Chapters Hey guys! Just a quick note, this is a sequel to A Tale of Equestrian Proportions. To get a better feel for the characters, I suggest you read that first, but you may continue to read on! Almost the same as before, this story is written from two ponies perspectives, odd chapters are from Matt's perspective, while even ones are from Robbie's. Hope you enjoy!
It had been months now. The portal to Equestria had been sealed and closed behind me so there was no way back in. But then again, why would I want to go back? Sure, Robbie was still there and we had always been good friends, but the memories of Twilight and I just haunted me whenever I was there.
I let out a sigh as I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling of my darkened room. Sleep was evading me a lot recently, but I had grown accustomed to it. The silence and emptiness allowed all of the good, and the bad memories to creep back, even though they were unwelcome and I let them know it whenever one reared its ugly head.
“Shut up, just go away!” I moaned at my ever overactive brain, rolling over to get comfier. It was no use though, the thought had implanted itself firmly at the front of my mind. With another heavy sigh I heaved myself into a sitting position and checked my alarm clock.
Three AM. I was never going to be in a fit state for college in the morning. I pressed the power button on my pc as I dropped into the chair, which was surrounded by empty energy drink cans and assorted food wrappers. The screen lit up brightly causing me to flinch at the invasion of my eyes before I finally adjusted and began to browse the internet.
I hadn’t watched My Little Pony since I had made my final return from Equestria, the memories were just too much to bear whenever I saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Even though it had happened months ago, it still felt fresh in my mind whenever I thought back to that day.
I had passed through the portal, like any other time I had visited my marefriend at the library, and as usual Robbie was in the house to greet me. We exchanged the usual banter, catching up, seeing how school was going for me. Robbie was visibly excited that day because he had received a letter from GoldenHorn Studios, one of the most prestige record labels in all of Equestria, informing him that he had been given a minor contract to record two albums. He had been a DJ around a few of the local nightclubs, but until now nothing had ever came from it.
I bid him farewell fairly quickly as usual and made my way to the library with a skip in my step. Opening that door and greeting Twilight, I could immediately tell something was wrong.
“Matt, we need to talk” She had said, motioning for me to take a seat. I obliged her and sat, but she would not make eye contact. Given what she was about to say, I wouldn’t have been able to either.
“Look, I really love you, but I need more than someone who is only in town for a few days a week. We’ve been dating for a while now, but it seems like you’re not in the place to make the commitment that I need.” My eyes were betraying me, stinging as tears welled up in the corners; my heart sank in my chest, as if it had suddenly become made of lead. Was this really how it was about to end?
“I’m sorry Matt, but I don’t see this working with us living so far apart, and you only being here when you can. I think it’s time we called it off” Her head sank, still avoiding eye contact. I could tell it was as hard for her as it was for me. The tears now freely flowed from my eyes and, silently, I rose from the chair and galloped away.
“Matt! Wait!” I heard Twilight shout after me, but I would not listen, I couldn’t go back there now. I can’t remember most of the gallop back to Robbie’s cottage. I just remember bursting through the door. He had immediately sat me down and I told him what had happened. He was very concerned and offered me a place to stay for the few days I was in Ponyville, but I wouldn’t be staying.
“I’m going back Robbie.” I picked up the portal gun in a rush, a cross between rage and sorrow filling my body.
“I can’t let you go back like this. Just stay a few days and we can just hang out and I can help you start to move on!” He practically begged me to stay, but I wouldn’t listen. This was one thing my best friend couldn’t help me with.
“I DON’T WANT TO MOVE ON! I WANT TO BE WITH TWILIGHT, BUT THAT DOESN’T LOOK LIKELY NOW DOES IT!” I snapped at him. One of the many things I look back on and kick myself for. He backed off a little and I let out an angered grunt before I opened the portal.
“I want you, to close the portal behind me and never re-open in for any reason, do you understand?” I said through gritted teeth, panting heavily from my outburst. Robbie’s eyes filled with confusion.
“You mean you’re never coming back?” He retorted, his voice cracking slightly.
“That’s the plan,” I took a step towards him now, letting out a sigh, “I just don’t think I can ever come back with this hanging over my head.” Robbie nodded as if he understood, and he approached me before giving me a hug.
“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did Matt, but you know everything happens for a reason right? Please don’t beat yourself up about this too much, and for the love of Celestia, don’t do anything stupid.” He pleaded with me the last couple of phrases. I couldn’t guarantee him that so I just nodded and he gave me a smile.
“Well I guess this is goodbye then.” He held out his hoof towards me and I bumped it with mine, the final bro-hoof to be shared between us.
“I guess it is.” I simply said before turning and dashing through the portal. I landed on my bedroom floor with a thud. My hands curled into fists and tears once again meandered down my cheeks onto the floor. As promised, Robbie closed the portal behind me and I was left alone, in my darkened room with my memories and thoughts.
Not much had changed from then until now. I still thought about Twilight every day, I regretted not giving Robbie the proper goodbye he had deserved. We were best friends after all. I mostly regretted running out of the library the way I did, there was a chance we could have talked it out, but my emotions got the better of me, and I had to make an escape.
My hands once again curled into fists as I thought back. I had zoned out for so long my computer screen had gone onto my screen-saver. I watched the fish swim lazily around my screen and thought back to my old screen-saver, which had been all of the mane six, playing and laughing on a loop. I smiled slightly at the thought but then the image of Twilight flashed before my eyes and I was pushed back down into my pit of depression where I had been living for the past six months.
Sighing, I rose to my feet, oblivious to the new light that filled the room. Only when I turned to face my bed did I notice the orange glowing oval that occupied my wall. I squinted at the surface, which had once been filled with a Little Comets poster. I approached the all too familiar portal with caution, I was pretty sure it was just my mind finally giving up on me and pushing me into full blown hallucinations. But as I drew closer, something told me this was real.
I reached my hand towards the portal, curious to why it had suddenly re-appeared. Then something shot out, grabbing my wrist and pulling me through onto a hardwood floor which I recognized instantly.
“Hey man! Long time, no see!” I looked up to find the source of the voice, and before me stood a grey Pegasus, with a bright red mane with blue tints running through, looking down at me.
Reunions
“Hey man! Long time, no see!” I said cheerily as Matt looked up at me from the floor. I quickly closed the portal and he stood up and groggily looked around.
“What am I doing here?” He asked agitatedly looking around the living room of the familiar cottage that we had both lived in. His gaze finally fixed on me and all I could do is give a smile.
“Well I kind of have something important that I want you to be a part of.” I smiled at him and he gave a slight sigh, bowing his head slightly.
“Fine, what do you need me for?” He was still glancing around, almost as if he was expecting an ambush at any moment. I laughed slightly before tapping the end of my muzzle with my hoof.
“That’s for me to know, at the moment anyway.” With a small chuckle I led him out of the cottage and down the street. He didn’t seem best pleased that I had dragged him back through into Equestria, but he wasn’t objecting too much, for the moment at least.
“So are you ever going to tell me what I’m here for? Or have you just dragged me back so we can go for a walk?” I turned to face the source of the un-amused words. Matt was trudging along beside me, dragging his hooves slightly. Almost like a schoolfilly who didn’t get her way.
“You’ll find out soon enough, but first I think we need to do something.” I looked up at the hollowed out large tree where Twilight lived. Matt obviously hadn’t been paying attention to the direction I had him follow me in. He took one look up to see where we were and refused to walk any further.
“I’m not going in there.” He announced, his voice stained with sadness and a slight hint of rage. I sighed and turned to face him.
“Well you need to if you want to find out what you’re here for.” I said flatly, hoping that the serious tone in my voice would convince him to enter. No such luck.
“Sorry Robbie, I just can’t.” With that he took a seat on a bench, “You go ahead though if it’s so important.”
I sighed, and trotted towards the library. I gently knocked on the door and entered, as I always did whenever I needed a book or anything else. I glanced around the library for any sign of Twilight but there was none to be found. I groaned at my luck, but then I spied the small purple and green dragon that cared for the library and cleaned up Twilight’s mess.
“Spike!” I called out softly, catching the dragons attention. He walked over to me and as usual I gave him a hoof/fist bump before continuing the conversation. “Is Twilight around? I need to see her for something and it’s pretty urgent.”
“Yeah sure thing, I think she’s upstairs reading some soppy love story with her box of tissues again. I’ll just fetch her for you.” With that he jogged up the stairs. Spike had always been very helpful, in my experience, and I had developed a small friendship with him after Matt had left. I often checked in on Twilight with Rainbowdash whenever I could. She seemed to lock herself away for days, never coming out and blowing off her friends just to be alone. I had felt sorry for her at the time, but she seemed to return to normal after a while. Spike returned shortly, with Twilight in tow and I smiled at her warmly before greeting her.
