//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Thomas’s New Friends // Story: A Place in Equestria // by GoebelTron //------------------------------// The next morning, a little unicorn filly, who had white fur, a curly mane and tail in two stripes of lilac and pink, and green eyes, was looking for Rarity. Her name was Sweetie Belle. “That’s weird, Rarity should’ve been up by now,” she said. “Rarity?! Rarity?!” When she finally heard the sound of her sewing machine in her bedroom, Sweetie Belle opened the door, “Rarity?” Her voice caused Rarity to jolt, and she accidentally dropped the fabric. She turned around and saw Sweetie Belle with an apologetic face, “Sweetie Belle? What is it, darling?” “You forgot to have breakfast,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Oh! Right,” Rarity said. “Never fear, little sister. We’ll have breakfast as soon as possible.” Sweetie Belle was confused, “What are you doing?” Rarity then took a deep breath, and looked at her little sister, “Sweetie Belle, darling, it’s a new piece of clothing I worked on last night.” “Who’s it for?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It’s for someone new I met this week, but he stopped by for some new clothes,” Rarity replied, after she folded the clothes for Thomas. “Really?! Who was it?! Will I get to meet him?!” Sweetie Belle eagerly asked. “Of course you will get to meet him,” Rarity replied, chuckling and gently patting the filly’s head. “In fact, I just need to stop by at Fluttershy’s cottage to drop these off. And she was kind enough to take him into her home, because he was very lonely at the orphanage at his home world. The poor darling was suffering from a broken heart, but maybe you and your friends can play with him later on.” Sweetie Belle felt sorry about Thomas, “Gosh, I didn’t know. Maybe me and friends can keep him to ourselves, and spend some time with him.” “I know you will, darling. But I must warn you. He’s not exactly a pony, but he’s more of a... human,” Rarity explained. “But, don’t worry, darling. Thomas is very precious and very thoughtfully sweet, but he’s very shy towards others, so be careful.” “Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll try,” Sweetie Belle said. “Good. Now come along, and we’ll head over to Fluttershy’s,” Rarity said, then she and her sister started to walk over to Fluttershy’s cottage. ‘Meanwhile, at The Crystal Empire...’ As morning continued to rise up in the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance sat on her throne enjoying a pleasant breakfast. She had pale light grayish pink fur, a lightly curled mane and tail streaked in violet, rose pink and pale gold, light purple eyes, her wings had a small tint of purple, a cutie mark of a teal crystal heart surrounded by gold laces, a gold necklace, a gold tiara with a round purple gem on the tip and a purple diamond on the center, and floral gold shoes on all four hooves. “Ah, what a pleasant morning,” she said, after swallowing a bite from her eggs. Suddenly, a crystal guard pony came in with a letter. “Your majesty, you and your husband have just got a letter,” he said. “It appears to be from Princess Twilight Sparkle.” “Thank you, sir. You’re dismissed,” Princess Cadance said. Then the guard left, until one more came. He had light gray fur, his mane and tail were streaked in sapphire blue, cerulean and phthalo blue, he had cerulean eyes, and his flank had a cutie mark of a dark blue shield with three blue stars on top, and a pink star in the center of the shield. “Oh, hey, Shining. We just got a letter from Twilight,” Princess Cadance said. “Do you think she might be in trouble?” Shining Armor asked. “I don’t know, but I hope it’s good news,” Princess Cadance replied, then she and Shining Armor read the letter. ‘Dear Shining and Cadance, How’s the Crystal Empire going? Anything new going on? Maybe we should hang out next time, but I’ll probably get to the point because that’s not why I’m writing to you. Two days and nights ago, my friend, Fluttershy discovered something very unusual that we’ve never seen before. It was a young child, but it was a human! His name is Thomas Mercer and he is 5 years old. He’s very sweet, polite, and caring towards others, but when we took him to meet Princess Celestia and Luna, we found out that he used to live in an orphanage and that he was very lonely with no remembrance of his family. We decided to make him feel better by throwing him a party at Canterlot Castle, so that we can welcome him to Equestria. If you feel like to attend, you can bring some gifts over if you want. We’ll wait for you at Canterlot later this evening. Your little sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle’ “Well, it looks like things are getting better after all,” Shining Armor said. “Awwwww... I know, darling. But Thomas sounds like a cute little thing!” Princess Cadance said, adoring Thomas in her mind. “I don’t know what humans look like, but I guess he’ll be fine with me. And it looks like we’re free this weekend, so it sounds like we’ve got a party to attend,” Shining Armor said. “Great! I’ll take care of shopping for the gifts,” Princess Cadance said, then she kissed Shining on his cheek, then went to go buy some gifts for Thomas. Shining Armor sighed heavenly, “I love it when she does that. Guess I better get ready, too.” As the rays from the sun started to pass through Fluttershy’s window, she woke up and made a soft yawn, then she felt Thomas stir in his sleep as he laid next to her, then a warm smile appeared on her muzzle, ‘Aww... Rarity was right. He’s really adorable when he sleeps.’ She suddenly heard her stomach gurgling, ‘I guess I should probably make him some breakfast.’ She untucked her left foreleg and softly stroked his sleeping form, “Thomas, it’s time to wake up.” When he heard her voice, the young boy started to awaken, then he yawned gently and stretched his arms, rubbed his eyes, and then while he was curled towards her tummy, he looked up to the warm smile and beautiful eyes of Fluttershy, then he moved closer and hugged her neck, “Good morning.” “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you have a good night’s sleep?” Fluttershy kindly replied. “Mmhmm,” Thomas said, yawning softly. “I’m glad. Are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast,” she said. Thomas nodded, “Can I have some porridge?” “Of course, dear. I can make you some,” Fluttershy said, then she and Thomas got out of bed and walked downstairs to the living room. “Now, you can go sit on the couch and I’ll bring your breakfast over to you,” Fluttershy said. “Okay,” Thomas said, then thought of an idea, “Can I feed your animals while you fix it up?” “Of course you may, but stay inside. I’ll take care of the others outside while you’re eating,” Fluttershy replied. “Thank you,” Thomas said, then he grabbed a couple of mixed nuts and acorns in small bowls, a measuring cup full of bird feed, then he gave each animal in the living room their breakfast. “You’re welcome, everyone. I’m just trying to help,” he said. When he was done feeding the indoor animals, he saw Angel come in, “Hey, Angel. Are you here for your breakfast?” Angel nodded, then Thomas held him in his arms and patted his head, until Angel nuzzled the boy’s chest, “Don’t worry, Angel. Fluttershy’s in the kitchen making me some porridge, so I’ll ask her if I can feed you. Is that okay, buddy?” Angel nodded, then Thomas took Angel to the kitchen. “Fluttershy? Can I feed Angel? He’s really hungry,” he asked. “Sure. I made it for him already,” Fluttershy said, then Thomas gave Angel his breakfast. After Angel gazed at his breakfast, he then started munching all that food. “Okay, Thomas. Your breakfast is ready,” Fluttershy said, then she served him the oat porridge. “I made you a new flavor, but with fresh milk and golden honey, and some sweet cinnamon,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you,” Thomas said, and he then ate his porridge. Suddenly, Fluttershy heard the door knock, then went to answer it, “Wonder who that could be.” When she opened it, she saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle there, “Oh, hello, Rarity. Hello, Sweetie Belle. Why don’t you two come inside? I can make you some breakfast.” “Yes, please,” Rarity said, then she saw Thomas was finished with his breakfast. “Hello, darling,” Rarity said. “Hey, Rarity,” Thomas replied until he walked over and gave the mare a hug, until she placed her foreleg around his shoulders and placed her head on top of hers with a soft nuzzle, then she broke the hug. “Thomas, I want you to meet somepony special to me,” Rarity said, placing her hoof on her sister’s head. “Darling, this is my dear little sister, Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, this sweet little colt is Thomas.” “Aww... he’s so cute!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, until she giggled and trotted over to him and wrapped both her forelegs around him in a warm hug, then nuzzled his cheek. “I’m so happy to meet you, Thomas!” Thomas blushed with a warm smile, then hugged the filly back, “Thanks, Sweetie Belle. It’s nice to meet you, too.” Rarity and Fluttershy adored the moment, then Rarity showed Fluttershy the next set of clothes for Thomas to wear, “I was generous enough to make the little darling some new clothes and pajamas for him to wear, and I made a special gift for later tonight.” “Thank you, Rarity. I’m sure he’ll love them,” Fluttershy said. Rarity nodded, then showed Thomas the clothes, “I made a few selections for you, darling. I just didn’t want them to get dirty along the way. I even made you a special outfit to wear. How about if I prepare a bath for you, then you can try them on?” “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll be waiting,” Fluttershy said. “Okay, I’d love to take my bath,” Thomas said. “That’s a good boy. Now come with me, darling. I’ll help you get your bath ready so we can get you all cleaned up and refreshed for tonight,” Rarity said. Thomas nodded and climbed onto her back, then Rarity trotted upstairs to Fluttershy’s bathroom. When they arrived, Rarity used her magic to turn on both the hot and cold water, and trotted over to the tub, then dipped her hoof into the water to check if it was warm enough. When it was at the