A short while later, Applejack generously handed us her bright red toolbox from her barn. Mikey was forced to carry it, due to the fact that I had no way to. It's impossible to walk and hold things, and there's no way I was holding it in my mouth. Sure, I saw ponies carrying things in their mouths all the time, and it's a wonder why most of these ponies don't have most of their teeth broken or missing. Mikey held the toolbox by flying into the air, and slipped his hoof into the handle, which was curled around his elbow.
Mikey was surprisingly silent most of the walk, but he eventually spoke up. "So...you think Raph's alright?" He muttered. I gave him a swift nod, as I was lost in thought at the time. I was sure Raph was at the library. He was known for running off to cool down, but I knew he didn't go far. And he knew not to start trouble in a place like this. We had no idea what the laws are around here! What if he did something that is legal in New York, but not there! It would be impossible to bail him out of jail! And then what are were we going to say? 'Oh we're from another world, he didn't know any better'.
I felt my stomach growl. That reminded me. We haven't had anything to eat since we've been here. Or drink, for that matter. Twilight's tea turned into a catastrophe. To me, it seemed like I needed to get a hold of picking things up, before I do anything else. How much help was I going to be to Twilight Sparkle and Donnie if I couldn't even hold things correctly. Jeez, it's like I almost had to learn to do everything all over again.
That reminded me, I was going to have to learn how to use my swords all over again! Well, kind of. I'd either have to learn magic from Twilight, OR I'd have to use my mouth, which seems like a terrible idea, unless I could somehow learn how to use my hooves. Although using magic will most likely be more beneficial...and awesome.
Mikey and I eventually reached the Library, and to my surprise, Raph was there. He was staring over the unicorns' shoulders, eying the blueprints with a dazed and confused expression on his face. Twilight and Donnie didn't seem to be making any process. The blueprints looked almost exactly the same when I had left about an hour ago. I sighed, but I decided to ask anyways. "We got the tools. Any progress?" I asked hopefully. Donnie shook his head.
"Nope! Nothing! This is going to be impossible! Not with the resources that are in this world! There's no technology, their science is COMPLETELY different from ours, and I still don't know how to move things!" Donnie threw his hooves in the air desperately. Yeah, I knew that feeling.
"I keep trying to explain to him that it's easy. But you two are unicorns! It'd just be easier to teach you both a simple spell to move things." She stressed. Well, I guess she had a point. If I could move stuff with magic, then maybe using my hooves could always come later. At least, you know, I'd be able to properly feed myself.
"Do you think you can teach it to us sometime soon?" I replied, to which she simply nodded. Donnie started to draw on the blueprints, using his mouth, while Twilight happened to be looking at me.
"Sure. Just not right now, Donnie and I might be onto something" Twilight responded kindly, as she turned back to Donnie. Raph let out a sharp, irritated, huff of air at the way she had phrased that. Part of me wanted to leave him alone and let him be. I knew that he had indeed cooled off since his little beat down earlier, but another part of me wanted to find something else for him to do. But even if I did, I was sure he wouldn't be too thrilled, or just get in another fight. He quickly wandered into the kitchen, rubbing his stomach.
Randomly, I felt something strange. I was hit with a familiar feeling, one that I felt when I was around my brothers. But this time, it was different...This didn't feel right. It was...cold-blooded. To me, it seemed like it was a...fellow reptile?
"Twilight...?" I heard a voice behind everyone say. My brothers and I swiftly turned their heads at the new sound. At first, I didn't see it, but that was until I had decided to look down to see a stubby little...dragon?! He was incredibly short, to the point where it was almost adorable. He had a beige underbelly, and stood there with his arms at his sides. I had to keep myself from breaking out into an audible ''aww'. "Uhm...who are these guys?" He asked. Mikey trotted over him, his eyes wide with fascination, and began to rub his hoof up and down the dragon's purple colored scales. SLOWLY. His eyes were almost glowing.
"Coooool...." Mikey drawled. The reptile stepped away from Mikey's inappropriate touching and waddled over to the purple unicorn that was hard at work with Donnie.
"Some new friends. I'm helping them make a portal back to their own world." She replied, bluntly. Wow. Way to be subtle. The dragon's jaw dropped, and mine almost did the same. You can't just say it like that!
"Wait...what!?" He almost yelled. He looked back at the three of us. That reminded me, what's taking Raph so long in the kitchen?
