Our wanders took us all around the village, meeting ponies and seeing sights. At the Carousel Boutique, Rarity and I got into a discussion of clothing styles and habits between this world and my own. She insisted on making me clothes to wear for formal situations. I did not put up much of a fight. She took my measurements (which were markedly different than before) and got them written down. Before leaving the boutique, I purchased (okay, was gifted) a hat I could wear to keep the sun out of my eyes. It resembled a Greek fisherman’s cap, but longer instead of round, to go between my ears. Hey, it did the job, going outside I didn’t have to squint.
Our next stop was a place called Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie worked. By the time we left, I had not only demonstrated my limited skill in cake decorating, I was unsure if I could look at a vanilla cupcake any time in the next six months. When I asked Pinkie how she knew I liked vanilla cupcakes, Starlight and Twilight said at the same time, “It’s just Pinkie.” I took it in stride, thanked the pink pony for the cupcakes, and followed my guides to our next stop, Sweet Apple Acres. “Don’t forget your Welcome to Ponyville party tonight, Tristan!” Pinkie shouted as we left the store.
“Are her parties like she is?” I asked as we put some distance between us and Sugarcube Corner.
“Yes, they are,” Twilight told me.
“Oy VEY!” I muttered as we walked.
“I don’t know what that means, but I agree to the sentiment,” Starlight said in agreement.
Applejack met us at the farm and gave me the nickel tour, showing me around the farmhouse and the closer fields, gently quizzing me about my life before I had arrived in Equestria. I answered as honestly as I could, either explaining some concepts that did not exist here, or glossing over it with the excuse of ‘it will take a long time to explain that’. She accepted my explanations without any complaint.
When she demonstrated to me what ‘apple bucking’ was, I looked at her with more respect. “Do remind me not to get on your bad side, Applejack. It’s an experience I would soon let pass by,” I told her. “While I can fight, I prefer to pick where, when and whom. With you, ‘where’ and ‘when’ will not be important, because the ‘whom’ says it would be a bad idea. Besides, I won’t fight a friend.”
Applejack smiled at me after I said that. “Tristan, ah like what you said and how you said it. Ah believe you, and thank you fer calling me a friend,” she said.
“That’s how I feel. I would like to get to know you, and all the others, a bit better. We have time for that. I’m in no hurry, but I will welcome the learning,” I said in reply.
Applejack paused, took off her hat, and scratched her blonde mane a little. “You know, you sound as brainy as Twilight, but different. More understandable.”
I gave Applejack a slight bow, all I was feeling safe to give at the time. “Thank you, madam. I will save my incomprehensibilities until a later date. Now, it is time for clarity and openness,” I said to her, meaning what I said. I’m like that anyway. “The heck with the brainy talk, let’s be friends. Can you show me that apple bucking again? I want to give it a try.”
“A pony after mah own heart!” Applejack laughed before taking me to a tree and demonstrating before I gave it a try. I must have done something wrong, because she had to go get Twilight to come out and heal my hoof. After the buck, which didn’t bring down a single apple, I could not put any weight on my left hind hoof.
We had lunch there at the farm, which Granny Smith prepared, a delightful old pony who reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. She declined my offer to help her cook and told me to sit down while she did lunch. When she spoke, I listened!
Our last stop was to visit Fluttershy, who lived on the other side of Ponyville, near the Everfree Forest. She took care of sick and injured animals there. I went with her as she introduced me to the animals she was caring for. Many of them were friendly to me, and I to them, with one exception. Angel Bunny. That bunny was no angel for sure! When the rabbit balked at Fluttershy’s request to say hello to me, I just looked at the rabbit sadly. “Angel, you do not know what you are missing,” I said to the rabbit, who snorted and dashed away.
“That’s interesting. He doesn’t listen to anypony…” Fluttershy said in her low voice, looking surprised.
“Well, I’m not one to take any guff from anyone, be it a person or an animal. You push me, I push back. Angel wants to behave badly, I will either ignore him, warn him, or teach him a new meaning of ‘bad attitude’. That’s just for the nasty ones. I’d much rather be a friend. It’s easier that way,” I said to the little yellow and pink pegasus.
“Yes, it is,” Fluttershy agreed.
I told Fluttershy that I was interested in dropping by and lend a hoof taking care of the animals, once I was allowed to go out and about unescorted. “Why would you offer that, Tristan?” she asked.
“Friends help friends,” I said. “Need there be any other reason?”
“Looks to me you don’t need any friendship lessons,” Starlight said. “You’re practicing then already.”
‘I’m a stranger in a strange land, Starlight. I would much rather have friends here, especially since I don’t know as much as I need to thrive here. I’m using the smarter play, not the harder play.”
“Do you mind if everypony call you ‘Tristan’, Gordon?” Twilight asked as we prepared to head back to Ponyville.
“Well, Pinkie started it. Why buck a trend? At least it’s better than what you COULD call me, but don’t,” I said with calm and poise. I never much cared for my middle name, but I’m definitely not the Gordon Bayles of two weeks before.
“Now, the only one left to meet is Rainbow Dash. She’s doing weather control today, and she will meet us near the castle, on her break,” Twilight said after we bid Fluttershy goodbye.
“Weather control?” I asked, somewhat naively.
“Yes. Rain is scheduled for late tonight, and she and her team are getting clouds lined up for it,” Twilight replied.
