//------------------------------// // 5. Introductions // Story: Good Things Come // by Sweet Tale //------------------------------// Doctor! They're closing in! What do I do? Oh yeah, run faster...I could have thought of that! Press the red button? OK! "..en" It didn't do anything! "Owen..." Why isn't it-- "Owen. Time to wake up..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...hnghnn...wha?" I woke slowly to the sound of a feminine voice calling my name. Turning to face the source of the voice, Nurse Redheart was jabbing my side with her hoof. I looked up at her face. "You know, the staff here have a knack for interrupting my dreams at their pinnacle moment, you know that?" I joked. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's not intentional, I swear!" We both shared a light laugh before she spoke again. "Did you sleep well? Stitch told me that all of your pain had subsided." I hadn't noticed until now but that was probably the best night's sleep I'd had in a long time. "Like a log. Being able to move at night gave me the chance to find a comfortable sleeping position." "Well that's good to hear. Now, what would you like for breakfast? We have a variety of fruits, vegetables, cereals and plants that you can choose from." I was slightly taken aback by this. 'They eat plants?...Oh, they're ponies. Makes sense I suppose.' "Erm...could I please just have an apple and a glass of water? I asked Redheart. "Of course. I'll be back momentarily." Redheart walked out of the doors which closed quietly behind her. I sat up in the bed, stretching my arms and legs also giving my neck a quick twist. Lifting up my arms to stretch again, I noticed something...off. "What is that smell? It smells like..." I slowly sniffed myself, mainly towards the pits. "Ah...it's me." To be honest, I hadn't washed since I had arrived here, apart from the sponge bath I got yesterday. Redheart re-entered the room, pushing a cart with a tray on it. Lifting it with her mouth, she placed it on my lap. "There you are. One fresh apple, straight from Sweet Apple Acres, and one glass of water. Enjoy!" She began to walk away. "Err, Miss Redheart? Can I ask you something?" She walked back over to me, smiling all the time. "Is there any chance I can wash myself before Twilight gets here? It's just that I haven't showered since I arrived here and I've only just noticed my body odour..." I sheepishly asked. Redheart pointed towards a door located towards opposite side of my room. "If you go through that door there, there is a shower that you can use. Although, it may be a bit low for you considering your size. You may have to crouch down to fit under it. There are towels in there that you can use and...oh! Also, your shorts have been washed and dried. They're on your nightstand." I looked towards the door and nodded before turning back to her. "Thanks very much." With that, she walked out of the room. I picked up the apple that was on my lap and examined it. It looked very fresh, like it had been picked this morning. It glowed a vibrant red and shined in the sunlight. I took a little bite, just to see what it tastes like. "Ohhh...sweet jesus. This is amazing!" Sweetness, the crunchiness, how it melted in your mouth...it..was...incredible. I quickly consumed the rest of the fruit, savouring every bite. "Oh man. Sweet Apple Acres - watch out. I'm coming for the lot!" I said in a mock threat voice. I turned to the nightstand and picked up my boxer shorts. Giving them a quick smell, they smelt like lavender - my favourite. Quickly putting them on, I put my legs over the side of the bed and put them on the floor. Realising that I haven't used my newly healed legs to stand on yet, I cautiously stood up using the headrest to haul myself upwards. Once fully up, I waited for them to buckle...but they didn't. No pain at all, they weren't even stiff. I walked to the door and opened it to reveal a bathroom, equipped with a shower and a toilet. I closed the door behind me and took my boxers off. Redheart was right, the shower was too low for me. Standing at 6'4, I was quite the tall chap. I lifted the shower head up as far as it would go but it went up as far as the bottom of my neck. I showered quickly, not wanting to add a crick in the neck or spine damage to my list of sustained injuries. Quickly drying myself off, I walked back into the main room and got into the bed again. '8:30. Twilight's not getting here until 10. Might as well read some more of that Daring Do book.' I was really getting into this book. I wasn't really into adventure stories like Indiana Jones but this one was surprisingly good. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many pages later... A knock at the door averted my gaze from the book. I called for them to come in. Entering the room looking bright and chipper as always, Twilight was levitating a fabric bag full of something. She set the bag down next to the bed before turning to me. "Good morning. I'm so sorry I'm late. It's just that last night I was studying this new spell and then Spike caused a commotion in the lab so I had to clean that up then I noticed that the library was untidy so I had to clean it up as well and then I had to re-arrange the--" I raised my hand to get her attention. "Twilight, it's fine. Besides you're not late, it's only 10:05." I said, pointing at the clock. Twilight looked at the clock the looked at me. We both laughed at her little outburst before I nodded towards the bag she brought in. "So Twilight, what's in the bag?" She quickly levitated the bag onto my lap and opened it up for me to see. "These are the clothes that my friend made for you. She hopes you like them. She also said that if they don't fit or are too big or if you don't like them, you can take them to her and she'll alter them for you. Your old clothes were kind of destroyed - ripped and torn beyond repair - so she observed the fabric that they were made out of and tried to re-create them with what she could." I reached into the bag pulled out the first item. It was a navy blue t-shirt with a white diamond pattern on the front. The fabric felt so soft. I loved it. "Wow. This is wonderful, I love it." I tried it on and it fit perfectly. The smile on my face couldn't get any bigger. I reached in again and pulled out another 3 t-shirts, one brown, one dark red and one white. They all the same diamond pattern on the front. Reaching in again, I pulled out pairs of boxer shorts and pairs of socks. Once again, I reached in and pulled out a pair of trousers, black in colour and stitched perfectly. Quickly slipping them on, they also fit perfectly. "These are...no...everything is amazing. Truly brilliant! Your friend did all of this in just 5 days?" I asked. Twilight smiled. "Of course. She's Ponyville's greatest fashion designer. She was so excited to be making all of these clothes for you...although I can't really see the point in them." She looked confused but I knew why. "Well, I have noticed that not one pony here wears clothes. Judging by what you just said, I can guess that you all don't wear clothes?" Twilight nodded. "Well, in my world, public nudity is looked down upon. It's illegal to go outside without your indecent areas covered up. In some places, it is allowed but only under strict rules and laws." Twilight looked confused again and opened her mouth to ask a question but I beat her to it. "Hey by the way. How did your friend...wait, what is your friend called?" I asked. "Oh! I suppose I never mentioned her name. It's Rarity." "Rarity, what a nice name. Anyway, how did Rarity know to make shirts and trousers and socks for that matter? There aren't any more humans here to make them for." Twilight giggled and answered. "Ah, good observation. Well, you're right, we don't have other humans here. Your body shape is similar to my assistant Spike. He's a baby dragon and Rarity has made him clothes before, some of which included shirts and socks." My mouth hung agape. ".....dragon? You have dragons in this world?" Twilight nodded. "Dragons. The big flying lizards that breathe fire and only exist in mythology?" Twilight nodded again, softly laughing. "Huh......this place gets crazier by the minute, hehe." We talked for a while, about all of the different types of creatures that lived in this world. Minotaurs, manticores, hydras, cockatrice and dragons. This place is just like a fantasy world. The clock reached 11AM and Stitch walked in with a clipboard held in his magic. "Ah Owen, good to see you up and about. The new clothes look great! Nice to see you as well Miss Sparkle. If you could just sign these forms, you're good to go." The doctor handed Twilight the clipboard which she signed before handing it over to me. "Um, what is it exactly that I'm signing here?" I inquired. "That is the form to say that your treatment has been completed and that you are well enough to leave. Also, I need your signature for the medical bills that you incurred." My eyes immediately widened at the mention of bills. "Err, I don't mean to cause a trouble but I don't have any money so I can't pay your--" The doctor raised his hoof to interrupt. "No worries my boy. The Princess has paid for all of your medical expenses. Your signature was just about the treatment so don't worry about it." "Oh I see. I'll definetely have to thank her for that when I meet her." I handed the clipboard back to the doctor. "Ok then. You're free to leave. Let's hope we don't see you again any time soon!" he joked. "Yeah, let's hope not. I want to thank you for everything you did. You practically saved my life." The doctor smiled greatly at me. "No, no, no. We just did our job. The pony who saved your life is Miss Fluttershy. If she didn't bring you here, you wouldn't have made it." "Oh yeah. I really have to find her and thank her for saving me. Twilight, do you know her? Fluttershy?" Twilight beamed at the question. "Of course I know her. She's one of my best friends. I'll introduce you to her later." Hoof-bumping the doctor again, he vacated the room. I looked at Twilight who was putting all of the books back in her saddlebags. I put the clothes back in the other bag and hung it over my shoulder. "Ready to go?" Twilight asked. "Ready as I'll ever be" I replied. I stood up