"Boys, meet Spike, my assistant." She introduced. We all gave him an polite nod. "And yes Spike. They were brought here due to a portal malfunction. So now I'm going to help bring them back." She paraphrased. Spike was speechless. He gulped as he noticed my "cutie mark".
"W-Why is your cutie mark...swords?" He bit his claws nervously. I smiled, realizing a perfect opportunity to hassle Spike. Because, I mean, come on. Who can honestly say that they intimidated a dragon?
"Because I'm an expert in the art...and I like to cut things." I grinned. Spike's eyes widened as he took another step away from me. Just to mess with him even further, I took another step closer to my swords, which were still sitting on the table along with my brothers weapons. He let out a nervous squeak as he stumbled out of the library. Mikey was almost in tears, and I even noticed Twilight had let out a small chuckle. Classic. At that moment, Raph was walking out of the kitchen with a small sandwich. I had thought I saw lettuce and other veggies on it. Lucky...Wait. He was...holding it? Spike almost ran into my brother as he made his way out of the room. Raph shook his sandwich angrily at him.
"Watch it shorty!" He grumbled.
"Raph, how did you learn to use those!?" I asked. At first, he raised an eyebrow, wondering what the heck I meant by 'those', until it clicked in his mind. He smirked at me mischievously.
"Oh, these?" He held up his sandwich again, showing off his almighty hooves. "I see you're still having trouble? Heh." He took a large bite out of the sandwich, smacking his lips obnoxiously. Mikey looked over at him longingly. Actually, I think he was staring at the sandwich. "Practice. Guess it just goes to show, huh?" He concluded. I was really hoping that he wouldn't be the first pony to get the hang of holding things. Now he thought he's better than me, again. And now he has some sort of proof. Or what he believed to be proof. Well, whatever. When I learned how to use magic, he's just going to be upset again anyways. He quickly walked over and took a seat on his usual chair, while Twilight warned him about getting anything on the carpet, or any of her books. I didn't think she'll have to worry about the latter, considering Raph barely reads anyways.
"That reminds me, Twilight. What are cutie marks?" I finally got the chance to ask. Twilight's ears perked up, almost glad that I had said something about it.
"Oh! Right! I was meaning to tell you. Cutie marks are what all ponies get when they're young. You get them when you discover your hidden talent. It can also represent a pony's personality, their hobbies, you know." She said. Oh. That was much simpler than I would have hoped. Well, my cutie mark definitely made sense then...
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mikey, who was closest to said door, went over to answer it. He clasped both of his hooves on the doorknob, and turned them, while maneuvering his body similarly. Before the door was a fully open, it shot out. I winced as my brother was crushed between the door and the wall...I was sure he'll be fine...
Trotting through a door came a very...bright pony. At first, I was blinded, as her coat shined due to the sunlight hitting it at such an angle. "Twilight?" She spoke, just as I regained my sight. Before taking a look at her, I noticed that she had some sort of Transatlantic accent. Wait...so, there's an Atlantic Ocean here? I knew for sure I've heard her accent before! What the-
When I had finally regained my sight, my eyes laid upon a...quite beautiful pony. Her coat was a bright alabaster that shone dazzlingly, and her eyes were a bright azure. Almost like the ocean was resting right in the middle of her eyes. Her mane was a dark violet, and it was curled around her head and her horn. She sure looked good. Mikey was staring at her, dumbstruck.
"Hi Rarity." Twilight cheered, smiling at her friend. Rarity huh? Twilight had some really...odd acquaintances. Rarity went up and gave Twilight a gentle hug, before gazing at us with a weird sneer on her face.
"Twilight...who are your friend-" Before she could properly finish her sentence, Mikey was already in front of her, causing her to jump and let out a small yelp. He gave Rarity a sultry glance.
"Madam, I am Michelangelo, a fellow prodigy along with my...brothers...in the art of combat." He picked up her milky hoof and gave her a quick peck. I, along with the rest of my brothers, all dropped their jaws as if on cue. What happened to Mikey's...way of speaking? He was speaking as if he was a butler to her. "Rarity, what a name! But, if I could choose your name, Clarity would make much more sense." Rarity blushed, but then raised an eyebrow. "The reason you're so beautiful is oh so very clear."
Rarity was flushed, and I had to keep from intervening. Please tell me he was not serious. I decided to let him have his moment. Maybe this might turn out well...
"Well...I...It's nice to meet you too, Michelangelo. And dare I say you're name is rather...unique as well." She smiled back at him. Raph, once again, started to laugh at Rarity's way of tongue. But after remembering what happened with Applejack, he promptly shut his mouth.