“Hey Twilight!” I said as enthusiastically as possible, trying to lighten the situation as much as I could before the shock of what I was about to ask her to do.
“Hello Robbie, what can I do for you?” She asked me formally, and I took a moment before replying.
“Well you see, I’ve asked Matt to come back for the celebrations in a few weeks and I need you to cast the spell enabling him to walk on clouds for me.” I smiled after asking to help lighten the mood but it didn’t seem to work.
“Matt’s here?” she said panicking slightly and rushed over to a mirror, “Do I look alright? Where is he? Is he here?” She began to fluster over her mane and darted about looking for a brush and I was slightly surprised at the speed she could move when she was in a slight panic.
“Matt is here, and it sitting on a bench outside waiting for me. I still have to get a reply from my other friend to see if he is able to come, so I may need to ask this favour again.” I felt bad asking this much of Twilight, but she never seemed to mind anything that would help her develop her magic.
“Give me a moment, and I’ll be right out to do it for you,” She said now rushing towards the window at blinding speed, “Wow it’s been so long since I’ve seen him. He doesn’t look like he’s aged a day!” I had a slight chuckle at her over-reaction and waited patiently for her to finish getting ready.
“Right,” She announced before taking a deep breath, “Let’s go.” I walked out of the library first, making my way to where Matt was sat, looking rather agitated. Twilight followed close behind me and his eyes seemed to light up when he saw her. I couldn’t tell whether it was from excitement or horror but he didn’t try to leave, so I assumed that was a good sign.
“Matt, Twilight’s going to cast a spell to enable you to walk on clouds.” I said calmly to the unicorn who was now staring at me with a look of loathing in his eyes directed straight into my being. Twilight now stepped around me and her horn began to glow. Matt made no attempt to move away from her as her horn came into contact with his and the spell took effect. I sighed knowing that the awkwardness would soon be at an end.
“So how have you been?” Twilight asked him, causing a lump to form in my throat. He looked around for a second before answering.
“Pretty horrific.” He answered bluntly, causing me to almost face-hoof, “But surviving non-the-less. Yourself?” I was surprised that he had asked her, given the awkwardness of the situation but he was putting on a polite face at least.
“I’ve been alright, thank you.” She replied, obviously sensing the slight venom in his voice and recoiling from the hostility slightly. I decided now would probably be the best time to move along and not drag out this time bomb of emotions any longer.
“Well Matt, shall we move on?” I said forcing a smile onto my face and pushing him in the general direction of my house, turning to thank Twilight and mouthing an apology for his behaviour. We slowly walked towards the outskirts of Ponyville, where my new abode floated in the sky in front of the beautiful lake to the east of the town. I pointed it out on the horizon to Matt and he gasped slightly at the sight of it. Rainbows were formed across the roof, from cloud to cloud, the architecture inspired by traditional Pegusi buildings from Cloudsdale, tall pillars stood firmly beside the front door which towered to a rather grand height. I smiled looking at my home and the surprises that awaited Matt when he arrived.
“Well I need to carry you from here,” I said to him, and once again he didn’t look amused. He climbed onto my back and I spread my wings, taking to the sky. It was unusual having to carry another pony on my back, but not unfamiliar. There had been a few occasions where Rainbowdash had injured herself and I had had to carry her to the hospital. They were few occasions, but it happened all too often for my liking.
I set Matt down on the cloud layer outside of the front door, which was mainly a kind of cloudy garden to relax upon. I trotted over to the door and Matt followed me, apprehensively taking each step, as if he would fall through the clouds at any moment. I opened the front door allowing his eyes to land on the entrance hallway. It was spacious, with a large staircase leading upstairs to where the all five bedrooms were found. Trophy cases lined the walls, containing pictures of Rainbowdash and the Wonderbolts, as well as her large collection of trophies from multiple sporting events. In frames at either side of the trophy cases, were my gold records from several successful albums, which allowed me to purchase this amazing house.
The patter of small hooves snapped me out of my trance and I glanced around to find the source. Matt obviously found it before I did, his face looking shocked as a small grey Pegasus filly with a rainbow coloured mane galloped over to me.
“Hey Kiddo! How are you doing?” I said just as enthusiastically back, giving her a huge smile.
“Great! Mommy just made cupcakes and they’re delicious!” She squealed back with excitement. Her eyes then landed on Matt, who was still stood with an extremely shocked expression on his face. She became quiet, as any shy filly does, and then hid her face behind my wing. I chuckled slightly at her sudden change in mood and gently placed her on the ground.
“Matt I’d like you to meet Rainbow Dancer,” I said proudly gesturing to the filly who was now pressed against my front legs, “Rainbow Dancer, this is your Uncle Matt, remember me telling you about him?” She nodded slightly and I felt her relax a little.
“Well then!” I scooped her up onto my back again, “Let’s see those cupcakes you mentioned!” I took off at a gallop towards the kitchen, Matt following obviously shocked at the size of my house and the fact that I had a filly. But he was in for another couple of shocks today so he had better get used to it. I screeched to a halt in the kitchen, in front of the counter that stood in the centre of the room. A large stove sat underneath the window at the far end, a collection of pans and other cooking utensils hung neatly above. The entire place was finished in white, to give it an almost sterile look. Matt joined us quickly and as promised there were some rather messily iced cupcakes sitting on the bench cooling.
“Did you help make these?” I asked her taking a deep sniff of the freshly baked treats. The little filly nodded and I placed her down on the floor, “Well you’d better hope that I don’t eat them all before a certain little pony gets any of them.” I teased slightly, giving her a playful wink.
“NO!” She gasped in horror before galloping out the room, “MOMMY! TELL DADDY NOT TO EAT ALL THE CUPCAKES!” I smiled a little at her as she disappeared from sight.
“So when did you have a filly?” I heard Matt say from behind me, almost startling me. He hadn’t said a word since we had arrived at the house.
“Well we found out Rainbow was pregnant a few months before you left, she’s about one and a half now.” I smiled proudly as he walked over to me, “I asked to keep her first name as Rainbow, because of the mane, obviously. But we needed something to keep it different from Rainbowdash, and Rainbow wanted her to be an athlete and I wanted her to do something with music, and there’s only one area where those two combine. Dancing, so we named her Rainbow Dancer. Nice huh.”
“And you named me her uncle?” A look of disbelief and the closest thing to a smile that I had seen all day broke out on his face.
“Yeah well, when you don’t have any family, you need to create some, and you were the only person that I could think of to say was my brother, so you are now an honorary uncle.” I proclaimed the last part proudly as Rainbowdash made her way into the kitchen.
“Hey there, where have you been all day?” She asked before giving me a kiss and I gestured towards Matt who was now looking rather sheepish. Rainbow looked astonished, and soon everything that was on her mind came pouring out of her mouth.
“I thought you said he wasn’t coming back? You seemed so sure that you would never see him again, what’s changed? Has he seen Twil…” I pressed my hoof to her mouth gently to stop the flood of questions flowing before calmly explaining.
“Well you see, I asked Matt nicely to come out here because we have something to tell him, and he came out. And he did have a slight encounter with Twilight earlier to allow him to walk on clouds.” She looked at me, then back to him. This continued for a little while before she finally came around to the fact that he was here.
“So have you told him yet?” She asked excitedly.
“Not yet, I was waiting until you were present so it would be appropriate.” I turned now to face Matt, standing by Rainbow’s side and wrapping a wing around her.
“Matt,” I began, struggling to find the right words in my head, “I asked you to come all the way out here, on such short notice, because Rainbow and I got engaged a few months ago and the wedding is in a couple of weeks. I wanted to ask you, if you would be my best-colt and stand by my side at the ceremony.”
I watched his eyes light up, and change from shock, to sheer happiness in a moment. He looked back and forth between us, the pause he was taking was causing a knot to form in my stomach.
“Of course I will!” He announced happily, throwing his front legs around both of us, “Congratulations you guys! I always thought you were great for each other!” Rainbow and I blushed slightly at this and I gave him a quick bro-hoof.
“Mommy! Scoots won’t let me play on the Neightendo!” Rainbow Dancer shouted through from the living room. With a sigh Rainbowdash trotted through to sort out the problem and that left Matt and I alone in the kitchen once more.
“Did Rainbow Dancer just say Scoots?” Matt asked slightly confused, “Are they friends?”
