Wake up, feel sick, drink water, brush teeth, and head downstairs. It’s my routine now apparently but, today something is different. Yes today is the day I get to see my ‘new’ home with Twi, Spike, and any of the elements crew that isn’t busy this morning. We’re going to need all the help we can get cause this home I’ve been gifted is, as you say, abandoned. Twi later in the night showed me a part of the letter that stated the last time it had residents living within was around a year and a half ago, its location being undesirable for ponies afraid of the Everfree. I however, don’t care if it’s near or even in the forest, I’m just grateful for having my own place now!

I left some of my clothes packed upstairs as there’s likely work to be done at the home before I can comfortably move in. I grabbed my most worn clothes for the task ahead and met with my current roommates in the library. Spike and Twilight greet me as I enter the room, it’s sometime around 10am, a little too early for my taste.

“You look groggy, I could make you some coffee if you’d like?”

“No thanks Twi, I don’t really like coffee” I wave off her suggestion, sitting atop the checkin desk.“So what’s the deal gang? We heading straight over there or?” My face tired but, the added curiosity and excitement is pushing me along.

“Well I thought ahead! I managed to get a hold of Rainbow this morning before you woke up and had her scout out the place. You’ll love to hear this, Fluttershy is your neighbor! Well sort of, your homes are a small walk away from each other but she’s the closest to you!” Twilight says with a smile, her tail swooshing back and forth.

heh, she’s like a dog

“That’s nice, she always seemed like a nice gal. Probably a great pony to be my neighbor” I feel optimistic about the whole situation now, Fluttershy definitely doesn’t come off as being a tough pony to live around that’s for sure. To be honest I think at times I’ll probably forget she’s even there given how shy she is.

Spike smiles a bit, turning to me saying, “Hope you like animals though, Fluttershy loves to help animals out. Even bears...” His obvious attempt to worry me doesn’t work. Okay I’m lying, I’m terrified of bears, those things are built to destroy and even if this joyful ass world seems to defy all logic I’m not taking my chances.

“Why does she mess with bears?!? Isn’t that dangerous? I think it’s dangerous, she should-“ I continue to rant in the background as Twi turns over to Spike.

“He knows that Fluttershy can talk to animals right? He’s in no danger”

“Eh, some things are better left unsaid” He shrugs. Twi giggles at this yet she still feels obligated to tell me about Fluttershy’s unique ability.

“Joey?”

“-even 7 to 8 foot when... huh?” I stop my rant realizing the situation. “Sorry”

Twilight flips her hoof to me showing that it was no problem, “Your going to be fine, Fluttershy can speak to animals, all animals” I stare at her waiting for more. “...even bears” I sigh in relief as the other two facepalm themselves.

“So is Rainbow helping us?” I ask changing the subject.

“Yep! She has today off from the weather factory and Fluttershy agreed to come help as well later”

“That’s great, we got a whole crew!” Some good news for once. “So what are we waiting for?”

“Rainbow is checking out the inside now and is going to come back here once she’s done, we’re going to use a checklist she makes on things we need to spiffy the place up”

“Cool” I give a thumbs up as we stand around for a bit, giving idle chit chat. After a handful of minutes Dash, without knocking, barges into the room looking quite dusty.

“Jeez, what happened to you tomb raider?” My use of an Earth reference goes straight over everyponys head.

“Tomb raider? Well I might as well be whatever you called me cause your place is a fucking tomb. Did I use the word right?” My face remains in awe for a moment at such profanity leaving a ponies mouth. Then as quickly as my surprise fades, it’s filled with pride.

I turn to Twilight and Spike, there expressions still in shock, “I *sniff* I raised that mare” I pretend to wipe away tears from my eyes with my hoodie sleeve. I look back to Rainbow holding up my hand for a high five, “Fuck yeah you did!” She meets hand with hoof. This is truly a wonderful step for mankind in Equestria.

