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// Chapter 6: Shower the Ponies You Love With Love 
// Story: Starlight Glimmer's First Student: A "Human"?! 
// by Clockwork2003 
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Well well well…in two days, my entire worldview has been completely altered! Now, obviously, I am still a die-hard leftist, but this Noah is something else. Never before would I have let a creature use my body the way Noah is using it, let alone enjoy it! Twilight did make me carry Spike a few times, but I hated it. With Noah I don’t hate it; in fact, I can’t wait for him to do it again! I could have sworn that we were riding together in the Everfree for hours! Just to be sure, I check my watch and it’s 11:30 AM already! That’s crazy!

“Hey, kiddo. Want to get something to eat for lunch? I am sure the Hayburger is open now. My treat!” I offer Noah, quickly teleporting my riding gear away, lest I draw any more negative attention to myself. Still kept my saddlebag, though! I need my bit pouch if we’re going to pay for our food.

“Yeah. What do they even serve at the Hayburger, anyways?” Noah asks me, as we begin to trot towards the restaurant, Noah following my lead.

“Hayburgers, of course!” I reply, to which my human friend giggles.

“Don’t you mean hamburgers?” Noah asks, questioning my linguistic abilities. He’s cute, but I am not going to give him a free pass if he’s insulting me!

“No, Noah, I mean hayburgers. Ponies are herbivores. We do eat dairy products, but we don’t eat meat as Griffons and Dragons do!” I reply, to which Noah smiles genially.

“My apologies, Starlight. Where I come from, they are called “hamburgers”, and they are patties of meat sandwiched with bread and vegetables.” He replies as the usual suspects stare at the two of us trotting along towards the Hayburger.

A lime green unicorn mare who I know in passing and her friend are across the street from us. I think her name is Lyra Heartstrings? Spotting my student, she drags her Earth pony friend along, eager to see the “exotic creature” that is spending time with me.

“Are…are you the “human?” Lyra asks Noah, eyeing him rather carefully; not with fear but with curiosity.

“Yes, I am. I have a name, too! My name is Noah. What’s yours?” He asks, a bit rude with his delivery. Again, we didn’t get to conversations, which is in next week’s lesson plan, but he’s getting there.”

Holding out her front left hoof, Lyra begins to speak: “My name is Lyra Heartstrings. This is my friend Bon Bon!”

Learning from past experiences, Noah shakes the mare’s hoof, and the Earth pony next to him smiles.

“Well, my name is actually Sweetie Drops, but everypony calls me Bon Bon. It’s a nickname that I got used to!” Bon Bon says, also shaking Noah’s hand.

I have a rousing suspicion that these two mares are rather intimate with each other, and are a bit more than friends. I don’t know if Noah can pick up on that, and I don’t know if humans also have same-sex attractions? What I do know is that in Equestria, this kind of relationship is rather taboo, but nopony seems to say anything in public. I guess since Princess Twilight showed up, ponies have learned to keep their muzzles shut?

“It’s nice to meet the two of you. I am learning about Friendship with my friend Starlight Glimmer!” He says, quite proudly.

Both Lyra and Sweetie Drops smile at the thought. “I heard in the Ponyville Post that there was an extraterrestrial visitor to Equestria to learn our values. I am very proud of you!” Sweetie Drops says affectionately towards Noah. He blushes at the praise, and replies with a quiet “thank you.”

Lyra is the next to speak. “I take it you two are going out for lunch? Care if we join you? We’re rather hungry, too!” 

I don’t see why not? Besides, Noah needs to learn how to interact with other ponies, not just me. As much as I want to keep Noah in my own hooves, I have to put the greater good first!

“Of course, you two can join us! I am on a bit of a budget, so I don’t think I can treat all four of us. I only have enough bits for myself and my student. Is that going to be a problem?” I ask quite bluntly, to which the two mares nod.

“I totally understand Starlight. Nopony is made of bits, and we’re rather frugal ourselves. We’ll take care of our bill, and you can take care of yours!” Bon Bon says on behalf of both of them. With the consensus of how we are going to pay for our food, our new party of four makes our way to the Hayburger!

Since I took my little human on a pleasant ride in the Everfree Forest, Ponyville warmed up a bit! It’s still rather breezy, and Noah is still wearing his waffle-stitched shirt, but I take it he’s not as cold as he was when we were in the woods!

“So, I am interested in what you are learning, Noah. Can you tell me about your studies? I am a bit of a bookworm myself!” Lyra asks Noah, gently tapping him on the shoulder with her front hoof. He turns his head to look at the green unicorn mare and begins his reply.

