Glistening Soaps The Soap Ponyby Positive Musical BronyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1Glistening walked through the forest, and looked around to make sure nothing vicious was around. He had two bags full of what he needed while on his trip. He was going into the town near the forest he lived in to try and move there. He has lived in the forest for ten years of his life, and has now decided to get out of his small little house there. He travels on a little path he knew that led to the town. He was careful with each step, always looking around for any timberwolves or anything else that can harm him. After a minute of walking, he saw a lot of moonlight, letting him know he was almost out of the forest. He continued until he was out of the forest, and walked around the pond, and continued walking. When he got into the town, he looked around to take in his surroundings so he knew where to go when he needed to go back. When he took them in, he continued on. Glistening walked around for a bit, looking for a possible house to rent or buy. He was hoping he could find one so he could move into the town, and talk to ponies, and finally interact with them. All this time he was in the forest, he hadn’t interacted with many ponies. The only one he had talked to during those ten years was Zecora. She was a nice pony, or zebra rather, and they talked frequently. Though, over the years, they talked less and less. He was getting excited from the thought of this happening. He was thinking of all the friends he could make, tell them about himself as a soap pony, have fun with them… and maybe even find a mare-friend. He was lost in his thoughts, and accidentally bumped into somepony. He fell back onto his butt, and rubbed his head from the collision. He looked, and saw a pink pony doing the same thing as him. “Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you like that!” He apologized. The pink Earth pony giggled. “No no no, it's alright. It's my bad for bouncing into you.” “No no no no no, I should have looked where I was going. It's my fault.” Glistening assured. “Wait… are you new? I haven’t seen you around here before.” “Um, not exactly. I live in a little house or shack in the forest over there.” Glistening informed the pony, then pointing near the direction of the house. The pink pony gasped. “You mean in the Everfree forest!? Glistening said, “If that’s the forest right there, then yeah.” “Don’t you know how dangerous the forest is, and the creatures in it!?” She exclaimed. “Yeah.” Glistening replied. “Well why do you live there then?” “I'm not too sure. I just haven't quite moved out of the house yet. Do you happen to know if anypony is selling or renting any houses around here?” “No, I don’t. Why are you looking this late at night?” “Well, it’s hard for me, considering what the sun does.” The pink pony just looked at him with a confused expression. “Oh, right! You don’t know.” “Ooh, you have a story to tell?” She beamed. “Yeah, if you would like to hear it, that is.” “Sure! How about we head back to my place and you can tell your story on the way there?” “Um, sure.” They started on their way, and Glistening started. “So, I can’t really go out in the daylight. Or, I can, just not for a long time.” “How come?” The pony asked as she hopped. “I am a soap pony. And soap melts when it is in the sun for a long time.” The pony stopped hopping and looked at Glistening. “What do you mean “Soap Pony”?” Glistening stopped as well, and continued. “Well, instead of regular skin and flesh, I have soap.” She looked at him with confusion for a second, then giggled for a few seconds. “You’re silly! That’s not possible!” She booped him, and continued hopping to her house. Glistening followed. “I really am, I do have soap for skin. I can show you when we get to your place.” He proposed. “Hehe. Okie.” She giggled and continued on. The two ponies walked and hopped, and Glistening was confused as to why they were headed to… a building that looked like a giant cupcake. “What are we doing here?” He wondered. “I live here! Not in the store itself, but in a room above the store. I’ll show you, come on!” She said, continuing to lead him into the store and then up some stairs into a room above the store. She had him wait there as she went down into the kitchen to get them some snacks. She came back up with some cookies and milk. They had a seat on her bed, and began to eat and drink. “So, you have soap instead of skin?” She asked. “Mhm! I should show you before we forget.” He said, walking to the door to exit, and she followed. As they walked down the stairs, he asked, “Could you get me a bit of water? I’ll meet you outside, then I can show you.” She nodded, and they went separate ways. Glistening went outside the shop, and soon the pink pony did as well. “Thank you!” He said, then grabbed the cup of water. “Now, my hoof is completely dry, right?” He asked, and showed her. She nodded and continued. He dipped his hoof into the water, and took it out. “Now, watch.” He said, and she put all her focus onto him. He placed his hoof on the ground, and dragged it. A trail of soap suddenly appeared from the areas his hoof had touched. The other pony watched in amazement as she saw this happen. He looked up at her after a few seconds, and she just stood there in shock. “How did you do that?!” She exclaimed. “Well, since I’m made of soap, if my body gets wet, it becomes slippery and soapy.” He answered. “That is so cool!” She said, hopping up and down again. He chuckled as he saw her reaction. “Also, would you mind telling me your name? I haven’t gotten it yet.” “Oh, my name is Pinkie Pie! What about yours?” Pinkie asked. “I am Glistening Soaps.” He answered. “Well, it’s pretty cool that you can do that, Glistening! How about we head back inside and we can chat some more?” Pinkie offered. “Sure!” He said. The both of them went back inside, and back up to Pinkie’s room as they continued to eat on the cookies. “So,” Pinkie spoke up, “How come you're up this late at night, again?” “I want to look for a house in this town, and get out from the forest. It gets lonely, and I would like to make some friends.” Her happiness faded a little. “You don’t have any friends?” She asked. “No… Well, I had one, but over time, we talked less and less.” “Oh…” “Yeah. I should probably get going. I don't wanna take up too much of your time, and I do wanna look around town and see what there is. Thank you for the cookies and milk. I really liked them.” He said, getting up and heading for the door. “Wait. You don't have to go.” Pinkie said as Glistening got to the door. “Well, I'd like to find a place to live that's in this town.” “Well, you can stay with me for now!” She offered, giving a warming smile. He stood silent for a moment. “Really?” “Yes you can! I can talk to one of my friends tomorrow as well, and you might be able to stay with them for a while. This place isn't really meant for two ponies.” “That's… really generous of you. Thank you, Pinkie.” “It's fine. It's not a problem. We should probably get some sleep soon. It's getting late.” She said, looking at a watch that suddenly appeared on her arm. He went to question how the watch got there, but figured that she had it on before. “Well, I only woke up a little bit ago, so I'm not really tired.” “You aren’t tired? How come?” “Well, since I have soap for skin, if I go out in the sun for too long, the soap will melt. So, I sleep during the day, and do my things during the night.” “What happens if it does melt?” “I don’t know. I haven’t gotten to that point to figure out. If you wanna sleep, go ahead. I’m gonna go around the town and see what there is around here.” “Ok! Would you like any other food before you go?” “No, I’ll be fine.” “Ok, well, have fun! Just make sure you come back when you get sleepy!” “Will do! Have a good night!” He said, walking down the stairs to the shop. He went down into the bakery, and walked out the front doors, and walked around the town. Chapter 2A few hours later, Glistening had returned to the bakery as Pinkie had asked. It was around 6:30, and the sun had started to rise. He had a good night that night. He walked around while listening to some of his favorite songs. He even went swimming as well, which he really loved to do. When he opened the doors to the bakery, he was expecting Pinkie to be asleep, so he tried to be quiet. Though, as he was about to sit down, he heard a sound from the kitchen. It wasn’t the sound of the floorboards creaking, but more of like two pots accidentally being hit together. He was a bit frightened by it, since it was unexpected, and also because it was still early, so no pony should have been awake. He went to the kitchen, and peaked his head in. Inside