"I must say, you are certainly a sight. Heh heh." He set her hoof down. "Surely one as gorgeous as you has to have a special someone?" Oh man, it was getting harder and harder to contain my laughter. I had no idea how Mikey managed to keep a straight face throughout this.
Rarity was now a bright crimson, and I saw Donnie and Twilight both roll their eyes, unamused. "I...I'll have to be honest and say that I haven't though much about having a special somepony..." She brought a hoof to her mouth and giggled, almost as if she was flirting back with him. She batted her eyelashes at him.
And just like that, Mikey reverted back to his old ways. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a marshmallow?"
The sound of a loud "SMACK" was heard all throughout the library as Rarity huffed loudly and slapped him across the face. "How rude!" She hollered, as Mikey fell to the ground, groaning. Smooth. Well at least now I knew that two of my brothers were stupid enough to get taken out my two different female ponies. Rarity continued to slap him at least two more times until she felt that Mikey had received her point. Mikey wallowed in pain on the ground.
While that happened, my brothers and I all introduced ourselves to the new unicorn. Apparently, she was a fashion designer here in Ponyville. Neat. Well, that might explain her cutie mark, which was three blue diamonds. She was actually a very kind pony, after speaking with her for a little bit. Raph was smart, and kept his distance from her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to even say a word to her with her 'funny accent'.
Twilight explained that we weren't from this world, and everything and that she was helping us try to get back. Rarity let out a surprised, and extremely dramatic gasp. Raphael growled to himself at the sight of her. Well, once again, we came across another pony that Raphael as a problem with. What else was new?
"Oh, that's simply horrible!" She gasped. "If you ever need me to help, just say the word!" Everypony, save for Raph, again, gave her a confirming nod. I wondered just how many friends Twilight had? It wasn't fun having to make acquaintance with Twilight's friends. Especially since we were going to be leaving soon anyways.
I hoped.
***
It was starting to get dark, so Raph finally thought up of something to do. He decided to train. Seeing as now he could hold his sais now, he needed to adjust his fighting style to that suitable for ponies. I didn't know what or whom we'd fight there, but it's better to be safe than sorry, I guess. Barely saying goodbye, he walked out into the darkness, grumpily. Well, good riddance.
"No offense, but Raphael is kind of...uhm...how should I put this...?" Rarity tried to search for the correct word, putting her hoof on her chin and looking at the ceiling quizzically.
"Impatient?" Said Mikey, holding up a hoof.
"Hot Headed?" I chimed.
"Rude?" replied Donnie.
"Uhm...right..." Rarity stated, as she gave everyone an apologetic smile.
"No worries. He's always like that." Donnie muttered. Even still, him and Twilight were barely making any progress. They weren't even close to getting the blueprints finished. My hopes were slowly starting to deplete. Donnie was actually doing pretty well trying to hold himself together during all of...whatever this was.
"If you boys would like, you can spend the night here." Twilight offered. Spike, who was just now standing near her, and as far away from me as physically possible, opened his mouth to give a rebuttal. But Twilight gave him that look that just screamed, "shush, you have no say in this", causing him to instantly close his mouth again. He gave my brothers and I a nervous glance.
Rarity was kind enough to make everyone dinner, which was mainly a small bowl of salad. Finally! I was starving! Mikey and I eagerly dove in, thanking the ivory unicorn for the delicious meal.
For the first time in hours, Donnie stood up. Stretching all of his limbs comfortably, before coming to join us for the meal. "Don't worry about it, darling!" She replied. I had to admit, the salad was EXTREMELY good. I mean, probably the best salad I've ever had. Even though it had absolutely no sauce of anything on it. But eh, food was food. I was not going to be judgmental at a time like this.
Twilight proceeded to get our living arrangements ready. All of us had to sleep in the library with the books. I actually thought that that was a good idea, so Raph would know what was going on when he decided to come back. Also, it was fairly close to the kitchen, and I tended to get up once or twice in the night. Spike wasn't very happy, considering that that was where his bed was. I promised him that I wouldn't do anything to him through the night, although I was sure that goes without saying.
Twilight went on to tell me that we will be waking up at around 7:30 the next morning, to which Mikey groaned dramatically. She explained to him that that is when most ponies wake up anyways due to the fact that most ponies work then, and reminded him that this world is not his world, and things were not always the same. So, since we had to get up early, we went to bed fairly early as well. Somehow, the purple unicorn had had blankets that each matched our masks, to which she handed them out accordingly. It was at this point that Rarity took her leave, waving a hoof goodbye. She told us that she would love to stop by again tomorrow to chat. Well, that sounds lovely. Although Mikey wasn't too thrilled.
