With the sun peeking over the horizon, it’s fiery blaze warmed me through each passing window. Each pane of stained glass added to the seemingly endless budget behind the palace’s construction. Why it felt to have even one hallway of this caliber would be a impossibility without experiencing it oneself. Every journey has its destination however, and mine happened to be the breakfast hall. Private and regal, the large table was empty at my arrival leaving me stumped on what to do. I had no idea when day court started or if there was one today so staying here waiting for Celestia might be foolish.

“Ugh… I bet Novy would know where to go”

Maybe I should go my room and grab my parchment

“Eeeexcuse me! What is it that I’m exactly staring at?”

Looking to the voice I’m met with a very stout looking stallion, his mane blonde and finely combed back. With a white coat to go along with his white tux and a sharply defined mustache I could get a pretty good guess at what kind of pony this guy was. I couldn’t afford to get into any trouble at the moment so sucking up my pride would have to be the way.

“Names Marshall, Joey Marshall” I extend a hand out for a shake.

Looking at it with disgust he scoots back, “Goodness me, what exactly are you and how are you in here? Where is your master? Why I should have the guards-“

“Please! Please… I’m friends with princess Luna. I’m her guest… staying here for now”

Confused he starts to walk around me as if I’m some sort of statue in an art museum, inspecting me head to toe. “I couldn’t ever understand why she would be friends with such a hideous pony… but, that is her decision to make. What is it you need? Clearly you seem lost in some way, you aren’t as stupid as you look are you?”

This guy blows

“Actually I was wondering if you knew where princess Celestia was, you see-“

“Please, do not indulge me with pointless babble. She should be setting up for day court by now so please, hurry off and rid me of your frightful mug”

Clenching my fist I nearly have an aneurysm trying to not punch him, “Yeah, thanks. You’ve been a real charm to talk to” I say through gritted teeth.

Waving a hoof dismissively he walks past me to the table, “Uh huh, be off now”

“Fucking prick”

Thanks to my helpful new friend I know where to go and do not hesitate to hurry. Even with less then a months time spent here I begin to notice familiar sights, cutting off several minutes each journey around the palace. With record time I reach the court entranceway and it’s stupidly large doors. Pushing them with most my strength they do not budge until the surrounding guards pity my attempts enough to help. I give them both an embarrassed thank you only to be frozen in surprise at the mare talking to Celestia.

“Twilight?”

The two of them turn at the sight of me both gleefully crying from whatever their conversation withholds. Then I notice it, Twilight’s wings.

“Wait… what’s going on?”

“Joey!” The purple mare slams into me with a hug without an answer as to why she had wings. I look on to Celestia in confusion.

With a big smile she pats me on the head, “Behold, Equestria’s newest princess”

I have to pull Twilight away just to see her expression, “You’re a princess now?” Overwhelmed with excitement she can only nod. “Wow! See? I always told you Celly had big things planned for ya”

“This wasn’t so much a plan rather her continued ability to prove herself worthy of the title. Twilight my dear stu- no, you are beyond that now. Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am proud to call myself your former teacher”

“Holy shit this is wild! So you can just make anypony an alicorn or did she like Pokémon evolve before I got here?”

“Well I do not know what this Pokémon is that you speak of but, to answer your first question yes. I do have the ability to grant one deserving enough the responsibility. I should clarify however, that not just anypony can be given this right, there is a requirement of magically ability, levels beyond most normal individuals. Although the spell is incomplete, I need my sisters help as well. Speaking of, where is she? I made it clear she would be needed this morning”

I’d been so swept up in all this good news that I complete forgotten the purpose of me being here! The thought alone put a visible damper on my mood. Both Twilight and Celestia take notice.

Twi pulled at my sleeve, “Is princess Luna okay?”

“I uh… I don’t know if I should talk about this right here… or if Twilight should know”

Tilting her head in question Celly leaned into me with a whisper, “Is it serious?” When she pulls back I hesitate to nod.

“She might get mad if I tell anypony but, I don’t know what else to do”

Noticing the clear indication of needed privacy, Twilight started for the door. “I’ll let you two talk”. Almost halfway she stops, “Also Pinkie and the girls are here as well Joey! Make sure to come talk to me after!”

A pit grows in my stomach, I’m overwhelmed at all that’s going on. Such horrible timing. Celestia’s sudden poke at my side catches my attention.

“I do not believe anypony is within earshot of us now so what exactly is it that’s wrong?”

“S-she… I don’t really have the right words for this. It seems she’s not very confident in herself. That she’s not worthy of being a princess. I’ve tried to explain how that just wasn’t the case but, I can’t really get through to her. Has she ever been like this before?”

“Thought of herself unworthy? No, no I have to say this is a first…” with Celly’s small pace around I try and give a little more info to help.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with what happened before in case you think this is somehow your fault. I just think she’s been bottling this up until now and felt like I was trustworthy enough to tell. Then I go and tell you right away wow I suck”

“You’ve done the right thing, spare yourself the worry. I just wonder where this might have stemmed from. When I think back she was opposed to the thought of becoming princess but, this was a time ago and when I say a time ago I mean it. This was no recent memory. A time when even I were regular pony, when our father..” clearing her throat she turns back to me confidently. “I trust you have the ability to make things right. You are her first true suitor and yes I knew the others were a lie. Luna never was good at keeping secrets for me so to hear this new one from you means it’s something she only trusts with those closest. I am unsure why she is untrusting of me however, given the circumstance I have no choice but to depend on you”

“Celly you can’t be serious, I came to you looking for help! I don’t know how to help anypony, plus I’m flippen damaged myself!”