was Pinkie, and she seemed to be baking something. When she noticed him, she said, “Oh, good morning! How are you?” “Good morning, Pinkie!” Glistening greeted. “I’m doing pretty good, thank you for asking! How about you?” “Well, I’m doing very good! I’m making you some pancakes.” “Oh, really? Thank you, Pinkie! I really appreciate that!” “It’s no biggie! Just have a seat at one of the tables, and I’ll bring the pancakes into you when I finish.” “Okay!” He said, heading out of the kitchen and sitting down at a table as he waited. A few moments later, she came out with a plate of pancakes that were already cut up and syruped. She placed the plate in front of him. “There you go!” “Thank you Pinkie!” He thanked her, and started to eat the pancakes. Pinkie went back into the kitchen and around the bakery to set up for the day. Glistening finished eating within a few minutes, and got up to bring his plate into the kitchen and wash it, since that was his first instinct because he has always lived alone, but Pinkie came over, picked up the plate, and said, “I can get it!” “Oh, thank you! And thank you for making the pancakes as well! They were really good!” “No problem!” She said, hopping into the kitchen with the plate. Glistening followed her to say, “I’m gonna grab my stuff and head back to my house. It was nice seeing you!” He started walking to her room to grab his bag. Pinkie called out, “Wait! Why are you going?” He stopped and turned around. “Well, I need to get some rest. It’s time about time that I get some sleep.” “Well, you can sleep here if you would like!” He thought about it for a moment, before asking, “Are you sure?” She nodded, and he said, “Ok!” Pinkie smiled, and hopped up the stairs as Glistening followed behind. After she made sure he was good and needed nothing else, she hopped to the door, turned off the light, and said, “Good… morning, I guess.” She giggled, closed the door, and went back to her business as the soap pony got some rest. Glistening slowly opened his eyes as he stirred awake. He blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes, and rising from the bed. As he sat there, he heard faint voices. They weren’t in the room, but sounded like they were under. He freaked out for a few seconds, until he realized that he was at Pinkie’s place, not his own. He got out of bed, and put on his jacket. He opened the bedroom door, and was gonna go down to the dining area, but Pinkie was waiting right there. “Oh! Hey, Pinkie!” He greeted. “Hey, Glisty! I made you something!” She said as she walked into the room. She placed the tray on the bed, which had donuts on it. “I wasn’t quite sure what types of donuts you like, so I just made some glazed ones.” He walked over to the bed and picked one up. “These are fine. Vanilla frosting is my favorite, if you would like to know.” “Alright! I’ll remember that for next time!” She sat down next to him as he ate the donut. “So, how’d you sleep?” “It was good, thank you for asking! How has your day been so far?” He asked back. “It’s been good! I have a surprise for you down stairs when you finish!” She revealed. “Oh? How kind of you. Even though I haven’t seen it yet or gotten to experience it yet, it is really nice and sweet of you to get something for me, even though we’ve only known each other for… not even a full day.” As the two ponies upstairs talked, the other six ponies and dragon down stairs worried, especially Twi. “Girls, let’s just try to calm down a bit. So no ponies have shown up yet. That doesn’t mean that they won’t show up at all. Maybe they are just a little late, or think that it’s happening a bit later.” Starlight said, trying to stay a bit positive. “Yeah, yeah you’re right, Starlight! They’re just running a little late! They’ll be here soon.” Twilight agreed. She then heard footsteps from the stairway, and whispered, “They’re coming down, shhhh!” Twi, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Starlight, and Spike stood side by side as they waited for the two other ponies to come into the room. A few moments later, Glistening and Pinkie came into the room. As they did, the other ponies yelled, “Surprise! Welcome to Ponyville!” Glistening’s smile grew even more and he chuckled a little as he looked around the room, which was decorated with banners and streamers, and looked a bit different than before. “Oh, wow! A party for me?” He asked, looking at Pinkie. “Yep! It’s tradition to welcome somepony with a party whenever they move into Ponyville, but since you’ve lived near it, we decided to throw you one anyways!” “Thank you so much! Oh, and what’s the names of all of you?” Glistening asked as he walked over to the others. They all introduced themselves, and then Twi asked for his. “I’m Glistening Soaps! It’s really nice to meet all of you!” He then shook Twi’s hoof. “You’re the “soap pony” Pinkie was talking about, correct?” Twilight asked. “Probably! I’m the only soap pony I know that’s around.” He chuckled. “I could show you if you would like!” “Sure! Let’s do it.” Twi replied. “Alright!” Glistening said, then heading toward the door. As he opened it to let the others go first, there was a bat pony and a regular pony standing on the other side of the door. The bat pony was black with light grey hair that got darker at the ends of it. He had bright red eyes, and had both wings and a horn. The mare was a bit smaller than the bat pony, had emerald eyes, a red mane, was tan, and her cutie mark was a bouquet of roses. All of the others gasped. They were silent for a few seconds, before Glistening apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m in your way.” and then stepped out of the way. The bat pony and mare walked into the place. “Wait,” The bat pony said, turning toward Glistening, “You’re the new pony, aren’t you?” Glistening nodded, and the bat continued. “Well, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Shadow!” The bat held out his hoof and the soap pony shook it. “I’m Glistening Soaps! Nice to meet you, Shadow!” “This is my friend, Rose.” Shadow said, looking over at the mare. The mare got closer, and Glistening held out his hoof to shake hers. “Nice to meet you, Rose!” He said as he held out his hoof. She scoffed and said, “Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Shadow elbowed her, and she held out her own hoof, and Glistening shook hers. “So, we were gonna head outside so I could show them that I’m a soap pony. Wanna come too?” Glistening asked. Rose was going to say “No”, but before she could, Shadow butted in and said, “Sure! Let’s do it!” He headed outside with Rose, the others following behind. They all went outside as Glistening showed them what he showed Pinkie, and they all seemed to be amazed by it. All of them, aside from Rose. She didn’t seem to find it cool. She thought that he was just pulling a trick to get some attention. They all went back inside, Glistening and Pinkie hopping in as the others walked, and they took a seat at a table after getting some snacks. “So, Glistening, how has life been with the whole “soap pony” thing?” Shadow asked, taking a bite of his brownie. “It’s been good. I finally got out of the forest and I get to talk with all of you, so it's been really good as of recently!” Glistening replied with a smile. “How was it before you came to Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “Quite lonely. There weren't a lot of ponies around to talk to since no one knew that I lived in the forest. There was a zebra that I talked to, but we stopped talking over the years.” He remembered, a bit of the happiness gone as he recalled the time. “How come?” “I’d rather not go into that. Right now, at least. Maybe another time.” He bit into one of his cookies. “Well, what about your parents? Surely you would have them to talk to while living in the forest.” Rarity said. Glistening stopped for a moment, before saying, “No, I didn't. I don't live with them… or even know them, for that matter.” That made all of them stop eating and take a second to process what he said. “What do you mean by that? Somepony must have had to take care of you while you were young.” “Yeah. It was the zebra that took care of me while I grew up. Apparently she found me on a river bank one day, and took me in to care for me. But like I said before, we talked less and less to each other over time.” They all sat in silence for a few moments as they thought about what to ask him next. Eventually, Spike asked, “Are there any other ponies like you? Like, any other soap ponies?” “I’m not sure. I haven't seen or heard of any others like me. So I can't be too sure.” “Of course.” Rose said under her breath, but not quiet enough, since everyone else in the room heard her. They all looked at her. “Rose…” Shadow