Chapter 8- Nopony Can Hold Their Liquor Pt. 3
AKA: The part where some silliness is had; and possibly some sexy times……maybe.
HA! See? She just wants to help you adjust to life in Equestria! Orion thought to himself, looking across the table at the pegasus mare that had been talking with him for the last two hours, at least, about all kinds of intricate signals he could give off with his wings. She had even told him a couple of stories about when she was a filly and had accidentally made a very rude gesture at her flight coach. He had been hard pressed not to hit the ground laughing, but he’d managed to contain his mirth for her sake. Even though he recognized that she was opening up and being friendlier than he had thought possible, he still felt like one wrong move would break her. Still, at least he had learned all the signals he’d been missing the last couple of days… And from what he could gather, he was becoming rather popular with the mares around town.
“So do you have any more questions?” Fluttershy asked, shifting her tea cup over to the side and leaning over the table slightly, only one of her eyes visible, the other being hidden behind her pink mane.
“I think I have the important parts down…” he replied, furrowing his brow in concentration, “Putting my wing over another pony means I want to protect them, doing that and nuzzling them is something you only do with a special somepony, flexing or stretching my wings when I’m not flying is like a billboard saying that I’m single and looking, and brushing my wing over another pony’s cutie mark is like asking them out…… those are the important ones right?”
“Mhmm… And don’t forget, if a mare takes advantage of you in any way, it’s not your fault.” Fluttershy added, “No matter what they say, or how they may act afterwards, if they do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell them in a clear way, and don’t back down.”
“I’m not so worried about that last part… Stallions are physically stronger anyway, and if worst comes to worst, I have wings to get out of a bad situation.”
“That may be, but there’s lots of mares out there that will try and take advantage of you. They might try to trick you, pressure you, some might even try and drug you…” Fluttershy said seriously.
“Okay…” Orion answered, surprised that the whole drugging another pony thing was a reality. “Can I ask though? Do you know anypony that has ever actually tried to drug a stallion?”
“Not in Ponyville… but there’s stories about cities like Trottingham, parts of Canterlot, and Manehattan has a reputation for it as well…” Fluttershy responded.
“Whoa……And I thought the worst I’d have to endure was Rainbow Dash’s jokes…” Orion said chuckling, his nonchalant front ruined slightly by the fearful look in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t worry Orion… Like Rainbow said, if anypony tries to hurt you, she’ll be there… and I’ll be there too.” Fluttershy said softly, walking around the table and slipping under his jaw, resting her cheek against his neck and nuzzling him softly.
Orion froze for a second or two, then relaxed into the caring gesture, surprised at the tenderness Fluttershy was showing him. He didn’t exactly consider himself close to a lot of ponies in this world yet, but he was definitely sure that Fluttershy was as good a friend as he could hope for. While they stood there, he happened to steal a look at the clock and saw that it was almost time for his shift to end. He broke the physical contact and started cleaning up the table, explaining the situation to Fluttershy.
“Oh my… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were getting off while it was still dark out.” Fluttershy said, blushing. “Umm… If it’s not too much trouble, could you help me walk back to my home? I wouldn’t ask you to help me after just finishing up your own work, but I’m scared of the dark…”
“I don’t mind at all Fluttershy.” Orion assured her, “It’s funny actually, you’re the second pony I’ve heard of that’s afraid of the dark. The other one was a mare that tried to jump Big Mac while she was in heat. That wouldn’t happen to be you would it?” He asked, laughing as he took the kitchen.
“Oh my…” Fluttershy said to herself, blushing furiously, “I didn’t think he’d hear about that so soon…”
“What was that Shy?” Orion asked, coming back into the front area.
“Nothing! Nothing at all…” the yellow pegasus replied hurriedly, trying to fight the blush that had come over her as she remembered the things she’d wanted to do to Big Mac that day she’d found him in the basement of the library. The only thing that had saved them both from some of her twisted fantasies had been the fact that the light bulb in the basement went out as soon as she tried to go down the steps, and the shock had brought her back to her senses.
“Okay then… You just looked like you were imagining something fun is all…” Orion said lamely, wiping down all the tables and counters as he kept an eye on the shy mare. He had about five minutes before Pinkie Pie was supposed to take over, and he didn’t want to leave the place messy for the overzealous pink sugar bomb.
Finally, the shop was clean enough for him, and almost as if on cue, Pinkie Pie came zooming down the stairs and standing at attention, saluting him with a hoof exactly as the clock struck three.
“Special Baker Pinkamena Diane Pie, reporting for duty!” She barked in a militaristic tone Orion had only seen so far in this world from the Royal Guards and Luna when she addressed anyone while she was angry about something.
“Uhhh… At ease?” Orion said weakly, returning her salute with his wing and looking at Fluttershy for confirmation that this was the correct answer.
