After introductions passed, we began walking back to the party for the wrap up. Rarity decided that I should drop off my saddlebags and rest for a bit while she got ready for the celebration. She said something about being a part of revealing the princess so she can do her part. And apparently she can move the sun as well. And judging from what I've seen and able to do, it's not that far fetched.

Once we had started walking we almost instantly broke into two smaller groups, but stayed within reasonable distance with each other. Rarity had gone with the other mares to do their usual squabble, as most women to do, and the males stuck together. Albeit less chatter and more silent motions than the girls. Even as a different species, guys still got a secret language.

For a small while, I noticed that Rainbow would give me looks from above. Not the threatening kind that one would give after a fight, but one of remote guilt. I actually began lagging behind slightly to see if she wanted to talk about what had happened. She clearly noticed and went in for it. She landed next to me and I looked over to her. She had a slightly nervous expression adorned on her muzzle. It was a little cute, I'll admit.

"Hey, can talk to you? In private?" She asked, her eyes clearly displaying a demanding feel.

Looking back to the group I nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Was my response. It's not like I was part of any conversation.

We left until we were out of earshot. She made sure of it by looking around for eavesdroppers.

"Okay, listen here, I'm not very good at this like I am with everything else, but I'm going to try my best here." She said, me not saying anything to wait for her to continue.

"What I wanted to say is, I'm sorry. For attacking you like that. Friends?" She said, extending her hoof.

I stared at her hoof for a second. She was apologizing. and so should I. Lifting my hoof and making contact with hers, she smirked from my forgiveness and I gave a strained look.

"I'm sorry for immobilizing you in a Armor Shielding Disk and shorting out your ability to fly." I said, head falling a little from the long apology.

"Eh, must happen often with you. You seem to have lots of freaky magic at the ready-"

'Did she even hear what I just said?'

"-but I have a feeling that's not magic. Is it?" She continued.

I opened my mouth to talk, but decided against it, and replied with a simple nod. She smiled and leapt in the air and began flying again. She was looking at me expectantly. I took a step when a few green sparks sprayed from my horn. I stopped and glanced up, not knowing what happened. Rainbow looked at me with her playful smirk.

"Whoa now, no need to get excited."

"Huh?"

Her smirk didn't falter as she hovered above me.

"I didn't think you'd have the hots for me. I mean, we just met. Then again, I wouldn't blame you, I am awesome after all." She said, gaining a little laugh.

I realized what she was implying and that she was just teasing me. I'm gonna have to look up what their culture is about this stuff.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny." I said, amused at her humor. I hoped she could take some teasing herself.

"It really shows you got a spark for me!" She said and began laughing.

"Meh, who knows. I sure don't." I said with a light chuckle.

"You're pretty cool. And you can take a joke too. We should hang out sometime." She said, reeling herself in from her giggle fit.

"So you can make fun of me some more?" I said with a smile. She chuckled at that.

"No, silly. So you can show me more of your cool magic stuff."

I raised a slight eyebrow. Why would she want to see what I could do? I didn't even know what my limit was, but judging from what I was able to do, I feel like it was something along the lines of my imagination.

"And I can show you some of my flying tricks in return."

I thought about it for a second. Then made my decision.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Awesome!" She exclaimed happily, throwing out her hooves. I had the slight urge to say how adorable that looked, but decided against it in case she might somehow, someway, use it against me. It was a low probability, but I couldn't be to careful.

We went back to the group and I joined the guys side. Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice. And if they did, then they were courteous enough to not say anything.

We had arrived at a large building that, while partially covered with nightfall, had a regal sense to it. I hadn't forgotten that she was a designer, or something close to one since she had mentioned something about my jacket being interesting. I heard Rarity call me and I looked over to her.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We've arrived at my boutique, darling. Now you have a place to put those saddlebags of yours. I do hope you stay a while, will you not?" She asked.

'Yeah, can I have a muthufukin uh-'

"-Burger?"

Thankfully, only Rarity and Rainbow were still present and everyone had said their goodbyes without me noticing. Damn, I gotta pay more attention to my surroundings. Glancing over to both mares, I saw they both had a look of confusion.

I let out a sigh before speaking.

"Sorry, I haven't gone to sleep in a while. I feel exhausted."

"You also seem pretty hungry as well if you randomly said 'burger'." Said Rainbow.

