The Other Earth

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: The Great Discovery
Chapter 2: Settling In
Chapter 3: Making Friends
Chapter 4: Crime and Punishment
Chapter 4.5: Rainy Days
Chapter 6: Work
Chapter 7: Labyrinth
Chapter 7.5: Nightmare
Chapter 8: Party - Part One
Chapter 8: Party - Part Two
One Year Anniversary (Update)
Chapter 5: Change In Direction

Prologue

-----Originally published on May 3, 2012-----

School. School has dominated your whole life and you still had two more years to go till you graduated from it. Before "they" came into your life, you always had loneliness. Years of heartbreak left you an empty shell of your former self, every time you looked into a mirror you would wonder where that happy, laughing, little kid went. The outside was the same but the inside burned with the fires of depression and loneliness. You thought the only solution to fix these problems was to find a girlfriend, but that only led you into a further hole of loneliness. This year alone you had four rejections, two of them were from girls you loved your whole life. Worst part was, there was still 9 months left in this year. In all of your depression you decided to do something that would change your whole life and bring back your old self.

Out of depression and having nothing left to lose, you decided to watch the TV show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". Once you did your life changed forever, after a week you became a dedicated brony, always searching for the newest art, music, stories, and more. You even began to try new things such as making your own wallpapers, vectors, and stories. Turns out the first two you were pretty good at, but the later was still a little difficult for you. You were good at writing english essays, yet it cost you your creative writing.

. . . . .

Six months have past since you became a brony and you were not out of it yet, in fact it seemed to grow on you even more. You started to have more dreams of you being in Equestria as a pegasus. In these dreams you would always be with the same light blue mare, flying in the clouds, racing each other, having a good time in general. Rainbow Dash has always been your favorite pony out of the Mane 6. Her free spirit, wild nature, and loyalty always enticed you. Eventually you started to think of her more often, always putting both of you on dates. You could not deny it, you loved Rainbow Dash with all your heart, she was your dream mare.

One morning you wake up to see a very large object in the sky. You began to ponder your thoughts on why this object was in the sky. "It's not a meteor, it's way too large for it to be. Maybe its a new star that's just really bright." However you looked behind you, the sun was rising. It's radiating rays painted the horizon a beautiful orange. You once again looked at the object to see if it was a hallucination, but once you looked it was starting to become clearer. Turns out this strange object wasn't a star after all, it was a planet, nearly identical to the size of Earth. "WHAT!? impossible a planet that large would have been spotted by all the astronomers in the world." As the planet started to come closer you came to a realization that the planet was heading towards Earth. Once you realized that the end of the world is coming, you began to have your final thoughts in life. "I just wish Rainbow Dash was here so we could perish together, I mean, I know she can't but I still want her to." Your mind than conjures Rainbow Dash at your side, watching the planet approach. You crouch to the hallucination's side and give the image a big hug while you watch the end of the world come closer to you. You closed your eyes and prepared for the end

"That's strange, the world should have been destroyed by now according to my calulations." You open your eyes to see that amazingly, the rogue planet had came to a complete stop. It was just sitting there, at the same spot. You began to take a closer look at it's surface, it was a temperate planet, it's surface covered in green. To your astonishment you thought you saw a spark come from the surface. "Could it be..... no impossible that place is just a cartoon. It can't be real." This thought saddens you. Your dream ever since becoming a brony was to go to Equestria and live there happily with Rainbow Dash. But that was just a fantasy, not reality. You got up and went home to discuss this strange planet popping up with your friends.

Chapter 1: The Great Discovery

It has been two months since that mysterious planet came so close to Earth. Scientists were stunned to see a planet like this, an exact replica of Earth's atmosphere was on this strange planet. Scientist immediately sent astronauts to the strange planet, which was named "The Other Earth". What the astronauts discovered shocked the whole world. Turns out that one crazy thought that came into your mind when you saw the spark was true, this planet was Equestria. When the world found out that the dominating species was ponies from My Little Pony, the world erupted into a battleground between the haters and the bronies. It soon became so large that the United Nations decided to send anyone that wanted to go to Equestria would get his or her wish. Plans were made with the government of Equestria and everything was all set. Once everyone that wanted to live in Equestria was there, the ponies of Equestria would teleport their planet to its old location. This location was kept confidential to keep any haters from destroying the world of Equestria in the future.

Once this news reached you, you jumped with excitement at the opportunity to finally live your dream. Sure, you would not be a pegasus like you wanted to be, but at least you were going to live in the land you always dreamed of calling home. The signup list was not limited and soon thousands of bronies were signed up to leave Earth and finally go to where they belonged. Once the signup was done, the shuttles were built, and everyone was ready to leave. While you were walking to the loading bay, you knew this was your last chance to feel Earth for the final time. You decided to lay in the grass one final time, eager to keep its feeling. You began to have second thoughts about leaving Earth, after all this was your home your whole life. It wasn’t until that one mare popped into your head that you decided to leave Earth once and for all. You got up and walked into the shuttle, looking up into the sky to see Earth's protective blue atmosphere one last time. You entered the shuttle and strapped yourself in, readying yourself for the uneasy take-off. You hear mission control come up. "You have all decided to leave Earth for the good of humanity, all of us here at control are proud of you. We hope you live a happy life on the planet called Equestria. We know you are giving up everything you have here on Earth but don't forget this is everyone's dream. Engines engaged. Be safe there everyone and have a happy life. Launch sequence in 3...2...1... lift off!" You immediately feel your face press against the seat, and feel your stomach turn sick but you resist the urge to puke all of your insides. You close your eyes and drift off to sleep against all the pain in your face.

When you wake up, you see that you slept through the entire entry sequence. You look around and see that everyone is unstrapping and beginning to get up and stretch. You hear the intercom come online and hear control again. "Welcome to Equestria everyone. I would like to announce that every last soul has made it to Equestria unharmed. As part of the plan, we must cut off any form of communication that gives away your location. We also will remove your lives’ off the records of Earth. In an hour the shuttles will disintegrate so there is no trace of evidence the will allow the haters to find the location of Equestria. We here at mission control wish you the best of luck in Equestria. This is mission control, signing off." After a few seconds, you see all shuttle location systems terminate and your coms have no noise. You were off the map; there was no way for anyone to find your new home. You leave the shuttle and take in the scenery. You feel tears in your eyes as you see Equestria's beauty. "I'm finally here. In Equestria, my home"

Chapter 2: Settling In

After a few minutes, you leave the trance you were fumbling about. Your mind starts to create a few concerns. Wait, mission control never told us where we are supposed to go, they just left us in the dark. Where are we going to-

"Attention everyone!" The sound of someone hollering startles you into a jump. Soon silence fell to whoever was speaking.

"Thank you, my name is Andy, and it has come to my attention that there are a number of concerns that everyone here shares. The first concern is where we are supposed to go now. Before we left Earth, mission control stated to a few of us that we are supposed to stay here and wait for the Royal Guard to guide us to where we are going to live for the time being." A number of people were starting to whisper on what Andy meant by "for the time being".

Andy started to talk again, "Another concern that has been brought up is if Equestria can support a very large population boost like this. Both the Equestrian government and the United Nations ran extensive research while the shuttles were being built. The answer is yes, there is still plenty of land, food, and water to support us." A number of people made a sigh of relief at the news. Then a complete silence came when the Royal Guard arrived.

There were thousands of them, every one of them armed with a spear. You and a majority of the humans started to feel fear. As the guard drew closer, the terror continued to rise. Eventually the guards stopped and a very large stallion came out of the crowd. Everyone in your group recognized this stallion, Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard. A few seconds passed and there was only the cold stare from the Royal Guard.

"Welcome humans to our world" Shining Armor said, "I'm sure you know who I am so I’ll cut the introduction and get straight to business. As I am sure you know, we are here to guide you to where you are supposed to live for the time being. Now I am certain a number of you are confused by what I meant on 'for the time being'. The Princesses have come to an agreement that ,quote on quote from Princess Celestia herself, 'humans deserve to have the same rights as us, an equal living'. So yes for some of you, this place may be only a temporary residence. For now, it is your home, but after a week, you are free to go live wherever you want, whether to Canterlot, Fillydelphia, or Ponyville, the choice is yours. Now please follow the guards and me to your residence. For those of you that like names, we named this place 'District 9'."

Suddenly a number of gasps were heard, including yours. Your mind begins to remember vividly the images of the place in the movie District 9. Could the ponies really be that careless about your temporary residence? Would you be living in slums like that for a whole week? The thought of that makes your mind sick, but you weren’t the only one. A number of people started to tear up at the name of your residence, but audible cries were held in. Shining Armor turned around after hearing the gasp. He had a very confused look on his face, but he continued to move on.

Your group starts to follow Shining Armor and his guard to District 9. You start to think of how far this place was, could it really be far? Surely, the ponies built this place close to your landing zone. Your train of thought is put on halt when you see thousands of flying chariots sitting on the ground. The Guard was going to fly you to District 9. You board the flying chariots along with every human that came. The Guard starts to get in position and take off. Immediately you feel very sick to yourself, you never have been in the air before. On Earth, your parents would drive to summer locations, seeing as how they are acrophobic. You begin to feel your insides flow up, but you fight it off.

You look around the landscape, and it was beyond anything you could imagine. This place was beautiful from the air. Seeing around the horizon, you see nothing but green valleys. You look closer to the ground, and notice it's a forest area, however it’s not the Everfree Forest. This forest was brightly lit, completely healthy and inviting. You quickly make a mental note to return to this location after your week in District 9.

. . . . .

After 20 minutes of looking over Equestria's natural beauty, you feel the chariot begin to descend. You look forward and what you see astonishes you. Turns out these ponies were going to treat everyone equally. Rows of thousands of houses, each a fairly good size. They appeared to be made out of concrete, with a hay roof on top, though you suspect the hay is actually a stronger material.

Your chariot along with the others land. After about 30 minutes of flying, you were finally at your new home. Other conversations start to pop up at the amazing surprise that everyone was going to live in a house. You look as far as you can to see if there were any distinct features in District 9, but only saw more houses.

"Attention all residents!" Shining Armor says, beginning another speech. "I see everyone here is surprised that we have built a home for every single human here, but it’s true, we have a house for every last resident here. Now, everyone here has been assigned a house here. As you can see, there is a large amount of houses and it appears to be confusing to navigate, but we have organized them in a very simplistic way. As you can see, we are on the outskirts of the district. Following this road up will lead you to the first row of houses. This row contains houses 1-100. If you take a left, you will see the roads starting with odd numbers in the hundreds place, 101-200, 301-400 and so on. The right side follows the same system except with even numbers, 201-300, 401-500 and so on again. Is there any confusion?”

After a brief moment of silence Shining Armor continues.

"Each person has been assigned a house at random. We will call out an individual at random also. Will Fox M. step forward." You see an individual step forward and stop in front of Shining Armor. It’s then that you notice a long short chest in front of Shining Armor. You see Shining Armor open the chest with his magic and you assume this is where the keys are kept. Turns out you are correct as you see a key fly out of the chest and given to Fox. Shining Armor then ask Fox something that is inaudible to anyone in the crowd. You see Fox shake his head to Shining Armor. "Fox M. will be living in house number 14". From what you have seen, you assume that everyone has an option to keep their houses location a secret to everyone else but to themselves, their neighbors, and the Royal Guard. "Will Zach A. step forward please." This is going to take a while.

After about 5 minutes, you are surprised to hear your named called to come up. You proceed up to Shining Armor and stand still. Shining Armor whispers to you. "You will be living in house 51, do you wish to keep your house’s location disclosed?" After a few moments of thought, you tell Shining Armor to keep your houses location classified from everyone else. You than hear a cling and see your key hovering in mid-air. You grab the key and proceed to your new house.

You arrived at the house to see the exterior. You look at the walls and see they were made of concrete. The roof appears to be made out of the hay stuff, but you are certain it’s stronger than it looks. You than glance at the windows and see they are circles instead of squares. You then walk around the building examining the shape, which turns out to a rectangle. After the quick survey of the building's exterior, you step in front of the wooden door. You pull out the key and put it in the doorknob. You turn your wrist and here the click of the door unlocking. You take a deep breath and open the door.

You look inside and are immediately greeted by the lights in the house. These were the brightest lights you have ever seen, much more powerful than the lights on Earth. You look to a wall in an attempt to find if there was a way to dim the lights. You find the little slider and slide it down to about halfway. Immediately you feel the stress on your eyebrows go away. You finally are able to explore your new house. You look down a hallway to see a fairly large room. On the left, you see a doorway, same thing on the right. You proceed down the hallway and head straight into the large room.

In the room, you see a couch, a table, a mat, a clock on the wall, a piano, and a sketching board. Some of the stuff in this room confused you. First off, why would all the houses have a piano, not everyone that arrived is able to play the piano. Another thing that confused you is the sketching board; again, not everyone here was an artist. You quickly dismiss these thoughts as you remember that the ponies don't have television or computers yet, they must have put this stuff to help keep you entertained in District 9. You leave what you call the living room and head back to the hallway.

You than decide to head to the room on the right. In here you see a table with a notebook, an empty bulletin board, a calendar, and sticky notes. You assume they put this room in for planning things to do. You leave the planning room and proceed to the room across from it.

What you see in this room is a full sized bed, a nightstand, a lamp, a dresser, two closets, and a door leading to what you assume is the bathroom. You wonder why there are two closets in the room. You then head to the bathroom. What you see in here is a toilet, a sink, a bathtub with a shower head on the top, towel rack, and a little closet holding towels in it. You leave the bathroom and head back into the bedroom. You than take off your shoes, lie down on the bed, and slowly drift off to sleep. You love your new house.

Chapter 3: Making Friends

You feel as if your an alien to your body. It felt weak, nasty, and a bit loose. You relize that you have woken up from a deep sleep. However something did not feel right in lower parts of your body, it felt kinda stretched and you felt butterflies in your stomach.

"Why is it like this, I don't remember having any dreams"

You decided to go for a walk to... cool down more private parts of your body. You step out of the bedroom and head down the hallway to the door. Opening the door, you are surprised at how dark the land was. You look towards the east and see a faint orange glow on the horizon. Judging from the glow of the sun you assume its 6 A.M....

"6 A.M.!? I've been asleep for 12 hours!?"

You never thought you would sleep that long, the longest time was 8 hours. You would always stay up since it's what teenagers do. Thinking of this makes you wonder what time you fell asleep. When you landed you looked at a digital clock before the space shuttle's power went off and saw it was 4:00 P.M. And it took about two hours to get into your home. The conclusion was made that you fell asleep at 6:00 P.M.

After that pointless train of thought you are finally out walking. You start to look around the neighborhood. Inside the houses were dark, not surprising since it was still early for most people. The neighbor's houses exteriors were the same as your house. Same wall, same roof, same everything. You look down the street and see the same houses everywhere. Deciding to leave this dullness you look up to see Luna's sky start to brighten up. When you do, a calm breeze comes in. You immdediatly fall into a trance as the wind calmly passes over your body. The cool breeze makes you feel at peace and you close your eyes to immediatly take it all in.

"He he he, remember the time you played Amnesia on your stream? You screamed like a little girl when you saw the monster come out of the darkness."

You jump a little and are snapped out of your trance when you hear a voice in the street. You are surprised to hear voices this early in the morning also, since you assume most of the humans fell asleep much later than you.

"Ha ha, yeah. That freaked me out though, I was just about to open the gate and BOOM!. I hear the noise and turn around to see the monster come out of the shadows."

You see who was talking and immediatly recognize them. You see two teenage boys and assume that they are under 17 years old. One of the boys was slightly taller. He had light skin, short black hair, and was around 6 feet tall. The other boy had darker skin, you assume he had a Hispanic descent, dark brown hair, very skinny, and around 5 foot 10 inches tall. After the few moments of examining their look, you try to remember their names, but ultimatly fail.

"Hey there"

You see the slightly taller boy call you over. You begin to walk over the boys to introduce yourself to them. Leaving Earth mean't that you left all the friends you had. You did have some brony friends but they were just fans of the show and chose not to be invlolved in the brony community like you did. Ultimatly when the opportunity came up for bronies to leave Earth, your friends decided not to go. You were very eager to make new friends in Equestria.

"What's your name?" the slightly taller kid asked.

You stated your name and waitied for a reply.

"Well nice to meet you. I'm Fox and this is my best friend Zach, we are like brothers aren't we Zach?"

"Fox, I thought you said you were done calling me brother." Zach said, slightly blushing from embarrassment.

"No way. We have so much in common that we are like brothers. Don't forget I dated your sister for a while."

"Fox! Your embarrassing me!"

"Oh, sorry. So anyway, new kid, why did you come to Equestria?"

The question caught you off guard and you stammered a little when you responded. "Oh.. I..I came to live the dream of being in Equestria"

"Oh that's cool" Zach said "I came here to escape my life on Earth. I had a bit of a rough past with my life. Lots of mistakes and regrets. I'm glad I get a fresh start here. Fox why did you come here?"

"I came just because I thought it would be fun." Fox said.

"Really thats it?"

"Yes"

"ok.... OH! Fox did I tell you about the dream I had last night? It was the best dream I ever had."

"No, what was it?"

Something about the word dream got your mind trying to remember something. "What was it exacly?" You turned to Zach and listened.

"Well in the dream" Zach started "I was in my room back on Earth laying on my bed thinking about Twilight and what we would be doing if she were with me right now. I was getting tired and was about to fall asleep thinking about her and hoping she would be in a dream that night. All of a sudden my door burst open and Twilight walked in. At that point my heart was racing not only out of the scare she gave me but also out of being nervous that she was in my room. Next thing I know she jumps onto me and puts here face really really close to mine. I was tempted to kiss her but I fought the urge to and simply look into her eyes. I was about to ask why she was there but she kissed me than. I was surprised but I closed my eyes and embraced the kiss. Than I started to feel her grind against my leg, and one thing led to another and the dream ends. I woke up and felt..... wet this morning."

Once Zach said that you noticed him blush quite a bit. In your mind, you were fighting to remember something. You know it was recent but you wern't to sure what it was. And something about hearing Zach recall his dream made scanning your mind more intense. You look to Fox and see he was blushing also and had a guilty look on his face. You wait for him to talk

"Well thats an awesome dream Zach" Fox said "Reminds me of a dream I had to. See I was in the middle of a grassy hill soaking up the sun and relaxing. I closed my eyes to let it all in but after a few seconds something blocked the light. I opened my eyes and jumped when I relized Applejack was right over me. I sat up and looked at her. We looked at each other for a few minutes and said nothing, she just kept smiling. Than she started walking slowly towards me with a little sway in her hips. She than stops and starts leaning her head in. I did the same and we kissed. I broke the kiss and layed down on the grass. She did the same and we hugged. She than poked me and told me to look up in the sky. When I did, I saw Rainbow Dash zooming through the sky with a rainbow right behind her. It felt so peaceful but the dream ended there."

Hearing Fox mention Rainbow Dash made your mind click. You finally remembered what was bothering you for the past five minutes. It was a dream you had last night and the reason why your.... lower parts were like that when you woke up. You look at Zach and see he was looking at you.

"Hey, did you have any dreams last night?" Zach said to you.

You reply "Yes I did actually. Uh... do you want to hear it?"

"Of course" Zach and Fox said in unison.

"Ok. In my dream I was a peagasus..." Saying this made Zach and Fox gasp.

"You were a peagasus in your dream!?" Zach and Fox said.