“Cool!” Pinkie said happily, hopping around the room, looking at random tables and checking the cash drawer. “You did a good job of watching the shop on your own Orion…The first time I did it, there was cake batter everywhere and the Cakes didn’t let me near the oven for a month!”
“Thanks… I think… how did you manage to get cake batter everywhere?” he asked, looking at her curiously as Fluttershy walked up behind him and nudged him with her hoof, trying to get his attention.
“That’s a long story involving Gummy, a spatula, a bottle rocket, and my first Welcome to Ponyville Party.” Pinkie answered, giggling to herself, “The funny part was, it was a party for myself!”
“Umm… Orion… Maybe we should get going now? I know a few of the nocturnal animals near the Everfree are particularly… playful… at this time of night.” Fluttershy said quietly, making eye contact with Pinkie and hoping that she would get the message. Orion, for the most part, just kept looking at the baker quizzically wondering what the bottle rocket could have been used for.
“I hear you Flutters!” Pinkie said enthusiastically, her limbs stretching bizarrely and pushing Orion and her out of the front door. “Orion, I’ll come find you when we need you at the shop again, in the meantime, here’s a chunk of the tips for the day, now get going and help Fluttershy get home… And Orion?”
“Yes?” he answered, concerned about the dark tone in her voice as he was pushed out onto the street and a sack of bits forced into his vest pocket.
“If you hurt Fluttershy… in any way… I’ll find you…” Pinkie said, her hair flattening, her color sapping slightly, and an evil gleam in her eye.
“G-g-g-got it P-p-pinkie…” he stuttered, making a mental note to never cross the baker on anything… EVER!
As he went ahead of Fluttershy to stand under one of the street lamps in the main road, Fluttershy looked at Pinkie, who’s hair had re-curled, and her usual smile replacing the sinister look on her face.
“You know Pinkie… That was really mean. He wasn’t here for last Nightmare Night, remember? He might think you’re going to hurt him.” She said, frowning at her pink friend.
“Yeah, but at least now if you two try anything, he might say no.” Pinkie said slyly, “You’re not the ONLY one that wants a piece of him you know…”
Fluttershy blushed, hurrying away from the shop to start towards her home with Orion.
“Heheheheheh… I LOVE making her blush like that!” Pinkie said, giggling to herself as she tried to find something else to clean before getting started on making the donuts for the morning crowd. “Besides, it’s not like they’ll actually do anything yet, right Writer?”
I can’t say anything Pinkie… now please quit breaking the fourth wall. Seriously, my computer screen is getting a crack in it, and I blame you.
“Oh please… you wrote me to be a character that can break the fourth wall, and you’re upset when I do what you made me for… You really need to think that logic out better.” Pinkie replied, watching her friends walk into the night with their wings around each other. “Besides, they’re cute… Although, I still say Pink and Grey are a nice contrast. Opposites attracting and all that... Hint hint.”
Pinkie, I seriously don’t know who, if anyone he’ll end with. It’s his story, his decisions. All I do is tell the story to the folks in this dimension.
“Metaphysics aside, you already know what’ll happen right?”
Nope
“So you can’t tell me?”
Eeyup
“… Celestia’s right, you are a hack…”
I swear if you mention that fat flank and her ridiculous insults again, I’ll turn this into a reverse version of Cupcakes with a dash of Rainbow Factory.
“Shutting up…”
Good girl. Now, you go do your stuff for the shop and get that surprise ready for later, I’ll tail those two to see if this story will need a mature rating.
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Orion and Fluttershy had a rather uneventful walk back to her cottage. The highlight for Fluttershy had been when Orion thought he saw something watching them from the bushes and he flared his wings in a reflex to appear larger and stronger than whatever was watching them. As it turned out, it had simply been a cat that looked at him disdainfully before dashing off into the dark again, leaving Orion looking like an idiot, and Fluttershy with an eyeful of fully extended wing-aaaahhhhh horsefeathers…
After getting Fluttershy snapped out of her stupor, they continued walking through the night. They finally arrived and Orion finally got his first look at Fluttershy’s cottage. He also noted that it was relatively close to Sweet Apple Acres. How had he never seen this place form the sky over the Acres?
“Would you like to come inside for a bit?” Fluttershy offered, pawing at the ground nervously. She must have felt obligated to offer, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable either. And as nice a time as they had had together at Sugar Cube Corner, he wasn’t sure if it would be proper for them to be alone in her home.
“I don’t want to impose… Actually, it’s only about a three minute flight from here back to the Acres, so I should probably get going.” He said diplomatically, smiling kindly.
“Oh it’s no trouble at all… And I’d like to. You put up with me at your work most of the evening, and you walked me home… the least I can do is get you a cup of tea before you head off.” Fluttershy objected, suddenly scared that he would leave before she made any real headway with him.