“Actually, we kind of adopted Scootaloo a while back,” I answered solemnly, “I was walking back from the recording studio late one night, and it was pretty stormy. It was raining heavily, so I was hurrying as quickly as I could to get home for some shelter, but I wasn’t flying because the winds were too strong for me to handle for a long time.” I sighed remembering back to that night, the wind chill was horrendous, and the rain hit you so hard it stung slightly. Rainbowdash had set up a pretty good storm I had to admit!
“But then I came across something I never thought I’d see,” I continued, taking a slight pause at this point to trot to the fridge and get myself an apple juice. “I was trotting through an alleyway, and I noticed a large box at the side with a little light protruding from the opening. I thought it was curious so I went to investigate and found Scoots curled up in the bottom with a flashlight. I asked her why she wasn’t at home, and it turns out that she didn’t have a home to go to. Poor thing had no parents or house, so I couldn’t leave her there. I invited her to stay with Rainbowdash and I and she’s never left.”
I took a sip of my apple juice and watched him think over everything I’d just told him, it was a lot to take in on your first day back in Equestria. I offered him a drink and he took a glass of apple juice as well, before we sat on the chairs at the counter, discussing everything he had missed in the time he had been gone, and everything that was upcoming.
“So do you have anyone else coming to the wedding apart from me?” Matt asked me intently over the table, and I paused to think for a moment before I smiled to myself. I knew exactly who was coming.
“Only one person I can think of,” I smiled to myself as the thought of kidnapping another friend of mine sprang to mind, “Bryan.”
“So what’s the plan again?” I said to Robbie as we trotted towards the cottage.
“Well, I altered your portal gun slightly so that you could choose the location on Earth and Equestria you want to go to. So we can open a portal in Bryan’s bedroom and snatch him from there, assuming of course that he’s there.” He replied with a glint in his eyes that could only be described as that of an evil genius about to carry out some villainous plot.
“Do you think he’ll be okay with us just snatching him like this?” I asked him after taking a moment to ponder the insane situation I had once again found myself in.
“Yeah I’m sure it will be fine.” He replied flatly while opening the gate and making his way to the door. Upon entering, I took the time to look around and it became obvious that nopony lived here anymore. All the furniture was in the same place, but it seemed, greyer, for some reason. Dust had settled on the shelves and counters, and everything seemed empty. It took Robbie a moment of fiddling with the settings on the portal gun to get everything set up, but before long he was ready.
“Just so you know, I’ve never tested this before, so this could go horribly wrong.” He warned before firing the gun at the wall. The blue oval once again appeared and Robbie took a deep breath.
“Moment of truth.” He said, plunging halfway through the portal he seemed to begin struggling with something. In a moment of panic, I grabbed his back legs and pulled with all my might. It worked, as we both tumbled back onto the floor in a heap, and a light green Pegasus fell to the floor in front of us. With a groan I stood back up, rubbing my head where I had bumped it slightly on one of Robbie’s hooves and observed as Robbie took a step towards the Pegasus, who was now looking around, obviously very confused.
“Hey Bryan, it’s Robbie man!” He said in the most cheery voice he could put on. He received a confused and worried look as Bryan sat up.
“Where am I?” Bryan eventually said, looking around the room and at the ponies standing in front of him, “And why haven’t you been online in months?” He asked Robbie. Slightly taken aback that that was the only thing he had to say, Robbie trotted off and dragged a mirror in front of Bryan.
“Welcome to Equestria dude!” He said proudly, as Bryan came to terms with his new form. He was a slightly larger build than Robbie and I, with a light green coat and dark brown mane. A film reel occupied his flank and when he finally stood, it became apparent that he was, not only a larger build, but taller than us too.
“Hey Bryan,” I finally chimed in to the conversation, “It’s Matt, we used to chat a lot on skype.” He looked over at me and I shifted nervously as he assessed the situation he had now found himself in.
“So, let me get this straight, you dragged me through a portal somehow, after not speaking to me in almost a year, to bring me to a land of magical ponies?” He said to Robbie, who was also standing rather awkwardly.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it, but it is for a good reason.” Robbie replied, appearing rather nervous at his friends dull statement.
“Cool, what’s up guys!” A smile erupted across his face, and he bro-hoofed both Robbie and I, before we had a catch up chat in the kitchen. It was mostly stories from high school, where Robbie and Bryan had met, but they were all entertaining and although I hadn’t been there, I could still laugh along at the detail they both went into in reminiscing.
“Oh! Also guys, you both won’t be able to stay with Rainbow Dash and me, but I kept the cottage here so you two could stay here. It isn’t the best, and could use a little TLC, but I’m sure it will be fine!” Robbie announced from the other side of the table. I certainly didn’t mind staying here, I would have my old room back and I would have the freedom to do as I pleased around Ponyville. Bryan didn’t seem to mind either, and before long Robbie decided that it was time to announce the news to Bryan.
“Hey Bryan, the reason I haven’t been online in the past, year was it? Well anyway, I haven’t been online in so long because I became a permanent resident here in Ponyville. I fell in love with a mare named Rainbow Dash, who you may remember me talking about a few times, and we’re getting married in a couple of weeks.” Robbie allowed a moment for this to sink in and Bryan’s face was plastered with a look that could only be described as bewilderment.
“Well congratulations man, didn’t think I’d be seeing you getting married anytime soon!” He walked around the table and shook Robbie’s hoof, “So when do I get to meet the lucky gal then?” He nudged Robbie, inducing a slight reddish colour to appear in his face.
“Well I suppose we can go now,” Robbie replied standing and leading the way to the front door, closely followed by Bryan and I. The streets seemed relatively quiet, for this time of day as the three of us made our way out towards Robbie’s cloud house. We bantered light-heartedly about the wedding plans, and what our rolls would be during the ceremony. I was to bear the rings and stand as a witness to the proceedings, and Bryan was to be a groomsman. It then dawned on me that I would maybe have to throw Robbie a bachelor party, but I would plan that in secret with Bryan when we were back at the cottage for the night.
I was drawn out of my thoughts by Robbie announcing that I would have to climb onto his back to be carried up to his house once more. It was an odd experience flying, but not one that was unpleasant. He dropped me onto the cloud and flew down to collect Bryan next. With the size difference between the two of them, it was hard to see how Robbie would be able to carry him up, but soon enough Bryan was also placed on the cloud.
“I’m glad I did all of that training with Rainbow Dash now.” Robbie gasped, panting from having to fly two ponies up to the cloud, not something he was really used to. We entered into the main hall and Bryan instantly began to scan the records that were on the walls. The sound of loud video games and fillys experiencing game rage flowed from the living room, and the house was filled with the smell of cooking, which probably meant Robbie had taught Rainbowdash how to cook.
“Guys, this is Bryan, one of my friends from back home. Bryan, this is Rainbow Dash, the mare that I’m lucky enough to be marrying in a couple of weeks,” He gestured to Rainbowdash, and Bryan quickly shook her hoof, “And this one here,” He continued scooping up Rainbow Dancer, “Is my little Rainbow Dancer, and last but not least, is Scootaloo.” It was weird seeing Scootaloo, she had grown up so much since I had last been in Equestria. She now had her cutie mark, which was a scooter with flames burning a path behind it, no surprise there really. She looked like a teenager now, her mane was longer, she was taller and even her voice seemed different when she introduced herself to Bryan.
With the introductions out of the way, we all made our way into the sitting room. It was large, with comfortable looking sofas all placed in front of a large TV. Windows occupied two of the walls, giving a magnificent view of the lake. There were various toys and other things scattered on the floor, from where Rainbow Dancer had been playing, and I was surprised to see a very expensive looking scooter in pieces on a sheet at one side of the room. Taking a seat on one of the sofas, Robbie gestured for us to sit and I placed myself onto one of the nearest sofas, and Bryan chose a comfortable looking recliner that faced the TV.
“So what have you been doing with yourself Robbie?” Bryan asked, looking around the room and taking in the sight of all the photos and decorations that filled the shelves around the walls.
“Well, Matt last time you were here, I received a letter from GoldenHorn Studio’s offering me a minor deal for two albums. The first one I recorded was an instant hit and I was immediately offered a new contract for a further three albums.” He replied, proudly looking around at some of the pictures, which mainly consisted of him standing with other musicians. The one which stood out the most was a large picture of Robbie on stage, behind a mixer and record decks, playing a set with DJ Pon-3 herself. He had certainly set himself up a great life here.
“Wow, I didn’t realise you had that in you.” I said while still scanning the photographs. He had worked with a lot of famous ponies, he had multiple pictures of himself with DJ Pon-3, Octavia, and Sweetie Belle.
“Hey, why do you have a picture of you and Sweetie Belle up there?” I asked, gesturing towards the picture.
