A Nightingale's Song

Nightingale Shade had resigned himself to life in Baltimare: pleasant, slow, and methodical. Yet, it was not home.

It had never been home.

Nightingale knew that and yearned, every day, to leave Baltimare, to find home; to find the hearth where his heart lay. But he did not know where it was. His quest was a lost cause.

A failure from the beginning.

However, fortune smiled down at him when he’d been given the perfect incentive for a new goal. Said incentive had come in the form of a kindly old scholar who’d visited the orphanage for a day. He could still recall the wisdom behind the wizened eyes of the middle aged unicorn who, more often than not, carried heaps of scrolls,and scientific devices.

For some reason, Cryptic Eye had been drawn to Nightingale Shade. To this day, the pegasus still did not know why, and yet he knew Cryptic Eye saw something in Nightingale. In what fashion, he had no idea. Sometimes, it was an eerie interest, and at others, a grandfatherly one.

Cryptic Eye, during his stay in Baltimare, had taken Nightingale under his metaphorical wing and had taken to attempt to tutor him in various subjects—his favorite being music. Mathematics, science, history, the physical arts were all taught and Nightingale breathed in Cryptic Eye’s teachings—it was better than nothing, after all, and his parents had always taken care to teach him the value of education.

Thus, Cryptic Eye and Nightingale Shade had grown close, like a mentor and a student. Nightingale grew to care greatly for the old stallion, though he never truly understood him, and Cryptic Eye treated Nightingale almost like a grandchild. Far into the night they would debate, discuss, and learn, and long into the morning Nightingale would ponder what lay outside his small bubble, after having heard story upon story of Cryptic Eye’s travels.

He learned of the great mountains to the north, wintry and cold, where the windigoes circled and where a city of gleaming crystal had once stood, sundered by time. Nightingale learned of the great prairie to the west, past the Everfree and the Snowcap Mountains, and to the east, Prance, as well as the kingdom of the griffons. He learned of the great AntlerticOcean to the north-west and Eternity’s Crossing, a sea spoken of to be created by Celestia herself, to the south. Across the great blue below lay Saddle Arabia, a kingdom shrouded in mystery and fantasy, yet a multi-cultural haven, where species beyond comprehension gathered to trade and revel. He learned of the warring states to the far west, and of the great billowing storms that blocked them off, for if the ponies of the far west did not embrace peace, harmony, and the magic of friendship as Celestia’s own did, then what were they to do but be isolated until capitulation?

Cryptic Eye had always seemed to spit vehemently during that last statement. Nightingale Shade had always wondered why.

Nevertheless, despite all of their learnings, one night Nightingale had decided to approach Cryptic Eye with a request. For, if Cryptic Eye could not understand the contents of the letter, who could? And so, Nightingale had shown the old scholar the letter, the note, he had held in his hooves all those years ago. They had discussed it in detail, yet the scholar was, true to his name, cryptic, avoiding Nightingale’s questions.

Soon after, Cryptic Eye had departed for the west, seeking the reaches external to Equestria. He had always sought to travel the world, to find more and more knowledge to bring back to the ponies of Equestria.

Nightingale Shade had vowed to find him. He still had more questions.

With a groan of exertion, Nightingale pulled the last cart of apples into the barn, wiping his forehead with a hoof as sweat poured down his face. His mane was matted wet, and his hooves were caked in grime and mud from his physical work out in the fields. He panted for breath, his head stooping down as he breathed in and out, in and out.

‘Hard work never hurt anypony. Keep pushin’, Nightingale.’ He thought, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them a little bit later, having caught his breath.

However, as he turned around a glob of sweat dropped into his eye, and Nightingale hissed in discomfort, a hoof moving towards his face to wipe away the moisture. Blinking away the sweat, Nightingale frowned when he saw something in the perspiration in his hoof.

A small crimson flake, miniscule in size. It seemed to float in the globule, swishing this way and that way as Nightingale inspected it. His frown deepened as he observed the flake. Sighing in exasperation, Nightingale suddenly shook his head violently, his mane flying everywhere as he attempted to rid himself of the sweat.

