I love you, Izzy Moonbowby HoofprintzChapters1. Izzy2. Friends3. Delivery4. Breakfast5. Neighbor6. Out7. Shopping8. Entertainment9. A NaturalPUBG: Battlegrounds1. Izzy"Hey." ... "Hey." ... "Hey." ... The whispered "heys" coming from beside my bed weren't hard for me to ignore. Heck, I'd spent countless nights sleeping through much worse than some soft spoken words. Once the pointed object started poking into my ribs on the other hand... Nine? Thank god I don't have to work today. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand before rolling over towards the source of my irritation, an annoyed grunt escaping my mouth. Turning had brought me face to face with the largest pair of twinkling magenta eyes I'd ever seen before. "Hi new friend." The set of pearly whites in my face sparkled in the morning sun. Alright. So then it's another one. It wasn't the first time and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. I'd had countless dreams about them. Researching the past with Sunny. Being an actual deputy for Hitch. Solving a mystery with Zipp. Performing with Pipp in one of her concerts. But mostly... mostly I'd dream about Izzy. She was my favorite, after all. Although we typically did things together in Equestria, -- smoothies in Maretime Bay, crafts in her home in Bridlewood, going to see a movie in Zephyr Heights -- It wasn't too uncommon for us to meet like this, in my apartment. I wiped the sleep from my eyes, forcing myself to sit up. One powerful stretch and a long yawn later and I'd mostly rid myself of the remaining tiredness. I crossed my arms, finally taking the time to look down at the lavender intruder, who'd thankfully, been silent as I worked to wake myself up. "Hey, Iz. What's going on?" I scratched the back of my head, still a tiny bit tired. "Iz?" her head tilted to the side in curiosity. "Izzy. Izzy Moonbow." I replied, maybe a little too quickly. Her eyes lit up, her toothy grin growing even wider. "YOU KNOW MY NAME!?" She would've stood on my bed had I not thrown an open hand directly into her face, her nose lightly bumping into my palm. "No dirty hooves on the bed," I scolded her. A pout came to her face as she lowered herself back onto the floor. "Of course I do Iz, why wouldn't I?" "That's not fair!" She harrumphed, crossing her forelegs. "I don't know yours!" "Well you're not the one dreaming, now are you?" I swept my legs off the bed, standing to my feet and groggily heading for the restroom. "You're dreaming!?" she gasped, clearly amazed by that fact as she followed closely behind me. "But you just woke up," her face screwed up in confusion. "And of course I'm not dreaming. I'm not even asleep... at least, I don't think I am," she poked her cheek with a hoof. "It's not dependant on you being asleep, Iz," I stopped in the doorway to the bathroom, turning to face her. "That doesn't sound ri-," her muzzle pushed into my leg. She looked up at me with another frown on her face. "How do you know you're dreaming?" "Simple," I lifted a thumb up to her face. "If I was awake this would hurt." I bit down on the digit, a yelp of pain instantly escaping my mouth. I shook my hand harshly, trying to make the pain fade as quickly as possible. Izzy stared at me as if I was the dumbest creature alive. "Thaaaat sure sounded like it hurt," she continued to look up at me. "Looked like it too. Are you okay?" "I..." I leapt into the restroom, slamming the door closed behind myself. "NEW FRIEND!? WHAT'S THE MATTER!?" Izzy called out, the sound of her hooves roughly clopping against the closed door following shortly after. I rushed over to the sink, using it to hold myself upright while staring into the mirror in disbelief. I looked a little disheveled, sure, but everything was normal for first thing in the morning, except my panicked breathing. Okay... I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. Okay, one more time. I bit my tongue. Hard. The sudden taste of copper in my mouth almost made me retch. ... So... this is happening... apparently, I turned on the faucet, letting the water get as cold as possible before splashing it onto my face to make sure I really was awake. Yep, I shivered a bit. Definitely not sleeping. I wiped my face dry with a towel. A much more gentle knock at the door drew my attention. "N-new friend?" Izzy... She sounded way too sad. I rushed back over to the door, opening it to find the lavender mare sitting on her haunches. She was hunched over, her head hanging down and her mane hiding her face. "I don't know what I did wrong, but... I'm really sorry for doing it," she didn't move an inch as she spoke. "Hey..." I laid a hand on top of her head. The blue hair was silky smooth and soft as a feather. Touching it sent a tremor of elation through me. She really is here... I fought every instinct that yelled at me to pick her up and swing her around the room. I wonder how heavy she is... Would it be rude to ask? Maybe I was going crazy. Maybe I was dead and this was a type of paradise. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by. "You didn't do anything wrong, Izzy. Sorry... for slamming the door in your face." "Then... you're not mad at me?" her head lifted a fraction of an inch. "How could I ever be mad at you, Izzy?" I patted her head gently, mussing up her mane. "Then..." she swept my hand away with a hoof. "If you're not mad at me... and you know who I am..." the mischievous grin on her face was too much for my heart to handle. "It's only fair to tell me who, and what, you are. Right, friend!?" "Hmmm..." I faked contemplation, stroking my chin. It was way too fun a chance not to mess with her. "It's not enough to know that I'm your friend?" I booped her on the nose with a finger. "But, I can't just call you friend! I mean, I can, but-" she jumped on me in a panic, her forehooves on my stomach nearly knocking me over. "A-and my hooves aren't dirty!" "I know, I know," I grabbed her forelegs gently, lowering them to the floor and crouching in front of her. "I was just joking. My name is Jonathan, but my friends all call me Jon." Well... they would If I had any. "Jon," she placed a hoof on her lips, her genuine smile back in spades. "My new friend's name is Jon." "Come on," I stepped by her, walking towards the living room. "We should probably discuss some things." "Like what?" she followed, her hooves clopping on the wood floor. "You know, stuff like what I am, how you got here, and most importantly," I sighed. "how to get you back to Sunny and the others." "Back to who?" I froze. "S-Sunny?" When no reply came I tried being more precise. "Sunny Starscout... Your best friend..." I turned to find a look of utter bewilderment on her face, though her glowing smile remained. "Who's Sunny Starscout?" 2. Friends"So that's what would've happened if I went to Maretime Bay!" Izzy was positively glowing, excitedly standing on her hooves next to me. We'd just finished watching My Little Pony: A New Generation, the two of us on the couch in my living room. At first sight, she'd been completely enamored by Sunny's adventure. When she first saw herself on screen she smiled so brightly I'd have sworn she'd never been happier. She'd remained quiet the entire movie, not saying a word, but going through numerous emotions throughout. "If?" I shut down my console and television, turning my full attention to her. "You never went to Maretime?" I waved a hand at her a bit so she'd sit down. I wasn't sure how sturdy animated ponies really were, and I definitely didn't want to find out anytime soon. "Well, I was planning on it," she sat on her rump. "In fact, I was gonna go today, but..." She looked dejected all of a sudden, her smile no longer genuine like it had been moments ago. "What happened?" Her change in demeanor made me want to hug her, but this wasn't some fantasy, this was the real Izzy Moonbow sitting in front of me. I had to treat her with respect and kindness, just like I'd treat anyone else. "I... I actually had a dream last night," her head lowered, her gaze falling to the couch beneath her, yet her smile remained. I didn't say a word, giving her ample time to continue when she was ready. "I saw you," she lifted her head, her sweet smile becoming genuine again. "M-ME!?" I could hardly believe it, but I knew there was no reason to doubt her. "You looked so sad," she confirmed with a slight bob of her head. "I didn't know who you were," she giggled. "I didn't even know what you were, but I could see how much you needed a friend." I chuckled dryly, covering my face with my hands and leaning back against the cushions. She wasn't wrong. My life had gone downhill after highschool. Not in the sense of success. I had a well paying job. I had a home. I had good food. I even had spending money and a bunch of hobbies. What I lacked, what I didn't have at all, what I hadn't had for far too long, was anyone to share those things with. I'd had friends in highschool, even had a steady girlfriend, but everything changed after graduation. Everyone went their separate ways. That tends to happen when people graduate and start actually making something of themselves. I'd been way too busy studying to make any new friends. My efforts got me everything I'd wanted as far as a profession, but only in that area. Life after education was a repetitive experience. Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep. On the weekend, I mostly stayed home. I watched movies, played video games, read books. Y'know, normal stuff. It was living. Barely. "I had to come help you," she whispered. I removed my hands from my face, looking at her in disbelief. "I could tell... you needed somepony... you needed a friend as much as I did. When I woke up... I was here." I could do little more than stare at the mare. "Izzy... you left home and came to this world... just to be my friend?" I couldn't believe it, but I had to. She was sitting right in front of me, after all. "Not just for you," she looked down, her smile faltering for the first time. "I needed a friend too. I'm kind of weird... and maybe a little too chipper sometimes, but... we can do lots of stuff together. I know how to make a lot of fun things and-" She stopped talking as soon as I laid my hand atop her head. "What about the others?" I asked. "Your friends back in Equestria, I mean?" She didn't make an attempt to move. "Sunny and Hitch have each other," she declared confidently. "And Zipp and Pipp are sisters," she looked at me, my hand still on her mane. "If I go back I'm sure I'll make lots of friends... but you..." I couldn't help but smile at her efforts, in spite of the fact that I knew her knowledge of her friends was completely based on the film we'd just watched. "So you want to stay?" "I do... If you'll let me?" She looked so worried, so full of hope. I wanted to hug her so much, but I had to remember that she was her own person... err, pony, and not just some character I liked from a cartoon. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, contemplating the ramifications of an animated pony living with me. Do I even have the means? "You'll need food," I thought out loud. "I don't eat much," she replied instantly. "What about your magic," I pinched the bridge of my nose. She'll never get it back if she stays here. "You won't-" "I know," she interrupted. "But... maybe there's another way." ... "And even if there's not..." she giggled. "It's not like I ever had it before." ... "They'll miss you." I was basically searching for reasons for her to leave. "Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp, I mean." "Hmmm..." she was thinking deeply before she gasped loudly. "Unleeeess there are infinite Izzy's and I'm meant to be here! Maybe the movie is another universe!" I chuckled. I'm not about to discuss the infinite existence theory with Izzy Moonbow from My Little Pony am I? ... "What about a place to sleep?" I was basically grasping at straws at this point. "Huh?" "You'll need a place to sleep," I sighed. ... "I'm pretty sure your bed is big enough for the both of us," she answered after a moment, causing my eyes to shoot open. "It'd be just... like... a... sleepover?" She gradually noticed my panic. "Or, OR, I could sleep on the couch." ... I sighed once again, closing my eyes and thinking deeply. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I didn't know what her coming here meant. Didn't know what might happen if I let her stay. Didn't know what troubles lie ahead of us if I did, but... I want her to stay. Maybe, over time, she'd eventually get bored with me and want to leave. If that ever became the case... I'd do everything I could to help her get back home. But... until then... "I want you to stay, Izzy," I opened my eyes and gently touched one of her forehooves. She looked down at my hand. "Please... be my friend." She looked up at me, her smile growing. "Please stay with me." She lifted her forelegs wide open. Does she- "Hug?" she giggled. I wrapped my arms around her without hesitating. It was every bit as delightful as I thought it would be as she reciprocated, her forelegs embracing me. ... Her stomach grumbled. "Eh heh," she chuckled. "About that food..." 3. Delivery3. Delivery "So you just talk into that thing and somepony will come and bring us something to eat?" Izzy asked, leaning in closer to me to try and see my phone's screen. "Pretty much," I replied. I finished dialing the number for the restaurant and then lifted the device to my ear. "It does cost money... or bits, I guess you'd s- Yes, hello! I'd like to place an order for delivery." "Can I hear too?" Izzy was practically climbing onto my shoulder, her cheek pushing against mine as I tried to place the order. I moved my arm down to hold the phone in front of the both of us before pressing the speaker button. I lifted a finger to my lips to let her know she needed to be quiet for the duration of the call. She zipped her lips in compliance, an action I had to struggle not to laugh at due to its adorable nature. Just like in the movie. "Okay. Can I have your address please?" the worker responded. "Sure," I gave her my information, Izzy looking a little puzzled while I did so. I couldn't be sure, but Bridlewood seemed far behind Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay when it came to technology, at least according to the movie. If Izzy hadn't visited those places and only ever experienced Equestria within Bridlewood, earth would definitely be full of things she'd have questions about. She'd asked many when I turned on the television as well. "Alright, what can I get for you?" "Can I get a large pepperoni and..." I stopped, staring down at the mischievous pony whose eyes were full of wonder. She was smiling brightly at me, seemingly not a care in the world, but utterly thrilled by something as basic as a pizza place delivering food. Crap... I'd typically get the same thing whenever I ordered a pizza for myself: a mess of meat. Usually a random mix of pepperoni, bacon salami, ham, meatball, the works. But Izzy... Pretty sure she doesn't eat meat. "Can I get an..." There wasn't only the diet difference problem either. I could handle a large pizza by myself. She'd said she didn't eat much, but... It's probably best to get two. "Can I have two cheese pizzas with tomatoes and uhm mushrooms?" I wasn't sure if that was okay, but Izzy didn't protest, so I assumed it was fine with her. "Can I get extra cheese on both please." Her eyes lit up. "I love cheese!" the lavender unicorn whispered to me quietly. Her excitement had grown at the prospect of the pie. I gave her a thumbs up, not wanting to confuse the worker any further by speaking. "Sounds great! Would you like any bread sticks, drinks, or chicken wings?" My eyes shot open, panic gripping me. I looked down at the mare, hoping she hadn't caught that last bit. Judging by her look of abject confusion, she had, in fact, caught it. "Chicken wings? Like "chicken" chicken wings?" she clearly forgot the being quiet part. "What would you need chicken wings for? To fly? You're not gonna get very far if that's the case." "I'm sorry, uhm, you would like some wings, or...?" the worker asked, thrown off by Izzy's ranting. I gently laid a hand over her muzzle, silencing her. "No, no, that's alright. Just the pizzas, thanks." She didn't resist my hand so I removed it as quickly as I'd placed it. "Okay! And nothing else? No dipping sauces or anything like that, correct?" "That's correct," I replied kindly. "Thank you!" "And will they be cash, credit, or another payment method?" "Cash is fine!" The worker repeated my order back to me, confirmed my address one last time, and notified me of the price and that the order would arrive at my apartment in about thirty minutes. I hung up, turning slowly to Izzy and praying she had the shortest memory of any creature in history. I held my breath, her smile giving me a little hope that she did. "So... now we just have to wait?" she asked. "Yep!" I tried to sound a heck of a lot more enthusiastic than I was feeling. "It'll be here in a half an hour." "That's great!" she happily bobbed left to right. "Anything you wanna do until then?" I stood to my feet, walking to the kitchen. I can already get us some drinks... "You still haven't told me what you are," she watched me move around from her seat on the couch. "And..." "And?" I grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and moved to the fridge. "What do you do with chicken wings?" 4. Breakfast"This is delicious!" she stared down at the nibbled on slice of pizza. She'd immediately tried to pop it into her mouth as soon as I'd set the plate in front of her, but the temperature had been way too much for her to handle. "You should probably blow on it a little," I suggested, doing so to my own piece. "I'm glad you like it though." "Oh! Right!" She emulated me, though to a manic degree, blowing as hard as she could. I couldn't hold the laughter in, spitting out some of the soda I'd been drinking. "Soooo... about those chicken wings," she looked up at me with curious eyes. I'd told her we could talk about more important things once we started eating. That had come a lot sooner than I thought, the delivery arriving in half the projected time. Well, no point in trying to hide it... "Lots of humans... eat chicken wings," I took a bite of my pizza, looking directly at her to gauge just how disgusted she would be. "Hu-mans..." she looked contemplative for a second before grinning. "That's what you are? A human?" I nodded before swallowing the mouthful of pizza and taking a swig of my drink. "Humans are the dominant species here on earth," I explained. "I see," she looked pleased, taking a bite of her slice. "And you're all omnivores?" She spoke with a filled mouth, but it was more endearing than repulsive. "Most of us," I took another bite as well, swallowing before continuing. "Some are vegetarians. Others decide to take it even further than that." "So you don't have to eat meat?" she took a drink of her soda, her eyes widening in glee. "Oooohhhhh! I like this a lot!" she took another drink with such gusto she nearly finished the entire cup. I wasn't sure how badly so much sugar from my world would effect her, but she was way too happy for me to ask her to slow down. "Can I have some more?" "Sure, just finish what you have there, okay?" I stood up to grab her another can. "O-kay!" she went back to eating her food. "I've never been friends with someone who eats meat. Ponies only eat veggies... mostly." "Mostly?" I reached into the fridge, grabbing another soda and walking back to the living room. "Old mares tales," she lit up when I opened the can and placed it next to her cup on the table. "Stories about ponies that eat other ponies have been used to scare foals for years. I never believed them, but they're there." "You're taking it awfully well," I polished off my first piece, grabbing another from the box containing my pie. "Honestly, I was a little worried you'd freak out." "Hmph?" she kept her mouth closed, tilting her head while chewing. "The fact that I eat meat," I answered. My reply brought understanding to her. She nodded a few times before she swallowed. "It's natural, isn't it?" she asked once she'd finished her first soda. She lifted the second can and poured the drink into the cup. "Oooh bubbles..." she stared as the carbonation slowly fizzed away. "Being mad at you or grossed out would be the same as you doing the same to me for what I eat." That's... true. It's not like Equestria had the same rules and laws as pretty much any country on Earth. Euthanizing a horse wasn't exactly a crime, as far as I knew. Hell, horses that broke a leg or got too old were put down constantly. That would never happen in Equestria. "I'm glad," I chuckled, putting away another slice. "Thanks, Izzy." "No need for gratitude," she giggled, already halfway done with her second soda. "That's what friends are for, right?" her head drifted downwards, a vivid sadness coming to her features. "Izzy?" I softened my demeanor, hoping I might be able to help her with whatever was bothering her. "It's nothing," she prodded her second piece with a hoof. "It's just, I hope you don't think I'm weird. Because I don't eat meat." Seeing her like this was the last thing I wanted. I wiped my hands clean with a napkin and booped her on the nose with my finger. "We're friends, Izzy." She smiled as she looked up at me. "You don't have to worry about stuff like that." I scratched my face lightly with a fonger, a little embarrassed that I'd done something like that. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with being weird," I chuckled. "Weird is fun." "If that's really the case," she was absolutely glowing as she looked down at the napkins, grabbing one with a hoof. She rubbed it vigorously, cleaning her hooves much better than she needed to. She booped my nose with her hoof, her grin growing. It was surprisingly soft. "Around me, you don't have to worry about being yourself either." She lowered her foreleg. "Thanks... Jon." 5. NeighborAuthor's Note So I made an MLP YouTube. Hot takes, reviews, and other junk if you're interested. https://youtube.com/@MLPDymosX?si=6Age_ulZpbzboFpY 5. Neighbor "Soooo... where are we going?" Izzy asked, watching me intently as I tied my shoes. I was sitting on the floor in the entryway to my apartment, my new pony friend standing next to me. After breakfast I'd taken a quick shower and freshened up. With a new roommate came a whole lot more necessities. That was made abundantly clear when Izzy went into the restroom before me and asked for a toothbrush. Thankfully, I didn't work weekends and I'd already planned to head to the store to pick up some things today so it shouldn't be an issue. "We need to go get some things at the store," I explained as I stood to my feet. "The store?" her face lit up. "You'll like it," I patted her on the head. "But first... there's something I want to check." When I'd received our food earlier I told Izzy to stay in the front room. Unfortunately, the smell must've been too much and she trotted over to the doorway. She'd stayed quiet the entire time, but I'm pretty sure the delivery man saw her behind me. What I didn't expect was his reaction. He'd been bored when he arrived and seeing an animated unicorn didn't appear to change that fact. "First?" she tilted her head. "First, there's somebody I want you to meet." The two of us walked out of my apartment, the blistering heat of the summer day not to my liking. The apartment complex I lived in was in a fairly secluded area and the apartments themselves were covered in fauna so it was a pretty private area. Nobody would see Izzy unless they were in the complex. "Whoa, hot day... wait, a new friend!? Is she your friend?" she was practically prancing in excitement. Nope. "She's... more of an acquaintance." I replied as we approached the door to her apartment. "She's not really an extrovert like you are, Izzy." "Extro...vert?" she fell into step behind me. "It means you like being around others," I explained as we reached the door. "She's an introvert, which means she prefers to be alone most of the time." "OH! There are people like that!?" she asked, coming to a standstill next to me. "Are you an extrovert?" "There are," I pounded on the door as hard as I could a few times. Fel hated the sound of the doorbell. She'd definitely be wearing her headphones and those were usually tuned up to eleven so anything quieter would almost certainly fail to get her attention. "And no, I'm more of an ambivert... which means I'm sort of in the middle," I elaborated as soon as she looked up at me with a baffled expression. "O-ka-" The door creaked opened slowly, revealing my bored neighbor. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, her auburn hair sticking up in several places and her glasses barely clinging to her face. She was still wearing her pajamas and had a coffee mug in one hand and her phone in the other. "What do you want, Fatal?" she refused to look up from her phone. "You know I work before five." "Sorry for bothering you so early, Fel," I gestured with my hand at Izzy to stop her from asking the question I already knew was coming. "I just wanted to ask you about something." "What?" she continued staring at her phone. I cleared my throat. "I made a friend. I was wondering if she might be able to play with us at some point?" Fel finally looked up at me then down at Izzy, her bored expression not changing a bit. "Is it good?" she raised an eyebrow. "She!" Izzy smiled brightly. Apparently, the fact that she could talk surprised Fel. "Are you good?" she asked after an exasperated huff. "I'm great!" Izzy declared confidently, her enthusiastic smile growing as she looked back and forth between us. "What are we talking about?" "It doesn't matter that she's a pony?" I tilted my head, interrupting their exchange. "If she's good, she can play," Fel shrugged. "I don't really care what she is. Now is that it?" she glared at me "I'm swamped and if I don't finish soon I'm not even going to get to play tonight." "Sure, Fel. Sorry," I clasped my hands in front of myself and bowed my head. "We'll talk later? Regular time?" "Yeah," she went to close the door. "Itwasnicemeetingyou!" Izzy blurted out before the door could fully close. "Sure," Fel replied just as the door closed on our faces. ... "What a nice person!" Izzy was still smiling when I lifted my head. "You think she likes me?" "Probably," I chuckled as the two of us turned around to leave. "You're pretty hard not to like. She can be real impatient, but she's usually pretty chill." "Her room must be really cold then, huh?" she asked, drawing another laugh from me. "OH! Why'd she call you Fatal?" Yep, exactly what I thought she was gonna ask. "Fel prefers online personas. Fatal is the name I use when I play stuff online," I answered. "Online is like the phone thing, right?" "Yeah, kind of," I answered as we descended the stairs to the ground floor. I'd gotten my answer. That was two people who didn't seem to care about what Izzy was. I was hoping it would be the same for everyone else we came across. Heading to the market would either confirm my suspicions or stir up a whole mess of trouble. I was really hoping for the former... 