It took a couple days for Treehugger to fully recover. Not that we were in any real hurry, to be honest. The whole time Treehugger was getting back on her feet (or hooves I guess), Autumn and I spent a ton of time together. Well, okay, we've been pretty much doing that this whole time, but not quite like this. For the most part, we just ran around playing tag and racing each other. Some part of me found the whole thing way more exciting than it probably should've been. Might've had something to do with all the looks she kept giving me when I chased her, that challenging little smirk of hers was just way too hot.
Anyway, once Treehugger got her strength back we started heading towards Ponyville. According to Treehugger, we were pretty close, about half a day by her calculations. Assuming she didn't have any other side quests planned for us of course. Not that I minded them all that much, but it would be nice to wake up someplace with running water for a change.
Naturally, Autumn and I passed the time the way any new couple would.
"So, you've got a whole cellar of these?" I asked the smoke'n hot blur as I threw back a shot.
The blur giggled and in Autumn's voice slurred, "Yep! A whole cellar. Don't go getting any fffunny ideas though. This stuff's expensive!"
I laughed and pulled her closer to my side. The smell of cinnamon and campfire smoke hit me as I nuzzled the top of her head.
"I guess I'll have to go somewhere else to get my buzz on," I shrugged.
"Maybe," I heard her chuckle. "Just don't go brining any other does home with you."
"Never," I sighed. "You're more than I need."
"Same," she said, nuzzling into my side.
We stayed like that for god knows how long before I found something else to talk about.
"So what's Ponyville like?" I asked as I raised my head and floated a fresh shot to my mouth.
"Well," Autumn hummed, putting a hoof to her chin. "Most of the creatures living there are ponies."
"Kind've figured," I shrugged.
She giggled at that as she lightly jabbed an elbow into my chest.
"Anyway," she continued. "It's a pretty quiet place these days, but it does get its occasional crazy moments."
"Like what?"
"Random parasprite attack, dream monster attack, and countless evil overlords just to name a few," she said with a content sigh.
I was nowhere near drunk enough to miss all of that.
"Okay, ignoring the fact that I have no idea what the flying fuck a parasprite is, you're kidding me, right?"
I felt her shake her head as she let out a yawn.
"And you live there why?" I asked.
"Really good home prices and home owners insurance," she muttered drowsily.
I nodded in understanding as I rested my head back on top of hers.
"Any groups I should watch out for?"
She shrugged and said, "Some of the Griffins and Dragons there can be jerks, but you should be okay if you watch your step."
I rolled my eyes at that.
Apparently, Ponyville has a school nearby that teaches non-ponies how to not be assholes to each other. I know, Earth is a giant shit hole when it comes to love and peace, but most of the people know how to do that when it maters. Not enough as far as I'm concerned, but enough to keep everyone from killing each other. It took everyone almost dying and a group of kids to get the message to stick here. That, and Pinky Pie turning into a god for a few minutes apparently. Yeah, that thought is probably going to keep me up at night for a while. Anyway, since the school got rebuilt, all kinds of creatures started moving into Ponyville. Not a lot of them, but enough to get attention from the locals. Then again, I guess it would be kind of hard to miss a fire-breathing winged lizard the size of a condo complex walking down the street.
"Sounds like a scream," I chuckled.
***
You know that weird place between being awake and asleep? Yeah, I was knocked right out of that by a hard bump after what felt like hours. I raised my head, blinking the sleep out of my eyes as I waited for the rest of my brain to wake up. As it did, I slowly became aware of all the noise outside the wagon. It was muffled, but even a dipstick like me could recognize voices. I could also hear hooves, a ton of them, along with the usual background static you'd hear in any city. Well, okay, I didn't hear any cars or helicopters, but you know what I mean.
I staggered to my feet, earning an annoyed groan from Autumn as I moved away from her side towards a window. A bunch of homes, shops, and official looking buildings slid past as we went by. Nothing too special about that, aside from this one building that looked like it was made of candy. Sure enough, everywhere I looked I could see ponies. Flying in the sky, walking through the streets, pulling carts full of produce; ponies as far as the eye could see. Bright. Colorful. Ponies.
Think this is the place?
That, or you had way too much to drink and we're a shot away from Pink Ponies on Parade.
