//------------------------------// // Partytime Redux // Story: My Life as a Pony // by _Sugarplum_ //------------------------------// Meltdown finished, I was ready to face the party. Fluttershy led me out of the bathroom and back into the room.  My ears pinned involuntarily at being bombarded with sound once more, steeling myself I managed to appear calmer than before.  Suddenly I felt something touch my back, Looking back I saw Fluttershy giving me a sympathetic smile as we walked towards a group of mares, her friends. “We’re back,” Fluttershy said. She nudged me slightly ahead of her, looking at her friends she gave a half smile.  “Girls? Um, I think I should properly introduce you all,” she said, pausing briefly as her ears twitched.  A second later she looked at the shortest of her cohorts, the party planner.  “Oh, first, um, could you maybe turn down the music and lights? He’s…sensitive, to things like that. It’s part of why he got overwhelmed.” “Ohhh,” Pinkie drawled. She then looked somewhat guilty. “Oh- I’m sorry,” she said as she looked at me with an apologetic expression “I’ll go fix it now.” Zipping off she disappeared in the crowd. Not a moment later the music was turned down together with the lights. Everything felt a bit lighter. She then returned to the group, bouncing on the tips of her hooves. “Done!” “Thank you,” Fluttershy said and gestured to me as she spoke, showing me off. “Please say hello to Stardust,” She cleared her throat. “I’m fostering him and I thought that you all might like to meet him. Um, I know that two of you have seen him before but still…”  The group of mares looked down at me, smiling softly as they watched me. There were four of them, two of which I had spoken to before. The ones that I hadn’t properly met yet took a step forward.  I watched as an earth pony knelt down in front of me. Her coat was more toned down than expected, being a softer color that leaned towards brown, along with having a lighter underbelly and muzzle. She’s so pretty! “Hey there, lil fella,” she said, “My name’s Applejack. It’s great to meet ya.” The farm pony stood up and then tapped the side of the blue pegasus. “And this here’s mah fr-” “The one and only, Rainbow Dash!” the blue bird horse said loudly. She was promptly meant with a swat on the back of her head by Applejack. “Gah! AJ, what the buck?” “Don’t you go hollerin’,” Applejack fussed. “You heard Fluttershy say the colt doesn't like loud noises.” “Oh, right- Sorry, squirt,” Rainbow apologized. “It’s okay,” I replied with a shrug. The hotheaded pegasus had a tendency to act before thinking, from what I recalled. I didn’t care much about that. I was just happy to meet her. I took a moment to get a good look at the group of ponies. I knew them from the show but to be here and actually talk to them was something entirely different. They were all so much more… lively, detailed and real, somewhat like G5. They weren't cookie cutter copies of each other. They looked very distinct in terms of build, body type and height. Applejack was tall and muscled, actually looking like somebody who kicks trees all day whereas Rainbow Dash was thinner and sporty.  They felt like real individuals- which they were, of course. They looked amazing. It was awesome! After my brief starstruck moment, I returned their greetings. “It’s..really really nice to meet you all too,” I said with a sheepish grin. After I’d finished talking, I saw a certain pink pony come. Pinkie Pie looked at me with her hair slightly deflated. She suddenly scooped me up and hugged me tightly.  “I’m so so sooo sorry for getting you upset,” she said, sniffling. “I was just so excited to throw a party for a new pony, especially a cutie-wutie little colt, that I wasn’t thinking about if you’d like a big, loud party- I didn’t mean to scare you and make you wet yourself and-“ I grumbled and squirmed in her grasp. “P-..Pinkie!” I huffed. “It’s okay, really. You didn’t know. Peop-… er, Ponies make mistakes sometimes. You couldn’t have known I’d freak out. I just wanna… forget that happened, and move on, y’know?” I pouted. The earth pony let me go, nodding her head as she did so. “Okay, I can do that,” she said as she started cheering up. “Well, now I know you’re okay, do you wanna go enjoy the party?”  She asked with a head tilt. She paused and giggled softly. “There’s plenty of treats and ice cream. Plus you could make some new friends!” Applejack butted in, adding to the conversation. “Yeah, there’s plenty o’ youngins who came for the party. One of ‘em is my lil sister, Applebloom,” she explained. She pointed a hoof towards one of the snack tables. I spotted a little bow-wearing pony munching on a cookie. There were a couple of other foals around that area too. I hesitated briefly. I never had much luck with anybody my age- I wasn’t entirely sure if I was ready to interact with other foals. I really have to be a kid again?