My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro, Studio B Productions, and Lauren Faust (like a faust).

Dilemmas of the PerpliXing

Chapter 2

As we made our descent onto Ponyville, I looked over at Luna and she smiled. "So, do you know Twilight?"

Her smile drooped a little. "She was one of the six mares who used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon. She's part of the reason I'm here instead of Nightmare. Her five best friends were all embodiments of the Elements as well, so when they combined, Nightmare Moon was defeated."

"Huh." I couldn't think of anything else to say the rest of the trip. Luckily, the trip only took a few minutes.

The chariot landed in front of a giant tree. When I stepped out, I almost dropped my bags. "We're staying in a tree?"

"Well, this is the library, after all."

"Ponyville's library is a tree? How come I never noticed this the last time I came?"

"I don't know either; it's pretty hard to miss." She turned to me and smiled. "Come on, we don't want to keep our host waiting."

I nodded and we walked up to the door. For a library, this is a pretty tall building – er, tree. I guess because it has to support a pony.

I dropped some of my luggage to knock in the door. When it opened, a small purple dragon with green spikes answered.

"Oh, you must be Ozone. Twilight's been going crazy about meeting you. I'll go get her." He closed the door and I heard him scream "TWILIGHT! GET DOWN HERE, OZONE'S AT THE DOOR!" He reappeared at the door. "She'll be a few more seconds. Why don't you just-" He didn't get to finish, something pushed him out of the I heard a crash and an "Ow! What the hay, Twilight?"

I laughed at that. Things like that make me laugh, as long as nopony gets hurt. I looked at who replaced the dragon's place. It was a lavender mare with violet eyes. Her hair was a dark purple with a pink highlight. It kind of reminded me of Pinkie Pie. Her Cutie Mark was a… I don't really know what it was supposed to mean. It was like a six-point purple star overlapping a white one, with six little white ones surrounding it. I looked at her and smiled.

I guess we were staring at each other for a while, because I heard Luna say, "Alright, may we enter?"

Twilight blinked a few times then laughed nervously. "Y-yes, of course. Sorry." She stepped out of the way to let Luna and I enter.

It was a lot different than I thought it would be. The entire library part was on the ground level, and then the stairs that I guessed led to the house part.

"Oh, uh, here, I'll take your bags upstairs." She magicked our entire luggage and walked up the stairs. It was only a few seconds until she came back down the stairs. She walked up to me. "Hi there. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

I held out my hoof. "iX Ozone, but you can call me Ozone. Pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"You already said that."

"Oh, right." She shook my hoof and smiled. "So, uh... I heard about how you graduated high school two years early."

"Yeah. It's not something worth bragging about to everypony, though. It was hard making friends and being neck-deep in books at the same time. I rarely had any spare time during the school year."

"Same here! Except, I never really made any friends."

"Aww, that's to bad. But I'm sure you have friends now, right? I mean, come on, it's summer."

She smiled. "Actually, I do have some friends. Six best friends, to be exact."

"Cool. Can I meet them?"

She jumped with what I assumed was excitement. "Of course! Come on," She headed for the door. "Our first stop is Sugarcube Corner."

That's cool. Maybe I'll see Pinkie. I nodded and followed her out. I turned to Luna. "Come on, it'll be fun. I know you already know them, but I don't think it's a good idea to hang around here all day."

She sighed. "I suppose." She smiled and walked out the door. I followed her and closed the door behind me.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

"I'm aware you have been here before. Did you enjoy your visit as much as I am?"

"Very much. Everypony was so friendly. My best friend lives here."

"Well that's good to hear." Twilight looked forward. "Looks like we hit our first stop."

I looked forward and saw that we were in front of the bakery.

"Hmm."

"Something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing. It's just... I know somepony here as well. Her name was-"

That was all I could say because I was tackled to the ground. I looked up and saw a pink made with a poofy magenta mane. "Hi, I've never seen you before, so that means you're new, so – wait, hold on a Pinkie Pie minute."

I smiled a really big smile when she gasped and hugged me. "I know I look a little different, but I thought you would've recognized me sooner."

She looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ozone. It's just been so long since I saw you!"

"Wait, you know Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked, annoyance in her voice.

I turned to Twilight and smiled. "Well, she does know everypony."