6. Out"Ahhhh," Izzy sighed in relief. She shook her head back and forth, her mane sweeping this way and that. "It feels much better in here." "Central air is a godsend," I agreed, moving to stand underneath a powerful jet of icy cold air. "OH! Ohhhh..." the small unicorn joined me, fully experiencing the marvels of modern ingenuity. She looked like she was in heaven, her long mane and tail moving about in the intense wind. "I don't think I ever want to move from here." "You and me both," I closed my eyes and looked up at the fan. I hated the summer, but the blast of an especially powerful air conditioner was always a welcome distraction from the intense heat. ... "Alright, come on," I sighed as I left the comfortable zone. "Unless you want to stay here. I can pick you up on the way out if you want." "No. That's okay," she smiled up at me as she followed along. "I wanna see the rest of this place," she looked around us with glee. I got a cart before we moved further into the interior of the market. I couldn't help but bask in the good luck I was experiencing, not a thing going wrong thus far. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The trek to the market had been a decently long walk, about fifteen minutes through the sweltering heat. Izzy and I had passed by countless people. Men, women, children, even some dogs and a cat had crossed our path. Not a single one of them seemed to be particularly concerned with the unicorn. Vivid nightmares of Izzy being captured by the government and experimented on were quickly dashed when she stopped a small child's soccer ball from going into the street. I was a little worried when she picked it up and handed it back to the kid with a smile, but he -- as well as his mother -- just said a polite thank you before continuing on their way. Although she had been wide-eyed the entire way -- and honestly probably a bit too excited for such a mundane activity -- the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Well, other than all of the questions. "What's that!?" "That's a stroller. People use them so they don't have to carry their kids around all day." "And that!? What's that in his ear!?" "He's probably talking on his phone... or listening to music." "WHAT ABOUT THAT!?" "That is a bus," I grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back onto the sidewalk. "It's pretty much an even bigger car so lots of people can travel a long distance at the same time." "I see," she grinned, falling into step next to me again. "So those dogs we saw... they don't talk?" "Nope. Most animals on earth don't talk," I explained as I wiped some sweat from my brow. Freaking sun... "There are ponies here too," I had to hold her down from jumping into the air at finding out that fact. "BUT they're a lot different than you are, Izzy." "Oh..." she only looked a little disappointed. "Are they like Sunny or Pipp?" "No. They don't talk... and they don't have wings or anything like that," I lifted my hand away just as she tried to move it herself. "They're just like most other animals." She grew quiet, the exuberance that just possessed her suddenly gone. She stared straight forward, walking with a lot less vigor than seconds before. ... Something is definitely wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I knew it might've been a little much to tell her, but she was bound to find out eventually. I didn't want her to think I was trying to hide anything from her. "Hey, Jon?" she finally spoke. "What is it?" "Do you think I'm just another animal?" she didn't lift her head to look at me. "Of course not, Izzy," I sighed. I knew that revealing information of the nature I had might hurt her. I didn't know she'd think it might change how she thought I perceived her. "We're friends. Aren't we?" I glanced down at her. "Yeah," she giggled, keeping her happy gaze forward. "We are." "Friends are equals, right?" I continued. "Yeah," she looked up at me with those big magenta eyes of hers. "They are." "Good," I patted her on the head as we continued to our destination. Author's Note My YouTube. https://youtube.com/@MLPDymos?si=g2P_z19L8nw6lYYV 7. Shopping"So is there anything in particular you see that you want to try, Izzy?" I asked as we walked down the condiments aisle. So far, our cart contained some fresh fruits and vegetables, a couple frozen pizzas, and two cases of soda. I typically would've avoided the more "healthy" options, but I was pretty sure Izzy ate stuff like that back in Equestria. Or she should enjoy them, at least. "I'm fine with whatever you think is best," she remarked dreamily. She was doing her best not to drool as she spoke. With the way she'd been staring longingly at the drinks I knew I'd have to be the one to keep her sugar levels somewhat in check. Unfortunately, with such thoughts came even more bleak ones. What if she gets sick? What if she needs to see a doctor? Or would she need to see a veterinarian? Which would she... I shook my head, doing my best to rid myself of such ugly thoughts. "Okay, then how about we head over to the..." I blanched, spinning the cart around as quickly as I could and heading back down the aisle we'd just came through. Izzy said nothing, still staring at the cases of sugary beverages as if they might get up and walk away. Back in the other direction was the butcher and the frozen meats section. I did NOT want to take her there. Yes, she had accepted my carnivorous lifestyle, but a wall lined with dismembered animal pieces? Maaaaybe later. Much later. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "W-wait! So you're telling me ALL of these things taste as good as soda!?" Izzy looked like she might go into hysterics at any moment. The two of us were standing in the sweets aisle, surrounded by cupcakes, Ding Dongs, Twinkies, and various other junk foods. I'd picked up some other necessities before bringing her to this part of the market. If she wasn't really interested in trying anything other than sugar filled treats, I'd let her run the gamut. At least, for now. Who knows, she's a magical unicorn from Equestria. Maybe sugar is like vitamins for her kind. "I'm not sure if you'll find them as tasty as soda," I shrugged, picking up a box of Snowballs. They'd never been my preference, but who knows what Izzy might like. "But they're all sweet." I showed her the front of the box. Her face lit up as she took the box from me and examined it closely. "Snowballs? Are they good!? IS THERE SNOW IN THEM!?" "No snow," I chuckled a little at her sudden diminished enthusiasm. "These are made with coconut, marshmallow, and chocolate cake." "I've never had coconut before," she looked back down at the box. "Can we get these?" "Of course we can," I turned back to the shelves. "Let's pick some others, too." "O-kay!" she tossed the box into our cart before joining me in my search. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's a good thing I saved up so much money... The total cost of everything I'd bought had been pretty steep, but I wasn't hurting for funds, and to see the bright smile on Izzy's face I'd gladly blow my entire savings on her. Before leaving the store I'd gotten us a box of Rocket Pops, which we promptly tore into once we were back in the hot sun. I'd have gotten a more chocolatey option, -- my preference -- but Izzy had ended up getting a box of Fudge Rounds, a box of Swiss Rolls, and two boxes of Brownies, so I was content knowing the chocolate quota had been filled for the month. Izzy was bounding along next to me, gleefully eating her ice cream. It was an even more impressive feat -- her method of travel -- considering she was carrying a few bags of groceries on her back. The heat wasn't even a concern for her anymore, the cold of her treat keeping her spirits high. "So today's my day off," I readjusted the bags I was carrying, growing a little tired. "But I do have to work on Monday." Her bounces came to an abrupt end. She looked up at me with the Rocket Pop halfway in her mouth. The slight tilt of her head paired with a look of curiosity told me she wanted to know more. "That's not really important," I stifled a chuckle. "Monday is the day after tomorrow." She's too cute. "What I was going to say was; after we get back to the apartment-" "Hrm," she tried to speak around the ice cream that was in her mouth. "Uhm... huh?" I hadn't quite understood what she'd said... or if she'd even said anything at all. She lifted a hoof, grabbing the stick of her treat and removing it slowly. "So GOOD!" she gushed over the frozen sweet before returning her attention to me. "Home," she stated simply. "Home?" It was my turn to be confused. "The apartment," she grinned before facing forward and starting to bounce forward again. "It's our home." WAY too cute.... "When we get back home," I smiled. "I was thinking I could show you some of the things you can do while I'm at work," "O-kay!" she replied before popping her ice cream right back into her mouth. "Then we can hop on and play with Fel later tonight," I chuckled nervously, scratching my cheek. "OH! GMMS!?" she spoke with a full mouth again, though this time I understood her. Her eyes were brimming with excitement. "Yeah, games," I affirmed with a nod of my head, though my heart wasn't really in it. "FNN!" her response had a lot more enthusiasm in it than I did. I just hope everything goes well... 8. Entertainment"So I can play with this..." she looked down at the controller, "or with these?" she shifted her curious gaze to the mouse and keyboard. After getting home and putting the groceries away together -- while I also showed her the ins and outs of the kitchen like how to use the stove, microwave, and air fryer and then letting her set up a little section for herself in the restroom for her toiletries -- I'd started showing her the different things she could do while I was away. First, I explained the entire gamut of streaming services to her. We had watched A New Generation on Netflix, but that was only the start of that particular rabbit hole. I showed her everything from Disney+ to Hulu to Crunchyroll. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed after the fifth or so new platform, but she appeared to be retaining all the information well. After explaining that whole mess as best I could I moved onto the Internet itself... which I decided to keep short. The behemoth that was "a series of tubes" was way too gargantuan a thing to fully explain, obviously, so I showed her some of the basics like YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and X. (Some of those were probably a bad idea, but she'd find out about them eventually anyway, so there was no point in hiding them from her.) I also warned her of the... less desirable aspects of the net, making it abundantly clear that she trust NO ONE online and not click on anything that MIGHT lead her to an unsavory site. After watching her navigate for a few minutes -- mostly choosing to watch a few clips about arts and crafts (I'd have to pick her up some stuff like that. Things to do crafts with.) -- I was pretty sure she'd be fairly okay if left alone. Currently, we were on the subject of gaming. I had explained to her how to use the various consoles I owned -- essentially all of them -- as well as using the desktop to play. "Whichever is easier for you will probably be best," I chuckled, looking down at her hooves. "Both might be a little tough to get used to with those, though," I pointed. She looked down, her face scrunching up. "Can I fiddle with them a bit?" she asked, looking back at the mouse and keyboard. "Sure," I booted up Apex Legends, the game Fel was almost surely going to want to play later on. "In this one you team up with two other players. Twenty teams of three compete with each other to try and survive until the end of the game." I navigated to the firing range before letting her take the reins. "The w, a, s, and d keys control your movement," I pointed. She placed her left hoof on the keyboard in the correct spot, but began pressing way more than just the four keys. Her character did a little jittery movement on screen, going this way and that and crouching and standing all the while. Eesh, she's gonna have trouble running without remapping... "I don't think that's gonna work," she laughed moving her hoof around and causing the awkward movement to continue. "Uhm, the mouse controls your vision, shooting, and whatnot," I explained as I pointed at the device. She placed her right hoof on it, moving it around slowly and watching the effects it had on the screen. "This is way easier!" she moved the mouse with ease. "But I'm preeeetty sure I can't do this side," she continued to nearly beat the keyboard to a bloody pulp, her tongue slightly sticking out of the side of her mouth as she stared at the screen with determination. Judging by the terrible movement, she was correct. "I think you're right," I picked up the controller. "Here, try this." She took the device into her hooves just like any human might, looking down at it as she... How in the world? She was pressing the buttons, but she wasn't pressing them. Not physically, at least. "THIS is much easier," she grew excited, moving her avatar on screen with no issues, as well as controlling the perspective with ease. "Can you crouch?" I asked, getting a closer look at her manipulating the controller. "Err, which button?" she asked, also looking closer at the controller. "B. The red one," I nudged my face in the direction of the button while continuing to stare at her hooves. She pressed it... without pressing it. Her character on screen performed the action, but her hoof hadn't come in contact with the button at all. "Is that good?" she tilted her head with an oblivious grin. "Uhm... Y-yeah," I got back to my feet. That's... really freaky. I thought Hasbro had wanted to save money not animating that stuff. Apparently, that's actually how it worked for ponies... somehow. I guess traditional physics didn't apply to her. "So what's next?" she giggled, rocking back and forth in her chair as she started clicking all of the buttons. "I'm ready to go!" "Alright, Izzy," I shook my head, laughing along with her. "Let's get started." 9. A NaturalSquad Eliminated Placed #2 "Crap. CRAP! CRAP!CRAP! WE LOST AGAIN!? I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THAT SHOT!" Fel screamed into the headset, the extremely loud volume of her voice followed by the repeated slamming of her hand onto her desk making me wince. I looked over at Izzy who, surprisingly enough, had a wide smile on her face as she stared at the television. The words that were displayed on my monitor were equal parts annoying and rewarding to me, but Izzy was definitely only delighted by them. "Come on, Fel! I think second place is pretty good, all things considered." The bubbly unicorn was still keeping positive. We'd managed to win multiple times already, but about six hours into our session we couldn't quite close out another. Despite our constant "losing" Izzy was doing her best to keep our spirits up. "She's right, Fel," I agreed, continuing back to the lobby. "I haven't lost any RP yet." "YEAH! We haven't lost any RP yet!" Izzy repeated before trying to cover her mic with a hoof and leaning my way. "What's RP?" she whispered way too loudly. I covered my eyes with a hand, struggling not to laugh. First, because she'd agreed with me without even knowing what I was saying, but second, and mostly, because she had definitely failed to cover the mic so Fel heard her too. "They're Ranked Points," Fel answered with a loud huff. "And you're right, I haven't lost any either," she took a deep breath. "It's getting late, I should probably call it a night." "Awwww," Izzy moaned, her shoulders slouching. "But I think we can win again." "I like your attitude, Uni," Fel chuckled, referring to Izzy by a more familiar version of her gamer tag: The Unicycler. I'd told her it didn't mean in this world what she thought it meant, but she was so enthusiastic about it I couldn't rain on her parade. I glanced at the clock. 4:00 a.m.? Yikes. "Fel's right," I closed out the game. "It's late and I wanted to go somewhere tomorrow," I navigated to Discord, getting ready to leave the party. "AWWWW!" Izzy groaned. "You getting on tomorrow, Fatal?" Fel asked. "Just... me?" I wasn't sure if she wanted to play with Izzy again. If she thought the unicorn wasn't good enough to play with her she'd say so. "No," Fel stated bluntly. "How about it, Uni? Ya wanna play again tomorrow?" "R-REALLY!?" Izzy's eyes were sparkling. "Sure," Fel chuckled. "You're a lot better than I thought you'd be. I'll make a Pred out of you in no time. Just gotta work on those Bamboozles." "G-GREAT! I'D LOVE TO!" the mare was practically shouting. "Iz," I whispered at her, raising a finger to my lips. She mouthed "sorry" back, a look of worry on her face. "Alright," Fel laughed. "Sounds good. I'll take to y'all tomorrow... Errr later today." "Goodnight, Fel," I chuckled. "Goodnight, Fel," Izzy said with a much quieter voice than before. "Night," she said before leaving the party, me and Izzy doing the same shortly thereafter. I shut down my computer as Izzy did the same for the TV and Xbox. "That went well," I said as we walked toward the restroom, the unicorn right behind me. "I had lots of fun," the unicorn's vigor had waned, a long yawn escaping her mouth. Tomorrow I planned on going to the store and getting her some crafting things and a phone. I wanted to tell her now, but her groggy demeanor made it a little easier to just save that surprise for tomorrow. "What did you think of Fel?" I asked as we brushed our teeth. "She crazy!" she laughed, flinging toothpaste all over the mirror and sink. "I like her!" After flossing and then cleaning the area I headed into my room to change. Feeling her curious eyes on me I grabbed some shorts and a sleeveless shirt and changed in the closet. When I came back out to find the mare still standing there with a smile I grew a little uncomfortable. "Soooo..." I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Soooo..." she imitated me. "Alright then." I headed to the front room. "Where are you going?" Izzy asked, confused. "You can have the bed," I pointed. "I'll sleep on the couch." "Can't we both just sleep in here?" she asked, a sadness permeating her voice. I took a deep breath, not sure if that was proper. It's not like she was my pet or anything like that and I didn't have any romantic feelings for a pony, but it still felt... weird. "I'm not sure-" "I just don't want to be alone," she lowered her head. Such a simple gesture nearly broke my heart. "Okay," I submitted, moving to lay down. "Let's get some sleep, Izzy." The bright smile she had when she lifted her head was like the sun. "O-KAY!" she bounded forward to join me. That night, sleeping back to withers with my favorite pony was the best night of sleep I'd ever gotten. Author's Note From this point forward I'll be transferring to that episodic nature. Continuity will still be there but it'll just be doing things and having experiences from here on. PUBG: BattlegroundsBlue : Izzy White : Jon Red : Fel Green : Magik Wait, so this game is called "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds... Battlegrounds?" Yes, ma'am. ...That doesn't make sense, does it? No, it doesn't. Just wait until we start playing the actual game... And why exactly are we playing this instead of Apex? We've got a fourth joining us tonight. Apex only has trios. This game has squads. We could run mixtape though. ... I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that, Fatal. Yeahhhh, sorry Jon, but I'm gonna have to agree with Fel. Mixtape is super lame. Oh Iz... you poor, poor thing. W-what? We could always play Warzone. Don't make me kick you, Magik. Well, alright then. Hey, Magik. Long time no talk. Sup, Fatal! It's been a while, huh? Were you with your kids? Yeah. They're back with their mom now so I finally got some time to myself. What's up, Fel? How've you been? Hoping you've gotten better since the last time we played. Good to see you're just as fun as ever. Don't like it, don't play with me. Good old Fel. So who's this Unicycler person? Name's Izzy! Nice to meetcha, Magik! Ditto. You any good? I'm okay. You think Fel would let her play if she wasn't? Fair. Alright then boys and girls, we ready to get started? Yeah. Where are we dropping? Try to drop safe so Iz can get a feel for things. Alright, how aboooout here? That works. Roger that. You see where he marked Iz? It's the yellow ping on the map. Wait, I didn't get to pick my legend yet! No picks here, Uni. You just get to change the way you look. Jumping. Iz, you've gotta jump! THERE'S NOT A JUMP MASTER!? Not in this game, Uni. Okay! You see where we're landing, Iz? Yeah! I got it. ... So this game is pretty... Uhm, quiet huh? It's so you can hear which direction shots are coming from. Oh... Okay! You're gonna wanna do the same as in Apex, Iz. Helmet, backpack, vest and then two weapons, attachments, and grenades. Try to get some healing items too. First aid kits, bandages, and energy drinks or painkillers. When it comes to nades try to mostly get smokes. Okay! Next circle's far. Find us a vehicle, Magik. On it. Is the M416 good? It's decent for close and mid range. Okay! Found one. Heading back to you guys. Good. Try to find a sniper or a DMR, Uni. Miramar is a bigger map so you'll need a long range weapon with a 4x or higher. Okay... Any suggestions? Did you pick up the M4? Uhm? The M416. Sorry. OH! Yeah! I did! There's a Mark 12 on my ping. Blue. You'll be able to share ammo between the two if you pick it up. It's a DMR though. If you want a sniper they're all fine. So the snipers are all the same? The Kar and Mosin have a slower reload and smaller magazine, but the M24 uses more attachments. O-okay. We good to go? Circle's coming in. I am. Same. Iz? I think I'm ready. I got the Mark 12 and the M416. Is that okay? Did you get some heals and nades? Two smokes. Two stuns. Bandages and a bottle of painkillers. You'll be fine for now. I have some first aid kits if you need them. Okay! Thanks, Fel! I've got you, Uni. Alright. Everybody in. So this game feels really... Janky? Bad? Slow? Yeah! Slow. It is. Cars are a much bigger part of this game cause we don't have things like redeploy balloons or evac towers and on foot speed is so slow. Careful, Magik. I think there are people at that h- Really? Of course. Are we... did I just die? Yep. Didn't they nerf Panzers a while back? Yep. They added a whole two second delay to shooting when you pick one up or take one out. Neat. WAIT, OUR WHOLE TEAM DIED TO THAT ONE SHOT!? Welcome to PUBG, Uni. You're gonna have a lot of fun on this one. Game 2 ONE PUNCH!? HE PUNCHED ME ONCE AND I GOT KNOCKED!? Game 3 HE'S GOT A PAN! HE'S CHASING ME WITH A PAN! SOMEONE HELP! Game 4 I SHOT THEIR PAN!? ... I SHOT IT AGAIN! ... I SHOT- HOW!? Game 5 FATAL IS DOWN! SOMEBODY SMOKE HIM! ON IT! ... Iz did you... did you just throw a frag at me? ...Oops. Game 6 There's three on the second floor! I'm gonna flash them! Make sure it's not a smoke, Uni. Right! Throwing... I just got flashed! Same. Me too. Aaaand I'm down. Same. Me too. Izzy did you throw that flash upstairs or... ... Okay guys, hear me out, that throwing arc is not accurate at all. Game 8 Nice knock, Uni. Thanks! I'm gonna go get my ki- CAR! Well, at least she's only- I got thirsted. Game 9 Alright, circle's close. Let's just run in. Roger that. Got it. Okay! ... Uhm...? Iz, you're running the wrong way. I think my game broke. Her game crashed. Crashed? She's in the blue zone. Yeah, just close it and reopen as soon as you can. O-okay. ... I'm back in I... I'm already dead. Game 10 TEAM ROLLING IN FROM 300! THEY TURNED OFF THEIR CAR! I SEE THEM! IZ DON'T- ... Sorry, Uni. You ran right in front of me. S'okay. Rezzing. MOLLY! MOLLY! I'M ON FIRE! Yeah, we're... we're dead. ++++++++++++++++++++++ Alright, I'm out. Same. It's getting late. Three dinners isn't bad. Especially with how bad I was playing. Not a terrible night. I'm sorry guys. Sorry? For what? I don't think I'm very good at this one. Iz... nobody is good at this game their first time. Most people aren't good at this game their thousandth time. I'm still not good at this game. Don't worry about it, Uni. You'll get better. You were doing pretty good for your first time. You'll get used to it. But only if you still want to. I... You still want to play with us, right? ...Yeah! Yeah, I do! Good. Same time tomorrow? I'm down. Sounds good to me. How about you, Iz? ...OKAY! Author's Note So if you don't play PUBG you probably won't really get this chapter. That'll happen if you're unfamiliar with what they're doing. Next time will be a movie.