“After Scoots joined our little family, she mentioned to me that Sweetie had an amazing singing voice, and I overheard her singing idly one day when she was playing with Apple Bloom. I knew immediately that she had an amazing talent, so I brought her back here to produce her first album in my studio.” He smiled, before offering us drinks. I accepted the offer, as did Bryan, and he disappeared, to return a moment later with some beer for us all.
I cracked open the bottle and took my first swig. I had taken to drinking a lot more often when Twilight and I had broken up, and my tolerance to alcohol was now much better. I was looking forward to seeing if I could keep up with Robbie, who prided himself on being able to drink me under the table.
“Anyway, I was thinking,” Robbie said after taking a swig of beer, “I think we should have a night out soon, I’m playing a set at Bass Drop in a couple of days and I think we should make a night of it. I haven’t had a proper lads night out since I arrived here.” I mulled over the thought for a moment, it sounded like a good idea, and I would at least be able to test my drinking abilities against Robbie’s if we did.
“Sounds great!” I said, raising my beer and toasting to the plan. Bryan also agreed and it was settled with all of us taking a drink to finalise the evening.
We spent the next hour or so catching up, and we were managing to drink our way through the best part of a crate of beer. Robbie had managed to drink the most so far, but I wasn’t convinced that he was trying. Bryan had begun to discuss video games with the kids, and was now being given a thorough tutorial on how to play Super Mareo Brothers by Scootaloo and Rainbow Dancer. Robbie and I watched as they sat, shouting advice every now and again, and telling him how to defeat bosses. As amusing as it was to watch, I realised that it was getting slightly late and it would probably be best to head back to the cottage and get some sleep. Robbie offered to walk me back, but I knew the way, but I did ask him to fly me down.
Now was the perfect time to bring up the subject of the bachelor party. Bryan and I discussed possibilities and different venues for the event. But my mind was drawing a blank, the tiredness now creeping over me as we reached the cottage. I briefly showed Bryan to his room, which had once been Robbie’s, before making my way into the familiar bedroom at the end of the landing. I dropped down onto the mattress and squirmed my way into the soft duvet. Letting out a sigh, I turned off the light and rolled onto my side, where sleep overcame me, and I drifted away into my subconscious.
“Daddy! Hurry up!” Rainbow Dancer called, stopping briefly in her hurry to get to Sugarcube Corner for her breakfast.
“Okay, I’m coming kiddo! Hold your horses.” I replied, silently admiring her energy at this time in the morning. I always bought her a treat from Sugarcube Corner on Friday mornings if she had been a good girl during the week, and it seemed to ensure that she would behave herself. She knew that she had her father wrapped around her hoof though. Even if she had been naughty at some point, I would still buy her a treat. She always galloped ahead, but never left my sight until she darted through the door of the shop to see her favourite pony in Ponyville.
“Hey Pinkie!” She almost shouted as she rushed to the counter, shattering the peaceful state that was Sugarcube Corner in the morning.
“Well hello there Rainbow Dancer, have you been a good filly this week?” Pinkie replied leaning over the counter. She always got the same answer, and as always her small bag of sweets was ready, hidden below the counter.
“Yes I have! Daddy, can I have something different this week?” She turned to me, a small gleam in her eyes and her wings fluttered excitedly.
“Well what would you like then?” I replied, crouching down to her level to view whatever sugar filled treat she desired.
“That one!” She pointed her hoof towards a pink cupcake, covered in sprinkles and multi-coloured icing. I sighed, and turned to look at the filly, who was now silently pleading me to buy it for her, and as always she got her way.
“I suppose you can, only because you’ve been very good this week though.” I reached into my saddlebags and fished out a few bits from my change pocket as Pinkie wrapped the cupcake carefully and I tucked it safely into my bag.
“You can have it when we get home, okay? Now, say thank you to Pinkie, and you can help me with the shopping.” I knew I said the same thing every week, but I wanted to raise a good mannered foal. Celestia knows I had encountered my fair share of ill-mannered ponies during my nights playing shows in night clubs, and I didn’t want her to become like them.
“Thank you, Pinkie Pie!” The excited foal called out as she trotted out of the door.
“You’re welcome Rainbow Dancer. See you next week.” Pinkie replied, and I gave her a wave before she disappeared into the other room in a blur. I pulled the shopping list that Rainbow Dash had prepared for me earlier, and I sighed while browsing the items that were hastily scribbled on the scrap of paper.
The morning passed quickly as Rainbow Dancer and I slowly completed our shopping, and before long my saddlebags were bulging with items. After making my final purchases from Big Mac, I scooped Rainbow Dancer onto my back and took to the air, heading for home. She always enjoyed riding on my back as I flew, and I could tell that she would be an avid flier when she was older. I had caught her trying to fly a couple of times before, and after she became upset when she couldn’t, I had to explain to her that flying takes time, and that before she knew it, she would be in the air by herself.
We arrived at the house after our short flight, and after placing Rainbow Dancer down, I trotted through into the kitchen.
“Nice to see you’re finally up.” I said mockingly to Scootaloo, who I knew had been up almost all night working on her scooter. She simply groaned in response, slumped over her breakfast. It was difficult to get conversation from her, but I kept trying while I put the groceries away, but it was to no success.
After giving Rainbow Dancer her treat, I made my way into my studio. I had been procrastinating a lot recently, and I had a lot of half-finished songs that needed to be completed for the release of my new album. I let out a sigh as I closed the sound-proof door, and slumped into my chair in front of the mixer. I placed the headphones on, and flicked the switch, activating my speakers and decks. I had been lacking inspiration recently, hence why I was dodging working on the tracks, but the album release was next month and I needed to get it done.
As I worked away on the decks, I found myself distracted once more. I lacked the focus and drive that I needed to put the tracks together. I quickly became frustrated and thumped the desk with my hoof, causing the records to skip. I ripped the headphones from my head and slammed them down. There was a lot of hype around this album and I couldn’t disappoint my fans. I thought back to when I lived in the human world. I had endless inspiration then it seemed, there was always something that was either going wrong or going right, and here everything was going right. I had no wrong to complain of and that was my problem. It hit me like a tonne of bricks at that moment what my next move in my career was.
I quickly mixed together a couple of beats, just simple ones at first, but then added harmonics and fills to break up the repetitive sequence. It was coming together, but it still lacked something which I would begin work on immediately. Lyrics.
I grabbed a pen, and thought back to my previous life, all of my worries and woes came flooding back and the pen seemed to endlessly spew words onto the paper in front of me, and before long I had enough to splice together and I spun the record with the beat recorded onto it and made my way into the booth. The booth was a simple set up, it had a button to begin recording, as I usually worked alone, and a microphone stood isolated in the centre, accompanied with a set of headphones which allowed you to hear yourself as you sang, or in this case spoke.
I zoned out for what seemed like hours, just rapping verses over beats, hoping that I would like some of them enough to present them to my manager. I was interrupted though, by a knocking on the glass of the booth and Bryan gave me a smile and a wave. Placing the headphones down, and wondering how he got up to my house, I opened the door to the booth and greeted him.
“Sounding really good, can’t wait to hear the finished product.” He said, with a smile on his face that meant he was probably teasing me for the terrible sound quality at this stage in the recording.
“Thanks man, so what brings you up here?” I asked trotting to the mini-fridge under my decks and pulling out a bottle of water.
“I just thought we could hang out for a while. Haven’t seen you in so long and it would be cool to have a proper catch up.” I mulled over his offer for a moment, and I thought it was rather rude not to agree, so I shut all my equipment down and made my way through to tell Rainbow Dash our plans. We then headed out, making our way to the Horse and Hare pub.
The bar hadn’t changed much, still had the same green felt bar stools and chairs, fireplace roaring in the corner surrounded by sofas. I ordered a couple of beers and paid the barman, once he had served them. Before long Matt also joined us, he must of came looking and thought I would probably choose this pub to hang out in.
The next few hours were filled with stories from back home and I shared just as many from my side of the portal. I mainly informed Bryan of how Rainbow Dash and I had met. He found it hilarious that I had gotten drunk and woken up next to her, with no recollection of the night before. I sighed, thinking back to the early days of our relationship. The perfect moments of peace as we relaxed on a cloud after Rainbow Dash had taught me how to fly properly, and not to mention the more passionate moments. They all seemed too few now. We never seemed to have any time for romance or just having fun anymore, but we had responsibilities as parents now, and I wasn’t going to fail my children.
