Fine Feathered Friend

Chapters

Episode 1: Mare Eat Mare
Episode 2: Square One
Episode 3: Night of the Pegasus
Episode 4: Marked
Episode 5: Easy as A, B, C
Episode 6: The Trouble with Doubles
Episode 7: Two's Company
Episode 8: Beneath the Surface
Episode 9: Night of Nights Part I
Chapter 10: Night of Nights Part II

Episode 1: Mare Eat Mare

Mare Eat Mare

Finally settling into Ponyville shortly after the defeat of Eclipse, Nimbus has started work on his new house. His friends, of course, are eager to help, but when Nimbus makes a simple request, two mares who have long been vying for his attention find themselves in a heated competition…

Nimbus swung his hammer down into the old, cracking wall in his new house’s living room, pulling several large chunks down. Almost instantly, he was enveloped in a cloud of noxious fumes, and began coughing.

“Oh yeah,” his friend, Mecha said, “I kind of forgot about that. Looks like you broke into my private stores of powdered Hydra scale.”

“You *cough* don’t say!” Nimbus hacked, grabbing a drink of water and downing it. “Any more surprises I need to know about in here?”

“Eenope,” Mecha said, as a small explosion upstairs rattled the house. Nimbus raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I guess there might have been some explosive residue left upstairs, and since powdered Hydra scale is volatile, and you just released it into the house…”

Nimbus facehoofed himself. “Right.” Then he began to chuckle. “Well, I’ve got to say- I’ve never taken on a project as… interesting as this one! Thanks for coming out today and helping me out here.”

Mecha shrugged. “Hey, it’s no problem at all! It’s a great time killer waiting for our school visit later.”

Nimbus nodded, absently reaching for something on a small table nearby. Feeling nothing, he looked where he was reaching.

“Huh,” he said, “that’s weird.”

“What’s up?” Mecha asked.

“Nothing,” Nimbus said, “just misplaced something, I guess.” He went over to his toolbox and rummaged through it, looking for something frantically.

“Well, we need to be at the school in a few minutes,” Mecha pressed. “Whatever you’re searching for- can it wait?”

Nimbus looked out the window at the Ponyville clock tower. They were due for their lesson in ten minutes.

“Tell you what,” he said finally, “go tell Cheerilee that I’ll be right there. I just need about five minutes.”

“Okay,” Mecha shrugged, heading out the door, “I’ll see you there!”

Nimbus went back to his frantic search. He desperately needed a wrench, and realized he’d forgotten to tell Mecha about it. The guy probably had several. Nimbus searched high and low, overturning packing boxes, peeking under shelves and tables, and even going as far as to lift up his complimentary Welcome to Ponyville doormat (courtesy of Pinkie Pie). He still, however, found nothing. Dejected, he headed for the door, walking out and shutting it behind him. He had to get to the school soon, he realized. He was about to take off when he spied two ponies coming up the road in his direction. It was at that point that Nimbus had an idea…

…

Twilight Sparkle had been feeling a bit down lately. Since the Gala a few days ago, it had become quite clear that Nimbus and Rainbow Dash had taken a liking to one another. She knew it wasn’t right to be jealous of them- after all, they did go well together- but she couldn’t help but feel upset nonetheless.

She often wondered if perhaps she just hadn’t communicated her feelings well enough. If that was the case, she reasoned, it made sense why Nimbus would initially have skipped over her. For the past few nights, she’d practically tormented Spike with questions on the subject, but the dragon wasn’t much help. He’d just go off on tangents about Rarity. She even tried writing a letter to Princess Celestia, but the only reply she got was to “be herself.” Cryptic as usual, of course. Today, an idea had finally come to Twilight. She was aware that Nimbus was in the midst of “refurbishing” (which, given a house previously used by Mecha actually meant “rebuilding”) his new house. She’d recently acquired a House-Building 101 book from the Ponyville bookstore, and decided to give it to Nimbus as a welcoming gift. He’d love it! At least, that was how she felt.

The previous night, Spike had wrapped the book up for her, and now Twilight was standing in her front door with the book neatly tucked away in a basket, ready to go. Confidently, she started down her stairs, kicking her door closed with great gusto. She was now officially a mare on a mission. Halfway down the road, Twilight ran into Rainbow Dash, heading in the same direction.

“Hi, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called down.

“Oh, hi Dash!” Twilight replied, “where are you off to?”

“Nimbus’s place,” Rainbow Dash replied, pulling some sort of wrapped object out of her saddlebag. “I figured it’s only polite to give Nimbus a little something as a welcoming present. And this one could actually help him get his house together, too!”

“You don’t say,” Twilight half-growled. Rainbow Dash went on, oblivious as ever.

“I hope I can catch him before he heads over to the schoolhouse! Did you know he bought me a lifetime membership to the Daring Do fan club?”

“How… generous,” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

`”So where are you going?” Rainbow Dash asked finally.

“Same place you are, as a matter of fact,” Twilight replied, “for the exact same reason, actually.”

“No way!” Rainbow Dash said, “that’s great! We can go together!”

“Quite,” Twilight groaned.

The two walked on down the road, with Rainbow Dash practically singing the praises of Nimbus all the way, forcing Twilight into a sort of personal Purgatory.

“I should ask Mecha if Hell’s anything like this,” she thought, “I’m sure he’d say yes.”

Before long, they ran into Nimbus. In Rainbow Dash’s case, the phrase was literal. Rounding a corner, the two collided in midair, both falling onto the street and rubbing their heads.

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight said, running over to Nimbus, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, Nimbus said, standing up and wobbling, “I’m good. Nice to see you here, Rarity.”

“Rarity?” Twilight said, “Nimbus, are you sure you’re okay?”

Nimbus shook himself once. “What just- did I just call you Rarity?”

Twilight’s stare was the only answer he needed.

Nimbus grinned sheepishly. “Ha ha, oh yes… Twilight, hi!”

Twilight presented Nimbus with the basket. “Here,” she said, “this is a present from Spike and me, welcoming you to Ponyville.” Nimbus took the basket as Twilight looked back at the dazed Rainbow Dash. Her eyes told everything. Rainbow Dash understood Twilight’s message perfectly.

“I beat you to it.”

Could it really be? Could Twilight also be interested in Nimbus? Rainbow Dash didn’t know for sure, but to be on the safe side, she sent a glance back at Twilight, that, if translated, probably would have read something like:

“Oh, it’s on!”

“Thanks!” Nimbus said, discovering the book and reading the title, “House-Building 101. This is perfect. I’ll have to see if there’s anything in here about exploding walls.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, but decided it was better off not knowing what Nimbus was talking about. Rainbow Dash suddenly came from out of nowhere and cut ahead of her.

“I’ve got a present for you as well!” she said, presenting Nimbus with his gift. Quickly, Nimbus tore off the wrapper, revealing a large, streamlined, hammer-like object inside.

“Whoa,” he said, “what’s this?”

“An airhammer,” Rainbow Dash explained. “You need something demolished, all you have to do is fly up above it and drop this baby straight down into it. Bamo! Structure’s gone in two seconds flat!”

“Sweet!” Nimbus said, checking out the hammer. He then looked jokingly at Rainbow Dash. “I hope this isn’t your way of trying to keep me from rubbing my victory at yesterday’s gorge run in your face.”

“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash said, hovering as she tended to do when getting worked up, “I had you fair and square until-“

“Until the avalanche,” Nimbus finished, “yeah, I know. Guess you’ll just have to be better-prepared next time. But seriously, thanks to both of you. Unfortunately, I can’t take these gifts back home. I’ve got about two minutes to get to the school. Do you two think you could drop them off at the house for me?”

“Certainly!” Twilight said.

“Not a problem,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Cool, thanks!” Nimbus turned to walk away, then stopped. “By the way, could either of you do a favor for me?”

“Yes?” both ponies said in unison, glaring at each other afterwards.

“I need a wrench,” Nimbus said. “I’ve got some work to do in the house, and I need a wrench to complete it.”

“You can count on me!” Rainbow Dash said, waving and speeding off, picking up the hammer as she went.

“And me!” Twilight said, with a look of sheer determination. She galloped back, picked up the book, and was gone before Nimbus could say another word. As Nimbus took off and headed for the school, he couldn’t help but wonder: what had he just gotten his friends into?

…

Twilight arrived and set Nimbus’s book down inside his house. Rainbow Dash was already there.

“So,” Rainbow Dash said, “when were you planning on telling me you’re interested in Nimbus, too?”

“I wasn’t planning on telling anyone,” Twilight said, “save for Nimbus.”

“Well you’re a bit late, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering over to her, “to the victor go the spoils. I got there first, therefore I stay with Nimbus.”

“Well what about a competition, then?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up. A competition? “Go on,” she said, trying to hide her intrigue.

“Well, Nimbus wants a wrench, right? What if we both go out into town and see who can get him one first.”

“You’re stepping on your own hoof proposing something like that,” Rainbow Dash said. “You know there’s nopony who can get around town faster than me.”

“Maybe so,” said Twilight, “but I’ve read up on every store in Ponyville. I know where all the wrenches are.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her chin. Twilight’s idea did sound like a good one.

“Fine,” she said, “you’re on. We start when the clock tower strikes the next hour, which will be in about… ten seconds.”

Rainbow Dash settled to the ground next to Twilight, flexing her wings as Twilight began the countdown.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1-“

The clock’s bell rang, and both ponies were gone as fast as lightning, racing for town. Rainbow Dash went vertical, to get an aerial view of Ponyville, and in her haste caused a Sonic Rainboom on the way.

“I hope nopony gets freaked out by that,” she thought, slowing down as she reached her target height. “Then again, perhaps it messed up Twilight Sparkle…”

Rainbow Dash dove into town, heading for a building that looked promising. If all went well, she could be in and out before Nimbus even finished teaching his lesson with Mecha.

…

“Hey Cheerilee,” Nimbus said, stepping into the classroom, “hey kids!”

The entire class greeted him with a warm welcome, with the exception of Diamond Tiara, who simply rolled her eyes. Nimbus had brought a flight suit in his saddlebag, and had changed in the school’s bathroom. Now he was ready to teach. He noticed that Mecha had his old scout’s uniform as well.

“Class,” Cheerilee said, “I want you to give Captain Nimbus and Retired Corporal Mecha your utmost attention now.”

All eyes were on the two stallions at the head of the room. Nimbus looked to Mecha, waiting to see if he was going to start, but Mecha nodded at him- the signal for Nimbus to begin.

“Okay,” Nimbus said, feeling his face flush a bit. For some reason, these kids seemed like his toughest audience yet. It would be wise to make a good first impression. “Mecha and I are here to talk about two very different branches of Equestria’s armed forces: the Scouting Division and the Air Force.”

“On the word ‘force,’ a massive booming sound rocked the school. Nimbus nearly shot up into the ceiling from surprise alone. When the noise subsided, the colts and fillies began clapping and cheering.

“Uh, did we plan that?” Nimbus whispered to Mecha. Mecha shrugged.

“Don’t look at me! I was sitting right next to you the whole time.”

Nimbus scratched his head in confusion. Something was going on, and he didn’t know what, but he made it a point to find out later.

“Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat, “Mecha and I are going to explain how, even though our respective branches are very different, they can still do great things working as a team.”

Nimbus looked out over the rows of desks. He had everypony’s attention now. Good. Now the fun parts could begin. He and Mecha began to explain their roles in the armed forces, having no clue about the complete chaos that was going on just outside the school.

…

“Ah ha!” Twilight said, running around a corner and almost bowling over a pony pushing a cart of fresh vegetables, “there it is!”

She had finally found the only hardware supplier in town, with the exception of Mecha’s shop- Sawmill McFlea’s Hardware ‘n More Store. Looking up in the sky, she could see Rainbow Dash rushing around frantically. She’d have to move fast, to avoid being spotted. Quickly, she darted inside, rushing to the wrench section. She located it quickly- it was exactly where it was in the Complete Ponyville Guide. Triumphantly, she picked up a wrench and turned to go- but stopped. If she bought all of the wrenches, Rainbow Dash would have no chance. Using her magic, she picked up every wrench she could find and headed to the checkout counter, dropping all of them down with a tremendous “crash!” Sawmill, the store’s owner, looked at Twilight in confusion.

“Uh, are you sure you want all these?”

“Yes!” Twilight said, frightening Sawmill with her bulging eyes and wide grin.

“Oookay, then,” Sawmill said, coming up with a quick total, “that’ll be eighty bits.”

Twilight rummaged around through her saddlebag, barely managing to come up with the change.

“Thank you, Mr. McFlea. You have no idea how helpful you’ve just been.”

“Take care now!” Sawmill said as Twilight bolted back out the door, heading to the school. It was on the other side of town, but she now had all the time in the world.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, saw Twilight exit the store.

“Perfect,” she said, “she’s led me right to the wrenches.”

Dash made a dive for the store, swooping through the front doors and completely surprising Sawmill.

“Mr. McFlea,” Rainbow Dash said, panting and putting her hooves on the checkout counter, “you’ve got to help me!”

Sawmill McFlea regained his composure. “Whaddaya need?”

“A wrench,” Rainbow Dash answered, “just one wrench.”

Sawmill sighed. “Well, miss, I’d like to help you, but another pony just came in here and bought all of the wrenches we’ve got in stock right now. Sorry.”

“It’s… fine.” Rainbow Dash growled. “Have a nice day!”

She jumped into the air and zipped out the door, soaring into the sky. She had one more option to try. She turned and headed for Applejack’s barn. If anyone in Ponyville had a wrench, it would be her.

Applejack was out bucking apples when Rainbow Dash hit the ground like a thunderbolt.

“Yow!” Applejack said in surprise, “what’s the rush?”

“Oh Applejack, thank goodness you’re here!” Rainbow Dash said, galloping up to her friend and shaking her shoulders, “I really really really need a wrench right now!”

“Uh… okay,” Applejack said. “If you let me go, I’ll just go grab one for ya.”

“Oh. Right.” Rainbow Dash released Applejack, and the pony galloped into her barn, emerging with a wrench a few moments later.

“Thanks, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash said, “you’re a lifesaver!”

“Anything for a friend,” Applejack replied good-naturedly.

“Gotta go now!” Rainbow Dash called out, soaring into the sky. Applejack fiddled with her hat for a moment.

“Well, somepony’s in a rush. Oh well.” Applejack went back to her duties, leaving Rainbow Dash soaring towards the schoolhouse. The blue Pegasus landed in the schoolyard and ran to a window, jumping up and down wildly and waving, attempting to get Nimbus’s attention. She stole a quick glance back. Twilight had arrived! Her jumping became more frantic, and now Twilight noticed.

“Oh no you don’t!” she said, magically pulling all of the blinds down on the windows.

“-There we were,” Mecha said inside. “We were completely without torchlight, and the darkness was closing in.”

Suddenly all of the shades in the room closed, leaving everyone in darkness.

“Whoa!” the ponies said, amazed. They hadn’t expected such amazing effects.

“What the hay?” Mecha asked, then went on with his story. Outside, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were in full quarrel mode.

“I got here first!” Rainbow Dash said, “fair and square!”

“But I got a wrench first!” Twilight said.

“You cheated!” Rainbow Dash argued. “You took all the wrenches from the hardware store!”

“But I paid for them,” Twilight countered, “and besides- it wasn’t cheating. I was just using my resources.”

“I’ll show you using resources!” Dash said, bringing her hoof back for a strike. Twilight shrugged, teleporting to the window and politely knocking on it.

“-I’ll never forget the sound those magic blasts Eclipse fired at me made,” Nimbus said, “every single one went-“

“Rap, rap, rap!”

Nimbus jumped, amazed at the timing of… whatever had just happened. Once again, the class cheered. Nimbus went to the window and opened it, just barely missing Rainbow Dash tackling Twilight to the ground outside.

“Huh,” he said, “that’s weird.”

Outside, the two ponies lay on the ground, panting.

“Let’s face it,” Twilight said, “there’s no way either of us is just going to waltz in there during class. We’ll only be able to catch them at Nimbus’s house.”

“You’re right,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I’m gonna get there first!”

“Not if my teleport’s faster!” Twilight argued, her horn glowing.

“Bring it,” Rainbow Dash mocked, launching herself skyward as Twilight disappeared in a flash of magenta.

…

“Well, I must say-“ Cheerilee said to Mecha and Nimbus as her class filed out, “those were some amazing effects you two pulled off.”

Nimbus scratched his head in confusion. “Well, I’d like to say we planned it that way, but we didn’t. Right, Mecha?”

Mecha nodded. “Eeyup. It was supposed to be just a talk. No extra features.”

“Hm,” Cheerilee said, “well I guess random chance worked out in your favor today, then. Have a nice day!”

“You too!” Nimbus called back as he exited the school.

“I’ll see you later,” Mecha added, “maybe we’ll head over to Sugarcube Corner later, if you’re up for it.”

“Well, that would be lovely!” Cheerilee said. “Now you’d better get going. I understand you two have some work to do.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nimbus said, closing the door as Mecha walked out. The two began their walk back to Nimbus’s house.

“Work,” Nimbus said, “that reminds me- Mecha, I sent Rainbow Dash and Twilight out looking for something for me, but in case they don’t find anything, might I ask you if you happen to have a wrench on you?”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Mecha said, opening a compartment on his mechanical leg and taking out a wrench, “I always carry one on me. You should have asked me sooner.”

“Sorry,” Nimbus said, “I guess it slipped my mind.”

“No matter,” said Mecha, “let’s just get back to work.”

They turned down Nimbus’s road, and at the sight of his house, both stopped cold.

“Um… Mecha,” Nimbus asked, “maybe it’s just me, but does it look to you like there are a lot more holes in my house right now than before?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha said simply.

“Geez, you talk just like Big McIntosh,” Nimbus said.

“Well, he’s an old friend of mine. Hang around him for long enough, and you’ll start to pick it up. Trust me.”

“Huh,” Nimbus said, shrugging. “Well, I guess we’d better go inside and see what’s up!”

Nimbus opened his front door, barely stepping out of the way in time to avoid it as it came off its hinges and fell out towards him. Nimbus stared at the inside of the house, slack-jawed. He knew he’d left things in a bit of a mess, but not this much of a mess.

“Mecha,” he said, “this isn’t a threat from one of your mutual ‘friends,’ is it?”

“I don’t think so,” Mecha said. “I’m pretty sure I’ve reached my death threat quota for the month. And besides- if it was a threat against me, your house wouldn’t even be standing.”

“Ah,” Nimbus said. A thump sounded through the ceiling. Nimbus looked at Mecha.

“Upstairs,” he said.

“Let’s go,” Mecha agreed.

Slowly and silently, the two crept up the stairs. Nimbus heard a scuffle and held up a hand. He waited a moment, then jumped around the corner.

“Gotcha, vandalizing scum!” he yelled, then had a complete double take. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were sitting in the middle of what was supposed to be his upstairs bedroom, completely exhausted and battered, surrounded by wrenches. Nimbus also did not fail to notice the fact that the roof was practically missing.

“What are you two doing here?” Nimbus asked. They both stood bolt upright.

“I’ve got your wrench!” Rainbow Dash said, holding up the wrench she borrowed from Applejack.

“But you don’t want that one,” Twilight said, cutting off Rainbow Dash, “take one of mine- they’re brand new.”

“Well I really appreciate that,” Nimbus said, “but I already have one. See, Mecha was nice enough to let me borrow one of his.” He held up the wrench for the ponies to see. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle looked at each other in disbelief, then burst out laughing. Their entire conflict had been over nothing.

“Care to tell me what else happened?” Nimbus said, surveying the wreckage around him.

Rainbow Dash spoke first. “Uh, well, you see, there was a…”

“Scuffle,” Twilight finished for her friend, “a scuffle.”

“Right,” Nimbus said, “a scuffle that pretty much destroyed my second floor.”

“That’s right!” Rainbow Dash said, “it was a pretty glorious scuffle, too! You should have been there!”

“Uh huh,” said Nimbus, sensing more to the story, but not pressing any farther. He turned to Mecha. “Well, since we’ve got all this sunshine on my second floor now, what say we have a little picnic up here?”

“Sounds good to me!” Mecha said, “I’ll go grab the food!”

“Works for us, too!” Rainbow Dash agreed. Nimbus nodded.

“Then let’s have us a little snack.” He gazed around at all the wrenches lying about.

“And, seeing as we appear to have a surplus of wrenches, I’d like to ask both of you to stay behind and help me out fixing some of the plumbing in here. I could use the helping hooves, if you can spare the time.”

“You’ve got it,” Twilight said, looking at Rainbow Dash without a trace of hostility. Rainbow Dash smiled back.

“Yeah, us friends are always here to help!”

“Glad to hear it,” said Nimbus as Mecha came back upstairs, toting a basket full of food.

“Chow’s here!” Mecha called out gleefully, laying out the food on plates. The four ponies then sat down to what was almost certainly the most unique “picnic” observed in the history of Equestria, watching the day pass by through the gaping hole in Nimbus’s roof. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle then went about assisting Nimbus and Mecha as best they could, until the sun finally began to set and they excused themselves. The house, despite the damage it had suffered in the latter half of the day, looked much better than it had before. It wouldn’t be long now until Nimbus was properly settled in it.

“You know,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering next to Twilight Sparkle, “I think I discovered something today.”

“Oh?” Twilight said, “I think I did as well, but you go first.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I learned that we can’t let a ridiculous challenge split us apart. Assuming Nimbus would fall for one of us just by running an errand for him was silly. We should never have let that task turn us against each other.”

“You know what?” Twilight said, “I was just thinking the same thing! Sounds like we’ve both got a letter to write tonight!”

“Aw, come on!” Rainbow Dash said, “you mean it can’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Nope,” Twilight answered, “we have to do it tonight.”

“Fine,” Dash sighed, as the two headed back into town, towards Twilight’s place, friends once more.

…

“Ready to head back home?” Mecha called to Nimbus, who was perusing through Twilight’ book while holding Rainbow Dash’s airhammer. He’d found a section in the book about how to effectively operate the thing, and was trying to read it in the day’s fading light. By now, he was almost done.

“I’ll be there in a second,” Nimbus replied, “I just need to finish this chapter!” He strained his eyes, trying to see the words, but it was no use. There was no light in the house. He’d have to use the last rays of the sun to finish the book. He trotted outside and hovered over his house, tilting the book until it caught the sun’s light.

“Perfect!” he said, relaxing his hold on the airhammer just a little too much, “now I can-“

“Crash!”

Nimbus winced at the noise, and looked down. Mecha currently had his metal hoof planted directly in his face, and Nimbus could see why. True to Rainbow Dash’s word and Twilight’s book, the airhammer had completely demolished Nimbus’s living room.

“It’s okay!” Nimbus called down, “I was planning on putting a sun porch there!”

“Since when?” Mecha called back.

“Since… ten seconds ago,” Nimbus replied, joining his friend on the ground, “but that’s a project to tackle another time. I think I’ve had enough for one day.”

The two shared a laugh as they walked home, ending another eventful day in Ponyville the sort of way only two friends could: with a smile.

Episode 2: Square One

Square One

Nimbus receives an urgent letter from Princess Celestia, and finds out that Rainbow Dash had the same thing happen. When they finally discover the content of both of their letters, they realize that the task at hand may very well be their hardest yet. After all, it’s not every day one has to teach royalty…

Nimbus was sitting up in Twilight’s library loft, reading a book on painting. He and his friends had finished up all of his house’s structural work after a few days of toil, and he felt it was now time to get started on painting. The house was currently very unappealing, as the wood, stone, and plaster areas were all completely exposed. It looked like some kind of hideous patchwork quilt, in Nimbus’s opinion. With this in mind, he’d come to Twilight’s library to find out how to go about putting the finishing touches on his home.

“Besides,” he reasoned, “it won’t hurt to finally be able to move all of my stuff out of Mecha’s shop. It’s getting pretty cluttered over there.”

Nimbus heard footsteps and looked up. Spike was coming up the stairs with a plate of donuts and a glass of milk.

“Hey, Spike!” Nimbus said, nodding to the dragon in greeting.

“Hi, Nimbus!” Spike replied, setting the plate down, “I brought you some breakfast. Twilight says you need to eat more. You’ve been up here all morning, after all.”

Nimbus pushed the book aside and gazed down at the delectable morsels in front of him.

“Well thanks a bundle, Spike!” he said.

“The pleasure’s mine,” Spike replied, then doubled over and belched green flames, which turned into a scroll. Recovering, Spike picked up the scroll and was about to head downstairs to Twilight when he saw the name on the scroll. He turned to Nimbus.

“This one’s for you,” he said.

Nimbus took the scroll. “Huh,” he said, examining it, “that’s weird- it’s got the royal seal on it! What would Celestia want with me?”

“Beats me,” Spike replied, heading down the stairs, “I just work here.”

Nimbus unraveled the scroll and read it, eyes growing progressively wider. Suddenly, he snapped it closed.

“Rainbow Dash needs to know about this!” he said suddenly, flying downstairs and out the door.

“Thanks for your hospitality, Twilight!” he called back, “I’ll be back later!”

A confused Twilight stuck her head out the door, watching Nimbus go.

“Well, that was quick,” she said, shrugging. “I wonder what that was all about.”

…

Nimbus searched everywhere for Rainbow Dash with no luck, and was about to give up when the two met in midair. It seemed Rainbow Dash had been zooming around town as well.

“Thank goodness I’ve found you! I’ve got a letter you have to read!” they said at the same time.

Nimbus blinked once, staring. “Uh, you first.”

Rainbow Dash unrolled her letter, clearing her throat. “Dear Rainbow Dash, it has come to my attention that you are one of the most gifted flyers Equestria has to offer-“ she unconsciously puffed herself up “-and with that in mind, I have written this royal summons letter. I would like you to come meet Princess Luna and me at Ghastly Gorge at noon today. The reason is simple. Luna and I have long forgotten how to enjoy the wonders of the sky as you do. Ruling doesn’t allow much time for recreation. Today, we would like to ask your help in teaching us the art of… aerobatics?”

Rainbow Dash looked up at Nimbus, confused.

“I got pretty much the same thing,” Nimbus said.

“I don’t get it,” Rainbow Dash said, “why can’t they just ask the Wonderbolts or something?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say they’re too busy,” Nimbus replied. “I mean think about it- they’re always getting called out to events, and when they’re not performing, they’re training. Their learning curve’s probably a bit steep, too.”

“True,” Rainbow Dash said, glancing at the town’s clock tower. It was almost noon. “So what do we do, then?”

“Not much we can do,” Nimbus replied, turning in the direction of Ghastly Gorge, “we’ve received a summons. Let’s just hope our teaching skills are good enough.”

Rainbow Dash quickly caught up with Nimbus. “But could you imagine what happens if we fail?”

“I’m trying not to,” Nimbus answered, buzzing a few rooftops. “With any luck, they won’t know any better, and they’ll assume everything we say is right.”

“Fat chance of that,” Rainbow Dash scoffed as they flew past the edge of Ponyville, Ghastly Gorge dead ahead, “I just hope they don’t send me back to another flight exam in Cloudsdale.”

“Good grief,” Nimbus said, “you’re starting to sound like Twilight. Cheer up! This’ll be fun.”

“If you say so…” Rainbow Dash said, descending in preparation for a landing. The two Pegasi touched down and trotted to a halt. So far, the princesses were nowhere to be found. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to have a look around Ghastly Gorge. She walked over to the edge and peered over, checking left and right.

“They sure picked an interesting place for first lessons,” Rainbow Dash observed.

Nimbus laughed. “Yeah, well I guess they’re not exactly typical students.”

“Students, ha,” Rainbow Dash said, “it’s going to be weird to think of them like that. You ever taught anyone before?”

“Nope,” Nimbus said.

“Me neither. We are so sunk. I hate teaching! And what happens if I get frustrated and yell at one of ‘em?”

“Then you probably get turned into a parasprite and exiled,” Nimbus joked. Rainbow Dash just glared at him.

“That is not funny… at all.”

Nimbus shrugged. “Okay, okay, it won’t be that bad. Want my advice, though? Don’t yell at them.”

Before Rainbow Dash could reply, there was a flash of light, accompanied by a loud popping noise and thick, white smoke. Nimbus and Rainbow Dash both lost their footing and fell backwards in surprise. When the smoke cleared, Princesses Celestia and Luna were standing before them. The two immediately went down on a knee.

Not saying anything at first, both princesses walked in front of the two Pegasi, inspecting them, it seemed. The tension in the air was thick, and Nimbus could barely stand it. Finally, Celestia spoke.

“Rise…”

The two ponies stood up warily.

“And let’s have some fun!” Celestia finished.

Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. It seemed she had nothing to worry about… so far, at least.

“Well,” she said, “should we start?”

“It sounds fine to us,” Luna said. “We are most interested in learning more about… fun.”

“Well if it’s fun you want,” Nimbus said, backing up and falling off the gorge wall. Celestia and Luna gasped and hurried over to the edge just as Nimbus swooped back up into the sky, spinning like a top, “then you’ve come to the right ponies!” Nimbus alighted on the ground in front of the princesses as they applauded. Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes.

“That’s foals’ stuff,” she said, “watch this!”

Rainbow Dash took off and performed a wide loop, picking up speed all the way. Nimbus saw her coming fast, and dug his hooves in. Rainbow Dash ripped by, kicking up dust and hitting the group with a wall of air. Nimbus snorted. It only made sense that Dash would want to show off as well.

“Well this is fascinating,” Celestia said. “I’m looking forward to learning something, for a change.”

“By the way,” Nimbus said as Rainbow Dash landed, “if both of you are here, then who’s running the kingdom?”

“Oh, why Philomena of course!” Celestia said cheerily.

Rainbow Dash’s mouth hung open. “Philomena? As in the phoenix?”

“The one and only,” Celestia said.

“And we hath appointed thine friend Mecha as advisor,” Luna added.

Nimbus almost choked. “Mecha?”

“Yes,” Luna said, “is there a problem?”

“Nope,” Nimbus said, “but you might want to do a quick check-up on Equestria’s nobles when you get back, because Mecha’s been itching for an opportunity like this to torment them.”

“Oh dear,” Luna said with a smile, “we hadn’t thought of that. Still, it is most amusing to watch the nobles taken down a few pegs.”

“Yeah,” Nimbus laughed, “I suppose you’re right.”

“Are we just gonna chit-chat here all day?” Rainbow Dash asked, miffed. “We’ve got lessons to run, and talking isn’t going to make it go any faster.”

Nimbus flinched at her tone, waiting for her to vaporized by Celestia or Luna, but what happened instead was a complete surprise.

“Perfect,” Celestia said, “I do suppose we were all getting a little off-topic. We’re ready to learn now.”

Nimbus gazed at Rainbow Dash in awe, then turned to the sisters. “Okay, then. Well I guess the first thing to do is check your hovering form.”

“Hovering form?” Luna asked. “What, pray tell, does that have to do with us learning how to fly in a fun manner?”

“Well, you can’t do aerobatics without proper form,” Nimbus said, “and you can tell a lot about a flier by how he or she hovers.”

Nodding, Celestia and Luna spread their wings and lifted off the ground in a graceful hover. Nimbus and Dash immediately hovered over and began making corrections. Rainbow Dash discovered that Celestia had a tendency to slowly drift to the side, then correct herself, while Nimbus found that Luna wobbled all over the place.

“Not as easy as it sounds, is it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Certainly not,” Luna said, “but we will learn.”

After a great deal of practice, as well as several wing-beats to the face for Nimbus and Dash, the princesses were finally holding a steady hover.

“Great,” Nimbus said, “you’re looking much better. Now it’s time to go over how to fly evasively.”

“Evasively?” Luna asked, “none of this sounds fun at all.”

“Wait a moment, sister,”Celestia said, “I think I can see where he’s going with this.”

“Ghastly Gorge,” Nimbus continued, “is where we’ll be doing most of our lesson today. The Gorge is extremely dangerous, and if you don’t know how to react to a threat, you won’t last long in there. Now I know it’s tempting to use magic to remove danger from your paths, but that’s not what today’s about. You two wanted to be better fliers, so that’s what we’re going to make you.”

Catching on, Rainbow Dash added “another important part about this next lesson is that the moves you’ll work on actually are used in aerobatics more often than not.”

“Really?” Celestia asked. “Well then let’s begin.”

“Right,” Rainbow Dash said, lifting off the ground. “First, you need to start hovering.”

Once again, the princesses began to hover, controlling themselves much better than they had before. When they were set, Rainbow Dash continued.

“Alright. Now the first thing you need to learn is the hard bank turn.” Rainbow Dash and Nimbus started flying out over Ghastly Gorge.

“You start the turn by banking to either side, then sharply twisting your wings so you can turn tighter,” Nimbus said, demonstrating. “It looks easy, but it’s not exactly fun to try at high speed. Hurts like-“ Nimbus stopped before he could get another word out. It was probably best to watch one’s language around royalty. “It hurts a lot,” he corrected himself, “but it will save your life. Let’s give it a try.”

Nimbus continued on a straight course for a little longer, then twisted his wings, rolling and banking sharply to the right. “That’s all there is to it,” he said, “now you try.”

Luna and Celestia had the maneuver down in no time. Nimbus was glad he wouldn’t have to teach that maneuver. They were using up time as it was. Next, he and Rainbow Dash taught the princesses how to perform an emergency stop, as well as how to weave between obstacles. When they were finished, Rainbow Dash made up her mind.

“Now it’s time to learn how to go through an obstacle course,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Wait-“ Nimbus said, “aren’t we going to go over more safety tips?”

Rainbow Dash paused, scratching her chin in deep thought. “Hm… nah. We’ll go ahead with the obstacle course.”

“But we don’t have an obstacle course,” Nimbus argued.

“Wanna bet?” Rainbow Dash asked, zooming into the sky and rearranging a few clouds into rings, laying out a course. Nimbus was impressed.

“Okay, I’ve got to admit that was pretty cool. Weather ponies have an awesome job too, I guess.”

“You’re darn right they do,” Rainbow Dash said.

Luna and Celestia approached from behind. “It looks very nice,” said Celestia, “but it isn’t quite… challenging enough.”

“Well we can’t just throw you into Ghastly Gorge,” said Nimbus. “This is supposed to be a practice run.”

The two sisters walked away for a moment and began a whispered conversation, occasionally looking up at the cloud rings and laughing. Rainbow Dash gulped.

