“Local paper finds new…creature…how did this happen?” I asked, looking at the news paper Twilight had brought with her. On the front page was me, with my back turned.
“I don’t know, I thought we were doing a good job keeping you under wraps. Think, who in Ponyville has seen you?” Twilight asked.
“Applejack and her family, Rarity and her sister, you, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo…none of them had a camera…I didn’t even know you guys had cameras.” I said fascinated.
“Now’s not the time to be awe struck. Somepony must have seen you and jumped to conclusions; “towering monster” and “Everfree dweller” are not words you want associated to your name.” Twilight said.
“We have to tell them the truth then. Time to come out of hiding.” I said hesitantly.
I thought about all the possible outcomes and not many of them were good. Personal opinion was already against me, and the fact that I had been hiding probably didn’t help, and only served to cast suspicion on me.
“We can’t do that, they might over react.” Fluttershy said.
“Secrets have torn my society apart back home. Granted the one about me eating meat is probably best kept off the record, but no more, everything goes guys.” I said a bit more stern than I had intended to sound.
Fluttershy looked at the floor defeated. I regretted the small outburst, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like a prisoner and I was tired of hiding.
“I can’t let you do that…not alone anyways.” Twilight said.
The last part of her sentence took me by surprise and made me smile a bit. The what if game could take a back seat for now. Her words gave me an idea as to how to approach the issue at hand.
“Is Rarity awake by now?” I asked.
“She should be why?” Fluttershy asked.
“Because she still has my shirt.” I said setting the paper down.
“What does a shirt have to do with anything?” Twilight asked.
“It gives me a reason to be in town. As long as somepony’s not scared of me I don’t think things will go too bad…though I don’t know where Rarity is, or anything for that matter.” I said.
“I um…I can take you. If that’s okay.” Fluttershy said nervously.
I could tell she wasn’t crazy about the thought of attention being focused on her if she was seen with me, but she was sincere in her offer. It made me question which one of us was braver.
“Okay, thanks Fluttershy. I’ll try to keep up with you.” I said making her smile.
“I still don’t think you’re ready.” Twilight said dejectedly.
“I don’t think life always waits for people, or ponies, to be ready.” I said trying to reassure her.
“Okay, but this doesn’t make you a citizen. You realize this right?” Twilight asked.
I nodded knowing I still had work to do. I didn’t know what went into gaining citizenship but I had reading down, my writing was to be desired, admittedly, but with one came the other. Twilight called my writing that of a third grader’s. With symbols I hadn’t put much thought into penmanship, but it was now one of my main areas for improvement.
“Let’s go then.” Twilight said opening the door.
I followed her out the door with Fluttershy. It felt different somehow, as I walked down the path I had taken to get to reach Fluttershy’s cottage the first time. I noticed there wasn’t a carriage, I guess Twilight didn’t like to be carried everywhere she went, not that it would have been needed this time anyways.
“I’m guessing that’s yours?” I asked pointing at the castle in the middle of town.
“Yes it is.” Twilight replied
“Cool, so what exactly do you govern or manage?” I asked.
“I ensure friendship is maintained in Equestria.” Twilight replied proudly.
“Friendship…so peace and that sort of thing? That’s quite a lot to shoulder.” I said, as the castle and surrounding buildings grew larger.
I heard an odd noise coming towards us, it sounded like something straight out of a cartoon. I could only describe it as the bouncing noise characters in cartoon's and movies used to make when they would jump.
A small pink earth pony appeared jumping up and down in time with the noise I was hearing. She had a contagious smile on her face and her mane reminded me of cotton candy.
“Hey Twilight, hey Fluttersh- GAAAH run! It’s the monster!” the pink pony shouted before finishing her original thought.
“Pinkie calm down! He’s not a monster, he’s my friend.” Twilight said.
The pink pony seemed unsure and studied me for a few seconds before producing a bubble pipe and detective hat. I felt a few of my brain cells fry upon witnessing this from the total disregard of all natural laws as to produce something from nothing. Was this a pony or some sort of deity?
“Hmm.” The pink pony said walking around me once.
