//------------------------------// // Chapter: 3 // Story: We're not in Dustbowl anymore... // by 4tehPlot //------------------------------// (A/N: You may want to reread the last chapter, or at least the end of it; There was a quite prominent plothole, but it's fixed now. Also, I apologize for blowing my story off for so long... I was too busy ponyin' pony leik a baws. Blah, blah, blah blah, blah. Story time.) The look of bewilderment on the faces of those present was quickly replaced with questioning, examining ones, and a cacophony of voices. That is to say, one voice, a cacophony all on its lonesome. "OhmygoshIdidntknowyouhadalbinomonkeystwilightisoneofthemnamedfredthatwouldbesocool-" Suddenly, not one, but two mystical auras, violet and turquoise, flowed together to clamp her muzzle shut. She stood there for a moment, confused. Then, the blue depths of her eyes fixed into a look of pure, unbridled determination, and she took a haughty stance. I didn't really understand what it was she was trying to do, until I noticed the appearance of Twilight and the other, white unicorn. Grimacing, sweating, legs shaking, they strained against a seemingly invisible force. I, needless to say, was baffled as to what exactly was transpiring. Then again, not very much made sense anymore. I was snapped out of my contemplation by a loud thud as the white unicorn collapsed in a heap on the floor. Twilight, seconds later, gasped, falling onto her knees and panting; her aura no longer clamped around the pink one's muzzle. The subject of the attack regained her composure instantly, letting out an indignant huff. Her lips formed into a small pout, complaining, "Oh come on, you don't have to do that." "I wouldn't be so sure, Pinks," the rainbow pony chuckled. "If y'all don't mind me askin', Twilight, what in tarnation are those things?" the orange one queried. "Don't be rude, Applejack, they're not things. They're 'humans'," Twilight responded curtly. "Guten tag, Applejack," I say suddenly, holding out my hand. She looks surprised for a second, then sheepishly says, "Uh... Howdy," consequently shaking my hand vigorously with her right hoof. Very vigorously. Ow. "Well, why don't we introduce ourselves?" the white unicorn asked, catching her breath. "My name is Rarity, her name is Rainbow Dash, and I believe you've already met Applejack and Twiligh-" "HI, I'M PINKIE PIE!!" Everybody looked at her. She put on a silly grin, exclaiming, "What, you know it's true!" I spoke up next. "Well, all right zen. You can call me Nicholas, and this is my friend, Viktor." I looked back at Viktor as I introduced him, and was greeted by an interesting sight. Of all the odd demeanors he had been adopting lately, this one was quite good. He was staring at Pinkie Pie, slacked-jawed, and she was staring back at him. Viktor blinked. "Ha! You lost!" Pinkie declared triumphantly. "Of course, I knew that would happen, nobody ever beats Pinkie at a pinkie-winky-blinky staring contest!!" she asserted, making wide gestures with her forehooves. "Uh..." I started, before Twilight interrupted. "Don't worry, Nicholas, it's just Pinkie being Pinkie." "Yeah! I'm always super-duper funzie pants!" Pinkie Pie bubbled. "Yes, yes you are..." Viktor said quietly. He was still staring at her weirdly. I was starting to be creeped out by how he's been acting lately. Pinkie, however took it all quite differently, and was making all the googly-eyed funny faces that she could in an attempt to trump Viktor's visage. Rainbow Dash had picked herself up from crashing through the window, and was now hovering in mid-air with carefully controlled flaps of her wings. Ignoring the face-war Pinkie was waging against Viktor, Twilight turned to the other 3 ponies in the room. "Just curious, why isn't Fluttershy with you?" "I don't know," Rainbow Dash said, shrugging in mid-air. "We just couldn't find her anywhere." "OK, if you say so. Anyways, why are you all here?" Twilight asked. "WHAT?!" Pinkie cried. "You can't have forgotten already!" "Oh, sorry! That's right." Embarrassed, a faint tint of red blossomed on Twilight's cheeks. "Well, DUH! This is like, the biggest thing ever!