A few days had passed since Thoroughbred and all his older followers, bar the few that had left the group at his outburst and been merely scattered all around, had been banished from Equestria, the children having been put into other homes with hopefully more caring ponies and colts. Josh's injuries had finally been healed and he was leaving the hospital set to come to Sugarcube Corner for a welcome-home meal. But inside the massive bakery, Pinkie Pie and nearly every pony in town had gathered for a surprise party. This time the pink pony knew Josh would get there safely, Celestia and Luna themselves escorting him and she and her friends were all ready to try again to give him a welcoming party. As she heard the steps of the 3 figures approaching the door, her ear plasted firmly against the wood to be able to detect when they were close by, she shhed for everyone to get down and shut off the lights.
"This is gonna be great!", Applejack whispered to the unicorn next to her.
"I know! It's gonna be so exciting, yee hee hee!", Twilight giggled. Even she, the normally level-headed unicorn scholar, was filled with excitement. When the teen had heard he was all better and being allowed to leave the hospital, the smile on his face had lit up the room almost as bright as one of Pinkie Pie's.
"I just hope he gets here safe...", Fluttershy couldn't help but mutter. She was still a little unnerved by all that had happened, even after she had helped apprehend Thoroughbred and allowed his excommunication from Equestria. "You said Celestia and Luna were leading him here?"
"That's right, Fluttershy.", Twilight replied, "They're even in on the plan! All Josh knows is that Mr. and Mrs. Cake are treating him to a welcome-back cake, hee hee!"
As Fluttershy hid a giggle herself, a loud knock echoed through the bakery and immediately Pinkie Pie backed away from the door in anticipation as she heard the familiar youthful voice.
"Hello? Pinkie Pie? Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake?"
"We're inside!", Pinkie Pie replied back, "The cake's all ready for you! Just come in!"
As she and all the other equines watched through the darkened bakery, the door slowly opened to reveal the shadowy form of the teen in the sunlight. As he stepped inside, using the cane Dr. Whooves had given him while his legs recovered from the repairs, Josh looked around and squinted in the darkness.
"Could someone turn on a light?", he asked and as if on cue, the interior lit up as dozens of ponies shouted one thing in particular.
"SURPRISE! WELCOME BACK, JOSHUA!"
The shock of the shouting made him topple backwards into the hooves of Luna, who'd been waiting behind him almost knowing he'd have some sort of reaction. He found himself at a loss for words as he tried to proccess all that was going on and looked around at the gathering. There were streamers and balloons and confetti and a dessert table and even a mile-high stack of presents resting on a table in the center.
"Holy...", he managed to gasp out as Luna and Celestia led him into the room, the latter using her magic to give him back his walking stick, "Is this all for me?"
"Of course, silly! Who else would it be for? Gummy? Of course it has been a while since Gummy's had a party! Ohh! Maybe after this party we should do one for him!"
"Simmer down, Sally...", Applejack chuckled as she and her mane friends approached him, "We just wanted ta try ta give ya'll the party we'd planned back on that day... we'd even left the note for you..."
"If only we knew what that would have caused...", Fluttershy sniffled, still feeling ashamed at their note having had a hand in his attack. Josh could see the sadness in her voice and he placed a palm shakily on her head, rubbing through her rosa-colored hair.
"You didn't know... none of you did... but that's in the past...", he smiled, "Your Dr. Whooves is a miracle worker!"
"HE SHOULD BE! HE MANAGED TO DO A LOBOTOMY ON DERPY HOOVES!", one of the other ponies shouted, causing a roar of laughter to echo through the bakery.
"I did NOT have a lobotomy!", the cross-eyed mailpony shouted back angrily, "My eyes just get weird!"
"THEN EXPLAIN THE DUMB WAY YOU SAY MUFFINS!".
This made the laughter almost hysterical. Derpy knew they were saying it in jest, but it still got under her coat at times. "I just like muffins! Is that so wrong?"
"Calm down everyone! Calm down!", Twilight said as she tried to regain control of the room before she turned to Josh, "Listen... after everything that's happened, we all understand if you want to return home."
"You've been through a horrible ordeal and I know nothing we can do or say can take that away...", Rarity admitted sadly, "You were brought here for a noble purpose..."
"And those... those... those BASTARDS hurt ya. If I'd know what'd happen, I'd never have left ya alone!", Applejack seethed. Out of anyone, she felt the brunt of the attack the worst, since she'd been the one who'd left the teen alone to help plan for that surprise party for him. She hadn't slept a wink the first two nights he was in the hospital and had to be sedated to finally be given a chance to rest.
"Applejack, sweetie...", Celestia remarked, "It wasn't your fault. No pony could have predicted what would happen."