"Not everypony." Pinkie corrected. "That would be so cool if I knew every pony in Equestria though! I could be walking on the street and say 'Hey, blah blah blah' and they would say 'Hi' back to me! I could be a sniper and just before the kill, I could say 'Hastalavista, blah blah blah" and then–"

I joined her in yelling "BOOM HEADSHOT!" We started laughing and leaned on each other for support. We don't know how long it was until we finally stopped laughing. "Pinkie, you are a riot! I missed this place do much."

"We all missed you, too. Where are you staying?"

"Luna and I are staying with Twilight in the library."

"Luna?"

I walked around Twilight and brought back Luna. "Well, you know her as 'Princess Luna.'" I turned to Luna. "Go ahead, say hi."

She stepped forward. "Uh, hi."

"Hi, Princess Luna!" They were both smiling at each other.

"Actually, It's just 'Luna' to any of Ozone's friends."

"Well, would you look at the time. We have to go to Carousel Boutique. Let's go you two."

I nodded and gestured for Luna to follow.

"Bye, Ozone. How long are you staying?"

"Until early December!"

As I walked out I heard Pinkie scream out of joy.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

"So, is there anypony else who we mutually know?"

"I'm not telling. Your reaction will be funnier as we go."

She groaned as we approached Carousel Boutique. She was about to knock, but I put my hoof in the way and knocked myself. I saw her resist the urge to hit me.

The mare that opened the door looked nothing like Rarity. In fact, it wasn't even a mare; it was a filly.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle. Is your sister home?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. Let me get her." She was about to turn around, but stared at me instead. She stared at me for probably an entire minute then went inside to get her sister.

She popped back out a few seconds later, this time with Rarity in tow.

I looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Heya!"

She rubbed her chin with her hoof for a few seconds, and then gasped. My smile grew wider. "Ozone, darling! It's been a while. Please, come in."

I nodded and looked back at Twilight. Her reaction was getting funnier every time. We walked inside and Rarity magicked us some tea.

"Ozone, darling. I'm so sorry it took me a minute to remember you. It's just, the last time I saw you, you were a pegasus."

"Well, that's a funny–"

"Wait, you're a pegasus?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. It's a long story that I won't repeat." I turned to Twilight. "Can you go get everypony and bring them to the library? I'm sorry I didn't get to toy with you more, but this is urgent."

She grumbled and started to leave. "Just don't go to Applejack's. I'm going there next."

It was so sudden, but I swear I saw her horn sharpen itself.

She walked out and slammed the door. I laughed a bit then turned to Rarity. "So, who's the little one?"

She turned to the filly trying to reach the yarn on top of the cabinet. "That's Sweetie Belle, my little sister. She and her two friends formed this group called the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' and they go around trying to do things that will get them their Cutie Marks."

"That's cute." I heard a crash, and saw Sweetie Belle covered in yarn.

"Sis, help! Your yarn's attacking me!"

Rarity giggled. "I'll be right back." She got up an untangled Sweetie Belle from the yarn with her magic.

"Now behave. We have a guest."

She looked at me and walked up to me. She then stared at my flank and her eyes went wide. "Whoa, that is such a cool Cutie Mark! How did you get it?"

"What are you–" I looked at my flank and discovered I did in fact have a Cutie Mark. It looked exactly like my wing.

"Whoa, I have my Cutie Mark!" I turned to Luna. "Did you notice this?"

"I don't make it my business to stare at stallions' flanks. So no, I didn't."

I turned to Rarity. "Bring her to the library. It has to do with my story."

"Alright. Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I wanna get over to Sweet Apple Acres. There are two certain ponies I want to see."

"Yes, so we must get going. Bye for now." Luna said. She turned and opened the door. "Come on, Ozone."

"Yes, dear." I said jokingly. I looked at Rarity, who's mouth was open. "Don't worry, that was a joke."

I followed Luna out the door.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

"Come on, lighten up. We're gonna be here for a few months, you might as well get used to it."

"But–"

"No 'buts.' We're almost there, anyway."

When we arrived on the Apple property, I saw Applejack bucking trees. I can't believe I still remember that word. I walked up to her and met her eyes. I smiled. "Remember me?"

"Ah sure do! Lemme guess, yer here fer Big Macintosh?"

"Partially. Twilight was showing me around, but after I told her I knew all of her friends, she got really mad. I just came by to say I'm actually gonna be here until early December."

