“Been awhile since I had a dream like that.” I roll my joints and pop my back a few times. “That, and waking up in a good mood.”

~So you rarely wake up in a ‘good mood’?~ Ruby asked.

“Yeah, as sad as that is. It’s true.”

~Oh… I thought you always woke up in a… what’s the word… Oh! Sour, I was looking for the word sour.~

“Oh. Heh… Wait…. You fucker!” Ruby, Embris, and Emby all laugh out loud. Well, as much as anyone could being a part of someone’s mind. “I’d never thought I’d hear you make a joke.” I chuckle.

~I guess you are starting to rub off on me.~

“Probably, but now that you mention it. You have been pretty casual lately. I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or if it’s something to worry about.”

~I’m assuming you don’t have to worry about my personality change. If anything, I rather like a little change in my life.~

“Well, considering that you’re an immortal gem. I can see why any change would be welcome.”

~... Shut up.~ I laugh a bit.

With looking forward to a good day. I hop out of bed, head to the kitchen and start making my all-time favorite: The breakfast special. Which is three pancakes using the family recipe. Yes my family does have it’s own special recipe. With two sunny-side-up eggs, two patties of sausage provide by her highness herself. And one little square of butter right on the top of the pancakes. Oh fuck, haven’t been able to make this shit in years...

“Hey… What’s that smell?” I heard Chrysi groggily ask.

“Just the Ember Breakfast Special. Want some?”

“*Sniff sniff* Mmm… that smells good. Yeah, I’ll have some.” I turn to see the changeling clamber onto one of the chair at the dining table. A little smile curving her features as she takes in more of the smell.

“You want sausage?”

“Is it as good as it smells?”

“In my opinion, the smell does no justice.”

“Then lemme have some.”

“Alrighty then.” Setting my plate aside, I whip up another special and hand it to the changeling. I was just sitting down when a low moan of pleasure escapes her lips. I look up and she’s holding her cheeks in bliss. Which are currently puffed out with all the fluffy goodness stuffed in them. All in all, it was pretty cute the way she reacted. And you know what kind of cute I mean.

“Oh sweet mother this is good!” She mumbles.

“I take it you like my pancakes?” I ask jokingly.

“‘Like them’? I fucking love them!” I let out a chuckle. “It’s like biting into clouds covered in syrup!” I raise a questioning brow at her, but never asked.

Chrysi wolfed down the pancakes, which leaves a syrupy massacre with nothing left but the buttery blood of the cake warriors.

The egg legion stood nothing against her ravenous maw, their blood spilling over their meaty comrades. The sausage brigade didn’t fare well either, they were easily torn apart the changeling’s fangs. Once the breakfast forces were defeated, Chrysi the terrible learned by in her chair. Rubbing her swollen belly with victorious gusto. The only evidence of the vicious battle the blood of the Pancake trio caked across her muzzle.

“Mmmmm… Oh that’s the good stuff...” She let out a long moan of either bliss or pleasure. She leaned back in her chair and patted her belly. “And that really hit the spot. I feel so stuffed...”

“Really? I thought you only fed off of love and shit like that?”

“Well, yes and no. I can feed on love that people put into objects or food.”

“Oh. Huh. Cool.” I get up, put both our dishes in the sink to be washed later, head to the living room, plunk down on the couch and watch some good old Ridiculousness. Damn that was a good show, and Chrysi soon joined me. We sat there for a few minutes before Chrysi spoke up.

“Hey, uh. Can I ask a favor from you?”

“Sure?” Her cheeks turned a light grey. That a blush?

“I was wondering, and please, feel free to say no, but um… could you… could you rub my belly?” Her ears folded backwards and the light grey on her cheeks turned to a dull white.

“... Why?”

“Well… Pinkie told me that it feels amazing when you scratched her behind her ears...”

“... I am not going to ask why Pinkie told you that, or if you asked her that. I am just going to agree and leave that behind.” She squeals happily and scoots over, draping her little form across my lap. If she was human there’d be a little something poking at her back. I hesitantly put my hand on her exposed, and bloated, middle and start stroking up and down. Much like anyone would with a dog, you fucking perv.

“Mmm...” She moaned. “Pinkie wasn’t lying. You’re hands are amazing...” She muttered.