‘If there’s one, there’ll be more. A lot, likely. Gotta ask Applejack if I can wash my hooves and mane in a nearby pond or something,’ Nightingale thought, gazing around the inside of the barn absentmindedly. He stopped, however, when he noticed Applejack’s voice outside the barn, her silhouette appearing in the doorway as the sun shined behind her.

“Hey, sugarcube. That should be the last of ‘em, so I guess we can take a breather,” she said, entering the barn. Behind her was Big Macintosh, his traditional blade of wheat sticking out of his mouth.

“Alright then,” Nightingale responded, unlatching his cart’s harness before asking his question. “Hey, Applejack. Is there a pond or something around here? I need to wash my hooves and mane, if that’s fine with you.”

Applejack nodded, pointing out the door of the barn. “Yep, there’s a pond of water over yonder. Use it as you fancy, sugarcube.” She smiled before continuing. “Big Mac and I’ll be over near the farmhouse, if you need us.”

Nightingale watched as the two earth pony siblings left before making his way out of the barn himself. He followed Applejack’s directions, soon arriving at a small pond of water. The water shone a gentle blue and, as he approached, Nightingale could see his own reflection in the water.

He grimaced upon seeing it, noticing his haggard look. His mane was quite disheveled and dark circles sat under his eyes, revealing his overall fatigue. Looking closely at his mane, Nightingale could see flakes of red all over the sea-green hairs, some of the flakes already falling out. Shaking his head indismissal, Nightingale set himself on washing his hooves first, dipping them into the water. He rubbed them together, making sure to remove all of the dirt and grime that coated them.

Satisfied with their subsequent cleanliness, the pegasus diverted his attention to his mane. Dipping to his knees, Nightingale hesitated for a moment, before briefly plunging his head into the water. The water felt cool and refreshing upon his face, and after a moment of peace, Nightingale raised his head and sighed as the water droplets dripped down his face. He rubbed his hooves across his face, pulling at the hair in his mane. Stroke after stroke, Nightingale pulled more of the flakes out of his mane, the crimson specks falling like petals into the water. He submerged his head one more time, making sure of the lack of flakes in his mane, before nodding to himself.

“You alright there, sugarcube?” Nightingale jumped slightly when he heard Applejack’s voice behind him, turning around quickly to face the mare.

“Uh, yeah. M’alright,” he responded, an eyebrow raised. “Why? You worried about something?”

Applejack shook her head, approaching the pond. “No, not in particular. Just came to getcha, since a few ponies came to see you.” She said, before the red flakes in the water caught her eye.

Nightingale’s head tilted in confusion as he wondered who would come see him. “Who? Not really sure who’d come to see me here at work.”

Applejack hesitated for a moment, her response coming after a brief moment of silence as a frown appeared on her face. “Twilight and her friend Spike came to see you. Something about a tour,” she explained, before continuing. “But, Nightingale, what’s this red stuff in the water here?”

Nightingale frowned, hesitant to explain. ‘Should I tell her the truth?’ he thought, debating with himself. ‘Ah, what the hay. Can’t do any harm if I skirt around it.’ Nodding to himself, he responded.

“It’s, uh, dye. Mane dye,” he explained lightly, coughing into his hoof. Applejack turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

“Mane dye?” She asked, looking up at Nightingale’s mane. “Your mane doesn’t look red, and you don’t seem the pony to dye your mane. Why’re these flakes comin’ out now?”

“Well, back where I last came from, they dyed the manes of ponies like me red. Kind of like a… common identification, if that makes any sense. The dye they used tends to dig deep into the skin.” Nightingale looked away as he responded, a frown on his face.

Applejack stared at Nightingale blankly for a few moments, as though she was testing his responses in her head. “So, what, like how they dye the coats of the Royal Guards white? Somethin’ like that?”

Nightingale shrugged, deflecting the question. “Eh, sorta.” He replied mutedly.

Applejack stared at Nightingale, looking very much as if questions were flying about the inside of her mind, before shaking her head in dismissal. “Doesn’t matter, I guess. C’mon, sugarcube. Dry yourself off, and let’s get back to the farmhouse.”

Nightingale nodded before following the earth pony mare to the farmhouse in the distance their destination.

Applejack and Nightingale approached the farmhouse, trotting along silently. To their front, Nightingale could see the figures of a violet unicorn and a small… dragon, he assumed, presently waiting for them. The two ponies came to a stop near Twilight and her companion, Applejack smiling warmly as she spoke.