"Yes... I was a peagasus. I was flying around, enjoying the wind in my mane, when I saw a rainbow wizz by me. Curious on who caused the rainbow I sped up to catch the culprit. When I saw who it was I felt my wings stiffen. I started to fall but quickly regained control over my wings. I looked again and smiled as I saw Rainbow Dash flying next to me. I than saw her wink at me and immediatly my wings locked up, I could not flap than, they were like diamonds. I started to fall rapidly but gained a little control back and slowed down my fall to the ground. When I landed, I looked up to find Rainbow Dash but didn't see her or her rainbow. I turned around and sighed and started to walk away. For a few moments I was walking, next thing I know, I was on the ground with Rainbow Dash on top of me. I was breathing really fast since I have a crush on her. She than leans down and kisses me. I felt the world melt around me as she kissed me. Than she started to kiss near my jaw line and slowly moved down and started to kiss my neck. While she was down there, she started to moan on my neck. I started to feel stiff in other areas as she moaned. And the dream ends. I wake up and feel felt stiff in... certain areas. Than I went on a walk and met you good people and now i'm here."

"Wow" is all Zach and Fox said. You felt yourself blush not only after you told them your dream but also admiting to having a crush on Rainbow Dash. You start to think of ways on how to meet her. You could walk around Ponyville acting lost and hope she would help you around. Wait no, that won't work since Pinkie Pie would already have seen you and throw you a party. That's not a bad idea, but you wanted to talk to Dash alone. Maybe you cold go to her house, but you don't know where it is, plus she could think you were perverted if you did that. You were so caught up in thought that you didn't even relize Fox was talking to you.

"Hey, you want to hang out with us. Zach and I left all of our other friends back on Earth, we are all that's left. Maybe we could come up with a plan to meet out dream ponies"

"Sure i'll hang out. I left all my friends too when I left Earth."

"Great" Zach said

You and your new friends, Zach and Fox, started to talk about how to meet the ponies you guys loved. You suggested that you meet them at Pinkie's inevitable party for the new residents of Ponyville. Zach suggested that you meet them at random in Ponyville. So many ideas came up and it was hard to choose which one to go with. You looked back and noticed the sun was a lot higher than it was when you left your house this morning. By your guess, it was 9:00 A.M.

While you guys were walking and discussing, you overhear a conversation pretraining to a topic very similar to the one you were having. Immediatly all three of you stop and listen.

"No, how about we take them by force." One of the men said

"Oh yeah that could work, we could have them all to ourselves than, no one would know."

"Alright looks like we have a plan. We will capture the Mane 6 and drag them to our homes in District 9. Once we have them here, we can do whatever we want to them.

Hearing this made the three of you furious. How could some fellow bronies forcefully take the Mane 6 for themselves and do horrible things to them. All three of you came to the conclusion that these individuals were brony extremist. You and Fox wanted to fight them but Zach conviced both of you to stand down and not get involved.

All three of you looked back to the extremist and you notice another group come closer to them. Anger in their faces.

"What did you say you were going to do to the Mane 6?" One of the furious men said.

"I said take them by force! Got a problem with that, weakling."

"I do"

As you watched, you were shocked to see the furoius man punch the extremist in the face. Blood ran down the extremist's face and soon the area exploded into a brutal fight. Punches and kicks were everywhere between all sorts of bronies, all fighting to get the Mane 6 for themselves. Zach, Fox, and you were running back to Zach's house to stay out of trouble when the Royal Guard came to punish those who fought. When inside the house, you group watches from the window as the Royal Guard finally arrives.

Chapter 4: Crime and Punishment

The Royal Guard landed and immediatly took action. The Guard pulled out their weapons and had looks intent on killing. You were shocked to see that, even with the guard's noisy entrance, the bronies continued to fight. You focused on the fighting and were horrified to see that the violence intensified. Bronies were now kicking their victims lying on the ground relentlessly. Blood was getting all over the ground and houses as the fighting continued. You looked back to the guard and saw they were moving in to arrest the fighters, evident by the metal handcuffs they had.

Bronies were now getting arrested left and right. The Guard started to move the prisoners to a crossroads close to Zach's house. You look to another brony being arrested. The brony started to twist everywhere trying to escape. As the guard grabbed the handcuffs with his mouth, the brony broke from his grasp. The brony than relized he escaped and grabbed the spear from the guard's grasp. Seeing this sent a look of disbelief and horror down your face. Fox and Zach also noticed this particular brony and had the same look on their faces. The brony then proceeded to his victim and, with a devilish grin on his face, started to stab his victim with the spear. Seeing this made Fox pass out.

You look around to see if any of the guards were on their way to stop this insane brony but were paralyzed to see that other bronies had weapons too and were now in a battle to the death with each other. Looking around you saw faces of terror on victims. Soon you saw many bodies on the ground, badly covered in blood.

Looking at bronies fighting each other, you saw they were in a deadlock position, not moving an inch. Soon one of them charged at the other. The other responded by blocking the blow and making a quick counterattack. The brony that charged dodged this attack and went in for a powerful jab. The other blocked the blow and attempted to fling the weapon out of his opponent's hands. This failed and the attacking brony took a jab at his opponent's leg. This succeeded and the defending brony went down. The attacker now went for another paralyzing blow, but this attack was blocked. However the defender was too weak and the attacker easily swiped his opponent's weapon out of his hands. The attacker went for another blow but was stopped when his hands were handcuffed by a guard.

After what seemed like hours of fighting and torture, the Guard ended the riot. You looked around and saw bodies everywhere, some of them were not even moving. You feared the worst for those poor souls. You look back to where the prisoners were being taken to and saw thousands of them standing there. You look at your group and saw Zach was looking at someone in the field of bodies. You looked and attempted to see who he was looking at in the field of bloody bodies. None of them stood out to you except for one female. You asked why he was staring at this one female body.

"She is my sister. I didn't even relize she even came here"

"Oh my" was all you could say

Looking back, you saw Princess Celestia land in front of the prisoners. Looking back towards the sky you noticed Fluttershy and a number of pegasi arrive also. They started to gather up the injured souls and take them away from the scene. Focusing back at Princess Celestia, you wait patiently to see what happens to all of the prisoners.

"What was the reason for all this violence?" Princess Celestia said calmly. You can't help but wonder why Celestia was acting so calmly after a traumatic fight.

"The guys infront of me wanted to kidnap the Mane 6 and keep them for themselves" A brony said. You looked closely and saw it was the brony that confronted the group and the one that started the fight. You look around for the rest of his group but your search turned up no results. You assumed they must have been injured when the fighing intensified.

"Hey if you just left us alone none of this would have happened" One of the extremist said.

"Oh and let you get away with kidnapping and quite possibly doing horrible things to the Mane 6" The man responsible for the fighting said

"Hey all I wanted to do was hang out with them", a diffrent brony said "but than this man wanted to abuse and rape them"

"Hey I thought no one else would hear me talk out loud" another brony said in defense

Soon all of the prisoners broke into a verbal war. The Guard was starting to get uneasy by the escalating tenstion.

"ENOUGH!!" Celestia said angrily. "Everyone of you broke what has made you who you are. When I was first told about you 'bronies' I was told that you did not fight, that you all got along. Well, every last one of you broke that. Worse yet, you left hundreds injured in your firey battle. Your crimes must be paid by the ultimate price."

You wondered what Princess Celestia meant by "the ultimate price". Surely she wasn't cruel enough to give them the death penalty. Maybe she would banish them to an unknown land. Or lock them up in a dungeon. Or maybe banish them and throw them in a dungeon where they were banished to.

"Hey Fox, wha..." was all you said before you remembered that he was still passed out after one of the bronies stab his victim with a guard's spear.

"Hey Zach, what do you think Princess Celestia meant by 'the ultimate price'?" you asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Zach replied.

Turning back to the prisoners and Princess Celestia, you waited to hear the punishment

"I have decided your punishment" Princess Celestia said. "I know humans cannot survive on the moon due to the lack of oxygen and cannot survive on the sun due to the extreme heat. These banishments are also not strong enough for the violence and crimes you caused here. For the crime of attempted murdeer, assault, threat to my people, and violence in Equestria, you are hereby banished back to Earth."

Hearing this sent cold chills down your spine. Banishment back to Earth, the population pratically hated all of the bronies since it was mainly haters living there now. What would the bronies do when they came back, hide, run, give up, commit suicide. Thinking of these horrendous situations for the prisoners being banished made you understand why Princess Celestia called this "the ultimate price". She was not going to kill or arrest them, she was going to let the population of Earth do it for her. You started to fear Celestia at the thought of her coming up with something so clever yet so horrible. You looked at Celestia and noticed her horn was starting to glow.

"Wait please Celestia we didn't mean t....."

"Please Celestia this has been my drea....."

"Please all I wanted to do is hold the M....."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....."

"This is all my fault I caused all of this"

"Damnit, I'm going to miss this pea....."

"At least I was here for a little bi....."

Thousands of voices were heard, each asking for something diffrent. Forgivess, broken dreams, acceptance, disappointment, and many more. And every single one was cut off at the same time. You look back to where the prisoners use to be and saw nothing but an empty field.

"WOULD ALL REMAINING HUMANS COME TO WHERE ALL THE PRISONERS WERE HELD" Princess Celestia said in what you thought was the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Soon the remaining bronies started to come out of their houses and head to Celestia. When they reached her, they bowed and never got back up. You noticed some tears hit the ground as the bronies started to break down. After a few minutes, Fox woke up and you thought now was the best time to head out and bow to Princess Celestia.

With you in the lead, your group arrived to Princess Celestia and bowed. You continued to stay bowed not daring to move an inch at the risk of being banished back to Earth. Being banished would result in all of your dreams falling apart, dating Rainbow Dash, living in Equestria, all of it gone if you just moved a muscle.

"Please rise" Princess Celestia said. After a grueling 10 minutes of staying bowed, you were relieved to hear Celestia say these words.

"I want the honest truth from everyone here", Princess Celestia said "Was anyone here involved in the riot in anyway?"

"No" everyone, including your group, said. The sound in everyone's voices was fear. You and everyone else were at the mercy of Princess Celestia. Looking around you noticed that some people started to tear up again. You assumed it was because more than likely everyone hear was going to be punished somehow for the crimes of others.

"Thank you, again I want the honest truth when I ask this question", Celestia said "Did anyone hear why this riot started? Answers from the banished were mixed so I need clarification on the situation."

Seeing as how no one replied, you decided to tell the princess what you heard.

"I did" you said.

"Please tell me what you heard" Princess Celestia replied.

"Well there was this group of brony extremist that wanted quoting them 'take them by force'. They were refering to the Mane 6, or here the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. One of them relied 'Oh yeah that could work, we could have them all to ourselves, than no one would know'. The first man relpied to this comment saying 'Alright looks like we have a plan. We will capture the Mane 6 and drag them to our homes in District 9. Once we have them here, we can do whatever we want to them'. My friends and I were angry but we didn't fight them, we just continued to watch and listen. The next thing that happened is this other group of bronies over-heard and walk towards them. I believe the leader of this other group said this 'What did you say you were going to do to the Mane 6?'. The leader of the extremist group said this as a reply 'I said take them by force! Got a problem with that, weakling'. The leader of the other group replied with 'I do' and than he punched the extremist in the face. At that point my friends and I ran to Zach's house and stayed there until you called us out to meet you here."

"Thank you" Celestia said to you "I am here to reassure you all that none of you are in trouble."

Hearing this made everyone sigh in relief. Soon the fear in everyone face was replaced with a smile and tears of happiness.

"How many were banished?" Zach asked

"Well, we have 368 humans remaining here in Equestria." Princess Celestia replied "3,000 humans came here. I'm sure you can do that math on how many were banished."

"What about the injured, are they banished too?" Zach asked

"I'm afraid so. Even though they been through a lot today, I can't let them jeopardize the safety of my people. I am sorry."

"Thats okay." You knew Zach was hurt deeply since he would never be able to see his sister again. You walked to him and gave him a hug for comfort. Fox did the same, tears in his eyes. Finally you all had a big hug.

The Guard and the princess left and everyone started to go home. Your group decided to head back to Zach's house. As you walked, you noticed blood was starting to dry all around the ground. So much violence happened today. Bronies turned feral over six little mares. And so many were banished from their dreamland, their dreams crushed, hopes destroyed, values gone. And many were injured in the battle. Even your own friends were deeply hurt emotionally your second day here in Equestria.

Deciding to not bring up today's events to your group, you all talk more about yourselves. You soon learn that Zach was an avid video gamer. He knew the industry inside and out and was the gaming guru in his family. He would always study the development of a game after it's release and always pull up the history of gaming series. At least that what he did before he discovered My Little Pony. From there, he went on to make his own wallpapers, learned how to vector, and went on to become the pony guru of his school.

What you learned from Fox was a bit plain. Fox was just a regualr high school student. He had a girlfriend, made average grades, had friends, and much more. He was just plain. The stand out features from him was his strange attachment to Zach, unusual addiction to Transformice, and the fact Fox's girlfriend was Zach's sister and that they dated on the internet for a while.

Telling your friends goodbye, you headed home to get some much needed rest after a long day. You open the door and let yourself glide along the wall to your bedroom. You enter your bedroom and slam onto the bed. After readjusting to get comfortable, you finally fall asleep.

Chapter 4.5: Rainy Days

You look around you and see you are back at school. All around you see the classmates you have come to love and the ones you have come to tolerate. You see a group of students that regularly bully you approach.

"Well lookey here. It's our favorite homosexual. Finally decide to come back to school? What, did we scare you off last time we talked to you?" One of the five boys said.

"Oh man last time was a good one Butch" Another boy said.

"It was wasn't it? What do you say pedophile? Want to get laughed at by half of the PTA again?" Butch said.

"If you were asking why I was gone, I was gone due to the fact my grandmother died 5 days ago. I had to carry the casket to the burial. Also, if you think I got embarrassed infront of the PTA you would be wrong. I am not ashamed to be who I am." you reply.

"Oh, so emarrassing you won't hurt you? Well how about we beat you up until all of your bones are broken?" Butch said.

"Go ahead. It won't change the fact I am a brony at all" you reply.

"Boys let's teach this idiot that being a brony is not a good thing."

Butch was the first to hit you. Deciding to knock the breath out of you, Butch punch as hard as he could towards your stomach. You gasp for air once you feel it escape and breath heavely. However Butch didn't give you a break and proceeded to punch you in the back, resulting in you making a loud thump. He then stomped on your back and stood to the side.

However the punishment was not over. A second boy picked you up and busted your face against a locker. The sound of you hitting the locker sent a horrible ring through your ears. You wanted to clench them but couldn't since you were still in the boy's grasp. The boy then threw you face first into a column made of rock. You stand up to feel your face covered in all sorts up cuts from the rock, each of them bleeding.

A third boy then picks you up and moves your head into an open locker. The boy then smashed the locker door into you. This sent a massive headache. The boy then proceeded to slam the locker into your head three more times, each feeling harder than the last. After you got out, your vision was blurred and you could not stand straight. You fell to the floor and layed there in complete pain.

Another boy suddenly stomped you in the face as hard as he could. You could hear something break. You knew your jaw was just broken from the stomp. This resulted in a very loud yell of pain from you. You suddenly felt yourself laying on your stomach. After two seconds you felt something stomp onto your back. Shortly after you felt the same thing again. You began to sob from the shear amount of pain you have recieved.

"Come on boys, lets get out of here. I hope this teaches you a leason" Butch said.

You are in to much pain to care what Butch said to you. This changed nothing. You were still going to be a brony and still be open about it. No matter how much was put against you, you will always be a brony.

You attempt to get up but scream in pain as your body was severly injured. You begin to wonder why there was no one coming to help you but remember you were on the side of the school where there only lockers. No teacher rooms, no offices, just lockers. You close your eyes.

Suddenly the pain disappears and open your eyes in shock. You see a red hallway and many doors. You than feel something in your hand's grasp. You look down and jump as you relize you are holding Rainbow Dash's hoof.

"Hey. Why did you jump? Is there something on my face!?" Rainbow Dash says in panic.

"What no. Wait. How did I get here?" you reply in confusion.

"You don't remember. We met at the night club two hours ago. You were a real charmer so I'm taking you to my room so you and I can have a little bit of 'fun'" Rainbow Dash said winking at you.

You felt your face blush at the sight, although you can't help but feel confused. Just a minute ago you were dieing in your school and the next you are being taken to Rainbow Dash's hotel room. However you did not care anymore since you were going to spend intimate time with the mare of your dreams.

You soon reach Dash's room, number 87. Rainbow takes the key from her saddlebag and unlocks the door. Rainbow and you enter the room and flick on the lights. The room had one bed in it with nightstands on both sides of it. There was also a couch with a table infront of it. The table had a few magazines on it along with a few books.

"So where do you want to start at?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Uh..." You say. You honestly were not quite sure what to pick. Sure the bed was comfy but you wanted to drag out this night as long as you can.

"Couch it is than." Rainbow Dash said leading you to the couch. You sit down on the couch followed by Rainbow Dash. You than look at Rainbow Dash and feel your face blush. She was certainly beautiful. Her mane and tail were so wild and at the same time appealing. Rainbow Dash's eyes were deep and dazzling. Her eyes had that sparkle of lust in them when you looked into them.

Very slowly she started to close her eyes and move towards you. You did the same thing until your lips met her's. The feeling made you shoot open eyes in pleasure. She must have sensed it since she giggled a little. This sent a shiver down your spine. Rainbow Dash broke the kiss.

"First kiss huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

You simply nod. Rainbow goes in for another kiss. Her breath tasted like some form of candy you ate before. It was sweet but had a bit of spice in it. This drove you wild and you went deeper into the kiss. You poke your tongue through her lips. She feels this and responds with a long drawn out moan. Rainbow Dash pulls out and a stream of saliva is visible between you two. Rainbow Dash started to kiss slowly down to your neck moaning along the way. The pleasure for you is unbelivable. You felt Rainbow Dash started to take 'the happy trail'...

"Rainbow Dash, I'm home."

You look towards the door and see Applejack in the doorway staring staight at you with shrunken eyes.

"What do ya think you are doing to my mare!?" Applejack said.

"Marefriend? I thought you were single Rainbow Dash?" you said with fear in your voice.

"Let me be honest with ya. This is gonna hurt you a lot more than its gonna hurt me."

Suddenly Applejack started to run towards you. She then turned around and lifted her hind legs. Applejack pulled them back and thrusted them towards your face.

Chapter 6: Work

"Hey there" The cerulean blue mare said in a calm tone of voice. Everything you could think of was frozen by the sound of her crisp and sweet voice. You felt your cheeks burn and your heart melt at the tone of the pegasus' voice. Everything on your face displayed the signs that you liked her, so much so that if it wasn't for your control, you would...

"Hello? Anybody home?" Rainbow Dash said in a more annoyed voice than her previous introduction. That very tone snapped you out of your fantasies and reminded you that you were on the job; you couldn't flirt with her just yet. You took a deep breath and prepared to serve and work.

"Hello there, welcome to the shop. How may I help you?" Your sound was relaxed, calm, professional after you took that one deep breath. Your thoughts started to focus on your work and less upon the pony you have always dreamed about. Despite how obvious your face showed that you like her, she didn't appear to be affected at all. You were not complaining about that though; the less she knew right now, the better.

"I'd like to order three coffees to go please. A few of my friends have to go to the rainbow factory to make sure everything is running smoothly." Easy enough, three coffees, one of the easiest drinks to make. You set right to work on making the drinks while the polychromatic mare worked through her saddlebags for a few bits. After two minutes you pumped out all three drinks flawlessly, a much better routine then your test run. You took all three drinks and set them in front of the pony of your dreams. The thought of satisfying not only your first customer but also the mare of your wildest fantasies made you smile as wide as Pinkie Pie herself!