*As weird as this is. It’s kinda calming.*

-Yeah, holy shit it’s like petting Cujo.-

*Yeah… Speaking of the dogs. Where are..?* I look around and see a pile of black and brown fur. *Heh… cute.* As if they heard my thoughts, the four of them wake up, notice me, walk over to me, get up and around me, and lay back down. Cujo to my left, Diesle to my right, Penny and Lucy laying right up against my legs. Since left hand was occupied giving Chrysi belly rubs. I put my right to petting Diesel. *I bet this is a sight for sore eyes.*

And it would’ve stayed like that if Chrysi’s stomach didn’t let out a loud gurgle.

*Snrkx-ZZZzzzz…* And now she’s snoring.

*Ruby?*

~Gladly.~ The spell takes over and I joined them in the land of slumber.

*Bang bang bang!* A loud thumping wakes us up. And mainly woke me up rather violently.

“Huh… wha...” I look down and Chrysi’s eyes are fluttering open.

“Don’t worry Chrysi, just someone knocking at the door. I’ll get it.” With my magic I pick the little changeling up and set her right on the spot on the couch where I was sitting. Once I set her down Cujo and Diesel were quick to snuggle up next to her.

“Mmmhmm…” She moves a little before falling still.

*Huh, heavy sleeper… Lucky.* Bang Bang BANG! “Hold your fucking tits!” I quickly walk up to the front door and open it. Twilight’s there, about to start knocking again. And Pinkie’s a few feet behind her, that barely restrained smile plastered on her face.

“Ember! Great to see you!” She looks a little disheveled. And it looks like she’s been crying. What the fuck happened to her in Canterlot?

“Likewise Twi. What happened to you? You look like you’ve been crying about something.“

“That doesn’t matter! Just come with me to Canterlot.”

“Ok...” I said. She hastily turns around and takes off with me right behind her.

“Pinkie? Wanna..?”

“I’ll meet you two there!” I shrug and turn back ahead. Just then I notice Spike’s on Twilight’s back. “Dude, what’s up with Twi?” I mouth to him.

“You’ll see...” He mouths back. I raised a brow but ask nothing else.

Soon enough we reach Canterlot, sometime during the day. Wow, I think I just managed to sleep more than twelve hours… Holy fuck my sleeping schedule is fucked.

“Woah!” And Twilight manages to crash into some pony. While I safely land a few feet away.

“Geez, that looks like it hurt.” Pinkie mutters from my left. I stare at her for exactly five seconds.

“I’ll never understand you Pinkie.” She giggled.

“That’s the point! I’m nopony’s ever supposed to understand me!” She sat on her haunches and threw her forelegs to the air. Not literally though. I expected that to happen too.

“Pinkie! What are you doing here?” The pony Twilight crashed into said. I turn to the two previously downed girls. Twilight’s looking as annoyed as ever. And the other girl-

“Minute? What are you doing in Canterlot?”

“Oh! Hi Ember! I’m visiting some friends I have up here.”

“Oh. Cool.” Twilight coughed loudly to get our attention.

“Now that I have all your attention. Ember. I need you to come with me while Spike, Pinkie, and Minute set up the party.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Just come with me.” She flatly commands. I normally would’ve told her to fuck off but when I saw the tear streaks I decided to go along with it.

“Alright...” Twilight leads me through the city to some big building that served as a library. Once inside she spots a particular pony. And by ‘particular’ I mean a pony that had the exact same… I guess I can call it design, as Twilight, the only differences between the yellow-coated pony and Twilight is; Little miss yellow has a different color scheme and her hair is done up in some stupid fountain-looking thing, and she has very thick eyebrows.

“Moondancer!” Twilight whisper shouts. The yellow pony newly named Moondancer just glances in our direction and does a double take. “See?! I told you he was real!” Moondancer gawks at me.

“Hello.” I wave.

“I… I… Whatever!” She scowls at Twilight.

“SSHH!” The ponies around us shush the loud mouth.

“Ugh...” Moondancer returns her attention to the book she was reading. “Just leave me alone.”

*Are they sisters?*

-Judging from what you’re seeing. I think so.-

“Come on Moondancer...” Twilight pleads. “We’re having a party later. Why don’t you come, for old times sake?” From where I was standing I could feel Twilight give her a pouty face. Moondancer looked to me and I shrugged, giving a face that said, ‘You’re better off going along with it’. She forced out a sigh.

“Fine. What time does it start?”

“You sure Moondancer’s gonna show up Twi? With what a wonderful impression she left I don’t think she will.” I said.

“If I know Moondancer, which I mostly do, she wouldn't miss this party. And let’s just leave it at that.”

“Alright, fine. But it’s still pretty fucked up you used me to get her to come.”

