What I held in my hand was a godsend.
An item which makes every day amazing.
An Ipod Touch. 32GB, full with my style of music.
But today, this was the second apple I had which made the day better.
"This is...this is my Ipod. How on Earth did this get here?!" I was amazed that this ingenious device had made it to this world undamaged...with headphones as well! Well, I say undamaged but it has seen better days.
"An...Ipod? What does...what does it do?" Twilight asked.
"It plays music. Want to have a listen?"
"But...how? How can that tiny little thing produce music? It doesn't even remotely look like a musical instrument!"
"Well it..." I stopped mid-sentence considering something. How was I going to explain this? From all the time I've spent in this world, I've barely seen any technology at all. The only electronic piece of equipment I'd seen was the heart monitor in the hospital. Walking through Ponyville earlier, I didn't see anything electronic. No lights, no electricity pylons, no mobile phones...nothing. I don't have an extensive knowledge of how most technology works but I need to explain somehow. This was going to be difficult.
'Might as well start off with an obvious question' I thought. "I don't really know how to explain it because based on what I've seen, your world doesn't seem to have advanced technology like back on Earth. Do you have any form of technology here?"
"Technology does exist in Equestria but Ponyville doesn't have much of it. The only major pieces of technology in the town that I can think of are the machines I use in my laboratory in the basement...and...oh, there's a pony who owns a club. She produces music of her own with her DJ equipment. She makes a style of music called 'Dubstep' but I personally can't stand it."
"Oh I know the feeling. Dubstep is god awful." (Yeah I said it! Sue me!) We both chuckled at our shared hatred of the music from hell. "Mentioning that kind of helps. So you're familiar with how those machines work and function, right?" Twilight nodded. "Well, this device lets me store music on it and play it back through either these headphones here or through the speakers on the device itself."
I glanced over to Twilight who was scribbling down my words on a piece of paper. She finished quickly then began to eye the Ipod with interest. "Could you please show me how it works?"
"Sure, I'd be happy to. Now, let's see if it still works..." I held down the power button on the top and the Ipod came to life, lighting up showing the Apple logo. Twilight's gaze was transfixed on the screen as it powered up. The background image appeared on the screen which piqued Twilight's interest.
"Is that your home?"
"Yeah it is. Great view isn't it?" The picture was taken from my flat on the seafront. It overlooked the sea between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight on a beautuiful sunny day. "Beautiful day that was...right, so. You probably don't have this in Equestria. Press that orange square with your foot."
Twilight held her foot to my face. "Hoof." she stated.
"Sorry, hoof then."
She pressed the orange square with her hoof and it made the screen change into a list of all different names. Twilight did a double take at what happened. "How did...what...how did that happen?!"
"This is called touch-screen technology. Under the screen here, there are loads of tiny pressure sensors. When you press a specific part of the screen with your finger...or hoof...the sensors feel the pressure and activate, causing what you pressed to open up. What you pressed there opens up the music list. Now, what kind of music do you like?"
"Well, I love orchestral music. When I was younger, my parents used to take me to so many operas. I loved it!"
"Classical music? Okie-dokie, let's see what we have here..." I scrolled through the list, scanning the hundreds of songs I have before coming across a familiar classical piece. "Ahh, Moonlight Sonata. I'm not a fan of classical music but this piece really gets to me and I grew to love it over time." I pressed play and the opening piano chords of the piece began to play. Twilight sat down next to me and closed her eyes. She swayed her head back and forth slowly listening to the music play.
The piece finished and Twilight opened her eyes. "That was beautiful...a true masterpiece. What's the name of the composer?"
"His name was Ludwig van Beethoven. He was one of the greatest composers of all time. What was so amazing is that when he wrote this piece, he was completely deaf." Twilight looked at me like I had just told the lie of the century.
"Completely deaf? That's impossible! How could he compose such a moving piece of music being deaf?"
"I don't know for sure. That's what made him brilliant...want to hear another?" Twilight's rapid nodding was all the answer I needed. Finding another song that would match her liking would be difficult. I mean, I haven't got anymore classic...ah, of course! "Try this one. This is the ending to a piece called the William Tell Overture by a man called Gioachino Rossini. It's much different than the previous piece." I pressed play and the song played. Whenever I hear this song I always starting bobbing my head up and down to the tempo of it.