“Well… if you feel like you have to… I just don’t want to be a bother…” he responded awkwardly.
“Oh it’s no bother at all really.” Fluttershy assured him, opening the door and letting him in. “We just have to be quiet… Please, go on up the steps to my room, and I’ll be right up with the tea. We can’t stay in the living room because most of my little friends are sleeping.”
“uhhh… alright…” Orion answered, trying to step as lightly as possible up the wooden steps. When he reached the top, he noticed Angel hopping out of a small bathroom. He looked at the grey pegasus intensely before looking behind Orion to see Fluttershy’s shadow moving around in the kitchen.
“Hello there Angel.” He said softly, knowing better than to lower his face to the rabbit’s level. He had mixed reactions about the bunny in question. On the one hand, he’d seen how he treated Fluttershy in the show, on the other; Fluttershy seemed to like him… Better to play neutral. “I’m Orion… I’m one of Fluttershy’s new friends.”
The bunny just kept looking between him and somewhere off behind him, his ears twitching slightly as both Orion and Angel heard the clink of ceramic on ceramic.
“Fluttershy said for me to wait for her in her room.” he continued, this time the bunny perking up noticeably, “Do you know which door I go through?”
The white creature looked between a couple doors before pointing to the one on the left. Orion tried the knob just as Fluttershy reached the top of the steps, her eyes widening in fright.
“Oh no… Orion, please don’t open that door!” she said about as panicked as she could, while trying to remain calm. “That’s uh… an art room… you don’t want to see some of that…”
“Okay… Sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t know you were so protective of your art… I was just going into the room Angel pointed me towards.” He replied lamely, taking his hoof off the doorknob and pointing at an empty section of the floor. “Well… he was just here anyway.”
“Oh don’t worry about it Orion… I might show you some of the things in that room someday… just not right now… Anyway, my room’s the other one. Can you get it please? I have to balance the tea.” Fluttershy responded, moving her head to indicate the tea set balanced on her back.
“Oh! Of course… There you go.” Orion answered, opening the door on the right, holding it open for her.
“Thank you. Now… can I interest you in a massage?” Fluttershy offered, setting the tea down on a nightstand and sitting on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside her with a wing.
“Uhhh… I thought I was just being offered tea?” he said dumbly. “I didn’t know that tea with you included masseuse services.”
“Oh well you see, I’m rather well known for my massages… and I’m also excellent at Pegasi massage. Which I’m guessing you’ve never had…”
“I actually got a massage with Rarity and Rainbow Dash at the spa a couple days ago.”
“The spa’s nice… but Aloe and Lotus aren’t as good at Pegasi massage as I am. I’m the town champ you know.” Fluttershy continued, her sales pitch getting a bit more pressuring as a smile of pride grew across her face. Orion swore that when she finished her sentence, he could hear a distinct sound like a rubber duck, and the sounds of a hundred brony’s keeling over from diabetic shock.
“If it’s that great… I don’t see the harm in it…” Orion responded, “What makes it so different from a normal massage though?”
“Well… a proper wing massage focus almost entirely on the wings… and it’s something that gives you a completely different feeling from normal massages. Especially since the wings of a Pegasus are much more sensitive than anything else on a pony. They have to be for feeling air currents.” Fluttershy responded, handing him a cup of tea, “Drink this first though, it will help you relax and appreciate it more.”
“It’s not drugged is it?” he asked sarcastically, chuckling at his rather morbid joke and missing her look of horror as a result. Luckily, she realized he was kidding before he looked up from his cup.
“I’d never think to drug somepony as nice or handsome as you.” she replied softly, so quiet that he only heard the first part.
They both finished their cups and set them aside, Fluttershy instructing him to lie face up with his head on the pillows, his wings spread out to the sides as much as possible. They actually went a tiny bit over the edge of the mattress, and Fluttershy had to seriously resist the urge to pin him down and try to make him hers…
“Now, this might feel a bit… intense…” she cautioned, “If you need me to change what I’m doing for whatever reason, just let me know. The safe word is bunny. So if you say that, I’ll stop doing everything immediately.”
“You know, I’ve heard of safewords before… but never in the context of a massage.” Orion noted, looking back at her as she stood over him. Literally, she had two hooves on either side of his body, staring down at him.
“W-w-well… just relax and ummm… enjoy…” Fluttershy said, blushing. She hadn’t realized he was into that… Maybe she would show him the ‘art room’ sooner than she thought…
As she worked her hooves gently into the joints of the wings between his shoulder blades, she noticed that he seemed to stiffen before melting into what could effectively be called a pony shaped puddle… Was he really this sensitive? She hadn’t even gotten to the edges of the wings let alone the sides of his chest where the wings were usually held against when not in flight.
