//------------------------------// // 4-Welcome to Ponyville // Story: A Novice Swordsman in the Canterlot Court // by DungeonMiner //------------------------------// Chapter 4 The train ride to Ponyville was longer than Alan had thought. What he had estimated as maybe an hour ride, was actually closer to five, and the purple unicorn wanted to spend every second of it asking questions. “So, this King Arthur was something a folk tale, one that many people took as a work of fiction?” “Yes, Twilight.” “But he must have existed. Which means, of course, that the knights of the round table you were telling me about also existed, right?” “Yes, Twilight.” “And since they existed, then Merlin also existed, but that seems like an inconsistency, because you said that your world doesn’t have magic, right?” “Yes, Twilight.” Did I say five? Because it felt like ten. “Twilight, you’ve done gone talked his ears off, give ‘im a break.” Thank Heaven for Applejack. “But AJ, there’s so much to learn!” Twilight whined. “A whole new world to explore and understand! There are even different fundamental rules to his universe! Can you imagine a world without magic? Imagine the implications of that! These Humans have had to build their society from the ground up, having to learn new ways of moving massive stones or tree logs. They had to learn how to start fire on their own, how to construct buildings, and even how to defend against deadly creatures, all without magic! It’s truly remarkable!” “So you’re saying they’ve learned ta live like earth ponies?” Applejack retorted. Twilight shot the farmer a glare, while Alan snorted. “It’s not a simple as that, and you know it.” Applejack chuckled. “Sugarcube, that don’t change the fact that you’ve done nutin’ but pester ‘im with your questions for the entire ride. Give the poor boy a break, or at the very least offer ‘im a chance to ask a question ‘imself.” Twilight sighed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right, but it’s just so exciting. I’m sorry Alan.” Alan smiled. “Don’t worry about it, You’re just coming off of an info high, it’ll wear off.” “High?” “A euphoria of sorts,” Alan explained quickly, “normally brought on by an object, in your case, a chance to learn new information.” Twilight furrowed her brows. “That is an odd use of the word ‘high.’” “Humans are odd,” Alan countered. “Anyway, I actually did have a question.” “Yeah?” “Why do you guys wear saddles?” Twilight’s eyes went wide, and her ears flattened. “What?” Every head in the car, turned straight towards the man. “Well, in my world, saddles are used to give a human a better grip on horse, so it is easier to ride.” Rainbow Dash suddenly burst into laughter. Alan took a quick look at the other ponies. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were all blushing deeply, Fluttershy had actually buried her head into the seat she was sitting on, while Pinkie and Rainbow were laughing. Twilight managed to mumble, “Saddles have t-two purposes.” He could hardly hear her over the laughter. “The first, more conventional purpose is to provide protection from cold.” “And the second?” No one answered. That is, until Rainbow said, “Yeah, it helps us get a good grip when we ride too!” she exploded into laughter again, as the blush on the other three ponies deepened. “They’re lingerie?” Alan asked. “And they’re also coats?” Alan wondered at that briefly; what would happen if a mare were to walk outside in a saddle? Would she essentially be advertising herself as a prostitute? Even if it was just her coat? Did the “special” saddle look different from the regular one? “That doesn’t seem very, well...useful.” Rainbow and Pinkie struggled to regain control of their laughter, and the other ponies tried to pass the moment as quick as possible. “No, no, it doesn’t.” Twilight agreed. “Anyway, is there any other question you may have?” “Uh...” Considering how bad the last one went, maybe it was a better idea to ask some more innocent questions. “How much does a muffin cost?” <<<|Ω|>>> The pink train hissed as it pulled into Ponyville station. The conductor yelled his usual call: current station, next station, final destination, all aboard. Alan stepped off the private car that Celestia had provided for them, and was immediately met by the stares of no less than nine horror struck ponies. Twilight, luckily, was quick to be the mediator. “It’s alright, he’s friendly.” They still stared at him in awestruck horror, but at least they didn’t scream. Making sure that the entire gang was with him, Alan allowed them to lead the way. The last thing he needed was another Zecora episode. At the very least, while being surrounded by the Mane Six, he thought he seemed less intimidating, despite