I snorted at that as I made my way back towards my girlfriend. A wicked smile crept onto my face as an evil idea started to grow in my mind. I crept as quietly as I could and lowered my muzzle down to one of her ears. My grin grew as I gently blew into it.
She let out an adorable squeak as her eyes popped open and she jumped to her hooves. I fell over laughing as she looked around with a small blush. When I came up for air, I instantly started laughing again when I saw the adorable glare she was giving me.
"Jerk," she pouted. "You know my ears are sensitive."
Y-Yeah," I laughed as I staggered to my feet. "One of the cutest things about you."
"C-Cute?" she stammered, her face turning bright red with wide eyes.
"Absolutely adorable," I smiled, nuzzling her cheek.
"Sh-Shut up," she stammered, her ears turning red as she avoided eye-contact with me. "I'm not cute."
"You're right," I shrugged, then smirked at the ceiling as I put a paw to my chin and said, "You're also hot, funny, cuddly, sassy, hot, kind, have a pretty laugh, hot, fun, and adorable as all hell. Did I mention you're hot?"
When I looked down at her now, her whole head was bright red with steam coming off of it.
Probably the only girl I've ever dated that's literally hot too.
"Y-Y-Y-You're terrible," she smiled, trying to hide her face behind her mane.
"Just honest," I chuckled. "If you want terrible, let's wait until we get to your place."
"I thought you wanted to take things slow," she smiled, giving me bedroom eyes.
"Didn't think snuggling together was so risqué here," I teased.
"I'm sure we could find a way," she winked.
My fur fluffed up as all kinds of...um... things ran through my head. Don't get me wrong, I really did want to take this slow, but good lord did Autumn make it hard sometimes. More than once, I had to take a minute to cool off when she did anything particularly spicy. Not helping was how my new body tended to react around her. Whenever she was close I kept having this urge to wrap my tails around her. It got even stronger when other people were around. I know, weird.
"Aw, you're blushing," Autumn giggled.
"I don't blush," I huffed, looking away from her as my face heated up. "I'm just full of fire. Makes my face heat up."
My ear flicked as she giggled, pulling my attention back to her.
"Whatever you say," she smiled, nuzzling into my chest. "It looks good on you."
"You wear it better," I grumbled.
"Maybe," she whispered, looking up at me. "By the way, I think you're the hot one here, pal."
I laughed and said, "Full of fire, remember?"
"Dork," she giggled as she lightly elbowed me.
"And that's why you like me," I winked. "By the way, I think we're in Ponyville."
"Really?" she asked.
I jerked my head towards the window. She made her way towards it, her tail playfully brushing against my chin as she walked by. I noticed a bit more swagger in her steps as she got into position, the sight making my tails fluff up as some unknown instinct came over me. I took long deep breaths as I tried to will it away just like I did the last dozen or so times it came.
Brain, I swear-
Not me this time boss. Must be a Ninetales thing. Better try keeping "that" under wraps until we know for sure.
Sounds like a good idea, I thought with a sigh. I wish I knew how this new body worked.
"Yep!" Autumn said with a nod, then turned her head towards me and with a smile added, "Welcome to Ponyville."
A smile crept onto my muzzle.
"Hope the place can handle me."
"Ready or not," she giggled. "Here we come."
***
Not gonna lie, when Treehugger opened the door for us to let us out of her wagon, I wasn't too optimistic about how the locals were going to react to me. I know, stupid, right? Still, a part of me couldn't help but to be on edge as I took my first steps out of the wagon. There weren't that many ponies around, about ten or twenty tops, but I felt all of their eyes boring holes into me. My tails fanned out a little behind me as my ears folded back. I hated being the center of attention, especially when I wasn't familiar with my surroundings.
Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I can still talk Treehugger into taking me to Whitetail.
A hoof on my left shoulder made me flinch and turn my head towards its owner.
"Are you okay?" Autumn asked, worry covering her face.
I smiled as some of my anxiety melted away.
"Yeah," I nodded, a bit of a nervous sigh slipping past my lips as I looked out into the nearest street. "It's just...a lot to take in."
"Be at ease soul brother," Treehugger smiled, hooking her wagon to a hitching pole. "The vibes here are mellow."
"If you say so," I sighed, then gave Autumn a smile as I said, "Welp, let's head home, get everything setup, and then get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm a little sick of oatmeal."
"Are you paying?" Autumn chuckled as she stepped ahead of me.
