Insomnia (Finished)

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"It was so bright out today... It hurts my eyes on days like that..."

Reed sat alone on the solitary bench in front of his lonely little shop, staring into the cloudy night sky. It was a chilly night, one that should have been accompanied by a scarf and a jacket, odd as the weather was so warm and welcoming in the day. The only thing that accompanied him was the glow of Open sign that he turned on to be able to see.

"Everything was so cheery today..."

He stared now, into his dinner for the evening, a daffodil sandwich, cut in two diagonally down the middle, slightly soggy with a bit of mustard. A tasty treat non-the-less, but nothing compared to the treat he could have made for himself if he had managed to get his groceries earlier in the week.

"What did I miss... What am I doing out here..."

He took a bite out of his sandwich, the excess mustard finding it's way on to his cheek, while petals fell out of the backside.

"Everypony is probably asleep..."

He wiped the mustard away, and took another bite.

"Everypony but me..."

Another bite.

"Why can't I sleep..."

Another...

"This day never ends..."

Another... Another... and another... until the sandwich was gone.

"..."

"Why does it never end..."

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Melanite sat staring toward the moon, a soft smile on her face.  Despite the cloud cover, she knew the moon was up there.  Watching over her with its pearly white light.  Taking in a deep breath of the cool night air, she shivered slightly.  Soon it would be time to put on a long shirt under her raiment, if that was even allowed...  What did she care, it'd be warm.

She heard somepony talking nearby, which was odd given the late hour.  Complaining about the brightness of the sun.  Maybe he was a Bat Pony as well?  She listened as he continued to speak.  So cheery today?  Did she miss an event?


Everypony is probably asleep...
Everypony but me...
Why can't I sleep?
The day never ends...
Why doesn't it end?

If that wasn't a plea for help, Melanite couldn't tell you what was.  She smiled softly to herself, trotting up the street toward the Pony illuminated by the open sign of his shop.  "I wouldn't say Everypony is asleep.  Something on your mind, Sir?"  She asked, her grin showing her fangs as she stretched her Bat-wings a bit, getting them to sit in a more comfortable position.

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"It's nothing you should worry yourself with..." he replied to the unfamiliar voice, still staring into the cloudy night sky, "You can't sleep either, can you? Seems to be a common ailment recently."

He chuckled softly in his delirium. Reality no longer held any grasp upon the mind of this pegasus, days blended together, physical and ethereal, no one could say which was which if you saw the world through his eyes.

"So are you real?" said the distraught shopkeeper as his sight snapped to the newly introduced figure. He peered into the darkness, the amber eyes of this unfamiliar creature piercing the night like daggers. "You look like something out of a dream. An equine form with the wings of a bat. Illogical, logically you couldn't be real, but honestly, I not really sure what's real anymore." He looked back into the sky, his eyes heavy with despair.

There was no solace for him. A day never-ending was torture enough, let alone the sights that came with this brand of endless madness. Shadows became monsters, details in the simplest of objects deformed to become mangled remnants of their former selves. It was strangling his mind, the encroaching insanity, all because he couldn't sleep.

He leisurely closed his eyes for a moment to think, hoping he could keep them shut for an eternity. "Did you know that all of the stars hidden by these curtains of clouds, most of them are probably long gone. It's an interesting thought, something that is wiped from reality would cease to remain. It's remarkable." There was no rhyme or reason to what happened anymore. What he wanted more than anything in the world now was to sleep, just to put an end to this nightmare, but it would always escape his embrace.

As he reopened his eyes to look back to the creature, he spoke in a hushed tone, "Yet, listen to me, sitting alone in the dark, rambling to myself, I completely forgot to ask." he chuckled once more, "How rude of me. What is your name? Even if you might not be real, having a name to call you by would be nice, wouldn't you agree?"