"Yeah but...", she sniffled through her mental anger, "If I hadn't left..."
"Applejack..", Josh sighed as he made his way to the cowpony and knelt down resting his hands on his bandaged knee, a pair of ragged shorts revealing his wounds, "I don't blame you... I don't blame any of you. You all were trying to do something really sweet for me and I am grateful that you were all there with me during my recovery. It was EPA's doing entirely that led to my attack and they've all been punished thanks to you and your friends."
"Does that mean you'd consider staying?", Fluttershy asked, Twilight nodding in agreement to the question.
"Fluttershy... whoever said I'd be leaving? I know I had a bad experience, but this is still a beautiful kingdom and I want to be able to share my wisdom with you all... and help Twilight and all of you learn more about friendship and the ways of the world."
"Does that mean...", Rainbow Dash squealed in hope, getting a nod from the teen.
"I ain't goin' ANYWHERE... not just yet!"
This brought about a big cheer from the room, Applejack hugging the teen tight and getting a hug in return.
"You realize this means you'll have to choose a place to stay, don't you Josh?", Celestia reminded him.
"Oh yeah, that's right... and I don't suppose anyone here would want me to stay with them..."
Almost instantaneously, the entire bakery echoed with ponies clamoring for Josh to choose their places to crash at.
"ME! I'VE GOT CABLE!"
"Choose me! I've got lots of flowers!"
"My place has endless amounts of pie!"
"I can make great muffins!"
"I'll do your taxes!"
It seemed like every pony wanted the teen to stay with them and for a moment, he was overwhelmed by the kindness... but then he remembered what he'd heard Rainbow Dash whisper to him back in Rarity's bedroom... right before he dozed off...
I wish you could stay here forever...
To have anyone, anyPONY, show that kind of sincerity and kindness... it warmed his heart. He knew who he wanted to stay with... but he had to ask Celestia for a very special favor...
"Princess Celestia... may I ask one favor since I'm staying here?"
The alicorn nodded with a smile. "After your horrible ordeal, you can ask anything of me. You deserve it."
Hearing those words, Josh took a deep breath before he gave his answer.
"I'd like to be able to fly like a pegasus... so I can stay... with Rainbow Dash."
The gasp that echoed throughout the bakery was like a giant wave as all eyes turned to Rainbow Dash, who could only repeat the same three words over and over... although the way she said them made it sound like one long word...
"Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh!", she repeated over and over, squealing as if she had just been offered a weeks training with the Wonderbolts. With hope in her eyes, she turned towards Princess Celestia, awaiting her answer. A kind smile on the alicorn's face was all the answer she and Josh needed.
"There IS one spell that can grant you pegasus wings... It is a spell that is so advanced not even Twilight Sparkle has mastered it yet..."
"It's true...", Twilight admitted, "Doing Rarity's wings alone took a lot out of me and we all know how THAT turned out!"
Rarity couldn't help but look down with an embarrassed blush, knowing how out of hoof that had gotten.
"I must warn you though...", Celestia cautioned him, "This is a very tricky spell... if it goes wrong, you could end up paralyzed or worse... are you sure about this?"
"Yes, princess...", Josh nodded, looking over at Rainbow Dash with a smile, "I'm sure..."
"Then please gather your belongings and put them by your feet."
"Huh? What for?", Applejack asked in bewilderment.
"This will allow not just Josh, but all of his possessions to be able to live on the clouds, although only Josh will be able to fly."
Nodding, Josh gathered the suitcases and plushie and laid them by his feet before bowing his head.
"Princess Celestia of Equestria...", he whispered, "I'm ready..."
Turning to her sister, Celestia gave the signal for Luna to begin, since she was better suited for this kind of magic. Yet she seemed hesitant.
"Fluttershy, I heard you got sick when you saw Josh's injuries... this spell could be graphic. Can you handle it?", the younger alicorn asked.
The timid pegasus nodded. "I'll try. I haven't eaten anything today, so my tummy's pretty empty."
With that, Luna turned towards the teen and motioned for him to take off his jacket and shirt. The teen started to do so before he turned to all the other ponies looking at him.
"Any of you who get squeamish easily... I'd suggest looking away now.
Hearing several ponies, including Fluttershy, saying they could handle it, Josh sighed and took off his upper clothes. The sight was not pretty... even though Dr. Whooves had done a lot of work on him, even he couldn't make a lot of his stitches go away instantly, saying he had to wait at least a week before all traces of his scars had vanished. The effect left him with an ugly set of bloodied and jagged scars crisscrossing all over his back, as if Opal had used him as a scratching post with a set of knives. His chest fared even worse, his breast area covered in scars and leaving a deep slit from under his right pec to his belly button from where he had to be cut open to remove part of a knife that had gotten stuck inside him, dangerously close to his heart. Immediately, Josh could hear the sounds of ponies groaning and retching, some of them having to rush out of the bakery, and sighed.