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "What's going on?" I asked curiously. Pinkie Pie was quick to answer me. "It's the biggest, bestest, funnest party EVAR! I invited everyone in Ponyville! There's gonna be pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, and cupcakes, and non-cup cakes, and cherrychangas, and chimicherries, and chimicherrychangas, and sasparilla..." She droned on about pretty much every aspect of this mega-party she'd planned. I wasn't really paying much attention, though. I was still laughing on the inside about the name of the town. Ponyville? Ponyville! Now that's a laugh. It's like naming a city Humantown. Seriously, whoever settled this place was a moron in terms of creativity. I knew I was being a bit cynical, but I just wasn't in a wonderful mood at the time. The last place I wanted to be was there, in a girly wonderland of harmless little dragons, ponies, rainbows, and, God forbid, rainbow ponies. "AND SO, That's why we need to go RIGHT NOW!" Pinkie shrieked. "Gogogogogo!" Suddenly, a brown stallion with a unkempt, almost spiky mane appeared in the doorway. He struck a triumphant pose, and yelled, "Allons-y!" Everyone just looked at him. He looked back. He sighed angrily, and walked away from the library, muttering. "The town eccentric," Twilight explained before I could ask. "He thinks he's a time traveler." Viktor looked quite dismayed at this. "You mean, he isn't one?" I chuckled at the sarcasm. Then I looked at his face again. It was a serious question. "Never mind," he said quickly. "Well, if y'all wanna get t' the party on time, shouldn't we be goin'?" Applejack brought up. "Yes, I agree. We really should be departing," Rarity agreed. "OK then!" Twilight addressed her friends, then turned to me and Viktor. "Can you guys hold tight here for a while?" "Don't worry Missus Sparkle, we'll be just fine," I reply. She seemed pleased when I called her 'Missus.' Viktor groaned quietly. Applejack was the only one of the five ponies that heard it, but she didn't say anything. He then looked at Twilight, saying in an oddly subdued tone, "Yes... That would be... For the best." He cast a forlorn glance and Pinkie Pie for a moment. She was too busy bouncing in place to notice. Rarity did, however, and I could've sworn she waggled her eyebrows at Viktor. Needless to say, I found the prospect of a unicorn making near-sensual gestures at someone to be unsettling, especially when it's actually happening in front of your eyes. The group, moments later, left the library, closing the door behind them with what they say is 'magic.' I'm insane, and this is all a figment of my imagination. Duhuheiheihoo! On the off-chance that I was wrong, I didn't feel it would be appropriate to smash Viktor in the back of the head with a lamp. It did cross my mind, however. He was hiding something from me, and I wanted to know what. "Viktor." I stated flatly. "What?" he asked, but the look on his face said that he knew exactly what I wanted him to tell me. "Vhat's going on, Viktor?" He sighed, and looked at me. He looked at the floor. Back to me. Across the room. The ceiling. The floor. The bookshelves. Back to me. "I'll tell you, but promise not to laugh." "Go ahead. Please, tell me." I was dead serious. "Well, Nicholas, I... I am brony." I stared at him for a second. The way he shrunk back as I did made me slightly made me uneasy. By far, he was the most fearless man I had ever known, and yet, here he is, wincing before the team medic like a dog who was hit one too many times. This confession was obviously important to him... The only problem was, I had no idea what he was confessing to. "A... what again?" I inquired. He looked concerned, then mumbled, "A... Brony." "A brownie?" I asked. While I certainly didn't speak English accent-less, I always found Russian accents to be... Difficult sometimes. The only logical thing that he could've said was 'brownie,' assuming that what he said was a word. Unfortunately, that just made me more confused. "No, BRONY!" he said, emphasizing the second word. "First, say 'bro.'" "Bro," I say skeptically. "Now, say 'knee.'" "Now, say 'Brony!'" "Brony." "There you go." "So... What is a 'brony?'" He looked troubled at this. "Well, there is T.V. show, called 'My Little Pony,' and-" "This is getting worse by the minute," I chuckled. "You said no laugh," he warned. "Alright, alright, continue." I say, making a dismissive gesture with my hand. "And... Uh... As you see, it's target group... not men." "And yet?" "And yet, men do watch it, and they're called Bronies." "...Well, that was a lot less than I thought it would be." Viktor seemed to loosen up a little. "So, Viktor," I venture. "Again, I ask: What's going on?" He looked at the floor, pondering. After a few long moments, he spoke up again. "I... I don't know how, but we are in place called Ponyville, Equestria." My thoughts strayed back to my previous line of thought regarding the town's name. Equestria. Ponyville, Equestria. 'Eques' as in 'Equine'? Ach, Gott! It's not just one town, it's the entire country! Ponyville, Equestria, meet Humantown, Anthroland. I didn't really have anything to say to that. I turned around to browse the books, but I stopped halfway. There, in the doorway, stood a lone, sea-foam green unicorn. Staring right at me. "Are you..." she uttered in an eerily awed tone. "Humans?"