//------------------------------// // First Day // Story: To Call the Moon My Own // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------//                     The rising sun's rays beat through the blinds and into Tony's eyes. Sluggishly he sat up and groaned, it had been a while since he slept in a bed. Aside from the one in Canterlot. His black hair was its usual mess, wild and unkempt. He pulled his legs to the side of the bed and yawned.                     " Tony!", Dan called from behind the door. " C'mon! Twilight's serving!".                     Tony let out a loud and exaggerated groan as he threw himself back. " Five more minutes", he groaned.                      " No, now", Dan playfully commanded. His footsteps receded down the hall until he was gone.                     Reluctantly Tony pulled himself out of bed. He put the shirt Rarity gave him back on and pulled on his shoes. With one last stretch he left the confides of his room and walked down the steps. He could smell, thankfully, the waft of eggs being fried. With his rumbling stomach he walked faster into the kitchen. By the stove was Twilight and Spike while Dan was leaning back in his chair.                     " Mornin' kid", Dan said.                     Twilight and Spike turned to him. " Good morning Tony!", Twilight smiled.                    " Hey Tony", Spike waved.                    " Morning everyone", Tony nodded. He sat across from Dan just as Twilight brought the plates over.                    In his plate was the near burnt eggs that Twilight attempted to make. They would have been much darker if it weren't for Spike's supervision. Next to it was a sort of strange yet familiar looking piece of food. It almost looked like...                    " Bacon?", Tony questioned.                      " What, you don't like hay bacon?", Spike questioned.                     Dan spat out his mouthful of hay bacon, both from the taste and Spike's clarification. " Ugh! That's what that is?! Tastes like, like tasty paper!", he said as he stuck his tongue out in disgust.                   " Did you guys forget we can't eat hay?", Tony asked. Twilight facehoofed then chuckled nervously.                   " It may have slipped my mind", Twilight grinned nervously.                     " More for me then", Spike chuckled as he scooped Tony's hay bacon and put it on his own plate. The result was daggers being stared at him by Twilight. " Heh, if you don't want them I mean".                    Tony chuckled as he nodded. " You can have'em Spike. It's not like I'm gonna be eating them anytime soon".                    It was all the permission he needed to toss the strips into his mouth. Tony rolled his eyes and dug in with Dan into the charred eggs. The taste was bearable, even more so with the orange juice provided by Twilight. Dan finished the last of it and he sighed in content.                   " So what are you two going to do today?", Twilight asked them. Of course, Dan shrugged.                    " Rarity said to stop by so she could make suits for us or something", Dan recalled.                       Tony remembered too, only in detail. " Yeah, something about a Gala. What's that?".                     Twilight giggled a little as she remembered the previous year's Gala. " Oh yeah. I forgot about that", she giggled. " The Grand Galloping Gala is this big party in Canterlot that celebrates Luna's return. You need invitations to attend, but it's real boring".                     " Boring party?", Dan echoed. " Guess me and you might have to change that eh kid?".                     Tony knew exactly what he meant by "change". Like when he "changed" their high school farewell party. It was the most fun Dan had, since he was drunk and all. Tony on the other hand only got to watch his drunk friend with the other classmates. The next morning, the school gym was littered with napkins, streamers, beer caps, bottle openers, and vomit. Lots and lots of vomit.                       Tony shuddered a bit as he remembered the smell. " Ugh, don't remind me. Just take it easy this time, got it?".                       " Yeah. Don't want Knickson High all over again do we?", Dan laughed.                         " So when are you going?", Twilight asked them.                        " Huh, think she's open right now?", Dan questioned. Twilight nodded. " Then best get it out of the way right?".                        " And Applejack said we should stop by", Tony remembered. " After that we can head to her house".                        " Sounds good", Dan sighed as he stood up. " Let's go then". Tony stood up and followed Dan to the door.                        " Wait!", Twilight called after them. " Maybe you should head over to Sugarcube Corner once you're all done! Pinkie wanted to show some of us a new recipe!".                           " Sure Twilight", Tony called back.                          Once the door shut behind them Twilight ran to the basement. There her assistant was carrying several bags of streamers and confetti. " One step ahead of you", Spike smiled.                         " Let's get to Pinkie's before they're done", Twilight said.                             As the two non ponies walked to the Boutique they received more strange glances. It wasn't as dramatic as the day before, but they still bothered Tony a little. Dan just smiled and waved to some while Tony just walked along. It seemed Twilight was right when she said they would warm up to them. None had run away, yet.                              They passed by Sugarcube Corner and noticed there weren't any ponies inside. Namely Pinkie Pie. They shrugged it off and kept on with their walk. Soon enough they saw the carousel ride turned dress shop. Tony took the initiative and knocked on the door.                        " Coming!", they heard the seamstress say in a sing song voice. A few hoofsteps later the door opened. " You're early".                        " Well its nice to get a head start on the day right?", Dan joked. The two stepped inside and saw dozens of manequins in the shapes of ponies.                          