Hey Everypony, just want to let you know this is my first fanfic and I would appreciate it if you didn't judge me too harshly. Also, I was planning on using an OC semi-based off of me. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS ENCOURAGED!

DISCLAIMER: All of the ponies in this fanfic (excluding OC's) belong to Hasbro.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

It was a quiet in Ponyville. There were small amounts of clouds scattered about the night sky due to the laziness of some weatherponies. There was nopony to be seen on the streets.

Exeption, one pony. He was stumbling into the town. Fading perfectly into the shadows, exept for a streak of crimson in his somewhat wild mane.

His movements were slightly erratic as he staggered over to a apple-marketing stall and curled himself up underneath it. He was shivering even though it was warm and humid that particular night.

He laid his head down and fell into a fitful sleep.

Fire engulfed Nightfall's home as he scowled, his coat ablaze. He walked away seeming not to notice the screams coming from the inferno that lay behind him. The old wooden manor cracked in the flames, then collapsed in upon itself, trapping Nightfall's victims inside the house.

Suddenly, a thick southern drawl cut into my nightmare. "Now what're yall doin' under mah apple stall?"

My eyes shot open and I went to a standing position only to knock I head against the underside of the solid stall. "Aghhhh!" I yelled in pain.

"It's okay, yall don't worry youself. I ain't gonna hurt'cha."

This was my first chance to get a good look at the pony, between the sun and pain blinding me. The mare had an orange coat, blonde mane and wore a dusty stetson on her head. She also had a cutie mark of three apples on her flank, but I always tried not to focus on mare's flanks.

"I ain't seen ya round here. You new? Ah'm Applejack by the way." She stated.

"Yes, I got here last night and took refuge under your ummm... buisness. You see, It didn't sit well with me asking ponies for a place to stay." I explained with a nervous smile.

Even though it was fairly early a line had formed at Applejack's stall. "Well, I'd certainly talk to you longer, but under the circumstances," she nodded at the impatient ponies in front of her. " But why dont'cha head over to the Library and see if Twilight will give yall a place to stay?"

I was unsure about this pony's plan. Where I had come from no one would ever let a stranger into their house. Even so, I would try. " Thank you, I will go and do that... but where exactly is this library?"

"Oh! Mighty sorry, all ya need to do is go down past Sugarcube Corner, take a left and then stop at the large oak tree." She then turned and started to talk to a customer. In which I guessed I was dismissed, and started to follow the cowpony's directions.

Minutes later I could see the library in the distance, I was happy because I had noticed that ponies were staring at me. As I approached the library I heard yelling. "SPIKE! If you dont get down from there right now and take your -OW, bath I will force you -OW to!"

I knocked on the door, a few seconds later a lavender pony awnsered it looking enraged. " Sorry, bad time, can you come back later?" she started to shut the door in my face but I put my hoof in the way.

"It's okay, I heard the commotion from down the street. Would you like help?" I said quickly.

She opened the door to allow me inside. " That would be - GREAT, WHERE DID HE GO NOW!" She said as she turned around.

I looked past her, there were books all over the floor looking like they had been thrown around. " What happened?" I asked her in a confused tone.

Her mane was dissheveled as she whipped her head around. " My dragon Spike refuses to take his bath because his crush hugged him." Her teeth started to grind as she said menacingly, " I am going to turn him into soup when I catch him."

My eyes were as wide as dinner plates as I stepped back in horror." Y- you have a dragon?!" Just then something darted up behind me and I yelped, jumping several feet up in the air and hanging onto the side of a bookshelf.

"GOTCHA!" Yelled Twilight as she grabbed the dragon around the middle. I fell back onto the floor in a heap when I realised it was just a baby dragon. Twilight looked over at me and giggled, holding a still struggling Spike around the middle.

I got shakily to a standing position and glared at the pudgy assailant in Twilight's hoofs. I then turned to her, " You could've at least told me he was a baby..." I said with a frown. I thought I was going to come in here and save the day, not get jumped by a purple replitle closely resembling a pillow. Twilight put a hoof up to her mouth, trying to supress a laugh at my sake. " I was going to, he just got there first." She said with a grin.

I looked over to her. "Ha ha and all, but one of your friends sent me over here to ask for a place to stay. She was orange, her name... what was it, it was Apple something." I said with a thoughtful look. "OH! It was Applesmith! How could I forget!" I exclaimed enthusiastlicy.

Twilight nearly fell over laughing, she laughed for a minute or two before she said. "Applejack, you mean Applejack."

"Oh, that too." I said with a sullen expression on my face. "Just so I don't suffer anymore added embarresment, your name IS Twilight right?"

She was turned towards the bookshelves, trying futiley to replace tomes to their original position with her magic. "Yeah, Twilight Sparkle, Librarian, Protege to the Princess, all that fun stuff." She said in an almost bored monotone.

I was a little intimidated to say the least, knowing that the mare in front of me had spent a fair amount of time with a pony most considered to be a GOD! "Oh- ummm. Applejack also said I should ask for a place to stay." I said with mild akwardness.

