Last Stop: This Town

by TiredPony

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5873

A stallion named Sleepy Head must come to grips with his tragic past.

Sleepy Head was the most quiet stallion in Ponyville. Nopony really knew who he was or, for that matter, really cared. He was simply the awfully quiet earth pony who worked in the post office. Sleepy had been OK with his concealed status for the past five years, but when a calling card from his past arrives at his doorstep, Sleepy must decide to either take responsibility or shirk everything.

Published 2012-07-31 19:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-31 19:04:02 UTC

Chapter 1

Author’s Note: This is my first ponyfic, please be gentle.

"Last Stop: This Town"

Introduction

Every pony has a streak of insomnia, at least once in their life. Those long nights where your mind is racing and you just can't get to sleep? Many ponies doesn't even take into account what it is that's keeping them up and eventually, they just doze off into the warm comfort of slumber. However, there are a select few whose minds never stop processing. They often sit up late, doing nothing but going over both important and trivial events. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll get an hour or two of sleep before they have to get up and earn their bits.

Sleepy Head was not one of these few ponies.

No pony really knew much about the small, grey stallion. He never stood out, never spoke up, never made scene. All he did was eat, work, and sleep. On the rare occasion other ponies did get to hear him speak, they were greeted with a soft, fragile voice. Anytime he had to say more than one sentence, he’d often get tongue tied, a blush would cover his face, and he’d leave.

Some might call Sleepy Head mundane. For someone who lived in Ponyville, you’d figure he might have gotten some life knocked into him by his fellow townsfolk. But no, Sleepy was more than fine with just being himself.

Every morning, he’d wake up, eat breakfast, and head to his job at the Ponyville Post Office. He was the only earth pony they had employed in years and it didn’t go unnoticed. The other pegasus ponies would often talk behind his back. Sleepy didn’t pay much mind, he’d heard worse insults in his life. Naturally, he didn’t like his job, but what pony would? He didn’t get to deliver mail like the other ponies. Instead, he worked behind a desk, sending letters up tubes and in slots, filing paperwork, and helping other ponies buy packaging. There wasn’t much to say about it, really, but it paid the bills.

In the afternoon, after his shift was over, he’d go to the same restaurant and buy the same lunch. Some days, when he felt he’d earned it, he’d go to Sugar Cube corner and have a small cup of ice cream. Just a scoop of vanilla. Sometimes, Mr. and Mrs. Cake would try to have Pinkie Pie brighten his day. She’d try putting a sparkler in the scoop or sing a song about it. The latter method was shut down after Pinkie realized there were only so many lyrics you could sing about a cup of vanilla ice cream. Sleepy never really said anything in response to these attempts, but he didn’t stop them either. Pinkie had always hoped that one day, he’d give her a smile.

Then at night, he’d retire to his small cottage on the east side of Ponyville. Sometimes, he’d stay up for a bit, just staring out the window looking at all the lights in town slowly go out one by one, until all he could see were street lights. Other times, he would just read a book he checked out from the library. Most of them work short, slice-of-life novellas that Sleepy could digest without thinking too much. Of all the things in his quiet life, these brought him the most comfort. Peering in on happier lives made him feel warmth that he couldn’t get from reality.

After all was said and done, he’d turn out his lights. He might make some tea and a small sandwich, but most of the time, he’d just tuck himself in and drift off to sleep, making sure to place his glasses on the nightstand. A song from his childhood would always be playing in his mind. There were no lyrics to it, just a soft melody that he’d remember for years upon years. He took solace in the fact that nothing could ever taint the purity of that. Never was there a night where he couldn’t fall asleep to that soothing melody.

It’s funny how one object can change everything.

Ponyville
Present Day

Something had been off all day. From the very second he stepped out of his house, Sleepy Head felt this overall sense of dread in the air. However, that was only a passing thought in his mind. The real issue was with the envelope that lay on his nightstand.

It had been three whole hours since it had arrived. He hadn’t done much else with it other than glance at the return address and take note of the stamp which prominently featured Princess Celestia. It was an odd hologram stamp that must have cost a little extra. Sleepy had an odd fascination with stamps, ever since he was a colt. In recent years, it had died down to a passing interest, rather than the hobby it had once been.

Sleepy stood a good five feet away from the nightstand, almost as if he were trying to avoid the letter. He glared at it, breathing deeply. A feeling of fear had rushed into the stallion, something that he hadn’t felt in years. Then again, he hadn’t felt much at all in the past five years. That number raced through his head. Five. Five full years since he had found himself in this town. Five years since he had started a new life. Most importantly, five years since he had heard from the sender of this letter.