"Well tha's great! Ah can't wait fer ya ta hear all of our adventures after the whole Nightmare Moon incident."

At this, Luna seized the opportunity and appeared right between Applejack and I. She waited a few seconds and said "Hey!"

Applejack jumped in surprise. "Ozone, why–"

"Long story. Meet us back at the library."

"Well, alright. If ya want Big Macintosh, he's behind the barn."

"Thanks, Applejack. See ya later!"

With Luna in tow, we ran behind the barn. Like Applejack said, Big Macintosh was here, although he wasn't really doing anything. He was just standing there. Even better was the fact that he was facing away.

I had to do it; there wasn't any other choice. I crept up behind him until I was mere inches from his ear. I then took a step closer and said "SCREEE!" He jumped about a mile backwards. He looked angry, but when he saw me, he still charged me. But instead of it being out of rage, it was out of realization. When we made contact, I was knocked backwards and onto my rump. Big Macintosh was hugging me so tightly it was comparable to Pinkie Pie's hug.

"Ozone, Ah missed you! First Fluttershy came, then Rainbow Dash. I was waiting for you to come, too. Your finally here, though." I felt him crying.

I hugged back. "I missed you, too." I felt myself cry a bit as well. I was just glad to have my best friend back.

"Big Macintosh, I would like you to meet Luna." He got off me and saw Luna.

He whispered, "Should I bow?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. My best friend shouldn't have to now to my other best friend."

"Pleased to meet you." Luna said.

"The pleasure's all mine." He smiled. "So, how exactly do you know Ozone?"

"That's a story for another day. Or night, if you prefer." She giggled.

"Come on, Big Macintosh. We're all gonna meet up at the library later, but if you wanted to come with Luna and I, you can."

"Alright, Ozone. Ah'll stick wit ya. Where y'all headed?"

"Fluttershy's house."

"And if we want to get to the library before dark, we should get going." Luna said.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

"So, this was what started it all?"

"Yep. I was going to visit Fluttershy."

"Well, thanks fer thinkin' about visitin' me!"

"Quiet, Big Macintosh. Flowers don't make me think of you."

"Is it such a good thing that they make ya think o' yer sister?"

"… Is somepony gonna knock or what?"

Seeing Big Macintosh and Luna step back, I groaned. I knocked on the door three times in rapid succession. At first nothing happened, but a few seconds later, a little white bunny rabbit popped out from behind the door.

"Open the door." The rabbit didn't budge. "Open. The. Door." Nothing.

"Angel, who's at the door?" I heard a sweet and soft voice ask. A few seconds later, Fluttershy opened the door. "Hello – oh. Oh. OH! ZONE! OZONE!" Fluttershy ran up to me and gave me a big hug. "Ozone, it's been a long time! How are you?"

"I've been fine. Well, as close to fine as I can get."

"What do you–"

"Listen, go get Rainbow and meet us at the library. I'll explain everything there. Okay?"

She nodded. She walked past us, and was about to take off, but turned to me. "You know, we all really missed you."

I smiled. "I missed you, too."

She then took to the skies at a rate only Fluttershy could fly at. I turned to Luna. "Come on, let's head back to the library."

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

We were all gathered in a big circle. We were just waiting on two ponies.

"Where are those two?" I asked to nopony in particular, "They should have been here–"

As if on queue, Rainbow Dash busted the door of its hinges. "Ozone!" She ran up and gave me a hug.

"Hey, Rainbow! Listen; can we save this for later? This is urgent."

"Hey, you broke the door!" Twilight complained.

"Yeah. Sorry." She got off me and joined us in the circle. Fluttershy, while following Rainbow, did her best to close the door.

"Okay, since I know everypony here, there's no need for introductions. I am aware that you are all probably wondering why I look so different, or why I'm not a pegasus." I looked at my flank. "And you may be curious about my Cutie Mark. Well, I'm here to explain. First, I'll need a volunteer."

Nopony raised their hoof. "Come on, don't be so Fluttershy about this." Still no reaction. "That's okay, I was gonna pick Twilight anyway. Step right up, Miss Sparkle!" She grumbled but did what she was told. "Now, I know you've been dying to hit me all day, and now's your chance. Punch me." Her horn started glowing. "No magic."

Her horn stopped glowing, but her smile grew. "That'll make this all the more satisfying."