"Franz! Why didn't you say so! I could have had a spot you to sleep inside! Come! Lets get you settled in." Said Rarity, unlocking the door and disappearing somewhere inside and turning the lights on. I was wondering on how they would just let a total stranger into their home, let alone invite them in. Then again, I am getting major MC vibes. Or different customs.

'Maybe I should start looking into their cultures more when I get a chance.' I thought.

Looking over to Rainbow I saw that she had a amused look.

"Do you know what that was about?" I asked her.

She laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, Rarity is more of the caring type. Don't worry though. Not everypony in Ponyville is like her, and she happens to have a soft spot for stallions is all."

That didn't really help explain what she was talking about, If anything it made it more complicated than it's supposed to. Rainbow quickly interjected before I could say anything.

"Oh, alright. Cool." I said simply, giving a yawn as I entered the building. I shielded my eyes for a bit before they adjusted properly to the light.

I nearly jumped when I looked around and was pretty close to screaming at a mannequin that was to my immediate left.

'How ironic. Now I guess I don't need that nap anymore.' I thought as I could feel the slight adrenaline spike coursing through me.

The inside of the shop-like house was a little messy, but I'm assuming that's from the Summer Sun Celebration thing going on. Straight in front of me there was a staircase that lead to the upper rooms. To the left there was a curtain that was covering something. My guess is that it was a dressing room. To the right there is a couple mirrors and a small doorway with a mannequin that slightly obstructed it. Also the color pink, white, violet, and gold seemed like the main theme of the place. Feeling my fright fade away, I stifled a yawn.

I still felt Rainbow behind me, suppressing her mirthful laughter. She quickly hovered above me for a second before lazily drifting off to the side.

I stopped at one of the mirrors and looked at myself. My mane, a little dirty and disordered, had lost some of it's bright color. My fur was still straight and somewhat neat. My sweater, however, had various, but small dirt stains. I figured I should take it off, but remembered that I was supposed to hide my wings. Strangely enough, they hadn't given me any problems. I leaned in closer. My eyes being the most interesting part. They were a nice brown color that had a little glow to them. The pattern was five black markings each going out in a random direction, forming the very basic outline of a five pointed star. It wasn't very fancy like other eye colors and patterns, but it was decent.

Looking away, I took off my saddlebags and levitated them to a nearby table. I them saw Rainbow Dash making funny faces at another mirror. I pretended to not notice her and sat on a cushioned seat, letting out a breath of relief. Rainbow noticed, and looked at me through the mirrors reflection.

"What's up?" She asked simply. There was a hint of uneasiness in her voice, but I didn't mind.

"Nothing. Just relaxing for a bit." I said. I actually was thinking on what I was gonna do about this Nightmare Moon and how I was going to stop her and everything. So far, my plan was pretty straight forward. Trap her in a Shielding Disk and let Twilight do the rest. Although, I had my suspicions that this could all be a hoax, and that I had taken Twilight's time and not let her sleep. It was like flipping a coin and hoping that it'll land on it's edge perfectly balanced. Though the chances are slim to none, its just barely possible. She sounded so sure of herself too, almost convinced.

"You don't look relaxed." She said, making another face in the mirror.

"I have my system. And it works pretty good." I said. I had a bad habit to act as though everything is OK, when it isn't. Reminds me of that stab wound I dealt with all those years ago. Stupid trees.

"I don't think it's the best though. You look stressed still. Maybe take a nap or something? Always works for me."

I closed my eyes and let out a annoyed snort.

"If you're telling me to chill out, it's not working." I said, reopening my eyes.

Rainbow then turned away from her mirror and looked over me. I was thinking she was gonna say something, but she gave me a look instead, before she turned back. Looking back to the stairs I could hear Rarity shuffling around upstairs. I heard her talking, but I presumed she was humming or lightly singing something. I wanted to go up there just to see if I can find a chair to bring back here. I'm not very fond of plush Items unless I'm sleeping on them.

I heard Rarity come back downstairs. I think she was just about ready to go. Her steps were a bit quicker than I remembered, and sounded more compact and lighter. I think it the sleep deprivation messing with me.

Rarity wasn't the first pony I saw. Instead, It was a smaller filly, pink and violet mane/tail and same white coat as Rarity with bright green eyes. She seemed a bit surprised when saw me and gave a shy smile. I smiled back and decided to lay down. I could still hear Rarity upstairs. What is she doing? The small filly walked right up to me. I'm thinking she wants to interact.

"Hi mister!" She said happily, and a bit loudly. I could already tell she might just be a little pushy with her questions.