“But how else was I supposed to get her out her house? Much less the library.”

“I don’t know, something that didn’t involve me, that’s for sure.” Twi snorted in agitation.

“What is this?” We turn to see Moondancer looking around disdainfully.

“Moondancer! You finally showed up!”

“As if I have anything else better to do than study.” I actually snorted at that. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing you should worry about.” Before she could question me further I turn tail and walk off, towards Twilight’s old friends. I kinda knew Minute so at least it wouldn’t be so awkward for me.

“Oh! Ember!” Said tooth paste themed pony noticed me first out of the little group mingling. “See girls! I told you humans were real!” And there goes all hope for easy-going conversations…

The two other girls I just noticed walk up to me and gawk at with awe and wonder.

“Wait...” The white coated pony with pink hair said. “It doesn’t look like what Lyra told us about...” Oh how fucking great she called me a thing.

“I am not a thing.” I said darkly. The two ponies freeze in fear and the white one returns her attention back to me. “And I would appreciate that you do not refer to me as such.” Deathly silence permeates the air around us until Minute breaks it.

“Ehehehe. Sorry about that Ember. For them I mean.” She scratches a hoof behind her neck.

“It’s alright Minute.” I said to her without looking at her. “I’m already used to ponies calling me it when I’m not around. In person, however, gets my blood boiling.”

“W-well… I-i’m sure they didn’t meant it. Right girls?” She nudged the frozen girls. They snapped out of their stupor and coward a bit.

“Y-yeah, we didn’t mean to...” The yellow coated girl said.

“What she said, yeah...” I kept my irritated stare before chuckling. Which brought the three of them confusion.

“Ooooh… That never gets old.” The three of them just look at each other, all the more clueless as to why the human that scared the living daylight out of them changed from seething with rage to chuckling in a heartbeat. “I love messing with you ponies.”

“Oh..?” Minute uncertainly said.

“Oh. OH!” Ah, the yellow one got it. “You had us all going there for a second!” She giggle like a valley girl. Then the white one ot it and joined the giggling.

“At least one of you gets it.” I said. “Anyway. I think we should introduce each other. My name is Ember.” I kindly motion for the two to do the same.

“I’m Twinkleshine!” The white one piped.

“And I’m Lemon Hearts!”

“A pleasure to meet you two.” I glance back at Twi, she’s still talking with Moondancer. “From what I know you three were Twilight’s friends since, Science school was it?”

“That’s right!” Minute answers. “And we still kinda are!”

“Oh really?” The three of them nod. “Oh, is it one those, ‘We lost contact for a while but we’re still freainds’ things?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Lemon answered. “We kinda figured since Twilight went to Ponyville she’d be too busy to hang out with us.”

“And you were ok with that.”

“Mhm!” Twinkle answered. “We all guessed being Princess Celestia’s student would take away a lot of freetime.”

“Oh, huh...” Never thought of it like that before.

“What?” Minute asked.

“Nothing, it’s just you three are the most thoughtful ponies I’ve met, besides Twi and her friends.” At their confused faces I explain. “You see, where I come from. For most people anyway, when a friend just stops seeing you and goes away to do whatever it is they’re doing without any sort of explanation. The person left behind tends to misinterpret that as their friend doesn't want to see them again. And they also tend to resent that friend.”

“Really? That’s kinda mean.” Lemon said.

“Well think of it like this; You and Twilight have friends for as long as you can remember. Twilight never misses out on any of your get togethers, and she always manages to hang out with you all the time like you three already do. But one day she just up an’ leaves without telling you anything. You don’t why she just left, you don’t know what got her to act like, and you don’t know what you did to make her leave. What does that make you feel like?” The three of them marinate on that for a good two minutes before they go wide-eyed.

“Wow, I never thought of it like that...” Minute commented.

“Eh? I know right? Imagine me when I found out this place has this whole ‘friendship conquers everything’ mentality you guys got going on.”

“But… how do you know it would’ve happened like that?”

“Beats me,” I said. “probably because I’ve experienced it myself. I guess… something like that.” I grin at their shocked looks.

“W-where did you come from?” Twinkle asked. I look around for a bit and lean close to them. They do the same when I motion them to.

“Don’t tell anybody, but I actually come from a different planet.” The rear their heads back, their eyes turn into dinner plates, and their lower jaws threaten to bury themselves into the ground. “I know, surprising right?” They all nod slowly and I straighten myself up.

“So, you’re an alien?” I nod and the promptly squeal like school girls meeting Justin Bieber in person.