“Maybe that is why she trusts you most, because you are the first pony she’s made friends with that understands her feelings” Stressfully I start to run my fingers through my hair, thinking of what possibly I could do. “Joey”

“Hm?”

“I know you will figure out what to do so stop worrying about it for now and go catch up with your friends”

“But Lu-“ shoving me backwards with both hooves I skid in defense from being pushed out.

“Nope, you will figure it yourself, this I know”

“Listen I’m not one of your students so you can’t just put random-“

“I understand your worry but do not forget she is my sister above all else”

“But-“

“But I will make sure she’s okay for today” with that she finally pushes me out the throne room in front of her guards. “So please, go enjoy yourself and we will talk more later”

“Celestia!” *SLAM* “Shit! … what are you two looking at?” Snapping their gazes away, the guards return to their original frozen states.

“So it looks like you and Celestia had a little disagreement over something?”

Twilight sneaks her way beside me with a smile, still flexing her new wings. “It’s fine. Anyways how’s it like having wings? Bet you never saw this coming”

“Strangely enough they almost feel like having two more legs” she flaps them wildly at her side. “I don’t ever see myself getting used to this”

“Well you got horn don’t you? I bet if you gave one of those to a Pegasus they’d feel pretty weird too”

“Maybe… I guess I shouldn’t worry about it as much now. So, how’s things with you?”

“Uneventful… well that’s a lie but, I can’t really explain. I do know at least that I haven’t found anything new about my issue”

“Is there anyway I could help from Ponyville?”

There is that old castle

“Nothing that I wouldn’t want to be there for. Besides it’s not important right now, what is important though is you explaining why you’re a princess now”

“We should probably go see the others first, they’ve been waiting for me outside for a while. I’ll tell you as much as I can as we walk”

“Alright, lead the way”

Together side by side, we begin catching the attention of almost everypony we pass. I have to take a look to notice they’re all mainly staring at Twilight before I make the connection. New princess on the block.

“Do you want the long explanation or the short?”

“I’ve never been one for lore so spare me the details”

“I swear I’ve heard you say the opposite before..”

“Probably”

“After you left Celestia showed up to explain my next test. She would be bringing Discord back to Ponyville in hopes that me and the girls could rehabilitate him. Her trust was mostly placed in Fluttershy’s hooves yet she knew she’s couldn’t do it alone and she knew it would be safest if I guided the whole process”

“Given that you’re telling the story now I can assume Discord’s better now right?”

A frustrated scowl appears on her face just as soon as I finish the question. “As better as he could be”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That he’s a complete jerk and Fluttershy is too nice to not let his antics off the hook! He’s even worse then Rainbow when she goes through those pranking phases”

“He’s the god of chaos right? I can’t see how you would manage to rehabilitate him, it’s in his very nature to be chaotic”

“Apparently he’s never had a real friend before until Fluttershy so he’s more afraid to lose that then his urge to create mayhem. I only hope she doesn’t let him get too carried away…”

“So where is he if you girls are all here? Surely you didn’t just let him leave? … you let him leave didn’t you?”

“How are we supposed to make him trust us if we kept him leashed up all the time? We had to give some leeway”

Shrugging I guess she’s got a point, a very risky one. “You sure do have a lotta faith in friendship princess Twilight”

She scrunches up her face at the title, “Please don’t call me that, I don’t think I’m exactly ready for anything besides learning how to use these wings properly. All the other stuff will have to wait”

“Twilight I don’t think you really get a choice I mean look around, all these ponies aren’t murmuring about me. You’re going to have to get used to all this new attention and I bet a whole lot more in the future”

Stopping midway through the hall she turns to me rubbing a foreleg, her voice lowered to a whisper. “I’m actually really nervous. I don’t know if I’m ready for all this, what if Celestia was wrong? What if I mess up and make the other princesses look bad!”

I boop her nose to stop the rant, chuckling at her surprised reaction. “If you’re nervous about the attention I think I know a human that could help but, for the other stuff? Twilight you’re clearly ready I mean look at all the accomplishments you’ve achieved in such a short amount of time. There was the Nightmare Moon thing you told me about, the time you saved Cadance’s wedding, the entire freaking crystal empire you helped save. Twilight if you think you’re not ready for being a princess after this whole Discord thing then I think you don’t know what it means to be a princess”

“And how would you know what it takes princess Marshall?”

“I don’t but, you do and I know you do. You’ve been proving that since I’ve met you”

“I haven’t proved anything! All I’ve done is get carried by my friends to every finish line, I didn’t do anything of those things alone”

“Maybe that’s what it means to be a princess, to rely and trust others around you. Even Celestia needs you girls to help out every time things get messy and she’s supposed to be the best”

“I guess… maybe it is okay to need help as a princess but, to lead Equestria? I don’t know how to be a leader of a nation”

“Yeah that’s something you’re probably going to need to learn but, it’s not exactly like you can just read a book about it and understand how to. It doesn’t matter though cause I know you’re a good leader, you’ll figure it out”

“I really would like to think so”

“Then start believing in yourself. There’s a lot of road ahead so best you start on the right track. What do you say… princess?” I finish with a smile poking her chest.