"Hello." I said politely. She smiled and extended a hoof. I did the same and bumped mine with hers.

"My name's Sweetie Belle! I'm Rarity's little sister. Do you know her?" She asked immediately. She glanced over to my hoof and saw my gauntlet. A look of astonishment was adorned on her small muzzle.

"Ooh! what's that? Is it a bracelet?" She asked curiously. She didn't even ask for my name, but then again, this is a kid. So I wouldn't expect her to to have proper adult mannerism. Did I really just compared a pastel horse child's agility to socially interact with people to an adult human? Yes, yes I did.

"Yes, yes it is. A Magic bracelet. Rainbow Dash might tell you what it does." I said, pointing over to her.

Sweetie Belle instantly looked over to Rainbow, who gave a shrug that I saw in the mirror's reflection. Sweetie looked back at me with wide, sparkling eyes and had a slight quivering lip with folded ears. I recoiled back from what I was seeing. What the hell! how is she doing that! It's too cute!

I looked back in the mirror that had Rainbow in it. She had a smirk as she watched me squirm from the little filly's gaze.

"Okay! Okay. I'll show you what it does, alright?" I said, in hope of getting her to stop. Thankfully, She gave a happy squeal and hopped around a bit.

Rising from my laying position, I stepped off the seat and got in the center of the room. I then saw Rarity in the doorway, watching me with a smile. I then got nervous, or is it stage fright?

"Franz? Are you going to do a magic trick for us? If so, please don't do a dangerous one. Had to ban the last mare who thought it was a good idea." She said. I thought she was gonna scold me for a second.

"No, not a dangerous one. Could you hit the lights? I think seeing this in the dark is better." I said, a bit nervously.

"On it!" Called Rainbow from the other side of the room. She immediately cut the lights.

I took a moment to ready myself. I flicked my left wrist and activated my shield. It quickly took its cyan form and I held it in a defensive position to have more effect. It glowed brightly and I could see them through the small opening in the shield. Rarity had a surprised look while Sweetie and Rainbow had stares of astonishment. Flicking it again it deactivated and the energy was stored back into it's capsule. Using my magic, I turned on the lights and shrunk a bit, awkwardness setting in.

"That's so cool! Where did you get it! I want one!" Asked Sweetie Belle. She seemed really impressed. So did Rainbow and Rarity. I felt a bit of heat go to my face.

"Ask your parents, and I'll uh... Get the legal papers?" I asked more than answered.

"Oh! Rarity, when's the celebration gonna take place? I wouldn't want to be late to the party." I said, suddenly remembering about it. We then heard a series of very firm knocks. I didn't really have a clue on who that could be besides someone doing a very bad job at stealing. It couldn't be that, however. After all, I was just falsely accused and assaulted.

"Come on everypony! Celebration ain't gonna celebrate itself!" Said someone from the other side of the door. She had a southern speech pattern that I could recognize. Although, I wasn't comfortable with copying it.

"AJ! Come on in! The new guy is just sho-" I cut her off by materializing a pillow above her and launching it at 20 Mph in her direction from above. The other two looked at Rainbow, then me as I gave both of them a shake of my head. Rarity and Sweetie Belle seemed to understand. Although, I don't think the small stare down me and Rainbow had was a good sigh she was happy with that.

Turning back as the door opened I saw an orange mare with a blonde mane and tail walk in. I quickly took notice of her light brown Stetson and freckles. I made eye contact for a brief moment as she looked over the room. I backed away a bit so that she can have a full view of everyone else inside. However, she seemed more interested in me than the others, and came to my direction.

"Howdy! I'm Applejack! It's a pleasure ta meet ya." She said, extending her hoof for what I think is another hoof-bump. I saw that her coat wasn't as brushed like the others, but it still looked nice even with the small bits of dirt on her. Lifting my hoof to her I told her my name.

"Hey, I'm FrANZ!" I yelped as her other hoof suddenly grabbed mine with the other, and began shaking it violently. I thought it would be best if I just let my arm go limp for a bit.

"I run Sweet Apple Acres west from here. We sell all sorts of apple related stuff! From apple pies, to sauce, all the way to cider! I reckon you seem like a mighty fine fella. Say, where ya from?" She asked all while keeping her hooves shaking mine.

"Applejack! He doesn't quite recall where he came from. Although he did say it was somewhere small, he can't remember where." Said Rarity.

The hoof shaking stopped, and I looked over to Applejack. She had a frown on her face.