said in a warning tone, giving her a glare. “Could you repeat that, Rose?” Glistening asked her. “Well, I just think that it's a bit funny how there apparently aren't any others like you. As if you just made this up to-” “ROSE!” Shadow barked, getting up. He took a deep breath, and calmed down a little. “We've gotta get going. I'm sorry about the inconvenience. We'll catch up another time, Glistening.” His horn lit up, and a few moments later, him and Rose were gone. The ponies stared at the spot where the two previously were in disbelief at what Rose had said. “‘Make this up’? What did she mean by that?” Glistening asked himself. Shadow was mad at Rose. No, angry at her. He teleported them back to Rose's place, and when they arrived, Rose asked, “What's the big deal?” “‘What's the big deal’!? You accused Glistening making up him being a soap pony!” Shadow snapped angrily. “Because he is! He's doing it for attention!” “Wouldn't you know about lying for attention?” Shadow remarked. Rose didn't really think about that comment much, and went back to her argument. “Well, you can't lie that it's a bit suspicious of how he is the only one of his kind, and how he hasn't seen any other soap ponies. And then you have the fact that he was apparently found by a zebra on a riverbank and raised by the zebra, and not by ‘soap ponies’.” “Even if it is, you can't just accuse him of lying about it for attention! You don't have any proof! For Celestia's sake, he hasn't even been in the town an entire day! How do you think it feels for him to be accused of lying about who he is day one of being here? I was hoping that you'd be a little bit nicer given that barely anypony else showed up to the party.” “I can see why they didn't show up, he's a liar and an attention-seeker.” Shadow was about to explode and probably break things, so to prevent all of that, he just went into his room. He slammed the door shut, and took a few more deep breaths. He took a look at himself in the mirror he had in his room to give himself a little pep-talk. Wouldn't be the first time he had given himself a talk like this. He took a look at himself, then took a deep breath, and started. “Look, you can’t let her get to your head, Shadow. She’s very, very annoying indeed. But she’s just another pony. The only reason you are living here is because you don’t have any other places to stay in the town. You can deal with her, just calm down. And maybe you can finally get another friend. Glistening’s here, and he seems like a nice stallion, so maybe you can become friends with him. Just gotta figure out a way to get away from Rose. You can try again tomorrow, it’ll be alright.” He said to himself. He then teleported to a lake he liked to be at to calm down, took a seat, and watched the stars in the sky. Chapter 3Glistening was in Pinkie's room packing up and putting all of his things into the new bag Pinkie had gotten him as a present. He was putting everything into it and making sure that he had everything he brought with him when he came into town the night before. When he finished packing, he put his bag on his back, and walked down the stairs. He got to the dining area, and decided to use the bathroom one time before he left. He asked Pinkie where it was, she told him, he thanked her, and he went to it to do his business. He used it, washed his hooves, and looked in the mirror. Glistening was a white soap pony with spiked blonde hair, and blue eyes. He had a CD for a cutie mark, representing his love and passion for music. He also has on a black jacket with white sleeves that he wore everywhere and everyday, since he loved it so much. He was really glad that he had come into town last night, because now he had a few new friends! When he came out of the bathroom and walked into the dining area, he saw two ponies that he wasn't expecting: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. He paused when he saw them, shocked that both of them were here right now. They were both talking to Twilight and Spike, when Celestia saw him out of the corner of her eye. She looked over to him, and asked the pony and dragon, “Is that him?” He had a smile on his face, still a bit shocked that the princesses of Equestria were there at that moment, in the same room as him, and walked over to them. “H-hello, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.” He greeted. “Hello, Glistening. How are you doing tonight?” She asked the soap pony, holding out her hoof for him to shake. He shook it for a few moments while looking her in the eye and saying, “I'm doing good princess! How about you?” They were similar in height, Glistening only a bit shorter than her and a bit taller than Luna. “I'm doing fine at the moment, thank you for asking. As you know, this is my sister, Luna.” She said, looking at the princess beside her. Glistening then held out his hoof towards the dark blue princess. “Hello, Princess Luna! How are you doing?” “We are pleasant.” The princess said, shaking his hoof. After a few moments, they stopped, and Glistening asked, “What are both of you doing here, this late at night? N-not that I mind you two being here! I’m just, uh, a bit surprised.” The princesses chuckled, and Celestia replied, “We came to see you. We wanted to get to know you since you're a really special pony.” He gasped and started hopping up and down in place. ‘I am?” “Yes you are. We were wondering if you'd like to come back to the Royal Castle with us?” Celestia asked. “Yes, please!” He exclaimed. The three of them walked out of the store, and outside waiting for them was a chariot. The princesses got on it, but Glistening paused. Celestia noticed this, and asked, “Everything alright, Glistening?” “Y-yeah, but uh… do we… have to take the chariot?” He asked, a little nervous. “It's how we got here, so yes. How come you're asking?” “I'm, uh… I-I'm afraid of heights.” He confessed, his stomach turning a little at the thought of being up high in the sky. He was insanely afraid of heights. Celestia paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say. “Glistening, it'll be alright. We aren't gonna let you fall or get hurt.” She assured him. “B-but how can you be so sure? There's nothing to hold us down.” “We have ridden these many times before, and never have we fallen off. But if you do for some reason, we always have our magic.” That set Glistening at ease a little. After a few moments of thinking, he said, “Alright." He then climbed onto the chariot, which took off a few moments later. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were already on their way into the forest to find a certain zebra. As they walked, Spike said, “I don’t know how Glistening lived here for his whole life. The forest is really creepy.” “I know. There’s gotta be something good about the forest that made him want to stay.” Twilight said, looking around as they walked. Soon enough, they’d get to the hut, and Twi knocked on the door. After a few moments, Zecora opened the door. “Ahh, hello Princess and Spike. What brings you here tonight?” Zecora questioned. “Hello, Zecora! We wanted to talk with you about a pony you possibly know.” “First, come on into my hut.” Zecora stepped to the side to let the princess and dragon in. Once they came in, she asked, “Who is this pony you are speaking of? “Do you remember Glistening Soaps?” Twilight asked. The zebra rolled her eyes. “The soap pony, correct?” Twi nodded, and Zecora continued. “Yes, he was the one I used to protect.” “How did you find him?” Twilight asked, taking a seat in a chair. “Well, I found him in a cauldron on the side of the river one day. I thought that he was hurt and in bad condition, but he was okay.” The princess and the dragon looked at each other with confusion when they heard that. “Do you know why he was in the cauldron?” The pony asked. “I have no idea why, but it makes me wonder how he was alive.” Twilight was a bit more confused now. Being in a cauldron was weird, but nothing life threatening, right? “Why do you say that?” “Well, inside with him were soaps and stones, and with him being, at the time, a little foal, if he had been in there for days and nights, I think that he would have taken a few bites.” “But he was okay, right?” Spike asked, and Zecora nodded. “Do you know how he became a soap pony?” “No, I have no idea how or why. That’s exactly how he was when I found him inside.” Zecora answered, taking a seat in front of both the pony and the dragon. Meanwhile, the two princesses and the soap pony arrived at the castle. Luna went off one way to go and do her job of helping little ponies with their nightmares, while Celestia brought Glistening to a room somewhere in the big castle. Once they got to the room, Celestia opened the door to it and walked