The draft combine was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. I had a lot of fun with DB, Jonathan(which is what he requested we call him now) and Sutton.

A lot of it was fitness tests and measurements, and also some scrimmages, which I did well in. But that's not the best part.

The best part is I'm invited to team practice. With Paul George. And Russell Westbrook. And Carmelo Anthony. It's in two days.

I was so in my own head when I got home that for a second I was surprised to see a bright blue horse with wings dozing on my couch. But then I remembered and quickly thanked God for answering my prayer.

I decided not to bother her and headed to my room to call Alex Robinson. He answered on the third ring. "How you doing man?" I asked into the phone.

"I'm alright," he replied. "Saw you guys get drafted. I'm proud of you. Same for DB. And Sutton. And Johnny."

"Actually, he wants us to call him Jonathan now," I joked. "For real, though, thanks, man."

"No problem. I think I'll stay here for one more year, then maybe I'll opt for the draft."

"Awesome. So what you been doing? Just chillin and watchin TV?"

"Actually, I've been workin. Tryna get stronger. Making my game better. Hopefully we can win again, but it'll be tough without you guys."

"Yeah...." I said, my voice trailing off.

"Anyway, I gotta go. But I'll talk to you again later if you want."

"Yeah, alright. Take care of yourself, man."

"You too."

I hung up and walked back to the living room. Rainbow was still sleeping. At this point I was willing to wake her up. I shook her lightly and her eyes popped open, which sort of startled me. "Sorry," she said.

"It's fine," I replied. "I was just hoping I could sit here." She moved, and I sat down, laying back and closing my eyes. I was starting to drift off when a growling sound snapped me back to Earth. I looked over at the blue pony. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

It was at that moment that I realized I had no idea what these ponies ate. I had gone to get some stuff recently, but I live alone, so I was only really getting what I needed. One quick Google search later(I can only imagine how weird my history must look) I was armed with the knowledge that they ate fruit, which I had. I kept mine in the fridge, though, not in a bowl like most people. I grabbed an apple and tossed it to her. I was about to sit back down when my phone vibrated. It was an email notification. I checked to see who it was from, and almost jumped when I saw the name Billy Donovan. Billy Donovan! The official Thunder head coach! It was an introductory email explaining the practice procedures and requirements for being on the team. He was also asking for permission to text me personally, which I granted.

I sat down on the couch and rested my eyes. My body was exhausted, yet I was still pumped. I felt pretty nervous, though. I could end up playing terrible in front of three all-stars. Pretty scary thought.

I guess I must've dozed off, because when I opened my eyes Rainbow was gone. I got up and checked the guest room. She wasn't in there. Then I went to my room, and that's where I found her.

I wasn't too happy about her being in my room, but I had no idea how to say it. I scratched my head, trying to escape the awkwardness. Rainbow was looking at the posters on my wall.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at a signed Michael Jordan poster.

"The G.O.A.T.," I said. "Michael Jordan."

"That doesn't look like a goat to me," she replied.

"I mean G-O-A-T," I said. "Greatest of all time."

"At what?"

"Basketball."

"Why do you like basketball so much? It doesn't seem that cool to me." said Rainbow.

"I've loved the game for a long time," I said. "For me, it'll never get old."

I explained some of my other posters, then we walked back to the living room. It was almost 6 by now, so I decided to put some fish patties in the oven. I had no idea how these ponies felt about meat, so just to be on the safe side, I gave her something to distract herself with while I ate my dinner. I asked Rainbow if she ate salad, and she said she did(thankfully), so I chopped some lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and cabbage, added some dressing(just a small bit, to be safe) and gave it to her. She wasn't picky about it, like I expected. I was seriously grateful for that.

The next day saw me thinking about what do to with Rainbow Dash to keep her busy while I went to the gym. I don't think she was too happy to be alone again, because she seemed happy when I returned. It was like having a pet and a kid at the same time. While Rainbow was napping, I hopped onto my computer and did a bit of research. After ten minutes of reading about ponies, I had gleaned that five friends(which for some reason, she never mentioned), she didn't eat meat, and oh yeah, one more thing.

She's from a kid's cartoon show. A fucking cartoon show.

Upon reading that I could almost feel my blood pressure rising, so I stepped away from my computer and went to watch TV. I usually cool down pretty quick, and besides, it's really hard to be mad at Rainbow. If you saw her face you'd know what I mean.

But the weirdest thing was that I had been spending time with a cartoon character. It had landed in my world, in my life. And I was sort of comforted by it. Over the few days that I had spent with this pony, I had come to believe that it was something I could build a connection with. I know it sounds crazy, but at this point I would've welcomed that sort of bond.

But it wasn't like it was a computer program. It wasn't an automated bot. It was, so to speak, a real character, just, not real. My mind was boggled by this, so I decided to open up a conversation with Rainbow Dash to try and ease my spirits. She was staring out of the glass sliding door that led to my backyard, which confused me for a second. Then I saw the wings and it hit me: She wanted to fly. To spread her wings and feel the freedom of the sky, even if just for a little bit.

I walked up behind her, unlocked the door, and slid it open. She just stared at me. I walked outside and sat down on the grass, staring at the sky. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was a beautiful combination of blue, white, orange, and pink. I couldn't have asked for a better moment.

As I had assumed, Rainbow walked out and sat down next to me. I meant to close my sliding door, but I hesitated to move. After a minute, I got up and closed it. I then returned to Rainbow's side and said, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

After a short silence, she responded. "Yeah," she replied, staring longingly at the clouds.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" I asked. She looked at me with the brightest expression I had seen from her. "Really?" she said. I remembered her leg and saw that the bandage was gone; she must have removed it herself. Her injury had fully healed. I nodded. "Go," I said, and watched as she took to the sky.

I'm not sure why, but I didn't expect her to return. Something inside of me felt that she was going to go and search for her home, where she truly belonged.

I was snapped out of my deep thoughts when I saw that she was coming back down to me. Instinctively, I ducked. She landed next to me, laughing. I started laughing myself, I guess because for the first time in a while, I didn't feel alone.

I had a friend.

Author's Note

Chapter 4!!

I'm really just running with the story at this point. I'm open to plot ideas, though!

Chapter 5 coming soon!