out the torn mask that belonged to Daniel.

“Oh my word! Is he okay!?” Rarity squeaked, examining the mask up close.

“He’s fine, he got a little over heated and gave us all a scare, but nothing too serious.” Cloudchaser replied.

“Well no wonder, the material of this mask is too thick to provide any sort of air flow. I’m assuming the vest is made of the same material since they were made to match.” Rarity turned the torn fabric around with her magic.

“So, it was made wrong?” Cloudchaser asked.

“I wouldn’t say wrong, more like in a hurry. I’d say it’s time to retire this old thing.” Rarity replied, levitating the tattered mask onto the counter.

“I know I don’t come in often, but I was hoping you could manage a suit and dress with that racing uniform.” Cloudchaser tapped her fore hooves together as she spoke.

“Trust me darling, I’ve had larger orders. What’s the occasion, hmm? Is your special somepony taking you somewhere for a romantic getaway?” Rarity asked.

“It’s for a wedding actually.” Cloudchaser had to fight back her smile as she tried to keep up her casual attitude.

“Ah a weddi-wait,” Rarity stopped, the gears in her head grinding to a halt as she processed what the mare could possibly be implying. “Do you mean…”

Cloudchaser nodded, her smile a clear indication that this wasn’t a poor practical joke. Rarity pulled the pegasus into a tight hug with a giddy squeal. The bride to be quickly came to the assumption that this would be everypony’s reaction for a while.

“How did he ask? Oh I bet it was romantic!” Rarity swooned.

“He was a mess, tired, sore from the race, and was a little upset he lost,” Cloudchaser giggled, enjoying Rarity’s shocked reaction as she described how he had asked her. “I loved him all the same, and said yes.”

“Does he want to keep this a secret as well?” Rarity asked, wiping away what Cloudchaser thought was the beginnings of a tear.

“Not up to him if he wanted to anyways,” Cloudchaser grinned. “Not like the adoption at least.”

“Speaking of, how is that going thus far?” Rarity relinquished Cloudchaser from her hug.

“The inspector is coming back, she complained about his job being a problem. He also needs character references so something must have happened.” Cloudchaser frowned. “This I am asking you to keep private, for Scootaloo’s sake.”

“I’ve kept quiet about it so far, I don’t plan on telling Scootaloo anytime soon.” Rarity winked.

“Thanks Rarity, sorry I can’t stay and talk longer, but I need to stop by my sister’s.” Cloudchaser said.

“I understand dear, let me know if you need planning something.” Rarity bid Cloudchaser goodbye, sighing when she was sure she as gone.

This was troubling news about Scootaloo, why would they request something so rash as an example of Daniel’s character? He could be a stubborn one when he wanted to be. Rarity smiled as she looked at the mask, he was a good stallion, but even good stallions needed help every now and then.

“I did promise not to tell Scootaloo…I never mentioned a few other ponies that might be interested.” Rarity giggled.

“You screwed up.” Lean Streak grumbled.

“Yes sir.” I replied.

“I mean you really screwed up. After everything you accomplished, everything I taught you, it gets thrown away for a match race against a stallion you could have leveled.” Lean Streak spoke unsettlingly calmly.

“You’re right, I screwed up.” I rolled my eyes.

“Also, what in the name of Equestria is the idea behind that?” Lean Streak pointed to a balloon flower in a balloon pot, courtesy of Pinkie Pie.

“I assumed you didn’t want real flowers so…” I started to smile.

“I said no balloons!” Lean Streak coughed out the last word.

“I was under the impression you only meant balloons that had “Get Well Soon” on them.” I shrugged.

“Ugh, you’re lucky I’m in bed…” Lean Streak mumbled.

“How long do they plan on keeping you here?” I asked.

“A month, maybe two. You’re not worried about getting soft, are you?” Lean Streak asked.

“No, I’m worried about you rotting away in here. Being in a place like this can mess with your mind sometimes.” I chuckled.

“As long as you idiots keep on stopping by to make sure I haven’t hung myself with this cord out of boredom I think I’ll manage,” Lean Streak gestured to the wire leading up to the heart monitor. "Something else is bugging you."

The stallion knew me too well; that or I was like an open book when it came to reading my emotions and when something was troubling me. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two from that inspector.

"It's nothing." I lied.

"Don't give me that bullshit, out with it." Lean Streak grunted.

"Something Thunderlane said, about me being fake. I mean, in a way I guess he's right...I never thought I'd agree with him, but after yesterday...I think this is my limit, this is as far as I can go." I said, unable to look Lean Streak in the eyes as I spoke.

"Come here." Lean Streak gestured with his hoof.

I did as he requested, only to feel a sharp pain coming from my left cheek as my head involuntarily turned sideways. Lean Streak's slap left me with mixed feelings of confusion and anger after the dirty trick.

"I didn't pour my time and energy into you just to watch you give up. Don't you ever listen to that prick again, do you understand me!?" Lean Streak struggled to shout.

"Yes sir..." I replied quietly, rubbing my sore cheek.

"Your limit is what you make it, not what some arrogant little has been cadet thinks it should be. I see a pegasus that's fallen down, the only one that can pick him back up is himself...so what's it going to be?" Lean Streak pointed at me.

I had always heard the term having some sense slapped into you used in sentences. I had never expected to actually experience it myself. "How am I supposed to beat him though?"

"Believe in yourself for starters, I'd love nothing more than to see you at the Crystal Empire, in the championship race. You only need one more race and you're there." Lean Streak replied.

"Why does it matter so much if I go or not?" I snorted, a bit frustrated with the same old pep talk.

"Because it's not just about you any more," Lean Streak steadied his voice. "You're doing what I never had the chance to finish. You represent this community that has never had a face in this field before, that means something to these ponies. You may not save the day, or stop some army invasion, but you're still a hero."

"Pfft, by doing what, going really fast in a circle?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, by going really fast in a circle," Lean Streak deadpanned. "I've seen the way Star Sprint watches you, wishing he could be like you. I've heard others talk about you too, you touch more lives than you think. If you're serious about this adoption thing with that filly you've talked about, then there's something you need to know."

My ears perked up, attentive and waiting for Lean Streak to continue. It was odd for him to pick the adoption predicament as a topic, which made me wonder where he was going with this.

"If you're going to be a dad, then you need to know that you're always supposed to be your foal's hero. They look up to you, and watch everything you do, living life by the example you leave behind," Lean Streak impressed me with this rare display of his inner thoughts and emotions. "What's more, I'm seeing my dream come to life through you."

"Sometimes dreams turn out to be pointless." I shrugged.

"The only dream that's pointless, is the one you never chase. You know that better than most," Lean Streak said. "I've given you all the pieces of the puzzle I can, Daniel. It's up to you to put them together, you've come too far to buy that garbage that you're at your limit."

"Sick in a bed, and you're still taking me to school." I chuckled.

"It comes with experience." Lean Streak smirked.

"What comes from experience?" I heard Cloudchaser ask.

"Oh, hey babe. Lean Streak's still trying to keep me in line, even from a hospital bed." I replied.

"You're not going to get all cozy with your marefirned are you?" Lean Streak asked.

"You haven't told him yet?" Cloudchaser cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Told me what?" Lean Streak's eyes bounced between the two of us in confusion.

"Lean Streak, Cloudchaser is my fiancé now, we're getting married." I grinned as Cloudchaser leaned against me affectionately.

"Oye," Lean Streak rubbed the sides of his head in jest with a smile. "You're killin' me colt, killin' me...heh, congratulations."

Scootaloo's eyes narrowed in concentration as she made a sharp turn around a cart. Star Sprint followed suit, not wanting to lose to the filly again. Button Mash and Shady Daze hadn't let him live it down since the last time he lost to her.

Scootaloo knew the streets better than him however; which gave her the upper hoof. Her turns, twist, and tricks were executed with much more confidence in where she would land than her unicorn counterpart.

"Keep up slow poke!" Scootaloo teased.

Star Sprint's horn turned a pale blue, his wheels doing the same. Under the influence of his magic, the wheels began to move much faster than they normally would relying on physical strength alone.

With his new found speed, the colt managed to ride side by side with Scootaloo. Star Sprint grinned, quite pleased with himself and was about to try and get her attention when he found himself flat on his back, dislodged from his scooter by a plank that was sticking out from a cart.

Start Sprint shook the incident off, thanks to his helmet the only thing hurting was his pride. His Scooter seemed to be fine as well, resting on its side as the wheels came to a slow stop.

"Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked, having turned around to check on the colt. "That looked pretty bad."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Star Sprint pouted.

"Good, you're like, the only other pony I know that likes these in Ponyville. I'd hate for something to happen to you." Scootaloo said.

As Scootaloo helped Star Sprint back to his hooves, something caught her eye. Somepony, would be more accurate.

Diamond Tiara was with Silver Spoon, the two seemed to be arguing over something. Curious, Scootaloo motioned for Star Spring to follow her, not exactly wanting to confront the two alone, just in case this was some ruse. Diamond Tiara's attitude might have changed a little, but that still didn't excuse all of the past incidents and insults.

"I just don't see why you would even consider her as your partner, we've done everything together!" Silver Spoon whined.

"This doesn't mean I'm ditching you as a friend Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.

"Hey, um..." Scootaloo gained the two arguing fillies' attention, though not quite sure how to proceed from step one. "Is everything okay?"

"You're the problem, friend snatcher!" Silver Spoon fumed.

"Friend snatcher?" Star Sprint's tilted his head as he looked to Scootaloo for answers, receiving only a shrug in response.

"I'm not a friend snatcher." Scootaloo defended.

"Are so! I don’t know why Diamond Tiara would want to hang out with you to begin with!" Silver Spoon exclaimed.

"Wait...what?" Scootaloo took two steps back. She never thought she would hear that come from the preppy pony's mouth.

Diamond Tiara felt trapped, she could either tell Silver Spoon now about Scootaloo's potential father and ruin whatever plan that weird stallion had, side with Silver Spoon, or there was always option c, make a tactical retreat.

"I...Ihavetogobye!" Diamond Tiara bolted from the group, she could move surprisingly fast when she needed to.

Scootaloo sighed, she didn't want to chase her down. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn't care less what all of this was about. Still, Rainbow Dash had taught her to be loyal to her friends and help others, and Daniel had tried to help her make peace with the bully. Maybe showing a little kindness this time around would do the trick.

"I'll see you later Star Sprint, I have to go check on something." Scootaloo said before speeding off on her scooter.

Diamond Tiara felt a tear of frustration escape her left eye. Silver Spoon was over reacting again, she tended to do that, but this was worse than she ever had before. It was over something stupid too.

She opened the door to her house, leaning against it out of breath once she was inside, letting her body weight shut it. Only a few seconds passed before she heard somepony knocking on the other side. She scrunched her muzzle up in confusion; Silver Spoon couldn't run as fast as she could, and her father wasn't expecting anypony today.

Diamond Tiara straightened her tiara a bit before opening the door to see...Scootaloo. She was genuinely surprised to see the filly.

"Hey Diamond, is everything okay?" Scootaloo asked.

"Um...." Diamond Tiara didn't know how to respond to her question at first. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Okay, well, Silver Spoon seemed pretty mad, so...." Scootaloo scuffed a hoof against one of the stones forming the path to Diamond Tiara's front door.

"Yeah....did you....want something?" Diamond Tiara asked, a bit of her old self resurfacing as she was unsure how to ask the question without coming off as cold.

"Uh, no. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Scootaloo held back the desire to walk away without responding.

Diamond Tiara had difficulty processing the fact that someone other than her father genuinely cared about what happened to her. She felt guilty now, a feeling that didn't come easy for the filly to handle either.

She had never really wanted to be friends, just keep Scootaloo at a distance. Now that her only friend was mad at her, the idea of having a new one seemed pretty tempting to the earth filly. Even if Scootaloo was a blank flank, she at least had friends that liked her for who she was. That was something she could at least try to have.

"Well," Diamond Tiara rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Did you want to come in?"

"Uh...s-sure." Scootaloo stepped inside once Diamond Tiara had opened the door wider.

Author's Note

Ah Lean Streak, how you've grown on me. The next chapter should be up soon, due to some changes I'm having to post them later for a while, but hey what can you do when life kind of screws with you, right? :twilightsheepish:

Also, I have a pretty solid idea what the next part will be now, working on a few last details...I may throw something fun in the next chapter. :trollestia:

As always, thank you reading, and especially those that leave comments, the good and the suggestions/criticism.

The Season

Isabella looked over the list of ponies that were supposed to stop by for appointments today. It was an unusually small list, one that she and Lotus could handle with ease. Speaking of the spa pony, her sister had been ill for two days now, she hoped everything was okay.

"Hey, Lotus," Isabella spoke up, getting the attention of the earth pony. "It's shaping up to be a slow day, heck even the town is kind of...dead. What gives?"

"Oh, it's the season is all." Lotus shrugged nonchalantly.

"Season?" Isabella put the clipboard of names down to face the mare.

"Oh right, I forgot for a second," Lotus blushed. "Anyways, mares have seasons....um, when we become a bit more....snuggly with the opposite gender."

"Ooh, okay. So I guess most of the mares are being a bit more "snuggly" with their special somepony?" Isabella laughed nervously.

"Well, those that have them," Lotus was thankful that the human understood without going into too much detail. "For mares that don't, it's rather troublesome and feels like there's a fire inside you that can't be put out."

"Yeah, I'd hate to be stuck like my brother right now." Isabella shivered at the thought.

"You humans don't have a season?" Lotus tilted her head.

"Um, not exactly." Isabella replied.

"Well then what do you do?" Lotus' tail flicked in excitement briefly.

Here I am, about to have the birds and bees talk with a pony... Isabella thought to herself. I wonder if Cloudchaser is going through that. She's been practically glued to his side and hanging off of him all week.

Warning the following link is not NSFW. If you are underage, or value your job, please do not click the following link here. You have been warned.

I awoke from my micro nap to find myself tangled in Cloudchaser's embrace. I still had no idea why she was acting like this, but I liked it. Especially after this morning, what a way to wake up!

I slowly tried to maneuver myself out from Cloudchaser's grasp, only for it to tighten a bit. A smile formed on her muzzle as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Where do you think you're going, stud muffin?" Cloudchaser asked giddily.

"Stud muffin?" I couldn't help but laugh at the nickname.

"My muffin..." Cloudchaser whispered.

"Have you been hanging around Ditzy? What's with the muffin talk?" I asked.

"What about Ditzy?" the mare's attitude suddenly shifted with a territorial snarl. "What did she say?"

"Uh, nothing, it's just that she likes muffins is all...." I was a bit weirded out by the unusual behavior.

"Hmph, well she can't have mine!" Cloudchaser pouted. "You're all mine."

"Yeah, I'm sure she and everypony else knows that by now," I laughed kissing her nose. "I was going to make breakfast, then shower."

"Nuh uh," Cloudchaser shook her head no, tickling my nose with her untamed bangs. "I wanna do it!"

Today was getting weirder and weirder by the second. Cloudchaser had cooked breakfast before, but never opposed to me doing it. She had also become extremely defensive of me when I so much as mentioned Ditzy Doo, thinking she would find the similarity between their statements humorous. Then there was this morning which....I was just going to leave as good fortune.

"Um, okay then." I said, relaxing a little as the mare let out a happy squee.

I was at last released from the clutches of the snuggly mare. Cloudchaser disappeared faster than I could track, her movements seeing to have a bit more pep in them. Maybe she was super excited about the wedding, which when she told me the date, I might have been a bit loud at expressing my disbelief....in the middle of a busy restaurant.

Apparently ponies did things big and fast. Twilight affirmed this when I asked her about it, just to make sure Cloudchaser wasn't rushing into things. Her brother's wedding was planned in a relatively short amount of time, as was the Cake's, who were ecstatic about the news.

I didn't want to be a stick in the mud when it came to the social structure, so I agreed to her rather short time period. Which was why I needed to pick out grooms m-stallions, help decide on decorations, even though my opinion would be ignored in the end.

I rolled out of bed and walked into the living room, my ears twitching as I heard Cloudchaser humming a tune I was unfamiliar with. This was new, I usually walked in on Cloudchaser just coming to a conclusion to whatever song she had in her heart, rarely getting the chance to hear her voice. She was acting oddly....girly, or marely rather, more so than usual.

Married life did things to people back home; I assumed it changed ponies as well. I didn't want Cloudchaser to lose that adventurous spunk she had to her though, that was the second best-okay, fourth best part of her.

Putting my concerns on the back burner, I briefly considered taking a shower, but after enduring the most unpleasant pillow beating of my life I decided to let Cloudchaser go first. She could hit pretty hard with a pillow, I would never scoff at her weapon of choice again.

I decided now would be the perfect time to bring The Ocarina of Time to a close, at least on my file anyways. Beating Ganondorf had been a pain with hooves, seriously, it was like only using your knuckles to mash the buttons. It added a bit of challenge to it.

Eventually I found myself replaying the castle escape after burning through all of my fairies. The castle was pretty easy, and oh so satisfying as I escaped once more.

"Is it a happy ending?" Cloudchaser chirped, making me jump slightly.

"Uh yeah, sort of." I chuckled, knowing what was coming next.

"....what's with all the stuff on the picture?" Cloudchaser pointed with her hoof.

"That's my native language, the princess is just saying she's glad he came for her and stuff." I shrugged, roughly summing up the brief conversation between the two characters of the game.