1. Izzy"Hey." ... "Hey." ... "Hey." ... The whispered "heys" coming from beside my bed weren't hard for me to ignore. Heck, I'd spent countless nights sleeping through much worse than some soft spoken words. Once the pointed object started poking into my ribs on the other hand... Nine? Thank god I don't have to work today. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand before rolling over towards the source of my irritation, an annoyed grunt escaping my mouth. Turning had brought me face to face with the largest pair of twinkling magenta eyes I'd ever seen before. "Hi new friend." The set of pearly whites in my face sparkled in the morning sun. Alright. So then it's another one. It wasn't the first time and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. I'd had countless dreams about them. Researching the past with Sunny. Being an actual deputy for Hitch. Solving a mystery with Zipp. Performing with Pipp in one of her concerts. But mostly... mostly I'd dream about Izzy. She was my favorite, after all. Although we typically did things together in Equestria, -- smoothies in Maretime Bay, crafts in her home in Bridlewood, going to see a movie in Zephyr Heights -- It wasn't too uncommon for us to meet like this, in my apartment. I wiped the sleep from my eyes, forcing myself to sit up. One powerful stretch and a long yawn later and I'd mostly rid myself of the remaining tiredness. I crossed my arms, finally taking the time to look down at the lavender intruder, who'd thankfully, been silent as I worked to wake myself up. "Hey, Iz. What's going on?" I scratched the back of my head, still a tiny bit tired. "Iz?" her head tilted to the side in curiosity. "Izzy. Izzy Moonbow." I replied, maybe a little too quickly. Her eyes lit up, her toothy grin growing even wider. "YOU KNOW MY NAME!?" She would've stood on my bed had I not thrown an open hand directly into her face, her nose lightly bumping into my palm. "No dirty hooves on the bed," I scolded her. A pout came to her face as she lowered herself back onto the floor. "Of course I do Iz, why wouldn't I?" "That's not fair!" She harrumphed, crossing her forelegs. "I don't know yours!" "Well you're not the one dreaming, now are you?" I swept my legs off the bed, standing to my feet and groggily heading for the restroom. "You're dreaming!?" she gasped, clearly amazed by that fact as she followed closely behind me. "But you just woke up," her face screwed up in confusion. "And of course I'm not dreaming. I'm not even asleep... at least, I don't think I am," she poked her cheek with a hoof. "It's not dependant on you being asleep, Iz," I stopped in the doorway to the bathroom, turning to face her. "That doesn't sound ri-," her muzzle pushed into my leg. She looked up at me with another frown on her face. "How do you know you're dreaming?" "Simple," I lifted a thumb up to her face. "If I was awake this would hurt." I bit down on the digit, a yelp of pain instantly escaping my mouth. I shook my hand harshly, trying to make the pain fade as quickly as possible. Izzy stared at me as if I was the dumbest creature alive. "Thaaaat sure sounded like it hurt," she continued to look up at me. "Looked like it too. Are you okay?" "I..." I leapt into the restroom, slamming the door closed behind myself. "NEW FRIEND!? WHAT'S THE MATTER!?" Izzy called out, the sound of her hooves roughly clopping against the closed door following shortly after. I rushed over to the sink, using it to hold myself upright while staring into the mirror in disbelief. I looked a little disheveled, sure, but everything was normal for first thing in the morning, except my panicked breathing. Okay... I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. Okay, one more time. I bit my tongue. Hard. The sudden taste of copper in my mouth almost made me retch. ... So... this is happening... apparently, I turned on the faucet, letting the water get as cold as possible before splashing it onto my face to make sure I really was awake. Yep, I shivered a bit. Definitely not sleeping. I wiped my face dry with a towel. A much more gentle knock at the door drew my attention. "N-new friend?" Izzy... She sounded way too sad. I rushed back over to the door, opening it to find the lavender mare sitting on her haunches. She was hunched over, her head hanging down and her mane hiding her face. "I don't know what I did wrong, but... I'm really sorry for doing it," she didn't move an inch as she spoke. "Hey..." I laid a hand on top of her head. The blue hair was silky smooth and soft as a feather. Touching it sent a tremor of elation through me. She really is here... I fought every instinct that yelled at me to pick her up and swing her around the room. I wonder how heavy she is... Would it be rude to ask? Maybe I was going crazy. Maybe I was dead and this was a type of paradise. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by. "You didn't do anything wrong, Izzy. Sorry... for slamming the door in your face." "Then... you're not mad at me?" her head lifted a fraction of an inch. "How could I ever be mad at you, Izzy?" I patted her head gently, mussing up her mane. "Then..." she swept my hand away with a hoof. "If you're not mad at me... and you know who I am..." the mischievous grin on her face was too much for my heart to handle. "It's only fair to tell me who, and what, you are. Right, friend!?" "Hmmm..." I faked contemplation, stroking my chin. It was way too fun a chance not to mess with her. "It's not enough to know that I'm your friend?" I booped her on the nose with a finger. "But, I can't just call you friend! I mean, I can, but-" she jumped on me in a panic, her forehooves on my stomach nearly knocking me over. "A-and my hooves aren't dirty!" "I know, I know," I grabbed her forelegs gently, lowering them to the floor and crouching in front of her. "I was just joking. My name is Jonathan, but my friends all call me Jon." Well... they would If I had any. "Jon," she placed a hoof on her lips, her genuine smile back in spades. "My new friend's name is Jon." "Come on," I stepped by her, walking towards the living room. "We should probably discuss some things." "Like what?" she followed, her hooves clopping on the wood floor. "You know, stuff like what I am, how you got here, and most importantly," I sighed. "how to get you back to Sunny and the others." "Back to who?" I froze. "S-Sunny?" When no reply came I tried being more precise. "Sunny Starscout... Your best friend..." I turned to find a look of utter bewilderment on her face, though her glowing smile remained. "Who's Sunny Starscout?"
2. Friends"So that's what would've happened if I went to Maretime Bay!" Izzy was positively glowing, excitedly standing on her hooves next to me. We'd just finished watching My Little Pony: A New Generation, the two of us on the couch in my living room. At first sight, she'd been completely enamored by Sunny's adventure. When she first saw herself on screen she smiled so brightly I'd have sworn she'd never been happier. She'd remained quiet the entire movie, not saying a word, but going through numerous emotions throughout. "If?" I shut down my console and television, turning my full attention to her. "You never went to Maretime?" I waved a hand at her a bit so she'd sit down. I wasn't sure how sturdy animated ponies really were, and I definitely didn't want to find out anytime soon. "Well, I was planning on it," she sat on her rump. "In fact, I was gonna go today, but..." She looked dejected all of a sudden, her smile no longer genuine like it had been moments ago. "What happened?" Her change in demeanor made me want to hug her, but this wasn't some fantasy, this was the real Izzy Moonbow sitting in front of me. I had to treat her with respect and kindness, just like I'd treat anyone else. "I... I actually had a dream last night," her head lowered, her gaze falling to the couch beneath her, yet her smile remained. I didn't say a word, giving her ample time to continue when she was ready. "I saw you," she lifted her head, her sweet smile becoming genuine again. "M-ME!?" I could hardly believe it, but I knew there was no reason to doubt her. "You looked so sad," she confirmed with a slight bob of her head. "I didn't know who you were," she giggled. "I didn't even know what you were, but I could see how much you needed a friend." I chuckled dryly, covering my face with my hands and leaning back against the cushions. She wasn't wrong. My life had gone downhill after highschool. Not in the sense of success. I had a well paying job. I had a home. I had good food. I even had spending money and a bunch of hobbies. What I lacked, what I didn't have at all, what I hadn't had for far too long, was anyone to share those things with. I'd had friends in highschool, even had a steady girlfriend, but everything changed after graduation. Everyone went their separate ways. That tends to happen when people graduate and start actually making something of themselves. I'd been way too busy studying to make any new friends. My efforts got me everything I'd wanted as far as a profession, but only in that area. Life after education was a repetitive experience. Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep. On the weekend, I mostly stayed home. I watched movies, played video games, read books. Y'know, normal stuff. It was living. Barely. "I had to come help you," she whispered. I removed my hands from my face, looking at her in disbelief. "I could tell... you needed somepony... you needed a friend as much as I did. When I woke up... I was here." I could do little more than stare at the mare. "Izzy... you left home and came to this world... just to be my friend?" I couldn't believe it, but I had to. She was sitting right in front of me, after all. "Not just for you," she looked down, her smile faltering for the first time. "I needed a friend too. I'm kind of weird... and maybe a little too chipper sometimes, but... we can do lots of stuff together. I know how to make a lot of fun things and-" She stopped talking as soon as I laid my hand atop her head. "What about the others?" I asked. "Your friends back in Equestria, I mean?" She didn't make an attempt to move. "Sunny and Hitch have each other," she declared confidently. "And Zipp and Pipp are sisters," she looked at me, my hand still on her mane. "If I go back I'm sure I'll make lots of friends... but you..." I couldn't help but smile at her efforts, in spite of the fact that I knew her knowledge of her friends was completely based on the film we'd just watched. "So you want to stay?" "I do... If you'll let me?" She looked so worried, so full of hope. I wanted to hug her so much, but I had to remember that she was her own person... err, pony, and not just some character I liked from a cartoon. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, contemplating the ramifications of an animated pony living with me. Do I even have the means? "You'll need food," I thought out loud. "I don't eat much," she replied instantly. "What about your magic," I pinched the bridge of my nose. She'll never get it back if she stays here. "You won't-" "I know," she interrupted. "But... maybe there's another way." ... "And even if there's not..." she giggled. "It's not like I ever had it before." ... "They'll miss you." I was basically searching for reasons for her to leave. "Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp, I mean." "Hmmm..." she was thinking deeply before she gasped loudly. "Unleeeess there are infinite Izzy's and I'm meant to be here! Maybe the movie is another universe!" I chuckled. I'm not about to discuss the infinite existence theory with Izzy Moonbow from My Little Pony am I? ... "What about a place to sleep?" I was basically grasping at straws at this point. "Huh?" "You'll need a place to sleep," I sighed. ... "I'm pretty sure your bed is big enough for the both of us," she answered after a moment, causing my eyes to shoot open. "It'd be just... like... a... sleepover?" She gradually noticed my panic. "Or, OR, I could sleep on the couch." ... I sighed once again, closing my eyes and thinking deeply. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I didn't know what her coming here meant. Didn't know what might happen if I let her stay. Didn't know what troubles lie ahead of us if I did, but... I want her to stay. Maybe, over time, she'd eventually get bored with me and want to leave. If that ever became the case... I'd do everything I could to help her get back home. But... until then... "I want you to stay, Izzy," I opened my eyes and gently touched one of her forehooves. She looked down at my hand. "Please... be my friend." She looked up at me, her smile growing. "Please stay with me." She lifted her forelegs wide open. Does she- "Hug?" she giggled. I wrapped my arms around her without hesitating. It was every bit as delightful as I thought it would be as she reciprocated, her forelegs embracing me. ... Her stomach grumbled. "Eh heh," she chuckled. "About that food..."
