Last Stop: This Town

"You're going to have to pick a pair sooner or later." Fleet Feet said, browsing the selection of glasses in the store.

Sleepy Head was in a tight jam. He'd tried on nearly every style of frame the store had to offer. Nothing looked right to him. Never before had he made such a life changing choice. Sure, to some ponies, it may have been a matter of "pick the one that looks the least dorky and bail", but for Sleepy, this was big. Like his mother said, nopony in their family ever needed glasses.

"Oh, honey, I found the cutest pair of goggles for you." Fleet Feet said, popping out from behind one of those spinning racks you always see in stores.

"Good choice ma'am, does he play any sports?" The optometrist pony asked from behind his desk.

"Oh...Sleepy isn't a very "sporty" pony. But he does do a lot of statistic work!" She said, a hint of disappointment leaving her mouth.

"I'm terribly sorry, but our goggles are reserved for ponies who are involved in athletics." She replied.

"I see. Well, surely, there must be something you'd like, Sleepy?"

Just as Fleet Feet said that, Sleepy had been spinning a rack around mindlessly. At this point, he'd pretty much given up hope for looking cool. That was until he found something. His eyes lit up as they came around into his view. Never before had he seen a pair so stylish. Well, maybe once or twice, but that was OK, because chances are they were on some kind of celebrity. There were tons of rock stars that he admired that wore these kinds of glasses. Reaching out, he picked them up and smiled as he put them on. The frames were thick making them stand out on his grey muzzle. He looked in the small mirror on the display rack and they just clicked.

"These. I want these ones, mom."

Fleet Feet looked over at her son. For her, it was like looking at a totally different pony. Just hours before, she had been worried that this might turn her son's world upside down. Seeing his smile somehow made everything click for her as well. Suddenly, it didn't matter if Sleepy wasn't into sports, not as long as she could just look at that grin on his face.

"Well, well, well, what a mature looking young stallion you are." Fleet said, complimenting her son.

"Why, thank you." He replied in very dignified manner.

Sleepy walked up to the counter, placing the frames on the glass.

"Ah, very nice. One of my favorite designs this year. They're straight from Californeigh. All the biggest names in entertainment love this model. Usually they'd run you about three-hundred bits...but since you seem to be a stallion of such eloquent taste, I'm willing to knock down the price. One-hundred and fifty bits." She stated.

"You see that Sleepy, only a couple of hours into needing glasses and you already know everything about them." Fleet said, paying the sales clerk, as she went to fit them with Sleepy's prescription.

Sleepy Head couldn't help but smile even wider.

Later that night, Sleepy had arrived home with Fleet Feet. It was dark by the time they trotted up to their hilltop abode. Most ponies might be getting ready for dinner at this point of the day, but Sleepy's family...well, they were hard workers.

*CRACK*

"That's my team!" A brown, mustached pony exclaimed loudly. That was Sleepy's dad, Heavy Hitter. A rather tall stallion who looked way too good for his age.

"Oh Heavy, what have you got those three doing now?" Fleet asked, as she walked into their spacious backyard.

"Fleet, I'm glad you're here. I got the boys working on a big project...we're putting in a pool!"

"I see...a pool. Just like you were going to add on an extra room onto the side of the house?"

"Well I-"

"Or like the time you wanted to build a carriage from scratch?"

"I suppose-"

"And just like you were going to help the boys build a treehouse?"

"Hey, that's still a work in progress!"

"Sure, sure."

"Anyway, we've spent the entire afternoon getting trees down. Let me tell you, these boys can pull!"

Sleepy Head never knew why he'd been born into such a family of champions. From the day he was old enough to see his family for who they really were, he felt out of place. Sure, they were all earth ponies at their core, but they may as well have been Wonderbolts.

Ponies typically referred to Sleepy Head's family as "The Winning Team". All of Sleepy's siblings excelled at something physical. Nopony ever could ever compete with the majority of them in their respective sports. It was like going up against a speeding carriage fully of dynamite. Their father, was a former pony Olympian. He'd mastered seven different events and won dozens of medals in that time. These days, he had settled down with his family. He recently took the position of gym teacher at Green Neigh High. Sure, the roaring crowd wasn't there anymore, nor was the fame or glory, but this is exactly what he needed after all these years.

His mother was a track star in high school, but her career had ended there. She devoted a lot of time in college to studying, but secretly, she had always pined for the days of jumping hurdles and handing off batons.

His oldest brother, All Star, was the town baseball hero. He'd won eight consecutive championships for his team, The Green Neigh Ursas. While he wasn't the pitcher, he was a mean first baseman and his RBI out shined most anyone in his district. Schools from all over Equestira had been calling him to come play for their teams. This was a big summer for him, as he had finally narrowed his choices down to three schools out of a twelve.

Then you had Three Pointer, who was the second oldest. Much like All Star, Three Pointer had his sport of choice, which was basketball. He'd gotten recognition from Green Neigh High for a record breaking 20 mid-court shots within one game. Usually, basketball had relied on pegasus ponies to make all the shots, the earth ponies helping with assists, but Three Pointer was truly a game changer.