Unable to fight her own smile she bashfully shoves my shoulder, “Look at you being all optimistic, maybe your real special talent is giving motivational speeches?”

Just then I imagine myself in front a large crowd, the mic echoing painfully in the silence. “God I hope not”

Twilight takes our trip outside toward the palace yard. I can see the girls in a small group somewhat far away still. With occasional shrubbery, vast expanses of grass, and the distant patrol towers one might think we were in prison. Peering back to the entrance we just left, the overreaching palace seems to almost hover over us as we walk away.

As we get close the first thing I notice is Rainbow Dash’s sporadic flying. Clearly she was excited about something. Moving away from her I look over the others to find my little pink marefriend, her worried expression slightly concerning but otherwise expected. She’s probably nervous.

“Hey girls I’m back!” The all turn in unison spotting Twilights new fancy wings in an instant. She’s surrounded before she can even get off another word.

“Hey cutie patootie? Whatcha doin all alone?” Pinkie had snuck up on me as I watched the others gawk in amazement over the new Twi.

Hearing her voice fills me with a joyful warmth that’s indescribable. I can’t even fathom how I went without her even for this little amount of time. “Just catching up with some old friends. What about you cutie? How come such a squishy adorable mare is talking to me instead of cheering on her friend?” Squishing her mane with my hand the stupidest smile makes it’s way across my face.

“Squishy? Are you calling me fat! Cause that’s okay, I’ve definitely been called worse things like annoying or crazy or scary so fat is like a silly thing to call me especially since it’s not true right?”

“Yes Pinkie you’re not fat you’re like… extra healthy”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Swooping her up into a cradle I boop her nose against mine, “That there’s more of you to love”

A slight blush rushes to her face along with a honest smile, “I really really really missed you”

“I missed you too… more”

“Heheh yeah okay big guy”

Her ocean blue eyes draw me into a trance, pulling me deeper into the waves. Her small facial features I so fondly remember sprout up feelings of being home. I can feel the weight of my worries physically be lifted from my body. This is where I needed to be, with Pinkie. As we close the distance we’re interrupted by a raspy voice.

“Excuse me! Can you two wait at least a few minutes before getting all kissy kissy?”

“Ugh, shut up Dash you’re just jealous I don’t hold you like this” I say while putting Pinkie back down. Adorably she reaches out to me only for a second as if to ask to stay.

“If you ever even tried to do something like that I’d punch you right in the nose!”

“Uh huh”

“Don’t believe me? Come try to”

“You just want me to carry you”

“N-no I want you to buckin try me!”

I turn to Pinkie loudly whispering, “Can you believe this mare? How despera-“ I’m tackled before I can even finish.

Wrestling against Rainbow crash, things get a little intense until Twilight pulls us both away with her magic. The sensation brings a shiver down my spine, I didn’t like being touched this way. Thankfully it isn’t long and she sets us both a few feet from each other.

“Gir- gang”

“You can call the group girls I don’t care Twi”

She nods, “Girls, can we at least fill Joey in on what he’s missed first? I’m sure he has tons of questions and I bet some of you have some for him as well”

“Yeah Dash, let’s settle down”

“You started it!”

“No I didn’t!”

“GIRLS!”

“Sorry” we both say simultaneously.

Within a pavilion myself and the girls hide from the suns, taking shelter in its shade. Protected by several surrounding nets, if any bugs or prying eyes were around they would have plenty trouble getting in on our conversation. We sat around a circular table eating away at our lunch. It was provided from the palace staff at Twilights command, a mixture of various fruits and pies. I personally shared a blueberry pie with the mare sitting in my lap, her curly mane getting dangerously close to my food.

“Pinkie would you watch your hair?”

“Bwut this pwie is swoo gwood!”

“I know so keep your hair out of it”

I’d already answered a couple of the girls questions by now, things like how are the princesses like off duty and what fancy dresses do they keep. The latter question I really didn’t know so I came up with some random answer that seemed plausible and would make Rarity pleased. Taking a second to look over the group I notice a distinct missing dragon from our midst.

“Where’s Spike?”

“Oh he’s back home watching over the library. He thinks Discord might try to sneak back there after we left to try and steal something. I tried to explain to him how much you would’ve liked to see him but, he didn’t listen. He said, ‘I’m sure Joey will be fine without seeing me for a little longer, he can always find some other pony to bully’”

The girls shared a laugh with myself included though mine was a little less enthused. I didn’t realize he thought that way and it made me feel a little shittier about the way I’ve treated him. I’ll give him a gift as an apology when I come back home, I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.

“Alright so what did I miss? Another terrifying test that went totally haywire but, Twilight miraculously managed to find a way to fix it?”

“Actually darling, yes”

Aj tipped her stetson, “We really screwed up this time. Things kinda got out of control”

“Mm hm, Discord was awfully mean at first and messed with all of our cutie marks. I thought I had Pinkies special talent”

“Yeah until Twilight came and helped us all remember! You should have seen it dude it was crazy”

“Yup! Mr. meanie made everything all silly wild crazy. Even I was a little overwhelmed!”

“But then you all taught him the power of friendship yatta yatta yatta. I’m just surprised you all managed to do this without anypony getting hurt. Wasn’t he like a super evil villainous god?”

“Was” Shy corrected.