inside with him. “Woah, this is a nice room! Thanks, princess!” He said happily as he looked around. “You’re very welcome, Glistening. It is getting pretty late, so it would probably be wise of both of us to get some sleep.” Celestia suggested. “I actually sleep during the day, rather than at night, so I’m not tired right now.” Glistening replied. “Oh, do you? Well, if you’d like, you can go spend some time in the garden.” “That’d be nice!” “Alright, I’ll have some guards escort you there.” Some guards appeared next to her, and Soaps walked out to them. As they walked him to the garden, Glistening said to Celestia, “Have a good night!” “You too, Glistening!” Celestia said back. Once the guards brought Glistening to the garden, he took a look around for a little, before choosing a place to sit and listen to music as he looked at the stars. In Ponyville, Shadow walked around the town looking for a present to get Glistening. He wasn’t able to get anything for Glistening since Rose wouldn’t let him. As he walked, he said, “Come on, Shadow. Think! What do you think would be something he’d like?” As he walked and thought, he noticed the music store. He did recall seeing his cutie mark, which looked like a CD. “You can get him a CD! But, what type of music does he like?” He thought some more, but couldn’t recall him saying what type of music he liked. “Well, maybe he’s still awake; I could go pay him a quick visit!" He made his way to Sugarcube Corner and knocked on the doors of the place, hoping that Pinkie Pie was still awake. A few seconds after, he saw the pink pony hope towards the doors. Pinkie opened the doors, and greeted, “Hey, Shadow! What brings you here tonight?” “Hey, Pinkie. I was wondering if Glistening was still here?” Shadow asked. “Oh, no he isn’t. The princesses took him to the castle with them!” She answered. “Oh, ok. Thank you Pinkie!” He said, then taking off with Pinkie wishing him the same in the background. Glistening would still be sitting and drawing in the garden, when he thought he heard somepony calling his name. He looked around, but didn’t say any other ponies near him other than the guards. He heard it again, but this time, he knew where it came from, that being… the sky? He looked up to see somepony flying towards him. “Glistening!” Shadow yelled from the sky as he flew to the ground. Glistening quickly realized who it was. “Shadow!” Glistening called out, getting up to greet the bat. But as soon as he landed, Shadow was tackled, and Glistening and his things were brought out of the garden. Glistening tried to explain to the guards that he knew who Shadow was and that he was a friend, but to no avail. Glistening was brought back to his room, as some guards stayed outside of it, while some others went to alert the princess of the trespasser. Glistening waited in his room for a little bit, hoping he’d get his chance to explain that he knew Shadow. His hopes were high when two guards opened the door to Glistening’s room, and one said, “Sir, the princess would like to see you.” Glistening gasped, hoping it meant what he thought it meant, as walked out of the room, and let himself be escorted by the guards. They brought him to the throne room, where Luna, Shadow, and some other guards were. The guards then brought Glistening to the room and closed the doors, and Luna said from her throne, “Hello there, Glistening.” “Hello there, Princess.” He said, standing up tall and ready to explain himself and Shadow. “I have brought you here because this pony said that he knows you and is friends with you. Is that true?” “Yes, he is. He was at the ‘Welcome To Equestria’ party Pinkie Pie threw for me.” Glistening affirmed, and Shadow sighed a little with relief that Glistening had his back. “Alright. Well, Shadow,” The princess said, looking over at her, and him looking back at her, “I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But next time you come here without warning, you will get a heavier punishment.” “I understand, Princess.” Shadow said back once she finished. “I have a question, Princess. Would it be alright if I took Glistening around Canterlot to talk and walk with him?” “Well, as long as the two of you stay in Canterlot only and go nowhere else, it is fine.” “Alright, thank you, Princess. We’ll be back by the time the sun is up.” Shadow affirmed. Him and Glistening were brought out of the room by three guards, but only after Luna said something to said guards. “So, Glistening, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out?” “Sure! What would you like to do?” Glistening asked as he walked next to Shadow. Glistening was only a bit taller than Shadow, but Shadow still had to look up a little, and Glistening looked down at him. “Well, I didn’t get you a gift for your party, so I was thinking we could stop somewhere then, if places are still open, then we could see what’s around Canterlot.” “Oh no, it's alright! You don’t have to worry about getting me a gift. You coming was just enough!” “No, no, no. I insist. Come on, let’s go!” Shadow said, gliding down the hallway, and Glistening trotting quickly to keep up with him. Once they were out on the streets of Canterlot, the three guards still following them, Shadow asked, “So, what do you like? Do you have any hobbies?” “Well, I mainly just listen to music, and play around the house. Not a lot to do since I’ve lived by myself for a long time, so I gotta make due with what I’ve got.” Glistening said. “Music, you said?" He asked, confirming his thoughts earlier about his liking in music. “Well, we can get you a CD, if the music store is still open.” Shadow suggested. “No, no, no. Shadow, it’s really fine. You don’t have to buy me anythi-” “Nonsense,” Shadow said, cutting Glistening off and walking ahead to a music store while pulling the soap pony along with his magic. “I should have gotten you one for your party, and for having to deal with Rose.” They got to the store, went inside, and Shadow said, “Go ahead. Get any one that you’d like. Actually, I’ll get two.” “You really mean that?” Glistening asked, looking at Shadow. “Mhm.” Shadow answered. Glistening smiled, and looked around. There was one CD in particular he was looking for by one band: flank-182. He had heard one of their songs on the radio one day, and fell in love with it. He went to the “Rock” section of the store. Once he found the CD with the song on it, he squealed a little with happiness. Shadow was just watching Soaps as the former hung out by the counter, and chuckled a little as he watched the other pony search. Shadow had taken a liking to Glistening. He was very friendly and nice, and was a bit surprised when he didn’t accept the offering of the gift. Even though they hadn’t hung out much yet, he was hoping he would become good friends with Glistening. Unfortunately because of Rose, he didn’t have any friends other than Pinkie Pie. But hopefully, he would be able to change that now. All he has to do is just find a way to keep Rose away from both him and Soaps while they are hanging out. Glistening would then hop over to the counter with the two CDs. Once he put the CDs on the counter, Shadow pulled out a bag of bits. He asked how much they would be, the mare at the counter told him, and Shadow paid the amount. The CDs were put in a bag, Glistening grabbed it, and hopped and giggled with joy. Shadow smiled, something he didn’t do quite often, and both of them thanked the mare and headed out. Once they were outside, Soaps gave Shadow a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Shadow!” Glistening said as he hugged. Shadow wanted to fight back since he wasn’t a big fan of hugs, but this felt... fine coming from him, even if Glistening’s arms were cold, since they were solid (because he’s soap) instead of fluffy. “It’s nothing big, Glistening.” Shadow responded as Glistening stood there for a few seconds, continuing to hug. After those few seconds, Shadow started getting uncomfortable. “Could you put me down now?” “Oh, sorry.” The soap pony said, placing down Shadow. “It has been a while since I’ve done that, and I was, uh, liking that feeling.” “What feeling would that be?” Shadow asked. “Well, the feeling of… hugging somepony again. That’s always nice to do. Teddy bears don’t do that justice.” Glistening replied, and that last part got a little chuckle from Shadow, until he realized Glistening wasn’t joking. “Oh, you were being serious?” Shadow asked. “Yeah. As I said earlier, I’ve been alone for the past few years, and I gotta make due with what I’ve got. So, what do you want to do now? We still have the entire night to spend together.” “How about we walk around the city and what there is to do?” Shadow suggested. “Alrightie! That can work!” The soap pony said, hopping down the street with Shadow following behind.