from the bed. It was only then how tall I really was here. Twilight looked up to me from below. The top of her head only came up to just above my belly button. "Never really thought how tall you'd be. You may have to duck through a few doors." she chuckled. I laughed back at her and we began walking out of the room. We got to the reception area where Redheart was filing away some paperwork. I walked over to her desk and cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned to face me and looked up at my face "Oh, Owen. Are you leaving? Well it was great knowing you. Hope to see you again one day." "Yeah I hope we do. Thanks for all you did for me." Even though I was still a bit uneasy of the ponies here, I had to thank her properly. It was only right. I crouched down and leant over the desk, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as thanks. Redheart immediately blushed, as did I. "See you around." I said to her before walking back towards Twilight, who was stifling a laugh observing mine and Redheart's reactions. We both walked to the main doors and pushed them open. Here, begins my journey into Ponyville. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, Mr Writer. Why am I not in this yet? Huh? Huh?" "What? Get out of here! I'm getting there!" "You're taking too long. I need to give him the--" "NO! Just wait! It's nearly time. Now, go back and wait at home..." "Damn you and your fourth wall powers..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun immediately blinded my vision. Covering my eyes I looked up and saw that the sun was at it's pinnacle. "Come on Owen. My house is just down here, through the town." Twilight motioned for me to follow her, which I obliged to. Walking alongside Twilight, I marvelled at all of the sights of the town. It looked like a countryside town from the 1800's. All of the buildings had that rustic charm to them that you only get in rare places nowadays. Something was making me nervous though. "Uhh, Twilight? You noticing all the stares I'm getting right?" Every pony that we passed stopped whatever they were doing to stare at me as I walked past. Some ran away, some just stared. Some even waved to me with a hearty smile which I nervously returned. "Don't worry Owen, it's just that you're different, that's all. Everypony in town is aware that you are here. But, no need to worry. The moment they see me next to you, they'll know everything's fine." We further through the town. I was simply amazed at how some of these buildings looked. One in particular took my interest to the extreme. A house, well a building of some sort. The whole building looked like it was made out of sweets. Gingerbread for walls, chocolate for the roof. It even had a giant muffin shaped spire with three candles on top. "Twilight. What is this place? It looks like something out of a fairytale." I asked. "That is Sugarcube Corner. It's Ponyville's prestige bakery and supplies some of the finest sweets and confectionery to all over Equestria. One of my close friends helps run the place with the owners." As Twilight said that, the door to the bakery swung open and a pink pony walked...no...bounced out of it. She immediately noticed Twilight and came over. "Hi Twilight! How are you today? Who's your friend here? I don't think I've seen--" She stopped her hyperactive questions and stopped mid-bounce in the air, staring at me. This gave me a chance to look at her properly. She had a light pink body and a dark pink mane and tail. Her mane looked like candy floss...and she even smelt of it as well. Looking at the back of her body, I noticed her cutie mark - a trio of multi-coloured balloons. "Uhh...hi. My name is Owen and I'm new around here and..." Before I could finish, she gasped loudly and sped off out of sight at breakneck speed. I turned to Twilight who was trying her best not to laugh. "Who on Earth was that?!" I asked with a dumbfound look. "That is Pinkie Pie. She's the friend I mentioned. Pinkie's the most energetic, hyperactive and friendly pony you could ever meet. But I must warn you...she can be a bit much at some times. Like just now. Don't fret about it, it happened to me the first time I met her as well." Twilight stated. "So you know what that all meant? What's she going to do?" "All in due time. I know you'll like it." This scared me slightly, wondering what that speedy puffball could do. We ventured on further and came across another building. Large in size, it sported an array of girly colours such as pink and purple, which coloured the walls. I inquired again. "What's this place? Looks very elegant." Twilight laughed at my statement. "Oh, she'll be glad you said that. This is Rarity's business as well as her home - the Carousel Boutique. She makes all different types of clothing for various ponies all over Equestria. She supplies for events hosted by the Princess as well." Looking at the clothes I was wearing, I had to meet her. "Would it be ok if we went and said hello? It's just I want to thank her for the clothes she made me." Twilight nodded and we walked into the boutique, ringing the bell above the door as we went