3. Delivery3. Delivery "So you just talk into that thing and somepony will come and bring us something to eat?" Izzy asked, leaning in closer to me to try and see my phone's screen. "Pretty much," I replied. I finished dialing the number for the restaurant and then lifted the device to my ear. "It does cost money... or bits, I guess you'd s- Yes, hello! I'd like to place an order for delivery." "Can I hear too?" Izzy was practically climbing onto my shoulder, her cheek pushing against mine as I tried to place the order. I moved my arm down to hold the phone in front of the both of us before pressing the speaker button. I lifted a finger to my lips to let her know she needed to be quiet for the duration of the call. She zipped her lips in compliance, an action I had to struggle not to laugh at due to its adorable nature. Just like in the movie. "Okay. Can I have your address please?" the worker responded. "Sure," I gave her my information, Izzy looking a little puzzled while I did so. I couldn't be sure, but Bridlewood seemed far behind Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay when it came to technology, at least according to the movie. If Izzy hadn't visited those places and only ever experienced Equestria within Bridlewood, earth would definitely be full of things she'd have questions about. She'd asked many when I turned on the television as well. "Alright, what can I get for you?" "Can I get a large pepperoni and..." I stopped, staring down at the mischievous pony whose eyes were full of wonder. She was smiling brightly at me, seemingly not a care in the world, but utterly thrilled by something as basic as a pizza place delivering food. Crap... I'd typically get the same thing whenever I ordered a pizza for myself: a mess of meat. Usually a random mix of pepperoni, bacon salami, ham, meatball, the works. But Izzy... Pretty sure she doesn't eat meat. "Can I get an..." There wasn't only the diet difference problem either. I could handle a large pizza by myself. She'd said she didn't eat much, but... It's probably best to get two. "Can I have two cheese pizzas with tomatoes and uhm mushrooms?" I wasn't sure if that was okay, but Izzy didn't protest, so I assumed it was fine with her. "Can I get extra cheese on both please." Her eyes lit up. "I love cheese!" the lavender unicorn whispered to me quietly. Her excitement had grown at the prospect of the pie. I gave her a thumbs up, not wanting to confuse the worker any further by speaking. "Sounds great! Would you like any bread sticks, drinks, or chicken wings?" My eyes shot open, panic gripping me. I looked down at the mare, hoping she hadn't caught that last bit. Judging by her look of abject confusion, she had, in fact, caught it. "Chicken wings? Like "chicken" chicken wings?" she clearly forgot the being quiet part. "What would you need chicken wings for? To fly? You're not gonna get very far if that's the case." "I'm sorry, uhm, you would like some wings, or...?" the worker asked, thrown off by Izzy's ranting. I gently laid a hand over her muzzle, silencing her. "No, no, that's alright. Just the pizzas, thanks." She didn't resist my hand so I removed it as quickly as I'd placed it. "Okay! And nothing else? No dipping sauces or anything like that, correct?" "That's correct," I replied kindly. "Thank you!" "And will they be cash, credit, or another payment method?" "Cash is fine!" The worker repeated my order back to me, confirmed my address one last time, and notified me of the price and that the order would arrive at my apartment in about thirty minutes. I hung up, turning slowly to Izzy and praying she had the shortest memory of any creature in history. I held my breath, her smile giving me a little hope that she did. "So... now we just have to wait?" she asked. "Yep!" I tried to sound a heck of a lot more enthusiastic than I was feeling. "It'll be here in a half an hour." "That's great!" she happily bobbed left to right. "Anything you wanna do until then?" I stood to my feet, walking to the kitchen. I can already get us some drinks... "You still haven't told me what you are," she watched me move around from her seat on the couch. "And..." "And?" I grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and moved to the fridge. "What do you do with chicken wings?"
4. Breakfast"This is delicious!" she stared down at the nibbled on slice of pizza. She'd immediately tried to pop it into her mouth as soon as I'd set the plate in front of her, but the temperature had been way too much for her to handle. "You should probably blow on it a little," I suggested, doing so to my own piece. "I'm glad you like it though." "Oh! Right!" She emulated me, though to a manic degree, blowing as hard as she could. I couldn't hold the laughter in, spitting out some of the soda I'd been drinking. "Soooo... about those chicken wings," she looked up at me with curious eyes. I'd told her we could talk about more important things once we started eating. That had come a lot sooner than I thought, the delivery arriving in half the projected time. Well, no point in trying to hide it... "Lots of humans... eat chicken wings," I took a bite of my pizza, looking directly at her to gauge just how disgusted she would be. "Hu-mans..." she looked contemplative for a second before grinning. "That's what you are? A human?" I nodded before swallowing the mouthful of pizza and taking a swig of my drink. "Humans are the dominant species here on earth," I explained. "I see," she looked pleased, taking a bite of her slice. "And you're all omnivores?" She spoke with a filled mouth, but it was more endearing than repulsive. "Most of us," I took another bite as well, swallowing before continuing. "Some are vegetarians. Others decide to take it even further than that." "So you don't have to eat meat?" she took a drink of her soda, her eyes widening in glee. "Oooohhhhh! I like this a lot!" she took another drink with such gusto she nearly finished the entire cup. I wasn't sure how badly so much sugar from my world would effect her, but she was way too happy for me to ask her to slow down. "Can I have some more?" "Sure, just finish what you have there, okay?" I stood up to grab her another can. "O-kay!" she went back to eating her food. "I've never been friends with someone who eats meat. Ponies only eat veggies... mostly." "Mostly?" I reached into the fridge, grabbing another soda and walking back to the living room. "Old mares tales," she lit up when I opened the can and placed it next to her cup on the table. "Stories about ponies that eat other ponies have been used to scare foals for years. I never believed them, but they're there." "You're taking it awfully well," I polished off my first piece, grabbing another from the box containing my pie. "Honestly, I was a little worried you'd freak out." "Hmph?" she kept her mouth closed, tilting her head while chewing. "The fact that I eat meat," I answered. My reply brought understanding to her. She nodded a few times before she swallowed. "It's natural, isn't it?" she asked once she'd finished her first soda. She lifted the second can and poured the drink into the cup. "Oooh bubbles..." she stared as the carbonation slowly fizzed away. "Being mad at you or grossed out would be the same as you doing the same to me for what I eat." That's... true. It's not like Equestria had the same rules and laws as pretty much any country on Earth. Euthanizing a horse wasn't exactly a crime, as far as I knew. Hell, horses that broke a leg or got too old were put down constantly. That would never happen in Equestria. "I'm glad," I chuckled, putting away another slice. "Thanks, Izzy." "No need for gratitude," she giggled, already halfway done with her second soda. "That's what friends are for, right?" her head drifted downwards, a vivid sadness coming to her features. "Izzy?" I softened my demeanor, hoping I might be able to help her with whatever was bothering her. "It's nothing," she prodded her second piece with a hoof. "It's just, I hope you don't think I'm weird. Because I don't eat meat." Seeing her like this was the last thing I wanted. I wiped my hands clean with a napkin and booped her on the nose with my finger. "We're friends, Izzy." She smiled as she looked up at me. "You don't have to worry about stuff like that." I scratched my face lightly with a fonger, a little embarrassed that I'd done something like that. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with being weird," I chuckled. "Weird is fun." "If that's really the case," she was absolutely glowing as she looked down at the napkins, grabbing one with a hoof. She rubbed it vigorously, cleaning her hooves much better than she needed to. She booped my nose with her hoof, her grin growing. It was surprisingly soft. "Around me, you don't have to worry about being yourself either." She lowered her foreleg. "Thanks... Jon."
5. NeighborAuthor's Note So I made an MLP YouTube. Hot takes, reviews, and other junk if you're interested. https://youtube.com/@MLPDymosX?si=6Age_ulZpbzboFpY 5. Neighbor "Soooo... where are we going?" Izzy asked, watching me intently as I tied my shoes. I was sitting on the floor in the entryway to my apartment, my new pony friend standing next to me. After breakfast I'd taken a quick shower and freshened up. With a new roommate came a whole lot more necessities. That was made abundantly clear when Izzy went into the restroom before me and asked for a toothbrush. Thankfully, I didn't work weekends and I'd already planned to head to the store to pick up some things today so it shouldn't be an issue. "We need to go get some things at the store," I explained as I stood to my feet. "The store?" her face lit up. "You'll like it," I patted her on the head. "But first... there's something I want to check." When I'd received our food earlier I told Izzy to stay in the front room. Unfortunately, the smell must've been too much and she trotted over to the doorway. She'd stayed quiet the entire time, but I'm pretty sure the delivery man saw her behind me. What I didn't expect was his reaction. He'd been bored when he arrived and seeing an animated unicorn didn't appear to change that fact. "First?" she tilted her head. "First, there's somebody I want you to meet." The two of us walked out of my apartment, the blistering heat of the summer day not to my liking. The apartment complex I lived in was in a fairly secluded area and the apartments themselves were covered in fauna so it was a pretty private area. Nobody would see Izzy unless they were in the complex. "Whoa, hot day... wait, a new friend!? Is she your friend?" she was practically prancing in excitement. Nope. "She's... more of an acquaintance." I replied as we approached the door to her apartment. "She's not really an extrovert like you are, Izzy." "Extro...vert?" she fell into step behind me. "It means you like being around others," I explained as we reached the door. "She's an introvert, which means she prefers to be alone most of the time." "OH! There are people like that!?" she asked, coming to a standstill next to me. "Are you an extrovert?" "There are," I pounded on the door as hard as I could a few times. Fel hated the sound of the doorbell. She'd definitely be wearing her headphones and those were usually tuned up to eleven so anything quieter would almost certainly fail to get her attention. "And no, I'm more of an ambivert... which means I'm sort of in the middle," I elaborated as soon as she looked up at me with a baffled expression. "O-ka-" The door creaked opened slowly, revealing my bored neighbor. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, her auburn hair sticking up in several places and her glasses barely clinging to her face. She was still wearing her pajamas and had a coffee mug in one hand and her phone in the other. "What do you want, Fatal?" she refused to look up from her phone. "You know I work before five." "Sorry for bothering you so early, Fel," I gestured with my hand at Izzy to stop her from asking the question I already knew was coming. "I just wanted to ask you about something." "What?" she continued staring at her phone. I cleared my throat. "I made a friend. I was wondering if she might be able to play with us at some point?" Fel finally looked up at me then down at Izzy, her bored expression not changing a bit. "Is it good?" she raised an eyebrow. "She!" Izzy smiled brightly. Apparently, the fact that she could talk surprised Fel. "Are you good?" she asked after an exasperated huff. "I'm great!" Izzy declared confidently, her enthusiastic smile growing as she looked back and forth between us. "What are we talking about?" "It doesn't matter that she's a pony?" I tilted my head, interrupting their exchange. "If she's good, she can play," Fel shrugged. "I don't really care what she is. Now is that it?" she glared at me "I'm swamped and if I don't finish soon I'm not even going to get to play tonight." "Sure, Fel. Sorry," I clasped my hands in front of myself and bowed my head. "We'll talk later? Regular time?" "Yeah," she went to close the door. "Itwasnicemeetingyou!" Izzy blurted out before the door could fully close. "Sure," Fel replied just as the door closed on our faces. ... "What a nice person!" Izzy was still smiling when I lifted my head. "You think she likes me?" "Probably," I chuckled as the two of us turned around to leave. "You're pretty hard not to like. She can be real impatient, but she's usually pretty chill." "Her room must be really cold then, huh?" she asked, drawing another laugh from me. "OH! Why'd she call you Fatal?" Yep, exactly what I thought she was gonna ask. "Fel prefers online personas. Fatal is the name I use when I play stuff online," I answered. "Online is like the phone thing, right?" "Yeah, kind of," I answered as we descended the stairs to the ground floor. I'd gotten my answer. That was two people who didn't seem to care about what Izzy was. I was hoping it would be the same for everyone else we came across. Heading to the market would either confirm my suspicions or stir up a whole mess of trouble. I was really hoping for the former...