"I warned them..."
Without any reaction, Luna lowered her head and began to chant. None of the other ponies but Celestia could make out what she was reciting and even she had a little trouble getting the words in her mind picture perfect. Suddenly a sharp pain began to flow through the teen and before he knew it, he was on all fours screaming as he felt a pain so intense his muscles wouldn't allow him movement. It felt like his spine was tearing itself apart!
"Oh good lord!", Celestia gasped before turning to Luna, "Stop this!"
"Trust me, big sister... I know what I'm doing...", Luna replied before resuming her chant. As Celestia and all the remaining ponies watched in a mix of horror and amazement, a set of bubbling bulges seemed to ebb from beneath his shoulder blades, slowly morphing and melding into the unmistakeable shape of a pair of feathery fleshy wings. The morphing took less than a minute, but to Josh, it felt like hours. The pain was unbearable and when it finally stopped, he looked up at Luna and Celestia with tears in his eyes.
"What... the hell... was that?", Josh whimpered.
"Feel your back, human.", Luna replied calmly and the teen did just so. When he felt the feathery membrane coming from behind his shoulder and ran his fingertips along the bottoms, his eyes grew as big as dinner plates as the crowd around him marveled in delight.
"Oh my... oh my god... They're wings! Actual wings!", he cried.
"Would you like to try them out?", Celestia asked, "Try a little flying here!"
"Ooh! Fly! Fly!", Pinkie Pie said happily.
"This... is gonna be so AWESOME!", Rainbow Dash squeaked.
Without wasting a second, Josh leapt into the air and tried using his wings to hover. It took less than a second for their magic to kick in and before the human knew it, he was looking down at the sea of happy ponies, all cheering for him. Looking towards Luna, he saw her lowering her head and reciting a different incantation before a silvery mist seemed to envelop his cases and plushie and immediately he had the feeling Luna had just made them suitable for living with Rainbow Dash. The grin on his face would have rivaled that of Pinkie Pie's.
"Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh!" Rainbow Dash found herself squeaking as she realized he was now flying. Instantly, she flew up and sped over towards where the teen was reclining in the air and looked at him with longing in her eyes. "Josh, you really want to stay with me?"
A simple nod was all the answer she needed and she let out a wild cheer as the party began to pick up speed as they now knew the teen was staying in Ponyville... at least for a while!
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The party had gone for hours and even Pinkie Pie had needed to rest. But everyone had had a great time, althought probably not as much as Joshua since it was his very first Pinkie Pie party. Every present he'd gotten was beautiful, every piece of cake delicious, every game a pile of fun! But as he flew up behind Rainbow Dash after saying his goodbyes to everyone in the late of the night, he realized he was getting his best present yet... a place to sleep with a pegasus that was at least 20% cooler than he'd ever imagined!
"Well! Here we are!", she called out as they approached the giant cloud castle she called home. To Josh's amusement, it looked relatively big and as they landed on the clouds surrounding it, the teen's belongings and presents being brought up the next day sans his plushie tucked safety into his tight shirt, he couldn't help but whistle as the pegasus walked over to the door and pushed it open.
"Why am I not surprised you live in such a nice place?", Josh quipped as they stepped inside. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was still definitely impressive, a large staircase leading up to a giant second floor and the doorways on the first leading to what Josh could make out to be a big kitchen, living room, and even a training gym.
"So what do ya think?", Rainbow Dash asked, a wide grin on her face.
"It's.. it's amazing!"
With a smile and a yawn, Rainbow Dash led the teen up the stairs and into her bedroom. A big plush bed rested amidst an array of posters of a group called the Wonderbolts. A nice-sized TV, phone, computer, even a mini-fridge were resting in a nice row near the bedside, as well as a vanity mirror and even a small dresser. If it had been earlier in the day, the teen would have been spellbound by how modern it all looked, but by now all his preconceptions had been shredded into dust.
"I didn't even know you HAD TV and computers here!", Josh couldn't help but admit, walking over and running a hand over the smooth surface of the black monitor. This made Rainbow Dash unable to hide a chortle.
"What'd you think we did, worked and played all day?", she chuckled, "Even WE like to kick back with some movies or surf the Equestria Wide Web!"