"Nah," I shrugged as I followed. "Just figured you were just as tired as I am and didn't feel like cooking."
A tiny hint of cotton candy, bubble gum, and flour made my nose twitch for a split second. Then I heard a gasp behind me, but when I looked over my shoulder all I saw was a smiling Treehugger and a small dust cloud.
Okay, that was weird, I thought, then shrugged it off as I continued to follow Autumn, Treehugger not far behind us.
Little by little, my dread started to dwindle as we made our way through town. Yeah, ponies were staring at me, but they were more passing glances at best or curious double-takes at worst. It was almost like I wasn't the weirdest thing to show up here. Then again, if what Autumn told me was anything to go by, I probably wasn't. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it should make living here a hell of a lot easier.
I also noticed that the candy building wasn't the only odd one. One building we walked past was some kind of three-story tower covered with carousel horse decorations. It kind of looked like what would happen if a wedding cake and a merry-go-round had a baby. Then again, with all the crazy shit I've seen so far, that probably wasn't too far from the truth. Then there was the gigantic fucking crystal tree house I could see peaking over the top of some of the normal homes a good half mile away. Yeah, the damn thing was so fucking huge that I could see it even that far away and almost got blinded by it. Who. The. Hell lives there?! Did David Bowie move here at some point?! What the hell?
I wonder how many bucks got wasted building that train-wreck, I mused as we walked into an open market.
Cutting through the market was a bit difficult, but we managed. It helped that I was taller then the locals when I stood up straight. I even noticed Applejack manning a stand near the edge of the market, but a whole mob of ponies kept me from heading over to say hi. We did trade nods and smiles as I followed Autumn through the crowds though.
After a few minutes, the crowds got thiner and I found myself standing in front of a massive building. It looked like a stereotypical New York theater, but double the stories with a lot more lights. A ticket room was installed in the front with two doors on both sides leading into the building itself. Just above it was a blank rectangular display with small round lights framing it. I stared at it with my mouth hanging open like an idiot until Autumn jabbed an elbow into my chest.
"Not bad, huh?" she smirked.
"I'll say," I blinked, giving the theater another look. "This is where you live?"
"Nope," she giggled, then leaned into me. "This is where we live?"
"Right," I smiled with a sigh. "God this was going to take some getting used to."
She giggled as the three of us mad our way towards one of the theater's front doors. Before she opened the door, Autumn turned towards me with a sheepish smile.
"Just a bit of a heads up, there's kind of a rite of passage for creatures that move into Ponyville."
"Like what?" I asked, raising a brow.
"A... well... just try not to shoot fire when the lights turn on," she said, pulling the door open with her Jedi powers.
I shrugged and stepped into the dark theater. Even with my sharper eyes I couldn't really see much past the doors, but I could hear a bunch of creatures breathing and smell a few things that made me wonder what kind of things the locals got into. I didn't get to wonder for long as the lights suddenly flashed on, blinding me for a few seconds as a bunch of voices said, "Surprise!"
Once I blinked the spots out of my eyes, I saw a lobby full of familiar faces. All of the ponies from Fluttershy's Sanctuary were in the room, sans Fluttershy and Princess Twilight Sparkle. There were also a few other ponies I didn't know mixed into the group. One was a giant (by pony standards) red Earth pony with a short and scruffy orange mane and tail standing next to Applejack with a pale purple Unicorn pony with a curly dark purple mane and tail leaning into him. Near Pinkie Pie were two other Earth Ponies that looked like they were a step away from "done with this shit." One was gray with a straight purple mane and tail. She wore a plain blueish-gray dress with a skirt that stopped just past her...plot? Ass? That general area. The other one was a lighter shade of gray with a two-tone brown bowl-cut mane and short tail. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw a pink Alicorn standing next to the punch bowl with two Unicorns flanking her. I didn't know much about this world, but one thing was pretty clear; if a pony has wings and a horn, don't piss them off. Not helping was the fact that the pink pony Princess was a good two feet taller than me. The Unicorn to her left was white with a short and messy two-toned blue mane and tail. He also had a bulkier build compared to the other new ponies, not quite at big red's level, but leagues above the stick pony standing next to Pinkie Pie. The Unicorn at her right was bright yellow with white marks on his muzzle and around his hooves. His orange mane was long and messy while his tail was cut short like most of the newcomers and he actually had a beard. Apparently ponies can have beards. Interesting. His only clothing were a pair of gray glasses and a greenish-gray cloak with teal stars on it.