“They’re making fun of my course, I just know it.”

Finally, Luna and Celestia returned.

“Thine course is magnificent, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, “but we wish to start this portion of the lesson with a greater challenge.”

Celestia pointed her horn towards the clouds as Luna went on. “We hope thou art not disappointed. Truly this course is a work of art. It just needs an extra… kick.”

On the word “kick” Celestia shot a beam of white magic into the air, which hit the first cloud ring. Suddenly, every ring burst into flames. Nimbus’s eyes widened.

“Are you sure you want to run the course like this?” he asked.

“Of course!” Celestia said, “sometimes it’s better to run, or in this case fly, before you walk.”

Nimbus shrugged. “Okay then. Follow Rainbow Dash and me through the course. We’ll make a few laps, go over some aerobatics, and then hit the gorge.”

He took off behind Rainbow Dash with Celestia and Luna behind, heading for the first ring. They were taking it slowly right now- more of a walkthrough really. He crossed through the ring, feeling the heat of the flames licking his body. Then he was through. Nervously, he glanced back at Celestia and Luna. To his surprise, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, weaving from side to side and crossing through the rings with glee. The sight brought a smile to Nimbus’s face. He turned to Rainbow Dash.

“Should we up the ante a bit?”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “See if you can keep up!”

Rainbow Dash sped up, ripping through the sky with Nimbus, Celestia, and Luna in hot pursuit. Now the rings were flashing by, and Nimbus was having a difficult time correcting his course in order to stay inside them. The princesses were laughing and smiling as they crossed through the dangerous obstacles, and after a few more runs, Nimbus knew it was time to prepare for the final lesson.

“Okay,” he said, pulling out of the obstacle course and landing. “You seem to have the hang of it.”

“Yep,” Rainbow Dash said, “and I think I speak for Nimbus as well when I say you’re ready to try some aerobatics in Ghastly Gorge!”

Rainbow Dash turned to speak with Nimbus, prompting Celestia and Luna to high-hoof each other. Rainbow Dash spun around and Luna cleared her throat. “This has been… very fun. Are we going to learn to fly as thou do now?”

“Darn right,” Rainbow Dash said. “And we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to show you.”

For the next hour, Nimbus and Rainbow Dash took the Princesses up into the sky to teach rolls, loops, power stops, and several other aerobatic maneuvers. The princesses were overjoyed, and Nimbus was impressed by their aerobatic prowess. Celestia quickly became a fan of high speed flight, like Rainbow Dash, while Luna wanted to learn more about becoming more maneuverable in the air, like Nimbus. With that in mind, the two ponies took their respective princesses aside and began their specialized instructions. The sisters caught on fast, and by the time they were done, they could easily keep up with Nimbus and Rainbow Dash.

Sweating from an intense, five-minute long mock dogfight with Luna, Nimbus pulled around and faced her.

“So, Princess Luna, are you ready to give the Gorge a shot?”

“Are we?” said Luna, with a huge grin, “of course we are! This is the most fun we’ve had in centuries!”

“Glad to hear it,” Rainbow Dash said, joining Nimbus with Celestia following. “Now let’s hit the Gorge! Three, two, one, dive!”

Nimbus shook his head and smiled. Rainbow Dash wasn't one for waiting, that was for sure.

All of the ponies pulled into a steep dive, descending for the canyon rapidly. When they passed the canyon’s edge, they pulled up, with the exception of Nimbus who held his dive for longer and chose to skim less than four feet above the ground. Luna saw him and decided not to be left out, joining him and kicking up a fantail of dust behind her the lower she descended. Rainbow Dash and Celestia dropped their altitude as well, but chose to weave around each other, rolling and making sharp turns in an outstanding display of synchronized flying. Not to be outdone, Nimbus and Luna pulled up to join them as they raced through the canyon, dodging obstacles left and right.

Ahead, Rainbow Dash could see large holes in the Gorge walls. She turned her head and called back to the others.

“Quarray Eels ahead! They’re probably hibernating right now, so they won’t give us a lot of trouble.”

“No trouble?” Luna said, “but… ‘tis not enough of a challenge!”

She fired a blast of magic towards the holes, making the Gorge begin to shake.

“Um, Luna? What did you do?” Nimbus asked. Luna only smirked. Suddenly, a Quarray Eel shot out of every hole, saliva dripping from their mouths as they turned and saw the flyers approaching.

“Bad idea!” Rainbow Dash said, “bad, bad, bad!”

“The challenge has been doubled!” Luna whooped, streaking straight towards the giant eels.

“Not without me!” Celestia laughed, following her sister.

“Those princesses are insane!” Rainbow Dash said to Nimbus, picking up the pace.

“Perhaps,” Nimbus said, “but I can imagine sitting on a throne all day tends to make this sort of thing seem very appealing. Let’s go!”

They dove after the princesses, twisting and turning through the mass of eels. Nimbus barely avoided a pair of snapping jaws, turning out of the way at the last moment and forcing the eel to collide with one of its neighbors. Celestia and Luna were pushing ahead, using their newfound flying skills to navigate the shifting maze of predators with ease. Nimbus simply couldn’t believe his eyes. Then they were clear. Nimbus did a quick check. Everyone was accounted for- except for Rainbow Dash!

“Dash!” he called out, holding up a hoof as a signal for the princesses to stop. “Dash, are you in there?!”

Suddenly Rainbow Dash burst out into the open, covered with some sort of slime.

“Okay,” she said, brushing the clear slime off, “maybe the triple flip wasn’t the best idea in there.”

Nimbus laughed. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Rainbow Dash muttered, “never been better.”

“Then let’s keep going!” Celestia said, looking at the sun. “I need to retire Philomena and Mecha before sundown.”

“Then we’re wasting time just sitting here,” Rainbow Dash said, “let’s finish this!”

The four looked at each other, daring one another to make the first move, then Celestia took off towards the end of the gorge, leading the way. Quickly, the others began to catch up, but suddenly a tremendous rumbling echoed through the gorge. Nimbus looked to the side just in time to see rocks falling.

“Avalanche!” he yelled as the gorge began to narrow, "the Quarray Eels must have caused it!" The others noticed too, eyes widening in shock.

“Princesses!” Nimbus called, “for your safety, I suggest we pull out!”

“Never!” called Luna, “thou must catch us first!” She began to weaved deftly between the falling rocks, rolling, banking, diving, and having the time of her life. Nimbus laughed. Maybe the royal sisters were a lot more like ordinary ponies than he’d thought. Focusing on his thoughts, he almost didn’t see four rocks falling in front of him, blocking his path. They were too big, and he’d noticed too late to fly over, under, or around them. Bracing for impact, he suddenly noticed a crack between the four rocks. Nimbus aimed for it and curled up, shooting through the opening and barely missing the sides.

“Wow!” Rainbow Dash said, “I have to admit- that was pretty sweet!”

“Thanks!’ Nimbus called, watching the princesses and Rainbow Dash ahead of him. They were almost out of the avalanche zone now, but the gorge was still thinning, to the point that they were now flying wingtip-to-wingtip. Suddenly, huge chunks of rock at the gorge exit ahead began to crumble. They wouldn’t be able to climb over in time. Rainbow Dash instead dove for the ground, leading everyone else down with her. It was a race against the wall of falling rocks now. Nimbus looked up at them falling as he leveled out, pushing himself as fast as he could go. The four slipped under the rocks just before they came crashing into the ground below.

“Woohoo!” Nimbus called, soaring up into the sky.

“Verily!” Luna cried, zooming into the air and rolling, “we have never had so much fun!”

“It was quite exciting,” Celestia said, slowing to a hover. “Thank you both so much for teaching us how you fly today.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, really,” said Rainbow Dash.

Celestia turned her head in the direction of Canterlot. The sun was starting to set. “It seems it’s time for us to head back to Canterlot and-“

“Boom!”

A sudden, earth-shattering explosion rocked through the air. Nimbus saw a large fireball and plume of smoke rise from a group of trees between himself and Canterlot.

“Mecha and Philomena will have to wait,” said Luna, “it seems we have more trouble to contend with.”

She and her sister turned towards the smoke and began to fly as fast as they could. Nimbus and Rainbow Dash took one look at each other and nodded, following them.

“We’re coming too!” Rainbow Dash called.

“Yeah,” Nimbus added, “you never know when you’ll need a helping hoof, and this looks like trouble.”

“If thou insist,” Luna responded. “But we must hurry!”

As they came closer to the massive cloud of smoke, Nimbus began feeling small pieces of debris pelting him from above.

“Ow!” he said as he took a plate to the back of the head. He looked up, to find the source of the mysterious falling dinnerware, and gasped.

“Evasive maneuvers!” he yelled. The others looked at him confusedly, wondering what all the fuss was about. Then they looked up as well. Celestia swerved left, narrowly missing a grand piano, and both Luna and Rainbow Dash had to dodge a falling bookcase.

“What in Celestia’s name-“ Nimbus stopped himself, remembering that Celestia herself was nearby, “I mean, what the hay’s going on here?”

“I have no idea,” Celestia answered, as the ponies continued to dodge the falling household items, “but we’ll find out soon enough.”

They descended towards the base of the smoke, which appeared to be a large, black crater with three figures standing at its edge. As they drew closer, Nimbus immediately recognized Mecha, his black-maned Earth Pony friend. Perched on his shoulder was what had to be Philomena- Celestia’s pet phoenix, and next to them was a severely shaken Unicorn in an expensive-looking jacket.

“Heyo, Nimbus!” Mecha called out cheerfully. Nimbus and the others landed, and the orange Pegasus did not seem amused.

“Please tell me you didn’t just do what I think you just did,” Nimbus said.

“What?” Mecha said, “he was dodging his taxes! You know what I spent my day doing? Going through tax reports, that’s what. And guess what I discovered? This ruffian-“ he gave the pony next to him a swift kick in the shins, “has been evading his taxes for the past four months.”

“Uh huh,” Rainbow Dash said. “So what exactly did you do?”

“Simple,” Mecha said, “using the power of some well-applied Hydra scale, I blew up his house.”

“You did what?” Nimbus said, flabbergasted, stepping aside to avoid a falling wine rack.

“That’s right. I blew it up,” Mecha said. “Nopony’s above the law in Equestria.”

“Obviously,” Rainbow Dash said, “still, isn’t this a bit… harsh?”

“Yeah,” Nimbus agreed, “you didn't just do this because he’s a noble, did you?”

Mecha tried to look innocent. “Who, me? Aw, come on now…” Seeing Nimbus’s unflinching expression, he decided to let out the truth. “Okay, fine. I may have done it because he was a noble… but that’s only because he can pay for it!”

Celestia shook her head and stepped forward. Mecha immediately turned to her. If there were two ponies in Equestria who could command his attention, they were the royal sisters.

“Mecha,” Celestia said, “what you did today was undoubtedly excessive punishment, and I normally would not let such a thing go unpunished.”

Mecha lowered his eyes. “I understand.”

“However,” Celestia continued, “the falling debris caused by your explosion allowed my sister and I to practice the skills these two ponies-“ she gestured to Nimbus and Rainbow Dash, “-taught us today. Therefore, I really owe you thanks.” She winked.

The pony next to Mecha was slack-jawed. “So you’re just letting him get away with this?”

Luna turned to him with a snarl. “Verily. And thou would do well to mind thine place in this matter. We are still aware of thine crimes. Tax evasion is a serious crime.”

The pony cringed under Luna’s icy gaze. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“Now I understand you don’t have anywhere to stay,” Celestia said, “so I believe I can provide you with a place to stay until you find a new home. This may be able to take care of your punishment at the same time.”

“Oh really?” the pony asked, “where?”

Celestia smiled, “in the Canterlot guards’ quarters.”

The pony’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh no,” he said, “not there! They’ll eat me alive!”

“Then I’d suggest you grow a backbone and some thick skin,” Mecha said, leaving the Unicorn with Celestia and Luna. “Have fun!”

“Come along, Philomena!” Celestia said. Her phoenix hopped off Mecha’s shoulder and flew to her side. Celestia turned to Nimbus, Mecha, and Rainbow Dash. “I bid you all a good day. Now it’s time for my sister and I to return.”

“And the same to both of you,” the ponies said, bending to their knees as the princesses took off with the Unicorn in custody. Nimbus couldn’t help but smile when he saw Luna roll once before leveling off. It seemed the lessons he and Rainbow Dash had taught wouldn’t be forgotten soon. He turned to Mecha.

“All seriousness aside,” Mecha said, “how was your day?”

“Well,” Nimbus answered, “it was…”

“Eventful,” Rainbow Dash finished for him. “I had no idea Celestia and Luna were so much fun to be around.”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, “seems like everyone gets that impression when they actually meet them. I know I did.”

“Now,” Nimbus said, stretching his wings, “seems like we’re quite a ways away from home.”

Rainbow Dash caught on and began preparing herself for flight. “Yeah, and the sun’s setting pretty quickly.”

Mecha saw what the Pegasi were doing and immediately spoke up. “Oh no you don’t!” he said. “There’s no way I’ll fly back with you two. You’re both crazy! I’ll take my chances with walking, thank you very much.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Nimbus teased. “I’m sure Cheerilee’s going to wonder why you’re not back.”

Mecha growled, conjuring up a magic field around himself and attaching it to Nimbus. “Fine, but no funny business. You know I hate flying.”

Nimbus grinned. “Well, that depends on your definition of ‘funny business’. All I know is that I have to go borrow a book on painting from Twilight, and that's gonna require a speedy return, so...” He turned to Rainbow Dash and grinned.

“Three, two, one-“

The two ponies shot off into the night sky like lightning, rolling banking sharply towards Ponyville.”

“Screw you, Nimbuuuuuus!” Mecha called out as the last of the day faded away, leaving two Pegasi and one very disgruntled Earth Pony heading for home under a starry Equestrian sky- the perfect way to end a long and fun day.

Episode 3: Night of the Pegasus

Night of the Pegasus

Ponville is in the process of making its final preparations for Nightmare Night and Princess Luna’s arrival. Meanwhile, Nimbus volunteers for an assignment which should make this year’s festivities quite… interesting.

By the way, I pay homage to a famous MLP horrorfic in this episode. Leave a comment if you figure it out. It’s a tad obvious. It's portrayed humorously, but I mean no disrespect towards the original author.

“Let’s see- a few stitches here, some more over there, and –“

Rarity sewed up the collar of the cape she was working on neatly and hung it on a nearby hanger, using the light of the setting sun through her window to examine it.

“Perfect,” she said, admiring her handiwork. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders will have the best costumes in Ponyville this year.” She squinted at the cape. “Although, that cape could use trim that stands out a bit more…”

She heard the door to the Carousel Boutique open. “Hello?” she called out, “who is it?”

“It’s Nimbus,” a voice replied, “I’m here for the- you know…”

“Right,” said Rarity, “can you hold on for about five minutes? I need to finish something up back here.”

Nimbus shrugged and sat down on a nearby couch. “Not a problem.” He’d come at Rarity’s request. A few days ago, he’d finished his house up, and had invited Rarity and her friends over for a party to celebrate. Over dinner, they’d discussed Nightmare Night, and Nimbus had admitted that he didn’t have a costume. Rarity had generously offered to make one for him, and after coming to the shop and seeing past costumes he’d done, he agreed. Now he had arrived to pick up his order. So far, only he and Rarity knew what the costume was, and Nimbus intended to keep it that way.

Nimbus yawned, bored. He began thumbing through Rarity’s collection of magazines, hoping to find something interesting. Perhaps she’d have the latest edition of Carriage and Driver. He had no such luck, however. Why, he asked himself, did waiting rooms never have any good magazines? He finally picked up an issue of Good Farmkeeping, and paged through it, eventually settling on an article about Nightmare Night decorations. For the next few minutes, Nimbus tried to interest himself by reading about how to make Nightmare Night cupcakes, and by the time he put the magazine down, he could swear he’d learned at least forty different ways to hang a party streamer. He sighed and sat back in his chair. Rarity seemed to be pretty busy today.

Suddenly, all of the lights in the room flickered out. Nimbus sat bolt upright in surprise, then got up out of his seat.

“Rarity,” he said, “cut it out, that’s not funny.”

Hearing no response, he began pacing back and forth. “Rarity?” he called out, “are you there?”

In front of him, some old boxes in a stack collapsed to the floor, startling Nimbus. He began to back up, breathing hard and thoroughly freaked out.

“Rarity, come out now please!”

Nimbus stopped short, feeling something sharp poking him in the back. It felt like a Unicorn horn.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s you, Rarity,” he said, turning around, “I thought you’d- SWEET CELESTIA!”

Nimbus flew into the air and fell back down at the sight behind him, scooting away on his back. It wasn’t possible- it couldn’t be possible- but there she was. Standing over him, eyes glowing and wings spread, was Nightmare Moon.

“What do you want with me?” Nimbus cried out, “why are you here?”

The shadowy pony laughed and Nimbus raised an eyebrow. He recognized that laugh. Then the pony removed her helmet and rubbed away the black paint on her face.

“Rarity!” Nimbus said as the lights flicked back on, “how did-? Who-? What just-?“

“You like it?” Rarity asked, getting out of her Nightmare Moon costume, “it’s not quite the right size for me, but I think it will fit you perfectly.”

“That’s positively amazing!” Nimbus said, “it looks just like Nightmare Moon! Rarity, you are a genius!”

“Well I’m quite flattered, Nimbus,” Rarity said. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it?” Nimbus said, “I think it’s fantastic! Granted this means I’m technically going out as a mare, but… the scares will definitely be worth it!”

“Well I’ll just box this up for you,” Rarity said, grabbing a large box and carefully folding the costume and placing it inside.

“You must be pretty busy this time of year,” Nimbus said.

“Oh yes,” Rarity replied, grabbing a notebook and writing some figures down. “I’m working on a project for the Cutie Mark Crusaders at the moment.”

“The who now?”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Rarity repeated. Seeing Nimbus’s confused expression, she clarified. “Oh, I’m sorry- I never told you about them. They’re always out doing something when I want to introduce them. The Crusaders are my sister, Sweetie Belle, and her friends.”

“Oh,” said Nimbus, “I’ve seen them before. I’m sure they’re looking forward to Nightmare Night, too.”

“Sweetie Belle never passes up an opportunity to remind me,” Rarity groaned, passing her notebook to Nimbus. Nimbus looked at the total written on it and fished eighty bits out of his saddlebag, giving them to Rarity.

“Great doing business with you,” he said, turning and heading for the door.

“Goodbye, Nimbus,” Rarity said. As Nimbus was about to leave, he turned around.

“By the way, is there any chance you can keep word of this costume between us? I have an idea, but I need to keep this costume secret for it to work.”

“Of course,” Rarity said. Nimbus nodded.

“Thanks. Bye, then.”

He shut the door and took off, heading for home holding his box. As he approached his house, he whistled to himself. He had to admit- the house looked pretty good from the air. His friends had done an excellent job helping him. The walls were smooth, and his deck (recently stained) looked excellent. He puffed himself up with pride. Finally, he had a home worth living in.

He alighted on his front porch, found his keys in his saddlebag, and unlocked his front door, stepping inside. The house was dark, as expected, but when Nimbus went to flip on the light switch, nothing happened.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “Scare me once, shame on Rarity. Scare me twice, shame on-“

Nimbus was hit from behind by an unseen force and was sent sprawling to the ground. Quickly, he found himself dragged to the kitchen and lashed to his dinner table, still having no clue as to what was going on. If the purpose of this act was supposed to be frightening him, it wasn’t. Nimbus was just a tad annoyed that he was now a prisoner in his own home. Finally, the assailant pony stepped into Nimbus’s view. He was hooded, and Nimbus couldn’t see his face.

“What’s the big idea?” Nimbus asked. The pony didn’t answer him. “Well while I’m tied down, could you at least make me some dinner or something? I’ve been craving a hayburger all day.”

“Silence, you worthless excuse of a Pegasus!”

Nimbus looked up. That wasn’t the voice of the hooded pony. It was coming from somewhere else. He heard the sound of hooves descending from his second floor, and suddenly the hooded pony next to him snapped to attention as a masked, black-suited Pegasus walked into the kitchen, brandishing a knife.

“Will somepony tell me what the hay is going on here?” Nimbus asked.

“Raise the table,” the masked pony said. The pony in the hood complied, stepping behind the table and pushing it into an upright position. Now Nimbus was staring his masked intruder straight in the face.

“Hello Nimbus,” the pony said, stepping forwards until she was inches away from Nimbus’s face. She raised her knife, touching its tip to Nimbus’s chest.

“Cloudsdale’s short on rainbow production right now,” she said, “and we need an… alternate source of materials.”

“Are you crazy?” Nimbus said, “that makes no sense at all! How the hay would I get turned into a rainbow by you killing me?! Don’t you even know how a rainbow works?” He squinted, looking at the eyes of the pony through her mask. “Wait a second,” he said, “don’t I know you?”

“Enough talking,” the pony said, raising her knife, “prepare to be harvested! Bring the bucket!”

The hooded assistant pushed a bucked directly under Nimbus.

“Any last words?” the masked pony asked.

“Yeah,” said Nimbus, “you have beautiful eyes.”

“I wha-?” the pony said, taking a step back.

“Yeah,” Nimbus said, “they really are spectacular. And by the way, Rainbow Dash, if you wanted to stay for dinner, you didn’t have to have your assistant, who I’m assuming is Mecha, tie me down like this.”

The pony whipped off her mask revealing herself to be Rainbow Dash. “Come on!” she said, “how in Equestria could you have possibly known that was me?”

“The eyes,” Nimbus answered, “nopony has eyes like you do. Plus that cheesy rainbow story could only have been thought up by you. Everyone knows you can’t make rainbows out of Pegasi.”

Rainbow Dash growled. “You win this time,” she said. “Mecha, our cover is blown.”

“I thought as much,” the hooded pony said, removing his hood and untying Nimbus. “I tried to convince Rainbow Dash to let me do the talking,” Mecha explained, “but she insisted on having the starring role.”

“So I see,” Nimbus replied.

“So that didn’t scare you at all?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning the lights back on. “You weren’t even twenty percent scared?”

“Nope,” said Nimbus. “Rarity beat you guys to the daily scare. When I came home and found my lights wouldn’t turn on, I kind of assumed something was amiss.”

“Dang it,” Mecha said, putting Nimbus’s table back in place.

“Still,” Nimbus said, “would you care to stay for dinner? I plan on whipping up a few hayburgers.”

“You know,” said Rainbow Dash, “that sounds pretty good!”

Nimbus trotted over to his pantry and opened it. “Then let’s have us some dinner!”

…

Deep in the Everfree forest later that night, a zebra sat inside her hut, slowly stirring a bubbling vat of blue liquid. Nightmare Night was tomorrow, and a friend of hers had requested a special brew to assist him in his… activities on the special night.

She looked up, feeling the soft touch of wind upon her cheek. It seemed her guest had arrived. She stood up and headed to the door, prepared for his knock, which, sure enough, came within two seconds of her arrival at the door.

Nimbus knocked twice and the door in front of him opened instantly. He jumped, surprised, and the zebra smiled.

“I see you’re preparing for Nightmare Night. Did dear old Zecora give you a fright?”

“Well, maybe just a bit,” Nimbus said, catching his breath.

Zecora waved him in with her hoof. “Come and see what I have done. This brew should make tomorrow night fun.”

Nimbus stepped inside and gazed at the bubbling, glowing blue liquid in the pot. “So this is it, then. Will it really work? I mean, I know it’s supposed to change my voice, but will it make me sound like… her?”

“There is only one way to tell for sure. Try my brew, and we’ll see if it’s pure.” Zecora grabbed a small teaspoon and dipped it into the liquid, giving it to Nimbus.

“So what’s in this?” Nimbus asked, eyeing the mixture suspiciously.

“A dash of Goldflower, in a twist, with droplets of an evening mist. To make it stable, we will need no more than three stalks of Dragon Reed. Then finish with Poison Joke, ground, to complete the potion and change your sound.”

“Poison Joke?” Nimbus said. “Are you sure this is safe?”

Zecora nodded. Trusting her, Nimbus raised the teaspoon to his lips and drank. The taste wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, the liquid tasted somewhat like a combination of vanilla and wild apples. Nimbus downed it in seconds, and waited.

After a few moments of silence, Zecora spoke.

“Now speak, Nimbus, and let us see, how different your new voice will be.”

“Let’s see…” he thought, “I need something only she would say…”

Nimbus cleared his throat, then nodded his head. “The night will last forever!” he boomed, echoing the very voice of Nightmare Moon. He was so surprised, he clapped his hooves over his mouth. Zecora chuckled, ladling some of the brew into a covered pot.

“It seems my brew is a success. Tomorrow, you may put it to the test.”

“Thank you so much, Zecora!” Nimbus said, his voice reverting to normal mid-speech. “Have a good night!”

Zecora was not finished yet, however. “Wait, Nimbus, heed my call, be careful that you don’t drink all. If you consume more than you need, your voice won’t change for a long time indeed.”

Nimbus never heard her, though. By the time she spoke, he was already above the treeline and climbing into the night sky.

…

Nimbus woke up early the next morning, and took out his Nightmare Moon costume, assembling it and placing it in his closet. With it, he hid Zecora’s voice-changing brew. He read a note Zecora had attached to it, saying that he should only consume half of the brew every three hours, then tossed the note aside and went downstairs to fix himself some breakfast.

He walked into his kitchen and turned on the light.

“Good morning, Nimbus!”

“Gaah!” Nimbus shrieked, soaring up straight into the ceiling and nailing it with his head. When his ears stopped ringing and his vision cleared, he saw Pinkie Pie sitting at his table.

“Pinkie?” he moaned, “what are you doing here?”

“I just came to say hello!” Pinkie Pie said, “and I made some Nightmare Night cupcakes for you, too.” She indicated some dark brown cupcakes with purple frosting sitting on the table. Nimbus recognized them from the magazine he’d read in Rarity’s shop the previous day.

“Oh,” he said, “Well, thanks! I see you used Powdered Sugar’s recipe.”

“I did!” Pinkie said, “but how’d you know that? I never figured you to be a cupcake expert.”

“After reading that magazine yesterday,” Nimbus sighed, “I think I can hold my own in the world of cupcakes.”

“Well that’s just peachy!” Pinkie said. “I’ve gotta go now- I have more cupcakes to deliver. See ya later!”

Before Nimbus could get another word out, Pinkie was out the door. Nimbus watched her go with a sinister grin on his face.

“I’ll see you… tonight!”

Nimbus started laughing maniacally until he broke into a coughing fit.

“Okay, Nimbus,” he rasped to himself, “maybe now’s not the best time to get in character.”

He went to his refrigerator and poured himself a glass of Razzleberry juice, then grabbed a few slices of bread and threw them in the toaster. When his meal was ready, he sat down at the kitchen table by himself, spreading some of Sweet Apple Acres’ best cinnamon apple jelly on his toast and absently chewing on it. Tonight, he knew, was going to be fun.

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped out of her library home and into a world of festivities. Little colts and fillies were running around with colorful streamers and decorations, putting them up all over town, while other ponies were setting up games and stalls to sell treats and Nightmare Night wares. As she turned to walk down the street, she immediately ran into Rarity, who was carrying a large bag over her back.

“Hi, Rarity,” Twilight said, “what are you up to?”

“Oh, just dropping off the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ costumes,” Rarity said.

“Mind if I come along?” Twilight asked.

“Well sure,” Rarity said, heading down the road, “I’d love to have some company.”

The two walked out towards the Crusaders’ clubhouse on the Apple family’s property, talking about their respective plans for Nightmare Night.

“I’ve just been so busy with all of these costumes lately,” Rarity sighed, “Nightmare Night is definitely one of my busiest days of the year.”

“I guess so,” said Twilight. “Do you ever manage to get a break?”

“No,” Rarity said, “I guess it’s just a good thing I like what I do.” They approached the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse, stepping up the wooden ramp to the door. Rarity knocked twice, and a small panel on the front door slid open, revealing two eyes.

“Yes?” a voice inside said. Twilight recognized it as Applebloom, Applejack’s sister.

“I have your costumes for Nightmare Night!” Rarity said in a singsong voice. The panel closed briefly, and the two ponies could hear whispers from inside. Finally, the panel opened again. Once more, it was Applebloom who spoke.

“We need the secret password from ya first,” she said.

“Secret password?” Rarity said, “why?”

“Well, what if you ain’t Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, huh? What if yer Changelings?”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. The purple Unicorn just shrugged.

“I guess you can’t be too careful. Humor them.”

“Oh, fine,” Rarity grumbled. “Let’s see- what about… suede?”

“Nope.”

“Sapphire? Um… silk? Perhaps diamond?”

None of Rarity’s attempts were succeeding. They could hear Scootaloo chuckle on the other side of the door.

“Ha, they’ll never figure out my password!”

“Wait a second,” Twilight Sparkle said, “let me try. Is it Rainbow Dash?”

There was silence for a moment, then the door opened up. Scootaloo was sitting next to the door, looking rather upset.

“How did you figure it out?” she asked, dumbfounded. She was holding a half-finished picture of Rainbow Dash in one hoof. Twilight smiled.

“I guess I’m just lucky.”

“Here are your costumes, girls,” Rarity said, depositing the bag on the floor.

“Alright!” Sweetie Belle called out, practically leaping over to the bag, “you’re the best, big sis!”

Rarity smiled. “Oh, it was no trouble at all, really. Have fun, all of you, and I hope to see you tonight!”

“Goodbah, Rarity and Twilight!” Applebloom called out as the two ponies left. Twilight turned and waved as they headed back to town.

“You know,” Twilight mused, “I wonder where Nimbus has been all day. This is his first Nightmare Night in Ponyville. You’d think he’d be out celebrating and setting up for Princess Luna’s arrival.”

Remembering her promise to keep Nimbus and his plans a secret, Rarity tried protecting Nimbus as best as she could.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s just… busy right now. Perhaps he’s decorating his house!”

“That’s true,” Twilight said. “To think that I hadn’t considered that… oh well. We should probably get back to town. Luna will be arriving soon.”

Rarity looked up at the sun. It was already beginning to dip below the horizon. Whatever Nimbus was planning was bound to happen soon.

…

Nimbus set up for the night’s activities near the statue of Nightmare Moon in the Everfree forest. He pulled his costume out of a large bag and hung it on a tree branch, then took out Zecora’s potion and looked at the sun. It was setting now, painting the sky with its fading glow. Nimbus began coating himself with the black dye Rarity had provided for him, and attached a large, sharp, artificial horn to the center of his forehead. By the time he was finished, night was falling. Quickly, he put on his costume and hid behind the statue in front of him.

“I hope I haven’t forgotten anything,” he whispered to himself. He took a look around, then smacked himself in the forehead, avoiding the sharp horn. He’d forgotten Zecora’s potion! He hurried back to the trees and grabbed the small pot, downing the entire thing in only four gulps. Wiping his mouth off, he hurried back to his hiding place. It was only a matter of time now…

…

Twilight, dressed in a flowing cape and hood, had just finished hanging up the “Welcome, Princess Luna” banner (redone three times by now) when a bright flash and the sound of beating wings announced the Princess of the Night’s approach. Twilight looked up just in time to see Luna’s dark carriage approaching from the sky, touching down gently. Luna stepped out gracefully, looked around the square, and announced “let the festivities begin!”

Almost instantly, the streets came to life with celebration. Games began, food was selling left and right, and costumed foals were running from house to house, collecting candy. Luna approached Twilight Sparkle, grinning.

“We love this night,” she said, “and we are very impressed with thine preparations for the celebration. It must have been hard work.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, Princess,” Twilight said, leading Luna towards Applejack’s candy apple stand. “Now let’s go have some fun!”

High above the crowd, a single, solitary black cloud hovered, concealing a certain pony dressed as a Shadowbolt. Rainbow Dash peered over the cloud’s edge, snickering to herself. The scares would be abundant this year. She’d just have to choose the right target.

Slowly, the cloud descended, with Rainbow Dash in control, until it was right over Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna. Snickering, Rainbow Dash suddenly smacked the cloud, striking the ground behind Twilight Sparkle with a spectacular flash of lightning.

Twilight yelped and jumped several feet into the air. Princess Luna was concerned at first, but as soon as she saw Rainbow Dash atop her cloud, she began to chuckle. Twilight shook her head and glared at Rainbow Dash, who responded with a rather cheesy smile and sped away. When she turned back to Luna, the princess was still laughing.

“We- we are sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but thou hast been put in a rather humorous predicament.”

“Tell me about it,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes, “seems like Rainbow Dash does that every year.”

As Luna finally calmed down, Twilight led her to Sugarcube corner, where a large group of foals was busy filling some bags with candy. They stopped near the door, where Pinkie Pie was handing out the sweets.

“Hi, Princess Luna!” Pinkie giggled, “want some candy?”

Luna looked at Twilight questioningly.

“It’s fine,” Twilight said, “go ahead and take some!”

Luna accepted a small peppermint treat from Pinkie and gulped it down, enjoying it immensely. “This is truly delicious,” she said. “Now why hast thou led us to this place, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Well, the offering of treats to Nightmare Moon will start here. Zecora should be by any minute now.”

“And I am to partake in this offering this year?” Luna asked.

“Well, you’re sort of going along to answer questions and assist Zecora, but you can certainly offer some candy if you want. It’s a lot of fun!”

“Very well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, “thou may leave us here. We are sure you must have other things to do.”

“Hey Twilight, come check this out!”

Twilight turned to see Applejack standing next to what appeared to be a spider-shaped piñata.

“Well, if you’re fine, then I’ll get going. I’ll meet you in the town square later!”

“Until we meet again,” Luna said as Twilight headed for Applejack. Luna glanced up the road and noticed Zecora approaching. She then turned to the colts and fillies around her.

“Art thou ready to experience Nightmare Night with Princess Luna?”

The children began cheering wildly. This was the first year Luna had chosen to go with them to the statue of Nightmare Moon, and many of them had questions for her. Finally, Zecora arrived, and silently beckoned for the children to follow her. Within moments, they disappeared into the Everfree Forest.

…

Nimbus crouched low, hearing hoofsteps approaching. Finally, the moment he’d been planning for had arrived. He grinned and chuckled to himself as Zecora began to speak.

Every year we put on a disguise,

To save ourselves from her searching eyes.

But Nightmare Moon just wants only one thing,

To gobble up ponies in one quick swing.