Chapter 1Glistening walked through the forest, and looked around to make sure nothing vicious was around. He had two bags full of what he needed while on his trip. He was going into the town near the forest he lived in to try and move there. He has lived in the forest for ten years of his life, and has now decided to get out of his small little house there. He travels on a little path he knew that led to the town. He was careful with each step, always looking around for any timberwolves or anything else that can harm him. After a minute of walking, he saw a lot of moonlight, letting him know he was almost out of the forest. He continued until he was out of the forest, and walked around the pond, and continued walking. When he got into the town, he looked around to take in his surroundings so he knew where to go when he needed to go back. When he took them in, he continued on. Glistening walked around for a bit, looking for a possible house to rent or buy. He was hoping he could find one so he could move into the town, and talk to ponies, and finally interact with them. All this time he was in the forest, he hadn’t interacted with many ponies. The only one he had talked to during those ten years was Zecora. She was a nice pony, or zebra rather, and they talked frequently. Though, over the years, they talked less and less. He was getting excited from the thought of this happening. He was thinking of all the friends he could make, tell them about himself as a soap pony, have fun with them… and maybe even find a mare-friend. He was lost in his thoughts, and accidentally bumped into somepony. He fell back onto his butt, and rubbed his head from the collision. He looked, and saw a pink pony doing the same thing as him. “Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you like that!” He apologized. The pink Earth pony giggled. “No no no, it's alright. It's my bad for bouncing into you.” “No no no no no, I should have looked where I was going. It's my fault.” Glistening assured. “Wait… are you new? I haven’t seen you around here before.” “Um, not exactly. I live in a little house or shack in the forest over there.” Glistening informed the pony, then pointing near the direction of the house. The pink pony gasped. “You mean in the Everfree forest!? Glistening said, “If that’s the forest right there, then yeah.” “Don’t you know how dangerous the forest is, and the creatures in it!?” She exclaimed. “Yeah.” Glistening replied. “Well why do you live there then?” “I'm not too sure. I just haven't quite moved out of the house yet. Do you happen to know if anypony is selling or renting any houses around here?” “No, I don’t. Why are you looking this late at night?” “Well, it’s hard for me, considering what the sun does.” The pink pony just looked at him with a confused expression. “Oh, right! You don’t know.” “Ooh, you have a story to tell?” She beamed. “Yeah, if you would like to hear it, that is.” “Sure! How about we head back to my place and you can tell your story on the way there?” “Um, sure.” They started on their way, and Glistening started. “So, I can’t really go out in the daylight. Or, I can, just not for a long time.” “How come?” The pony asked as she hopped. “I am a soap pony. And soap melts when it is in the sun for a long time.” The pony stopped hopping and looked at Glistening. “What do you mean “Soap Pony”?” Glistening stopped as well, and continued. “Well, instead of regular skin and flesh, I have soap.” She looked at him with confusion for a second, then giggled for a few seconds. “You’re silly! That’s not possible!” She booped him, and continued hopping to her house. Glistening followed. “I really am, I do have soap for skin. I can show you when we get to your place.” He proposed. “Hehe. Okie.” She giggled and continued on. The two ponies walked and hopped, and Glistening was confused as to why they were headed to… a building that looked like a giant cupcake. “What are we doing here?” He wondered. “I live here! Not in the store itself, but in a room above the store. I’ll show you, come on!” She said, continuing to lead him into the store and then up some stairs into a room above the store. She had him wait there as she went down into the kitchen to get them some snacks. She came back up with some cookies and milk. They had a seat on her bed, and began to eat and drink. “So, you have soap instead of skin?” She asked. “Mhm! I should show you before we forget.” He said, walking to the door to exit, and she followed. As they walked down the stairs, he asked, “Could you get me a bit of water? I’ll meet you outside, then I can show you.” She nodded, and they went separate ways. Glistening went outside the shop, and soon the pink pony did as well. “Thank you!” He said, then grabbed the cup of water. “Now, my hoof is completely dry, right?” He asked, and showed her. She nodded and continued. He dipped his hoof into the water, and took it out. “Now, watch.” He said, and she put all her focus onto him. He placed his hoof on the ground, and dragged it. A trail of soap suddenly appeared from the areas his hoof had touched. The other pony watched in amazement as she saw this happen. He looked up at her after a few seconds, and she just stood there in shock. “How did you do that?!” She exclaimed. “Well, since I’m made of soap, if my body gets wet, it becomes slippery and soapy.” He answered. “That is so cool!” She said, hopping up and down again. He chuckled as he saw her reaction. “Also, would you mind telling me your name? I haven’t gotten it yet.” “Oh, my name is Pinkie Pie! What about yours?” Pinkie asked. “I am Glistening Soaps.” He answered. “Well, it’s pretty cool that you can do that, Glistening! How about we head back inside and we can chat some more?” Pinkie offered. “Sure!” He said. The both of them went back inside, and back up to Pinkie’s room as they continued to eat on the cookies. “So,” Pinkie spoke up, “How come you're up this late at night, again?” “I want to look for a house in this town, and get out from the forest. It gets lonely, and I would like to make some friends.” Her happiness faded a little. “You don’t have any friends?” She asked. “No… Well, I had one, but over time, we talked less and less.” “Oh…” “Yeah. I should probably get going. I don't wanna take up too much of your time, and I do wanna look around town and see what there is. Thank you for the cookies and milk. I really liked them.” He said, getting up and heading for the door. “Wait. You don't have to go.” Pinkie said as Glistening got to the door. “Well, I'd like to find a place to live that's in this town.” “Well, you can stay with me for now!” She offered, giving a warming smile. He stood silent for a moment. “Really?” “Yes you can! I can talk to one of my friends tomorrow as well, and you might be able to stay with them for a while. This place isn't really meant for two ponies.” “That's… really generous of you. Thank you, Pinkie.” “It's fine. It's not a problem. We should probably get some sleep soon. It's getting late.” She said, looking at a watch that suddenly appeared on her arm. He went to question how the watch got there, but figured that she had it on before. “Well, I only woke up a little bit ago, so I'm not really tired.” “You aren’t tired? How come?” “Well, since I have soap for skin, if I go out in the sun for too long, the soap will melt. So, I sleep during the day, and do my things during the night.” “What happens if it does melt?” “I don’t know. I haven’t gotten to that point to figure out. If you wanna sleep, go ahead. I’m gonna go around the town and see what there is around here.” “Ok! Would you like any other food before you go?” “No, I’ll be fine.” “Ok, well, have fun! Just make sure you come back when you get sleepy!” “Will do! Have a good night!” He said, walking down the stairs to the shop. He went down into the bakery, and walked out the front doors, and walked around the town.