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Melanite listened to the stallion talk for a bit, and chuckled.  "Straight out of a dream, huh?  Been dreaming about bat ponies lately, sir?"  She said with a sly grin and a wink, moving closer and taking a seat next to him.  "I'm as real as you or the night sky."  She said, leaning against the bench.

When he spoke of the stars, She looked up with a thoughtful face.  "You know... Midnight told me the same thing once.  Said that guidance shouldn't be sought from something beyond us.  But we should seek guidance from something closer to our hearts."  She smiled a sad smile, pointing upward.  "I let the moon guide me... An music.  Both of which are great teachers."

"I won't hold it against you... with a lot on your mind, pleasantries can be forgotton.  My name is Melanite.  But my friends call me Mela." She said, standing and bowing formally.  "And what is your name, Sir?"

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"Wuh... Dreaming... no, no... quite the opposite, Melanite." His eyes sank to the dirt path before them. "A nice dream would be welcome a thought in the mind of the enigma known as Reed Valour..." His eyes shifted back up to the clouds as they opened to reveal the moon. "Beautiful sight, the moon. I use to see it in my dreams when I was a foal. It was a lot prettier back then, a sort of mystery about it. Do you ever dream, Melanite?"

His mind wandered, the lack of sleep was draining. Who was this pony, why did she care? She could just be another hallucination brought on by this state. But that wouldn't stop his rambling.

"You never realize how fast time passes you by when you don't sleep, Melanite. I haven't slept for, I would like to say, five days now... It takes its toll. Ideas claw their way into your mind, and leave everlasting imprints." He turned to the bat pony with a severely deranged look, "I'm still not convinced that you're real... how can I trust you... there is no sanctuary from this hell... there is no way to help me now..."

His eyes began to water, "I just... I just... want to sleep..." and the tears began, "W-why can't I sleep, I'm so tired... so, so tired... I can't sleep... I can't even sleep... I can't do anything right..." The tears continued to fall to the ground, as he broke down upon the bench next to the questionable pony. "Wh-what's wrong with me... and for what r-reason do you care... no one ever cares..."

It wasn't like him to just breakdown in front of a complete stranger, but he wasn't quite himself any longer.

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Do you ever dream, Melanite?

That question threw her for a loop.  Of course she dreamed... Everypony did, right?  Of what?  She could only recall a few.  Meeting DJ Pon-3 in person.  Making it big in a band.  Being reunited with Silhouette... and Midnight.  She breathed a sad sigh, looking toward the moon as well.  "Dreams are the gateway to our innermost desires.  In a dream, anything is possible...  Everyone should dream, Reed."

"I've... been in the same boat.  About a year ago, I lost a friend to a dragon attack...  A few months later, I was jumped outside of a club, and had my bits taken.  I locked myself in my apartment, and couldn't sleep.  The days blurred together, and my mind started to break... until the friend I lost appeared... and guided me...  She helped me out of my depression, Reed... like I'm going to help you."  Melanite said, a sad tear falling from her eye as well.  

"If I wasn't real... Could I do this?"  She asked, wrapping the sad pegasus in a hug.  "I'm helping... because that's what I do...  I help ponies."  She held him close as he cried, trying in vain to hold back tears of her own.  Her wings folded out, wrapping around Reed to join her hooves.  "Everyone deserves a guiding hoof, Mister Valour...  Everyone deserves a friend."

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"Ya got that right!"

And with a sudden hug to the two of them from a cheery voice, Pinkie Pie had suddenly involved herself in the conversation.

It was to be expected, to be fair, that Pinkie Pie would randomly pop up in Ponyville from time to time, as she usually tended to be...well, random! In this case, Pinkie had been listening-in on the conversation a bit. She wasn't watching, but rather listening.

From the conversation, she could easily tell that there existed two absolutely distraught ponies in Ponyville, something she just COULDN'T let go unattended!

Still held into the group-hug she herself had initiated, she grinned and pulled her head out.

"So, how's it goin'?!"

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"..."