The piece ended and Twilight was smiling brightly. "That was much different than Beethoven. I loved it!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately, those are the only pieces of classical music I have so I can't show you any more. Want to hear some different music?" Twilight nodded at the question. Scrolling through, I located one of my favourite songs. "This song here is a pop-rock song. You know what that is right?" She nodded. "The group is called Maroon 5 and the song is called Moves Like Jagger." I pressed play and the whistling started.
The song ended after a few minutes and I was smiling away. Twilight noticed my expression. "I tell that that's a favourite of yours?"
"Absolutely. It's been out for a while but I never get sick of it."
"It is good. I can see why you like it. Actually, I wanted to ask. What are those purple things that were attached to it?"
I looked down at my lap and picked up the purple wires. "Ah. Now these are called headphones. You plug the metal end into the Ipod like...so. Then you put two buds on the other end into your ears." I put the buds in my ears to demonstrate. "Now when I play music, it's played through these headphones instead of the speakers on the Ipod."
Twilight was dumbfounded. "The music...comes out of the headphones...can I try it?" she asked with a puppy dog eyed face.
I tried to avert her gaze...but failed. "Ok, ok. Just stop with the look. Seriously, it's one of my major weaknesses. I suppose you could try but your ears are larger than mine and these aren't designed for pony ears...oh well. Let's try anyway." I managed to fit the buds in her ears and replayed the song that just played. As soon as the music started playing, Twilight's eyes lit up and she began to bob her head to the music. She pulled out the buds with her magic and placed them in my hands.
"That's amazing! Such a clever device. I'll need to listen to it more in the future." she said in a praising tone.
"Yeah, well, there might be a problem with that. This runs on a battery which will eventually run out of power."
"What if I use a spell on it to charge it with electricity. Would that work?"
'She's smart, this one.'
"Not a clue. Guess there's no harm in trying. Seeing as it's at half power now, might as well give it a go."
I put the Ipod on the floor. Twilight lowered her horn and it started to glow. A blue jolt of energy shot out of her horn and hit the Ipod. I picked it up to examine it. "Let's have a look here...it worked! Look, 100% power! You certainly know your stuff." I complimented her.
"Oh it was nothing. Just a simple spark spell." She looked at the clock with hung on my wall. "It's 1PM now. Are you hungry?"
My stomach growled in response. I looked down at it. "Aww, are you hungry?" I looked up to Twilight who was laughing. "Well then, I think that's a yes."
"Come on then, follow me." she happily commanded. I followed.
We both walked downstairs into the main lobby where Twilight instructed for me to sit on a cushion. She asked what I would like and she made way to her kitchen. The clattering of plates and cutlery was heard and soon after, she came out with two plates being held in her magic. Twilight had made herself a daisy sandwich while I had a LT sandwich. Twilight began savouring her sandwich, 'umming' and 'ahhing' at the deliciousness of it.
"Why didn't you want the daisy sandwich? They really are tasty." Twilight asked.
"I'm afraid I can't eat it. My digestive system can't digest flowers or hay - they'd just make me unwell. I'm more than happy with the lettuce and tomato sandwich I've got here."
"Umm...can I ask a question?" I nodded. "I noticed that you have sharp teeth. What are they for?"
I was hoping she didn't pick up on that. Explaining the concept of meat to her is going to be nasty. At least it'll finish nicely though.
"I suppose I can explain. Yes, those sharp teeth are called canines. They are used to tear apart tough food such as...meat." Twilight tilted her head in confusion. I sighed heavily. "Meat being......animals." Twilight dropped her sandwich and looked at me with a mix of shock and disgust.
"You mean to say that your kind eats animals? That's horrible!" she cried.
"Yes I know, it is horrible but that's how humans have adapted in life. Now, you don't need to worry about me eating meat as I'm just like you - I hate the idea of it. I'm completely vegetarian." This made Twilight calm down - A LOT.
"Phew, I was picturing the worst then. I'm very glad you don't eat animals."
"Me and you both."
We both finished our lunches and Twilight took the plates away to the kitchen and washed them. She walked back out and looked at me.
"I have to go into town to take care of a few things. Would you like to come with me?"
"Uhh..OK, why not."
"Great! Normally I have Spike take care of most of the errands but seeing as he's incapacitated by Rarity at the moment, I'll have to do them." she said with a hint of annoyance.
