//------------------------------// // Party Like It’s Not Your Birthday // Story: Glamrock Takes Equestria! // by Kibat Grenbuku //------------------------------// As Shining Armor, Candence, Twilight, Spike, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Glamrock walk through Downtown Ponyville, the lavender unicorn smiles down at him motherly, see the colt being talkative to a group of friends he can be dependable and hang out with. “I can see somepony’s moving about and talking a lot more than last time since you got here.” Twilight remarks to the colt. Glamrock looked behind him to look at Twilight for a moment and smiles. “I guess it’s because I’m in a world talking ponies and dragons exists.” He suddenly tripped himself up and fell face first. Twilight’s motherly instincts kicked in and checked on him, “Glamrock! Sweetheart, are you okay?!” He giggled a little as he got up, dirt on his face, “I’m okay Twilight!” She sighs in relief and helps wipes off the dirt from the colt’s cheek, from behind her, both her former foalsitter and brother started to laugh a little too. “Don’t worry Twilight,” Cadance says to her, “Once he get better balance at walking and running, he won’t trip and fall as much.” Twilight give the Princess of Love a smile and a nod, of which Glamrock also chuckles a little. The colt looks at the the two of the three Crusaders, Sweetie Belle in particular, she’s been kind and caring for him ever since he got here yesterday, he wanted to give her something in return. That’s when he began to concoct an idea. “Miss Twilight?” Glamrock asked politely. The lavender unicorn looked at him. “Yes Glamrock?” She responds. “I-Is there a flower shop here in Ponyville? I want to get some for someo- I-I mean, somepony special.” He had to correct himself at that last sentence, of course, if he’s going to stay here, he might as well try to fit in to their culture. His guardian just giggled at his mistake and then says, “You don’t have to speak like we do Glamrock. If you’re not ready or comfortable with how we speak, just take your time.” Glamrock was relieved, “Besides, I am interested as to how your lingos work. As for a flower shop, I am sure that there is one around here. Say BBBFF, didn’t you say that you sent a letter to a shop that sell the best flowers in Ponyville?” The white unicorn stallion nods, “I’m sure that I did, in fact, if I recall correctly, I think that place is still open even to this day.” “I know where that is.” Cadence explains to the group, “‘Gardener’s Paradise,’ it’s about a couple of blocks from the Carousel Boutique. I can take Glamrock there if you like Twilight,” she leans over and then whispers into her ear, “I’ll keep him occupied while you get the party for him ready.” The lavender pony’s eyes widened at first, but then letting the hint sink in as she see her former foalsitter wink at her with her left eye, she winks back with her opposite eye. “Sounds like a plan Cadance,” Twilight says turning her attention to the colt, “and besides, I think Glamrock wouldn’t mind being the Princess of Love’s bodyguard for a day. What do you think Glamrock?” He gave it some thought about it, a bodyguard for the Princess? Considering that Shining Armor is captain of the guard during one of their conversations on their way to the library, but then again, it would be a good opportunity to learn from his guardian’s brother as to how he keep Equestria safe! “Sir Glamrock Superstar,” he gave a salute to the captain, “Reporting for duty Captain!” Shining chuckles as he gave a salute in return, and says, “At ease soldier. Let’s get our Princess to the flower shop.” “Lead the way captain!” He says as he stood at attention and the three went on their way. “Great!” Twilight whispers to the Crusaders cheerfully, “While they are heading to the flower shop, let’s get to the library and finish up with the decorations for the party.” As the pair walked to the shop, Glamrock was still in awe as he looked around the town, from one side there was some tent set up markets, selling rugs, necklaces, and interesting knickknacks. On the other side, there some refreshments like lemonade and homemade milkshakes, which is to be expected, but quite exciting to see. Another building that caught his attention was the buildings, there was a spa, a café… a bowling alley?! They have bowling here?! he asked himself in thought, How do they even fit their hooves in the finger holes?! He turned around excitedly and ask as to how they even had a bowling alley, but noticed that Cadance was slowing down with Shining Armor checking up on her, this made the young colt concerned. “Is she okay Shining?” He asked his captain. The white stallion heard the question and looked at the colt. “Don’t worry kiddo,” he chuckles as ruffling Glamrock’s mane, “Cadance is alright, she’s just having a little problem with her package.” The colt was confused at first, but from a little pointing from the captain’s hoof at the pink alicorn’s belly, this ultimately raised the colt’s brows and pieced it together. During his time as a human and before the lockdown, there was a woman with a belly bigger than Cadance’s is. “Wait… YOU’RE PREG-MMPH?!?” His muzzle