the four knives and the sword that hung from his belt. Ponyville looked exactly like it had from the aerial they provided in the theme tune, spreading out in a circle with the town hall at the “hub” of the wheel. There were six main streets in Ponyville, each named after their final destination. The one that headed off to Sweet Apple Acres was named “Apple Street,” while the one that headed to the Everfree forest was called “Forest Drive.” All of this and more was explained to the human by the ever-knowledgeable Twilight. They were walking towards the town hall, heading down “Rail Road” when Alan suddenly thought he heard something. He paused, taking a quick look around, but saw nothing but horribly frightened ponies, and the closed shutters of the houses’ windows. “Something wrong, dear?” Rarity asked. Alan shook his head. “No I just thought I hear—” He didn’t have time to finish his sentence, as he was suddenly pinned to the ground, something landing on his back, with a loud, victorious cry of “I knew it!” Four hooves began to crush into his backpack, and then his spine as the thing danced on him. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” she cried in a singsong voice. Alan pushed himself up, and the pony on his back yelped as she fell off. “Whoa!” Then, Alan turned and finally got a good look at the thing that has jumped him. It was a pale green unicorn with a lyre cutie mark, her name was Lyra if Alan remembered correctly, but the ear-to-ear smile splitting her face unnerved him. “I knew it,” she said again. “K-knew what, Lyra?” Fluttershy asked. Lyra ignored her, flying to Alan’s hand, and taking it in her hooves. “Just as I suspected, penta-digit manipulators with one shorter, opposable grabbing digit, used probably for stabilizing the item in question.” She then descended into some sort of babble as she continued to look him over. “Uh...can I help you?” Alan asked. Lyra’s head snapped up at Alan’s face. “You can talk!” “I can.” Lyra pounced him again, shoving him onto his back. Pushing her face into his she demanded “You must tell me everything!” “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” a new voice said, before Lyra was suddenly yanked off of his chest. Alan sat up and saw a cream colored pony, Lyra’s tail in her teeth, holding the unicorn back. “But Bonbon!” Lyra whined. “It’s a human! An honest to goodness human! I was right! I was right! I was right!” Bonbon gave another good yank on Lyra’s tail. “That is no excuse to pin somepony to the ground, twice.” “But I was right!” Alan sat up, chuckling. “Miss Lyra, Miss Bonbon, wonderful day we’re having.” Lyra’s eyes went wide, muttering “He knows my name.” Alan chuckled again, before standing. “My name is Alan Williams, and it is a pleasure to meet both of you.” That seemed to have broken the ice, and more ponies began to slowly make their way to the odd creature that stood before them. Questions began to fly through the air: Where are you from? What are you doing here? What are you? to name a few. Suddenly, the mayor, Mayor Mare, made her way to the middle. “Everypony, everypony, please!” The crowd began to quiet down, as she did her best to make them listen. Once she had everyone’s attention, she finished, “I have just received a letter from Princess Celestia, telling of the arrival of a very important, and unique guest.” The mayor now had everyone’s attention, and everypony was silent. "She has assured us that, while he may appear intimidating, he means us no harm. Furthermore, she has said that he is to be accepted as you would anypony, and he is to be treated well. “Finally, I understand that you have some questions for him, however, it is rude to do this now when he is trying to settle in. As such, I would like to offer him a chance to answer your questions at a town-wide interview at three pm tomorrow; everypony would be welcome to come and ask any questions you may have. But until then, please give him some space.” The crowd of ponies began to disperse, with the exceptions of a very curious few that wanted a better look at the odd being. Twilight giggled. “Welcome to Ponyville, Alan, where all of the ponies are crazy.” Alan smirked. “I guess I asked for that one.” Alan stopped for a second, and took a quick headcount. “We seem to be missing Pinkie.” The others took a quick look, and noticed that Alan was in fact right. Twilight sighed. “If she gets confetti down my sink again...” “What?” “Nothing.” Twilight said, before turning down “River Way.” They walked a short way, still followed by a small crowd of ponies, before coming up to Twilight’s Library. The tree was much bigger than Alan had originally thought, being humongously thick, with a very decent height to it. It