A boom echoed from the speakers, making Cloudchaser shiver. Though the game had kind of lost the element of surprise on me, it had found a fresh victim in Cloudchaser.

The smell of eggs and muffins was coming from the kitchen as I moved Link, towards the obvious trap, and final battle. Cloudchaser yelped in surprise as Ganondorf burst from the rubble of his pixelated castle.

"You know, maybe this wasn't the best ide-" I started to say, until I was cut off by a loud roar of anger from the evil character as he started to change shape. To top it all off, the smell of breakfast was calling out to me at the same time.

Ah crap, breakfast or hero time, breakfast or hero time!? I tossed the options back and forth in my mind as a hideous figure filled the screen before falling to the ground with a loud thud.

"Hero time it is then!" I narrowed my eyes as shit got real.

No sooner had I made my decision, Link's sword was knocked from his grasp, landing on the other side of a fire wall. Somehow, that part had slipped my mind. I was actually pretty disappointed in myself for forgetting about that.

"So much for hero time..." Cloudchaser sighed.

I watched in mild disappointment as Link was sent flying backwards due to my slow reaction time. Pausing the game, I brought out the hammer, my memory serving me well enough to recall what weapon to use.

This time I rolled beneath Ganon in time and smashed his tail with the rather large hammer, causing him to screech in pain. It was a simple rinse and repeat from here on out until the dark king was brought to his knees long enough for me to retrieve the sword.

I repeated the same strategy again, finally finishing the game, in two worlds. It was a bragging right that only I would get however; nopony probably cared or was concerned about some useless machine that only wasted time.

"That...." Cloudchaser mumbled.

"Yes?" I asked with a smug smile.

"That caused your breakfast to get cold...." the mare pointed at the Nintendo Sixty Four.

"Yes, yes it did." I sighed in agreement.

"Come on, dummy." Cloudchaser laughed, gently biting my tail to give it a gentle tug.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." I said, following the mare to the table.

"Still kind of hyped I beat that game as a pony." I beamed.

"That's what that thing is!?" Cloudchaser's eyes widened in shock.

"Yep, Discord had a claw in it, paw...whatever he wants to call it. It gave me something to do." I replied.

"I know something I want to do a little later." Cloudchaser whispered.

"R-really? I mean-" I stammered as I sat at the table.

"You don't want to?" Cloudchaser's expression shifted to a heartbreakingly sad one. I felt as if I would cry myself if I stared at it for too long.

"No, no, it's not that at all!" I waved my hooves for emphasis. "I just didn't think uh....you would be up for it!"

Concerns about my future wife rose in my mind again, what was up with her today. She would have laughed me off under normal circumstances. I felt bad I nearly made her cry, I hadn't even turned her down, I just had assumed that she would be against another round of fun.

She seemed to calm down with my explanation, smiling brightly. We ate breakfast in peace, said peace only being disturbed when Cloudchaser finished before me, watching me with that familiar grin of hers. I suddenly felt like a piece of meat in the sight of a lioness, making me chew much slower than I had been. Thankfully that was the last bite on my plate.

"So...." I rubbed the back of neck, trying to think of where to take this conversation.

"I've got these if you'll go shower." Cloudchaser kissed me on the nose.

"But if we're-" I started to ask, until I noticed her face start to shift again. "Okay."

Pinkie Pie was busy writing, so wrapped up in her task that she didn't notice Isabella walk in and up to the front register. Business had been slow all day, and when the tapped the counter bell the poor mare jumped up to the ceiling.

"Well, you don't see that every day." Isabella commented.

"Hiya Izzy, you caught me jotting some notes down." Pinkie PIe said.

"Notes? I didn't take you for the note taking type." Isabella giggled.

"Well, Rarity asked me to help with something," Pinkie Pie leaned in close, wrapping her foreleg around Isabella's neck for support as she brought her lips close to her ear. "It's a secret though, don’t tell anypony."

"Pinkie, things aren't secret if you tell everypony about them." Isabella rolled her eyes, setting the party pony back down.

"Then how is everypony else supposed to help?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well....I....they aren't, that's the point of it being a secret." Isabella nearly lost her train of thought, which wasn't difficult to do around Pinkie Pie. In fact, she already had since she came inside and started talking to her.

"So, what were the notes for?" Isabella asked.

"Some for the wedding, some for Scootal-oops." Pinkie blushed, realizing her mistake.

"You might want to work on that." Isabella laughed, scratching behind the pink pony's ears.

Pinkie Pie hummed in delight, leaning into the woman's hands. She couldn't explain how good it felt, but to the best of her ability, it was like the best party was happening inside her head, while the best bestest party was going on at the same time, while an even better party than those two was being planned and put into motion all at once.

It also made her feel a little better; she had bumped her head a few minutes before Isabella came in. As her hands moved across her scalp the pain was starting to dull until it evaporated from her completely, leaving behind only a pleasant tingling feeling.

"Say, Pinkie, why do mares not want to interact with the rest of the world when it's there um...season? To be honest, I'm not seeing a whole lot of stallions out either, what gives" Isabella asked.

Pinkie managed to pull herself from the drug like euphoria Isabella's hands had induced to answer her. "Well, we get all territorial over stallions, so they kind of stay indoors if they're single. Mares that have stallions keep them to themselves."

"Oh Daniel, I bet it's a bitch being you right now...." Isabella chuckled under her breath.

"What's that?" Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion.

"The thought of my brother being cooped up inside a house is kind of funny." Isabella replied.

"Oh, oh, what do you think their foals would look like?" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Well, I'd imagine they'd be a similar shade of blue, the mane would be a tossup....but that's assuming they could Pinkie. Did Rarity tell you why they were adopting?" Isabella asked.

"I thought it was because they really liked Scootaloo." Pinkie's look of confusion returned.

"Well, it's complicated..."

The running water always felt refreshing to me. It was kind of like reviving my spirit by cleaning away the negative, dirty energy. Perhaps I was thinking to deeply about a stupid shower, but I liked them all the same.

It was also where I decided to ponder on what to do about Cloudchaser's behavior. Her emotions and sudden mood swings suggested some kind of illness, but she seemed to be in perfect health. There was nothing to indicate that she was suffering from something.

"What to do..." I sighed.

"You could scoot over a bit." Cloudchaser said as the shower door was slid open.

"Uh, okay..." I was now grateful that the shower had originally been built with a human in mind, meaning it was a bit bigger than a normal pony tub.

"I was hoping I could have some help with my wings, and since you're already here I thought you'd be perfect for the job." Cloudchaser nuzzled me.

"I think I can do that." I returned her gesture.

Cloudchaser turned her back to me, spreading her wings to give me unhindered access to her feathers. She hummed in delight as I slowly scrubbed her wings, the running water rinsing the feathers clean in my wake.

As I moved on to her second wing, I tried to think of a way to ask her if everything was okay. It couldn't be too serious, but I was still worried about her.

"Hey, Cloudchaser, you've been really snuggly lately, is everything okay?" I asked.

"Mmhmm, why wouldn't it be?" Cloudchaser asked as she flapped her wings a bit before bringing them back against her sides.

"Uh, no reason I guess....you're not sick or anything?" I tried again.

"I'd let you know if I was, now turn around." Cloudchaser twirled her hoof towards me.

I turned my back to her, as she had to me, and spread my wings. Mine were bigger than hers, which I had marked off as sexual dimorphism before I knew about wing types.

A smile stretched across my muzzle as Cloudchaser began to clean my wings, humming a happy tune once again. It felt good, almost as good as preening, which I would make a point to do for her after this. She had been amazing, in a very confusing way today.

I felt a foreleg drape itself around my neck, a wet coat of fur sliding up against me. Cloudchaser stroked my mane affectionately, leaning into my back for support as she did so.

"You know showers are supposed to make you clean." I chuckled.

"What if I wanna be dirty?" Cloudchaser whispered into my ear.

"When did you start speaking a stallion's language?" I asked.

"Ever since heat season." Cloudchaser replied, nuzzling my neck.

Heat season....heat....season.... my brain chewed on this new information for a bit, until it finally made sense to me. I felt like a moron for not realizing it sooner.

"So that's why you've been cuddly, and trying to seduce me all day?" I asked.

"Mmhmm, I thought stallions liked it when their mares were like this? I feel really hot down there when it happens to me, it gets painful sometimes." Cloudchaser explained.

"Well, for starters, I love you for you. While I do like this, I love the regular Cloudchaser more," I turned around, stealing a kiss from her. " So how long does this go on for?"

"W-well, one of the ways it can end can't really happen so...if I'm counting right, today and tomorrow should be it actually. It started earlier than today, but it's progressive if nothing, um, happens." Cloudchaser blushed.

"Oh...wow, I'm sorry." I said as it occurred to me what she meant.

"It's okay, I have you alll to myself now." Cloudchaser sighed happily as she leaned into me.

Before our activities could add to the already steamy atmosphere from the hot shower, cold water began to rain down upon us, putting a swift end to any thoughts of whatever Cloudchaser had in mind. Fate had decided that we had used enough hot water, and needed to cool off a bit.

We both bolted from the shower, shivering with cold, wet coats. It was the worst combination of bad things to happen to any creature in this world, or any other, period.

"Maybe we should stick to the bedroom..." I suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so....for now." Cloudchaser swatted my flank with her wing playfully.

“Twilight, you’ve been staring at that same page for almost an hour.” Spike commented, finding his friend in the same place he had left her.

“Sorry Spike, it’s just…would he even want to know now?” Twilight asked as the book levitated in front of the little dragon.

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t Twilight,” Spike shrugged. “In fact, he’d probably be thrilled. I know I’d miss my claws if I had to do without them.”

Twilight sighed, the book leaving the dragon’s presence to gently land on a nearby table. She had watched him from afar, taking note how close he had steadily grown to Cloudchaser, all due to an accident. The alicorn had kept in touch with her sister in law for help getting over this feeling.

Twilight knew destiny had a hoof in love, just like it did with cutie marks; it was something she couldn’t oppose. Besides, a certain guard had started to grow on her. His letters were sweet, and if what Cadance told her was true, maybe it could go somewhere.

Her thoughts left Flash and returned back to the topic at hoof, a possibility of returning her friend back to normal. Though, if one were to think about it, he was normal now. The spell had been reversed making him a real pony and not just some cheap imitation that Discord came up with. He had once explained that the cutie mark actually belonged to a chaos deity from his world, the changer of ways as he had called it, in the realm of fantasy of course.

How much of that was fantasy now though, often made her wonder what else lurked in his dimension? The two had come to the conclusion that she had seen a form of Earth, but not the one he was familiar with, though the similarities were frighteningly close.

It had fascinated Twilight at first how a non-magical being could even make the trip to Equestria. Isabella had proven to have a small amount of magic within her, she had never tested Daniel in his human form to know for sure whether or not he had magic in him as well, but it was safe to assume he did.

“Hey Twilight,” Spike derailed her train of thought. “Have you noticed the town’s been kind of dead?”

“It’s probably a majority of the mare’s season Spike. It’s not the most thrilling thing in the world to happen to somepony.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“If it brings a whole town to a standstill, that’s pretty bad though.” Spike mumbled.

“I’m sure the couples enj-“ Twilight stopped, her eyes widening as a thought occurred to her.

Uh…Twilight?” Spike poked the alicorn in the side gently.

“No, no, heh, everything should be fine!” Twilight shuddered. “I hope.”

Diamond Tiara sighed as she walked beside her foal sitter down the empty streets. She had been asked to pick up her father’s suit that was being fixed by Rarity. Sweetie Belle would be there, but so far the other two members of the CMC didn’t trust her. She never thought she would be one for reflecting on her actions, but she was starting to regret all of those stupid pranks and tricks she pulled on the three fillies.

“Is everything okay, Diamond Tiara?” the foal sitter asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

That subtle sound…stung. It hurt now, when it used to fill her with pride, knowing that she held the fate of a sitter’s job in her hooves. Now it made her sad, and angry, but not at anypony else. It was at herself.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” Diamond Tiara felt as if she should say something else. She had heard other foals say something to adults…if she could remember it. “Um...thank you.”

The foal sitter started to smile, which made Diamond Tiara feel good about herself. It wasn’t the odd, satisfying thrill she once got from having all of the attention on herself. It was weird and scared her a little at first.

Why did I make fun of them? Diamond Tiara thought to herself, as the door to the Carousel Boutique was pushed open.

She followed the sitter inside, looking around with a mild look of disinterest. Once you had seen one clothe store, you had seen them all, it was pretty standard. The mirror walk way get up was a nice touch, and the fact that this doubled as a house was pretty nifty too.

As the sitter and Rarity talked, Diamond Tiara approached a small table that had a piece of paper and pen next to it. She knew she shouldn’t pry, but some old habits tend to die hard, especially in ponies.

To whom it may concern

It has come to my attention that a stallion by the name of Daniel has come under question. His character has, for some foalish reason, been deemed unsatisfactory for the care of a young filly, identifiable as Scootaloo.

Rarity sure does like to use big words… Diamond Tiara thought to herself before continuing.

While I have not physically watched him grow from colt to stallion, ever since his arrival to Equestria I have watched him grow spiritually and mature, as much as a stallion can of course. He worries about those close to him, he tries to avoid conflict, and he has the second biggest heart I know.

I’ll admit, I was intimidated by him at first, but who wouldn’t be? In fact, the whole town was fitfully scared, but not because he was evil. It was because we didn’t know him, but through all of the bumps in the road, he’s been one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I cannot think of a better stallion, to be her father.

“He’s in trouble?” Diamond Tiara didn’t understand, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

So with th- “Diamond Tiara, are you ready?” the foal sitter called.

“Coming.” Diamond cursed her foul luck in being interrupted, but she knew enough to ask her father about this character thingy.

While Scootaloo had inadvertently rubbed off on the filly, she was still left with her scheming mind. She believed that this would be her chance to win the other two CMC over. All this time she had been demanding acceptance by intimidating others, it was time to change that.

Cloudchaser lay snugly next to her stallion, his right wing draped over her as if to shield her. The noisy crickets from outside the window were giving her a bit of trouble sleeping, but at the same time, the steady rhythm was hypnotic in its own weird way.

The burning feeling that had reached its crescendo this morning was beginning to die down. She had feared it would carry over into tomorrow, or even next week, but thankfully it had been taken care of. She smiled, content knowing that Daniel understood now, and wasn’t in the dark on the matter anymore.

She found a hoof idly traveling to her stomach, resting over where...no, it couldn’t happen. She tried to imagine what one would look like and smiled, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. They would hopefully have Scootaloo, she was a good filly and she would love as if she were her own. Perhaps that would help with the small tinge of pain she felt.

Cloudchaser felt a sturdy foreleg wrap around her barrel, coming to rest beside hers. She turned her head and looked at the stallion beside her, expecting to find him watching her. Instead, his eyes were shut, his breathing steady and calm.

Cloudchaser pressed herself as close as she could to Daniel, enjoying the comforting warmth his body provided. She treasured moments like this, even if he wasn’t awake to share them, they were still special to her.

“Goodnight…” Cloudchaser murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

“Goodnight.” Daniel groggily replied.

Author's Note

Okay, so I did want to include a heat chapter, but do so purposefully. Mission accomplished, mostly :scootangel:

Edit: Sorry about that brief double post, the website went haywire on me, was registering this as a blank page, and wouldn't publish it. :twilightblush:

For Those We Love

Cloudchaser awoke to the pleasant feeling of her mane being stroked. She smiled, her eyes still shut as the stroking came to an end, replaced by a foreleg bringing itself around her barrel and the tender kiss of her stallion against her neck.

“Good morning to you too.” Cloudchaser murmured happily.

“I think it should stay morning for once.” Daniel playfully nipped her ear, making her laugh.

“Doofus, don’t start something you can’t finish,” Cloudchaser warned, her tail swishing beneath the bed sheets. “Besides, you’ve got a race to win. I don’t want to tucker you out.”

She rolled over to face him, smiling as those dark brown eyes met hers. Their color really did remind her of chocolate. Cloudchaser tenderly kissed him on the lips, rubbing his chest with her hoof. Her season had passed two weeks ago, but that feeling of closeness they had shared was still as strong as when it first made itself known.

“Yeah…” Daniel sighed.

“You can win, and if you start to feel tired again just remember what you’ve done all of this for. You have something worth fighting for waiting for you to come back.” Cloudchaser nuzzled him causing the stallion to smile.

“Sure you can’t come?” Daniel asked.

“I wish I could babe, but duty calls.” Cloudchaser hugged her stallion apologetically.

“I know, try not to have too much fun without me.” Daniel stole a quick kiss before trying to stand up, failing as Cloudchaser kept her forelegs wrapped around him.

“I wasn’t done with you yet.” Cloudchaser grinned.

“Well?” Rarity asked anxiously.

Rainbow Dash whistled once, before clutching her sides in laughter. Some things never changed, but I wouldn’t want Dash to anyways. She was fun to be around, even if she did me grief sometimes, I could never stay mad at her for it.

“Well, it’s certainly cool.” I said looking myself over as best as I could.

The new outfit was a baby blue, Rarity insisted that a lighter color made my coat stand out more. I didn’t know fashion so whatever she thought worked. It was the material that had really captured my attention. It felt like I was wearing nothing, even though the vest and mask were pretty form fitting.

“Rarity, are you sure this thing isn’t going to get ripped to shreds when I fly?” I asked.

