Ponies Meet New York

by Caddy Finz

Chapter 2: The Storm That Started It All

Once again, a terrific birthday party with all of my friends was thrown for me. Cake was eaten, drinks were guzzled and laughs were shared. It was my fiftieth birthday but the way I've been feeling, I felt like I was turning twenty-one again. The next few days went by and my actual birthday came and went. Naturally, I got the day off from work and spent time with my closest friends, the first seven I made when I first came to Ponyville.

It was during those few days however, that I was thinking about something a certain friend of mine said to me. I've got a lot going for me but maybe Cadence was right. If I started dating as a pony, what could it hurt? It's not like I'm still a different species. What have I got to lose, right? Well, Cadence had since gone back home to the Crystal Empire with my buddy Shining so she wasn't around right now to ask for advice.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Why would a ladies man like me need advice on courting? Hell, I even got Spike laid! Sure, it was a one time thing and he and Rarity couldn't look each other in the eye for a month but I was a real hot shot back in the day. Wow, I sound so old saying that. Anyway, like I was saying, I haven't dated in a very long time so I'm a little rusty. Since Cadence wasn't around, there was somepony else I would need to ask for help. A certain somepony who has always been there when I needed her.

Ding dong!

It was a gorgeous summer day and I admired the beautiful garden as I waited for an answer at the door on Rarity's Carousel Boutique. If anypony could help me out and give me pointers on how to get a date with a mare, it was her. Since she has lived here in Ponyville for her whole life, I figured she would also better know the other mares in town and introduce me to them so it wouldn't be as awkward.

"Vincenzo, darling!" Gem beamed as she answered the door. "Do come in! I just put on some tea!"

"Thanks, Gem." I replied. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"

"Teehee, I try, dear. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, Rares...Cadence has been telling me that I should get out and start dating again and I'm starting to think I should."

"Oh Vinnie, this is so sudden! I-I don't know what to say!"

"Whoa whoa, it's not like that, Gem. Don't even go there, you're like a niece to me."

"Oh! Right! Of course! I-I was just kidding with you dear! Heheheheh."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say your nickname is about to change from 'marshmallow' to tomato'."

"Oh look! The tea is ready! You just make yourself at home and I'll be right back."

It's adorable when she does that. Gets all flustered and tries to change the subject like that. So there I was just sitting on her living room sofa waiting for Gem to come back with the tea. I was more of a coffee guy before but ever since I came here, I really took a liking to tea. That and just like clockwork, Gem's cat was there just begging for attention. Opal always enjoyed it when I came to visit.

"Here it is!" Gem Beamed as she returned with a tea pot and a plate full of tea biscuits in her aura. "Alright then, what was it that you needed to talk about?"

"Thanks, Gem." I replied. "I just needed some advice about it, that's all. Like what do mares like that I might not know about? Or do you know any around here who may be single?"

"Ah, but of course. Well dear, based on what you have told me about people from where you originally came from, it must not be very different from here."

"Well that's kinda what I was thinking when I set Spike up with you but I wasn't nervous about it because I wasn't the one going out to get the girl."

"Ah yes, that. That was certainly a night to remember but alas, Spike and I love each other very much but not like that. So let me ask you, dear. How long has it been since you went on a date?"

"Twenty-three years."

"What the-really? That long?"

"That long, Gem. I wouldn't know where to start at this point."

"Don't worry about a thing, dear. I'd be glad to help you out. Firstly, what are you looking for in a potential partner and the relationship you would have with them?"

"I wanna find a girl who's classy, smart, mature and preferably closer to my age. I also want to have something deep and meaningful. I've had worthless hookups and one night stands but I'm done with those. I just want to settle down with somepony and fall in love."

"That's beautiful, Vinnie. Okay, so class, smarts, maturity and close to your age. Though there aren't many mares in town who meet all of those criteria, there is one in particular who is not from here but does come into the area once in a while. As far as I know, she is available and looking to find a handsome Stallion."

"Yeah? What's her name?"

"I'll keep that on the down-low for now, dear. I'll send her a letter and if she is interested, I'll set you two up on a blind date."

"Eh, I've never had a problem with surprises. Okay, Gem, I'll put my trust in you. Thanks for doing this for me."

A few days later, Gem came over to my place to share the news with me. The classy dame in question replied to her letter and the outlook was good. She said she was interested in meeting me and that she would be in Ponyville on the following Friday for a date with me. Rarity wouldn't show me the letter as to keep this lady's identity a secret but I didn't mind. Gem is my friend and I trust her judgment.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. It's been a very long time since I had actually had a real date that lead to an actual relationship. I had high hopes but at the same time, I didn't want to get my hopes up so high that if it didn't work out, I'd at least still be sane. So our plan was to go to a pond just outside of the town where something pretty cool would be going on.