"That'll be five bits" You pronounce. She gladly shoved the bits closer to you which you failed to notice. You blush slightly but take them and put them in the register with ease.

"Thank you" Rainbow announced in a friendly manner, her voice sending waves of relaxation throughout your body.

"Please come again" Rainbow smiled at you. Goodness, she was smiling at you! You felt the smile on your own face grow at the sight. Your dream mare was smiling at you! The pure excitement of seeing that smile sent your heart into a pounding fit.

"I think I might. See you soon" Rainbow walked out of the store just as she walked in, relaxed, slow, and overall amazingly. Everything about her was amazing to you. Her powerful hind-legs showed off their muscular power with every step she took. That tail which swished around, the way her cutie mark glowed. Everything about her was just as you imagined her to be! She was out the door and turned to the left. Celestia's sun was barely starting to rise with its rays of beautiful gold already beaming across the land. Rainbow just fitted perfectly with that sun, everything about her was shown in uncensored detail in the sunlight; it almost looked like she was glowing.

When you saw the last bits of her tail leave your line of view, you let out a great sigh of relief and fulfillment. You severed your first customer, who happened to be your dream mare, which was rewarded in her smiling at you and possibly going back to your shop! Silver Java was going to be so-

"I'm amazed" That was fast of her to say; you were just thinking that. You turned around to see that Silver had a warm smile plastered onto her grey lips. You were thankful she was not using that other tone of voice on you today. "Generally, ponies are more normal when they are on the job for the first they. Guess your species has a lot more confidence than I previously thought. You are on the job fully now" Add impressing your boss to the list as well. This day was perfect! "You served one customer, but I say in about thirty minutes you will need some help." You thought of that as well. This was just one customer. Soon you would have to deal with a least thirty at a time. You showed no fear though.

"I will not fail you Silver Java!" You made a salute to her which only made her smile blossom. You felt her hoof punch your stomach lightly.

"Don't grow so cocky. You may be surprised at how hectic it get when the crowds start to pour into the shop." In the back of your head, you were scared on how you would handle everypony's request. Would you crack? What if you messed up and order? What if you injured a pony by accident? Wh- No! You were not going to mess up! You served the pony you loved flawlessly. How hard could it be to serve thirty ponies? Right? "I will be here to help you though. Even Spoony himself needed the help. So don't worry." her friendly manner of voice put the rest of your mind at ease. Silver smiled again before leaving you to your business.

This was going to be a long day, but you could only get better. You looked over your tools again, recited the recipes in your head, and pretended you were serving a drink. you were ready for this crowd.

. . . . .

Four in the afternoon was the time you would get out of your shift. You had ten minutes left. You were holding yourself up on the counter. Eyes were starting to droop shut. That crowd drove every ounce of energy out of your body. The constant talking, the endless order, even their bright and wondrous colors all added up to one killer headache. Your head was pulsing on rhythm. It was a metronome of pain and was not going to vanish any time soon.

Silver Java was faring much better than you. Your eyes drifted over her energized body; she looked like she actually gained energy from that rush all those hours ago and still had it! Her eyes wandered around until they looked into your very own. "Only eight more minutes. You did an amazing job today. I'm glad I picked you for the job, even though you were the only one that applied" She giggled a little; why was she? "Anyway, tomorrow isn't as bad since it will be the weekend. Not too many ponies then" Her demeanor was friendly throughout the day. You thought she lost the tone. That made you do a mental sigh of relief.

You took a breath. "It was great working today Silver Java." Your voice was much more raspy and tired. This day was a killer on your body, but it was almost over.

"I think you are going to make my shop the number one cafe in Ponyville" You felt your cheeks redden. Making the shop the most successful one in Ponyville was a compliment you never got your entire life. All you got was labeled. You thank her kindly after that. Then you saw the clock with an owl on it hit four. It made four dings within ten seconds. "Ah, time for your shift to end. I look forward to tomorrow. Have a great day." You returned her friendly words with your own then proceeded out the door. Your head buzzed with so many thoughts on your first day of work. Serving Rainbow Dash, impressing your boss, going through your first crowd rush, this day was perfect.

Once you heard the shop's door close, you looked around. It was four in the afternoon. There was plenty to do in Ponyville. What would be first? Only one way to find out. Your legs were carrying you. This town alone was beautiful. With it being filled with shops, recreation, homes, hospitals, and more. Nightclubs were yet to be open. Shops were starting to fill with ponies getting off of work. You made a mental note not to go into a shop at this hour. Ponies were smiling everywhere, walking the town on their own business. Some said hi to you and other just waved. You thought back to Earth. People there were hectic; always moving alone. They never stopped to say hi, nor did they smile. It was work and stress. Here it was peace and friendliness. How could Fox leave a world like this?

Around three hours past as you endlessly walked about the streets. The sun was starting set set in the distance and the moon's beams of white light would soon blanket most of the land into deep sleep. You made your way back to the apartment. Room 314. It might not be the house like you had in District 9, but it was still home. You went inside and found Zach just glowing with energy.

"Hey man! Today was just awesome!" Zach was shaking. Whatever happened to him must have made really happy.

"Oh really? I had a great day as well" Your voice was much more normalized now that you had a chance to rest when you were exploring Ponyville and saying high to a bunch of ponies.

"Well go on man! How was it?" You wondered if he would ever stop shaking. You began to recall the events of your job. You decided to surprise him a little by starting out with your first rush. He was sitting down more calmly as he listened to you pronounce how you did your first rush with no flaws. From there you told him about your boss' compliments. He was already smiling; yet when he heard that, it grew so much more. "Wow, that's awesome dude!"

"Let me tell you the best part. I got to serve Rainbow Dash. She was my first customer." You said this coolly, Hearing that made Zach jump out of his chair.

"No way!"

"Yes way. Best part is, she smiled at me and said she might come back." You were just smiling more and more as you recalled the memory.

"That is so freaking awesome dude! My day was just amazing. Okay, so..." He went on to retell the story of his work. It started out with him going on about how he was working at the library. He didn't seem like an egghead but he was. In the back of you head, you thought he was perfect for Twilight. He then went on to tell you all about how his work was mainly sorting things for her. He also had to check out a few books to a few regular clients his boss had. He was smiling and jumping as he told you all about it. You noticed his cheeks light up a little which made you smirk. He was talking about how his day was ending. Twilight apparently was just as impressed as Silver Java was. Zach was requested to come over to Twilight house. He cheeks lit up. "I said yes. I think she wants us to form a little book club. I mean, I am really excited, but I'm also nervous" You knew the feeling, so you told him just to relax and be himself. He smiled and hugged you.

Once you two broke off, you went into your bedrooms. Being one less member short meant the rent wouldn't be as high. Food charges were less. Everything was setting in. You had a job. You served Rainbow Dash, and made a few new acquaintances along the way. You thought things could only get better. Your thoughts drifted of you and Rainbow Dash being together and cuddling. You smiled as you fell asleep pretending you were hold her in your very own arms.

Author's Note

Oh my goodness. Finally something to come out of me for this story. I apologize for such a long wait everypony. Being depressed doesn't help writing at all. Now I all better knowing I can finally do it. I hope you all enjoyed this rather short chapter. Next time around, it will be longer. It's winter break here also so expect more from me. As always, rate, comment and leave your opinion. I love all of you!

-hunterz263

Chapter 7: Labyrinth

A cold little chill woke you up in the middle of the night. No dreams were happening, just a shivering movement of air. Your eyes open up to reveal the darkness within your room. A blanket was over you, providing little warmth, but still enough to keep you cozy through your slumber. Getting up and stretching out your arms and legs, you knew you weren’t going to fall back asleep, so might as well do something while you can. The clock on your nightstand indicated it was in the wee hours of the morning, 4:00 AM. Two hours before you went to work; this was pointless according to Java.

Nevertheless, it was work and you needed it. Going into the bathroom, your hands and fingers turn on the shower. After a minute, hot, steamy water was pouring out. Your thoughts kept drifting as to why there was hot water here. Maybe it was some hot stones in a spring. Not like it mattered, but curiosity can be painful to hold in the back of your head. You knew this ever since you first saw the ponies back on Earth. Simple little things that you tried to ignore, but could not any longer.

Now you were here in their world; a world thought impossible, but it is real. You smile slightly at the thought of a rare chance in the history of humanity and equinity, two species living together in harmony. Sure, your side of the spectrum was fragmented due to the riot back in District 9, but it was still two species getting along, sharing stories, discovering new ideas, and bringing friendships never thought possible.

Yes, it was a glorious moment for life.

Exiting the shower, you got a towel off the rack and dried off. The cool breeze was still present, sending shivers, but at least you were clean. Putting on fresh clothing, you realize that you still need an outfit for work. Back on Earth they had them. Another thing to do on the long list of accomplishments you had ever since you left that precious, smooth grass of your home planet. Perhaps meeting Rarity would help you check off that item; she is generous after all.

Stepping out of the bathroom, you are greeted to the breeze that is no longer affecting your smooth, baby-like skin. As you walk towards Zach’s room to check on his condition, you wonder what can possibly be accomplished in under two hours before your work shift resumed. Walks were a norm to you, but how far could you journey at morning until you explored all of Ponyville? Opening Zach’s door with its creaky sounds make you wince, shudder, and panic a little. You didn’t want to wake him out of his sleep. Thankfully, when your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you could see him under a blanket much like your own, peacefully asleep with regular, shallow breaths that were silent. Closing the door with minimal creaks, you turn your body around and head out into the hallway.

Trotting down the halls was lonesome but far from the worst thing imaginable. The decorations kept you company with the red paint that displayed formality keeping you calm and collective. The carpet contained patterns (flowers) of complimentary colors that glistened with peace and happiness. Everything in the hall was of calming architecture, promoting more ideals of unity the equines share; ideals that your species is going to share now that your dreams are true.

Looking at the glorious décor distracted you from seeing a unicorn mare trot out of a room, a dim smile on her lips as she entered the lit walkway. Turing her head towards your position makes her grin enlarge. “Hello there, human.” Her coat was of a light purple, with her moderately long mane being of a cool violet and a blue that matched the dawn of a new day. The eyes she had glowed with a soothing purple. The unicorn’s voice was a soft one, but audible enough to be clearly distinguished among the quiet halls.

“Hey there,” you reply a lot softer than anticipated, “what’s your name?”

“I’m Purple Sire. It’s nice to meet you…”

You fill her in quickly of your name. With lips open, you reply, “Nice to meet you too, Purple Sire.” Your shy nature was still prevalent despite already meeting numerous other ponies in the town. Surely their friendly nature would make you less shy, but it was not showing just yet. For seconds you and Purple walk in a bit of a nerve-wracking silence, but it is shattered by her question.

“What has got you up so early?” She questions, turning her head towards yours.

“I must have gone to bed early,” you reply gently, keeping your eye contact on the mare, yet also taking the occasional glance to ensure you would not crash into a random object.

“Quite peculiar seeing another pony out and up this early in the morning. Normally the Pegasi are, but most other ponies sleep until seven.” She adds, giving you a little bit more on how this place works. Then an idea floats in to your cranium about trying to find Rainbow Dash early in the morning. But, that one is a bit risky due to your uncertainty that she would be up and working this early in the morning.

Pushing aside your plans to concentrate on this acquaintance, you wonder why she is up. You express your thoughts to her, to which Purple answers, “I always come out early in the morning to get ideas for a painting or two. It is really inspiring to see the sunrise as the stars dim out one by one.” You could not deny that since you saw an Equestrian sunrise just days ago back at District 9. The mere thought of that place made you quiver in your mind. The violence, the punishment. The place was a horrible, recent memory that felt like it happened years ago. “I always do get the best of ideas from seeing the stars at night, as well.” Hearing her continue made you forget about that place.

The image she described made you smile towards her. “That really does sound beautiful,” you respond, “are you a painter?”

“Yes I am. I make any request for a fair amount of bits,” She says, smile widening to new proportions on her purple face “and my clients always say they are ‘spectacularly spectacular’.” She finishes it off with a bit of a giggle. “At least, that’s what one mare said when she saw the work I made.” You couldn’t help but join in on the giggle and wonder about the strange words she said about a client’s review, but your mind had a pretty fair guess who it was.

You were already at the door out of the apartment complex, Purple apprehending it as well with a portion of disbelief. Purple turns her face to you. “It is certainly a pleasure to meet you. Feel free to stop by my room soon. It’s number 304.” The door rings open and her form vanishes into the darkness while you stand there smiling. Another new friend made. After a few seconds of getting the number memorized, you push open the door. The bell on top of it rings and the receptionist waves you goodbye with a happy smile.

. . . . .

Walking around Ponyville was becoming a habit now. While you were never trying to, it just kept happening -- might as well be in your schedule. With that, you find yourself careening down roads that led to houses, businesses, and more places that still have to open up their wares to the general public. Ponyville was never expected to be this large, but you were glad it was; so many places to meet friends and explore.

“Hey, dude!” So focused you were on your walk, you actually stopped seeing anything but the buildings. To hear this unknown voice calling specifically at you -- nopony was out walking since you departed Purple Sire -- caused you to stop from a minor startle attack. Focusing on the epicenter of the voice, you see it is that of another human. A male to be precise and he was walking towards you in the evaporating darkness of the night. “Isn’t this place great? Finally get to live the dream of being in Equestria!” This particular male appeared to be around his early twenties, indicated by his more rich features that spell experience without any missing letters. His hair color cannot be distinguished, but it is of a darker shade of brown from what you can tell.

“Uh... yeah, it is a gre--” Even before finishing your word, he seems to burst into the air with a jump. Not only that, but his jump seemed to mimic that of a party pony or someone that just found nothing but joy in life. Either way, that free-spirited attitude only made you recluse back into a shell.

“I have so many things I have to do! I have to meet my idol Pinkie Pie today and then go party on with her! You want to come?” You open your mouth to kindly reject, but he already had the answer. “Perfect! I’ll be sure to let Pinkie know you want to come!” As you open your lips again he runs off sprinting, and as your first word escapes, he is already rounding a corner. Closing your mouth, you stand there bewildered beyond your belief. If that was Pinkie Pie, you maybe would not have minded as much, but for some random person to run up and invite you like that is just...

Focusing instead on your day ahead, you try to veer off the course of thinking about a party. Walking again, you remember that you need to get to work. Changing the direction of your form, you re-align to the path of work. Silver Java said it was going to be an easy day, so maybe you can have some time to actually think of a way to meet Rainbow Dash again. Maybe she will trot into the shop like she did yesterday. Now you were sprinting off to your work.

. . . . .

The bell above the door dings as you enter the shop. Silver Java looks up and smiles at you; her dark blue eyes beaming with joy to see you again. You look at her light-grey coat and notice it is still a little wet. “Hello, Silver Java.” You say with a smile, walking behind the counter and then getting behind your register.

“Good morning. You ready for a day of leisure and relaxation? On weekends I say I only get about forty ponies on average.” You cannot help but smile at the news of a relaxing day with Silver Java. You could talk to her, discuss ideas about drink recipes, play a few games, and talk about Rainbow Dash. It was going to be perfect and spectacular!

As if reading your mind and facial expression, Silver Java turns her attention straight to you, giving you a lopsided smile. “It’s not all fun and games like you think it is. We still need to do quite a bit of work: cleaning the tables, sweeping the floor, counting the bits earned and more.” She made a giggle, turning around and heading into her office. You stand there for a few moments waiting for a customer to pop in and greet you. Not a single one came waltzing through the door and taking you away from having to perform mundane tasks. With a sigh you head to the corner, grab the broom – the broom was shockingly small and light – and begin to sweep. You could have sworn you heard Silver Java giggling.

. . . . .

You and Silver Java were at a table enjoying a breakfast break. She had a cup of coffee while you had water. She tried to persuade you to try your own product, but you kindly refused since you disliked the taste of anything caffeinated besides sweet sodas. “I must say you did a fine job at polishing this table. I can sort of see my reflection in it.” Silver Java says while looking down at the table. You blush and look down as well to see her statement was true. “I am so glad I hired you. You are a far better worker than that flirtatious stallion.”

“I try my best,” you reply modestly while a dark crimson blush rushes through your cheeks. Her compliments made you smile as well. “So Silver… what do you think of my species?” The question made Silver look up and her lips were flat.

“Well I did read numerous reports in the Ponyville Express during the initial weeks when our species met. I must say most of your kind is barbaric, intolerant, and nothing but warmongers.” Silver Java replies while her shoulders fall flat. “I personally disliked your species and was against any negotiations for any of you to come here. But the Princesses said everything was going to be okay. Then that whole District 9 incident made me skeptical.” You got this itch in the back of your head that Silver Java might not trust you at all. She takes a deep breath and finally puts on a beautiful smile and opens her eyes up to show their spectacular shades of dark blue. “But now that I got to know you personally, I can say you are a marvelous species.”

Your own smile grows as you look into her eyes. Something about them entranced you into a labyrinth of mysterious thoughts. One certainly was clear though: Why did she act so seductive if she did not trust your species and despised it? You wanted to question her about it, but your better half knew it was too early for personal questions of that nature.

You looked towards the clock and see it was 9:00. The day was about halfway over and you still had no customers come waltzing in through the door for a nice cup of energizing coffee. “What do you do when you have no customers, Silver?” You asked, feeling a sense of boredom overcome you with the lack of activity in the store.

“Back when I had Brimstone me and him played various games in the back. A little bit of ‘Goldfish’, sometimes ‘20 Questions’, and my personal favorite, ‘Unique’.” You raise and eyebrow at the last game and ask what it is. “Unique is a game we made over the weekend. There is no winner, but what we do is basically make the strangest drinks we can. Adding pepper and sugar and some foods into drinks. Then we give them to each other and see which one of us would get sick first. Haha.” Silver smiles at the silly and ridiculous game idea she thought up. You honestly believed she was joking and making up silly concepts for a moment, but that smile was genuine.

You were not sure how to react to the absolutely absurd and ridiculous game, but you had to admit you were growing bored with the lack of activity. “Want to play a round of 20 Questions?”

“You’re on, human!”

. . . . .

“Is it a bird?” You asked, generally frustrated at what Silver’s item was.

“No. That’s 18 out of 20 questions!” She says while beaming a lopsided grin your way that made you even more furious inside.

“Is it a…giant hippopotamus that has wings and can fly around shooting laser beams at everything?”

“Nope. Hehe. 19 out of 20.” She says in a high-pitched, playful accent. You two had been playing for an hour and you still have not guessed a single item she has thought of.

“It is a-“

Ding.

You and Silver look at each other straight in the eye and rush out to greet who would be the first customer of the day. It was a unicorn mare, with a lavender coat and rich purple eyes. You already knew who it was and couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, another human!” Twilight Sparkle remarks as she struts up towards your register. “Oh your species is simply fascinating!” Twilight the turns her head to greet Silver Java. “Hey Silver! Could I get two cups of coffee? Spike is asleep and I’m afraid my assistant librarian didn’t get enough sleep last night. Hehe. You humans and your arrogance for staying up late.” You smile at her comment and inside you cannot help but feel a little pride in your species – it was the first time you ever felt pride for your species.

“Sure thing, Twilight. Who’s your new assistant? You sure Spike isn’t going to get jealous?” Silver Java asked while beginning to set the cups under the coffee machine.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Silver. Spike is still my number one assistant, but I don’t think he’s old enough to handle currency and keep up to date with return dates for my library’s books. Zach is there to make sure I have more time with Spike duties, along with learning about friendship. Speaking of which,” Twilight focuses her attention on you again, “do you have any friends?”