was an oak, Alan could see now, and a very old one at that. The tree, Alan could tell, was also very much alive, despite being hollowed out as it was, probably due to some sort of magic. Also, now, Alan could finally read the sign out front, something that had annoyed him for so many episodes. He was almost disappointed to see that it read the simple, single word "Library." Opening the door, Twilight led the party of six into the dark main room. With a click the door closed, and with another click, the lights went on. “Surprise!” Pinkie yelled as confetti flew through the air. Streamers hung from the ceiling, balloons bumped around the room, and there were no less than three banners, each reading “Welcome to Ponyville, Alan.” Alan blinked. Then shook his head. “How did you plan a party in less than twenty minutes?” Twilight smirked. “She is Pinkie Pie.” That was good point. “Twilight!” a new voice said, whose owner quickly proved to be the purple and green dragon. “Thank Celestia you’re here! Pinkie just came running in here yelling about somepony named Alan an—” He suddenly stopped, catching sight of Alan for the first time. Twilight jumped between them. “Spike, allow me to introduce Alan; he’s a human from another dimension.” “A pleasure, Spike,” Alan said, sliding his backpack off. Spike blinked. “Twilight, you have the weirdest life.” “Thank you, Spike,” Twilight sighed. “Enough talking, more Party!” Pinkie said, before snapping a party hat to Alan’s head. Smiling, Alan took off all of his blades, laid them in the corner with his pack, and prepared himself for his Pinkie official “Welcome to Ponyville Party.” <<<|Ω|>>> Pinkie’s party lasted well into evening, hitting nine pm before Applejack left, saying she had to head to the farm, she had an early day tomorrow and needed some sleep. Rainbow Dash left soon after that, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy, and finally Pinkie, who had left him a box of cupcakes that she had somehow baked in the 18 minutes she had been separated from the group, as well as the remainder of the three tier chocolate cake which she had also baked. Once everything had wound down, two balloons being the only evidence of the party, Twilight led Alan up the stairs to a small room. “It may be a little small for you, but it’s all I have at the moment,” she apologized through a yawn. The room was indeed small, the bed was a little less than half the size it should be, and it barely had any floor space to speak of; however, it did have a dresser as well as three coat hooks. Hanging his belt, sword, and knives on one hook, Alan put his backpack on the second, leaving the third for some other use for the future. “Don’t worry too much, Twilight, this will do just fine.” Twilight nodded, a sleepy smile on her face. “Guess you have a pretty busy day tomorrow, huh?” “How do you figure?” “You’ve got all of those ponies who are going to be asking you questions for who knows how long.” “Oh, right, I forgot...” Alan said, before yawning himself. “Well, I'll worry about the bridge when I cross, or however the saying goes. Goodnight, Twilight.” “Goodnight, Alan.” “Hey...Twilight?” “Yes?” “This is real, isn’t it?” Twilight looked over her shoulder at the human, who had his hand tracing the handle of the sword. His face looked melancholy, but maybe it was just him being tired. “Of course it’s real, Alan. Celestia proved that to you already.” “I know, but...” He paused, before finally saying, “Forget about it, see you in the morning.” “See you in the morning.” How could Alan explain this? It was every brony’s dream to be in Equestria, just a quick look at any fanficiton site would tell you that, but at the same time, what about his home? What about the things he left behind, his books, his clothes, his apartment, his job, everything? He was here, living in Twilight’s library, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was a guest. A guest. Temporary. Dust in the wind. He wasn’t a permanent addition, he was a passing phase, he didn’t belong here. Undressing to his boxers and undershirt, Alan climbed into bed, curling into a ball to fit the bed. He didn’t belong here. He belonged in his world. It was silly. He had what so many others wanted. Alan couldn’t believe it, but here he was, sleeping in Twilight’s library, and all he wanted to do was go home. <<<|Ω|>>> Alan’s breakfast was a simple affair. Another granola bar, supplemented by an apple that Spike had provided for him—not much, but enough to get him through the day. Or at least until lunch. Oddly, the small purple dragon seemed to have taken a liking to Alan, and likewise the human seemed to get along with the dragon fairly well. Alan wondered if it had something to do