right temperature, she allowed the water to fill up and levitated the special clothes for Thomas on a towel hanger. When Thomas put his clothes aside and got into the tub, Rarity turned off the faucet and then gave Thomas a sponged shower brush. “Alright, darling. I’ll be downstairs with Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy planning about tonight. When you’re done, dry off and your special outfit will be right there. I’ll see you shortly,” Rarity said, until she gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then left the room to allow Thomas to have in bath in private. When Rarity trotted back downstairs, she saw two plates full of eggs, bacon and hash browns, “You made us breakfast?” Fluttershy nodded, “I realized that you and Sweetie Belle were hungry, so I took the honors of cooking for you two.” “Thank you, darling. I suppose eggs and bacon ought to be enough,” Rarity said, as she sat down with her sister and they both ate their breakfast. When they were done, they saw Thomas in a new set of clothes. It consisted a charcoal grey hooded jacket, a royal blue shirt with dark blue rings, and a pair of bluish green cargo pants. He went to Rarity and gave her a hug, “Thank you for the clothes, Rarity. I love the special one, too!” Rarity was touched about his kindness, then felt her heart melt as she began to have tears in her eyes. She placed her right foreleg around his shoulder, then hugged him back, “You’re very welcome, darling. It’s always a pleasure to make you some new clothes for you.” Rarity leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek, then kissed the top of his head. “Can I put on the other one later?” Thomas asked. “Yes you may,” Rarity replied. “First, I need to do something at my boutique because I think we have enough time before we catch our train later this evening.” “Oh, I don’t mind,” Fluttershy said. “And Sweetie Belle, you and your friends are coming with,” Rarity said. Sweetie Belle hugged her sister and nuzzled her chest, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You’re the best sister ever!” Rarity lightly chuckled, then patted her head gently, “I know, darling. And you’re welcome. Alright, we should be going.” Fluttershy put Angel in charge of everything while she and Thomas were gone, then they all left the cottage. Meanwhile, at the train station, the entire community of Ponyville left for Canterlot to help decorate or get changed for the party, because they were invited by Twilight to help welcome their newest friend to Equestria. At the waiting dock, Twilight, along with Spike, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, were waiting for Fluttershy, Thomas, Rarity and Sweetie Belle to catch up so they could go together. “Girls, remember. Be nice around Thomas. He’s new here and he’s very shy, because I don’t want you to scare him. Do you understand?” Twilight asked. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Applejack told me, Big Mac and Granny Smith about him, and why he’s like that,” Apple Bloom replied. “Yeah, he maybe a scared little kid, but he’s got a strong heart. We’ll help keep him company,” Scootaloo said. She was a pegasus filly that had light orange fur, light purple eyes, and orchid purple mane and tail. “Thank you, girls. That’s very kind of you,” Twilight said. “Yoo-hoo!” a voice hollered, and Twilight, Spike, and two fillies saw the two mares, Sweetie Belle, and Thomas trotting over with their supplies. “Hello, darlings. We’re here on time,” Rarity said. She then levitated Thomas onto the ground so he could stretch his legs. “Thomas, do you wanna meet my friends? I think you’ll like them,” Sweetie Belle asked. “Sure, but could you be careful?” Thomas replied. “It’s gonna be okay, little guy. Here, you can ride my back,” Sweetie Belle said. After she lowered herself, Thomas climbed onto her back and the filly trotted over to her friends, “Thomas, these are my friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Girls, this is the human Fluttershy found. Meet Thomas.” “Hi, Thomas!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said in unison. “Hi, Apple Bloom. Hi, Scootaloo,” Thomas said. “You wanna know something cool about us?” Sweetie Belle asked, then Thomas nodded. “Together, we form... The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” they said in unison. “Wow... that’s cool,” Thomas said, until the fillies blushed. “It’s nice to meet ya, Thomas. Applejack told me about ya,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks, girls. Can I be friends with you?” Thomas said. “Of course you can!” Sweetie Belle replied. “We’ll make sure you have all the fun time you want!” Apple Bloom said. “And we’ll never leave your side,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks,” Thomas said, then he gave the three fillies a warm group hug. The three mares had warm smiles on their faces, until the train whistle blew and they saw the Friendship Express coming back, then Twilight took the tickets, including Thomas’s, out of her saddlebag and showed them to the conductor. “All aboard,” the conductor said. When they all got on the train, it left for Canterlot.