"Hmm, she said she wanted to see me again. That was only this morning though."
"She'd be more than happy to see you again. I could tell she had something big planned for you." she grinned.
"I don't know whether to be excited or scared about that."
Twilight walked towards the door and motioned for me to follow.
"Well, is it good or bad?" I asked. Twilight just smiled and walked out.
"Ohhh...this is gonna be just swell..." I muttered under my breath as the library was locked up.
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Twilight and I reached Carousel Boutique. Twilight mentioned that she had to go to the town hall to discuss a problem with the mayor so I had to go here myself. She gave me a spare key to the library in case I finished before her. I gingerly stepped towards the door and raised my fist.
Knock, knock, knock.
"One second!" a voice responded. It was female and it sounded like Rarity but it was a pitch higher. The door opened to reveal a small pony. A unicorn. It was white coloured and had a pink and purple mane. The tiny pony looked up to me. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique. How may...I..." Her voice shrank away as she looked into my eyes. Her mouth then dropped open as a sudden wave of realisation came to her. "IT'S THE MONSTER! EVERYPONY RUN!" She slammed the door in my face and a commotion was heard behind the door.
"Rarity! Spike! You have to run! The monster's here!"
"Whatever are you talking about Sweetie?"
The door opened slowly to reveal Rarity looking a bit nervous. As soon as she noticed it was me, her face lit up.
"Oh, it's you Owen. I'm sorry for my little sister giving you such a...warm entrance. Please come in."
I walked inside to find Spike being used as a mannequin. We both locked eyes and Spike's facial expression said 'You tell Twilight about this and I'll kill you'. Rarity motioned for me to follow her to her back room where piles of fabric lay strewn everywhere. One pile was shaking.
"Sweetie, please come out of there and meet our guest."
The unicorn levitated her younger sister out of the pile of fabric and plopped her on the floor next to me. Rarity stood over her. "Owen, this is my younger sister Sweetie Belle. Sweetie, this is Owen, the human." I crouched down towards Sweetie.
"It's nice to meet you and--" Before I could say another word, Sweetie dashed under my legs and out of the front door. "Was it something I said?" I joked.
"Ohhh, that sister of mine. I'm sorry for her acting that way but she's still a bit scared of you. Ever since she and her friends found you at the clubhouse."
"Found me? You mean, when I crashed here, I was found by your sister and her friends? Her being young, I can't imagine how frightening that must have been."
"She spent 3 nights having nightmares. Said that the monster was coming to get her. Don't worry though, she'll come round in time."
"OK, if you say so. Right, the reason I'm here. I believe you asked me to come back and help out with something?"
Rarity's face changed to a huge smile. "Oh yes, of course! I had this idea for a suit I could make for you. I've made the basic suit already but I would like you to suggest colour, patterns or embroidery to be added to it."
"A suit? That's awfully kind of you Rarity. I'll need to pay you back when I get the chance."
"Nonsense! I'll have nothing of the sort! You don't need to pay me back for anything, I'm happy to provide you with the clothing. Now...where is it?" Rarity went to her clothing pile and picked out a beige coloured suit. "Here it is. Now, could you please try it on for me?"
"Ok sure." I walked into another room to change. Putting the suit on, I felt how smooth the material was. It felt amazing and also familiar. Felt almost like...no way. I walked out of the room towards the unicorn.
"Rarity?" She looked at me and smiled that I was wearing the suit. "It fits like a glove, thank you so much but I have a question. This material, is it...cashmere?" I asked with a hint of shock.
Rarity nodded in confirmation. "Indeed it is. The finest cashmere wool in Equestria."
I stared at her with my mouth agape. "I can't take this! This suit must have cost a fortune to make!"
"A fortune? Not at all! Cashmere wool is very easy to come by. Don't you like it?" she asked with a hint of worry.
"What? I love it! It's just that back on Earth, cashmere suits cost so much money. I mean...a fortune! It's one of the finest materials money can buy."
Rarity looked me over, admiring how the suit fit me. "I can see that the measurements are near perfect. I just need to shorten the waist by 1 inch and it'd be perfect. Now, is there any modifcations you'd like to make?"
Rarity looked very eager to await my answer. I looked at myself in the mirror, noticing how good I looked and how great the suit looked.