“Does that feel alright Orion?” she asked, leaning her head down to just behind his ear and speaking softly as her hooves continued to press and squeeze various parts of his back and the base of his wings.
“Mmmmmmhmmmmmmmmm” was all he could say as his head lolled about from side to side, the sensations running up his spine threatening to put him in a trance.
“That’s good… would you like to feel a bit… more?” Fluttershy asked, blushing as she thought of all the different ways that statement could be taken.
“If it feels as good as this, I’ll be your slave.” He said, his voice sounding a bit giddy, a shiver running up his spine and back down only to root itself behind his navel as he felt his core tense up.
Fluttershy splayed her hooves out to his sides, with the front hooves planted in front of his wings. She lowered herself until she was practically laying on top of him, her wings stretching out to match the pose he held on the mattress, her wing tips falling short, but reaching far enough all the same.
“This is called, The Pony with Four Wings… It’s a very special technique… and I’ve only practiced it with three other ponies before… just tell me what you feel…” she said, her voice taking on a slight rasp, her breath tickling his ear and sending another shiver down his spine as he felt her warm weight pressed into him… it was almost a safe feeling, if a bit restrictive…
“Okay Fluttershy…” he said, trying not to moan as he felt the tips of her wings glide softly across the front ridge of his wings. The sensation was beyond words, but oh so heavenly…
“What do you feel when I do this?” she asked, pushing her body forward, grinding against him gently as her wings brushed against his, the tips of her yellow feathers intermingling with his grey ones, separating them with ease and reaching to the root of each level of feathers.
“Oooohhh… I feel like my wings are being opened… there’s air hitting my skin and it’s sending sparks across my everything…” he said softly, barely able to form words as her feathers grazed his bare flesh.. Something that now felt alien when his whole body was covered in fur or feathers.
“And this?” Fluttershy asked, breathing down the back of his neck and tilting her head to grasp one of his secondary feathers and tugging gently. His head shot up from the pillow, his back arching up beneath her and his hindquarters rising suggestively.
Aaahhhh… what was that?” he asked, his eyes unfocused as he looked back at her, her kind look tinged with a look of passion. She was about to lean in and see how he would react to a kiss, but before her lips could meet his, his head flopped over onto the pillow, his breathing level and his wings retracting slightly as his entire body seemed to just give up and pass out.
“Oh shoot… And I wanted to see how far we could get tonight…” Fluttershy lamented, pressing into him with her body again, breathing in his scent and admiring the way he managed to look attractive even while drool started to drip out onto the pillow. She knew that her massages could be intense if she wanted them to be, but they had never put a pony to sleep from sensory overload before… Maybe it was that last tug on his feathers? Oh well, it would still be nice to cuddle with him in her bed.
Fluttershy gently helped close his wings a bit more and flipped him onto his side, wrapping one wing over him from behind. She snuggled herself up into his back, his hair splayed out beneath her cheek as she nuzzled closer to him and relaxed, holding him to her safely, possessively…
……………………………………………………Meanwhile, Angel stood out in the hallway, a used syringe in one paw, tranquilizer still dripping from the tip onto the floor as he watched his “owner” snuggling up to the newcomer. It was hard enough to maintain control around here without the food giver bringing another pony into the equation. Besides, he could smell the pheromones coming from her a full mile away, and the last thing he needed was for the newcomer and her to do anything that might bring a newborn into Angel’s home. No, there’d be none of that as long as he could help it. And if they left the door open again in the future, he’d just get out the bear tranq and a syringe and sabotage them again.
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By the time Orion felt the fog in his brain lifting, he’d been awake for at least five minutes. Granted, that five minutes of hazy consciousness had been rather nice. He felt like he had a warm blanket wrapped around him, which was weird… he didn’t remember having a feather blanket in his room at the Acres… Wait a second… how had he gotten back to the farm last night? The last thing he remembered was being invited into Fluttershy’s house for tea… then things got kind of fuzzy… Oh well, at least he had a warm blanket around him… and did his blanket just move? Was there someone else in his room? Was there someone else in his bed?!
Who’s there?!
....Is what he tried to say, his mouth only cooperating to the point of making the sound “Whooooozaa…”
“Oh good! You’re up! I was worried I’d hit a nerve or something last night…” Fluttershy answered, removing her wing from around him before he got the wrong idea about her… She didn’t want to seem like she’d taken advantage of him last night after all.
“Fluuurshh?” he said groggily, his tongue feeling a lot like a cotton wad stuck in his mouth, “Waaamah?”
“You’re in my bed silly.” She said, giggling, “And don’t you worry, I was a true gentlemare last night and didn’t do anything after you fell asleep. I have to say though, I didn’t know my massages were that strong…”
“Massssjj? Wha massssjj?”