I should mention that while I use cuss words with large leeway around these ponies, they can usually make a assumption and figure out what they mean but for the word fuck I had to do some teaching. My use of the word or really the way all humans use it is really in any place, fuck this or that fucking rules or like I said yesterday, you fuck? Twilight, Spike and most of the others found my constant use of the word embarrassing at first after I explained its meaning, after awhile though they seemed to just ignore it. Rainbow however is turning into my prodigy at this rate, picking up a lot of the slang and actions I preform that are otherwise foreign to ponies. Anyways that’s enough lore on swear words in Equestrian, let’s get back to the story.

“Awesome!” She uppercuts the air twirling.

“But! I wouldn’t use that word often, just use it around me okay? You know what it means and all so go easy”

She gives her best ‘okay dad’ look while slowly gliding back to the floor. “Here’s what we need Twi” Dash holds out the checklist to Twilight, it’s grabbed by her magic.

“*ahem* Window cleaner, several dusters, mop bucket with essentials, carpet cleaner, several brooms, drain-“ She continued to read off the list while I made my own replica of its contents. After she finished reading the list we split into groups to go purchase our tools.

“Rainbow and Joey go look for all of the soap and cleaner related items while me and Spike will get the stuff like brooms and mops”

“Aye aye captain” I give my best salute while following Dash outside, she’s my guide as I have no idea where to find any of this stuff.

We head off toward a side of Ponyville I had never been to before, it’s streets eventually became wider into a large opening. As we got closer I was able to realize where we were, it’s a market! Within a large square area surrounded by several shops, there were market stands around the middle section of the space in various locations, the organization was sloppy. With this market unfortunately came a larger crowd of ponies, larger than I’d ever seen. As we walked through I was met with several stares however, the busy market place allowed for me to somewhat blend in unlike normal. I wonder why my appearance hasn’t drawn more attention only to notice various species haggling around me, my own strange appearance seemingly more regular in these conditions. One species that really stood out to me was speaking with a shop keeper, it’s body that of a lion with the head and wings of an eagle. It stood quite tall unlike most creatures within the market, its height being close to my own, somewhere around 5’6, with a burly frame as well.

“Holy shit, Dash” I tap her on her side to get her attention. “What’s the fuck is that?”

She looks to where I’m pointing only to laugh at my confusion, “Ha, that’s just a griffin, they live across the Celestial sea. They’re not that common to see around here but, I wouldn’t bother them. They can be hard headed”

“Well look at you showing your nerdy size, how’d you learn about Griffin behavior?”

She sticks her tongue out at me, “Hey screw your big guy, I just happened to know a griffin once, we used to be friends” The mentioning of her old friend seems to lower her spirit some so I decide to take matters into my own hands.

“If that griffin couldn’t make things work between you two, then they probably didn’t deserve your company, plus you got me now if you need some muscle” I jokingly flex my arm.

She chuckles, “Yea right, you couldn’t hurt a fly” following her quote up with a shove to my arm.

“Dash if you hit me again I swear to god” I warn with no real seriousness behind it.

“Hey look! Here the place” She points and flys toward the shop. I glance up at the lettering above to read the sign, ‘Squeaky Clean’s Cleaning Supplies and Equipment’. That’s a corny ass name.

I follow Dash into the store having to duck a little to enter inside. The cashier waved to me excitedly before asking me a barrage of questions. “Easy buddy, I’m a little busy today so I’ll give you a quick rundown, I’m a human, hue-man, and my names Joey. I might have to come back here sometime in the future to get supplies for my house so save your questions for then”

My impatient reaction seems to make the stallion uncomfortable who as I inspect closer is likely the owner of the store, his ass tattoo being a bucket of soapy water with a sponge. “Sorry Mr. Hew-man, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you, it’s just I’ve never seen anypony like you” He holds out his hoof, “Let’s try this again, nice to meet you, I’m Squeaky Clean” The pony carried a teal coat with a blonde mane, a very strange contrast and slightly painful on the eyes under bright lighting.

