//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Tolerance // Story: Ponies on Red Dwarf // by Sound Shard //------------------------------// TOLERANCE Red Dwarf "So can we see this dimension?" demanded Cat. Holly nodded. "Yes, but, before you do, there's something disturbing you should know. There was once an American cartoon in the 21st century, a cartoon mainly targeted at... Well, all ages, I guess. It was known as "MLPFiM" to most..." "What does that stand for?" asked Rimmer. "My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic," responded Holly slowly. "I recall the program" reminisced Kryten. "A fond one of love and tolerance." "Kryten, you weren't even built yet!" reminded Lister. "Ah, true, sir, but it was around for positively centuries after it was cancelled!" "Pfft, sounds like a bunch of love mushy stuff for six year old girls!" said Rimmer spitefully. "Well, the characters of that show... Are who coming to us," "Wha?" Lister nearly spit out his curry. -------------------- Ponyville "So how much longer will it take Rarity to recover?" worried Twilight. "Well... A week until she's conscious, probably, then another few until she isn't bedridden. The bill will be... Oh, 2000 bits, easy. So I say give her two or three months to fully recover, physically and emotionally, and a year financially. Man, I love being a doctor!" Explained Dr. Brightstar. "Which means, she most probably won't be coming with you on your... expedition." "Crab apples..." muttered Twilight as she turned to tell her friends the news. 5 Hours Later "Then... Rare's is that bad off?" asked Applejack as she rubbed her bandage. "Don't rub it, it gets worse. I've had plenty of..." Scootaloo searched for the right word. "Experience? Falling off my scooter." "Yep. I'd ask somepony to take their place..." Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo perked their heads up. "...but that'd be unfair..." Their heads went right back down. "... So instead I've studied three certain spells... And woven them! I've written a five sentence manual for Rarity to read about it. You see, I will document my vision, one spell, send it between dimensions, two spells, and put it in scroll form for her to view later, three spells! Ooh, nopony's done this since Hawklight the Sorcerer! That is, weave three spells." Twilight continued to explain. "That... is... so... cool!" decided Pinkie. "This could very well revolutionize the world of entertainment," marveled Twilight. "I, no, we could be rich and famous! Together!" "Back to reality, Twilight..." Rainbow clapped her hooves in front of Twilight's face. "Sorry..." she shook her head. "Oh, yes, um... We will be leaving in 48 hours." "How long is that?" Pinkie pondered. "This time Wednesday..." sighed Twilight. "In the meantime..." ------------------------------------------ Red Dwarf "...why don't we find out more about these... Ponies?" Rimmer suggested. They had been arguing over whether they were friendly or not, when Rimmer, realizing he was losing the argument, cut himself off. Lister nodded. "For once I agree with from my vision, one spell, send it between dimensions, two spells, and put it in scroll form for her to view later, three spells! Ooh, nopony's done this since Hawklight the Sorcerer! That is, weave three spells." Twilight continued to explain. "That... is... so... cool!" decided Pinkie. "This could very well revolutionize the world of entertainment," marveled Twilight. "I, no, we could be rich and famous! Together!" "Back to reality, Twilight..." Rainbow clapped her hooves in front of Twilight's face. "Sorry..." she shook her head. "Oh, yes, um... We will be leaving in 48 hours." "How long is that?" Pinkie pondered. "This time Wednesday..." sighed Twilight. "In the meantime..." ------------------------------------------ Red Dwarf "...why don't we find out more about these... Ponies?" Rimmer suggested. They had been arguing over whether they were friendly or not, when Rimmer, realizing he was losing the argument, cut himself off. Lister nodded. "For once I agree with. Who knows how much they know about us?" "LIME ALERT! LIME ALERT!" came Holly on screen. "I repeat, lime alert !" "Lime alert?" repeated Lister, befuddled. "What's a lime alert?" insisted Rimmer, just as confused. "Misinformation was given," responded Holly. "Isn't that magenta alert?" "No, that's when an onboard doctor preforms maltreatment." "What's the smog-up in your debriefing?" groaned Rimmer. "They will not, in fact, be coming tomorrow afternoon, but Wednesday morning," she informed. "How do you know?" "Here, see the clip..." Holly's face fluttered off-screen and a grainy video faded in. Eight ponies were in a circle. There was a lavender unicorn, a smaller white unicorn, two Pegasi, one cyan, one orange and seemingly very young, and one more of a butter colour, a pink, bouncing pony that had no wings or horn, another with neither of these extra body parts that was orange with a cowboy hat, and another not special, but young, pony that was yellow with a huge red bow. The lavender one spoke. ~Yep, I'd ask somepony else to take her place, but that'd be unfair, so I've studied three certain spells... and woven them! I've written a five sentence manual-- Holly fast-forwarded it. Now the pink one was talking. ~--is... so... cool! More fast-forwarding... Now the cyan one spoke. Rimmer found himself marveling at