Staring at a star

The weeks when I was in the hospital I met all of Twilight’s friends and found out that two of them saved my life when I came here. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I immediately offered my services to repay their deed of heroism, but instead of accepting my offer they refused it, instead Applejack offered me a job on her farm as soon as I was back recovered and Rainbow Dash offered me flying lessons. Then I met Pinkie Pie, she was very unique and very bouncy, when I asked Twilight about Pinkie Pie she said that I should not wonder about how she was able to do everything she did. I also met Rarity and Fluttershy, Rarity was a complete fashionista and very polite and Fluttershy was well… very shy and barely spoke a word during her whole visit. They were all very nice to me and didn’t ask what happened to me or where I came from, probably Twilight had told them not to ask.

I was released from the hospital and Twilight had offered me a room in her home to stay in until I was fully recovered, physically as mentally.

I had to get used to walking on all fours, which took me about a week to get the hang of. If walking was this hard, then flying will be almost impossible.

I have been in Ponyville for two months now, but still many ponies are gossiping about me. There are stories going around about me being an alien from another world to me being an evil daemon disguised as a pony.

Not that I cared what random ponies thought about me, Twilight had spoken with Princes Celestia and explained me past to her. The Princess even came to check if I wasn’t a danger to others, she looked into my soul and found nothing of evil, only that it was tainted by pain, fear and agony.

The only problems I had so far were with sleeping, I have been having nightmares since I got my memories back. Twilight was helping me to get rid of the nightmares with therapy sessions, it was working for the nightmares came less often and were less intensive.

The Princes visited me once a week to check up on my progress, and was pleased to find that my soul was returning to the light again. ‘’Maybe I misjudged you’’ she told me after her last visit with a small smile, ‘’welcome to Equestria’’.
________________________________________________________________________

I hovering towards the farmers market to buy some Apples from the farmers market, it was the last task on my to-do list Twilight gave me, after I asked for it. I was flying slowly so that I could enjoy the scenery better, it was a beautiful crisp autumn day.

I trotted into town, most ponies were used to me now, and some even greeted me. I reached the apple stand and was greeted with a smile from Applejack.

‘’A good day to you Ace’’ Applejack said still smiling, ‘’well what can I do for you today?’’

‘’A dozen of apples please’’ I replied with a smile. Applejack place the dozen of apples on the counter, ‘’that will be four bits’’.

‘’here you go… wait a minute, four bits? But the sign says six bits for a dozen’’ I putted down four bits of the money Twilight gave me ad two bits of my own. ‘’friend discount’’ Applejack pushed the two bits back to me and gave me a wink.

‘’Thank you’’ I said as I putted the apples in my saddlebags, six in each side. ‘’so how is it going on the farm, still need some help around there?’’

‘’I am sorry sugarcube, but two of my cousins have been send here from Mane Hatton to learn about farming and they are already more than I can handle. How about je apply for a job at the weather central, they are always looking for pegasai to control the weather, especially here next to the Everfree forest’’

‘’thanks AJ I’ll be sure to check it out, I’m of now Twilight is waiting for these apples.’’ I said, ‘’see ya around Ace, I’ll tell ya when we need some help around the farm, then you can help out if you want’’

After saying my goodbyes I walked back to the library, it was still early in the afternoon. Today I had done with my chores faster than normal, which meant I had a whole day left to hang around with Twilight. Spike was away for royal business to Canterlot, the princes had something where she needed Spike for.

I reached the library and opened the door, I placed my saddlebags on the kitchen table. ‘’Twilight I’m back’’ I yelled upstairs without getting a response.

I walked up the stairs and opened the door to Twilight her room, there were books everywhere but no pony, ‘’she must be out’’, I said to myself.

I walked downstairs to get something to eat, on the fridge there was a note, addressed to me. ‘’Dear Ace, at Fluttershy’s, back around 6. You can come over if you want when you are done with your chores. ~Twilight’’.

I looked at the clock, it was almost four o’clock, so I decided to go over to see Twilight and Fluttershy. I flipped the sign on the door of the library to ‘closed’ and walked outside towards Fluttershy her cottage at the edge of the forest.

When I was about to walk up of town Rarity walked up to me, ‘’well hello there Ace, haven’t seen you in a while. Have you been working out?’’.

I blushed, unseen thanks to my red coat. ‘’no not really, but I have been flying and walking a lot the past few weeks’’ I said with a smile, ‘’but I have to go now, ponies are waiting for me’’. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation about fashion so I used my visit to Fluttershy as an excuse.

‘’really is that so, you aren’t happening to go and visit Fluttershy are you?’’ she asked me, ‘’yes for matter in fact I am, how do you know?’’