Chapter 2A few hours later, Glistening had returned to the bakery as Pinkie had asked. It was around 6:30, and the sun had started to rise. He had a good night that night. He walked around while listening to some of his favorite songs. He even went swimming as well, which he really loved to do. When he opened the doors to the bakery, he was expecting Pinkie to be asleep, so he tried to be quiet. Though, as he was about to sit down, he heard a sound from the kitchen. It wasn’t the sound of the floorboards creaking, but more of like two pots accidentally being hit together. He was a bit frightened by it, since it was unexpected, and also because it was still early, so no pony should have been awake. He went to the kitchen, and peaked his head in. Inside was Pinkie, and she seemed to be baking something. When she noticed him, she said, “Oh, good morning! How are you?” “Good morning, Pinkie!” Glistening greeted. “I’m doing pretty good, thank you for asking! How about you?” “Well, I’m doing very good! I’m making you some pancakes.” “Oh, really? Thank you, Pinkie! I really appreciate that!” “It’s no biggie! Just have a seat at one of the tables, and I’ll bring the pancakes into you when I finish.” “Okay!” He said, heading out of the kitchen and sitting down at a table as he waited. A few moments later, she came out with a plate of pancakes that were already cut up and syruped. She placed the plate in front of him. “There you go!” “Thank you Pinkie!” He thanked her, and started to eat the pancakes. Pinkie went back into the kitchen and around the bakery to set up for the day. Glistening finished eating within a few minutes, and got up to bring his plate into the kitchen and wash it, since that was his first instinct because he has always lived alone, but Pinkie came over, picked up the plate, and said, “I can get it!” “Oh, thank you! And thank you for making the pancakes as well! They were really good!” “No problem!” She said, hopping into the kitchen with the plate. Glistening followed her to say, “I’m gonna grab my stuff and head back to my house. It was nice seeing you!” He started walking to her room to grab his bag. Pinkie called out, “Wait! Why are you going?” He stopped and turned around. “Well, I need to get some rest. It’s time about time that I get some sleep.” “Well, you can sleep here if you would like!” He thought about it for a moment, before asking, “Are you sure?” She nodded, and he said, “Ok!” Pinkie smiled, and hopped up the stairs as Glistening followed behind. After she made sure he was good and needed nothing else, she hopped to the door, turned off the light, and said, “Good… morning, I guess.” She giggled, closed the door, and went back to her business as the soap pony got some rest. Glistening slowly opened his eyes as he stirred awake. He blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes, and rising from the bed. As he sat there, he heard faint voices. They weren’t in the room, but sounded like they were under. He freaked out for a few seconds, until he realized that he was at Pinkie’s place, not his own. He got out of bed, and put on his jacket. He opened the bedroom door, and was gonna go down to the dining area, but Pinkie was waiting right there. “Oh! Hey, Pinkie!” He greeted. “Hey, Glisty! I made you something!” She said as she walked into the room. She placed the tray on the bed, which had donuts on it. “I wasn’t quite sure what types of donuts you like, so I just made some glazed ones.” He walked over to the bed and picked one up. “These are fine. Vanilla frosting is my favorite, if you would like to know.” “Alright! I’ll remember that for next time!” She sat down next to him as he ate the donut. “So, how’d you sleep?” “It was good, thank you for asking! How has your day been so far?” He asked back. “It’s been good! I have a surprise for you down stairs when you finish!” She revealed. “Oh? How kind of you. Even though I haven’t seen it yet or gotten to experience it yet, it is really nice and sweet of you to get something for me, even though we’ve only known each other for… not even a full day.” As the two ponies upstairs talked, the other six ponies and dragon down stairs worried, especially Twi. “Girls, let’s just try to calm down a bit. So no ponies have shown up yet. That doesn’t mean that they won’t show up at all. Maybe they are just a little late, or think that it’s happening a bit later.” Starlight said, trying to stay a bit positive. “Yeah, yeah you’re right, Starlight! They’re just running a little late! They’ll be here soon.” Twilight agreed. She then heard footsteps from the stairway, and whispered, “They’re coming down, shhhh!” Twi, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Starlight, and Spike stood side by side as they waited for the two other ponies to come into the room. A few moments later, Glistening and Pinkie came into the room. As they did, the other ponies yelled, “Surprise! Welcome to Ponyville!” Glistening’s smile grew even more and he chuckled a little as he looked around the room, which was decorated with banners and streamers, and looked a bit different than before. “Oh, wow! A party for me?” He asked, looking at Pinkie. “Yep! It’s tradition to welcome somepony with a party whenever they move into Ponyville, but since you’ve lived near it, we decided to throw you one anyways!” “Thank you so much! Oh, and what’s the names of all of you?” Glistening asked as he walked over to the others. They all introduced themselves, and then Twi asked for his. “I’m Glistening Soaps! It’s really nice to meet all of you!” He then shook Twi’s hoof. “You’re the “soap pony” Pinkie was talking about, correct?” Twilight asked. “Probably! I’m the only soap pony I know that’s around.” He chuckled. “I could show you if you would like!” “Sure! Let’s do it.” Twi replied. “Alright!” Glistening said, then heading toward the door. As he opened it to let the others go first, there was a bat pony and a regular pony standing on the other side of the door. The bat pony was black with light grey hair that got darker at the ends of it. He had bright red eyes, and had both wings and a horn. The mare was a bit smaller than the bat pony, had emerald eyes, a red mane, was tan, and her cutie mark was a bouquet of roses. All of the others gasped. They were silent for a few seconds, before Glistening apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m in your way.” and then stepped out of the way. The bat pony and mare walked into the place. “Wait,” The bat pony said, turning toward Glistening, “You’re the new pony, aren’t you?” Glistening nodded, and the bat continued. “Well, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Shadow!” The bat held out his hoof and the soap pony shook it. “I’m Glistening Soaps! Nice to meet you, Shadow!” “This is my friend, Rose.” Shadow said, looking over at the mare. The mare got closer, and Glistening held out his hoof to shake hers. “Nice to meet you, Rose!” He said as he held out his hoof. She scoffed and said, “Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Shadow elbowed her, and she held out her own hoof, and Glistening shook hers. “So, we were gonna head outside so I could show them that I’m a soap pony. Wanna come too?” Glistening asked. Rose was going to say “No”, but before she could, Shadow butted in and said, “Sure! Let’s do it!” He headed outside with Rose, the others following behind. They all went outside as Glistening showed them what he showed Pinkie, and they all seemed to be amazed by it. All of them, aside from Rose. She didn’t seem to find it cool. She thought that he was just pulling a trick to get some attention. They all went back inside, Glistening and Pinkie hopping in as the others walked, and they took a seat at a table after getting some snacks. “So, Glistening, how has life been with the whole “soap pony” thing?” Shadow asked, taking a bite of his brownie. “It’s been good. I finally got out of the forest and I get to talk with all of you, so it's been really good as of recently!” Glistening replied with a smile. “How was it before you came to Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “Quite lonely. There weren't a lot of ponies around to talk to since no one knew that I lived in the forest. There was a zebra that I talked to, but we stopped talking over the years.” He remembered, a bit of the happiness gone as he recalled the time. “How come?” “I’d rather not go into that. Right now, at least. Maybe another time.” He bit into one of his cookies. “Well, what about your parents? Surely you would have them to talk to while living in the forest.” Rarity said. Glistening stopped for a moment, before saying, “No, I didn't. I don't live with them… or even know them, for that matter.” That made all of them stop eating and take a second to process what he said. “What do you mean by that? Somepony must have had to take care of you while you were young.” “Yeah. It was the zebra that took care of me while I grew up. Apparently she found me on a river bank one day, and took me in to care for me. But like I said before, we talked less and less to each other over time.” They all sat in silence for a few moments as they thought about what to ask him next. Eventually, Spike asked, “Are there any other ponies like you? Like, any other soap ponies?” “I’m not sure. I haven't seen or heard of any others like me. So I can't be too sure.” “Of course.” Rose said under her breath, but not quiet enough, since everyone else in the room heard her. They all looked at her. “Rose…” Shadow said in a warning tone, giving her a glare. “Could