“Twilight, here he is. You wanted to take him on a tour or somethin’?” She asked, turning to look at Nightingale.

“Yep!” Twilight Sparkle replied pleasantly, in turn smiling at the pegasus at Applejack’s side. “You do remember my offer, right Nightingale?”

Nightingale raised an eyebrow, scanning his own memory in recollection. “Uh, yeah. Sort of,” he mumbled. “Didn’t expect you to actually go through with it.”

Twilight giggled, waving a hoof in dismissal. “Oh, don’t worry about that. You see, I was once the newest pony in Ponyville, and I was welcomed with open hooves.” She looked at Applejack, obviously recalling a memory. “And now that you’re the newest pony in town, I thought I’d share that same welcome with you!”

Nightingale frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond, but Applejack beat him to it. “Aww c’mon sugarcube, it’ll be fun! Your work for the day’s all done anyways, so I’ve got nothin’ else for you.”

After a few moments of hesitation, Nightingale nodded. “Alright, I’ll come along for this tour. How long do you think it’ll take, Twilight?”

Twilight thought for a few moments, a hoof reaching for her chin in contemplation. “Oh, no more than an hour or two, I’m sure.”

Nightingale pursed his lips in response, before shrugging. “Well, I guess I’m down for this tour, then. Are we going to head off now?”

Twilight nodded, motioning for Nightingale to follow her. Nightingale began to walk after her, the small dragon hot on their heels. Catching up to the unicorn, Nightingale matched her pace, walking besides her.

“So, Nightingale, what do you think of the town so far?” Twilight asked, the town of Ponyville growing larger and larger in the distance as the two ponies walked along. “Do you like it?”

Nightingale thought for a moment, contemplating his experiences thus far. “Well, so far it’s been alright. Calm, peaceful—seems okay, at least.”

Twilight chuckled in response before the dragon behind them piped up. “Well, you haven’t been here as long as we have. Things get a bit crazy at times.” It was the first time Nightingale had heard the young drake speak and the pegasus raised an eyebrow as he turned back towards the dragon.

“Well, I’ve seen a few things already, when I was still in the hospital,” Nightingale admitted before continuing. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen a dragon like you before, though. Are you Twilight’s pet or something?”

The dragon seemed to be a bit miffed at the label of “pet,” but Twilight giggled, stopping to let the dragon climb onto her back. “Well, I’m sort of his surrogate mother or sister. I raised Spike here since he hatched.”

The dragon, Spike, took a seat on the unicorn’s back, rolling his eyes as he did so. Nightingale nodded his head at this new information, regressing into silence as the three walked into Ponyville.

“So,” Twilight started, stopping to look around the town. “This is Ponyville, as you probably already know.” She pointed forwards, past a few ponies that were roving around the nearby houses, at a large building to their front, circular and multi-leveled. “That’s the Town Hall. Mayor Mare resides there—she’s the mayor, obviously.”

Several ponies walked past, a couple of them waving towards Twilight. The unicorn waved back, smiling warmly at them, before motioning to Nightingale.

“You should wave too! It’s always a good way to make new friends around here.” Twilight explained. Hesitating for a moment, Nightingale raised a hoof, awkwardly shaking it back and forth. He cringed inwardly, not sure that his attempted wave was acceptable.

“Moving on,” Twilight continued without missing a beat. “Ponyville was founded by the Apple family a few generations back, when Granny Smith had found a particular type of apple unique to the area. The Apple family was roving around Equestria, looking for a good place to settle, when they found the Zap Apples.”

“Oh, here she goes,” Spike muttered from Twilight’s back, moving a palm to his face. Ignoring the dragon, Nightingale listened eagerly as Twilight continued.

“Granny Smith and her family began to make Zap Apple jam from the apples, and travelers from all over Equestria gathered here to get a taste of the jam. Soon, a thriving community had started to form around the Apple orchards, and as time went on, the town became known as Ponyville, and grew in size,” Twilight lectured, approaching what looked to be the town’s central pavilion.

“This is the Town Square!” Twilight stopped, pointing at a nearby fountain of water. “This is where Mayor Mare holds her speeches, and where celebrations and holidays are focused.”

