Chapter 5: A Welcome Party
During the time that had passed by, we answered everyone’s questions about our human lives. The only things we didn’t tell them about were private stuff or that their entire world is based off of a cartoon. As for Heartbreak, she kept her original gender vague. I had a hard time talking to Twilight since it was going to take some time to forgive her.
Heartbreak’s story was wrapping up. “And that’s everything you need to know about our lives on Earth,” ended Heartbreak.
While everyone had been listening, Twilight had been writing lots of things down in her scrolls about the technology we told them about, including other things that we only remembered from the top of our heads. It turns out that when we had told her about our lives before, she didn’t believe us. Heartbreak decided to mess with her by using something from her magic tea story that involved energy drinks.
Twilight rolled up the last piece of paper she wrote on and tied it up into a scroll. “Fascinating,” she said, impressed. “Your world sounds more advanced than Equestria, but without the magic in everyday life.”
Heartbreak was about to say something but then Twilight interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say.
Twilight raised up her hoof. “If magic does exist on Earth, then it must be hidden or very rare,” theorized Twilight.
“Heartbreak nodded. Right,” she said. “There might even be-”
“People,” said Amber.
“-who can use magic too,” continued Heartbreak. “But it’s unknown. So, for now, can you get us back home?” She was hopeful that there might be a way.
“It’s going to be a little hard. To figure out how to get you three back home, I’ll need to study every book on magic in the library,” she explained. “That’ll take days.”
“While you do that Twilight, I’ll have some ponies check the magic books in Canterlot,” informed Celestia. “Maybe they’ll find something to help?”
Amber smiled. “Thank you both,” said Amber. “Maybe there’s a way we could get back home?”
“I hope so,” muttered Heartbreak.
I noticed that Pinkie Pie hadn’t returned in a while ever since she went to set up the welcome party.
“Well, while Pinkie Pie is setting up for the party, how about you all give us a tour of Ponyville?” I asked.
Twilight and her friends gave their own agreements. Spike decided to come along too just because Rarity was going.
I looked at both Heartbreak and Amber and asked them a question. “What do you two think?”
Heartbreak shrugged her shoulders. “It beats waiting around, doing nothing,” said Heartbreak.
“Yeah, I’m game,” said Amber. “We don’t want to end up lost in this town.” She was almost about to say “again”.
Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and started flying around. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you the awesomest tour of Ponyville that you’ll ever see,” she bragged.
I had a feeling that the tour might get a little complicated once it’s Rainbow Dash’s turn to give it. “Super,” I responded. My tone was a mix of barely hidden deadpan and sarcasm.
“I’m coming along too, my student. I wish to have a tour of Ponyville as well,” informed Luna. It sounded like she was insisting that she comes along. “You should come along too, sister. We could stop at the bakery where the Element of Laughter works at and get some cake.”
Once Celestia heard the word “cake”, she made her decision. “I guess I could come along. A break from the castle does sound nice,” responded Celestia.
Everyone headed for the door. The moment we stepped out through the library door, something happened.
“Surprise!” shouted tons of ponies.
We screamed as we were surprised by, well, the surprise. It looked like Pinkie Pie invited the whole town, which is what she actually did. The town was decorated with streamers, balloons, and confetti. There were even snacks, refreshments, and dessert tables, and there was also a banner that said “Welcome to Ponyville!” on it.
Pinkie Pie zipped up to us as we tried to calm our heart rates down. “Welcome to your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.
My heart was “Y-You invited the whole town?” I asked.
“Well, of course I did, silly,” she responded. “I wanted all of Ponyville to meet my newest best friends! Now, let’s party!” She ran off into the crowd.
Her friends, including Spike, went to join the party too, leaving us, the princesses, and the Royal Guards. As for Twilight, it’s obvious that she wanted to hang out with her teacher for a while before she hung out with her friends, so she stayed.
“Hey, Celestia. Why don’t you and Twilight go and get some cake?” I suggested. “I mean, it’d be good for you and your student to hang out and talk.”
Celestia thought about it for a while. “Hmm, being with my student does sound like a great idea,” said Celestia. “Also, it’d give my sister time to talk with her own student.”
“Don’t worry, Tia,” said Luna. “I won’t tell him anything embarrassing about you-” She winked. “-yet.”
Celestia blushed in embarrassment. “See that you don’t,” demanded Celestia. “I don’t need any embarrassing stories about me circulating around Equestria.” She left in a huff while Twilight followed after her.