you repeat that, Rose?” Glistening asked her. “Well, I just think that it's a bit funny how there apparently aren't any others like you. As if you just made this up to-” “ROSE!” Shadow barked, getting up. He took a deep breath, and calmed down a little. “We've gotta get going. I'm sorry about the inconvenience. We'll catch up another time, Glistening.” His horn lit up, and a few moments later, him and Rose were gone. The ponies stared at the spot where the two previously were in disbelief at what Rose had said. “‘Make this up’? What did she mean by that?” Glistening asked himself. Shadow was mad at Rose. No, angry at her. He teleported them back to Rose's place, and when they arrived, Rose asked, “What's the big deal?” “‘What's the big deal’!? You accused Glistening making up him being a soap pony!” Shadow snapped angrily. “Because he is! He's doing it for attention!” “Wouldn't you know about lying for attention?” Shadow remarked. Rose didn't really think about that comment much, and went back to her argument. “Well, you can't lie that it's a bit suspicious of how he is the only one of his kind, and how he hasn't seen any other soap ponies. And then you have the fact that he was apparently found by a zebra on a riverbank and raised by the zebra, and not by ‘soap ponies’.” “Even if it is, you can't just accuse him of lying about it for attention! You don't have any proof! For Celestia's sake, he hasn't even been in the town an entire day! How do you think it feels for him to be accused of lying about who he is day one of being here? I was hoping that you'd be a little bit nicer given that barely anypony else showed up to the party.” “I can see why they didn't show up, he's a liar and an attention-seeker.” Shadow was about to explode and probably break things, so to prevent all of that, he just went into his room. He slammed the door shut, and took a few more deep breaths. He took a look at himself in the mirror he had in his room to give himself a little pep-talk. Wouldn't be the first time he had given himself a talk like this. He took a look at himself, then took a deep breath, and started. “Look, you can’t let her get to your head, Shadow. She’s very, very annoying indeed. But she’s just another pony. The only reason you are living here is because you don’t have any other places to stay in the town. You can deal with her, just calm down. And maybe you can finally get another friend. Glistening’s here, and he seems like a nice stallion, so maybe you can become friends with him. Just gotta figure out a way to get away from Rose. You can try again tomorrow, it’ll be alright.” He said to himself. He then teleported to a lake he liked to be at to calm down, took a seat, and watched the stars in the sky.
Chapter 3Glistening was in Pinkie's room packing up and putting all of his things into the new bag Pinkie had gotten him as a present. He was putting everything into it and making sure that he had everything he brought with him when he came into town the night before. When he finished packing, he put his bag on his back, and walked down the stairs. He got to the dining area, and decided to use the bathroom one time before he left. He asked Pinkie where it was, she told him, he thanked her, and he went to it to do his business. He used it, washed his hooves, and looked in the mirror. Glistening was a white soap pony with spiked blonde hair, and blue eyes. He had a CD for a cutie mark, representing his love and passion for music. He also has on a black jacket with white sleeves that he wore everywhere and everyday, since he loved it so much. He was really glad that he had come into town last night, because now he had a few new friends! When he came out of the bathroom and walked into the dining area, he saw two ponies that he wasn't expecting: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. He paused when he saw them, shocked that both of them were here right now. They were both talking to Twilight and Spike, when Celestia saw him out of the corner of her eye. She looked over to him, and asked the pony and dragon, “Is that him?” He had a smile on his face, still a bit shocked that the princesses of Equestria were there at that moment, in the same room as him, and walked over to them. “H-hello, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.” He greeted. “Hello, Glistening. How are you doing tonight?” She asked the soap pony, holding out her hoof for him to shake. He shook it for a few moments while looking her in the eye and saying, “I'm doing good princess! How about you?” They were similar in height, Glistening only a bit shorter than her and a bit taller than Luna. “I'm doing fine at the moment, thank you for asking. As you know, this is my sister, Luna.” She said, looking at the princess beside her. Glistening then held out his hoof towards the dark blue princess. “Hello, Princess Luna! How are you doing?” “We are pleasant.” The princess said, shaking his hoof. After a few moments, they stopped, and Glistening asked, “What are both of you doing here, this late at night? N-not that I mind you two being here! I’m just, uh, a bit surprised.” The princesses chuckled, and Celestia replied, “We came to see you. We wanted to get to know you since you're a really special pony.” He gasped and started hopping up and down in place. ‘I am?” “Yes you are. We were wondering if you'd like to come back to the Royal Castle with us?” Celestia asked. “Yes, please!” He exclaimed. The three of them walked out of the store, and outside waiting for them was a chariot. The princesses got on it, but Glistening paused. Celestia noticed this, and asked, “Everything alright, Glistening?” “Y-yeah, but uh… do we… have to take the chariot?” He asked, a little nervous. “It's how we got here, so yes. How come you're asking?” “I'm, uh… I-I'm afraid of heights.” He confessed, his stomach turning a little at the thought of being up high in the sky. He was insanely afraid of heights. Celestia paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say. “Glistening, it'll be alright. We aren't gonna let you fall or get hurt.” She assured him. “B-but how can you be so sure? There's nothing to hold us down.” “We have ridden these many times before, and never have we fallen off. But if you do for some reason, we always have our magic.” That set Glistening at ease a little. After a few moments of thinking, he said, “Alright." He then climbed onto the chariot, which took off a few moments later. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were already on their way into the forest to find a certain zebra. As they walked, Spike said, “I don’t know how Glistening lived here for his whole life. The forest is really creepy.” “I know. There’s gotta be something good about the forest that made him want to stay.” Twilight said, looking around as they walked. Soon enough, they’d get to the hut, and Twi knocked on the door. After a few moments, Zecora opened the door. “Ahh, hello Princess and Spike. What brings you here tonight?” Zecora questioned. “Hello, Zecora! We wanted to talk with you about a pony you possibly know.” “First, come on into my hut.” Zecora stepped to the side to let the princess and dragon in. Once they came in, she asked, “Who is this pony you are speaking of? “Do you remember Glistening Soaps?” Twilight asked. The zebra rolled her eyes. “The soap pony, correct?” Twi nodded, and Zecora continued. “Yes, he was the one I used to protect.” “How did you find him?” Twilight asked, taking a seat in a chair. “Well, I found him in a cauldron on the side of the river one day. I thought that he was hurt and in bad condition, but he was okay.” The princess and the dragon looked at each other with confusion when they heard that. “Do you know why he was in the cauldron?” The pony asked. “I have no idea why, but it makes me wonder how he was alive.” Twilight was a bit more confused now. Being in a cauldron was weird, but nothing life threatening, right? “Why do you say that?” “Well, inside with him were soaps and stones, and with him being, at the time, a little foal, if he had been in there for days and nights, I think that he would have taken a few bites.” “But he was okay, right?” Spike asked, and Zecora nodded. “Do you know how he became a soap pony?” “No, I have no idea how or why. That’s exactly how he was when I found him inside.” Zecora answered, taking a seat in front of both the pony and the dragon. Meanwhile, the two princesses and the soap pony arrived at the castle. Luna went off one way to go and do her job of helping little ponies with their nightmares, while Celestia brought Glistening to a room somewhere in the big castle. Once they got to the room, Celestia opened the door to it and walked inside with him. “Woah, this is a nice