It began to grow dark, and I took my leave. I gave Matt forty bits to buy some groceries for their cottage, and took off into the night’s sky. I arrived home, just as Rainbow Dash was serving dinner, and I had to say, it smelt good for her cooking. Trotting through to the kitchen, and remembering back to my thoughts at the bar, I decided to be a little spontaneous. As silently as I could, I made my way up behind the mare who was stirring a pot on the cooker. Before she had the chance to turn around, I grabbed her and dipped her down, planting my lips firmly on hers. Slightly shocked, she put up a little resistance, but then relaxed and returned the kiss with as much vigour as I was putting in.
“Well somepony’s in a good mood.” She said, smiling after I had returned her to her four hooves.
“I am in a great mood. I got some music recorded, had a few pints with my friends at the bar, and I get to come home to this beautiful mare.” I replied, nuzzling into her neck, causing her to rest her head on mine.
“So, it’s the alcohol speaking then.” She mocked slightly, before the sound of hooves alerted us that we were no longer alone.
“Ugh, do you two have to be so, sappy? Please remember that there are other ponies in the house.” Scootaloo almost sighed from the doorway.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little love being shown every now and again.” I retorted, causing her to moan with embarrassment.
“Anyway, I came through to ask if it would be okay for me to stay at Applebloom’s tonight. She’s throwing a small party and I said I would be there.” Her tone changed quickly as she mentioned her plans, now sounding happy and hopeful.
“Hmm, I don’t know, what do you think Rainbow?” I turned to my partner, who was now giving me a disapproving look.
“Don’t tease her. Yes it’s fine for you to go, just remember, no drinking and Robbie will deal with any colts you decide to date.” Scootaloo’s face lit up and she shot across the kitchen and gave Rainbow Dash a hug.
“Thank’s Rainbow Dash, and Robbie, you don’t have to worry, I’m not seeing any colt at the moment.” She gave me a smile, and I tousled her mane a little before she galloped out of the door. The front door slammed shut a few moments later and Rainbow turned to face me.
“So, it would appear that Rainbow Dancer is now in bed, and Scoots is out for the night,” She gave me a suggestive look, and I wasn’t going to turn down a night of passion. I kissed her once more and sank into the bliss of the night, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a great day.
I awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and inspired. Rolling over I found myself slightly restrained in my movement, before I noticed that Rainbow Dash was curled into my chest, snoring lightly. Her mane was a complete mess, but I still found that look adorable after all this time. Checking the alarm clock, it was still early, so I decided to try and get some more sleep before I was forced to get up by Rainbow Dancer. I sighed, sinking back down into the sheets, causing Rainbow Dash to stir slightly, and her eyes opened groggily and fixed on me.
“Morning.” She yawned, before planting a kiss on my lips. I held the kiss longer than I normally would, given the amazing night we had had, and I was surprised as she pulled herself closer. I wrapped my forelegs around her to bring her as close as possible. This was bliss. I was cuddling the mare that I loved, I had my friends here to witness our marriage in less than two weeks, and I had regained my inspiration with my music. Things were certainly falling into place.
I was torn from the perfection of the moment as I heard small hooves galloping down the hallway. Rainbow Dancer must be up, so giving a final kiss to Rainbow Dash and pulled my objecting body from the bed. The day’s chaos had already begun as I arrived downstairs. The small filly had managed to open the fridge and was now relentlessly raiding through the contents to find something she desired. It was the same most mornings, and I had begun to wonder how she even managed to get the fridge open.
“Ready for today?” Rainbow Dash groaned, as she dragged her hooves into the kitchen. She definitely wasn’t a morning pony, and in all honesty I had forgotten all about our plans for today.
“That depends,” I started, briefly taking a swig of apple juice before continuing, “By ready, do you mean, ready to have your friends hooves shoved in uncomfortable areas of your body so you can look good at the wedding?” Rainbow Dash simply gave me a glare in response to this, and I smiled to try and lighten up the mood. She seemed to lighten up, and we began our search for a suitable breakfast. I managed to find a spare muffin in the back of the cupboard, and Rainbow opted for something a lot healthier.
“Rainbow Dancer! Are you ready to go?” I shouted up the stairs after clearing up the kitchen. The patter of small hooves drew closer as she rounded the corner and galloped down the stairs.
“You bet!” She squealed excitedly, as she hopped onto my back. Rainbow Dash soon joined us with Scootaloo, who looked rather bedraggled from the party, and we began our short flight to Carousel Boutique. It was pleasant out today, not too hot, but at the same time it wasn’t chilly in the slightest. The streets below us were bustling with life, and the crisp morning air felt fantastic under my wings. The flight was all too brief though, as we landed at the Boutique. A slight sense of nerves overcame me now. I was never the best at having measurements taken, and Rarity was also in charge of decorations for the wedding, so it was likely to be a long visit.
A small bell chimed merrily as we entered the shop, and the fashionista immediately appeared from behind a curtain. She greeted us, and promptly produced a bulging folder from beneath the counter. I silently hoped that this wasn’t just for our wedding. The image of an empty bank account flashed before my eyes, I would have to start touring again to afford a wedding that large. My fears were laid to rest, when I was informed it was the catalogue for everything wedding related. Within the folder were countless more magazines, some for bridal gowns, some for suits, and some for decorations. I lazily flipped through a suit magazine, although I already knew I was going to ask for a new kilt for the ceremony. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Rainbow Dancer were all excitedly highlighting gowns and dresses for the bridesmaids and flower-fillies. Scoots, however, had disappeared, probably to find Sweetie Belle.
None of the suits in the magazine I was flipping through seemed to catch my eye, so I moved onto the next, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pair of ponies who I recognized instantly. I trotted over to the door and poking my head through the frame I shouted out to them.
“Matt, Bryan! Come here.” They turned and looked around, slightly confusedly, before they spotted me and made their way over.
“Hey man, didn’t realise this was your kind of hangout.” Bryan mocked slightly as he approached, “But then again, it is you, so this doesn’t really surprise me.” He added while silently admiring a dress in the window.
“Actually, I need you guys here. We’re choosing suits and dresses for the wedding and I need you two for measurements and also you need to choose what you’re wearing.” I motioned for them to enter, and they stood awkwardly, just inside the door while I fetched the magazines from beside the mares, who were now completely engrossed in the plans.
Bryan and Matt both took a magazine each and began to flick through, occasionally commenting on something they liked, but Bryan mostly mocked some of the more frilly stuff. Matt seemed adamant to just wear a simple suit, like he had worn at the Gala all those years ago, but he could see nothing that really caught his eye as his style.
“Well, I have a few spare bits lying around, if you would like something custom made.” I offered, looking over his shoulder at the simple tux he was admiring.
“Yeah that could be a plan, but I would feel kinda bad.” He replied, flicking the page and immediately turning back as he spotted frills.
“What are you planning on wearing anyway?” Bryan added to the conversation, placing his magazine down on the seat beside him, “Because we could always go with something similar, like most groomsmen do.”
“Well I was planning on wearing a kilt, so I guess you guys could all wear one as well, if you’d be alright with that?” I smiled as both of my friends nodded. Now all I had to do was lure Rarity away from Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dancer for long enough to explain our idea. I called out to her, and she trotted over promptly, before I introduced her to Bryan and explained Matt’s sudden arrival back in Ponyville.
I spent the next half hour, explaining to Rarity that each individual family has their own tartan, and eventually we got around to actually beginning the designs. My tartan matched the one I had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala, with purple and yellow stripes, on a light blue background. Bryan had opted for a slightly darker version of mine, with red and green stripes. Matt, however, was taking his time deciding what kind of design he wanted. With a little creative persuasion from Rarity, we finally managed to get a colour scheme out of him, and our outfits were set.
“So, when are we heading to Bass Drop tonight?” Matt asked, lazily looking through a decorations catalogue. I had completely forgotten I was playing there tonight.
“Well, my set starts at roughly half eight, so if we get there for half seven, that will give us time to get a few drinks in us and give me time to get set up.” I wondered how I had even managed to forget that, playing live shows was the highlight of any week for me. I guess the wedding planning was throwing me off slightly.
“Should we get pre-drinks? After-drinks?” Bryan suggested, and I was partial to having a few before I arrived at the club, so I agreed.
“Right, well how about this, I’ll stay here and finalize everything once their done talking. You two head out and buy some beer and get me a bottle of whiskey, Matt knows which one.” I reached down, opening my saddlebags and tossed them a few bits to buy enough alcohol. They trotted off into the street, making their way towards the market.