Hungrily, she soars the skies,

If she sees nopony, she passes by.

So if she comes and all is clear,

Equestria is safe for another year.

Fill up her belly with a treat or two,

So she won't return to come eat you.

Nimbus could see the green flashes of light from Zecora’s magical illusions reflected off of the trees around the statue. When she finished talking, Nimbus could hear the sounds of little hooves approaching. It was now or never.

Nimbus leaped into the sky and hovered over the statue, his wing extensions increasing his wingspan drastically, to the point at which it seemed he was blocking the moon’s very light. He was careful to remain in shadow, as it was up to Zecora to perform the next trick. The foals below him froze, unsure of what to make of the shadowy newcomer. Suddenly, green flames erupted around Nimbus, and he threw back his head, laughing in Nightmare Moon’s voice.

“Did you miss me, Equestrians?” he asked. “I have waited for this chance ever since those ponies imprisoned me with the Elements of Harmony!”

The fillies and colts began to clap. “Bravo, Luna!” a little filly called out. Nimbus glanced at her, recognizing her as Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle looked behind her and saw Luna standing openmouthed.

“Wait,” she said to Luna, “if you’re here, then who’s… there?” She pointed back to Nimbus just as he bared his teeth, displaying a sharp set of false (but extremely realistic) teeth.

“Everybody run!” someone yelled out. Instantly, every single pony dropped their bags of candy and took off for Ponyville at top speed. Luna stayed behind.

“Vile whelp!” she said, “what art thou doing in this plane of reality? We had always thought thou trapped within our mind forever!”

“You’re right,” Nimbus said, approaching. “Nightmare Moon is still imprisoned in your mind.”

He flipped up his helmet.

“So I guess it’s a good thing I’m not Nightmare Moon.”

“Nimbus?” Luna said, “is it truly thou?”

Nimbus nodded.

“Well, thine disguise is… impressive, and frighteningly accurate. Art thou partaking in fun?”

“I suppose you could say that,” Nimbus said, still sounding like Nightmare Moon. “Hey, I’ve still got some time before this voice potion wears off. You wanna help me get a few more scares in Ponyville?”

Luna’s eyes lit up. “Of course! We would love to join you!”

“Great,” Nimbus said, “then I have a plan…”

…

“Citizens, citizens of Ponyville, hear us!”

Twilight and Applejack looked up to see Luna running into the town square, apparently terrified.

“Now what in tarnation do ya think’s goin’ on there?” Applejack asked.

“I have no idea,” Twilight said, “but I’ll try to find out.”

Twilight galloped over to Luna. “Princess, what’s wrong?”

Luna took a moment to catch her breath. “Ni- Nightmare Moon- she hath returned to Equestria!”

“What?” Twilight said, “that’s not even possible! Calm down, Princess Luna. You probably just saw something in the… forest.”

Twilight looked up just in time to see a dark shadow eclipse her. It was cast by a strange, winged figure above the town- a figure which looked all too familiar. Twilight looked to Luna, then back to the figure.

“Luna,” she said, “this isn’t possible!”

“But it is,” Luna said. “When we were near the statue of Nightmare Moon… we do not remember entirely what happened, but the part of Nightmare Moon we have kept locked in the back of our mind for so long escaped. Now Nightmare Moon has returned. We are sorry.”

Twilight looked back up into the sky just in time to see “Nightmare Moon” swoop down upon a small group of ponies, causing them to scatter in every direction.

“No time ta talk, princess!” Applejack said, pushing Luna back towards Twilight’s house, “we need ta get ya inside!”

Above, Nimbus saw Applejack and Twilight dragging Nightmare Moon towards Twilight’s house. He grinned at Luna, who was facing him, and she winked back. Nimbus swooped low, heading for the group.

“You can run little ponies,” he snarled, “but you can’t hide from Nightmare Moon!” Suddenly, his false horn began to glow. He saw Luna focusing on it and knew exactly what was about to happen next. It seemed Luna had decided to earn her place in the special effects department. As Nimbus approached, bolts of magic began to fire from his horn, impacting the ground around Twilight and Applejack. They began to move faster, and barely managed to shove Luna through the door and slam it closed before Nimbus was upon them, swooping up into the night sky to terrorize someone else.

His next target was easy. He spotted the little black stormcloud hovering over the door to Applejack’s barn, turned into a haunted house by Mecha, bearing its rainbow-maned passenger. Nimbus laughed to himself. This was going to be much too simple.

He was out of Luna’s sight, and therefore unable to provide any magical visual effects, but his performance was terrifying enough. Just as Dash was about to surprise a couple walking out of the barn, Nimbus let out a fearsome half-screech, half-whinny. Rainbow Dash looked up in surprise and promptly fell off her cloud and into a haystack as Nimbus swooped overhead. By the time he circled around, Rainbow Dash’s couple was long gone. Nimbus alighted on the ground by the exit to the haunted house and waited. As soon as the next ponies came out, he hissed flew right up next to them, frightening them away.

“Mecha’s really pulled out the stops this year!” he heard one say as they ran away in terror. This gave Nimbus an idea. Mecha was bound to be in the vicinity, and Nimbus still hadn’t paid the pony back for tying him to his own kitchen table. He swooped over to the Apple family’s house and looked in the kitchen window. Sure enough, Mecha was sitting at the table, enjoying a mug of hot cider with Big Macintosh.

Nimbus let out an ear-piercing screech and had to stifle a laugh as Mecha, caught by surprise, sprayed Big Mac in the face with cider. He’d done it now! What happened next, however, caught Nimbus off guard. He saw Mecha stand up and before he could react, the black pony jumped through the kitchen window and straight at him. Nimbus tried taking off, but Mecha grabbed on, holding on to Nimbus’s armor with a vice-like grip.

“I don’t know what you are!” Mecha said through clenched teeth as Nimbus soared above Sweet Apple Acres, “but I’m taking you down!”

Nimbus felt something impact the armor on his back, and immediately offered a thought of thanks to Rarity when he discovered what had happened. Mecha, it seemed, had brought out his sword leg and had struck him in the back. Realizing that his disguise had apparently worked a little too well, Nimbus decided it was time for drastic actions.

“I’m sorry you can’t stay and chat,” he said in Nightmare Moon’s voice, “but it seems I have to… ‘drop you off’ somewhere.” Nimbus rolled upside down, dangling Mecha out over the trees below.

“Farewell, Mecha!” Nimbus cackled, pulling up sharply and twisting Mecha off. He watched the black pony fall into a large, leafy apple tree.

“And that settles it. Problem solved!” He looked at the tree, which appeared to be thrashing around now.

“Well, at least he got a nice landing.”

…

When Nimbus returned to the center of Ponyville, things were in an uproar. Doors were barricaded, ponies were running around screaming, carts were overturned, and chaos was spreading everywhere. Nimbus took a look around at the scene in front of him and sighed. Perhaps it was time to be done for the night. Slowly, he descended into the town square, and ducked as a blast of magenta magic flew over his head. Nimbus found the source immediately. Twilight was standing in the middle of the square with Applejack, and neither of the two looked happy.

Nimbus couldn’t resist one last jibe. “You foals honestly believed you’d defeated me the last time we met, didn’t you?”

“We did defeat ya,” Applejack said, “and ya can be darn sure we’ll do it again!”

Nimbus laughed. “Somehow I doubt you’d have the will to do it if you knew the truth.”

“What truth?” Twilight said.

“Why, my identity, of course,” Nimbus said, taking off his helmet and rubbing away the body paint on his face. Twilight gasped.

“Nimbus? What in-?”

Twilight was speechless. Applejack was as well, but slowly began to laugh. She couldn’t stop herself, and it wasn’t long before she was rolling around on the ground, guffawing louder than a dragon.

“Sweet Apple Pie!” Applejack snorted, “we’ve just been the butt of the biggest prank Ponyville’s ever seen!”

“Really?” Nimbus asked, still in Nightmare Moon’s voice.

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing out of nowhere, “it was a doozy! I mean, the Pinkie sense kind of knew it all along, but I just wanted to go along with what everypony else was doing!”

“By the way,” Twilight asked, “how did you change your voice?”

Nimbus smirked. “Zecora can work wonders. It should be wearing off any moment now, though. It was only supposed to last three hours.” He glanced around.

“Hey, where’s Fluttershy?”

A piercing scream split through the air and Nimbus turned towards the source. Fluttershy was running up the street, obviously in great distress.

“Fluttershy,” Applejack said, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, “what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s terrible! The trees! The trees! There's a monster in the trees!”

“Calm down now,” Twilight said in vain. Fluttershy was hysterical. Finally, Nimbus decided to intervene.

“Be still, Fluttershy!” he commanded in the royal Canterlot voice. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she instantly sat down.

“Um, Twilight? Why is Nimbus talking like that?”

“It’s a long story,” Twilight said, “I’ll tell you later. Right now we need you to tell us what’s going on!”

“Well,” Fluttershy began, “I was over near Sweet Apple Acres when I saw one of the apple trees start to move! I thought it was just the wind, but then something in the tree started growling, and I saw red eyes!”

“Red eyes?” Nimbus said. “Wait a sec- Mecha has red eyes…”

Applejack went ballistic. “Mecha?! You said Mecha’s in one of my apple trees?! Oh sweet Celestia, we need to act fast. Mecha hates trees!”

“Why?” Nimbus asked.

“I’m sure he’ll explain it to ya later,” Applejack said as she took off running, “right now we’ve gotta stop him!”

…

As they arrived in Sweet Apple Acres, Nimbus heard the town clock chime, signaling the end of his three hours with Nightmare Moon’s voice. He sighed in relief. Finally he could be completely back to normal.

“The tree’s over there,” Fluttershy said, shakily pointing into the grove of apple trees. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Nimbus galloped over to the spot Fluttershy had indicated, and were instantly confronted with a… bizarre image. Mecha was standing next to a pile of sawdust bigger than he was. The black pony was panting, and had his sword leg extended. Applejack simply stared in shock. Her mouth hung wide open as she gazed at the devastation in front of her.

“M- m- mah tree,” she whispered. “Mah little Frederickson… he’s gone.”

She turned to Mecha and glared at him.

“What’d ya do that for?!” she asked, pointing at the pile of sawdust.

“Nightmare Moon dropped me in a tree,” Mecha replied, obviously still a bit tipsy from his cider with Big Mac. This response only elicited a more ferocious glare from Applejack, but this one was directed at Nimbus.

“You dropped him into mah apple orchard? What in tarnation made ya think that’d be a good idea?”

Nimbus shrugged.

“Well, you’ll pay for what ya did tonight,” Applejack said.

“Now really,” Nimbus said, expecting to speak in his normal voice, “that’s not necessary.”

His eyes went wide when he heard himself speak. He still sounded like Nightmare Moon!

“He’s right,” Twilight said, “it seems like Nimbus already has paid- with his voice!”

Nimbus growled. “I don’t understand it! The potion was supposed to last for three hours! Why hasn’t it worn off yet?”

“Because you did not heed my advice, for the rest of tonight you will pay the price…”

Nimbus turned as Zecora walked out of the trees behind them. “Zecora, I thought your advice was to take it when I was ready. That was it!”

Zecora sighed. “Then you must not have read my note- the one attached that Zecora wrote. Take only half to avoid the trouble, of taking more which will make your time double.”

“So I’m stuck with this voice for another three hours?!” Nimbus asked. Zecora nodded. “This is ridiculous!”

He hung his head, but began to laugh. “Well, I guess I deserved it. I should’ve read that note, and I certainly can’t expect to prank ponies on Nightmare Night without getting pranked back.”

“That’s right,” Applejack said, “now what say we all sit down for some cider?”

“More cider?” Mecha asked, “count me in!”

“I’ll bet Luna would love to-“ Twilight began, then stopped. “Oh my gosh, where’s Luna?”

Nimbus nodded towards Applejack’s barn, where a dark figure was hovering above a haystack, magically pulling a blue Pegasus free. Nimbus smiled sheepishly.

“That may or may not be my fault,” he said.

The rest of the ponies laughed at his words, then walked over to the Apple Family house, beckoning for Luna and the now-freed Rainbow Dash to come along. Sure enough, they followed, and though Applejack’s kitchen wasn’t the most spacious of places, the ponies and princess all enjoyed mugs of sweet, hot cider.

As the ponies started on their second round , Nimbus raised his mug.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” he said.

“Toast?!” Pinkie Pie said, appearing at the window, “I love toast!”

Nimbus smiled and shook his head, motioning for Pinkie to enter, which she did, followed by Rarity and Spike, who had tagged along. The newcomers poured themselves glasses of cider and sat down.

“To Nightmare Night,” Nimbus said, “the best night of the year!”

“To Nightmare Night!” the rest of the ponies said, touching their mugs to Nimbus’s.

“Verily,” Luna said, “to Nightmare Night!”

She joined the others in the toast, smashing her mug into the rest with great aplomb, ultimately shattering every one and sending cider everywhere.

Luna took one look at the mess she’d caused and the drenched ponies seated around her.

“Have we done something wrong?” she asked nervously. There was silence for a few moments, then finally everypony began to laugh. The sound echoed through the night, touching the sky with its warmth. Perhaps, Nimbus reasoned as he shared in a good laugh with his friends, Nightmare Night was the perfect night for things to go wrong. Maybe it was the holiday’s special brand of random chance that made Nightmare Night the fun festival it was. In any case, Nimbus decided then and there that tonight was the most fun he’d had in a while.

Episode 4: Marked

Marked

When Nimbus ends up on bed rest due to the Flying Flu, all he wants is some company. Eventually, he’s visited by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with yet another scheme in mind to get their Cutie Marks. The Crusaders soon learn, however, that there’s still a pony that has yet to tell the tale of how he received his Cutie Mark…

“Okay, now open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and say ‘aah’.”

Nimbus raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t had to do this since he was a colt. As such, he instead opened his mouth and managed to rasp out an “urr.”

“Wrong,” Dr. Stable said, frowning. “I know you think this is childish, but trust me- I can’t get a good look at the back of your throat if you don’t give me an ‘aah’.”

Nimbus sighed. “Aah,” he said, grudgingly as Dr. Stable peered into his mouth.

“Hmm,” he said, “I need to see this again. Would you mind ‘aahing’ for me again?”

Nimbus decided once more couldn’t be such a bad idea, so he repeated his previous actions. This time, however, Dr. Stable slapped a massive depressor down on his tongue, nearly gagging the poor Pegasus, and looked inside Nimbus’s mouth with a small flashlight.

“Ooh,” he winced, “that can’t be enjoyable.”

“Naw, ‘aving is oung epessah in mah mouf ih noh enjoyabuh,” Nimbus said, trying to keep from choking.

Dr. Stable was not amused. “I’m not talking about the tongue depressor. You’ll just have to suck it up and take that. What I’m talking about is your throat. It’s pretty swollen back there, to say nothing about the blue spots covering it.”

Nimbus spat out the tongue depressor in surprise. “Blue spots?! Ow!”

He put his hooves to his neck trying to stifle the pain he was feeling. For the past few days, his throat had been progressively getting more sore. He’d finally made the decision to come in and see Dr. Stable about his condition, and he was starting to wonder if his visit had only made things worse.

“Yeah,” the doctor said, “those are blue spots, alright. That means there’s only one thing you could have- the Flying Flu.”

“Never heard of it,” Nimbus said, sitting back on his exam table.

“Well, it’s an airborne sickness that affects Pegasi right about this time of year,” Dr. Stable explained. “The more you fly since contracting it, the stronger it gets. If you keep flying, there’s nothing I can do. It won’t go away. There’s only one solution.”

Nimbus frowned. No flying? That simply wouldn’t do. He needed a cure.

“What’s the solution?” he asked.

“Well, you won’t be able to fly for a few days, so I’m going to recommend that you commit to bed rest-“

“Bed rest?” Nimbus was shocked. “But, but-“

“-And I also have to give you a vaccine.”

Nimbus winced. He’d never been fond of vaccines. When he was a colt, he’d been terrified of them. “Okay,” he said finally, “but how long will I have to be in bed?”

Dr. Stable quickly made a few calculations on his notepad. “I’d say about three days,” he said finally.

“Three days without flying,” Nimbus whispered to himself. “Well, what the hay- I guess if it’ll help me…”

He turned to Dr. Stable. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.

“Alright,” the doctor said, turning and walking over to a medical cabinet and pulling out a large case. Inside was a syringe and a few cartridges. Nimbus gulped. The syringe looked long enough to be a weapon.

The doctor loaded a cartridge full of green fluid into the syringe and walked back to Nimbus. He then uttered what was perhaps one of Nimbus’s least favorite phrases in the world.

“Now this may sting for a bit…”

…

Half an hour later, Nimbus opened the door to his house and stepped inside, rubbing his tender left flank gingerly. The shot had gone right into his Cutie Mark- a crossed feather and lightning bolt- and it stung like crazy. He’d been ordered to walk home instead of flying, to boost his recovery, and to top it all off, something in the vaccine had made him completely drowsy. He stumbled into his kitchen, briefly considered cooking himself some lunch, then decided against it and headed upstairs. The last thing he wanted to do was to fall asleep at the stove and catch his house on fire.

He pulled the curtains in his room closed, made his bed, and hopped in, pulling the warm, soft comforter up to his face. It wasn’t long before he was out completely.

When Nimbus woke up, his throat was burning again, and he felt chilled. Still, he reasoned, taking a rest had been a good idea.

He opened his curtains and was greeted by the setting sun. He’d been sleeping since noon, and had skipped lunch. His stomach growled, reminding him that he had to eat something. He headed for his stairs and began to walk down them, heading for his kitchen. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he caught a whiff of fresh fruit, and he could hear clattering noises coming from the kitchen.

“Hello?” he rasped, “is anypony in there?”

A black Earth Pony stuck his head out of the kitchen. Apparently Nimbus’s friend, Mecha, had stopped by for a visit.

“Hey, Nimbus,” Mecha said. “care for a smoothie?”

Nimbus smiled weakly. “That’d be great. Why are you here?”

“Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, Dash, and I heard about you being on bed rest and decided that nothing’s worse for a Pegasus than being forced to sit still for three days, so we decided to take turns cooking for you and pretty much taking care of the place.”

“Well thanks very much,” Nimbus said. He glanced towards his front door and saw a pile of envelopes.

“Are those for me?” he asked.

“Eeyup,” Mecha said. “Get well cards, I think. You can go ahead and open ‘em up, but I’d suggest you head back upstairs and stay in bed.”

“Alright,” Nimbus said, picking up the cards and heading back upstairs.

“I’ll have your smoothie in a minute!” Mecha called after him. Nimbus plopped down into bed and proceeded to read the cards. There were quite a few of them, and some noteworthy examples included a card signed by Cheerilee’s class, one studded with Black Opals from Rarity, and a card from Pinkie Pie which practically exploded in his face with confetti when he opened it. He set the cards on his dresser when he was finished and climbed back into bed just as Mecha arrived with his smoothie.

“Drink up and rest up, Featherbrain,” Mecha joked. “Applejack’s coming tomorrow morning, and I heard she’s bringing the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Oh boy,” Nimbus chuckled, “that should be fun.”

He had no idea.

…

Nimbus awoke the following morning to a bright light shining directly in his face. When his eyes had painfully adjusted, he noticed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo standing over him.

“The patient’s coming to, Dr. Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Alright,” Scootaloo said, “Applebloom, hand me the scalpel. This is more serious than we thought.”

Nimbus’s eyes went wide. Scalpel?

“Uh, Scootaloo,” he croaked, “are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Scootaloo didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed a shiny, sharp scalpel from Applebloom and proceeded to slice the top off a bag of ice.

"Towel," she demanded. Applebloom grabbed a hand towel and wiped a bead of sweat off of Scootaloo's face. Scootaloo then dumped a few chunks of the ice from the bag into a cold pack she was carrying and placed it on Nimbus’s head.

“Success!” Applebloom whooped. “Anything yet?’

All of the fillies turned to look at their flanks. They were still blank.

“Aw, darn it,” Sweetie Belle said, “nothing.”

“Come on, girls,” Applejack said, entering Nimbus’s room, “Nimbus needs his rest, and he’s not gonna get it if y’all keep pesterin’ him like this.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Applejack,” Nimbus said, “they’re not bothering me. Scootaloo should probably be a bit careful, though. My sickness is contagious to other Pegasi.”

Scootaloo instantly stepped back a few paces.

“Well, if yer sure,” said Applejack, “ah’ll get back to mah cookin’. Ah’ve got apple crisp and ice cream waitin’ fer ya.”

“Cool,” said Nimbus. “Feel free to relax.”

“Ah just might,” Applejack said, heading back downstairs.

Nimbus took a look at the fillies around him, all of whom appeared rather dejected.

“So you three were trying to earn your Cutie Marks just now?” he asked. The fillies nodded quietly, and Nimbus smiled. “Yeah, I remember when I got mine pretty well.”

Scootaloo’s eyes lit up. “Yeah? Do you think you could tell us about it? We’ve never really asked you before.”

“Well, I suppose I could,” Nimbus said, settling back. “I was about your age, and like you, I was trying everything to get my Cutie Mark, and to learn how to fly…”

…

“Ow,” the little orange Pegasus colt groaned, pulling himself up off the ground for the third time today. This time, he’d left a fairly large impression in the dirt. He looked back up at the rock he’d leaped off of.

“Celestia forsake you, rock!” he cursed. It felt good to curse. His father had taught him in secret. If his mother had known, she would undoubtedly have been furious.

“One more time,” he said, climbing to the top of the rock. He looked down at the ground. Below were three very distinct Pegasus-shaped imprints in the ground- one for each failed attempt. He’d been trying to teach himself to fly all morning. Since he’d been born, he’d never opened his wings to fly. Today, he’d made up his mind to change that.

“Okay,” he said, backing up. “Three, two, one, go!” the colt ran towards the edge of the rock and hurled himself off, trying to open his wings. A yellow female Pegasus emerged from the trees behind the rock just in time to see the pony smash into the ground.

“Nimbus!” she cried, “what are you doing?”

Nimbus got up woozily, “Hi Mom,” he said, “I’m trying to get my Cutie Mark by learning to fly!”

His mother sighed. “Not again. How many times do I have to tell you? Both your Cutie Mark and flight will come when you’re ready.”

“But I’m ready now!” Nimbus protested. “All of the other Pegasi at school can fly! And almost everyone has Cutie Marks!”

Nimbus’s mother chuckled. “I understand your frustration, Nimbus, but these things happen on their own. Nothing you can do will change that. Now come on- it’s time for lunch.”

Nimbus grudgingly followed his mother back into the trees, stealing a glance back at his jumping-rock. He’d try again later, he decided, but he couldn’t argue with food.

…

“Okay,” said Scootaloo, “that’s all well and good, but how’d you get your Cutie Mark? That’s what we really want to know.”

“I’m getting there, “ Nimbus said, “be patient. The most important thing about waiting for Cutie Marks is that you have to be patient.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Just then, Applejack trotted in carrying a plate of apple crisp with a dish of ice cream on the side.

“Oh boy!” Nimbus said, “thanks, Applejack! You’re a lifesaver!’

Applejack smiled, “anything I can do ta help. I’ll be downstairs if ya need me.”

Nimbus nodded. “Sounds good.” He turned back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Okay, now where was I?”

…

Nimbus sat down at the lunch table as his mother set a plate of hay in front of him. Before long, Nimbus’s father, a blue Pegasus, and his grandfather, a grey Pegasus, sat down as well.

“Hey, kiddo,” his father said, “how are you doing today?”

“Okay, I guess,” Nimbus frowned.

“Your mother and I were thinking of taking you for a flight today,” his father continued. “We were planning on heading into the mountains.”

“The mountains?” Nimbus said, perking up, “really?”

Nimbus, despite his ability to actually do so himself, had always loved flying. He never passed up an opportunity to go out with his parents into the sky, and the mountains were a particularly challenging place to fly. High, unpredictable winds made flying through them difficult for even the most skilled flyers. Nimbus, naturally, was anxious to see what his parents could do.

“We’ll head out after lunch,” Nimbus’s mother said, “if that’s alright with you.”

Nimbus didn’t answer. Instead, he immediately began shoveling down his lunch. He finished in seconds, and was at the front door instantly. As it turned out, he ended up waiting for a solid ten minutes before his parents finally finished their meals, and by the time they were done, Nimbus had nearly died of anticipation. He was bouncing up and down by the time they finally opened the door and headed outside.

“Ready to get on?” Nimbus’s mother asked. Nimbus immediately hopped onto her back and grabbed onto her mane. His mother was a fast flier, and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily find himself falling instead of flying.

“Here we go!” Nimbus’s father called out. An instant later, Nimbus felt as if he left his stomach behind as they took off into the sky. He strained to open his eyes as his face was buffeted by wind. This was what he lived for. His parents banked towards a mountain range not far away.

“How about some fancy flying?” Nimbus’s mother called back with a smile. Nimbus grinned and nodded back enthusiastically. His mother pulled sharply up and snapped into a roll, breaking through the cloud layer. It wasn’t long before Nimbus saw his father join them, racing above the soft, white surface of the clouds. Nimbus laughed with joy as the warmth of the sun touched his face. Up here, Equestria was a very different world. Everything was quiet. There were no obstacles, just open sky. A Pegasus could do anything here.

“Let’s take it down!” Nimbus’s father said, pulling into a sharp bank and slipping down towards the ground. Nimbus’s mother dove straight down, and Nimbus immediately felt as light as a feather.

“Yeehaw!” he yelled out as his mother leveled out at low level, slaloming between trees. Ahead was the mountain pass.

“Let’s race your dad!” Nimbus’s mother said.

“Oh yeah!” Nimbus squeaked. They raced past his father, who immediately gave chase. As they entered the mountain range, a sudden draft of air rocked the Pegasi, and Nimbus had to hold on for dear life.

“Looks like we’re going to hit some turbulence in this range,” Nimbus’s mother said, “you’d better hang on.”

Nimbus tightened his grip on his mother’s mane as she sped ahead, ignoring the occasional bumps of turbulence and flying right up next to the mountains. She and Nimbus’s father were neck and neck, racing right above the tree line. Ahead, Nimbus spotted a dark opening in one of the mountains, leading almost straight down.

“Hey, look!” he said, “a cave!”

“Let’s go through!’ said his father, angling himself to dive in. His mother followed, preparing to shoot through the entrance. Suddenly, a swarm of moving, black… things erupted upward from the mouth of the cave.

“Bats!” Nimbus’s mother cried, pulling up sharply to avoid the swarming mass. Nimbus hadn’t anticipated this sudden movement, and the unexpected appearance of the bats had surprised him enough to let go of his mother’s mane. Nimbus slipped off of her back and instantly plummeted toward the dark cave below.

“Nimbus!” his mother shrieked, feeling his weight instantly leave her. She looked down just in time to see him disappear inside the cave, falling.

“No!” she screamed as he fell. The bats had finally dissipated, and she and her husband simply hovered, staring in shock and horror at the cave beneath them. To them, that dark hole was the end. Their only son was dead, and there was nothing they could do about it.

“If only I’d- if I-“ tears began to well up in Nimbus’s mother’s eyes.

“There was nothing you could have done,” his father said quietly. “He’s in a better place, now, and who knows? Maybe wherever he’s gone, he can fly now.”

The two shared a sad smile, not knowing exactly what was going on beneath them.

Downward Nimbus plummeted, out of control and spinning wildly. He could see the walls of the cave narrowing, and knew that he’d reach the bottom soon. If he didn’t act now, he would surely die. Pegasi could take a hard landing, but he knew he couldn’t recover from something like this. There was only one option, and thus far he’d failed to achieve it: flight.

“How hard can it be?” he thought. He forced himself to open his wings, stabilizing his fall. Now he was in a sheer nosedive- controlled but still doomed. To make matters worse, he could now clearly see the cave floor rushing up to him. He tried to think of what to do, and panicked. At that point, however, an idea came to him.

“Don’t think about it. Just do it. Flight is natural to a Pegasus, and I am a Pegasus. It’s just like walking!”

He closed his eyes and twisted his wings, rolling. Upon completing the maneuver, he opened his eyes in wonder. He had completed the maneuver! He could fly! Gritting his teeth, Nimbus tucked his wings in for the dive and scanned the cave. There, to the side! He spotted a branch of the cave, leading away from the cave floor. It would be a tight turn, certainly. Tighter, in fact, than the average Pegasus could turn. Nimbus, however, didn’t let the fact distract him.

“Just be natural,” he thought. Just before hitting the ground, he flared his wings and ripped through the turn, barely avoiding contact with the ground.

“Yes!” he yelled, “I can fly! I did it!”

Up ahead was a collection of stalagmites and stalactites. Nimbus took the same approach he’d been using earlier: fly naturally. He wove through the tightly-packed obstacles as if he’d been flying his whole life, and even managed to throw in a fun roll every now and then. He was having the time of his life. When he’d finally cleared the obstacles, Nimbus soared ahead. He could see a hint of daylight.

“I can’t wait to show Mom and Dad!” he said aloud. As he popped out of the cave, he saw his parents hovering near the entrance he’d fallen through. He turned and headed straight for them.

Above the cave, Nimbus’s parents were still grieving. Finally, his father laid a hoof on his mother’s back.

“We need to go now,” he said, “Nimbus… is gone.”

“Hi Mom, hi Dad!’

Nimbus’s parents snapped their heads up at the sound of their son’s voice just as Nimbus rocketed past, pulling up sharply and flipping, turning to face them. His parents gazed in awe.

“Nimbus,” his mother cried, “I’m so glad you’re alright!” His father simply stared, openmouthed. Nimbus quickly saw the expression on his face.

“What?” he asked, “I can fly now!”

“Not just fly,” his father said, “You just pulled off a stunt that I’ve never seen a Pegasus perform. If I tried what you just did, I’d break both my wings from sheer stopping force.”

“What, this?” Nimbus said, picking up speed and performing the tight flip turnaround again.

“You did it again?”

“Yeah,” said Nimbus, “it’s just like walking!”

“Nimbus, your flank!” his mother said. Nimbus looked at his flank just in time to see a black-tipped feather appear.

“My Cutie Mark!” he said, “I’ve got it!” He looked back at his parents. “But… what does it mean? Pegasi don’t get Cutie Marks because they know how to fly.”

“That’s not it, though,” his father said, “don’t you see? That maneuver just sealed it for me. You can control yourself in the air in a way I’ve never seen done before. You don’t just fly. It’s like you feel the air, or something. I really can’t explain it. It just seems to me like you know the technique of flying well, better than anypony I’ve ever seen. There are so many Pegasi that just want to be the fastest nowadays… I think we’ve all forgotten what it’s like to take the sky and tame it. Son, you don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest, but with your understanding of the sky, I think you’ll come to do great things later on.”

“Really?!” Nimbus said, amazed, “so my Cutie Mark represents my skill with flying?”

“Not skill, necessarily. That comes with experience. I think it represents your natural talent.”

“Wow,” Nimbus said softly, “cool…”

“Now let’s head home,” his mother said, “I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one day.” She turned to Nimbus. “Want a ride?”

“Mom, are you kidding?” Nimbus said, “I’m flying with you guys all the way back!”

His mother smiled. There was nothing like seeing one’s child accomplish his goals, and the look on Nimbus’s face had made everything up to this moment in time completely worth it.

…

“And that’s how I got my Cutie Mark,” Nimbus finished. The Crusaders were all sitting around him, in awe. “The lightning bolt came later, after I was commissioned into the Equestrian Air Force.”

“That’s a pretty cool story,” Scootaloo said. “I mean, not as cool as Rainbow Dash,” she quickly corrected herself, “but, you know…”

Nimbus chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Did you three learn anything from this?”

“Well,” Applebloom said, “ah guess ya just told us what everypony else is sayin’. Ya can’t rush yer Cutie Mark.”

“And it’s a natural talent,” Sweetie Belle added, “not something you do just to get your Cutie Mark.”

“Right,” Nimbus nodded. Outside, the sun had reached its peak and was already beginning his descent. He’d finished his apple crisp earlier, and now he felt ready for lunch. As if on cue, Applejack walked in with a sandwich for him.

“Ah hope it’s soft enough fer you ta swallow,” she said.

Nimbus took it in his hoof and bit into it, relishing the taste.

“Apple jelly,” he murmured, “the best… Thanks, Applejack,” he said.

“Yer very welcome!” Applejack said. She turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Alright, gals,” she said, “it’s time ta head home. Let’s leave Nimbus ta get some rest.”

“Bye, Nimbus!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders called out. Nimbus waved back to them. He was glad to have taught them something, and recalling the story of his Cutie Mark had been fun. Applejack turned back as she headed out of the room.

“Brace yerself,” she said, “Twilight’ll be here fer dinner. Ah don’t know exactly what she’s got planned, but she just bought a new book on cookin’.”

Nimbus winced. “That could either be a good thing or a bad thing.”

Applejack laughed. “I’ll see ya soon. Hope ya get well fast!”

Nimbus smiled. “I will.”

As Applejack turned to leave, Nimbus stole a glance at his Cutie Mark. To this day, he realized, his father had been right. He’d never been the fastest Pegasus around- Rainbow Dash had proven that- but he still felt a personal connection to the sky. Thinking back, he was glad he’d fallen off of his mother into the cave. Facing a tough situation, it seemed, had finally given him the push he needed to prove himself.

Episode 5: Easy as A, B, C

Easy as A, B, C

With the arrival of a new instrument in the mail, Nimbus begins his foray into the world of music. He soon discovers, however, that learning to play a musical instrument takes a great deal of patience and dedication, and begins to realize that he won’t be able to accomplish this task alone. When Mecha hooks him up with a respected Ponyville musician for lessons, Nimbus finally learns what it takes to succeed, and that sometimes the best thing to have under pressure is a good friend at your side.

Nimbus was resting on his couch when he was awoken by a loud thump at the door.

“Wha-?’ he said groggily, then sprang up, suddenly alert. It was finally here! He raced to the front door and opened it. Standing there, holding a large package in her mouth by the strings, was Derpy Hooves, Ponyville’s resident mailmare.

“ackage or oo, mifur imbuf!” Derpy said cheerfully, through a mouthful of packing string.

“Thank you so much, Derpy!” Nimbus said, accepting the package and signing her clipboard. “Take care, now!”