He couldn't answer that question, not in this state. All he could do was to let the tears continue their decent. Melanite's hug was a welcoming change to the cold bite of the night. Such genuine warmth, a feeling of comfort he hadn't felt in years, even if it was against the cold metal of the raiment. Tears ran down his face and glittered as the flowed through the grooves. Why couldn't he stop? What was it that even made him start?

He found himself lost in his mind, while his body worked through the motions, questioning what had lead him to this point, crying to a stranger in the wee hours of the night. What was it they were trying to accomplish, why did they feel the need to help...

Everyone deserves a friend...

It was that phrase that had hit him the hardest. Why did he deserve a friend, he wasn't special, he couldn't do anything for them, it made no sense. He wasn't worth anyone's time, his siblings always had more to offer, whether it be musical expertise or aerial prowess, all he had was what could be seen. A shaggy mane... a vest... and glasses. 

Time ticked forth as the open sign behind the three flickered forth as he tried to pull himself together, but the tears wouldn't stop. The sign let loose a violent spark, giving out, leaving the three to sit awkwardly in the darkness as he tried to pull himself back to reality, even if it was only for a moment. "I'm nothing, y-you know... never really h-have been..." he said as he smiled through the pain, "I g-guess you could say I am j-just a dead star..." struggling with his composure, "d-do you know what that's like..." He looked back towards the sky, tears continuing to work their way down his cheeks, "Just because you see me... it never meant I was there. But... I suppose that's my fault... isn't it? Couldn't be anyone's fault except my own."  

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Melanite listened to the pony speak.  She let the question sink in....  Do you know what that's like?  To be like a dead star?  Dwindling away,  letting the light fade from you.  The ever-present darkness starting to take hold as you lose your path...   "I know it all too well, Reed..."  She said, her breathing slightly ragged as the other pony joined them.  She didn't jump, she didn't respond, she just let the pony comfort them.

"The night is dark, Pink one, despite the light of the full moon washing over us."  She said with a sad sigh.  "But it will guide us.  As a shepherd guides its flock, it will show us our way."  She leaned back, looking toward the pink pony.  "You're up awful late as well.  And here I thought I'd be alone on my patrols..."  A sad smile graced her lips for a fleeting moment.  "What brings you out this late?"

She gave a nudge to Reed as he spoke again.  Questioning his own existence now?  That was never a good sign.  "Come on, Valour.  If you're nothing, and I'm a figment of your imagination... where does that leave me?"  She asked, letting out a sad chuckle.  "You're much more than nothing...  Everypony has a place in this universe, and everypony contributes in their own way.  If you weren't important, our paths would have never crossed, and I would never have appeared to pick you up..."  Despite the darkness, her eyes held a faint glow, showing the sincerity behind her words as her hug tightened around his shoulders.

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The Bat-like pony's words certainly rang true in the mind of Pinkie's. After all, everypony DID matter to Pinkie. Everypony in general mattered! Why else was Pinkie friends with every pony she met?!


"That's right! I NEVER met a pony that wasn't important!" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically with a wide grin directed directly at Valour.

"Everypony can do anything! There's never a pony that's left out in the world, because EVERYPONY plays a part!"

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"What is my part then?" Looking towards the pink pony, standing up in a hurry. "Do you even know what this shop is for? Why I'm stuck here? I doubt it, because I'm not important... to anyone..."

He stood there in silence until he sat back down on the bench with an audible thud. "I know everyone is important... but, it... when you can't see it yourself, my worth... were is it?" He stopped crying yet, still couldn't rest.

"Both of you... Tell me, why are you important, do you even know yourself? Please... just tell me, tell me I'm not the only who feels this way... I can't be... I already feel terrible, b-but, it hurts so, so much more... I can sit here cry and have ponies listen... some don't even get that... and I have the gall to complain..." He looked back towards the sky once more, "Listen to me, can't even let myself have this..."

He looked around to see if there was anyone else around before he spoke. "Would you two like to come in... If you're willing to listen, it might as well be somewhere more comfortable."