Friday was the day of the annual water transport and the pond that we planned on going to was chosen to be the source of that water this year. This was going to be my first time witnessing this which is why my would-be date chose that location and time for us to meet. Basically, we would watch the tornado that my buddies Rainbow, Flutters and even Princess Sparks herself would be conjuring up along with the rest of the local pegasi. Then after that, if she finds that she enjoys my company, we'll take a nice walk around town and just get to know each other.

The day came very quickly and I wasn't afraid to admit that I was pretty anxious. I was to be at the pond by three o'clock where Gem would introduce me to this lovely lady. Though it's been so long since I tried to actually impress a dame, I hadn't forgotten how important a good first impression is. After a good thorough cleaning in the shower, I groomed myself down to every little detail. Even the few stray eyebrow hairs on my face were not spared. My mane and tail were washed and brushed into a neat dazzling shine and I decided to go a little lighter on the cologne than usual. I wanted to impress her, not fumigate her.

After brushing my teeth and fitting myself with a white collar and a blue tie, I was out the door and on my way to meet a lovely lady and witness an amazing spectacle of weather control. I knew very little about this mare and Gem only told me that she was forty-three years old, was a yellowish orange with a blonde mane and tail and would be wearing a purple blouse. I arrived right on time and I started scanning the area for any sign of Gem and the mare she was setting me up with. It seemed like I had seen every square inch of the meadow when I started to wonder if she was gonna sho-

"Vincenzo! Over here, darling!" Gem called out as she trotted towards me with a pretty mare in tow.

"Hey Gem!" I greeted. "And this must be her! I'm Vinnie, Miss. Great to finally meet ya."

"Harshwhinny." My date introduced. "Charmed, I'm sure. I believe I've heard of you. You were once a bipedal creature that saved Ponyville from an attack. That's quite fascinating."

"Well thank you, ma'am. It was nothing, really. Funny you should mention that. This pond right here is the very same one that contained a portal that I crawled out of."

"Oh my! Quite impressive! Actually discovering a portal that connects two dimensions together? Tell me more."

This was going great! I was having a grown up intellectual conversation with a mature, classy mare who was the perfect age! She being forty-three and me being fifty is just fine. The water transport wasn't supposed to start for another half hour so we had some time to talk before it would get too noisy. I told her more about how I came to be and she shared with me what she did for a living along with hopes and aspirations she had. We were really hitting it off but soon ran out of time for talking as the events were about to take place.

"Three minute warning!" Spike's voice blared over a large speaker atop a fifty foot pole. "Get into your positions, everypony!"

"Looks like they're about to start, hon." I said to the lovely Ms. Harshwhinny. "I hear that these things can get pretty windy but I can't wait to pick up where we left off when it's done."

"Likewise, dear." She replied. "I'm enjoying talking with you."

The final preparations were being made and all the pegasi were limbering up and fitting themselves with goggles. This was not only going to be the first water transport I would see but also the very first to have an alicorn participate. Sparks looked to be about as pumped as I was. Flutters was also expected to do well and she had been training hard for this. She may be a shy, timid one but deep down, she's tough and can really show it once she sets her mind to it. As Captain on the Ponyville weather team, Dashie was the leader and overseer of the operation.

Every one of the pegasi were now in place and waiting for the signal to go. Not long after, Spike pulled a switch on the pole and the siren on the top began winding up. It was an intense wail that lowered and and heightened its pitch. Kind of reminded me of tornado sirens from Chicago. I visited there a few times and one time, there was a nasty storm strong enough to knock over a fire truck.

It was on. The pegasi all lifted off the ground and got into formation. All following Rainbow's lead, they flew in a counter clockwise circle as fast as their wings could carry them. It was an impressive sight to behold. Right before our very eyes, the wind began to pick up and a small tornado started to form just above the water. The pegasi were still increasing their speed making the cyclone grow and intensify.

It was really starting to get strong but everypony seemed to be holding up fine. Even Twilight seemed to be going through it like the tough girl she is. Fluttershy was doing the same and it made me proud. In the past couple of years, she has really come a long way. Rainbow was handling it like a born leader. She truly has wonderbolt potential and their captain, Spitfire is a fool for taking so long to see that. All of these ponies working so passionately to create this magnificent wonder was something I would never forget.

Aside from the dark gray clouds forming overhead, everything was going smoothly. Kind of strange though. We weren't scheduled to be getting any clouds until tomorrow. It was especially odd since there needed to be more water in Cloudsdale for them to form, or so we thought. As the pegasi continued their work, these clouds got even thicker and when they started flashing with lightening, we really started to get worried.

"Is that supposed to happen?" I asked my date who knew much more about this than I did.

"It most certainly is not!" She replied. "Something is going wrong here and they'll need to call this off before somepony gets hurt!"

"Do you think they might get sho-"

"Look! Princess Twilight! There's something wrong with her!"

These were not the words I wanted to hear. I looked back up at the ever-building cyclone and sure enough, my friend was showing signs of distress and her horn was flickering and flashing in sync with the lightening coming from the clouds. Being distracted by the flashes, the rest of the ponies started flying off key and were even bumping into each other. This was a disaster and it needed to be aborted before it became a funeral.