“Holidays?” Nightingale asked, looking around the Town Square. “Are any holidays coming up soon?”

Twilight thought for a moment, pursing her lips in contemplation. “Well, a few weeks after the Grand Galloping Gala, there is Nightmare Night.” She smiled in excitement, obviously enthusiastic at the notion of this “Nightmare Night.”

“Nightmare Night? What’s that?” Nightingale asked, genuinely curious.

“Oh, it’s a holiday where ponies, especially foals, dress up in costumes and ask for candy. It has a lot of celebrations, as well as a carnival, that go along with it, so it’s always fun!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming at Nightingale.

“I just like it for the candy,” Spike pitched in. “Say, Twilight, don’t you have something special planned for Nightmare Night or something?”

Twilight nodded her head before responding. “Yep! I’ve got a special costume just for this year’s Nightmare Night! I’m just hoping somepony will recognize it.” With that, Twilight began to walk forwards again, as Nightingale trotted to keep up. “But, leaving that aside, let’s continue our tour.”

The two ponies walked through the center of Ponyville, approaching a section of the town somewhat familiar to Nightingale. Stalls were arrayed across the street, various fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs as well as a variety of trinkets and baubles of differing colors, shapes, and sizes sitting in neatly placed boxes and stands. They were screened by a row of storefronts, an assortment of objects sitting behind the glass windows.

“This is the Ponyville Marketplace! You can buy most of the things you need at the stalls here, or in the different stores nearby.” She pointed towards a building Nightingale had seen the other day, its pastry-set walls and features making it look much like a gingerbread house. “That’s Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie Pie works there—you’ve already met her.”

Nightingale frowned, remembering the unnerving pink earth pony. He had vowed to stay away from the overly-enthusiastic pony for as long as possible—she simply frightened the pegasus.

Granted, she probably frightened plenty of ponies during her time in Ponyville.

“Hey, Twilight, mind if we get something to eat real quick?” Spike asked, holding his stomach. “I don’t think that gem sandwich held up really well from earlier.”

Twilight hesitated for a few moments before responding. “Can you meet us back at the barn, Spike?” She asked, gauging Spike’s face.

“Yeah, sure! I’ll meet you guys back at the barn, don’t worry.” Spike slipped off of Twilight’s back, running into the bakery. Nightingale watched as the small dragon pattered away, before turning to Twilight, a question on his lips.

“The barn? Are we going back there after the tour?” Nightingale asked. Twilight nodded in response.

“Yep! You still need to get your payment from Applejack, after all.” She explained in amusement, and Nightingale nodded in affirmation, his mouth curled into a small ‘o’ of understanding.

“But Moving on!” said Twilight quickly as she ushered him along. “There are a few restaurants here and there with all sorts of cuisines,.” Twilight trotted while motioning for Nightingale to follow. They passed through the marketplace, Twilight smiling and waving at several of the ponies that seemed to recognize her. Nightingale frowned, however, noticing the general lack of ponies around.

‘I distinctly recall more ponies walking around Ponyville at this time of day. What’s different?’ Nightingale thought, looking around the town. Setting the thought to the side, however, Nightingale watched as Twilight stopped and pointed at several other buildings.

“There’s a couple more places of note around here. There’s the schoolhouse—it’s a weekend today, so the colts and fillies are all out. Besides that, there’s Ponyville Hospital—you’re distinctly familiar with that place, right?” Twilight looked at Nightingale apologetically. “Are you okay, by the way? The last time I saw you, you looked really hurt in the hospital.”

Nightingale waved a hoof in dismissal, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m alright, don’t worry. I was mostly shaken up, though the doctors and nurses want me to stay in Ponyville for a bit longer.” The pegasus looked away for a moment, watching the red sun in the distance as it began its slow descent. The air was cooling down by the second, and he knew that it was likely well into the afternoon.

“I’ve got nowhere else to go for now, anyways, so I might as well stay in Ponyville for a little bit until I recover further.” Nightingale finished, looking back at Twilight. The unicorn, however, raised an eyebrow in confusion, a frown creeping onto her face.

“What do you mean, nowhere else to go? Don’t you have somewhere to live in Equestria, or somewhere?” She asked.

Nightingale realized where the conversation was headed, and attempted to backtrack, chuckling uneasily. “Uh, well, no. Not really. I don’t have a home.”