I shake his hoof smirking, “Nice to meet you, I’m sure you can tell I’m not from around here but that’s a story for another time, I outta go help my friend”

“Take your time, we have everything you need for cleaning home interior!” He shouts as I walk deeper into the store.

Thankfully its quite empty, the marketplace likely a tourist attraction more than a general market for the town making a cleaning store like this unusual to find tourist, tourism is probably where they make most of the towns money. My height makes it easy to spot Rainbow near the back, her focus on two different types of floor wax. “Do you think we should get the one with extra protection or the shiner coat? Actually it’s your place Joey, you pick”

“Hmm, I like the extra protection one. What are the floors like inside?”

“The ground floor is all wood however, there’s a small attic you can get into from the closet at the end of the hall but, wait yea that’s wood too never mind” Her face turns a little red.

“I like wood floors, that sounds nice! Just one floor and an attic? Nothing else to worry about?” I want her to tell me there’s more to the home but I can’t complain with a free place.

“Nah that’s it. It’s not small though, it’s honestly like Fluttershys home, just.. not as large. I mean it’s a really nice place and I’m sure it’ll be even better once we clean her up!” She says with a smile yet uncertainty is written across her brow.

“Your worrying me Dash, just... let’s get what we need and get back with the others”

“Sounds good bro, now we need -“ Me and Dash go through the shop for a few minutes going through our section of the list getting not just supplies for cleaning the place now but extra for when I’m moved in. We check out and start our walk toward my new place, getting away from the crowded market. I take a sigh of relief that it’s over and continue on, originally tired from all the activity but the giddiness of seeing the home for the first time rejuvenates me.

“You really don’t like being around lots of ponies huh?” She must have noticed me tensing up back there.

“No, not at all. I actually don’t really like being around even one pers- pony that much either” Rainbows ears go against her head.

“Oh...” her stature deflates.

“I like being around you girls though, and Spike. I don’t know why but, it’s different. Plus your a really good friend Rainbow, your lots of fun and you get my jokes” Saying this out loud is slightly embarrassing for me, talking all sappy makes my face heat up a bit.

Rainbows ears peek back up along with her figure, “Of course I-... I mean *ahem*” She looks away with a blush. “Thanks Joey, that’s pretty cool you think that”

I sometimes forget that Rainbow is still a mare given her cocky boyish attitude but moments like this remind me. “No problem RD” We both cringe at the on the spot nickname. “I don’t like that one”

“Heh, yea that sucked” We share a laugh.

“How about Dashie?” I say trying to hold back my laughter.

“How about no, that’s really embarrassing”

“My little dashie washie” I say in the same tone you’d use with a pet. Dash punches my arm rightfully so and we continue walking toward my new place. After several minutes of walking, Dash flys up a little higher in order to see over the ridge ahead of me, the dirt road I walk on an uphill climb.

“There it is! In allll it’s glory!” She says the last part with a snicker. I can’t help but feel like she’s being sarcastic. After a few more steps I’m able to just see over the hill, taking in the view of my new residence. Just like Fluttershy’s home, it’s more of a cottage than a regular Ponyville home. The roof made of some straw with overgrown moss over the entire top showing just bits of the straw near the edges, leaking over the sides. A brick chimney stood tall toward the left side, sticking out the roof, the home in general a shade of pale peach (search the color up for better idea). Along the long rectangular home, there was one circle window, left of the center entrance, the door a light colored wood, maybe birch? The most interesting thing to me was the porch that led to the main entrance, the only approach coming at it from the right otherwise having to leap over a metal picket railing. It’s not exactly the largest home however, it’s now mine and it was free so why complain.

