//------------------------------// // Feelings And A Party // Story: Geoverse Part One: To Friend Is Human // by GeodesicDragon //------------------------------// "Well, folks," I said to the small crowd of doctors and nurses. "I have to say that it has been a pleasure getting to know you all. And it has been an even greater pleasure helping you learn all that you can about me — though I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that I don't get sent back here any time soon." The staff laughed politely as Haywick stepped forward. "The pleasure has been all ours, Geo," he replied. "And we hope to see you again sometime, perhaps when you're out and about?" "I'd like that," I nodded, just as Twilight came up and nudged my side. "Well, it looks like I'm needed, I'll see you all around." The assorted ponies waved politely and then returned to their duties, while I turned to face Twilight. "Sorry, Twi, what's up?" "There's been a slight change of plans," she said. "Your party is scheduled to start at six, which is two hours from now, but I have just been informed that Rarity wants to see you before then. I'm guessing it's about getting you some new clothes." She pointed at the blackened hole on the back of my t-shirt. "Because you can't very well wear that to your party now, can you?" I shook my head. "I guess not, Twilight," I murmured, holding out an arm. "Lead on, and I shall follow." Twilight smirked at me and we started walked to Rarity's place. As we walked, my mind drifted back to the upcoming party — and how much I couldn't shake the thought that it was going to be a disaster. I felt that I should tell Twilight why I found it hard to make friends. After all: if anypony could understand what I was going through, then it would be her. After all, she had told me how she used to have trouble making friends until she came to Ponyville. With this in mind, I cleared my throat. "Um, Twilight?" "Hmm?" she turned to face me. "I think that I should be more honest with you about why I don't have friends back on Earth," I said. "Oh?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realise there was more to it but okay. Let's sit down and you can tell me all about it." We sat down on a bench we were passing and I buried my head in my hands. Twilight put a comforting hoof on my shoulder as I took a deep breath. "It all started when I was in school," I said after a brief silence. "I didn't really connect with my classmates, preferring instead to spend most of my time studying. This was enough for them to start calling me things like 'geek', 'swot', and 'egghead'." Twilight winced slightly at 'egghead'. "I ignored them and tried to concentrate on my school work. But eventually the name calling and bullying got to me, and I simply started lashing out at people." Twilight nodded, but didn't say anything. "It actually got to the point where I would physically attack anyone who said anything nasty to me. It got me into a lot of trouble." Twilight lowered her head. "After another incident one of my classmates was actually admitted to hospital, because I hit him so hard," I continued, tears beginning to flow as I recounted the mistakes of my past. To my surprise, I noticed that Twilight also had tears forming. "I was sent to a therapist where I learned to control my anger; above all, I learned that I could make friends." Twilight smiled, though she was still almost crying. "Over the next few years, I was lucky enough to make a few friends. And I was glad to have them. They helped me forget about my past... until they had to leave." "You mean they moved away?" Twilight said, patting my shoulder. "Yes," I replied. "Without them, I found myself regressing back to my old, aggressive, self. I realised I didn't want to go down that dark path again so I took a job at a warehouse, something which I only did in order to keep my mind occupied." Twilight wiped her eyes as I sighed. "The night I was shot, I had just finished a particularly bad shift," I said bitterly. "I had argued with some of my co-workers over which one of us had messed up a customer's order. They blamed me for it and as a result, I was angry. So when Derek nearly ran me over as I was walking home, I just fucking lost it." "So you took your anger out on him," Twilight offered. "Yes," I sighed again and let out a hollow laugh. "How was I supposed to know that it would escalate the way it did? One brief moment of anger, and I nearly died." I felt Twilight squeezing my hand with a hoof, and I soon found myself absent-mindedly stroking her mane. It felt like human hair, but much softer — what's more, she didn't seem to mind. "When I woke up here, I was still angry," I slowly turned to look at her. "But then I met you. When you told me that you had carried me all the way to the hospital, I realised that for the first time in... I can't remember how long... someone actually cared about me." The tears in Twilight's eyes finally began falling down her cheeks as she held my hand tightly. "Of course I care!" she said between sniffles. "Why wouldn't I? From the moment I met you, I just knew that you were unique. You're a kind, gentle person. And..." "And what?" I asked, realising that she had trailed off. "You're kind of like me in some ways," she said quietly, looking down at the ground. "It's quite a coincidence, actually." "How so?" I asked, wiping away both our tears with my hand. "I too cared more about studying than making friends," she said, raising her head to look me in the eyes. "When Princess Celestia sent me here to Ponyville to make some, I was dreading it." "Who wouldn't?" I said, and we chuckled. "But then Nightmare Moon returned, and I quickly realised that the five ponies I had met on my first day here were indeed... my friends. Once I realised that, we were able to recover the