“So you’re homeless?” Twilight asked in alarm, her eyes widening. Realizing his mistake, Nightingale shook his head.

“No, no, no, I’ve had houses before, I just…” Nightingale looked away, unsure of how to word his response. “Well, I’ve never really had a home in a long time, if you know what I mean.”

Twilight nodded in understanding, looking away for a few moments. She did understand what he meant. Ever since she’d moved to Ponyville, Twilight had realized just how much sweeter living life felt when she had something else to look forward to aside from her studies. The two ponies relapsed into a deep silence for a few moments, as Nightingale worried how Twilight would respond to the new revelation.

After a minute or two, Twilight turned to Nightingale, an eyebrow raised. “Well, Nightingale, if you don’t have a home anywhere in Equestria, then why not settle down here, in Ponyville?” She asked, smiling warmly. “It’s a great place to live, and you’ll make plenty of friends.”

Nightingale did not respond for a moment, looking over the town they had just toured through. ‘Well, she’s right. The town is pretty pleasant and all—could be an okay place to live for the time being.’ He thought, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. ‘But I’ve still got to meet Cryptic Eye in Canterlot. Who knows what will happen after that?’ Deciding upon an answer, Nightingale turned back towards Twilight Sparkle, a gentle smile on his face.

“Well, I’ll think about it. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few days or weeks, but I guess I can give it some thought,” Nightingale finally said, watching as a small grin creeped up Twilight’s face. “No guarantees, though.”

Twilight giggled lightly, nodding her head. “That’s okay for now, I guess,” she said, turning around and making her way back to the center of town. “But, right now, I guess we should make our way back to the farm. Don’t want to keep Applejack waiting after all.”

Nightingale nodded his head, following Twilight through the town back the way they came, watching absentmindedly as the sky grew darker.

“Alright, here we are!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, raising her head to gaze at the scarlet-painted barn looming over them. By the time they had gotten back to the farm, the sun had started to set, and much of the sky had been taken under the dark blanket of the night sky’s array of stars. Nightingale, in turn, gave a low sigh, simply desiring to return to his small homestead and retire for the day.

‘Maybe some practice with that violin is in order,’ he thought. He nearly bumped into Twilight, however, before noticing she had stopped.

“Huh? What’s the deal, Twilight?” He asked in confusion. The unicorn mare turned to look at him, before stepping aside with a hoof splayed out, as if welcoming him.

“After you, Nightingale,” she said, in a fashion that almost seemed to be devious. Raising an eyebrow, Nightingale stared at her, a shiver of unease shooting up his spine as he noted her expression. He stared at Twilight warily before walking past her and turning to the large barn door. Nightingale pushed it open, greeted by darkness as he walked in. Confused, Nightingale stepped fully into the barn, wondering where exactly Applejack was—

*“SURPRISE!”*

With a sudden burst of sound and light, the barn lit up in a seemingly physical representation of excitement, and Nightingale jumped back, wings flared in alarm, as a sudden explosion of pink loomed in front of him.

“By Venus’ flaming bridle, what in—” Nightingale began to hiss, but was interrupted by the pink menace in front of him.

“Surprise!”She exclaimed, a somewhat-discreet “pop” sounding off in accompaniment as a flurry of multi-colored pieces of confetti floated down upon Nightingale. The pegasus’ eyes widened as he backed away, bumping into Twilight as she too entered the barn with a giggle.

“Surprise!” The pink mare cried again, staring straight into Nightingale’s soul. “Did I getcha?! Did I surprise ya?! I bet I did, you look surprised!” She spattered, bouncing over Nightingale in a fashion that confused and unnerved him to no end.

“Erm… yes… very much so,” Nightingale muttered, inching slightly away from the party pony.

“I threw this party for you, Nightingale!” The pink mare exclaimed, her smile threatening to stretch off of her face. “It’s your very own ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party’! I’m Pinkie Pie, but I’m sure you already knew that!”

“Uh, thanks, I guess?” Nightingale responded uneasily, taking a moment to glance at the rest of the ponies gathered within the barn. He saw a multitude of Ponyville’s residents, varying in color, size, and other ways, though all beaming at him. He nodded slightly upon seeing Garnet Tremolo smirking at him from amongst the crowd, before looking back at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie gasped in a lungful of air, and Nightingale braced himself for the stream of words that were sure to follow.