I was now in hell. I had Rainbow Dash talking in one ear, Rarity in the other and Rainbow Dancer was shouting about things she liked from across the table. Either my head was going to explode, or I was going to scream. No-pony seemed to be able to agree on decorations, and I was siding with Rainbow Dash most of the time, as the day was really all about her, but Rarity was showing off some items which would make our wedding day something truly special. It had been this way for close to an hour and a half now, just disagreements and arguing over table plans, ceremonial banners, and everything related. Every time I went to make a suggestion I was cut off or told it wasn’t a good idea because it clashed with the colour of the air particles, or something as equally absurd.
I was close to snapping now, my head was pounding, and she shouting wasn’t making this any better. I quickly excused myself to get a drink, not really being thirsty, more wanting a moments peace. I took a seat at Rarity’s kitchen table, with a glass of orange juice and rested my head on the top of the table. I let out a sigh, before lifting my head and taking a sip. How could this day be any more stressful?
“Ugh, why did I drink so much?” I asked myself, supporting my head with my hoof. I took a sip of my glass of water through the straw that Rainbow Dash had generously provided for me, and closed my eyes, trying to subdue the headache that now controlled me.
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have gotten yourself into a fight, that won’t be helping your headache.” Rainbow Dash retorted across the table, her voice slightly filled with venom. I had taken a verbal barrage when I walked through the door, hung-over, nose still with dried blood caked around the nostrils and a slightly bruised eye.
“Well what was I supposed to do?” I sighed exasperatedly, “The colt was offering me drugs, I told him no, then he started saying stuff about Bryan, and I went off at him. The bouncers then dragged him away and he managed to get one good hit in. I wouldn’t call it a fight.” She just raised an eyebrow and I knew what this meant, “I know, I’ll keep it under control next time.”
I had since cleaned myself up, and told the kids that I had taken a tumble. Rainbow Dancer seemed to buy it, but Scootaloo, being older, obviously knew what had happened, after all this wasn’t the first time and it definitely wasn’t the worst.
I had scared Rainbow Dash half to death when I came home one night. She was heavily pregnant at the time, and I stumbled through the door, bleeding heavily and barely able to stand. She had cleaned me up though, and called Nurse Redheart to come out and stitch up my jaw, which had been torn open in the scuffle. I ran my hoof along the line of my jaw, feeling the smooth area where the scar was still visible and shuddered at the thought of that night. It had been another pony offering me drugs, and I had refused which resulted in him and his friends assaulting me as I walked home.
I moved my mind away from that night and concentrated on my plans for the day. Matt had mentioned hanging out later, and I hadn’t seen Bryan all day. He wasn’t in his room when I went to give him a glass of water, so I assume he went for a walk and would stop by later. My train of thought, however, was interrupted by an abrupt pounding on the door. Groaning I pulled my heavy form to the door and opened it, only to be assaulted with a box.
“This came out today!” Luna excitedly squealed, holding out the new Super Mareo Brothers game for me to admire. I took it from her and admired the box, this one had co-op, so it would be great for the kids.
“Let’s do it then.” I said, giving her the best smile I could muster with my head pounding. Luna and I had become rather good friends after the whole incident in Canterlot, and even more so when the Super Neightendo came out. It turns out that the princess had a great love of gaming, as did I, so we became partners when a new co-op game came out, or took turns if it was single player only.
“I can’t believe this one has co-op, this is going to be so cool! And look,” She said rummaging in the bag she had brought popping up a moment later wearing the signature hat of Mareo himself, “This came with the limited edition!” I laughed at her slightly, and she refused to take it off until we had beaten the game. If the difficulty of the last one was anything to go by, this could take days.
We plugged the game in, plugged in the extra controller and then, our game faces were on. We battled through the first few levels with ease, but then the difficulty stepped up a notch and we began to struggle. 2D scrollers were never my forte in the gaming world, but I enjoyed the time I spent playing. The time passed quickly, as Luna and I were joined by Scoots and Rainbow Dancer, who in turn began to take over the console. I fetched myself another drink while the kids played, and Luna and I got to catching up, which we hadn’t done in a while. Rainbow Dash was no doubt out practicing her routine, so I would have to stay in and watch the kids.
The time passed quickly, with Luna and me gaming our way through the hours. Rainbow Dash arrived home before long and joined us in the living room.
“Hey Robbie, Matt’s outside looking for you.” She said after greeting me, and slightly confusedly I trotted out the door and glided to where he stood.
“Hey man, what’s up?” I asked, seeing the look on his face and his nervous stance.
“Well it would appear that Bryan has done a disappearing act on us. I thought he went out for a walk, but I haven’t seen him all day.” This did worry me slightly, and I immediately began to think of a game plan for finding him. He had probably just gotten lost in the surrounding area, so a quick find would be easy enough if we managed to rope in a few pegasi.
“Right, here’s what we’ll do. You go and fetch Twilight and gather up anyone you can, you guys can search on hoof. Rainbow Dash and I will gather a few pegasi and search from the air.” Matt gave me a quick nod, before galloping off in the direction of the library. I immediately took to the air, landing on the cloud and galloping into the house to fetch Rainbow Dash. After asking Luna to look after the kids, we quickly flew to Fluttershy’s cottage and recruited her. From there I managed to rope in Ditzy and the aerial search began. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew off to scan the Everfree forest area, while Ditzy and I headed out past Sweet Apple Acres, towards the hills on the horizon.
There was no way he could have gone far, and with pegasi in the air and a ground team trying to find him, there was no way he would be lost overnight. There was no sign of him in the direction we had headed, and there was no way he could have made it this far out, so Ditzy and I circled around to try a different direction. The hours dragged by, as we scanned the nearby country-side for any sign of the lost Pegasus. We regrouped with Rainbow Dash shortly after making our third circle around the town, and seeing he was nowhere in sight, we decided to call it a day, even though I was willing to keep searching into the night, but from the air there was no chance we would see him in the dark.
I arrived back at the house worried, and slightly frustrated that we couldn’t find him, but tomorrow was another day, and I was willing to get up at the break of dawn to continue the search. Ditzy agreed to watch the kids while Rainbow Dash and I went out on another flight to scan further afield than the surrounding countryside.
Matt’s search party hadn’t shown any results either. I could tell he was worried, but he seemed more tired than anything, so I offered him the spare room at my house for the night, which he gratefully accepted. After Twilight had made sure the spell was still binding, I flew him up to the cloud and we immediately began to cook dinner. I barely ate anything, just toying with my food, occasionally taking a bite when I fancied. I hoped he would be alright by himself for the night, but I’m sure he was more than capable of looking after himself. I excused myself from the table, and went to take a shower.
I stood under the stream of hot water, spreading my wings and allowing the heat to soothe my aching muscles. I had a long day of flying ahead of me and I wanted to be on my best form. I dried myself off, and made my way into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. I was soon disturbed by a shift in weight, alerting me that I was no longer alone. A cyan hoof reached underneath mine, and around my body and I felt the warmth of Rainbow Dash’s body press against me.
“We’ll find him; after all you have the best young flier in all of Equestria on your side.” I smiled slightly at this and rolled to face her. I planted a gentle peck on her lips and began to fade out of consciousness. I hadn’t realised how tired I was until now, but I soon drifted off, almost ready to begin the next day of searching.
I awoke at the crack of dawn; the sun had barely risen over the horizon as I prepared myself a quick breakfast. Rainbow Dash was raring to go, and Ditzy had turned up to keep an eye on the kids, as promised. We set off into the sky, beginning our search over the Everfree forest and circling around to scan the near areas before we tried further afield. The time dragged by once again, but Rainbow Dash seemed optimistic, which kept me going through the long flight. I was beginning to lose hope, we had flown around for hours now, seeing the occasional pony and asking if they had spotted Bryan, but no luck so far.
Matt had dispatched the ground team to continue searching this morning, we would occasionally see them trotting along in a line, spread out to cover as much area as possible. They were having no more luck than we were though; the few times we did stop to speak to them were just filling me with false hope for a brief moment, then squashing it in an instant.
It began to drag into the afternoon; Rainbow Dash and I were drawing close to the mountains North of Ponyville, where she said there are some caves he might be taking shelter in. I wasn’t convinced he would have made it this far, unless he had been practicing his flying, but I was willing to explore any option. We circled the mountains, making passes down low to avoid leaving any spot unsearched. At this altitude it was freezing, the bone chilling wind made it difficult to sustain flight for long. We landed at the mouth of a cave, to take a short break before heading back towards Ponyville. The view was beautiful, although I would have been able to appreciate it more if I hadn’t been worrying to myself for the past few hours.