“Okay! If Twilight says you’re her friend then that means you can’t be bad, but the paper says you came from the Everfree Forest.” she said.
“The pony that wrote this never asked me where I came from. I get it I’m tall and probably scary, but maybe you should form your own opinion before agreeing with everything you read.” I said.
“That makes sense. My name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s yours?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Daniel, well it was nice to meet you Pinkie Pie.” I replied.
“You’re leaving already?” Pinkie asked.
“We’re kind of on a mission to clear his name Pinkie. Ponyville needs to know he’s not a monster.” Twilight said.
“And Rarity has my shirt…I’d kind of like that back too.” I added quietly.
“Oh oh can I come? can I?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
“Uh sure I guess.” I said
Pinkie Pie was an energetic pony. She seemed to quite literally bounce all over the place. She always had a smile on her face, and her personality was contagious. I felt a smile slowly spreading across my face as she asked her questions so fast I sometimes had trouble keeping up with her.
“Whatkindoficingdoyoulikeonyourcakeohohwaitdon’ttellmeIbetyoulikechocolatebecauseveryponyliekschocolatebutyou’renotaponysoIdon’tknowwhatflavoryoulikeorifyoulikeparties.DoyoulikepartiesbecauseIlooovepartiesdotheyevenhavepartieswhereyou’refrom?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Um…yes?” I replied.
Fluttershy and Twilight giggled at my answer. They had grown accustomed to the rapid stream of questions Pinkie Pie asked, and were able to tell what she was saying. I was only able to catch bits and pieces of what had been said.
Ponyville was peaceful for the most part. There were small market stalls, and a few shops. The castle was certainly bigger than I had anticipated, but what else was to be expected of castles? The numerous ponies staring at me was the most noticeable feature though.
Fluttershy had positioned herself slightly behind me and Twilight. Pinkie Pie had stopped bouncing and stared back at the others before looking up at me in anticipation.
“Hi.” I said with a wave, triggering the expected numerous screams of panic.
“Stop! Ponies of Ponyville, is this any way to treat somepony new?” Twilight asked stepping forward.
“That thing came from the Everfree Forest, what’s it doing here?” asked a lime green earth pony.
“He’s not a thing! He’s a human and he has a name…oh sorry, I mean he does have a name, and he’s not from the Everfree Forest like the paper said…” Fluttershy said with a bit of confidence, before it dwindled back down due to the crowd.
“How do we know it’s not a trick? How long has he been hiding here? Where did he come from then?” asked several of the ponies in the crowd.
“Ya’ll need to calm down. He ain’t here to hurt no pony, now he may not look like much but he’s got a good heart that much Ah know fer sure.” I heard Applejack say.
I looked around to see her leaving a stand with several types of apples on display. Three ponies had already stood up for me against a town that seemed to have its mind made up. It made my heart ache in a way that I hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t a hurtful pain, and pain can’t necessarily be called good, but that’s the only way to describe it.
There were a few ponies in the crowd that seemed to be debating with one another, while others continued to gather and ask questions. It didn’t seem like such a lost cause any more, but swaying the minds of a few wouldn’t be enough.
“If he’s not a danger why were we kept in the dark? How do we know he won’t turn on us?” asked a few that remained undecided.
“Honestly, what is all the commotion?” asked a voice that sounded very similar to Rarity’s.
The white unicorn stopped when she saw me but smiled knowingly. She had saddle bags with clothing material poking out of the upper corners of the pouches. She slowly approached us, despite a few protest and warnings not to.
“I don’t see what all the fuss is about. He’s no stallion obviously, but that doesn’t make him a monster or mean he’s evil.” Rarity said pointing a hoof at me.
“Thanks…I think.” I said.
“Oh darling, I wasn’t talking about your looks. So what made you come to Ponyville?” Rarity asked.
“The newspaper…and my shirt.” I replied.
Rarity’s eyes went wide “Goodness gracious, I almost forgot! Oh I’m so sorry, I got caught up with work and yesterday’s fiasco with Sweetie Belle didn’t help matters.” she said.