was quickly covered by Shining’s hoof as the older male chuckles again. “Yes,” he answers, “But we can’t let anypony know about that yet. This is a secret that only you, me, and Cadance know, okay?” The colt nods in response as Shining slowly removing his hoof off his recruit’s mouth. “You mean Twilight and the others haven’t been told yet?” Glamrock asked him to which the captain nods yes. “We’re saving this as a surprise,” Shining explains to the colt, “in around a couple of months, that’s when Cadance and I will break the news.” Glamrock couldn’t help but giggle at the sight when once Twilight gets the news that she’s going to be an aunt, squealing like a school girl and trotting in place. “Miss Twilight’s going to be in a when she finds out.” Glamrock remarks to the couple, earning them a chuckle of their own. Upon reaching to the flower shop, Shining opens the door for Cadance and Glamrock. Upon entering in, Glamrock could smell many different aromas from many flowers, roses, tulips, daisies, and lavenders. As he searches for some flowers, he could only think of the colors of Sweetie Belle, her white coat, her pink and light purple mane and her beautiful green eyes. I-Is this what’s like to have a crush on someone? he questions himself in thought, I-I mean, you’re suppose to be in love when you’re older, right? “Hey you!” A voice calls to him, almost accusingly in tone. Whipping his head around and sees a very angry duo of a grey and pink filly earth ponies, charge trotting towarding. The pink filly yelled at Glamrock, “You do you think you are, messing up my mane and tiara?! This tiara cost almost a thousand bits to have it clean and have those scratches buffed out!” Glamrock looked at the silver jewelry on top of Diamond Tiara’s head, then he says, “Oh, that was you that I passed by?” “Do you know who I am?!” “Uh, no,” He answers in a confused tone, “But I have a feeling you’re about to.” Tiara harrumphed as she says, “I am Diamond Tiara, and I am a royal here in Ponyville, so are my mommy and daddy, and you, Blank Flank, have nearly costed my tiara to be ruined, and I demand an apology!” Glamrock went wide eyed for a moment, then confusion returned to him from the name Diamond gave him, “Um, my name is actually Glamrock Superstar, if you’re looking for whoever this Blank Flank guy, I don’t think you’ll find him here.” The duo looked at each other, then at Glamrock and began to laugh at him, leaving the messy brown maned colt even more puzzled. Silver Spoon then says, “Boy, are you stupid?” “Blank minded like his flanks are.” Diamond teased him. Looking at his own flanks, he then puts two and two together. They must be talking about the Cutie Marks. Are they really that important in Equestria? he asks himself in thought. “So, listen up, and listen up good, if you ever, ever try to embarrass me in front everypony again, I will do terrible, horrible things to you. Are we clear?” Glamrock was yanked a little when Diamond grabbed the collar of his jacket. He nervously nodded and said, “C-crystal.” She scoffs and let him go, “Good. Now get out of my sight.” The colt does so with flowers on hoof and mutters to himself quietly, the duo didn’t even bother hearing what he said. As he gone back out of the flower shop, Shining and Cadance were waiting for him. “Hey, everything went okay in there?” Shining asked the colt, noticing a troubling look on his face. “Um, yeah, it’s all good.” Glamrock said with confidence, “Let’s head back.” Shining and Cadance knew something that happened in the flower shop, so Cadance’s mother instincts kicked in and asked Glamrock, very kindly, “Honey? I know something’s going on. What happened?” The colt, looked at the flowers for a moment, then he sighs and explained about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon threatening him. Cadance sighs in frustration and then asked Shining, “Shiny, please notify Spoiled Rich about what Diamond and Silver were doing and tell her that this is a warning from Princess Candance, ‘Should her child would do anything like that again, I won’t hesitate to put her into community services.’” “Understood.” He salutes and then looked at Glamrock, “I’ll catch up with you kiddo, for now, I need you to escort her to the Golden Oaks Library, can you do that?” Glamrock then piped up, and gave him a salute and a nod. “Dismissed.” So, the duo of the Princess and colt went on their way. “Hey Miss Cadance?” Glamrock asked the Princess, “While I was in the flower shop, Diamond Tiara called me a blank flank. I get that I lack a Cutie Mark, but why go bullying others about that?” She sighs sadly and explains, “To be completely honest, a lot of nobles who think highly about themselves, they looked at ponies with no Cutie Marks with no regards for them whatsoever. It’s sad really.” Glamrock nods in agreement, knowing now what the CMC had to go through with such bullying from Diamond and Silver, but he knows he’s going to help them change that… not today perhaps, but someday. Golden Oaks Library As they they came across the Golden Oaks Library, Glamrock stood to the side and stood at attention. “Such a gentlecolt,” Cadance giggled and the gestures for him to go in as she