I let out a sigh, and Rainbow Dash hugged me into her slightly. I rested my head on hers, taking a moment to enjoy the shared warmth. Hoofsteps from behind made me slightly wary and I turned quickly to face whoever was trying to sneak up on us.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” The familiar voice resounded from the darkness of the cave, “It would appear to be Rainbow Dash, and her fiancé, Robbie.” The shape of a large Pegasus loomed from the darkness, as Bryan stepped from the shadows, but something seemed different about him. He was flanked by two other ponies, one a unicorn, and the other was the pony from the night club. Upon seeing the second pony, I became very defensive, stepping in front of Rainbow Dash to ensure her safety.
“What’s wrong Robbie? Do you think we mean you harm?” Bryan spoke again, exciting a malicious looking grin from the earth pony, which I was staring daggers towards. “You really do amuse me, why would I want to do you harm? After all, I need you more than you think.”
“What are you talking about, what happened to you?” I almost snarled, keeping my eyes on all three of them as they approached us, now beginning to flank Rainbow and me from either side.
“Well, you see, I started speaking to this fine gent here,” He motioned to the earth pony who gave a simple wave and a smile, “At the night club the other night, he enlightened me to an old legend, one that you all thought was just an old mares tale. You see, everyone is now aware of the existence of the Elements of Harmony, but you have to remember that harmony is nothing without a little disharmony.”
I was taken aback by what my friend was now saying to me. Did he honestly believe in all the stuff that colt had told him?
“I thought I made that obvious in my last statement, but then again you never were the brightest bulb in the shop, were you?”
“So you think you’re an Element of Disharmony?” I laughed slightly, “So what are you, annoyance? Because that’s all you seem to be good at.”
“I, am the element of Antagonism. I can easily get under ponies, or should I say, people’s skins.” My mouth dropped at the mention of people in front of the ponies that were standing around. “They already know the whole story, and I must ask, how did you feel when you heard me mention Rainbow Dash’s name? I bet now it’s boiling your blood. I can see it in your face.” He smirked, but he wasn’t going to get a rise from me.
“So if there are Elements of disharmony, which for arguments sake we’ll say there are, you only have three here. You need six surely.” My plan was to keep him talking, until the others arrived. Rainbow Dash would be almost there by now, flying at full speed.
“Actually we have five now, the two you see here are Dishonesty,” He motioned to the unicorn who waved at me, exciting a snarl from my throat, “And this here, is Greed.” The earth pony smiled once more, every muscle in my body was screaming at me to hit him, but I had to resist. It would do no good to flip out at this moment, while everyone was so far away.
“Me? You have to be joking right? What element could I possibly be?” I began to pace slightly now, hoping to stop myself from pouncing at him for these ridiculous allegations.
“I believe, you are the element of anger.” I stopped dead in my tracks; I knew his game plan now. Get under my skin; aggravate the hell out of me and when I burst, that’s when he would be shown as correct in finding the last element. “So what do you think? Care to join us and become the new rulers of Equestria?”
“Never with you. I’m staying loyal to my friends, and my future wife.” I hissed back, and he smiled, knowing that his plan was working. I was startled then by a blinding flash, as the Elements of Harmony appeared before me. Obviously wasting no time and using Twilights teleportation spell, they had arrived quicker than expected.
“Oh excellent, the elements of harmony, and what’s this?” He glanced to the side, where Matt stood, “Oh it would appear Matt has joined the party as well, isn’t this lovely. Say, Robbie, speaking of your future wife, I might want to have a go at that, if you know what I mean.”
He smiled, looking directly into my eyes, he knew he was pushing the right buttons, and I was close to snapping. Rage was beginning to fill every pore of my being, telling me to lash out and strike him. I had to control myself though, if I snapped, he won.
“You just gonna take that?” Matt shouted at me from across the cave, “Come on man, and stand up for you and Rainbow.”
“I can’t, he thinks I’m the element of anger, so if I let the anger take over me, he wins!” I hissed back through clenched teeth.
“What’s wrong Robbie? Learned to control your temper since school?” Bryan chimed in, goading me into flipping out. Rainbow Dash threw me a confused look, which I returned with an apologetic look in my eyes. “Oh, does she not know?”
“Rainbow Dash, your fiancé here, used to be quite the violent one back in his school days. He would get into fights most days, he was bullied, and he developed anger issues due to that, interesting story isn’t it?” I felt my muscles tense; he was getting too close to revealing the secret that I had kept for so long now. He was smiling at me now, as if he had a hidden ace up his sleeve, which I suppose he did.
“Did you also know that he isn’t from here?” I froze, my eyes widened and I almost pounced right there and then, but I restrained myself. “You see, you may have thought he was just from a different city, or different country, but the truth is he isn’t even from this universe.”
Final straw, I began to charge, but felt something hold me. I tried to move with all my might, but was completely restricted. The unicorn to Bryan’s right was holding me in place, her horn aglow and my head was forced down. To my horror, I was standing in my human form, fully revealed to my friends and my fiancé. Then I was freed, falling to my knees in my pony form once more. Tears brimmed in my eyes, as I looked over the faces of all the ponies I had come to accept as a large part of my life. Most wore expressions of shock, although my eyes focused on Rainbow Dash the longest. Her eyes were betraying her also, as tears streamed down her face, the magnitude of this lie finally hitting all of them, and only Twilight cast me a sympathetic glance.
Rainbow Dash took off, soaring away into the sky, away from Ponyville, and away from me. I couldn’t take this anymore, I had been pushed beyond anger and rage, I was now simply broken. Leaping to my hooves I galloped out from the mouth of the cave, and took off into the sky. I didn’t know where I was going, or if I would ever come back. I just needed to get away.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait guys! Didn't realize that I had written this chapter until now. Derp on my part.
Hope you enjoyed though! :D
Bryan and I merrily made our way from the boutique down to Ponyville Marketplace. It was still busy at this time, but dying down as the trading day was coming to a close. Everything seemed a little different from when I was last here as I was having trouble remembering my way around. Every now and again I would see something familiar and I would be reminded of where I was, so I never got lost. After quite a long walk, we arrived at the liquor store and made our way inside.
We were greeted by the elder pony that ran the shop, and we began browsing the shelves for something that took our fancy. I immediately chose a bottle of punch, levitating it to the counter, and picked up Robbie’s Applejack Daniels. Bryan was taking his time browsing beer, deciding whether to go for quality, or quantity. He eventually settled on quality and struggled with a large amount of beers to the counter. Robbie had given us just enough to make all of the purchases and we were soon making our way back to the cottage to get ready for the night.
The bath seemed to take forever to fill up. I impatiently trotted circles in the bathroom, trying to pass the time. Eventually, after becoming impatient with the speed of the water, I just jumped in. It was getting close to when Robbie was supposed to arrive for pre-drinks and I still wasn’t ready, although the farce of Bryan and I trying to cook some dinner hadn’t exactly helped. The kitchen was now a complete state, with the stove caked in pasta sauce, and all of the vegetables were still lying out on the side. I sighed, but decided to leave that until tomorrow to clean up. I liked to work through a hangover, instead of just sitting around feeling awful.
A knock at the door informed me of Robbie’s arrival, so I quickly hopped out of the tub and dried myself off. Making my way downstairs, I could see that Bryan had cracked open his beers, and Robbie was now nursing a glass of whiskey. I joined them, helping myself to one of Bryan’s beers, before being bombarded with objections from the green Pegasus. The night was off to a great start, we were all exchanging light-hearted banter, downing drinks, and just having a great time in general.
The time finally arrived to make our way down to the nightclub and we stepped out into the cool evening air. The walk was brief, but after having a few drinks it felt great to get some fresh air. We arrived at the club, on time, and Robbie greeted one of the bouncers before making his way into the quiet dance hall.
“Right guys, I’m going to get myself set up, but first I’ll open a tab on the bar and you guys just put your drinks on that for the night.” He trotted away leaving Bryan and I standing rather awkwardly among the few ponies who were standing around. Surprisingly, Robbie returned a moment later, laughing to himself.
“Totally forgot guys, follow me.” A little curious, Bryan and I followed Robbie past a large bouncer, up a narrow set of stairs to a raised platform that was above the main dance floor. The floor was made of glass, and there was a bar at one end of the area.
“Welcome to the V.I.P area!” Robbie announced, as we gazed around. This area was filled with ponies, some either very good looking, or just plain rich, “I’ve opened a tab at the bar, and gave a description of your cutie marks, so when you go up to order a drink on the tab just flash your ass at them and it should all be cool.” He added, before trotting off to the backstage area.