in. "Just a minute. I'll be out shortly." a feminine voice came from behind the counter. It sounded like an English accent to be honest. Looking around the shop, I could see many displays of many different dresses, all different colours and sizes. They looked very impressive, like they were fit for a member of royalty. *GASP* "It's you! The human!" I turned around quickly and saw a white unicorn happily gazing at me. She had an indigo mane and tail, styled in a very elegant way. Her cutie mark was three diamonds. Realizing that it was the same image on my t-shirt, I spoke up. "Err, yes, the human. My name is Owen. I came here to thank you for the clothes that you made me, they're really great." Rarity walked up to me and around me to inspect how the clothes fit on me. "Oh yes darling, they look fabulous on you. I thought I hadn't got them right but low and behold, I've really outdone myself." she stated with a tone of pride. Twilight stood back and let Rarity fuss over me. "Yeah, they really are great. I'm very impressed." "Well, I used the best fabric I could get. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to design clothing for an unknown creature could I?" We chatted for a bit before Twilight stepped in. "Rarity, we need to go now. I'm taking Owen back to the library and we need to get his room set up." Rarity snapped out of her chatting trance with me and looked over to Twilight. "Oh of course dear, I wouldn't want to hold you up. Owen, could you come and visit me at some point soon? I have another idea for a design that I could use your help with." "Well I hate to disappoint but my fashion sense isn't exactly what you call, good. But I'll come by some time during the week." With that, Twilight and myself walked out of the boutique and set off. "Library? Are you taking the books back?" I asked. "Oh didn't I mention? My house is the Ponyville library. I had it converted so I could live there." I was surprised. "You actually live in the library? That's...that's quite impressive. I suppose someone like you with your vast knowledge could benefit from living in one." Walking through the town in silence, being scrutinised by some ponies stares, I noticed a big tree in the distance which had a balcony on it. "Who lives there Twilight? Looks like a very impressive treehouse." Twilight turned to me. "A treehouse? Oh no, no, no. That's my home, that's the library." Library? It was huge! About 50 meters away from the library, a voice overhead stopped us in our tracks. "HEEEYYY TWIIIILIIIGHT!" was all I heard before something zoomed overhead leaving a rainbow trail behind it, scaring the hell out of me. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" I shouted over the noise of the zoom. Twilight waited for the noise to die down before she responded. "That's Rainbow Dash, she's another one of my best friends." Before I could inquire further, the previously mentioned pony flew down and landed next to Twilight. "Hey Twilight, how are you?" Rainbow asked. "I'm fine Rainbow but you scared Owen half to death here!" Rainbow looked over to me and saw me breathing heavily before bursting out laughing and collapsing to the ground. It wasn't long before Twilight joined in. Waiting for their 'hilarious' moment to pass, I took notice of Rainbow Dash. She was had a cyan coloured body and wings which made her a Pegasus. Her mane and tail were rainbow coloured, each striped a different colour. Her cutie mark was a picture of a cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt. Both mares finished their wheezing and got up. Rainbow as first to speak. "Ahaha! Aha...the look on your face was priceless! Looked like you had just seen a dragon! Anyway, I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" she said like it was a rehearsed speech. Noticing the way she was speaking, she was very full of herself. "Well, it's nice to meet you Rainbow Dash. I'm Owen, the only human in all of Equestria!" I said matching her boastful tone. "Uh-huh, well nice to meet you. Twilight, you remember that we have to go to Applejack's tomorrow? She needs help with the orchard since Mac isn't well." Twilight groaned at the reminder. "Ohhh...I forgot about that.....yes I'll be there. I can't say no really can I?" Twilight didn't look too pleased at the prospect of working on a farm. I turned my head to notice Rainbow looking at my mid-section. When she noticed me looking at her staring, she immediately looked up and looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Well er...Twilight *snigger*, I, er have to go now. I need to *snigger* need to um...move some clouds so I'll see ya!" Rainbow slowly walked away not looking back. Twilight looked confused. "Hmm, now why was she so eager to get away. What was she doing?" she said. "I don't know, she was looking at my mid-section, near my crotch and when I noticed her staring, she looked away." Twilight mused her thoughts. "Now why would she do tha--" Twilight's facial expression changed into anger and she sped off after the pegasus. I ran after her. "RAINBOW, YOU GET BACK HER RIGHT...NOW!" Twilight caught up to Rainbow and held her in