Luna took a step forward. "Ozone, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Don't worry. I've been wanting to try something out, this is the perfect opportunity." I turned to Twilight. "What are you waiting for?"

She screamed and charged me. She rose to her hind legs and pulled back her right hoof in preparation for the punch. She pushed forward...

... And was knocked backwards.

"What the hay?" She got up and continued to try to punch me, but was deflected by an invisible force. She was pushed onto her haunches. "Why can't I hit you?"

"Yes! It worked!"

"What does? What's going on?"

I laughed. "Did everypony see that? None of her hits landed. Now, I am aware it looked like an invisible barrier, but I can assure you it wasn't." I bent down to Twilight. "You might wanna take a step back." She scooted backwards. "Let me start off by saying I am still a pegasus. You can't see my wing because I'm hiding it." A low hum of voices filled the room. "You heard me; one wing." And with that, I extended my wing. Black feathers were scattered around me as I did. The room was filled with gasps, and then went to "ooh's" and "ah's."

"Pretty cool, huh? One year ago, I was planning to visit Fluttershy. That day, something happened in the forest I was along through, and I was put into a coma. When I woke up, four faces greeted me. Both princesses, the nurse," I turned to Rainbow. "and Gilda."

"Gilda? What was she doing there?" Rainbow asked, sitting up.

"She's the one that found me in the forest and brought me to the hospital. She even visited me every day. She snuck out of her own house just to see me."

She was silent. She barely muttered "Really?"

I nodded. "I don't know what happened between you two while I was asleep, but she seemed pretty upset about it when I asked her. I asked her to come with me, but she refused, saying she was afraid of your reaction."

"Well, she should be. Do you know what she did? She–"

"Save it for later, please. We have until December to hear your side of the story. Right now, I just want everypony to know that, although my physical appearance has been quite drastically altered, I'm the same iX Ozone you met eight years ago." I turned to Sweetie Belle. "Cool story, huh?" She nodded.

Pinkie bounced forward. "Of course we know that. Why would you think otherwise?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Part of me just wanted to reveal this a little dramatically. Oh, I forgot! I can use magic now!"

"WHAT!" Everypony except Luna said in unison.

"Yep, I assume this is part of the reason I'm staying with Twilight." I turned to her. "I am aware you are Princess Celestia's most prized student at the School for Gifted Unicorns. Luna says she just gushes over how talented you are."

She turned to Luna. "The princess talks about me?"

Luna nodded. "Although, it's more like bragging."

"To avoid unnecessary attention, I've decided to conceal my wing at all times while I'm here. Twilight, I need your help. I know I've been annoying you ever since I got here, but–"

"You weren't being annoying. I'm sorry I got so worked up over it."

"Well, I just want to say I won't do that as often as I did today. I turned to Rainbow. "So Rainbow, you were telling me your side of the Gilda thing? Let's do it outside, 'kay?" We walked outside, making sure none of them were trying to follow us. When I closed the door, Rainbow punched me in the side.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"We didn't have to leave right now."

"Yeah, but I really would rather talk about it now. Wanna walk through that park while we talk?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

"So, let me get this straight. Gilda snapped because she thought Pinkie set up all those pranks." Rainbow nodded. "And she tried to get you to leave the party with her because of that." She nodded. "And when you said you were the one that set up all those traps, you started yelling at her."

"I didn't exactly yell, but I was pretty mad."

"So you told her to find some new, cooler friends."

She nodded. "Even though she was mad, she shouldn't have acted like that. If that's who she is, I don't need that kind of drama in my life."

"But that isn't who she is. She ran away from her home just to see me in the hospital. She did this for the entire time I was asleep. When I woke up, she was talking about how we were gonna hang out more."

"Well," She turned to me. "I guess she did find a new, cooler friend."

"Rainbow..." I was about to say something, but stepping in water made me forget. I looked down, and noticed I was standing in a lake.

"What the hay? I don't remember this part of the park." Rainbow said.

"We must have been walking longer than we though." I looked up and saw the sun. "Look."

I pointed towards the setting sun. Rainbow walked into the lake with me. "Wow, this place is beautiful." I said.

"Maybe you should bring Gilda here." Rainbow joked.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm serious, though. You two should make up."

"I don't know, Ozone. I'm just kinda scared to bring her here. What if she acts up again?"

I smiled at her. "Just trust her. Please, for me."