Luna laughed. “It is so easy to embarrass my sister,” she said. She calmed her laugh down. “So my student, do you want to hear any stories?”
“No,” I said, bluntly.
Luna raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would want to hear an embarrassing story about my sister?” she asked. “It’s quite the tale.”
With the Royal Guards around, word might reach Celestia about this. “Tonight,” I muttered.
Luna understood. “Of course, my student,” she replied.
Once Amber had calmed down, she looked like she didn’t want to be here at all.. “This is all so overwhelming,” mumbled Amber.
I didn’t hear her mumbling, but I did see the expression of fear on her face. “Amber, I can understand why you would be so afraid of being at this party. It’s your decision if you want to be here or not in front of all these ponies,” I said. “If you don’t want to be at the party, you can go wait inside the library until it’s all over.”
She was going to accept the offer, but decided not to. “It’s nice of you to offer, but Pinkie Pie went through all of this just to welcome us. I can’t just up and leave,” mumbled Amber.
I looked Amber in the eyes. “It’s Pinkie Pie, Amber. She’ll understand if it’s explained to her. I’ll stay behind and help HB out too,” I reassured her. “Please, go inside. Trust me.”
Amber thought about, and after seeing the crowd of ponies, she came to a decision. “Thanks, Lemon,” mumbled Amber. She then turned around and headed back inside the library.
Heartbreak shook her head and sighed. “She’ll overcome her shyness soon,” said Heartbreak. “She just has to take one step at a time until she conquers it.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. I had a feeling she would do that one day.
We were silent for a few seconds before Heartbreak decided to talk. “Well, I’m going to head for the snack table for a while,” announced Heartbreak. “You okay by yourself?” she said that as she glanced at Luna, who was standing beside me.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Go ahead,” I replied. There was then a smirk on my face. “Make sure to make some friends. Pinkie Pie went through a ton of trouble setting it up and inviting everyone.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to enjoy it,” grumbled Heartbreak. “If you need me, I’ll be over at the snack table.” She then went on her way.
After a few seconds, I decided to go after her since she’ll need help because of her hooves. “Sorry, Princess Luna, but I have to go help HB hold her food so she can eat it. We can talk later, right?” I asked.
Luna smiled. “Of course, my student. I can wait,” she responded. “Just go help your friend out.”
I nodded, and then ran after Heartbreak. “Wait for me, HB,” I called out.
After a few seconds of running, while saying “excuse me” to lots of ponies that were in my way, some who had panicked faces because I was an alicorn, I caught up to her. I tapped Heartbreak on the shoulder, and she turned around.
“You’re going to need help holding your food,” I informed her.
It looked like Heartbreak was about to say “no”.
“I won’t be taking no for an answer, especially from a friend who needs help,” I interrupted.
Heartbreak raised an eyebrow. “I was going to say ‘thank you’, Lemon,” she said. “I really do need help with eating my food.”
I was kind of surprised. “Oh, okay,” I responded.
Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere in front of me. “Hello!” greeted Pinkie Pie.
We shouted as she appeared out of nowhere again. “Pinkie, don’t ever do that again! You almost gave me a heart attack,” I shouted.
“Sorry,” said Pinkie Pie, apologetically. She then started smiling and looked at me curiously. “So, are you having fun? Huh? Huh?”
“I haven’t even talked to anyone else or eaten any snacks yet,” I said. “I was on my way to the snack table while talking to one of my friends. Speaking of which, Amber is back in the library. She’ll be sitting out the party.”
Pinkie slouched as she looked sad. “Aww,” she said dejectedly.
I didn’t like seeing her sad, so I had an idea. “You should go cheer Amber up by bringing her some snacks,” I said. “Just don’t scare her again. Also, can you tell Amber that we’ll be checking up on her during the party?”
Pinkie Pie smiled widely. “Okie dokie. I’ll go do that right now,” responded Pinkie Pie. She then zipped away to go grab some treats for Amber.
Meanwhile
Amber was sitting at a table, reading a book all about adventure. On the table were random books she had chosen from different sections. While she was reading the book, she could hear the ponies having fun. She sighed sadly. “Sounds like a good party,” Amber said. “Wish I could join in.”
The door opened as Pinkie Pie walked in with a plate of some snacks and desserts.
“How you doing, Amber?” Pinkie Pie asked. She placed the plate in front of the hybrid-looking dragon.