her magic. "Hey! Let me down! I need to *snigger*...need to go" Rainbow said trying her best not to laugh. Twilight turned Rainbow so she was facing me. "I think you owe Owen here an apology for what you did." Twilight said in a icy tone. "What? I didn't do anything!" Twilight moved Rainbow so she was eye level with her. "Oh really? Then could you explain to me what you did yesterday morning about 10AM? Get into any trouble?....Play any pranks?" I immediately caught on. "You? That was you?!" Twilight moved Rainbow to face me once again. Rainbow held her head down in shame then lifted it slowly. "Yeah, it was me. Me and Pinkie. I just thought I could have some fun with him before he went to the Princess for questioning...I'm sorry." Rainbow dropped her head again. It took everything in my power not to 'Awww' at that moment. She looked so cute when she was upset. I lifted her chin up with my hand and looked into her magenta coloured eyes. "I forgive you. Besides, it was only a prank right? I'll get you back you know. You won't know how and you won't know when, but I'll get both you and Pinkie back. Just you wait." I said with a warm smile. Twilight released Rainbow from her magic grip and she dropped to the ground. Rainbow laughed at my statement. "Oh really?" She took to the air and hovered so she was eye-to-eye with me. "I'd like to see you try." Rainbow immediately took off into the sky. I looked at Twilight who rolled her eyes. "She's a bit tomboy-ish isn't she?" "Oh, don't get me started." We shared a laugh and walked towards the library. Twilight levitated a key out of her saddlebag and unlocked the door. Walking in, the smell of old paper and ink flooded my nostrils. I hadn't been in a library for years. Looking around, shelves of books lined most of the walls. There must be thousands of books here. There was a desk near the window with many books scattered around it. On the floor, there were many chairs and cushions to sit on. Another room lead out of the main hall which led to the kitchen. Looking left, there was a staircase, circling around the base of the tree leading upstairs to what I assume is the living areas. "Wow Twilight, this place is amazing. It's brilliant!" I exclaimed. Twilight nodded and looked upstairs. "Would you like to see your room? It's been modified for your size so everything should be perfect." We both walked upstairs. I noticed various rooms branching off from the hallway. Bedrooms maybe, not sure. Twilight motioned towards a large wooden door. "Well, go ahead." I turned the door knob and opened the door. The room was...well...perfect. There was a large bed at least 6 and a half feet long to accomodate my height. Two wardrobes were at the back of the room which were very spacious. A nightstand was next to my bed with various books on it already. Two chests of drawers were located besides the wardobes as well. "This room is excellent. It has everything I need! I...thank you sooo much!" Emotions overtook me then as I picked leant down and gave Twilight a strong hug which she kindly returned. "Whoa...who's the big guy?" a voice emanted from behind Twilight. Looking over her, I noticed a small bipedal lizard standing in the doorway. He had purple skin...scales and green scales as hair. Looking behind him, a small spiked tail poked out from his behind. Twilight turned to face him. "Ah, good you're here. Owen, this is my number one assistant, Spike. Spike, this is the human, Owen." I edged towards him and extended my clenched fist which he knocked with his. Oh yeah...I'm getting used to this. "Nice to meet you Spike" Spike looked a bit uneasy but responded anyway. "Uhh, yeah. Same to you. Twilight, I'm going to Rarity's for a while. Said she needed me for another task." Twilight ushered the dragon out of the door and walked with him downstairs. I heard the front door open and close and Twilight returned to the room. "Well, if you want to get settled in here, I'll be downstairs if you need me." Twilight walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. I sat on the bed and looked out the window. The view was of the path we took to get here. Looking further ahead, I could just make out Sugarcube Corner in the distance. "Man, I will definetely need to go there one day" I said, drooling at the thought of sweets and cakes. I started to hang my clothes in the wardrobes when Twilight knocked at the door. After saying she could come in, she walked in levitating a small box. "Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if you could help me with something. You see, when Fluttershy told me about you and where she found you, I went to the clubhouse...well...the remains of it and started searching around. I found this...thing on the ground near where your body was and can't make heads or tails of it. Would you know what it is?" Twilight levitated the box into my hands where I opened it and pulled out a block of cloth. Looking at Twilight, she asked to me open it up. I unraveled the cloth and something fell onto my lap. Picking it up, I could not believe what I was holding. "This is...this is my Ipod! How on Earth did this get here?!"