“Yeah…” you reply a little bit awkward at the invasive nature of the bookworm. “His name’s Zach. Had another one, but he left to go back to Earth.” You say, feeling uncomfortable.

“Oh wow. A human left already?” She says, a bit baffled at the idea like you were when Fox revealed he was leaving Equestria to go back to Earth. “I’m shocked by that.” Silver had miraculously completed the order and now the drinks were on the polished counter. Twilight smiles at you and Silver and pays the four bits she owes. “Thank you, Silver. And it was nice meeting you too, human!” Twilight happily takes the drinks into her mouth and walks out the shop, humming a tune that you recognized instantly. Your mind aches at the strange idea every single pony knows that particular tune by memory. But then an idea popped up in your head that made you grin. You turn to Silver Java and reply.

“Is it Rainbow Dash?”

Silver Java stood there for a moment, smiled, and then you two proceeded to giggle and laugh on the floor.

. . . . .

Your shift was done with and you were returning home. The day was still young, but being frustrated and bored wore out your mind and body. You yawned for a moment while walking and when you opened your eyes, you wanted to run away form what you saw. At stand that sold oranges, you saw Rainbow Dash bargaining with a stallion. You gulp and begin to sweat, wondering what to do. Should you go home, walk up to her and say hi, or just stand there like an idiot and hope she sees you?

Rainbow Dash finished her purchased and just happened to look your way and notice you. She gives a big, toothy smile that made you blush and waves at you. “Hey dude!” Next thing she is walking towards you quickly. “You’re that thing that gave me coffee yesterday!” You weren’t sure if you felt offended or not since your mind was racing and your heart was thumping. You try to say something, but every time the cerulean pegasus took a step, you simply marveled at her beauty. Before you realized it, Rainbow was about four feet away from you and smiling. “Man, you make some great coffee. What’s your name?”

You gulp audibly while you answer her question nervously. “Sweet name! Name’s Rainbow Dash! You just get off your shift?”

You nod while you take a subtle, deep breath to calm your nerves. “Yeah. You just get off of yours?” Your entire body felt like it got zapped with lighting ten times; you were energized and eager to run. You were willing to do anything to escape this awkward situation.

“You betcha! Whenever it’s supposed to be a clear day, there’s not much to do so I just send the entire Weather Team home early.” You nod, paying attention to every single word she says. “Hey, you going to that big party Pinkie Pie is hosting along with some human?” You remember getting the invitation earlier today and nod your head. Might as well go and see what the parties are like here when you mix two hyperactive partiers together. “Sweet! Me too! Pinkie Pie throws the best parties! You’ll love them!” Rainbow’s unusually friendly demeanor made you more relaxed now. But one thing that made your heart want to break out of your chest and fly away was Rainbow going to the party.

“That’s good, Rainbow Dash. I hope to see you there.” You reply, more nervous than when you initially met the pegasus. Your mind did have one question though. “Uhm… when’s the party?”

“Oh, it’s tomorrow night in the plaza. I think it starts at seven. It’s going to be so awesome!” Rainbow says while opening her wings and hovering in the air while excitement rushes through her beautiful and strong body.

“Cool… I’ll be there definitely.” You reply, feeling more nervous from her excitement.

“You should bring some of your awesome coffee, dude! That stuff tastes great! I’m sure everyone would love to have some.” The flattery from the mare you always dreamed about caused your cheeks to combust into a fiery red that could be seen from miles away. Rainbow failed to notice and simply waited for you to reply.

“Thanks Rainbow Dash. I’ll see if I can bring some.” You reply sheepishly while your face continues to burn with the energy of a 1000 forest fires combined.

“Great! I got to get going. I’ll see you at the party tomorrow!” Rainbow says enthusiastically while she soars off towards some random direction, making your hair waft a little as she flew over you. You turn around to watch her fly away.

If you were alone, you would have fainted at all the compliments your long-time crush gave you, but you gulped down that energy and continued to walk towards your home.

Once you got home, you went straight to your room and snuggled under your blankets and into your pillows. This encounter with Rainbow Dash made your heart flutter with appreciation, but also made you extremely apprehensive about talking to the mare. You hardly said anything to her besides short replies. How would you act if you two were alone at the party? How would you react if she wanted to dance with you?

The hundreds of questions that floated in your mind fed your worry and caused you to curl into the pillow and close your eyes. So many things were happening in your life that you simply wanted to sleep off the thoughts and situations. Your thoughts drift to cuddling up to Rainbow Dash and you fall asleep quickly.

Chapter 7.5: Nightmare

Right before you fell asleep, you heard the door open and some steps. You were about to get up and talk to Zach, but when you opened your eyes you only saw darkness. You look around, seeing no sources of visible light and continue to hear the footsteps grow in volume. With each step the room began to expand until it was at least the size of a large football arena, if not more.

Your spine tingles and your brain begins to panic from the mysterious steps and also not being able to see a single thing. You could sense this illusive stranger was right behind you. As you turn around, your heart begins to race and you wonder what this thing could be. Nervously, you turn your head around to see…

Rainbow Dash with a wicked smile. Her coat was saturated, devoid of its comforting cerulean color. Her mane suffered from the same effect, but it also had a messy look to it. Rainbow’s normal magenta eyes were no longer a beautiful color that could make you feel safe every time you gazed into them. Instead they were blood red, vicious, and the exact opposite of gentle. A scar split her dirt-laced features grotesquely into pieces.

She looked like an absolute nightmare.

Finally getting a grip on where you were, you immediately begin to walk away from this nightmare of the pegasus you loved. Rainbow still smiled like a maniac as she began to follow you. She hummed a tune, but something was far off about her pitch. It was darker, deeper, and held a certain tone you could not figure out. All it did was make you shiver and want to run away.

Suddenly you hit an invisible wall, with the back of your head smashing into it first. You look around for any other escape route, but see it was nothing but darkness still. You turn around and beat at the wall with your fists hoping it would tumble down and allow you to continue walking away, but it only fought back by cutting your hands open, making fresh warm blood pour from them. You tried kicking the invisible bricks with all your puny strength, but the wall did not budge or collapse.

“Mmmm~ I love blood…~”

You slowly turn around and no longer see the mare of your dreams following you. You instead saw a pure white pegasus in her place. Her eyes remained the same color, but they also looked like they were glowing against her white coat. The mane was messier and no longer vibrant and beautiful. Instead it was a pure black that only added to her overall sinister appearance. Even her smile looked far more threatening than ever before.

You blink and she screams at the top of her lungs, sounding like an archaic leviathan waking angered and hungry for destruction. She pounces at you, her teeth turning sharp and capable of chewing through bone. You close your eyes, hoping she would go away and spare you.

. . . . .

You wake up in a panicked gasp. Your whole body shivers from terror as you begin to get a sense of the world around you. One by one each of your senses come back online. You felt a velvety pair of hooves rubbing your back; you felt a silky, warm coat pushed up against your chest; you heard a delicate shushing into your ear that nearly made you melt into fine goo. It felt like you were being held by a ponified version of your mother. “Shhh. Shhh. You just had a bad dream, love. Shhhh…” That was not your mother’s voice. You just only heard this particular voice recently when you came to Equestria. You open your eyes slowly to see the mare’s coat color. Light grey.

“S-silver…?” You say in a broken, aghast tone. How did Silver Java get into your room? Better yet, why was she in your room in the first place this particular night? Everything felt the same to you, especially the relaxing bed. You knew this was your room.

“Shhh love. I’m right here. None of those scary monsters are going to get you.” You felt her shockingly soft lips connect to your cheek for a two second kiss. Immediately you could feel your veins erupt in your cheeks along with your heart. A heavy blush and warm heart now made you feel much more relaxed after the nightmare. One thing did make you feel uncomfortable. It was not her presence, or her genuine care, or even why she was there.

Why was she calling you love?

You were tempted to ask her, but your body demanded more comfort before asking questions. For what felt like minutes, you and Silver Java stayed cuddled up in your apartment’s bed. She gave you the occasional soft kiss on the cheek and rubbed your back the entire time with her luscious hooves. Silver held you close to her smooth coat that smelt like freshly baked cake. Confusion aside, you felt your heart heat up and melt in her presence and extreme affection for you.

“You feeling better love?” Silver asks while she pulls her head back to look into your eyes. Instead of the lunatic eyes Rainbow Dash had minutes earlier, Silver’s eyes looked comforting, affectionate, and displaying signs of concern for your mood. You could not help but smile and reply with a silent nod. Silver Java smiles back at you – her smile was more beautiful than… no, that was impossible – and leans her head forward until it made contact with yours. “Get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow. I love you so much.”

Your heart skipped a beat when the words processed in your brain. Your heart gushes and burns in delight, making you feel much more relaxed and… loved. You felt loved from her care.

Suddenly you feel her lips against your. They remain locked for around three seconds before she pulls away and rests comfortably into her pillow. Her kiss felt like an angel’s, much more softer than anything you ever felt in your entire lifetime. That single kiss made you close your eyes in bliss as it resonates with you for a few minutes. It was simply the best sensation you ever felt.

Nothing was going to break apart this perfect moment between you and Silver Java. She made your nightmare vanish, kept you warm in a loving cuddle, made your heart melt, and gave you a sensation you will never trade for anything else in the world. She was the perfect mare, the one you always dreamed about, and the one you wanted to marry. She was…

Silver… Java…

Suddenly you were pulled out of the bliss and back into the cold confines of confusion. This was not the mare you always dreamed about. This was Silver Java, your boss! How could you possibly think she was the best thing ever?! That title belonged to your true love Rainbow Dash!

Or did it? You sat there minutes thinking to yourself as Silver gently slept close to you. You had to admit this moment made you blissful, especially from the amount of care Silver had given you after a horrifying vision of Rainbow Dash. You thought back to your last dream of Rainbow Dash. She took you to a hotel room, seduced you, and was apparently in a relationship with Applejack. Did she truly care for you?

Rainbow certainly flattered you with her compliments just earlier today. Surely she genuinely meant those comments about your coffee. After all, she might have been brash, but she was not a liar; she was always honest.

Silver Java looked like she cared for you now. She was cuddling with you for goodness sake! Ever since you entered her shop for a job, she loved being close to you. Does she care for you more than Rainbow Dash? Could she… like you? Love you even?

Why was Silver Java in your room right now?

Chapter 8: Party - Part One

You gasp and feel the left side of your bed. You felt something incredibly soft and warm and turned your head, heart sinking immediately. A plain white pillow lay on the bed, alone and covered in a little bit of your drool. You sigh in relief knowing Silver Java was not actually in your bed. It was just a bad (but strangely good) dream. That spot was still open to the love of your life.

You were laying back down when suddenly was a slight creek near your door followed by a blinding light that made your eyes burn in irritation. “Oh. Sorry man. I didn’t realize you were asleep.” Zach was peeking in, his hair looking a little bit rough and messy after his day at work.

“It’s okay, Zach.” You say, rubbing your eyes and slowly stretching out your body. After a satisfying stretch you look towards Zach and resume the conversation. “You look rough. Did Twilight already start those experiments?” Zach’s cheeks blushed slightly and he turned his vision to your carpet, trying to avoid an awkward story.

“You could say that she did…” He chuckles a little, opening the door just a little more. Upon closer inspection of his smooth face, you could see a dark red bruise on his right cheek. “She tried picking me up with her magic but she wasn’t expecting me to weigh that much. Her magic failed and I fell down onto her floor pretty hard.” Zach turned his head to give you a better view of his mark. “It still stings, but after a few apologies we had a good laugh. How about your day? Did Rainbow Dash come see you again at work?”

You shake your head and look down at your pillow, shivering as a thought crossed your mind. “No, work was boring today. All Silver and I did was play 20 Questions and serve Twilight Sparkle. I did meet a new friend who lives a couple apartments away.” You smile, remembering Purple Sire and make a mental note to visit her sometime soon. Maybe she would be at the party tomorrow night.

Zach walks into your room and stands against the wall. “Purple Sire? What does she do?”

“She’s a painter actually. Met her after I woke up. She says she was looking for inspiration from the sunrise.” You were certain she found a lot of inspiration. Equestria’s sunrise was simply divine.

Zach chuckles and folds his arms. “I’m sure she found plenty of inspiration. The sunrise here is unreal and so beautiful.” You nod in agreement. “Anything else happen?”

“I did meet a…wacky individual today. Apparently Pinkie Pie and that guy are hosting a party and I’m on the guest list.”

“Oh that’s going to be fun!” Zach says while thinking to himself. “Do you think Twilight will come along?” Despite your room being dark, you could already see Zach’s blush returning with a vengeance, causing you to chuckle yourself.

“I’d be surprised if she didn’t come to a Pinkie Party, Zach.” Suddenly you felt nervous yourself remembering Rainbow Dash and her excitement for the party. Your face felt warm, your heart felt a little fluttery, and you were stammering your words now. “I-I also saw Rainbow Dash o-on my way home; s-she’s coming t-to the party as well.”

“That’s good.”

How Zach was always so nonchalant even with his face on fire was a mystery to you. Taking a deep breath you control your nerves and slow down your soaring heart. “But, I might ask Silver Java to come along. She’s really nice and I think you’ll love to meet her.” A cold shiver rode down your back and a fresh wave of vivid images of your dream flooded your mind and made you lose your train of thought. All you could see was Silver Java cuddling and kissing the crown of your head caringly.

“That sounds like a plan.” Zach turns and heads for the door. “But I gotta get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the party. It’s in the town square right?”

“Y-yeah, t-town square.” Where did that stutter come from? You just had your voice under control! Could it be from thinking about Silver Java? No! It had to be from Rainbow Dash and the idea of being with her. Right?

“Alright. Sucks our schedules are off, but I hope you have a good day in town.” Zach walks to his room and shuts his down quietly leaving you in a cloud of mysteries thoughts.

You figured the only way to deal with these conflicting feelings was to ignore them and focus on exploring the town.

. . . . .

Sightseeing did little to distract you from your mental war over Silver Java and Rainbow Dash. Why did you have a dream about Silver Java in your bed? Sure she was nice, but that was about it. She was not awesome, beautiful, or interesting to you. Your thoughts should have been focused on Rainbow Dash and her wild mane, her athletic, muscular hooves holding you, and her wings wrapping you in a warm blanket. That cerulean pegasus you have known for a long time should be on your mind! Not some pony you met just three days ago.

You sigh and walk into your apartment’s lobby. The receptionist smiles and greets you. You return the greeting and head up the stairs. Walking down the red halls only made voices return to your mind.

“She doesn’t love you truly.” Silver Java says, giving a menacing look at the Rainbow Dash in your head. “She won’t care for you, love you, or even be there for you. I will always be there for you.”

Rainbow Dash just blew a raspberry towards her enemy. “Pfft, you know me more than anypony. You know how loyal I am and how compassionate I can be with my friends. With you as my boyfriend, I practically couldn’t leave your side!” A small smile forms on her lips while she walked circles around Silver, eying either her deception or just not liking her. “This little mare has nothing compared to me. She’s not loyal, or an Element, and she’s not even going to care for you.”

“Have you been in his dreams cuddling him after he had a nightmare? Has she ever popped up in your dreams baby other than for lustful intentions?” Your consciousness did have a point unfortunately, and a hard hitting one. Despite how hard you tried to think of Rainbow romantically, all your head came up with were these dreams of pleasure. Rainbow Dash was almost like a-

No! Rainbow Dash was not that.

You open the door to your apartment and walk in, rubbing your head from the self-induced headache. You walk into your room, exhausted from your walk around Ponyville and crash onto the soft, luscious bed. You looked at your pillow and failed to see any mare there. You groan, toss and turn until you were comfortable, and close your eyes.

. . . . .

Waking up and showering left you with one thought: Was Silver Java attending the party? You seemed to have forgotten about the whole thing while at work. Maybe that was a good thing for your soul, or you were just too bored. Either way, you were determined to find out if Silver Java wanted to attend.

You walk into the store to see Silver Java beaming a stunning smile towards you. “Good morning. Ready for day two of the long weekend?” You nod and walk to your assigned register. “Did you have a good sleep last night?” Good sleep? Of course you had a good sleep, no dreams whatsoever. You look at Silver Java, raising your right eyebrow but see she has a frown on her grey face. “You look like you had some sort of nightmare.”

“Uhh… I didn’t have a nightmare, Silver.” You say, trying to eliminate her worry. “I didn’t have any dreams at all.” Now you were getting worried a bit. However, Silver Java smiles and nods her head.

“Alright.” Silver loads some of the beans into the coffee machine and heads back to her register.

You look towards Silver a little more nervous than usual. It is just asking her a yes or no question; not like it is a date with Rainbow Dash. Suddenly your heart started thumping, only making you more anxious than before. “Uhm… S-silver?”

“Yes?” She says, putting on a warm smile that makes you feel a tiny bit more relaxed.

“Are you going to that party tonight in Ponyville Square?” You gulp down whatever congestion remained in your throat that prevented you from speaking normally.

“Oh, the one Pinkie Pie is hosting? I’m not sure…” You were not all that surprised considering her opinion on humanity. You still felt she might have a good time at the party. “I never really been to a party that colossal before so I’m a bit nervous.” A stroke of genius entered your brain and suddenly caused you to smile ear to ear towards your boss.

“Why don’t you come with me? I’m a bit nervous myself. Maybe attending together will reduce that.” Silver Java looked down at her register than towards the upper-left portion of the ceiling deep in thought. Maybe she would not go and leave you all alone. She turns her attention back to you and give you grin.

“Sure. I’d love to go together. I’ll close up the shop early so we can get ready.” Energy that made you feel blissful coursed through your every single vein of your body and caused you to form a toothy grin. Silver noted your over-abundance of happiness and decided to ruin the moment. “But first you need to sweep the whole shop again and make it shine.” You sigh and walk over to the broom while Silver giggled lightly.

At least you would not be attending the party alone.

. . . . .

After sweeping, scraping, dusting, and more silly games with your buzzkill boss, Silver finally closes the shop. You two departed and agreed to meet back at the shop forty minutes before the party.

You walk home and head straight for the shower. You sighed in content when you felt the hot, steamy water contact your skin. Your muscles relaxed and the dirt fell off your body, making you feel soft and smooth. You knew Rainbow Dash was going to be there so you made sure every part was squeaky clean; you did this by washing up twice.

Next conundrum was going to be clothing. You knew from the show that Pinkie Pie parties were not to be taken seriously, so modest clothing was not necessary at any of them. Then again, this was no ordinary party. This was the party of the century, perhaps even the most important party of all time! Two species were going to have a great time together! That surely called for formal attire. You look in your closet and pull out your outfit: A black shirt, grey vest and a pair black khaki pants, along with a pair of black square toe shoes.

You suit up and look at yourself in the mirror. You give a lopsided grin and nod your head in approval. Rainbow Dash could not resist your looks now; you would surely have her begging for you to kiss her.

The walk back felt short and left you feeling more anxious than ever. It was a simple party and your friends were going to be there. You finally reach the shop and are disappointed to see Silver Java was not there. You sat on the ground and looked up towards the sky for the first time in ages. Up above you was a beautiful clear bright blue sky. No pollutants or lights obstructed its natural beauty. It was pure and liberating to see the atmosphere in its perfect form. Earth’s population would never see a beauty like this and you felt eternally grateful you had a chance to see something so simple, yet so divine.