“Yes was and we can thank Fluttershy for that. She’s the main reason we were even able to convince him into becoming reformed. We were all convinced it was a lost cause but she wouldn’t give up on him as easily as we did”

“Nice Shy, next you’ll be giving Dashie a run for her money on the element of loyalty”

“Don’t call me Dashie”

“Oh it wasn’t anything special, I just know how some ponies could use a little push at times to leave their comfort zone so I made him choose between being my friend or being a bad pony. In a way it reminded me of the first time Twilight helped me leave my comfort zone and become friends with all of you”

“It was all you Fluttershy, I’m just lucky I get to call you my friend” Twilights thoughtful little moment brought most the group to a cheery mood.

“Gettin a little sappy in here girls let’s tone it down”

“Aw cmon sugar, even you have to admit it. Not many ponies can find themselves with so many great friends”

“We are a rather lucky bunch aren’t we?”

“Mm hm!” Pinkie hums from her pie filled mouth.

With a groan to my side Dash crosses her hooves, “I guess it is kinda cool”

Now all eyes are on me expecting an answer. “*sigh* okay yeah… it’s not that sappy”

Cheering over their won battle most the girls raise their glasses in a toast. “To friendship!”

Now I have to oblige or I’ll be the scrooge one of the group. “To friendship” I say with a raised glass, clinking it to the few ponies around me.

Pinkie downs her water as well as the large amount of pie formerly suffocating her lungs, “TO FRIENDSHIP!” I wrap my hand around her mouth and apologize to the others for her yelling.

“So what about you Joey? What have you done since you left? Make any new friends?”

I must have ate too much because I start to feel a little sick, having to hold my stomach in discomfort. “I did meet this one mare who is like super rude and my own personal maid but, I don’t know if I’d call us friends yet. To be honest she might actually hate me”

I can see on Twilights face she feels a little bad for me, “You are kind of a unique pony to get to know. Maybe she’s just not used to you yet?”

“Eh no… I wouldn’t say that”

“What… did something happen between you two?”

“An argument… maybe a couple insults. Told her to take the day off. We’ll see how things go next time I guess, if there even is a next time”

“Sounds like that mare is a real idiot! Let me talk to her I’m sure she’ll straighten up once she sees me” floating into the air, Dash flexes her foreleg.

Smirking I pull her back down into the seat, “I appreciate that you’re willing to step up for me Dash but, I think this one I have to figure out on my own. Think of it as a little self given test like the ones Celestia loves giving out”

“She do enjoy testin Twilight”

“…like a fuckin teacher”

“Anyways Joey, is there anything interesting that happened? It does seem like trouble follows you so I wouldn’t be surprised”

Besides Luna breaking down in front on me?

“No nothing really which means it’s probably you girls that cause all the trouble! I’m just a poor victim of a association” I proclaim innocently with a hand against my chest.

“We do always save ponies butts when you think about it Twilight, it’s kinda normal we would have some trouble” Dash adds.

The girls share a collective shrug and go back to their meals. “I guess it was a good decision to have you stay here then otherwise who knows what would’ve happened. I can only shudder on what Discord might do if he saw you”

I don’t give it much thought mainly for my own sake, “Hopefully he’ll pity me enough to leave me alone”

“Maybe you’ll be good friends” Pinkie says between bites, her face completely covered in blueberries.

“Pinkie! Oh my lord give me your face” as I wipe away the mess it leaves behind a stupid grin plastered on her face.

“Thankies!”

Giggling some at our interaction Twilight floats over a few more napkins. “Hopefully he’ll be more willing to comply with this whole reforming thing. It’s not like I don’t trust Fluttershy or any of us to do a good job helping him but, he’s very difficult to understand” thinking to herself while watching Pinkie and I tussle more she comes to a sudden eureka. “Actually what if it was a good idea for Joey and Discord to become friends?”

“Uhh Twilight, I don’t think yer really rememberin all the trouble we went through just ta get him to turn Ponyville back normal let alone the trouble Joey went through jus to avoid em”

“Of course I remember but I also remember none of us being able to really relate to him. He was so random and chaotic kinda like Pinkie”

Concerned at the idea Rarity chimes in as well, “He didn’t seem to like Pinkie”

“Yes but I know one pony who knows how to deal with a pony like him” they all share a glance to me where I sit slightly alarmed.

“Shouldn’t I get a word in this?”

“Well yeah, it’s not we could make you do this. I only wanted to know if any other pony thought it might be a good idea”

“I um.. think Discord maybe like um.. might like Joey”

“Fluttershy darling you can’t be serious”

“Well I reckon we don’t do that”

“Why not? Joeys a tough stallion! I bet he even could set Discord straight!”

“I don’t know girls” Pinkie stirs on my lap, “He is super fun and just the best pony ever but I don’t like this. He stayed away from home already for his safety and I wouldn’t want to waste all that trouble we went through… what I went through”

Most of the girls that felt the idea was alright by now seemed to think any further pushing would be rude to Pinkies feelings. It left us all in a quiet stalemate.

“What if we voted for it” my suggestion surprises everypony. “There’s seven of us, by the end there would have to be a decision”

Angrily Pinkie turns to me, “Joey!”

“I think that’s a good idea, let’s vote girls. All in favor raise a hoof” It’s Twilight, Dash, and Shy. “All those opposed” Aj, Rarity, and Pinkie.

“Joey you didn’t vote”

“I didn’t think there’d be a stalemate!”

“Joey” my shirt is tugged down by the mare in my lap. “Please, I don’t like this” eyes search my own for answer.

“What if it means I get to come home sooner?”

