As Twilight Sparkle flew in a chariot over the vast forests that dot Equestria's landscape, she tried recalling where it all went so wrong. First was her conclusion that Nightmare Moon was returning. That prompted her to return to the library owned by the castle for research. Next was sending Princess Celestia the letter, informing her of the coming danger. The responding letter from the princess told her to go to Ponyville to help set up for the Summer Sun Celebration...and...make friends.

Wait...NOW she knows where it went wrong.

Make friends. Twilight Sparkle did NOT need friends. If she wanted company, she was more than happy talking to Spike, her young adopted dragon brother, or Shining Armor, her brother by blood, or even her parents. As far as she was concerned, the need for MORE company was unnecessary. What she felt she TRULY needed...was more knowledge.

Knowledge. If she was to thwart Nightmare Moon's return, she needed all the knowledge and information she could get.

And the good news is...she already had a plan in place to get it. In the letter, one of the details was that she was going to stay the night in the town and that a place has already been set aside for her. To her fortune, her temporary home away from home was a re-purposed library, still filled to the brim with books and novels. Her plan was to accomplish only the most necessary goals on the list of things to prepare, then head straight to the library for research.

She folded her ears back at the thought of only doing the bare essentials. It's not as though she liked half-assing her duties, it's just that if she's right, and she usually is, all of Equestria is in danger. And if no-pony else believed her, then fine! She'll go alone if need be.
As the chariot continued to fly, she could make out the town on the edge of the horizon. It wouldn't be long now and they'd touch down and she could begin.

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Lyra Heartstrings, the spearmint unicorn, slowly and quietly made her way up the stairs of her home. Reaching the top, she moved towards the door on the right side of the hallway. Opening the door and going inside the room, she walked over to a mattress at the far side.

Underneath the covers and blankets...was a beast. A beast that dwarfed her in sheers size. A beast that could kill her with almost no effort.

It was a monster straight out of pony mythology!

It also happened to be her buddy.

Lyra smiled as she nudged the blankets. "Time to get up."

"Nhhg" The beast responded.

She nudged it again. "Come on, it's nine in the morning and you're wasting daylight."

"I don't care."

"Oh, so the creature CAN speak."

"I hate you so VERY much right now."

"Oh, come on, Zach, you don't mean it."

"No, I do. You're a horrible, demented little monster."

She sighed. "Well, I guess if I'm just a monster, I should go downstairs and drink ALL the coffee and eat ALL of Bon Bon's cinnamon rolls!"

"I'm up, I'm up!"Zachary pulled the blankets off and sat upright. His hair, which was long and reached the middle of his back, gave him the absolute WORST case of bed head. He yawned and stretched. The room was then filled of the sound of a cracking back, neck and knuckles.

"I'll see you downstairs. Coffee is on the stove, rolls are on the table." Lyra said before she exited the room.

After she left, Zach threw the blankets off completely and then planted his bare feet on the cold hard-wood floor. This was the routine that has persisted for three years. Since his arrival in Equestria and shacking up with Lyra and Bon Bon, every day started like this. He would sleep in till about nine, Lyra would attempt wake him, fail horribly, then bribe him with sweets and coffee, to which he would finally get up, brush his teeth, completely rip the knots out of his hair (much to Lyra's disgust) and eventually join the world of the living.

As he made his way down the stairs, Lyra could hear the thunderous roar of his steps. This made her think about when he originally moved in. Three years ago, his immense size, compared to her and Bon Bon, forced them to actually increase the size of their home to accommodate him. He paid them back, later, of course. Back then, he was very much dependent on Lyra and Bon Bon's good graces.
It was no issue to Lyra, though. It's quite nice to be born from a wealthy unicorn family.

Of course, quite a bit has changed since then. His first few months in Ponyville were full of the residents being fearful of his presence. At first they ran, then they walked around him on the street, then they could talk to him(but only while shaking in fright), and then FINALLY...they accepted him.

Ponies are a skittish bunch.

And you know what? They SHOULD accept him by now. After all he's done to make himself a valued member of the town's community, he's earned his place among them. From working at Sugar Cube Corner to hauling bushels at Sweet Apple Acres, from helping Derpy with the mail to helping Mayor Mare sort files, he's worked hard to prove that he was a good person and a good neighbor.

Sometimes to his own detriment.

Lyra watched him as he entered the kitchen and took a coffee mug from the shelf. Filling it with coffee, cream, and a shit load of sugar, he took a seat at the table and grabbed a cinnamon roll. She smiled at him before asking. "So, what's on your agenda for today?"

He shrugged and swallowed a bite of food. "Not much. Why do you ask?"

She took a sip of her coffee, then said. "Well, with the Summer Sun Celebration later, the town could use some help setting up."

"Already? Didn't we already have one of those?"

"Yeah...last year." Said Bon Bon, looking up from her newspaper.

"Well, yeah I know we have one every year but I thought it would be too soon."

Bon Bon arched an eyebrow. "Do you really not know that another year has passed?"

"Hey, you know I'm terrible with dates. In fact, if it weren't for you girls keeping track, I probably wouldn't even know that I'm twenty-two."

"Zach, you're twenty-three."

"Shit, that happened fast. Ok, Lyra, what would I need to do?"

"Oh, you know, just setting banners and preparing tables. Simple stuff."

"Alright, yeah, I think I can do that. where do I go?"

"Just head to town hall. There should be somepony there who can fill you in on anything that needs doing."

"Will do. Alright, my day is covered, what are YOU going to do today?"