“If my work can manage Rainbow Dash’s sonic Rainboom, I’m fairly certain it will survive being worn by you.” Rarity held her head high, quite proud of her work.

“Well, it’s got a stress test in a few hours. You ready to go?” Rainbow Dash playfully slugged me in the shoulder as I stripped out of the outfit.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess it’s just you and me today.” I replied.

“I thought for sure Cloudchaser would be attending.” Rarity said.

“Weather duty.” I shrugged.

“Can we get a move on already?” Rainbow Dash hovered in place, forelegs crossed against her chest.

The pegasus was impatient, she had been looking forward to this race since it took place in Cloudsdale. The floating city had been her home once, and I was in desperate need of a guide, having never seen it myself. I had asked Fluttershy to go as well, but she opted out, so it would be me and Rainbro today.

Stuffing the outfit in a saddle bag I joined Rainbow Dash outside. The mare was already in the air, seemingly in a hurry to get to the floating city. It was fascinating to think about, a city inhabited only by pegasi, and maybe a few griffons.

“You’re gonna love this place, trust me.” Rainbow Dash said as we climbed higher into the sky.

“I can’t believe you guys can keep it in one place.” I was doing my best not to grin like a five year old at Christmas.

Rainbow Dash had tried to describe the city, but her description was a bit over the top and incoherent at times. It only added to my curiosity though, I wanted to see it for myself.

As we continued to fly high above Equestria, I looked out of over the landscape below. It was beautiful up here now that the winter clouds were gone. The only sound was the wind and our wings carrying us towards our destination.

“There she is.” Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof towards a large cluster of enormous clouds.

“That’s Cloudsdale?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, what were you expecting?” Rainbow Dash chuckled at my reaction.

“It’s just so…fluffy.” It was the first thing that came to mind.

“Well it is made out of clouds, that’s why it’s called Cloudsdale.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

We touched down on a rather large cloud, a few pegasi casting a stray glance our way before going on about their way, while others stopped and stared. Occasionally one would whisper something to their companion, if one was present before smiling.

“I guess everypony’s happy to see you again, huh?” I asked Dash as she led me through the floating city.

“Well, maybe.” Rainbow Dash replied, her head rising a bit with a smug smile.

The elements were pretty much celebrities in their own right. It wasn’t too farfetched to assume that Rainbow Dash would be a welcomed sight. Lean Streak had claimed I was some sort of hero, I still had my doubts about that. The mare guiding me through the busy...clouds, of Cloudsdale was a real hero.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a fan club though." Rainbow Dash chuckled as we passed a few mares that took to following us from a distance.

"I'm pretty sure they're here for you." I said with a nervous laugh.

I was quickly proven wrong as three of them brushed past Dash to intrude on my personal bubble. I was pretty certain Cloudchaser would have been taken away for murder if she could see these three now.

"Are you and Whitefire besties? Will you sign my flank? Did you really beat Flicker?" The questions were random, stupid, and some were downright unmentionable.

"Dash, help!" I cried, taking to the air, only to be followed.

Yeah, these fans can fly, jackass. the ever helpful voice in my head informed me.

Thanks for that brain. I replied.

"Ladies," Rainbow Dash cut them off. "This one's soon to be a married stallion, how about we keep our hooves to ourselves?"

None of them had gotten to me, which was a blessing. The last time I so much as gave Applejack a hug it was immediately brought up by Cloudchaser. Scents played a pretty hefty roll in relationships. We were past that point now, but having a multitude of mares scent on me after disappearing up in the clouds all day didn't paint the best picture in the gallery.

At the news of my engagement, the mares toned it down a bit, no longer pushing against the cyan pegasus. I had never received this type of reaction so quickly. After losing to Thunderlane I was pretty sure I would lose any outside support I had to begin with, but I guess I was wrong.

"So is Rainbow Dash the lucky mare?" one of them asked, making the element of loyalty's cheeks turn a dark crimson.

"No, her name's Cloudchaser." I replied.

"Okay Romeo, let's get a move on. We should have been at the track by now." Rainbow Dash gave my tail a tug after recomposing herself.

"Heh, you blushed." I chuckled, receiving a rather hard punch to my right foreleg.

"You tell anypony about that and I'll make sure you sleep with one eye open from now on." Rainbow Dash threatened.

"Whatever you say Dash." I smiled.

Cloudsdale was pretty impressive, the buildings were made of cloud, but actually looked like buildings. This was something that could only be explained by magic, I knew next to nothing about cloud crafting. What was really breathtaking was a large factory that periodically produced a perfect rainbow.

“Hey, do we have time to visit that place?” I asked excitedly.

“Uh, heh, let’s save that for another time.” Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly, flying in front of me to block my view of the building.

“But, it looks cool…” I sulked.

“Trust me, it’s uh, boring,” Rainbow Dash hurried me along. “Oh look there’s the stadium!”

“But-“

“C’mon, let’s get you ready!” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

Cloudchaser stretched her wings out with a yawn; soon she'd be getting her work out in while she worked. It had to be one of the best perks of the job. The sunshine with occasional rain scheduled here and there was cool too. She especially liked thunderstorms, having somepony to cuddle up to during the nastier part of her job was special.

She looked down at the letters their friends had taken the time to write. She knew Rarity was close to Daniel and his sister, if she could help in some way, she would. Which was why she told her about the character problem. Rarity was also known to gossip, and had presumably spread the word to her friends.

A knock at the door pulled Cloudchaser from her thoughts. She hoped it wasn't a sales pony of some kind; it was almost time for her to leave.

A professional looking unicorn stood on the other side of the door. The mare seemed a bit shocked to see Cloudchaser and her aura faltered for a few seconds before returning to mask her sudden moment of surprise.

“My apologies, but do you know where a stallion by the name of Daniel might have moved?” the mare asked.

“Moved? He didn’t he’s in Cloudsdale today, can I help you?” Cloudchaser tilted her head.

“I see,” the unicorn smiled as she wrote something down. “Well, I came all the way here, might as well finish. Are you the maid?”

“No,” Cloudchaser’s expression fell flat. “I’m his fiancé.”

The look of shock returned at the word fiancé. Cloudchaser grinned as she realized this was the inspector that had given her stallion a bit of grief. Cloudchaser looked at the clock once more, noticing the time creep closer to her shift. Cloudkicker would understand if she was a little late. Besides, one should never leave a stallion to do a mare’s job.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think he was…I meant no disrespect.” the unicorn blushed.

“Don’t sweat it.” Cloudchaser smirked as she allowed the unicorn inside, spotting her name tag which read Pristine Spotter. This was definitely the same inspector.

I looked out over the track, taking note of the empty center. It was a long way down if a racer became too tired to fly, or some other accident happened. It added a bit of danger and excitement, though the danger was diminished slightly if one were to consider the mass of clouds floating below.

“You’re going to do great. You’re in your real element now,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to get me psyched up.

I didn’t reply as thoughts of the conversation Thunderlane and I had before my last race came back to me. My real element was back on the ground.

“Hey, are you okay in there?” Rainbow Dash booped me on the nose.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I lied.

“Horseapples you are, you’re not still upset about what Thunderlane said, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“What if he’s right Dash? I wasn’t born a pegasus.” I sighed.

“I thought we had talked about this already.” A gruff familiar voice said.

I turned towards the direction of the voice to see my trainer. He still looked a bit ill, and had more than likely snuck out of the hospital to see the race.

“Lean Streak, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I had a feeling you’d start getting cold hooves on me again, so I gave the nurses the slip,” Lean Streak chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll hear about it later, but this is too important to miss. The Daniel I know didn’t quit when I was giving him shit for being some no name from Ponyville. You’ve got a habit of proving ponies wrong.”

Lean Streak took the mask from the bag that I had yet to put on and held it out to me. “What’s it going to be?”

The crowd’s cheers started to grow louder as time slowly ticked down. I took the mask, slipping it on, feeling like a completely different pony. Rainbow Dash and Lean Streak smiled at me approvingly as I turned and approached the track and took my spot. I was on the outside this time.

I watched as the last few seconds ticked down, the muscles in my body tensing in preparation for the start of the race. As soon as the signal rang through the air, each tensed muscle moved with a practiced smoothness which helped me become airborne.

“So, I see not much has changed internally.” Pristine commented.

“Is the lack of change a good thing?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Well, it’s not a mess, which is good,” Pristine replied. “But the inspection about the living environment wasn’t what was in question. The main concern that is a higher priority is who a colt or filly is being adopted by.”

“I’d hope so.” Cloudchaser said.

“So what is it that you do, Miss Cloudchaser?” Pristine Spotter asked, that familiar smug expression resurfacing.

“I’m a weather mare, and a Wonderbolt Cadet.” Cloudchaser replied, holding back the venom she wanted to punctuate her words with, for now.

“I see, well, unfortunately I’m afraid that I’ll have to wrap this up now. Since he obviously wouldn’t have any references.” Pristine said.

“Why would you say that?” Cloudchaser’s tail flicked in agitation.

“He’s a simple stallion, he probably got wrapped up in preparing for his next big race. I do hope your marriage isn’t a dul-“ Pristine started to reply.

“Okay sister, it’s time we had a heart to heart,” Cloudchaser interrupted her. “I want to show you something.”

Pristine could have walked out and dismissed them both, but that would take a great deal of paper work. If what she had proved to be incriminating, then it would make her job easier. With that thought, she followed the pegasus to the table, surprised to see a stack of letters.

“If you stopped to show me fan mail, I’m afraid you’re wasting both our times.” Pristine rolled her eyes.

“It’s not fan mail, they’re character references.” Cloudchaser snorted.

Doubtful, Pristine levitated a letter with an apple in the center of the envelope. Opening it, revealed a rather harshly, but still legible, scribbled letter. With a sigh, she resigned herself to read what she assumed would be a poorly written excuse for this stallion.

I hope ya’ll get this letter, I wasn’t too sure what to write when Rarity said something about a reference thing or another. Anywho, I suppose if I had to pick something good about Daniel, it’d have to be his heart. He kinda reminds me of Fluttershy, though he can get pretty upset if somepony’s in trouble.

My little sis and her friends got into a downright dangerous spot one time. I don’t know if it was dumb luck, or destiny, but anypony that can scare off a timber wolf is okay by me. He took a hit for my sis, I know he’d do the same for anypony else. He’s smart, kinda strong, and I think he’d be a good pa for Scootaloo. Those two are like two peas in a pod sometimes.

Ya’ll take care

Applejack

I kept pace with fourth place, waiting for the right opportunity to move forward as we entered the first turn. Racing high above Equestria like this felt different somehow, a part of me felt like I was meant to be here, while the other part resisted the thought, reminding myself that it was just instinct.

The tried and tested strategy of pressing the competition was working. Though I was fooling myself if I ever thought this was going to work on Thunderlane. He flew too fast and his endurance was built up enough to compensate for it. The thoughts started to cloud my mind, affecting my speed.

I quickly pushed them from my head and flew around fourth place, putting me in third. I couldn’t let him get to me.

Remember what you’re fighting for. I thought to myself.

Pristine Spotter continued to the next letter. The last had been a bit choppy, but it was the thought that mattered. Still, she had a job to do, as much as she wanted to simply dismiss the pony in question, she would see this through to the end. Though she had to admit, it was impressive to intimidate a timber wolf, if it were true of course.

To whom it concerns.

Daniel’s not a bad stallion, he wasn’t a stallion at all once. I mean, he was, but not a pony stallion. He was tall, and big, and a little scary, but he turned out to be the one that was afraid. He was pulled from his home, but made a new one here. He’s brave when he needs to be, and-truly an entertaining work of art if one were to ask.

Pristine was a bit stunned by the sudden shift in writing style, but continued.

I remember when he tried walking for the first time; he fell flat on his face. The poor soul you seem SO concerned about couldn’t hurt a flea if his life depended on it. I’m sure if he really tried he could-but he wouldn’t which is the important thing.

The mare let a giggle slip as she realized from the scratch marks that this was written by two ponies, not just one.

There’s no reason for him not to be a father.

I was entering the third turn now, gaining on the stallion in first place. All was going well for now. My wings burned slightly, but that was a pain I was used to, not like the excruciatingly strong pain I had experienced when trying to out fly Thunderlane.

This wasn’t my limit, it couldn’t be. I silenced the voices screaming I couldn’t and surged forward. I wasn’t going to let him get in my head again. I could go faster, I could be stronger, I would be better.

My movements became more confident with each inch I passed the leader by. The doubt Thunderlane had put in my mind was evaporating. I would find a way to beat him, but first I had to get to him again, I had to win.

Pristine looked over the stack that remained, she couldn’t go over all of them. So far the ones she had read hadn’t addressed the one thing she was looking for. She decided that she would read one more, before making her decision. Clearly the stallion had friends, but friends could be biased.

The letter she elected to read last seemed to have the mouthwriting of a foal. Still, it was legible, and that's what mattered.

To the inspector pony

Daniel helped me and Scootaloo become friends. I used to bully other ponies because it made me feel bigger and better than them. One day, I got in a fight with my friend, it was Scootaloo that came to check on me. I had been mean to her, told her that she'd never have a family, but for some reason she came.

When I asked her about it later, she told me it's what Daniel would have done. I think he should be Scootaloo's daddy. He's nice and looks out for her.

Diamond Tiara

Pristine Spotter stared at the letter. Could she really be wrong about somepony? This was penned by a foal, one that had turned over a new leaf from the way things were written. What amazed her still was the fact that a foal actually took the time to write about something like this.

"Through the eyes of foals..." Pristine said.

"Pardon?" Cloudchaser cocked an eyebrow at the unicorn.

"Nothing....I think I've seen enough." Pristine stood from the table, with a refreshed smile.

"So that's it? You're not even going to wait for him?" Cloudchaser's tail swished excitedly.

"I don't think it would do me much good to waste more of either of our time ma'am. Though, I do need you to sign this." Pristine replied, levitating a folder towards the mare.

I put everything I had into finishing with a good distance ahead of the stallion in second. The second I saw the flash at the finish line, I felt a little like my old self again. It also meant that I was going to get another shot at Thunderlane, my journey wasn't over yet.

"That's the Daniel I remember training!" Lean Streak exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, you were pretty good." Rainbow Dash added with a shrug.

"Well, I guess this means I'll be up against Thunderlane again." I said.

"Yep, and this time you'll be ready." Lean Streak smiled.

"Pfft, with speed like that? Thunderlane will just mop the floor with you all over again." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Wow, where did all of that encouragement from earlier go?" I asked, a bit hurt by her words.

"That was before I saw how you actually race. Your endurance is fine, but to beat him you're going to need raw speed." Rainbow Dash replied.

Under normal circumstances, I'd brush whatever Dash had to say off if it seemed negative. Most of the time she didn't mean to come off that way but did. This time however; I was intrigued by her opinion, and she was the pony able to perform a sonic rainboom.

"I suppose you know a way I could get faster?" I asked.

"You'd have to be willing to do everything I say, and be prepared to be bent to the breaking point." Rainbow Dash's tone was steady and serious. This wasn't a prank or gag.

"Do you really think it'll help me beat Thunderlane?" I asked.

"Beating him is up to you, but what I have in mind will definitely put you on an equal level." Rainbow Dash replied, spitting on her hoof before extending it to me.

With a laugh I spat on the surface of my own before pressing it against hers. I could only hope Rainbow Dash was right, that she could help me with my speed. I had no idea what that entailed.

The flight home was an enjoyable one. Rainbow Dash and I talked about what her training would consist of, while Lean Streak opted to return to the hospital as soon as possible. He had the sinking feeling they would be keeping him there longer due to his escape.

While the race was still fresh in my mind, and the victory exciting, I was tired. It had been a pain in the flank flying to and from the location, but Rainbow Dash ominously assured me I'd get used to it with an unnerving grin.

I gave a tired, but happy sigh, as I landed in front of my door. I pushed it open, willing to crawl onto the couch or in bed and fall asleep for an hour or two.

"Oh hey, there you are," Cloudchaser was sitting at the table when I walked in, a set of papers in front of her. "I need your help with this part."

"What exactly are you filling out?" I asked as I shrugged off my saddle bags beside the couch.

I looked down at the papers and saw a bunch of legalities that were crammed together so closely nopony would ever really read them. What stood out to me were the words "Adoptive Father" next to a blank signature line. The line opposite had been signed by Cloudchaser, marked "Adoptive Mother."

Scootaloo road on my back, a bit tired from school. Apparently, field trips were the one thing the filly could get behind and tucker herself out at if she had too much fun. I grinned as I passed the orphanage, taking note of Scootaloo's confused expression.

"Uh, Daniel, we just passed the orphanage. I thought you said you were taking me home?" Scootaloo poked my neck, making sure I hadn't sunk too deeply into thought.

"I know, that's what I'm doing." I replied cryptically.

Scootaloo's muzzle scrunched up as she tried to process my response. I could practically see and hear the gears in her head turning as she mulled the thought over. As I glanced over my shoulder I thought I saw a look of realization pass her, but it faded in the blink of an eye. It was as if a part of her knew, but the other part was in denial of what might be happening.

Soon enough we reached my neighborhood, which prompted her to speak once more. "Uh, did you mean your home? I mean the game's cool and all, but I was kind of tired."

"I did." I replied pushing open the door trying my best not to laugh or snicker.

I opened the door, and heard a rather loud gasp from behind my head. I knew immediately she had seen the cut out letter banner that read "WELCOME HOME SCOOTALOO." The papers had been turned in three days ago, and it was finally time to welcome her into our lives.