Twilight looked at me. " Oh! Of course, I'll show you to your room." She looked down at the grumpy dragon in her hooves, he had given up on trying to escape. "Uhhh- actually, I'll be back in just a second." She said as she rushed up the flight of stairs seemingly built into the wall.

I looked around, the room was full of bookshelves exept for some modest recliners in the far side of the room. Seeing nothing better to do, I trotted over to a bookshelf and looked through the titles on the spines of them. Spotting one that looked interesting I pulled it out, dusting off the cover. I had loved this book as a foal. Giving a satisfied sigh, I opened A Hitchhiker's Guide to Equestria.

Around forty-five minutes later, I heard somepony come practically galloping down the stairs. "Ohmyohmyohmyohmy... I'm so sorry!" Twilight came around the corner. " I completely forgot you were here while I was giving Spike his bath! Then I fell asleep... and I'm so sorry!"

I got a laugh out of how dissheveled she looked. Her pupils were dialated, she mane was a mess, and she had an akward gait from galloping down the hallway. "Oh, how long has it been? I lose track of time when I read." I flashed the book cover then glanced up at the clock."Oh, I see why you are in hysterics." I managed to get out between laughs.

She glared at me. "I'll show you to your room now," she huffed. As I trotted past her she mumbled. "Hysterics, I am NOT in hysterics..."

We walked along a hallway, the only space in the house not dominated by books. Instead, there was at least twenty pictures of her, and I would guess her friends. I looked over at her and saw her looking at a picture with a smile on her face.

I walked up behind her to examine the picture. Her and her friends were making faces at the camera while a cyan pegasus was flying upside down while staring at the camera. A yellow mare was off to the side, she had a nervous look in her eyes, but she made the faces just as much as everypony else.

Twilight seemed to notice that we had stopped, and as she started to trot down the rest of the hall at a brisk pace she said. "Sorry, better times.." She turned, "This is your room. Mine is across the hall if you need anything, and down there." She pointed to a door."Is the bathroom." She had a slightly far off look in her eyes, almost as if she was looking through me. "Do you have any questions?"

I hadn't spent time in a stranger's house before, so I wasn't sure whether or not to raise my hoof. I decided against it, "You mentioned 'better times' earlier. What did you mean?"

She sighed. "Me and my freinds used to be really close, lately we havent been hanging out that much, we've been getting into arguments more and more, and just getting a wedge driven between us in general. I just don't want to see the day when we're no longer friends..." Her eyes were getting wet, tears pooling in them. She hid her eyes with her hooves and started sobbing silently. Tremors wracking her body.

I wasn't sure what to do, I'd never been in this situation before. I cautiously sidled over to her and wrapped my forelegs around her neck and let her cry into my shoulder. I was very uncomfortable. All I knew was that I had a weeping unicorn that I barely knew in my embrace and I was... warm... warm and fuzzy.

She sniffled and broke the embrace. "Thanks, I needed that." She opened her bedroom door and walked inside. But before she could close it I got in the way of the door. "You'll be okay, right?" I said with a concerned look on my face.

She looked me dead in the eye and said. "Yes, I'll be fine." Before closing the door in my face.

Having been standing too close to the door, I stepped back, rubbing my snout. I turned around and looked at my door, contemplating going inside. I decided against it, instead going down the hallway and back the way I came. I was going to explore Ponyville for a bit and then come back to the library.

No sooner had I stepped out of the door then a quivering... mass of pink practically tackled me, I fell onto my haunches and ended up staring into pink eyes the size of Luna's moon."Ohmygoshareyounewwhatsyourna mewhereareyoufrom!?"

I looked at her in fear as she started to... float. "Uhhhh... what to the what now?" I said very cautiously as she stared at me, with a smile that shouldn't even be possible on her face.

"NevermindIhavetogogetyourpar tyready!" She said as she floated away. I watched her in disbelief. Then rubbed my eyes, looked and cursed." What...The...Buck..."

I tried to continue on with my day normally. Which turned out to be harder to do than I previously thought. I got odd looks from ponies I passed by, and I could tell that they were purposefully avoiding me.

As I passed by one mare and her filly she hissed, "Don't make eye contact." To her filly.

I immediately rounded on her and practically yelled. " WHAT'S SO MESSED UP WITH ME THAT YOU'RE AVOIDING ME LIKE DEATH! I HAVEN'T SAID OR DONE ANYTHING TO INTIMIDATE YOU!"

She stared at me, jaw agape. "Meep." She said before grabbing her filly and galloping away.

I then rounded on the crowd. "WHAT?!" I yelled and they almost all galloped away immediately. Except for one small unicorn. He pointed at my flank, "Y-Your cutie mark." Before getting dragged away by a larger stallion.

I looked at my flank, I never had thought about how my cutie mark would affect other ponies. It was basically a skull made out of fire. I had never thought about how to explain it to other ponies without giving away my secret.

I shivered feverishly and trotted off towards the library. Luckily, the streets were deserted.