“You see, you’re new to Ponyville, and so I’m welcoming you because you’re new in town! I know everypony in town and I don’t know you, and you helped save my friends in the Everfree and I saw you in the hospital with my friends so I knew you were new to Ponyville!” She panted for a moment before taking in another breath of air. “So I promised I would throw you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party and so I did! Just for you, Mister Nightingale Shade! And I invited everypony in Ponyville to come for your party to welcome you to Ponyville, because I thought that since you were new to Ponyville, you could make some friends!” Her words seemed to jet at Nightingale a mile a minute, and the pegasus was leaning far back by the time Pinkie had seemingly finished.

“Uh, yeah, that’s—that’s great, that’s perfect, um—” Nightingale sputtered anxiously, backing away from the seemingly insane mare in front of him. She interrupted him, however, speaking once more.

“But what are we all waiting for? Let the party begin!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, raising onto her hind legs with her fore-hooves in the air. Finally, with what seemed to be a large weight lifted off of his shoulders, Pinkie Pie bounced away, humming a jig as the rest of the party-goers began to socialize and converse amongst themselves. Nightingale breathed heavily, watching warily as Pinkie Pie departed.

“You okay, sugarcube?” A familiar drawl sounded from his left, and Nightingale turned to see Applejack, Twilight, and a white unicorn he remembered was named Rarity, all looking at him with varying levels of amusement.

“Uh…” the pegasus stallion started, grimacing slightly. “I, uh, I guess.”

“Oh, don’t let that one get to you, dear,” Rarity said, giggling slightly, her accent recognizable to Nightingale’s ears. “She’s always like that—I’m sure you’ll get used to her.”

“I’m sure I will,” Nightingale muttered, but the mares to his front ignored him in favor of the party.

“Well,” Twilight said, smiling as her two friends departed for the festivities. “I’m sure you’ll be okay. But for now, let’s have some fun!” Twilight herself disappeared into the crowd of ponies, leaving Nightingale to ponder alone.

With a contented sigh, Nightingale sank into a well-placed couch, a glass of punch sitting in his hoof. He took a small sip, gazing over the festivities.

‘A party, eh?’ Nightingale thought, watching as a particular pair of ponies danced together, their hooves pattering through the hay on the floor of the barn. ‘Been to several different types of parties before. None like this, though.’ He nodded to himself, thinking over the multitude of parties he had attended in the past.

Of course, there were the galas, dinners, dances, and gatherings that his old “boss,” Fremitus Canis, had him attend in the past. Those were usually filled to the brim with wine, dancing, and other sorts of festivities that Nightingale cared not to remember. He had never enjoyed those “parties” anyways.

Now, there were of course the sort of parties that Nightingale had attended before his servitude to Canis. They were more of a revelry sort of party, full of rum and drunken dancing, and had usually taken place on the deck of a frigate or man o’ war or, most commonly, the taverns of the ports the Sunset had frequented. They were… fun, to say the least, but he did not think this current party was anything like that.

No, this party seemed to be a pleasant sort, amongst close friends and neighbors, held in good fun and joviality. From what he had seen, Pinkie Pie was of the sort to bring jollity with her wherever she went. Perturbingly so.

Nightingale jumped slightly, however, upon feeling the sensation of another body plopping into the couch. He turned to his right, only to see a yellowish-white unicorn with a cobalt and cyan mane. She wore a pair of glasses, the lenses a bright violet.

“Sup, dude?” The unicorn asked, holding up a hoof. Nightingale looked at it confusion, unsure of what to do with it. After a few moments, she sighed, rubbing her face with her other hoof.

“You’re supposed to pound it. Bump it. Get it? Like this.”

She demonstrated the maneuver, raising her other hoof and briefly connecting the two with a small “clop” sound. “Here. Do it again, with me.” The unicorn raised her hoof again, and this time, Nightingale responded in turn, bumping her hoof with his.

“There we go, that’s how you do it!” the unicorn exclaimed, her scratchy voice signaling her as a sort of tomcoltish-mare—at least, that was what Nightingale assumed.