He didn’t want to deal with it. Not tonight, not ever.

Sleepy grabbed the letter in his mouth and trotted outside. It was very late. The streets were dark, the dim flames of the lights were the only thing providing safe passage through the various cobble stone roads. He pressed on, unsure of where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get away, at least for tonight.

Never before had he been out this late, save for one or two Nightmare Nights, when he tried to socialize. Those attempts only ended in Sleepy stumbling on his words more. He had never been a great at socializing, even as a foal. Back then, it might have been easier to look at is as shyness or a cute lack of social skills, but now it was embarrassing. He couldn’t even muster up the courage to talk to other ponies on his own. The majority of the time, the ponies that were unlucky enough to get caught in his tangled web of mushed up words, started the conversation.

Sleepy Head continued to the Ponyville limits. Turning around, he was at a high enough point to see all of Ponyville. He hadn’t even realized he’d climbed up a hill, the only thing he’d been thinking about this entire time was just getting away from everything. Something had finally snapped. The stallion realize something larger had compelled him to come up to this high of a point.

He turned back to the way he’d been running and saw a bridge. This was a bridge few ponies had used in recent years. It was old, rickety, and a bit creepy. It wasn’t quite the highest point in Ponyville, but nopony would dare risk trying to forge the rapids below. Several mothers warned their foals to avoid it at all costs. That didn’t stop fillies like Scootaloo from crossing it to win the admiration of her class. Sleepy had read that in a school paper a colt left at the post office once.

At this point, he had nothing to lose. If anything did happen on that bridge, nopony would know or care enough to make mention of it. At best, he thought it might merit a small two line article in some paper that would probably read; “Stallion Lost To Faulty Bridge”. He wasn’t even sure if many people knew his name outside his boss and a handful of coworkers.

Sleepy Head set hoof onto the bridge, a loud creek escaping the artifact from another time. He finally moved his whole body onto it, looking around. For all intents and purposes, the bridge actually seemed fairly stable. He even shifted his wait a little to see if anything would snap. To no avail.

As he continued to walk over the bridge, he trotted over to the left side of it and looked over the edge. He set the envelope on the railing. It hadn’t been windy that day, so he wasn’t worried about some stray gust coming to blow it away. Then again, looking at that return address, maybe that was just what he wanted. The sender wasn’t someone that Sleepy Head particular wanted to hear from at this point in his life. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? Why couldn’t anypony in Ponyville just leave him alone? All he wanted was a little privacy. Any pony that had spoken to him knew what he was like, so what did somepony like Pinkie Pie care about him?

There, below the bridge, he saw those raging rapids that led into Ponyville. They looked rough, but Sleepy saw an odd peace in the river. For all its frantic splashing, he couldn’t help but feel like there was something calming about it. He continued to gaze upon it. He wondered what it’d be like to be a pebble. Just flowing through the river, not having any control over anything, but at the same time, not having anyone expect anything of him. Most importantly, nopony could blame anything on him.

That’s when the memories came flooding back.

Green Neigh, Whoofsconsin
Five Years Ago

Sleepy Head sat on a doctor’s table, staring directly across the room. On the other side, a doctor, holding a pointer at an eye chart.

“OK then, young stallion, can you please read me the bottom five letters?” The horned doctor asked, smiling.

Sleepy looked rather nervous. He glanced over at his mother, who was standing there, smiling back at him. She nodded, her head gesturing at the eye chart. Sleepy Head took a deep breath and looked right at the chart. He opened his eyes as wide as possible, thinking that would help him.

“Um, OK. Z, O...T...N...E? I think those are them, right?” Sleepy asked, as he squinted to make the last couple out. He’d tried so hard to get those last couple right. He felt confident in at least the first two, but rest looked almost blurry.

The doctor shook his head and walked up to Sleepy. He took a small flashlight and pointed in into Sleepy’s eyes, making them dilate. Sleepy Head felt a bit of discomfort as he did so, he wasn’t a fan of lights. Most of the time, he liked spending his free time with as little light as possible. He always felt that was relaxing. Just as the doctor finished doing that, Sleepy Head’s mother walked up to them both.

“What’s wrong, Dr. Manner?” She asked with genuine concern.

“Well, it’s not so much something that’s wrong, it’s simply something that some ponies find out faster than others. After a few exams, I think it’d be in Sleepy Head’s best interest to get a pair of glasses, he seems to be a nearsighted.” He smiled, as if he’d memorized that speech, so as to break the news easier.