“It’s cool I wouldn’t want my shirt to come before your work anyways.” I shrugged.
The crowd remained firm with its position on my presence here. The judgment in their eyes was clearly visible, and it seemed like nothing said could sway their stance. I wasn’t sure at that moment what to say, and if it would have helped anything or made things worse.
“Hey! Twilight said he was her friend, so he can’t be bad I don’t think she’d make friends with somepony she didn’t trust.” Pinkie Pie said.
“Um, Pinkie you only just met him.” Fluttershy said.
“I know, but you guys were saying good things about him. I didn’t want to be left out.” Pinkie Pie said with a giggle snort.
Even with this support it looked like the voices of the crowd were starting to rise again. Twilight seemed lost as to why they wouldn’t believe her and her friends. The power of fear was terrible indeed, and it seemed like it would win this fight.
“Quiet!” shouted a voice I never expected to hear.
Rainbow Dash landed beside Applejack as the crowd grew silent at the request, or were stunned by the eardrum rupturing shout. All eyes shifted to the cyan pegasus as she cleared her throat.
“I’m not saying I trust him, but maybe calling him a monster is a bit much. Besides he didn’t come out of the Everfree Forest we had to go in looking for him.” Rainbow Dash said.
Gee, thanks for the low shot. I thought to myself.
"Let him speak then!” one stray voice shouted once Rainbow Dash was finished.
The crowd was in one accord with the demand. So far Twilight and her friends had spoken for me. Now that I was on the spot I didn’t know what to say that could make them feel at ease. I wondered if they would believe me if I told them the truth.
“My name is Daniel, and I am not from Equestria, or this world for that matter. I was brought here against my will and with no discernible way back home.” I said, picking my words carefully.
That was all I really had, everything else had been said by the others. I knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince them that I wasn’t some dark sinister schemer who had tricked a princess. I looked down at the ponies I had come to call my friends, and even though Rainbow Dash wasn’t exactly my friend, she had stood up for me, sort of. The more I thought about them, what needed to be said started to come to me.
“I came here with nothing. These ponies who have spoken for me have all made me reflect on a lot of things in my life. I think most of it has been for the better, I don’t know if I can go home. Either way I’ve made some pretty awesome friends and I can't begin to imagine doing something to ruin that. You don't have to be my friend; I just want peace for a change." I said making Rarity's eyes tear up a bit.
From the crowd came three small fillies, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. A purple mare proceeded to try and block their path towards me. A hushed conversation took place before the mare let them pass, an anxious look on her face.
"We were gonna do it later, but since you're here we thought we'd apologize now." Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, sorry you got hurt." Scootaloo said looking down at the ground.
"We didn't mean for it to happen." Sweetie Belle added.
I had the feeling that Rarity and Applejack had something to do with this. I hadn't seen Scootaloo's parents though. My mind briefly wondered why Rainbow Dash came looking for her instead, until I realized I hadn't responded to them yet.
"It's okay, just don't make it a habit and I think we'll be good." I said watching their frowns turn to smiles simultaneously.
"I'm just curious who took the photo of me...they were very sneaky about it." I said.
"Shady Daze must have." Sweetie Belle said.
The crowd had grown quiet and shifted until the colt was exposed. His eyes grew wide when he realized he had been found out. He quickly looked around unsure of what to say.
"I...uh...Featherweight approved it!" Shady Daze exclaimed pointing to the colt on his right.
"Well...Diamond Tiara is the one who told us about it!” whined Featherweight.
“I did not! How would you know anyways?” demanded a magenta colored filly.
“The note you wrote the tip on has “From the Desk of Filthy Rich” on it.” Featherweight replied.
“Oops…heh.” Diamond Tiara said as some of the ponies in the crowd started to send angry looks in her direction.
“I’m very disappointed in you.” a rather well dressed stallion said.
Diamond Tiara was led away by the stallion and the attention shifted back on me. There was an awkward silence before the mare that had tried to stop Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle slowly came forward.
“I thought I had made it clear to my students to get all the facts when it came to the paper. I-I’m sorry that this misunderstanding happened Mister um...” she said not making eye contact.
