I woke up today with more purpose than usual. Today was my first team practice. I checked the time: nine o'clock. Practice was at one, so I had some time. I was surprised to see Rainbow Dash awake. She was holding what looked like a cassette tape.

"Good morning?" I said, still half confused. She started and dropped the tape. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"It's cool," I said. "Whatcha got there?"

She stared at the tape. "I'm not sure," she said. "But it has that guy's name on it that you mentioned yesterday." She handed it to me. The tape read "MICHAEL JORDAN: NBA FINALS 1997". I dug around for my VHS player. I hadn't used it in years. I found it and set it up, then slid the tape in. The TV began to play some of MJ's highlights from game 6 of the 97 Finals. Even though I had already seen other recordings, I couldn't help but be blown away. The man was incredible.

Once the tape was finished, there was a brief silence. I was sort of in awe, but Rainbow wasn't.

"So that's basketball?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied. I didn't really expect her to ever get into it, so I was okay with her not being that interested.

"Why do you like it so much?" she asked.

"Ever since I first watched it, I've loved the game," I said. "The intensity, the competitiveness, the roaring of the crowd. I've always wanted to experience it personally, and now I've got a chance."

About an hour had passed. I made myself some breakfast, then went to take a shower. When I came out, Rainbow was in my room again. She was staring at something inside. I walked up to her. "What's up?" I asked. Following her gaze, I saw that she was staring at my Kobe Bryant poster. When I saw it, I smiled. Kobe retired last year, but I'll never forget his game. I'm hoping to meet him someday.

I took a moment to tell Rainbow about Kobe and how he changed the game. It felt nice to have someone to talk to, to have company. I enjoyed discussing basketball with Rainbow, but I wish she was more interested.

By noon I was ready for practice and anxious as hell. I guess I wasn't doing a good job of hiding it, because as I was preparing to leave, Rainbow asked me, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," I replied. "Just a little nervous, that's all."

She smiled. "You got this," she said. I smiled back. I couldn't help but find this pony adorable. I thanked her and headed out. I was pumped to see some of my NBA idols.

When I got to the team's training facility, I took a moment to gather myself before walking in. When I did, I was extremely disappointed.

No PG. No Melo. No Russ. Just other rookies and players called up from the G League for the season. I probably should've expected this, though. Thinking about it, a rookies-only team practice made a lot of sense. But still, I was disappointed.

Team practice was actually pretty productive, and I learned a lot. I got to know some other players, like Terrance, who was also picked by the Thunder during the draft. Billy Donovan is a pretty outgoing coach, but he's also pretty tough. I try not to mess up too much around him, mainly because I'm scared of his judgement.

I was exhausted when I got home. I unlocked the front door, went inside, closed it behind me, and flopped onto the couch. It felt great to rest. I was about to take a relaxing nap when I heard the sound of Rainbow Dash saying "You're home!", sort of like a child happy to see their father again. I greeted her back.

"Hey, how come you never told me your name?" she asked.

I had never even realized that she didn't know my name. "Sorry," I said. "My name's Philip." Since she had more or less woken me up, I took another shower, then changed into some comfortable clothes and headed to my room. I settled into my bed and then saw that Rainbow had followed me. She curled up on the floor and closed her eyes. It made her look like a dog, or some kind of regular housepet. I was comfortable with her as if she was normal, but she wasn't. She was from another world, for god's sake.

I woke up from my nap to darkness. I had slept straight into the night. Wow, I thought. Guess I was really tired. I sat there in my bed, thinking. I had no idea where to go with my current situation. Given I now had a pony to take care of, I decided to head to the gym every Monday and Friday, given team practice was on Wednesday. That way, Rainbow wouldn't be as lonely. She was still sleeping, something I figured she did often, so I quietly left the room.

I was about to make myself some dinner when I realized I hadn't gone grocery shopping. I do it every Tuesday, but having Rainbow around had kept me so occupied that I forgot to. I grabbed my keys, put on my jacket, and slipped out the door.

I never like to waste time, so when I go shopping I get exactly what I need and head out. I grabbed all the things that I had on my list, and grabbed some extra things for Rainbow. Hopefully they wouldn't be a waste of the extra money that I paid for them. Once I got back home, I saw that my sliding door was open. I set down the bags and walked outside. Rainbow Dash was staring at the sky again, but I don't think it was for the same reason as last time.

"I don't belong here, do I?" she said, not taking her gaze off the sky.

I sighed. I wasn't ready for this to turn into a dramatic movie scene, but I wasn't about to lie, either. "No," I replied. "You don't."

"Then why did you help me?" she asked. This time she turned around and looked me dead in the eyes. The thing is, her question was lost on me. I never really took the time to think about why I helped her. I was just hoping I would never have to.

But here we were.

"I guess because...I was lonely," I said. "I guess you were what I needed in my life. To keep me company. To make me smile. I guess I was sad, but barely realized it, given I was focusing on basketball. I'm sorry if you feel alienated, but just know that you're not alone. Sometimes I feel like I don't belong here myself. But I'm here, and I'm here for a reason. So are you."

She stared at me for a moment, then looked down. A closer look told me she was crying. I went over to her and hugged her, feeling that was what she needed right now. What we both needed.

Author's Note

Woo Woo! Chapter 5!

Thank you to everyone who read this story! I appreciate it!

I tried to go for a sort of "sad and deep" moment at the end, hopefully you guys like it! Chapter 6 is on the way! Feel free to comment plot ideas!