then says, “Glamrock, I think it would be best if you check if the coast is clear from the inside.” He looked at the door at first, then back at the Princess. Now getting hint, he gave her a wink, thinking he knows what could go wrong. Opening the door, he notices that the room was quite dark. “Twilight, we’re back! Are you in here?” he called out, no response came back, “Where’s that light switch?” Just as he said that, the lights came on and Sam was greeted by a lot of ponies looking at him with happy faces. Surprise!” they all shouted, this scared Glamrock so much he actually screamed in fright, but as he looked around, he realized that we’re decor around the library. “W-what’s going on here?” “Silly Glammy!” A familiar voice says through the crowd, Pinkie pronked to as she further added, “It’s your ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ Party!” She then proceeded to grab and hug him like a plush toy. “Ack! P-Pinkie! C-can’t… Breathe!” He gasps as he tries to get some air, kicking his hind legs. Pinkie realizing she’s squeezing him, she let him go, unintentionally dropping him with a thud. Glamrock got back on his hoof, finally getting oxygen back into his lungs. “Sorry,” Pinkie says rubbing the back of her head, “I kinda get excited when it comes to parties, hehehe.” Glamrock returns a chuckle, “I-it’s okay.” And so, the party had started. Glamrock and the Crusaders were having the time of their lives, dancing and laughing. At the party tables, Twilight was keeping an eye on the foals, especially Glamrock. Ever since she taken care of the colt, she couldn’t help, but be responsible for Glamrock being here in the first place. “Thought I’d find you here.” Cadance’s voice caught her attention, seeing her former foalsitter sitting next to her, looking at Glamrock, “That little colt… he’s been through a lot from what you’ve told me in your letters.” Twilight nods and explains, “It’s just… when I saw his memories… when he made that jump off of that building… I felt like I was there… and I couldn’t do anything about it.” She couldn’t shake off that memory ever since Glamrock came into their world. “He even told me that he never knew his parents. He went as far as to doubt that he’s a very nice foal. I can’t help feel like I was responsible for this Cadance… I want to help him, but how?” The Princess of Love could only sigh and say, “Well Ladybug, I could tell you this: he’s needs somepony to take care of him. He needs a family to love him. I think… I think you should raise him.” “M-me?!” Twilight asked as she looked at her former foalsitter in shock, thankfully, everypony was too distracted to even know what the conversation is about. Cadance gave her a nod. “From the letters you’ve written to me and Shiny, from how you described how he came here, he sees you as his guardian. I think you should be more than his guardian. I can’t think of anypony but you to raise him as your own. Plus, if it weren’t for you bring him back to life, he would’ve gone to a much darker place.” Twilight’s eyes then looked back at Glamrock again. Would it be possible? A mare unicorn raising a formerly human boy now a earth pony colt? Sure, some ponies wouldn’t mind, but would the other Princesses and her parents accept this? Her parents… how are they going to react to seeing him? Having question after question popping in her kind made her all the more scared for the colt… he needs somepony yes, but she can’t leave him with somepony else. “Twilight?” Cadance asked her, “Are you alright?” Twilight, snapping back into reality, looks for assistant and found him next to the colt dancing. “Spike!” She calls for the baby dragon, which got his attention, “Would you come with me for a second?” He looks back at Glamrock, telling him he’ll be right back and went to Twilight. “Hey, what’s up?” He asked her, he then notices a nervous look on her face, “Is everything okay Twilight?” “Spike…” she bit her lower lip for what she’s going to ask may change her life for better or worse, “How would you feel... if we had added Glamrock... as part of the family?” “You mean, like a brother?” Spike asked her, she nods as both of them looked back at the colt. “Well,” he says with a smirk, “He hasn’t done anything, other than hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders most of the time. Nothing seems to be wrong with him, except for his hard life. Why do you ask?” “Well, I’m thinking about introducing him to the Princesses, and my parents,” Twilight explains. “But, I need a little more support on this before I make this decision.” “Wait… we’re asking me that, because you want to adopt him?” Spike asked her with a raised brow. Twilight nodded and said, “A foal needs a loving mother Spike, and I can’t give up on him. His human parents may have left him behind, but I’m not going to make that mistake.” She walks off to the side as she could see that Glamrock and the Crusaders were off the dance floor to take a break, giggling and smiling. “Man, I don’t remember having this much fun back at the Pizzaplex.” The colt remarks to the Crusaders. “Heh, that makes two of us.” Applebloom agreed. Twilight came up to the group and says to the colt, “Glamrock? Would