Scootaloo was silent as she sat atop me. Her forelegs covered her muzzle, as if she had just uttered a foul word and had been caught, but her eyes were a cross between joy and sadness.

I had wanted this to be a small welcoming party. Pinkie Pie had objected, but thankfully I wasn't a lone voice anymore. Cloudchaser had agreed that too much attention might not be the best thing for her when she found out she had been adopted.

"You okay squirt?" Rainbow Dash asked.

A soft jolt on my back led me to believe that she was trying to fight back her tears. I knelt down and let her slide off my back, her watery eyes glancing around to all of those present before coming to rest on me. "I don't....why?"

"Because you're an awesome filly." Cloudchaser spoke before I could.

Scootaloo focused on the mare for a few seconds before turning back to me. "Is she...my...my-"

I nodded, triggering the tangerine filly to tackle my chest in the biggest hug she could manage. He small body shook, as years of loneliness left her in the form of hot tears, she would never have to endure that feeling again. I felt another form press against me as I wrapped a foreleg around Scootaloo.

"Everything's going to be okay now Scootaloo." Cloudchaser cooed soothingly, stroking the filly's mane.

"Yeah, besides today's supposed to be a happy day. Your friends are here." I said, as Scootaloo slowly relinquished me from her hug.

"Sorry we had ta keep ya in the dark sugar cube," Applejack said. "It was temptin' ta tell ya. We had ta make sure it would happen first though."

"So, you all knew?" Scootaloo sniffled.

"Yes, Daniel came to me the day after your scooter broke and talked to me about it." Twilight confessed.

"What I don't get is why I was the last one to know about it," Rainbow Dash huffed in mock irritation. “I mean, I'm her surrogate sister after all."

"Does that make you part of the family then?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess it does, where's my room, dad?" Rainbow Dash snickered.

I cringed at the thought of Rainbow Dash calling me dad, it made me feel old. "Never do that again." I deadpanned.

As the party got underway, Scootaloo's friends recalled countless situations they had found the filly in. Some were heartwarming and funny, others were sad, but today the stories would no longer end with her going back to an orphanage. She had a home now, this would be a special milestone in her life.

I smiled as Scootaloo explored the house with her friends, Diamond Tiara being among them. I was very proud of her for stepping over the line and showing her a bit of kindness.

"So, do you feel any different, being a dad and all?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe a little, but I feel this is what I'm supposed to do." I replied.

"I'm proud of how far you've come in this world." Twilight's smile seemed halfhearted. I could tell she had more she wanted to say, but decided not to press her right now. This was supposed to be about Scootaloo today, the last thing I wanted to do was ruin that.

Scootaloo let out a happy sigh as she snuggled into the soft mattress of her bed. It felt much softer than her old one. It was as if it had been made just for her, and her tired little body was starting to fall in love with every inch of it.

"So, is it all you hoped for?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Mmhmm, better." Scootaloo replied with a yawn.

"Well, goodnight kiddo." Cloudchaser said, leaning down and pecking the filly on the forehead.

Scootaloo froze, she didn't know how to react to such an action. Should she do it back? Was she supposed to say thank you? Thankfully, Cloudchaser seemed to pick up on her confusion and smiled, nuzzling her affectionately. This snapped the filly out of her daze and made her laugh before returning the gesture.

Cloudchaser slowly pulled away from the tangerine filly, hitting the light switch as she walked towards the door. Scootaloo's night light began casting small lightning bolts and stars in a small corner of the room.

Scootaloo watched the shapes dance across the wall for a while as she listened to Cloudchaser turn the rest of the lights in the house off before going to bed herself. The filly couldn't seem to fall asleep however; afraid that if she did, she would awake from this incredible dream come true.

As quietly as she could, she climbed out of bed, and padded to her new adoptive parent's room. She could hear talking coming from within the softly moonlight chamber, and could make out two figures in a large bed, resting side by side.

"Guess we're officially parents now, huh?" she heard Daniel ask.

"Mmhmm, she's a sweet foal." Cloudchaser replied, shifting closer to him, a wing draping over her.

Scootaloo smiled as she observed them in silence. She had prayed for just one parent to give her a chance. She never would have dreamed she would have a mom and a dad. The filly crept back to her room, mindful to avoid making any sudden, heavy hoof falls.

Scootaloo crawled back into her bed, a lingering warmth still present where she had been only moments ago. She got comfortable under the covers once more, a new feeling of security settling within her heart. She knew Daniel cared about her, memories of the night she spent on Earth came back to her. Now, she had a mom too, Cloudchaser seemed nice.

"Thank you, Celestia and Luna..." Scootaloo whispered quietly as she drifted off to sleep. Unbeknownst to the filly, two stars shone brighter than the rest that night.

Author's Note

And after a long build up, it's mission accomplished for Daniel :scootangel: ...or is it? There' still one last score to settle, and what of Twilight? Things are beginning to come to a head. :trollestia:

Essence

Scootaloo awoke, startled briefly by her surroundings. She was almost certain that Luna had blessed her with a very impressive dream. When the sun arose this morning however; she found her night light still glowing faintly in the corner of her room, her bed still as invitingly soft as it had been last night, and she was no longer in a large room occupied with other sleeping colts and fillies. Her room, she still liked the way that sounded, even more so now that she knew this wasn’t a dream.

She climbed out of bed, her small wings buzzing a bit as she landed on the carpet that her parents had been wise enough to place on the hardwood floor beside her bed. It muffled the sound of her hooves hitting the wood, lessening the chance of her waking them up unintentionally if she got up in the middle of the night.

Scootaloo quietly approached her parent’s room, peeking in once she was close enough. They were still there, Cloudchaser-no, her mom, was on the left side of the bed, making her the more visible of the two ponies beneath the covers. A large blue wing lay draped over her protectively, its size and color were pretty easy to place to Dan-her dad. She bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming excitedly, a broad smile stretching across her muzzle.

She watched as her mom shifted beneath her dad’s wing, rolling over to face him. Scootaloo could hear soft whispers coming from them, accompanied by occasional quiet laughter. Before she realized it, she was walking into their room, approaching the bed as they continued their hushed conversation.

The filly reared up on her hind legs, placing her forehooves against the mattress for support. Her big purple eyes barely peeked up over the top as she strained to see what her new parents were up to. Pressing her hooves against the mattress seemingly caused enough disturbance to bring her mother’s laughter to an end.

Cloudchaser rolled over beneath the sheets, prompting her mate to rise up slightly above her. Needless to say, both parents were a bit shocked to see two purple eyes staring back at them. For a moment Scootaloo thought she might have done something wrong.

"H-hi." Scootaloo said. From her parent's point of view only the top part of her head bobbed a bit as she uttered her greeting, her purple mane bouncing slightly.

I had been warned by my mother that one day I would know the pain of being walked in on by a child. While I'm sure she never thought that child would walk on all fours and have wings, the effect was still the same. What redeemed the moment however; was seeing those big purple eyes stare back at me so innocently. Even if I had been mad, I don't think I would have stayed that way.

"Hey Scoots, how'd you sleep?" I asked, stretching my wings out a bit.

"Okay." Scootaloo replied nonchalantly, her head tilting slightly to the right as she spoke.

I heard Cloudchaser giggle lightly, as she tucked her hind legs beneath her before hoisting Scootaloo up onto the bed with us. It shouldn't have surprised me that she would be good with the filly, having foal sat for Rumble, and possibly a few others, must have had an influence on her.

Scootaloo giddily snuggled up beside Cloudchaser, a wing wrapping around her as she got comfortable. The sight nearly stopped my heart from the overwhelming level of cuteness coming from the duo next to me. It also made me feel…proud, but not in an arrogant way, just happy to call Scootaloo my daughter, and Cloudchaser would soon be my wife. Another part of me silently dared the world to try and harm them; I wouldn’t let anything happen to my family, even if it killed me.

“You okay?” Cloudchaser asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah, just enjoying my morning with the prettiest mare, and coolest filly.” I replied.

“Sappy.” Scootaloo quietly whispered to Cloudchaser, causing the pair to laugh.

“Yeah, he can be,” the mare agreed, turning to face me. “But that’s what I like about him.”

I shared a brief nuzzle with Cloudchaser, not wanting to get too personal with Scootaloo present. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to wake up than in the company of my family, but all good things must come to an end, and the sound of my daughter’s rumbling stomach was the sign that told me it was time to move on with the day. Speaking of which, I was pretty surprised Rainbow Dash hadn’t barged in by now, blowing her whistle to get my ass up.

“Well, I’d say it’s breakfast time.” I stretched one last time before hovering over the mother, daughter combo beside me. No sooner had I landed, I felt a warm body on my back. I smiled, knowing who it was without asking. As I headed towards the door, my passenger’s wing’s buzzing happily for a few seconds, I turned when I didn’t hear Cloudchaser following us.

“You okay babe?” I asked, noticing what I thought was a brief look of pain on her face before it faded upon addressing her.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec.” Cloudchaser replied with a reassuring smile.

I shrugged and continued towards the kitchen, still expecting Rainbow Dash to show up at any moment. I was impressed by her lacking presence when I made it all the way to the kitchen without being tackled, or yelled at by the cyan mare.

I sat down suddenly, causing Scootaloo to slide off my back. As much as I’m sure I would come to enjoy our time together, a chef needs his back passenger free, for mobility reasons.

Scootaloo didn’t stick around long, the appeal of a good video game being much more interesting than watching me make breakfast. I smiled a little as I heard the game’s title theme; I was already turning out to be the best influence ever. I had this parenting thing in the bag, though to be fair, the whole diapers phase had been skipped entirely, and Scootaloo was an awesome foal.

I heard heavier hoof falls coming from behind me, Cloudchaser's. I felt confident I could distinguish hers from a thousand other ponies if I had to. I turned to see a smile on her muzzle, but something about her eyes told another story.

"Cloudchaser, are you sure everything's okay?" I asked, ignoring the sizzling of eggs for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Just a little sore is all...nothing too hard for me this morning, okay?" Cloudchaser replied in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, no problem. Just don't pull a me and keep things to yourself, okay?" I offered her my best supportive smile.

"I think Equestria would be in trouble if somepony tried acting just like you," Cloudchaser laughed, giving me a quick kiss.

“So, they stuck you with weather duty on a Saturday?” I asked.

“Yeah, I kind of owe Cloudkicker for picking up some of my time for me. Without her, somepony might not be here right now,” Cloudchaser tilted her head towards the filly in front of the T.V, too preoccupied to listen in on what was being said. “That, and I try to get in as much time as I can before we all get called back to the Wonderbolt Academy again.”

“Makes sense, I guess. You guys have a pretty wacky schedule though.” I chuckled.

“Speaking of, you’re getting signed up buster,” Cloudchaser said. “I know you have training to do, but this would be for registry purposes.”

“That doesn’t….but why?” I felt my ears droop a bit in confusion.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Cloudchaser shrugged. “It’s just something all pegasi have to do.”

“Fine, I need to talk to Rainbow Dash anyways. I’ve been expecting her to barge in here all morning…I’m kind of worried about her to be honest.” I said.

“I’m sure she’s fine, she just “sleeps in” occasionally.” Cloudchaser winked, trying to be as subtle as possible.

I’m going to hope she means what I think she thinks I thinks she means, and not something else…I think. I thought to myself.

“Dash, you okay in there?” I called out through the cloud door. Oddly enough, it was solid enough to knock on…for a pegaus anyways.

Nopony around town had seen her out and about, zipping above the sky in her usual lightning fast style. It was odd to me, she always came off as a pretty earlier riser to me, unless…uh oh.

With a little extra umph behind my shove, I forced the door open. Forced open is a poor choice of words though, more like caused the chair that was against the door to topple over. She was too damn lazy to bother locking her own door, really?

The inside of Rainbow’s house looked like what you would expect of a jockey college student from Earth, minus the clothes draped over the couch, and the “trophy” wall was thankfully lined with actual trophies. To top things off, the scent of alcohol was heavy in the air, giving me a pretty good idea of what happened to the mare.

I didn’t have to look too hard to find her. A cyan lump lay stretched out across the couch, one wing touching the warm cloud floor, given her odd position. I sighed as I remembered that ponies reacted differently to alcohol. Instead of getting a hangover, or getting drunk, they just got a little dopy and it sent them to sleep. I knew this first hoof through experience.

“Dash…Dash…” I gently poked the mare in the side.

“The doctor stole the bits, I swear…” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

“Did he now?” I asked, placing a hoof over her nose.

She grunted and snorted, flailing a bit as she tried to rid herself of the obstruction on her nostrils. Finally she opened her eyes and darted up towards the ceiling, albeit a bit unsteadily.

“D-Daniel? What are you doing here?” she asked, finally landing.

“Well, I’m kind of anxious to know what happened to the doctor now, but I originally flew up here to check on you, and get registered. Not that it’s not great to see you and everything.” I replied.

“Oh, heh, can we do that tomorrow maybe?” Rainbow Dash asked, climbing onto the couch once more before falling back down in her original position.

I rolled my eyes, sure Dash was a big mare and could make her own decisions, but for being so gung-ho about training, she certainly had a strange way of showing her enthusiasm. I was tempted to drag her outside by her tail, but I valued my life too much.

“Did you force your way in?” Twilight asked, her sudden presence startling me.

“Her door wasn’t even locked, she just props something up against it.” I replied, pointing to an overturned table chair.

“Huh, interesting…anyways, I need to borrow you, for reasons.” Twilight said.

“Just shut the door on your way out…” Rainbow trailed off drowsily.

Twilight giggled to herself at her friend’s behavior. I found it a bit irritating, but knowing Rainbow Dash, she’d be back on her hooves, bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow.

“Shall we?” Twilight offered.

“So, this is it then?” I asked, looking down into a small open box.

“Yes, essentially you have two essences flowing through you. One Discord put in you, while the other is the one you were born with,” Twilight explained. “You look, and feel like a pegasus because I made your human essence repressed. It’s still in you, just dormant to a degree.”

“So this is why you had me hold that stone to my forehead for fifteen minutes?” Isabella asked.

“Pretty much.” Spike replied.

“When you wear this, it will bring your human essence to the surface, effectively changing your form…in theory.” Twilight mumbled nervously.

“Theory, oh boy.” I sighed.

“This is the only way. I’m afraid that anything else might fracture what humanity you have left, or outright kill you,” Twilight’s tone was a bit on the defensive side. “At least have the courage to give it a try. We’re here if something goes wrong.”

I looked to my sister who nodded in confirmation. I knew she wouldn’t leave me, and she had been upset about this in the beginning, though it had turned out for the better in the long run. Still, the thought of seeing my old self once again was extremely tempting, one that I opted to respond to. Besides, I was in the comfort of my home, nopony else would see me if things went wrong.

“Wouldn’t this have a negative impact on all the progress I’ve made with Lean Streak?” I asked.

“It shouldn’t, I took that into consideration. I wouldn’t have even brought this up if there was a chance it would affect you negatively in some way. Trust me, I did my research.” Twilight replied.

“Okay, let’s give it a try.” I said.

Twilight smiled as the necklace levitated out of the small box. It disconnected at the back by some kind of magnet, which made sense. It’d be hard to handle a small clip without fingers since I was still lacking them.

I took the necklace in my hooves, the purple aura around it dissipating. Hesitantly, I wrapped it around my neck, a click indicating that it was secure. Without warning, the stone in the center seemingly glued itself to my front. I looked to Twilight for answers for this unexpected action, feeling nothing out of the ordinary, yet.

“Give it a minute.” Twilight said, her eyes fixated on the accessory that was suppose-oh God!

I doubled over as a sudden shockwave of pain surged through my body. I watched through squinted eyes as the floor started to retreat from me. This was nothing compared to the sensation of having all of your muscles being put to sleep, only to come awake all at once. My vision started to swim from the rising pain as bones popped and reshaped themselves. A blinding light surrounding me, my ears ringing painfully.

Eventually my hearing returned, the sound of voices that sounded like they were under water being the first thing to grab my attention. Soon, I regained my sight, at which the image of…fingers, stirred my mind from its fuzzy state. I tried to move them, which took a bit of effort as I became reacquainted with old, familiar muscles.

“How do you feel?” Twilight asked, stepping into my field of view.

“…heavy.” I replied, trying to hoist myself up on my elbow, only to fall.

“How long does this spell reversal last?” Isabella asked.

“As long as he wears the necklace. I’m just relieved it didn’t leave any lasting side effects.” Twilight sighed.

“So it could have done something to me.” I deadpanned.

“Would you have tried if I told you there might be a slight…problem?” Twilight asked, pulling the towel thrown over my torso down slightly.

“Hey!” I fussed grabbing at the fabric only to have my hand swatted away.

“Stop being a foal.” Twilight scolded as she slowly slid the fabric down to barely expose my thigh.

There, just barely exposed by the light of the room was my cutie mark. I was a human though; humans didn’t have marks magically appear on their skin. In fact, an injury I sustained as a pony was healed when I changed back into a human once, so a cutie mark shouldn’t still be branded on my body.

"Well, that was unexpected, and kind of underwhelming actually." Twilight mused jotting down a quick note.

“It looks like you got to keep your butt picture.” Isabella chuckled.

“Fantastic…” I said sarcastically, trying to stand.

I stumbled forward into a safety net of Twilight’s magic. I tried to let muscle memory take control, feeling like a toddler learning to walk.