“Well, last night, we came back from the bakery and had tea, then I gave you a massage, and before I was finished, you passed out…” Fluttershy reminded, her words stirring brief flashes of sensation deep within his brain… he could remember laying on her bed, she was standing over him… there was a really nice feeling, then a sharp stabbing sensation in his back leg and everything went fuzzy and dark…
“Remmmbr somfitnow…” he mumbled, trying to raise his head and failing miserably. His whole body felt like it weighed a ton… He finally focused all his energy into one quick motion and managed to sit up. Turning his head still felt like it took more energy than the times he’d tried distance running, but he was able to see that he was indeed in Fluttershy’s room, sitting in her bed, and with her leaning her head over his shoulder and looking at him funny.
“Is everything alright Orion? Did I do something wrong last night?”
He shook his head. Truth be told, he could hardly remember much of last night after the tea… a horrifying thought flashed through his mind before he quickly dispelled it. No way would somepony like Fluttershy drug him. He was probably just a lot more tired from working at the bakery than he realized, and the tea and massage must have pushed him over the edge. Still, the blank patch of his memory wasn’t exactly comforting, but it kind of reminded him of the time that he stayed up for a couple days straight for finals… He crashed so hard that second night that he completely forgotten when his last meal was before falling asleep.
Finally, after working his jaw to get the feeling back in his face, he felt confident enough to try talking again.
“You’re fine Fluttershy… I think I was just way more tired than I noticed… That must have been one hay of a massage…” he said, smiling calmly and turning to face the blushing mare, who was alternately looking at his face and at the bed… at least, he thought it was the bed… wait, waking up… male…
“Buck.” He said calmly, looking down to see nothing less than a full on morning glory pressing against his stomach. He quickly looked for something to cover it up with before realizing that he had wings now, and used them like a shield, looking away and blushing furiously. Fluttershy, to her credit, tried to act like she hadn’t seen anything, but the rosy shade her coat took on told a different story entirely.
Luckily, the two awkward pony’s morning reverie was interrupted by a panicked banging on the door downstairs.
“FLUTTERSHY! OPEN UP! IT’S IMPORTANT!” A raspy voice called out, the hoof banging on the door only serving to obstruct any attempts to identify the voice from the bedroom.
“I’ll be right back…” Fluttershy said, getting up from the bed. “Umm… you can use the shower across the hall if it’ll help…” She said, blushing again before hurrying out of the room and down the stairs.
Orion thought a shower would help him not only get rid of the remaining fuzziness in his head, but would also probably help with his not-so-little problem…
If there was one thing he was always thankful for, it was the fact that the showers in Equestria were at least somewhat similar to the ones on Earth. Seriously, if he’d had to relearn how a bathroom worked, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what kinds of ponies would volunteer to be his teacher…
The hot water poured over him and seemed to rinse the grogginess from his every joint. Seriously, he wasn’t sure what caused him to sleep so hard, but he was thankful for the deep rest. He hadn’t slept like that in years. As his mind wandered to other times on earth, and dreams long since passed, his entire body began to relax again; which was good, because having to deal with THAT problem first thing in the morning made relieving oneself rather difficult. As he rinsed the feather soap from his wings and stepped out to grab a towel, he was greeted by the violet eyes of one all too familiar pegasus…
Orion handled the unexpected bathroom intrusion fairly well. He only shrieked like a little girl for about five seconds, and he managed to fight the urge to pelt Rainbow Dash with a shampoo bottle long enough to call her, “stalker”, which seemed to do the trick at getting her to leave the room in a hurry.
He stood there on the bath mat, still dripping water off his coat and wings, his mane hanging down and his legs spread in a defensive stance as he caught his breath and tried to stop the crimson blush streaking across his muzzle. He looked around for the towel he’d seen sitting in a shelf nearby when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He quickly realized that when Rainbow Dash had been in there, she’d not only probably seen him showering, but she probably saw what looked like a smaller, darker leg, poking out from his undercarriage. He resisted the urge to scream in frustration before resigning himself to just toweling off and wrapping the towel around his flank for good measure.
“Am I going to be flashing everypony today?” he wondered out loud.
Outside the bathroom, there was a bit of a different mood going around.
“Holy buck Fluttershy… did you see him? I mean, you probably got more than your fair share of glances in last night, nice move by the way, I didn’t expect you to beat me to him, but holy BUCK is that stud packing!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, her words starting to blend together a bit like Pinkie Pie’s tended to.
“Rainbow… I really don’t think you should be talking about him like that. He’s a wonderful stallion, and not just a stud. Besides, I keep telling you, we didn’t do anything last night. He passed out while I was giving him a wing massage.” Fluttershy objected, trying to get Rainbow Dash back downstairs. She had barreled past Fluttershy when she heard that Orion had spent the night, and Fluttershy hadn’t been quick enough to stop her from going into the bathroom.