Dash stares in anticipation to my reaction, a large smile across her face. Surely she doesn’t think this home is that bad? “I think it looks nice Dash, we should look inside”

“I couldn’t agree more!” Her excitement foreshadowing the increased likelihood of a disaster waiting inside. She zips over to the front door standing on two hooves, holding it open for me while bowing, “Chambers built for only a king”

I ignore her act and mess her hair up with my off hand while walking inside. To say the inside looked similar to Shelob’s cave would be a pretty good comparison, the corners covered in massive cobwebs. A thin layer of dust coated the entire interior with blankets covering various furnitures left behind. Another disgusting treat would be the random assortment of dead animals, some birds and a few mice.

When walking into the entrance the first thing one is greeted to is a large open living room lighted by the window from the front and a glass sliding door facing out back toward the Everfree. The walls formerly light green were chipped heavily in certain spots with a chocolate trim along the ceiling and floor, likely the nicest feature of the inside. While the living room covered both ends of the home when looking straight forward, it did not reach both ends of the home when facing left and right of the entrance. The left hallway lead to a single bedroom with an opposing bathroom on the other side, while the right side of the home was a small kitchen separated by countertops. You could see easily into the living room and vice versa at my height however this didn’t cover the entire right side as a short hallway led to a string hanging from the ceiling for a pull down ladder into the attic, left of this another bedroom, and finally the last door was at the end of the hall, it was a closet.

“Well *cough* beside all of the dust, dead animals, *cough* dirty windows, and rough paint job I’d say this is great” I wave my hand in front of my face battling against the spiderwebs and floating dust. “Dash *cough* open every window you can find please god”

As we attempt to filter out the dirty air, I notice Spike and Twilight heading up the road from Fluttershy’s home. When looking closer I realize Fluttershy is with them as well, just slightly behind them in pace, and position. Always scared that pony.

I stick my upper half out the front window, “Hey your just in time, we need reinforcements in here!” I yell out to them waving my arm in a, come hither motion.

“Sorry! We decided to go check on Fluttershy to see if she’s ready to go first!” They hustle toward the front door walking into the battle ground. Fluttershy notices the dead animals instantly as she walks in turning blue in the face, shrieking before passing out.

“EEK!” Her eyes roll back as she falls onto her back out cold. I jump up rushing over to pick her up as I’m kneeling down.

“Holy shit! What happened!” My eyes frantically pace from face to face. That’s when I notice that I’m the only one freaking out drawing a confused look from me. “What are you guys doing? She just passed out, she could be having a stroke or something I don’t know? Why are you all so calm?”

Twilights the first to speak up, “She’s okay Joey, she passes out of fright all the time, as long as she didn’t bump her head she’ll be okay” Spike nods in agreement.

“Yea.. she’s been like this since as long as I can remember, even filly school. She always come to right away” Dash says walking over to my side.

I look back to the yellow Pegasus to see her stirring awake, her first sight my goofy ass leaning over her. “You alright? You just passed out”

Her face turns a bright crimson, embarrassed of the situation she finds herself in. She nods slowly while covering her face with her hooves. The others start to gather up the equipment that was brought in, starting on cleaning tasks within the home. I can still feel my heart beat as the initial adrenaline rush remains, “Jesus Shy, you really scared me there. Do you know why you passed out?”

She answers while peeking just above her now lowered hooves exposing the top half of her face. “D-dead .. e-everywhere, I... overwhelmed” Her words remind me about what Twilight said about her earlier, she’s really into animals.

“Here I’ll get you some water and take care of the birds and stuff left inside for you. I’ll tell you when you can come in” I say this while picking her up baby style and carrying her over to the one couch that we uncovered earlier. “Sorry it’s a little dusty, I’ll be right back”

“... s’okay” She barely says above a whisper, her face still bright red. I walk over to Dash’s bag knowing she carries a water bottle with her at all times, taking it over to Fluttershy and handing it to her. “T-thanks Joey, I’m r-really sorry for m-making you worry”

“Your fine Shy, I know how much you want to help so just collect yourself for a bit and we can tackle this house together. How’s that sound?”