Josh smiled but couldn't help but yawn himself, feeling incredibly drained from all that had happened and looking forward to actually getting to sleep in a warm bed again after having to spend nearly a week in a cold hospital bed. Rainbow Dash could see the teen was tired and calmly climbed into the bed, patting the space next to her. She was feeling a little drowsy herself and as she watched Josh climb into the bed, she felt her magenta-colored eyes grow heavy and rested her head into her pillow, watching as the teen did the same. She was barely able to give him a goodnight hug before she'd fallen asleep. But as the teen laid there, he couldn't help but look at the plushie laying on the floor next to the bed, Celestia's words ringing in his head.
"If you need anything, just let me know..."
He couldn't help but wonder if that meant ANYTHING... but for now... he knew he had to get some rest and, turning over and looking at the pegasus' slumbering face, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and before he knew it, he was off in dreamland as well...
Resting in his new home of Ponyville... and for the first time in a long while... he wasn't sleeping alone.
Yet... the teen's dreams weren't peaceful... almost as if something was still weighing on his mind. A half hour later, the teen found himself sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing his head in frustration.
"Why can't I fall asleep?" he thought to himself, "I should be in dreamland by now.. I've got a new home... Rainbow Dash... my plushie..."
It was then it clicked into his head... he was thinking about the plushie... and about Spike and Twilight... how they had each other.
True he had Rainbow Dash by his side, but he'd had the plushie for years and had dreams of it being alive... a way to help his loneliness...
And now he had a chance to make that dream come true... he had to ask them...
"You want the plushie to be fur and blood, don't you?"
The teen nearly yelped at hearing Luna's calm voice nearby and, looking around, he spotted the dark blue alicorn flying outside the window to Rainbow Dash's bedroom.
"How.. how the hell did you know?", he whispered, almost blurting it out. Luna merely grinned.
"Joshua, me and Celestia are over a thousand years old... we're in control of the sun and the moon... haven't you figured out by now we have some very powerful magics? What makes you think we can't see your thoughts?"
"You mean you've been able to read everyone's minds?"
At this, Luna shook her head. "Not exactly. We choose to only use that power with each other as not to invade our subjects private moments. But we could both see how much you were caressing that plushie at the party and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash told me about you holding it close back in the hospital."
Josh couldn't help but look down in resignation. Luna had read him like a book. "Yes... I'd like him to be alive..."
"Reanimation... I think I can do that. Can you bring the plushie here?"
Curious what she was getting at, Josh fetched the fat cat plush toy and brought it to Luna.
"Now set it on the window.", she commanded, the teen doing so without hesitation. As Josh looked on, Luna's eyes scrunched tight and her horn began to glow, as if she was trying to summon up a very powerful magic. It took a few minutes for the horn to become illuminated and before Josh knew it, Luna had opened her eyes to reveal only empty irises and a white light had shot from her horn, shrouding Josh and the plushie in a blinding light. Almost instantly, Josh began to feel part of his memories almost seeming to rearrange and alter... all the images of him playing with his plushie now replaced with him playing with a living breathing being... and as he looked at the plushie, he saw a shine spread from its feet to the tips of its ears.
"What the...", Josh whispered, saying the last word in the sentence so softly even Luna couldn't hear, as he looked at the plushie begin to transform. Its cream-white plump body began to rise and fall, its arms and legs stretched out, and soon the cat had gotten to its feet, much to Josh's shock. But it wasn't as much a shock as it was to the cat when he looked down and saw himself looking down at the ground from the clouds and yelped, falling back into Josh's arms.
"Wha... WHERE AM I?", it cried in a brooklyn-accented tone before it looked up at the teen, allowing Josh to see his midnight blue cat-like pupils gazing at him in bliss. It was almost as if he'd just woken from a long sleep. Everything about the teen seemed to rush into his head; his name, his past, his loves and hates... it was as if he'd known him forever. "Josh? What are we doing here?"
Tears began to well up in Josh's eyes as he hugged his friend close, unashamedly weeping. "We're home, Meowth... we're home... in Equestria...", he cried to the cat-pokemon, leaving Meowth to wonder what the hell was going on...
And where was this... Equestria?
But all Josh could think about was how his life had changed in the span of 7 short days... a change that started just with a visit from a pure white Alicorn
He'd gone from having a life that meant almost nothing... a family that loathed him, parents who'd vanished off the face of the earth, just a drab empty house and long-forgotten memories. But now... now he had new friends, a new home in a strange new land, a second chance to have a happier life. One that would start with the help of a rainbow-maned cyan pegasus named Rainbow Dash...
He wasn't alone... not anymore...
Despite the limp in his leg, the scars on his body, the horrible memories of nearly being burned alive....
He never felt happier in his whole life than he did right then....
All because he had his own special Dashie...