Tony examined the sizable inside. There was a staircase on the right of the room that led to a doorway. There was another passage to the left, wherever that led. Rarity's horn began to glow as she levitated a pair of glasses to her eyes and several fabrics.                       " Now who would like to o first?", Rarity asked.                        " Me!", Dan playfully shoved Tony out of the way. He took a boastful pose and said," My body is ready".                      The two others rolled their eyes. " Just stand straight", Rarity said. Dan complied and got out of his stance.                        Rarity levitated two sheets of orange and black to Dan. With two tubes of orange she wrapped it around his arms then made another shape to wrap around his body. She levitated a pin through the fabrics to weave them together. With a strip of black she made the collar and ran it down the middle.  Then came the pants, which weren't too hard to make.                        " Doesn't look like the shirt and pants you made", Tony commented.                        " Of course it isn't", Rarity said without turning to him. " This is only a model for me to expand on". She removed the pants and shirt from Dan and motioned for him to step back. " Now for you Tony".                      Tony took Dan's spot on the stand. Rarity set the model aside and brought two different rolls of fabric over. These were a deep blue and a dark cyan. She did the same with him except this time she made the shirt blue with a cyan collar and cyan pants. His figure was much larger than Dan's so she needed to use more. After she finished she set the outline down and removed her glasses.                     " Well I should have these done well before the Gala", Rarity chimed. " I'll have you come by in a few days to see if they're to your liking".                      " I'm sure they will be Rarity", Dan smiled. " Well we gotta go, thanks again!".                      " Bye Rarity", Tony waved. She absentmindedly waved as she got to work.                       They stepped back outside and started for Sweet Apple Acres until something dawned on them. " She never told us where it was", Dan facepalmed.                         " Let's just ask someone", Tony suggested. Dan smirked at him.                        " Okay, be my guest", he motioned formerly to an ocean green mare.                         Tony sighed and walked over to the mare. She didn't notice him since he came up from behind. He knelt down and tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and her smile faded into a shocked expression.                       " Um, excuse me. Do you know where Sweet Apple Acres is?", he hesitantly asked. Her shocked expression didn't fade as her eyes darted all over him.                        Eventually, her stare transformed into an excited and somewhat bothering smile. The next thing Tony knew, he was on his back with the mare standing on him. He eas both confused and a little frightened at how fast she did it. He would expect something like this from Pinkie Pie.                      " I knew it! I knew it! There are humans! You're a human! They called me crazy but there's a human right here!", she cheered as she bounced on his stomach.                                 " Can. You. Stop. That?", he said as she landed each time. She gasped as she realized what she did and hopped off. Dan saw the whole thing and came over.                        " Sorry about that!", she grinned nervously. When she saw Dan her excited smile returned. " There's more of you?! Oh wait till everypony hears about this! My name's Lyra! Lyra Heartstrings!".                        She shook each of their hands with exaggerated enthusiasm. " I'm Anthony, but just call me Tony", he said.                        " Daniel Fondor", Dan smiled. " Dan or Front Door works".                        Lyra nodded rapidly then laughed at Dan's nickname. " Front Door?! I get it!", she laughed. " I didn't know humans were funny! Bon Bon can suck it! Now I have two living humans!".                       Dan and Tony were taken back by her language. Most ponies didn't speak like that, but Dan was relieved he didn't have to act formal all the time.                       " So Lyra, do you know where Sweet Apple Acres is?", Tony asked again.                       " Yeah! Its on the other side of town! C'mon I'll show you!", she happily skipped away. The two shrugged and followed her.                       Along the way Lyra asked all about human culture much like Twilight. She told them how she always had a feeling humans existed and that most ponies thought she was crazy. Tony and Dan were starting to think she was right when she started asking about their hands and their anatomy. To explain it was awkward at the least, much more when she asked if there was a sheath like a stallion.                        " Is that the Acres?", Dan pointed to the fields of apple trees. Tony picked up on Dan's attempt to get away from the questions, especially since he was explaining their genital area.                       " So thanks for showing us the way Lyra!", Tony quickly said.                        " No problem! I'll see ya later!", she smiled. She cheered quietly as she skipped away like before.                        " Well that was awkward", Dan sighed.                        " I can't believe she wanted to know everything", Tony shuddered. " I don't even know much about your anatomy". Dan forgot briefly that Tony wasn't human.                         They walked towards the rows upon rows of apple trees. Tony imagined the Defili trees in place of the apple trees, what it would be like to leap from their branches again. His daydreaming ceased when he heard a loud crack echo through the trees. Being Tony, the sound startled him and instinct came in. He rolled to the nearest tree and hid behind it.                        " Uh, Tony?", Dan said. " Its just Applejack".                       