“A wing massage? And you guys didn’t get any further? I thought that move was like, a hundred percent effective in netting a stallion…” Rainbow Dash said thoughtfully, “But I’ll bet you wanted to do more last night, didn’t you Flutters? Come on, don’t lie to me.”
“I… I did… but I don’t know if he would feel the same… Besides, we just met recently, and I don’t want to keep him from trying to find somepony else in town before I try and keep him for myself…”
“Oh come on Fluttershy, if you want him that badly, just take him into that ‘art room’ upstairs and show him how you can use some of those toys you’ve got. You know you’ll both enjoy it.” Rainbow pressed, grinning like a madmare as she tried to get her shyest friend to open up and live a little. She may be competitive, but even she wouldn’t try and steal anypony away from Fluttershy if she liked them.
“I… I might… someday… if he’s up for it… and we both like each other…” Fluttershy admitted, blushing slightly at the thought of her and Orion in THAT room…
“That’s the spirit!” Rainbow said proudly, “And you’ll get your chance really soon. Pinkie sent me to find Orion and give him this invite.” She said, reaching into her saddlebag and pulling out a small piece of colorful paper with the word PARTY in bold print on the very front. “She also gave me one for everypony in Ponyville, but she wanted Orion to get the first one. Anyway, I was getting worried because I couldn’t find him until I checked here, but now that the first one’s delivered, I gotta fly the rest of these to everypony else. Party starts after dark, see you there!”
With that, Rainbow Dash zoomed out of the cottage in a technicolor blur, the rush of wind she generated slamming the cottage door behind her.
“What was that about?” Orion asked, descending the staircase with a towel wrapped around his lower back and stomach.
“Pinkie Pie wanted you to have this…” Fluttershy said, handing him the invitation with a wing while looking away and blushing. She could only think of one reason why he would be wearing a towel…
“A party?... Ah crap… She’s probably got the newest mods for her party cannon done too…” He grumbled, putting the invitation down on Fluttershy’s kitchen table, “So what do you want to do today in the meantime?” he asked, turning to her and removing the towel, finally confident that his… problem… had resolved itself.
“Well… I was going to take care of the animals for a bit… we kind of slept until lunch time anyway, so they’re probably really hungry… After that, I don’t know…” she answered,
“Well, I have the rest of the day off… do you need any help around here?” he offered, not wanting to just be the kind of guest that shows up and leaves without even offering something in return.
“No, that’s okay. I was happy to spend time with you last night!” Fluttershy said, blushing and looking away with a soft smile,
“Besides, I think that it might upset the animals if somepony new tried to take care of them…”
“Alright then…” Orion said, bowing his head and heading for the door, “I guess I’ll just try and find something to do around town that keeps me away from Pinkie then.”
“I wouldn’t worry about ruining any of her plans… She has a way of managing to keep a party under wraps until the last minute…” Fluttershy offered, following him outside and closing the door behind her. “And feel free to come by and visit if you want.”
“I think I’d like that Fluttershy.” He said, taking to the air and flying off into the distance, his mind drifting off to happy, foggy memories of the night before.
Orion drifted through the clouds over the town, alighting on one hovering not too far from the Sofas and Quills shop in town. He took in the surrounding area and was amazed at the various buildings that the show never really bothered with showing. There was what looked like a house sized molar in the distance, which he could only assume was the office for Colgate. There was of course the Apple family farm peeking over the crest of a hill even further from town. There was of course, Carousel Boutique, with its namesake appearance. What caught his eye the most though, was what appeared to be a shop on the street behind Sugar Cube Corner… It had a giant vinyl record stuck to the awning over the front, and a small crowd was gathered in front of it.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, touching down at the edge of the crowd.
“You didn’t hear? DJ Pon3 is in Ponyville!” a blue unicorn stallion said, looking back at him. He had a DJ PON3 logo on his saddlebags.
“Seriously? Why did she coming here?” Orion responded, craning his neck to see what everypony was gathered around. “Is she inside or something?”
“Yeah man. She’s inside signing records, shirts, whatever. And it’s really cool, cuz the last time she was in Ponyville was for that fashion pony’s show. That was at least a couple years ago.” The blue unicorn responded.
“Doesn’t she live in Fillydelphia?” Orion asked, again testing to see what parts of the canon from earth transferred.
“Well, she was born in Filly yeah, but she was raised here in Ponyville! And then she went off to Canterlot and got really famous, but it’s always something special when she comes back. She does an extra special show whenever she’s in town.” He explained, “Hey, you don’t seem like you’re from around here… but you must like music right?”