"Nope. This suit is perfect." Rarity looked a bit disappointed that I didn't want any changes. I noticed her down look so I looked for anything that could make this suit better. "Actually, could you put some cufflinks on the sleeves here? Just so it tightens the material around my wrist."
"Of course! Would you like the cufflinks to have a gem in them?"
"A gem? A real gem?" Rarity nodded. "Hmm...to go with beige...something light coloured...how about something yellow maybe?"
"Something yellow, something yellow....AH! How about this citrine?" She lifted a giant yellow gem, gleaming with light. It looked amazing.
"That'll be perfect." I replied.
I quickly changed out of the suit, back into my original clothes and handed the suit to Rarity. I sat down on a sofa where Spike was sitting eating handfuls of...what...yes they were! Handfuls of gems!
"Spike! How are you eating them?" I asked.
"Easy! Like this." With that, he lifted a giant red gem and crunched down on it, taking a huge chunk of it. "I suppose Twilight never explained. I eat gems as part of a nutrional diet...at least that's what Twilight says." He went back to shovelling gem after gem into his mouth.
Rarity called me back into her 'creation room' and showed me the finished product. The cufflinks were secured and both had a piece of citrine attached. "Thanks for this Rarity, really."
"Not a problem at all my dear. If you ever need another suit, just come and--"
*RING RING*
The ringing of the bell above the door interrupted her sentence. "Just a moment!" she said in a sing song voice. Rarity walked out of the room to the front desk. I listened in. "Oh hello darling! How are you today?" she asked.
A very quiet feminine voice responded. I could just make out her words. "Oh..um, hello Rarity. I was wondering if I could...um, ask for a dress to be made...if that's ok."
"Of course Fluttershy! What kind of dress--"
"Fluttershy?!"
I heard an 'eep!' before I got up and walked into the reception area. There, in front of Rarity, was a Pegasus pony...well...a curled up Pegasus. She was yellow in colour and had a pink mane and tail. A trio of butterflies was her cutie mark. Her face was hidden behind her hooves as she curled up in a ball.
"Did you say Fluttershy?!" I asked
Rarity looked at Fluttershy, shook her head, then looked back at me. "Don't worry about her, you just spooked her." Rarity walked over to Fluttershy and put her hoof on her head. "It's OK Fluttershy. Be nice and greet my guest." she said in a motherly tone.
Fluttershy shifted her hooves to reveal her eyes...two huge teal eyes. She looked up at me and gasped as she realised who I was. I approached her slowly and crouched down to meet her eyes. We locked gazes before I spoke up.
"I don't know how to put this into words so I'll just say this....thank you for saving my life."
"I..I did?"
"Yes, you did. The doctor said that if I hadn't been brought to the hospital by you, I wouldn't have survived. I..." My eyes started to water. "I...I can't thank you enough Fluttershy. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, please tell me." I quickly pulled her into a hug and squeezed hard.
"Oh...well...it was nothing, really. I did what I thought was right."
I let her go and stood up. Fluttershy was looking me over - a puzzled expression masked her face. "Is something the matter?" I asked.
"It's just...when I found you, most of your body was bending the other way and you were bleeding. How have you healed so fast?"
"The doctor used a healing spell on me which repaired the broken bones. I got some battle scars out of it though!" I said, pointing to my face and hands which had a few scuffs and scrapes. Fluttershy's face scrunched up and she looked like she was going to cry. "Are you okay?"
"Yes...I'm fine...um...Rarity, I have to go. I'll come back later. OK bye!" she exclaimed, running out of the boutique.
"What was that about? Was she alright?"
"Oh, don't worry darling. She's normally like that. Her name says it all really."
"I suppose so. Well then, I think I'll return to the library. Once again Rarity, thanks so much for the suit." I got up to walk away but a pain in my foot reminded me of something. "Ah, actually Rarity, I hate to ask but could please make something else for me?"
"Something else? Of course. What would you like made darling?"
"Well, since leaving the hospital I've been walking around in my socks. I was wondering if you could make some shoes for me. Nothing too extravagant, just something to cover my feet whilst I'm outside."
"Shoes? No problem. Let me just measure your feet." Rarity picked up a tape measure with her magic and held it against my foot, measuring the length, width and height of them.
"OK! That shouldn't be a problem."