She was silent for a while, but then smiled. "Only for you, Ozone."

"Thank you. I promise you won't regret it. Want me to send a letter to her?"

She shook her head. "Let me do it."

I turned around and hugged her. "Thanks for being awesome."

She hugged back. "Hey, it's what I do."

I pulled away and smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the others."

POV Switch

«Ozone—§ OUT

IN §—Twilight»

Ugh, what is his problem! First he drags me around Ponyville, knowing he knows every single one of my friends prior to today. Then he humiliates me in front of them by using his wing as a shield when I tried to beat him up. I swear this pony will be the end of me.

As I'm on the ground, using my hind legs to propel me in circles, Applejack comes over and puts her hoof on my shoulder. "Are ya alright, sugarcube?"

I stopped spinning and looked at her. "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Princess Luna stepped toward me. "Considering what you were just doing, I think you're far from 'fine.'"

I giggled nervously as I got up. "He's really irritating me."

"Come on, now." Big Macintosh said. "You gotta give him some time. I mean, we all put up with him."

"Because you've had eight years to get used to him."

"Well, you should at least try to make friends." Rarity suggested. "He's quite a dear once you get to know him."

"He's really into astronomy, too." Princess Luna said. "He went to Canterlot University of the Sciences under big sister's recommendation."

That surprised me. I knew he graduated early and went there, but I didn't know it was under royal recommendation. "Well, maybe I could talk him into doing something relevant to that with me. At least we have one thing in common."

"You're both ponies, too." Pinkie pointed out.

"Yeah, that too." I said with a giggle.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

I went up to the balcony to watch the sunset. I always loved to watch the stars appear one by one in the sky as it turns to night. It's very soothing, especially that weird temperature you can only get at dusk and dawn. Princess Luna said that Princess Celestia would take care of the sun and moon while she was staying here. I'd say she's doing a pretty good job. I sighed. The sun is about to set. I was staring at it, waiting for it to dip below the horizon, when I heard talking below me. I followed the sound and saw Rainbow Dash and Ozone heading towards the library. I felt myself crack a smile as I saw them talking and smiling themselves. I don't know what it is about him, but he seems to make everypony smile just by existing. I felt something on my right shoulder and almost swung a hoof at it, but when I turned around, I saw it was Spike.

"He seems like a nice guy. If you think about it, he kind of acts like you and Pinkie Pie put together."

I did think about it. "I guess if you take away the annoying part of him, he is like a stallion version of Pinkie and I."

"I think you should try to hang out with him. He's friends with all of your friends. Why not?"

I sighed. "I guess... it wouldn't be such a bad idea to do something together."

He patted my back. "That's the spirit! Oh, and sorry I interrupted you."

"No problem, Spike. I suppose I needed that extra push." I looked at the sun. It was about to fully set. Then I got an idea. "Spike, can you tell Ozone to come up here, please?"

He smiled. "Sure." With that, Spike left. I turned my attention back to the sun. Please, wait just a little bit longer.

Not a minute later, I heard the clopping of hooves behind me. I then heard them stop next to me. "Hey. What's up?" He asked.

"Just watch." I pointed to the sunset. It finally disappeared and the sky was a deep blue.

"That did look pretty amazing from up here."

I turned to him and smiled. "I come up here just about every day and watch the sun set."

"You know, this is a pretty romantic spot. Are you coming on to me?"

I shook my head and laughed. "No, I don't like you like that. I barely like you in the first place."

"Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm."

"Sorry, it's just-"

He held up a hoof to stop me. "I get it. Princess Celestia said you have a hard time making friends, you even said it yourself. It's not your fault; I tend to come on a little stronger than I should, with me being around ponies five years older than me all the time. I haven't had the chance to interact with somepony my age in a couple of years."

"I also wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. I tend to snap easily."

"Again, I don't blame you one bit."

The fact he's so willing to accept it's his fault makes the whole situation worse. I wanted to say more, but I figured it would be a waste of time. It would just result in him saying it's not my fault, and we'd be right where we started. So I kept quiet and started at the sky. It was filling with stars by the second.

We stayed on the balcony and stared at the stars. I can see why he likes this so much. It's so beautiful and peaceful.

"Hey, lovebirds!" We looked down and saw Rainbow waving to us. "We're heading out. See you two tomorrow!"

"Bye, Rainbow!" We said in unison. We looked at each other and laughed.