“Things could get worse! What would be the point of all the time we already missed together? I just don’t think it’s worth it”

She was right, it would be a disservice for the time she already suffered through. How could I justify risking it all for a chance. “Alright I vote no”

Aj let’s out a sigh of relief, “I can’t believe y’all honestly wanted to do that!”

“Why not? It’s not like he’s going to avoid Discord his whole life, eventually they’re gonna meet!”

“Yeah but Joey still got that collar on for a reason now don’t he? We wouldn’t want Discord messin with em til we figure out that whole mess first”

“Not like he’s going to make Joey any worse”

“Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, please stop. We made a vote and decided no and that’s that. So let’s stop fighting with each other and enjoy this time we get with Joey”

I’m bothered with all the trouble I’ve caused from my issue alone so having Twilight settle things down is nice. “Thank you Twi. I’m really am sorry for making you all worry. If I didn’t have this stupid issue we wouldn’t have to do any of us this in the first place. I’m sorry”

“This isn’t your fault Joey and if there’s anypony to blame it would be me. I was the one who unleashed your magic”

“I don’t blame you at all for what happened Twilight just so you know but, I can’t help feel responsible for everypony’s worry”

Pinkie spins around facing me, “It’s okay to feel like that but, don’t think it’s a bad thing! It just means we’re your friends and that we want you to be okay just like you would want any of us to be” Avoiding their eyes Pinkie moves my head to face hers, “We all love you so don’t worry about it”

I swallow an urge to say something deflective as the attention becomes uncomfortable. It would be better if I listened to them specially given the fact I always make things worse when I don’t. At this point I have a track record of doing that so I should at least be self aware about it.

“Your right… thanks for being like the nicest most caring friends I’ve ever had. Not taking away from the people I knew before but, you all.. are kinda like family to me you know? I’m not normally so quick to trust anyone like I have you girls so let that be a testament to how helpful and caring every one of you have been. So when I say it feels like we are family I want you all to know I really mean it”

There was a collective ‘aw’ and a slow push for a group hug only to be interrupted by a embarrassed Rainbow. “Okay that’s enough sap for me for at least the rest of the year so what are we going to do next?”

“Seeing how we already convinced Discord to give friendship a try, we have a little extra time on our hooves! What do you girls say about a little shopping! There’s a new book that just came out from one of my favorite authors about calligraphy”

“Ooo a shopping trip?! That would be absolutely fantastic! Please Twilight, lead the way”

“Actually me and Aj wanted to check out some of the guard sparring tournaments, I heard that the Wonderbolts are doing a show after!”

“An I was hopin to sell some of my worlds famous Apple family apple crips to some of the ponies attending. Can’t hurt to advertise a little”

“I wanted to go see a movie! There’s this one that’s supposed to be all about these nasty bandit ponies who go around stealing from all the farmers until a bunch of knights team up to stop them! Joey we gotta see it, we gotta!”

“Well I um… I probably should head back home now while I can. Spike might be a little overwhelmed with all the critters I left behind”

“What? Cmon Fluttershy, Spikes a tough dude. He can handle a few woodland creatures for a day and how often do we get to come to Canterlot?”

“Yes but… oh I’m just so worried. What if he forgets to give Angel his dessert carrot cake from the freezer?”

“Then he won’t get his dessert now let’s go. Either come with me and Aj or Rarity and Twilight”

“But what about Pinkie and Joey?”

“There’s no way they want a third wheel ruining their make out sessions”

“Dash we are literally standing right here also Shy I wouldn’t mind. Would you mind Pinkie?”

“Nope! The more the merrier!”

“See? Team MarshyPie one, team AppleDash zero”

Crossing her hooves Dash looks unfazed, “Whatever, enjoy your weird picture show. I am going to watch a much better one. One with actually live action”

Pinkie leaps forward until she’s nose to nose, “Does yours come with popcorn? I didn’t think so”

“I bet it does! I’ll even bring some back to prove it”

“Oh yeah? Well I hope you have a good time!”

“I hope you have a better time!”

Jumping atop my shoulders Pinkie shouts back, “We’re going to have the best, time, ever!!!”

Shyly Flutters steps between us, “B-but I..” but is swept up in Pinkie grasp leading them both the other way.

And with that we split up. Given that movies and movie theatres were a more recent invention, I had little knowledge on what to look for or where to go. Thankfully Pinkie had done a little asking around before so she was able to lead Shy and I the whole way. Giddily she skipped each step of the way while Fluttershy gingerly walked behind fearful of everypony around. I took the the back of our little group making sure nopony got split up, mainly because Shy seemed uncertain of what she signed up for.

“J-Joey? What exactly is a movie like? I heard from Pinkie that um.. they are like pictures that move. Is that true or is that a dumb question? I didn’t want to bother you if it wasn’t important but, Pinkie grabbed me so fast and…”

“You’re fine Fluttershy. A moving picture she said? That’s pretty accurate I guess. It’s more like following through the eyes of a bystander who’s in the movie, like you’re really there. It’s more like that than just a picture that moves”

“Wow, that sounds strange. I kinda feel a little excited thinking about it”

“That’s great! I love movies personally so when I heard that they were kinda new here I was ecstatic. Movies back home were occasionally great but, in a world like this one where there’s no basis to build a film on, I can only imagine the creativity some of these movies will have”

“Did your cutie mark have to do with movies?”