"Thanks again Rarity. I'll see ya later!" I said with a smile. Rarity returned the smile and with that, I exited the boutique and began the walk back to the library. It was nearing 3PM and many ponies were out and about doing their own thing. A couple still gave me the odd stare but most greeted me happily. I was walking along and admiring the town when I walked straight into another pony. "OW! Oh, I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you ok?"
This pony was much bigger than all of the others I has seen. Red in colour, it sported a yoke around it's neck and a large green apple was aside his flank. It was also chewing on a piece of grass.
"Eeyup." he replied and walked off like nothing happened.
'Huh...what's his beef?' I thought, immediately regretting it on the mentioning of beef. I mentally facepalmed and continued my walk. Reaching the library, I took out the key and opened the door. Closing the door behind me, the library was quiet...dead quiet. I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water before sitting down on a cushion with a copy of a Daring Do book.
Reading away, the sound of flapping wings and a thud interrupted my concentration. Looking up, I see that a small brown owl has flown in through the window and perched itself on top of the bookcase. I locked gazes with it and it stared me down. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to reading.
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5 times the bell in the clock sounded. I hadn't noticed the time fly by since I was immersed in the book. Twilight entered shortly after along with Spike.
"Hello Owen. How was your afternoon?" Twilight asked.
"Oh it was great. I spent most of it at Rarity's." I glanced at Spike and started to snigger. "You should have seen--"
Spike shot daggers at me. I had to think of a diversion.
"...this! Rarity made this suit for me." I held up the beige suit against my body.
"It looks wonderful! I told you Rarity was the best. But...what was so funny?"
"Oh...um...doesn't matter. Just thinking of something."
I looked around the room to avoid making eye contact with Twilight.
"Uh-huh, OK."
"I also met Fluttershy as well. I must admit, the name definetely fits the bill doesn't it?"
"Indeed it does. How was she anyway?"
"I never found out. I heard her come in and she mentioned a dress order to Rarity. Then I came out to see her and I think I spooked her because once I thanked her for saving my life, she spoke really fast then ran out of the building. Is um...is that normal for her?"
"It's just because you're new...or different...or both. I wouldn't worry about it to be honest, she'll come around in time."
Twilight walked upstairs to her room and closed the door behind her. Spike grabbed a book off the shelves and sat on a cushion to read.
"Hey Spike? An owl came in her earlier and perched itself up there." I motioned towards the bookshelf.
"Oh that's just Owlowiscious. It's Twilight's pet."
"Ah, fair enough."
"Oh and by the way, thanks for not mentioning the whole 'dress' thing to Twilight. I'd never hear the end of it..."
"No problem man. Don't you worry, I'll keep my mouth shut."
Twilight descended from her room and looked at me with a facial expression that said 'Hey, I've got a great idea!'.
"Hey, I've got a great idea!"
'I bloody knew it'
"Seeing as you've met all but one of my closest friends in one day, would you like to go and meet the last one?"
"That's a pretty good idea. Might as well go for the full house."
"OK then. Let's be off." Twilight, Spike and I walked out of the library and started walking away from Ponyville.
"Hey Twilight? I've noticed that we're walking away from the town."
"That's right. We're heading to Sweet Apple Acres to meet the Apple family. Their farm is on the outskirts of the town."
I remember the apple I ate this morning for breakfast. "Sweet Apple Acres? The nurse told me that's where the apple I had for breakfast this morning came from. It was delicious! One of the best apples I've ever had!"
"Well of course. The farm is world-renowned for having the best apples in all of Equestria. I can take it from your reaction that the reputation lives to it's name?
"Absolutely!"
We reached the edge of town and all that was ahead was a dirt path through trees. The sun was setting and the sky was a burnt orange. Looking over at Twilight, I notice that Spike has climbed on her back and fallen asleep which makes me laugh. Walking down the path, the trees eventually became packed with apples. Hundreds of trees as far as the eye could see, all with apples growing on them. In the distance, a red building came into view. Walking closer, I saw that the building was a small farm house - like one you'd see in an old western film. Twilight walked up to the house and knocked the door twice. The door opened to reveal a small yellow pony wearing a pink bow in it's red mane.
"Howdy Twilight! Come on in." Twilight walks into the house and I walk up the stairs to the house before the pony gasps at me. "You! You're the...the..."