Finally you see Silver Java walking towards you with a big smile on her lips. She also decided to go the formal route since she had a stunning white dress on. It wrapped around her neck and went all to her hindlegs, covering her tail and most of her body. Her front-hooves had pure white stockings that appeared soft and warm. Her hair was done in a classic bun and she had a little bit of makeup on that made her face sparkle just a little.

Even if you fought with the mightiest army in the universe, your blush still would have spread all over your cheeks. Silver Java noticed your red face and giggled. “I look that pretty?” She asks, half-joking.

You felt your face warm up quickly and you could have sworn your heart skipped a beat. You nodded slowly. You had your mouth open, and your eyes were scanning her body up and down. Her next move caused you to jolt in surprise. Silver stood up on her hindlegs and wrapped her hooves around your neck, pulling you into a tight hug. Her coat felt velvety, her fur’s scent permeated through your nostrils with a flowery smell, and her hooves felt marvelous and sent a shiver throughout your whole body.

Silver broke off the hug and only giggled more at your temporary paralysis. Your thoughts were blazing faster than the speed of light to comprehend what you just felt, why you felt it, and why Silver Java gave you a hug in the first place. Did she consider you her friend? Was she a master teaser? Did she know you had an extremely awkward dream about her and was simply trying to get you to spill the beans to her so she could tease you and make it a reality?

Probably not the last one, but it did leave you in a maze of questions that only served as fuel for your anxiety.

“Are you okay?” You shake your head, pushing all the thoughts aside and look at Silver’s worried eyes. “You haven’t said anything for the past minute.” You close your eyes and try to focus on the task at hand. You still had a party to attend and you were not going to let these thoughts get in the way of your true goal.

“Yes, I’m fine,” you reply and begin walking towards the town square. “I was just a little startled by your hug is all, Silver.”

“Oh I’m so sorry.” Silver says sincerely while she catches up to you and keeps to your side. “I won’t hug you again if that’s what you want. I understand if don’t want to touch me, an alien.” That could not be farther from the truth according to your subconscious and your nervous system.

“It’s not that at all, I just wasn’t expecting a hug is all.” You could feel the blood rushing back to your cheeks. “It felt really n-nice actually…” Now you were stuttering which only caused your cheeks to grow hotter. Silver Java had no reaction and simply continued walking with you – at least she did not tease you.

The silence lasted for what felt like an eternity. Each second that passed only made the awkward silence grow in strength, causing you to doubt whether this party was going to be fun with Silver Java. How did the people in movies deal with it? Ask questions? Worth a shot. “How did you get the shop?” You ask that question out of nowhere and have no idea whether it would spark a conversation with the mare. Maybe it was too personal?

Silver Java smiles at the question – success! “The shop is actually an interesting story. I was from Canterlot originally when my parents worked as accountants.” This was going to be a long story, but you did not mind. “Their pay was good, but the job was more stressful. Numbers drove them half insane by the time I was a teenager. It was at that point they told me to never pursue their career path. I was a bit of a slacker when it came to school, so I was relieved when they told me not to follow accounting and number crunching.” Silver Java pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath, smiling from her nostalgia. “From that point onward I decided I wanted to run some form of business. I didn’t find my cutie mark as a foal, so I was picked on a lot, but still found friends – bullies never got to me. One day while I was home alone I experimented with coffee. Needless to say, I found my destiny. My parents gave me a massive sum of bits after that point. I moved to Ponyville, bought a building and have been running the shop ever since.”

A teenage mare and still no cutie mark? Was that even possible? You pushed your questions aside for another time and smiled at Silver. “Quite a story, Silver.” Now you were out of questions and remarks, which made you feel the awkward silence returning.

“What about you, human? Why did you decide to move to Equestria?” Now things did get awkward! How were you supposed to answer that? Earth televised a show about their world, society and lives of their protectors? That you actually came so you could be with Rainbow Dash? You were on the spot and needed to think of a white lie fast. You did always hate pollution back on Earth. Plus you knew you would not need to attend school anymore if you did leave.

You had your lie. “I hated the atmosphere of Earth mainly since it was covered in nothing but smog. Plus, I knew leaving Earth would get me out of school.” Silver chuckled and smiled.

“You left because you would get out of school? That’s a perfect reason to move to a new world you know nothing about.”

“No doubt there, Silver.” You both chuckle lightly and continue to walk afterwards. You were surprised you and Silver had something in common: a disdain for school. Maybe you two had more in common than you initially thought. “You excited for the party?” You certainly were, and quite nervous as well.

“I am excited, but being frank, I’m still a little worried how I will act. Parties are not my specialty.” Silver Java says, losing her smile. “Let alone a Pinkie Pie party. I remember the first one she hosted for me when I moved here. In my own home and about half the town attended. I tried to enjoy it, but I could never get into the groove even with Ponyville’s friendly population.”

You were left a little speechless by her words and stopped for a moment. Silver kept walking, but eventually noticed you were standing there. Maybe you could give her a pinch of confidence, and, in turn, yourself confidence as well. “I haven’t been to any big parties either. Back on Earth I was a social outcast. I hardly had any friends, had no parties, and not even a single celebration for any of my accomplishments. But here I am, with a great friend such as yourself and attending the party of the century. If we can make it through this party, we can make it through anything together.” Silver Java smiled and immediately ran towards you, hugging you tightly in her arms. You smile and wrap your hands around her back and bury your face into her shoulder, sniffing up her pleasant aroma.

“Awww, you two make a cute couple. But that speech was totally, you know, lame!” Why did somepony have to ruin this moment? You immediately gulp and open your eyes to see that cerulean pegasus you dreamed about floating ten feet away from you and Silver, smirking lightly. “You’re a fast one. Already got Silver Java in your arms. Not bad, human. Not bad.”

“Rainbow Dash…” Silver says with a sigh and breaks your tight hug. “Glad to see Ponyville’s Element of Loyalty is also a hilarious jokester. I am not dating this, human. That’s gross!” You never did consider if the ponies even wanted to take things further than being friends.

“Oh they’re not that bad-” score! “-you just need to get use to how weird they look. How do you walk on two legs anyway?” Oh, now this is getting good! She is interested in humans! You surely will have her in your arms now! “What’s with the tuxedo anyway? Are you two getting married already?” White dress, black suit… you were doomed from the start. Your face was an absolute inferno and only grew – Silver Java had a blush that was either caused from irritation, or being abashed.

“I don’t even find him attractive!” Silver yells out.

“Yeah, yeah. Cool your jets, Silver.” Rainbow said nonchalantly and landed on her hooves and walked over towards you two. “So did you bring that awesome coffee?” Rainbow asked with a smile. This was not fair! First she was teasing you, and now she is giving a big, toothy, beautiful and warm smile!

“U-uhm… no… I-I forgot Rainbow Dash…” Rainbow Dash was not deterred by the news at all. Her smile still beamed at you, and her eyes still shined with magnificent life.

“Aw, that’s okay. We all forget sometimes. Hehe.” Her giggle sent a shiver down you spine. That giggle was the cutest giggle ever!

“Rainbow? Who is the best coffee maker in Ponyville?” Silver asks curiously.

“This human of course! His coffee rocks!” You blush promptly returns after Rainbow’s remark. How as it even possible you made better coffee than Silver Java? You just learned the process a few days ago. Was Rainbow Dash lying to you, or were you truly that good at making a cup of coffee?

Out of the corner of your eye you notice Zach and Twilight walking up. Zach was in his usual T-shirt and jeans while Twilight wore nothing. Zach waved at you and you returned the gesture.

“Well now the party can get started! How are you Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying over and giving her friend a hug.

“I’m doing good, Rainbow. Just ready to party all night here with Zach.” Twilight replies enthusiastically.

“I think we’re all ready to party, Twilight.” Silver Java adds while she stands next to you. “Is that the friend you mention?”

“I certainly am.” Zach replies easily.

It’s pleasant to see you again, Silver Java.” Twilight says with a big smile before she rushes over and hugs Silver Java. Silver hugs back, but again moves close to you. Maybe she was finding comfort in your presence?

“Alright, we all got together, dressed up, and ready to party.” Rainbow says, smiles and looks towards you. “Who wants to dance with me first?”

Author's Note

Alright guys! Another chapter this year, and a bit of a longer one too. I hope you all enjoyed part one of Party. The whole chapter is massive and I needed to break it up into two parts so I could meet my New Year's Resolution goal.

That is another thing: every month I will be releasing something I wrote. Whether it is a one-shot or a story update, something will come out of me every month. If you like this story, follow me. I have more second-person stories to come while I write this. They will probably be shorter and more compact (maybe even one-shots) but I will make sure they retain the same quality.

Thank you all so much for being patient with me while I write out Party. The next chapter should be out in two months or so -- it is a long one. Your support and comments always encourage me to continue this story.

Thank you guys so much!

I think that sums it up for this author's note. I have some more reading to do. As always, rate and comment on what you liked and hated. If you really enjoyed this chapter too, feel free to follow me for more stories.

Until next time everypony

--hunterz263

Chapter 8: Party - Part Two

Your perception of the world was frozen still in time. You could not hear ponies around you lightly trotting towards the center of the party. All you could do was see Zach, Twilight and Silver turn to you in worry. Your face burned with the brilliance of a thousand suns and your heart skipped beat multiple times; you swear they could see your heart beating through your clothes.

Your thoughts struggled as you began to question why Rainbow Dash asked that question and turned towards you at the same time. Did she already know? How could she already sense your attraction to her? Were you that obvious? What did she think? Was she just being a cruel tease?

After what felt like years of silence, you finally stutter out the word yes. Rainbow Dash smiles and giggled – that oh so wonderful giggle – at your stuttering.

“Gosh, your face is more red than Applejack’s freshest apples! Relax, it’s a party!” Rainbow Dash gave you a nudge, nearly causing you to lose your balance and fall flat on your rear. Thankfully, you were so stiff, you barely moved and inch. Finally, you swallowed and said yes with more confidence.

Rainbow Dash smiled and patted your shoulder. “You really need to work on your confidence, but sure, I’ll dance with ya.” Score! You were feeling so anxious and hearing Rainbow Dash agree to a dance did not help, but at least you were not holding in your breath anymore.

Silver Java, Twilight and Zach all chuckle at your embarrassment, with Zach taking the most pleasure from it. However, you notice Silver Java has scooted a little closer to you. Why did she do that you wonder? Thankfully, Rainbow Dash did not notice, so you were spared that round of embarrassment.

“Well, I think it’s time to head into the party!” Twilight said.

“I concur.” Zach said, smiling towards Twilight who looked impressed.

“What’s with that fancy egghead word?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking confused by the simple word concur. Maybe this was your chance to prove to Rainbow Dash you were intelligent!

“It-“ You were about to reply when Silver replied.

“It means he agrees with her, Rainbow Dash. Even a simple foal knows what concur means.” Silver Java says, shaking her head towards Rainbow Dash.

“Only egghead foals know that word.” Rainbow Dash says, feeling a little abashed by the way her voice trailed off.

The five of you walk towards the center of the party, where a considerable number of ponies and humans are standing, talking about random topics. You look at all the ponies and notice almost every single one is relaxed, not nervous at all about an alien species being on their planet. You slightly smile at that and feel just a tiny bit better about being at a party.

You look around and see massive truss rods holding up massive lights that still remained off. Some had four in one, while others were strange looking lights. You could clearly see the DJ booth that was set up, and you saw a certain white unicorn preparing her records. Massive speakers were to the sides, giving you a small sense of dread. Hopefully you would not be deaf after this party.

One thing you clearly did not miss was the massive food table that was filled with all sorts of interesting and new foods. There was also a gargantuan cake – biggest you have ever seen – in the center of the table, with the words “welcome humans” written on it with pink frosting. You licked your lips at how delicious the cake looked. There was also a massive fountain pouring what you assumed was punch. You wonder how the human and Pinkie Pie managed to set up this gargantuan party this fast. It did not last long as you remember it is Pinkie Pie. Her powers will forever be a mystery.

“I must say, this is rather impressive. I wasn’t expecting the party to be this big…” Zach said, trailing off as he gazed around the party, probably feeling a bit shy like you. A perfect chance to get revenge, but nothing comes to mind.

“This is a monumental event for both our species. There is no way Pinkie Pie would hold back on this.” Twilight pauses, looking up and Zach. “Then again, it is Pinkie Pie, so she probably would have thrown a party this big anyway; probably to celebrate ‘Happy-Massive-Ultra-Deluxe Party Day’.” You and everyone get a little chuckle at that.

“Now that would be one heck of a party!” Rainbow Dash says, expanding her wings to give them a stretch. You could not help yourself. Your eyes gaze to the wings, taking in every little detail as she moans ever so slightly. Those gorgeous, angelic wings looked incredibly soft, but before you can take in more, she furls them into her side again.

“Hello everyone!”

Everything froze instantly. You no longer heard the small chat going on between humans and ponies. Instead, you hear a ring in your ear that lingers. You see everyone in your group mid-air, frozen in place, all of them displaying a face of fear. Time accelerates as you all land on the ground, turn to the noise, and give them a death glare.

What you see is Pinkie Pie and the eccentric human standing there, giant smiles on their faces and both of them waving at you. Well, at least you know what happened to him. Their lips moved, but you still only hear a ringing in your ears. After a moment, it dissipates and you can hear them again. You wish you couldn’t since their voices were excessively loud.

“Oops! Sorry, did we startle you?” Pinkie Pie says, still grinning.

“Yeah, sorry about that! We’re just so excited for this party! Aren’t you guys? Aren’t’cha?! Aren’t’cha?!” The male counterpart says, also grinning widely.

The five of you are perplexed, startled, and probably a bit angry, but Silver recovers first.

“Y-yes. Indeed, we are.” You shiver with how much bitterness her voice carried. Neither Pinkie nor the human seemed to care about it as they continued to smile.

“That’s great! I’m so excited, I feel like I could explode! Me and Jim here are so excited! I can’t believe I found someone like me! It’s so exciting! Another party planner!” Pinkie Pie says, jumping up and down with Jim.

“Yeah! I can’t believe it! So many parties to thro- Oh! It’s star-“

Whatever Jim was about to say was lost in a sonic assault that clearly was meant for crowd control. Your body shakes, and you feel a thump in your chest as bass heavy music begins. You and everyone else cover their ears from its onslaught. In that moment, you feel hooves wrap around you and tighten their grip. You look to see Silver Java hanging onto you for dear life, quivering in fear. You stand there confused, still covering your ears.

The bass heavy music quickly fades as you look to see Vinyl Scratch levitating a microphone to her lips. Spotlights shine brightly on her, almost making her glow from their brightness. Silver let go of you, also turning her attention to the DJ booth.

“Hello everypony! I mean, everyone! Welcome to the greatest party of your liiiives!” A ravenous roar of cheers explodes around you as ponies and humans clap and stomp their hands and hooves respectively – you swear it would start an earthquake. “Now that’s the spirit! I personally want to welcome the humans to Equestria. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Now let’s party! Get to dancing and partying everyone! I don’t want you to stop until every last one of you passes out from exhaustion!” With that, Vinyl’s music begins to play, this time at a lower volume that does not want to make your internal organs melt and liquify.

You turn back to look at Jim and Pinkie, but they are nowhere to be seen. Looking towards the group, you see everyone gaining their composure again, with Twilight giggling.

“Okay, that was loud! Let’s eat!” Twilight exclaims as she takes Zach’s hand and pulls him towards where the candy is.

“Twilight w-“ You see Zach being dragged away, and you smile as his face reddens. Even Silver seems to chuckle. Rainbow, Silver and you decide to follow and get food on your own. Arriving at the gargantuan candy table, you take a look at the many, many, many candies sitting there. Varieties of chocolate catch your eye, along with many colorful hard candies. Cotton candy on sticks also were everywhere, and there was some candy you swore looked like painted rocks. After picking up a few bars of chocolate, everyone sits at the furthest table away from the dance floor and the DJ booth.

Looking back, you see pretty much everyone went to the dance floor, already starting to dance to the up-tempo bass music. It sounded like fun, but dancing to something that fast would be impossible. You can’t even dance! How were you going to impress Rainbow Dash when you could not even dance?

While everyone snacked on their sweets, silence lingered. Silver Java kept glancing at you as she snacked on some taffy. Rainbow Dash kept looking back to the dance floor, eager to go in you assumed. It was Twilight that thankfully broke the silence.

“Alright Zach, I know we have talked about this quite a bit already, but I need to know more about Earth. Perhaps you can help explain more as well?” Twilight smiles towards you, and you fear this will become an interrogation.

“Not much else to mention. It’s just like Equestria. Atmosphere is the same, color is the same, it’s just Earth was a lot dirtier due to pollution and has a lot more cities.” Zach replies, not enthusiastic anymore.

“So it’s just like Equestria huh…anything else? Perhaps the climate has a different composition due to increased carbon dioxide levels? Maybe your polar cap-“

“We’re high school students, Twilight. Not scientists.” Zach replies firmly. This stops the line of questioning from Twilight, who reluctantly gives up trying to find exact scientific details of Earth.

“Oh! So since you humans can’t fly, how do you control the weather? Maybe you have super awesome machines that do it!” Rainbow Dash asked, expanding her wings and floating in the air as she looks at you. “I bet they’re awesome!”

“U-uh…well no…we don’t control the weather…it just happens naturally.” You reply, a little taken aback by Rainbow’s sudden question. Not that it was a hard one to answer, it just surprised you.

“What? Seriously? You guys build cool machines, like those self-propelled carts, and you can’t control the weather? That’s just wrong.”

“Now Rainbow Dash, perhaps they simply like it that way.” Silver replies, causing Rainbow to face her.

“Uh, not controlling the weather is so not cool. I wouldn’t want it to be cloudy one day, then sunny, and suddenly there’s a violent storm the next day! That would totally suck.” Rainbow Dash replies, sitting back down into her seat.

“I-it’s not that bad…” You reply sheepishly.

“Yeah, it certainly makes it interesting. Besides, where we’re from it was mostly sunny all the time.” Zach says, looking towards Rainbow Dash, and then Twilight. “The climate is more chaotic…we have hurricanes and tornadoes quite often. That is something I think is different.” Twilight beams at that.

“I don’t know about you three, but I’m ready to dance! Come on Zach! I need to study how you humans dance and analyze!” Twilight grins.

“D-dance? Twilight I c- Y-yah!” A purple layer encases Zach’s body and he is lifted off his seat, startled yet blushing a very dark red. Twilight hums as she pulls him away. Once again, you hear Silver giggle and Rainbow Dash laughs as well.

“Taking notes on dancing? Haha! That’s too rich! Am I right, Silver?” Rainbow chuckles, lightly hitting Silver on the shoulder, who is still giggling.

“Yes, yes. That is Twilight Sparkle to a T.” She says, throwing a smile in your direction. “Are you having a good time?” Looking into her eyes, you can tell her mood certainly improved. You nod your head, and lightly smile at her. A weird sensation courses through your body as you gaze into Silver’s eyes. Those mag-

“So tell me something…” You turn your eyes away from Silver’s and looking into Rainbow Dash’s eyes, a little startled. Were you…no…you wouldn’t lose yourself into Silver’s eyes…they were pretty…but nothing compared to Rainbow’s magnificent eyes. “Do you happen to know who the Wonderbolts are…?”

“Oh good grief…” Silver nickers. You were about to say yes, then quickly did a double take. Would it be wise to answer yes? Would she question you about it? Would you have to confess their lives were televised on Earth for thousands to see? Would this ruin-

“No. I-I don’t.” You reply, shaking your head a little to knock away those thoughts. Just play ignorant and it will be fine.