room! Thanks, princess!” He said happily as he looked around. “You’re very welcome, Glistening. It is getting pretty late, so it would probably be wise of both of us to get some sleep.” Celestia suggested. “I actually sleep during the day, rather than at night, so I’m not tired right now.” Glistening replied. “Oh, do you? Well, if you’d like, you can go spend some time in the garden.” “That’d be nice!” “Alright, I’ll have some guards escort you there.” Some guards appeared next to her, and Soaps walked out to them. As they walked him to the garden, Glistening said to Celestia, “Have a good night!” “You too, Glistening!” Celestia said back. Once the guards brought Glistening to the garden, he took a look around for a little, before choosing a place to sit and listen to music as he looked at the stars. In Ponyville, Shadow walked around the town looking for a present to get Glistening. He wasn’t able to get anything for Glistening since Rose wouldn’t let him. As he walked, he said, “Come on, Shadow. Think! What do you think would be something he’d like?” As he walked and thought, he noticed the music store. He did recall seeing his cutie mark, which looked like a CD. “You can get him a CD! But, what type of music does he like?” He thought some more, but couldn’t recall him saying what type of music he liked. “Well, maybe he’s still awake; I could go pay him a quick visit!" He made his way to Sugarcube Corner and knocked on the doors of the place, hoping that Pinkie Pie was still awake. A few seconds after, he saw the pink pony hope towards the doors. Pinkie opened the doors, and greeted, “Hey, Shadow! What brings you here tonight?” “Hey, Pinkie. I was wondering if Glistening was still here?” Shadow asked. “Oh, no he isn’t. The princesses took him to the castle with them!” She answered. “Oh, ok. Thank you Pinkie!” He said, then taking off with Pinkie wishing him the same in the background. Glistening would still be sitting and drawing in the garden, when he thought he heard somepony calling his name. He looked around, but didn’t say any other ponies near him other than the guards. He heard it again, but this time, he knew where it came from, that being… the sky? He looked up to see somepony flying towards him. “Glistening!” Shadow yelled from the sky as he flew to the ground. Glistening quickly realized who it was. “Shadow!” Glistening called out, getting up to greet the bat. But as soon as he landed, Shadow was tackled, and Glistening and his things were brought out of the garden. Glistening tried to explain to the guards that he knew who Shadow was and that he was a friend, but to no avail. Glistening was brought back to his room, as some guards stayed outside of it, while some others went to alert the princess of the trespasser. Glistening waited in his room for a little bit, hoping he’d get his chance to explain that he knew Shadow. His hopes were high when two guards opened the door to Glistening’s room, and one said, “Sir, the princess would like to see you.” Glistening gasped, hoping it meant what he thought it meant, as walked out of the room, and let himself be escorted by the guards. They brought him to the throne room, where Luna, Shadow, and some other guards were. The guards then brought Glistening to the room and closed the doors, and Luna said from her throne, “Hello there, Glistening.” “Hello there, Princess.” He said, standing up tall and ready to explain himself and Shadow. “I have brought you here because this pony said that he knows you and is friends with you. Is that true?” “Yes, he is. He was at the ‘Welcome To Equestria’ party Pinkie Pie threw for me.” Glistening affirmed, and Shadow sighed a little with relief that Glistening had his back. “Alright. Well, Shadow,” The princess said, looking over at her, and him looking back at her, “I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But next time you come here without warning, you will get a heavier punishment.” “I understand, Princess.” Shadow said back once she finished. “I have a question, Princess. Would it be alright if I took Glistening around Canterlot to talk and walk with him?” “Well, as long as the two of you stay in Canterlot only and go nowhere else, it is fine.” “Alright, thank you, Princess. We’ll be back by the time the sun is up.” Shadow affirmed. Him and Glistening were brought out of the room by three guards, but only after Luna said something to said guards. “So, Glistening, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out?” “Sure! What would you like to do?” Glistening asked as he walked next to Shadow. Glistening was only a bit taller than Shadow, but Shadow still had to look up a little, and Glistening looked down at him. “Well, I didn’t get you a gift for your party, so I was thinking we could stop somewhere then, if places are still open, then we could see what’s around Canterlot.” “Oh no, it's alright! You don’t have to worry about getting me a gift. You coming was just enough!” “No, no, no. I insist. Come on, let’s go!” Shadow said, gliding down the hallway, and Glistening trotting quickly to keep up with him. Once they were out on the streets of Canterlot, the three guards still following them, Shadow asked, “So, what do you like? Do you have any hobbies?” “Well, I mainly just listen to music, and play around the house. Not a lot to do since I’ve lived by myself for a long time, so I gotta make due with what I’ve got.” Glistening said. “Music, you said?" He asked, confirming his thoughts earlier about his liking in music. “Well, we can get you a CD, if the music store is still open.” Shadow suggested. “No, no, no. Shadow, it’s really fine. You don’t have to buy me anythi-” “Nonsense,” Shadow said, cutting Glistening off and walking ahead to a music store while pulling the soap pony along with his magic. “I should have gotten you one for your party, and for having to deal with Rose.” They got to the store, went inside, and Shadow said, “Go ahead. Get any one that you’d like. Actually, I’ll get two.” “You really mean that?” Glistening asked, looking at Shadow. “Mhm.” Shadow answered. Glistening smiled, and looked around. There was one CD in particular he was looking for by one band: flank-182. He had heard one of their songs on the radio one day, and fell in love with it. He went to the “Rock” section of the store. Once he found the CD with the song on it, he squealed a little with happiness. Shadow was just watching Soaps as the former hung out by the counter, and chuckled a little as he watched the other pony search. Shadow had taken a liking to Glistening. He was very friendly and nice, and was a bit surprised when he didn’t accept the offering of the gift. Even though they hadn’t hung out much yet, he was hoping he would become good friends with Glistening. Unfortunately because of Rose, he didn’t have any friends other than Pinkie Pie. But hopefully, he would be able to change that now. All he has to do is just find a way to keep Rose away from both him and Soaps while they are hanging out. Glistening would then hop over to the counter with the two CDs. Once he put the CDs on the counter, Shadow pulled out a bag of bits. He asked how much they would be, the mare at the counter told him, and Shadow paid the amount. The CDs were put in a bag, Glistening grabbed it, and hopped and giggled with joy. Shadow smiled, something he didn’t do quite often, and both of them thanked the mare and headed out. Once they were outside, Soaps gave Shadow a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Shadow!” Glistening said as he hugged. Shadow wanted to fight back since he wasn’t a big fan of hugs, but this felt... fine coming from him, even if Glistening’s arms were cold, since they were solid (because he’s soap) instead of fluffy. “It’s nothing big, Glistening.” Shadow responded as Glistening stood there for a few seconds, continuing to hug. After those few seconds, Shadow started getting uncomfortable. “Could you put me down now?” “Oh, sorry.” The soap pony said, placing down Shadow. “It has been a while since I’ve done that, and I was, uh, liking that feeling.” “What feeling would that be?” Shadow asked. “Well, the feeling of… hugging somepony again. That’s always nice to do. Teddy bears don’t do that justice.” Glistening replied, and that last part got a little chuckle from Shadow, until he realized Glistening wasn’t joking. “Oh, you were being serious?” Shadow asked. “Yeah. As I said earlier, I’ve been alone for the past few years, and I gotta make due with what I’ve got. So, what do you want to do now? We still have the entire night to spend together.” “How about we walk around the city and what there is to do?” Shadow suggested. “Alrightie! That can work!” The soap pony said, hopping down the street with Shadow following behind.