"It's OK, it's alright. I'm not a monster." I crouched down cautiously so I wouldn't scare her. "My name is Owen. Judging by your reaction, I reckon you're a friend of Sweetie Belle's am I right?" This caused the pony to calm down a bit.
"Yeah, I am. Name's Apple Bloom." she said nervously. Twilight walks over to Apple Bloom and taps her head with her hoof.
"It's OK Apple Bloom, he won't bite. He's really friendly." I stand back up and walk into the house. The house had a rustic charm to it and it smelt of apples. I walked over to the sofa where Twilight was and sat next to her. Spike had been put on a chair next to the front door. Apple Bloom walks over to the kitchen door and knocks on it.
"Granny! We've got visitors!"
"Just a moment." a voice replies.
The door opens to reveal an elderly pony. Her fur was an olive green and her mane and tail were as white as snow. She wore a hankerchief around her neck which had an apple decoration on it. Her cutie mark was a pie. I'll give you three guesses to what flavour that pie was. No, go on, seriously...guess. She walked over to us slowly but surely.
"Well hello Twilight. Glad to see you again....and who is this?"
"This is Owen, he's a human from another world."
I expected her to be shocked. Scream maybe. But she just smiled at me and eyed me over. "Glad to meet ya sonny. Always nice to meet new ponies. If you need me, I'll be taking my nap on the porch." She walked out of the front door and sat on a rocking chair, immediately starting to snore.
I chuckled at what just happened. "Haha...reminds me of my grandmother. She was always like that. Strange that she didn't get freaked out by me being different." Apple Bloom was first to speak up.
"She thought you were a pony. Probably why she didn't react. Best keep it that way I guess."
"Yeah, suppose you're right."
The three of us chatted for a bit before we heard footsteps approaching...hoofsteps...whatever. A large red pony walked in covered in dirt. I recognised him immediately and got his attention.
"It's you! The pony I bumped into earlier."
He turned and stared at me. He walked over slowly and held out his hoof. "Name's Big Macintosh. Jus' call me Mac." I clenched my fist and bumped it against his.
"Name's Owen. Once again, sorry for walking into you earlier."
"S'alright. Hey Twilight."
"Hi Mac. You look like you've had a rough day."
"Eeyup." Mac walked upstairs into a room and shut the door behind him.
"He's a bit distant isn't he?" I asked.
"That's Mac for ya. He's a great big brother."
"Oh so he's your brother. Yeah, he seems nice."
"What in tarnation is that?!" a voice came from the doorway. I turned to see an orange pony standing there with a look of confusion on her face. She had a yellow mane and tail and her mane was tied up into a ponytail. Her cutie mark was a trio of apples. She also sported a stetson hat. Twilight jumped to my defense.
"Applejack, this is Owen. You know, the human I told you about?"
I stood up and Applejack walked over to me and around me, looking me all over. Her facial expression never changed which worried me slightly thinking she was going to get angry or something. Walking around to my front, she looked up at me and smiled.
"Well howdy Owen, it's a pleasure!" She tipped her hat at me and took my hand and shook it vigorously.
"It's nice to meet you too."
"Twi told me about you and I must say, she was right. You are something else!"
"Err, thanks...I guess?"
"No problem. I see you've met the rest of the Apple clan."
"Yeah I have, you've got a great family. A lovely grandmother, a great brother--"
"And a great little sister too!" Apple Bloom interrupted.
"Yes, a great little sister as well." I said smiling at Apple Bloom.
"Aw shucks, you're too kind. We've got dinner set up in the barn, do you fancy joining us?" Applejack asked.
"Sure. Sounds great! As long as I can have another one of those apples, I'd be more than happy too."
"Ahh, you've sampled the Apple family apples, eh? What do you think?"
"In all honest opinion, it was one of the greatest things I've ever eaten!" I said with a huge grin.
"Well, you haven't tried nothing yet!"
Twilight, Spike, Apple Bloom, Applejack and myself walked out of the house and through the orchard. There were so many trees...so many apples. Walking for about 10 minutes, we came across a huge red barn. Applejack grabbed Twilight and quickly ran ahead.
"Just need to check something guys! Meet us up ahead!" They both ran off laughing and went into the barn, shutting the door behind them.
"Wonder what that's about..." I spoke out loud. Both Spike and Apple Bloom shrugged. Reaching the barn, I grabbed the door handle and opened the door. Walking in, it was dark...too dark. Spike and Apple Bloom walked in behind me and shut the door, making it pitch black. "Hey, what gives? I can't see a thing." I called out.