“Wow, really? You don’t know who the Wonderbolts are? Well…I guess you’re new, but they are the most awesome fliers in Equestria! I know I am pretty awesome myself, but it’s my dream to fly with them! Spitfire and Soarin’ are so awesome! I’ll have to take you to see a show of theirs!” She replies, grinning and making an adorable squeal as she thinks about her idols.

“Rainbow Dash here is practically a fanatic for the Wonderbolts.” Silver replies, unamused by Rainbow’s energetic outburst. “She talks about them all the time.”

“Only because they deserve it! You’re just jealous because you can’t be one of the Wonderbolts.”

“Ah, as if. They may be incredible flyers, but I prefer to keep my hooves on the ground. Not to mention the shows are always the same tricks.” Silver replies, turning to Rainbow Dash. You swore they were about to fight over this.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash flies up and presses her nuzzle straight against Silver’s. Oh Celestia, they are about to fight! “You take that back! They perform new tricks at every show! And once I’m there, I’ll be showing off dozens, no hundreds, of new tricks to the masses!” Rainbow’s voice dripped with so much fire, you swear part of the table was burning from it. For a few moments, the mares glare relentlessly, making you cower a little. Then they both smile and have a little laugh.

Wait, what?

“H…” Is all you say as you stare in bafflement. Silver notices your silence and smiles.

“Oh, don’t be surprised. Rainbow Dash and I get along, but we certainly like to butt heads from time to time.” Silver replies.

“Uhm…w-well the Wonderbolts do sound pretty awesome.” You say, smiling just slightly, still nervous there was going to be a fight.

“Ha, even he thinks they’re awesome. Just wait till you see them live. You’re going to love it!” Rainbow Dash says, taking a seat once again.

“Yeah…” You say, starting to blush a little. This is your chance to get to know Rainbow Dash better. Ask her something! “So how... long until you can be a Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash?” You ask, your heart starting to pound.

“Well…thing is, I have to audition, and I can only do that when there’s a spot open. So far none of the Wonderbolts have retired, but I’m still holding onto hope!” Rainbow Dash says, putting a hoof on the table. “I know there will be one soon!”

“I hope y-you make it.” You reply, blushing a little more.

“Hope? Ha. I know I’ll make it, it’s just a matter of when.” Rainbow Dash replies, stars sparkling in her eyes for just a brief moment.

“A-alright.” Ask another question…there has to be one! Don’t be silent. Say something! This is your chance to talk and impress! Do it!

…Nothing comes to mind, which only makes your heart beat faster and your face turn more red.

“Are you alright?” Silver asks.

“Y-yeah, just fine.” You say, your face burning brightly. Rainbow Dash was busy looking at the dance floor and she finally looks at you. She stares for a moment then she smiles. No words, no motions, but she smiles. A smile so gorgeous and beautiful, you struggle to remain sitting. Your heart burns, you feel butterflies multiplying in your stomach, and you smile back goofily.

Why was this happening?! Now Rainbow Dash for sure knew your secret! That smile said it all! She knows you have a crush on her! Your body refused to stay silent and it instead broadcasted your deepest crush for all the see! This was a nightmare! Now it would never happen. Your dream was crushed in a mo-

“So who is ready to dance?” Silver asks. Finally! Something to distract you!

“Me!” You reply, almost shouting the answer out, causing you to cover your mouth. This only makes Rainbow smile more, this time showing off her teeth.

“Eager huh? I like that! Come on!” Rainbow Dash says, taking off towards the dance floor. You just now realize the moment has arrived. You were going to dance…in front of Rainbow Dash. In front of everyone! You can’t dance! How were you going to do this?

You stand up, walking slowly towards the dance floor, struggling to remember anything about dancing. They shake their hips and jump sometimes…right? You take a look towards the crowd and find it impossible to find certain moves to replicate. Some were just shaking their heads up and down, shaking their chest lightly, while others were going crazy and jumping all over the place. You also saw two particular humans doing a strange dance where they lightly punched each other. You grew even more anxious.

The music playing was up-tempo still. Heavy synthesizers played and a basic kick drum and snare pattern played throughout. It was a typical song you imagine played at a club all the time. As you approached, the music also got louder, making it hard to think. Thankfully it was still quieter than when it initially started.

Chaos was around you as enter the dance floor, following close behind Rainbow Dash. You try to find Zach and Twilight, but they were well hidden in the crowd. The chromatic lights flashed on the floor, nearly blinding you as you looked towards them. Turning back to Rainbow Dash, you see her on her hindlegs, kicking her forehooves in something that resembled dancing to you. She turns to you, shaking the back of her body to the rhythm and eagerly smiles at you. “Let’s see what you got, human!” She yells out to you, barely audible over the cacophony of noise around you.

You try to relax, taking in a deep breath and closing your eyes. You try to imagine the music running through your bones and letting your body dance automatically. Your focus was broken when you felt someone bump in to you. Opening your eyes, you see Rainbow Dash dancing a little more wildly. She was now hovering in the air, kicking all her hooves and “dancing” around you, shoving you on occasion. She shoves you again and smiles eagerly again. “Come on! Dance! It’s a party!” She hollers at you again, giving you another shove.

Closing your eyes and relaxing your mind, you feel the upper half of your body bob to the music, then your arms raise up, lighting punching the air. You feel your hips start to shake left to right, and your feet rotate you in place. You smile just a little. You were doing it. You were dancing! Actually dancing and feeling the music course through your body! It was exhilarating! You open your eyes to look at Rainbow Dash, smiling brightly. You stop dancing once you see what she is doing.

Instead of dancing, her and Silver Java were together, laughing. At you. Rainbow Dash was actually on the ground, laughing her lungs out at your dancing! You blush immediately, and turn away from them.

How pathetic was your dancing? You thought it was good considering this was your first time dancing! But instead it was comedic to your boss and the mare you liked. You feel your cheeks burn more red the more you thought about it.

You feel a hoof tap your shoulder and turn around to see Rainbow Dash smiling and laughing. Laughing at your pathetic nature. She stops, wiping her eye lid of a tear. “I got to say, that was really bad dancing, but I’ve seen far worse. So not bad at all, human.” She says, patting your shoulder again. You smile, just a little, and look into her eyes again.

It was only then you realize the music was a lot softer, and slower. Taking a quick gaze around, you notice everyone getting into pairs and starting to dance slowly. You catch Zach already surprising Twilight by taking her hoof and dancing slowly with her, his hand wrapped around her waist. A slow dance.

You suddenly feel your hand grabbed by a soft, velvety hoof, catching you off guard. You turn, expecting Rainbow Dash to be holding your hand, but your heart skips a beat when you see it’s Silver Java holding your hand. She’s on her hindlegs, and looking straight into your eyes. “Let me teach you how to dance elegantly.” She says softly, cheeks slightly red. Oh no! This is bad! But…was it? This could be a good chance to learn slow dancing to use on Rainbow Dash later on! But Rainbow was watching…no doubt she would tease…

An acceptable risk. You will dance with Silver tonight. For your future with Rainbow Dash!

“A-alright Silver.” You nervously say, wrapping your free hand around Silver’s waist. In return Silver wraps a hoof around your neck.

“Excellent. A good firm grasp on your partner is always necessary.” Silver comments, slowly starting to sway left to right ever so gently. “Now slow dancing is quite easy…just feel your partner’s rhythm and match it…” You look her in the eye, blushing furiously as you try to match it. It failed miserably, and you just lock up and sweat.

“I c-can’t do it, Silver…” You say, ashamed you can’t even perform a simple, slow dance.

“You can do this. Just relax…take a deep breath, close your eyes, and just focus on me and my movements…” Silver says softly. “Feel my sways, my light steps, and let your body guide you naturally…” You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and simply try to evaporate away the world around you. You concentrate and feel yourself relax. Your body moves slowly, matching Silver’s pace. Your feet take small, light steps, matching the timing Silver takes a step, your bodies now synchronized perfectly to the tempo of the music. You open your eyes, smiling more brightly. Silver’s eyes look back and she smiles proudly. You also notice she is blushing quite a bit, almost giving your blush a run for its money.

“You’re doing great.” Is all Silver says. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, relaxing herself even more and taking a tiny step closer to you. You don’t fight it. Your grip around her waist tightens and you pull her closer, also closing your eyes to enjoy the peaceful dance you two were sharing. The dance continued, its peaceful serenity seeming to go on for eternity. You felt at peace, a warm sensation coursing through your body that tingled all your nerves. Eventually you open your eyes and gaze into Silver Java’s eyes. It was hard to tell, but you swear her blush was getting darker. You also felt your face getting hotter. You both look away awkwardly, but both smile.

Silver Java decided to break the awkwardness. “See Rainbow Dash, this is how you dance. Like a proper mare.” Silver Dance, still continuing to dance with you. You turn your attention to Rainbow Dash, who is grinning, almost as if she were holding back another fit of laughter. Even she cannot hold it in and bursts into that adorable laughter again. She eventually finishes and hovers in the air.

“Yeah, you can certainly dance, Silver. Got me beat there.” Rainbow says, grinning. Maybe she was not going to tease? You were almost certain she would have. “And I got to say, you two look adorable together!” And there it was. You feel yourself redden at the comment.

“We do not. We are simply dancing.” Silver says, a little embarrassed, but equally full of defensive energy.

“Yeah, the way you two dance, I swear you should just kiss right now! The way you stepped closer to him and how you two gazed into each other’s eyes. Total romantics, you two are.” Rainbow Dash says, chuckling to herself and approaching Silver.

“Kiss?! Him?! He is another species! I would never!” Silver yells, immediately stopping the dance, but still holding on to you.

“Your face and eyes say otherwise, Silver. You two are dressed to get married, and now you dance like that? Might as well declare you two wife and husband right now.” Silver’s face was red, but her eyes showed a lot of anger and frustration. You suddenly feel yourself propelled and caught by Rainbow Dash!

“Let’s see you dance!” Silver yells, getting on all fours and huffing madly.

“Fine! I will! I’ll show you I can dance like a princess too!” Rainbow Dash hollers. You feel yourself spun around, Rainbow’s hoof sliding around your neck. You grab her by the waist, and take her hoof, and she starts to dance. This dance was slow, but definitely not connected. Rainbow’s rhythm was all over the place, and she held you forcefully, making it impossible for you to relax. You try your best anyway and savor this moment. You were dancing with Rainbow Dash! The love of your life was dancing with you slowly, albeit forcefully and with little passion. It was still a dream come true!

Despite living a dream, you were beyond embarrassed. Rainbow Dash was so close to you, and smelling her mane caused your face to turn into a molten surface, and you felt your heart melt into a slippery goo. The sensation courses through your body and you put on a goofy smile, your teeth showing as well. Rainbow Dash, however, did not notice. You look at her and notice she is staring directly into Silver’s eyes, challenging your boss.

Turning briefly to glance at Silver, you see her giving the same competitive look to Rainbow Dash. “Give him here!” Silver yells aloud. Rainbow obliges easily and you feel yourself propelled back into Silver’s hooves, her soft hoof wrapping around your neck. You instinctively wrap your hand around her waist again. Silver took the opportunity to get even closer than Rainbow Dash did. Her mane was right up against your nose. Every breath you took, you smelled the sweet aroma, and it made your face erupt into an inferno.

Compared to earlier, it was certainly not as synchronized, but Silver was much gentler. She dances, slowing it down as the music transitions into an even slower song. Silver looks into your eyes and smile brightly. Being those close to her, face to face, almost made you lose your balance. Despite Rainbow Dash being the most beautiful mare even, Silver Java looked absolutely stunning this close.

“You call that slow dancing? I’ll show you!” Rainbow Dash yells, standing on her hind legs.

“Prove it then, punk!” Silver exclaims, once again pushing you towards Rainbow Dash, breaking the trance you were falling under. Rainbow must have mind reading abilities, because she practically hugged and held you like a snake. Her chest was pressed up against yours, and your nose was buried into her mane. You took another whiff and melted into goo again. The sweet, wild scent of her polychromatic mane made your body loosen up. Being this close, you wrapped both of her arms around Rainbow’s waist. You swear you felt her gasp when you did.

The pegasus smiled and slowed down her dancing to match the music playing, her sways and steps much slower and more passionate. She even gave you time to synchronize yourself to her flow. Now that you two were in time, you closed your eyes and simply take in the moment. Dancing, with Rainbow Dash, so close and so passionately. It was perfect. You felt euphoria pass through your nerves as you took in another breath, enjoying her delectable scent.

If only it would have lasted.

Silver Java growls and marches towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow lets go of you and you dread what will happen next.

“You think you can simply master the art of slow dancing with that technique?” Silver yells, her face fuming with red.

“Uh, yeah because slow dancing is so easy!” Rainbow Dash counters, equally angry and eager to argue.

“As if! It may be easy on paper, but mastering the technique and dancing as one with your partner takes practice! You were so sloppy out there!” Silver says.

“Yeah right! I got it down the second time! We were totally connected and dancing as a pair!” As a pair? Hearing those words caused your heart to leap with joy! But this was getting too aggressive. You took a deep breath and walked towards them.

“Uh y-you two…maybe w-we shoud…” You meekly say, attempting to stop the argument, but your words fell on deaf ears.

“That was just luck! You just copied what you saw! You couldn’t learn to slow dance even if the Wonderbolts taught it!” Silver Java aggressively says.

“What did you say?!” Rainbow Dash yells, flying towards Silver.

“S-silver, R-rainbow stop…” You say, but it was not heard.

“You take those words back right now! I could so totally master slow dancing if the Wonderbolts taught it! I’d be even better than you at it! I’d be so good they’d have to rename slow dancing after me!” Rainbow Dash yells

“Please stop…” You say, your heart racing. Were you going to have to break up a fight? Over who could dance better?!

“You and that inflated ego of yours will never change, Rainbow Dash.” Silver comments, this time returning to her normal voice, if slightly irritated.

“And that’s why I’ll always be awesome, Silver.” Rainbow Dash replies. They both turn to look at you at the same time. Despite almost witnessing a fight, your body was still feeling energetic bliss, shining through on your cheeks and subtle smile. When their eyes meet yours, the blush darkens on your face.

They both seem to notice at the same time and both burst out laughing.

“Wow, your face is super red there. You thinking about someone special?” Rainbow Dash teased with another short burst of giggling. Silver Java just simply smiled at you.

“I think we simply scared him, is all. Don’t worry. Like I said earlier, Rainbow Dash and I get into…discussions all the time.” Silver Java coolly says. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Y-you two did look scary…” You reply timidly, barely audible over the music to them. They simply giggle, with Silver Java stretching and groaning. Rainbow Dash looks at the dancing crowd, who were now back to dancing wildly and quickly.

“Don’t know about you, but I’m done dancing for right now.” Rainbow Dash says, already making her way back to the table. You notice Zach and Twilight were already sitting there, panting and grinning wildly. Looking at Zach, you could not help but feel a pang of jealously. How come he could talk so casually around Twilight?

“I agree. That dance competition wore me out. It’s not easy being a winner.” Silver Java teases, eliciting a light stare from Rainbow Dash. You realize you zoned out and follow them back to the table.

. . . . .

An hour has passed since you rejoined Zach and Twilight at the table. Luna’s brilliant moonlight shone down around the area. The lights from DJ-Pon3’s setup beamed brightly through the night air, lighting up everyone that still had energy. Much to your surprise, most everyone was dancing aside from your group and a few others. Everyone talked for a bit about random topics, with Twilight mainly talking about Zach’s dancing style. She called it eccentric, random, and chaotic, but Zach held his smile. When he mentioned his slow dancing, Twilight paused and you swear you could almost see her blush.

After the small talk, Rainbow Dash and Zach went back into the dance floor to keep partying. You wanted to join them, but something inside you stopped you from getting out of your chair. Instead, you decided to work on your social skills and engage in small talk with Twilight and Silver.

“I’ve noticed that Zach is constantly in an energetic state. He seems to be adjusting well to our world.” Twilight comments to Silver, staring at the dance floor and Rainbow and Zach start to really get into dancing. She turns her attention back to you, grinning. “What about you? I hope you’re enjoying Equestria.”

“O-oh it’s nice here…” You say shyly, “it feels good to be here…”

“That’s great! I know during the initial talks, we were worried your kind would regret coming to Equestria. Princess Celestia wanted a way for you to go home if you regretted it, so her and I invented a spell to send you back home…” Twilight’s ears fall flat, and Silver equally grows uncomfortable. “I wasn’t there when the fight broke out, but I hear it w-“

“Ahem.” Silver clears her throat, stopping Twilight before she could continue on. “How about we focus on our guest instead of the past?” Silver asks gently

“Yes, that would be better.” Twilight says, her ears going back up. “Hmm…that reminds me…” She puts a hoof to her chin, scratching it lightly in thought. “I’ve been thinking, and I have a question. When we…showed up next to your planet, I noticed you had metallic objects orbiting your planet. ‘Satellites’ I think they were called? Did they serve a purpose in your world!”

Satellites? You were no expert, but you could explain them easily and blow Twilight’s and Silver’s minds with their purpose!

“Y-yeah, satellites did a bunch of stuff for my world.” You notice Twilight teleported in a notepad and a quill and ink bottle. Seeing those pop out of nowhere made you stop for a second and marvel at it. You saw Celestia’s magic at work, but seeing objects pop out of nowhere was breathtaking.

Twilight notices and smiles, giggling to herself. “Zach told me your world has no arcano-science or magic.” Another small giggle. “Anyway, you were saying? What did the satellites do?”

“Well…they’re used for a lot of things…a lot of them are for monitoring the weather on Earth since we can’t control weather…they also send out messages and signals to different parts of the world instantly.” You say, Twilight jotting down every word that left your mouth. “They also transmit TV.”

Twilight stops at that and looks up at you. “TV? What’s that?”

“Well…TV is…uhm…it’s like…moving pictures inside a box. With sound and color. TV on Earth is used to show the news, and also entertain everyone with a bunch of shows.” You say. Glancing over at Silver, you notice she is equally blown away by what you say.

“So these ‘TV shows’ are like books, but visualized?” Twilight asks, glancing up at you again.

“In a way….yeah, I guess…” You reply.

“This is huge! Objects that orbit the planet, moving pictures, weather monitoring! Your species might not have magic, but you certainly have ingenuity and creativity!” Twilight beams.

“Yes, it seems they do.” Silver Java replies, giving a small yawn. The yawn spread quickly, with you and Twilight yawning at the same time. “I do believe it’s time for bed.”

“I agree.” Twilight says, smiling brightly suddenly. “Hey Silver, how about we all have a sleep over at my place? It’ll be fun!”

“That actually does sound nice. What do you say?” Silver asks, gazing into your eyes.

A sleepover with Twilight, Silver and presumably Zach and Rainbow Dash? Your friends plus the love of your life?

“Yes, that does sound n-nice.” You reply, smiling goofily at the thought you would be sleeping under the same roof as your love.

“Great! I’ll go fetch Zach and Rainbow Dash! Wait here!” Twilight Sparkle smiles towards you and glances at the dance floor. You look at her and notice her lips quivering, as if she is trying to hold in her giggles. You turn your gaze to see what she is looking at and about break out laughing yourself. You could see Zach clearly dancing, but his motions were extremely disorganized, off-beat, wild and random. He was waving his arms in the air for a few seconds, before trying to do, what you presume was an extremely fast version of the macarena. Then he just started jumping out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash seemed to notice and was laughing, but still danced her own, perfect style. It was memorizing to see her dance.

“Okay, your friend is officially the craziest dancer I know.” Twilight giggles after commenting, getting up and walking over towards the two. You simply nod your head in agreement.