“... Did I miss something?”

“Oh no.” Lemon said. “We just always wanted to meet a superhero, and an alien.”

“Oh... wait. Superhero?”

“Well yeah!” Twinkle said exasperatedly. “Didn’t single hoofly defeat Tirek?” Woah what?

“Uh, no. I actually just helped the girls defeat him.” Tilted heads all around. “I more or less beat him to a pulp and let the, ‘elements’ took care of the rest.”

“Oooooh… Ok. You still beat up the monster Tirek?”

“Hell yeah. You should’ve seen it; me as a living ball of fire, landing blow after blow to any part of him I could.” The ponies cringe at my profanity. “Aw man it was fun to do that.”

“It was?” Lemon asked.

“Well, yeah. Wouldn't you want to beat the absolute fuck out of someone that threatened your home?”

“Hmmm… I guess.”

“Good enough for me.” Some shouting drew our attention to Twilight and Moondancer. Apparently the latter’s shouting at Twilight about not being at some party.

*Jesus, if skipping out on some party can ruin a pony’s life… weak.* I think to myself. “What’s with those two?”

“Oh Moondancer’s just mad that Twilight missed the first she party where she planned to ‘open up’ to us and a few new ponies back then.”

“Oh… Weak.” I mutter the last part under my breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Twi and Moondancer started hugging each other.

“Awww...” A new voice came from my right. I turn to the new voice and see that three more ponies showed up. One was an older woman, like Granny Smith; except with a blue coat and black striped hair and Rarity-styled glasses. Another pony had a very light pink coat with yellow striped hair and was wearing a pair of Harry Potter glasses, and the last one could actually pass for Moondancer’s older sister. Bushy eyebrows… eyugh. She literally looked an older version of Moondancer, though her mane had a faded look to it. The three of them were watching Twi and Moondancer were making up.

-I half expected them to kiss.-

=Same.=

*Yup.*

~Agreed.~

“Well that was some experience.” Twilight muttered.

“I saw.” I half heartedly comment while looking out the train window. “After all. I was there to witness it all.”

“Oh, har har Ember.” Twilight shot back at me. “You know, that was hard for me.”

“Oh I know.”

“Then why do you treat it as a trivial matter?”

“Well, to be honest Twilight.” I turn away from the window and look to Twi straight in the eyes. “I can honestly care less about things like that, I haven’t been one for friends for years before I ended up here. I guess you can call me dense for saying this. But… I really dan’t care. I’m fine with or without friends. Corey is a different story though, I’ve known him since I was a kid.”

“How does that make a difference?” Twilight haughtily asked.

“Probably because I was a fucking twelve-year-old when me and Corey became friends? And now I'm twenty-four? Something like that Twilight. You know who the fuck I am purple.” I reply with as much irritation as I could muster. Even going as far as to scowl at the purple pony a little. She flinched and wilted before my gaze.

“Oh...” Her head shot back up. “Wait, you’re twenty-four?”

“Yeah. Why?” I curtly ask.

“You’re four years older than me…”

“And?” She never answered my question.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head. “I know what you’ve been through and things like that.”

*Way to make sound like an emo’s sob story you fucking horse.* The train is slowing down, we’re almost back to Ponyville.

“But can you at least act like a good friend and be supportive?” She didn’t...

-Oh she did…-

“The fuck did you just tell me?” She choked on her own breath. Her eyes shrunk and her head shot up. “Who the fuck are you to tell me what the fuck to do or not to do about anything?” I leaned forward, nearly getting face-to-face with Twilight.

“I… I...” She swallowed. “I’m the Princess of Friendship?” She wasn’t sure that was the right answer. There wasn’t a right answer.

“I don’t give two shits about your rank as princess. You still used me to get one of your old friends to show up at some stupid party to say sorry for skipping some party that happened years ago.” I sit back against my chair. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”

“... Why?” She asked cautiously.

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn't be here right now.” She looked down glumly.

“... Im sorry...” She mumbled. She then sniffed and I saw a single tear drop from her big, black lashes.

“... And you’re lucky I can be forgiving too.” *Fucking shit, I’m getting sentimental.*

~Is that bad?~

*Not exactly. But I do have a rep to keep up around these ponies.*

~Ah, I see… But what about those times with foals?~

*So what? I have a soft spot for kids. The only way I see that being a problem is if someone uses that against me. But I do see your point… well I guess I can be a little more relaxed...*

~That’s the spirit!~

*Hehe.*

~Shut up.~