you come outside with me for a moment?” The colt looks confused, but he did as he was asked and they walked outside, standing by the front door. She took a deep breath and began to speak, “Glamrock, I know this is really sudden, but I want to ask you something really important and it’s okay that you don’t have to answer this now.” “What is it Twilight?” The young colt asked her, he cocked an eyebrow. She took a deep breath and then proceeds to ask her question, “How would you feel if we let you stay here until we can get an adopted family?” This question confused the colt. “Why do you ask?” “Well, I figured that once you’ve recovered from the trauma you’ve encounter back on your world, we can find you a good family and home you can reside in.” She then explains to him further, “I’m only asking because, well… I just wanted you to live in a good life without any more trauma and such violence. A colt like you shouldn’t live in this life.” This is such information to take in, even at a child at an age as his. “H-How long do I have to think about it?” Glamrock asked. “You can take as much time as you need.” She’s explains to him, “and if you feel like you don’t know what to do, come talk to me. I’ll do everything in my power to help.” “Including finding a new family?” “Absolutely?” She tells him, then she pulls him in for a hug, “I just don’t want to see you alone without anypony taking care of you. No child, even in a lifetime, should ever live that life.” The colt gave Twilight a gentle squeezing hug, not even wanting to let this moment go too soon. “Now then,” She says as they looked back at the door,” I believe that there’s a party we need to get back to. We don’t want Pinkie to get heart attack thinking her guest of honor left.” Before they entered, Glamrock asked, “By the way, how does she even make these parties?” She chuckles, “It’s best not knowing Glamrock. Trust me, I know from experience.” She needed to make her decision known to the colt… clearly to her, she didn’t. Perhaps tomorrow would be an improvement. Sleepovers, this the first time he ever had a sleepover with anyone, let alone with a group of girls. Thankfully, Scootaloo got permission and she was able to join them. They have an indoor campfire, told stories about the Crusaders’ adventures of getting their Cutie Marks, some of which made them cringe, or laugh depending on how they viewed the story. “Man, you girls sounded like had some quite of adventures.” Glamrock said with a chuckle. Scootaloo smirked, “Well, comparing to the adventure that you went through, I’d say nothing tops it.” Glamrock’s happy expression dropped, yes his life-or-death adventure in the Pizzaplex was an experience, but it wasn’t anything that exciting that any normal kid would go through. Scootaloo immediately regretted what she said, “Oh… I-I’m sorry, I should’ve have-” Glamrock shook it off and said, “I-It’s not a big deal, really!” It almost sounded dodgy from the way he says it. Neither Crusader said anything of the topic, and moved along through. As soon as the foals fell asleep, Twilight, who was continuously working on her research of the Chamber, she could hear whimpers from the colt. She stops what she was doing and she went to comfort him. She could feel sympathetic with the colt as his whimpers stopped as she place her hoof on his head, rubbing it gently. She couldn’t help but sigh to herself sadly. Oh Glamrock… I really want to help you, but I don’t know what to do. She then hears him whimper again, she looked at him in shock as he then heard that she would never hear from any foal. “N-no! Freddy please! I-I’m sorry! I-No! Please! D-don’t, don’t put me in there! Freddy please!” “Glamrock?” Twilight shook him lightly at first, but his frantic babble and muttering continued. “Glamrock!” She shook him a little harder, that got him to scream very loudly, causing the Crusaders to wake up in fright. He looked up at his guardian, sweat dripping down from his forehead and bloodshot eyes staring at her. “Sweetheart? Are you okay?” He didn’t answer her but tears were already began to leak from his eyes. Without another from each other, she brought him close to her chest as the colt cries. “Did he hadnightmare?” Applebloom asked quietly the group. Scootaloo shrugs as she whispers, “Probably. Jeez… I don’t even want to know what he was dreaming about.” That caused a little slap to the back of her head by the country filly. Sweetie Belle felt bad for him, so she tries to comfort the colt. “Glamrock?” He looks at her, looking frightened. “Do you wanna talk about it?” He shook his head no, as it was too personal for him to even tell them about anything. Twilight then says to the fillies, “Girls, why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll take care of him.” The Crusaders sadly looked at the colt, and seeing as Twilight comforting him right now, they returned to their sleeping bags and went back to sleep. “Glamrock, I think we may need to see a doctor to help you with your nightmares. And I think I know just the one that can help.” “Y-you do?” He asked her. She nods, “He’s the best that Equestria ever had. He’s always liked to help others, and I think you’ll like him.”