“So, you’re Nightingale Shade, right? The stallion of the hour?” The blue-maned unicorn asked, her mouth curling into a wry smile.

“Yeah, I am. And you are?” Nightingale asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh, I’m Vinyl Scratch. Though, I’m better known as DJ Pon-3.” The mare, now known as Vinyl, responded, with an air of cool-headed relaxation.

“Nice to meet you, I guess? What do you need?” Nightingale queried, curious as to why this pony had approached him.

“Ah, nothin’ much,” Vinyl said, leaning back into the couch. “I just noticed that your cutie-mark was the same as mine. Got curious.”

Nightingale looked at her cutie-mark noticing that, yes indeed, she bore the same mark as he did. The two beamed eighth notes, stretched across their flanks. “Huh. I guess they are the same. Funny.”

Vinyl looked at him, a smirk upon her face. “So, what, you like music? Ah, what am I saying, ‘course you do. But do you make music?”

Nightingale shook his head, somewhat disappointed in his own lack of ability. “Nah, unfortunately. I can arrange it fine, and play several instruments pretty well, but I can’t write my own songs. Never was able to.”

Vinyl nodded her head, her smile still upon her face. “Cool, cool. What kind of instruments do you play?”

“A whole bunch,” Nightingale answered, taking another sip of his punch. “Started with the violin. Moved onto other strings, then eventually onto some brass—mostly the trumpet. I’m pretty good with drums, and I can sing, somewhat, so I’ve got that going for me.”

Vinyl gave a low chuckle, amused by Nightingale’s question. “Well, just by your answer I can tell you and I are into vastly different types of music.” She gauged Nightingale, as if contemplating whether she should do something with him. “I should introduce you to one of my friends, actually…”

Vinyl trailed off, and the two ponies regressed into silence for a few moments before Nightingale asked another question. “Vastly different types of music? What are you into, then?”

The unicorn mare took an almost predatory look at Nightingale, giving a deviant smirk. “Electronic. Dubstep. House. That kinda stuff. You know it?”

Nightingale shook his head, curious as to what kind of music her words entailed. “Not particularly, no. Can’t say I’ve heard of those genres.”

Her smirk grew even more lopsided in response, her eyes narrowing, though still hidden by her violet glasses. “Ah, I gotta show you some of my music, then, one of these days. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Nightingale nodded, taking another sip of his punch in silence. Looking to the side, he watched as another pegasus approached him—cerulean coated, and with a truly unique mane, as if somepony threw the contents of a bucket full of color upon her. She looked at Nightingale with an analytical gaze, and Nightingale raised an eyebrow at her demeanor.

The mare approached him, before turning towards the unicorn to his side. “Vinyl, dude, what’s up? Haven’t seen you in a while.” She had a similarly scratchy voice compared to Vinyl.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash, sup? Yeah, just got back from a tour in Fillydelphia, got some crazy stories to tell ya’.” Vinyl responded, bumping hooves with the rainbow-maned pegasus. “I’ve got  to head out now—radical party, though. I’ll see ya’ later, RD.”

“Right, right, cool. See you, dude.” The pegasus, deemed Rainbow Dash, watched as Vinyl left, before turning her attention to Nightingale.

“So you’re the new pegasus in town, eh?” She asked, smirking at Nightingale. He simply nodded, taking another sip from his punch.

“Yeah, I am. Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash I assume?”

Rainbow Dash nodded and smirked, crossing her hooves. “Good, good, you’ve already heard of me. Makes sense, since I’m the most awesome pony in town.” She looked over Nightingale, her analytical gaze returning in force. “So, you know how to use those wings?”

Nightingale frowned in confusion, wondering where this conversation was headed. “Uh, sure. Had to fly a lot in my last… place of work.” ‘Yeah, that euphemism works well.’

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at Nightingale, her smirk still visibly present. “What’s your wing power at, then?”

Nightingale took another sip of his punch, thoroughly enjoying the tangy flavor at this point before responding. “Last time I measured? Maximum came up as 14.2. Usually hovered around twelve or thirteen.” It only made sense for his wing power to be that high—Fremitus Canis, as well as the others of his class and station, had placed high importance on their pegasus units to fly with speed and agility. Fourteen was only average for the decurions of Nightingale’s former position. Before reaching the west, Nightingale had usually measured around nine or ten.