with the fact that they both had hands. “So what brings you to Ponyville, Alan?” Spike asked. “Oh, not much, just somepony’s time-space-continuum experiment gone horribly wrong, or horribly right if you look at it right.” “Wow,” Spike commented, “I’m just here because Twilight practically raised me.” Alan was about to answer with an almost automatic “I know,” but stopped himself. Should he really tell ponies here that they were a part of a cartoon, and that whenever they were just in the vicinity of the mane six, that they could be watched by thousands of viewers at any given time? Maybe if he wanted those six ostracized. Alan caught himself, and said “Really, now? Twilight raised you?” “From an egg.” “Huh. You’ll have to tell me that one sometime.” “Actually, if you’ve got the time, I could tell you now.” Alan shrugged. “Sure, hit me.” “Well, the way Twilight tells it—” A zombie moan erupted from behind. Alan turned to see Twilight, hair disheveled, eyes weary and mouth hanging slack. “Cooffffeeeeeee,” she groaned. Spike jumped out of the way, diving for the coffee pot on the kitchen counter and quickly preparing a cup for the purple unicorn. Spike had it poured with cream and sugar just in time for the purple aura of magic to surround it and lift it to Twilight’s still open mouth. Alan chuckled. “Not a morning pony, are you, Twilight?” She growled in response before sipping her cup. Alan smirked, before finishing his own drink...that dragon sure did know how to make a cup o’ Joe. Dropping his cup into the kitchen sink, Alan headed back to his room. He figured that, since he had a sword, he may as well get used to the weight of it. Taking the belt off the hook, Alan slid it through his jeans’ belt loops before sliding on the sword’s sheath. Once it was secure, Alan went back outside where he had some room before drawing the blade. With a ring of steel the blade came loose, the light grey metal shining in a wayward beam of sunlight. The word Mercy faced him now, etched in a marvelous script that reminded Alan of the old illuminated manuscripts. The edge of the blade, in contrast to the grey of the steel was a shining white, and looked as sharp as it probably was. The handle of the sword, was also very ornate, with a ruby cut in the shape of a four point star at the cross. At the ends of the cross hilt, the steel had been accented with golden starbursts with three points, one up, one down, and one towards the outside. The black leather grip felt good in his hand, and the weight was not overly heavy. This was truly a kingly weapon. Arthur must have been there for its design, there would be no way that he would let something this important be made by artisans, no matter how skilled, without overseeing the process at least. Perhaps he has drawn some of its design from Excalibur itself? The words Mercy and Justice were enough to suggest that, after all Excalibur did say “Pick me Up,” and “Toss me Aside” on its blade, perhaps this was a call back to that. The paradox of a good king, to be strict, but merciful. What had he called it? Surely a blade as unique as this had to have a name. Arthur was creative enough to design this, he surely must have had a name for it. But what? What single word could grasp the importance of this sword? What would have Arthur named it? As Alan thought about this, the two words in the sword seemed to revolve around his mind. Mercy. Justice. Mercy. Justice. Suddenly, something came to him. When was Justice seen, where was Mercy given? What connects these two seemingly opposite ideals? “Judgement.” The word played on his lips. “Judgement,” he said again, spinning the blade so that the word Justice now faced him. “You shall be named Judgement,” Alan said to the sword, which again flashed in the sunlight. He spun the blade again, remembering Celestia’s words. “Mercy,” he said, facing the kinder word, "so that Judgement would never be drawn needlessly.” Another spin. “Justice, so that Judgement would not let a wrong go unpunished.” Yes, Judgement fit the blade nicely. Alan spun the sword, this time like a windmill blade, before sheathing it with a smile. Now, with Judgement at his side, he was ready to face this strange new world. <<<|Ω|>>> Mayor Mare stood in front of the sizable crowd in front of the Town Hall, and was a little worried at what her guest for this little Q&A would do. Celestia had told her that for all intents and purposes, this human was a foreign dignitary, and the biggest problem with foreign dignitaries was the issue of culture differences. She still had nightmares of the horrifying event when a griffon ambassador had burped during the raising of the Equestrian flag. Admittedly, in the Empire of Gryphus, it was a sign of