“Ha, no. Actually Shy, humans don’t have cutie marks so I really only enjoyed movies as a hobby”

“I think I remember you saying that once, that or somepony told me” she thinks for a moment and turns back to me with a little bit of sadness in her face. “I didn’t mean to make you think of your home planet. I’m really sorry if that did bother you to think about”

“You’re fine. Honestly that’s one of the few things I’d be willing to talk about in my past. So long as the questions aren’t super personal it’s okay with me”

“Oh, okay. I’ll try to remember that”

I have to chuckle at her unnecessary concern, “Shy really, don’t think about it. If you have a question for me, ask it. The worse that could happen is I say no”

“I don’t want you to feel bad from anything I say though”

Pinkie slowly creeped her way back, wrapping a leg around Shy as we kept walking. “Joeys tougher then he looks. Past all that chubby soft exterior he’s a real stallion”

I have to check myself over as if there was something I was missing. “I’m not chubby at all!”

“Squishy?”

“You’re squishy! I’m soft, at most”

“He lies to himself all the time you wouldn’t believe it”

“Pinkie!”

“Like this one time he was helping me get ready for this party and he accidentally got paint all over his favorite pants but, when I tried to help he said he didn’t like them anyway. I think he said that so I wouldn’t feel bad about ruining his favorite pants helping me”

“They were not my favorite”

“They sure were! You wore those the most out of any of your pants”

“Cause I only have like three pairs of pants!”

“Why not ask Rarity to make you more?”

“Cause I can’t just bother Rarity all the time for new clothes Pinkie, that’s rude”

“Um… I don’t think she would.. really mind”

“I mean maybe she wouldn’t say she cared…”

“Not everypony gets so impatient Jojo, specially a friend like Rarity. She’s so generous!”

“Generosity has nothing to do with a pony’s willingness to put up with me everyday”

“It wouldn’t be everyday and you know it! That was a hyperbole!”

“Okay so it wouldn’t be everyday but that shit bothers me. I hate feeling like I'm being annoying”

“Then take a note from my note taking book! Ponies think I’m annoying all the time and it doesn’t stop me! Why should what another pony thinks stop you from getting what you need? Sounds to me like they don’t deserve your attention”

“It’s different when it’s a stranger then with a friend like I don’t want to bother Rarity cause I care about how she feels ya know? If I felt like it might be annoying to head over there so often for help shouldn’t I try to avoid heading over there every waking minute?”

“Rarity wouldn’t get bothered by you Joey, she’s very kind and has helped me tons of times before. I haven’t heard her ever complain about a friend before”

“Fluttershy’s right! She’s your friend Joey so even if she was annoyed you know she wouldn’t hold a grudge. Think about a time one of us annoyed you, you’re still not bothered by that are you?”

“Yeah I guess your right. Still it just… I don’t know, I never was a peo- pony person so I can’t really understand how Rarity might feel”

“That’s fine, I mean you do pretty good understanding me and I’m crazy!”

In unison Shy and I reply the same, “You’re not crazy”

“I know what I am!” She pouts, turning her head forward to watch where she’s walking. She nearly misses running into a noble at the last second.

“Heavens! Watch where you are going miss!” He shouts from a distance after collecting his fallen bag.

“No promises!”

Not distracted as much as Pinkie, I notice a large building up head riddled with strange artwork. “Pinkie is that it?” The front of the building held multiple large music notes above the entrance.

“Yep! It’s a music hall that does movies now too! Come on, we should hurry before we lose the good seats!”

She takes off like a bat out of hell leaving me and Shy in the dust. “Don’t worry Shy she can just buy us some tickets while we make our way over, no need to rush”

“Oh thank you, I was worried I might have to run. It’s not like I can’t or anything or that I can’t fly either or that I’m incapable-“

“I get it Shy, you’re not that athletic. I didn’t think you can’t do it”

“..oh o-okay… thanks” she has to hide behind her hair to hide the embarrassment.

Soon enough we arrive as well entering the large brick building into a large line. Apparently movies were a big thing in Canterlot given all the hype of its recent creation, there had to have been over twenty ponies in front of us in line. A strange sight drew me from my gaze, a pink pony hopping up and down near the front. She was out of place with her bright pink coat against a sea of dull greys and blacks.

“Shy” I grab her shoulder. “I see Pinkie near the front, let’s go over to her” she nods and we start walking until a stallion beside me pulls on my shirt.

“Excuuuse me, who do you think you are skipping in line!?” His monocle and suit vest made guessing his social class rather easy.

“My marefriend is up there and we came here together, we just-“

“Marefriend?! Why I don’t believe that lie for one second! There isn’t another one of.. whatever you are in this room. Whatever blasphemy you think you can spew past me outta be better then that!”

“It’s not a lie look, my friend Fluttershy can even vouch for me” turning to my side she’s frozen in fear from the confrontation. “Uh, Shy. A little help here?”

“Have you abducted this poor mare as well? Just look how frightened she is!” A few of the ponies around start to stir as well. Some even pointing and murmuring our way.

“She doesn’t do well with ponies yelling so if you could please lower your voice”

“Lower my… listen here you rascal. I’m on to your little game and I can spot trouble from a mile away. If you just walk away and leave this poor mare I won’t even bother to get the guard”

“Nopony is going to be getting any guards dude, this is my friend”

“Stubborn aren’t you? Fine, I’ll just have to-“ just then a mare behind us steps forward splitting the gap between the stallion and I.