"Now what in tarnation does that mean! He hit his head or somethin?" She looked over to me and scanned my face. I was surprised she had gotten so close to me. I held my breath, suddenly aware of me possibly having bad breath. Her muzzle hardened before relaxing and turning away.

"Well, he's telling the truth." She said after a moments contemplation. Sweetie seemed slightly confused on what was happening. I was even more so. I thought about changing the subject, and went for it.

"Why are you here again? I'm sorry if I sound rude, but did you come to get Rarity or something?" I asked. How much time did we even have until the celebration started anyways?

Applejack's face suddenly brightened, as if recalled something,

"Oh yeah! Mayor Mare sent me ta come fetch ya'll. Especially Rarity for the unveilin' of Princess Celestia herself." Offered Applejack.

"Oh my! We better get along!" Suddenly exclaimed Rarity.

Looking over to Sweetie and Rainbow, I saw that they had bored expressions that finally lit up when we mentioned doing something.

"Oh, finally! I thought we were gonna just stand around and talk all day!" Said Rainbow.

'She would be surprised how many people do just that and stay entertained.' I thought.

Sweetie Belle trailed behind Rarity followed by Rainbow in the air then me and Applejack. It felt good to be back outside. And the air was fresh and crispy.

"Hey Applejack." I called. She turned back to me with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, sugarcube?" She asked.

"When does the celebration start? I feel like we might not make it on time." I said, a look of worry taking on my face.

"Oh don't you worry about it sugarcube. We'll be there for the big event."

"Ah, okay. Just wondering." I replied. After a few moments of walking the Town hall came into view. Rarity said her farewell and left Applejack in charge of Sweetie Belle. I was beginning to get somewhat excited when I suddenly became nauseous.

"Ugh." I said silently to myself.

Several sparks came from my horn and both Applejack and Rainbow took notice.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Are ya alright sugarcube?" They asked.

I suddenly got a killer headache and physically winced, followed by several more strands of electricity and me closing my eyes. I shuddered when they finally passed, but left some uncomfortable throbbing and ringing in my head. Opening my eyes I saw that they had given me some space to breath but weren't too far. Thankfully it was nighttime or else they would have seen my wings wrapped around my stomach.

I tasted a bit of blood in my mouth, and noticed that it came from my nose. Jesus, what was that! I quickly wiped it off with my sleeve.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Asked Applejack. She had a worried look that was laced with slight confusion. Rainbow and Sweetie were next to her and Sweetie had a happy, yet worried look.

"Um, Applejack? I think I know what happened." She said. They both looked at her for her hypothesis.

"Wait, you think you know what happened? Well, tell us!" Said Rainbow, encouraging her. Sweetie looked down for a bit, before looking at us with a defensive, but adorable scowl.

"Okay, just don't tell Rarity I know this! She'll get mad at me going through her stuff, again." She said. I smiled lightly at her plead.

"I think he did a soul bond. It's where you uh, bind your soul with another pony? It's kinda like being with somepony all the time without them there. I read that you also have like, mind reading, emotion feeling, and I think it's painful if it's disrupted for a long time or something. I didn't get to read the rest since I had school and had to go." She said, her voice cracking here and there. Damn, soul bonding? What are the steps involving that? And how do you get rid of it? And why did I have it in the first place!?

"Well I'll be. I didn't know Franz had a mare. Just makes him more interesting though ta be honest." Said Applejack. I blushed lightly, which felt like a bad idea because I got lightheaded and sat down hard. I'm lucky I didn't sit on my pride or else that would be even worse.

"Hah! You look pretty confused." Poked Rainbow after I had gotten over my affliction.

I stood back up and began walking to Town Hall. I seriously needed to figure this out. First I wake up in this, Equestria, then find out I have powers, then after going onto town I get attacked kinda by paranoid ponies, and then nearly have an aneurysm from a bond I didn't even know I had! And I also have to worry about a possible national security level threat that might not even happen! I don't want to deal with this type of shit! That's for story characters with a plot line! Fuck that!

I had been so into my internal rant that I didn't notice the bright green light that shone on my head. I stopped myself to yelp at what I thought was my head being on fire that I didn't realize it was my horn doing some weird stuff, again. Looking around I was I was levitating several dozen rocks that I had picked up from the ground. They were orbiting around me and I dropped them quickly. Turning I saw that Sweetie had a amazed smile. However, Rainbow and Applejack looked more worried than amused.