Not knowing how to react, Sleepy Head didn’t say anything. He just sat there, blinking each eye, testing them out to see if anything would help him read the eye chart better. Sleepy’s mother ruffled his hair.

“Bedside, you’ve been our physician for years. You know that nopony in our family has ever needed glasses. Couldn’t this just be a temporary thing? I mean, his brothers are always a bit rough. Who knows? Maybe they hit his head a bit too hard. Did All Star throw you off the couch again?” she said, in her thick midwestern accent.

“Mom...” moaned Sleepy.

“Fleet Feet, pony genetics can be a bit odd. Not every every single child you have is going to be the same.” Bedside Manner retorted.

“Yes, but, I have four children who have amazing genetics and perfect eyesight. I know Sleepy Head is the youngest and some might even consider him the runt with that small stature of his...” as she continued to talk, all Sleepy Head could do was blush.

“Fleet, calm down, please. It’s not the end of the world. Some ponies just need glasses and others don’t, simple as that. Unless there’s anything else you’d like help with, I say we just move on and get a prescription filled out. What do you say? I know the best frame designer in all of Green Neigh and I’m sure he’ll make you look great.” Dr. Manner said, patting Sleepy on the back.

It was then Sleepy noticed a small, small sharp pain. He let out a small yelp and nodded. A look of concern ran over Dr. Manner’s face.

“Sleepy, did that hurt?” he asked.

“Oh, well, he got bruised today, playing in the yard. Like I said, those colts are always too rough. But, what can you do?” Fleet Feet said, rubbing his arm and smiling. Sleepy just nodded again, in agreement. He had been playing awfully rough with his siblings...even when he didn’t want to.

“Well, I’ll fill out the prescription and you can go straight to pick them up. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to have Sleepy Head back in a week for a follow-up appointment and a check-up.” The medical pony finished, leading them out the door.

“Thank you, Dr. Manner. Say thank you, Sleepy Head.” Fleet Feet said, scooting Sleepy out the door.

“Thank you.” He said, in a defeated tone

Sleepy Head had been thoroughly embarrassed, but he was used to it. He’d grown up in a big family and was constantly the subject of ridicule by his brothers. As his mother mentioned, he was indeed the runt of the family. Everyone else had achieved some kind of athletic prowess, while Sleepy...well, let’s just say that Sleepy Head was never really cut our for sports. His brothers were all well built stallions, model ponies to anyone who looked on. Sleepy knew he could never compete, so he never tried. That didn’t stop the others from teasing him.

They’d constantly poke fun at his small stature and shy demeanor. Often pushing him around the house and piling on top of him when he wasn’t looking. However, Sleepy’s parents always wrote this off as colts being colts. To an extent, it was true. It wasn’t weird for young male ponies to be rough, but Sleepy had always felt there was something beneath the...well...for lack of a better term, horseplay.

As Sleepy Head and Fleet Feet walked down the road to get the young stallion’s prescription, Fleet had noticed her son hanging his head down. This wasn’t an odd pose for Sleepy to go into, but after that appointment, Fleet Feet was concerned.

“Honey, are you OK?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m, um, fine.” He replied, his voice indicating that he wasn’t really interested in talking.

“Sleepy, what did I say about saying “um”, all the time?”

“That it’s not appealing to other ponies’ ears.” The young stallion replied.

“I know it’s hard being the smallest in the family, but there are so many things you can do keep up with everypony and proper diction is one of them, dear. I’m sure a lot of your brothers wouldn’t hassle you so much if you’d just speak up once in awhile.” She remarked, hoping to instill some confidence in Sleepy.

“I don’t think it’s my speaking that starts all of our fights.” He said, almost glaring at his mother.

“Oh, Sleepy Head. You know that your brothers don’t want to fight with you, they’re just messing around. When I was a little filly, my brothers did the same thing. They’d always be giving each other noogies and tickle attacks-”

“I don’t think you can get bruises from tickle attacks.” Sleepy said, cutting his mother off. “I also don’t think glasses are going help my case. They’re going to be ugly and stupid.” He finished, hanging his head back down.

“Well, to be honest, I was a bit shocked at first. I mean, nopony in our family has ever needed glasses at a young age, but Dr. Manner is right. This is something all ponies must deal with at one time or another, so it’s best just to stick it out. If you can get through this, you can get through anything.” Fleet said, sticking her hoof out as if to inspire him.

Sleepy just walked into the frames store. Fleet Feet let out a sigh and walked in after him.

Chapter 2

"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.