“Sir, that there is Fluttershy the element of kindness and that big weird looking pony is like one of their friends. I don’t think you got the right idea”

Taking a good look at my savior it’s a tan colored mare with a short blue highlighted mane. You could still see the natural hair color however, through her roots, the beginning of each hair black for at least half an inch. A strange looking pony for Canterlot indeed, likely a tourist.

“Absurd, the element of kindness is one of Equestrias hero’s. She would not be easily rattled as this mare!” He points his hoof over to a very uncomfortable looking Shy, her pupils the size of pinpricks.

“Listen me and my friend are going now, thank you for clearing any confusion this old head had about us”

“Yeah no problem, not everypony is xenophobic”

“You called me weird”

“Look at me, I'm weird too! Don’t think you’re special or anything” she laughs.

“This is ridiculous! I refuse to let them cut in line while-“

“Chill out gramps!” Our hero tries her best to hold him back as well as a few of the other ponies around. While we walk to Pinkie I turn back to the mare and give a thankful peace sign which she clearly doesn’t understand but appreciates anyway.

“Hey you two, what took so long? I nearly made it to the front of the line already! You didn’t go and see the movie already without me did you?”

“We got caught up by some weird old stallion thinking we were cutting in line” Shy backs up my claim with a few rapid nods.

“He didn’t say anything mean did he?”

“It’s nothing to worry about now what’s this movie called?”

Our wait in line after that wasn’t very long and finding seats turned out to be fortunate as well. We found ourselves in a middle column about six or seven rows up, pretty close to the screen. Most of the theatre was filled up already so it felt kinda lucky to even have the seats we got. Maybe it was a byproduct of being around Pinkie, she seemed to always have the best luck.

Leaning back, the wooden frame wrapping my seats leather padding creaked from age leaving behind a reminiscent smell of an old home. Kind cathartic in a weird way and I didn’t know why. Drawn from my strange admiration of a wooden seat, the dimming lights gave us a realization of the starting show. Embarrassing to admit, I was overly excited to watch a movie in a real theatre again after so long. It was a favorite hobby of mine.

Pinkie seemed to take notice and held my hand to catch my attention. In a yell like whisper she says only one word. “Excited?”

“Yeah, I really am. It’s been a while”

“Im super excited too! It’s my first time!”

Angrily a mare behind us matches Pinkies ‘whisper’, “Hey, quiet down!”

“Yeah we will when the movie actually starts Karen”

Pinkie tilts her head, “Who’s Karen? That’s a weird name for a pony”

“I’ll explain it later, we should probably just enjoy the movie”

Much to my surprise that was exactly what we did. Even for a production company that was both new in this market and new in general, they surprisingly had a good show. I wouldn’t exactly call it a normal movie after watching it through, more like a stage play with a large budget turned video. There was definitely room to improve but that’s not surprising given its originality.

Stepping out into the street I’m feeling pretty great about the whole experience. Pinkie could barely hold her excitement until we left the theatre, ready to explode the instant we made it outside.

“WOWWIE! That. Was. Awesome! The scene where the big stallion jumps off that bridge?! Oh my gosh! We have to go see another movie soon!”

Even Flutters was a little excited, “That was very good but, I liked the part where they helped that poor dog”

“Not going to lie that was pretty damn good girls. Compared to movies back on Earth, I’d say the acting on this one was on par with some of the best”

It wasn’t an over exaggeration either, the acting was really that good. Where the movie really suffered however, was camera quality and action shots. A certain points it was tough to see what had happened and other points impossible. I kept my complaints to myself though as I didn’t want to be picky on such a fresh genre in the entertainment market.

“It really was good! You think they would let me be in a movie? It looks like it would be super fun!”

“Im sure they would given you’re one of the elements. It would be like a cameo from a famous pony only they’d be getting a good actress as well”

“You really think I’d be good?”

“With your imagination? Duh”

“Yeah Pinkie, you really are good at entertaining ponies. I think you’d do a wonderful job”

Just as we are about to leave the mare from earlier walks up on us clearly nervous at first glance. “Uh, what’s up?”

“Oh um… I just wanted to say you’re like kinda my hero and I just wanted to say that to you so that you know there’s ponies like me that feel that way… about you ya know?” She rubbed her hoof into the ground awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

“W-wait, what? Why am I your hero? I mean you’re the one that got that weird stallion dude away from me and Shy. I should be thanking you”

“Well cause you like.. don’t care what other ponies think and stuff I mean just look at what you wear dude. You got that cool collar and you’re totally wearing too many layers… plus the socks like wow” I stare at her a little longer still confused until I realize something I didn’t see before.

She was totally into goth and Im talking like nose ring, black eyeliner, pale face makeup level goth. It must’ve been the speed of the moment and the lack of lighting inside that kept me from noticing.

Raising both my hands defensively I try and brush off the praise, “Heh yeah I’m no trend setter and I defiantly don’t dress like this because I want too. Okay that’s sorta true, what I meant is the collar at least is not by choice”

“You were socks in public dude! You’re freakin bold and it’s awesome. I wish I had the confidence to where whatever but, seeing you in person like actually helps me feel so much better. You’re not even embarrassed or anything it’s so fricken cool!”