‘’I was going to visit Fluttershy too’’ she said with a smile, ‘’let us walk together shall we, you have to hear about this new dress design I have…’’

I was sighed softly and forced up a fake smile, ‘’ooh well how interesting… tell me about it’’. Rarity made a *eek* sound and started to talk about her new design.

I blocked her out and simply nodded when there fell a silence, I was just enjoying the scenery and the cool wind blowing through my mane. We walked for five minutes and reached the cottage, I knocked at the door. ‘’coming’’ Fluttershy said softly.

The door opened, greeted each other I walked inside and took place on the couch next to Twilight, ‘’Hi Ace how are you doing? Had any events today?’’ she asked the last part in a whisper. I nodded and received a smile from her.

Rarity took next to Twilight and started the story about the dress again, Twilight was listening just like I did, she gave me the hint about nodding when a silence fell in her story, at least if it was going about fashion.

Fluttershy walked up to me, ‘’I have been talking with Twilight about your… uhm well nightmares and I think I have something that could help you get rid of them’’

‘’well… sure why not’’ I said as I walked after her, ‘’I am going to show him the phoenix, he has never seen one before’’ Fluttershy said with a blink to Twilight who smiled and nodded in return, ‘’they are very beautiful creatures, and this one has just renewed itself’’ she then sighed and listened again to ongoing talking of Rarity.

‘’Please promise me you won’t tell anypony’’ Fluttershy said, she walked into her garden towards a small plant and picked some of the leaves from it and putted it in a bag, ‘’if you make tea from leaves you will feel very sleepy and have a peaceful rest, but don’t use more than two or three of them for a whole pot. Okay?’’ said with a smile and handed me the bag, I took it and I nodded.

‘’so what’s the problem, why can’t I tell anyone about it?’’ I asked, ‘’well there are some minor side effects if you eat the leaves… it gets you well uhm…’’ She blushed heavily, ‘’frisky’’

‘’sometimes teenage colts use this as a drug to get fillies to well… willing, and it this is why it is illegal, and why Twilight doesn’t like it, but she trusts you with it’’ Fluttershy said. ‘’I use it myself sometimes when I can’t sleep, it isn’t harmful in any way to the body and non-addictive and all natural’’ she said with a smile.

I also saw the phoenix, a magnificent bird, ‘’wow, he is beautiful Fluttershy’’ I said with a gasp. We walked back to the room and saw Twilight who was almost dozing off, still sitting next to a still babbling Rarity. ‘’ooh Ace remember we have to be home around six for dinner right, spike say he would cook tonight’’ Twilight said to me with a fake smile.

‘’wasn’t he gone for to Can…’’ *thud* ‘’ouch’’ Twilight hit me with her elbow ‘’remember it was Spike his turn to cook’.

‘’ooh yeah, right, Spike, cooking, yeah…’’ I said to Twilight, ‘’yeah we should go now, bye Fluttershy, bye Rarity’’ she said and pulled me out of the cottage. She sighed loudly when we walked of the path to the door, ‘’if I had to listen to one more dress idea I would have become a dress’’ I laughed.

‘’so did Fluttershy give you the Snake Slumber?’’ she asked suddenly very sincere. I nodded and showed her the bag, ‘’you know I do not approve the use of it, but you are in need of it. But use it wisely!’’ she glared at me, ‘’I didn’t even know it existed, and you recommended it to me’’ I said at Twilight who started to blush, ‘’yes, but I know I can trust you with it’’ she said looking away, still blushing.

________________________________________________________________________

We were walking towards the library when dark clouds floated in and it started to rain, we ran towards a tree and covered underneath against the rain.

When we reached the tree we were both soaking wet, and the tree didn’t give that much protection from the rain, for the most of the leaves had already fallen off. I unfolded my wing above Twilight so that she could cover underneath it, she blushed and moved underneath it, ‘’thanks’’ she whispered still blushing.

‘’Where did those clouds come from anyway?’’ I asked, ‘’the weather forecast said that today would sunny and that there wouldn’t be a single cloud in the sky… The weather ponies probably a messed up again in the weather schedule again’’ I sighed.

It was getting cold and Twilight started to quiver, I folded my wing around her and pulled her close to me, causing her to blush even deeper. ‘’come on let’s go, I’ll keep you dry’’ I said with a smile, ‘’but you will get sick in this rain’’ she responded. ‘’probably, but seeming those clouds it will be raining for the rest of the night, and if we stay here we’ll both get sick’’

She blushed again and started to walk beside me under my wing, ‘’thank you, again’’ she said with a smile. ‘’I hate it that all of the other ponies still misjudge you’’ she started, ‘’they just don’t know what you have been through, that’s all. They only see your scar, and think you are dangerous because you came from the sky’’ she said with a smile and looked at the ground, still blushing.