A trio of tables full of food and drinks took up the middle of the room. Streamers hung from the ceiling and balloons were tied to the corners of the tables. All-in-all, a pretty good set up for a smallish party.
I gave Autumn a look and she gave me a sheepish smile. I sighed and forced a small smile as I moved toward the party. Now don't get me wrong, I like parties as much as the next guy, but I was just too tired to put up with people right now.
Just say hi, have a few drinks, stuff your face, and find a place to crash for a couple hours. Easy as that.
Yeah right.
As if to prove me right, Pinkie Pie appeared in front of me and dragged me towards her guests.
"Alex," she smiled. "This is my sister, Maud and her coltfriend Mud Briar."
As she said that, she pointed first to the dressed pony then the stick pony.
I blinked dumbly for a second as my brain tried to catch up with what the fuck just happened. I swear, this pony is gonna kill me if she keeps pulling this kind of crap.
"Uh, hi," I said awkwardly.
"Hello," Maud said flatly.
"Greetings," Mud Briar said, just as flatly.
An awkward silence fell between us.
Jeez, these two are the life of the party, I thought as I struggled to come up with a topic.
"So," I started. "Do you guys have any hobbies?"
"Yes," Maud said while Mud Briar nodded.
I waited for her to add to that. And waited. And waited.
I suppressed a groan as I asked, "What are they?"
"I do stand up comedy and poetry," Maud monotoned.
"I draw," Mud Briar said just as flatly.
I nodded.
Well, that's not much, but it's a start at least.
"Do either of you drink?"
Maud nodded.
"If you are asking whether or not I consume alcoholic beverages, then yes," Mud Briar said, holding up a hoof. "I have been known to imbibe when the occasion calls for it."
"Great," I smiled. "Maybe we could hit a bar sometime."
"Sounds like a good idea," Autumn said, appearing at my side. "Right Maud?"
She actually smiled a bit as she nodded at Autumn.
"Yeah. Mud's been complaining about not finding any friends since we moved in together."
"Technically," he cut in. "I've only stated that it was hard to find any ponies that understand me."
"Tell me about it," I heard Pinkie Pie whisper.
I gave him a smirk and said, "Trust me pal, I know all about that."
"How so?" he asked, tilting his head at me.
"Do you see any other Ninetales around here?" I asked.
I think I saw a little confusion on his face for a second, before he gave me a nod.
"Indeed. Perhaps we could share some drinks sometime."
"Sounds good to me," I chuckled.
With that said, Autumn and I made our way towards the buffet tables. While we loaded up our plates with a little bit of everything, I saw Treehugger talking to the Alicorn a few feet away. I didn't get to wonder too much about that before Applejack's group walked up to us.
"Howdy y'all," she said, tilting her hat at us.
"Hey Applejack," Autumn smiled, giving her a half-hug.
I nodded at her then gave the other two ponies with her a better look over.
Let me tell you, nothing is more jarring than having a pony meet you at eye level, especially one as bulky as this guy. He didn't seem all that dangerous, but when he looked at Autumn, I couldn't stop my tails from draping across Autumn's back. That got an interesting reaction out of the trio. The Unicorn gave Autumn a knowing smile while the big guy gave me a smile and understanding nod. Applejack just gave us a cocky smile and chuckled.
"Looks like Ah owe Dash ten bits," she sighed. "Anyhow, this is my big brother Big Macintosh and his wife Sugar Belle."
"Just Big Mac's fine," he chuckled, offering me a hoof.
It took everything I had not to laugh or make a McDonalds joke as I shook his hoof. Instead, I just smiled and nodded as I gave him my name. God damn, how the hell do ponies get their names around here? I swear, one of these days I'm going to find a pony named World Pun or something.
"So," Applejack smiled. "When did y'all decide to make it official?"
"A few days ago," I shrugged. "It was...an adventure."
"Understatement of the year," Autumn laughed as she leaned into my side.
"Sounds like there's a story there," Sugar Belle smiled.
"Yeah," I sighed. "Maybe we'll tell you guys about it some time. It's kind of personal."
"Say no more," Applejack nodded. "Once you all get settled, stop by the farm and we'll catch up right proper. Sound good to y'all?"
We nodded.