“It’s all in the hips…I know a pony that could help with that.” Isabella smirked.

“Not helping…” I mumbled.

“I think he needs time to adapt. He’s trying to use muscles on a frame that isn’t natural to him anymore.” Twilight said, helping me over to the bed, which was now the right size instead of being too big, and quite spacious, for Cloudchaser and myself.

“I’m fine, I just need-“

“Rest,” Twilight interrupted with an almost motherly tone. “Trust me, just leave it on for the rest of the day, and take it off before you fall asleep tonight.”

“Fine…” I pouted.

“It’s good to have the old you back.” Isabella smiled, it was a smile I hadn’t seen in a long time, a genuine one.

“I never left.” I grinned as Twilight ushered her and Spike out of the room.

“Rest, I mean it.” Twilight said sternly.

“Yes mom.” I snickered.

My laughter died quickly as I brought my left hand into view. I had to focus to flex my fingers, much like I once had to do with my wings as a pegasus. I was once again caught between two worlds, the one I was born into, and the one I now belonged in, had a family in.

Phantom tingles from imaginary wings on my back registered with my muddled brain from time to time. Twilight had pulled off the ultimate switcheroo to make me a pegasus, to the point that being human was as foreign to me now as it had been to be a pony when I was still a human.

It was an impressive, but scary accomplishment, one that had saved my life. I idly rubbed the gem in the middle of the necklace, its soft blue glow occasionally stealing my attention. So what now? Was I just supposed to go back to being a human and forget about all of this? I mean, that is what I had originally wanted, a part of me had craved it. Cloudchaser had really thrown a wrench in all of that though, in a good way.

I was happy to be back to my old self. Though if I wanted to get technical, the pegasus was now my old self. This was just an illusion, an elaborate one, but an illusion all the same. A small stone was giving my humanity form. It was a bit hard to take, that the spell mishap had damaged me so badly, beyond the physical realm.

I closed my eyes with a loud sigh. This wasn’t a decision for me to make alone, and honestly I didn’t know what to do; I needed expert advice. At least, she considered herself the expert between us. I knew I wanted to settle things with Thunderlane, but after that was said and done, what was I going to do with myself?

I let my thoughts slip away to exhaustion, believing a power nap would provide answers. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it was worth a shot.

Cloudchaser smiled as she took care of the last stray cloud. A family would be waiting for when she got home, not just a stallion that loved her and the upside down world she sometimes brought with her.

Scootaloo was proving to be pretty well behaved. As much as she didn’t want to draw conclusions, she couldn’t help but accredit it to not having a family for so long and trying to impress them. Cloudchaser wanted her to be herself, not something she wasn’t, she knew for a fact no filly or colt was perfect, and those pretending to be would drive themselves crazy.

She put that conversation towards the back of her mind for later as she landed in front of her door. Cloudchaser had been a bit hesitant about moving in with Daniel at first, but after the first night back, she just kind of lost the will to leave him. Not because he was the best or most attractive stallion, but that was the magic of the bond, fate does funny things to a pony. Now she had grown accustomed to the big house and the bed that could fit Celestia comfortably. Not out of luxury, but of necessity, well it had been out of necessity once.

Cloudchaser opened the door, the snores of her stallion making her smile. Scootaloo was nowhere to be seen, leading her to believe she was still out with her friends. She assumed Rainbow Dash had worked with him a little, even though it was a late start this morning. The mare quietly made her way to their bedroom, hoping to check up on him without waking him up. It was an endeavor she nearly failed when she saw what was laying on the bed.

Cloudchaser managed to cover her mouth with her hoof in time, preventing a rather loud gasp from escaping. She knew who it was by his scent, Daniel. Still, seeing him in a form she thought had been lost to him was quite a shock.

She quietly flew over to the bed, gently landing on the mattress with little to no bounce. Cloudchaser observed the human up close now, taking in his bare form. She had seen him before, but never without his shirt on, or…no, she wouldn’t do that to him, not yet anyways. Her attention was now drawn to the necklace he wore.

Cloudchaser moved her hoof in to touch it, only to gasp in surprise as five fingers gently wrapped around her foreleg before she could. Her eyes met his, though they were smaller now. They had a mysterious look to them now, but she could still feel the same gentle presence as another hand cupped her muzzle.

“Hey…” Daniel said quietly.

“Hey, big guy.” Cloudchaser smiled.

The mare slowly climbed onto his chest, looking down at the human with a warm expression. She felt those hands slowly travel to her back and along her neck. Cloudchaser knew what was coming, and sighed happily as she felt the beginnings of a head and ear scratch session. She smiled dopily, resting her head against his body as the glorious massage continued. Any feelings of worry or stress were melting away at his touch.

“Mmm, how long does this last?” Cloudchaser asked giddily.

“As long as I wear this, supposedly,” her mate replied. “Do you really enjoy this that much?”

“Sweet Celestia yeesss….” Cloudchaser sighed, stretching out across him. “I could go to sleep just letting you do this…”

“You’re a silly pony.” Daniel said, as her head flopped to the side, her ear fell over his heart.

Her smile grew wider as she listened to its steady rhythm. It wasn’t like a pegasus’ heart, it was slower and seemed more peaceful. There was a time when she would have been terrified to get this close to him. Now, she almost felt safer than when he wrapped his wings around her. Even though he was much taller than her, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. The instinct to flee from the clutches of a larger being were silent.

Cloudchaser opened her eyes, breaking free of the ear scratch induced euphoria to stare at Daniel. She felt the massage slow down, his hands settling in only to rub, and occasionally play with her ears. There was a confused look on his face, one that made Cloudchaser smile as she continued to stare at him.

“What’s on your mind?” Daniel asked, stroking her mane.

Cloudchaser had to know, if their bond went beyond physical form. The mare was taking a rather large leap of faith as she repositioned herself to where her muzzle was inches from his lips. His hand slowly caressed her cheek, applying a little pull as he brought his lips against hers.

Cloudchaser cooed in delight, melting against him as his arms slid around her. Her tail swished happily against him, tickling the human slightly.

“I love you.” Cloudchaser said, breaking their kiss.

“I love you too,” I smiled. “So, which me do you like better?”

“Better? If I knew there was a better you I would be in bed with him right now.” Cloudchaser booped me on the nose.

“Har har, very funny. Seriously though, I was a little worried you'd be freaked out. I mean I've wanted this, but do you want it? Or do you want me to look like you?” I asked.

“I think you should do what you want. This,” Cloudchaser poked at the gem on my chest. “Doesn’t make you who you are. I'll always love you, no matter what. What makes you happy?”

“My life with you guys.” I replied.

“Then I think you have your answer.” Cloudchaser nuzzled me. “How about this; you wear it around the house for a while, so you don’t get in trouble with your job. That way you have a bit of flexibility.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love that brain of yours?” I ask rhetorically, kissing her forehead.

“One of us has to have one…but if you really want my opinion on which one of you I like better, I think we’ll have to take you for a test run.” Cloudchaser growled playfully.

Oh boy... I thought to myself with a grin as our lips to-

"Hey, umm," Like a light switch, Scootaloo's voice shut my mood off. "I was-YOU GOT YOUR HANDS BACK!"

"Heh, yep, sure did. I was just getting reacquainted with th-owe!" I grunted as Cloudchaser delivered a sharp blow to my rib cage. "What was that for?"

"Pre-emptive strike." Cloudchaser replied sweetly. "What's on your mind kiddo?"

“Well, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle brought it up. I’ve never had a sleep over at my house since…you know…” Scootaloo trailed off. “I was wondering if maybe I could have one?”

I looked to Cloudchaser who shared a similar look of concern, at least we were on the same page. I didn’t want to tell Scootaloo no, but I couldn’t tell her yes either. Truth be told, we weren’t exactly prepared for a sleep over so spur of the moment, but it’d be rather blasphemous of me if I said I never had last minute stuff like this.

“When were you wanting to have it?” I asked, looking down at the filly, trying not to give in to those big purple eyes.

“Um…m-maybe tonight?” Scootaloo tapped her hooves together nervously.

Cloudchaser raised an eyebrow at me, thankfully not out of irritation. I was tossing my options back and forth, trying to come to a conclusion about how to address the issue. I stared at the mare that was still resting on my torso, her face slowly gaining that knowing sly smile.

“Wellll...okay,” Cloudchaser gave in speaking for both of us, her smile growing a bit as Scootaloo’s nervousness faded into the brightest smile I had ever seen. “Just give us a little heads up next time, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.” Scootaloo blushed dashing out of our room to presumably prepare for her guest.

“Sorry babe, it’s the eyes that got me.” I chuckled.

“Uh huh, I think somepony already has you wrapped around their hoof. “ Cloudchaser grinned.

“Yeah, just like her mom.” I said, running my fingers through her mane.

“Mmhmm, don’t you forget it either.” Cloudchaser teased, gracing my lips with a quick kiss.

I found it a bit strange that I wasn't bothered by kissing a pony as a human. Such thoughts had once clouded my mind and left me a little conflicted, but now I didn't feel any problem arise as I shared this moment with Cloudchaser, just as it should be.

Author's Note

*whistles innocently* anyways, I'll be going to Fiesta Equestria soon with distortedtruth92, if you haven't read his stuff before, give it the once over. We play the mlp tcg together, and he also helped finalize some things for this story when I was a bit indecisive. I'll still be working on the next chapter, but a lot of my time and focus will be on getting things in order for this mini trip.

A Bullet Amidst A Storm

Day 1:

It had been a while since I had been to this little hoofball field. It was where Rainbow Dash and I had settled our differences, in a sense. It was hard to believe that so much time had since then. A lot had changed since that first month in Equestria.

"I'm going to push you to your limit. You'll never beat Thunderlane with your speed now." Rainbow Dash said as she circled me, evaluating my appearance.

"He can fly faster, but not for a long period of time." Ike interrupted, still setting up the equipment Rainbow Dash had requested.

"That's why we're switching to my method," Rainbow Dash smugly replied. "Before we start though, I'm going to warn you that I'm going to push you to the breaking point."

"You're welcome to try." I smiled.

"Good, let's hope you keep that attitude after fifty wing ups." Rainbow Dash said.

I cocked my eyebrow at the assignment, it was pretty simple. I had expected her to say one hundred for a second, but fifty was the standard for a weather pony. Lean Streak had started me out that low, at the time I didn't know it was meant to be an insult.

With a shrug I got down into position, losing my balance as I felt something land on my back. I looked behind me to see Mike placing some kind of vest on me. It's weight was hard to guess, but it was certainly heavy. I noticed Rainbow Dash grinning as realization sank in.

"Now, we can start." the cyan mare said proudly.

Day 2:

"Come on slow poke! I know you can fly faster than that!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew ahead of Daniel.

Ike and Mike watched as a blue blur flew past them, followed by a slower blue blur. The weighted vest was having a clear effect on him; it made him fly much slower than he normally would without it.

Ike shook his head dejectedly as he stopped the watch. It was impressive, to a wannabe, but way below the mark that Rainbow Dash had set for him to reach. The stallion still remembered how close he had come to passing out on the track after overheating himself. What Lean Streak had neglected to tell him was that racers had died before, pushing themselves too far.

"How long does he have to get ready?" Mike asked.

"One month." Ike replied.

"We've got a lot of work to do..." Mike sighed.

Day 4:

"Come on, twenty more!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew higher into the sky.

I had never seen Cloud Busting as an exercise, more like a job, or chore. There was no denying that it was an exhausting activity. What made this a bit more annoying was being timed while doing it, especially since I had to get rid of them the old fashioned way, instead of some of the creative tricks I had seen Rainbow Dash show me.

I was basically doing Rainbow Dash's work for the day so that she could train me unhindered. This detail didn't escape me, but I had agreed when she said that it would be pretty close to what Thunderlane had gone through. I was feeling a burn whether she was telling the truth of not.

"Ten more, I could have been done a long time ago." Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm having a problem determining who's worse, you or Lean Streak.” I remarked.

"Pfft, me, duh." Rainbow Dash boasted.

I rolled my eyes as I popped another cloud. I wanted to make a witty comment, but kept it to myself. Dash would probably add something worse to whatever else she had in store for me after this was taken care of.

I hadn’t expected Rainbow Dash to be such a hard bum when it came to stuff like this, but damn if she wasn’t almost as bad as Lean Streak, if not worse. Most of the stallion’s training had been centered around endurance, but she was all about getting things done quickly. I had the sinking feeling I would be going home sore again tonight.

Day 8:

“Only use your wings, understand?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing at a set of hard cushioned blocks.

The blocks were hoisted up on polls that sank into a rack when pressure was applied to them, a pretty common defensive exercise for hoof ball players. The difference being that they used their legs to push against the odd contraption.

Scootaloo and Star Sprint sat atop one of the many foam pads, anxiously waiting for me to charge it. Not wanting to keep them waiting too long, I did so as fast as I could. I flapped my wings as hard as I could to try and make the device move, receiving cheers of encouragement from my two spectators.

I smiled a little as it started to move, inching at first, before picking up a little speed. I managed to keep this up to what I assumed was the equivalent of the fifty yard line before stopping, my wings unwilling to continue.

“Not bad, but we’ve still got work to do,” Rainbow Dash said. “Come on big guy, up and at ‘em.”

“I hate you so much.” I groaned. Scootaloo and Star Sprint snickered at me quietly. I couldn’t blame them; I looked like a mess, and felt like one too.

Day 15:

Ike watched Daniel slowly gained on Rainbow Dash as they held a mock race. It had taken some time, but his speed was improving noticeably. The stallion had been skeptical of her methods at first at first, but they were proving to be effective.

Despite the training, Daniel didn’t have a chance at catching Rainbow Dash yet. His speed started to taper off once more, causing Mike to sigh. It was the same no matter what they did. He would always come close to finishing strong, but it was as if he just couldn’t keep it together long enough.

It was a bit discouraging, and there was little doubt that it frustrated Daniel. The stallion stomped the ground in irritation upon landing. He had taken off the vest to see if there had been some improvements and was clearly disappointed in the results, more so with himself than others.

“Something has to be holding him back.” Mike commented.

“Yeah, he’s been going at it nonstop…I don’t want to admit it, but maybe Thunderlane had a point. Maybe there is only so much he can do.” Ike said.

“No there’s not,” Star Sprint said, looking up at the green earth pony. “If there was, then why are you still here? Do you really believe that?”

“I hope you’re right kid.” Ike mumbled.

Day 19:

Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted to her stop watch, before finding her friend as another cloud disintegrated due to a swift kick. He was getting closer to the mark she had set for him, which put a small smile on her muzzle. He would never be as fast as her, but he might come close if he kept on giving it everything he had.

The second the last cloud was disposed of, she stopped the watch, nodding in approval of how much time he had shaved off. She joined him on a low altitude cloud that had been spared his wrath. Rainbow Dash could tell he was tired, despite the fact that he was doing his best to conceal it.

“You’re getting there, just a little bit more and I think you’ve got this.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Dash, tell me honestly, do you think I can beat him?” Daniel asked.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the stallion. “You’ve done all that I’ve asked of you so far, you’re getting faster every day. So, yes, I know you can, but I’m not the one that’s going to be flying against him now am I?”

Daniel smirked at her response, his spirits lifting a little. Rainbow Dash knew pushing him too much would just break his will; a little encouragement here and there was needed to keep his moral up.

The only thing holding him back now was his own doubt, which was something she had to get rid of. Rainbow Dash kept this thought to herself, plotting out the best course of action as her understudy regained his stamina.

Day 22:

Scootaloo blew into the whistle Rainbow Dash had given her. No sooner had she blown into the silver device, the rack she was on shook violently as her father slammed into it like a battering ram, pushing it forward with wing power alone.

“Twenty…thirty…forty…” Scootaloo counted off as she was pushed past each marker.

She could feel a small breeze created by his wings, something she considered impressive. Scootaloo noticed Rainbow Dash watching with approval, her eyes widened a bit however; causing the filly to grow concerned. She looked down to notice that her father was pushing the rack past the fifty yard mark.

Scootaloo looked behind her to see the forty mark drawing closer. Her father was showing no signs of slowing down at the moment, continuing to push forward. Her heart soared with hope as she watched him push her perch past the opposite forty yard mark and towards the thirty.

“Come on, just a little more!” Scootaloo cheered.

He pushed her past the twenty yard mark with a grunt, as he dug deep into his reservoir of energy to keep going. Scootaloo had never had the chance to see him race before, but if he could do what she was witnessing now, she was sure it’d be a sight to see.

Finally, using his wings alone, her father pushed the rack past the opposite ten yard line. His wings ceased their rapid motions, causing him to land on his hooves, tired after exhorting himself. Scootaloo smiled as she joined Daniel after climbing off the device. He looked tired, and there was a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Day 29:

“Okay, it’s time to show me what you’ve got. You ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” I replied, slipping the weighted vest off.

The cyan mare popped her neck and wings once before signaling to Ike to get ready to start. The earth pony nodded in acknowledgement ready for us to start. His brother cast a quick glance at a chart with a hopeful expression.

“Three…two…one, go!” Rainbow Dash shouted, both of us taking off from the starting lane in unison.

Our course had been laid out ahead of time, since there wasn’t an actual track to work with. It was marked with a few flags, some going on the outskirts of town, probably to show off a bit. The last time we had tried this we had received complaints, I couldn’t think of a better way to finish off the session by receiving a few more.