… Before I could reply, the farm pony started to gently push me in the direction of the group of kids. I stumbled over my hooves but then steadied my feet. I looked back at the ‘grownups’ for a moment, unsure of what to do.  Fluttershy motioned for me to go ahead, giving a gentle smile. “Go on,” she said, “I-I’m sure you’ll have some fun.” My gaze went back to the snack table. I took a deep breath and then slowly started to walk towards it. “Here goes nothing,” I whispered to myself. Applebloom was enjoying the goodies that were laid out on the table. The snacks weren’t as sweet as they usually are, but they were still good. Anything from Sugarcube Corner is always amazing. The Cakes and Pinkie were the best bakers in Equestria, as far as this filly is concerned. Her main focus was not the food though. Her ear flicked as the sound of hoof steps neared her, Turning around she saw a foal trotting towards her.  She had only caught a glimpse of him at the beginning of the party. Now she had a good look at him. He looks kinda nice, for a colt. Maybe he’ll like to be friends? She wondered. She doesn't have many friends of her own, so any new ones would be nice. Applebloom stopped focusing on his appearance when the colt stopped in front of her. She smiled brightly at him. “Howdy!”  She said loudly, which earned a slight flinch from him. Oh, he’s shy. I better not spook him too much. She sheepishly spoke in a softer tone. “Heh, sorry, guess ah was jus’ excited. I never see any new colts aroun’. What’s your name?” She said, much more calmly this time. The colt didn’t respond right away. He was just… looking at her. She felt confused as he looked her up and down. What was he staring at? Is there something on my face? She cleared her throat and spoke once more. “Uhh, y’okay there?” She wondered aloud. This colt sure acts strange. After arriving at the table where the other foals were, my eyes had landed on a miniature farm pony. Her mane was red, curly and done up in two pigtails with bows.  She had somewhat fluffy, cream colored fur and lighter toned ‘freckles’ on her muzzle. She’s really cute! I just wanna squish her little cheeks!   I thought that the full grown ponies were cute but this little filly was even more adorable. She’s taller than me but I still think she’s as cute as a button. I’ve always found ‘baby’ animals to be overwhelming with their cuteness. The expression on Applebloom’s face took me out of my thoughts though. I felt embarrassed as she asked if I was okay. My gaze dropped to my hooves as I shuffled them shyly. I had always cooed over the cutesy designs of ponies in the show.  It was hard to get past that giddiness that my memories brought me. I had to remind myself that these are real people- I mean, real living ‘creatures,’ who can take offense to prolonged looks. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I was… distracted. Didn’t mean to stare.”    I hope that she doesn’t think I’m weird. She’s the only foal around that I would consider trying to befriend. Having a friend will probably be important, right? Friendship is magic, and all that jazz. At the very least, it would help to have somebody to talk to that’s ‘my age.’ “I’m Stardust,” I said, finally introducing myself. “Thanks for… coming to the party, I guess. And, um, sorry again for spacing out.” “Don’t sweat it,” Applebloom said, chuckling quietly. She glanced towards the table for a moment and then back at me. “Oh hey, wanna grab a snack?” She asked. Unconsciously I focused on the table she had looked at, It was littered with cookies, candy, a punch bowl and cupcakes.  Seriously, there were a whole lot of cupcakes, with a variety of colored icing. A rainbow colored one caught my eye. I looked at the confection for a few moments before levitating it towards me sitting down I held out my hooves and gently placed the confection into my pony palms. I focused really hard on not dropping it as I briefly admired it. The frosting was in solid stripes of different colors and it had a blue wrapper.  Now this feels… familiar. The coloring had to be entirely coincidental. Right? I cringed slightly as I recalled a certain story I’d read many times before. There were so many unfortunate things about the fandom I’d have to forget about if I wanted to acclimate properly. “Something wrong with it?” Applebloom asked, startling me out of my thoughts. She looked at the cupcake quizzically before glancing at me. “Looks like a normal cupcake. Why’re ya lookin’ at it funny?” “Umm,” I muttered. There was no way I can say what was really on my mind. “Oh, I’m just not big on sugar. I was wondering if this would be too sweet or not,” I said before abruptly licking the offending treat quickly. The taste of sweetness hit my tongue.  