After Twilight fetches the two, Rainbow Dash is smiling and still laughing at Zach’s crazy dancing.

“Zach, you are so random when it comes to dancing, haha. I can’t even contain myself!” You look at Zach and simply see he is smiling. It was obvious the remarks were not affecting him, and he just seemed so confident. How did he do it? You would be dying of embarrassment if you danced like that.

“Yeah, but it was fun. You got to admit, I had everyone looking at me.” Zach commented and kept smiling.

“I’ll admit that, pfft hahaha. But still! It’s just too random and bad.” Rainbow replied, still laughing as she floated in the air. After a few seconds she yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof. “I think I’m ready for that sleepover. You coming human?”

“I a-am.” Being next to the cerulean Pegasus just caused your heart to jump again. It showed in your softening voice. You felt a light blush spread across your cheeks too.

“Heck yeah!” Rainbow Dash tried to stifle another yawn, but her attempt failed and she spread her mouth wide as it came through. Silver Java also got the yawn, before it spread to you.

“Okay, it’s not too far to my treehouse. Follow me everypony. I mean everyone!” Twilight said, taking the lead with Zach eagerly right beside her. Rainbow Dash, Silver Java, and you follow.

The noises of the party start to fade into the background as you walk through the empty streets of Ponyville. Despite it being the dead of night, the moon’s light was so bright, you could easily see everything around you. Everything seemed to glisten in its light, giving off a little white shine that made you feel a little at peace. This was a beautiful place, one that spoke to your inner soul and made you feel at home.

A few minutes pass and the group is mostly silent, with Zach making the occasional comment every now and then. Twilight would reply, but it was obvious everyone wanted to get a good night’s sleep. It was only then you realized just how close Silver Java was walking next to you. Her head was hanging down and she looked lost in thought. Was she upset? Why would she be upset this night? You two just had fun at a party.

An unhappy boss is never a pleasant boss to work for, so you slow down your pace and see she matches your pace. This puts you a little bit away from the group so you two can talk privately.

“Hey, Silver, what’s wrong?” You ask in a deadly quiet whisper.

She seems to realize she zoned out and looks up into your eyes as the two of you continue trotting. “Oh, my apologies.” She replies in a whisper as well. “I was thinking back…I have not been to a sleep over in ages.” She looks down towards the ground again. “I’m a little scared. The last one I was at did not go so well. They didn’t have fun when I was there.”

You look into her eyes and feel a little spike in your heart as you truly gaze past them and see the inner Silver. She was not your boss this moment, she was your friend, and you knew you had to comfort her about this sleepover. But how? You were not sleepover expert. You barely knew anything about friendship! But you had to try somehow.

“It won’t be too bad, Silver. It seems Twilight and Rainbow are good friends with you, and you got me.” You smile and you see her grin a little. “Plus, we survived the greatest party of all time together. We can survive this sleepover.” You reply, with a big confident smile on your face. Silver smiles brightly at your comment and walks over and give you a very gentle hug, followed by a nuzzle. You were not taken aback by this and actually welcomed it, taking a small whiff of her mane and smiling at its wonderful scent.

“Thank you.” Silver replies in a soft whisper before dropping the hug and continuing on with the group. You look ahead and see a tree in the distance. The size was grand, bigger than you were expecting it to be, and you noticed yellow lights illuminating through the window.

“We’re here everypo- Everyone! It is going to take some time to get use to that!” Twilight giggles to herself, before pulling out a key and unlocking the door. Before she enters, she turns around and looks at you and Zach. “Now be quiet when you enter. I have a baby dragon named Spike and he enjoys his sleep more than anything, so please be respectful.” She smiles and welcomes you and the rest of the group inside.

It was bigger on the inside, and it was a very nice place now that you saw it for yourself. The interior was mostly an empty hardwood floor with a large rug stretching almost the whole room, with a checkout desk near the entrance. The bark inside was carved out to make shelves, and each shelf contain dozens of colorful books, each containing timeless literature. You could not make out any particular labels for where books went, but knowing Twilight, she probably rearranges it all every week anyway. On the far end, you could see a stairwell that led up to what you presumed was Twilight’s study and bedroom.

“Let me get the blankets and pillows.” Twilight said, going to the upstairs and leaving the four of you alone. You four stood in silence, with you surveying the room for anything note-worthy, but not seeing anything. Twilight returned with pillows and blankets, one for each of you to use. The designs were plain. White pillows and a white blanket, but the blanket looked surprisingly soft, and when you grabbed it, it felt softer and warmer than you imagined.

You let out a yawn and it spread to everyone else, with Rainbow letting out a cute noise as she exaggerated her yawn. With not much to stay, you put your pillow on the ground and lie down, noticing that Silver was on your left side and Rainbow was on your right side. You blush and grow more nervous knowing Rainbow was sleeping literally right next to you, but you took a few deep breaths to remain calm. You pull the blanket over you and get comfy on the rug.

“Goodnight everyone.” Zach says, with the rest of the group wishing each other goodnight. You lie down on your back for a few seconds when you hear a soft snore coming to your right. You look towards Rainbow and see her snoring away, already instantly asleep. You were impressed, but a little annoyed. It would be harder for everyone else to fall asleep now with that noise going on in the background.

You close your eyes for a few minutes, trying to fall asleep, but Rainbow light snoring, followed by Twilight’s snoring kept you awake. You sigh and roll onto your back, staring towards the ceiling, trying to count how old the tree was in the dark.

“I had a good time tonight.” You heard Silver say in a soft whisper. You roll to your side and look into her eyes and smile. “I don’t think I would have gone or had as much fun if you weren’t there.”

“W-well thank you, but Rainbow probably made it fun…not me.” You reply, sulking a little.

“Nonsense. It was both of you, but mainly you. You kept me from leaving. Thank you.” Silver replies, shifting in her spot so she got comfier. “You really are a good friend.”

You smile. Being called a good friend felt nice, especially since you were rarely called it back where you were from. “You’re a good friend too, Silver.” You reply in a whisper, softly gazing into her eyes as her smile brightens in the darkness.

“How about we team up to tease Rainbow Dash next time?” Silver says, her smiling growing and a very soft giggle coming out of her mouth. You remember Rainbow teasing you, and how she said you two were made for each other. Rainbow was a jokester, surely, she would not mind if you fought back a little. She’d probably like you more because of that! Showed you were tough like her. Your smile grows at the idea before you nod.

“Deal. We’ll get her back for making us embarrassed.” Another adorable giggle escapes Silver’s lips and she scoots closer to you, closing her eyes and quivering in joy.

“Yes, we will.” She goes silent for a few moments and closes her eyes, taking in a deep, relaxing breath and exhaling softly. “Sweet dreams.”

For some reason, hearing those words made you blush just a little. You knew it was common to say, but for you to actually get wished sweet dreams, especially after your dream made your heart skip a beat. Regardless, you smile at it and close your eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Silver.” You reply softly, finally starting to feel your eyes grow heavy and your body relax, finally able to tune out Twilight and Rainbow’s snoring and focus on pure silence. You imagine Rainbow Dash slow dancing with you, her hooves around you and your foreheads pressed together as she whispers, I love you. You feel yourself sink and finally fall asleep, a gentle smile on your lips.

Author's Note

It's been a long time coming, but Chapter 8 is finally done.

Hey everypony...yeah I know...been a long time. Most of you probably forgot this story exists, but I have not. I still want to see it completed. I have big plans for this story. It is my magnum opus to the fanfiction community, and one day I will have it done. We are one chapter closer to seeing that day.

So yeah...I'm sorry it took so long. You know how it goes. Life changes, new hobbies develop, and I kind of just grew distant and honestly, lazy. Tonight I felt like finally finishing up editing this chapter so everyone can read it. Hope it was worth the wait. I finally settled on how I want to this to go, especially after its rough start. Hope you guys will enjoy its direction.

Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be, but do know I will never give up on this story because it means a lot to me. I will finish it someday.

I look forward to seeing what everyone thinks, and I look forward to getting the rest of the story written.

Until next time everypony

--hunterz263

One Year Anniversary (Update)

I can't believe it. It's already been one year since I've made two simple little chapters that ignited into one of the longest projects I have ever had in my entire life. Thank you, every last one of you, for stopping by, reading and favoriting the story that starts my future career. To celebrate this (late) anniversary, I would like to inform you all that chapter seven is currently being worked on after months of hiatus! Currently, my word aim count is at four-thousand words (due to me writing it blind and without an outline), but we all know that estimate can be radically different from the final product. An exact time of release is around the end of May, and I guarantee that. The weekend is around the corner, my roleplays are currently being on hold, and I am feeling the passion to make another chapter for you guys.

Originally, I planned on releasing the chapter on the anniversary date, but checking back and seeing that it passed to what I originally expected made me come and write this little thing instead. Silly me.

Regardless, thank you all for reading and putting faith into seeing this story continue. I will try-- no I will make chapters every weekend! No more slacking off and saying 'one week later', I will make them every weekend!

See you all in the coming chapter!

Until next time everypony

--hunterz263

Chapter 5: Change In Direction

You gasp, shooting straight up and looking at the wall. Visions of your dream started to pour into your mind. You start to remember the bullies. Everyday, insults from every last one of them, and each time, they became more clever and hurt a lot more than the last. Then their physical dominance over you. After a few weeks, their insults ran out and you knew it. They started to agonize your body everyday after that just for being who you are. Then they decided to permanently leave their mark in you. They took you off campus, and their leader, Butch, stab you right in the stomach. The intense pain you felt that day came back as you remembered the moment. You put your hands on your scar, just as you did that very day.

You began to tear up as one of the worst moments in your life came back so vividly. But something was bothering your mind. Your tears stopped as fast as they began. Something about that dream was happy but you can't put your finger on it. You started to think of all sorts of things that brought you happiness. What was it? You search every corner of your mind, but nothing came to mind. It wasn't until you sat up and looked at the wall more closely. You were not in your house on Earth. You looked down and saw you were on a different bed than the one you had on Earth. You then remember that you were in Equestria. That's when it hit you.

The rest of the dream was of Rainbow Dash. Images of what you two were doing started to arouse you. Her sweet scent filled your mental nostrils. The taste of her tongue lifted your heart to a chest-pounding rate. Her appearance sent your face into an inferno. You felt your whole body melt as you remember holding her in your arms as you two passionately kissed each other. You didn't even realize you were shaking as you remembered Rainbow Dash kissing your neck and moaning around it.

The dream might have started out as a nightmare but you knew it would end happy. Just as you felt Rainbow Dash taking 'the happy trail' the door opened. That was when you knew your last thought was false. Applejack was giving you the death stare and you locked up. Taking advantage she ran up to you and was about to buck you to death until you woke up.

Now you sat there and thought about what the dream meant. Was it telling you that Rainbow Dash was your true love? You always liked her the most throughout the show. And you slowly started to develop feelings for her. Wasn't that what love was? A slow process which grew on you.

But what about the part after the make out. Applejack was there to keep her mare. Was it a sign that Rainbow Dash was already taken. You started to tear up at the possibility. Rainbow Dash surely must have dated somepony here, maybe she was married. Soon your tears turned into a cry. Your chances of being with Rainbow Dash were next to none. Any mare or stallion would be out of their minds to refuse a beautiful creature like her.

It was still worth a try. You backed out too many times in your past and regretted every single one of them. You weren't going to make the same mistake in your new life.

Feeling grimy, you decided to take a shower. You got out of bed and walked to the bathroom at a slow pace. The images of your dream tore all the energy out of you. You enter the bathroom and search around for shampoo and soap. Checking the towel cabinet you discover them. You are surprised to see bubble bath considering the fact little children did not leave Earth. Taking the shampoo and soap, you headed to the bathtub.

Turning on the water, you wondered where the water was coming from. Adjusting it to the right temperature, you stepped in. The warm water relaxed your mind from all the stress it got in the last few minutes. Yesterday's events horrified you into washing yourself down to the very last detail.

Stepping out, you grabbed a towel from the cabinet. The towel felt very soft compared to the ones you used on Earth. You dried yourself and looked around for clothes. It was then that realized you didn't bring any clothes to Equestria. You felt yourself blush at your idiocracy and walked into the bedroom. You looked in one of the cabinets and felt a wave of relief hit you. Inside were eight different outfits. Three appeared to be for casual wear, one for formal events, two for athletics, and the last two, you had no idea what they were for. You grabbed one of the casual outfits and put it on.

You walk around your house trying to find something to do. You enter the living room and look at the piano. You could play around with the keys and create a random note song, but that was just too childish. You see the sketching board and think of what you could draw. Your drawing was not the best but you enjoyed it when you were bored in class. The only problem was that, you only drew Rainbow Dash. The only thing left in your mind was going out for a walk. You head to your door and open it to have Celestia's sun blind you.

Your eyes get use to the light and look around the ground. The blood from the previous day was gone. You assume Fluttershy and the other medical ponies must have cleaned up the mess after they recovered all the injured. You walk to where the fighters were banished back to Earth. You notice a shadow on the ground and look up to see Princess Celestia descending to land. She was not accompanied by any Royal Guard or her sister. You jump back a little bit as the princess lands in front of you. She looked at you and smiled at you with warmth and comfort.

“Hello there, how are you today?” Princess Celestia said.

“Oh...Oh I’m good” You said nervously.

“Good to hear that. Now if I were you, I would close my ears right now.”

You complied and covered your ears.

“Fellow humans, I request you all to come to the center of town.” Princess Celestia announced with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Closing your ears did not do much good. Your ears rang in pain with the extreme volume that voice exerted. You uncovered your ears and stood there waiting for everyone to arrive. You began to wonder why the princess was calling all the humans to the center of town. Was she going to banish everyone back to Earth? No impossible. Yesterday she told the remaining humans that they weren't in trouble. But what if she thought we would be a danger in a future? You look at the princess to find any sign of regret or punishment on her face, but there was none. It was gentle and calm.

You look behind you and notice humans were starting to arrive at the Princess's location. Everyone of their faces expressed a different emotion. Some expressed fear, others expressed sadness, and more showed emptiness. Soon all of the humans were gathered around Princess Celestia and waiting to hear what she had to say.

“Thank you” Princess Celestia said “I would like to say that I am sorry about sending the injured back to Earth. I know some of them are your family and I am deeply sorry but it must be done to ensure the safety of Equestria. I hope you can forgive me for that.” The princess looked down at the ground and appeared to be fighting back tears. She looked back up, her face had a gentle look. “Luna and I had a discussion last night regarding all of you. Both her and I know that everyone here does not pose a threat to our people. So I am here to announce that everyone here is free to go.” Princess Celestia had a smile on her face, unfolded her wings, and soared into the air. You watched her leave along with everyone else.

You look around and see people are starting to head back to their homes. You went back to your house not believing what you just heard. Everyone was free to go. After a large fight and just being in Equestria for two days, everyone was free. You arrive at your house and look at it for the final time. You felt a little bit of sadness when you looked at it. Sure you were only there for two days but you kinda grew attached to this house. However your new home would be a much nicer place than this.

Walking inside, you head straight towards your bedroom. You started to wonder if any of the shops in your new home had any clothes for humans. It was possible but you decided to play it safe and bring the clothes the ponies already gave you. You open one of the cabinets and decide which outfits to take. You grabbed all three casual outfits and one athletic outfit. You wondered if you would need the formal attire for anything. Deciding to play it safe, you take it. You exit the bedroom and head towards the door, ready to move to your new home.

You look for the correct road and find it. To pass the time, you started to play some peaceful songs in your mind. You lose all sense of the world around you and come to a peaceful mood while you walked.

“Hey wait up”

The sudden voice snapped you out of your peaceful mood and made you jump. You turn around and see Zach and Fox smiling and waving at you.

“You weren't planning on leaving without us, were you?” Zach said.

“What? No. I just forgot with the shock that we are free to go after two days.” You reply feeling idiotic that you forgot about your new friends.

“Haha, it’s ok. I forgot too. If it wasn’t for Fox, I would have left too by myself.” Zach says followed by a chuckle.

“And that’s why we are brothers Zach.” Fox said.

“Moving on.” Zach faced you. “Where you headed to?”

“I was going to Ponyville actually.”

“Oh really me and Zach are too. Why are you heading there?” Fox asked with a little devilish grin on his face.

You felt yourself blush. “Oh I was going there to, you know... try and date Rainbow Dash”

“Cool. Zach and I have similar reasons. He wants to date Twilight and I want to try and go out with Applejack.” Fox said calmly.

“Alright then, let’s go.” You said with enthusiasm.

The three of you moved down the road, heading towards the exit of District 9. You look around and see numerous people entering and exiting their houses. You wondered where most of them were going and what their intentions were. Maybe they would help the ponies develop more advanced technology, or help them explore the cosmos. You start to wonder what you could contribute to Equestria. Maybe you could teach the young fillies and colts the dangers of bullying. Your thoughts shifted after hearing that word in your head.

“Hey guys, what's your opinion on dreams?” You ask. Fresh images of last night’s dream made you wonder if it actually meant something.

“My opinion of dreams?” Zach started “To me, I think they are wonderful no matter what they are. I mean it’s better then sleeping through darkness, you actually get to see really cool stuff in dreams.”

“I just think they are fun to have.” Fox said.

“No no. That’s not what I meant. What I meant was, do you think dreams have a meaning?” You ask.

“Oh well to me, I think it’s up to you.” Zach said with a smile on his face. “I mean, I had a dream that I was a human with some supernatural abilities, but it didn’t really mean anything. It could be telling me that I am really connected to the paranormal, but other then that it was just a cool dream. However other dreams, like the one I had two nights ago, do have a meaning to me. That one, I believe, was telling me that I really like Twilight and should date her.”

“I could not have explained it better myself.” Fox said.

Zach looked at you. “Why do you ask?”

You sigh. “Well this dream I had last night left me with mixed reactions. I feel like it’s telling me multiple messages.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Fox asked with worry in his voice.

“No. It’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure that most of it meant nothing at all.” You reply with confidence.

“Ok. Just remember me and Fox are always here to help.” Zach said.

“I know. And I will be here to help also.” You reply.

. . . . .

After 3 hours of traveling down a single road, you arrived at your new home, Ponyville. Numerous ponies were going about their business, but some of them gave the three of you the cold stare. You could not blame them since they probably heard about the fight in District 9. You looked around and found that there was no other humans there. You thought everyone would be moving here. You look at Zach and Fox and see they had the same thoughts.

“Shouldn't this place be filled with other humans?” Zach asked.

“Maybe they figured everyone would move here and went somewhere else.” Fox replied.

His logic was sound. Maybe everyone did go somewhere else out of fear that the rest would move here.

“Well now that we are here, where should we stay” Zach asked.

“How about an apartment?” You say.

“That would be nice. Fox you agree?”

“I do. Lets go find the apartments.” Fox said.

Ponyville was a lot larger than the three of you expected. There were numerous businesses in the town, ranging from restaurants and stores, to bars and nightclubs. After minutes of searching, the three of you found the apartment building. Standing three stories tall, the apartment complex was made of smooth concrete and the signature hay roof. The windows had a pink shade to it, along with the rest of the buildings in Ponyville.

Zach leads the three of you into the building. The interior was similar to that of a hotel. Nice carpet, interesting ceiling and fancy chandeliers.

“Wait a second guys” Zach says with worry “We don’t have any money”

You and Fox facepalm. How could the three of you forget that you have no money to rent a space.

“Don’t worry I got this” Zach said.

You watched as Zach walked up to the receptionist.

“Can I help you?” The receptionist asked.

