//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Ponyville // Story: How I Became Rainbow Dash // by Lt Rainbow Slash //------------------------------// CHAPTER 5: PONYVILLE MY HOUSE CLOUDSDALE, EQUESTRIA OCTOBER 14, 2006 10:44 AM EST Well, at least I can consider this practice for when I have to leave home as a human. Now in Equestria, the customs are slightly different, namely, most ponies leave home and live on their own at 16 or 17, and school only goes for ten years instead of 12. My education was done (YAY F@#% school!) so I decided to leave and look for somewhere that needed a weather pony. After a few goodbye hugs, (no, contrary to popular belief, my father was not a drunkard) I trotted out the door and went a little ways. Then I opened my saddlebags and pulled out a letter Fluttershy had sent me a week ago. Dear Rainbow Dash, As you know I moved out a month or so back, I just want you to know that I found a great place to live. It's called Ponyville and the town is full of great ponies. The wildlife needed a caretaker so I volunteered and that's my job now. The otters and birds and all the others are so nice. Oh and did I mention that they need another weather pony? I know that's what you are probably going to do according to your special talent. Anyway when you move out why don't you come here? Your friend, Fluttershy P.S. I attached a map with my cottage highlighted. I put the letter back in my saddlebags and took off heading southwest, as Cloudsdale was floating above Fillydephia on the northern end of the east coast. WOHOO! Flying on my own power, that'll never get old! I thought before doing a quick loop-de-loop. I began flapping my wings faster until I was going as fast as I could go for extended periods of time. ************************************************************ A HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES LATER After an hour and a half of flying I spotted a sleepy looking village up ahead. Most of the buildings had thatched roofs and looked like swiss cottages. I flew over and landed on one of the clouds that was sitting above town. OK, let's see... I thought pulling out the map Flutters had sent me. I spotted her house on the map and looked where I showed it to be. Sitting there about half a kilometre outside of town was a cottage that appeared to be carved out of a tree, surrounded by smaller animal houses. Definitely Fluttershy's house. Hmmm...Should I or shouldn't I...Ah, Buck it. I raised one hoof and smashed it back down on the cloud, dissipating it. I put my forelegs forward in a 'superman' position with my wings tucked in and promptly plummeted straight down. About 500 feet from the deck I popped my wings and began to put on a show, doing loop-de-loops and rolls all over the sky. After a few minutes I had a considerable audience gazing up at my impromptu air-show. Oh yea! Thats it, check out the awesomeness that is ME, Rainbow Dash! After ten minutes of this I headed towards Flutters' cottage. Landing, I folded my wings and trotted towards the door. "HI!" "WHAAGH! WHAT THE BUCK!" I shouted confusedly as a pink head popped out of a bush. "Myname'sPinkiePiewhatsyournameareyoufluttershy'sfriendyournewherethatmeansIhavetothrowyouaparty!" she ranted before zooming off towards town. "Ooookkkeeeyyyy then. What the buck is up with her?" I then trotted up to the door and knocked. "Hello?" a soft voice came as the door creaked open. "Hey Fluttershy! Long time no see!" "Oh, hi Rainbow! You must have got my letter." She said inviting me in. "Yep. By the way, do you know anything about a crazy pink earth pony that talks really fast?" "Oh, you must've met Pinkie. She throws a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for everypony that is new. Rainbow? Where are you going to stay? "OH, I'll build a cloud house on the outskirts of town. It'll take a week or so, until then I'll just sleep on a cloud. It's not like it's the middle of winter or something." *knock knock knock* "Hello? Fluttershy dear, are you there?" Came a voice that sounded like it should belong to some rich mare from Canterlot. Great. If there is anything I can't stand it's rich snobs. Fluttershy trotted over and opened the door revealing a pure white unicorn with a stylized purple mane. "Hello Rarity. Why are you here?" "Oh, Pinkie was raving about how there was a new pony in town and I just had to make her acquaintance." Or maybe she just talks like that? She sounds nice and if Flutters is her friend then I guess she can't be that bad. Fluttershy told Rarity to come in and she introduced us. "Rarity, this is Rainbow Dash. I met her ten years ago on our first day of school. Rainbow this is Rarity. I met her and her friends when I moved here." "Delighted to meet you Rainbow Dash. You must stop by my boutique some time. I could make you a wonderful dress." NO way...If there is one thing other than rich people that I can't stand, it's standing still for an hour wile being measured. "Nice to meet you too." I decided I wanted to keep this conversation short. Why did I feel like I knew her from somewhere? "Hello? Fluttershy?" BUCK! REDNECK! HIDE! My brain screamed at me registering the southern accent. Did I mention I've had bad a bad experience with some rednecks before? As this went through my mind, an orange earth pony with a blond mane wearing a stetson walked through the door before I could move. "Howdy Rare, Fluttershy. And here's our new arrival pinkie was blabbering about being one of Fluttershy's childhood friends. Nice to meet ya. Mah name's Applejack. I run an apple farm a little ways from here." She said shaking my hoof vigorously. When she stopped I