"Oh, there's a reason for that." Spike's voice said from somewhere.
"Really? What would you want to do--"
"SURPRISE!"
"AHH! OH MY GOD!" I screamed as the lights came on and a blur of pink appeared before me, shouting away. I immediately jumped back and fell onto my back with an audible thud. Laughs were heard all around as Pinkie's face came into view.
"HI! Did I scare you? Did I? DID I?"
"YES! Yes you did! Nearly gave me a heart attack. Ugh...wha?" I yelped as I was levitated in the air by a magical force. Twilight set me down on my feet. Looking around, I marvelled at what was before me. Pinkie beat me to it though.
"It's your 'Welcome To Equestria' party! I had to throw a party for you as you're new here and everypony new gets a party!" she stated. "Do you like it?"
I glanced around. Across the support beams of the barn was a banner that read 'Welcome To Equestria'. Streamers were flung everywhere. I looked around to see that everybody I had met that day was here. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack were looking at me smiling waiting for me to respond. Seeing all the trouble that these ponies had gone through for me hit me hard. I started to tear up, seeing how nice they were all being. Pinkie noticed my teary disposition.
"What's wrong? Is it too much?" she asked.
"No, it's perfect. It's just...nobody has ever been this nice to me and you've only known me for a day. I...I've never had a party thrown for me before...ever."
"What? Never? Didn't your parents ever throw one for your birthday?" Rainbow asked.
That word...parents. Memories flooded back to me...memories of my foster families, how they never did anything like this. How I never had friends to celebrate with. "No...no they didn't." I mumbled.
"Why not?! Everypony deserves a party!" Pinkie quipped.
"I'll tell you another time. Not exactly a happy subject." Silence filled the room. It needed to end, this was a party for goodness sake! "Never mind about that, let's enjoy the party!" I said with a defiant tone.
"That's more like it! Come on over here and try some of the Apple family treats!" Applejack asked.
I walked over to a table at the rear of the barn. The table was full of all kinds of sweets and pastries. Muffins, cupcakes, pies...apple crumble! My favourite! I picked up one of the cupcakes and examined it. It was engulfed in pink frosting and had loads of sweets decorating it. Pinkie looked at me, waiting for me to take a bite, which I did.
"Mmm, very sweet. Tastes great!" The sweetness was overpowering but delicious at the same time. Everybody made me try many more of the treats they had supplied for the party. A knock at the barn door was heard.
"Come on in everypony!" Pinkie shouted.
The barn door swung open to reveal about 15 more ponies. They all walked in and introduced themselves to me. Some of the names I caught were Carrot Top, Bon Bon and Time Turner. Talking to the various ponies that had just walked in, a large cart was being wheeled in by a white unicorn. The cart held the biggest speakers I had ever seen, along with a turntable. 'This must be the DJ that Twilight mentioned.' I thought.
The unicorn began setting up the equipment. I walked over to the turntable and examined the pony behind it. A unicorn with a two-tone blue mane and tail. Her mane looked like she had been electrocuted. Her cutie mark was a musical note. She adorned a pair of purple tinted glasses. She noticed me looking at her and introduced herself.
"Hey man, nice to meet you at last. Name's Vinyl Scratch - stage name is DJ PON-3!"
I hoofbumped her. "Nice to meet you too. My name is Owen. I was told about you by Twilight, she told me you're a DJ and you produce your own music?"
"That's right! My music is ace! Pinkie asked me to play at this party and I can't say no to a party!"
"That's pretty sweet. Can't wait to hear it!"
I walked away and noticed Fluttershy in the corner of the barn, sitting down with a cup of punch. I walked over to her and got her attention. "Hey Fluttershy, you ok?"
She startled at my voice but answered. "Oh, hi Owen. I'm fine thank you...um...sorry for running away earlier. It's just I remembered I needed to do something and--"
I raised my hand to stop her. "It's no problem. Rarity mentioned that you were busy so I don't mind. Enjoy the party, OK?" She nodded at me and walked off to talk to Rainbow.
Music started to play. It was a soft rock song which sounded like a song from Queen. The music was set at a moderate volume so it didn't drown out everybody's speech.