Amber smiled. “Oh, fine” she responded. “Found some books to read, so I’m good. Thanks for the treats.” Amber put the book to the side before she started to eat the treats.
Pinkie Pie was watching. “I hope you enjoyed the party,” she hoped. Her smile then turned sad, but she was able to hide it. “I did. The party looked spectacular even if I was only there for a few minutes. Pinkie, you should be proud of yourself,” Amber complemented.
Pinkie Pie ran up to Amber and hugged her for a few seconds before letting her go. “Thanks, Amber!” she exclaimed.
Amber smiled. “You’re welcome, Pinkie,” she responded. “Have fun at the party.”
Pinkie Pie bounced towards the door. “I will,” she said. She was about to leave the library, when she just remembered something. “Oh, yeah. Lemon wanted me to tell you that him and HB will be checking on you during the party.”
Amber smiled. “That’s nice of them. Thanks for the message,” Amber said.
Pinkie Pie waved. “You’re welcome,” replied Pinkie Pie. She then closed the door and joined the party once again.
Back to the Party
We were eating some snacks that were spread out on the table. Heartbreak was frustratingly eating a cupcake as it was being held in front of her by me. “Stupid hooves. Stupid fetting curse. I hate this so much,” muttered Heartbreak while chewing on her food. “Thanks for helping me hold my food while I eat it, Lemon.”
I was eating a cookie with the other hoof. “No problem, HB,” I said, nonchalantly.
A familiar voice appeared from right near them. “HB, Lemon!” called out some pony.
They turned their heads and saw that the voice belonged to Rarity. With her was Applejack and their two little sisters: Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.
Heartbreak had a horrified look on her face. “Oh no. Not those two right now. I could handle talking to one of them, but not two or three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders at once,” she thought. “As long as they don’t ask too many questions about my brand mark, I can handle them.”
I noticed Heartbreak was staring off. “Heartbreak,” I called out.
She snapped out of it. “Huh?” asked Heartbreak.
“You were staring,” I informed her. “Are you okay?”
”Uh, yeah, I’m okay,” she said. “So, who are these two fillies?” She was pretending not to know who they were since it would be almost weird
Applejack looks at her sister. “This here is mah little sister, Applebloom,” introduced Applejack. “Say hi, Applebloom.”
Applebloom. “Nice ta meet ya’ll” greeted Applebloom.
“And this is my darling little sister, Sweetie Belle,” introduced Rarity.
“Hi there,” greeted Sweetie Belle. She then saw mine and Heartbreak’s Cutie Marks. “What nice Cutie Marks you have there.”
“You’re right, Sweetie Belle,” agreed Applebloom. “Especially HB’s. It’s so weird and mysterious.”
Heartbreak didn’t like having her brand mark stared at by other ponies. It was a mystery even to her.
Applebloom felt curious about Heartbreak’s Cutie Mark. “What is your special talent?” wondered Applebloom.
Heartbreak was hesitant to tell them. “I don’t know,” she lied.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were confused. “You don’t know?” they echoed.
Heartbreak nodded like it was the truth. “It’s true. It just appeared there one day when I was hanging out with my friends. I have no idea what talent it’s supposed to represent. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find out for years,” Heartbreak lied perfectly. “Nailed it. That will keep them from asking.”
Too bad it didn’t stop them. Applebloom had an idea. “Hey, maybe we could help ya?” offered Applebloom.
Heartbreak was surprised that didn’t stop them. “What?” she questioned.
Sweetie Belle loved Applebloom’s idea. ”Yeah,” agreed Sweetie Belle. “Us and Scootaloo could help you figure out what your Cutie Mark represents!”
“Fet,” she thought. Heartbreak then had an idea. She has to first be blunt, then sprinkle in some lies soon after. “No, thanks. I don’t need any help.”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were both confused. “But--” said Sweetie Belle.
Heartbreak interrupted her. “Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, I’m somep-p-pony who wants to figure it out all by myself,” she explained. “If I get helped into figuring out what my Cutie Mark means, it’ll take away all of the joy from it. You both understand, right?”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground with looks that were a mix of both sadness and understanding. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” muttered Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah,” agreed Applebloom.
Now that that was done, Heartbreak continued to eat her cupcake. Sweetie Belle looked at Heartbreak eating a cupcake from my hoof and assumed something. “Are you two dating?” she asked, curiously.
I chuckled. “What? Someone else?” I questioned
She shook her head. “No,” she said. “Each other.”