“Well, I only got here two days ago! My program is around a month long, and I am learning basic tenets of Friendship with Starlight; not to mention a hint of magic!” He says, hands glowing as my saddlebag opens and the water canteen is promptly placed into his hands. Lyra’s eyes dilated in wonder at the sight of Noah casting magic. Bon Bon was not as interested, since Earth Ponies can’t cast magic directly.

“Woah! How’d you do that? You don’t have a horn, kid!” Lyra says, while Noah takes a swig of water, before placing the canteen back in my saddlebag, closing it promptly thereafter.

“I honestly don’t know the whole story. I know that Starlight gave me a tiny spark of magic, and my body can channel it, but I need the magical source replenished every now and then. I only know this one spell, and I am not that good at it!” He says sheepishly.

“Well Noah, you screwed up the first time with the book, you helped me move the tree, and you got the canteen of water! I’d say you're getting the hang of it, but don’t kid yourself! You’re still at a foal’s level of magic, and you aren’t learning ANY more spells until we finish the next Friendship Lesson! We have to show Trixie our support tonight for her show!” I say, with both praise and rebuke. 

“You’re going to Trixie’s show? I’m going too! I love her tricks.” Bon Bon says, to which her “friend” rolls her eyes.

“You like that hay? Come on, Bon Bon! I thought better of you! At least for Starlight, she’s friends with Trixie, so it makes sense for her to support her friend, but you?!-”

I need to diffuse this before it becomes a rather nasty argument. I am not Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but I think I can diffuse a lover’s quarrel!

“Alright you two, cut it out! Noah’s Friendship curriculum involves supporting somepony you consider a friend. Trixie, as complicated as she is, was nice to Noah and offered to teach him some magic. To show his gratitude, he’s going to her show with me tonight!” I try to maintain my decorum, and the decorum of the two ponies next to me, and it seems to hold! I think my lessons with Princess Twilight have paid off!

“I’m sorry for the assumption, Noah.” Lyra apologizes to him with sincerity.

“Honestly, it’s fine. Your reaction is a heck of a lot better than some I faced back home. You're honestly much nicer than anyone I knew back home!” He replies quite directly, making Lyra blush. The unicorn mare opens her telepathic channel with me and asks me a rather intimate question.

“He’s a charmer, isn’t he? Don’t get ahead of yourself, Glimmer!” Lyra coos. How does she know I find him cute in a platonic way?

“I do find him cute, Heartstrings, but he’s a different species! At least with you and Sweetie Drops you are both ponies, so there is common genetic material. Griffons don’t mate with ponies, ponies don’t mate with dragons, and Seaponies don’t mate with Kirins! If anything, I just care for his well being!”

Lyra hides a chuckle: “Oh I know you aren’t attracted to him like that, but you two have only known each other for two short days! I understand the need to care for your student, but I wouldn’t let that cloud your judgment! I mean come on, you wore a bucking bridle! I take it that they have a more appropriate use for humans on Earth, but if nopony knows the proper context, you’d look like a deviant!”

Oh…oh my! I didn’t even think about that! Bridles have more illicit uses in pony bedrooms across Equestria! I wasn’t trying to bring any negative attention to myself! I feel the blood leaving my face, and Noah sees that, and puts a hand on my barrel, trying to reassure me.

“You okay, Starlight? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” He says, trying to figure out what happened. Severing her unicorn telepathic connection with me, Lyra explains the situation to my student.

“Well…I take it that on your planet, humans use ponies for transport?”

Noah and I both nod.

“And you need a saddle and bridle to maintain a human’s balance atop one, along with steering the pony?”

We nod again.

“Well, in Equestria, saddles are pieces of clothing like any other. We wear them to parties, special occasions, and as part of the Royal Armor! But bridles on the other hoof…well.”

Noah starts to laugh, which makes Bon Bon laugh, and then all four of us are laughing like idiots!

“Oh come on! It was Starlight’s idea. She saved me from a manticore, and told me that whenever we go somewhere, I have to ride on her back now for my safety!” Noah says quite clearly.

“I get it. You want to protect your student from danger. Just…explain to everypony if they ask you what the bridle is used for, so you don’t get weird looks, like when you did that stunt with the fountain! They weren’t staring at the human on your back, they were staring at the bridle in your mouth-”

Noah interrupts us, clearly uncomfortable with all of the innuendoes that we are using. He’s probably a bit squirmish.

“Can we change the subject, please? Friendship, new spells, hell, even Trixie’s show? Also, where’s the restaurant?” Noah asks before I use my magic to tilt his head up to a sign that reads “The Hayburger”.