The rest of the conversation was pretty bland after that, mostly just everyone trying to get to know me. Although, it did take me by surprise that this world had its own version of D&D here and Big Mac was a major fan of it. He probably wasn't going to get too many chances to play soon since Sugar Belle was expecting. We congratulated the couple and went off to look for a place to eat in peace. We got that for about twenty seconds in a corner of the room before ponyzilla and her entourage approached us. My whole body tensed as she got closer, not in the same way as when Fluttershy got near me, but enough to get a worried look out of Autumn. I guess the Princess noticed too, because she gave me an equally worried look before abruptly stoping about three feet away from us. The two Unicorns with her caught on pretty quickly and maintained the same distance.
"Hello," she said. "You must be Alex."
I nodded.
She smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence for short."
I blinked at that for a second. Who the fuck names their kid that? I don't think half of that was even english, let alone a name that someone just comes up with. Now I was positive I could find a pony named World Pun. Hell, I'll even bet money on it.
"This is my husband Shining Armor and my former adviser Sunburst," she smiled, nodding towards the white and orange Unicorns respectively.
I nodded towards each of them and got the same in return. Shining Armor seemed like a pretty chill dude, more like the kind of guy that you could throw back drinks and talk shit with for awhile. Sunburst looked like the type that'd be happier in a library than a bar, but seemed pretty harmless. That didn't stop my tail instinct from kicking in though as a couple of them wrapped loosely around Autumn's middle.
"So you're the Kitsune my sister met," Shining Armor said, giving me a quick once over.
"I guess?" I said, tilting my head. "Who's your sister?"
"Twilight," he said casually.
Now the whole world made sense. Well, the part of it that involved how this guy got married to an Alicorn Princess at least.
"So you're like, a Prince?" I asked.
"Technically," he shrugged.
I nodded at that.
Okay, mental note: Alicorns are not the only type of royal ponies. Good to know.
"If you don't mind me asking," Sunburst said, adjusting his glasses. "What brings you to Ponyville? It's rather rare for a Kitsune to come down from their mountains and they don't usually do it for very long."
"No worries," I shrugged. "I...um...left my home and sort of ended up in Equestria. As for what brought me to Ponyville?"
I smiled as I nuzzled Autumn's cheek.
"I think you can guess."
Shining Armor and Cadence gave us some understanding nods and smiles while Sunburst just chuckled as he shook his head.
"Looks like we have something in common," he smiled. "Once things got serious between Starlight and I, I ended up moving here too."
"And now we're down our best advisor-slash-babysitter," Shining Armor chuckled.
Cadence giggled, then gave me a sympathetic smile as she said, "Just so you know, we both know what happened to you."
"I see," I frowned. "Anyone else?"
She shook her head.
"We all agreed to keep it on a need to know basis."
"Good," I sighed.
"Also," she added. "I want you to know that if you find yourself spiraling, we're all willing to listen and help in any way we can."
I reared back a bit at that, shocked that, well, someone other than Autumn and Treehugger honestly gave a damn about me. Not even my so called family gave me that kind of courtesy. It..was a bit much to take in all at once.
I smiled and said, "Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"No problem, Alex," she smiled.
***
The party was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Yeah, the ponies gave me a wide berth, but that was fine by me. Aside from Autumn and Treehugger, there weren't too many people I wanted to spend all that much time with. After awhile, everything started to wind down and everyone started heading home. Autumn and I worried that it was going to take us a while to get everything put away, but Pinkie Pie took care of that problem. Somehow. Look, I'm not going to try and figure it out. All I know is that one minute the lobby was decorated and the next it was as if there was never a party in there to begin with.
I was on the verge of falling over when Autumn guided me towards my room. After cutting through what looked like a staging area, we made it to the residential portion of the theater on the second floor. A few twists and turns later, Autumn pushed a door open and gestured for me to go in. I nodded at her as I let myself in. My eyes instantly locked onto the bed as I practically dragged myself towards it. I managed to work up enough energy to levitate the blanket so that I could slide under it before letting it fall on top of me. I curled up to get comfortable, but cracked my eyes open as the blanket lifted itself. A small smile crept onto my face as Autumn got into bed with me and let the blanket fall over us. We traded smiles as we pulled ourselves closer to each other. Our foreheads rested against each other as I stared into her eyes, her amber eyes and warmth the only things I cared about as I drifted off to sleep.