“Keeping up so far?” Rainbow Dash asked with a mischievous smile.

“Whenever you’re ready to stop holding back.” I replied, knowing all too well that she could fly MUCH faster.

“You asked for it!” Rainbow Dash laughed, increasing her speed at an alarming rate.

My surprise was short lived as I caught back up to her, which brought a smile to my muzzle. We had started at a pretty decent pace, and already we were nearing our marked second turn. Two flight trails were left in our wake, marking our passage as a few ponies below stopped to watch.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at me as we both picked up speed exiting the second turn. I couldn’t be certain, but I thought I saw a smile grace her features for a spilt second before she addressed me. “You ready for the big push?”

I only nodded, fearing that distracting myself with words would cause me to fly slower. It was an unrealistic fear, but I wasn’t about to screw this up over some confident remark that I couldn’t back up.

Rainbow Dash and I kept the same pace as we entered the third turn. I was starting to feel tired now, but I knew I could keep going. The pain wasn’t unbearable yet, not like it had been against Thunderlane. I could do this, or so I thought.

As we exited the forth turn Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at me, speeding away with ease. I gave chase, staying on her tail, but never managing to catch her. It didn’t matter though, I had stopped caring now and was having fun, like I was supposed to.

“Stop!” I heard Mike yell, intruding upon my train of thought. I had passed the finish line, and realized a bit too late that there was such a thing as too much momentum.

“Fu-“ I cried just before slamming into the branches of a tree. “….ck.”

“You okay in there?” I heard Rainbow Dash call out.

“Yep, fanfuckingtastic, nothing but gumdrops and ice cream in here.” I replied.

“He’s fine.” I heard Ike’s voice chime in from somewhere close by.

I eventually dislodged myself from the tree and tumbled to the ground, unharmed for the most part. I was thankful that the track would be devoid of any trees when achieving such speeds.

"Well, I don't know about guys, but I think he's ready." Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs across her chest. "Still not faster than me of course."

Cloudchaser watched her future husband stare at his open suitcase. He had been like that for a while now, unmoving despite the excited commotion of Scootaloo from down the hallway. The filly was hyped to see the big race, especially since she would have somepony her age to go with if things got too boring. Cloudchaser had a feeling that wouldn't be an issue though.

The mare's focus returned to her bond mate once more. She flapped her wings a few times, becoming airborne to silently approach him. Cloudchaser landed quietly, making only the faintest clack against the hardwood floor. It was enough to expose her, but not in time for Daniel to turn around before she could wrap her forelegs around his neck as she came to rest against his back.

"Deep in thought?" the mare asked, nuzzling his mane.

"Yeah, tomorrow we leave out, and I've got a two day trip ahead of me." Daniel replied.

"You know win or lose you already have both our hearts, right?" Cloudchaser let her head rest on top of his briefly before sliding up beside him, smiling as a tired wing wrapped around her like a blanket.

"I know, I couldn't ask for a better mare, or a better daughter." Daniel said.

"I think we'll have pancakes in the morning if you keep that up." Cloudchaser said as she looked up at her stallion.

"Am I really that sappy?" Daniel asked.

"The sappiest...don't ever change." Cloudchaser sighed happily as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.

The mare gave him a hard time, but only out of love. She knew he cared deeply for her and Scootaloo, which added to the sense of security that he gave her. No other being had been able to provide such comfort on an intimate level like this.

“You’re going to be there for the conference, right?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Yeah, no drinking this time, I learned my lesson after that trippy dream.” Daniel replied with a shiver. “…do you want to dance?”

“Absolutely.” Cloudchaser giggled, before a semi-loud thud interrupted the mood. “Uh oh.”

“I’ll go check on her; I put your overnight bag next to mine in the suitcase in case you’re looking for it.” Daniel said as he walked out of the room.

Cloudchaser looked into the suitcase and confirmed his statement. A mischievous smile formed on her muzzle as she walked over to their closet. She was forced to use her wings to reach the top part where a few of Daniel’s human clothes were hung, alongside what few she owned. Cloudchaser still had trouble finding the appeal to attire apart from special occasions.

The mare easily found what she was looking for a carefully removed it from the closet, doing her best to avoid creating wrinkles. She had a feeling this would knock his suit off.

Scootaloo and Star Sprint jumped excitedly from seat to seat, trying to take in the outskirts of the crystal empire as we drew closer. It was an impressive sight to behold, and it was hard to tell what was crystal and what was ice sometimes.

The kingdom had supposedly been dormant for years and only recently reappeared. This obviously left them with quite a bit of catching up to do, and I had to plead with Isabella not to bring up human science. These poor ponies would be freaked out enough seeing her walking among them, but Twilight and Cadance had prepared for this, or so they had assured us.

In fact, they had been pretty adamant that I wear the necklace Twilight had given me. This took a little persuasion from Cloudchaser, but I eventually agreed. Cloudchaser had occupied my lap most of the trip, claiming it was warmer, and more comfortable than the seats. She reminded me of a big house cat when a cuddly mood struck her.

Isabella hadn’t escaped the fate of being a petting station either, though she got a bit more attention than me for obvious reasons. Fluttershy was a bit reluctant at first, but eventually let Isabella help brush her rather long mane, which she seemed to enjoy. Two days on a train kind of forced others together so it turned out to be a good bonding experience.

I ran my fingers between Cloudchaser’s feathers, feeling their soft texture. She glanced up at me briefly before spreading her left wing for me to preen. It had been surprisingly easy to pick up on how to preen her with fingers, and seemed to be a lot more relaxing since she didn’t have to support her wing while I worked. I used one hand to support her wing, while the other one was used to gently slide the feathers back into place.

“I wish you knew how amazing this feels.” Cloudchaser sighed.

“I’m sure it’s a lot more relaxing than the normal way.” I said, maneuvering one of her primaries into place.

“Someponie’s excited.” Cloudchaser gestured lazily with her head towards our daughter, who was carrying on an intense conversation with a wide eyed Star Sprint.

Flitter looked out the window beside them, she had been excited about the news that she would be an aunt. What's more, Scootaloo got two aunts between her mom and I. Flitter was a bit more proper, while Isabella would probably let the filly get away with cold blooded murder if she ever committed it. Actually, I could see Isabella aiding in the disposal of the body.

Flitter had tried to fix Scootaloo's mane a bit, which worked for a while. The filly preferred the messy look though and to be honest it suited her personality. I kept my hair cut short for a reason, so I could just wake up and go, with a mane, I had to work with it a bit, but not much so I felt Scootaloo's pain.

“Yeah, she deserves to be though.” I shrugged.

“I think they look cute together.” Cloudchaser said quietly as she rested her head against my leg, her breathing slow and steady.

I looked back up at the two foals and saw what she meant. I could see the two of them becoming close friends, and who knows what the future had in store. I would have laughed if a time traveling version of me said I’d be getting married to an alien, miniature horse.

“Yeah, I guess.” I said nonchalantly, trying to mask my underlying concern of the unknown.

“Mmhmm, welcome to fatherhood.” Cloudchaser wore a smug smile as she shifted a bit on my lap as I finished her left wing.

I rolled my eyes and started on her other wing. Despite being within sight, there was still quite a distance to cover to the empire. I grinned as I started humming the theme to Game of Thrones; the frozen wilderness that existed between our destination reminding me of The Wall, minus the depressing circumstances that involved its existence.

I noticed one of Cloudchaser's ears twitch and swiveled towards me. My tune seemed to disturb her, which made me hum a little louder. Her tail swished against me in a subtle attempt to shut me up. Pinkie Pie noticed this and giggled before joining in, picking up on the tune pretty quickly.

I heard a low groan of discontent come from Cloudchaser as I finished her wing. Her ears flattened against her head, making themselves the perfect target for a few brief scratches. "Sorry babe, it's all in good fun." I said.

"Uh huh, I'll get you back." Cloudchaser ominously promised.

"Oooh, somepony's in trouble~" Pinkie Pie sang.

"You did it too." I reminded her.

"I know, but I'm not engaged to her." Pinkie retorted.

"I...touché..." I said.

Pinkie Pie held her head high triumphantly. I had missed spending time with my friends, Pinkie Pie's ability to keep the mood light and good natured was probably something I could have used more of. It meant a lot that they had wanted to come, if not to see the race, just to socialize with a few friends they hadn't seen. I suppose I was an excuse to leave Ponyville for a bit, but that didn't bug me.

This thought made me glance around the train car to find Twilight off in a corner all by her lonesome. She was meticulously looking over notes and the like. I assumed it was official business, but business had no place on a trip like this.

"Hey," Cloudchaser grabbed my attention with a gentle poke to the side. "You should go check on her."

The mare in my lap had to be psychic, I was convinced of it. That, or she was really good at reading me. Either option was good, though I felt sorry for her if she was psychic, the curse of listening to my thoughts is a fate I wouldn't wish upon anyone, or pony.

With a nod of agreement, Cloudchaser hopped out of my lap and walked over to Isabella. I stood up on unstable legs, despite pegasi weighing close to nothing, Cloudchaser was oddly heavy enough to put my legs to sleep. The fact that I was on a train with only two legs now didn't help either. After walking around on four for almost a year, I had gotten used to not having to worry about such things-

"Agkh!"

-including hitting my head on the roof of the train car. I never thought I would even let the thought into my mind, but being tall sucked now. I was starting to remember all of the pros I had looked at to help me get used to being stuck as a pegasus. I had just kind of accepted them and forgotten about ducking and all of the other useful tricks I had taught myself to make life a little easier as a human in Equestria.

"Hey Twilight, what's got you so pre-occupied?" I asked, taking a seat next to her. I couldn't help but notice her trying to mask a troubled expression at the sound of my voice.

"Oh, just a few reports, things that need tending to. My job never stops." Twilight replied.

"It did two days ago," I said rolling up one of the scrolls. "You used to lecture me about rest all the time, right? I suppose you can call us even now."

"But-that's not..." Twilight trailed off, had I been just some ordinary subject I probably would have been blasted through a window for telling a princess to stop being a princess. "I suppose I have been at it a while..."

"Come on, we've still got a while before we reach the station." I said motioning for her to join me with the others.

"One more scroll?" Twilight asked hopefully, raising a hoof questionably.

"Twilight..." I deadpanned, pointing towards the small gathering.

"Okay." Twilight sighed in mock disappointment, a smile spreading across her muzzle as I herded her over to her friends.

I took a seat next to Track Pace, his muzzle practically buried in the paper as we rode out the last few hours of our trip to the Crystal Empire. He was engrossed in whatever it was that had his attention.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just trying to put my mind at ease. You’re not nervous are you?” the unicorn asked.

“Only about letting ponies down.” I replied.

“Heh, I feel ya,” Track Pace said, glancing over at the two foals, who were soon joined by Diamond Tiara. “Somepony thinks you’re going to win though.”

“Yeah…” I said leaning my head back to rest for a while, the last few hours of piece before one of the biggest storms of my life.

“Daniel...wake up.” I heard Cloudchaser say, gently shaking me awake.

“Mph…did we finally stop?” I asked.

“Yeah, you drifted off for a while. Come on.” Cloudchaser laughed, gently taking my shirt in her mouth and pulling on it to encourage me to my feet.

I remembered to duck this time, avoiding another collision with the roof of the train car. It was then that I noticed Isabella from outside the window. She was already swamped by…weird, shiny ponies…I had the odd urge to go find a pokeball. Thankfully, Twilight was with her, as well as her friends.

“Huh…weird.” I said as I followed Cloudchaser out of the train, grabbing my suitcase along the way.

Upon stepping out of the train, the locals casually approached me, almost as if they had been eagerly waiting for me. I assumed this had to be Cadance and Twilight’s doing and decided to roll with it as best as I could. Cloudchaser flew by my side to avoid being smothered by the crowd.

“So you’re from another world? What’s it like? Are you a pony or a human? Has the crystal helped? Is that your wife?” the crystal ponies had a number of questions, so many that my mind kind of shut down on me.

Help me... I thought casting a desperate look at Twilight. Thankfully she picked up on my distress and came to intervene.

“Let’s not crowd them too much everypony. They’ve never seen a kingdom like yours before, just like you’ve never seen something like them before.” Twilight said, bringing a bit of order to the crowd of curious ponies.

They complied, backing away slowly. It almost made me feel guilty, they were just excited and curious, they had just gone about it in a way I doubt any being would have found comfortable. I had been worried that they would be super skittish, but they were the exact opposite instead. It put my mind at ease that the only explaining I would have to do would be of a few things here and there of my life, and not touch on all of the points on why humans weren’t as scary as we looked.

“I see you make friends quickly.” I heard Shining Armor say as the crowd parted for him and a few guards who were also shiny…damn, now I really wanted that pokeball.

“Only on Mondays.” I replied nonchalantly.

“It’s Saturday…” Shining said with a cough.

“Oh…well…it’s good to see you again. I don’t think we’ve had a chance to talk sin-“

“Shining!” Twilight interrupted me with a shout, nearly bowling her brother over in a hug.

The siblings cut their hug short when they realized all eyes were on them now. Shining cleared his throat as Twilight sheepishly stepped back towards her friends; it was good to see a princess let her feelings shine through every now and then.

“Cadance asked me to bring you guys to the castle.” Shining said, as if suddenly remembering why he had come here in the first place after getting a bit side tracked.

“Lead the way boss.” Isabella chirped, our welcoming party thinning ever so slightly as we followed the guards back to the large crystallized structure.

"Never thought you'd be here, did ya?" Mike asked, nudging my leg.

"No, this place is incredible...Earth has nothing like this, except in books and fairy tales." I said, admiring the buildings.

They looked like they had been built a thousand years ago, but their condition was as if they had been untouched by time. A glow seemed to emanate from the homes and stores of the crystal ponies. A part of me dreaded the thought of other humans seeing such a city. I reminded myself that there was no chance of that happening now. The source of travel to my world was locked away for good.

There didn't seem to be any classes in the crystal empire, which struck me as odd. If what Twilight had told me was true, there should be a more primitive social structure, like that of Canterlot. Of course, I would never make that comparison out loud. It still amazed me that these ponies got along in such a luxurious place with equality, save for Cadance of course.

There had to be nobles, but so far everypony seemed to have their own well-kept respective house. It was then that I noticed something; all the houses and buildings had distinct markings on them. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that they were crest, which explained things pretty clearly.

"They use family." I mumbled aloud.

"Say what?" Isabella asked.

"He's talking about the crystal ponies," Twilight spoke up. "I'll admit it was a bit strange at first too, but it's actually pretty interesting. There's always a head family that changes periodically, and answers directly to the throne on behalf of the others."

"It's also where most of the guard recruits come from at the time. Since it shifts, it guarantees that one particular family isn't favored above the others." Shining added.

"That's....not a bad idea actually." Isabella said, taking me by surprise.

The houses and shops came to an abrupt end, giving way to a rather spacious court. There were several hedge designs and other structures, one being a crystal statue of Spike.

"Somepony's popular, I bet he gets all the ladies." Isabella laughed.

"You'd think that," Spike shrugged. "But I've got eyes for only one."

I rolled my eyes, Spike’s Achilles heel was pretty easy to pinpoint. Next to diamonds, Rarity was what the object of his affections, even if the little guy was a bit too young to really grasp the finer concepts of what all went into a relationship. Hard work, patience, devotion-

"My wings are tired." Cloudchaser said as she sloppily landed against my back, throwing her forelegs over my shoulders.

-doubling as a taxi was now on the list. I would have assumed it might seem awkward to the crystal ponies to see our relationship on display, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, it was as if I had stumbled into opposite land, where everypony was pretty accepting of things.

Two large doors served as the entrance to Cadance’s castle, the guards stepping aside to grant us access. The inside of the castle was huge, and shiny, much like a majority of the houses. The floors gave off an almost perfect reflection upon looking down at them which was pretty cool. It was also made me worried that I would break the floor if I jumped on it.

“You could probably get in some pretty decent waxed floor races…” Isabella said.

I noticed two of the guards suddenly take on expressions of unease at my sister’s comment. I managed to bite back a laugh; Cloudchaser couldn’t help but snicker lightly. It was pretty obvious these guards weren’t as uptight as their Canterlot counterparts if they were willing to actually try that.

“I’m glad to see you’re both in one piece.” I heard a somewhat bubbly voice say.

“Cadance!” Twilight and her friends cried in unison, bringing her into their own group hug.

“It's good to see all of you too.” the bubble gum alicorn laughed.

Their group hug came to an end, the semi waist high alicorn approaching us with a friendly smile. “I hope you like it here in the Crystal Empire.”

“This place is pretty incredible.” I said.

Cloudchaser chose now to descend from my back, bringing an end to her free ride. Her sudden appearance caught the alicorn by surprise, a shocked expression crossing her muzzle for a split second.

“It looks like you two are still together, and perhaps a bit more from what I’ve been told.” Cadance’s smile seemed to brighten as her eyes focused on Cloudchaser.

“Somepony has to keep him in line. I’ve got a little helper for that now too.” Cloudchaser giggled as Scootaloo joined her.

“I see, well I won’t keep you from your rooms. I’m sure you’d all like to rest a bit before tonight.” Cadance said.

“We get to stay here?” Star Sprint asked in wide eyed wonder.

“Yes, the finalist and their teams have access to the castle.” Cadance replied.

“But…I’m not part of his team…” Star Sprint mumbled in confusion.