It kept getting worse. Twilight was now hovering in place and her mild discomfort turned into agonizing pain. I could see it in her eyes and it was hard to watch and even harder realizing that there was nothing I could do about it. The tornado had gotten so strong that all the pegasi had been blown right out of it and it showed no signs of slowing down. Twilight was right in the middle of it and though it was incredibly loud, I could still hear her screaming in pain as she clutched her head in her hooves.

"Aaahhhh! Somepony help me!" Gem shrieked as she fell to the ground, her forelegs holding her aching head.

Rarity was undergoing the same thing and her horn was flickering just the same as Twilight's. All the ponies who came to watch and the others who were expelled from the twister were all booking it away from the monstrosity. All but me, my date, Fluttershy, and Rainbow had cleared the area. We just couldn't let Twilight get hurt or even worse. Even Jackie and the Pinkster came galloping up as fast as they could to try and help.

"Harshwhinny! Get back!" I said to my date. "I like you! I don't want you to get hurt! Go and get the princesses and tell them what happened!"

After a moment's hesitation, the mare who's company I would have to enjoy later, took off back to Ponyville with the rest. Fluttershy was attending to Rarity and Rainbow Dash was trying to fly into the storm towards Sparks to no avail. Even the strongest flyer in Equestria was no match for this intense of a current. It seemed like things just couldn't get worse until Twilight's eyes started glowing very brightly indicating that she was being overloaded. Rarity soon followed suit as her body slowly lifted off the ground and her eyes began flashing as brightly as anti aircraft spot lights.

Suddenly, a hole opened up right in the middle of the pond. The hole kept growing while the wind current finally started to slow down. Rainbow was at last able to get to our ailing princess friend but all the while, that kooky whirlpool in the middle of the pond was still getting bigger. A sudden realization struck me when bright flashes came from it and the wind changed direction. We were no longer being blown away from the pond. We were getting sucked right back towards it.

It happened so fast. Twilight and Dash were the first to disappear into the water. Fluttershy then followed. Rarity was tumbling on the ground towards the pond about to succumb to the same fate until I Pinkster grabbed her back legs in attempt to save her. Jackie the grabbed onto Pinkster's legs and I onto jackie's. It was all a futile effort as we all were swept right into the waiting vortex and everything went black. I could no longer keep my grip on Jackie's legs as everything seemed to get wet.

There was nothing any of us could do other than close our eyes and hope for the best. Whatever was to happen to us was up to the swirling vortex that now had all of us engulfed. We were completely helpless and at its mercy. There was hope however as I began to see some light through my eyelids. Suddenly, I felt an intense sensation of being forced upwards very rapidly. This was all too familiar. We were all under water and about to be spat out quickly.

With extreme force, I rocketed out of this water and for a moment, I could hear my friends doing the same. As I fell back down, I could hear the girls panicking and frantically darting around trying to find rhyme or reason to the situation. My vision was still a blur and I could see nothing but a few lights here and there and I could tell that It was night. I was also in for a rude reality check as I slammed down onto a hard surface. I had hit my head and I hit it hard. Now I could see nothing at all and the only thing I could hear was an intense ringing in my ears as I drifted off to sleep.

---

"Vinnie? C'mon Vinnie, please wake up."

"Ugh, ahhh my head." I said groggily as Pinkster gently shook me awake. "Wh-what happened?"

"I don't know Vinnie. I don't know where we are. I *sniff* I'm scared, Vinnie."

"Oh no! Sparks! Gem! Where are they?! Are they alright?!"

"They're gonna be just fine, sugarcube." Jackie calmly reassured. "They're just restin' up. They've been through somethin' mighty fierce and You ain't fared much better, buddy."

"Jeez, I guess so! Okay gimme a minute and let me gather myself."

I winced as I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings and hopefully find out where we ended up. Finally, my eyesight slowly returned and I could tell that we were in an urban environment. As I looked around more, I saw my six closest friends huddled together and they were all in rough shape. I could hear sounds overhead that reminded me of cars driving over a bridge. Looking directly up, I saw what looked like a highway overpass that we were under. The water that we were shot out of smelled terrible and was clearly polluted rather badly. The air reeked of gasoline and asphalt and the nearby streets were covered in all kinds of graffiti. Suddenly, it hit me.

"Vinnie?" Fluttershy addressed me, desperate for answers. "Where are we?"

"Girls?" I said as I carefully scanned our surroundings. "Stay close and don't leave my sight...We're in The Bronx..."

Comments

[Flutters Is Shy]

>was a yellowish orange with a blonde mane and tail

Can't be Applejack, she's too young. Or at least she seems really young. Who else on the show has... Harshwin?

Harshwhinny. Most proffesional.

And gosh, they actually decided to mess with the portal pool? Without making sure nothing bad would happen beforehand? They should have fenced it off and put up a sign or something saying 'Do not swim in'.

That blows, Vinnie should have been able to enjoy his date in peace.

[sansjr]

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what did you expect? they thought it closed