6. Out"Ahhhh," Izzy sighed in relief. She shook her head back and forth, her mane sweeping this way and that. "It feels much better in here." "Central air is a godsend," I agreed, moving to stand underneath a powerful jet of icy cold air. "OH! Ohhhh..." the small unicorn joined me, fully experiencing the marvels of modern ingenuity. She looked like she was in heaven, her long mane and tail moving about in the intense wind. "I don't think I ever want to move from here." "You and me both," I closed my eyes and looked up at the fan. I hated the summer, but the blast of an especially powerful air conditioner was always a welcome distraction from the intense heat. ... "Alright, come on," I sighed as I left the comfortable zone. "Unless you want to stay here. I can pick you up on the way out if you want." "No. That's okay," she smiled up at me as she followed along. "I wanna see the rest of this place," she looked around us with glee. I got a cart before we moved further into the interior of the market. I couldn't help but bask in the good luck I was experiencing, not a thing going wrong thus far. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The trek to the market had been a decently long walk, about fifteen minutes through the sweltering heat. Izzy and I had passed by countless people. Men, women, children, even some dogs and a cat had crossed our path. Not a single one of them seemed to be particularly concerned with the unicorn. Vivid nightmares of Izzy being captured by the government and experimented on were quickly dashed when she stopped a small child's soccer ball from going into the street. I was a little worried when she picked it up and handed it back to the kid with a smile, but he -- as well as his mother -- just said a polite thank you before continuing on their way. Although she had been wide-eyed the entire way -- and honestly probably a bit too excited for such a mundane activity -- the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Well, other than all of the questions. "What's that!?" "That's a stroller. People use them so they don't have to carry their kids around all day." "And that!? What's that in his ear!?" "He's probably talking on his phone... or listening to music." "WHAT ABOUT THAT!?" "That is a bus," I grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back onto the sidewalk. "It's pretty much an even bigger car so lots of people can travel a long distance at the same time." "I see," she grinned, falling into step next to me again. "So those dogs we saw... they don't talk?" "Nope. Most animals on earth don't talk," I explained as I wiped some sweat from my brow. Freaking sun... "There are ponies here too," I had to hold her down from jumping into the air at finding out that fact. "BUT they're a lot different than you are, Izzy." "Oh..." she only looked a little disappointed. "Are they like Sunny or Pipp?" "No. They don't talk... and they don't have wings or anything like that," I lifted my hand away just as she tried to move it herself. "They're just like most other animals." She grew quiet, the exuberance that just possessed her suddenly gone. She stared straight forward, walking with a lot less vigor than seconds before. ... Something is definitely wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I knew it might've been a little much to tell her, but she was bound to find out eventually. I didn't want her to think I was trying to hide anything from her. "Hey, Jon?" she finally spoke. "What is it?" "Do you think I'm just another animal?" she didn't lift her head to look at me. "Of course not, Izzy," I sighed. I knew that revealing information of the nature I had might hurt her. I didn't know she'd think it might change how she thought I perceived her. "We're friends. Aren't we?" I glanced down at her. "Yeah," she giggled, keeping her happy gaze forward. "We are." "Friends are equals, right?" I continued. "Yeah," she looked up at me with those big magenta eyes of hers. "They are." "Good," I patted her on the head as we continued to our destination. Author's Note My YouTube. https://youtube.com/@MLPDymos?si=g2P_z19L8nw6lYYV
7. Shopping"So is there anything in particular you see that you want to try, Izzy?" I asked as we walked down the condiments aisle. So far, our cart contained some fresh fruits and vegetables, a couple frozen pizzas, and two cases of soda. I typically would've avoided the more "healthy" options, but I was pretty sure Izzy ate stuff like that back in Equestria. Or she should enjoy them, at least. "I'm fine with whatever you think is best," she remarked dreamily. She was doing her best not to drool as she spoke. With the way she'd been staring longingly at the drinks I knew I'd have to be the one to keep her sugar levels somewhat in check. Unfortunately, with such thoughts came even more bleak ones. What if she gets sick? What if she needs to see a doctor? Or would she need to see a veterinarian? Which would she... I shook my head, doing my best to rid myself of such ugly thoughts. "Okay, then how about we head over to the..." I blanched, spinning the cart around as quickly as I could and heading back down the aisle we'd just came through. Izzy said nothing, still staring at the cases of sugary beverages as if they might get up and walk away. Back in the other direction was the butcher and the frozen meats section. I did NOT want to take her there. Yes, she had accepted my carnivorous lifestyle, but a wall lined with dismembered animal pieces? Maaaaybe later. Much later. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "W-wait! So you're telling me ALL of these things taste as good as soda!?" Izzy looked like she might go into hysterics at any moment. The two of us were standing in the sweets aisle, surrounded by cupcakes, Ding Dongs, Twinkies, and various other junk foods. I'd picked up some other necessities before bringing her to this part of the market. If she wasn't really interested in trying anything other than sugar filled treats, I'd let her run the gamut. At least, for now. Who knows, she's a magical unicorn from Equestria. Maybe sugar is like vitamins for her kind. "I'm not sure if you'll find them as tasty as soda," I shrugged, picking up a box of Snowballs. They'd never been my preference, but who knows what Izzy might like. "But they're all sweet." I showed her the front of the box. Her face lit up as she took the box from me and examined it closely. "Snowballs? Are they good!? IS THERE SNOW IN THEM!?" "No snow," I chuckled a little at her sudden diminished enthusiasm. "These are made with coconut, marshmallow, and chocolate cake." "I've never had coconut before," she looked back down at the box. "Can we get these?" "Of course we can," I turned back to the shelves. "Let's pick some others, too." "O-kay!" she tossed the box into our cart before joining me in my search. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's a good thing I saved up so much money... The total cost of everything I'd bought had been pretty steep, but I wasn't hurting for funds, and to see the bright smile on Izzy's face I'd gladly blow my entire savings on her. Before leaving the store I'd gotten us a box of Rocket Pops, which we promptly tore into once we were back in the hot sun. I'd have gotten a more chocolatey option, -- my preference -- but Izzy had ended up getting a box of Fudge Rounds, a box of Swiss Rolls, and two boxes of Brownies, so I was content knowing the chocolate quota had been filled for the month. Izzy was bounding along next to me, gleefully eating her ice cream. It was an even more impressive feat -- her method of travel -- considering she was carrying a few bags of groceries on her back. The heat wasn't even a concern for her anymore, the cold of her treat keeping her spirits high. "So today's my day off," I readjusted the bags I was carrying, growing a little tired. "But I do have to work on Monday." Her bounces came to an abrupt end. She looked up at me with the Rocket Pop halfway in her mouth. The slight tilt of her head paired with a look of curiosity told me she wanted to know more. "That's not really important," I stifled a chuckle. "Monday is the day after tomorrow." She's too cute. "What I was going to say was; after we get back to the apartment-" "Hrm," she tried to speak around the ice cream that was in her mouth. "Uhm... huh?" I hadn't quite understood what she'd said... or if she'd even said anything at all. She lifted a hoof, grabbing the stick of her treat and removing it slowly. "So GOOD!" she gushed over the frozen sweet before returning her attention to me. "Home," she stated simply. "Home?" It was my turn to be confused. "The apartment," she grinned before facing forward and starting to bounce forward again. "It's our home." WAY too cute.... "When we get back home," I smiled. "I was thinking I could show you some of the things you can do while I'm at work," "O-kay!" she replied before popping her ice cream right back into her mouth. "Then we can hop on and play with Fel later tonight," I chuckled nervously, scratching my cheek. "OH! GMMS!?" she spoke with a full mouth again, though this time I understood her. Her eyes were brimming with excitement. "Yeah, games," I affirmed with a nod of my head, though my heart wasn't really in it. "FNN!" her response had a lot more enthusiasm in it than I did. I just hope everything goes well...
8. Entertainment"So I can play with this..." she looked down at the controller, "or with these?" she shifted her curious gaze to the mouse and keyboard. After getting home and putting the groceries away together -- while I also showed her the ins and outs of the kitchen like how to use the stove, microwave, and air fryer and then letting her set up a little section for herself in the restroom for her toiletries -- I'd started showing her the different things she could do while I was away. First, I explained the entire gamut of streaming services to her. We had watched A New Generation on Netflix, but that was only the start of that particular rabbit hole. I showed her everything from Disney+ to Hulu to Crunchyroll. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed after the fifth or so new platform, but she appeared to be retaining all the information well. After explaining that whole mess as best I could I moved onto the Internet itself... which I decided to keep short. The behemoth that was "a series of tubes" was way too gargantuan a thing to fully explain, obviously, so I showed her some of the basics like YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and X. (Some of those were probably a bad idea, but she'd find out about them eventually anyway, so there was no point in hiding them from her.) I also warned her of the... less desirable aspects of the net, making it abundantly clear that she trust NO ONE online and not click on anything that MIGHT lead her to an unsavory site. After watching her navigate for a few minutes -- mostly choosing to watch a few clips about arts and crafts (I'd have to pick her up some stuff like that. Things to do crafts with.) -- I was pretty sure she'd be fairly okay if left alone. Currently, we were on the subject of gaming. I had explained to her how to use the various consoles I owned -- essentially all of them -- as well as using the desktop to play. "Whichever is easier for you will probably be best," I chuckled, looking down at her hooves. "Both might be a little tough to get used to with those, though," I pointed. She looked down, her face scrunching up. "Can I fiddle with them a bit?" she asked, looking back at the mouse and keyboard. "Sure," I booted up Apex Legends, the game Fel was almost surely going to want to play later on. "In this one you team up with two other players. Twenty teams of three compete with each other to try and survive until the end of the game." I navigated to the firing range before letting her take the reins. "The w, a, s, and d keys control your movement," I pointed. She placed her left hoof on the keyboard in the correct spot, but began pressing way more than just the four keys. Her character did a little jittery movement on screen, going this way and that and crouching and standing all the while. Eesh, she's gonna have trouble running without remapping... "I don't think that's gonna work," she laughed moving her hoof around and causing the awkward movement to continue. "Uhm, the mouse controls your vision, shooting, and whatnot," I explained as I pointed at the device. She placed her right hoof on it, moving it around slowly and watching the effects it had on the screen. "This is way easier!" she moved the mouse with ease. "But I'm preeeetty sure I can't do this side," she continued to nearly beat the keyboard to a bloody pulp, her tongue slightly sticking out of the side of her mouth as she stared at the screen with determination. Judging by the terrible movement, she was correct. "I think you're right," I picked up the controller. "Here, try this." She took the device into her hooves just like any human might, looking down at it as she... How in the world? She was pressing the buttons, but she wasn't pressing them. Not physically, at least. "THIS is much easier," she grew excited, moving her avatar on screen with no issues, as well as controlling the perspective with ease. "Can you crouch?" I asked, getting a closer look at her manipulating the controller. "Err, which button?" she asked, also looking closer at the controller. "B. The red one," I nudged my face in the direction of the button while continuing to stare at her hooves. She pressed it... without pressing it. Her character on screen performed the action, but her hoof hadn't come in contact with the button at all. "Is that good?" she tilted her head with an oblivious grin. "Uhm... Y-yeah," I got back to my feet. That's... really freaky. I thought Hasbro had wanted to save money not animating that stuff. Apparently, that's actually how it worked for ponies... somehow. I guess traditional physics didn't apply to her. "So what's next?" she giggled, rocking back and forth in her chair as she started clicking all of the buttons. "I'm ready to go!" "Alright, Izzy," I shook my head, laughing along with her. "Let's get started."