“Look you’re making a big deal out of nothing-“

“Out of nothing? Me and all my friends rave about you and what you wear even around those snooty nobles. Ugh, I just wish my dad would understand like you do how important expressing myself is”

“Look I don’t think I’m special at all but, if you think so then whatever. Also I can agree with you with one thing and that’s y’all ponies are way too uptight about dressing up. Like you said you all should express yourselves with the way you dress instead of making clothes some weird fetish thing”

“It’s not a fetish thing! I’m wearing one of your hoodies right now!” Sure enough Pinkie was now wearing a hoodie of mine I left at home.

Technically it was hers as I left a few of my hoodies for her to wear when she felt like it. I don’t know why but, she really liked wearing them.

“That’s sooo cool! You let her wear your hoodies? Dude… can I like… have one of your hoodies?”

Now it felt creepy. At first I was all for letting this mare get out whatever strange fantasy she was experiencing yet now it took a turn to unwanted attention.

“Nah that’s like.. kinda weird”

Flushed she steps back, “Y-yeah you’re right! My bad I’ll… I’ll like leave you all alone now. Thanks though, for being yourself. Really inspired me to not care about whatever ponies thought. Just thought you should know”

“Yeah.. uh you take it easy” I wave her off left in the strangest place emotionally. That and a little bit of a headache.

“Well that was something, I didn’t know you were such an inspiration on the youth! I bet you’d make a great dad! Daddy Joey”

“Please don’t call me that… specially in public”

She bites her lip getting ready to say something awfully naughty before Fluttershy decided she couldn’t take anymore perversion. “W-we s-should head back now!”

“Shy right! Let’s hurry before this dirty mare gets anymore funny ideas” I take the timid mare and toss her over my shoulders, sprinting off toward the palace.

“Im not dirty!” She yells chasing after us, “I took a shower this morning before we left!”

I don’t get very far with Shy on my back before I’m exhausted allowing Pinkie to catch us with ease. She makes sure to prove her cleanliness the entire way back. The. Entire. Way.

Back in the palace we run into the rest of the girls almost immediately at the entrance. The most notable difference would be the additional pony princess Celestia. She donned a pleased look and was too distracted with Twilight to even spot our return. Taking initiative Dash stepped forward with a bucket of popcorn in hoof.

“Bam! Told ya they had popcorn!”

Pulling out a bucket of popcorn herself from seemingly nowhere Pinkie giggles in response, “Course it did silly, popcorns amazing! I bet it’s sold anywhere you go” she crunches through a few hoof bites leaving crumbs along the floor. In the distance you can see the distain in a cleaning maids eye.

“You girls are back! How was the movie?” Twilight asks.

I shrug, “It was pretty-“

“Amazing! The bad guys were like swoosh swing and the knights were like wham crack!” The entire time she acts out the movie jumping around the room swinging an invisible sword. “It was the best movie ever!”

“Pinkie we’ve only seen like two movies”

“Technically that wouldn’t change her opinion” eveypony nods in agreement, even Celestia.

“Man y’all a bunch of… what are you even doing here Celly?!”

“Don’t misplace your frustration on me, I was just coming back with Twilight from completing her awakening”

“Awakening?”

“A term I created for the process of becoming an alicorn. I know it sounds corny but, it was the best my sister and I could come up with”

“I wouldn’t say corny more like cultish”

She shrugs, “Could be worse”

“I guess. Does this mean Twilights going to grow to be all tall like you?

“Yes, this is a factor of the transformation however it should be some time before we see any real changes. Take princess Cadance for example. While she may have grown slightly, her frame remains thin. She will grow into her new body like plants roots grow to its pot”

“Does my hair change as well or is that some kind of fancy pants conditioner you and princess Luna use?”

“Please there’s no need to refer to either of us as princess my dear Twilight and no, I do not own a special conditioner. Although I will admit this new vanilla fragrance I’m using is delightful”

“So you two went and saw Luna to finish it right?” I give a look to Celestia that only she would notice.

Her smile only grows, “She was absolutely thrilled at Twilight and her friends success”

“That’s great!”

“I mean I guess it’s cool, I don’t really get why your so excited” Rainbow says causally floating over me.

“Oh.. uh you know it’s nice to hear she’s excited and all that. Princess Luna doesn’t exactly have that many friends so I like to hear she’s getting excited about the ones she has”

“Since when did you become the element of friendship?”

“Since when did you become so annoying?”

“Now now, there’s no need for such bickering. I bet you all are tired from your long journey and helping Discord with his rehab so I had my maids prep you all with your own personal rooms. Twilight if you would come with me there is a few things I wished to discuss with you. Good night to you all”

A few of the palace staff begin to lead us along while I took Pinkie back with me to my room. I was tired, dog tired and my headache from earlier hadn’t gotten any better. Distracted by my pain I don’t even notice Pinkie move closer to me. While walking she brushed against me with her tail wrapping around my inner thigh. When I looked to see her face she gave a sultry look.

“Maybe when we get to your private quarters I can show you how much I’ve missed you”

“That sounds nice. Maybe I could fill you in on how much I’ve missed you as well”

Giggling she hops up into my arms as I cradle her close. Our lips collide before we’ve even reached the room yet. My hand struggles to open the door between the war waging amongst our tongues. Almost tripping at the door giving way, I toss her to the bed preparing to remove my hoodie when a cough is heard from behind. A Lunar princess sits at my desk with her face ablaze.

“Excuse us!”

Author's Note

This was going to be much longer but I felt like where I ended it was fine.

Thank you for reading, have a wonderful day/night