I heard hoofsteps behind us, and I turned to meet the gaze of Princess Luna. "So, what are the sleeping arrangements?" She asked.

Horsefeathers. I forgot about that. Come on, Twilight. Think. "Princess, if-"

"Just Luna, if that's alright with you."

"Okay, Luna, I only have one spare bed. Would you like to share with me and give the extra to Ozone?"

"Actually," Ozone cut in. "If it's alright with you two, I'd like to sleep out here."

"Really? It gets a little cold at night during this time of year."

"I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I'm gonna give you some extra blankets just to be safe. So I guess that means Luna and I get our own beds. Come on, Luna. I'll go get Ozone's sleeping supplies, you can unpack your things."

"And I'll get my things. Alright team, break!" With that, Ozone stormed into the library. I had to let out a small giggle.

I felt Luna nudge me. "You like him, don't you?" She asked with a devious smirk.

"What? No, it's not like that."

"It's okay if you do. It's not like I'm going after him, too."

"But I'm not-"

"Twilight, you like me? Wouldn't be much of a surprise." Ozone came in (or out, I guess), with his bag under his wing.

"Ozone, I don't like you like that. Now, can we please just get to bed?"

I almost stomped into the library. I passed Spike as he was walking towards the balcony. I heard him say, "She's totally into you."

"AM NOT!" I shouted. I ran up into my bed and pull the blankets over my entire body, creating a shield against the forces of nature.

"Come on, Twilight. We were just messing with you. We don't think you actually like him."

"Good, because I don't."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you get so defensive? No offense, but you don't seem like the kind of mare who got teased about relationships in school."

I poked my face out from under the blankets. "That's just the thing. I don't have any experience with relationships and such."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Twilight. I mean, look at me. Being of royal stature, I can't just run off with any stallion that knocks on my door."

I poked the rest of my head from under the blankets. "But that's different. I actually had the chance to date when I was in school, but instead I spent all my time studying and trying to get ahead of the class. That worked, but it didn't earn me any sort of stallion."

"So what's stopping you now?"

"I don't like him."

"I'm not talking about Ozone. I mean stallions in general. Sure, they're hard to come by, but you can't go wrong with the vast majority of them."

I turned and faced away from her. "I'm just not looking for a relationship right now." I yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep. You can make your own bed, right?"

"Of course! Don't worry your pretty little head." She smiled.

"Okay then. Good night, Luna."

"Good night, Twilight." And with that, I let myself drift asleep.

POV Switch

«Twilight—§ OUT

IN §—Ozone»

We were both laughing at how Twilight reacted to our comments about her liking me.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay." Spike said.

"Okay. See you in the morning." He nodded and walked into the library.

I had just set up everything for me to be comfortable. I put my CD player next to my pillow, placed my iPhone next to it. My bag was right inside, in case I needed anything from them (which will probably never happen).

I had a hard time sleeping that night. I couldn't stop staring at the night sky. It looked so much different from the ground. It seemed so out of reach, so far away. It was such a weird feeling; I almost didn't want to leave.

I had eventually fallen asleep, though it was more from exhaustion than anything.

I was in a black void. I was just floating, limbs useless. I suddenly felt myself falling at an unusual speed. It felt like I wasn't even moving, but I knew I was. I came into contact with a hard and cold floor. I felt it, and it felt like the balcony, but perfectly smooth.

"Ah, you're here." I heard a familiar voice say. I looked all around, only to be reminded I was in pitch black. "So, how was your first day in Ponyville?"

"You know, you sound familiar. Do I know you?" I asked.

"A long time ago, yes you did. Although, we weren't on speaking terms back then." The voice acknowledged.

"Well, who are you?"

"I cannot answer that right now. Just know that I'm coming for you."

"Why? What did I do?"

"You never abandoned Rainbow Dash. You wouldn't be in danger if you did."

"What kind of danger am I in?"

I was then met with a giant mask, which looked oddly familiar...

The realization finally hit me, that this was the mare that invaded my dreams on my first visit to Ponyville.

The mask smiled. "Me." It began to circle me. "But don't worry, I'm sure it won't be long until we meet face to face instead of your dreams. But find comfort in this little piece of wisdom," The mask got smaller and smaller until it was the equivalent of a normal face. The mask approached until we were mere centimeters apart. "I'm somepony you have met before. Recently, actually. And if it helps narrow it down, I'm a unicorn." I saw the mask's horn appear on its forehead. It then began to glow, and I actually felt myself waking up. "Have fun." It said before a bright light suddenly consumed me.