Derpy took off and instantly crashed into Nimbus’s mailbox. The orange Pegasus winced. “Um, do you need-?”

Derpy didn’t hear him, however, and took off to finish her daily deliveries. Nimbus shook his head in amusement and took his package inside, heading straight for his couch. He sank down onto the couch and set the package in front of him, tearing the string and tape off with the primal excitement of some predator attacking its prey. When he’d finally removed the tape and string, he ripped open the box, exposing a large, black case inside. Nimbus rubbed his hooves together gleefully and unlatched the case, lifting the top up. Inside was a gleaming, copper and brass tenor saxophone.

“Wow,” Nimbus breathed, positively bedazzled by the instrument’s beautiful finish, “this is amazing!”

He began to assemble the instrument piece by piece, and had to admit that it was pretty complicated. Luckily, Twilight Sparkle had lent him a book on saxophones when he’d told her about his latest purchase, so as far as he knew, he was doing everything right so far. Finally, he pulled out a box of reeds. “Straight from Las Pegasus!” the box claimed. Nimbus slipped the reed under the mouthpiece and secured it. Finally, he adjusted the neck strap and slipped it over his neck, attaching the other end to the saxophone.

“Okay,” he said to himself, “now all I have to do is…”

He put his mouth around the mouthpiece and blew into the instrument as hard as he could.

As it turned out, Mecha was walking up to his front door at the time.

Blaat!

Mecha jumped as soon as he heard the terrible sound from Nimbus’s house. His initial thought was that he was under attack, and he got ready to fight. It took him a few moments before he realized what had actually happened. Nimbus had apparently received his saxophone. Giving himself a facehoof, Mecha walked up to Nimbus’s front door and knocked. Sure enough, Nimbus answered with his saxophone in-hoof.

“Hey, Mecha!” Nimbus said, “what’s up?”

“Just stopping by to see how you’re doing,” Mecha answered.

“Well, check this out!” Nimbus said, holding up his saxophone. The sun shone off its surface wonderfully. “It’s my new sax. Wanna hear it?”

Mecha tried to speak. “Um, well, perhaps I’d better-“

Blaat!

Mecha winced as the sound assaulted his ears. Nimbus finished and lowered the instrument, sighing. “I have no idea how I’m going to figure this thing out,” he confided. As he hung his head, Mecha couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“You know,” he said, “I happen to know a musician who might be able to help you…”

“Really?!” Nimbus asked, immediately perking up.

“Yeah,” Mecha said, taking his hooves off of his ears. “I’ll tell you what- why don’t you come down to Sugarcube Corner later, and I’ll introduce you. From there, you can decide if you want to go ahead with the lessons from her.”

Nimbus nodded. “That sounds reasonable. What time do you want to meet?”

“Actually,” Mecha said, “I was thinking we should meet over dinner, say around 6:00.”

“Oh, I see how it is. You trying to set up something romantic?” Nimbus teased.

Mecha laughed and shrugged. “Hey, you never know!” He turned and started heading back into town.

“See ya later, Nimbus!” he called back. Nimbus waved as his friend trotted away. Then he shut his front door and headed back inside. For the moment, he took off his neck strap and laid the saxophone down on his couch. He then sat down in his armchair and cracked open Twilight’s book on saxophones. Surely, there was something he was missing.

“Chapter 3,” he read, “starting to play the saxophone. While the saxophone may first appear easy to play, creating a sound is in fact quite challenging. The secret to an ideal tone is what musicians call an embouchure…”

“Embouchure,” he mused, “huh. That’s interesting.” He continued reading, determined to learn as much as he could before he met Mecha’s musician friend, and it wasn’t long before he fell soundly asleep.

…

Nimbus awoke with a start. The sun was setting outside, its last rays of light streaming through the window.

“Oh no!” he gasped, “what time is it? What time is it?!”

He grabbed at a nearby desktop clock and checked it. 5:50! Nimbus grabbed his house keys and saddlebag and bolted for the door, locking his house and taking off. The last thing he wanted was to be late for an appointment with a possible mentor. As soon as he left the ground, he began beating his wings as fast as possible, practically clawing for airspeed. At top speed, he banked towards Sugarcube Corner, breezing past Rainbow Dash, who was napping on her cloud.

“Hi, Dash! Bye, Dash!”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash lifted her head woozily, staring at the orange blur that passed her. “Never mind,” she mumbled, settling back down to sleep.

Nimbus spotted Sugarcube corner and dove, the wind screaming over his wings. He hurtled toward the ground, continually picking up speed…

Inside, Mecha was preparing a table with the help of Pinkie Pie. He was just setting down wineglasses when something orange impacted the ground outside at high speed. He turned just in time to see a massive cloud of dust hit the building outside of the windows.

“By Gluttony’s Deep Fat Fryer, what is that?” he asked aloud.

“They’re coming!” Pinkie squealed, grabbing Mecha in a vice-like grip. “They’re coming for me! And you! And the cupcakes!”

“Who’s coming?” Mecha asked, confused.

“I dunno,” Pinkie said, smiling cheerily, “I just wanted to say that.”

Mecha rolled his eyes and grinned. As the dust cleared, Mecha saw an orange Pegasus stagger to his feet and shake himself off.

“Actually, it seems our guest has arrived.”

…

Nimbus sneezed, exhaling a large cloud of dust as he stood up. He glanced back at the Ponyville clock tower. He’d arrived- with less than a minute to spare. Making sure he was thoroughly dusted off, he opened the door to Sugarcube Corner and stepped inside, immediately spotting Mecha at a table set for three. The black pony was grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s the joke?” Nimbus asked, sitting down.

“Nice landing, hotshot,” Mecha said, trying desperately not to laugh.

“Oh,” Nimbus said, “that. Well… I… I just was in a rush, that’s all!”

“Uh huh,” said Mecha, “sure. Well anyway, you can rest easy. My friend should be here in about a minute.”

Nimbus sighed. “Good, then I haven’t kept anypony waiting.”

“Eenope,” Mecha said. “You’re still good to go.”

Suddenly the front door opened again, and Nimbus turned as he heard the sound of hooves approaching. When he set eyes on the pony who had just entered, he was awestruck. She was bedazzlingly graceful. She had a modest, gray coat and black mane, and walked with a confident stride. Nimbus was even more surprised when she took a seat at the table with Mecha and himself.

“Nimbus,” Mecha said, “meet Octavia. She’s an old friend of mine and quite possibly the best musician in Ponyville.” He turned to Octavia. “Octavia, this is Nimbus. He’s a new friend of mine- the one who just bought the saxophone.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Octavia said, extending her hoof. Nimbus shook it.

“And you as well,” he said.

Pinkie Pie stepped out carrying a large green bottle, and approached the table.

“Hey there!” she said, setting the bottle down. “We normally don’t have this stuff out during business hours, but since it’s pretty late, I think we could make an exception.”

“Is that… Appaloosa Fire?” Mecha asked, eyeing the wine bottle.

“Sure is,” Pinkie said. “The Cakes said you guys should try it.

“Don’t mind if we do,” said Mecha, “pour it on!”

Pinkie Pie poured the dark red wine into the glasses and departed, heading into the back room to take inventory.

“So Nimbus,” Octavia said, “I understand you need some help starting with the saxophone.”

“Well,” Nimbus said, “I- yeah. Yes I do. I mean, I thought it’d be easy, like picking up a recorder or something like that. I used to play one of those when I was a colt. Turns out, though, a saxophone’s very different.”

Octavia chuckled, “yes it is. Still, I’m glad you’re taking the initiative to seek help this early. I happen to know a thing or two about a wide variety of instruments, including the saxophone. Mecha told me you’d be interested in lessons?”

“Well,” Nimbus spluttered, “I mean, if it’s not any trouble, uh, yes.”

“Splendid!” Octavia said, “why don’t we arrange to meet at my place tomorrow?”

“That would be great,” Nimbus said, “how does 10:00 in the morning sound to you?”

“Wonderful,” Octavia replied. “I’m looking forward to getting started. It sounds like you’re very committed to learning this instrument.”

“Just like I thought,” Mecha said, “you two are going to get along just fine.”

“You know, I remember the first time I played an instrument,” Octavia said, smiling. “It was in grade school, and when I went to Music class, I headed straight for the cello in the back corner of the room. Mecha, you were on mallets-“

Mecha smiled and nodded.

“-And I recall the teacher asking me if I wanted to try something a tad easier.” She smirked. “I blatantly refused. I loved that cello. I still do, in fact. I try to stop by the school as often as I can just to get a little time playing it. But I digress. Let’s eat!”

Nimbus looked up and noticed Pinkie Pie standing by the table with menus in hand. He hadn’t even noticed she was there. The ponies ordered their food and talked late into the night. When all was said and done, Nimbus felt that he’d met somepony he could truly count on. Octavia seemed to be the perfect teacher, and he couldn’t wait to begin his lessons tomorrow.

…

The following morning, Nimbus set his saxophone in its case and headed out the door, bright and early. As he still had plenty of time, he decided to walk to Octavia’s house. After all, he had directions. The kind musician had drawn him a map on a napkin during dinner.

As Nimbus stepped off his front porch, he breathed in the fresh, clean morning air. There was no sound, save for the twitterings of waking birds, and there was a cool, crisp, fall breeze blowing, which sent pleasant shivers down his spine. He positively lived for fall. There was no season he enjoyed more. He crossed his lawn, through the dew-covered grass, and headed for the road into Ponyville. When he finally reached it, Ponyville was just starting to come alive for the morning. Shops were opening, ponies were bustling to and from their duties, and above it all, Nimbus could hear the faint sound of a cello playing.

“That’s where I need to go,” he said to himself. He followed the music until he reached a relatively normal-looking house near Twilight Sparkle’s library. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door. A small peephole opened up in the door’s center.

“Who’re you?”

“I’m, uh, Nimbus,” Nimbus replied, “Octavia and I were supposed to meet today?”

“Oh yeah, that’s you.” The voice was silent for a few seconds. “Yeah, you look cool enough. Come on in!”

The door opened up and Nimbus was greeted by a white pony wearing large, circular sunglasses.

“Name’s Vinyl Scratch,” she said. “Welcome to my humble abode!”

“Is this the right place?” Nimbus asked, hesitantly, “I’m looking for Octav-“

“This is it!” Vinyl said, shoving Nimbus headlong through the door. “Make yourself at home. Octavia’s my roommate. I think she’s upstairs on the cello right now, but I’ll go get her!”

Vinyl shoved Nimbus into what was most likely the living room, walked up to the house’s staircase and yelled up it.

“Hey Octy! Someone’s here to see ya!”

The cello music ceased, and Nimbus could hear the sound off hoofsteps on the second floor and descending the stairs.

“He’s in the living room,” Vinyl said.

Octavia walked into the room Nimbus was in, carrying a black folder with a treble clef stamped on the front. “Hello, Nimbus,” she said cheerfully, “ready to begin?”

“Yeah,” he said as Octavia grabbed a black bag from the corner of the room and passed it to him. He unzipped it and began assembling a music stand, which was inside.

“So, you have a roommate?”

“Yes,” Octavia said. “Vinyl’s quite an… interesting pony, and she makes a rather strong first impression, but don’t worry- she’s really great once you get to know her. She’s a musician, too, you know- a DJ.”

“Neat,” said Nimbus. He finished setting up the stand and brought out his saxophone. Octavia marveled at the instrument.

“That’s a very fine instrument, Nimbus,” she said, “may I see it?”

Nimbus handed the horn to her and Octavia began to look it over from top to bottom, testing the keys and examining every aspect of it. “Hmm… copper finish. That’s very good for a nice, warm tone. Your keys seem to move effortlessly. This is really a beautiful piece of work. I see you chose a tenor?”

Nimbus nodded.

“Any particular reason why?”

“Well,” Nimbus said, “I heard one play recently in Ponyville. There was a pony playing it in the town square for bits. I donated a few, of course, but I couldn’t forget that sound. It was really… something.”

“Yes it is,” Octavia agreed, “I’ve often believed that the tenor is the best-sounding member of the saxophone family. Have you managed to make a sound on it yet?”

“Er, well… kind of.”

“Well,” said Octavia, “let’s hear it.”

Nimbus hesitantly raised the mouthpiece to his mouth and prepared to play. He drew in an intake of breath, and-

Blaat!

Octavia cringed, and Nimbus immediately blushed. “Sorry about that. I have a long way to go before I really know what I’m doing.”

“Well that’s fine,” said Octavia, “at least you managed to make some kind of noise. That means the reed’s vibrating. That’s what creates the sound, you know.”

“I didn’t know that,” Nimbus confessed.

“What it sounds like you need to work on is your embouchure.”

“You mean the shape of my mouth?” Nimbus asked, recalling Twilight’s book.

“Exactly!” said Octavia. “What you need to do is tuck your bottom lip under the reed, and bite down on the top of the mouthpiece with your teeth.”

“That’s kinda… weird,” Nimbus said, trying to adjust his mouth.

“It will make more sense when your mouth is on the mouthpiece. Try it.”

Nimbus put his mouth around the mouthpiece again, this time following Octavia’s instructions. She was right. It did make more sense now. Cautiously, he forced air through the instrument, and to his surprise, a wavering but clear note came out. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Did I just-?”

“Yes you did,” said Octavia with a smile. “That’s the first step. Now, let’s focus on the notes…”

…

After two weeks of dedicated practice, Nimbus was finally playing some basic melodies. After one particular lesson, he was handed a flyer by Octavia.

“You should consider this, Nimbus,” she said.

Nimbus read the flyer. “Ponyville Amateur Musician Concert. Sign up at the Mayor’s office.” He looked up. “Um, are you sure I’m ready for this?”

Octavia shrugged. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Well,” Nimbus said, “I can play scales, and I know all the notes. I have a few little ditties down now, too, but nothing that would really impress a crowd.”

“That’s the second thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Octavia said, folding up Nimbus’s music stand. “I think it’s time you chose what path of music you want to follow.”

Nimbus thought about her statement. There were so many different types of music out there, but one stood out among the rest. When he’d met the pony in the square playing the saxophone, the pony had been playing jazz, and Nimbus had instantly become intrigued by the music’s flowing, carefree style. He knew exactly what he wanted to study.

“Jazz,” he said, finally.

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Jazz? That’s a pretty challenging field. You’ll need much more practice before you can perform in front of an audience.”

“Well, jazz is what I’d like to do,” Nimbus replied, “and if it means I’ll have to practice more, then I’m ready.”

“Nimbus,” Octavia said, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “that is exactly what I wanted to hear.” She trotted over to a bookshelf and pulled out a blue book, flipping through it. “Here we go,” she said, stopping on a page. “I’d like you to give this chart a try, if you don’t mind staying a bit late.”

“Chart?” Nimbus said, “I thought these were songs.”

“Well, if you’re going to enter the jazz world, you’ll have to speak the jazz language. A ‘chart’ is just another way of saying ‘song.’ Now if you’d like to get started…” she flipped the book over and placed it in front of Nimbus. The song was called “Trottin’ in Blue,” and Nimbus’s eyes were all over the paper, picking out notes and key changes everywhere. The entire paper just looked like a jumbled mess.

“Well, Octavia,” he said, “I think I might have just changed my mind.”

“Oh, come on now, Nimbus,” Octavia said, stepping to Nimbus’s side, “your first choice is always your true choice. You can’t give up on what you want the most. This just looks confusing because you haven’t done anything like it before. Just take it one note at a time.”

“Okay,” said Nimbus, raising the saxophone to his mouth, “I’ll try.”

Nimbus began to play through the chart note-by-note. He hit every one accurately, but his progression to each note was choppy, and awkward- nothing like the finesse he’d witnessed that day in the town square. When he was finally done, he hung his head.

“I… am not a jazz musician,” he said.

“Hey,” said Octavia, “you did great for a first time. Now jazz isn’t my area of utmost expertise, but I know a thing or two about it. You have the determination it takes to figure this out. I can see it. You just have to… sort of feel the music. Don’t think. Just let your hooves do the playing for you.”

After three more tries, Nimbus finally had the tune down.

“Great,” said Octavia. “See? I knew you could do it. But now, it’s time for the next step. Jazz is almost never played alone. You need an accompaniment.”

She trotted over to the stairs and called out. “Vinyl Scratch, would you please come down with your keyboard for a moment?”

Nimbus heard a tremendous crash, followed by some muffled swearing as Octavia’s roommate made her way downstairs.

“What’s up?” Vinyl asked.

“We need someone on keyboard as accompaniment,” Octavia replied.

“Oh, you mean for this cool cat?” Vinyl said, pointing at Nimbus. “Sure, I’d love to lay down some rhythm.”

Nimbus gulped. He didn’t consider himself to be a “cool cat.” At least, not yet. Vinyl took a look at the chart, then sunk down on her couch with her keyboard.

“You know,” she said to Nimbus, “I started my career on this thing. I still love it. I always figured that a DJ needs some experience on an instrument, so I picked up the keyboard.” She stretched and cracked her hooves like an expert. “Ready when you are,” she said, turning to Nimbus.

Nimbus nodded once and Vinyl Scratch started the countdown.

“A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!”

Vinyl Scratch immediately went to town on the keyboard, pouring out a relaxed chord progression. Nimbus, on the other hand, struggled at first to keep up. However, after the first few measures, he began to get into the rhythm, and his notes came much smoother. Soon, he was playing along with the Vinyl seemingly without effort.

“There you go, Nimbus!” Octavia said. “That’s the spirit. Now improvise!”

Nimbus’s sax squawked. “Improvise? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Vinyl stopped her playing. “Improv is, like, when you do your own thing. I lay down a rhythm for you, and you stick to the chord progressions and make your own melodies up.”

“Oh no,” said Nimbus, “I can’t do that. Not today, anyway.”

“Do you have to leave?” Octavia asked.

“Yeah,” said Nimbus, “I just realized that I left some… uh… bananas in the oven. Gotta go! Thanks for today’s lesson!”

Nimbus was out the door before either of the two mares could get another word out.

“He seemed a bit... off just now,” Octavia said.

“Yeah,” Vinyl agreed, “I mean who puts bananas in the oven?!”

“No, no, no,” Octavia said. “That was probably just a slip of the tongue. It seems to me like perhaps he’s experiencing an attack of low confidence.”

“Ooooh,” said Vinyl, “I get it.”

“Which means we’ll have to get him to come out of his shell. Vinyl, are you busy this week?”

“No,” Vinyl said, “do you need me?”

“Yes,” Octavia said, “between the two of us, we’ll have Nimbus doing improvisation by the end of the week.”

…

Nimbus bolted inside his house and shut the front door, panting. He dropped his saxophone case onto the floor and immediately collapsed onto his couch. Learning jazz had been fun, but improv?

“Can’t do it,” he said, “that’s that. Improvisation is just way too hard.”

He got up and walked into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of apple juice. As he finished his juice, he found himself staring at his reflection in his kitchen mirror.

“Hey there, old buddy,” he said to his reflection, “what do you think about this whole situation?”

Nimbus briefly wondered if talking to oneself in a mirror constituted being crazy before he answered himself.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you. You just walked out on Octavia’s lesson without even trying to improvise.”

“I couldn’t help it! There’s no way I’d be able to improvise right! I’d just make a fool of myself.”

“That may be, but it’s the mistakes we make that make us stronger. Isn’t that what they said back at the EAF

Academy?”

“Well, yeah, but-“

“No ‘buts’! You are going to go sign up for that Amateur Musician Concert tomorrow and you are going to learn as much as you can from Octavia. She won’t care if you mess up. All she wants to do is help you.”

“Okay,” Nimbus sighed, “I’ll see what I can do…”

And with that, he crawled upstairs and into bed, falling soundly asleep.

…

The next morning, Nimbus was at Octavia’s door with the concert flyer. He knocked twice, and Octavia answered almost immediately.

“Hello, Nimbus,” she said, “I see you’ve-“

“Octavia,” Nimbus said, clearing his throat and drawing in a breath, “I want to apologize for yesterday. I gave up on you and Vinyl before you two even got the chance to teach me. I’ve thought about what I did for a long time, and…”

Octavia waited with baited breath for Nimbus’s answer.

“I’ve decided that I’m ready. I’m not going to run away again. I’ll give whatever you want to teach me a try.”

“Excellent,” Octavia said. She then noticed the flyer Nimbus was carrying. “I think, however, that we need to start today’s lesson a bit… differently. Come on.”

Nimbus turned to follow Octavia as she walked out of the house and out into the street. “Where are we headed?” he asked.

“Well, it seems like you’ve decided to sign up for the Amateur Musicians concert, am I correct? Or do you just like carrying flyers around?”

“Oh, right,” Nimbus said, grinning as he followed the gray Earth Pony downtown to the Mayor’s office.

“You know,” Octavia said as they walked, “I knew you’d come back today.”

“Oh?” Nimbus said, “how could you have known?”

“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve ever noticed about musicians, it’s that they hate leaving something unfinished. I think that’s why you came back. You’re a musician, now. There’s no changing that. I know what you’re feeling right now, and it’s a lot like what I felt when I started my career as a musician. It’s stage fright, and it affects everypony. It’s your job as a musician to conquer that fear, and beat it back into submission. You have only one duty on stage- to entertain others. As soon as you realize that, I guarantee your fear will be gone.”

“Wow,” Nimbus said as they approached the Mayor’s office, “really?”

“Absolutely,” Octavia said, pushing open the Mayor’s door. “Ms. Mayor?”

The tan mare peered out from behind a stack of papers almost as tall as the ceiling. “Octavia!” she said, “such a nice surprise.” She turned to Nimbus. “And you are… wait, don’t tell me. It’s right on the tip of my tongue… Nimbus, correct?”

“That’s right,” Nimbus said.

“Well, welcome to Ponyville, Nimbus. Is there anything I can help you two with?”

“Yes,” Nimbus said, stepping forward, “I’d like to sign up for the Amateur Musician concert.”

“…Oh,” the Mayor said, hesitantly. “Okay, then. I just feel you should know, though, that you will probably the only adult there.”

“What do you mean?” Nimbus asked.

“Well, pretty much all of our other entries are under the age of ten.”

“Does it matter?” Octavia asked. “There’s no rule stating that a pony can’t learn to play an instrument whenever he wants to.”

“I understand,” the Mayor said, “I just wanted to make it clear that it might be a bit uncomfortable for Nimbus.”

Nimbus shook his head. “I’ll do it.”

“Very well, then,” the Mayor said, pushing a clipboard towards Nimbus, “sign your name and write down what instrument you play. I would also like you to mail me your song of choice, and the sheet music for it later.”

Nimbus nodded, scrawling his signature in the space reserved for it.

“You have a nice day, now!” the Mayor called out as the two turned to leave.

“Thank you,” Octavia said, “you too!”

They headed back to Octavia’s house, and all the way, Nimbus was pondering over how he could learn to improvise. He was still pondering when he walked inside Octavia’s house, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the practice room.

“Whoa,” he breathed. The room had been changed completely. A piano was sitting in one corner, and two microphones were set up where Nimbus usually stood. Behind one of the microphones was a giant upright bass.

“You like it?” Octavia asked,” Vinyl and I are going to be your accompaniment. I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve played the bass, but I’ll pick it up quickly.” She stepped over to the bass just as Vinyl Scratch came down the stairs.

“Hey, Nimbus!” she said, “we thought you’d be back. Ready to jam?”

“I guess,” Nimbus said, assembling his sax and heading over to his microphone. Vinyl Scratch took a seat at the piano and played a few scales to warm up.

“Ready when you are,” she said to Nimbus and Octavia. The two nodded.

“Okay,” Vinyl said, “a-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!”

The music flowed from Nimbus’s instrument with much less effort this time. As he played through “Trottin’ in Blue,” he began to relax and enjoy the moment. Almost instantly, he noticed that he was playing better than before.

“That’s it, Nimbus,” Octavia said, “just relax.”

“Okay!” Vinyl called out over the piano, “here comes the improv!”

Nimbus winced.

“Just stick to the chords and you’ll be alright,” Octavia reassured him. She and Vinyl then dropped to a background rhythm.

“Take it away, Nimbus!” Vinyl said. Nimbus closed his eyes and began to play, sticking to the chords. He was amazed at how fun this was. Nimbus wove intricate melodies with the chords, and let the rhythm flow over the room.

“There you go, Nimbus!” Octavia said, “now open your eyes!”

Nimbus opened his eyes, and almost immediately caused his saxophone to squeak. It felt different to realize that he was being watched.

“Just concentrate and relax,” Octavia said, “beat that stage fright.”

Heeding her advice, Nimbus went back into his routine hesitantly, but with growing confidence. Before long, he was playing just as he had been earlier. The sound of cascading scales and swirling phrases filled the room. Finally, Octavia signaled for the end of the improvisation session, and Nimbus joined her and Vinyl in finishing the song.

“That was… really fun!” he said when they finished.

“Toldja,” Vinyl said, hopping up from the piano. “Jazz rocks!”

“You did wonderfully,” Octavia added. “I’m very impressed.” She trotted over to her shelf of music books and took down the blue book of jazz charts.

“I think it’s time you picked a song for the concert,” she said, “so we can get some practice.”

“We?” Nimbus said, confused.

“That’s right,” Vinyl said, “Octavia and I are accompanying you onstage. That is, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Nimbus said, flipping through the book, “but why?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Well, I’m sure there’s some kind of self-confidence booster thing in there, but I really just want to play some jazz. I think Octy’s the same. It’s kind of fun to get off of our usual schedule.”

“I guess so,” Nimbus said, stopping on a song.

“How about this one?” he asked Octavia, pointing to the chart. Octavia took one look and froze.

“You want to try that? That’s' Mr. EQ', by John Colttrane. It’s pretty tough.”

“Looks fun to me,” said Nimbus, “I’m willing to try it.”

“Fair enough,” Octavia said, “then let’s get started.”

…

A week passed, over which Nimbus spent hours at Octavia’s house, preparing. “Mr. EQ” was difficult. Vinyl Scratch gave Nimbus a demonstration of the background, and the tempo turned out to be extremely fast. Nevertheless, Nimbus swore he would figure the song out. What followed was a long period of trial and error. Nimbus had his share of ups and downs, but Octavia was there to support him every time he stumbled. Finally, it was the day of the concert. Nimbus arrived at Octavia’s house in a black blazer and maroon tie, supplied by Rarity. He’d even shined his horseshoes up for the big night. When he knocked, Octavia answered the door. She was wearing a bowtie, and had combed her mane to perfection.

“You look sharp, Nimbus,” she commented.

“Thanks,” Nimbus said, “you don’t look so bad yourself… for a teacher.”

Octavia hit Nimbus with a pillow from behind the door. “Okay!” Nimbus yelled, laughing, “I give up! I take it back!”

“You’d better,” Octavia joked, dragging Nimbus inside. “Come on, Vinyl’s almost ready.”

She led Nimbus into the kitchen, where Nimbus instantly caught a whiff of a delicious scent.

“Wow,” he said, “something smells incredible!”

“Oh yes,” Octavia said, “I’ve been baking a cherry pie, to eat after the concert. Consider it your reward.”

“That’s a pretty good incentive,” Nimbus said, licking his lips.

“Wassup?!”

Nimbus turned and saw Vinyl Scratch enter the kitchen. His jaw dropped when he saw her outfit. Vinyl had her traditional sunglasses on, but was dressed in a matching black overcoat and fedora.

“I’m living the jazz style!” Vinyl exclaimed, twirling around.

“Alright, Vinyl,” said Octavia, chuckling, “we need to get going. We don’t want our student to miss his very first performance, after all!”

“That’s cool with me,” Vinyl scratch said, sidling out the kitchen and the front door, with Nimbus and Octavia close behind, “follow me, and let’s slide on down and see what’s cookin’.”

Nimbus and Octavia shared a glance and rolled their eyes, laughing. Ahead, there was a large crowd gathered in front of Ponyville’s auditorium- the location for tonight’s performance. Octavia quickly spotted the back door, where the musicians were entering.

“Come on,” she said, “let’s get inside and tune up.”

Inside, the building was no quieter than on the outside. Little colts and fillies were running around everywhere, preparing for their debut performances. Some looked at Nimbus questioningly. The Pegasus just smiled back sheepishly. After setting up his saxophone, Nimbus went to the stage curtain and peered out.

A large crowd had already gathered, and even more ponies were pouring through the doors by the second. Nimbus scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. He quickly spotted Mecha, and then caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Rarity. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and the entire Apple family were returning with refreshments from the lobby. Nimbus closed the curtain tighter as the lights went down and the Mayor appeared on stage.

“Citizens of Ponyville,” the Mayor began, launching into her speech, “tonight we are…”

“Excuse me,” a voice said behind Nimbus. In the dark, Nimbus couldn’t make out who it was, but he stepped aside to make way for the newcomer. When the pony had passed, Nimbus went back to his vantage point.

“… and it gives me great pleasure to announce our distinguished visitor tonight- Princess Celestia!”

Nimbus squinted as the stage lights turned on Princess Celestia herself, walking on stage. He almost fainted. The owner of the voice that had spoken to him was Celestia! As the bright lights shone off of her gleaming coat, Celestia began to talk.

“Citizens and fellow Ponies, tonight we are going to recognize the talent and dedication of Ponyville’s newest musicians. You will all be treated to a wide variety of music, played by Ponies who have worked hard to be where they are today. These are your newest musicians- Ponyville’s shining stars. Please join me in welcoming our first musician tonight, Ms. Butternote.”

The crowd applauded as a small, golden Earth Pony filly wheeled a piano on stage. Celestia bent down to her and whispered a few words of encouragement, then left the stage. At the same time, the filly began to play Neightoven’s 5th symphony, and very well, Nimbus noted.

Suddenly, Nimbus collapsed and sat down, shaking. Not only was he seriously outclassed by the other musicians, it seemed, but Celestia was here! Of all of the ponies to show up, it just had to be her! Nimbus raced over to Octavia, who was setting up her bass.

“Octavia!” he said, “you’ve got to help me! I’m doomed!”

“Huh?” she said, “what is it?”

“The show can’t go on- not for me at least.”

“What do you mean?” Octavia asked, getting a bit miffed, “you signed the paperwork saying you wanted to do this. Am I just supposed to assume all of those lessons were for nothing?”

“I know,” Nimbus said, “and I’m sorry. But Celestia’s out there, and I just saw a little filly less than half my age playing Neightoven’s 5th flawlessly. I can’t top that!”

“Nimbus, you don’t have to top that! Just do what you came here to do.”

“I can’t do what I came here to do. Right now, all it looks like I came here for is to make a fool of myself.”

“Stop it,” Octavia said, glaring, “that’s the fear talking again. Don’t forget what I said. If you want to perform out there, you can’t let that fear control you.”

“I’m sorry,” Nimbus mumbled, disassembling his sax, “but I just can’t do this. I apologize for wasting your time.”

Octavia looked at her pupil silently for a moment, then sat down next to him. As Nimbus was about to place his saxophone in his case, she stopped him gently with a hoof.

“Just hear me out one last time, then- as a friend.”

Nimbus looked up. “Okay,” he whispered.

“I didn’t initially agree to teach you. The thing is- I’ve taught my share of quitters over the course of my life, so when Mecha came and said you wanted lessons, I was hesitant. I didn’t want to go through the same thing I’ve been through before. Not long ago, I taught somepony a lot like you. He wanted to play the French Horn, and I was more than happy to give him lessons. Three days in, he quit and never came back. I didn’t want to see that happen again, so I refused. Mecha still pressed me, though. He told me you weren’t a quitter. In fact, he had nothing but good things to say about you. I eventually agreed, and you know what I found out? Mecha was right. You aren’t a quitter. The way you are right now- it’s not you. And I know that deep down, you feel exactly the same way I do about this. Some small part of you doesn’t want to pack up that saxophone and walk out the door, and I think that’s the part you need to listen to.”

Octavia paused briefly, then removed her hoof from Nimbus’s saxophone case, allowing him room to put it in. Nimbus looked at the instrument in his hand, then at the case, and finally at Octavia. Finally, his hoof moved, but not to put away his instrument. Instead, he began reassembling it.

“You know what, Octavia?” Nimbus asked, “you’re right. I told myself last time this happened that I wouldn’t let my fear get the best of me, but I did anyway. Whatever just came over me, you can rest assured, won’t happen again. Let’s get out there and play some jazz!”

Octavia smiled. It was a faint smile, but in it Nimbus could read pride and happiness. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Nimbus. You’ve become my ideal student after all.”

Just then, Vinyl Scratch walked in, rolling the piano. “Hey,” she said, “What’re you two doing sitting over there on the floor?! We’re the last act, and we’re going on now!”

“Oh, right!” Nimbus said, hastily putting his saxophone back together. Octavia leaped to her hooves and headed to the other side of the stage, presumably to get her bass.

“You psyched for this, Nimbus?” Vinyl asked.

“I am now,” Nimbus said, “thanks to a little help from a friend.” He trotted over to the curtain again. Two colts- one with a tuba and the other with a trumpet- were leaving the stage. The Mayor trotted onstage after them.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, I would like to thank you all for coming this evening.”

Applause roared throughout the theater. When it had sufficiently died down, the Mayor continued.

“Now before we wrap things up, we have one more performance tonight- one that I think you all will enjoy. But don’t take my word for it- listen to what one of the performers has to say!”

A spotlight shone onto the opposite side of the stage, framing none other than Octavia herself. The gray mare took center stage with her bass.

“A few weeks ago, a friend asked me if I would teach his friend how to play the saxophone,” she said. Cheering erupted from Nimbus’s friends. “When he told me about how badly he wanted to learn, I said ‘okay.’ After all, what could be the harm in trying? Turns out, even though he’s been practicing for less than a month, he’s well and truly figured out how to play the sax. When he entered this competition, it was hard to get over the fact that he’s the oldest artist here. I mean, he’s employed for goodness sake!” Laughter erupted from the audience. “But I think he represents what this night stands for very well. He’s a newcomer to the world of music, and certainly an older one at that, but that’s what this concert is all about. He’s shown heart and dedication to his studies, and now tonight he has a real treat for all of you- a little tune by John Colttrane entitled “Mr. EQ.” Fillies and Gentlecolts, I give you… Nimbus!”