The clock on the barn door hit 10PM. Spike and Apple Bloom had left the party to go to bed. Most ponies had left the party after wearing themselves out dancing to the music that Vinyl produced. The music had changed into dance/techno. This was more like a party now. Twilight and friends were still here and were sitting in a circle talking and laughing. I walked over to the refreshment table to see that it had been decimated. Only a few nibbles and scraps remained and plastic cups were strewn everywhere. I walked over to the wall and sat on a stuck out block of wood. The block then opened and I fell down. The block was in fact a basement hatch. I fell down the steps and landed on my arse.
"Sugarcube! Are you alright?" Applejack asked.
"Yep, I'm fine. Nothing hurt but my pride..."
Applejack descended and extended her hoof which I gladly took to haul myself up. She turned on the light and the room lit up to show bottle upon bottle upon bottle of liquid. "What is this place?" I ask.
"This is the Apple family cider cellar. We use it to store our cider for when it's time to sell. We also have lots of other types of alcohol. Feel free to look."
Alcohol. Sweet alcohol. I would have never thought in a place like this that strong spirits would exist. I pull down a variety of bottles and look at the labels. Many types of vodka, gin, rum, beer and cider. Applejack cleared her throat and I looked at her. She wore a devilish grin...another idea.
"I've got an idea."
'I'm getting good at that.'
"How about we all have a drink. A proper drink, I mean."
"Uhh...OK sure. Not too many though, I've never been drunk before."
Applejack's face was of pure shock. "You've...never been drunk before? Oh sugarcube, I really wish you hadn't told me that..." She walked back upstairs with a crate of bottles. This couldn't end well.
I walked back up to see Applejack pouring out neat spirits into plastic cups and passing them out to her friends. "Right everypony. This is a party and we need to have more fun. We're gonna have us a little drinking game." she said with a grin. Everyone looked eager to drink...except one.
"Ohh...I don't know Applejack...I'm not a drinker..." Fluttershy weakly said.
"Oh come on Fluttershy! Drinking is awesome! I bet I could drink more than any of you...especially you AJ!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Oh really partner? I'd like to see you try!" she retorted.
With that, we all downed the neat spirits, immediately coughing at the strength of it. Even Fluttershy downed hers - good on ya girl! Applejack picked up the bottle and began re-filling.
*5 drinkshhh later...*
Everyone was wobbling a bit. The alcohol finally getting to us. Twilight got up and looked a bit dizzy. "Right everypony, I'm going to have to call it a night. I'm feeling a bit dizzy...ugh..." Twilight immediately fell down onto a pile of hay and began to snore. All of us snorted and laughed loudly. Looking around, Rainbow and Applejack were downing cup after cup of vodka, both of them not admitting defeat.
I looked around to see that it was only myself, the main 6 and Vinyl that were still here. I looked at the table and saw that there were 12 plastic cups un-used, just sitting there. Memories of a certain competition down the local pub sprung to mind and I had an amazing idea. I hauled myself off the floor, wobbling slightly. I wasn't drunk...well ok, maybe a little. I cleared the table of the scraps of food and put 6 cups at each end of the table in a pyramid formation. Turning to the girls, I spoke up.
"Hey! Do you want to play a fun game?" They all cheered in approval - bar Twilight.
"OK. One question, do you have ping pong here?" Pinkie nodded. "OK, have you got a ping pong ball I could borrow?" Pinkie pulled a ping pong ball out of the floor...somehow...and gave it to me.
"Right. Everybody come to the table. Now, you're all familiar with ping pong, right?" They all nodded in agreement.
"Alright...what about Beer Pong?"
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Pain...
More pain...
"Uhhh..." The sun shone through the window right into my face. I sat upright and waves of pain shot through my head. "Argh...what the hell..." I looked down at myself to see that I was still dressed in yesterday's clothes. I tried to remember what I did yesterday evening.
*BOOM BOOM BOOM*
The sound of loud thuds started getting louder and louder. Covering my ears to mask the sound, I buried my head in my lap. The door opened to reveal Twilight looking at me, trying not to laugh.
"Morning sleepyhead. How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Ugh...not good...what time is it?"
"It's 6AM. I have to go and help AJ at the farm since Mac still can't buck trees."
I coughed loudly then looked at Twilight. "What happened to me last night?"
"Do you really want to know?" I nodded. "Well, it started when I tried to feign dizziness..."