Tony chuckled sheepishly as he stepped out from behind the tree. " Heh, my bad. Where is she?", he asked. Another cracking sound and Tony managed to stand still this time.                       " Down there", Dan pointed farther down the row to the orange earth pony.                        They walked over to her as she landed another buck on the tree. The apples fell into the waiting baskets below. She saw them and waved with a tired smile.                        " Afternoon fellas!", she panted. " Whatcha doin' 'ere? Ah thought Rarity needed the two a ya?".                        " We went early to see the Acres", Tony explained. " You did say to stop by yesterday".                        She chuckled briefly. " Ah guess ah did. Well this here's Sweet Apple Acres. Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and mah Granny Smith keep it goin'. Been doin' this since ah was a filly!". She landed another buck on the tree, prompting more apples to fall.                       Tony noticed how sweaty she was, and how deeply she was panting. " Need some help?", he offered. She shook her head.                       " Don't worry sugarcube, ah can handle the rest of these", she assured them, panting the whole time.                       " You sure? You look pretty worn out?", Dan said. " Come on, with me and kid helping you we could finish this way faster".                       Applejack thought about what Pinkie had told her on the train. "Just keep them busy so we can get ready!". She still had the rest of the row to finish, and even with their help she could buy Pinkie enough time to finish up.                       " Ah guess it wouldn't hurt", Applejack finally sighed. " Dan you can put the buckets under the trees before ah buck'em".                       " Roger", he mock saluted.                        " Tony, you can bring'em back t' the barn", she pointed to the red building. Tony nodded and took the baskets she had filled.                         Their routine was as followed: Dan placed the baskets under the trees, Applejack bucked the apples into the baskets, and Tony took the baskets to the barn. It let Applejack save a lot of energy and they worked three times faster. There were still lots of trees so eventually they all got tired. Except for Dan, who had the easiest job of all.                      When Tony had worked himself hardest he and Dan switched jobs. It was more Dan's idea, since Tony was still recovering and all. Even so they finished faster than Applejack and Big Mac would have.                         " Thanks you two", she smiled. " Now head on over t' Sugarcube Corner. Ah'm sure Pinkie's waitin' on ya".                        " Sure thing", Dan saluted again. " See ya AJ!".                        " Bye Applejack", Tony waved. The two sweaty men found the trail that led out of the Acres. Suddenly Tony stopped, soon after by Dan. " Wait, how did she know Pinkie needed us?".                         Dan rolled his eyes at Tony. Of course he was suspicious. " Well Twilight did say she wanted all of us to try a new recipe", Dan reminded him. " You gotta ease up kid, it's not good to be suspicious of everyone". And it's not good to trust everyone either                       Tony listened to Dan's argument and followed him. As soon as they reached the town Tony noticed something odd. There were no ponies at all. The stands were closed, the shops were closed and all of the lights in the town were off. Except for some of the street lamps but other than that nothing. Instead of questioning it he followed Dan.                     Sugarcube Corner looked just as deserted as the rest of the town. Dan ignored it and pushed open the door. Immediately Tony smelled dozens of different odors, mostly ponies and some of the desserts. The shop was pitch black as they stepped inside.                         " Pinkie!", he playfully shouted. " We're here! Mind hitting the lights?!".                        On cue the lights flicked on and dozens of loud pops rang out as everypony yelled," SURPRISE!". Literally everypony in Ponyville was in that shop. They jumped out from behind counters, under tables, from the stairs on the side and Pinkie from one of the floorboards. They weren't surprised at Pinkie's odd hiding place, counting everything she'd done before it was wise not to question it.                      Subconsciously he reached for his Daedalak and got into a more stable stance, but he only slapped his side. It was a good thing he forgot his weapon at Twilight's. He could only guess as to what their reactions would be if he pulled out a sword in front of them.                       " Wow!", Dan shouted excitedly. He read the banner that read 'Welcome to Ponyville!' and his smile grew. " All for us?!".                     " Of course silly!", she giggled as she came out from the floor. " Why else do you think Rarity and AJ kept you busy all day?".                      Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow all came over to join them. " We had to improvise on account of you leaving so early", Rarity said. " But we managed thanks to Pinkie Pie".                       " And we had Lyra slow you down by Rarity's place", Rainbow added.                        " She did kinda slow us down", Tony chuckled as he recalled the specific questions. " But I thought something was up".                       " And you were right!", Pinkie laughed as she appeared on his head. " Welcome to Ponyville!".                      Applejack stepped inside after catching up. " Am Ah too late?", she chuckled.                       " Thanks guys!", Dan smiled. They shared a huge embrace, except for Tony. " C'mon kid, you too".                       Tony rolled his eyes and joined in. It was...a new experience to say the least. " Thanks girls. This is a real nice party", Tony smiled.                        " You haven't seen nothing yet! Hit it V!", Pinkie shouted. Behind the counter a white mare with a wild mane of differently toned blue popped up and put a disc on the turntable. The music blared over the speaker system as she adjusted the knobs and cranked it up.                      " Let's party!".