The cheers crashed down on Nimbus like a tidal wave as he trotted onstage, taking position behind a microphone. Behind him, Vinyl Scratch wheeled her piano into place and took a seat. Nimbus raised his instrument to his mouth, and the crowd fell silent. He looked back to Vinyl Scratch. The white pony nodded her head four times in rhythm, and on the fourth, the group launched into song. Nimbus was on the verge of tensing up, but recalled his early jazz lessons. Slowly, he relaxed and let the music flow. When the song came to the improvisation section, he mesmerized the crowd with a five minute long solo. One could almost feel the music in the air itself, so smooth was his rhythm. As he rounded out his solo section, the crowd began to cheer again, and when the song was finally over, Nimbus felt he’d never experienced so much applause in his life. He nodded to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, and they stepped up on either side of him. Together, the three of them bowed, and as Nimbus walked offstage, he could swear he saw Celestia, Princess of just about everything, it seemed, wink at him. It truly had been a good night.

…

“Hey, Nimbus!” Twilight Sparkle called out as Nimbus exited the back door of the auditorium, “you were great out there!”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said, blushing.

“Shucks, I cain’t say ah’ve ever seen a pony play the sax like that!” Applejack agreed. “Come ta think of it,” she added, scratching her head, “Ah don’t think ah’ve ever seen anypony play the sax before either. Congrats on being the first I’ve seen!”

Nimbus chuckled. “Oh, please. It wasn’t really that-“

“What are you talking about?” Octavia said, patting Nimbus on the back from behind, “you were wonderful out there!”

“Yeah?” Nimbus asked, “you mean it?’

“Of course,” said Octavia. “I’d say you’re ready to strike out on your own in the music world, but-“

“But?”

“But if you’re willing, I would be happy to take you further into your studies.”

“You mean… I’d get to learn how to play like a professional?”

“Correction,” Octavia said, “you’d learn to play as a professional.”

“Wow!” Nimbus whooped, soaring into the air, flipping, and coming back down, “this is great! Thank you so much, Octavia!”

“Tomorrow, then?” Octavia said, heading back towards her house, “at the usual time?”

“Tomorrow,” Nimbus said. “I’ll be there.”

“And don’t forget,” Octavia called back, “there’s a pie in my kitchen with your name on it. That is, if Vinyl doesn’t eat it all first.”

“Okay,” Nimbus said, “I’ll be right there.”

Nimbus was about to follow Octavia when he heard his name called from behind.

“Nimbus, wait.”

Nimbus froze. He knew that voice all too well. He turned around and came face-to-face with none other than Princess Celestia.

“Your Highness!” Nimbus said, “I wasn’t expecting- I mean I was just- uh…”

“Nimbus,” the Princess said, “I was backstage after the show, thanking all of the ponies who performed, but somepony wasn’t there.”

Nimbus gulped as his life flashed before his eyes.

“So I made it my goal to speak with you before you left.”

“You- you did?” Nimbus asked, shaking like a leaf. Celestia nodded.

“Twilight Sparkle and her friends have been writing me letters detailing what they’ve learned on the subject of friendship, and it’s come to my attention that you might have learned a lesson tonight as well.”

Nimbus thought about this for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I have.”

“Would you mind sharing it?”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, “while I was receiving lessons from Octavia, I learned two things. The first was that you can’t give up on yourself. No matter how hard something might seem, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, which leads me to my second point. There is no better way to get through a challenge than getting through it with a friend beside you. Octavia was there for me every step of the way, and no matter what I said, she stuck by me and urged me to continue. I wouldn’t be here tonight if it wasn’t for her friendship, and that’s the truth.”

Celestia smiled. “Then it seems you’ve learned a very valuable lesson, Nimbus.”

She turned to go, but turned back to Nimbus one more time. “Oh, and one more thing- can you write what you just told me down as a letter? It would help greatly if we kept that tradition alive.”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, “I’ll get right on it.”

As he turned and headed for Octavia’s house, Nimbus glanced down at his saxophone case. Learning how to play the sax, and especially jazz, had been a challenge without a doubt, but through it all, he’d gained a new friend and a new skill. All in all, he thought, picking up the saxophone had been one of the best decisions of his life, and meeting Octavia had only made it better.

Nimbus’s stomach growled.

“But now,” he said aloud, “it’s time to head for Octavia’s house. I can’t wait to try that pie!”

Episode 6: The Trouble with Doubles

The Trouble with Doubles

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash still harbor feelings for Nimbus, and they hatch an elaborate plan to bring him in once and for all. However, when a double date is set up with Mecha’s assistance, they quickly realize that things rarely go as well in real life as they appear on paper. Nimbus, meanwhile, has to make a decision to keep his friends away from each others’ throats...

Note: This story was co-written by Itchy. We decided the best way to give co-authoring a try was to use it on one of my one shots. Here’s our first attempt!

Rain poured down in sheets upon the dimly-lit alley, and thunder rolled in the distance. A pony, covered from head to tail in a dark cloak, entered the alley cautiously, glancing back to ensure she hadn’t been followed. Slowly, she crept farther into the darkness. Ahead of her, another hooded pony was standing, drenched by the downpour.

“So,” the pony who had just entered said, “I see you’ve come after all.”

“Right,” the other said, “remind me why we’re dressed up like this?”

“Well it’s kind of obvious. This is supposed to be a secret meeting. Do you want somepony else to know what we’re going to do?”

“Why would it matter? The only one who really doesn’t need to know is Nimbus. And this cloak is really uncomfortable, especially when it’s wet. I’m gonna take it off.”

The pony who had been waiting in the alley whipped off her cloak, revealing herself to be none other than Twilight Sparkle.

“Come on, Rainbow Dash,” she said, “Nopony’s going to see us. It’s crazy enough to be out on a night like this.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and removed her cloak.

“You’re no fun, Twilight,” she said, “this whole meeting just officially got ‘uncool.’ I hope you realize that.”

“Please, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “spare me. We both know why we’re here tonight.” Twilight sat back against a wall.

“Nimbus,” Rainbow Dash said, “yeah. You wanna ask him out and I wanna ask him out. Well, what are we gonna do about this?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “I had an ide-”

“How about a race?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, you know that’s not fair,” Twilight said, “although I did beat you in the Running of the Leaves.”

“That was different,” Rainbow Dash said, scowling. “How about we fight for him?”

“Just listen,” Twilight said, picking up her voice to be heard over the storm, “this is the best I could do. We’re not going to fight. Instead, why don’t we try sharing Nimbus?”

“Sharing him?” Rainbow Dash asked, “uh, that really doesn’t sound like a good-”

“But of course it’s a good idea! Trust me, it’ll work. We just need to set up a date!”

“Well that’s easier said than done,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering, “how do you plan to set this up?”

“Oh, believe me-” Twilight smirked, “I know just the pony who can help us: Mecha.”

…

“So... let me get this straight,” Mecha started, staring at the two mares in front of him. “You two want me... to convince Nimbus... to go out on a date... with both of you?”

Nodding their heads, Twilight asked, “Can you do it?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “Probably. I’ve got nothing else to do today anyways... but would you mind if Cheerilee and I tagged along?”

“Not at all!” Rainbow Dash replied, smiling wildly.

“Good,” Mecha said, turning to start his given task. “Because that might be the only reason he’ll agree to go.”

…

“No,” Nimbus said immediately.

“Aw... why not?” Mecha asked, standing on the orange Pegasus’s front doorstep.

“Because I’m not that kind of pony,” Nimbus replied, preparing to shut the door. Mecha caught the door before Nimbus could, however.

“I know that, you know that, they don’t. Besides, what could it hurt?”

“A lot,” Nimbus snorted. “Could you imagine how many ways this could go wrong! It’s like... flying without filling out a flight plan first!” Mecha looked confused, and Nimbus simply shook his head.

“One hundred twenty four ways, by the way,” Mecha said, “in case you were really wondering how many possible outcomes involve total, catastrophic failure.”

“You know this how...?”

“I’ve had one hundred twenty four failed dates,” Mecha replied.

“...and you’re trying to convince me to go out on a date with not one, but two mares?” Nimbus asked, incredulously.

“Eeyup.”

“Yeah... no.”

Mecha sighed. “Look, I’ve got all day... and night. As well as tomorrow, and...”

“That night as well, yeah, I know,” Nimbus said, “you don’t have to remind me.”

“Actually, you’d get an hour reprieve that night.”

“...fine. If I agree to do this, would you at least give me some way out for when things inevitably go wrong?” Nimbus said, grudgingly.

“Sure, Cheerilee and I will tag along. Worst comes to worst, You can claim it was a group outing, instead of you going out on a double and a half date.”

“...double and a half date?” Nimbus asked.

“A double date with one couple and one trio.” Mecha replied.

“...how long did it take you to come up with that?”

“Far too long. Maybe three hours.”

Nimbus squinted at his friend in disbelief. “How do you get the time to come up with this stuff?”

“...dude, I don’t sleep.”

“Yeah, but still, don’t you get tired?” Nimbus asked in disbelief.

“No, I literally don’t sleep. When I said I don’t sleep except for an hour every three nights, I meant it. Do you know how dull it is here at night?! I once tried to blow up the entire Everfree forest in one explosion I was so bored!”

“You know what?” Nimbus sighed, “strangely, I don’t find that hard to believe... at all. So what time did you want to meet?”

“How’s seven at the train station? Luna owes me a favor, and I think this would be the perfect time to call it in.”

“Hm,” said Nimbus, “I feel I probably shouldn’t ask. I guess I’ll go along with the current on this plan. I just get this feeling it isn’t going to end well.”

“That’s go with the flow... and that feeling? Probably just the sense of doom that comes with any double or triple date I go out on. Did I ever tell you the time I pissed of the mob?”

“Can’t say you have,” Nimbus replied, “ and I was referring to air currents, by the way, but anyway, I’d imagine you’ve probably stashed something away in what is now my house, and the mafia’s going to come and hold me responsible.”

“Bah, you pegasi always have your heads in the clouds. And don’t worry about it, Padre and I are on good terms now. Although, if Madre shows up...” Mecha shuddered, before continuing, “Well, last time we spoke, I might’ve dumped some jello on her dress...”

“Great,” Nimbus sighed, “am I to assume this is going to be an armed dinner? Do I need to bring my sheathes?”

“Nah, the cultists are still locked up in Manehatten, so we’ll be fine. Granted, I’m always armed when I have my mechanical leg.”

“Well, I’ll just have to rely on you then,” Nimbus said. “Ah, what the hay, what’s the worst that could happen?” He looked at Mecha for a moment. “Actually, don’t answer that. It’s probably better if I don’t know. I’ll see you later. I’ve got some errands to run.”

“Right then, see you at seven! And bring your best outfit! Or your worst! I don’t really care!”

“Dude,” Nimbus called to his friend as he walked away, “my best outfit is my flight suit! That’s hardly dinner clothing! I’ll just... figure something out.”

Nimbus shut the door and trotted upstairs, digging through his closet. All he could really find was his standard EAF pieces. Nimbus sighed, going to his saddlebag and checking on his bits. He’d just been paid, so he had a fair amount.

“Oh boy,” he said, “looks like I’m gonna have to make a stop at Rarity’s. This’ll be interesting.”

…

Rarity looked up from her sewing as Nimbus entered the Carousel Boutique.

“Hello, Nimbus!” she said, “I haven’t seen you here since Nightmare Night. What’s the occasion? Stop by to chat? Or do you have a job for me?”

“Well, a job actually,” Nimbus confided, “you see, I’m going to a dinner tonight, and...”

“Well, I would be happy to help!” Rarity said, cutting Nimbus off and wrapping him in measuring tape from mane to hoof.

“Thank you,” Nimbus said, his voice muffled by the tape.

“May I inquire as to what sort of dinner this will be?”

“Well,” Nimbus said, spitting out a strip of the yellow tape, “it’s... fancy dress?”

“A date, perhaps?” Rarity pressed.

“Umm... not really,” Nimbus replied, trying to duck around the question. “Just a dinner with a few friends.”

“I see...” Rarity said, not entirely convinced.

It was at that point that Nimbus had the unfortunate luck of having his friend walk in, Mecha shouting out, “Hey, Rarity, could you fix...” before spotting Nimbus. “Oh, Nimbus, here to get a suit for the double and a half date?”

Nimbus’s normally orange face turned a rather vibrant shade of crimson. One might have said he had done a spot-on impression of a chameleon, in fact.

“Hm...” Rarity said, “a double and a half date... Care to clarify Mecha? It seems Nimbus here is trying to withhold something.”

“No problem!” Mecha said, “So long as you fix these buttons,” he added, passing the suit he’d walked in with to her.

“Not a problem at all darling! Just pass it over here and tell me about this double and a half date.”

Mecha passed his suit over, while looking at Nimbus. Nimbus was frantically trying to sign Mecha to say nothing, causing an evil grin to cover Mecha’s face. “Well, it all starts with Nimbus here being the attention of two lovely mares...”

Rarity let out a slight squeal of joy, singing out, “Scandalous! A love triangle...” as her magic caused the tape measures around Nimbus to tighten, causing any response from him to be cut off as he struggled the breath. “Tell me more!”

“Well, neither of them have truly confronted him about it yet, but they have are competing to get his attention,” Mecha continued, watching Nimbus struggle to breath.

“Do I know these mares?” Rarity inquired, continuing her work without noticing the death grip her magic had Nimbus in.

“Oh, quite well,” Mecha replied, enjoying the look of terror that went across Nimbus’s face. “After all, it was Twilight who asked me to convince Nimbus here to take her and Rainbow Dash out on a date... at the same time.”

Rarity’s work came to a halt, before turning to face Mecha and ask, “Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash? On the same date?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, before he finally helped Nimbus by grabbing one of the tape measures and pulling it off, allowing Nimbus to breath again. Looking over, Mecha smiled and grabbed his suit, saying, “Thanks Rarity!” before walking out, leaving Nimbus alone with the seamstress.

“Eh heh heh,” Nimbus chuckled softly, still rather red. “Yeah, um... about that-”

“It seems you have a bit of explaining to do-”

Nimbus cringed as Rarity spoke.

“-as to why you did not just tell me earlier! Oh, this is so romantic! You’ll need to look positively dapper, of course. My, my, this is going to be a night to remember!”

“Tell me about it,” Nimbus groaned, “we’ll be lucky if the roof doesn’t come down on my head by the time the night’s over.”

“Oh, stop being such a pessimist,” Rarity said, tightening some fabric around Nimbus’s waist, “you should embrace moments like this!”

“Of course. After all, who doesn’t enjoy embracing chaos?”

“Honestly, Nimbus, at least pretend to be an optimist!”

“I’ll do my best,” Nimbus said as Rarity went into the back room. “I’ll have your outfit done in about two hours. Check in with me then.”

“Alright,” Nimbus said, heading out the door, “I’ll be back later.”

He closed the door sharply and sighed. Could today possibly get more embarrassing? He admitted he’d had feelings for both Rainbow Dash and Twilight before, but those had mostly been in the face of Eclipse’s threat. Now that things had returned to normal, Nimbus simply considered them friends. It was obvious, however, that the two mares felt otherwise. Nimbus knew that to bring them both out tonight would only be courting disaster, but...

Suddenly, Nimbus had an idea. Yes, inviting the two would be courting disaster, but perhaps that was what he wanted! After all, a disaster would be the only way to show his friends he could never choose one over the other. Thinking through his plan, Nimbus trotted home. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea seemed. By the time he was in his house, he was convinced he had the right idea.

Nimbus checked his clock. He’d have just enough time to make it to the train station after picking up his suit.

“Train station,” he thought, “I wonder what Mecha’s gotten me into this time.”

…

Mecha was sitting on a bench at the train station, chatting with Cheerilee. “Are you kidding me?” she asked, a look of disbelief on her face. “He’s taking them both out on a date?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “I kid you not. Twilight was actually the one to propose the idea. I figure she’s got this whole friendship will solve everything idea stuck in her head.”

“Yeah, but this is romance, not friendship!” Cheerilee replied. “They’re two totally different things!”

Shaking his head, Mecha asked, “Does Twilight know that? Or Rainbow Dash? Or even Nimbus? They’ve never really been in a serious relationship, so what would they know about its inner-workings?”

Snorting, Cheerilee replied, “Probably more than you’d think...”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha said, “We’ll just have to find out tonight.”

“Find out what tonight?”

Mecha swiveled his head to face the newcomers. Nimbus was trotting up onto the platform, dressed in a black dress shirt, followed by Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash- both of whom were equally dressed for the occasion.

“Whether or not blackmailing Luna is a good idea,” Mecha replied.

Blinking, Nimbus faced his friend, before asking, “Didn’t you say you called in a favor from Luna?”

Mecha froze for a second, before replying, “Yeah, that’s what I said! Do you really think I’d blackmail one of the princesses of Equestria, and admit it in front of the other’s student? Nimbus, where do you get these ludicrous ideas?”

“Probably the same place you get the idea to blow up various parts of the forest as well as yourself,” Cheerilee dead-panned, staring Mecha straight in the eyes.

The trio stared at the couple, unsure how to respond to the scene in front of them.

“So...” Nimbus said awkwardly, “should we go?” he took the tickets he’d bought earlier and showed them to Mecha. “We’re set if you two are.”

It was at that moment that Twilight Sparkle managed to catch a glimpse of the town listed on the ticket: Canterlot. She positively bubbled over with excitement.

“This day is going to be perfect!”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Let’s not go there, Twilight. The last time somepony said that, there were... repercussions.”

“You mean the chimera that tried to kill me?” Mecha interrupted.

“No... but that would explain the mural they painted in your hospital room,” Rainbow replied.

Nimbus simply stared, confused. “Could somepony please explain to me what the hay everypony is talking about? Sounds like I missed a lot in the four years I was at the Academy.”

“Well, we’ve got a long train ride,” Twilight said, “we’ll talk on the way to Canterlot!”

“Yeah, I’ll handle that part,” Rainbow Dash said, cutting off Twilight, “nopony tells tales like I do!”

“Except for me... remember the history lessons?” Mecha said.

“Well yeah,” Rainbow replied, “but-”

“But nothing. You’re liable to exaggerate your part of the story,” Twilight cut off. “Mecha will remain impartial... unless it involves making his injuries sound worse.”

“I don’t do that!” Mecha said, as they made their way onto the train.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash snarled, “and I don’t exaggerate my stories, I just make them...”

“Let me guess,” Twilight said, “about twenty percent cooler?”

“Dang,” Rainbow Dash said, “how’d you guess that?”

“It’s what you always say,” Cheerilee said. “And I vote for Mecha telling the tales, since he actually keeps your attention while sticking to the facts.”

“Truth be told,” Nimbus said, taking his seat on the train, “I don’t care who does it. I just feel like I’ve got some major catching up to do.”

“Then I say Mecha tells the stories, too,” Twilight agreed.

With a grin on his face, Mecha said, “Now this is the story all about how their lives got flipped, turned upside down, and I’d like to take a minute sit right there; and I’ll tell you all about how I became the blacksmith of Ponyville.”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee asked, “Could you not sing it this time?”

Downcast, Mecha grumbled a little, before saying, “Yes dear...

“What’s wrong with his singing?” Nimbus asked.

“Besides the fact that other than those lines he sounds like a banshee with strep throat? Nothing,” Cheerilee replied.

Sighing, Mecha said, “Well, how’s this? Tell me which story you would like to hear first, and we’ll make our way from there.”

Nimbus thought this over for a second, before nodding his head and saying, “Sounds good to me. Could you explain why the hay you hate trees so much?”

“Not just hate,” Mecha replied, “I also despise, distrust, loathe, and abhor them. And that all originates to a time I like to call... being stuck in Twilight’s library’s Lucifer-forsaken branches during a storm...”

…

“...And that’s how Equestria was made,” Mecha concluded, grinning.

“Wait, what?” Nimbus said, “what does this have to do with Equestria’s formation?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Mecha replied. “It’s just a little trick I learned from Pinkie Pie. I use it to make sure everypony’s still paying attention.”

“I see,” Nimbus said as the train’s brakes squealed. The ponies looked out the window.

“There it is!” Twilight said, eyes glued to the massive castle outside, “we’ve arrived at Canterlot!”

“Well thank you, Ms. Obvious,” Rainbow Dash said under her breath.

“Come on,” Nimbus said, “let’s all be happy! It’s dinner time, and I for one am hungry!”

“I second that,” Cheerilee said, “teaching all day really works up an appetite.”

The ponies dismounted the train in single file, and as Nimbus stepped out with Twilight behind, Rainbow Dash came up and shoved Twilight out the door. Reacting quickly, Nimbus swiveled and caught Twilight before she hit the ground. The mare stared up into Nimbus’s eyes and batted her eyelashes romantically.

“Thank you Nimbus,” she said, “that was very courteous of you.”

Rainbow Dash fumed silently. Not only had her plan completely backfired, but now Twilight was putting on a ridiculously mushy display. The blue Pegasus nearly lost her lunch right on the platform.

Nimbus saw Rainbow Dash looking rather green. “Something the matter?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dash said, “something just... disagreed with me for a moment. I’m doing better now.”

Nimbus smiled. “Great!”

“Ahem.”

Nimbus turned and saw Mecha and Cheerilee already leaving the platform. “Come on,” he said to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, “let’s go get some food!”

…

The group arrived at the restaurant, and stared in awe. The crystal ceiling allowed everypony to watch the setting sun while sitting on agarwood chairs next to their silk covered tables, located on the marble floor. Waiters were rushing between tables, serving fine wines in chilled silver goblets, while the food was served on solid gold plates.

Cheerilee turned to Mecha, and asked, “How did you convince Luna to get us in here again?”

“I stole- I mean returned her diary,” Mecha replied, before whistling innocently.

“That’s pretty gutsy,” Rainbow Dash said.

“What, returning a diary? Nah, just found it and brought it back,” Mecha said, emphasizing the word found.

“Right,” Twilight muttered, “I think you said something a bit different at first.”

“Hey, ask Luna and she’ll say the same thing,” Mecha replied. “Celestia too for that matter.”

“You stole Celestia’s diary as well?” Cheerilee asked.

“Eeyup,” Mecha said, before realizing what she just said. “I mean, eenope. But I did find it!”

“Well,” Nimbus said, cracking a joke to his dates, “it seems we are in the company of a master finder tonight. How about our finder finds us a table?”

“That would actually be my job, monsieur,” said their host for the night, a white-coated, moustached Unicorn. “If you would follow me, I’ve been instructed to give you the best seats in the house.”

“Escort me?” Twilight asked, looking expectantly at Nimbus. Behind the two, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and facehoofed herself.

“Well, sure...” Nimbus said, sensing Dash’s disappointment.

Chuckling at his friend’s situation, Mecha offered his genuine leg to Cheerilee, before following the host.

The pony led them over to a table, with a gossamer curtain draped around it in the corner of the restaurant. Apparently Luna had spared no expense, as their table was situated directly next to a massive window, overlooking Equestria’s lowlands. From up here, the ponies felt as if they were flying. Naturally, Mecha was unhappy, while the sensation was not lost on the Pegasi.

“I hate flying... why did it have to feel like we were flying?” Mecha muttered to himself.

“Perhaps because you stole the princesses’ diaries?” Twilight asked.

“Found!” Mecha rebutted.

“Well I think it’s great!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Aw yeah!” Nimbus added, as the two hovered a few feet into the air and high-hoofed each other, much to the chagrin of the host. The Unicorn cleared his throat and passed out menus.

“May I get you anything to drink tonight?”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, quickly taking charge. “Your finest wines... a bottle of each. And in addition...” taking a quick glance at the menu, “A bottle of Apple family whiskey.”

The host looked at Mecha quizzically. “Sir, that is a rather expensive bill- especially in this establishment. May I ask who’s name your party is under, to verify your credit?”

“Normally it’d be Mecha, but tonight the bill gets forwarded to Luna!” Mecha replied, smiling.

The host paled and began shaking. “Luna? You mean Princess Luna? Well in that case, sir, your credit is very near limitless here. I shall have your wine momentarily. While I’m away, feel free to have a look at our menu.”

The pony scurried off for the kitchen. Undoubtedly, quick service was expected for a party of Luna’s. Nimbus grabbed his menu and began looking through it. On either side of him, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were gazing at his menu as well, even though both had their own.

“You know,” Nimbus said, “this oat and bean casserole looks delicious. It’s covered in some kind of Parmesan sauce. I think that’s what I’ll get.”

“Me too!” the mares beside him shrieked at the same time.

Mecha chuckled again, sharing a look with Cheerilee. “Ten bits says this ends badly.”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee replied, “A foal’s bet at best.”

Picking the menu back up, Mecha gave it a quick skim, before shrugging. “Might as well order all of it,” he said, “Since I can’t decide.”

Laughing at her stallionfriend’s choice, Cheerilee said, “Why not? Luna is paying for tonight anyways.”

The host emerged from the back of the restaurant, dragging a cart behind him filled with bottles of wine. “Your wines, sir,” he said, dipping his head to Mecha.

Mecha grinned, before grabbing the first bottle, and examined the label. With a nod of his head, he popped the cork off, and poured each pony a small glass, before pouring himself a larger glass.

“Um... is it really safe for you to drink all that?” Nimbus asked, recalling the EAF’s standard on-duty alcohol limits.

“Oh sure,” Mecha replied, downing half the wine in one go. “After all, if I can beat Gluttony in a drinking contest with poisoned wine, I’m sure a tenth of the amount is fine.”

“Right,” Nimbus said, “I almost forgot.” He bent down to grab his glass, just as a soggy, wine-soaked napkin whistled over his head and impacted Rainbow Dash squarely in the face. The Pegasus was on the verge of exploding when Nimbus offered her his own napkin.

“Here,” he said, “take this.”

As Rainbow Dash wiped herself off, Twilight groaned, her horn reverting back to its normal, uncharged state. Her plan for revenge against Rainbow Dash from her unexpected “stumble” from the train had utterly failed.

Cheerilee leaned over to Mecha, and whispered, “I told you it was a foal’s bet.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Wait until they actually drink the wine...”

The host appeared again. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Nimbus replied, “we-” he gestured to himself and his dates, “will order the Parmesan-topped oat and bean casserole.”

The host nodded and scribbled something into his notebook, before turning to Mecha.

“And you, sir?” he asked warily, recalling the magnitude of Mecha’s wine order.

“My date and myself will be having one of everything,” he said, much to the host’s shock. “Each,” he added, causing the host to pale.

“That... will take a while sir...” the host said, shaking lightly at the thought of all that food being ordered by one couple.

“Actually,” Nimbus said, stretching, “that works just fine.” He turned to Mecha. “Wanna join me for a walk while we let our respective dates get acquainted?”

“Sure,” Mecha replied, “anything to get away from this Envy-forsaken feeling of flight.”

Nimbus grinned slightly. “Well, don’t say anything yet.” He turned to the mares. “Please excuse us for a moment.”

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stood to allow Nimbus to leave the table. Nimbus stood and headed for the front of the restaurant, leaving his dates alone. When he and Mecha were finally outside the restaurant, Nimbus collapsed onto a bench and let out a massive sigh.

“Thank Celestia I’m out of there. The tension in the air was so thick, I probably couldn’t have even flown through it.” Nimbus looked longingly at the steep cliff the restaurant was perched on.

“You know,” he added, “I’d give anything to just be flying instead of doing this right now. I think we both know this is going to be a disaster.”

“Yeah, that’s why Cheerilee called it a foal’s bet when I suggested it,” Mecha replied.

“...you tried to make a bet on the outcome of my date?” Nimbus deadpanned.

“Dude, when you’ve spent two years in Hell, you start to lose your sense of decency. So yeah, I tried to make a bet on the outcome of your date. Besides, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Nimbus chuckled, “I guess so. I mean, I already knew this night wasn’t going to end well. That’s why I decided to roll with it.” He glanced at a nearby one-seat chariot.

“Mecha,” he said, “I do my best thinking and talking in the air. I know I said we’d walk, but... maybe if I just made it a smooth flight?”

“...I’ll agree to that the day that Sloth willingly tries to take over the planet and Gluttony goes on a diet,” Mecha said, facing Nimbus. The orange Pegasus sighed.

“Fine, then I’ll do my best to explain here on the ground.” He stood and began to walk down the road leading up to the restaurant.

“Basically, I decided long ago that actually dating either Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash would be courting disaster. Let’s face it- if I chose one over the other, there would be retaliation. I’m hoping that tonight, I’ll be able to show them why I can’t go out with either. Ever.”

Mecha nodded his head, before pulling out the bottle of whiskey he’d ordered and taken with. Opening it up, he drank half of it in one go, before offering it to Nimbus, while saying, “Good goal for tonight. With any luck all we’ll deal with is some small amount of yelling. On the other hoof, it’s entirely possible this ends up like some of my worse failed dates...”

Nimbus smirked. “Well, there’s an answer to that, too. I’d put a fair amount of bits on me being able to outfly an angry Dash, and if I go high enough, I should be able to avoid Twilight’s magic, so I’d say I’m safe.” He then eyed the bottle Mecha had given him suspiciously.

“You know, I really couldn’t do this while on duty, but I’m on leave, so...”

Nimbus raised the bottle and downed it, somewhat slower than Mecha. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth with his hoof and turned to his friend.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

“Don’t thank me,” Mecha replied, “Thank either Big Macintosh or Applejack when we get back. They were the ones to make that bottle.”

Nimbus turned the bottle over, and there, written in fine print, was “Produced in Ponyville.”

“Huh,” he said, “whaddaya know?” He turned back towards the restaurant.

“Well, now that you know my plan, shall we head back and see what damage has been done?”

“With Cheerilee there... shouldn’t be more than spilt wine,” Mecha replied, before frowning. “Which is a crime... oh well, nothing ordering more can’t fix!”

Nimbus laughed as they headed back. Neither knew exactly what would await them when they walked through the doors.

…

Thankfully, it appeared that Mecha was right, and that all that happened was some arguing between Rainbow and Twilight, causing their faces to flush. Sitting down next to Cheerilee, Mecha popped open another bottle of wine, and downed it all in one go. “How they holding up?” he asked, setting the empty bottle down.

“Better than I expected,” Cheerilee replied, a smirk on her face.

“That’s good to hear,” Mecha said, watching as the two leaned against Nimbus. “...which do you think they’re more likely to try? Finishing their food first, or drinking more wine?”

“Hm...” Cheerilee said, rubbing her chin. “Tough choice.”

“So Nimbus,” Rainbow Dash said, “I cleared ten clouds in less than two seconds yesterday.”

“Pfft,” Twilight scoffed, “please. I recently learned a spell that grants temporary flight!”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash said, slamming her hoof on the table, “well I... I can beat you in a drinking contest!”

Mecha laughed, before asking, “Wasn’t this supposed to be their attempt at sharing Nimbus? Shouldn’t they be trying to show him how well they can get along?”

Chuckling, Cheerilee replied, “I don’t think either of them truly expected to be sharing him.”

Nodding his head, Mecha flagged down the host, and said, “My friend’s dates here plan on seeing who can drink the most wine... would you mind getting us a constant stream of your strongest wine to go with our dinner?”

The pony tugged at his necktie. “Well, er, I...” he suddenly remembered who was sponsoring these ponies. “Of course. I’ll see what I can do.” He turned and headed back to the storeroom.

“Now we’ll really see who’s stronger,” Rainbow said.

“Naturally,” Twilight replied, scooching closer to Nimbus, “you know I’ll win, right dear?”

Nimbus froze. Dear? Twilight had pretty much crossed the line with that comment.

“Heh heh,” Nimbus laughed nervously, “I can’t really say who’s going to win... just try your best, I guess.”

Mecha was chuckling as he watched Twilight and Rainbow stare each other down. “What are the odds they get a little static going between their eyes?” he asked.

“Hm... I give it an even fifty-fifty,” Cheerilee replied.

The host returned, setting down a bottle of a very dark wine. When he popped the cork, it seemed as if smoke was pouring out the top. Nimbus looked at it with a hint of disgusted surprise.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he said, “What exactly is that?”

“Based on the coloration and the smoke... First Frost wine from Griffin country,” Mecha said, before holding out his goblet. After the host poured a small amount, he gave a swirl before downing, and added, “Around 30 years old too... not bad.”

Nimbus winced as the wine seemed to hiss as the mares poured themselves an equal amount.

“Hey, while you’re here,” Mecha said to the host, watching the mares glare at each other, “I’d like a bottle or two of that for myself.”

“Of course,” the host replied, eyeing Twilight and Dash nervously as they toasted each other.

“Down the hatch!” Rainbow Dash said, downing her shot in one gulp. Her eyes bulged, and she fought to keep the strong alcohol down, finally winning the battle with her gag reflex.

“Never mind that,” Mecha told his host, watching as Twilight’s eyes went wide, “I might just get this bottle to myself.”

For both Twilight and Rainbow Dash, the room was now swimming around their vision. Nimbus immediately noticed.

“Hey Mecha,” he said, “what proof is this stuff, anyway?”

Grabbing the bottle, Mecha nodded his head before taking a long swig of it. “Label says 151, but it’s actually 153.23125 proof.”

“Oh,” Nimbus said, “well that’s really comforting.” He ducked to avoid Rainbow’s wing, which swished through the air over his head as the blue Pegasus began to lurch around.

“Not my fault all you airheads are lightweights,” Mecha replied, “Or the fact that Twilight never drinks!”

Rainbow took off from the table and began to sluggishly fly around the restaurant, knocking over priceless dinnerware.

“Hey,” Twilight slurred, “watch what yur doiiiin, Raaaainbow Crash.”

Face-hoofing, Mecha asked the host, “Is there a limit on how much we can put on our bill?”

The host shook his head, saying, “As long as we have enough ink and paper, we could do an endless bill in theory.”

“Youuuu want paypurrrr?” Twilight drawled, “watch this!” Her horn glowed as she began to create... something magically. Nimbus watched in awe, then cringed as the brick wall Twilight had just conjured up cleaved a nearby table in half as it fell.

“Oops,” Twilight chuckled, “Thasss not paper.”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Not to mention there isn’t any taxes on government spent money.”

The host blinked, having completely forgotten that. That increase in revenue from an order this large... and if they chose to offer a tip... he’d never have to work again!

Giving the host a quick push to knock him out of his stupor, Mecha asked, “Will our food be out soon?”

Glancing at the carnage the two drunk mares were causing, the host shrugged. “It was done when I brought out the bottle... I was just distracted by their behavior, and I wasn’t sure if you were ready for it.”