had my turn. "My name's Rainbow Dash. One day I'm gonna be the fastest flyer in Equestria!" I could see in her eyes that she didn't believe me at all. Meh. I'll just prove her wrong. "Well RD. Where you gonna sleep the night?" "Oh, I'm Gonna build a cloud house somewhere around town. It'll take a week. I'll just sleep on a cloud until then." Why do I feel like I know all three of them from somewhere? "OOOOOOO, a cloud house, that sounds like fun!" "WHATTHEMOTHABUCKINGHELL!!!" I yelled as I fell over after seeing a pink head shoot up behind the couch. Oh, that hyper pink pony again. All the other occupants of the room had began guffawing at my reaction to...Pinkie I think it was, popping out of nowhere. "That wasn't that funny." I muttered as I indignantly got up. "Are you kiddin' Rainbow? That look on your face was hilarious!" Replied Applejack. "Whatever." "Oh Rainbow dear, it's not embarrassing to be surprised, specially if its Pinkie Pie. Why are you here anyway Pinkie?" offers Rarity. "Oh I was just coming to invite her *Points at me* to my 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for her at Sugarcube Corner!" "First of all, my name is Rainbow Dash and second, how did you do that?" Wow, I really am starting to think more of myself as Rainbow and less as Cooper. Guess it's the relative time spent as either. I spend a day as Coop, and a year as Rainbow. What is it now? 11 days as a human, 11 years as a pony? Ya I think that's right. "Do what?" she asked snapping me out of my thoughts. "How did you get in here without us noticing?" "Don't even ask sugarcube." AJ piped up, "No one knows how she does it, ponyfeathers, I don't think Pinkie knows how she does it. She just breaks physics and the fourth wall on a whim, so don't even ask." "Uh...Ookey then." "Come on! We have to go!" The crazy pink pony yelled from the door. "Why?" I asked. "Because the future you who is writing this says so! (I'm serious, she said that and broke you-know-what so I'm writing it.) "Case of point." Stated AJ. "Pinkie Pie, you're so random!" (Ok, I realize in the show I say that a lot, but thats for a later chapter.) "Well dears, why don't we take Rainbow here for a tour of the town?" "Ah, why the heck not!" I replied. ************************************************** As we cantered towards this 'Sugarcube Corner' after my tour, I used the opportunity to learn about my three new friends. I learn that Rarity lived in a apartment above her boutique, AJ on her farm of course, and Pinkie in an apartment above Sugarcube Corner (Is that why she acts like she's high all the time?). My new friends led me through town till we got to a building that looked like a giant gingerbread house. Well, it is a bakery and confectionery shop so I guess the decor is fitting? As we enter I see what appears to be half the town inside. I also see a banner that says 'Welcome Rainbow Dash'. Wait...Pinkie learned my name back at Fluttershy's and has been with us the entire time...How did she? Ah heck wit it. 'Pinkie being Pinkie', thats what I'm gonna say from now on. The instant I walk in I see a white unicorn with an electric blue mane, wearing pink goggles, pressing a few buttons before a song started playing. I bopped my head to the beat and went about doing the thing you're supposed to do at a party: PARTY! HMMM...Why does this song sound familiar? Oh yea, this is 'Ghosts 'n' Stuff. Why is it in Equestria? I guess I'll ask the DJ. Walking up to the DJ she took off her headphones and let the song play itself for a minute. "Hey, you're the one that this party is for. RD is it?" I nodded, "Cool, I'm Vinyl Scratch, the local DJ" "Great to meet you Vinyl. By the way, what is this song called?" "Ghosts 'n' Stuff. By yours truly! Why?" "Oh, It's...It just sounded familiar." "Ok, you seem like a cool pony. You wanna hang at my club sometime?" "Sure!" "Just tell the bouncers your name, I'll have it put on the VIP list. I can tell we'll be great friends!" "That'd be great! See ya Vinyl!" I said as I walked back towards the crowd. "Hello Rainbow Dash!" A strange voice came from off to my left, "My name's Derpy Hooves, I'm the mail mare for ponyville!" Said the cross-eyed pegasus hovering beside me (Do I need to describe her anymore? Who here doesn't know who Derpy is!). "Uhhh, Hi Derpy?" Shit. That came out like wrong. I hope she just leaves it there. Luckily for for me Derpy spotted some muffins and took off towards them at a speed rivalling mine. OK, I take it she likes muffins. ************************************************** Trotting over to my four friends I thanked pinkie pie for the awesome party she had put together for me. After saying goodbye I headed up into the sky and spotted a small hill off half a kilometre east. Totally putting my house over that hill. I thought flying over to a cloud and pulling off a bed sized chunk. Grabbing my cloud I moved it to the spot of my future cloud house. Now I realize I never told you what it's like to lie on a cloud. Lets just say it's ten times more comfortable than the best mattress. Words don't do it justice. And, theres the small fact that, IT'S. A. CLOUD! Originally being human emphasizes that fact. Then next few things were simple. Stop, lay down, go to sleep. ************************************************** To sum the next week up, the only things worth writing about were: built cloud house, got job as local weather pony, hung out at Vinyl's club, and got scared to death by Pinkie popping up randomly followed by me swearing profusely at least 12 times (Oh Pinkie!). Then my routine settled into some normality until the next time September 22 rolled around......