Elements of Harmony and use their power to defeat Nightmare Moon — which in turn returned Princess Luna to us. And ever since then, I've been so grateful to have them by my side." I nodded. "That's what I need," I said. "Friends I can rely on. I promise, Twilight, that should I somehow end up back on Earth... I will do everything I can to make a new friend." Twilight smiled and we sat in silence for a while, before she suddenly let out a small gasp. "Rarity!" she shouted. "We were supposed to be at the Boutique by now, so come on!" She dragged me off the bench and we ran down the street as fast as we could. As we did so, I sighed contentedly. "Hey, Twilight?" "Yes?" She didn't turn round, her eyes still fixed on the Carousel Boutique in the distance. "Thanks for listening to my story," I said. "I've never told it to anyone besides my therapist." I chuckled. "No problem, Geo," she replied, eyes still fixed ahead of her. "Thank you for listening to my story. It's good to know there is somepony like me out there... even if they're not a pony." With those words, I felt my heart skip a beat. That confirms it, I thought. I love her even more now. *** The bell over the door jingled as Twilight and I entered, looking around at the sight of roll upon roll of fabric in a huge variety of colours. I saw mannequins shaped like ponies draped in outfits in various stages of completion, and I could hardly believe that just a single mare was responsible for all of it. "Just a minute!" came a sing-song voice from the back of the store. Twilight and I stood in silence and soon Rarity came through to the front, her face lighting up as she saw us. "Geo, Twilight!" she beamed. "It's so wonderful to see you both." She came over and gave me a hug. "Especially you, darling!" She said, her voice quavering with emotion. "I am so sorry I didn't come to visit you in the hospital, but I have been very busy as of late." "That's all right, Rarity," I replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Your business comes first, I understand that." "I'm so glad you understand, Geo," Rarity said. "But as well as being busy, Twilight also said that she felt having so many visitors would impede her progress of learning all that she could from you regarding your species — although it would seem that didn't stop my sister and her friends from sneaking into the hospital so they could visit you; perhaps I should have done the same." "Twilight said that?" I asked, turning to her and raising an eyebrow. She shied away, blushing adorably, and I chuckled. "She's probably right. We did have a lot to learn from each other — and if I may say so, Sweetie Belle is... well, a sweetie, as are the other Crusaders." Rarity smiled wryly. "As much as I love my dear sister, she can be quite troublesome at times," she said, rolling her eyes. "But that's not why you are here, Geo, so let me steer this conversation back towards its intended destination. Both Princesses have been in touch with me, saying that I am to measure you for a new outfit." "Really?" I replied. "Okay, Rarity, if you're sure. I just hope that it's not too much trouble." "Trouble?" Rarity gasped. "Of course it's not! In fact, I dare say I'm quite excited about it." "You are?" Twilight asked quizzically. "Why?" "Come now, Twilight," Rarity huffed. "It's not everyday I get to design clothes for a whole new species!" She looked me up and down. "Even if it does mean using more fabric than I'd normally use." She held up a tape measure with her magic. "Stand up straight and put your arms out, please." I did as she asked and she started taking my measurements. Waist, legs, shoulders, arms; nothing was spared, and I mean nothing. Eventually she finished and she put the tape measure down. "All done!" she said excitedly. "It'll be a couple of days until they're done. Do you have any designs in mind?" I shook my head. "Nothing too fancy please, Rarity," I replied, waving a hand down my body. "Just make them look like these." "But without the hole, of course," Rarity grinned. "It lets the air circulate," I shrugged. Rarity chuckled and went to the back of the shop as I turned back to look at Twilight. "So, Twilight, are we going to this party or not?" "Of course we are," replied Twilight, glancing at Rarity. "Would you like to come with us, Rarity?" Rarity came back through to the front. "Darling, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she giggled. "It will be quite interesting to see how a human copes with the insane pressure of a Pinkie Pie party." I coughed and looked down at the floor. "Er, actually..." I said sheepishly. "This will be the first party I've ever been to." "Oh, dear," Rarity said apologetically. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know." I raised my hand to silence her. "It's okay," I sighed. "I never really had any friends back home, so I didn't get invited to many parties." Rarity smiled and turned to Twilight. "Shall we go, then?" "Ready when you are, Geo," Twilight replied. I sighed and took several deep breaths before I looked both mares in the eyes. "Let's do this," I said, the determination in my voice apparent to everyone in the room. *** As the three of us approached Sugarcube Corner, my nerves were going into overdrive. I had never even been to a human party before, and yet here I was about to attend one organised by ponies. Twilight must have sensed my apprehensions, as she – for some inexplicable reason – let me run my hand through her mane before she stepped into the bakery. The gesture was not only enough to calm me down, it was also enough to prevent me from immediately following Twilight inside. I had only been in Equestria for three months, but I had already determined that I was in love with her — I was in love with a pony. Haven't we been through this? my brain moaned