“For Celestia’s sake, bring the food!” Nimbus said, shoving Twilight off his shoulder.

Mecha broke out into what could only be described as a maniacal laughter at his friend’s situation. “Having fun there?” he asked, before finishing off the bottle of Griffin wine.

“Not you too!” Nimbus groaned, “you were supposed to stay sane this whole time!”

“I am sane,” Mecha replied. “Or are you talking about Twilight there?”

Nimbus looked to his side just in time to see Twilight attempting to braid his mane.

“Whoa!” he yelled, “not the mane! NOPONY touches the mane!” Nimbus flew up into the air, and instantly collided with Rainbow Dash, airborne restaurant juggernaut.

It was Cheerilee’s turn to laugh, as she commented, “And to think, we haven’t even gotten to desert!”

“Dinner!” the host said cheerily, setting plates on the demolished table.

“Yes!” Nimbus whooped, diving for the table and slipping in some spilled wine. He impacted the ground hard and groaned. Rainbow Dash noticed him instantly.

“Aw,” she said, “want me to kiss it better?”

Twilight’s eyes flared up with magical fire when she saw Rainbow Dash puckering up to Nimbus.

“How dare you?!” she said, firing a bolt of magic at Rainbow Dash. Fortunately, the blast went high and missed the Pegasus. Unfortunately, it also went through the wall. Nimbus saw his chance and dove for the table.

“I came here... to eat... and for the love of Celestia, that’s what I’m going to do!” Nimbus said, shoveling down his meal.

“Jeez...” Mecha said, noting the rate Nimbus was eating, “I thought Gluttony ate fast...”

The host ignored Mecha’s statement, choosing instead to stare out the hole in the wall. Bringing a hoof to his chin, he leaned over and asked Cheerilee, “Do you think it looks better with that window?”

Glancing at the hole, she nodded her head, before adding, “Could probably be a bit bigger though.”

Nimbus turned towards his dates and watched them brawling, leaving a wake of utter destruction. They’d completely rearranged the restaurant. Nimbus turned back to Mecha.

“You planning on eating, or should we just get our check and skeedaddle?”

“Hm...” Mecha said, looking at the wide assortment of food before him. “Do you guys have doggie bags?” he asked.

“We do, would you like the industrial sized bags?” the host replied.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Mecha replied, “Don’t suppose you’d deliver?”

“Normally not, but seeing as how much you’re going to be paying...” the host replied.

“Then here’s my address,” Mecha said, writing down on the silk table cloth. Seeing the look the host gave him, Mecha shrugged and said, “Add it to the bill.”

Rolling his eyes the host quickly whipped out the check, and added another note to it, before passing it to Mecha.

Mecha gave it the once over, before asking, “Fifteen percent tip good enough for ya?” causing the host to go wide-eyed. “Nah, of course not, you need twenty percent at least,” he added, writing something down. Putting the check on one of the last remaining pieces of untouched furniture in the restauraunt, aka his chair, he offered his leg to Cheerilee, before they walked out the door.

Nimbus turned to his dates, and very quickly realized just how out-of-hoof things had gotten. The two mares were on opposite ends of the restaurant, snorting and pawing the ground.

“Not good,” Nimbus said to himself, “not good at all.”

Before he could convince them otherwise, the mares charged at full speed straight at each other.

“Stop!” Nimbus yelled as the mares collided and their worlds went black.

…

Twilight and Rainbow Dash woke up groggily. Rainbow began checking her surroundings. As her vision cleared, she finally realized where they were. The two of them were sitting on a park bench back in Ponyville, and the sun had long set. Standing in front of her was an orange blur. She focused her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was looking at, and then shrank back. It was Nimbus, using what Rainbow Dash could only assume was the stare military types use when disappointed. Normally, she would have teased him, but now didn’t feel like the best time.

Nimbus turned his head as Twilight regained her senses.

“I see you’re both awake. Good.”

“Ow,” Twilight said, rubbing her head, “what happened?”

“You and Dash just embarrassed me and two of my friends,” Nimbus replied. Then he realized that Mecha probably didn’t care. Hay, he might have even gotten a kick out of it!

“Well, at least me. The point is- tonight was a disaster. Let’s just face the facts.”

He looked at both mares now with a new expression in his eyes. One, it seemed, of regret.

“I know you both set this up. You wanted to... what was the term? ‘Share’ me?” he chuckled. “I really do applaud your efforts, but I think you’ve noticed by now that love doesn’t always work like friendship. It’s a greater challenge.”

He began to pace back and forth. “I realized something tonight, too,” he said finally, “after some careful consideration, I decided that... between the two of you, I really can’t pick a winner. Both of you are great ponies and great friends. But that’s it. I think you’re some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and that’s why I’ve decided to call off any non-friend relationships.”

Both mares’ eyes widened.

“And here’s why,” Nimbus said, his eyes beginning to water, “if I let you two keep this up, one of you is going to hurt the other- maybe in a way I can’t fix. And I could never forgive myself if that happened.”

Twilight and Dash looked at each other for a moment, then back at Nimbus. Finally, it was Twilight who spoke.

“I understand,” she said quietly, “and I’ll agree with you. If we keep this up, somepony really will get hurt.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “And the last thing I’d want is to drive a nail through my friendship with Twilight.” She looked up at Nimbus. “You’re right. This needs to stop.”

“I’m glad you see it my way,” Nimbus said, “now I’ll escort both of you home. Try to get some sleep, okay?”

He turned his head and put a hoof to his eye.

“Something the matter?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Nimbus said, “just... dust.”

Neither of the mares noticed the solitary tear running down his eye as he turned and walked them both home.

…

Luna was enjoying her day off- one of the few she’d had since her return. She had been enjoying a delicious moon cake, when the mail came in. Looking through it, she groaned when she saw a message from the restaurant that she’d agreed to get Mecha into. “Something wrong sister?” Celestia asked, walking in upon hearing her sister groan.

Holding up the bill, Luna watched as Celestia’s face scrunched up into a grimace. “Shall we see the damage?” she asked, slicing the top open with her magic.

With a sigh, Celestia replied, “Let’s.”

Pulling out the letter, Luna scanned it before her eyes went wide. Reading it once more, she collapsed in a dead faint.

Raising an eyebrow, Celestia picked up the letter with her magic, reading it herself. Finishing it, she calmly set it down, before screaming out, “TEN MILLION BITS!!!”

So this concludes the co-writing experiment. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as Itchy and I enjoyed writing it. Please leave some feedback, so we can see if doing more collaborative stuff in the future seems like a good idea!

Episode 7: Two's Company

Two’s Company

While attempting to move the Unifier to a more secure location, Nimbus accidentally triggers an event which has some interesting, and potentially reputation- threatening consequences…

Nimbus pulled a chair up to his living room bookcase and stood on it, feather duster in hoof. He’d been dusting the house since morning, and for a challenge, he’d vowed to do it without the use of wings. Now he was beginning to wonder if his decision had been a good one, as he strained to reach the back of his bookshelf with the duster.

In front of him, Nimbus saw the Unifier- the artifact which had caused him so much trouble and left him with so much responsibility. The green gem with gold images of a horn, hoof, and wing reflected the room’s light wonderfully, and Nimbus was mesmerized looking at it.

“I should really put that thing in a safer place,” Nimbus mused aloud as he continued dusting. The problem of where to put it, however, had been one which had plagued him for a while now. He didn’t really have anywhere secure to put it. Besides, it looked good on his bookshelf. Nimbus removed his duster and picked up the Unifier, staring at it for a moment.

“Where could I put you?” he said. He looked around the room- nowhere in here, that was for sure. Perhaps upstairs…

“There we go!” Nimbus said, “I’ll just put you upstairs under my bed! That’s safe enough.”

Pleased with his decision, Nimbus took a step forward, forgetting that he was currently standing on a chair. He plummeted to the floor before he could even give his wings a twitch. He hit with a thud, and everything that happened next seemed to be in slow motion. The Unifier left his hoof, floating gracefully towards the ceiling and back down. Nimbus’s eyes went wide. He didn’t want to know what would happen if the Unifier hit the ground. Something with that much power-

“Horseapples,” Nimbus swore as the gem hit the ground. Instantly the room filled with a blinding white light, and all Nimbus could think was “brilliant. I’ve just blown up Ponyville by falling off a chair. This has got to be a first.”

When the light died down, Nimbus got to his feet, green spots dancing in front of his eyes. As his vision finally cleared, he noticed that every light in the house had gone out, and that the Unifier was casting a green glow over his living room.

“Well,” he mumbled, “at least Ponyville’s still intact. I think.”

The Unifier sent out a beam of green light, which ran from Nimbus’s ears to his feet.

“What the hay?” Nimbus asked, “it’s never done that before.”

He ran over to it to try and stop it, but a magical shock threw him back. Nimbus shook himself and stood, watching. Whatever the Unifier had started, it was going to finish uninterrupted. As he watched, the green light moved to another corner of the room. When it stopped, the air near the beam’s end began to shimmer with glowing particles. The particles converged until they began to form a mass, which Nimbus could swear looked just like a pony. All of a sudden, the particles left, leaving Nimbus in shock when he saw what they’d been covering.

Lying on the floor in front of him was an exact copy of himself. The only difference between Nimbus and the newcomer was that the new Pony’s ears drooped down. Nimbus grabbed the Unifier and put it on his bookshelf just as the Pony began to stir.

When the Pegasus got to his feet, he looked at Nimbus with a smile Nimbus could tell was anything but pleasant.

“Um… are you alright?” Nimbus asked.

“Yes,” his double answered, staring Nimbus in the eyes.

Nimbus waited for the double to say something else. When he didn’t Nimbus decided to ask another question.

“So… you look just like me. What are you?”

The double’s grin went wider and his eyes narrowed. “I’m you, of course. Can’t you tell?”

Nimbus squinted at the Pegasus. He was a picture-perfect reflection of his own image… but something just felt different.

“Why are you here?”

“To make your life miserable,” the double said. Without warning, he sprang forward, knocking Nimbus down. Nimbus recovered quickly and rolled to his hooves, but it was too late. The double leaped out his window and took to the air, headed for Ponyville.

“Well this sucks,” Nimbus said somewhat unnecessarily. He turned to the Unifier.

“What have you done to me this time?” he said. He mentally pieced together everything that had happened- the flash, the beam, and then…

“Sweet Celestia,” Nimbus breathed, “I’ve… been… cloned!”

…

Fluttershy hummed softly to herself as she watered her flowers, minding the hummingbirds buzzing around her head. One approached her and landed on her nose. Fluttershy giggled.

“Oh, hello to you too, Hummingway!” she said, setting down her watering can, “are you and your friends getting hungry?”

The hummingbird buzzed over to Fluttershy’s hummingbird feeder. Fluttershy followed.

“I’ll have your food ready in no time,” she said, rushing into her cottage and grabbing some sugar water she’d mixed up just for the feeder. She poured some in, and watched happily as Hummingway and the others happily buzzed to the feeder, excited by the food.

“That’s it,” said Fluttershy, smiling, “you just have your snack while I finish watering my garden.”

Fluttershy trotted back to her flowers and picked up the watering can, sighing to herself. Today was a beautiful day beyond doubt. She knew she’d have to appreciate it. Winter would be on its way soon. For now, though, the sun was shining and a fair breeze was blowing. There was no better time to be outside with her animal friends.

As the yellow Pegasus went about her duties, she heard a peculiar whistling sound above her head. Fluttershy looked up just in time to see what appeared to be Nimbus in a screaming nosedive, headed straight for her! Fluttershy let out a terrified “Eep!” and backed up… just as “Nimbus” landed hard in her garden, throwing a shockwave of flowers and dirt into the air.

“Hiya, Fluttershy!” the orange Pegasus said, with a hint of insanity in his voice.

Fluttershy stood up, shaking. “N- N- Nimbus? Why did you d- do that?”

The Pegasus shrugged, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I dunno. I wanted to. What’re ya gonna do about it?!”

“Well,” Fluttershy said, backing up, “I really don’t care. If you want something from me, just take it. I’m really sorry if I made you mad somehow… just don’t hurt my animals.”

There was a wild gleam in the Pegasus’s eye as he gazed at the Hummingbirds on Fluttershy’s feeder.

“You mean these animals?!” he said, flapping his wings and blasting the feeder with gusts of air, scattering hummingbirds in all directions.

“Nooo!” Fluttershy shrieked quietly. The Pegasus just laughed.

“Tough break, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy opened her eyes wide and stared at the orange Pegasus, using the stare she’d perfected on forest animals, disciplining them.

“Whoa, hey!” the Nimbus look-alike said, “I’m outta here. Just… quit staring at me like that.”

As he took off, he added “freak.”

Fluttershy sighed and began collecting the pieces of her hummingbird feeder as the little birds slowly came back.

“Yes,” she said to the birds, “he’s gone. And I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.”

At that moment, Nimbus landed gently beside Fluttershy.

“Am I too late? Is he gone?”

Fluttershy glared at him. “I thought you’d left for good!”

“I wha-?” Nimbus glanced at the destroyed garden and the pieces of the feeder in Fluttershy’s hooves. “Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so sorry. Let me explain…”

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Mister!” Fluttershy said, getting right up in Nimbus’s face. Nimbus winced.

“Okay, well, when I was cleaning up this morning, I accidentally dropped the Unifier and it made a clone of me. The thing is- the clone’s sort of an evil twin.”

“The nerve of evil twins!”

“Huh?” Nimbus said, turning around to find the voice who had just spoken.

“It’s like they’re evil or something!” Pinkie Pie walked up to Nimbus and Fluttershy from out of nowhere.

“How’d you know my evil twin was loose?” Nimbus asked. Pinkie shrugged.

“Well, duh! Word’s getting around fast. At least, I think it is. Oh well.”

Nimbus scratched his chin, thinking. “Hey Pinkie,” he said, “can the Pinkie sense tell you where the other me’s going to strike next?”

“Sorry,” said Pinkie Pie, “the Pinkie sense only works on its own. I can’t-“ Pinkie began shaking up and down, then performed a cartwheel with her head pointed in the direction of Ponyville- most specifically, towards Mecha’s shop.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Nimbus said, “you’re a lifesaver.”

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie replied, beaming. “Now what did I do again?”

Before taking off, Nimbus turned to Fluttershy. “Listen, if there’s anything I can do to help you when this mess is taken care of, just let me know, alright?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Be careful, Nimbus.”

“Careful?” Nimbus said, trying to appear nonchalant, “careful is my middle name.”

“No it isn’t!” Pinkie called as Mecha shot up into the cloud layer, heading for Mecha’s shop.

…

Mecha was twiddling with a small gear he’d just forged. He didn’t know exactly what it was for, or even why he’d made it in the first place. For now, it was simply a fun little trinket. Flipping it like a coin, he sighed when a Pegasus broke through the doors. “I'd stop there if I were you,” he said.

“Oh,” the Nimbus look-alike said, “why's that?”

“Because in one more step you trigger my traps, Submin,” Mecha replied.

The newly dubbed Submin stared at Mecha, before saying, “Say what?”

Rolling his eyes, Mecha replied, “You're Nimbus's opposite, therefore your name is his backwards. Hence, Submin. Or are you referring to the traps I set up to repel the seven lords of Hell?”

“...how in Discord's beard did you know I was his opposite?” Submin asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “Two reasons. One, you burst through the doors. That’s not how Nimbus operates. He’d be much stealthier. And two,” Mecha stared Submin in the eyes, channeling magic into his eyes, causing the whites of his right eye to glow black while his left eye gained a sort of flame around it, the white of it also black. “Your soul is flowing in the reverse direction as his.”

“You... can see my soul?!?” Submin yelled, going wide-eyed.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “To be accurate, my left eye can. Got it off a hellhound,” as he stopped channeling magic, causing his eyes to turn back to normal.

“That's... interesting... but I think I'll be taking all your stuff now,” Submin replied.

“Your funeral... like I said, the traps are meant for the lords of hell,” Mecha said.

Taking a step forward, Submin's eyes went wide as a giant axe fell, forcing him to step back in order to avoid being decapitated, before having to side-step spears from the ceiling coated in a shining green liquid. This, however, put him right in the way of a burst of fire from the flamethrower from an opening in the wall, which required him to hug the floor, triggering the pressure plate that caused the ceiling to open up and dump molten tar, which forced Submin to roll out of the way. Jumping up, Submin barley avoided losing his hooves to the giant sword that cut down everything on the floor, before stepping on another pressure plate which caused... a honey scorpion to be launched from a hole in the floor and hit the ceiling.

Staring at the honey covered scorpion stuck to the ceiling, Submin looked down to Mecha, who shrugged. “A honey-covered scorpion that uses an aphrodisiac instead of its normal poison stuck to Lust's flanks seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Blinking, Submin replied with, “You're crazy!” before flying out of the shop, just missing Nimbus as he entered.

Looking around, he saw Mecha get up as he said, “Submin just left for the EAF watchtower... I'm going to go prep plan ETN-014.”

“ETN-014?”

“Evil Twin, Nimbus- plan 104,” Mecha replied. “In other words, lots of traps.”

“Well, good luck,” Nimbus said, “hopefully I’ll be able to catch… what is it you called him? Submin? Yeah, that was it. Nice name choice. Anyway, hopefully I can catch him before he causes any more trouble.”

“Good luck,” Mecha called as Nimbus took off again, “I’ll be ready with the backup plan in case you… die.”

…

Submin landed on top of Nimbus’s watchtower, going immediately for the radio. He picked up the microphone and headset and pressed the “transmit” button.

“EAF Headquarters, please respond. This is Ponyville Niner-Three.”

After a moment, a response crackled over the radio. “This is EAF HQ- Nimbus, you are using an emergency channel. Please state your emergency.”

Submin smiled. Emergency? He could have some fun with this…

“HQ, Ponyville is currently under attack by a group of wild Manticores. Please send everypony you can.”

“Disregard that!”

Submin turned around, and found himself face-to-face with Nimbus.

“Why Nimbus, what a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

The radio was still transmitting. “Er… Nimbus? Why does it sound like there are two of you?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Nimbus said, as he snatched the radio out of Submin’s hooves and pressed “transmit.”

“Roger, do you need backup?”

“Don’t trouble yourselves,” Nimbus replied, “I’ve got this.”

Roger. HQ out.

“You’ve spoiled my fun,” Submin snarled, “and I really don’t like it when that happens.”

Nimbus shrugged. “Tough luck, I guess. You don’t belong here. It’s that simple. That said, I’ll give you this one chance to just let me send you back where you came from. No struggles, no hassle, and we won’t have to do this the hard way.”

Submin walked right up to Nimbus. “You think you scare me? I don’t fear you. On the contrary, you should fear me.”

“And why is that?” Nimbus growled.

“Because you won’t kill unless it’s absolutely necessary, while I, on the other hand…” Submin chuckled darkly, “I’m willing to make a few exceptions.”

Nimbus’s eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”

“Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” Submin cackled as he flew away. Nimbus jumped into the air and raced after him. As soon as he got on Submin’s tail, he knew catching his double would be next to impossible. Catching up to Submin would be like trying to outfly himself, and Submin wasn’t bound by morals. They dove into the streets of Ponyville, Nimbus following as Submin overturned several carts. They banked around the clock tower, and raced towards Octavia’s house at street level. Nimbus understood why as soon as he saw what was going on at Octavia’s. Several workponies were lifting a large piano into the second floor of Octavia’s house. Submin angled himself straight for the ropes, slicing through them with his wings. They snapped instantly, and it was then that Nimbus noticed the two ponies standing underneath the piano: Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.

“This is gonna hurt,” Nimbus thought as he curled himself up into a ball, aimed straight at the falling piano. He impacted it just above the Ponies’ heads, completely shattering it with his inertia.

“I’ll have to pay Octavia back for that later,” he thought, wincing and simultaneously praising his skeletal structure. Pegasi could withstand an impact with the ground at high speed with minimal damage, so it stood to reason that a piano should be no challenge. Granted the ground didn’t have a tendency to leave splinters.

Nimbus followed his double as he arced back over the town. He began to close on him, creeping closer…

Suddenly, Submin snapped his wings open and stopped suddenly. Nimbus would have overshot… if he hadn’t first collided with Submin’s right wing. Nimbus saw stars and plummeted straight into the ground below. When he got up, Submin was gone.

“Celestia forsake this!” he cursed. There was only one way to stop Submin now- he’d have to use the Unifier.

Nimbus shook himself and stretched his wings, launching into the air and heading for home. The Unifier was his last ditch effort. He hoped beyond hope that it would work.

…

Nimbus gazed upon what remained of his front door in horror- not because of the damage done (his door was now simply a splintered hole), but because of what it represented. Submin had beat him home, and that could mean only one thing- he was also after the Unifier. Nimbus raced to the bookshelf and looked exactly where he’d placed the Unifier earlier. It was gone.

“No!” Nimbus growled, slamming his hoof down on the shelf. “Why? Why did this have to happen to me?! I’ve just given my polar opposite one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestria, and he’s bound to use it.”

Nimbus collapsed onto a couch, panting. “Come on,” he said, “get a grip. Submin can still be beaten.”

Nimbus looked out the window towards Ponyville.

“And I think I know just where he’ll be.”

…

When Nimbus arrived in the skies over Ponyville, the place was in chaos. Ponies were running around screaming and trying to save whatever valuables they could as Submin hovered above them all, brandishing the Unifier.

“Oh what fun this is,” he chuckled to himself.

“Fun’s over.”

Submin turned around just in time to see Nimbus barreling towards him. Nimbly, Submin slipped out of the way, and Nimbus pulled himself to a halt just shy of him.

“Stop this now, Submin.”

“You know what? I don’t think I will. Submin, hmm… that’s a cute little name your friend thought up.”

Growling, Nimbus launched himself at Submin again, but he was unsuccessful.

“I need to find a distraction,” he thought, “what would distract me?”

Thinking quickly, Nimbus veered away from the fight and pointed at the ground. “Hey Submin! I spy cheese!”

Submin’s head snapped to where Nimbus was pointing. It stood to reason that his favorite food would be the same as Nimbus’s, and the assumption proved correct. Submin dove towards Ponyville after the nonexistent food, and as he was diving, Nimbus saw his opportunity. He cut in from the right, smashing Submin into the clock tower and sending the Unifier spinning from his hooves. Both ponies watched the Unifier as it flew over Ponyville, and both immediately changed course to intercept it. On the ground, everypony witnessed the two Pegasi streaking at top speed towards the gem, until they both collided with it at the same time. Then, the mass of flying hooves, manes, and wings fell back towards the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. There was silence for a few moments, as everypony waited with baited breath for the outcome of the fight. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and everypony cringed, assuming Submin was about to annihilate Ponyville. They couldn’t be farther from the truth. Nimbus rose into the air with the Unifier, staring down at the crumpled and cringing form of Submin on the ground.

“Stand up and take this like a stallion,” Nimbus spat. “The only reason you’re here, you cowardly, unfeeling clone, is because I fell off a chair!”

“Say what?” Vinyl Scratch said on the ground.

“I… think he said he fell off a chair,” Octavia replied.

Vinyl shrugged. “Oh well. He’s your student.”

Nimbus pointed the Unifier straight at Submin. “I’m sending you back now, and you hear me well. Never return to this world, or I swear to Celestia you’ll regret it!”

A burst of light shot out of the Unifier, engulfing Submin. The light grew, until it suddenly winked out, taking Submin with it. When the light died down completely, Nimbus settled to the ground. Suddenly, a massive explosion went off about a mile away. Nimbus winced as its light hit his eyes, and had to brace himself against the tearing wind. When the explosion finally settled, Nimbus stood stock still, twitching, with his tail and mane frazzled and his eyes bulging.

“What… the hay… was that?!” he asked, on the ragged edge of sanity.

“Yeehaw!”

Nimbus looked up just in time to see Mecha jump out of the crowd with a triumphant grin on his face.

“Yeah! What now?! Take that, evil Nimbus twin!”

Mecha stopped when he noticed everypony was completely silent, staring at him. Mecha looked at the bedraggled Nimbus, holding the Unifier.

“Wait… you already trapped him and sent him back, didn’t you?”

Nimbus nodded, not saying a word.

“Well,” Mecha grinned, “at least plan ETN-014 worked out! There was about a fifty three point four percent chance of failure!”

“That was ETN-014?” Nimbus snarled, gesturing towards where Mecha’s explosives had detonated. The land around it was completely charred, and the scorch mark stopped about six inches away from the Ponyville border.

“Eeyup,” Mecha said, examining the edge of the blast zone. “And it looks like I cut it just close enough.”

“Just… close enough?” Nimbus said.

Mecha caught his friend’s glare. “Um… was it something I said?”

Nimbus sighed and shook his head. “You know what? Just… forget it. I’m at a complete loss for words. First, my evil twin decides to make an appearance, then my friend almost blows up Ponyville! So no, it wasn’t something you said. It is this whole darn day!”

“You said you brought Submin here with the Unifier, right?” Mecha said.

“Yeah…” Nimbus said, “why?”

“Shouldn’t you put the Unifier in a safer place? I have a few ideas, you know.”

Nimbus’s eye twitched. “Ideas? You have some ideas?!” He shook himself out of his rage.

“Sorry, Mecha. I guess I just got a bit carried away. Thanks for the offer, but-“ Nimbus remembered his EAF Academy footlocker back home, “-I think I know exactly where to keep this thing from now on.”

Episode 8: Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface

Nimbus is fully prepared for some R&R when a deeply shaken Fluttershy shows up to ask him about accompanying her on a trip to Hollow Shades, where a string of mysterious disappearances has led the townsponies to believe there is a little-known creature responsible. When they arrive, Nimbus soon finds, however, that there is more to this case than meets the eye…

Nimbus was happily stuffing his face with a glazed donut after a particularly intense jazz improvisation session at Octavia’s. Octavia had advised him to go home and take a break from the sax for the day, but Vinyl Scratch had shown up with a box of a dozen assorted donuts, claiming that everypony deserved a treat. Nimbus was not one to argue.

Octavia was seated at the kitchen table across from Nimbus, reading the newspaper. Something in the paper seemed to catch her attention, and she slowly slid it across the table to Nimbus. Mid-chew, Nimbus snatched up the paper. There, at the bottom of the page, was an advertisement.

“Musicians of Ponyville,” he read aloud, “Auditions for-“

He lowered the paper and looked up, straight at Octavia. “Auditions? What are you trying to get me into this time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Octavia said innocently, “I just passed you the paper!”

“Uh huh,” Nimbus said, not convinced in the slightest. He continued reading.

“Auditions for a single saxophonist will be held in the Ponyville town hall in two weeks, to choose a representative of Ponyville to play alongside the-“

Nimbus gasped suddenly. “The… Trans-Equestrian Orchestra?! In their Hearth’s Warming Eve concert?!”

“Oh, was that on the front page?” Octavia asked, trying hard to maintain a straight face, “I can’t imagine why I would have passed you that. You couldn’t possibly be interested in anything like that.”

“Are you kidding?” Nimbus said excitedly, waving the newspaper around, “this is awesome! The Trans-Equestrian Orchestra is… just incredible! Their music is a fusion of rock, orchestra, and jazz, and- and they want a saxophonist from Ponyville!”

“I know all about them,” Octavia said, “I’m their guest cellist.”

“You are?” Nimbus said, “That’s great!”

“But I wanted some company, so… I may or may not have slipped you that newspaper on purpose.”

“I have to audition,” Nimbus said, “there’s just no way I can turn down an opportunity like this!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Octavia.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Vinyl Scratch poked her head into the kitchen.

“Don’t get up. I’ll get the door!” she said between mouthfuls of jelly donut. Moments later, she came back with none other than Fluttershy.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Nimbus said, “what’s up?”

“Oh, hi… Nimbus. I just wanted to ask- I mean, if it’s not any trouble- what I’m trying to say is- could you help me with something?”

“Just a sec,” Nimbus said, raising his hoof. He stood and turned to Octavia.

“Thanks for the lesson. I’ll be back about those auditions as soon as I can.”

“Of course,” Octavia said, “take care, Nimbus!”

Nimbus walked out the door with Fluttershy and headed down the street, towards the town square.

“So what do you need?” Nimbus asked Fluttershy.

Fluttershy stared at him with her large, innocent eyes. “Well, you see, the Mayor of Hollow Shades heard how I am with animals, and sent me a letter yesterday. It seems they want my help with a creature problem.”

“What’s going on in Hollow Shades?” Nimbus asked.

“Oh, it’s terrible. Fillies and colts are disappearing near the river, and the townsponies think there’s only one creature to blame- a Kappa.”

“A what?” Nimbus asked. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Kappa.”

“It’s a ferocious water-dweller that’s supposed to drown foals.”

“Really?” Nimbus said, skeptical. “How do we know that?”

“Well, nopony knows for sure,” Fluttershy answered, “but foal disappearances usually increase when a Kappa is sighted.”

“And when are Kappas sighted, exactly?”

“The rainy season,” Fluttershy replied, “and in Hollow Shades, that’s the spookiest time of the year, so… would you mind coming with me?”

Nimbus was taken aback. Fluttershy had never asked for his assistance on anything before. “Well, sure, but… have you already tried any of your other friends? Mecha perhaps?”

“They’re all too busy,” Fluttershy said, “and to tell you the truth- I don’t want Mecha to come.”

“Why not?” Nimbus asked, “he’s totally capable of bringing the smackdown on this Kappa.”

“But that’s not what I want!” Fluttershy said, “I don’t want to hurt it. I just want it to stop threatening everypony else.”

“I see,” Nimbus said, scratching his chin. Finally he turned back to Fluttershy. “What time are you leaving?”

“I’m leaving on the train this afternoon,” Fluttershy replied.

“Then I’ll meet you at the train station later,” Nimbus said, turning and heading for home, “I need to get a few things before we leave.”

…

A few hours later, Fluttershy watched as Nimbus waddled up to the train station, laden with two sleeping bags, his EAF sheathes, a tent, several emergency kits, and fire-starting supplies. Fluttershy herself had a simple saddlebag.

“Um, Nimbus-“ she said, “are you sure that’s, um, all really necessary?”

“Of course it is!” Nimbus replied, “there’s no telling how long we’ll be out in the field tracking down this Kappa!”

“Well, yes,” Fluttershy said, “but it’s right next to Hollow Shades. We could just find a room or-“

“And besides,” Nimbus said, not hearing Fluttershy at all, “it’ll be fun to stay in the great outdoors!”

“Well, I guess if you say so-“ Fluttershy said.

The two turned in their tickets and hopped onto the train, heading for the mysterious town of Hollow Shades. It was the start of a new adventure, and neither knew just what to expect.

…

The screeching of the train’s brakes woke Nimbus from his nap. He’d been asleep for nearly the entire ride.

“We must be here!” he said, shaking Fluttershy, who was also napping, awake. Nimbus stood and retrieved his luggage as Fluttershy stretched and yawned.

“I must confess,” Nimbus said as the two made their way towards the exit, “I’ve never been to Hollow Shades before, but I hear it’s quite-“

The ponies stepped off the train and were instantly enveloped in a thick, white fog.

“-beautiful,” Nimbus finished drily. “Well, I suppose it could be beautiful, if there wasn’t so much of this Celestia-forsaken fog.” He turned to Fluttershy. “I guess we’d better get our stuff under the platform. Is there somepony we need to meet?”

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy said, “the Mayor himself is coming to meet us.”

As the two hurried under the platform, a gaunt white Earth Pony stallion trotted up to them. His Cutie Mark was that of a rake.

“Salutations,” he said, “is either of you Fluttershy?”

“That’s me,” Fluttershy squeaked.

The pony turned to her. “So pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Fluttershy.” He turned to Nimbus. “And you are-?”

“I’m Nimbus, from the EAF. I’m Fluttershy’s escort.”

“I see…” the Mayor said, clearly not happy. “This is hardly a matter that needs to be brought to the attention of the Air Force however, Mr. Nimbus.”

Nimbus smiled, ignoring the Mayor’s hostile words. “Then it’s a good thing I’m off-duty. I’m just here to help out a friend.”

“Very well,” the Mayor said, “I’ll show you the river where we believe the Kappa is dwelling. I’ll fill you in on what’s going on here on the way.”

“Sounds great,” said Nimbus.

The ponies picked up their belongings and followed the Mayor into town. Hollow Shades, as they soon discovered, was just as dreary as the fog surrounding it. As they walked down the street, they received several cold, unfeeling stares from the town’s residents, and neither felt welcome. Nimbus attempted to stare back, while Fluttershy simply retreated into her shell of shyness.

“It seems when the wet season came upon Hollow Shades this year,” the Mayor spoke, “it brought with it a Kappa. I trust you are both familiar with the creature?”

Both ponies nodded.

“Good, then you know why this is a serious matter. You see, a Kappa has recently been spotted in the area, and the sightings have correlated with reports of missing foals. The reports all have one thing in common- the foals in question were last seen in the vicinity of the river, which is the only place near town that could support a Kappa.”

“And you’re sure this Kappa is the reason for the disappearances?” Nimbus asked.

The Mayor frowned. “Yes. Can your companion speak for herself?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “I can try to talk more if you want.”

Caught off guard, the Mayor cleared his throat. “Oh, that’s, er, alright. Now, if you two will follow me…”

The Mayor headed out of town on a dirt path, which lead into the woods. Fluttershy was becoming more and more nervous as the dark trees closed in on all sides, and even Nimbus had to admit he was spooked. The fog floated eerily through the trees, creating a surreal, nightmarish environment. Nimbus had to glance back every few steps, believing that something was following him.

“Stay close,” the Mayor said, “the forest can be as dangerous as the river.”

A snarling sound farther away in the woods alerted Nimbus to the presence of some large, predatory animal. Though he couldn’t make out what it was, he knew that the only safe option would be to stay with the group, on the path. Finally, he could hear the sound of trickling water ahead.

“We’re here,” the Mayor said grimly. As they walked through a dense cluster of bushes, Nimbus suddenly found himself face-to-face with a dark, slow-moving river. On the other side, part of it diverted into a shady swamp. Strange shapes seemed to move in the water, and far away, something large splashed up to the surface and dove back down to its cold, dimly-lit dwelling. Nimbus shuddered.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, actually seemed to have calmed a bit. “This is really a wonderful river,” she said to the Mayor, “I didn’t know so many animals lived here.”