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Melanite sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating Reeds question.

Both of you... Tell me, why are you important, do you even know yourself?

It had to be the hard question, didn't it...  She thought for a few moments before sighing.  "I didn't know what my purpose was either.  I spent my time bouncing from club to club and just wasting my life.  Then, I found friends who set me on a path to learning what I'm supposed to be doing..."  She stood up as well, shifting as the moonlight broke through the clouds, illuminating her form as she showed her cutie mark to Reed.

"A crescent moon made of musical notes.  It came to me when I found out my two greatest teachers...  They help me through dark times, and give me the strength to help others.  THAT, Reed, is my purpose.  To help."  She said, sitting back down with him.

She took a quick glance toward the shop.  It was a Hobby Shop, wasn't it?  She nodded slightly, looking to him.  "You run a hobby shop.  Have you ever had a little foal walk in, pick up a model he's saved his hard earned bits to afford?  Have you seen the smile on a childs face when they find some new thing to interest them?  Have you ever helped a mare or stallion complete their collection of... anything?  That's what you do.  You make ponies happy.  That has to be it, and that is the most amazing thing any pony can do."  She looked to Pinkie with a soft smile.  A mix of an apology for not offering her more attention, as well as a thank you for helping with Reed.

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You make ponies happy. That has to be it, and that is the most amazing thing any pony can do. That was very true. This reminded him of the encounter a couple days earlier with the mare looking for the birthday gift. It was a great feeling when someone left the shop with a smile on their face, even greater a feeling due to the scarcity of customers.

"Life throws a curve ball at you sometimes, Melanite. You go and say something like that... How do I come back from that?" He smiled at the thought. "I don't really know where to go from there... It's true, that is a pretty great feeling. It just doesn't feel like enough, ya know?"

He looked between the three of them. "But I guess I do have the two of you for now, so that's somethin'."

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"You're wrong, Reed.  Life doesn't throw curve balls."  She let out a sad laugh.  "Life IS a curve ball.  We just have to learn to handle those curves."  She mused with a sigh before looking toward Reed.  The darkness was everywhere.  But thanks to her Bat Pony Blood, she could still see the troubled form of the shopkeeper.  She wasn't sure if their conversation was helping him or not, but he did look a little better than he had a few moments ago.

Melanite shifted, leaning on Reed.  Letting him feel a it of warm, comforting contact.  "You say it doesn't feel like enough, but it is the most fulfilling feeling in the world, making ponies happy."  She said, her face turning to a light smile.  She placed a hoof lightly on his back, rubbing between his shoulders lightly to help comfort him.  "I wish... I could still feel that.  I haven't made anypony truly happy in so long..."

She shivered from the slight chill in the air, looking toward the shop.  Was it really safe to go with this stallion?  He was hurt, lost... She felt she could trust him.  Had he wanted to do anything he would have done so by now.  "You mentioned heading into the shop?  Let's do that before it gets too chilly out here.  What do you say?"  

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"Yeah..." he let out a slight sigh, with his breath lingering in the late night air, "It is pretty cold out here." He stood up and went to the front door, opening it with the familiar chime. "There are some chairs in the back, not the most comfortable things, but atleast they're not in the cold."

He walked through the entryway and disappeared into the darkness in search of the lightswitch. *Crash!* *Shatter!* *-Insert Comical Sound Effect Here-* He fumbled around in the dark, something the Bat Mare would have been much better equipped for, until he located said switch.

"Found it!" He shouted from the back of the store, The lights flickering and buzzing as they lit the way into the dank, dusty store. "I'm gonna put some water on for tea! Make yourselves comfortable!" He put water in the kettle and looked at what he had to show.

The back of his store was a much odder situation than the front, a miss-mosh of various household appliances and furniture mixed in with the towers of unopened stock. Papers scattered along tables, pencils thrown about.

"I suppose it is a pretty creepy place... all things considered..." he mumbled to himself.