9. A NaturalSquad Eliminated Placed #2 "Crap. CRAP! CRAP!CRAP! WE LOST AGAIN!? I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THAT SHOT!" Fel screamed into the headset, the extremely loud volume of her voice followed by the repeated slamming of her hand onto her desk making me wince. I looked over at Izzy who, surprisingly enough, had a wide smile on her face as she stared at the television. The words that were displayed on my monitor were equal parts annoying and rewarding to me, but Izzy was definitely only delighted by them. "Come on, Fel! I think second place is pretty good, all things considered." The bubbly unicorn was still keeping positive. We'd managed to win multiple times already, but about six hours into our session we couldn't quite close out another. Despite our constant "losing" Izzy was doing her best to keep our spirits up. "She's right, Fel," I agreed, continuing back to the lobby. "I haven't lost any RP yet." "YEAH! We haven't lost any RP yet!" Izzy repeated before trying to cover her mic with a hoof and leaning my way. "What's RP?" she whispered way too loudly. I covered my eyes with a hand, struggling not to laugh. First, because she'd agreed with me without even knowing what I was saying, but second, and mostly, because she had definitely failed to cover the mic so Fel heard her too. "They're Ranked Points," Fel answered with a loud huff. "And you're right, I haven't lost any either," she took a deep breath. "It's getting late, I should probably call it a night." "Awwww," Izzy moaned, her shoulders slouching. "But I think we can win again." "I like your attitude, Uni," Fel chuckled, referring to Izzy by a more familiar version of her gamer tag: The Unicycler. I'd told her it didn't mean in this world what she thought it meant, but she was so enthusiastic about it I couldn't rain on her parade. I glanced at the clock. 4:00 a.m.? Yikes. "Fel's right," I closed out the game. "It's late and I wanted to go somewhere tomorrow," I navigated to Discord, getting ready to leave the party. "AWWWW!" Izzy groaned. "You getting on tomorrow, Fatal?" Fel asked. "Just... me?" I wasn't sure if she wanted to play with Izzy again. If she thought the unicorn wasn't good enough to play with her she'd say so. "No," Fel stated bluntly. "How about it, Uni? Ya wanna play again tomorrow?" "R-REALLY!?" Izzy's eyes were sparkling. "Sure," Fel chuckled. "You're a lot better than I thought you'd be. I'll make a Pred out of you in no time. Just gotta work on those Bamboozles." "G-GREAT! I'D LOVE TO!" the mare was practically shouting. "Iz," I whispered at her, raising a finger to my lips. She mouthed "sorry" back, a look of worry on her face. "Alright," Fel laughed. "Sounds good. I'll take to y'all tomorrow... Errr later today." "Goodnight, Fel," I chuckled. "Goodnight, Fel," Izzy said with a much quieter voice than before. "Night," she said before leaving the party, me and Izzy doing the same shortly thereafter. I shut down my computer as Izzy did the same for the TV and Xbox. "That went well," I said as we walked toward the restroom, the unicorn right behind me. "I had lots of fun," the unicorn's vigor had waned, a long yawn escaping her mouth. Tomorrow I planned on going to the store and getting her some crafting things and a phone. I wanted to tell her now, but her groggy demeanor made it a little easier to just save that surprise for tomorrow. "What did you think of Fel?" I asked as we brushed our teeth. "She crazy!" she laughed, flinging toothpaste all over the mirror and sink. "I like her!" After flossing and then cleaning the area I headed into my room to change. Feeling her curious eyes on me I grabbed some shorts and a sleeveless shirt and changed in the closet. When I came back out to find the mare still standing there with a smile I grew a little uncomfortable. "Soooo..." I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Soooo..." she imitated me. "Alright then." I headed to the front room. "Where are you going?" Izzy asked, confused. "You can have the bed," I pointed. "I'll sleep on the couch." "Can't we both just sleep in here?" she asked, a sadness permeating her voice. I took a deep breath, not sure if that was proper. It's not like she was my pet or anything like that and I didn't have any romantic feelings for a pony, but it still felt... weird. "I'm not sure-" "I just don't want to be alone," she lowered her head. Such a simple gesture nearly broke my heart. "Okay," I submitted, moving to lay down. "Let's get some sleep, Izzy." The bright smile she had when she lifted her head was like the sun. "O-KAY!" she bounded forward to join me. That night, sleeping back to withers with my favorite pony was the best night of sleep I'd ever gotten. Author's Note From this point forward I'll be transferring to that episodic nature. Continuity will still be there but it'll just be doing things and having experiences from here on.
PUBG: BattlegroundsBlue : Izzy White : Jon Red : Fel Green : Magik Wait, so this game is called "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds... Battlegrounds?" Yes, ma'am. ...That doesn't make sense, does it? No, it doesn't. Just wait until we start playing the actual game... And why exactly are we playing this instead of Apex? We've got a fourth joining us tonight. Apex only has trios. This game has squads. We could run mixtape though. ... I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that, Fatal. Yeahhhh, sorry Jon, but I'm gonna have to agree with Fel. Mixtape is super lame. Oh Iz... you poor, poor thing. W-what? We could always play Warzone. Don't make me kick you, Magik. Well, alright then. Hey, Magik. Long time no talk. Sup, Fatal! It's been a while, huh? Were you with your kids? Yeah. They're back with their mom now so I finally got some time to myself. What's up, Fel? How've you been? Hoping you've gotten better since the last time we played. Good to see you're just as fun as ever. Don't like it, don't play with me. Good old Fel. So who's this Unicycler person? Name's Izzy! Nice to meetcha, Magik! Ditto. You any good? I'm okay. You think Fel would let her play if she wasn't? Fair. Alright then boys and girls, we ready to get started? Yeah. Where are we dropping? Try to drop safe so Iz can get a feel for things. Alright, how aboooout here? That works. Roger that. You see where he marked Iz? It's the yellow ping on the map. Wait, I didn't get to pick my legend yet! No picks here, Uni. You just get to change the way you look. Jumping. Iz, you've gotta jump! THERE'S NOT A JUMP MASTER!? Not in this game, Uni. Okay! You see where we're landing, Iz? Yeah! I got it. ... So this game is pretty... Uhm, quiet huh? It's so you can hear which direction shots are coming from. Oh... Okay! You're gonna wanna do the same as in Apex, Iz. Helmet, backpack, vest and then two weapons, attachments, and grenades. Try to get some healing items too. First aid kits, bandages, and energy drinks or painkillers. When it comes to nades try to mostly get smokes. Okay! Next circle's far. Find us a vehicle, Magik. On it. Is the M416 good? It's decent for close and mid range. Okay! Found one. Heading back to you guys. Good. Try to find a sniper or a DMR, Uni. Miramar is a bigger map so you'll need a long range weapon with a 4x or higher. Okay... Any suggestions? Did you pick up the M4? Uhm? The M416. Sorry. OH! Yeah! I did! There's a Mark 12 on my ping. Blue. You'll be able to share ammo between the two if you pick it up. It's a DMR though. If you want a sniper they're all fine. So the snipers are all the same? The Kar and Mosin have a slower reload and smaller magazine, but the M24 uses more attachments. O-okay. We good to go? Circle's coming in. I am. Same. Iz? I think I'm ready. I got the Mark 12 and the M416. Is that okay? Did you get some heals and nades? Two smokes. Two stuns. Bandages and a bottle of painkillers. You'll be fine for now. I have some first aid kits if you need them. Okay! Thanks, Fel! I've got you, Uni. Alright. Everybody in. So this game feels really... Janky? Bad? Slow? Yeah! Slow. It is. Cars are a much bigger part of this game cause we don't have things like redeploy balloons or evac towers and on foot speed is so slow. Careful, Magik. I think there are people at that h- Really? Of course. Are we... did I just die? Yep. Didn't they nerf Panzers a while back? Yep. They added a whole two second delay to shooting when you pick one up or take one out. Neat. WAIT, OUR WHOLE TEAM DIED TO THAT ONE SHOT!? Welcome to PUBG, Uni. You're gonna have a lot of fun on this one. Game 2 ONE PUNCH!? HE PUNCHED ME ONCE AND I GOT KNOCKED!? Game 3 HE'S GOT A PAN! HE'S CHASING ME WITH A PAN! SOMEONE HELP! Game 4 I SHOT THEIR PAN!? ... I SHOT IT AGAIN! ... I SHOT- HOW!? Game 5 FATAL IS DOWN! SOMEBODY SMOKE HIM! ON IT! ... Iz did you... did you just throw a frag at me? ...Oops. Game 6 There's three on the second floor! I'm gonna flash them! Make sure it's not a smoke, Uni. Right! Throwing... I just got flashed! Same. Me too. Aaaand I'm down. Same. Me too. Izzy did you throw that flash upstairs or... ... Okay guys, hear me out, that throwing arc is not accurate at all. Game 8 Nice knock, Uni. Thanks! I'm gonna go get my ki- CAR! Well, at least she's only- I got thirsted. Game 9 Alright, circle's close. Let's just run in. Roger that. Got it. Okay! ... Uhm...? Iz, you're running the wrong way. I think my game broke. Her game crashed. Crashed? She's in the blue zone. Yeah, just close it and reopen as soon as you can. O-okay. ... I'm back in I... I'm already dead. Game 10 TEAM ROLLING IN FROM 300! THEY TURNED OFF THEIR CAR! I SEE THEM! IZ DON'T- ... Sorry, Uni. You ran right in front of me. S'okay. Rezzing. MOLLY! MOLLY! I'M ON FIRE! Yeah, we're... we're dead. ++++++++++++++++++++++ Alright, I'm out. Same. It's getting late. Three dinners isn't bad. Especially with how bad I was playing. Not a terrible night. I'm sorry guys. Sorry? For what? I don't think I'm very good at this one. Iz... nobody is good at this game their first time. Most people aren't good at this game their thousandth time. I'm still not good at this game. Don't worry about it, Uni. You'll get better. You were doing pretty good for your first time. You'll get used to it. But only if you still want to. I... You still want to play with us, right? ...Yeah! Yeah, I do! Good. Same time tomorrow? I'm down. Sounds good to me. How about you, Iz? ...OKAY! Author's Note So if you don't play PUBG you probably won't really get this chapter. That'll happen if you're unfamiliar with what they're doing. Next time will be a movie.