‘’They just don’t know what a great pony you are, you are kind, generous, honest, loyal and fun to be with. I just hate it that most ponies still think that you are an evil entity from another dimension’’ she looked me in the eye, but quickly looked away and blushed yet again.

‘’t-thanks Twi, that is really nice of you to say’’ I responded, ‘’I bet all the girls on your old planet must have been in to you’’ she said with a smile, I blushed at the compliment. ‘’d-did you have a marefriend on your old planet?’’ she asked while looking down at the ground, avoiding my gaze.

‘’well, I had a girlfriend, but she broke up with me when I joined the army… and she cheated on me’’ I said, ‘’ooh, I’m sorry I asked, must have been horrible’’ Twilight responded. ‘’no, I had my revenge. The guy she cheated with on me was in the army of The Night Queen, as did she… killed them both’’ I said plainly, receiving a fearful gaze from Twilight. ‘’pure self-defense’’ I quickly said afterwards, calming Twilight.

We reached the library and I opened the door, moving aside so that Twilight could go in first. I shook the cold water out of my coat before entering, as I entered a warm towel flew onto me and dried me of. As soon as I was dry a blanket flew over to me and covered me. Twilight stood before me and smiled, ‘’do you want some tea?’’ she asked, ‘’yes please’’ I responded with a smile. Twilight walked towards the fireplace and lit it, before she trotted into the kitchen.

I took place on the couch in front of the fireplace, and looked into the flames. The heat that emitted from it warmed my body, I lay down, my eyes started to feel heavy. As I closed my eyes it only took a few moments until I dozed off in sleep.

________________________________________________________________________

‘’Ace, run you idiot, RUN!’’, I couldn’t leave my brother here left to die, I looked back. There he was holding back a door that they were trying to break open. ‘’I love ya bro’’ he said before the door busted open with a loud explosion, engulfing him into a sea of flames and pieces of metal that came from the door. ‘’Ace, Ace!’’

I shot up, Twilight was standing in front of me. I was sweating and panting heavily, ‘’are you okay? Did you have a nightmare again?’’ she asked with a concerned look at her face, ‘’was it the one about the machine?’’ I shook my head. ‘’no this one was new, it was about my b-brother. I saw him die… I remember why he died, he tried to save me with his own life. He sacrificed himself for me!’’ I said as tears started to roll over my cheeks.

Twilight sat beside me and pulled me into and hug, I hugged her back and started to sob in her mane. ‘’why do I remember this all of the sudden?’’ I asked in a whisper, Twilight shrugged. ‘’I don’t know Ace…’’

I recovered and broke the hug. I looked at the clock and saw that it was quarter till eleven, ‘’how long have I slept?’’ I asked, ‘’for about three hours, but the last ten minutes you started to shake and moan, so I woke you up’’ Twilight replied. ‘’you still want that tea?’’ Twilight asked, ‘’how about I make you that special tea?’’ she asked and rolled her eyes.

I shook my head, ‘’nah, do you have some booze?’’ I asked simply, ‘’s-sure, why not. Mind if I join?’’ replied with a smile, as a bottle of Buck Daniels and two glasses floated over, covered in a purple aura. I smiled and poured some the beverage in the glasses and gave one of them to Twilight.

We drank all night and talked about our day to each other, we were just having a great time together. We I drank a bit more than Twilight, and soon I was getting drunk. But the Twilight and the alcohol helped me not to think about my past all night.

It now was one o’clock, and we just opened our third bottle. This was some sort of wine, ‘’this is my favorite’’ Twilight said. I read the label, it said Daisy Wine, and it was a very sweet white wine with indeed a taste of daisies with it. I smiled at Twilight, ‘’excuse me madam, are you trying to get me drunk?’’ I said with a drunk tone in my voice, Twilight wasn’t quite meeting me drink for drink, ‘’no of course not’’ she giggled and blushed.

She scooted closer to me and yawned, I was still lying down. ‘’c-can I sleep here tonight with you? It’s cold upstairs’’ she asked while blushing and looking into the fire. I nodded and finished my glass of wine, I moved to the back of the couch and made place for her to lie down.

She placed lay down beside me, I covered her with my blanket and she pushed herself softly against me. She looked at me and blushed, ‘’okay Ace this is your chance’’ I thought to myself. I placed one of my front legs over her and pulled her closer to me, making it able to also cover her with a wing, as what I did. Twilight sighed softly in a good way and blushed even more intense.

‘’goodnight Twi’’ I whispered, ‘’goodnight Ace, I am really glad you are here’’. I nuzzled Twilight mane and pulled her even closer to me, we were almost spooning now. Twilight sighed again and pushed herself closer to me, now we were spooning. It felt great, holding the pony I loved close to me like this, that though came out of nowhere, as I suddenly realized a feeling that I couldn’t explain before, but had been there for a long time now.

I was in love with Twilight Sparkle.