“Guess we’re here. What’s the house special?” Noah asks anypony who might have an answer.

“Double Hayburger with fries!” Lyra and Bon Bon say in unison. Noah takes note of this, as we enter the restaurant and wait for the host to give the four of us a table or a booth. The restaurant is rather quaint, being one of the oldest establishments in Ponyville, besides for Sweet Apple Acres. I’d wager it can seat up to 300 ponies at full capacity, and right now it is rather busy, so it might be a while before we get a booth. After a few long minutes, an Earth Pony with a tray greets us at the entrance of the restaurant.

“Good afternoon, everypony. How many are we today?” The hostpony asks us.

I am first to reply: “We’re four. Do you have a booth?” I ask, to which the hostpony points to a booth a short trot away from the entrance. I take it that the orange hostpony is more tolerant than some other Ponyville residents because he didn’t make any comments about my human student. The four of us make our way to the booth and sit down.

Noah taps me on the withers, probably because he wants to ask me a question.

“So, the show’s at 6:00 PM. What is there to expect?” He asks me, as Lyra and Bon Bon are talking about something else. It’s not my place to pay attention!

“Well, Trixie does a lot of the same tricks over and over again. She does fireworks, sawing ponies in half, card tricks, and the like. It gets boring after a while, but her heart is in the right place. She was nice to me when Twilight redeemed me, so I have to be nice to her in return!”

Noah looks at me and smiles. “Isn’t that Friendship Lesson #652? I’ve been doing some reading. Be nice to somepony who was nice to you!” I am impressed that he does his reading outside of class! Well, the waitress is here!

“Alright everypony, what are we having today?” The pink unicorn mare asks, horn at the ready to write down our orders.

“I’ll have a Double Hayburger with fries and a nonalcoholic apple cider, please!” Noah orders with poise, as the waitress uses her magic to write down the order.

“I’ll have what he’s having!” I replied.

Lyra and Sweetie Drops deliberate amongst themselves what they are going to have for lunch and Lyra orders on behalf of the both of them.

“The two of us will have grilled daisy sandwiches with tomato and cheese! As for drinks, water will be fine!” Lyra orders, as the waitress finishes writing down what we want.

“Is that everything?” She asks as we nod. She then walks away to the kitchen to place the order.

Noah looks at the glass in front of him, tempted to practice his magic again.

“It’s okay, Noah. You can practice while you wait. Nopony here will judge you!” I say as Noah’s hands light up, carefully enveloping the pitcher of water with his magical grasp. While the pitcher does shake, it doesn’t spill any water, and Noah manages to pour both himself and everypony at our booth a glass of water. Putting the pitcher down and deactivating his magic, he becomes flush and manually drinks water from his glass.

Lyra and Bon Bon clap their hooves in approval of Noah’s simple, but impressive magical feat!

“Bravo, Noah! I remember when I tried doing that when I was a filly, and it wasn’t a cakewalk!” Lyra says, gently patting Noah on the head in approval.

“Aw, thanks!” He says, blushing. “I just hope I do well in my Friendship Lessons, so Starlight can teach me more spells!” 

“Again, nothing until you finish this next Friendship Lesson tonight at Trixie’s show. Hey! Look at that, our food’s here!” I say, noticing the waitress coming back with a large tray with four distinct dishes on it. She serves us, leaving with a polite “Enjoy your meal!” Lyra and Bon Bon immediately dig into their grilled daisy sandwiches, while Noah looks carefully at his hayburger. He looks at me and smiles.

“Woah! Looks exactly like a hamburger; and it smells like one, too!” Noah says, cautiously grasping the sandwich in his hands and taking a generous bite. Chewing it slowly, and then swallowing his morsel, he looks at me with an even bigger grin.

“Equestrian food is amazing! Honestly, I am really impressed with how you ponies eat!” Noah says, taking another swig of water before going back to his hayburger. Our meal goes rather swimmingly, and I tease Noah playfully by using my magic to levitate a few of his fries. Noah tries doing that, and he has an 80% success rate. There seems to be something about ketchup that makes magic harder for novices!

We don’t eat that fast, and Lyra and Bon Bon are rather nice to Noah. If I were to guess, I’d say being ostracized by society at large for being fillyfoolers makes them more accepting of anypony who’s different?

After a good hour or so, when we all finish our lunch, the waitress comes back with our bill. A reasonable seventy bits! I take out my wallet and take out thirty-five bits, and Lyra and Bon Bon take out the remainder. Quickly remembering that I need to provide a tip, I take out a five-bit coin and add it to the tally.