"Night boys." Twilight called as she wandered up the stairs to her room.
"G'night." Everyone in the room called. Everyone, save for Spike, had to sleep on either a recliner, a cot, or the floor. Lucky enough for me and Donnie, we took the floor. I convinced my brothers to be generous and give Raph the recliner. He's been through a lot today. You know, being kicked and all.
Actually, scratch that. We've ALL been through a lot today. Eh, either way. I was sure we'll be back home soon. This was so strange. For once, I was going to sleep in absolute silence. No cars, no subway trains...nothing. It was like a whole new feeling. It made me realize that...wow...this place is very different from home.
I'm not quite sure I liked that.
***
I awoke with a start later that night in a warm sweat. Wow, it was hot in there. The air under my blankets almost felt like they were just heated up by a furnace. I quickly tossed off my blankets, letting the warm air hit my overheated body. It felt heavenly, that was for sure. I almost felt like going back to sleep without the cover.
But, I didn't think I could. I sat up, looking at my surroundings. I furrowed my brow at the fact that there were only two other individuals in the room. Spike was sleeping soundly in his tiny bed, and Donnie was snoring next to me on the floor. Hm, that was odd. The recliner and the cot were both empty. Where was Raph and Mikey? I glanced at the clock, which read approximately 3:30 AM. With a grunt, I decided to investigate. I slowly got to my feet...hooves...whatever.
"It's too early for this..." I mumbled to myself, now extremely cold. I think somepony must have left a window open during the night. I had no idea how Donnie manages to stay comfy. This was ridiculous.
A sudden clang caused me to jar my head towards the kitchen. The light was on, illuminating a little bit of the library. I took a good guess at who that could possibly be. Dammit Raph, stop eating all of Twilight's food. I cantered over to the kitchen, rubbing my eyes as I stood in the doorway. The kitchen was extremely bright, and my eyes weren't very happy about it.
"What's going on?" I asked as I finished rubbing my eyes. Behind the counter, Mikey and that one mare from earlier, Pinkie Pie, froze in their tracks like they were both deer caught in headlights. They were wearing large, white chef hats, and Pinkie had some sort of italian mustache on her lip. They were both covered in flour, but not only that. It was all over the walls, the countertop, even the floor. Mikey had a soft, flat piece of dough in his hooves, while Pinkie Pie was holding a jar full of a red sauce, along with a whole bar of cheese.
"Uh...want some?" Mikey said, rather awkwardly. Pinkie Pie simply smiled at my appearance, once again oblivious. How can she be this cheery so early in the morning? Does she even sleep?
"Good morning, silly! We're making this thing called pizza! Mikey said it's really good! Just take cheese, marinara, dough, veggies and some other things and boom! Instant pizza! Hehe! Mikey didn't know how to even hold the ingredients so I taught him everything I know! Isn't it great Leo? Do ya wanna help us? Do ya? Do ya?" She spasmed as she continued to speak a mile a minute. Great, now even Mikey can hold things before I can. He simply shrugged sat Pinkie's hyperactivity.
"Yeah. I got a little impatient when it came to waiting until we got back for pizza. Heheh." He admitted. "I guess that's what you call a slice of life?" He laughed obnoxiously, the pink party pony giggled along with him. I didn't even think that that is what "slice of life" means anyways! Mikey needs to get a little more literate.
"Oh Mikey, even I found that a little cheesy!" Pinkie cheered. I sighed loudly, not even wanting to question their thinking, or adoration for horrible puns. As I began to walk away, Mikey and Pinkie began to sing a small tune and they tossed the dough into the air.
Was Raphael still...training? That's weird. Something's up, that's for sure. His sais were still missing when I went to stick my swords on my back, once again having to use my mouth. Hey, you never know what kind of ponies lurk around late at night. Back in New York, being caught outside in the middle of the night was almost a death sentence. It couldn't hurt to at least arm myself, even if I didn't really know how to use them in my new form. No one's going to mess with a strange pony carrying swords, right?
Reluctantly, I trotted out the door into the frosty morning air. It was unbearably dark, and part of me wanted to go back inside and grab a flashlight. Ugh. Twilight has to teach me basic magic soon. And by that, I meant as soon as possible. Because this has got me a little discouraged. The crickets chirped loudly as my nose was filled with the scent of dew. There were few clouds in the sky, which would cautiously drift by, covering the moon and making the night even darker than it already was.