Rainbow Dash seemed impressed, though only mildly so. “Nice, nice.” She looked away for a few moments, seemingly distracted by something, before returning her attention to Nightingale. “You know how to do weather work?”

Nightingale looked up from his punch, staring straight ahead for a few moments before returning his gaze to Rainbow Dash. “Not particularly, no. Can’t say I’ve ever done weather work before.”

Rainbow, in turn, raised an eyebrow, as if confused by his answer. “Never done weather work? Where in Equestria do you come from? A pegasus like you should have some experience with it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nightingale answered simply, frowning at his now empty cup. “Doesn’t matter.”

Rainbow looked at Nightingale as if he had grown a third eye, before sighing lowly. “Well, that’ doesn’t matter. Can always teach ya’.” She frowned slightly, before continuing. “Listen, if you ever need a job, look up the local weatherponies. I’m their captain, see, and we could use somepony like you—especially a few months from now.”

Nightingale nodded, not bothering to tell her that he already held a job at Sweet Apple Acres. He watched as she left, a small frown on his face, before getting up from the couch himself. He needed some more punch.

He made his way towards a table set with punch and other beverages, holding his empty cup in hoof. Smiling at a few passerby’s and returning a few “welcomes,” he had nearly made it to the table when, suddenly, his vision became dark, blocked by something that had been slipped over his face.

“Huh? What? What’s going on?” He questioned, making to turn around yet held in place by a strong pair of what seemed to be hooves.

“Hey, come on!” Dread filled Nightingale’s stomach as he heard the familiarly light voice in his ear. “It’s time for Pin the Tail on the Pony! Gather around, ‘cause Birthday Colt is going first!”

‘Birthday Colt?’ Nightingale cringed inwardly at the title, simply giving up his struggle. ‘It’s not even my birthday. What’s going on?’

“You see, Nightingale,” Pinkie Pie started, though Nightingale did not bother to let her know that he could not in fact see. A furry object was placed in his hooves, and the hooves that held him in place began to spin him around. “You’ve gotta put that tail on the pony after we spin you around! We’re not telling you where the poster is, ‘cause that’s not fun!”

Nightingale’s mouth curled into a grimace as the spinning thankfully stopped. Stumbling around blindly, Nightingale listened closely, unsure of what exactly to do.

“Come on, Nighty Wighty!” He would have been annoyed by the pet nickname, had it not been for the circumstances. “Go on and pin that tail! Pin that tail!”

Pinkie Pie’s words quickly became a chant, as the ponies gathered around started to follow. A chorus of ‘pin that tail’ rang around him, turning into a blend of sound and voice that Nightingale was not sure he could follow. Despite that, however, Nightingale only wished for the torment to end, and so focused his hearing. The gathered ponies had seemingly arrayed themselves in a aisle towards an unknown end, as if outlining his path to the end. Nodding to himself, Nightingale took several dainty steps forward, taking good care not to trip and fall. Humiliation would not do here.

Step by step, Nightingale went forwards, his tail-bearing hoof scanning his front to make sure he did not walk into anything. The chant around him seemed to grow louder, signaling his progress, until finally, with a stumble, Nightingale slapped the tail onto what seemed to be a wall. The barn around him exploded with cheers, and Nightingale raised a hoof, taking off the blindfold on his face.

“Thank Celestia,’ he thought, a relieved sigh escaping his mouth as he gazed at the tail, not quite pinned where it belonged yet still in the generally proper area. Ignoring the cheers of delight around him as the blindfold was passed along to another pony, Nightingale stumbled towards the punch table, having lost his original cup in the initial frenzy. He grabbed another cup, filling it to the brim with crimson punch, and made his way back to his couch.

Nightingale plopped down with a fatigued sigh, ignoring the droplets of punch that splashed onto him, and rubbed a hoof against his face. A small grin crept up, threatening to turn into a full-fledged smile.

‘Tiring, really tiring. Nightingale thought. Don’t think I could handle another one of these parties in a long time, but… still,’ He paused to take a sip of his punch.. ‘I could definitely get used to this. Maybe it could be home.’

Nightingale laid his head back against the couch, closing his eyes in a feeble attempt to rest them, despite the rambunctious sounds his ears were taking in.

At least the punch was good.