She looks to me smiling, “Great” Her answer as close to shout as I’ve heard from her. I smile back before taking care of the dead animals around the house, the little miscreants mainly in the living room. Dash is making use of her wings dusting off the highest points in the room while Twilight is removing the covers to all of the furniture with her magic, folding the tarps and placing them in a pile near the attic entrance. Spike can be found setting up the fireplace using his own breath to light a fire. I go over and give Shy the all clear before heading over to grab some painting tape.

We work at the interior for some time, the day starting to transition into night as we decide to call it quits. I find myself sitting in an old wooden rocking chair while the others sit on couches, all of us surrounding the fireplace.

“Thanks for today, really all of you. I couldn’t have done this alone” I raise a glass of water as I say this. “Cheers to new friends” I smile, the day generally nice for once with little stress beside the fainting incident.

“Your face earlier was priceless, you really thought Fluttershy was dying or something” Dash jokes.

“Well how am I supposed to know it happens so often? Where I’m from that shit is really rare and dangerous”

Twilight raises a hoof in question, “Joey? Do you mind telling us a story from Earth? Something that can teach us a little about your past? You don’t have to if you don’t wanna”

“Hmm” I struggle with her request. I don’t want to ruin a good moment we got here with me being a party pooper so I oblige. “No it’s fine to be curious, just give me a second to think of something” I put my hand to my facial hair, it’s length making it somewhere between stubble and beard. “I got one, it’s funny too! Alright so one time me and a few buddies of mine at the time were hungry right? So we got on our bikes to head toward a local pizza joint-“

“You have pizza where your from?” Dash asked inquisitively.

“You know what pizza is? Oh I know what the next meal you owe me is gonna be” She shakes her head as I get back to my story. “Anyway, so we are bike riding cause we are young at this point, probably 14?”

“Why does your age matter for a bike?” Twilight now asks a question.

“Heh, it doesn’t, driving a car does though” My mentioning of car draws looks of confusion out of all of them. I chuckle, “A car is a vehicle used for transportation, it has four wheels and is super heavy, like 3000 to 4000 pounds. They also drive incredibly fast on paved roads, sometimes reaching above 200 miles per hour”

“Pfft, that’s nothing! Have you ever seen me do a rainboom?” Dash proudly remarks standing up. “I can go fast enough to break the sound barrier! Twilight told me that”

“First, that’s insane. Second, of course Twilight told you that, you think I thought you knew what the sound barrier even is?” She scowls at me before sitting back down into her seat. “So now that you know that, we are almost there when my one friend says to the other ‘I’ll race you the rest of the way’ and speeds past him making him chase after. I stayed back watching from a distance however, a car was getting ready to pull out onto the road ahead and it wasn’t looking our way” I start to chuckle unable to hold back my laughter at the upcoming part.

“So my friend who suggested racing is leading but, just as he is passing the car it pulls out and swipes him clean off the bike! It wasn’t fast enough to hurt him but he did fall, and the first thing he does when he gets up is he grabs his butt saying ‘my ass’!” Twilight smiles a little, while Dash and Spike laugh with me however, Fluttershy seems shocked by my manor of joking.

“Wasn’t he hurt?”

“He was fine Shy, just like you passing out earlier but he was never in any danger... well beside his pride... and his ass” I chuckle some more with the others as Fluttershy seems to somewhat get my point.

“Well it’s getting late, we better head back and you can bring your stuff over tomorrow for moving out” Twi says with a small smile, her face still showing that she’s troubled with my future departure.

“Yea, thanks to all of you guys again. I gotta use the restroom real quick and I’ll catch up”

“Thank you Joey for earlier, you don’t have to worry about me that much” Her gaze at the floor facing away from me. So adorable.

“What good friend wouldn’t worry? Have a nice night Shy, I’m glad to be your new neighbor. Too bad our homes aren’t that close otherwise who’s gonna help you next time you pass out?”

She giggles, “I don’t pass out that much, it’s just.. I was caught off guard”

“Whatever you say” I smile while waving her off and go use the restroom. When I come out I notice Dash still there at the door leading outside turning to face me as I approach.

