A few hours later, the train slowed to a halt back at Ponyville’s train station. Jason had stayed awake throughout the ride home, always keeping an eye on his new daughter. Nightshine was still fast asleep, her head still on his lap. As the other passengers began to stand up and gather their belongings, Jason scratched Nightshine behind her left ear and wiggled his right leg, trying to rouse her. “Hey little one, time to get up...” he murmured. Nightshine groaned and simply curled up into a ball, then mumbled something inaudible.

Jason gathered the rest of the treats and tossed everything back inside of his backpack. Then, noticing that they were the last ones left in the train car, he lifted Nightshine up and held her so that her head was laying against the front of his shoulder. He cradled her in his arms as she instinctively snuggled closer to his warm body, a small smile tugging her lips upward. Jason took great care to not wake her up as he left the train car.

Leaving the dimly-lit train station behind, he felt a cool breeze welcome him back home. He took a deep breath and grinned as he felt Nightshine wiggle about in her sleep until her head was resting under his chin. Jason tightened his grasp on her, for dropping so precious a filly while they slept would be a horrible way to start their new life, especially when they trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms.

A couple of minutes passed in silence as he walked through the empty streets. He met nopony, even though it really wasn’t that late. His house came into view after passing through the market, and as he neared his front door, he stopped. “Hey...” He tickled her belly with the tip of his index finger, but she pushed it away with a light groan. “We’re home.”

Nightshine’s eyes flew open as she tensed up. Her ears flicked straight up, smacking against Jason’s jaw. “R-really?” She pulled her head out from under Jason’s and peered up at him. Nightshine twisted her head around until her gaze fell upon the building in front of them. They were standing in front of a single-story house. The front door sat near the left side. One window sat on either side of it, though it was too dark inside for her to see. More of the house lay to the right, nearly equal in size to the portion in front of them.

“Want to go inside?” Jason asked softly. When he felt her nod, he set her down as gently as he could.

Nightshine stepped up to the door, her legs trembling from nervous excitement. As she heard the sound of Jason’s keys jingling as he unlocked the door for them, she closed her eyes, fighting to hold back the tears of joy that threatened to slip down her face at any moment.

She was about to see her new home.

The door swung open a couple of seconds later. Nightshine slowly stepped inside, struggling to remember how to walk. She saw a light-green couch decorated with a pair of blue fancy-looking pillows, then saw a coffee table that held a couple of magazines. Off to the right lay a kitchen, complete with a refrigerator and a full table set. Past that was a hallway that led deeper into the house, no doubt to the bedrooms. Unable to hold herself up, Nightshine shakily sat down, wiped her eyes, then sniffled. She heard the door close behind them, then heard Jason step up to her.

“So what do you think?” he softly asked, his voice light and comforting.

Nightshine looked up at him right before her forelegs collapsed out from under her. She curled up and covered her face with her front hooves as her tears soaked into her fur. Nightshine heard Jason gasp in shock from her sudden outburst, but she couldn’t help herself. A few moments passed before she felt his soft, gentle hands caress her, then he lifted her up into his embrace. She cracked her eyes open to see him sitting down on the floor with her, his legs folded. He cradled her in his arms and rocked from side to side ever so slightly. Nightshine curled up in his arms and nuzzled him over and over before she wrapped her forelegs around his neck.

“What’s wrong, Nightshine?” he asked. His voice, though light and gentle, was full of concern. His hand came to rest on the back of her head as she pulled away from his chest, wiping her muzzle with a hoof.

“It’s just so... so... so p-perfect!” Nightshine’s ears flicked back as she buried her muzzle into his chest, just under his neck. Her forelegs curled up as her tears soaked into his shirt.

“I’m so glad you think so...” Jason said, feeling rather relieved. For a moment, he had feared that she regretted being adopted by him, but he had realized that that was a silly fear. He gave her as much time as she needed to calm down, then when her sobs faded out, he asked, “So... want to get ready for bed? You’ve had such a long day...” When Nightshine didn’t respond, he looked down to find her fast asleep. “Oh, hehe.”