“Sure you are, Cloudchaser appointed you to be my body guard, remember?” I asked as we followed a maid up the stairs.

“Cloudchaser,” Cadance called out, gaining the mare’s attention. “Can I see you for a second?”

Cloudchaser nodded towards her mate to go on without her. A tinge of unease crept along her spine as she approached the alicorn hesitantly. What could she possibly want with a common pony like her?

“Yes, your majesty?” Cloudchaser asked bowing slightly.

“I was just curious how things were, and if he took the news well?” Cadance smiled giddily.

“Uh…what?” Cloudchaser looked stunned.

“You know, don’t tell me he asked you to keep it a secret. That’d be lame, he strikes me as a family oriented stallion, I wouldn’t expect him to be quiet about something like this.” Cadance said, only adding to the poor pegasus’ confusion.

“Not to be rude princess, but I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.” Cloudchaser frowned.

“You mean…but how could you not know?” Cadance tilted her head.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you?” Cloudchaser shrugged nervously.

“Well, umm...guess there's no going back now that I’ve brought it to your attention…you're pregnant.” Cadance blushed.

Cloudchaser’s muzzle remained expressionless for a long time. Seconds passed at an alarmingly slow rate as she processed what she had just heard the alicorn tell her. There must be some mistake, she couldn’t be pregnant. Sure, she had been a bit weak lately, and her stomach hadn’t been kind to her, but she knew that pregnancy was an impossibility…right?

“Um, princess, I –I can’t be pregnant. Daniel is…well…he can’t have foals. Luna showed me in his memories when he was still….human.” Cloudchaser slowly trailed off as it occurred to her how the princess’ words might have a bit of truth to them.

“Even if he was human Cloudchaser, he would still be able to have children with you. If Twilight’s studies of Isabella apply to him as well,” Cadance explained. “There’s magic flowing through them as well. It’s weak, but it’s definitely there.”

Cadance could tell from the look on Cloudchaser’s muzzle that she was still having trouble believing her. It was an understandable doubt, she had been told, and shown, that he was incapable of giving her children. To suddenly be told she had been blessed with one of her own was probably quite the shock. She had probably dismissed it as nothing but nerves or illness.

“If I may?” Cadance asked stepping closer to the mare. When Cloudchaser didn't move, either too stunned or too afraid to object, she took this as a sign to continue.

The alicorn lowered her horn to her stomach, a soft glow surrounding it. Cloudchaser remained motionless as she watched Cadance's horn glow near her body, a strange noise suddenly occupied her ears. It sounded like....a heartbeat. The mare quickly realized what exactly her magic was doing, but it still seemed impossible.

"I'm pretty sure this one is going to be a colt." Cadance said drawing away from the pegasus.

Cloudchaser felt her right hoof slowly come to rest on her stomach of its own accord. A part of her wanted to ask how she could tell, but the overwhelming sense of realization kept her from doing so. Even though Cadance's magic had ceased to allow her to hear the heartbeat of the foal she was now carrying, it was burned into her mind and memory.

"Thank you...." Cloudchaser said in a hushed voice.

"I believe there's somepony that would love to hear the news." Cadance said before leaving Cloudchaser to her thoughts.

The pegasus slowly flew through the halls, occasionally remembering to ask a guard or servant where Daniel had wandered off to. He wasn't hard to miss as long as he had that trinket around his neck which made the task of describing him a bit easier. She eventually found the room he was staying in and slowly opened the door.

Instead of finding a human, she found the familiar blue stallion she had come to love. A pile of clothes were beside the bed, which gave her an idea for later, but right now there were more important matters to deal with. Cloudchaser slowly approached Daniel, but paused before she disturbed him.

How am I going to convince him that this is real? I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with this. Cloudchaser thought to herself.

Slowly, Cloudchaser climbed up onto the bed, laying down next to her soon to be husband. Ever so gently, she kissed him on the nose, slowly dragging him out of the depths of his slumber.

"Cloudchaser?" I dumbly asked surprised to see her looking down at me. "What time is it?"

"Beats me," Cloudchaser shrugged. "Look on the bright side though, I didn't wake you up using my other method."

"Other meth-oh, that," I blushed. "Yeah, let's save those wake ups for when Scootaloo isn't around to walk in and get traumatized for life."

"All jokes aside, there's something we need to talk about." Cloudchaser said, her expression displaying the importance of whatever was on her mind.

"Okay, what's on your mind?" I asked.

"Well, remember when we got a little intimate during my season?" Cloudchaser asked, to which I nodded for her to continue. "It turns out the magic in you doesn't really care what you had wrong with you as a human."

I cocked an eyebrow at her odd statement. What did her season and magic have to do with anything at all?

"Ugh, you can be dense at times," Cloudchaser facehoofed. "I'm pregnant."

Well, that makes a bit mor-

BREAKING NEWS! THE THOUGHT TRAIN HAS BEEN DERAILED TODAY AFTER AN UNEXPECTED INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE LIFE TRACKS, RESULTING IN A GIANT MUSHROOM LIKE EXPLOSION. IT WAS REALLY COOL.

"....Daniel?" Cloudchaser poked my forehead with her hoof.

"Sorry, I blanked out there for a second. Something about tracks and mushrooms." I confessed.

"I said I'm pregnant." Cloudchaser deadpanned.

"Uh, wait what....wait....WHAT!?" my voice echoed off the walls, making the mare beside me flinch. "Oh, sorry..."

"It's fine, I thought the same thing, just with a little less volume," Cloudchaser commented as she rubbed one of her ears. "So what are we going to do?"

"Babe, I don't understand. How can I get you pregnant? I mean, it's impossible." I said.

"Well, when an alicorn breaks the news to you that you've got something growing inside you, and lets you hear the heartbeat, you're inclined to believe her." Cloudchaser smiled nervously.

"You heard the heartbeat?" I asked, to which Cloudchaser nodded.

"I kind of thought something might be up, but I didn't tell you because the odds were stacked against something like this. I'm sorry, even I didn't know for sure, but please trust me. I would never lie about something like this to you." Cloudchaser said as she snuggled close to me.

"I know you wouldn't, it's just hard to believe." I said, draping a wing over her.

"Daniel...are you still going to stay with me?" Cloudchaser asked, looking up at me with genuine concern. "I know we adopted Scootaloo, but I didn't know we would have another foal...I’m scared now"

"I promise you, I won't let anything bad happen to you, Scootaloo, or whoever this turns out to be," I said, nuzzling her barrel. "I'm never leaving you guys behind."

"I hope he turns out like you." Cloudchaser said resting her head against me as a tear escaped her eye. It was a struggle to hold mine back, both out of fear and joy. I had been here once befo-

"Wait, he? How do you know already?" I asked.

"I guess Cadance used her magic to tell. She told me she's pretty sure it's a colt." Cloudchaser replied.

The mare slowly burrowed her way beneath the covers beckoning me to join her. Whether it truly was the temperature, or my mind playing tricks on me, it did feel a bit cool in here, and the thought of some added body heat was rather appealing now.

I rolled onto my side once I was beneath the sheets. Cloudchaser wasted little time in scooting up against me, turning her back towards me as our bodies made contact. I found my foreleg wrapping around her barrel by itself, earning a happy sigh from the mare.

“Fillies and gentle colts, the next guest entering tonight will be Daniel, accompanied by his fiancé Cloudchaser.” an announcers voice proclaimed over a set of speakers.

“I thought they did things the old fashioned way here.” I commented to Cloudchaser as we entered the large ballroom.

“Just smile and nod, and you’ll do fine.” Cloudchaser held her head high with a calm, dignified grace that was seldom displayed.

She looked absolutely stunning tonight. The blue dress she had on reminded me of Luna’s mane, the way it sparkled against the light and crystal surface of the walls. Our table was set apart from the others, up front for all to see. I had never had this type of experience back on Earth, always existing in the background. I was just glad I had somepony beside me to face it with.

Thunderlane was seated across from us, casting a death glare in my direction. My attention was diverted from it however; as Cloudchaser leaned against me. Her gentle reminder that she was still by my side chased away the tension in my body, a strange ability that she seemed to have over me.

“I think that’s Alabaster, he’s the one that beat out your friend Whitefire, right?” Cloudchaser asked, as a rather proud looking stallion strode through the doors upon hearing his name.

“Yeah, he barely beat him. I was really hoping to have that rematch with Whitefire.” I sulked.

“You’re getting the next best thing.” Cloudchaser smiled brightly, causing Thunderlane’s gaze to falter at being subtly referred to as second best.

Ouch….gonna need a wet towel for that one. said the small voice in the back of my mind.

I’m not sure a towel could sooth that. I thought back.

Isabella watched from her table as a rather elderly stallion approached a microphone. He pulled out a pair of small glasses and two sheets of paper before beginning his speech.

Blah blah blah racing, blah blah blah history, blah blah blah kingdom…. Isabella hardly registered these types of events. She had been to them before on Earth, what was one more here in Equestria to her? Her brother was the main reason she was here, not in a bad way. She just wanted tomorrow to hurry up and get here to she could watch him fly.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.” Blueblood said, almost making her jump. How could something with noisy hooves move so quietly? She thought only Big Mac could do that.

“I’m never one for speeches, unless it’s delivered by Liam Neeson.” Isabella shrugged.

“I…don’t have a response for that, who is this Lime Knee Son?” Blueblood asked.

“Some guy from my world,” Isabella replied. “Addressing the elephant in the room, what are you doing here?”

“Tomorrow is a rather historic moment in Equestria, it’s the first time the championship race has been held in the Crystal Empire, for obvious reasons,” Blueblood said turning his attention briefly to a guard that huffed at him before moving on. “I can’t think of a reason why I wouldn’t be here.”

Isabella had seen tons of people in her time on Earth. From all walks of life, great and small. Knowing when there was more to someone, or pony, was a trait she had picked up in her travels, and it had helped her on multiple occasions. It seemed the prince was no exception to this rule.

"Hmm, so you just decided to come chat with me? Rarity and Twilight are over there. A hero and a princess, they would probably enjoy your company." Isabella was trying to sound genuine, but knew why he wouldn't show his muzzle around them. Rarity despised the unicorn and Twilight would side with her friends on most issues.

"Well, that is to say-" Blueblood tried to think of some way to redirect the topic.

"Heck, I'm sure my brother would like to chat with you. I never did understand why you didn't talk to him much." Isabella said.

"Well...that's because I was fearful of him at the time....he was still relatively new after all. How was one to know if he would eat a pony when things settle down?" Blueblood asked.

"Now when you say eat...you know what, never mind, a topic for another day. Blueblood, you can't smooth talk everypony you see," Isabella said, stopping him. "I've matched wits with the best of them, so your best bet is cutting to the chase. Now, try again."

Blueblood wasn't sure if he should be flustered at Isabella, or disappointed in himself as she danced past his game. Humans didn't work like ponies at all, which made this all the more confusing to the prince. Why did he even have a sliver of interest in her? She talked to him as if he were a normal stallion, her aunts as well. She was an oddly frustrating individual.

"Very well, tomorrow would you be my guest in the VIP section?" Blueblood asked.

"I already promised I'd sit with Cloudchaser and Scootaloo tomorrow." Isabella replied, taking note of the ever so subtle sulk, before the unicorn recovered. For coming off as being a bit wimpy, he held it together nicely after being turned down.

"I apologize then, I'll leave you to your evening." Blueblood said puffing out his chest slightly to keep his regal aura about him.

"....a quick look before the race never hurt though," Isabella said, causing the stallion to pause. "For next time."

Blueblood's signature smile etched its way onto his muzzle as he walked away. His confidence was restored once more to borderline arrogance, until he realized that somepony other than himself had just set forth terms. As quickly as his smile had appeared it faded into an expression of deep reflection on this new concept.

Luna had taken note of the strange interaction between the two and smirked as she watched young Blueblood's reaction after speaking with the human mare. It was humorous to say the least, but what she couldn't understand was why he would talk to her, but shy away from her brother.

"Funny, isn't it?" Celestia asked.

"While we do find mild humor in our nephew's attempt to reach out to Isabella, we fail to find the level of hilarity you see, sister." Luna replied.

"It's just karma working its magic, hopefully for the better." Celestia giggled to herself.

“You’re not nervous are you?” Cloudchaser asked as the music started to play.

“No, it’s just we’ve only danced once….in private.” I mumbled.

“Just relax, and follow the music.” The mare said as the slow and steady tempo swept across the room.

She leaned against me, resting her head against my neck as we moved. I was a bit to tense to relax and enjoy the moment, watching other stallions and how they moved. I was thankful that there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of moving involved with this song….until I heard the cellist begin to play a little faster.

Ah crap I thought myself as Cloudchaser smiled at me expectantly.

I glanced to my right to try and mirror the stallion’s movements. I was a pegasus though, not a chameleon, and nearly lost my balance as I had to catch and dip Cloudchaser. How something so random was placed in a dance was beyond me, but until roughly a year ago I wouldn’t have believed that dragons were real.

Oh please let this disaster of a dance end quickly!

Isabella noticed the painful performance unfolding and a few whispers started to rise up, as ponies pointed at the two lovers on the dance floor. Her mind worked quickly to formulate a solution as the music began to slow down in its conclusion. That’s when an idea occurred to her.

She quickly maneuvered past the ponies that were in her way, to reach the band. Isabella knew just the song to get things back on track, one that she hoped existed in this world. So far, there had been a counter part for just about everything else from there world. She was inclined to believe the song she had in mind was a reality here.

“Hey.” Isabella whispered to the cellist, gaining her attention before whispering something in her ear.

“So long as you keep that one a good distance from the band, consider this one on the house. I like number forty three.” the earth pony said, pointing towards Pinkie Pie who had just finished off three cupcakes in one gulp.

“Consider it done.” Isabella replied.

I was grateful that the dance was over. Cloudchaser was doing her best to hide her disappointment, but I could tell that I had let her down. I wasn’t much better at dancing as a human as I was a pony. Going to two legs right now wasn’t an option.

Suddenly a familiar tune started to play. It was one I hadn’t heard since I was a kid, and I was impressed it was even a thing in here. That applied to a lot of things in this world though, not just music.

I felt a bit more confident with my movements as the song played, taking Cloudchaser by surprise. Her smile turned into a genuine one, as she leaned against me from the front. We slowly swayed to the music, occasionally parting for a few seconds, only to return to each other once.

I was surprised to discover that I was actually enjoying myself. I was really starting to get into the motions of the music, feeling at ease with each step I took. All too soon, the song started to wind down before I realized how much time had actually passed. I had been so caught up in the moment with her that I completely forgot about the song’s length.

“Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme…” I quietly sang along as the song neared its end.

“Beauty and the beast.” Cloudchaser whispered before kissing my cheek.

I looked at her confused, which only made her smile grow. I had been ready to dismiss this as just another one of those coincidences, but if there was really a story, and song, that matched ones from my world it sent my mind into a tail spin. Cloudchaser pressed her muzzle against mine to get my attention, her rose colored eyes holding my focus.

All those pesky thoughts about different worlds and circumstances left my mind as she stared into my eyes. Her eyelids slowly sank over the two beautiful orbs that captivated me, creating the familiar bedroom eyes that made my heart beat a bit faster.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” I asked.

“All the way from our room,” Cloudchaser replied, resting a hoof against my chest. “But I never get tired of hearing you say it.”

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” I said, gesturing my head towards the large double doors.

Warning-you know what, if you've read this far into the story you know the drill, not safe for work, blah blah blah. I'm not responsible if you lose your job for clicking this link at the office. (enjoy)

I awoke to the warm sun’s rays gently gracing me with subtle strands of extra heat as they danced of the crystal like structures of the room. Cloudchaser was still curled up beside me, reminding me once again that all of this was real, and that she was mine, just like I was hers.

Today wasn’t meant to be a heartwarming occasion though; there was one more trial I had to confront. My friends had supported me as much as they could, but now the challenge was mine to finish. This conflict with Thunderlane was going to end in one of two ways today; the peace of victory, or the silence of defeat.

I quietly started to get ready, wanting to let her get as much sleep as possible. She deserved a bit of rest, and I didn’t want her to see me like this, rattled before the biggest race of my life, so far anyways. It was still hard to imagine that this was really happening.

I stepped into the shower with a sigh as the warm water washed away any damning evidence of our activities last night. I had considered waiting until after the race, the argument of getting hot and sweaty all over again would only earn me another shower at Cloudchaser’s request. Having to take another bath was better than explaining, or catching crap from the others, about last night.

“My turn.” Cloudchaser said nonchalantly, startling me.

“Jeez, when did you wake up?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ve been awake. I was just watching you.” Cloudchaser confessed as her messy morning mane became flattened by the running water.

“Here I thought I was being a pretty good ninja.” I mused.

“You make more noise than I do when-“I quickly silenced her next words with a kiss, assuming they were about last night. “You’re fun.”

“You’re a bigger perv than my sister sometimes.” I rolled my eyes before hopping out of the shower to get dressed.

“I can’t argue with a view like that.” Cloudchaser laughed, making me realize she was staring at my flanks. At least she was in a playful mood this morning and not one of her ill ones.

“I think I need an adult.” I chuckled.

“I am an adult.” the mare replied in a husky tone.

No! Down boner! We have work to do… I thought to myself.

Okay….

“This is it, the moment of truth.” Rainbow Dash said as gave both of my wings the once over.