“Hey I... I know your uncomfortable with talking about yourself but, are you okay with living alone like this?” She asks while twirling her hoof into the ground, not meeting my gaze.

Her question catches me off guard, especially from Dash. It makes sense though as she is the closest friend I got currently, she’s just worried about me. I’m dismissive, “Look I used to live alone anyway before I came here, I’ll be fin-“

“Be honest Joe”

Her serious tone makes me reconsider. “I.. I’m not” I pause thinking of the right words to say how I feel. “Twilight and Spike are wonderful roommates, so wonderful that I actually like their company but, I shouldn’t be around the library that much plus this collar has issues I haven’t told you” I need to come clean.

“Listen, when I tell you this you can’t tell anypony, the only ones who know are Twilight and Pinkie” My face displays the seriousness of the subject matter. Dash meets my eyes.

“I won’t say a word bro” Her use of bro in this moment makes me smile for a moment.

“Your a goofball. Anyway this collar isn’t to protect me” She looks in confusion.

“So why wear it?”

“Because apparently I’m dangerous. I’m leaking dangerous magic that harms ponies that aren’t either one of the princesses or one of the elements. I can cause depression and other terrible things that are out of my control but, if I don’t take the collar off every so often it builds up and I can’t control myself from having a panic attack or at least that’s what I think happens”

Her face shows empathy now knowing what her friend is going through, her inability to help causing visible pain. “Fuck dude, that’s... that’s terrible”

“Yea, so if I were to answer your question... I’m okay but I’m not okay at the same time. It’s pretty fucked up” Dash takes the news heavily, ears pinned against her head as she doesn’t know what to say. “Don’t worry, Twilight is going to figure out how to cure me. Then everything will be peachy and I can take this sexual ass collar off”

My attempt at lifting her spirit works somewhat, “I’ll miss seeing you wear it though” She jokes back with a wry smile.

“Okay pervert, I better get going now if I want to catch up to the others. Remember to not tell ANYONE about my issue and don’t be afraid to come over whenever I get this place done” I wave her off.

“I know, I know...see ya Joey. Be careful” She flys off turning her head to look at me saying, “Your going to put a poster of me as a wonderbolt in your room once I get on the team!” She yells leaving behind a rainbow trail.

Unlikely, also the trail she leaves is flamingly gay.

I run to catch up to the others, my unexpected talk with Dash really put me behind. After a minute or two of running I finally catch up and the three of us walk back together.

Spike hurries upstairs having to use the restroom. It’s just me and Twi as we work together to light up the home. I’m sure she could just light all the candles at once but I gotta feel useful sometimes right?

“Joey I just wanted to say... I’m really sorry for the whole collar thing” She looks to me clearly affected by her brought up issue, her features uncomfortable and sad.

“Twi it’s fi-“ She interrupts

“No... no it’s not” She stomps her hoof. “I.. I really messed up this time and it hurt somepony. Life isn’t just some game or practice and I didn’t take the steps necessary to avoid all of this. The reason Celestia gave you that home on the outskirts was so you could avoid hurting anypony when you take off your collar. She thought it would be best we isolate you but, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to meet other ponies!” As she goes on I can hear her losing composure with each sentence.

“I don’t want my mistake to take away from your ability to make friends, and I don’t want you to feel like an outcast. I’m sorry I just...I” She struggles to finish her thought, tears brimming in her eyes as she fights against her urge to break down. I walk over to her quickly wrapping her in a hug.

“Hey hey hey, look it’s okay... I promise. I never was one to have lots of friends or be social anyway so I don’t think what happened will really change anything from what is was before” I’m not lying when I say that, it’s truthful that my life wouldn’t be much different with or without the collar however, it is shameful wearing it and I can’t help but feel like an outcast. Also I don’t disagree with Celestia’s idea, I really should minimize my contact with unprotected ponies for safety, I’m a danger.