“Thank you so much for the tip, and for your patronage! I hope you have a splendid day!” The waitress says, as the four of us get up from our booth and make our way towards the exit of the restaurant. Finally exiting the restaurant, Lyra and Bon Bon wave goodbye.

“Bon Bon will see you two at the show. I have symphony practice. Take care, you two!” Lyra says, before the two ponies leave. Now, it’s just Noah and me. Time to go home and relax before the show!

“You know the drill, kid. Hop on, we’re going home. If I was you, I’d take a nap before the show.” With a flash of my horn, my saddle and bridle appear, and Noah helps me equip the bridle, while I put the saddle on with ease.

“Isn’t it just a ten-minute walk?” Noah asks me as he helps to maneuver the bit into my mouth.

“Yeah…but if ANYTHING happens to you, I am liable. Keeping you with me makes sure that I have all my bases covered. Now, mount me before I teleport you onto my back!” I say, sticking out my tongue. Now, obviously, Ponyville is safe, but I didn’t expect the manticore to show up in the Everfree. I meant it when I said he’s riding me everywhere! I feel a tug on the saddle as Noah lifts himself up with the help of the stirrups. With a sweep of his leg, he’s astride me. Using my magic to place the reins in his hands, I begin trotting at a steady pace on the way home. Imagine how cool this would be for him if I was an alicorn. Flying in the air with him!

I think Lyra might have driven the point home because she was rather loud during her exposition regarding the bridle problem. It seems that the ponies on the street understand that my use of this tool isn’t illicit now, and it’s to help Noah so he doesn’t fall and hurt himself!

“So, we need to talk about something, Noah.” I say as we make our way home.

“Yeah. Sure, go ahead. it can’t be that bad, right? You seem calm. I feel your heartbeat, and you aren’t hyperventilating. Did I say something? Do something wrong?” My friend asks me, playing with my mane out of sheer boredom, twirling his fingers around in it. At least he’s not pulling my mane and yanking it out! Maybe he does this when he’s stressed? I know somepony who has a stress ball!

“No, Noah! You are doing great! It’s just that, in the two days that we’ve known each other, I’ve developed a liking for you.”

Noah chuckles. “Even my autistic ass knows when somebody has a crush. It’s okay. It’s only a problem when it takes over your entire life!” I think my rider is missing the point. I should keep explaining!

“Well, what I mean is that I care about you, and I want you to be happy! Besides, even if we were to date or anything, two days is WAY too quickly to do that. I just wanted to let you know that I have feelings for you, and I hope that doesn’t make me unprofessional! I still want you to pass the Friendship course, but I also want you…with me.”

Noah is deathly silent for the rest of the ride home. I have a feeling that he’s thinking over what I just said, and wondering how to properly respond. If I was him, I’d tread very carefully, because a mare with a crush is not somepony you should mess with! Finally climbing up the stairs and entering the apartment, I turn my head towards my rider and give him the signal to climb off. He does so, helping me take the metallic bit out of my mouth. He even goes the extra mile and removes my saddle, hanging it up on the coat rack for me!

Finally, he turns to me and embraces me. “I…I wasn’t sure what to say for the ride home, but I know what to say now. My upbringing wasn’t the greatest. My father was an alcoholic who beat me and my mother, not to mention that he cheated on her! I was very lonely growing up, and my only friends were my mom and sister. Meeting you was great! Now, I don’t know if we can call each other “boyfriend and girlfriend” just yet, but I would be honored to call you a friend, and a special friend at that!”

I start to cry, touched by my human’s empathy that seems to have just appeared out of nowhere!

“Aww. Now, about that nap, have you ever tried cuddling?” I ask him, promptly teleporting the two of us into my bedroom.

“And you promise it’s just cuddling?” Noah says, not wanting to go the extra mile just yet.

“Just cuddling. Pinkie Promise. Ponies are warm, and I will show you my friendship and love while we nap before the show!” I reply, climbing into my bed, giving Noah space to be my little spoon. He takes off his waffle shirt and replaces it with a white tee, before climbing into my bed hesitantly. I wrap my hooves around his chest and nuzzle him with affection.

“I have one thing to say to you, Noah the human. I care about you, and you matter.”

Noah turns around and returns the embrace, as I stroke his head, soothing him.

I would even go as far as to call Noah my special somepony! We’re not going to kiss yet or anything, but I’m letting him ride on my back, and we’re snuggling! I think we’ll be just fine together, and my little human will pass his Friendship course!

We fall asleep in each other's arms and hooves, and I feel at peace. I could have sworn I heard him mumble “I love you Starlight.” Well, I love you too, Noah. We’ll take things nice and slow, don’t you worry!