Making his way through the dark house, he opened his bedroom door and walked over to the bed. Jason pulled back his sheets and placed Nightshine down in the middle, laying her head down on his favorite, softest pillow. He tucked her in, then gently tousled her mane as she rolled over onto her side. “Sweet dreams, little one...” A small part of him wanted to plant a loving goodnight kiss on her head, but he decided against it. There would be time for more affectionate displays in the future, but for now, he just wanted her to get accustomed to her new home.

Jason went over to his closet, grabbed his spare blanket, then tip-toed out of the room. He wondered if he should close the door all the way like he always did, but decided to just leave it cracked open. After walking back to the living room, he double-checked that the front door was locked, made himself comfortable on the couch, then fell asleep.

Nightshine woke up in the middle of the night. She yawned and stretched her wings, then her legs. She rolled over onto her other side and smiled as she remembered Jason adopting her. Wondering where he was, she opened her eyes and immediately tensed up.

She was back in the orphanage.

Rows and rows of bunk beds met her eyes, full of sleeping colts and fillies. Nightshine looked down at her blanket in shock, recognizing it as the one that she’d used her entire life at the orphanage. Everything smelled the same, and she even heard the familiar sound of a foal crying out of hopelessness near the other end of the room.

W-was it all just a... dream? Nightshine stood up and glided to the floor. Nopony looked up at her, for surprisingly, they were all fast asleep. “No...” she whispered as she looked around. Instead of seeing her new home, she saw the same thing that she’d seen her entire life: walls that kept her from living a life filled with joy and love. “No!” she yelled.

Nightshine darted from the sleeping quarters and ran down the hallway. She stopped in front of the door leading outside and stared at it, her bottom lip trembling. “Jason!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Where are you?!” Nightshine tried to open the front door, but it would not open. If I could just open it, I could fly to Ponyville and find him! Her hooves scraped against the door as she tried to open it.

“Nightshine...” she heard Serenity’s voice come from the other side of the room, but she paid her no mind. Nightshine backed up, then ran at the door as fast as she could, ramming her shoulder against it. “Ow...” she muttered. As tears streamed down her face, she took a few steps back, then ran at the door again only to be stopped by Serenity’s magic. Her magic hit her right on the chest, knocking most of the breath from her lungs. A moment passed before she was lifted into the air, floating in front of the headmistress.

After she caught her breath, Nightshine looked up to see Serenity staring down at her. “What the heck are you doing, Nightshine? And why are you up so late?!” she heard Serenity demand of her.

“I... I... was adopted!” Nightshine spat out. “Jason came and adopted me, and we were going to live in Ponyville!”

“Oh, not this again...” Serenity ran a hoof over her muzzle as she let Nightshine stand on her own. “Nightshine, you were just dreaming again!”

“Huh?” Nightshine shrunk down and bit her lip. “W-what do you mean?”

“Come on, we both know that you were just dreaming! This ‘Jason’ doesn’t exist, and—”

“Yes he does!” Nightshine stomped on the floor and glared at Serenity with narrowed eyes. “He’s a human, and... and...”

“And what, pray tell, is a human?” Serenity asked with a sneer. “Come now, let’s stop making up fantasy creatures and go back to bed, okay?” Her voice lost a bit of its edge as she nudged Nightshine’s side, guiding her back towards the sleeping quarters. “Go on, before I decide to take away your recess privileges for a month for waking me up!”

“B-but... but Jason is real, I promise! He’s tall—”

“Nightshine...”

“He stands on two le—”

“Nightshine.”

“And he has a smile that just makes you feel all happy ins—”

“That’s it, you! Detention for a month!” Serenity barked. “Now go back to bed before I make it two months!”