It was amazing. It wasn’t overpowering like the first treat I’d received from Pinkie. This one was perfect actually. I started to devour the whole thing, except the wrapper of course- which I’d carefully peeled off using my magic. “That was the bessst fucking cupcake I’ve ever had,” I mumbled to myself. A gasp erupted beside me and I cut my eyes towards the noise. Apple Bloom looked shocked and was covering her mouth with a hoof. “Stardust!” the wee bumpkin fussed. “Ya ain’t ‘sposed to say bad words!” Oh shit- right, I’m a kid. Children shouldn’t swear. I keep forgetting that ponies apparently abhor profanity. I chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. “S-sorry… I just…” I started to explain, “haven’t had anything this good before.” Applebloom pouted briefly at me before perking back up. “Well ya ain’t gotta go without, any more,” she said. “You’ll have tons of goodies to eat here in Ponyville!” “That sounds awesome,” I replied as I horked down some more snacks. I hadn’t indulged in junk food in a while so I may have gone a bit overboard. The filly giggled at me. “Don’ eat too fast or you’ll git a bellyache,” she warned with an amused little smirk. She watched me for a while as I ate a gratuitous amount of sweets. She shuffled awkwardly on her hooves for a bit. She then tried to spark more conversation. “Hey where’d ya come from?” the little filly suddenly inquired, “Ya know, before you came to Ponyville?” My eating ceased and I found myself feeling a bit nervous. I should’ve expected somebody to ask me this but I was still unprepared when the farm girl asked. I had no idea what to say. “Far away,” I mumbled. “Somewhere far away from here.”  “Oh, okay,” Applebloom said. The filly was apparently feeling chatty as she pried further. “What about ya folks? I live wit’ mah big sister, our big brother an’ our granny. We live at Sweet Apple Acres, it’s the big farm across town.” Again with the questions! I know that children are always curious little creatures but I have no ‘life’ to speak of! …Or do I? I never thought about it before now. I’ve now found myself getting introspective, wondering about this equine vessel that I’m in.  Unless this body was somehow spawned out of nowhere, it had to have belonged to someone, right? Who was I… before I was ‘me’? This is too philosophical of a topic for a party. I’m gonna give myself a headache. “Ehhh,” I shrugged in response to her inquiry. “Miss Fluttershy’s my foster mother now. But I can’t recall my…. other family,” I explained. “Ohhh” Applebloom mumbled. She paused and rubbed the back of her neck briefly. “Ah’m sorry if that was rude o’ me to ask. Just tryin’ to get to know you, ya know?” “It’s okay,” I replied. “Let’s just… talk about something else now? Or maybe we can just eat some more?” I stood up and leaned against the table. I tuned out the farm girl’s words as I tried to decide on something else to eat. I left her company, in search of something to quell the anxiety welling within me. Just mask your nervousness with stress-eating. What an excellent idea.     To be honestly, I was tired of sweets. I just needed something to occupy myself with. Luckily, there was a punch bowl at the other end of the table. I walked over to that side and looked up at the stack of cups that was behind the bowl. My aura circled around the object, it a few inches before then fizzling out. The cup dropped and then bounced off of the table and onto the floor. “Crap,” I grumbled in frustration. “Let’s try that again…” An attempt was made to repeat the action but the outcome was even less desirable now. I couldn’t even lift a clean cup off of the stack. Why won’t it work, I thought to myself. Am I seriously having that ‘mana fatigue’ shit right now? What rotten luck. “Ughhh,” I groaned defeatedly and then sat down on the floor with a huff. The sound of snickering caught my attention. My ears swiveled at the noise. I turned and saw another filly, who was apparently laughing at my misfortune. It was a pink earth pony and magenta hair. Oh, for fuck’s sake. Here comes trouble. “You can’t use magic properly?” the magenta filly teased. “What a shame.” The little pony approached me. It was at this point that I noticed that this fillies were slightly taller than Applebloom was. It made me feel extra small, which wasn’t great. The pink filly stood beside me, looking me up and down. “I don’t know many unicorns but what’s the point in being one if you can’t even do magic?” She wondered aloud. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. What a snobby little bi- no, don’t call her that. She’s just a kid, I thought, correcting my inner monologue.   “I guess I’ll just have to be a gentlemare and give it to you, huh?” The filly continued. She then grabbed a cup and scooped some punch into it before holding it out to me. “Here.” Come on, you can do this, I told myself. You will not drop this cup. There was no way I was giving this little brat more ammunition for insults. I’m already moody, I can barely handle anymore annoyances. I placed both of my front hooves onto the either side of the cup, squeezing the sides slightly. My efforts to grasp without grip thankfully paid off. I managed to hold it. I took a long sip of punch and sighed. The drink was refreshing and fruity. It momentarily improved my mood. Only for a moment though. “Ahem,” the filly fussed. “Don’t you know to say ‘thank you’ to a lady?” She asked with a slight scowl. “Show me a ‘lady’ and I’ll do it,” I replied with an equally annoyed tone. "Cuz I sure don't see one." “Wha- Hey!” She huffed. The anger was palpable as her pink face started to grow red. “Easy, easy,” I quickly retorted, “I’m just messing with you, kinda." I sipped some more of my juice and then carefully sat the cup down. “…Thanks, actually. I do feel kinda embarrassed that my magic isn’t cooperating. Um, I’m… Stardust, by the way? Uh, thanks for coming to the party.” “Hmph” huffed the pink filly. She looked like she wanted to say something else but to my surprise, she made an attempt to be cordial. The miniature magenta mare stood tall, with her nose up as she gestured at herself. “I’m Diamond Tiara… I guess it’s nice to meet you” she said, "Although you should be honored that I even came to this lame party." “Yeah, sure,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes. I briefly eyed the grumpy gal. She was a cute foal although not as cute as Applebloom, of course. The attitude is mainly what bothers me. The nearly permanent grimace of brattiness that was plastered on the filly’s face was unpleasant. Diamond Tiara was still rambling about how she totally didn't want to come to the party. I tuned most of it out. She's such a nuisance to listen to right now. Her squeaky voice did no favors as she now was bragging about how her father throws much better parties. She's just a spoiled little princess who thinks she's a piece of gold. No wonder she only has one kid to hang out with. “Hey” I briefly wondered where the pink filly's little brown-nosing cohort was. I looked around and didn't see her near the table. Why she was apparently absent? These girls were damn near attached at the hip, from what the show displayed. Maybe they aren't that close in reality? It was weird to consider. I could still recall that irritating little rhyme the pair used to chant in the cartoon. 'Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!' “Hey” Speaking of, as my mind was busy recalling cartoon clips, my eyes had apparently fallen onto the little pony's flank. I was suddenly surprised at what I saw- or did not see, rather. The iconic tiara symbol was nowhere to be found on her thigh. Her flank was blank! I was a bit stunned by this discovery. I knew that I was in a time prior to ‘season one’ but still. Seeing the filly as a flank-blank was interesting. “HEY!” Diamond Tiara said loudly, now suddenly right in front of my face. “Gah!” I yelped, tumbling backwards, falling onto my back. “You weren’t listening to me at all,” the filly fusse. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled sheepishly, tucking my tail. “I was thinking about something.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Tch, that’s the problem,” she said. She poked my nose. “Pretty colts like you shouldn’t think too much.” “Excuse me?” I retorted in shock. “You’re excused,” Diamond said. She then lifted me back onto my hooves. “Now, as I was saying when you rudely ignored me… Since you’re clearly in need of a big strong mare in your life, I’ve decided to become your friend.” She giggled obnoxiously. “You’re welcome, by the way,” she said as she posed boastfully. “I’m such a generous filly, aren’t I?” Is she fucking serious? She berated me and now she wants to be friends? Man, kids are weird. “As… tempting as that sounds,” I muttered before gesturing to the other end of the table, “someone else already wants to be my friend.” Diamond Tiara’s eyes trailed down the length of the table to see Applebloom. The rich girl’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the little hayseed. She then whipped back around to look at me. “Oh you can’t possibly want to hang out with some farm pony over me?” she asked incredulously. Of course I would. I did’nt want to set the brat off. I just shrugged and feigned obliviousness as I offered an alternative solution. “Can’t I just… be friends with both of you?” “No,” she proclaimed, punctuated with a stamp of her hoof. Her eyes narrowed and cheeks slightly red. “It’s her or me. I’m not sharing my new.. friend, with anypony. Especially not some lowlife farmer.” “Ah ain’t no lowlife!” Applebloom said as she suddenly marched her way over to us. She cut her eyes at me. “You stay ‘way from that gal, Stardust. She’s nothin’ but trouble,” she explained. Diamond Tiara scoffed. “I am not ” she said. She then placed a hoof on my back as she glared daggers at the other girl. “You’re just jealous that he obviously likes me better,” said the pink