respect, but here, it was not only rude, but it had almost caused one of the rookie guards to attack the ambassador on sight. She could only imagine the issues a human could cause. She bit her lip and tapped her hoof. Where was he, anyway? She had told him three pm, and it was already 3:20. She hoped that being late was human sign of respect. “Is that clock right?” a voice asked behind her, making her jump five hooves in the air. She turned, and there was the human, an odd-shaped band around his arm, staring up at the clock in the town hall. “Yes, it’s right, and you’re twenty minutes late,” she fumed. “Sorry,” Alan cringed. “I still haven’t got my watch just right; I’ve been judging by the sun for a while, and it’s not always accurate.” He made a quick adjustment to the clock on his wrist, and apologized one more time. The mayor sighed, before saying, “Alright, I’ll introduce you, and then you’ll come in and answer any of the questions you deem important. After an hour or so, hand it back to me, I’ll give you your official welcome to Ponyville, and then I’ll send everypony home, alright?” Alan nodded. “Are you alright?” The mayor groaned. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine, I’m just introducing a being from a culture I know nothing about, who was late for a town-wide Q&A, and who happens to be one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen.” She groaned again before standing onto the stage. The second her hooves touched the stage floor, her annoyance disappeared entirely. A smile was plastered on her face, but from where he stood, Alan couldn’t tell if it was fake. “Fillies and Gentlecolts!” she announced, cheer in her voice, “After your patient waiting, the time has come. Allow me to introduce, our latest visitor, Alan Williams of Earth.” A pony applause broke out as the crowd brought their hooves to the ground. Alan took that as his cue to approach. He walked up to the podium, Judgment jingling at his side, and waved to the crowd as he approached the Mayor. “Now,” the mayor said, “allow Mr. Williams here to call on you before you ask your question, and please keep any crude questions to yourself. Mr. Williams?” she said, handing him the podium. Alan gave her a nod before approaching the wooden podium, which barely came to his waist. “Good afternoon, everypony,” he said. “I suppose you really don’t want to wait any longer, and I’m sure you want to get back to your lives as soon as possible, so let’s begin, shall we?” As soon as he said that, he was swarmed with questions. A cacophony of noise echoed in front of the town hall as everypony wanted to get their question answered first. Alan quickly scanned the crowd. “You! The blue unicorn with white in her mane!” he said, picking another fan-favorite, one Miss Colgate. The noise died down, as Colgate was given the spotlight. “What exactly are you?” she asked, which was met with more than a dozen “yeahs” in return. Alan smiled. “Starting simple, I like that. I am what is called a human, or Homo sapiens if you prefer the scientific term. We are, well, odd creatures to say the least.” A few nods from the crowd met that statement. “Human beings have absolutely no access to magic, but we have survived through the manipulation of science. We have learned to make giant machines to build towers taller than Canterlot Castle, we have learned to mine table salt. We have successfully crossbred cauliflower and broccoli, and yet! We have not been able to figure out how you ponies manage to be so awesome.” A few laughs broke through the crowd, good, he needed them ready to accept, and laughs were always a good gateway. “Yes, you, there!” Alan said, pointing to one of the ponies who had raised its hoof. The yellow earth pony, using a few of his friends, propped himself above the crowd. “What are you doing here?” Alan smiled. “Well, I was moving through the dimensional cross-space, when I heard about Equestria; thought I’d stop by.” He chuckled. “No, honestly, I’m here by accident, no I’m not sure how I got here, and no, I’m not sure if I can get back.” “Did’ya hear that!” Alan heard a very distinctively cute voice from the crowd, “He can’t get back home.” A young red-maned, yellow filly jumped forward, followed by one white unicorn and one orange pegasus. In a concentrated ball of pure cute, the three fillies jumped Alan, forcing him to the ground. “Don’t feel bad Mr. Human!” The unicorn said. “We’ll think of something to get you home!” “Yeah we will, or die trying!” the pegasus cried. Alan laughed, before grabbing the three fillies in a massive hug. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Hefting the three fillies up as he stood, he placed two on his shoulders, while the third sat around his neck. “Any more questions?” Alan asked. Anypony that was still wondering if this thing was friendly, was immediately put at ease seeing this creature treat those three fillies with such care. And with that came a rush of questions. Alan answered the best he could, covering subjects from the shape of his face to what his cutie mark was. “Human actually don’t get cutie marks,” he said, receiving a gasp from the three on his shoulders. He smirked before saying, “Humans just have to take our best guess at our talent, and swing until we hit. Next question?” As he answered more questions, many of the ponies began to head to the back, their curiosity satisfied, while some others, namely Lyra, pushed their way to the front to ask even more questions. Finally, the mayor came forward again. “Thank, Mr. Williams, and while I’m sure you would, given the time, answer more questions, we all have to get back to work. So, Mr. Williams, thank you for taking the time to talk to us, and I, as mayor, would like to give you an official welcome to Ponyville. Fillies and Gentlecolts, the human, Alan Williams of Earth.” The sound of thunder erupted as iron-shod hooves hit the ground. Alan could feel this applause shake the stage. Well, best not disappoint. Alan drew Judgement, and with a spin across his body, he brought it to his chest, the cross hilt over his heart, and the point pointed towards the ground, and then, still balancing the three fillies, gave a shallow bow. Sheathing the sword, Alan gave them a wave before heading off the stage. Once he was back on the ground, Alan looked up at the three fillies he was giving a ride. “Alright, you three, all ashore that’s going ashore,” he said, before taking the hooves of the two on his shoulders and lifting them down to the ground. “You too.” he said, grabbing the one behind his head, and lowering her down. The three fillies looked up at him, “Don’t worry, Mr. Human, we’ll get you home in no time!” Alan smiled. “Well then, can I know the names of my saviors?” “Ah’m Applebloom!” the earth pony said. “I’m Sweetie Belle,” said the unicorn. The pegasus beamed as she introduced herself.“And I’m The Most Awesome Scootaloo! And we’re...” “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” they yelled in unison. If cute was a drug, Alan would have ODed. “Applebloom!” Another accented voice cut through the air, and the four of them turned to see Applejack and Rarity approach with an angry look on their faces. “What in the hay did’ya think you were doing, jumpin’ on stage like that?” “Well, it just sounded so sad that Mr. Human can’t get back home, I just wanted to give him a hug.” “That is no excuse for such behavior,” Rarity scolded, “and that goes for you too, Sweetie Belle.” “Hey, now,” Alan said, “go easy on them. Besides, they helped out a lot more than you think.” “What now?” Applejack asked. “Admit it, I don’t exactly look charming do I?” “Well, no, not really...” Rarity admitted. “So, you see an odd-looking beast walk into town, something that doesn't look too friendly, you know next to nothing about it, and you’re afraid of it. Now you see that same thing playing with a bunch of foals, does it look half as scary as it was?” Neither Applejack nor Rarity answered. “These Crusaders here,” Alan said, smiling, “did me a huge favor by coming on stage. Go easy on them, alright?” “Well, alright, but under normal circumstances, that is a very rude thing to do, Sweetie Belle, and I never want to see you do it again.” “Same for you, Applebloom.” With that, Rarity and Applejack headed off, and as they did, the two fillies that had just been saved from a very long lecture looked up at Alan with mouths open wide. Alan looked down at them. “Alright you two, do listen to your sisters, they mean well. I’ve got to go now though, got to get some groceries and stuff.” With that, he headed off towards one of the produce stores, and was quickly followed by cries of “Thank you, Mr. Human!” and “You are so awesome!” Then they cried one more time, in the odd synchronization brought on by friendship, “Welcome to Ponyville, Mr. Human.” Welcome to Ponyville indeed. -------------------------------- Alright, guys, you know the drill, thanks for reading this far. “Didn’t you put this under ‘Adventure?’ This seems more ‘Slice-of-life’ to me.” Pinkie, one needs the mediocre to build a friendship, and I want Alan to be friends with the Mane Six before we go anywhere in the realm of Adventure. It will come. “Alright, but hurry. If I get too bored I may read ‘Cupcakes’ again.” You...you read ‘Cupcakes?’ “It had ‘Cupcakes’ in the title! How was I not going to read it?” I’m sorry, Pinkie. “I’m sorry too.” Anyway, seriously, do comment, I get a high from those, bye!