at me. So what if she's a pony? If you like her, then you shouldn't let the species barrier get in the way — after all, it's not like there are any other humans here. You both have so much in common... in fact, you could say that Twilight is your female counterpart! But you should also remember that you can't rush these things, so just get this party out the way and then see how things progress from there. I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my mind and entered the bakery — although as soon as I did, I became acutely aware of the many pairs of eyes that were watching me. Part of me wanted to run into the night, screaming like a madman, but rationality kicked in and instead I waved at the assorted townsponies. "Hi there, everypony," I said hesitantly. "How's it going?" The response was a loud and collective "Hi!" from the assorted guests and before I knew it, I was mingling. As well as Rarity, the rest of Twilight's friends were there as well. I saw Applejack talking to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy standing nervously in a corner, and Rainbow Dash eating a cupcake; she saw me looking in her direction and motioned for me to come over. "Rainbow Dash wants me," I said to Twilight. "I'll be right back." Twilight nodded and went over to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I sat down next to Rainbow Dash, who quickly swallowed a mouthful of cupcake before clearing her throat and turning to me. "Hey, Geo," she said. "Glad to see you're all right." She punched me lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't come to visit you, but I've been really busy with work... and Twilight said not to." "Yeah, it's all right, Rarity already explained," I replied. "So, what exactly do you do for a living that kept you so busy?" "I'm the Ponyville Weather Captain," Dash said, as if talking to an idiot. "I was making sure that the weather in town was awesome." "Oh, right," I replied. "Well, hopefully now we'll have a better chance to get to know each other." Dash nodded, and we both sat in silence for a moment before I coughed. "You know, Dash... if you hadn't have found me when you did, I would have died when my wound opened up again — because nopony would have been there to see it. So in a way, you saved my life. Thank you." Dash waved a forehoof dismissively, "It was nothing." she grinned. "In fact, it was all in a days work for Rainbow Dash!" I chuckled and punched her lightly on the shoulder. *** The party went on for hours and I managed to talked to several ponies throughout the evening, feeling my nerves relax — although I occasionally caught a glimpse of Twilight looking at me, smiling, and then writing in her notebook. Whenever our eyes met, she quickly looked away, trying in vain to hide her quill and notebook. Eventually, I rolled my eyes and walked up to her. "You're studying me at a party?" I asked. "Er... yes, I am." Twilight blushed. "I just wanted to see how you would react in a social situation. You've done quite well." "Quite well, I think." I laughed. "Especially when you consider the fact that I've never even been to a party until now." Twilight giggled. "So, do you think you've gotten to know everypony?" she asked, at which I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not everypony, but a few of them at least." "Yeah, I think I did," I replied. "I have to admit, that actually went better than I thought. I was expecting to be a nervous gibbering wreck by now." Twilight smiled and once again I felt my love for her surging within me, just as I yawned. "It's been a long day, so but I could really do with getting some sleep." "I couldn't agree more," Twilight replied, turning towards the rest of her friends. "Goodnight, everypony, see you tomorrow!" "Goodnight, Twilight!" came the universal response. "Goodnight, everypony," I said, stepping out into the cool night air and enjoying the gentle breeze. For a moment I stood there, allowing the air to caress my body, then took a deep breath and smiled. "I wish the air back home was this fresh." I sighed. I followed Twilight back to the library and we entered quietly, both of us aware of the fact that Spike – who had returned home earlier in the evening – was sound asleep. "Your bedroom is next to mine," Twilight whispered. "Follow me, and I'll take you to it. Oh... and welcome to your new home." "Thanks," I whispered back, following her upstairs. I made sure to take the same steps she did, which involved missing out a couple which I assumed were of the creaky variety. We soon stopped outside a door and Twilight pointed at the bed. I nodded and stepped inside. "Goodnight, Twilight." "Goodnight, Geo," Twilight replied. "Sleep well... because tomorrow is your first day of work." I closed the door and stripped down to my boxers before I lay on the bed, which was far softer than the one at the hospital, a small squeak telling me Twilight was in hers. As I looked wistfully at the ceiling, I found myself thinking back to the party — and how it had shown me that I didn't have to be afraid, I just had to be myself. Quite soon though, my thoughts drifted back towards how I felt about Twilight — so I once again went over everything in my head. She took me to the hospital, she was at my side for most of the three months I was there, and she offered me a place to stay and a job. We spent that time talking, and I can see now just how alike the two of us are. Dammit, I love her. I glanced out the window, looking up at the perfect sky and the stars in all their glory. It really helped me to think clearly. I know that what I'm feeling is love... but does Twilight feel the same way? Has she made the same connections that I have? I paused for a moment. I guess only time can tell. With that thought in mind, I finally drifted off to sleep.