“Yes actually. Me and my friends need a room but I’m afraid we don’t have any money. Perhaps you and me can work out something else for payment.” If there was a table in front you, you would smash your head into it after hearing that. Your face turned to a bright red as you were utterly embarrassed by your friend. You heard Fox snickering a little.

“Uh, you humans have a month free. Here is your key.” The receptionist said blankly

Now it was your time to laugh. Zach’s facial expression was hilarious. You also noticed he blushed quite a bit from embarrassing himself. It was priceless to you.

“Your room number is 314” The receptionist announced.

The three of you headed up the stairs. The stairs were decorated with the same carpet as the lobby and the walls had complicated patterns on it. You wondered how a small apartment complex like this could afford such luxurious decoration. Maybe they had no competition in the area.

You reached the third floor and head to the left towards the even numbered rooms. The walls looked very familiar to you, like you were there before. The walls were red and there were multiple doors on both sides of the wall. You quickly brush the thought off as the building’s interior was very similar to Earth’s design in the first place.

The door to room 314 was now in front of you, patiently waiting to be opened. Zach pulled out a key and inserted it into the door knob. With the famous sound of a click, Zach opened the door and proceeded in. The door revealed a large room with a couch, a few chairs, and a table. You decided to take a look at the rest of the apartment while Zach and Fox stayed in the central room and chatted. To the right was the kitchen, and it contained a refrigerator, a counter, a few cabinets, and a stove. You leave the kitchen and enter the only bedroom. It was fairly large and held a bed and a dresser. There was a door the led to a hallway that connects the central room and the bedroom. There were various paintings in the hallway and a door that led to the bathroom. You headed back to the central room to talk to Zach and Fox.

“So what do we do now?” Fox asked.

“Well the receptionist said we had a month free on this place. I say we go out and get jobs so we can pay the rent. But I think we all knew that.” Zach announced.

You and Fox nod your heads.

“Alright then, I’ll be out job hunting. I suggest you two do the same.”

“I have one question Zach” Fox said forming a mischievous grin on his face. “Where do you plan on working at?”

“You’ll just have to find out Fox, though I’m sure you can guess it.” With that, Zach left the apartment.

After a moment of silence, Fox looked at you. “I’m sure he’ll do good working at the library. Don’t you think?”

“I’m certain he will, he’s pretty friendly.” You reply.

“He wasn’t always that friendly.” Fox’s facial expression changed after saying that. “He always told me these stories of his past.”

“How far down in depression was he in?” You ask.

“He wanted to end it all.” Fox said grimly. “I think the only thing holding onto him was this one girl. Irony is though, she was the one causing him depression.”

There was a moment of awkward silence before you broke it. “So Fox, where do you plan to work?”

“I don’t know actually. I think I will work as a shop vendor’s assistant. What about you?”

“Well. I seriously don’t know. You and Zach have an idea where to work and meet your dream mare, me however, I can’t get a job in the sky.” You reply sadly, it’s going to be hard meeting Rainbow Dash, let alone trying to date her.

“Well, I’m going to find a job, catch you back here?” Fox said trying to leave the awkward moment he was in.

“Yeah, I’ll see you here. Good luck finding a job” You reply cheerfully.

“You too” Just like Zach did, Fox left you alone in the apartment.

It did not take long before thoughts of Rainbow Dash started to fill your mind. Thoughts of walking with her down Ponyville, your friends giving you a warm smiling. Thoughts of her kissing you on your first date. Visions of her telling you “I love you”, it was overwhelming. So what did you do, you went on a walk.

You explored Ponyville to get a better feel of the town, and also to look for a job. Trading vendors made up the bulk of jobs in the town, most of them selling food, and none of them hiring. You checked if the only hotel was hiring, it wasn’t. From the library to the nightclub, nothing was hiring. There was one last place to check, the cafe. You approached the building, heart racing, this was the final place to find a job. There was a sign on the window.

“Now Hiring”

You exploded with joy as you read those two simple words. You started to dance around from the happiness. As you danced in circles, you noticed a number of ponies were looking at you strangely. You stopped and saw a number of them giggle. You turned away embarrassed.

Upon entering the building, you found it was quite small on the inside. The door led a straight path to the counter in the back of the room. There were only 12 tables in the place, six on the left, and six on the right. Each table contained two chairs.

You reached the counter and noticed numerous items on it. A bell, a register, and various stands containing spoons and other commodities. You rang the bell and heard rustling in the back and wondered what was going on. An Earth pony mare appeared out of a door and looked at you rather shocked. She had light grey coat, a very elegant black mane and tail, and deep blue eyes.

“Oh I wasn’t expecting a customer right now” the mare said in a rather apologetic tone. Her voice was rather normal, nothing stood out to you. “I never get any business this hour.” The mare, who you assume is the owner, walked up to face you before proceeding. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yes actually” You said nervously. This was your last chance and only chance to get a job. If you didn’t get this job, you could not pay your share of the rent. Zach and Fox would surely kick you out if that happened. You would be forced to live on the streets the rest...

“Sir? Is everything alright?” That mare said with concern.

You were snapped out of your thoughts instantly as the mare asked the question. You look at her before continuing.

“Sorry about that, just thinking.” You say with a little bit of a laugh.

“Oh I understand, so is there anything I can get you?” The mare asked.

“I would like to apply for a job here”

“Oh of course. Give me a second so I can get your application” She walked to the back and you waited patiently. You could see her shadow in the doorway and saw she was making exasperated movements. You also heard the mare say a lot of things in a tone of frustration. After two minutes of non-stop comical display, the mare arrived with the application in her mouth. She dropped it in front of you before continuing. “Here you are sir. I apologize for the wait, the last employee I had destroyed the office space out of anger”

You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this. When did the employee get fired? Why did he get fired? And better yet, why was the office still destroyed? Your curiosity could not be contained, you just had to ask.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why was your last employee fired?” You asked with a hint of fear in your voice.

“Oh I don’t mind at all. The last employee was fired because he flirted with all of the mares that came into the shop. It got really annoying and soon became a problem. Many of the mares came into the shop just to talk to him and left without buying anything. It was bad for business, so I fired him for not doing his job” The mare didn’t even appear to hurt when she told you that. Infact, she appeared to be quite happy recalling the memory.

“My goodness, when did you fire him?” You asked more confidently now.

“About ten minutes ago”

That made sense to you, and it would explain the noise you heard her make in the back when you rang the bell.

With your curiosity fed, you looked at the application. It was a single piece of paper with the title Generalized Equestrian Application. You concluded that this application was used throughout any job in Equestria, no differences in them what so ever. The first line asked for your name and date of birth, simple enough. Below that it asked if you graduated school. You wondered if that applied to humans. The final part was asking you for your current residence address. You turned the application over expecting more but only found an empty white page. This left you baffled, surely they would have a section for committed crimes or your past jobs.

You heard a soft click and looked above the application to find a quill and ink. The mare must have brought them to you.

“Thank you” You felt utterly stupid for not asking for the mare’s name. “Oh I’m sorry what was your name?”

“Silver Java” She held out one of her hooves in front of you. You extended your arm and shook it, which resulted in her making a strange face. You decided not to question it, opting to finish the application. You filled out the first line in a few seconds. The second line however confused you. Did it apply to humans also?

“Excuse me, Silver Java, I have a question about the application” You asked with a hint of worry in your voice.

“Yes?” She said in a sultry tone. You were confused by the sudden change in tone, but you decided to ignore it.

“Does the second question apply to humans?” You turned the application sideways and pointed to the question.

“This question?” She pointed to the question and moved her hoof as close as possible to your hand. You could feel heat rising in face when you saw how close her hoof was.

“Yes, that one” You said more nervously. You don’t know why Silver all of a sudden changed her attitude.

“I don’t think so” She said, keeping up with the sultry tone in her voice.

“Okay, thank you.” You skipped the second line and quickly filled out where you lived. Silver Java was making you really uncomfortable. You handed her the application. She grabbed it with her mouth and went to the back, walking with a slight sway in her hips. You thought about leaving the café that moment, sure it would be rude, but Silver Java is really creeping you out. However it was too late since Silver Java came out of the back.

“Your application is in” she said in her normal tone again, maybe she is acting normal again, you thought. “Is there something else I can help you with?” This time her tone was not normal, yet it wasn’t sultry either. It was more seductive.

“Oh no, I gotta get back and check on my roomates. It was nice meeting you Silver Java.” With that, you rushed out of the cafe.

You started to think about Silver Java’s sudden attitude change on your walk back to the apartment. She seemed normal at first, her voice, her attitude, everything seemed normal. But she changed after you shaked her hoof. You thought it was okay when she was using the sultry tone but when she went to a seduction tone, she started to creep you out. Was it a bad thing however, she is pretty cute to you. And when she had her hoof close your hand, you blushed quite a bit. What could that mean? Soon your mind started to make images of you hugging Silver Java. She broke the hug and looked deep into your eyes. She closed her eyes and slowly moved towards you...

You halted the train of thought, trying to purge all the images your mind just made. You already had a mare you liked and her name was Rainbow Dash. You were not going to let a mare you barely met infect your mind with romantic images of her. To counteract this, you thought of intense images of you and Rainbow Dash being together. You pushing her against a wall and deeply kissing her. Hearing her moan as you start to kiss her on the neck. You pushed her onto the bed and hearing her slowly say your name drove you wild.

You thought that was enough to keep Silver Java out of your head. One unintended side effect of the images was you becoming slightly horny, but it would disperse after a minute. One thing that did confuse you was why you chose such lustful images. Normally the images were more romantic and slower, even your dreams were like that. You brushed it off thinking you needed the extra lust to cleanse the other images you had.

You arrived back at your apartment and found that Zach and Fox were already there. Zach had a huge grin on his face while Fox had a bland look on his face.

“Hey man!” Zach said in a very cheerful tone.

“Oh, hey there” Fox said with no enthusiasm what so ever.

“Hey guys, where did you two apply?” You asked hoping to cheer up Fox a little.

“I applied at the library, and guess what. Twilight wants to run some test on me. Isn’t it exciting?” Zach said with a lot of joy.

“That’s pretty cool Zach, just make sure she doesn’t take them to the extreme” You say with a little bit of excitement. You were happy for Zach, knowing part of his dream was coming true. You looked at Fox. “Did you apply at a vendor Fox?” You were hoping Fox would explode with joy like Zach did.

“I didn’t apply anywhere.” Fox said sounding depressed.

“What?!” You and Zach said in unison.

“Yeah I didn’t apply anywhere. In fact I wanna tell you guys something” Fox said not changing in tone

“Go ahead Fox” Zach said concerningly.

“While I was out, I started to think of your sister again Zach and I miss her” Fox stood up and put more firmness into his voice. “Which is why I am going to Celestia herself and telling her to send me what to Earth”

“What?!” You and Zach said in unison again, this time more shocked.

“This is goodbye. I’m going to miss you two. Hey it was fun while it lasted, but I belong on Earth” Fox walked to the door opened it and looked at you and Zach one last time and closed it. You could hear his footsteps get softer and softer until they vanished. You looked at Zach and saw he was really hurt. The same could be said about you, one of the only true friends you had got up and left, never you see you guys again. Zach looked back at you.

“I’m going to bed. You can sleep on the bed, I’m sleeping on the floor tonight.” Zach said with a lot of pain in his voice.

“Yeah. Night Zach” You said shocked.

“Night”

You went into the bedroom and plopped onto the bed, not caring if you were comfortable. One of your friends just left a world full of peace and harmony. The thought just left you feeling empty inside, even your thoughts were affected. Nothing was in your mind, not Rainbow Dash, not Silver Java, not Fox. Nothing was in it but cold emptiness. You closed your eyes to escape reality and fell asleep.

. . . . .

You were half awoken and half asleep. You could hear two voices in your head arguing over something. Soon you saw Silver Java and Rainbow Dash in your mental picture, both looking at you.

“... Me because you always liked me” The imaginary Rainbow Dash said.

“She will only use you and you know it. Pick me because I will care about you, unlike her” The image of Silver Java said.

“You hardly know her, date me, you know how I act and what I like and such” Rainbow Dash did have a point, you did know her the best.

“You don’t know everything about her, I’ve seen what she has done in the past. She will only use you and leave you in a snap” And now Silver Java has a point. Maybe Rainbow Dash is hiding something.

Before Rainbow Dash could reply, you were fully awake and in control of your thoughts again. You wondered why your subconscious did this but it always produced random ideas. To cool off and to try and avoid boredom, you went for a walk.

The sun was barely rising and it felt amazing to you. It’s warmth and radiance washed away any troubles you had. You stopped walking and just stared at it’s beauty. You looked back towards the ground and saw a pony about to pass you.

“Hello there” The filly said with a smile on her face.

“Hello” You said with a big grin on your face. You don’t know why, but you were in a really good mood today. You started to wonder how job applications worked in Equestria. You decided to ask the mare how the process worked. “Hey, how does the job application process work?”

“Oh it’s very simple” She said in a very friendly voice. “It’s starts with a quick examination of your application, mainly your birthday and place of residence. Next they send you a letter telling you when you go through the test run”

“I’m sorry, but, what is the test run?” You asked with a curious tone.

“The test run is where they test you on how well you can perform the job. Of course they give you instructions at first, but then they test you on how well and how fast you can do the job. After that. they tell you if you got the job. If you do, they tell you your first day of work. And that’s pretty much it.”

“Okay, thank you ma’am” you say.

“No problem” The mare left you, nervous in thought. A test run, on a job you knew nothing about. Sure they gave you instructions, but everything would probably be explained once. And what if Silver Java had high expectations?

No, you could not think about it. You had to have confidence, nothing was going to stop you from getting the job.

You returned to the apartment, expecting to find Zach awake. Instead you found two letters on the floor near the door. One was directed to you, the other towards Zach. You opened up the letter and not to your surprise it was the date and time of the test run. Turns out your test run was today, and it started in two hours. You went to where Zach was sleeping on the floor and dropped his letter near him.

You decided to take a shower, trying to look your absolute best when you went in for the test run. You turned on the water and noted it started out lot warmer than at your old house in District 9. You stepped in and washed every part of your body, making sure not a single speck of dirt or grime was visible. After you dried yourself and put of one of your casual outfits, you went to check on Zach. He was still sound asleep on the floor and you wondered if you should wake him up. What if his test run was at the same time as yours? There was a good chance he would miss it if was. But than again, he did apply at the library, maybe his test run was later in the day. You decided to not wake him up since his test run was more then likely later in the day.

You checked the time and saw you had ten minutes until your test run began, just enough time to get to the cafe. As you proceed towards the cafe, you got more nervous with every step you took. You started to feel your heart pound and your hands sweat. Thoughts of failure started to enter your mind. What if you were too slow? What if you break something? Would you forget the instructions? The thoughts kept getting worse and once you reached the cafe, they were at their peak. So many wrongs and no rights, you thought about backing out. You stared at the building and took three deep breaths, each one calming you down. You looked at the building and walked in.

“You’re right on time. Are you ready to begin?” Silver Java asked with a joyous tone.

“Yes” You replied with no hint of being nervous.

“Excellent. Come over here and I’ll show you how everything is done” she said continuing the joyous tone. At least she is not using the other two tones you thought.

For the next 45 minutes, Silver Java explained all of the tools that you were expected to use, which machines were which, where all the cups were, and how to operate the register. She also explained how to make all the drinks on the menu. By the end of it all, you felt a headache come on. So much information explained in such a short amount of time made your brain hurt. The worst part was, it was not over. Now you had to retain it all for the actual test. Silver Java went into the back and quickly came out with a paper in her mouth. She put it on a table, you picked it up and looked over it. You felt fear climb into as you realized what it was.

“That is a list of the average amount of orders I get during the busy hours. I want you to complete as many as you can in 30 minutes.” You noted that she said this in a serious tone. When you looked at her, she did not have a smile, only a cold stare.

“O-Okay” You reply. You were starting to get nervous again with the amount of pressure she was giving you on the test run.

“Start” Silver Java said in a deep serious voice.

With that you rushed off to start your first order. You got it done quickly and put it on a random table. You moved onto your second and it came out perfectly. You finished the first 7 orders in 11 minutes. Once you started the eighth order, you started to fault. You knocked over one of the stacks of cups and they went all over the floor. You didn’t dare look at Silver Java as you guess her face would be one of disappointment or anger. By the end of the run, you made a multitude of mistakes. From knocking over stands of commodities, to putting in the wrong ingredients, and many more. You knew you blew it and you waited for the magic words.

You looked at Silver Java and saw she was deep in thought. The only thing you could think of when you saw that was why. Why would she be thinking about this? You obviously made too many mistakes and only managed to get out 18 orders out. Surely you made a really bad test run, probably the worst in all of Equestria’s history.

“You’re hired” Silver Java said, a smile forming on her face.

“What?” You asked thinking it was a cruel joke.

“You will improve and get better in time. Plus I could see you were really nervous, and I think I know why” The last part she changed her tone to sound more sultry. You started to feel more uncomfortable after you heard that. “You will begin work at six in the morning tomorrow and end at two in the afternoon. I would get plenty of rest tonight, I expect a big crowd in the morning” Silver Java went back to her normal tone.

“Okay, thank you Silver Java. I will not fail you.” You said with mixed emotions in your voice.

. . . . .

Many hours passed and you were back in the apartment. While you were out, you wondered around the town with no direction. You swore that you saw everything in Ponyville, every alleyway and every crack in the town's buildings. When you returned, you found Zach reading a very large book. After you said your greeting, Zach told you how his test run went. He did a much better job than you did, but he wasn’t hammered with a lot of instructions like you were. Instead he was given locations of book genres and instructions on how to sort then, which was through alphabetical order. Zach told you he was hired and was given the book he currently had to study. The book he was reading was actually a delivery schedule and an inventory checklist. Once Zach was done explaining, he ask how your test run went.

You felt a blush from embarrassment come on, but went ahead and told him. He seemed lost when you started to explain how to make special drinks and all the ingredients that went into them, but never once did he ask a question about it. When you told him about your mess ups, he laughed multiple times. When you were done, you checked the time and decided to get some sleep. You went into the bedroom, got on the bed, and fell into unconsciousness easily.

. . . . .

You woke up and stared at the ceiling. Something that surprised you was that you had no dreams that night. Ever since you came to Equestria, you had dreams every night. Waking up without remembering one just felt weird to you.

You brushed that aside as you remembered you had a job to get to. You checked the time and saw it was 5:30 in the morning. You had just enough time to take a quick shower and head the the cafe. You got out of bed and headed towards the shower. Once the water was the right temperature, you stepped in and did a quick washover. Once out, you put on a new outfit and paced yourself to the cafe. When you entered, you found Silver Java standing at the counter smiling.

“You’re right on time. I look forward to see how you do today.” Silver Java said in a cheerful tone, to your relief.

You went to your post and started to look around to memorize the location of all the items at your disposal. Sure you got locations from Silver Java, but it was all crammed into your head in a short amount of time.

Twenty minutes passed and not a single customer came to the cafe. You were getting bored, the excitement of your first job quickly running out. Silver Java was in the back so you had no one to talk to. You had nothing to do. Out of boredom you started to stare at the counter, looking at the finer details.

*Ding*

The sound of a bell made you jump from shock. You were starting to get excitement again, knowing you were about to serve your first customer. When you looked up, your heart skipped a beat when you saw who it was. You started to feel your heartbeat in your chest and your palms starting to sweat. Immediately your excitement was replaced with nervousness. Walking towards the counter slowly was the mare you thought you would never meet. The mare that you dreamed about. The mare you were in love with.

Rainbow Dash.