We paused our eating and turned back towards Sweetie Belle with surprised looks on our faces.
She didn’t notice our surprised looks. “Are you two each other’s special someponies?”
Heartbreak started coughing as a bit of the food had gone down the wrong pipe. I dropped our food and started patting her on the back. Everyone looked concerned.
“Need water! Quick!” exclaimed Heartbreak.
“Hold tight, HB. I’ll get ya something to drink real quick!” announced Applejack. She then ran off to the refreshments table.
Heartbreak was able to clear the food out of her throat by the time Applejack came back with some punch. I had to hold the cup for her as she greedily drank all the punch without taking a single breath. Once she was done, she panted for breath. “Thanks,” she wheezed out.
“You’re mighty welcome,” responded Applejack.
“Sweetie Belle, why would you think me and HB are special someponies?” I asked. “We’re just friends.”
“Well, you were feeding her a cupcake,” informed Sweetie Belle. “I assumed you two were dating.”
Rarity nodded. “Sweetie Belle’s right, darling,” agreed Rarity. “You were feeding her a cupcake like couples do.”
Heartbreak blushed in anger. “You know I was born with a certain ‘condition’! I can’t grip anything with these fetting hooves!” argued Heartbreak.
Rarity gasped. “HB, language!” she admonished. “There are fillies present!”
HB looked away. “My bad...” she muttered. She then looked at me. “I’m not hungry anymore, Lemon. You want to go make some friends?” It sounded like she was planning on leaving with or without me.
“Um, sure,” I said. I followed after Heartbreak as she left. Once we were far away from Rarity and Applejack, I blocked her path, concerned. “What was that about, HB? It looked like you were going to bite their heads off. Literally.”
“I wasn’t going to...Yet,” muttered Heartbreak.
I released a sad sigh. “Please tell me what’s wrong before you blow up at another pony again,” I said.
Heartbreak gave off a frustrated sigh. “My bad. It’s just...why did I end up as Heartbreak?” she asked. “When I became my own character, I not only took on her form, but I also took on her curses too. It’s already been more than a day, and these curses are really fetting up my life.”
“It was just the hooves and the ‘Cutie Mark’, HB,” I commented. “You’ll get through it all.”
She shook her head angrily. “You know what happened during part of the Heartbreak series, Lemon,” she replied, frustrated. “It’s only a matter of time until the other curses take effect. Once they do, it means my life will get much harder until we get back home.”
I had a determined look on my face. “Don’t worry. We’ll all be there to help you every step of the way,” I said, serious.
Heartbreak smiled a little. “I know,” she said. Her eyes widened as she looked past my shoulder and saw something. She pointed past me.. “Look.”
I turned around and saw that Heartbreak was pointing at Derpy, who was sitting at a table with Doctor Whooves and enjoying a blueberry muffin.
I smiled. “Hey, it’s the duo, Derpy and Doctor Whooves,” I said. “How about we go see if they want to be our friends.
She looked excited. “Yeah,” she replied.
We walked over to the table where the two sat. They noticed us stop at their table.
“Hello, there,” Doctor Whooves said. “You two must be who the welcoming party is for?”
“Actually, there’s another. Our dragon friend, Amber, is in the library since she doesn’t like crowds,” explained Heartbreak. “She’s shy.”
Derpy had a sad look on her face. “Aww, poor thing,” sympathized Derpy. “Too bad she’s missing out on a great party. Wish there was something we could do about it.”
“It’s okay. We were planning to check up on her in a little while,” replied Heartbreak.
“Time for introductions. I’m Lemon Spark,” I introduced. I then gestured at Heartbreak. “This is one of my friends.”
“Heartbreak, but call me HB,” she continued. “What are your names?” She already knew their names, it’s just that she was being polite.
“I’m Derpy Hooves, Ponyville’s mailmare,” she said.
“And I am Doctor Whooves,” he said. “Nice to meet you two.”
Heartbreak smiled. “Likewise,” replied Heartbreak. “We were wondering if you wanted to be friends with us?”
Derpy smiled. “Sure, I would love to be friends with you two,” said Derpy.
“I agree with Derpy,” said Doctor Whooves.
After having a conversation with Derpy and Doctor Whooves, me and Heartbreak had spent the day hanging out with Amber, making friends with ponies, talking to Twilight and her friends, and talking with the princesses. Heartbreak also had Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo Pinkie Promise to not do anything that involves her “Cutie Mark”. That also means not trying to figure out her “talent”.