The wind's chill inched its way up my spine, making me shiver furiously. I was never one for the cold. I tried to think, where would Raph go? He barely knew the area. After giving it a brief thought, I had a pretty good idea.
It took me a minute to find it again, by eventually I went to the hill that my brothers and I first looked down from when we first got there. Surely Raph was here. It's peaceful, quiet, and there's no one to bother you there. That's what I'd imagined anyways. The closer I got to the top of the hill, which must I say was a very large hike, I heard a loud grunting, followed by a thick "thud". It happened about once every ten seconds. I'd know that grunting anywhere. Well, I found him.
I gazed at him from the top of the hill. His back was faced towards me as he stared down one of the many apple trees scattered around the landscape. Through the darkness, I noticed that many of the surrounded trees where covered in scratches and tiny little holes.
With another grunt, Raphael brought himself up to his hind legs, holding his sais in both of his hooves. Well, I didn't know ponies could stand on their hind legs. That could definitely come in handy. Er, hoofy. That kind of sounded stupid. Anyways, he ran at the tree and stabbed it with his stronger, left hoof. While he brought his right hoof around and repeatedly slashed the tree, like it was a long forgotten war enemy. When Raph hit the tree, a few apples fell down from the branches, almost hitting him in the head.
"Raph? You alright?" I spoke softly. I knew he was having another one of his fits, for one reason or another, so I decided to be gentle. Raph didn't turn or even acknowledge me. He just backed up and charged again, carving another mess into the poor tree. Many ponies were going to be upset about this..."Raph?" I called again. This time, he actually turned his head. Upon the sight of me, he gave an angry grimace before turning back to the mangled tree.
"Go away." He seethed, backing up to go at the tree for a third time in the last minute. I let out a sigh. Well, obviously it was me that did something. He suddenly started to chuckle to himself, almost grimly. "Big brotha coming to check on his younger kin. How cute." He ran at the tree, stabbing and slashing it at an even more harsh velocity. I'd hate to think about what he was imagining that tree to be.
"Come on back, Raphael. It's late." I sighed. He just shook his head.
"No. I'm training. Now I'ma tell ya one more time, get out of here." He breathed angrily. I almost felt the will to oblige, almost. But I knew if I left it wouldn't be solving anything. He'd just continue to hate me. Now was a better time to talk to him than ever.
"Raph, you and I need to talk." I replied sternly. Narrowing my eyes at my brother. Raphael, sure, he was bigger than me, but he wasn't stronger.
"Leo," He sang, obviously trying to keep his cool. "You're starting to piss me off." I bit the inside of my cheek. Ugh, I hoped this wouldn't end in a fight. I took a step towards him. Raph took this as a challenge, and raised his sais at me in his usual fighting stance. Say this did end in a fight. Considering how he was the only one of us who's actually done some sort of training in their new form, I wouldn't stand much of a chance.
"Come back to the library so we can talk. It's dark, and it's probably not safe out here." I argued. Raph replied by staring at me for a quick moment, before falling back down to his hooves, setting his sais in his holster. He looked at the ground, and let out another sharp scoff.
"You know what your deal is?" I raised my eyebrow. "You're starting to break." I felt my eyes widen at what he had just said. Break? What is that supposed to mean? "With everyone trying to get home, trying to keep everything under control, I can tell, Leo! You're losing it!" He suddenly hollered.
I've never thought about it. Breaking? I was...not broken!
"Raph! Enough of this! Come back!" I shouted, trying to get his words out of my head.
"You may be the leader back in our world, and I'll give ya credit, ya give me a run for my money. But here, you ain't top-scout no more! You're a weak, and stupid freaking unicorn!" He pointed his hoof at me. "And this will be where I prove myself. Don't you see?" His face twisted into some sort of smile, a demented one. One that really put me off. "This is a chance to start over! I can finally have my chance!"
"Raph!" I threatened once again. He responded by getting on his hind legs, taking out his sais and pointing them at me, all the while gritting his teeth.
"What're you going to do about it, bro?" He breathed. I simply stood there, weighing my options. But I knew it was useless. Without saying a word, I turned around. I had no choice. I really didn't. Raph's words were stuck in my head now. As Raph let out a hearty laugh, he charged at the tree again, making another loud "thud".
Was I really breaking?
Unbeknownst to me, Raph and I were not the only ponies on the hill that night...