The crying pony in my arms manages to draw me back from my thoughts as she wraps her own hooves around my torso. “I’m *sob* s-s-sorry *sob* p-please forgive m-me” The pain in her voice breaks my heart, I hug her tighter. I almost feel like crying myself, this really has all been unfair for me. I’m lost, alone, sick, I don’t belong and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this. I wasn’t a bad person ever, hell I’d say I was pretty nice and even somewhat of a pushover. I push the urge to cry deep inside myself, walling my emotions in for the moment.

After some time I pick the pony up and bring her to her bedroom, laying her on the bed. Spike caught the end of our conversation and stayed back, going toward his own room to give us privacy. He nodded to me in understanding as I walked past him carrying Twilight. Before I can pull away though, she grabs at my shirt with her hoof, it’s flat surface somehow griping on.

“D-Don’t leave... please” She looks at me with desperation.

I follow her demand sitting up on the bed with my back against the bed frame. Twilight lays against me, her body cuddled into me in a hug. My arm remained wrapped around her side with my hand scratching her head. We lay there quietly for a minute or two, then Twi breaks the silence. “You don’t hate me right? I’ve been a terrible friend...I deserve some... some sort of punishment”

“Shhh, that’s nonsense. You’d shouldn’t talk like that, it’s not good for you and you’ll never get anywhere if you make up problems that don’t exist... you know I don’t hate you” She makes a small whine noise, scooting closer into me. Twilights lavender smell is incredibly strong at this point almost overflowing my senses, her, the bedsheets, and the shampoo we both use is just a little too much... Twi. I put up with it though as the situation I find myself in is rather comfortable, her warmth and the cushion of the bed make a wonderful combo, the mattress better than anything I’ve ever slept on.

“Your mattress kicks ass” I whisper. She smirks but her ears stay flat against her head. She closes her eyes, trying to enjoy the moment, I must be pretty warm to these ponies given how much they try to cuddle me. “You’ll come visit us right?” She says with a yawn.

“Of course silly, your the only pony that has books. How else am I supposed to read my favorite series?” I sarcastically remark.

“That’s not funny” Her words seem to struggle to get out, sleep taking her soon.

“Your also my favorite color so that helps too” She opens the one eye that’s not pressed against me, giving me a death glare. “Okay okay... you care a lot about me fitting in and I appreciate it even if you make mistakes sometimes. Not many people used to show that level of compassion for others where I’m from so even if it doesn’t feel special to you, it means a lot to me”

She smiles and relaxes against me, “Yep, and now you have to be my pillow tonight cause I won’t get this opportunity again”

“You might one day, if you play your cards right” My suggestive joke seems to go right over her head as she’s barely awake now. I shut up and let the sleepy pony rest, closing my eyes as well. This is really nice, I wonder if ponies sleep together regularly... actually is the term sleep together even meant sexually here?

About 30 mins go by before I realize I forgot to take that medication, if my apparent awareness didn’t already give that away. The pony laying into me makes me unable to move, it’s not the worst situation to be in honestly. Deep inside me this is rather soothing, it’s almost healing to previous damages done to my heart from failed relationships. Although Twilight isn’t a lover or anything, it just feels like I’m not as empty, I feel... love. It’s a forgotten feeling, being loved that is, almost foreign but I can still recognize it. I’ve missed this.

My head remains active for what feels like hours, memories of my past coming and going, some good some bad, well mostly bad. Finally I find myself where I always do, wishing things worked out and that life was easier. It hurts my heart, making me feel ill as a tear runs down my face. My last relationship I tried so hard, I had done everything to make things work but in the end I knew it wasn’t going to work out and it wasn’t good for me. Now I’m afraid of trusting anyone that close again, her failure to hold her promises hurt me terribly so.

I don’t want to do this anymore, I don’t want to hurt

My eyes start to spill even more fresh tears but I don’t dare make a sound, if Twilight saw me like this I’d fucking kill myself. The embarrassment would be too much, and the pity? I already hate myself for being so insecure, I don’t need the others to know how pathetic I am. I wipe my face with my other arm and try to focus on my breathing, slow long inhales and exhales. I fall asleep unknowingly.