With fresh drinks in our hooves we began to notice the main hall downstairs filling up slowly. Before long though, it was packed from wall to wall and background music began to play, although the chatting of the ponies drowned it out slightly. Bryan and I stood at the bar for this time, drinking and chatting about the bachelor party we were planning for Robbie, when the lights suddenly all dimmed until the hall was completely dark and silent. Rather clumsily we made our way closer to where the stage was, and soon enough a bright light at the back of the stage illuminated the entire hall, a rumbling bass note filling the silence. In the centre of the light, was the silhouette of a Pegasus standing, wings fully spread, enticing a large cheer from the crowds. It was then when the bass line started pumping and the lights began to flash as it got faster and faster, until eventually, they all cut off and the room was once again dipped into darkness and silence.
As suddenly as the bass line stopped, it erupted back into the room, accompanied with synth riffs and orchestral breakdowns. The ponies began to go crazy, dancing and jumping. The lights pulsed along with the rhythm of the music and lasers spun and shone into the crowds. It was exciting to say the least, my hooves began to move by themselves, and soon enough I was dancing and cheering with the rest of the crowd. Bryan had also begun to ease into the music, bobbing his head along to the beat and jumping slightly. Robbie was masterfully spinning the records, flawlessly transitioning between songs, and using his wings to assist with scratching the records.
“Alright all you crazy ponies out there!” Robbie blared through his microphone, to excite another cheer from the crowd, “I have a special guest here for tonight, we’ve worked together before and tonight only, we will be mixing our jams together! So please, stomp your hooves for, DJ PON-3!”
The crowd once again erupted in cheering and shouting as the cream unicorn flashed onto stage in a bright puff of smoke.
“Aww yeah, Ponyville! Are you ready?” she asked through the mic, the crowd now bouncing to the beat and cheering wildly, “I didn’t hear you, I said are you ready?” The crowd cheered even louder now and as the beat dropped, the club began to pound and vibrate from the music being blared, and the simultaneous hopping of the crowd. By now I had completely forgotten about drinking, the music had just taken over me and I was now a slave to the beat. I danced until my hooves hurt, and I even began dancing with a cute mare as the set was drawing to a close. Bryan had also danced most of the set away, occasionally finding a partner to dance with, but by the end he was held up at the bar drinking like a madman.
“Alright, that’s it for us tonight Ponyville! Hope to see you again soon!” Robbie announced, finally exiting the stage after playing an encore. I immediately worked my way to the bar, as music once again filled the room. Bryan and I were still full of adrenaline and our hearts were pounding after that awesome set. We excitedly spoke between ourselves, as a slightly tired Pegasus joined us at the bar.
“That was awesome man!” I almost shouted, giving him a hoof bump, and he smiled modestly. Bryan also hoof bumped him and he almost looked bashful.
“Guys, let’ go downstairs. Always good to interact with the fans after a set.” Taking his drink in hoof, we followed him down the stairs and into the crowds of ponies who were beginning to thin after the set had finished. Robbie was immediately set upon by ponies as he entered the room, greeting them all and making his way to a booth at the corner beside the bar. He ordered us a round of shots, and it was apparent that the night was just beginning.
After a while of bantering, and chatting with his fans, Robbie was approached by an earth pony. We couldn’t hear over the music, but it looked like he was arguing with him. Sensing something amiss, Bryan and I stood up and one of us flanked Robbie on either side, in case anything kicked off. Robbie was obviously very agitated, he was almost screaming at this pony, his temper obviously close to snapping. The bouncers had also noticed the exchange of harsh words, and stepped in to prevent anything happening. Robbie quickly whispered something to one of them, who nodded and proceeded to grab the colt and attempt to drag him away. The colt began to put up a struggle then, and broke loose to thump Robbie. His hit landed, and Robbie was knocked to the floor momentarily, before he jumped to his hooves and tried to charge the colt. Bryan and I quickly stepped into action and held him back, dragging him back to the booth and getting him another drink.
“What was all that about?” Bryan asked him while handing him a napkin to wipe his bloody nose on. He simply sighed, and shook his head before answering.
“Well you see, there’s this new thing going around, almost like ecstasy and cocaine, and that guy was trying to get me to take some with him. He also mentioned something about being able to see something within Bryan, and I told him to back off and take his crappy drugs elsewhere.” His voice was slightly muffled now, as he was holding the napkin over his nose, and taking sips of his drink every so often.
“He saw something in me, like what?” Bryan looked very confused across the table, and Robbie was just as clueless as he was.
“No idea, he just said that and I told him to back off, and that’s what started it all off.” He removed the napkin now that the bleeding had stopped and we began drinking again, not letting the night be hindered by that slight bump in the road. We all raised our glasses and toasted to the night ahead.
I awoke in the morning, my head was pumping and my throat felt dry and hoarse. Immediately I reached for the glass of water that was placed beside my bed, with a small note. Curious, I opened it up and found it was from Robbie, saying that he had headed out early to get home and that I would probably need this. I silently thanked him while taking large gulps from the glass, and before long I felt ready to get on with the day. I didn’t feel like having any breakfast, so I skipped the visit to the kitchen and just decided to go for a walk instead.
It was bright out, but chillier than yesterday. I decided that I would go to the park and just relax under a shady tree for a while, so I slowly walked my way to the park and collapsed under the closest tree. The fresh air felt great after being in a stuffy night club and warm bedroom all night. I don’t know how long I lay there for, my eyes were closed, it could have been hours for all I knew. I began to doze after a while, the warmth of the sun and cool breeze seemed to fit perfectly.
I awoke with a start, at a horribly familiar voice calling my name. I sat up in an instant. Standing before me was the purple unicorn I had fallen for, and had my heart broken by. Without waiting for an invite, she sat down beside me and I could feel my heart begin to quicken its pace. All the emotions from the past year flooding back to me, threatening to burst from every pore of my being. She sat silently for a moment, almost as if waiting for me to say something, but I had nothing really to say.
“Matt, you ran away before I could finish what I was saying before, and I know I’ve regretted not chasing you and finishing what I had to say. I know it was hard for you to hear, and it wasn’t exactly how I had planned for it to go.” If there was one thing I didn’t need this morning, this was it. But it didn’t look like I could just run away again, so I gritted my teeth and sat silently.
“If you had stayed around for longer, I was going to ask you if you would have considered moving to Ponyville and staying with me. But you ran away before I could get to that part. Not knowing what you would have said to that tore me apart inside. When I thought of you thinking that I had just ended it like it was nothing, but it wasn’t nothing. We had something special, and it ended so terribly, I just wish I could take it back.” She wasn’t looking at me now; her eyes were fixed on the sky, as if gazing at something very distant. I was trying my hardest to not look at her, all the nights of sleepless pain and torment from the mare that sat beside me. Somehow, though, I didn’t feel any anger towards her. I was secretly happy that she had taken the time to come and explain this to me.
It was clear that she was waiting for me to say something, but in all honesty, I had nothing. My mind was blank. I turned my head slightly, chancing a look at the mare I used to love. Her eyes had a watery look to them, as if she were about to cry, so against my better judgement I put my arm around her to comfort her slightly. This seemed to be the motivation she needed to continue.
“I rushed over to Robbie’s cottage, knowing that’s probably where you would have headed, but when I arrived he said you had already left. All of your clothes and possessions were still there which I thought was slightly odd, and I saw the device.”
My heart froze, eyes widened I stared into the sky. Had Robbie really been so careless as to leave that lying around?
“I asked him about it, and he seemed reluctant to tell me what it was for,” She continued, tears now staining her face, “but I questioned him further and he told me everything, how you’re from a different universe, the kind of lives you led back then, and I was torn. I couldn’t believe it but at the same time it did seem to make sense. You both had really odd names and accents I hadn’t heard before. He swore me to secrecy, and I agreed for Rainbow Dash’s sake.” She broke down this time, sobbing and unable to continue. So I did the only thing I could think of, I hugged her closer to me and rested my head upon hers as she sobbed into my chest.
This was so much to take in, she knew about where we came from, and she knew that I was from such a horrible place, yet she still had no trouble approaching me. Maybe she knew that we weren’t evil or bad, but we were misplaced on that planet. I let out a sigh, silently working all of this new information over in my head. Then she did the unexpected. She leaned up, and planted a firm kiss on my lips. Shocked, I pulled back slightly, but her lips stayed with mine. My whole being was screaming at me to stop, to end the kiss and tell her that I didn’t feel the same way anymore. But I didn’t, I let it happen because the truth was, I wasn’t ready to admit that to myself.
We sat there for some amount of time, talking things over. In my head, all I could think was “What if?” Eventually though it began to draw into the afternoon and we parted ways, leaving me feeling slightly happy but, at the same time, confused.
Did she still love me?