“Yeah… I love music. Who doesn’t?” Orion answered, nodding his head and looking at the unicorn in front of him, “And you’re right. I guess you could say I’m from out of the country… Name’s Orion. What’s yours?”
“Bass Beat. My folks were musicians in Fillydelphia. That’s why I’m such a huge fan of Pon3, Filly doesn’t exactly put out a lot of musicians…” Bass answered. “Nice headphones by the way. Are you going to get them signed by her?”
“Well, I don’t have anything else to do today, so I was just looking around the town. I didn’t know there was a music store.”
“Ah dude… you have to know where you can get music… Most ponies would go crazy if they didn’t have something to listen to. Tell you what, here, take this…” Bass said, handing Orion a record with his magic… The cover almost looked like some of the fan art he’d seen for some of Mandopony’s songs… The title said that it was called Broken Records and Scratched Decks
“That’s one of her newer albums. I have another copy at home, and I’m here to get her to sign my bags and her first record anyway. You got something to listen to music on?” Bass continued, quirking an eyebrow up at Orion as he examined the record.
“Uhhh… I have a crystal that I listen to music on…” Orion said, pulling the glowing stone form his pocket, his headphones still attached.
“Holy horse feed dude! Those things are insanely rare… You can’t buy them from a shop… you have to have to know someone that knows crystal kingdom magic! How far away are you from?” Bass Beat said, his eyes goggling at the sight of the crystal.
“Let’s just say it’s a bit farther away than the Gryphon Empire…” Orion answered, trying to be as vague as possible.
“Anyway, I wonder how her stuff sounds compared to the stuff I listen to usually…”
“I guarantee you dude, it’s a different experience. In fact, when it’s your turn in line, why don’t you tell her you have some music from outside Equestria? I hear she’s been looking for a different sound lately anyway. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” Bass suggested, smiling and turning back to face the front of the line, pulling out what looked like a Vinyl Scratch biography and reading it while he waited for the line to move.
As inviting as the thought of standing around for gods know how long was… Orion figured that if he wanted to see Vinyl Scratch, he could just wait until she performed at whatever concert she was here for. He felt bad about leaving Bass Beat after he’d been nice enough to give him a record for free, but then again, hospitality and kindness seemed to be almost engrained into the attitudes of the citizens on Ponyville. He took to the sky again, this time trying to scope out a place to grab a bite to eat. He’d managed to check the time against the clock tower built into the Town Hall, and sure enough, it was almost three in the afternoon and he hadn’t had a thing to eat since last night at the bakery.
There was a café near the spa, and he figured that it looked like it would be worth a try… One thing he’d learned shortly after coming to Equestria was that while ponies were biologically vegetarians, they had managed to come up with foods that sounded like they were created by an omnivore… And wouldn’t you know it; they had managed to combine two of those foods into one dish at this café.
“What would you like today sir?” a young mare asked, her prim and proper, albeit friendly, attitude accented by what looked like a serving tray for a cutie mark.
“Umm… yes, could I please get a double veggie burger with hay bacon?” Orion asked, the waitress jotting down his order.
“Would you like any sauces on that? Anything besides the bacon?”
“Oh, uh… if you could put some lettuce, onions, and a splash of ketchup, that would be great.” He answered.
“Alright then… anything to drink?”
“Just some water please.”
“Okay, that’ll be right out sir.” She said, smiling slightly and turning to saunter off to the kitchen inside.
As his mind wandered, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, a grey mare passed near to his table and sat down behind him, placing her order with the server and idly looking out at the skyline of the town. When his food arrived, Orion was pleased to see that everything looked delicious. Even though he had to admit that the heavily hay based diet of his new form took some getting used to, the flavor was actually rather good. He scooped the burger up with his wings and took a huge bite, reveling in the way they were almost able to perfectly mimic the flavor of bacon from Earth. He’d never gotten a good answer about why that was, but it was nice to have something reminding him of where he came from. As he set the burger down on his plate, he noticed a small glob of the ketchup and burger juice had leaked onto some of his primaries… and wouldn’t you know it, no napkins at the table…
“Excuse me, ma’am? Can I get a couple napkins please?” he asked, trying to get the attention of the server as she passed by his table, getting no response.
“Here, you can use some of mine.” The grey mare behind him said, hoofing over a small pile of the brown paper napkins that were supposed to be stocked at all of the tables.
“Thanks.” Orion said gratefully, looking back at the mare and smiling, astounded that there was another pony with his coat
color. He’d been told that certain colors were rare among ponies, like Luna’s, Rainbow Dash’s, and Orion’s own coat. In fact, the only other pony he could think of that shared his coloring was Octavia… but it couldn’t be……
“Um… Ma’am, can I ask your name?” he said, turning to face her again, “Sorry, it’s just that I thought you might be-”
“Octavia.” She said politely, offering him a hoof, which he bumped politely, even if his jaw was hanging a little loosely.