filly. “Why would he want some talentless, blank-flanked, dirt horse like you?” she inquired. “What in the-“ Applebloom retorted, nearly saying something bad. “You ain’ got no cutie mark either, you idjit!” Diamond Tiara covered her flank with her hair briefly, rolling her eyes. “I already know what I’m good at!” she asserted. “I’m just waiting to a little longer to get my mark until Silver Spoon gets back from vacation with her family. That way she can celebrate my cute-ceañra.” The flustered red tone that lightly dusted the rich filly’s face made me believe that Diamond was lying, but I was not about to get in between her and AB’s spat. The two fillies had forgot about me as they started verbally assaulted each other for a while. They were barrel to barrel at this point. During the commotion, I managed to sneak away from the two. I didn’t want to be involved even as I heard them come to blows. I just walked off and didn’t look back. I slipped into the crowd and wandered aimlessly for a while, thinking again. Why the hell were kids so weird? Why can’t I just find someone I could relate t- My train of thought derailed as I accidentally ran into someone. I groaned as I found on my back again. “Whoa, dude are you okay?” a voice asked me. “Oh my, you need to watch where you’re going, sweetie,” said another, familiar one. I sat up and found myself looking at another foal. A brown colt with a propeller cap was looking at me with wide eyes. Behind him was… that nurse from the hospital? OH! That’s why I thought she looked familiar. I felt a little silly that I didn’t make the connection before. “We can’t have you getting hurt again, can we?” Cream Heart said as she stepped forward and patted my head. She giggled softly. “I knew you’d probably meet my son soon but this isn’t what I expected.” The motherly mare gestured at her son. “This is my little Button,” she said with a smile. She then nudged him. “Say hello.” “Hey,” Button said with a quick nod. He looked giddy. The propeller on his head spun fast and he stomped his hooves excitedly. “It’s so coool that there’s another boy in town now!” Button then reached into his mother’s saddlebag and pulled out a hoof-held video game console. His mother did not seem thrilled. “Button” Cream Heart scolded quietly, “I told you, no games. This is a party. You’re supposed to socializing with other ponies your age.” “But moooooom,” whined the little colt. “I wanna show the new kid my joyboyyyy.” “No buts,” she said. “Besides, you know other colts don’t like that stuff.” “Um, actually,” I said quietly, “I would like to see it. It’s that alright with you.” Cream Heart wanted to argue but the pleading expressions on the foals’ faces made her heart melt. “Alright, fine.” Button’s mom watched the colts as they began to play. She supposed that playing a few levels wouldn’t hurt. She just hoped that this poor boy doesn’t end up a geeky little janefilly, like her son. Why couldn’t they enjoy dolls or something, like normal colts? She couldn’t complain too much though. As long as her son was happy, she’d accept the quirks that he had. At least he’s made a new friend. Fluttershy was enjoying the party. It had been a while since Ponyville had any new residents, so parties were few and far between. She enjoyed getting to spend this time with her friends. She was also glad that Stardust seemed to finally be enjoying himself. From across the room, she had seen him talking to some of the foals. Things were beginning to get better, she felt. Applejack approached Fluttershy and gave her a pat on the back. “How’s it hangin’, Mama?” the country gal teased. “O-oh? Good, good,” Fluttershy replied. “I think Stardust is finally beginning to enjoy himself. I saw him talking to your sister earlier. I think he’s making some friends.” “Ah knew Applebloom would be a good influence,” AJ said. A commotion then drew the attention of the county pony. Applejack looked over towards where all the children were. She was shocked by what she saw. Her sweet baby sister was in the middle of having a fight with another filly. The two girls were wrestling near the snack table. A cacophony of hooves and bites were being flung at each other. Some other kids somehow started to get riled up, cheering for who they wanted to win. “What in tarnation?! Applebloom! Unhoof that filly this instant!” Applejack cried out as she ran over to the miniature brawl. Fluttershy and the rest of their friends came over as well. The mother pegasus’s nerves were rattled as she made her way over. She hoped that the fillies wouldn’t be foolish enough to end up hurting anypony else but she couldn’t be sure. ‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear’ As she panicked, she saw her rambunctious party-pony friend was suddenly watching the fight go on while eating popcorn. “This is the bestest party I’ve pulled yet!” Pinkie Pie said, cackling as she watched the fight.