It’s morning, I’m incredibly comfortable unlike normal though. My sickness still present but something warm is wrapped around my side, it’s a little too much, making me sweat. I open an eye to see the purple nerd still wrapped on tight making sure I’m not going anywhere. Apparently sometime during the night, she pulled me under the covers as well. The combination of pjs and Twi makes me very hot, this ain’t the main issue as the real problem is downstairs. My conditions have bred a rock hard shaft, already sweaty, I feel awfully hot and bothered. I need to get up or do something, this ain’t it chief!

As I try to pull away Twi hugs me tighter, her grip much stronger than I anticipated. Stupid strong ass ponies! She stirs awake but still not aware of her surroundings.

“Twilight, can you let me go? I gotta pee” I lie.

“*grumble* hold it for little bit” She selfishly continues to hold on. My voice wasn’t desperate enough, maybe I should’ve taken up acting or something in the past, who knew It actually had use! Twilight rubs her face into my chest and lower chin. Her proximity makes me very uncomfortable, her face only a few inches from mine. I can feel her warm breath from her nose on my neck. It doesn’t help little Joey one bit, he stands tall, painfully attentive.

“T-twi... I-I I’m really u-uncomfortable right now” My face is beat red as I look away for an exit.

Twilight lifts her head pushing off me to observe the situation, she looks to my face first, then to herself. A blush makes it’s way across her face as she sits up. “Sorry! I didn’t realize how close I was”

I quickly get out of the bed in a strange fashion in order to hid the tent in my pants walking toward the door, “It’s fine Twi! Gotta pee is all!” I rush to my room for a spare set of clothes and take a shower... a cold shower, my body reeks of sweat. After cleaning up, I step out of the bathroom and almost run into Twilight.

“Sorry I didn’t see you” I move out of her way.

“It’s okay, I was just waiting to use the shower” She walks into the bathroom, her mane frizzled and unkept. I’d never woken up early enough to see her like this before, it’s kind of cute.

I go back into my room and pack up all of my clothing and things that were carried over with me. I was wearing my backpack when I was brought here, it’s contents were mainly school books and folders however, my phone was in there as well. It’s battery dead now and the service here was of course nonexistent so it’s purpose was really nothing at this point beside the few songs I had downloaded on there. Music wasn’t something I really cared about that much anyway so my phone is pretty much collecting dust at this point.

I look at the clock and see it’s 10 am, rather early for this bird. I leave my stuff packed in my room and head downstairs, it’s dead silent. Spike isn’t up yet, it must be the weekend. I go outside for a moment to check the mailbox, probably the last time I’ll ever get mail for Twilight so why not. It’s the newspaper and a few bills that are labeled with Twilights name, nothing sticks out. I get a glass of water and leave the newspaper on the table, Twilight walks into the room with her hair in a towel, her fur still damp from the shower.

I chuckle, “I’ve never seen you like this before, guess what they say about never meet your hero’s really has meaning”

She sticks her tongue out at me and sits down to read the paper. I grab the ingredients to make pancakes cause It’s one of the few things I know how to make. “Don’t worry I can make breakfast” I here a shriek behind me causing me to jump.

“Sweet Jesus Twilight what the hell?!”

“Joey... you need to read this” Her face covered in worry. My heart sinks, what could possibly make her react like that? I walk over grabbing the paper from her hand, reading the headline.

‘Foreign Stallion found dead! First pony suicide in over 8 years’

My body fills with chills as I look to the image, it’s the same unicorn I met with Dash.

Author's Note

Just want to say thank you to all of you who read this story! I can’t believe after how shitty my first chapter was, so many of you continued to read. It’s not like my writing is so much better now but, it’s definitely better than that first chapter. Also I reread this chapter while super tired so if I missed stuff point it out.

Anyway I hope you’ve enjoyed and have a nice day ;)