“Uhhh… wow… I didn’t know you were in town…” he said awkwardly. As much as the fandom seemed to build up Vinyl Scratch, he’d always preferred Octavia as a musician. “Are you here with Vinyl Scratch?”
“Ugh. Please don’t mention her…” Octavia said, pressing a hoof to her forehead, “The only reason I’m here in Ponyville is because I owed Pinkie Pie a favor, and she called it in. I’m just here for the night to perform for one of her parties. Apparently there’s a new pony in town, and she’s planning something beyond what she usually puts on for newcomers. I’m sorry, I never caught your name, what is it?”
“Orion Borealis. I think you’re here to perform at my party actually…” he admitted bashfully, “I have to admit, I’m actually a bit of a fan of yours.”
“Well, it’s good to see that there are those who enjoy good music still… I was worried that most of the ponies in this town would be too engrossed in Vinyl’s work to appreciate my own.” Octavia said, smiling softly and nodding graciously,
“Would you care to join me at my table? I enjoy solitude as much as the next pony, but it’s nice to have company every once in awhile.”
“I’d like that, thanks.” Orion said, blushing lightly and grabbing his food to change tables.
“So, Mr. Orion, why don’t you tell me about yourself… where did you move from?” Octavia asked, sipping at her drink.
“Well… it’s not exactly a place most ponies have heard of… I actually moved here rather suddenly at the invitation of the Princesses.” He said, scratching the back of his neck nervously with a wing… well, he brushed it really… it’s difficult to scratch much of anything with pegasi wings.
“Well if you’re from so far away, how do you know of my music then? I wasn’t aware my work had spread so far…” she asked, pressing him with her words. There was one thing that Octavia didn’t like, and that was secrets.
“It reaches further than you know Miss Octavia.” Orion countered, trying to dissuade her line of questions with flattery. “Besides, just because one isn’t an Equestrian by birth doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate fine music.”
“Hmmm… I suppose you’re right… So, what works of mine do you enjoy?”
Orion almost choked on his burger, the momentary panic buying him enough time to remember a rather well knows song from the fandom…
Please let this be one of those times the fans got something right! He silently pleaded, taking a drink of water and clearing his throat.
“Well… you’ve done so many pieces it’s difficult to say… actually, my favorite piece isn’t one of your solos. I liked the duet you did with Vinyl Scratch… I believe it was called Remember How We Met in Fillydelphia.”
Octavia’s face took on a small scowl, as if she’d just bitten into a lemon.
“Hmmm… Well, that was always a good seller… Can’t say I particularly enjoy it as of late though… There’s a lot of songs from that album I don’t like now.”
“Umm… if you don’t mind my asking… what’s wrong? I mean, you seem kind of upset about something… Does it have to do with Vinyl Scratch?”
“You must be the only pony in Equestria that hasn’t heard about it.” Octavia mused out loud, sipping form her cup and setting it back down on the table, frowning at the table cloth. “It’s about Vinyl and I… we had a fight… again… And I’m worried that this one will be the last. I kicked her out of the house you know. She was yelling, I was yelling, everypony on the block heard, and then she locked herself up in that room of hers and blasted her music until I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wish she’d grow up and learn to deal with things like an adult… She’s almost 26, and she acts like she’s still a school filly.”
“That sounds like it was pretty rough on both of you… Do you two fight often?”
“Not often… about once a year or so. Usually it would be over something stupid like the dishes, remembering certain dates, coming in late… This last time, I’d gone to the club she works at and I saw her with another mare… They were nuzzling right up there on stage and I lost it.” Octavia continued, looking Orion in the eye as she spoke, “I’m sorry… I don’t normally talk to other ponies about relationship things between her and me, but you seem like somepony that’s a good listener…
“Well, I can understand needing an ear to chew off every now and then. Did you at least let her tell her side of the story? It kind of sounds like you jumped the gun a little and she felt hurt that you didn’t trust her enough to be given the benefit of the doubt.”
“Oh please!” Octavia said darkly, shooting daggers at Orion, “I know what I saw… What would somepony like you even know…”
“I might not know you two personally… but I know how it can feel to be hurt by someone you care about… and I know how much the thought of being betrayed by them can play on your fears and emotions… I’m not saying that you’re in the wrong. I’m just saying that maybe it would help things between you two if you gave her a chance to explain… things might not be what they seem.” He said calmly, hopefully he hadn’t crossed some kind of line. The last thing he wanted to do was upset someone he looked up to.
“…… I think I should be going Mr. Orion.” Octavia said, scowling and standing up from her seat, “I will see you at the party, but please, don’t talk to me ever again…”
With that, she walked off out of the café, leaving Orion to stare at his half finished burger, his appetite gone…