the Pegasus's rainbow mane. ~Back to reality, Twilight Then the lavender, Lister guessed was Twilight. ~Sorry... Oh, yes, um, we will be leaving in 48 hours... Then the pink one. ~How long is that? The lavender one sighed. ~This time Wednesday-- The transmission ended. "As you can see, they will be here Wednesday. Rimmer, I'll try to make you look less like a pedophile..." "Listie, Listie, try something new, take a shower, and actually wash yourself while you're in there!" commanded Rimmer. Lister rolled his eyes and headed to the quarters. "Put me into the very best second technicians clothing!" And a white suit with buffing sholderpads and "Second Technician" emblazoned in gold over a shirt pocket in a forest green box appeared on him. Also, a pair of jet black dress shoes. Rimmer smiled smugly and gave his trademark salute, waving his hand in the air and saluting with the back of his head, before trotting down the hall. Kryten was folding the laundry when all of a sudden, a loud crashing and a scream of pain from the Cat came from the next room. He dropped his work and ran to the next room. One of the Cat's many clothes racks had fallen! "Ooh, and I had just finished ironing those!" complained Kryten before slowly picking up the rack. Cat had looked as if on the brink of crying. "My clothes!" he exclaimed. "Why would this happen..." ------------------------------------------------- Ponyville "...to me? Why now?" stirred Rarity. Some doctors flurried over and began writing things down. A couple checked the IV and fiddled with the heart monitor. Dr. Brightstar shooed them away and dropped to Rarity's side. "Are you okay?" he asked, more concerned with the size of the medical bill shrinking than her actual wellbeing. "Are you still hurt?" "My... My..." she groaned. "Your? Your what?" urged Brightstar. "My scarf, is it okay?" she said, much clearer. "It's fine," Dr. Brightstar sighed. "As well as your cat. Your sister and parents took her back to Canter lot." Rarity sat up with an expression of combined fury and shock. "My... parents, did... WHAT?!?!" her heart monitor raced and steam came close to flying forth from her nostrils. "I TOLD THOSE IMBECELS NOT TO LAY A HOOF ON OPAL, AND NOW THEY WALTZ IN HERE AND TAKE HER BACK TO CANTERLOT? ARE THEY DEAF? AND WHY DIDN'T SWEETIE BELLE STOP THEM? THEY WILL RUE THE DAY THEY---" "Ms. Rarity, please..." he pushed her into a laying position. "...calm yourself. I have further bad news. Try to contain yourself. You will not be going to the new dimension..." Rarity began to fume up again. "...but, but. But Ms. Sparkle has, um, created a new spell. You will be able to see the entire trip in intervals. Here's a manual Twilight wrote for it." "Fine," groaned Rarity and snatched the stapled document. -------------------------------------------------- Red Dwarf "Um, Cat, ah you okay?" Lister waved his free hand in front of the traumatized Cat. "Sir, may I recommend you not bother the Cat right now," suggested Kryten. Lister went back to his guitar. He played a few of, what he thought were good, notes. The Cat snapped out of his trance. "You know what I said about that guitar. There's a bazookoid less than thirty meters away," warned Cat. Lister set down the guitar and held up his hands. "All right, all right!" he retreated. "Don't get..." -------------------------------------------------- Ponyville "...too feisty, Ms. Rarity! You may put yourself back into a coma!" warned Dr. Brightstar. Rarity almost cried. "Don't get to feisty?! My irresponsible little sister and birdbrained parents have in their possession the thing third most important to me, my best friends are going to a new dimension and I can't accompany them, and worst of all: I'M GOING TO BE SPENDING HALF OF SWEETIE BELLE'S COLLEGE FUND AT THIS F--" Two very loud ponies under the names of Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon came by in a loud conversational mess. "--ING HOSPITAL!!!" "Ma'am, please watch your language, there are children in this hospital," hissed Brightstar. Rarity sighed. "Sorry. It's just... This is so annoying. It's already been a day and they leave..." -------------------------------------------------- Canterlot "...tomorrow in the morning, your highness," informed Shining Armor. "And, she, and we, find it necessary that my wife, you, your sister, and I accompany them." "Well, I'm sorry Shining Armor. I cannot join you, nor my sister, for we still need to sign the Crystal Empire as a UCE," informed Celestia, forlorn. Shining was familiar with the term, UCE. It meant United Cities of Equestria, as it was known as to many a non-Equestrian pony and zebra tribes and griffon kingdoms. Shining Armor turned and sighed, unaware of how to break the news to his little sister. He knew how she would get. -------------------------------------------------- Friendship Express Twilight knew something was wrong. She could always tell something was wrong. She turned around. Her friends were conversing lightly to the side. Spike was asleep, Pinkie was gibbering, and Rainbow Dash had "been in the bathroom" for the past thirty minutes. Otherwise, everypony was very intimidated. Mostly because of Twilights intense stare out the window, but still. They to, knew. Something wasn't right. End Chapter 1 -------------------------------------------------- AUTHORS NOTE: New chapters will be on Wednesdays. Enjoy.