The noise from the crowd briefly filled the small stadium room as Mike entered, quickly closing the door behind him. “You’ve got five minutes left on the clock. Not to add to your pressured audience, but Sky Mark is here…he’s sitting pretty close to Cloudchaser and the others.”

Both Ike and I looked at each other with concerned expressions before Ike turned to his brother. “Mike, go be a buffer, if him or his goons so much as look at them funny, clobber them.” Ike said.

With a nod, Mike left us, presumably heading off into the stands to become a deterrent. I didn’t trust Sky Mark at all after our last little encounter, and it would be a cold day in hell before I would let him anywhere near my family.

“All the manager nonsense aside, just remember to go out strong. You won't beat Thunderlane by hanging back, it's all or nothing." Ike ominously reminded me.

"I know." I said taking in a deep breath to calm myself down.

"Come on, let's get you out there before you get any jumpier." Rainbow Dash said.

"In a second guys..." I sighed, as both of them exited the room.

I let my mind drift for a few seconds over the events leading me here. I had experienced monumental moments in my life before, but this was on an entirely new level. I had never had anything worth fighting for, worth getting out of bed each day other than the requirement to survive.

Now I had friends that cared, a family that loved me, and if what Cadance said was true, I had a son on the way. I closed my eyes in thought, a smile spread across my muzzle as I dwelt on these events for as long as I could.

"Let me be fast and strong." I silently prayed before opening my eyes.

A feeling of calm washed over me, win or lose I was certain of one thing; that there would be no question about if I was at my best or not. This would be as fair a race as it could be.

With that in mind, I opened the door and joined Rainbow Dash and Ike. The noise from the crowd was growing louder by the second as time ticked away. It was the same at every track, even with a part of Equestria that had been out of the loop for a while.

The sun seemed to be unusually bright, as a few rays reflected off the crystal track. Thankfully, the part beneath our flight path was soft dirt. Though, if it was hit at top speed it felt more like concrete.

Rainbow Dash and Ike followed me to the boundary. They couldn't follow me past that point, no matter their social status. I would be left to face Thunderlane alone. Some ponies had their hopes placed in me; one that came to mind was my trainer. Lean Streak made a little more sense now. Arguably, so did Thunderlane.

I wasn't supposed to be here, but I was. I shouldn't even be able to fly, having never been born with the instinct or drive to do so, but I could. It was all strange and foreign to me once, but now it was a way of life.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on my back. "You've got this, prove 'em all wrong."

I nodded before crossing the point of no return. There waiting for me at the starting line was a familiar charcoal coated stallion. There was no cocky remark, no villainous threat, just a cold stare that traveled straight to my core.

"May the best stallion win." I said, swallowing my pride.

"I plan to." and just like that Thunderlane ruined what could have been a pretty well-mannered race.

I was on the outside this time, Thunderlane had the inside lane once more, being the crowd favorite. I watched, as the timer reached the five second marker, it was almost time to start. I closed my eyes, my breathing steady as all of my muscles tensed in preparation, like a gun ready to fire.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, Bang!

I took off from the starting point, Thunderlane was already ahead of me and the others. If I wanted that golden inside spot, I was going to have to fight him for it, and that's exactly what I intended to do today.

"Thunderlane surges from the starting line with amazing speed, tailed closely by Blue Bullet from the outside. Followed by Alabaster holding a steady third with Valiant Wing in fourth-" the announcer spoke at a pace that was almost too quick to keep up with.

"Come on Daniel!" Applejack shouted.

"Put it all on the line!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Come on Fluttershy, get in the spirit."

"Um, go team?" Fluttershy cheered nervously.

Cloudchaser's eyes never left her stallion. She wasn't as close as she was before, and she couldn't stand the thought of something bad happening like last time. The mare silently prayed for his safety within the privacy of her own mind, while pushing horrible outcomes and what ifs away.

"Keep on charging Thunderlane. Send these push overs home!" Sky Mark cheered, smirking as Cloudchaser tore her eyes away from her lover for a few seconds to see who was calling out her ex by name.

The mare had restraint, something that Scootaloo did not have. She turned to the older pegasus and looked up at him with the most sincere expression she could muster. "My dad's going to kick your stallion's flank."

Sky Mark cocked his eyebrow at the filly who was accompanied by Track Pace's colt. The stallion took a long drag of his cigar before turning his attention back to the race with a halfhearted chuckle.

There's my filly. Cloudchaser smiled to herself.

"He can win, right?" Flitter asked.

"I hope so." Cloudchaser replied.

I flew up alongside Thunderlane as we entered the first turn, pressing him to go a little faster. He looked over at me and grinned, picking up his speed. I smirked as I matched his pace, not feeling the pain of fatigue like I had last time.

Thunderlane scowled at this realization and tried to go a little faster, hoping I would give up. Even if my body had wanted me to, I wasn't; my spirit wouldn't let me this time. I had already resolved to see this race through to the bitter end if it somehow came to that.

I threw a quick glance over my shoulder, taking note of the distance we had put between the other racers. It was shaping up to be just like the last race, only I was better prepared to go up against somepony like Thunderlane. We had both been trained by the best fliers in Equestria, though his was much more formal than mine.

So far, Rainbow Dash's methods seemed to be holding up nicely against the stallion. I pressed on, still fighting him for the inner spot.

"Come on Daniel, is that all you've got?" Thunderlane asked. "You can't keep playing the same game forever."

I shook my head as we entered the second turn. The race was quickly nearing the halfway point, and neither one of us was willing to yield. He hadn’t taken me seriously until I matched speeds with him, holding steady without showing signs of fatigue, yet. I could feel my mind start to play tricks on me, when I knew I could hold this speed for a while without losing control.

Thunderlane tried to outdo me once more, only to be met with the same result. As his frustration visibly mounted on his brow, I got an idea and decided to speed up myself, forcing him to match me. This was a big risk, using too much energy now could cost me later, but if it worked it would be worth it.

It was Thunderlane who had to put forth more effort to keep in line with me this time. I could tell he didn’t like being put in such a position with his alpha male complex.

It wasn’t enough though; even as I pressed him to go faster again nothing seemed to faze him. I was starting to lose confidence as we exited the second turn, flying into the long stretch towards the third. This was my chance to put an end to this. I had to get around him now, or it would never happen.

Come on, let it all go! You’ve got one thing he doesn’t have, something to fight for! a small voice reminded me.

I heeded the voice’s words, digging deep into the pits of my strength and energy. I ordered my wings to push forward, ignoring Thunderlane’s position if I had to. I might be a pegasus, but I had the heart of a human.

“With a little less than half of the track left to go, Blue Bullet is breaking away, he’s got it by about a length and half right now…three…five…seven…” the announcers voice boomed.

“Yes! Come on, don’t let up!” Mike shouted excitedly as he watched Daniel begin to pull away from Thunderlane.

The cheering of the crowd seemed to grow as more and more distance was put between the two racers from Ponyville. As the crowds stood from their seats in anticipation, their height blocked the foals’ view, much to their disappointment.

“Hey, a little help?” Diamond Tiara asked, poking Mike in the foreleg.

Not missing a beat, the large Earth pony hoisted the trio onto his back. He had carried heavier things than a few lightweight foals.

“Come on dad!” Scootaloo shouted.

“The lead is now twelve lengths, and growing, he's moving with frightening speed!” the announcer exclaimed excitedly.

A chill crept along Sky Mark’s spine as he watched the other racers catch up to Thunderlane. His gaze turned to the stallion that was entering the third turn, the racer he could have had. The old stallion's mind flashed back to the day he put forth the deal that had been turned down.

"Exiting the third turn, the lead is now twenty lengths!" the announcer's voice snapped him out of his vision from the past.

"That's impossible....no stallion can take that pace." Sky Mark said bewildered by what he was seeing.

"That's not your average stallion, that's my brother." Isabella smirked at the business pony, who lowered his hat slightly.

Celestia and Luna were on the edge of their seats as they watched their friend rocket ahead of the others. He still had one obstacle to overcome, the last turn. They had seen plenty of stallions reach this speed before, only to unintentionally kill themselves as they crashed into the wall, unable to turn and adjust to the speed in time.

"He's going to make it, right?" Cadance asked.

"It's hard to tell at this rate, I can only hope those lessons with Rainbow Dash worked.....I can't watch." Twilight covered her eyes with her wings as Daniel neared the final turn.

The crowd was now focused on this one crucial event. Today would end with a celebration, or be met with a horrifying conclusion.

I turned as best as I could, starting early in order to compensate for the speed I had picked up. I kept telling myself that this was how Rainbow Dash and I had practiced. The only difference being the life ending hard wall that encased the track.

I held my breath as I flew into the turn, I was cutting it close with my speed and timing. I could only hope that I had gotten it right; that Rainbow Dash understood enough math-crap, I was going to die.

I braced myself for the worst, the roar of the crowd growing silent to me as my mind focused on the life or death situation. I watched as my wing came close to the wall, my body turning to the side in order to aid in my rapid turn.

The very tip of my right wing rubbed against the wall for a split second......

"The lead is now twenty five lengths!"

Cloudchaser stood up and let out a loud cheer. She felt a few tears leave her eyes as she watched her mate fly towards the finish line, his flight trail seeming brighter than usual from all of the speed he had gained.

"He did it! He really did it!" Fluttershy shouted, shaking Pinkie Pie excitedly. "O-oh, sorry..."

Twilight lowered one of her wings and peeked out from it. She quickly broke her calm front with a loud cheer as she watched Daniel near the finish line.

The crowd became deafening as they watched the first flash at the finish line occur. The only ones not lifting their voices were Sky Mark and his employees. The stallion pulled the cigar from his mouth, putting it out against his seat. He scowled at Thunderlane who had stopped just short of the finish line.

"Blue Bullet wins it by twenty eight lengths and a half!" the announcer exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey, Sky Mark," Track Pace called out. "He's just a pushover from Ponyville, right?"

The baby blue pegasus' face turned red with anger and embarrassment. He spat against the floor before walking away from the unicorn. "Fire him...I want that washed up cadet off my books."

I felt a bit dizzy as I landed, trying to gain my balance on wobbly legs. My wings refused to aid in helping me cool down, clamping to my sides in protest against the marathon I had just put them through.

"I've got you," Alabaster said, catching me before I fell. "That was pretty crazy to fly that fast."

"I live a pretty crazy life..." I tiredly replied.

"Daddy!" I registered that voice loud and clear, as I was joined by a little orange filly.

"Hey squirt...." I halfheartedly laughed as she hugged my foreleg.

I felt stable enough to sit down on my own and did so without a moment's hesitation. That was quite the experience, one that I didn't plan on repeating any time soon.

"You did it you crazy bastaaaa...ster, you crazy baster." Ike said, quickly censoring himself upon noticing Scootaloo.

"Now THAT was a race!" Rainbow Dash slugged me in the shoulder, sending me to the ground. "Opps..."

"It's fine..." I mumbled as I pulled my mask off, receiving a face full of water. Ike had poked a hole in the lid of a normal plastic bottle and made an improvised squirt bottle. It was better than dumping the entire thing on me at once.

"Hey, do you know what you've done today?" Ike asked as I saw Cloudchaser land beside him.

"....win?" I dumbly asked in return.

"You're the first champion from Ponyville. You won the crystal crown." Ike gently shook me.

"Heh...yea..." I mumbled, my enthusiasm was lacking due to my exhausted state. Thankfully Ike and Rainbow Dash were understanding enough to not mistake it for a lack of caring. I did care; I was just too tired to show it.

"I'm so proud of you," Cloudchaser said, pulling me into a hug. "But if you ever go that fast again I'll glue your wings to your sides."

"Yes ma'am." I replied.

"Good luck to the stallion that tries to beat that time..." Ike commented as he looked up at the board.

"Yeah, hey, where's Thunderlane?" Rainbow Dash asked, glancing around.

I spotted the stallion halfway from the finish line on the final stretch. He had just stopped and was sitting on the track; wings drooped down at his sides. I thought that beating him would make me feel good, but now that I saw him like this....I felt sad.

Nopony was coming to check on him, lift him up after taking a pretty big loss. He fought for nothing. I had a family, friends, everything that meant something to me had been my driving force.

"Give me a second guys..." I said slowly walking towards the defeated stallion.

I looked up towards the VIP section, noting that the princesses were missing. I assumed they would be down shortly, which meant I had a few moments with my rival. I only hoped he was in the mood to listen now.

"What do you want?" Thunderlane asked, turning his head from me, his ears flattening slightly.

"Why'd you quit?" I asked.

"What was the point in finishing? You'd won; I couldn't keep up, so why bother? You were faster." Thunderlane snorted.

"I didn't get that way all on my own Thunderlane, and speed only took me so far," I said finally getting him to at least face me. "It was a group effort, each of my friends played a part in helping me....they gave me something to fight for. I wasn't just racing for myself. Other ponies put their hope and faith in me to pull through."

"You actually believe all that garbage?" Thunderlane asked.

"Kind of, yeah." I replied.

"Hopes and dreams are nothing but feel good exercises to distract you from life." Thunderlane scoffed.

"...a pretty grumpy, but wise stallion told me, that the only dream that's stupid is the one you never chase. Sometimes, ponies see their dreams realized through others." I said, my mind drifting to Lean Streak.

Thundedrlane looked down at the dirt track, refusing to make eye contact now. "I've got nothing left." he said solemnly.

"You've got a brother that loves you, a decent community in Ponyville. I'm pretty sure your brother's name is Rumble, not Nothing," I said. "Sometimes it takes falling down to see what's really important....I learned that lesson the hard way."

I extended a hoof to the charcoal stallion. He looked at it as if he was unsure what to do with it at first. Eventually he took it with a sigh, allowing himself to be hoisted back onto his hooves. His gaze remained cast towards the ground despite our talk. At least he had accepted the help off the track; it would probably take baby steps to get him to come around.

I wanted to say more, but I felt like any addition would have been in vain. Thunderlane obviously needed some time to think about some things. I knew that if I was in his position, I would want space now, which I was happy to give him as I heard my name called.

I noticed that Princess Celestia and Luna were on the track with Cadance now. I broke out into a trot, having recovered a little bit of my energy and will to move faster. I noticed that Flicker had placed third, while Alabaster had come in second. The Canterlot pegasus turned his head from me with a snort, clearly upset with today's results.

I climbed up onto the first place position, the small effort of doing so taking a great amount of effort to keep a cool front up. I let out a tired sigh once I was in position, vowing to never push myself that far again.

"It is with great pride that we bring the first championship race within the Crystal Empire, and the last race of this season, to a close by honoring those who have strived to go above and beyond, setting themselves apart as champions." Celestia said, her speech earning another round of cheers and applause.

A bronze medal was placed around Flickers neck by Cadance, while a silver one was given to Alabaster by Luna. I bowed as best as I could as Celestia approached me, afraid that if I went too far I might fall off.

"A moment in eternity, cherish this day for as long as you live." Celestia said quietly, as something heavy was placed on my head.

I did my best to focus on what now rested on my head. From what I could tell, it looked like a small band with a crest and wings at the very front. The band was white gold, lined with beautiful crystals that sparkled brilliantly in the sun. The crest was what I assumed to be the racing insignia, adorned by two crystal pegasus wings, one on each side that seemed to be in midflight.

I joined Flicker and Alabaster in waving once the princesses had stepped away. I smiled as my eyes fell on Cloudchaser and Scootaloo. We had yet to tell the filly the news, I had a feeling she would be excited about it. There was just one more thing on my to-do list.

---Two weeks later---

“I like this one.” Cloudchaser said holding up a group picture of our wedding party.

Flitter was beside Cloudchaser as her mare of honor, while Discord stood beside me in a mismatched suit. I smiled, remembering Cloudchaser’s reaction when I had told her who I picked to be my best stallion...well, more along the lines of best draconequus. I was surprised he had agreed.

“This one’s funny.” Scootaloo said pulling one of the photos towards her to hold up to us.

Cloudchaser giggled once she saw which one she had picked out. I sighed as I saw that it was us during the primary feather exchange. It was my turn to give Cloudchaser one of my primary feathers and I had one picked out that was almost the same size as the one she had given me. Discord thought it would be better if I gave her a bigger one, and decided to “help” with the selection.

“That really hurt.” I mumbled.

“I thought it was sweet.” Cloudchaser said, reclining against me.

I smiled as we sat on the couch looking over the wedding photos that had been developed. I was impressed Scootaloo found this sort of thing interesting at all. I watched a bright smile form on her face as she found the one that had Luna getting a bit too excited with the proceedings, her voice slipping up a little.

The tangerine filly leaned against her mother, her ear shifting towards Cloudchaser’s stomach. Scootaloo smiled as she closed her eyes, presumably listening to her baby brother’s heartbeat. She had been excited when we told her, getting the chance to be a big sister was something she never gave much thought to, but she liked the idea of not being an only foal.

“It’s pretty cool,” Scootaloo said, opening her eyes to look at the crystal crown that was up on a shelf. “I bet that was the best day of your life huh?”

“Nope,” I shook my head. “The best day of my life was when we became a family. That’s just a piece of jewelry, you three are irreplaceable.”

“Sappy.” Cloudchaser said, resting her head beneath mine. “Don’t ever change.”

“I never will.” I replied, wrapping my wing protectively around her and Scootaloo.

Author's Note

And, thus we bring a close to this part of Daniel's life. There's no telling what the future holds, but it will be continued. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far and thank you so much for reading. I think I enjoyed writing this story more than I did the first one.