“It’s okay, and it’s Daniel.” I said.
“Cheerilee.” she said finally looking up at me with a shy smile.
I felt a tap on my leg and looked to my left to see Rarity. The water works in her eyes were no longer visible now that things seemed to be calming down.
“I believe I still have something that belongs to you, I was heading that way if you’d like to walk and talk a bit.” Rarity said.
“That would be awesome.” I replied.
The crowd dispersed as I followed Rarity to her shop. Applejack returned to her stand and several ponies seemed to crowd around her, more than likely with questions. Rainbow Dash didn’t stay long either and was gone before I could ask why she bothered saying anything at all.
---
The Carousel Boutique was impressive, I only had to duck a little bit in order to get inside which nearly made me cry for joy. There was enough room between the ceiling and floor that I could stand straight, but it was still low enough that I could touch it with little effort.
Rarity sat her saddle bags down and walked over to a cabinet to pull out my shirt. It looked like it had come straight out of the store and had never been worn.
“Sorry again about the wait, after I finished I got wrapped up in getting orders out. I must say though, this is very well made. Since you’re here would you be opposed to letting me take some measurements?” Rarity asked.
“Uh I guess not. Thanks again for fixing it Rarity it looks like it’s brand new.” I replied.
“It was my pleasure to be the first to work with the clothing belonging to somepony from another world.” Rarity said as a measuring tape levitated towards me, “Now umm… hmm...I suppose we should start with your forelegs.” she said gesturing at my arms.
I stretched them out and the tape measure started to move seemingly of its own accord while a separate pencil and a note pad floated over towards Rarity and started to write something down.
“That went…a little better than I had expected it to go.” Twilight said.
“You guys didn’t have to stick up for me and put your reputation at risk.” I said.
“It’s what friends do for each other.” Fluttershy said.
“Oh oh a party would help introduce him to everypony!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
I considered her idea for a minute, it would be a good way to see just who exactly was comfortable enough to show up, and wasn’t truly afraid of me. A party was a celebration though and since news of my existence hadn’t been as well received as I would have liked I didn’t think it warranted one.
“Pinkie, I don’t think a party is the best idea right now.” I said.
“W-w-what!?” Pinkie Pie stammered, causing the others to stare at me in disbelief.
“I’m not a citizen so…I don’t think it would be right to throw me one just yet. How about this, when everything is sorted out and legal could we throw one then?” I asked.
Pinkie Pie’s pupils grew large with excitement “Then we’d have TWO reasons to throw a party!” she exclaimed.
Her personality really was contagious. All of the sadness I had felt from being judged, and the fear of alienation and rejection had been swept away so easily. I counted myself lucky to have friends like these.
After the morning’s events there were still a few stares, but the angry looks had ceased. Twilight had left the Carousel Boutique saying she needed to let Princess Celestia know what had happened. At the very least, I could finally move about freely.
As Fluttershy and I passed a field, I noticed Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo. The cyan pegasus would fly in the air a short distance before landing again and motioned with her hoof while talking to the filly.
“Hey Fluttershy, can you wait here a minute?” I asked, before walking towards the two pegasi.
Rainbow Dash spotted me approaching, and flew the short distance towards me. The expression on her face was sphinx like. I could tell that, true to her word, she still didn’t trust me.
“I’m kind of in the middle of something so make it quick.” Rainbow Dash said.
“I just came to say thanks.” I said.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at me, as if to silently ask if I was serious. “I didn’t do it for you, I did it for her.” she said pointing in Scootaloo’s direction “She told me what happened, so I decided to return the favor. Now we’re even.”
“Oh…well uh see you then.” I said before walking back towards Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash returned to Scootaloo’s side to resume whatever activity they had been doing before my interruption. I understood now why Rainbow Dash had gone trekking through the woods to find the filly, but my question about her parents still lingered.
The rest of the day was uneventful until Twilight stopped by with more reading material. Now that I was out in the open I no longer had an excuse to drag my feet. It was night by the time I finished the first few chapters of the new material and I felt my eyes start to grow heavy.
Sleep now…don’t be afraid…