Sleepy's youngest older brother, Slap Shot, was Green Neigh's golden colt when it came to anything hockey. It didn't matter if it was street or ice, this colt could handle a stick like no other pony could. However, Slap Shot got to show off one attribute all three of Sleepy's brother's had, more often than the other two. That would be aggression. Hockey allowed for some more fighting than usual, and Slap took advantage of that every chance he could.

All of them had a tendency to be super aggressive to weaker opponents, which is a perfect way to describe their relationship with Sleepy.

"Dad! That oak over there won't budge!" Slap Shot said, panting as he walked back with the other two.

"It's rooted into the ground pretty darn good." All Star added.

Three Pointer was just trying to catch his breath. Heavy Hitter looked to where they had just come from. That oak had been there since before him and Fleet had moved in. It was going to take a lot of work to get that thing out of the ground. Digging it out might be the only option.

"Eh, alright, hit the showers you three."

As Sleepy's brothers were about to walk inside, Sleepy Head walked outside with his brand new glasses on. His smile still plastered on.

"Hey, mom, did you tell them yet?" He asked excitedly.

That was the moment his brothers got their first taste at their little brother's new look. Heavy Hitter looked back to see what was going on with his son, as well. His eyes went up in shock.

"Oh...my..." He said, not knowing quite how to react.

"Sleepy, it's a little early to be dressing up for Nightmare Night." Three Pointer said, smirking.

"Yeah, who are you supposed to be? Elvis Coltstello?" Slap Shot added, snickering.

"Seriously little bro, what's with the egghead look?" All Star asked, just as all three gathered around him. They circled around him, giving him noogies and pushing him lightly. Sleepy tried to dodge it all, but there was nothing he could do agains them. Maybe if it had just been one, he'd stand a chance, but not this time. No escape.

Sensing what was about to happen and seeing her son being backed into a corner, Fleet Feet stepped in. She pushed all three aside and grabbed Sleepy Head. She held him away from them with a stern look on her face. The others knew this had now gotten serious, since, most of the time Fleet just saw this as colts being colts. Sleepy was embarrassed, to say the least. This wasn't exactly dignifying, having your mother jump in to rescue you? Though it could have been a lot worse, he could have suffered from the terror inducing buffalo burn, a devious move All Star had perfected.

"Now, you all listen and you listen good. Just because he has glasses doesn't make him any less of a stallion than any of you three." She said with the most authoritative voice.

"No. His lack of any athletic talent does." Three Pointer said in with a Snarky tone.

Just as they all started to laugh, Three Pointer was tackled to the ground by another pony. It wasn't either of the other brothers, but instead, a tall, slender mare with a white coat. She automatically gave him a noogie as soon as she had tackled him.

"Now, that's not nice, is it, bro?" The mare said, intensifying the noogie.

"No! No! It isn't! Please stop!" Three Pointer pleaded as he was tortured by the almighty punishment of intense hair ruffling. All Star let out an annoyed sigh.

"Jeez, Somersault Twist. Do you have to be such a buzz kill?" He said, giving her a light nudge. Her eyes snapped open and her attention jumped right to All Star, as she grabbed one of his back hooves, causing him to trip. She eyed Slap Shot with a glare. The hockey pony just backed away.

Sleepy's smile returned. He'd always looked up to Somersault Twist. She was the oldest of the family and had just gotten back from school to spend the summer in Green Neigh. She studied abroad for the last semester on a gymnastics scholarship. While she was just as athletically able as her brothers, there was always something different. She looked out for Sleepy throughout his entire life, never letting a wrong her siblings committed against him go unpunished.

She smiled back at the young stallion, giving him a gentle rub through his hair. Then she noticed his new glasses and smiled even wider.

"Oh, wow, Sleepy, those look spectacular on you." She said, her voice full of joy. Sleepy Head was finally happy that someone other than his mother and the sales clerk, appreciated his taste. However, the truth was that Somersault would have complimented him regardless of whether or not they looked good, she was just that nice. She knew he needed the encouragement.

"Um, yeah, the clerk said the same thing!" Sleepy muttered back.

"Fleet, I thought you were taking him in because he was getting headaches. He going to be OK?" Heavy asked with a concerned tone.

"Well, the doctor said he needed them and who am I to argue with Bedside?" She said, leading the kids inside.

"I bet she did anyway." Somersault added, following her parents.

Sleepy was just about to follow everyone else in, when his brothers pushed ahead of him. All Star turning back to face his little brother. He glared at the spectacled pony.

"Learn to fight your own battles, nerd." He said, slamming the door behind him.

Those words stuck to Sleepy Head. His brothers were always a bit rough around the edges, but whenever Somersault had to intervene, it was like All Star's ego exploded into a tiny thousand pieces. Sleepy knew, that if he was to survive the rest of this summer, he'd have to learn to buck up and be a stallion.