The Mayor was taken aback by Fluttershy’s statement. “Wonderful? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it described that way before, but if that’s how you see it…”

“Yes, it’s really very wonderful,” said Fluttershy. “I just love animals, you see.”

“Then perhaps you’d be able to lure this Kappa out of hiding for me?”

Fluttershy paused for a moment. “Well, I could try to after I find out a little more about it. Why do you want me to lure it out?”

“Just wanted to get a good look at the creature that’s caused this town so much grief,” the Mayor said. His story seemed plausible, but Nimbus caught a subtle eye twitch from the pony, and knew that he was holding something back.

“We’ll get right on this,” Nimbus said aloud.

“Excellent,” said the Mayor, “then I’ll show you to the room I’ve reserved for you, and you can begin.”

“Room?” Nimbus said, sounding slightly disappointed. Suddenly it seemed all of the camping gear he was carrying had grown heavier.

“Of course,” the Mayor said. “We can’t just leave you out here in the forest.”

“Well actually-“ Nimbus began.

“We’ll follow you,” Fluttershy said to the Mayor, cutting Nimbus off. The Pegasus was surprised. He’d never known Fluttershy to be one to interrupt. Perhaps this place had given her a newfound courage. Nimbus had to muse at the irony of it all. It seemed that Hollow Shades had turned the tables on himself and Fluttershy. Ever since his arrival, Nimbus had been as jumpy as a frightened colt, but Fluttershy had grown bolder. Obviously wonders never ceased here.

As they walked back into town, Nimbus once again saw the townsponies staring at him. This time, however, there was something different in the stare- something that seemed more like… gratitude? It was hard to tell, but they had undoubtedly seen the ponies head down to the river, where the Kappa resided, and had almost certainly realized the outsiders’ mission here.

The Mayor unlocked the door to a small cottage and slowly opened the door.

“This is where you two will stay until your task is complete,” he said. “I’ve made all the arrangements for comfort that I could. I hope you enjoy your stay here.” As he left, he turned back to Nimbus.

“Oh, and one more thing- the room’s only set for one. I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

Nimbus would have been fine in the statement if not for the slight sneer at the end of it. Clearly this pony did not like the Air Force at all.

“Well thank you for the heads-up, sir,” Nimbus said, purposefully using Air Force lingo in an attempt to frustrate the pony further, “I’ve got my sleeping bag handy, so I’ll just set up for the night. Reckon I might try to get to sleep early, too, so I can get up at zero dark thirty and see if I can get a visual on this Kappa of yours. Good night!”

Nimbus grinned cheesily and shut the door before the Mayor could get another word out.

“Do you really think there’s a Kappa in the river?”

Nimbus turned to Fluttershy, who was organizing her belongings.

“I don’t know,” he said, “the Mayor mentioned sightings, but I saw nothing at the river.”

Nimbus rolled his sleeping bag out on the floor and turned to Fluttershy. “You know, I’m going out tonight to see if I can catch a glimpse of this thing. Care to join me?”

“Oh…” Fluttershy said, “well I don’t know…”

“You didn’t seem afraid when we went down to the river today,” Nimbus observed as he climbed into his sleeping bag for a quick rest, “what makes now any different?”

“I was with you and the Mayor earlier,” Fluttershy replied. “I just felt safer then. But now…”

“I understand,” Nimbus said. “Just let me know if you change your mind.” And with that, he turned over and dozed off, snoring within minutes.

…

When Nimbus awoke, no light was streaming in through the curtains. Night had fallen. Perfect.

He stood and stretched, and was about to call out to Fluttershy when he saw her curled up on the bed.

“Never mind,” he whispered to himself, “she’s better off staying here.”

Nimbus opened the door slowly and headed out. However, instead of heading for the river, he took a turn towards the town hall. He’d had his suspicions about the Mayor, and now he wanted to see just what the mysterious pony was up to. He was relieved to see no other ponies on the streets. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to explain why he’d been spying on the Mayor of Hollow Shades to anypony.

Nimbus found the town hall and opened the front door. To his surprise, the modest, wooden building was unlocked. He slipped inside silently. Inside, the building was dark, save for one office with light streaming out from under the door. That was his ticket. Nimbus crept to the door. He could hear voices inside- one of which he recognized as the Mayor’s.

“I’m glad we can finally rest. Once we’ve dispatched the beast, there’ll be no question.”

“Of course, sir. Your reelection campaign will have just the boost it needs. Just picture it, sir: Mayor saves Hollow Shades by ridding it of a most foul creature.”

“Hmm, yes. I quite like the sound of that.”

“But sir- if I may ask, are you sure our Kappa is responsible for all of these disappearances? What about the riverbanks, for instance? Some of our inspectors have stated that they’ve become quite unsteady with all of the water the town has received since the rainy season started.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Then the Mayor spoke, his voice quiet, but with a dangerous tone.

“You pull your ponies off of that river now.” He paused for a moment, then added “after all, we wouldn’t want the Kappa to get them, now would we? That would be rather unfortunate, don’t you think?”

“Yes sir,” the other pony said. Nimbus pressed his back against the wall, breathing heavily. He’d heard enough. He tiptoed towards the door to leave… just as the Mayor’s door opened, revealing Nimbus in the doorway’s light.

“My word,” said the Mayor. “Looks like we have a visitor from the Air Force.”

“Nice campaign plan, sir,” Nimbus said, slowly edging towards the door, “but I highly doubt your citizens will approve of it once I tell them.”

“What makes you think that’s going to happen?” the Mayor said with a sneer. He began to pace, speaking nonchalantly.

“You know, it’s very difficult to subdue a Pegasus. In fact, it’s very near impossible. But you know what I found out?”

“Do tell,” Nimbus snarled. He was close to the door now. If he could just keep this buffoon talking…

“Pegasi have the same weakness as everpony- distract them, and they fall just as easily.”

With a sudden chill, Nimbus realized that he’d been playing into the Mayor’s hooves all along. He tried to simultaneously sidestep and glance back, but he wasn’t fast enough. Two ponies behind him threw a net over him, and Nimbus was instantly tangled.

The Mayor chuckled. “Well, well. Not so strong now, are you? You going to try and fly away?”

Nimbus growled in response.

“You know what I think?” the Mayor continued, “I think another Kappa victim will be just what Fluttershy needs to hurry her little task up. What do you think?”

He turned to the ponies who had captured Nimbus. “Throw him in the river. If the Kappa doesn’t get him first, he’ll drown. Either way he’s out of the way.

The ponies nodded an affirmative and dragged Nimbus outside, throwing him into the back of a cart roughly and covering him with a few bags of flour. Nimbus hit his head hard on one of the cart’s sides and quickly lost consciousness. The last thing he thought before he blacked out was “it’s all up to Fluttershy now. We’re doomed.

…

When Nimbus came to, the cart had stopped moving. He was still fading in and out of consciousness, and he couldn’t move his wings if he’d wanted to. Nonetheless, he was dragged- net and all- out of the cart and to the riverbank.

“Enjoy your swim,” one of the ponies said, hoisting Nimbus up. Though he was on the verge of losing consciousness again, Nimbus couldn’t resist a jibe.

“Enjoy your swim? Isn’t that phrase just a little bit cliché?”

Growling, the pony and his companion threw Nimbus out over the water. Nimbus landed with a tremendous splash and began trying to tread water. In his semiconscious state, however, the effort only exhausted him. Nimbus began to lose consciousness again, and felt himself slipping under the water. Just before losing consciousness completely, Nimbus felt a pair of cold and clammy claws clutch his midsection and pull him completely under. There was no doubt in his mind now. The Kappa was real after all.

…

Fluttershy woke and almost instantly flew into a panic. Nimbus was gone! He’d told her that he would be out the night before, but she’d expected him to be back by now. Where had he said he was going? Fluttershy racked her brain before the answer came to him.

“He went to find the Kappa,” she said aloud.

And if he still hadn’t returned, that could only mean one thing…

Fluttershy scrambled to the door and was about to open it when she remembered how frightening the forest had been. And this time, she’d be going in alone. If things weren’t scary enough then, they’d be more than scary enough now.

Then Fluttershy shook the thoughts from her mind. Her friend was in there, and he more than likely needed help. She had to do this; there was no other option. Fluttershy opened the door and galloped for the forest path as fast as she could. It was early morning, and none of the citizens of Hollow Shades were out and about. She preferred it that way. With no citizens in the way, there were less distractions from her goal. And besides, Fluttershy knew she was still terrified of pony-to-pony interaction.

She bolted headlong into the forest, following the trail to the riverside and stopping. Nimbus was nowhere in sight.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy mumbled. There was only one thing left to do, and she’d been dreading it ever since she’d arrived in Hollow Shades- call the Kappa.

“Kappa!” Fluttershy squeaked, then tried again, louder this time.

“Kappa!”

A ripple formed out in the middle of the river, slowly moving towards Fluttershy. She was about to step back, but remembered that many animals could take the action as a sign of fear, and she wanted to look confident. The ripple drew closer, picking up speed and leaving a v-shaped wake. As it came closer to shore, Fluttershy could see what looked like bony green knobs sticking up out of the water. She vaguely remembered hearing that Kappas had a shell, and if those rumors were correct, then there was no doubt about what was approaching her. Just before the shore, the knobs submerged again.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said, “please come back. I just-“

Without warning, a slender, wet figure rose out of the water in front of Fluttershy: the Kappa. Its back was covered in a turtle-like shell, and it stood on two legs. Its hands bore webbed claws. But perhaps the Kappa’s most significant feature was its eyes. They were round, with large, black pupils. Fluttershy’s heart slowed a bit. These were not the eyes of a killer. These were the eyes of a mother.

“Are you the Kappa that lives in this river?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly. The creature responded with some sharp clicks and groans.

“I see. May I ask your help with something?”

The creature nodded once, and clicked again.

“My friend- he was an orange Pegasus- he said he’d come down here last night. Do you know where he is?”

The creature clicked and walked back out into the river, beckoning Fluttershy to follow.

“But I can’t swim very well,” Fluttershy said.

The Kappa persisted, however, and Fluttershy found herself following it into the water. Once the water was up to Fluttershy’s neck, the Kappa quickly submerged the yellow pony without warning. Fluttershy gasped, inhaling water, and for a moment she thought the Kappa had tricked her. But as she opened her eyes, she saw one of the most amazing sights she’d ever experienced around wild creatures. The Kappa opened its mouth and blew a bubble of air around Fluttershy, which solidified into a thin, flexible membrane. Fluttershy found she could breathe again. The Kappa then began to push her down to the bottom of the river, heading for the opposite bank, where Fluttershy had seen a swamp. After a few moments of swimming, the Kappa stopped and glanced around. Then it pushed Fluttershy forward again. As her surroundings came into view, Fluttershy suddenly understood why the Kappa was being blamed for the foal disappearances. All around her were air bubbles like hers, and inside each was a pony- some old and some young. She instantly recognized Nimbus, curled up in his bubble.

“Why did you take them down here?” Fluttershy asked the Kappa.

Through its own form of communication, the Kappa explained itself. Fluttershy listened intently as the Kappa told her about how she was a mother, and how the rainy season had washed her offspring downstream, forcing her to go after them. Passing by Hollow Shades, however, the Kappa had witnessed a young filly fall into the river when the soggy and unstable river bank crumbled beneath her hooves. With her maternal instinct, the Kappa did the only thing she could: seal the child inside one of her air bubbles and care for her as best as possible. As more accidents happened, the Kappa found herself helping more and more ponies. Unfortunately, she had no knowledge of what to do with them once they were well enough to return, so she kept them, waiting for some kind of solution. She loved looking after the ponies, but she was anxious to return to the search for her children, and was seeking a solution.

When the Kappa’s tale was told, Fluttershy paused for a moment. “I know what you can do,” she said finally. “Take the ponies to shore and let Nimbus and I take them into town.”

The Kappa looked back at her collection of ponies, and then back to Fluttershy. Slowly, it nodded and Fluttershy smiled. The Kappa bundled the air bubbles up in a water plant net of sorts, and began to drag them back to the opposite bank.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Fluttershy said, “the town will be happy to have their children back.”

The Kappa gazed at her with her large, black eyes, and Fluttershy could sense nothing but good in that gaze. As Fluttershy was pushed onto the bank, the membrane surrounding her dissolved. The same happened to Nimbus when he was pushed ashore. Nimbus opened his eyes slowly and coughed a few times.

“Oh, Nimbus!” Fluttershy said, “I’m so glad you’re alright. We were wrong about the Kappa all along!”

“I know,” Nimbus said, “it-“

“She,” Fluttershy corrected him.

“Right, she saved me from drowning last night.”

“Drowning?” Fluttershy said, confused, “but you know how to swim.”

Now the Kappa was curious as well. It stuck its head out of the water and slowly waddled ashore.

“That’s what I wanted to tell you. There’s a lot more to this than we originally thought. See, the Mayor’s-“

“Right here, ponies.”

The two ponies and the Kappa turned to face the voice that had just spoken. The Mayor emerged from the forest with his two assistants- the same ones that had captured Nimbus the night before. In the day’s light, Nimbus could tell that they were Unicorns, and he could see their horns building up a magical charge.

“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint,” the Mayor said to Fluttershy. “Finally, we can rid the town of this creature once and for all.”

“Wait, don’t!” Fluttershy said, “the Kappa isn’t your enemy! Look!”

The Kappa pulled up the first of the air bubbles with a small colt inside. The Mayor looked indifferent.

“It’s an air bubble,” he said, “nothing more.”

“But don’t you see?” Fluttershy asked, “the Kappa’s been saving your foals from drowning!”

“He doesn’t see,” Nimbus growled, “because he’s got a different agenda. Am I right, Mr. Mayor?”

“Quite,” the Mayor said. “You see, I will have this… thing’s hide hanging from the town hall by afternoon. Won’t that look nice for reelection?”

“You really shouldn’t tell us your plan before you enact it,” Nimbus said, “that’s generally a pretty bad idea. Especially if we escape.”

The Mayor chuckled. “What a shame, then, that a rather unfortunate accident will have occurred here on the riverbank this morning. You see, as I recall, the Kappa killed you both when it emerged from the river, and I managed to bring it down. Such a shame.”

“Yeah, about that-“ Nimbus said, “try telling that to them.” Nimbus pointed into the woods behind the Mayor.

“Nice try,” the Mayor said, “but you won’t get me to turn my back on you.”

“Fair enough,” Nimbus said, “but the villagers behind you will want to know why you’ve just made the decision to execute two-“ Nimbus glanced back at the Kappa, “actually, make that three innocents.”

The Mayor finally looked behind him and gasped. Several villagers were already emerging from the forest. They’d heard the commotion and had come to see if the Kappa had been caught. One of them, a muscular Earth Pony came forward, holding a weighted net.

“Mr. Mayor,” he said gruffly, “you are being placed under arrest for attempted homicide.

“I wha-? You can’t do this!”

“I can,” the pony answered, “and if you disagree, I also have the authority to net you.”

The Mayor grumbled.

“Don’t make me use the net,” the pony said. “It’s not fun.”

The Mayor cast a scalding glance back at Nimbus, Fluttershy, and the Kappa. “Fine. You can’t keep me in prison for long anyway.”

“You’re right,” said the pony, “but we can keep you in past the election. Now move!” The pony shunted the Mayor back up the path towards town. Now it was just Nimbus, Fluttershy, the Kappa, and the townsponies.

“Your children-“ Nimbus said as the Kappa dragged the rest of the bubbles onto the shore. As they dissolved, the colts and fillies ran to their happy parents, glad to finally be home. Nimbus and Fluttershy turned to the Kappa.

“We’ll make the riverbank safe again,” Fluttershy said to the Kappa. “You don’t have to stay anymore.”

From behind Fluttershy, a small voice said “thank you.”

Fluttershy turned and saw a very young filly looking up at the Kappa.

“You saved my life,” she said, “I knew you were nice from the start.”

Nimbus smiled at the little filly, then saw the Kappa nod slowly, as if it knew what the filly was saying. Fluttershy looked amazed.

“Can you talk to animals?” she asked the filly. The little filly nodded. “Sometimes I think I can.”

“That’s a gift,” said Fluttershy, “and you should use it whenever you can. You can learn a lot from animals.”

“Thank you,” the little filly said. “I’ll remember that.”

Fluttershy turned back to the Kappa for the last time. “Good luck. I hope you can find your children.”

The Kappa nodded and dove back into the river, swimming away. Nimbus and Fluttershy watched it go. Nopony spoke for a few moments, then Nimbus finally broke the ice.

“Well, we could still go camping!”

…

Later that afternoon, Nimbus arrived in Ponyville, after having spent time discussing safety measures for the riverbank with Hollow Shades’s work ponies. He ran home and shed his gear, then bolted to Octavia’s house, where he was welcomed inside by Octavia herself.

“Hello, Nimbus,” Octavia said, “did you have an interesting trip?”

“You could say that,” Nimbus said. “And now… I’d say it’s time to prepare for those auditions. What do you say?”

Octavia grinned. "Hearth’s Warming Eve will be memorable for you this year, Nimbus. Let’s get you into that concert!"

Episode 9: Night of Nights Part I

Night of Nights (Part I)

With Octavia’s help, Nimbus auditions for a part in the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra’s Hearth’s Warming Eve concert, against strong opposition from an old rival of Octavia’s. He soon finds himself playing the waiting game, and the pressure and anxiety build and build. As Octavia works with him to develop his skills further and calm him down, Nimbus sees in her efforts a pony who genuinely cares for him. And Nimbus begins to wonder if he feels more for Octavia then he initially let himself believe…

When her doorbell rang, Octavia woke up groggily and rolled to her feet. Across the room, Vinyl Scratch was still snoring, and the grey Earth Pony smiled. Vinyl was probably the loudest- and the latest- sleeper she’d ever known.

She trotted down the stairs. “I’m coming,” she said. Octavia glanced at a wall clock when she reached the first floor. It was 6:00 in the morning… on a Saturday. She groaned to herself. What would drive somepony to get up at this hour on a weekend? She opened her front door and came face-to-face with a Ponyville covered in a fresh layer of new-fallen snow, but no visitor. Octavia was puzzled. The landscape was beautiful, of course, but she’d rather expected to actually see somepony when she opened the-

Poof.

“Good morning, Octavia!”

Octavia was showered by a bucketful of confetti. When she looked up, she saw Nimbus hovering above her head and holding a now empty bucket.

“Nimbus? Why are you awake so early?” she said, squinting.

“Two reasons,” Nimbus said, dropping the rest of the way and spreading his wings to cushion his landing.

“Perfect,” he said, “a four-point landing. But I digress. A- it’s snowing, so that’s a celebration in itself, and B- today’s audition day!”

Octavia’s eyes went wide. “My goodness,” she said, “I almost forgot! Come inside. You need to warm up for your audition!”

Nimbus followed her inside and put his scarf up on one of Octavia’s coat hooks.

“Would you care for some coffee?” Octavia asked, heading into the kitchen, “I was planning on pouring myself a cup.”

“Sure,” Nimbus said, “that sounds great.” He lowered his saxophone case to the ground near the wall and trotted into the kitchen.

“Looking forward to today?” Octavia asked him as he entered.

“Without a doubt,” Nimbus replied, “you know I’ve been waiting for this forever, it seems.”

Octavia laughed. “I know how you feel. This will be your first real… oh, what’s the term jazz musicians use? Oh, that’s right- your first real gig if you get accepted.”

“And the first time I’ve actually been forced to compete with other musicians,” Nimbus added. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to that.”

“You’ll do fine,” Octavia said, setting Nimbus’s coffee down in front of him. Nimbus grabbed some cream and sugar and began mixing up his coffee as Octavia continued.

“What you really need to remember today is to relax and enjoy yourself. At the heart of this all, you’re still playing music, and I know you enjoy that.”

“I certainly do,” Nimbus said, downing his coffee.

“Ready to warm up?” Octavia asked. Nimbus nodded.

“I guess so,” he said, “but won’t that wake up Vinyl Scratch?”

“I doubt it,” Octavia said, shaking her head, “and even if she does, one early morning wouldn’t kill her.”

Nimbus chuckled. “Then let’s get started.”

Nimbus spent about half an hour playing scales and tuning his saxophone while Octavia filled in for Vinyl on the piano. He could barely sit still to play, he was so excited. Vinyl came downstairs after a while, and shot Nimbus and Octavia a withering glance. The two ponies pretended not to notice, but as soon as Vinyl had left the room, they both high-hoofed each other gleefully. Soon, an hour had passed, and then two. Nimbus glanced at the clock and turned to Octavia.

“I think it’s time to head over to auditions.”

“Excellent plan,” Octavia said, “I’ll get my things and accompany you.”

“Sure thing,” Nimbus said, packing up his saxophone and heading for the front door, making sure to put his sheet music back into his case. He wrapped his scarf around his neck just as Octavia appeared with her own scarf and some earmuffs.

“Let’s head out!” Nimbus said enthusiastically, opening the door and walking out into the snow. Octavia shut the door as she exited, and almost instantly slipped on a patch of ice.

“Whoa!” Nimbus said, darting forward with the help of his wings to catch her. He stopped her fall a few inches above the ground.

“Well, it seems the damsel in distress has been rescued,” Octavia said, jokingly. “Thank you, Nimbus.”

“No trouble,” Nimbus said, smiling, “I can’t let my teacher take a tumble at a time like this, now can I?”

“I suppose not,” Octavia said.

Nimbus helped Octavia back onto her hooves, and they set off, with Octavia smiling in a way she hadn’t before. Nimbus wasn’t oblivious, nor did he fail to notice the color of her cheeks.

“You’re blushing,” he observed.

“Oh, it’s just the weather,” Octavia said, waving Nimbus off. “This cold has never agreed with me.”

Nimbus laughed. “Yeah, that’s pretty much how I feel, too. I’ve always liked warm weather better.”

As the two continued down the road towards the town hall, Nimbus took in the sights around him. Foals were running amok through the streets, hurling snowballs and sledding in the hills surrounding Ponyville. He even noticed a determined group of colts and fillies hard at work on a giant snowmare. He smiled. Despite the cold, it seemed winter brought with it its own kind of warmth. When the snow began to fall, arguments ceased, friendships were made, and all became peaceful. It really was a wonderful time of year.

“Here we are,” Octavia said, stopping at the town hall, “shall we proceed inside?”

“We shall,” Nimbus said, opening the door for his teacher and following her inside. The town hall was well-heated, and Nimbus and Octavia headed over to a table stocked with complimentary hot chocolate for the musicians.

“Not bad,” Nimbus said, sipping his drink. “Just the sort of thing to have after a walk in the snow, you agree?”

Octavia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, she was cut off by another pony’s voice.

“Octavia!”

Octavia and Nimbus turned to face a white Unicorn with a flowing mane and tail highlighted with mint green streaks approaching. Her Cutie Mark was that of a bass clef, and she carried herself with dignified poise.

“Star Solo!” Octavia said, “I hadn’t expected to see you here.”

Nimbus could sense an edge of strained politeness in Octavia’s voice. Judging by their interaction thus far, he felt that Octavia wasn’t entirely pleased to see this “Star Solo” here.

“Still living in Ponyville, I see,” Star Solo said. “Have you even looked into moving to Canterlot yet?”

“I’m sorry,” Octavia said, “I don’t believe I ever stated that that was my intention.”

“I see,” Solo said, looking somewhat disgusted. “And what brings you here today?”

“My student, Nimbus,” Octavia said, pushing Nimbus towards Solo, “is auditioning for the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra saxophonist spot.”

“Oh,” Star Solo said, turning her eyes down, then bringing them back up again to Nimbus, “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what, ma’am?” Nimbus asked.

“Well, you see, I’m auditioning for the same spot.”

Nimbus blinked. “So?” Octavia said, “they haven’t made their decision already, have they?”

“Well no,” said Solo, “but Octavia, you know how I was back in music school…”

“Wait a moment,” Octavia said, “the musician of choice has to be a resident of Ponyville. You can’t legally try out.”

“Oh, but I can,” Star Solo said, “it all depends on who you know. And I know plenty.”

Octavia narrowed her eyes, staring coldly at Star Solo. The Unicorn flicked her mane through the air once and turned towards the exit. “Well anyway, it was pleasant to see you again. Take care.”

Octavia’s glare didn’t leave Star Solo until she was out the door and on her way down the street.

“Who’s she?” Nimbus asked.

Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Star Solo was in my class when I set off to study music three years ago. She set herself as the center of attention and maintained that position through musical ability and popularity.”

“Sounds like a politician,” Nimbus said, “Mecha would be overjoyed.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Octavia said. “Star Solo was talented, yes, but she never failed to impress upon the rest of us how inferior she believed we were. She was an infernal braggart, and drove the rest of us insane with her constant boasting. Unfortunately, the nobles of Canterlot loved her. To this day, I can’t imagine why. Because of this, she grabbed a solo section in almost every song in every concert we had. Over time, she let her skills slide. She became an average student, but she still had her influence. The worst part of it all was that she thought we were friends through the whole ordeal. I finally got the courage to tell her the truth a week before one of my concerts. She, of course, was enraged and pulled the plug on the concert hall during my performance. Lights went out, the microphones died, nothing worked. I played through it, though, and the ponies stayed and listened. To this day, I think she still hates me for defying her.”

Octavia threw her hot chocolate cup in the garbage and sighed. “But that’s not for you to worry about, Nimbus. You just go in there and show them what you can do. Don’t let Star Solo worry you.”

“Roger that,” Nimbus said, snapping Octavia a friendly salute. The grey Earth Pony laughed.

“Nimbus?”

Nimbus turned to see one of the conference rooms in the town hall open, with a purple mare looking out.

“I’ll be right there,” Nimbus said, smiling to the mare. He picked up his saxophone case and turned to Octavia.

“Wish me luck.”

“I don’t need to,” Octavia said, “you’ll amaze them regardless.”

Nimbus turned to go. “But good luck anyway,” Octavia called after him. Nimbus turned, smiled at his tutor, and walked into the audition room, closing the door behind him.

“Alright,” the mare who had beckoned him inside said, “please assemble your saxophone and proceed to the stand. I have some music I’d like you to play.”

Nimbus nodded and went right to work, assembling his saxophone and heading to the stand in less than a minute.

“You’re pretty fast,” the mare remarked.

“Thanks,” Nimbus said, “but it’s just practice.” He arranged the music on the stand to best suit him and looked through what was in front of him. It appeared to be a collection of scales and phrases. Perfect. He practiced things like this on a daily basis.

“When would you like me to start?” Nimbus asked.

The pony pulled out a metronome and set it on her table, starting it. “Whenever you feel ready.”

After a few seconds of gaining his composure, Nimbus began to play. He played through everything layed out in front of him, and when he finished, the mare looked at him without a trace of emotion.

“Anything else?” Nimbus asked, then wished he could kick himself. The phrase sounded much too informal.

“Well, if you brought along any music of your own, I’d be happy to see you work through a song and improvise.”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, reaching into his saxophone case and pulling out “Mr. EQ,” the first song he’d performed onstage. At the same time, the mare pulled a keyboard out from under her desk. Nimbus handed her the sheet music and she began to play chords. Nimbus joined in and began to weave his favorite jazz melody, cruising through the improv section with ease. He was enjoying himself greatly, and was sorry to finish.

“Alright, then,” the mare said, jotting down some notes on a clipboard. “Thank you for auditioning! You’re free to go.”

Nimbus trotted out into the lobby and gave Octavia a nod.

“How did you do?” Octavia asked.

“Well, I don’t know for sure,” Nimbus said, “but I think I did well.”

“Excellent,” Octavia said. “If you need anything, come by my house. Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said. Then he headed out the door and turned for home. Already he felt excited, and just a bit nervous. He didn’t even think he’d be able to keep still for long. As it turned out, he couldn’t be more right.

…

For the second time in a 24 hour period, Octavia woke to the sound of her doorbell. This time, however, it was midnight. Sighing, she got to her hooves and went downstairs to open the door. When she did, she took note of Nimbus, shivering on her doorstep. The Pegasus looked rather tired.

“Nimbus?” Octavia said, “what’s the matter?”

Nimbus drew in a breath. “Well, remember when you said I should stop by if I needed anything? Well, I can’t sleep at all. I’m just too worked up about this whole audition thing. I was hoping you might know a way to relax, given your musical experience.”

Despite her lack of sleep, Octavia smiled at her student. “Come inside and I’ll see what I can do.”

Gratefully, Nimbus followed Octavia inside, where she led him to a couch in her living room. “Why don’t you just rest here for the moment?” she said, grabbing a large blanket from behind the couch and throwing it over Nimbus.

“Thank you,” Nimbus said, grabbing the blanket and covering up. Octavia then headed over to her fireplace and stacked a few logs and pieces of kindling inside.

“That should do,” she said, lighting a match and igniting the kindling, “a perfect winter’s fire.” She turned back to Nimbus. “I’ll bring some cookies and milk out. Just sit tight.”

“Sure thing,” Nimbus said. He felt calmer already.

Octavia returned momentarily with two glasses of milk and a plate of gingerbread cookies, which she set on a small table that she moved next to Nimbus. Then she grabbed her own chair and pulled it up to the table.

“I can understand your anxiety,” Octavia said once the two were biting into their first cookies. “When I had my first audition, I was nervous out of my mind. It’s really quite the mental challenge.”

Nimbus nodded. “I know. I was twitchy all afternoon. I still feel a bit jumpy, in fact, but I’m doing better.”

“That’s good,” Octavia said. “Down a few more cookies, and you’ll be fine, then.”

As Nimbus sipped some of his milk, Octavia turned to the fire and stoked it. “You know,” she said, “I can imagine you’re a bit nervous about going up against Star Solo. Am I correct?”

“Very much so,” Nimbus admitted. “She played alongside you for a time, right?”

Octavia nodded.

“Then competing with her would be like competing with you,” Nimbus said.

“Hardly,” Octavia said. “What you have to remember is that Solo never worked for her fame. She acts like royalty, but her musical skills lack the hard work and dedication that you have. Trust me when I say that she won’t even compare.”

“I sure hope so,” Nimbus said, eating another cookie. He decided to change subjects. “So have you actually met the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra before?”

“I have,” Octavia said, “and one thing you should know about them is that they’re not your typical stars. Backstage, they’re some of the nicest ponies you’ll ever meet. A lot like you, actually.”

It was Nimbus’s turn to blush. “Now I’m not sure that’s exactly a good compari-“

“Oh don’t be silly,” Octavia said, “you know as well as I do that you’re one of the most humble ponies I’ve ever met. You just won’t admit it.”

“Correct,” Nimbus said. He reached down to grab a cookie when he noticed that there was only one left.

“Yours,” he said, pushing the plate towards Octavia. Octavia shook her head. “Nonsense. You need it more than I do.”

“Then we’ll split it,” Nimbus said, dividing the cookie between them. He washed the sweet cookie down with the rest of his milk and reclined, listening to the gentle crackling of the fire. Slowly, his eyes closed.

“Good night, Nimbus,” Octavia said. “Sleep well.”

Then she, too, passed out.

When Vinyl Scratch came downstairs the following morning, she saw Nimbus asleep on the couch, her roommate asleep on a chair not far away, and a dying fire in the fireplace. Vinyl shrugged.

“Weird. Usually I’m the one who brings home the occasional stallion only to wake up with him passed out on the couch. What a strange twist of fate this is.”

…

Two days later, Nimbus was suiting up into his EAF gear when Octavia came to his door.

“The audition results are out!” she said, “they posted them at the town hall!”

Nimbus dropped his helmet. “What? Already?”

Octavia nodded enthusiastically. “Do you have time to come take a look?”

“I was heading in the direction of Ponyville anyway,” Nimbus said, zipping up his flight suit. “I’ve got a routine patrol to fly today, but I can delay that a bit.”

“Excellent,” Octavia said as Nimbus walked out his door. The two started trotting to Ponyville, but it wasn’t long before the trot turned into a gallop. When the town hall came into view, both skidded to a halt, looking at the paper pasted to the town hall’s door. Or at least Octavia was. Nimbus was staring down into the snow.

“Nimbus?” Octavia said.

“I can’t look,” Nimbus said, “it’s just too much.”

“Nimbus…”

“No.”

“Nimbus!” Octavia said, shoving Nimbus almost headlong into the door. Nimbus found his muzzle only a few feet away from the results sheet. Nimbus began to read aloud; he had no choice.

“After outstanding performances from all musicians and careful consideration from our judges, the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra has declared that Ponyville’s representative, playing the tenor saxophone in their Hearth’s Warming Eve concert in Manehatten at the Grand Shoreline Recital Hall is… Nimbus!”

Nimbus went slack-jawed. He couldn’t say anything.

“Well?” Octavia said finally.

“This… is… the best day of my life!” Nimbus said, jumping up and hugging Octavia, lifting her into the air, spinning around, and landing in the soft snow.

Octavia laughed. “That’s probably the best response I’ve ever received from one of my students.”

“I’m so excited!” Nimbus whooped. “Wait’ll I tell my friends about this.”

“Well I hope you’re happy,” a familiar voice snarled.

Octavia and Nimbus turned to see Star Solo walking up the road towards them.

“You should never have stuck your muzzle where it didn’t belong, Mud Pony,” Solo hissed at Octavia.

“And you!” she said, sneering at Nimbus, “Octavia’s little Horsefly pet… you would do well to avoid me for the rest of your life if you know what’s good for you!”

“Does she even see the flight suit?” Nimbus whispered to Octavia, who chuckled.

“Look,” Nimbus said, stepping forward, “I want to thank you for coming to the auditions. I’m sure you played well. If you really wanted to meet the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra, I’d be happy to ask them for a backstage pass for you.”

“Why you little-“ Star Solo cut herself off there, however. Suddenly a plan began to take shape in her mind. “A backstage pass?” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet, “how thoughtful of you… I would be delighted. That is, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

“None at all, I’m sure.”

“What are you doing?” Octavia hissed at Nimbus.

“Just showing some holiday cheer,” Nimbus said, “and Star Solo, I’d expect you to do the same from here on out.”

Star Solo let out a “humph,” then spoke. “Don’t confuse my acceptance of your offer with the possibility of friendship, little Horsefly,” she said to Nimbus. “I’m only going to watch you bring shame upon the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra onstage.” With that, Star Solo turned and walked away, holding her head high.

“You realize she’s going to try to sabotage the concert, right?” Octavia said, nudging Nimbus, “it’s her way. That mare’s about as subtle as a sharp clarinet.”