Nightshine stared at Serenity in shock, her mouth agape. “I... I...” Her head drooped down towards the ground. “Yes, ma’am...” Ignoring Serenity’s huff of disapproval, Nightshine closed her eyes and wept openly, trudging through the hallway. She heard Serenity’s bedroom door slam shut, surprising her just enough to trip over her forelegs.

Right before her head hit the ground, Nightshine woke up with a start. Her chest heaving up and down, her head whipped around to see not the walls of the orphanage, but an unfamiliar bedroom. She took a deep breath and immediately recognized Jason’s scent. That was... just a dream? Standing up on shaky legs, Nightshine pushed the sheets off of her and trotted to the door.

She pulled the door open, wincing as it creaked. Nightshine saw nothing but darkness, but her need to see Jason outweighed her fears of the unknown. With a shake of her mane, she stepped out of the bedroom and heard someone snoring straight ahead, further down the hallway. Her ears flicked up as she paused for a moment, then she kept going.

Jason came into view out of the darkness as she entered the living room. He was fast asleep on his side with his back to her, snoring softly. Nightshine bit her lip as she moved to sit between the coffee table and the couch. Her right hind leg thumped against the carpet as she flicked her tail back and forth. She did not want to anger him by waking him up in the middle of the night, but she so desperately wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Nightshine laid her head on the edge of the couch and whined softly. Her bottom lip stuck out as she pouted, listening to Jason snore.

As she felt a shiver run up her back, she made up her mind. Praying that he’d forgive her if she woke him up, Nightshine moved to the far right side of the couch where his feet were and used her wings to help her get up on the couch’s arm. Eyeing the small space between the back of the couch and Jason, she froze as he rolled over onto his back. She saw him scratch his stomach with his left hand, then he placed it behind his pillow.

Seeing what might be her only opportunity, Nightshine crept forward. Her hooves sank into the couch cushions as she placed each one in front of the other. As soon as she reached his chest, his left leg pushed up against the back of the couch, cutting her off if, for some reason, she wanted to leave him be. With bated breath, Nightshine stared at Jason and bit her cheek. She pushed her side into the back of the couch, then lay down as gently as she could, hoping that she wouldn’t wake him up.

Nightshine laid her head on Jason’s chest, tucking herself into the crook of his arm. She took comfort simply from feeling his chest rise and fall with each of his breaths. A few moments passed in silence, making her think that she got away without disturbing him, but she noticed with a hint of regret that he wasn’t snoring anymore. Nightshine lifted her head from his warm chest and looked up to see a look of confusion on his face. “H-hey...” she whispered as a frown formed on her face. “I, um... I had a bad nightmare and... I just wanted to see you.” She laid her head back down on his chest, though her eyes never left his.

Jason scooted over a bit to give her a little more room. He used his left hand to rub her back, then asked, “What was it about? Everybody knows you always feel better after talking about nightmares...”

Nightshine whimpered. “It was... I woke up back in the orphanage...”

A look of realization slid onto Jason’s face. “Oh...” he murmured. “Was it really bad?”

Nightshine nodded and snuggled closer. “Miss Serenity told me that I should stop making up fantasy creatures or something like that when I told her about you adopting me.” A sole tear formed in her left eye. “Just to think, even for a second, that getting adopted was just a dream, it... it...”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay...” Jason wiped away Nightshine’s tear with his right thumb, then pulled her onto his chest. He sat up a little, pulled the blanket over her back, then wrapped his arms around her.

Nightshine smiled gratefully at him before she tucked her head back under his chin. She took a deep breath and let it out, sighing happily. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Yeah, I can definitely get that... “ Jason chuckled. “Tell you what... After we get some breakfast tomorrow morning, we can spend as long as you want flying out in the park like I said a bit earlier, okay? And after that, we would go shopping for all sorts of stuff.”

“Like what?” Nightshine asked softly, already feeling her exhaustion pulling her back to sleep.

“Oh... ya know, furniture, sheets, toys, all that good stuff.” Jason tousled her mane. “And then there’s somepony special I want you to meet...”