I came to a full stop. “Getting clouds lined up?” I asked, my brain rapidly approaching Weirdness Overload.
“Why, yes. If you look up that way, you can see the pegasi working on gathering clouds!” Twilight said, pointing up and ahead.
I looked up, and saw some winged ponies fly up to a cloud and ram into it, pushing the cloud to a larger one, where it merged. My brain not only rushed to Weirdness Overload, it embraced it like a long-lost friend and started chatting. As for me, I took immediate action. Meaning, I passed out. How to define Weirdness Overload? The pitcher in your head suddenly balks in a runner from third, in a tie game, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.
I woke up to Twilight standing over me. “One too many surprising things?” she asked.
“No, actually it’s more like five too many, it’s just that there was a delay in shipping and they all arrived at once,” I said as I picked myself up off the grass, Starlight hiding a giggle behind a hoof.
“I’ll be sure to have the postal mare know she will have to pick up the pace,” Twilight said drily as I got up, not without a smile playing around some on her face.
“You do that, please. Now, shall we? I don’t want to keep Rainbow Dash waiting,” I said casually, using my tail to flick bits of grass off my blank flank. Just how I managed that, all I can say is answer unclear, ask again later.
“You won’t. I’m already here,” came Rainbow Dash’s voice from above and behind us. I froze in place before slowly turning my head to look. There she was, hovering about six feet off the ground, wings lazily flapping. “Boo,” she said.
I rolled onto my side, feigning shock. Rainbow Dash laughed as she did a couple of tight loops. “Gotcha!” she shouted.
“You did. May I try to get you some day?” I asked as I got up off the ground.
“Oh, you can try, but you won’t get anywhere!”
I looked right at Rainbow Dash. “Of course, you know this means war…” I said, enunciating clearly in almost the Queen’s English, keeping a straight face, but letting my eyes show my good humor.
“Okay, buddy! You are SO on!” she said with a laugh, reaching down with a forehoof for what I thought would be a ‘high five’. I was right, and our hooves clocked against each other companionably.
I laughed as well. I could come to like this brash young lady. “Going to be at the party tonight?”
“Oh, yeah! Pinkie’s parties are not to be missed! Hey, I gotta get back to work. Catch you later and watch your back!” Rainbow Dash said before taking off at a speed I would not expect from a winged creature.
I watched her leave, thinking to myself as to how to adapt a game of ‘Killer’ to these circumstances. My thoughts were interrupted by Twilight. “Tristan? Let’s get going. We don’t want to be late to your party!”
I shook some as my train of thought got derailed. “Oh. Yeah. Sure. Let’s get going,” I managed to say. “Lead the way.”
Starlight asked me as we walked, “What were you thinking of?”
“How to engage in a prank war with Rainbow Dash without losing my shirt,” I explained, my mind only half on the talking part.
“Warn me when you start, and do it AWAY from the castle,” Twilight warned. “I don’t need Rainbow Dash flying through the halls… and windows. Again.”
“By your command,” I droned in my best Cylon impersonation.
“Did anyone tell you, you can be so strange at times?” Starlight asked.
“Just about everyone who got to know me. To me, ‘normal’ is a setting on a dishwasher. I do things my way, the way that ensures a smile in my wake. I’ve never been outgoing, but I’m not a recluse, either. The way I see matters now, you ponies are doing your best to help me. I had best give as good as I get, right?” I said in reply.
“Seems to me you’re doing a fine job, Tristan,” Twilight said. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll do lessons in the morning, and wander time in the afternoon. Tonight, it’s the party.”
“Party… Twilight, do you have the clothes I arrived here in?” I asked. “I want to see if I still have my phone and charger.”
“Yes, they are back at the castle. Why would you want it? You can’t call anyone from here,” Twilight said with some surprise.
“It’s not the phone function I’m looking for, it’s the music player function. If we’re going to a party, I might as well bring some music!” I said with a smile. I have about five hundred songs on my phone, which I would plug into my car stereo when driving to Boston or New York. I love upbeat music, and I can carry a tune. I learned how to play keyboard and drums back home and kept it up. I’m by no means a professional, but nobody ever ran in horror from my playing.
“But, any charge in it would have drained by now,” Twilight protested.
“I’m one who manages to sometimes forget to plug it in at night, so I started carrying a portable charger around with me in my coat pocket. It’s slow, but it will enable me to charge the phone enough to make a call if I needed to. Takes a couple hours of cranking to put a good charge in the battery,” I explained.
“Phone? Charger? Battery? What are you talking about?” Starlight asked.
“I’ll be happy to give you the electricity and electronics one-oh-one course at a future time, Starlight. I will need a drawing board and time to prepare. By the time I’m done, you will understand,” I said to the pinkish unicorn.
“Can I sit in on the lecture, Tristan? I may learn something I don’t already know,” Twilight asked.
“Of course, you may, Twilight. Just how did you know what a phone is?” I asked in reply.
“I went on a trip to another world, one that is a lot like here, but with humans instead of ponies. They used phones there, but I never had a chance to understand just how they worked.”
“I’ll do my best to explain all that I can, Twilight, to all interested in learning. I just have to hope I get it right. It’s not like I memorized all the details.”
“I’m sure the best you can do will be more than adequate to teach me something new. I’ll take it from there,” Twilight said as we neared the castle.