“Oh I know,” Nimbus said, “and that’s why I have just the pony to send a complimentary invite to.”

“Oh?” Octavia said, “who?”

“An old friend of yours, and a new friend of mine,” Nimbus replied. “Someone who knows just how to prank the prankster.”

Octavia smiled. “I think I know just who you mean…”

To be Continued…

Chapter 10: Night of Nights Part II

Night of Nights (Part II)

Star Solo is determined to see Nimbus humiliated onstage during his performance with the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra, to the point where she vows to do anything to make her goal a reality. Nimbus and Octavia are aware of this and invite Mecha along to the concert as a countermeasure. What follows is a tale of backstage battles, blossoming feelings, and one night to remember above all others!

“Nnngh,” Nimbus groaned as Rarity stretched, twisted, and pulled his tuxedo around him as one would stretch taffy, “does it really have to be that well-fitting?”

Rarity looked shocked, relaxing her hold on the suit and allowing Nimbus to sneak in a few quick breaths. “Nimbus, darling, you cannot possibly mean what you say! Of course it has to be well-fitting! You’ll be appearing in front of Manehatten tonight! Now just hold still while I finish.”

“Hoo!” Nimbus exhaled as Rarity tightened the area around his midsection.

“Now stop squirming so,” Rarity sighed. “I thought you EAF aviators were made of sterner stuff.”

“Rarity,” Nimbus gasped, “nothing even comes close to this.”

“I should charge you extra for being uncooperative,” Rarity retorted. “It’s a lucky thing we’re in the season of generosity.”

“Well, for the sake of generosity, could you stop attempting to strangle me?” Nimbus asked as Rarity buttoned the top of his collar.

“You make such a fuss,” Rarity said, “if only Octavia could see you now.”

“What do you mean?” Nimbus asked.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t complain so much about this,” Rarity said, “and don’t try to tell me she has it any easier. She’s going onstage with you, so she gets the same treatment.”

“I guess,” Nimbus sighed, ceasing his struggling and letting Rarity take over. The entire process was still uncomfortable, but he had to admit that Rarity knew what she was doing. Letting her handle the final preparations seemed to be the wise choice. When all of the nipping and tucking was complete, Rarity pushed a mirror in front of Nimbus. The stallion was shocked at how wonderful Rarity’s work was.

“Not bad at all,” he said, “in fact, it’s amazing!” Nimbus opened his wings for a celebratory hover, but Rarity instantly pinned them down.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said, “flight will ruin this suit.”

“Okay,” Nimbus grumbled, folding up his wings.

“You really do look dapper,” Rarity said, “Octavia will love your new look.”

“Why all the Octavia comments?” Nimbus asked defensively.

“Well I always see you two together,” Rarity confessed, “so I naturally assumed-“

“Oh no,” Nimbus said quickly, “it’s nothing like that. We’ve just been hanging out more recently. We’re both pretty excited about this concert.”

“My sincerest apologies,” Rarity said. “I didn’t mean to presume anything.”

“There’s no reason to apologize,” Nimbus countered, “I’m not surprised, really. That’s basically what I’ve been hearing for the past two weeks. Mecha won’t shut up about it.”

Rarity laughed. “I see. Well, unless you have anything else for me to do, you should be on your way.”

“Then I’m away,” Nimbus said, depositing Rarity’s fee on her counter. Then, reaching back into his saddlebag, he pulled out a few extra bits and added them to his fee.

“Keep the change,” Nimbus said as Rarity bagged his suit for him, “and have a merry Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“You too!” Rarity called out as Nimbus left the shop. She smiled as the door closed, causing the little silver bells Sweetie Belle had hung on it to jingle. She loved Hearth’s Warming Eve more than any other holiday. She hoped she’d done her part to make Nimbus’s first one with his Ponyville friends memorable.

…

Solo Star smirked when she heard the sound of letters falling into her mail chute. She’d been waiting for this day, and it had finally arrived. She rushed over to the chute and took out several pieces of mail, searching through them until she found one addressed from Nimbus. She opened it carefully, taking out the backstage pass Nimbus had promised her.

“Thank you so much,” she said to nopony in particular, “for the chance to make tonight a night that will go down in history as the end of Nimbus’s musical career!”

…

Mecha looked up as a knock sounded at the door to his workshop. “Enter if you dare,” he said cheerfully. Nimbus opened the door carefully, to avoid any booby traps his friend had placed without his knowledge.

“You’re safe,” Mecha said.

“That’s really reassuring,” Nimbus said, “especially if you felt you needed a hydra scale explosion to take out the evil version of me.”

“Well, what are friends for?” Mecha asked, shaking Nimbus’s hoof.

“Merry Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Nimbus said to his friend. “You prepared for tonight?”

“Without a doubt,” said Mecha. “I’ve got gadgets galore for this little mission of yours…”

Nimbus nodded. “Just remember- I didn’t invite Star Solo just to have her pranked. We won’t take any action if it looks like she’s just there to meet the band and watch the concert. Understood?”

“Oh, of course,” Mecha said. “But… I can’t even use just one little-“

“No,” Nimbus said, “we’ve got to show Solo some holiday spirit. If we just decimate her with prank wars, she won’t learn anything from this.”

Mecha sighed. “I suppose you’re right. By the way, how’s Octavia? You ask her out yet?”

“Arrrgh!” Nimbus said, “how many more times am I going to be asked that question today?! It’s not like that at all! We’ve just been getting together more often to prep for the concert.”

“Right,” Mecha said. “Suit yourself. I’ll meet you at the train station at noon for the train to Manehatten.”

“Great,” Nimbus said, “I understand that Solo will be on the train as well. This’ll be your first chance to get a good look at her, and perhaps see if she’s up to anything.”

“You got it,” Mecha said.

“Cool,” said Nimbus, heading for the door, “then happy holidays!”

“And the same to you,” Mecha called out as Nimbus shut the door and headed back farther into town. There was one more thing he had to do.

…

Octavia didn’t exactly know what to expect. Nimbus had stopped by earlier before heading into town to state that he would be meeting her at the train station instead of her house. Good-natured as she was, she didn’t ask why, but she couldn’t help but wonder why Nimbus had chosen not to stop by for their usual pre-concert chat.

“Ready, Vinyl?” Octavia asked.

“Just a minute,” Vinyl Scratch said from upstairs amidst several large crashing sounds. Octavia winced. The room would be a mess yet again.

“Okay, I am totally set!” Vinyl said, coming down the stairs in a black coat with glowsticks stuffed into both of its front pockets. Octavia grinned. It wasn’t hard to be amused by her roommate, who took concerts like this very seriously.

“Well,” Octavia said, throwing her scarf around her neck, “let’s get to the train station, then.”

They stepped outside, the snow crunching under their hooves as they headed towards the station. When they arrived, there were several ponies standing around the train in black suits. Octavia ignored them and took a seat. Nimbus was supposed to arrive any moment now.

“Hey, check it out,” Vinyl Scratch said, pointing out past the train, “giant snowball!”

“Octavia squinted in the direction Vinyl was pointing. Sure enough, there was something large and white headed for the train station at high speed. She couldn’t tell what it was, though. As it came closer, she could hear the sound of something roaring through the air.

“Vinyl…” Octavia said, “I don’t think that’s a snowball.”

Finally Octavia could make out the shape of the approaching object. It seemed… something was flying straight towards them and kicking up a wake of snow in front of it- hence the snowball appearance. Just a few feet away from the train station- and the train- the object skidded to a halt, and when the snow finally cleared, Octavia saw Nimbus, standing hooked up to sleek, red chariot.

“Your chauffer has arrived,” Nimbus said, bowing to Octavia. One of the black-suited ponies approached Nimbus.

“Are you Captain Nimbus?”

“I am,” Nimbus said.

The pony cleared his throat. “Then I must insist that you take the train. We’re your security detail for the concert.”

“It’s fine,” Nimbus said, “relax and enjoy the train ride. I brought my own security.”

“Oh?” the pony said. Without answering him directly, Nimbus unclipped a radio from one of the chariot’s handles and spoke into it.

“Detail, front and center.”

Without any prior indication, four Pegasi dropped out of the sky and stopped next to Nimbus. Like him, they were all wearing EAF flight suits. “Satisfied?” Nimbus said.

“That… will do, I suppose,” the security pony said.

“Here,” Octavia said, handing the pony a few tickets, “you and your detail can take our first class seats. We won’t be needing them.”

Mecha walked around the corner just in time to see Octavia climbing into Nimbus’s chariot. Nimbus opened his mouth to speak, but Mecha beat him to it.

“Oh no,” he said, “don’t even think about it! I’m not setting hooves within a hundred feet of that contraption! I’m taking the train. It’s safer.”

“Do what you want,” Nimbus said, “but statistically, flying is the safest way to travel. And the coolest.”

“Have fun freezing yourselves up there,” Mecha said. “I’ll be on this lovely, heated train doing work.”

Nimbus smiled. “See you at Manehatten, then.”

Mecha grinned and waved to Nimbus as he stepped onto the train. Before he was fully in, though, he turned back.

“You two look really good together, you know that?”

Nimbus’s face flushed a brilliant crimson and he felt his stomach drop. Behind him, Octavia was guffawing most uncharacteristically for someone of her poise.

“Well, heh heh,” Nimbus said to Octavia, “let’s be on our way, shall we?”

“Oh, just a moment,” Octavia said, stepping out of the chariot and turning to Vinyl Scratch. “Vinyl, would you like to come? There’s room for another.”

“Maybe on the way back,” Vinyl Scratch said. “This one’s for you guys, though.”

“If you say so,” Octavia said, climbing back into the chariot. “I’m ready now.”

“Alright,” Nimbus said. He then switched to an “official-sounding” voice and spoke again. “Thank you for choosing the Equestrian Air Force as your travel provider direct to Manehatten today. There will be no complimentary food on this flight because I don’t have any. However, the view’s to die for. You have two options for today’s flight: the slow, boring, let’s-not-pass-the-train, poke-me-in-the-eye commuter flight, or the super-fast, awesome, scenic, leave-the-train-in-our dust, EAF super flight.”

Octavia paused for a few moments, pretending to consider her options.

“You only live once,” Nimbus said.

“Then I choose the second option,” Octavia said.

“Okay then,” Nimbus said, pawing the ground, “then you’d better strap in, because we are cleared for a military departure from this place!”

On the train, Mecha, who had been watching the whole thing, facehoofed himself. Nimbus was behaving cheesier than the average pizza. He found it hard to believe that Nimbus himself still hadn’t realized what he and most of Ponyville already suspected. Heck, Octavia didn’t even seem to know just yet that the two were becoming close. Mecha decided to ignore the ponies’ antics outside and focus on locating Star Solo.

“Alrighty,” Nimbus said to Octavia, “you secure?”

Octavia nodded.

“Good,” Nimbus said, “because here we go!” Nimbus ran forward and extended his wings, building speed. The chariot’s runners (a custom option installed by the chariot rental ponies at Nimbus’s request for snow landings) slid easily through the snow. Suddenly, Nimbus pulled up into a near-vertical climb, streaking for the clouds above. Nimbus heard Octavia whoop in surprise, then clap a few times. When Nimbus broke the cloud layer, he rolled inverted for a few moments, and then righted himself. Behind them, their EAF escorts followed, keeping mostly out of sight.

“And that’s how you do a takeoff,” Nimbus said to Octavia. Below, he could hear the train leaving the station.

“Wonderful,” Octavia said, “how high can we go?”

“Let’s find out,” Nimbus said, going into a climb again. This time, they kept going until the sky began to get dark.

“This is as far as I can go safely for you,” Nimbus said to Octavia. Any higher and you risk altitude sickness.

“To hay with it!” Octavia said, “let’s keep going!” Nimbus shook his head and kept going. They were extremely high now- high enough to see stars. Octavia opened her mouth in a huge smile at the wondrous sights around her. Then she began to feel dizzy. Nimbus saw her head droop and instantly dove back down to a safer altitude, taking care to descend gradually, to avoid causing Octavia’s system any trauma.

“Octavia,” Nimbus said, “you okay?”

“Wha-?” Octavia said, bringing her head back up and shaking herself awake, “that was wonderful!”

“And dangerous for you,” Nimbus said, “let’s get you down to a more comfortable altitude.” Nimbus dove rapidly towards the ground, pulling up with a few feet to spare. When Octavia looked over the side of the chariot, and found herself only about ten feet above the snowy ground.

“Isn’t this a bit low?” she called out to Nimbus over the whistling wind.

“Nope,” Nimbus said, “I’ve got an EAF waiver for ELL flight!”

“ELL?” Octavia said, confused, “what’s that?”

“Extremely Low Level,” Nimbus called back, turning into a sharp bank. “Hello?” he said, “what’s this?”

“What’s what?” Octavia said.

“Seems we have a train to catch,” Nimbus replied. Then Octavia saw what he was talking about. The train from Ponyville was just to their right. Nimbus diverted course and pulled up next to the train, peeking into each window. They passed Mecha, fiddling with some small black bags filled with a deadly-looking powder that Nimbus instantly recognized as powdered Hydra scale. Not exactly legal, but nopony was going to try to stop him. He felt sure of that. Next up was Vinyl Scratch, who when passed, pressed her face up against the glass and waved. Octavia waved back cheerfully. Finally, they came to the first class section, where they could see the security detail enjoying a meal, as well as none other than Star Solo herself, glaring out the window.

“She looks pleasant,” Nimbus remarked, and Octavia laughed. The two pulled up and over the train.

“Right,” said Nimbus, “sightseeing’s done. Let’s hit Manehatten!” Nimbus formed back up into a formation with his comrades and banked back on course to Equestria’s largest city.

…

Mecha smiled to himself as he finished tying up his last bag of powdered Hydra scale. He’d spotted Nimbus and Octavia a few moments ago, and could only imagine how furious Star Solo must have been to see them. He’d only run into her once before, and that encounter had hardly been a pleasant one. She’d shoved him out of the way while heading to the lounge car, and it had taken every ounce of self-control Mecha had to keep from attacking her. He consoled himself with the fact that he’d easily be able to make up for the even later. Now he had a job to do.

He trotted into the train’s restroom, opened up his saddlebag, and pulled out a hat, overcoat, and notebook, as well as a false reporter’s badge and pencil. He knew there was only one way to get close to Star Solo. Before opening the door, he slipped a small and tightly-sealed bag into his pocket. When he emerged, Mecha looked like a completely different pony- a reporter to be exact. He proceeded to first class, where he crept up behind Star Solo, notebook in hoof.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Mecha said, “may I have a brief word with you?”

Star Solo turned and looked at Mecha in disgust. “Oh… a mud pony. Haven’t I seen you before?”

“Yes you have, you twit,” Mecha thought, “you shunted me out of the way not thirty minutes ago.”

“We may have run into each other, but I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m Mecha, music reporter for the Canterlot Times.”

“Oh?” Solo said, suddenly interested. “Then please, ask any questions you would like!”

“Alright,” Mecha said, taking a seat right next to her, causing Solo to squirm uncomfortably. “First question, then: is it true that the reason for this train ride is that you’re traveling to the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra concert?”

“It is.”

“And in that case, am I also correct that you were, for lack of a better term, beaten in the auditions by an amateur?”

Star Solo bristled. “When did you find out about that?”

“It’s no secret,” said Mecha, “plenty of musicians know.”

“Well if you must know,” said Star Solo, “I let him beat me. After all, this is the season of generosity. I simply wanted to give him a chance. But…”

“But what?” Mecha pressed, jotting something down in his notebook.

“I’m afraid I don’t have very high hopes for him. You see, he lacks the years of education that other ponies have.”

“Other ponies such as you?” Mecha asked, seething on the inside. Nopony could talk about his friends like that. There would be hell to pay tonight for that comment.

“Well… I suppose I could qualify for that category, yes,” said Solo.

“One final question, then,” Mecha said. “Do you believe, then, that Nimbus won’t represent Ponyville well?”

“That is correct,” Solo said, “unfortunate, but correct.”

“Thank you very much,” Mecha said, closing his notebook and forcing a smile. “It was a pleasure to speak with you.”

Star Solo said nothing; instead she simply waved Mecha off. She didn’t notice as Mecha’s hoof brushed over her traveling bags. As he went back to his seat, Mecha began plotting. Solo had officially pushed the wrong buttons, and even if she wasn’t planning on any mischief, which by now Mecha severely doubted, he would have some form of vengeance.

Looking at the now empty bag he drew out of his coat pocket, Mecha smiled. His vengeance, it seemed, would be quite forthcoming, too.

…

“And there she is,” Nimbus said, banking over the grand city, “beautiful Manehatten. Now I just need to find the concert hall…”

“I can help you with that,” Octavia said, looking below, “it’s right on the coastline.”

“Great,” Nimbus said, heading for the coast. As they reached it, Nimbus began to follow the shoreline.

“Dead ahead,” Octavia said, “it’s the big glass building.”

Nimbus almost forgot to flap his wings when he saw the concert hall. It was massive, for one, and its shape was almost similar in appearance to a seashell, with a massive wall of glass facing out towards the city as the main lobby.

“Impressive,” Nimbus said, lowering his altitude until he was cruising above the street to the hall. They touched down just outside the front doors and a valet Pegasus pony instantly walked up to Nimbus.

“May I take your chariot, sir?”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, unhitching himself as the valet hitched himself in. Nimbus then went to the back of the chariot and helped Octavia down, grabbing their luggage as well.

“So where to?” Nimbus said as the chariot left and he and Octavia headed inside.

“Well, if you’d like to follow me, I think it’s time to go meet the band,” Octavia said, smiling.

Nimbus grinned from ear to ear. This day was just getting better by the second.

…

Star Solo set her bags on her hotel bed and headed into the bathroom for a brief shower. As she stood under the warm water, she began to think of the best ways to get back at Nimbus. Electronics failures were a good start, but she’d already seen one of those go wrong when she attempted the same with Octavia. She’d learned from then on out to always have a backup plan. She recalled a pamphlet she’d read on the train about the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra. Apparently the band used pyrotechnics as a central part of their show.

“Pyrotechnics…” she mused aloud, “now that could be interesting.”

She climbed out of the shower and used her room’s intercom to order some steamed oats through room service. Then she began slipping on her concert clothing. She’d have to get over to the concert early if she wanted to scope out possible sabotage locations. As she put on her velvet purple dress, she suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation on her flank. She cried out, but didn’t notice the small, golden scorpion crawling away from her- a little present from Mecha. He’d planted a honey scorpion (a species plucked straight out of the Appaloosa Desert) into her bag. She shrugged the encounter off and went back to dressing. As she finished, however, she noticed that her head felt odd. The entire room seemed blurry, and she had trouble keeping her balance. Then there was a knock at the door. Star Solo stumbled to the door like a drunk and opened it. There, standing before her, was what she perceived as the most beautiful stallion she’d ever seen.

“Er… room service,” the stallion said, handing Star Solo a plate of steamed oats.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” Star Solo said, dropping her voice into a seductively low tone, “why don’t you come in here with me for a little while?”

The room service attendant began to back up. “Er, ma’am, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have to maintain a strictly professional relationship with my customers.”

“Then let’s make this… professional,” Solo crooned, batting her eyelashes.

The attendant reached for a radio on his belt.

“Calling your friends up here? I like that. The more the merrier.”

“Security, this is Friendly Service reporting from the fifth floor, room 5B37. I have a situation up here.”

“On our way,” the attendant’s radio squawked.

“Oh, your name is Friendly Service?” Solo swooned, “that’s positively wonderful. Can I expect some friendly service from you?”

“Ma’am, please-“ Service said, “if you go back into your room now and just eat your food, we can pretend this never happened.”

“Hmm… make me,” Solo giggled, draping a foreleg over Friendly Service’s shoulder.

When security arrived on the fifth floor, they found Friendly Service being dragged rear-hooves-first into Star Solo’s room.

“Release the attendant!” a bulky stallion said, picking up Star Solo and throwing her across the room. Solo hit the wall and collapsed, giggling while two other stallions cuffed themselves to her and dragged her out of the room, leaving a very bewildered Friendly Service sitting on the floor and wondering if he’d really just gone through everything he’d seen.

…

Octavia led Nimbus to a room in the back of the concert hall where several surprisingly (to Nimbus) ordinary-looking ponies were seated, fiddling around with instruments.

“Nimbus,” Octavia said proudly, “I’d like to introduce you to the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra.”

Nimbus’s jaw dropped as one of the ponies stood and approached him. His Cutie Mark was a half note, and his coat was black with a gelled, purple mane.

“So you’re Nimbus,” he said, “pleased to meet you. I’m Bold Mic, the band’s lead singer.”

“Hello… sir,” Nimbus said, “thank you so much for accepting my audition.”

“Think nothing of it. You kind of blew everypony else away. We’ve still got the recording, actually.”

“Wait,” Nimbus said, “I was recorded?”

“Correct,” Bold said, “and I must add that on behalf of the rest of the band as well as myself, all of us are proud to perform alongside one of Equestria’s defenders tonight.”

“Well, I’m proud to serve,” Nimbus said. “I can’t wait for tonight!”

Bold Mic laughed. “I’ll bet. I’ve got your music if you’d like to have a look at it. We were going to start rehearsing soon.”

“Works for me,” Nimbus said, bending down to unpack his saxophone while Octavia started setting up her cello. Nimbus smiled as he began playing his warm up scales. Somehow he felt he’d fit right in with these ponies.

…

Hours later, Nimbus was already starting to feel exhausted. Not only did he have to worry about playing the music correctly, he also had to deal with stage directions. For a show like this, Bold Mic had explained to him, it was important to remember where you were at all times, lest you catch some fireworks straight in the flank. Still, despite the dangers and constant preparation, Nimbus felt that the experience thus far had been rewarding. For the first time in his life, he was playing with a full band who enjoyed music as much as he did. When the band launched into another one of their flashy rock songs, Nimbus almost didn’t notice Mecha slip in the doors to the auditorium. He motioned for Octavia to accompany him and they met the stallion at the front of the stage.

“What’s up?” Nimbus asked Mecha.

“You weren’t kidding when you said Star Solo was a grade-A jerk,” Mecha said. “She’s probably getting that aphrodisiac pumped out of her system right now…”

“Oh no,” Nimbus said, “you didn’t prank her, did you?”

“Of course I did,” Mecha said, “I can only sit through so many insults. And besides, I pretty much confirmed that she’s expecting you to fail tonight, which means she’s going to have a hoof in some attempted sabotage.”

Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I guess it’s okay then.”

“By the way,” Octavia added, “the show starts in less than an hour. If you want to be ready for Solo, I’d suggest you make your way backstage.”

“Already on it,” Mecha said, brandishing yet another false ID card- this time a backstage access card.

“Cool,” said Nimbus, “we’re counting on you, Mecha. The show must go on!”

“Oh it will,” Mecha called back, “even if I have to burn down the auditorium!”

Octavia laughed nervously. “He’s joking, right?”

Nimbus’s face was emotionless. “No. If I know Mecha, he’s not kidding. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

“Backstage, everypony!” Bold Mic called out, “they’re letting ponies in now!”

Nimbus hurried backstage with Octavia. The best night of his life was about to begin.

…

Star Solo rubbed her swollen left flank. According to the emergency care center down the street from her hotel, she’d been injected with an aphrodisiac… by a scorpion. Not only was she humiliated, but she was forced to undergo the painful process of pumping the drug out of her system. Now she was on the warpath.

She stepped inside the auditorium, heading backstage with the pass Nimbus had given her, completely oblivious to Mecha, who was watching her from the shadows. As she reached the stage door, she could hear the music beginning. The lights were still down, so she’d have to work fast. Solo located one of the “fire tubes,” which were essentially metal tubes that shot up pillars of flame when active, and began to run her hoof over its surface until she found a small valve. She squinted at it through the dim light and could just make out a message saying “warning: do not close valve while pyrotechnics are in use. Pressure buildup can cause an explosion.”

“Perfect,” Solo whispered, closing the valve. All she’d have to wait for was the pressure build-up. The explosion would be small enough to be nonlethal, but just enough to worry security and close down the concert. When her work was complete, she slipped back into the shadows, standing center backstage. As soon as Solo took her eyes off the valve, Mecha darted forward and started to reopen the valve when he noticed something. Below the valve was a port for a secondary hose, undoubtedly for connecting a reserve supply of fuel for the fire. Mecha had seen piles of hose sitting around backstage, and suddenly he had an idea…

…

When the lights went down, Nimbus took his place at the side of the stage. He wasn’t due on yet, but he wanted a good view of the performance.

“I want to take you back four hundred years,” Bold Mic said to the audience, his voice cutting through the darkness, “to a little town in the center of Equestria… a town by the name of Ponyville.”

Nimbus could hear the first notes of the concert emanating from Octavia’s solo cello. They sounded mournful, almost, but passionate. There was life in each phrase- a story, as it were.

“Now in this town, as happened every year, the first flake of snow fell from the sky and landed next to a band, playing carols on the side of the street. And when the musicians saw that flake of snow fall in front of their eyes, they knew that Winter had truly come, and they began to play with a new energy!”

Nimbus got ready for what was coming next, and was not disappointed. Without warning, one of the guitar players performed a sharp, loud riff, starting the concert. At the same time, flames shot up from the sides of the stage, and lights swept over the audience. Nimbus’s heart soared with inspiration at the sight. When he looked back at Octavia, he could see her working the cello furiously, keeping up with the fast guitar players and drums. Nimbus grinned like a child in a candy store as the thumping bass shook his very core. So far, this concert was more than living up to what he’d expected.

…

Mecha silently crept under the stage with a piece of industrial tubing over his back.

“That looks about right…” Mecha said, widening the gap slightly between two floorboards. He then pinched off the end of the tube and stuck it up into the floorboards. If this worked, he’d get his revenge and the chance to experience what very well might be the coolest finisher the Trans Equestrian Orchestra had ever done.

…

Nimbus picked up his saxophone and adjusted his suit, bringing out his own little surprise. He was wearing the Unifier on a silver chain around his neck. It had been Rarity’s idea, and though hesitant at first, Nimbus decided that, as Rarity put it, it would “make a bold statement.” Nimbus listened to the music onstage. The concert was reaching its middle, and his part was coming up. When the current song ended, Bold Mic spoke again.

“In the town square, a young jazz musician stood in the snow. Under his hooves, he had an old and ragged hat, which generous passersby threw bits into every now and then. His marefriend had left him earlier in the week, when he lost most of his money to a robbery, and he was doing all he could to earn back what he could…”

A single blue light fell on Nimbus as he played the first few notes of his song- a slow blues phrase. The crowd was completely silent. Outwardly, Nimbus showed no emotion, but inwardly, he was preparing himself. His song was supposed to characterize the emotions his character was going through. And in just a few seconds…

Nimbus raised his saxophone as he let the notes fly furiously. The guitar and drums joined him, and he could hear Octavia’s cello as well. Nimbus’s spirit was high- nothing could have brought him down now. It went on like this for the duration of the concert, as Nimbus’s character in the band’s Hearth’s Warming Eve Story became more involved, until finally the last song arrived. Nimbus watched as the stage went dark, and a blue light appeared over him, while a second light appeared over Octavia. As Bold Mic Spoke, Nimbus began to circle Octavia, approaching her slowly as she played her cello.

“As our jazz musician walked into the town hall, he saw a crowd of little fillies and colts gathered around a familiar pony in the center of the room, next to a roaring, warm fire. He didn’t dare show his face, for he knew the pony to be his love- the same one who had left him. But as he listened further, he could hear the mare playing a piece that the two of them had often played together in the past. Without even thinking about it, he pulled out his saxophone. Then the mare played three notes- a simple call and response. When the jazz musician had been around, he’d answer the three notes with three of his own. But tonight, no notes echoed back to the mare. She was about to put away her cello when she looked out into the driving, swirling snow and played the notes one last time.

Octavia played three notes on the cello, and Nimbus answered with three from his saxophone.

“When she heard the notes, she knew he’d come back, and when he entered that room with his saxophone in hoof, they embraced and apologized to one another. The children, bless their souls, cheered, and demanded an encore. Obliging, the two musicians, now together again, picked up their instruments, and for the first time in days, played together.

Nimbus and Octavia launched into a saxophone-cello duet, weaving in traditional Hearth’s Warming Eve melodies as lights danced among the crowd. The band joined in, creating a veritable wall of harmonic sound. Nimbus was having the time of his life. He and Octavia took center stage, where they were lifted up into the air on two pedestals, playing on. Nimbus got ready for the final note, which he knew was coming soon. Suddenly, the band dropped out as he and Octavia finished their duet. On their last note, the guitar squealed to life again, and the pyrotechnics went off… including Mecha’s big finish.

Behind the musicians, and exactly in front of where Star Solo was standing, the hose connected to the fire tube had taken about all of the pressure it could handle. Without warning, it exploded upwards in an impressive fireball as the band closed out the concert with their last note and Nimbus and Octavia, still in character, embraced onstage. The audience went wild, clapping and cheering. Nimbus saw Bold Mic take a quick glance back at the source of the explosion, confused, then turned towards the audience and bowed. Nimbus, Octavia, and the rest of the band followed suit and Nimbus walked up to Octavia and high-hoofed her onstage.

“This is all thanks to you!” he said, “without you, I wouldn’t be up here today!”

“Oh Nimbus,” Octavia said, “thank you so much. You’ve been the most wonderful student.”

The two held hooves and bowed, amidst a wave of applause, and at that moment, Nimbus felt that he couldn’t possibly be anyplace better than right here, right now.

…

When Nimbus and Octavia finally emerged from the concert hall, they could see a dirty, scorched, and bedraggled mare crying to herself as she sat in a snow bank. The two rushed over to help her, but froze when they realized that the mare was none other than Star Solo.

“Star?” Octavia said without a trace of hostility in her voice, “is something the matter?”

“Please,” Solo said, “you don’t want to spend time here with me… I tried to ruin everything, and I got what I deserved.”

“What do you mean?” Nimbus asked.

“Th- that explosion,” Solo sobbed, “I set that up. But it backfired on me.”

Nimbus almost laughed out loud, but restrained himself. Mecha had evidently worked his magic. “Listen Solo,” he said, “is this because of the auditions?”

Star Solo nodded. “I was jealous, but not just because you’d received that part in the concert. I was also jealous because you’d become such good friends with Octavia- something I never could have done. After the concert I thought about what I’d done wrong, and then I realized it- I’ve been a stuck-up know-it-all this whole time.”

She turned to Octavia and sniffed. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Octavia looked up for a moment, then back down at Star Solo. “Well, you really were a selfish, attention-seeking jerk before…”

Star Solo was on the verge of tears again.

“But I can forgive that,” Octavia said, helping Solo up out of the snow.

Nimbus looked back as soon as he heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps just in time to see Mecha approaching. When the black Earth Pony saw Star Solo in tears, he opened his mouth to speak, but Nimbus raised his hoof to his lips, mouthing “shush.” Mecha complied.

“Now then,” Nimbus said to Star Solo, “why don’t we all head out and get a good Hearth’s Warming Eve dinner before heading back to Ponyville, eh?”

“Dinner?”

The group turned as Vinyl Scratch approached, wearing several Trans-Equestrian Orchestra t-shirts.

“That’s right,” Nimbus said, “my treat. What do you say?”

“I say I’m in!” said Mecha.

“I’ll come if you’ll have me,” Star Solo added.

“Dinner it is, then,” Octavia said.

Nimbus turned to Octavia. “Then I guess I’d better go get that chariot. I’m famished! Do you want to come along?”

“Of course,” Octavia beamed, “we shall make a grand procession, we two musicians…”

Nimbus laughed. “I’m not so sure about a grand procession, but I could do a loop in front of the lobby if you want.”

Octavia chuckled at Nimbus’s joke. They walked around the corner of the concert hall, heading for the chariots, but Nimbus stopped suddenly.

“What is it?” Octavia asked, “forget something?”

Nimbus shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s…” He paused. Octavia was still staring at him, waiting for him to speak. Looking at her, he was reminded of their performance during the concert, and how differently he’d seen Octavia under those stage lights. There had been something more about her… she’d been more than just a teacher, and maybe more than just a friend.

“It’s… I guess what I wanted to say was…” Nimbus sighed. “What would you say to going out and getting dinner on our own sometime?”

“I think I’d like that,” Octavia said. “How about this Saturday?”

“Saturday?” Nimbus said, caught off-guard at the abruptness of Octavia’s answer. “Uh… yeah. Saturday’s great!”

“Come on,” Octavia said, laughing and pulling Nimbus along by the Unifier, “let’s get our chariot.”

As the two walked into the night, the snow continued to fall, dusting the ground with a fine layer of white crystals. For Equestria, the Hearth’s Warming Eve snowfall marked the end of yet another wonderful year.

But for Nimbus and Octavia, it seemed, it also marked a beginning.

...

Epilogue

The valet from before watched as Nimbus and Octavia approached, pushing their chariot out as they approached.

“I trust the concert was a success?” he asked Nimbus. The orange Pegasus nodded.

“Very much so.” He handed the valet a few bits. “Merry Hearth’s Warming Eve, and thanks for taking good care of this chariot.”

“It was no trouble at all,” the valet said, smiling. Before Nimbus could leave, however, he asked a question.

“Sir, if I may- is that the Unifier around your neck? The device that set Equestria free from Eclipse?”

“You have a sharp eye,” Nimbus said, “that’s the one.”

“Well this may sound a bit silly,” the valet said, “but may I touch it?”

“I don’t see why not,” Nimbus said, holding the chain out to the valet. The valet Pegasus touched a hoof to the green gem and instantly drew in a sharp breath. Nimbus saw his eyes widen, then relax.

“A powerful artifact, to be sure,” the valet said. “I’m honored to be in its presence.”

Nimbus smiled. “Well we must be going,” he said, helping Octavia into the chariot and hitching himself up, “have a good night and take care!”

“And you as well,” the valet whispered as Nimbus and Octavia left. Once they were out of sight, he disappeared around the corner and spread his wings, taking flight and heading out over the ocean, slowly turning north. As he left the city behind, a green light suddenly enveloped his body. When it faded, his physical features had transformed into those of a nightmarish, insect-like creature: a Changeling. As he flew on towards his destination, he smiled wickedly. His superiors would be pleased to hear what he had to report.