Ponyville
Present Day

Sleepy Head still stood, looking down into the river bellow. These memories only served to remind him how much of an outcast he'd been all his life. Most ponies who's brothers picked on them only became stronger as a result of it. Sleepy Head felt as if he'd been a disappointment to everyone and that the teasing had a much stronger hatred behind it. That's how it had always felt.

There was no real teasing in his time in Ponyville. Sure, the pegasus ponies would gossip about how an earth pony had gotten a job at a post office, but that never really bothered him. Heck, he wondered why they hired him as well. Maybe it was because he was just really proficient at his job. No customer had ever complained about his wrapping or filing or any thing of that sort. He wasn't employee of the month, but he sure wasn't on the short list to get a pink slip.

In fact, earlier that day he'd had a really interesting experience, one of the more bizarre ones for sure. It all started when a white unicorn with a purple mane came barging into the post office, yelling as if Equestria was heading towards the end of times.

Ponyville
13 Hours Eariler

"IT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER!" Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs. All the other ponies in the post office had to cover their ears to avoid permanent damage. A disgruntled Rainbow Dash hovered over her as she waited for Rarity's tantrum to subside.

"Will you calm DOWN, Rarity? I'm sure everything will be fine!" The pegasus pony said, trying to get her to stop whining. Rarity pulled Rainbow Dash close to her and hid her head in Rainbow's chest.

"Oh, but Rainbow, my dear, you simply don't understand! I had asked Sweetie Belle to wrap these boxes and she didn't and now I have to get next day delivery or else lose my commission with the Canterlot Ballet! If they don't receive they're costumes in time, my work means nothing! And the worst part is that it the delivery ponies leave in ten minutes!" She sobbed into Rainbow's chest some more.

"OK, first of all. Do you REALLY need wrapping? Can't they just deal with white boxes?" Rainbow Dash asked. Rarity stuck her head up, looking as if her intelligence had been insulted. Her tears quickly dried, as her usual snooty tone returned.

"Oh heavens, no. Don't you know that presentation is everything? You don't expect me to send my fabulous costumes in these bland why boxes?" She said, wiping her tears away.

"Ugh, well, maybe a pony in here can help. It's not that crowded and we're next online anyway"

The two ponies trotted up to the next open window. Sleepy Head had been working for the last three hours and so far, nothing of this magnitude and melodrama had happened. That's when he saw Rarity and Rainbow Dash approaching him. He'd heard horror stories about Rarity's temper tantrums when she was under pressure to get something out.

"Once again, you fail to understand showmanship. Your packaging must be bold and riveting! I've spent a good amount of time training Sweetie Belle all my best wrapping techniques and what does she do? The minute Scootaloo and Apple Bloom come knocking, she just runs out the door! She even took the wrapping paper with her. Why? Who knows?! She left me to suffer!" Rarity yelled as she put the boxes on top of the desk. "Oh, just send them as they are..." She finished, defeated.

"Uh..." Sleepy stammered. "One second..." He said, running off.

"Is this what they call service nowadays? Rarity quipped, annoyed at the pony's sudden departure.

Sleepy Head came back with a roll of purple and gold wrapping paper. He quickly began to cut it up, around one of the boxers and started to wrap them all quickly. This caught the attention of Rarity before he had even finished the first box.

"Oh, no! You mustn't do that!" She said, trying to stop Sleepy from doing his job. But, Sleepy was in the zone. He couldn't stop now. He wrapped all of the boxes quickly, but with a certain amount of love and care. By the time he was done, there was still five minutes left till next day deliveries went out. This didn't seem like a big deal to Sleepy, he had been doing it for years and had picked up all these trades over that time. Rarity's eyes glowed with admiration.

"What...what attention to detail! They all look so beautiful! The presentation here is fabulous, the choice of wrapping is to die for! Oh, thank you Mr. Mail Pony, thank you for all your help!" She exclaimed, laughing. "If you ever need any kind of suit made, you come right to my boutique!" She said, using her magic to summon a business card. "It will be on the house."

Sleepy smirked a bit, looking at the card. He'd never been so praised for just doing his job before. It was a new kind of feeling he wasn't quite used to.

"Rarity, we're going to be late to Fluttershy's party. Don't gush too much."

"Yes, yes, but of course. Thank you again...what was your name?" She asked.

"Um...uh...well...I..." Sleepy Head mumbled.

Just then Rainbow Dash dragged Rarity out of the post office. Sleepy still tried to get something out, but couldn't. As she was dragged off, Rarity yelled out to Sleepy Head.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll remember your stylish glasses!"

Ponyville
Present Day

As he leaned on the bridge, Sleepy took another second to remember Rarity's compliment. He'd never quite seen or heard anything like it. Was this a sign of things to come if he just kept up the good work in Ponyville? Maybe it wasn't so bad, this new life he'd started.

Sleepy looked back at the envelope. The hologram stamp reflecting in the moonlight.

Then again, there was still that.

The night wasn't done with him yet.