"Aww! Why did you stop?" Asked Sweetie Belle.

"Maybe because he didn't know what he was doing at the moment. Don't worry Franz, It happens sometimes." Said Rainbow, not sounding completely sure of herself.

"Well, we should head in. I think it's about to start." I said, noticing the close proximity of the doorway. Stepping in I saw lots of streamers, ponies, flying ponies, and some birds upstage, along with that pony I saw carrying the lizard into the library at the party. Wait, isn't that the bird who rested in my backpack?

They started with the birds singing in a low decibel and rose up with power and shorter notes, all along with the yellow pony waving her hoof around like a musician. Huh, weird. Once they finished a light hazel mare with a white mane and tail, along with a collar and frizzy fluff, walked down the bottom center podium and begin talking.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" I saw the food table and thought about making my way over to it, but decided not to so I wouldn't be "That guy". Everyone cheered and stomped their hooves in approval. Does that qualify as clapping?

"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!"

I winced as the pain from a migraine hit me again suddenly and nearly caused me to topple over from the intensity, along with a loud, high pitched ringing. I fought the urge to vomit what little I had eaten as it only grew more painful than the last one.

"And now, it is my-" I couldn't get to hear her as the ringing intensified and made me fold my ears back, hoping to block out any noise if possible. Suddenly, it stopped, and I could hear the mayor talking again.
"-od, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..." I looked up and saw Rarity pull a rope while the yellow pony continued to make her birds sing.

"...Princess Celestia!" A curtain opened and a spotlight shone in a... empty space. There were murmurs and whispering of concern. I looked around and saw Twilight with a look of stress. She also had the lizard guy too. And now that I got a closer look at him, he didn't have a lizard-like appearance. Almost like a little dragon.

"Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation!" Uh oh. This is never a good sign. Rarity disappeared backstage and returned momentarily. Did they have a contingency plan for scenarios like this by chance?

"She's gone!" Everybody gasped and I got ready to activate my Shielding Disk Launcher. Looking over to Twilight she was with a pink mare and a fluffy pink mane and blue eyes. Said mare yelped and everyone gasped again with their eyes fixed on something. Looking at the same direction I was startled when a cloud of sparkling mist quickly gathered and condensed, forming the same mare I've had contact with! I formed the armor on my Shielding Disks only, it's charcoal plating quickly wrapping around my right foreleg.

"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces." She said, as if talking down on us.

"What did you do to our princess!" Yelled Rainbow. I held my breath as she charged, or attempted to when Applejack grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back with her mouth. Christ Rainbow! Do you want to die!

"Slow down, nelly!" Grunted Applejack through gritted teeth.

Nightmare Moon laughed evilly, with a sinister, yet calm smirk.

"Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?" She said. aggressively leaning down to look at the crowd. I remembered something. The brick! Looking in my pocket I saw that it was no longer there. I instinctively frisked myself in hopes I could find it. Where could it be! I heard the pink pony suddenly start saying something.

"Ooh! Ooh! More guessing games. Um, hokey smokes. How about Queen Meanie? No. Black snooty! Black snooty!" Applejack shoved a cupcake in her mouth to silence her. What the hell is with everyone! Do they not fear this living embodiment of darkness?!

Nightmare Moon leaned close the yellow mare, scaring her into backing up against a wall. Speaking in a tone I only hear from villains out of movies and shows. Is this some sort of performance for her or something?

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legends? Did you not see the signs?" She leaned over to Rarity, lifting her muzzle up and flicking it.

"I did. And I know who you are." Said Twilight boldly. I should get ready to trap her. I don't know what she could be planning next.

"You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." She finished. Everyone gasped, and Nightmare Moon had a bemused grin.

"Well, well, well. Somepony who remembers me. Then you also now why I'm here."

"You're here to...to..."

Twilight had a worried face, and her confidence was faltering. I lifted my hoof to fire one of my disks. Nightmare laughed and continued her evil speech.

'Not yet.' I thought to myself, my visor covering my face as the targeting software booted up.

"Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last, forever!" She finished with signature evil laughter, her mane whipping erratically in the air as a display of power, thunder striking various points with flashes of light.

'Now!' I yelled internally.

I fired the disk, not hearing the faintest of pleas come from deep within.

I was in a good mood today and decided to go real early. I'll still post this weekend for less cliff hanger effect.

Keep going forward, fellow Humans and Equines!

Edit: Honka honka! Another one to the public! Again... BUT BETTER!