"Well, I have to practice for the ceremony. That's going to take up a few hours. Then, I guess I cam back home and wait for the party to start."

"And I should be home some time around two." Interrupted Bon Bon. "I'm doing some catering work for the celebration and it might take me a bit longer than usual."

"I see." He sighed. "Might as well get a move on." He got up from his spot at the table and scratched Lyra and Bon Bon on the head, both of them leaning into the attention before his hand pulled away. Zach made his way to the door and just as he reached the handle, Lyra called out to him.

"Wait! Wait!"

He turned to her. "What?"

"I almost forgot. There's someone new in Ponyville!"

"And you just tell me as I'm almost out the door?"

"Sorry, I forgot!" She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

He sighs. "You do remember what happened last time, don't you?"

"Yeah,... poor Roseluck. Getting a black eye that way must have been really awkward to explain. If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure she's over her fear of you."

"I know."

"Though, she still watches you all the time when you enter the market. I don't know why."

"...I know."

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As Zach moved through the town, he would often wave and say hello to his many neighbors, sometimes engaging is small talk before continuing on. After about three minute of walking, he set his sights on Town Hall. He always like that building. It was one of only a few structures that was large enough for him to move about freely in.

Walking up the steps, he opened the doors...then quickly closed them. There, inside, next to his friend Rarity, was an unknown mare. From the glimpse he got, she was all purple, with a pink stripe going down her mane. By now, Zach had come to know all of Ponyville's residents, even if most were merely acquaintances.

This mare was not from Ponyville. Had to be the new pony Lyra warned him about. No way was he gonna go in there and have to deal with all the crap that comes with explaining what and who he is. Might as well see if there's anyone else who needs help setting up.

No big deal, really. He could go see Fluttershy. He needed to talk to her anyway and this was a good enough excuse.

As he descended the steps, he jumped back in fright as a bolt of lightening struck nearby. He looked up to see Derpy in a cloud, her own fur slightly singed.

"Ok, seriously, we've talked about this."

"Oops, my bad." The wall-eyed pegasus gave an embarrassed smile.

"Just...be more careful in the future!"

"Ok...still sorry about the lightning!"

"Yeah well...you're lucky you're adorable." He started to walk away, but stops. "Hey Derpy, quick question."

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Fluttershy today?"

The grey mare put her hoof up to her chin in a thinking posture. "Hmm, well she wasn't home when I dropped off her mail, but I think I saw her taking the road that comes into town. She might be headed this way."

"Alright, thanks Derpy!" He started walking down the same road that Fluttershy should be on.

"You're welcome! Good bye!" She waved her hooves.

He continued on, moving past all the stalls of the marketplace, quickly saying hi to all he passed. Until he reached the end of market row...and greeted Roseluck.

"Hello Roseluck."

The mare's cheeks blushed and she kept silent as she stared forward. Seeing this, Zach sighed.

"Look, it was an awkward moment for both of us. Just let it go" He walked away.

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Twilight levitated a pair of binoculars to her eyes. "Jot this down, Spike. Subject is bipedal, appears to have little fur or hair, except for the top of its head. Could have more, but the clothes it's wearing makes it difficult to determine. Skin seems to be in the brown or beige categories . Height is quite imposing and its body is lean with little fat deposits. Its overall design is completely foreign and I cannot determine what animal family it belongs to." There was a pause in her speech. "What...what in Equestria are you?"

"Um, Twilight, shouldn't we be working on stopping Nightmare Moon? Isn't that more important?"

It took a moment for it to register, but Twilight knew Spike was right. "Y...yes, we should. But this is the find of a lifetime Spike!" She shouted, seemingly trying to convince herself more than her dragon companion. "I figured I could get a few notes on it now and come back to it later." She smiled unconvincingly.

"Really?"

"Yes, that was my plan all along. And you know me, I always have a plan."

Spike arched an eyebrow. "I think you're bluffing."

"Spike, don't talk back to your sister-mother, that's very disrespectful.

He crossed his arms, intent on giving her the silent treatment, but something caught his eye. "Hey, who's that?" He pointed his claw at a mare who was walking towards Zach. She was yellow, with a pink mane and tail.

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As Twilight and Spike observed the mare greeting the strange, new creature, they didn't know that the watchers had become the watched. A blue pegasus with a rainbow mane slowly, and quietly, flew down behind them. She took a deep breath.

"BOO!" Twilight and Spike both let out a scream, before turning to see Rainbow Dash laughing.

"Oh, that was...that was AWESOME! I wish you could have seen the looks on your faces!"

Twilight suddenly recognized this pony. She met her earlier and goaded her into cleaning up the clouds.
"Rainbow Dash, what did you do that for?!" She shouted.

"What do you mean? I saw a chance to scare ya, and I took it." Rainbow quickly looked over Twilight's shoulder before returning her gaze back to her eyes. "Look, that was fun and all, but I gotta go now. Bye!" Dash then flapped her wings and took off towards town.

"Ugh, why must ponies always interrupt me during valuable research! That little stunt probably even alerted-oh no, the target!" Twilight turned around again and looked towards the spot that the creature had been. It, along with the yellow pegasus...were long gone.

"UGH!" She screamed. "Did she really have to scare me like that and frighten away the subject!? I swear, it's like she did it on purp.....wait. Did she do that on purpose?"

Whatever the case may be, the creature was long gone. And she now had no way of finding him again.
She huffed in annoyance. "Fine! I have more important things to worry about anyway!"