Dear reader,

Today, we are going into town! We need food; Water Word wasn't quite prepared for visitors…

So yeah, we are going to leave. I wonder if I should bring my quill and notebook with me; it is good practice if I keep on writing, after all. So I made up my mind and kept my quill scribbling over the paper, while we stepped outside to go shopping.

Well, what to say? The weather is nice. Water Word said it was a 10-minute walk to the market. He's walking in front of us, leading the way. As we moved on, we saw the houses change from big and spacious, with big, green gardens, to terraced houses with smaller gardens. In the inner city, there were a lot of flats.

After 10 minutes of going left, right, and straight on, we came to a big public square. The square was flanked with big apartment buildings, stretching high up to the air. The roads around the square were very busy, with cabs and carriages spreading their noises – and their immediate smell

In the middle of the square was a great, bronze statue of two Alicorns. I recognized the smaller one, Luna. I guess the other one must be Celestia.

Only now I see that Wing Noir was smirking to me. I shot him a glare.

"What?"

He smirked again and chuckled. "You might want to close your mouth, before you catch a fly."

Blushing, I snapped my mouth shot. I realized I had to be staring with my mouth open, when I was describing the square.

Water Word chuckled. "Okay, kids! Listen up."

He waited until we were all gathered around.

"I'm giving you a choice. Either you go with us, shopping for groceries…"

He pointed at a playground nearby. It had a slide, swings, and several more stands. Several other fillies and colts are playing there.

"…Or you can go play, make some friends, until we come and get you. So, what will it be?"

Well, the playground sure does sound tempting…

Wing Noir shrugged. "I don't care. What do you think, Civ?" he said, casually. But I can see, that deep down, he want to play as much as I do.

So I pointed at the playground. "I want to play!"

Shadow smiled. "All right! Remember, don't go away until we go looking for you!"

We nodded, and ran off. I'll put my quill and notebook back in my saddlebags – they'll only slow me down!

Yes, playing sure was fun! Water Word and Shadow came looking for us way too soon.

There was a little harsh moment, however, when two older colts entered the playground. They told us all to 'get lost' and some other foul things, because it was 'their playground'.

And, to make matters worse, they walked up to me and began calling me names because of how I look. And if there's anything I can't bear, it's bullying. Their words were still ringing in my ear.

"Ugly!"

"Blank flank!"

"Nerd!"

"Freckled freak!"

"Crybaby!"

I was on the verge of crying, when Wing Noir stood up.

"Leave her alone!"

This took the bullies off guard. The biggest one laughed mockingly and stepped forward.

"So you dare to step up to us, blank flank?" He pushed him away, but he stood up swiftly.

"Yes. I do."

This made the other colt laugh. "Trying to be brave, blank flank?" He snatched Noir's hat of his hat. "Trying to be cool, wearing fancy clothes?"

He put on his hat. With a fake voice, he said: "Oh, look at me, I'm soooo cool!"

This made Wing Noir even angrier. "Give it back to me!"

But he only laughed. "Catch it If you can!" He threw it to his comrade, who threw it back at the other again. Noir tried to catch it, but he failed every time.

This made me really, really angry. Picking on me, okay. But picking on my friends?

"Stop it!" I yelled, but that made the bullies laugh even harder. It was the only thing I could hear – their mocking laughter.

"Stop!"

A sudden surge of magic shot through my horn, into the air. It hit the two colts and the hat, leaving them immobilized in mid-air. Wing Noir flew up to get his hat.

By the time he got it, I realized what I had done. Panting, I lost my concentration and the two colts fell on the sand. They both struggled up and fled. The other colts and fillies, who seemed to have hold their breath the whole time, cheered.

After a moment of rest, we continued playing.

On the way back, Noir walked up to me. I smiled to him.

"Thank you."

He looked at me. "For what?"

"For standing up for me."

He shrugged. "You did the same for me." He smirked. "It was pretty cool what you did there."

I blushed. "To be honest… it was an accident. I don't regret it, however." I said, with a confident smirk. He chuckled, and sighed.

"I'm glad to have you as a friend."

I blushed. "I'm glad to have you as a friend as well."

He chuckled, and we both burst out laughing.

After five more minutes, we finally arrived at Water Word's house.

Dear reader,

This night, the nightmare was different.

I found myself in a field. The field stretched as far as the eye could see.

The only thing growing was pointy, yellow, dead grass and some burned trees and bushes. It gave the landscape a desolate look.

The sun was burning in my back. I turned around to find some shelter, some shadow, but I found none. My throat felt dry like sandpaper.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw the burned remains of a house. Shocked, I staggered backwards, and I tried to run. But I wouldn´t get a centimeter away of the house, how hard I tried. Panting, I sat down, and I looked back to the house. It was the only thing around here with a shadow big enough to be a bit cool.

I walked to the house in a slow pace, but I quickened it when I felt the sun on my back again, burning harder than ever. It almost hurt.

When I was in the shade, I couldn´t stop. I was pulled through that half-burned door. With a bang, the door closed behind me. It was cold in the house, mercifully cold – but then, too cold. It was also too dark.

"Hello."

I jumped and turned around, to see nothing in the shadows. I just couldn't see.

"I'm over here."

I turned to my left. In the shadow of the walls I couldn't see a thing.

"Here, you brat."

I turned around again, to see in the only place with sunshine a huge shadow of a pony. And not only a shadow – a pony, that consisted only of black. His coat was black, his eyes were almost not distinguishable from his coat. His mane and tail weren't like normal ponies; they were made of pure black energy and waved softly like a fire.

"Surprised?" he said, in an amused tone. "We haven't met, have we. You can call me Mörk for lack of other names you're good enough to call me." He smirked evilly. I grew angry.

"Oh, now you're angry, are you?" He laughed, outright mocking me. "Oh, I'm sooo afraid now! Please don't hurt me, ohahahaha!"

"Before you ask me, oh yes, your parents, (hold it for the dramatic effect), are dead." He spat out.

I whinced. "Why?" I managed to whisper.

He pointed at me. "Because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. And it was in vain, because you're not her."

"Her?"

He grunted. "Oh, you're such an stupid, ignorant, naïve, filly."

He regained a bit of his former composure. "Naïve, yes. That's the word. A filly, who is stupid enough to trust the first pony she sees."

He laughed a bit more before turning back to me.

"Oh well. My time is up; I'll best be going. See you later." With a wave of his hoof, he was gone.

The house was gone, the shade was gone. The sun burned not only on my back, but now on my muzzle, my legs, my head – all over my body, the sun was burning. It was excruciating pain. I was screaming, begging it to stop.

I shot up in my bed, panting. I cried in my cushion – again. It was the fifth day in a row that I had similar nightmares. Why couldn't it leave me alone?