I pulled the pillows over my head to shield myself from the morning sun, but I felt a hoof poke my stomach, and I knew it was useless to try to sleep again.

I removed the pillows and saw Twilight smiling at me. "Morning!" I had to smile back. She giggled. "Well, more like afternoon."

I have her a confused look. "What are you-"

"It's almost noon."

Great. This is just like the last time that mare invaded my dreams. "Okay. Thanks, Twilight." I got up and walked into the library. As I passed her, I asked, "How long have you been out here?"

She hesitated. "Oh, uh... not too long."

I smiled. "Well, alright. You should probably come, too. I don't want you sitting up here all day while the rest of us have fun."

She nodded and got up. "Let's go." We both walked into the library and saw Spike coughing.

"Spike, are you okay?" I asked.

"He's fine," Twilight said. "Just give him a minute."

We waited and waited, but all he did was cough, like he was trying to throw up something.

"Twilight, I really think we should-" Was all I could manage before Spike suddenly burped green flames. Out of the flames appeared a letter with a royal seal. "Never mind."

Spike was on the ground when we walked over to him. I don't know if being more concerned about the letter was a bad thing, but that's how it was.

I looked over Twilight's shoulder as she read the letter to herself.

Dear Twilight,

I know I don't write to you as often as I should, but I just wanted to know how Ozone and Luna were after their first day in Ponyville. I hope they haven't given you any trouble. It would be a tragedy to have to bring them back to Canterlot. I saw you and Ozone on your balcony.

I hope to hear back from you, Ozone and Luna soon.

Your mentor,

Princess Celestia

I could see the blush on Twilight's face from Princess Celestia's comment about us on the balcony. She turned and almost jumped when she saw me. I guess I forgot to tell her I was there.

POV Switch

«Ozone—§ OUT

IN §—Twilight»

I didn't jump because he scared me. I jumped because when I did face him, out faces were mere millimeters away from each other. I don't know if it was because he didn't notice, but he just laughed. I sighed and smiled.

I walked over to my desk, which already had some parchment on it, and magicked a quill. I dipped it in some ink and began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Don't worry about them. Luna has been a little quiet, and Ozone has been quite the opposite. I don't see either of them becoming a problem. I was surprised at how… playful Ozone is, among other things, though.

It has also come to my attention that Ozone has magical capabilities. I'm guessing one of the reasons you sent him here is because I can help him control it. I look forward to it.

Don't tell him I said that.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

I had to make sure Ozone wasn't looking over my shoulder while I was writing. I rolled up the parchment and have it to Spike "Spike, send it."

"With pleasure." And with that, Spike lit the paper on fire, sending it away. It was a good thing it wasn't real flames; that would have resulted in me having to rewrite all my friendship reports. That would have been tragic.

I left my desk and walked towards the door, only to have Ozone block my path. He smiled down at me (did I mention he's almost bigger than Big Macintosh? Well he is). "Where ya goin'?"

"I need to head over to Rarity's for a bit. There's something we need to discuss."

"Oh, okay. Does that mean I can do whatever?"

I sighed. "As long as it doesn't blow up anything."

He groaned. "Fine." He opened the door and stormed out.

I almost walked out before I remembered Luna was there. I turned to her. "Are you going to be okay here with Spike?"

She smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure nothing will happen."

I nodded and walked out, making my way to Rarity.

/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./

I knocked furiously on the door to Rarity's store, and was met with a "Dear, it's a store. You don't have to knock."

I opened the door and walked in to see Rarity coming down from the stairs. "Oh, Twilight, it's you. I'm sorry."

"That's alright. Was I interrupting anything?"

"No, I was actually stuck on a design and just sitting in front of my desk with my head in my hooves." She took a couple steps toward me. "Is everything alright? You usually don't visit me like this."

"There is a problem. I think…" I gulped. I was probably going to regret saying what I was about to say. But, I know I can trust Rarity with my secrets. Well, here goes nothing. "I think I have a crush on Ozone."

Silence and a blank stare was what I was met with.

To be continued…

Author's note: The word count these chapters reach... I hope I satisfied your needs with this chapter.